Ganta Igarashi, whose birth name was Maruta, was conceived as part of his mother Sorae Igarashi’s involvement in human experimentation. Sorae, a scientist working on advanced genetic research, intended to use Ganta as a test subject to further her studies. However, shortly after his birth, her maternal instincts awakened, causing her to regret her decision. Meanwhile, Hagire Rinichirō, a leading figure in the experiments, eagerly anticipated continuing their work with Ganta. Despite Hagire’s enthusiasm, Sorae’s guilt led her to make a drastic decision she procured another child, Shiro, to take Ganta’s place as the subject of their brutal experiments.

While growing up in the research facility, Ganta became close to Shiro, forming an innocent childhood friendship. He complimented her white hair and often played with her, unaware of the horrific torture she endured at the hands of his mother and Hagire. Due to this, Shiro would sometimes lash out at Ganta in pain and confusion, which he struggled to understand. On one occasion, after she accidentally broke his Aceman doll, he rejected her in anger. However, after she saved him from a rabid dog, their friendship strengthened.

There were moments when Shiro unintentionally hurt Ganta due to her unnatural strength. Despite this, Ganta’s resilience impressed her, as he always tried to stand back up. They celebrated his birthday together each year, as Shiro did not know her own birth date. As part of their tradition, they would exchange handmade gifts from Sorae, who remained deeply conflicted about her role in Shiro’s suffering.

One day, while searching for Shiro, Ganta accidentally stumbled into a hidden laboratory, witnessing firsthand the gruesome experiments she was subjected to. By this time, Shiro had already developed her second personality, the Wretched Egg, a violent and unstable alter ego created as a result of her suffering. Ganta was horrified as he watched the Wretched Egg massacre the researchers, sending him into shock. In the chaos, he dropped his Aceman doll, triggering Shiro’s original personality to momentarily suppress the Wretched Egg, preventing her from killing Ganta.

Realizing the danger, Sorae sent Ganta away to live with his father, hoping to shield him from the truth. She begged him to forget everything about Shiro and the research facility. Overcome with trauma, Ganta suppressed all memories of Shiro, claiming that he did not know who she was.

After leaving the research facility, Ganta started a new life with his father. As he grew older, he enrolled in Nagano Middle School, where he formed a close friendship with Mimi and Yamakatsu, becoming part of a seemingly ordinary school life. In 2023, one year before the start of the series, Ganta and his classmates took a trip to a water park, marking what seemed to be a normal childhood memory before his life would take a drastic turn.

Ganta Igarashi is a young boy with short black hair and bluish-gray eyes. His relatively small and slender physique emphasizes his initial frailty, especially in contrast to the hardened inmates of Deadman Wonderland. Throughout the series, his appearance remains largely unchanged, aside from the noticeable physical toll of his experiences, including injuries sustained during battles. His youthful features and stature make him seem out of place within the brutal prison environment, further highlighting his role as an unlikely protagonist forced into a world of violence and survival.

At the beginning of the series, Ganta Igarashi is an ordinary and naive middle school student, living a peaceful life with his friends. However, after being falsely accused of massacring his classmates and sentenced to Deadman Wonderland, he is thrust into a cruel and unforgiving environment. Initially, he is confused, frightened, and overwhelmed by the brutality of the prison, struggling to comprehend the sadistic rules enforced by the facility. His first instinct is to follow the prison’s rules and avoid conflict, but as he is exposed to Tamaki’s tyranny and the prison’s horrific reality, his resolve to fight back and seek justice begins to grow.

Ganta’s desire for revenge is a driving force throughout much of the series. He is fixated on avenging his murdered classmates, believing that killing the Red Man the true culprit will bring him peace. However, as he spends more time in G-Ward, where Deadmen are forced to fight for entertainment, he becomes even more horrified by the twisted system that governs his new reality. Witnessing Tamaki’s sadistic Punishment Games and later experiencing the betrayal of Scar Chain by Rokuro, Ganta spirals into a desperate rage, determined to protect his remaining allies while seeking retribution. His anger sometimes leads him to act impulsively, cursing and lashing out in moments of emotional distress.

Ganta also experiences deep moments of despair, particularly after the death of Owl, which leaves him feeling powerless and convinced that his actions are meaningless. His fear of failure pushes him into a state of depression, believing that nothing he does will ever change the cycle of suffering. However, Senji (Crow) helps him realize that fear is not a way to live but rather a loop that keeps one trapped. This lesson reignites Ganta’s resolve, making him understand that while he cannot change the past, he can still shape the future by protecting his friends and putting an end to Tamaki’s reign.

Beyond his desire for vengeance, Ganta deeply values his friends and allies, showing great loyalty and kindness toward those he trusts. As the series progresses, it is revealed that he has strong feelings for Shiro, though his emotions become conflicted after learning she is the Wretched Egg, the very person responsible for his suffering. Believing that killing Shiro is the only way to free her, he becomes trapped in emotional turmoil. However, once again, Senji guides him, reminding him that he cannot make such a decision without understanding her first. In the final confrontation, after learning the truth about Shiro’s past, Ganta matures significantly, realizing that rather than killing her, he wants to save her from herself.

By the end of the series, Ganta has grown into a much stronger and more resilient person. While he still experiences fear, he no longer lets it control him. Instead, he has developed the courage to face the irrationality of his world head-on, acknowledging his fears while refusing to be consumed by them.

Enhanced Endurance
Throughout the series, Ganta displays remarkable endurance, surviving injuries and traumas that would incapacitate or kill an ordinary person. From a young age, he has endured cuts, deep wounds, anemia, severe beatings, chest stabbings, electrocution, and multiple attacks from Branches of Sin, yet he continues to fight through pain and exhaustion. His ability to withstand such extreme physical punishment plays a crucial role in his survival within Deadman Wonderland.

Unyielding Resolve
Alongside his physical endurance, Ganta possesses strong integrity and perseverance, allowing him to push forward even in the face of despair. Initially, his goal is purely revenge-driven—he seeks to kill the Red Man as retribution for his murdered classmates. However, as the series progresses, his motivation shifts toward protecting his friends, especially Shiro, and putting an end to Tamaki’s reign of terror. His resolve enables him to defeat stronger opponents, survive seemingly impossible situations, and develop his abilities beyond their original limitations.

Branch of Sin: Ganta Gun (丸太・ガン, Ganta Gan)
As a Deadman, Ganta wields a Branch of Sin, allowing him to manipulate and weaponize his own blood. He originally gained this ability after the Red Man implanted a red crystal into his chest, awakening his latent powers. The Ganta Gun is his primary technique, in which he collects blood in his right hand and fires it like a projectile, resembling a bullet.

To activate his ability, Ganta bites his thumb to draw blood, which he then channels into his palm before firing. The power and speed of his blood bullets depend on the amount of blood he uses, he can compress his shots to increase their destructive force. When using both hands, he can fire more rapidly and enhance the strength of his bullets, strong enough to launch himself into the air. His bullets can also ricochet off surfaces, allowing him to change their trajectory mid-battle.

Ganta first awakened his Branch of Sin on his first day in Deadman Wonderland, when he was nearly crushed by a falling boulder. His sheer will to survive and avenge his classmates triggered his latent abilities, enabling him to destroy the boulder with a Ganta Gun blast.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the Ganta Gun is blood depletion. Since his Branch of Sin relies on his own blood as ammunition, excessive use leads to anemia, leaving him physically drained and vulnerable. Unlike close-range Branches of Sin, which allow for controlled blood usage, Ganta’s long-range abilities prevent him from conserving blood, making it easier for him to overextend himself.

However, through training with Senji (Crow), he eventually overcomes this weakness, improving both his firing speed and efficiency, allowing him to fire multiple rounds with a lower risk of anemia.

Supersonic Ganta Gun
During his training with Senji, Ganta develops a faster and more efficient version of his standard attack: the Supersonic Ganta Gun. By condensing his blood into a thinner, more aerodynamic projectile, he significantly increases the speed and piercing power of his shots. This technique allows him to fire multiple rounds in rapid succession, effectively transforming his Branch of Sin from a cannon-like attack into a machine gun.

A key advantage of this version is that it reduces the amount of blood required per shot, minimizing the risk of anemia. It also allows him to penetrate Worm Eater-based defenses, which were designed to counteract Deadman abilities.

Branch of Sin: Ganbare Gun (頑張れ・ガン, Ganbare Gan, lit. “Do Your Best” Gun)
During his battle with Azuma Genkaku, Ganta unconsciously unlocks a more powerful and destructive version of his Ganta Gun, known as the Ganbare Gun. This technique enhances both the speed and force of his bullets, making them significantly more lethal. When using this ability, black patterned lines (red-pink in the anime) spread across his body, indicating an increased output of energy.

The Ganbare Gun’s projectiles expand upon impact, rapidly exploding, causing massive destruction. However, this technique comes with a major drawback, it requires an enormous amount of blood, increasing Ganta’s risk of passing out from anemia. Over time, Ganta gradually overcomes this weakness, improving his control over the technique and reducing its negative effects.

The overuse of the Ganbare Gun caused severe burn marks on Ganta’s body, starting from the red crystal implanted in his chest down to his elbow. Additionally, the ability began slowly killing him, as repeated use put immense strain on his body, leading to chest pain and internal damage.

Loss of Deadman Powers
After his final battle with Shiro, the red crystal in Ganta’s chest is shattered, causing him to lose his Deadman abilities permanently. While he is no longer able to wield his Branch of Sin, he emerges from Deadman Wonderland as a stronger and more resolute individual, no longer solely defined by his powers or his thirst for revenge.