Oculus
Oculus |
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| Japanese | オクルス |
| Rōmaji | Okurusu |
| Statistics | |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair Color | Pink |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Status | Active |
| Debut | |
| Anime | Episode 5 |
| Portrayal | |
| Japanese | Tesshō Genda |
| English | Jeremy Schwartz |
Oculus (オクルス, Okurusu) is a major character in Death Parade, serving as the creator of the arbitration system that governs the judgment of souls. He holds the highest known position in the hierarchy of arbiters and supervisors, surpassing even Nona in authority.
Oculus oversees all the floors within the afterlife facility, maintaining the balance and integrity of the judgment process across each level. He is regarded as the being closest to God, though it is implied that he is not God himself. Despite his seemingly cheerful and eccentric personality, Oculus is highly intelligent, watchful, and deeply committed to preserving the system he created especially its foundational rule that arbiters must not possess human emotions.
Appearance

Appearance in Anime
Oculus is portrayed as a slender elderly man with a distinctive and unusual appearance. He wears a simple outfit consisting of a collared shirt with violet stripes, violet shorts, and a pair of pale brown slippers, giving him a casual and unassuming look despite his immense authority within the arbitration system.
His facial features are marked by black irises with striking neon green, cat-like pupils, which give him a mysterious and otherworldly aura. He wears pince-nez glasses to assist his vision, enhancing his scholarly and observant attitude.
One of his most notable physical features is his light pink hair, accentuated with yellow highlights, which is styled to resemble an open lotus flower. In contrast, his goatee is shaped like a closed lotus bud, creating a symbolic visual contrast that adds to his enigmatic presence. This unique design reflects his elevated status and possibly hints at his philosophical role in the judgment system.
Personality
At first glance, Oculus comes across as a playful and eccentric elder, resembling a lighthearted, grandfather-like figure. He often spends his leisure time playing galactic pool, particularly with Nona, and shows visible discontent when the idea of playing with anyone else is brought up. This seemingly quirky and harmless attitude, however, conceals a much deeper and more philosophically rigid worldview.
Beneath his cheerful exterior, Oculus holds a near-nihilistic perspective on life, death, and judgment. He firmly believes that empathy and the meaning of life are concepts only relevant to beings capable of dying, which excludes arbiters from truly understanding the human condition. As the creator of the arbitration system, he enforces the principle that arbiters must remain emotionless, as he deems humans unfit to judge other humans due to the inherent subjectivity and emotional bias tied to mortality.
This philosophy places him in direct opposition to characters like Decim, whose growing emotional understanding challenges the very foundation of Oculus’s beliefs. Though he rarely displays overt malice, Oculus remains deeply suspicious of emotional development in arbiters, seeing it as a potential threat to the stability of the system he built. His calm, almost whimsical persona makes his unwavering adherence to cold logic all the more unsettling.
Background
As the creator of the arbitration system, Oculus plays a foundational role in the structure of the afterlife. Though his exact origins and powers remain unclear, he is revered as the highest-ranking entity in the realm. Despite his immense power, Oculus does not frequently interfere with the day-to-day judgments carried out by arbiters like Decim or overseers like Nona. However, his occasional presence signifies a looming authority that even the most powerful characters must respect.
Abilities
Oculus possesses a unique and mysterious ability that reflects his elevated status within the arbitration system. He can extend the lotus-shaped goatee on his chin to read the memories of others, allowing him to peer into their past experiences and thoughts without requiring verbal confirmation or participation.
This ability grants him deep insight into individuals, making him highly observant and nearly omniscient within his domain. It further emphasizes the symbolic nature of the lotus motif in his design representing knowledge, enlightenment, and hidden depth. His power serves not only as a tool for surveillance and oversight but also as a reminder of the imbalance of authority between him and those beneath him, such as arbiters like Decim and supervisors like Nona.
Despite the subtlety of his power, it underscores his role as a being who operates beyond traditional limits, observing and maintaining the system while holding the potential to intervene at will.
Relationships
Nona
Oculus often plays galactic pool with her and seems to enjoy her company, although he becomes wary of her when she challenges the status quo. Their relationship fluctuates between that of an old mentor and an authoritative superior keeping a watchful eye.
Decim
While Oculus does not interact with Decim frequently, he becomes indirectly involved due to Decim’s growing emotional depth and Nona’s involvement in that transformation.
