Hiroto Sakurai

Sakurai is sensitive, insecure and deeply affected by guilt. The abuse he suffers leaves him angry enough to desire revenge, but experiencing the reality of killing another person changes his understanding of what he has done.

He consequently develops a strong desire for redemption. Sakurai repeatedly chooses to intervene when other people are threatened, even when doing so places him in serious danger.

His relationship with Sakata gives him both a teacher and an older companion capable of understanding abilities that isolate him from ordinary people.

Sakurai possesses powerful psychic abilities taught to him by Sakata. He can exert telekinetic force on objects and people without physical contact, including attacks capable of inflicting severe internal damage.

He learns remarkably quickly and eventually becomes capable of applying his powers during battles against Gantz targets. Unlike conventional hunters, he can fight effectively without relying entirely on Gantz weapons.

Using the abilities heavily places strain on him, however, and their lethality forces Sakurai to confront moral consequences that ordinary combat techniques do not allow him to ignore.

Sakurai first contacts Sakata after relentless bullying leaves him contemplating suicide. Sakata teaches him how to access his psychic abilities and initially encourages him to retaliate against his tormentors.

Sakurai uses those powers to kill the people who abused him but quickly becomes horrified by what he has done. When Izumi begins the Shinjuku massacre, Sakurai convinces Sakata that attempting to stop him offers them a chance to atone; both are killed in the confrontation and enter Gantz.

Sakurai subsequently fights alongside the Tokyo team and continues trying to use his abilities to protect rather than murder. His repeated experiences of loss increasingly test that commitment to redemption.

Kenzo Sakata is Sakurai's mentor and fellow psychic. Kenzo Sakata teaches him how to unlock his abilities and becomes the person who most fully understands the burden attached to them.

Tonkotsu becomes Sakurai's girlfriend after meeting him during one of the darkest periods of his life. His relationship with Tonkotsu gives him a strong connection to ordinary life and reinforces his desire to become a better person.

Shion Izumi becomes Sakurai's enemy during the Shinjuku massacre, when Sakurai and Sakata attempt to stop his killing spree.

Joichiro Nishi later provides Sakurai with information about the approaching Katastrophe and other developments surrounding Gantz.