Kurusu

Kurusu is emotionally detached, unpredictable and fascinated by violence. Where most survivors respond to ZQN with terror, he takes obvious pleasure in confronting and killing them.

He also behaves with a childish disregard for conventional morality. The people following him online assign grand significance to his survival and his statements, but Kurusu does not behave like a disciplined religious or political leader.

His detachment extends to other humans. Loyalty to his group does not necessarily restrain him, making his extraordinary physical ability dangerous even to people who regard him as their protector.

Kurusu possesses physical abilities far beyond those of an ordinary human. His encounter with infection does not produce a conventional ZQN transformation; instead, he retains his intelligence while developing exceptional strength, speed and regenerative ability.

These abilities let him fight infected opponents directly at close range and survive damage that would incapacitate or kill an ordinary person.

Later events establish that Kurusu is not unique. Takashi and Scoop no Otoko display related anomalous responses to infection, and the word "Kurusu" develops into a broader label associated with humans who resist complete ZQN transformation.

Kurusu first enters the narrative indirectly through information circulating online. Survivors discover footage of him and message-board discussions in which his followers proclaim him a symbol of the world that will emerge after the outbreak.

The story later follows his community directly when Takashi asks the group for rescue. Kurusu, Kowashi and Danieli extract him from Kuki and take him toward the hideout.

Kurusu's increasing violence eventually turns inward as well as toward ZQN. After a series of confrontations involving Takashi and Scoop no Otoko, Takashi emerges victorious and takes over the Kurusu identity. The name subsequently functions less as the identity of one man than as a title associated with a new kind of infected survivor.

Takashi Ezaki is rescued by Kurusu and initially enters the community built around him. Takashi Ezaki later develops similar anomalous abilities, fights Kurusu and assumes the Kurusu identity after defeating him.

Scoop no Otoko seeks out Kurusu because he resents the fame attached to Kurusu's anomalous survival while his own experience went unnoticed.

Kowashi works with Kurusu during the rescue of Takashi and within the survivor network.

Haruki is one of the young residents living at the hideout established by Kurusu's followers.