Tetsuko Kurokawa

Tekko is outspoken, emotionally volatile and far more willing than Hideo to confront problems directly. She cares about him, but years of watching his career stagnate have left both of them frustrated.

She has her own ambitions within manga and therefore understands the difference between wanting to become successful and actually producing work that can survive professionally. Her admiration for Korori's ability becomes a recurring source of tension with Hideo.

Alcohol worsens her volatility, and arguments between the couple often expose insecurities that neither handles particularly well while sober.

Tekko has professional experience as a manga assistant and has pursued manga creation herself. She therefore understands the practical work behind serialized comics rather than approaching the industry only as a fan.

She has no established combat training or survival specialization before the outbreak.

After contracting the ZQN infection, Tekko displays the abnormal strength, persistence and repetitive behavior associated with infected people. Fragments of her attachment to Hideo nevertheless remain visible even after the transformation.

Tekko is central to Hideo's ordinary life before the disaster becomes undeniable. Their deteriorating relationship establishes his insecurity and fear of professional failure before those anxieties are overwhelmed by the outbreak.

The strange incidents spreading through Tokyo soon reach Tekko directly. She becomes infected after being bitten and transforms in her apartment. When Hideo returns, their encounter forces him to accept that the impossible events outside are real.

Although the infected Tekko attacks Hideo, traces of her previous feelings remain. Her transformation becomes one of the first indications that ZQN behavior can preserve distorted pieces of a person's former identity.

Hideo Suzuki is Tekko's boyfriend. She genuinely cares for Hideo Suzuki, but his insecurity, career problems and jealousy create repeated conflict between them.

Korori Nakada is Tekko's former boyfriend and former colleague. Her continued admiration for Korori Nakada's talent makes Hideo deeply insecure.