Neku Sakuraba

Grew up... happy and well-adjusted. However, after his best friend died in a car accident while rushing to meet him, a guilt-ridden Neku fell into a deep depression and cut himself off from the world.

Living... in Shibuya. This section of Tokyo is known for its vibrant local fashion and music scenes. However, despite being surrounded by people, Neku remains isolated.

Visiting... the Underground. After mysteriously dying, Neku wakes up in this alternate plane of reality along with other souls stuck in limbo. Here, he cannot be seen by regular citizens of Shibuya, but he can still interact with them in other ways.

Profession... contestant in the Reapers’ Game. During this week-long competition, dark supernatural beings called Reapers judge the worth of humanity by forcing lost souls like Neku to complete missions before they run out of time.

Interests… listening to music, alone. Neku constantly wears over-sized headphones to listen to his favorite music. They also let him drown out the noise of the annoying people around him.

Relationship Status... single. Neku is a loner who “doesn’t get people,” even back when he was (completely) alive. As he says, “Who needs friends! They just laugh and talk like idiots, and pretend to agree with you... So you end up caring about them.” However, the Reapers’ Game requires partners, and while working together with new friends like Shiki, Joshua, and Beat, Neku starts to come out of his shell.

Challenge... coming back to life. Surviving the Reapers’ Game is the only way Neku can return to the world of the living and figure out how he even died in the first place.   

Personality...  anti-social. Neku can’t stand being around people, and although he won’t admit it, it’s because he is afraid of being hurt again. He’s a typically moody teenager forced to do some emotional growth in a very uncommon situation.