Main Characters
Mikado Ryūgamine
- Online Alias: “Tarō Tanaka” (田中太郎?)
- A first year high school boy who moved to Ikebukuro with the encouragement of his best friend, Masaomi Kida. Mikado (竜ヶ峰 帝人 Ryūgamine Mikado?) moved in order to search for unusual beings and adventure. His greatest fear is having a normal life. Mikado tries hard to change his image but so far he has not had any luck, although he does get up enough courage to become the Class Representative along with Anri. Mikado has had moments where he speaks his mind, and Masaomi claims to admire this about him. He is the only remaining creator of the infamous Dollars. He seems to be infatuated with Anri Sonohara, but has never found a chance to tell her. Whenever he is close to confessing, she leaves. Mikado often gets advice from Izaya, particularly in relation to the Dollars and his need to seek out a life that isn’t ordinary. He is the leader of Dollars, and in the continuing novels – also becomes the temporary leader for the Blue Squares contracting with Aoba in the Durarara!! Novel 6. In that novel, Mikado reveals his ‘true self’ or ‘true character’, a more darker side to himself. When Kida returns in Durarara!! Novel 7, Mikado warns to him keep away from his affairs.
Masaomi Kida
- Online Alias: “Bakyura” (バキュラ?)
- A resident of Ikebukuro and Mikado Ryūgamine’s best friend from childhood. He was the one who encouraged Mikado to come to Ikebukuro. Masaomi Kida (紀田 正臣 Kida Masaomi?) is enthusiastic about picking-up girls, but he seems to fail at it. He was depressed and lonely before Mikado arrived because his girlfriend was kidnapped and injured during a gang war between the Blue Squares and Yellow Scarves, which he led at the time during his middle school years. After Anri is injured during the Slasher incidents and the rising presence of the Dollars, he is forced to become the leader of the Yellow Scarves once more. Because he had once been the ‘shogun (leader)’ of the Yellow Scarves, he possesses a talent in fighting- it has also been implied that he had killed many people during his ‘shogun’ years. He despises Orihara Izaya for manipulating him when he first formed the Yellow Scarves, but returns to him again for information about the leader of the Dollars and discovers it is Mikado. He leaves Ikebukuro with his ex-girlfriend, Saki Mikajima, during the conflict between the 3 main forces in Ikebukuro. Masaomi has commented on not letting Mikado “go to the dark side”, claiming that he has already gone through it. He returns in Volume 7, but fails to face Mikado when he witnesses Mikado confessing to Chikage that he is actually the founder of Dollars – but Chikage dosen’t believe this, of course.
Anri Sonohara
- Online Alias: “Saika” (罪歌?)
- A spectacled girl who attends the same school as Mikado and Masaomi. She is the class representative along with Mikado. Anri (園原 杏里 Sonohara Anri?) is rather quiet and timid and seems very close to Kida and Mikado, but she tends to keep to herself. Though she knows Kida and Mikado’s feelings for her, she considers herself unable to feel “love” towards either of them. She is very busty and cute, which makes her somewhat popular, even though she feels uneasy about it. She feels as if she needs to rely on somebody to move on, and thus considers herself a parasite. Instead of Niekawa Haruna, Anri is revealed to be the real owner of the blade “Saika”. She has shown great control over it as she is not possessed by it. This is due to a traumatic experience during her childhood, when her mother killed her abusive father and then herself with Saika. Her inability to love negates Saika’s “love” for humans and thus makes Anri able to control the blade. She seems to be a skilled swordsman, being able to handle Saika with great skill. After defeating Haruna, she gained control over the “Saika-children” that Haruna created. After a talk with Celty, she decides to use this ability for the best of the city. Anri also becomes aware of Kida’s identity of the leader of the Yellow Scarves, but does not understand why he has taken the position.
Celty Sturluson
- Online Alias: “Setton” (セットン?)
- The heroine of the series. Also known as “The Black Biker” or “The Headless Rider”, Celty (セルティ・ストゥルルソン Seruti Sutururuson?) is a Dullahan from Ireland who came to Japan looking for her stolen head. Her motorcycle is actually a horse in disguise. She has no heart and perceives via unknown sensors that are not located on the head. The physical strength she possesses is above human, though not quite on par with Shizuo Heiwajima. She is also capable of manipulating a shadow-like, durable substance to form objects ranging from gloves to chariots at her will.
Celty lives with Shinra Kishitani, and the two are romantically involved. She works as an underground courier. She wears a helmet when she goes out and communicates via a PDA. She enjoys online chatting, television and DVDs. She is one of the minority who knows the creator of the Dollars and that Anri is in control of Saika. Over the course of the series, her relationship with Shinra intensifies; eventually, she says that she is in love with Shinra. She has a habit of punching Shinra in the stomach whenever he talks about his love for her. She tends to get mad when Shinra says she does not need her head. Despite being a supernatural creature, she is afraid of extraterrestrials and has developed a fear of traffic officers as they started pursuing her frequently. Her biggest fear, however, is that if her head is destroyed, the same may happen to her. She is a member of Dollars.
Izaya Orihara
- Online Alias: “Kanra” (甘楽?) and “Nakura”
- A young man who sells information for his own enjoyment and is behind the most relevant events in the series. Izaya (折原 臨也 Orihara Izaya?) claims to love the entire human race except for Shizuo Heiwajima, and exhibits said love by putting humans in often miserable conditions and observing their reactions. He is a master of parkour, and also quite skilled with his flick-blade, as he is implied to be the only one capable of leaving numerous cuts in Shizuo’s bartender suit after a fight in the novels. In the anime, he shaves a gang member’s head bald without him noticing it. At the beginning of the series, Izaya suspects that Mikado is the creator of Dollars, which is proven correct, and knows the identities of the leaders of the three main forces in Ikebukuro. Izaya, himself, is a member of Dollars and is responsible for recruiting members after Mikado stopped sending out invitations to Dollars. He is usually seen pretending to be female online and talks in a feminine manner in the chatroom. His motivations for his actions is not entirely clear, though one of his main goals is to create a war in Ikebukuro that will “wake up” Celty’s sleeping head.
In the past, Izaya attended Raira Academy with Shizuo, Shinra and Kadota. According to Shinra, Izaya and Shizuo hated each other with a passion almost from the point they met. In the novels, Izaya framed Shizuo for crimes on several occasions. In the anime he gives Shizuo constant problems, from daily attacks from gangs to framing him for crimes. Izaya also has two younger sisters, Mairu and Kururi, who are twins and troublemakers.
His name comes from a combination of the biblical Isaiah and Japanese for “the one who looks over the crowd”.
Shizuo Heiwajima
A blond young man who is always seen wearing sunglasses and a bartender’s suit. Although quiet and nondescript while not angered, Shizuo (平和島 静雄 Heiwajima Shizuo?) has a very short fuse and fights with incredible strength, though he claims he hates violence. Despite his simple and unrefined fighting skills, namely his use of road signs, trash cans, and vending machines as weapons, he is considered the strongest fighter in the series. In the novels his power is described as the naturally unlimited form of human strength and likened to “adrenaline power” that can give people superhuman strength in times of emergency. In addition, Shizuo is capable of often superhuman parkour moves, a skill he obtained naturally from years of hunting down Izaya Orihara. He is also a member of Dollars.
Shizuo works as a bodyguard for a debt collector in Ikebukuro and carries intense animosity towards Izaya. He has a younger brother, Kasuka, who is a top idol under the showbiz name of Yuuhei Hanejima. He is also a long-time acquaintance of Celty. Although he and Izaya Orihara are on bad terms, Shizuo is actually well-acquainted with Izaya’s younger sisters, Mairu and Kururi.
His first and last name translates literally into “serene man” and “peaceful island” respectively.
Shinra Kishitani
- Online Alias: “Indoor Scholar”
- A young underground doctor who lives with Celty and is also in love with her. Shinra (岸谷 新羅 Kishitani Shinra?) stays indoors mostly, and wears a white lab coat even when not working as a doctor. Shinra’s father is also a doctor and Shinra has participated in surgeries with his father since childhood, most notably a vivisection on Celty. Shinra attended to the same primary school as Shizuo, and has since then been interested in his unlimited strength in times of anger. In fact, he rather enjoys it when Shizuo makes use of his strength and is amused by the fights between Shizuo and Izaya. He and Shizuo first met Izaya in middle school, after which Shinra has been friends with Izaya since then.
Shinra is well-informed with news of Ikebukuro’s underground, such as the location of Celty’s head and the sword ‘Saika’ which allowed Celty’s head to be severed from her body. Despite knowing this, he keeps a secret from Celty out of fear that he will lose her if she finds her head, as the head may have a different will than Celty herself.
Shinra seems to have the “capacity” to tell what Celty is feeling, much to her surprise since she doesn’t have a head to show her emotions. He has a great interest in unexplainable phenomena.
His online screen name is revealed to Anri in one chat.
Aoba Kuronuma
- Online Alias: Suspected to be ‘”Pure Water 100%” (純水100%?)
- Introduced in volume 4 of the Durarara!! novels, Aoba (黒沼 青葉 Kuronuma Aoba?) is 1st year student in Raira Academy. He has a bright personality and is always seen smiling – calling Mikado ‘Mikado-Senpai’, but has also a darker side to him. He’s described as being akin to “a younger version of Orihara Izaya”. He is revealed to be the Blue Squares current leader – but gives the position to Mikado for yet unknown reasons. Aoba seems to fear Mikado a little, since the incident in Volume 6, where Aoba is stabbed in the hand by a ballpoint pen he gave Mikado when they performed the agreement. He thinks while doing this: ‘Orihara Izaya, have you realized this? I and you, we’ve probably both underestimated Mikado-sempai. Even with what you and I already know about him…it could turn out that sempai…… Had far from shown us his true character.’
It is revealed in the more recent chapters that in his elementary school years, his older brother – [Introduced later in the novels] Izumi Ran who is around 20 year old now, abused him for his own amusement, so Aoba in return, created a fire in Ran’s bedroom for ‘revenge’, and Ran taking the blame as the adults thought the fire started from his cigarette. After their parents’ divorce, Aoba went to live with his mother and changed his surname from Izumii to Kuronuma. A few years later, he formed Blue Square and ceded its leadership to Ran. Although, when Aoba first mentions Ran in the novels again, he calls him ‘Aniki’.
His name “Kuronuma Aoba” translates to “Black Pond” and “Young Leaf” or “Green Leaf” respectively. “Izumii” – his former last name before his parents divorced – translates into “Fountain” as in a fountain of water.
Supporting Characters
Simon Brezhnev
A tall Black Russian who came to the city to help out his Russian friend who runs a sushi shop. His real name is Semyon (Russian: Семён) but everyone just calls him by the name “Simon” (サイモン・ブレジネフ Saimon Burejinefu?). Even though he is a friendly person, it has been shown that he is a force to be reckoned with as he is able to stop a fight with a man his size with just a single arm and also able to fight on par with Shizuo, who is one of the most feared men in Ikebukuro. He is another member of Dollars.
Kyohei Kadota
Originally part of the Blue Squares, he is now a member of Dollars. Kyohei Kadota (門田 京平 Kadota Kyōhei?) was nicknamed Dotachin, much to his annoyance, by several characters in the series (mostly Izaya and Erika). He quits the Blue Squares after finding out their leader kidnapped Saki Mikajima and subsequently rescues her along with his gang. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko light novelist Kadono Kōhei.
Walker Yumasaki
Like his female friend and companion, Erika, Walker (遊馬崎 ウォーカー Yumasaki Wōkā?) is a very passionate otaku and manga reader. He and Erika are nearly always together, and it is implied, on occasion, that the two are romantically linked. He also likes to perform torture by letting the victim to choose a light novel or manga, and carrying out the contents.
He seems to be carefree. He also keeps a wide dumb smile most of the time. But this smile can hide more than people can see at first glance. He was also a member of Blue Squares but quits with Kadota. He helps save Saki Mikajima after she is kidnapped by the Blue Squares by setting the kidnappers’ van on fire and escaping with her in Saburo’s van. Like Erika he is very mysterious person. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko light novelist Masaki Okayu.
He is a member of the anonymous online gang Dollars and Kadota’s gang.
Erika Karisaqa
Erika (狩沢 絵理華 Karisawa Erika?) is a very passionate otaku and manga reader. She and Walker are usually together, and it is implied, on occasion, that the two are romantically linked. She is equally enthusiastic about manga or novel inspired torture. It is noted she is a fujoshi or a Boys Love fan. Like Izaya, she calls Kadota “Dotachin”. She is a member of the anonymous online gang Dollars and Kadota’s gang. She was also a member of Blue Squares.
Her name is a reference to the Dengeki Bunko light novelists Mamizu Arisawa and Erika Nakamura.
Saburo Togusa
A member of Dollars. He is the driver for Kadota’s group. Saburo Togusa (渡草 三郎 Togusa Saburō?) can very mad when his van is being damaged, but when it was Shizuo who grabbed his van’s door, he could not do anything. The famous singer Ruri Hijiribe is his goddess. He was also a member of the Blue Squares, but quit with the others. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko novelist Soichiro Watase.
Seiji Yagiri
A classmate of Mikado’s. Seiji (矢霧 誠二 Yagiri Seiji?) quits school claiming he has something more important to do with his life – to find his “love” and run away with her – and seems to rely on his sister’s money for that. It is revealed that he is in love with Celty’s head. After learning the truth of Mika’s surgery, he decides to accept her love.
Namie Yagiri
The Chief of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals and sister of Seiji Yagiri. Namie (矢霧 波江 Yagiri Namie?) harbors feelings for her brother. She is behind the recent human hunting in Ikebukuro which involves kidnapping people whose disappearance would not be noticed for unknown experiments. She seems to rely on Shinra for some tasks, including keeping their secret. She doesn’t like the fact that Seiji is in love with Celty’s head. She wants to get rid of what she calls “that thing”. After Yagiri Pharmaceuticals ends up merging with another company, she makes a deal with Izaya and becomes his secretary.
Mika Harima
Seiji’s stalker. Mika (張間 美香 Harima Mika?) is a friend of Anri whom she has been looking for as she has disappeared from her home. They were very close to each other but they also used each other to look better. While stalking Seiji, she broke into his apartment and discovered Celty’s head. Seiji attacked her, and called his sister, Namie, after believing that he had killed Mika. Namie made Mika undergo surgery to her badly-beaten face and added a “scar” to make it appear as though Celty’s head had been surgically attached. After confessing the truth to Seiji he accepts her and is with him since then.
Shingen Kishitani
Shingen (岸谷 森厳 Kishitani Shingen?) is the father of Shinra. He constantly wears a gas mask, claiming that the air in Tokyo is filthy. His personality ranges from childish for comic relief to intimidating, especially when in front of Izaya and Namie. He offered Celty a place to stay in exchange for being able to dissect her, to which she agreed. Izaya claims that Shinra acquired his twisted personality from Shingen. It is revealed that he was the one who stole Celty’s head, using the demon blade “Saika” to sever the soul that connected her head and body. He later sold the sword to an acquaintance who was an antiques dealer, Anri’s deceased father, while giving Celty’s head to Namie’s uncle. He claims that his higher-ups are now more interested in Celty herself than her head.
Mairu Orihara
- Online Alias: ‘Mai’
- Mairu (折原 舞流 Orihara Mairu?) is the younger sister of Izaya and twin sister of Kurui, who she is allegedly in an incestuous relationship with.
Kurui Orihara
- Online Alias: ‘Mai’
- Kurui (折原 九琉璃 Orihara Kurui?) is the younger sister of Izaya and twin sister of Mairu, who she is allegedly in an incestuous relationship with.
Other Characters
Kinnosuke Kuzuhara
Kinnosuke (葛原 金之助 Kuzuhara Kinnosuke?) is, according to Shinra, a motorcycle policeman known for dealing with the most troublesome characters. He has been sent to Ikebukuro to deal with Celty, and he thinks of her merely as a monster. He is very proud of the Police and of himself for warning Celty not to mess with them. He is known to be very persistent, as he and his men were able to follow Celty for a whole evening, something which eventually tired and scared her.
Saki Mikajima
- Online Alias: ‘Mai’
- Saki (三ヶ島 沙樹 Mikajima Saki?) is a girl who has a godlike idolization of Orihara Izaya. She approaches Masaomi under Izaya’s instructions and becomes Masaomi’s girlfriend. Later Saki lets herself be abducted and injured by Blue Square under Izaya’s instructions. Blue Square members Kadota, Yumasaki and Karisawa betray their gang and save Saki, who is immediately hospitalized after having both of her legs broken. After the dispute between the Yellow Scarves and Dollars, she leaves with Masaomi to work under Izaya.
Kasuka Heiwajima
Shizuo Heiwajima’s younger brother. Kasuka (平和島 幽 Heiwajima Kasuka?) is a famous actor under the alias “Yūhei Hanejima”. In Vol.3, Shinra explains to Celty the link between Kasuka’s true name and showbiz name: the “Hane” in “Yūhei Hanejima” can alternatively be pronounced as “Wa” and “Yū” as “Kasuka”; as such, “Wa-jima-kasuka-hei” is an anagram of “Kasuka Heiwajima”. He was scouted to debut after saving the life of a talent scout from Shizuo, who apparently did not appreciate being talked to by that talent scout. He plays a more prominent role in Vol.4, when he meets the killer called “Hollywood”.
