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Kusatsu (草津 Kusatsu), inmate number 923, is a supporting character of the Nanbaka Web Manga. He is an inmate in Nanba Prison, where he is held in cell one of building thirteen, along with Fuji-san.
Appearance[]
Kusatsu is a well-built man of average height. He has a lightly tanned skin tone and straight, moss-green hair, alongside black eyes. On his right leg is a prominent scar that is allegedly the remains of his ID number which he removed himself.[1] His nails are moss-green.
Kusatsu wears a black inmates' jumpsuit with three-quarter length legs, worn open at the top to reveal white bandages around his torso. Over this, he wears a dark blue haori with black trimming. He also wears brown sandals.
Personality[]
Like his cellmate, Kusatsu loves baths and will happily welcome anyone who enjoys baths and follows the rules. However, in the past he was a highly violent individual who showed no hesitation in beating others to the brink of deaths for failing to follow bathhouse rules, resulting in his arrest and imprisonment.[1]
In the present, he is known as a peaceful and level-headed person, widely referred to as a Senpai among younger inmates. He is noted to be a well-behaved inmate who respects others. Despite this, he still becomes angered when people fail to follow bathhouse rules, though he now only retaliates with harsh lectures.
Background[]
Kusatsu was arrested for trespassing and digging up a private hot spring. Sent to prison, he would break out if the bathing conditions weren't up to standards, often with Fuji-San. Eventually, the two became demanding and aggressive to the point of brutally attacking those who disrespected bathhouse rules. Additional rumors surrounding Kusatsu and his cellmate suggest that they removed the tattoos of their inmate numbers because they didn't receive their lucky numbers; in Kusatsu's case, he allegedly burned his off his leg with hot metal and had to be restrained to stop him from causing serious harm to himself.
Many years before the start of the series, Kusatsu was in a jail where he was visited by the Man with the Scar, who was interested in his immense heat durability and performed multiple tests on him to see just how much he can withstand. The jail had him do things like carry around red hot irons and stick his hand into boiling oil. He ran away after they said they wanted to set him on fire.
The Man with the Scar mentioned to Kusatsu about a series of arson cases where the culprit was seen controlling the flames]], which was the reason why he was so interested in him, curious to see if Kusatsu was completely fireproof.
When he transferred to Nanba, both Fuji-San and Kusatsu were chosen to represent Building 13 during a New Year's Tournament. When Building 13 won, they had a high-quality bath installed in the prison.[1]
Plot[]
Part Three[]
As part of a long-term agreement, Kusatsu enters building thirteen's bath during the first bath slot. There, he is joined by Jyugo, Uno and Rock who he welcomes to join him. However, as they do so, he quickly attacks Jyugo for attempting to get in the bath with a towel on, having to be restrained by Rock while he threatens to kill him. Calming down, he apologizes before turning the discussion to Jyguo's shackles. Concluding that they can't be removed, he and Fuji-San characterize it as suspicious and joke about having them torn off.[2]
Later, Kusatsu appears at the first bath slot once again where Nico thanks him and Fuji-San for having the bath built. As they briefly return to the kitchen for food, other inmates discuss the dangerous rumors surrounding them. Returning to the bath, Kusatsu questions why Jyguo, Rock and Uno are so intimidated by them.[1]
Trivia[]
- Kusatsu shares his name with a town in Gunma Prefecture, which is famous for its hot spring resorts.
- His name is also a reference to his ID number, with ku meaning "nine", sa meaning "three" and tsu meaning "two".