Kō Murakami

This page is about the character. For other uses, see Kō Murakami (disambiguation).

"It's always like this. Learning from others and then the group leaves. Even this time, all I did was learn Arafune's theories, but I didn't go through any hardship. I just steal everyone's hard work with my Side Effect."

- Kō Murakami to his teammates in Suzunari First (chapter)

Kō Murakami is the No. 4 Attacker and a member of Suzunari First.

Appearance
Murakami is a lean, light-skinned teenager with large, hooded brown eyes, short-to-medium spiky gray hair pushed upwards from a widow's peak (which leaves his forehead uncovered), and thick, arched eyebrows the same color as his hair.

His uniform is comprised of a forest green shrug jacket with vertical black stripes at the sides of the sleeves and a horizontal black stripe around the collar. The jacket is split into two parts, covering his arms, shoulders, parts of his ribcage and back on either side. The two sections are connected by the collar, two thin straps on the front, and one on the back. Border's logo is emblazoned at the top of each sleeve; the latter of which, unlike his teammates, reaches only halfway down his forearms. (In later chapters, the sleeves appear longer.) The uniform is completed by a black shirt with one vertical green line running along each side, beige pants, and brown boots that reach below the knees.

Personality
Murakami is disciplined, diligent, and honest. He does not hesitate to sacrifice himself out of loyalty to his comrades, especially for his teammates. Dedicated to his mission, he'll courageously take on onerous tasks so that others will not have to. Very polite in speech and conduct, he does not shrink from owning up to his mistakes. Despite the high standards he sets for himself, he is not arrogant, self-righteous or uptight, as can be seen most clearly by his interactions with Kageura.

In the past he used to loathe his Side Effect, which he saw as causing him to steal other people's hard work, but thanks to Kuruma and, indirectly, Arafune, he began to see it as an ability that allows him to be a pillar his squadmates can rely on.

Quotes

 * (To Tatsuya Kuruma) "Don't worry. I know my limits."
 * "Three at once is pretty exhausting. But... if I take them all on, no one else has to deal with them."
 * "Even if I can't defeat them, I'll keep them occupied for as long as I can!"
 * (To Yōsuke Yoneya) "I wanted to see the rookie Attacker who cut down Arafune. As well as the team whose strategy forced him to draw his Kogetsu."
 * (To Yūma Kuga) "I'd jump at the chance to fight you firsthand. But... I have two conditions. One. We have a ten-round match. Two. We take a 15-minute break after five rounds."
 * (To Yūma) "Human brains organize and internalize information they've learned while they are asleep. My brain takes that function to the extreme. Enhanced Sleep Learning. That is my Side Effect."
 * (To his teammates) "It's always like this. Learning from others and then the group leaves. Even this time, all I did was learn Arafune's theories, but I didn't go through any hardship. I just steal everyone's hard work with my Side Effect."
 * (To Kuruma) "I'm sorry, Kuruma. They made the first move. I'll take care of the opponents on this side."
 * (To Taichi Betsuyaku) "Wait a second, Taichi. Once this is done, I'll swim over if I have to."
 * (To Yūko Kumagai) "I can't let myself be defeated by something you just threw together."
 * (To Yūma) "Sorry, but I don't have time to play with you."
 * (To Yūma) "Don't stare too hard. Or he'll snap at you too."
 * (To Yūma) "I'm sure you'd get along. When I fought against you the other day, I felt like you guys were similar."

Trivia

 * "Kō" (鋼) means "steel", or alternatively "hard, strong, tough"; "Murakami" (村上) literally means "upper village".
 * "Murakami" is also the 35th most common Japanese surname.
 * Murakami likes zaru soba (chilled soba), white rice, and self-discipline.
 * The author joked in his profile that his forehead is exposed because he puts a lot of effort in everything he does, a trait he shares with other disciplined characters, such as Kazama, Kitora and Kizaki.
 * Murakami shares his voice actor with Rinji Amatori.