Yuzuru Ema

"It's just... I don't want her to be ruined like Hatohara."

- Yuzuru Ema

Yuzuru Ema (ユズル) is a B-rank (formerly A-rank) Sniper and a member of Kageura Unit.

Appearance
Ema is a light-skinned boy of average build. He has thick eyebrows and medium-length, messy light brown hair that falls over his green eyes. His short stature and soft features caused Natsume to mistake him for a younger kid at first. His clothes are usually quite plain, and he appears to like wearing dark, long-sleeved shirts under a light sweater, which he keeps open.

Ema's uniform is comprised of a double-breasted, black military jacket which folds over the right side, where the coat is fastened by a vertical row of five buttons. On the wearer's right breast are two piped patch pockets closed by the same flap, and a second pair recurs at the height of the wearer's abdomen. The logo of Kageura Unit is emblazoned on each sleeve rather than on the jacket's high collar, as is the case for his teammates. Gray plain button epaulettes adorn the jacket's shoulders. The attire is completed by light gray cargo pants with a piped patch pocket and a zipper on the front of each leg, and black combat boots.

Personality
Ema is generally very aloof and quiet, with the exception of the occasional blunt remark. He does not hesitate to speak up when displeased and to openly tell someone that he dislikes them. However, he can become flustered when interacting with Chika and when others so much as hint at his crush on her, a subject which causes his usual detachment and frankness to fail him. His straight-forwardness and confidence can cause him to be unwittingly rude even when he has good intentions, such as when he implied to a tableful of people, including Yūma, that Tamakoma Second would not be able to beat his unit unless he threw the match.

Ema can be possessive where Chika is concerned, becoming jealous when Oki seemed to be flirting with her and being visibly displeased to learn that Natsume also knew about her unwillingness to shoot others. He strongly disagrees with the prevailing mentality according to which agents incapable of attacking other humans are worthless, in all likelihood due to his admiration and affection for Hatohara.

Despite his high level of skill and solo ranking, Ema slacks off during joint training, nor does he watch the logs of his upcoming opponents in rank battles. However, his desire to protect Chika caused him to become interested in joining the away mission, which in turn prompted him to approach rank battles much more seriously.

Chika Amatori
Chika and Ema first met at joint Sniper training after round three, and Ema quickly developed a crush on her, blushing when she complimented him at the end of practice, although he was in denial about his feelings at first. The way he spoke about Hatohara's inability to shoot others prompted Chika to confess her own unwillingness to do so, unaware that he would be her opponent in the following match. She sees him as a friend she can rely on, and she enjoys training and brainstorming ideas for rank battles with Natsume and him, as they are all the same age. Ema also likes spending time with her and, despite technically being rivals, told her about Hatohara's idea of combining Lightning and Lead Bullet to allow her to be active in combat when she shared her fear of being a burden to her teammates, reminding him of his mentor. Eventually, he considered throwing round seven so that she would be able to join the away mission; however, his resolve later changed into the determination to join the expedition team himself, which he previously had no interest in, to protect her himself. Ema has on occasion manifested light symptoms of jealousy, being visibly vexed by Oki's flirtatious behavior and displeased that Natsume also knew about her mental block. Chika addresses Yuzuru by his first name followed by the honorific -kun, whereas he is more formal, using her surname and appending the honorific -san.

Mirai Hatohara
Ema is very fond of his master, whose skill he places above Tōru Narasaka's and Tōma's in spite of her inability to shoot others. It is implied that she apologized to him for being useless after she and later her whole unit were dropped from the expedition team due to her mental block, an interaction which still weighs heavy on her pupil's heart. Ema is unaware that she supplied Triggers to civilians and set out on an illegal exploration of the Neighborhood, instead believing that she quit Border following her removal from the expedition team. Her misadventure arguably played a part in his opposition to the widespread notion that an agent who cannot injure others is useless and in his distaste for her former teammates. Since her defection, Ema has refused to acknowledge anyone else as his mentor. He refers to her by her surname followed by the honorific senpai, while she uses his first name and no honorific.

Masato Kageura
Ema is part of Kageura's unit and circle of close friends whom he treats to meals at his family's restaurant, although Ema may on occasion pay for his own. Ema's laid-back bluntness irritate the Attacker from time to time, who may snap at the Sniper for having an answer for everything, although his frustration is light-hearted. Similarly, despite the initial shock, Ema did not appear to harbor any hard feelings over Kageura revealing his crush on Chika to a tableful of their friends, including one of her teammates. Although the two generally share a relaxed approach to rank battles, Kageura was opposed to Ema's intention of throwing round seven for Chika's sake, which not even Kitazoe was privy to. When, following Arafune's intervention, Ema became determined to win, Kageura took his resolve to heart and attempted to fight in an unusually strategical way to improve their chances of winning, his poor performance throwng him into a slump. Initially unaware of his teammate's intentions, Ema showed concern over it, and was then touched upon discovering why Kageura had been so motivated. Kageura promised Ema to continue to try hard to ensure his acceptance in the expedition team. The Sniper refers to his captain by his nickname followed by the honorific -san.

Hiro Kitazoe
Ema and Kitazoe are teammates and friends. The two hang out together on occasion, and with the rest of Kageura's closer circle of acquaintances. Kitazoe cares for the Sniper, tearing up in happiness of the thought of him having a girlfriend and expressing concern over his decision to throw the match against Tamakoma Second out of fear that he would be punished, a decision of which the Gunner was unaware until Kageura shared it with all his friends. Ordinarily, Ema is more nonchalant about rank battles than Kitazoe, who was impressed and pleased to see the Sniper motivated to secure a spot in the upcoming away expedition. Kitazoe addresses Ema by his first name, without honorifics, while the Sniper appends the honorific -san to his nickname.

Hikari Nire
Ema and Nire are teammates and part of Kageura's circle of close friends. She shares with Kitazoe an interest in rank battles that normally exceeds Kageura's and Ema's, which might cause her to come at odds with the Sniper, albeit in a very light-hearted manner. He is vexed by her habit of making a fuss about bringing guests to the unit's strategy room, especially if they are girls. Nonetheless, the two enjoy a good relationship, with Nire at least suspecting that he has a crush and privately rejoicing that he is making the most of his youth. She is responsible for inviting him to join the unit and may behave with the cheeky familiarity of an older sister around him. They address the other by their first name.

Isami Tōma
Tōma considers himself Ema's mentor, which however the latter denies, vehemently proclaiming that his only teacher is Hatohara. He acknowledges Tōma's skill, although he believes Hatohara's to be higher. The two often practice side by side during joint training, both fooling around instead of following the directions of the exercise. Ema is occasionally annoyed by Tōma's more cheerful brand of casualness, and may move his belongings without his permission, but the two appear to be on good terms nonetheless, hanging out together as part of Kageura's circle of close friends. Tōma addresses Ema by his first name, while his alleged pupil uses his surname.

Izuho Natsume
Natsume met Ema at the same time as Chika, and was immediately mesemrized by Ema's accuracy. Although he was disappointed to discover that Chika had also told her about her unwillingness to shoot others, Ema and she ended up becoming friends. He also helps her improve as a Sniper. Natsume intuited that he had a crush on Chika seemingly before he even realized, and she enjoys teasing him with cryptic remarks from her vantage point. Ema addresses Natsume by her surname while she uses his first name, neither adding an honorific.

Yūma Kuga and Kō Murakami
Ema, Murakami, and, more recently, Yūma are part of Kageura's group of friends and hang out together at his family's restaurant on occasion.

Akane Hiura
Ema and Hiura seem to be on good terms, with the latter being impressed by his accuracy. She consistently noted that he ranked low in joint Sniper practice, but did not know it was due to him slacking off until Narasaka pointed it out to her. They began to practice side by side afterwards, together with Chika, Natsume and Tōma. She addresses him by his surname.

Tetsuji Arafune
Arafune gave Ema advice on the matter of the away expedition, possibly suggesting that the two are close enough for Ema to be willing to share his dilemma and his crush with Arafune. Arafune addresses Ema by his surname without appending an honorific.

Kōji Oki
Ema and Oki might be on good terms with one another, since Oki addresses the younger Sniper by his first name, without honorifics. However, Ema was bothered by Oki's flirtatious behavior around Chika both because he was making her uncomfortable and out of jealousy, and told him to stop, which surprised Oki. Even on that occasion Ema addressed him respectfully, appending the honorific -senpai to his surname.

Ninomiya Unit
Ema dislikes the members of Ninomiya Unit, openly telling its captain as much. It is likely that he blames them for Hatohara's defection, unaware that she left to explore the Neighborhood, which, conversely, they know about. Masataka Ninomiya addresses Ema by his surname, without honorifics, while Sumiharu Inukai refers to him by his first name and the honorific -kun.

Quotes

 * (To Isami Tōma) "My only mentor is Hatohara."
 * (To Hiro Kitazoe) "Zoe, good luck running away."
 * (To Masataka Ninomiya) "I just don't like you guys."
 * (To Chika Amatori) "Can you come with me for a bit...? I might be able to help..."
 * "It's just... I don't want her to be ruined like Hatohara."
 * (To Kitazoe) "It's because our squad does not intend to join the away team. And if someone wants to do that, isn't it better to give up that spot for them?"
 * (To his teammates) "Doesn't matter how many they throw at us. Even up against an army, we will win this."
 * (To his teammates) "Tamakoma has one more person than we do. Me staying outside would be playing right into Suzunari's hands. I can't afford to be the only one slacking off."
 * "My next one won't miss."

Trivia

 * Yuzuru's first name is homophonous with a reading of the kanji for "humble" or "to yield up, cede, give up possession", while "Ema" means "Wooden plaque".
 * Kitazoe referenced the homophony with the verb "to give up" when he found out that his teammate intended to throw round seven.
 * Ema likes curry, cream stew, his teammates, and his mentor.
 * The author described him as a genius and a "puberty black hole" with the innate ability to talk to girls. He also joked that, due to his connections to high-ranking characters, all he needs is to start playing rugby for Katsumi Karasawa to believe that he will have a bright future.