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Saturday, February 14, 2009

Wolf's Rain Tsume

Tsume ("Claw") is a grey wolf with a white scar on his chest and is the second wolf introduced in the series. At first he was living in Freeze City where he leads a "pack" of human thieves. He clashes with Kiba over the latter's claims that Tsume has lost his pride as a wolf for living with humans as he does. Later, he connects with Toboe, a young wolf who also lives in the city. Though Tsume claims he has no need for friends and that he wants nothing to do with other wolves, he comes to Toboe's aid twice and shares a meal with him. Though he doesn't believe Kiba's stories about Paradise, he decides to leave the city with him to search for the place under the excuse that he is tired of the city.

Tsume is depicted as a "a stereotypical angry anime loner" and an "emotionally distant hottie" who is confident, and at times arrogant, but keeps himself distant from his allies. Though he and Kiba continue to come into regular conflict, Tsume eventually comes to believe in their goal and becomes a loyal pack member. It is eventually revealed before moving to Freeze City, he had lived in another location with a large pack of wolves. Jaguara's wolf hunting troops attacked the pack, killing most of his family and friends. As Tsume attempted to flee from the battle, he was cast out by his pack and the alpha male attacked him, leaving Tsume with a large X-shaped scar across his chest. Tsume eventually traveled to Freeze City where his self-loathing over his actions caused him to refuse to befriend others.

Wolf's Rain Tsume
Wolf's Rain Tsume
Of all of the pack, he is closest to Toboe, whom he refers to as "runt." After the young wolf is killed by Darcia, Tsume cries over his body. Tsume is the last of the pack to remain standing with Kiba in the final battle with Darcia. He is killed after Darcia rips open his side and legs. Before dying, he whispers to Kiba that "we shall meet again.... in paradise." At the end of the series, Tsume is seen in his human form riding a motorcycle in a city.

Wolf's Rain Tsume
Wolf's Rain Tsume
Voice actor Kenta Miyake felt Tsume was all about appearances and notes that Tsume always speaks in a harsh manner such as talking down to Kiba casually dismissing Toboe, and seems to ignore Hige all together. However, he also felt that despite Tsume's seemingly tough nature, that he was the most naive of the pack and the most timid. Miyake felt as if he was Tsume's father, "kindly watching over him" and he used those feelings to guide the way he depicted the character.
Wolf's Rain Tsume
Wolf's Rain TsumeWolf's Rain Tsume
Wolf's Rain Tsume

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