History
Koujaku and Aoba as kids
Koujaku is Aoba Seragaki's childhood friend, even though they didn't spend a lot of time together for very long. They first met when Aoba was being picked on for having nerves in his hair, to which Koujaku immediately came to his defense. Due to his mother and Aoba's grandmother being on good terms with each other, Koujaku and Aoba began spending more time with each other, playing often. Unfortunately, Koujaku, along with his mother, soon left Midorijima Island, upsetting Aoba in the process. When he left Midorijima, he returned back to his hometown where his clan resided. Koujaku's father is part of the yakuza while his mother was the head yakuza's mistress. As a teenager (presumably fourteen or fifteen years old) Koujaku became acquainted with Ryuho, a tattoo artist. Afterward, his father forced Koujaku into getting tattooed by him, despite Koujaku's protests. Ryuho wanted to test out a new method of human control by Toue through his tattoos and happily experimented it on Koujaku. After a long, painful process, Ryuho warns Koujaku to never get too angry and learn to keep his temper under control lest he regret it. Yet later on, Koujaku becomes angry and his tattoos causes him to go out of control and go on a killing rampage. He unintentionally murders his mother in the process.
Ryuho inking a young Koujaku, using the Tebori method
Snapping out of his violent stupor and realizing what he had done, Koujaku couldn't forgive himself and decided to kill himself using the same blade he used moments ago. However, before he could, he suddenly remembered Aoba and saw his smiling face in his mind. Emotions overflowed Koujaku and he began to cry, dropping his sword. Wanting to see him again and get away from his past sins, Koujaku decided to go back to Midorijima. At first he acted very different and nervous to see Aoba again after a long time away from him, but soon loosened up and returned to normal. He teases Aoba after seeing him again, saying how cute he used to be and how he's all grown up, flustering his friend in the process.
Koujaku works as a freelance hairdresser and opens up his store whenever he feels like it. He's very popular in his craft and doesn't take reservations, which causes women to often fight over whose turn it is to get their hair cut or styled by him. In Koujaku's good ending, Koujaku officially starts working full time after being able to cut Aoba's hair.
Story
DRAMAtical Murder
Common Route
Koujaku is first introduced when Aoba is on his way to make a delivery. A crowd gathers around and Aoba stops to observe the commotion. He hears a young woman, obviously flustered, and a familiar voice talking amongst the people. As Aoba moves in closer, he notices a larger man on the ground, unconscious and gathers from the exchanges between the man and women that he was the embarrassed woman's boyfriend. He and Koujaku had apparently got into a scuffle after she wanted her hair done by him and ended up getting beaten down for trying to get violent.
Rolling his eyes at Koujaku's flirting, Aoba turns to leave but is stopped when Koujaku calls out his name. He turns and they begin to talk, Aoba earning glares from the women around them since Koujaku's attention was now on him instead of them. They discuss a few things and Aoba says that they'll meet up again soon and they part ways.
(To read more on the common route, click here.)
Koujaku's Route
Flame Willow
As Aoba is running from the police Koujaku will end up running after him in the same direction. When they both stop to breathe when they're sure they're far away enough, Aoba receives the same automatic Captive Princess download as he does in every route. When Koujaku receives the same, but no invitation like Aoba did, they both stick together and head over to meet Haga. They are led to an underground tunnel into Platinum Jail where they are both directed to enter Flame Willow. As Koujaku and Aoba walk through the door, the route officially starts.
Koujaku and Aoba stare in amazement at the scenery, which appears as a traditional, Japanese-styled red town with lanterns floating in the air. Koujaku states that the place gives him a weird aura and says they should stay cautious. As they agree to just gather information for now, two girls approach them and ask Koujaku if he would like to go with them to a party. Aoba doesn't believe Koujaku would say yes to girls he barely met, but to his shock his friend agrees without hesitation. Saying he'll catch up with Aoba at Glitter later, he leaves with both girls, Aoba angrily making his way to his destination in disbelief.
Koujaku does not return to Glitter until much later, which heavily worries Aoba. When he does return, Koujaku says in a disappointed voice that he couldn't find any information. Aoba scolds Koujaku for ditching him so abruptly and says that he should know better than to fool around in dangerous situations like this. Koujaku apologizes and feeling like things are back to normal, they exchange good nights. Aoba goes upstairs to his room and begins to wonder what happened at the club, noting that Koujaku sounded all over the place and had trouble finding the right words.
The Flame Willow night club
The next morning, he's woken by the sound of Koujaku sneaking out of Glitter. Aoba decides to check out for himself exactly what it is Koujaku is doing and brings Ren along with him. As they follow him, they pause to see that he is meeting up with the same girl from the day before. Sounding somewhat jealous by observing they look like a couple walking together, Aoba presses on after them. Soon, he ends up following them in front of a large building illuminated by red light. As he attempts to go in after them, a bouncer stops Aoba from entering. Desperately trying to get in, a voice behind him raises and tells the bouncer Aoba is with him.
Aoba turns to see that the voice belongs to a man in a blue kimono. The bouncer acknowledges the stranger's statement and lets them both inside without a second thought, the man pushing Aoba in by grabbing his shoulders. As they enter, Aoba thanks him but asks why he did such a thing since they've never met. The man says it was out of nothing and tells him to go enjoy himself since he let him in. He then gives Aoba a membership card so he is able to enter the club at any time he likes and says his farewell.
"I guess this is why girls fawn over him so much..."
As he tries looking for Koujaku amongst the dancers, Aoba notices that everyone seems to be intoxicated by something and realizes he's in a drug club. The blaring music and flashing lights soon cause Aoba to become dizzy and fall to the ground. Unable to handle his surroundings, he's hassled by two other club-goers and feeling the pressure of Scrap nearly letting loose, Aoba almost slips into complete unconsciousness. Luckily, Koujaku finds him thanks to Beni pointing out their familiar figures, and asks if he's all right. Feeling sick from the mixture of lights, music and his headache Aoba accidentally vomits on Koujaku's kimono shocking the hasslers. Mortified and embarrassed, Aoba apologizes for ruining Koujaku's kimono, but his friend tells him it's fine and even cleans Aoba's face with his sleeve. Lifting him up for support, Koujaku helps Aoba back to Glitter.
As Koujaku carries Aoba on his back, Aoba mentions that it's always been like this between them- Koujaku would, without fail, come and save Aoba from tough situations. He always accepted his best friend's kindness, but knows for sure he's keeping secrets from him. Debating whether to confront him now about it, Aoba lets it go for the time being instead. They soon arrive back to their place of stay and Koujaku affectionately places Aoba to bed, who falls asleep right away.
Aoba later wakes up to the sound of running water and walking towards the bathroom, he slightly peeks through the half-open door. He sees Koujaku, shirtless, fixing his hair and washing both his kimono and Aoba's jacket. What surprises Aoba the most is all of the scars and his large lotus tattoo running along his back.
- (Under construction)
Good Ending
The player must convey to Koujaku to not to lose and choose the option "Do Not Give In" (まけるな). Confirming by making the choice "This should be fine", Aoba successfully delivers the message to him. Koujaku then reveals the truth to Aoba about everything, including his past and his feelings. They return back to the real world, Koujaku no longer controlled by his tattoos and back in his normal state.
Koujaku fighting off police guards
As they escape with the rest of the now conscious Benishigure, they head down to the first floor but are stopped by numerous Platinum Jail guards. Koujaku orders for his team to fight and with Aoba's help they begin taking them down. Being Benishigure, they don't fight with the intent to kill but instead only injure the guards enough to knock them out or incapaciatate them. Aoba hears Koujaku's cries and turns, only to see his friend fighting skillfully and successfully fending the guards off. The sight of Koujaku smiling as he triumphs over his foes and swinging his sword stops Aoba and he comments how beautiful he thinks Koujaku is right now. Realizing the guards have stopped coming, Aoba snaps out of his thoughts and with the rest of Benishigure, all escape outside.
Once Oval Tower begins to crumble, Koujaku and Aoba are sent to the hospital back in the Old Resident District. Koujaku ends up staying longer than Aoba, the latter soon returning to work. Koujaku later shows up during Aoba's shift, saying he's been discharged and would like to come over to Aoba's house later. Aoba says that Tae is working late and so he won't be able to eat her cooking, to which Koujaku replies that it's fine. This surprises Aoba a little but he agrees.
"I... how should I... it looks like I've fallen for you."
After eating a meal prepared by Aoba, they both head up to Aoba's room and sit on his bed. At first, the air is thick and there is an awkward atmosphere between the two. Aoba wonders where it's coming from, confused by the sudden turn and realizes that Koujaku is keeping his distance by sitting a bit far from him. Aoba childishly scoots in, making Koujaku uncomfortable but he doesn't protest. When Aoba tries to speak up. Koujaku does the exact same, resulting in an awkward "you go first" moment. Koujaku then tells Aoba the truth about his revenge over Ryuho, that when had he found out he was in Platinum Jail, he knew it would be a good chance to kill him. He then asks Aoba if he remembers what happened in Glitter, to which Aoba confirms. Koujaku says he's truly sorry for what he did and that he had no control over himself, Aoba saying it was fine and knew Koujaku would never force himself on his friend on purpose like that. Koujaku nods, but says that while bleak, he vaguely remember the sensations of being able to touch Aoba like that. Aoba blushes at this, asking where this is suddenly coming from.
Koujaku, not looking Aoba in the face, begins to tell Aoba his true feelings. Ever since they had come back from Platinum Jail, Koujaku couldn't get Aoba out of his mind. He tried to kill the feeling off, but it was so strong and struck so deep in his heart that he couldn't. Not knowing what else to say, Koujaku grabs Aoba's hand in his and says that he's fallen in love with him, and that he's always loved him, ever since they were kids.
This takes Aoba back, saying that he never thought his best friend would ever tell him such a thing. When Koujaku asks Aoba how he feels in return, Aoba pauses and thinks. Sorting his feelings out, he realized that if he didn't feel the same for Koujaku, he wouldn't be thinking so hard on it and responds that he loves him as well. This sends Koujaku into an overjoyed state and he happily kisses Aoba, shoving him on the bed in the process.
- (The following descriptions and CGs (although censored) contain mature content.)
Koujaku moves up to Aoba's hair and begins to kiss the strands and suck at them, flustering Aoba as he feels the sensations. Aoba asks what he's doing and Koujaku responds that he's always loved Aoba's hair and wanted to touch it like this for a long time. Hearing this revelation, Aoba is about to retort but Koujaku silences him with deeper kisses as he suddenly puts his hand down Aoba's pants, catching him off guard, and lightly starts to stroke him.
As they continue, Aoba begins stripping himself of all his clothes and Koujaku starts prepping him. Before they proceed further, Koujaku asks Aoba if he's absolutely sure he wants to do this. They both know that once they continue, there's no going back and that they won't be just friends anymore. Aoba thinks for a second but urges Koujaku on, saying it's fine like this.
Koujaku pushes himself in and through their movements says how he can't believe he's actually doing this with Aoba. This leads Aoba to become red in the face and he turns away, looking to the side. Through harsh breaths, Koujaku says he wants to see Aoba's face, the latter saying it's weird if he does that because of the faces and sounds he's making. After he manages to convince him, Aoba slightly turns toward Koujaku and looks up at him, Koujaku lovingly commenting how cute he is.
In the middle of having sex, Aoba suddenly feels a drop of liquid on his chest and looks up to see Koujaku having a nosebleed. They stop and Koujaku becomes incredibly flustered, wiping his nose furiously, saying that this also happened with a girl before. It takes Aoba a few seconds to comprehend what was happening, Koujaku mumbling that it's Aoba's fault for making the blood rush to his head. Aoba then breaks into laughter, causing Koujaku to pout and ask what he thought was so funny. Aoba responds with a simple "I love you", making Koujaku forget about it instantly.
Aoba and Koujaku living together
Hearing those words actually come out of Aoba's mouth sends Koujaku in a flurry and their movements become wilder and quicker. Aoba clings to Koujaku as he repeatedly says how much he loves him, both soon reaching their limit together. As they lay in bed together, Koujaku asks Aoba if he would be willing to grant him a favor. Aoba asks what it is and Koujaku says that he wants to cut Aoba's hair, leaving the other surprised. Koujaku explains that it's been his dream to do it and after hesitating from thinking about the nerves in his hair, Aoba agrees, saying he trusts Koujaku and his skills. This overjoys Koujaku and, now content, they both relax together.
Time passes and Aoba eventually starts living at Koujaku's place. Tae is starting to realize Aoba and Koujaku's relationship has grown stronger, but decides to keep quiet about it. Koujaku completely stops flirting with women, remaining faithful to Aoba in all senses of the word. Aoba is then seen with short hair, which Koujaku had trimmed carefully himself and keeps the excess hair in a jar. Aoba finds it disgusting but after Koujaku talks to Aoba about it (who refers it to as "a strong speech"), he lets Koujaku keep the jar of hair. The last shot features Aoba getting up to make them breakfast before Koujaku heads out to work, Aoba narrating that since the ever unchanging, everyday things are so precious, there is not a single day that goes by where he is not thankful.
Bad Ending
If the player fails to convey the right message to Koujaku by randomly jumbling the words into nonsense and confirms it with the choice that "This should be fine" instead of "Think harder", Koujaku will go into hysterics after hearing Aoba repeatedly say "it's fine" ("いいよ"). As the screen suddenly turns black, Koujaku's pained scream is heard.
When they return to reality, an arsenal of Toue's men barge in and grab hold of Koujaku, confining him to cell underneath Platinum Jail. If they had left him, he would have gone on a killing rampage, Aoba pitifully asking why it had to come to this. Losing his will to fight on and filled with immense guilt and despair that he couldn't save Koujaku because he failed Scrap, the other Aoba slowly and permanently takes over him.
Toue eventually takes hold of Midorijima and its residents, turning it into a independent country and making other countries fearful of it. The other Aoba narrates that both he and Toue govern it, and although he isn't the center, Toue is in the light of regulating politics while he is the shadow, free to break people's minds and hearts as he wishes.
A corrupted Aoba and Koujaku in the bad ending
The other Aoba descends into where Koujaku is held. He says that everyday, at least once, he comes to look at Koujaku with a loving expression. Koujaku's form is now completely changed, his mind broken, as his tattoos bloom all over his back and chest and his hair remains disheveled. Koujaku's arms and neck are bound, a chain confining his neck while wooden board cuff binds his wrists. The other Aoba goes inside his cell and lovingly caresses the sides of Koujaku's face, asking if he's been good.
Koujaku retorts by biting into his arm, drawing blood and lapping it up. The other Aoba sweetly says how much it hurt, when in reality, it didn't hurt at all. Pain has become a pleasurable thing to him now and thinks that the bite marks Koujaku constantly leaves on him is an expression of love. Gliding his hand over Koujaku's growing erection, the other Aoba whispers that everything is just as Koujaku wanted- Aoba finally belongs to him and as long as Midorijima stands, they will always be together. Koujaku groans back in response.
In a soft and lustful tone, Aoba motions Koujaku to come over to him and the screen fades to black.
DRAMAtical Murder Re:connect
- (Under construction)
Good End
- (Under construction)
Bad End
- (Under construction)
DRAMAtical Murder: The Animation
Koujaku and Beni as they appear in the anime.
Koujaku is shown in the very beginning (behind what appears to be a ship, implying his return to Midorijima prior to the main events of the story) as Aoba narrates.
In the first episode, he meets up with Aoba who is on his way to deliver a package to Yoshie. Koujaku points out how Aoba's hair has gotten longer and almost reaches out to touch it, but stops himself remembering that the other hates to have his hair touched. As they talk, two girls come up to Koujaku asking for his hair styling services all while staring down Aoba, who soon disperses from the group. A flashback is then shown of a younger Koujaku protecting Aoba from bullies who would pull his hair and mistake him for a girl.
In the second episode, he is shown dropping by at Aoba's house after his Rhyme encounter for dinner. As he later goes up to smoke on the veranda, Aoba discusses the disappearances allegedly being done by Morphine and that he is very worried about Mizuki. Koujaku ponders the scenarios in the shower, and eventually meets up with Mizuki the next day. However, Mizuki denies any problems and instead hits Koujaku up for drinking instead.