Aki Hayakawa

"Whatever happens, I want Denji and Power to survive... and be happy..."

Aki Hayakawa (アキ) was the deuteragonist of the Public Safety Saga. He was a Public Safety Devil Hunter working under Makima's special squad who had contracts with the Curse Devil and Future Devil, and a former contract with the Fox Devil.

During the Gun Devil arc, he was killed and possessed by 20% of the Gun Devil, thus becoming the host of the Gun Fiend (の).

Human Form
Aki Hayakawa was a young man with medium-length black hair that he usually wore in a topknot style (shoulder-length with long bangs when untied) and blue eyes. In the past when he and Himeno met through Kishibe and became partners, Aki used to have shorter hair.

He often wore the Public Safety Devil Hunter suit and tie. He also donned black earrings and usually carried his sword on his back.

Fiend Form
After the Gun Devil took over his body, Aki became the Gun Fiend. His hair was let down and his eyes and forehead were covered in dark veins. The barrel and slide of an M1911 was seen sticking out of his face in between his eyes with the gun’s hammer sticking out the back of his head, Aki's left forearm was replaced with an M4.

Personality
Aki generally appeared to be a very stoic person. He acted mature and sometimes blunt to the point of rudeness when he was with his fellow Devil Hunters, but he was actually fairly softhearted. He had a tendency to get attached to others easily, and hated to see people get hurt, especially his close friends. Unlike many of his associates, he was described by Himeno as being a "normal person", in the sense that he still grieved for those lost and had not become jaded enough to close his feelings off. Despite this, he was very determined and his primary motivation for killing the Gun Devil was revenge for his family. He was, however, entirely willing to put his own life on the line to save other people despite his own fear of death and even at risk to his ultimate goal.

He didn't like people who do not take their job as Devil Hunters seriously or fight for a superficial and material goal like money or, in Denji's case, to be able to touch some boobs, being this one the primary reasons he and Denji, initially, didn't get along. Aki was also ruthless, stating that he always makes sure the devils he kills suffer in order to give them a slow and painful death. He could become intimidating with those he still didn't trust enough, like when he threatened Denji by telling him that if he either betrays them or sides with other devils, he would kill him without any hesitation.

His air of cold detachment was a facade, and he had been seen to cry over the deaths of his comrades such as Himeno, and he grew to care for Denji and Power enough to try and forfeit his revenge goal in order to keep them safe.

Aki also was capable of being afraid to lose those he deeply cared about. He told Kishibe that the reason why he wanted to leave the mission of killing the Gun Devil was because the future he saw with the power of the Future Devil, with Denji and Power suffering a painful and terrible death, and he was scared of that future.

At first, Aki was seen to despise devils equally, not caring if they are hybrids, fiends or if they are evil by nature, to him all devils are the same. He saw them as nothing more than tools they can replace at any time. However, over the course of the story Aki slowly began to bond with some of his partners, best example (outside of Denji and Power) was his relationship with the Angel Devil.

Taiyo Hayakawa
Aki had a close relationship with his younger brother. Although it bothered him Taiyo always had more attention from their parents than himself because of being physically weak and ill most of the time, Aki loved him and liked spending time together, something that is seen when he smiled right after his snowball fight with Taiyo and was looking forward to play with him. However, when he was starting to enjoy playing with his brother, the Gun Devil showed up and destroyed their house, killing both of his parents and Taiyo in the process. This incident motivated Aki to search for that devil and kill him to avenge the death of his brother and parents.

Denji
Aki and Denji initially hated one another, with their first mission ending up in a physical and verbal altercation, wherein Aki insults and punches Denji, only for Denji to knee him in the crotch and kick him while he's down. He thinks Denji is a simpleton, a brute, vulgar, and too unthinking to continue in a dangerous line of work. Despite the fight, they continued to work together due to Makima's request. Also at Makima's request, Aki allowed Denji to move into his home and took care of him. After fighting alongside each other and living in the same household, Aki began to consider Denji a close friend, although he still found him obnoxious at times. He even went so far as to request the Fourth Division be exempt from fighting the Gun Devil in an attempt to keep Denji and Power safe. When Aki was fighting Denji as the Gun Fiend, he imagined it as a snowball fight between friends, or possibly even brothers, as it paralleled his snowball fight with his brother in the past.

Power
Aki and Power also had a less than positive relationship at the beginning, although perhaps not so much as with Denji. Aki disliked Power's vulgar and ungrateful attitude and found her extremely obnoxious. He also took in Power when Makima requested it, and gradually the two warmed up to each other. While he seemed embarrassed and annoyed by Power's constant escapades, he considered her a friend as well. Protecting Power was another reason why he wanted the Fourth Division to withdraw from fighting the Gun Devil.

Himeno
Aki had known Himeno since joining Public Safety, and she was his first work partner. She was the one responsible for getting him into smoking, and she also attempted to get him to quit his job in order to ensure his safety. She had a crush on him, and it was implied that she kissed him when he was a new recruit. Although it seems that Aki did not return her feelings, he did consider her a dear friend and cried in the wake of her death.

Makima
Aki had a crush on Makima and seemed to trust her deeply, although this could possibly be a result of Makima's powers of control. This would explain why Aki could not recall his reason for liking her. Makima had an utter disregard for Aki's feelings and was not interested in him beyond his use as a tool. She frequently dumped responsibility on him, like having him take in Power and Denji without asking first and manipulating him when he protested.

Angel Devil
After being partnered up, the two started out on a rough note, with both of them being unable to get along with each other. Despite this, they began to warm up to each other, even to the point where they cared about each other's well-being, shown when Aki was willing to hold the Angel Devil's hand in order to save him, despite knowing that in doing so, his lifespan would be shortened. Furthermore, the Angel Devil was inclined to inform Aki of untold information such as the life cycle of devils. Following the encounter with the Devil of Darkness, Aki worried for the Angel Devil's life, suggesting him to form contracts with devil hunters in order to avoid extermination. The Angel Devil also asked Aki what he sees in Makima since it's shown he liked her, and Aki doesn't know the answer. Much like Himeno, he also told Aki to quit the division and get another job before he gets killed.

Police Officers
As a devil hunter, Aki worked alongside the police to defeat devils. Aki was well known among police officers and they had a great respect towards him due to his position as a devil hunter and being one of its best members. Aki said that he usually went out to drink with many officers and even knew stories about their private lives, which means he was in good terms with them.

Physical Prowess

 * Enhanced Reflexes: Aki had superhuman reflexes, being able to keep up with Katana Man and Devils. After making a contract with the Future Devil, Aki's reaction time was further improved. With the help of his precognition, Aki was able to dodge Reze's explosions from up close and block Quanxi's attacks.
 * Enhanced Durability: Aki was quite tough. He managed to survive getting stabbed by Kobeni, only needing Power's help to close the wound and not even having to go to the hospital afterwards. During his fight with Katana Man, Aki was kicked into a wall with enough force to crack it and was later cut in the chest. He also survived getting choked by the Ghost Devil and even being crushed by the Darkness Devil's force to the point that blood started to come off from his mouth, however he lost consciousness in the process.

Devil Contracts

 * Curse Devil Contract: Aki had a contract with the Curse Devil which granted him a nail-like sword. In order for the contract to work properly, Aki must point the nail anywhere on his target's body; then saying the word "fire", the hand of the curse devil will appear and flicks the back end of the nail to inflict damage. By stabbing his enemy three times with the nail, Aki could summon the Curse Devil to seize the enemy and inflict massive damage upon them, potentially killing them in the process. In order to use it, Aki's life would be significantly shortened.
 * Fox Devil Contract: Aki Hayakawa had a contract with the Fox Devil. In exchange for feeding him part of his body, Aki could use his power in combat by raising a hand and saying the word "Kon" (コン), causing the Fox Devil's head to appear to instantly bite down on the target's body, swallowing him whole or tearing him apart. Aki lost the ability to summon him after he used the Fox Devil recklessly against the Katana Man.
 * Future Devil Contract: After losing favor with the Fox Devil, Aki was taken to the Future Devil which is held prisoner by Public Safety, and he managed to gain a contract to use its abilities in exchange for letting the Future Devil live inside his right eye.
 * Precognition: Aki had the ability to see a few seconds into the future. He used this to predict his opponent's oncoming attacks and plan accordingly.
 * Summoning: Due to his contract, Aki could summon Future Devil by calling him. While the devil says that Aki must say "The Future Rules" to make him come, this was not an actual requirement.
 * Control Devil Contract: Aki made a contract with the Control Devil, in exchange for his entire being he gained her power, however, since at that point he was completely under her control he was unable to use it.

Skill set

 * Swordsmanship: Aki was a proficient swordsman, wielding a sword as his primary weapon when fighting devils. By using a special sword, made by the Angel Devil, Aki could harm and kill beings that are normally intangible, such as Ghosts. He was skilled enough to defeat multiple zombies and even keep up with physically superior opponents, such as hybrids, with the help of his devil contracts.
 * Hand-to-Hand Combat: As a Devil Hunter, Aki received training in unarmed combat. He displayed decent skills in boxing, being capable of easily defeating a boxer far more muscular then him.
 * Cooking: Aki had displayed decent skills in cooking, usually being the one responsible for Denji's and Power's meals.
 * Driving: Aki knew how to drive and had been seen driving vehicles, such as cars.

Other Abilities

 * Strong Willpower: Unlike most Devil Hunters, Aki, through most of the course of the story, never gave up on his goal of killing the Gun Devil. This obsession made him willing to pay any price to achieve his goals, be it working with devils or sacrificing most of his life span. Even after giving up his dream of killing the Gun Devil to protect his friends, he was still more than willing to make any contract to protect them. He also had great control over his emotions, being able to suppress his fear to prevent detection by the Ghost Devil, who can only see by feeling people's fear.

Physical Prowess

 * Enhanced Durability: The gun in his forearm was surprisingly durable, being able to block multiple hits from Denji’s chainsaw with ease.
 * Enhanced Speed: Aki displayed insane speed, being able to travel to Power’s location and attack her after blasting Denji from the entrance of his apartment extremely quickly.

Devil Powers

 * Bullet Projection: As the Gun Fiend, Aki could fire bullets from the gun in his left forearm and head with great precision and speed. He was able to break walls and Denji apart with ease as well as destroy multiple buildings at once.
 * Blood Consumption: As the Gun Fiend, Aki's corpse was able to restore his health by consuming blood.

Etymology

 * The name Aki is written in katakana (アキ), which has no special meaning. However, the term "AKI" is often used as a Japanese nickname for the AK-47.
 * Aki’s surname Hayakawa means "already, now, fast, early" and "river, stream".

Trivia

 * Aki Hayakawa's ranking in the Popularity Polls are as follows:
 * Aki ranked 3rd in the First Popularity Poll with 25,704 votes.
 * Aki ranked 1st in the Second Popularity Poll with 88,568 votes.
 * A special one-page bonus chapter has been published featuring himself and Himeno.
 * Aki's topknot resembles the firing hammer of a handgun. This references Aki becoming the Gun Fiend.
 * Some concept art of what seems to be Aki, shown on one of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s alternate accounts, seem to show him with a slightly different older design with differences such as scars on his face.
 * In the episode nine of the anime, we learn that Aki's ear piercings are from Himeno, who insisted on making him wear it.
 * A scrapped idea was that Himeno was going to be Aki’s younger sister who would have lived longer.

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