Character Survey
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Tsume looks rather tall, with long limbs in his human form, standing at just about 6’ even or so. He’s a little on a thin side, emphasized by his tight, form-hugging clothing, though he’s still well-muscled. As a grey wolf, Tsume is the largest wolf species, and it reflects in his size, 34” at the shoulder, just under 3 feet, which is easily big enough to take down a grown man.
2. How old is he?
As a human, Tsume looks to be about eighteen or nineteen, judging by the fact Kiba and he, the oldest of the wolves, are referred to as “boys” and “young men” in the series multiple times. This corresponds to about a two and a half year old juvenile wolf.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?
Tsume’s posture often looks rather stiff, with his back and shoulders being held ramrod straight; his hands in his pockets. It’s the look of someone who doesn’t know how to react to anything except by being closed off. The exception to this rule is when he eats. His posture loosens up a little and becomes more relaxed. As a wolf, he looks much more at ease, with a certain feral, animal grace in the way he runs and sits. It’s clear as to which form he prefers.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
He’s very fit for both forms, having enough strength to take on a full-grown armored guard with help from his packmates. His only mode of transportation is his own four feet, so he gets a workout just by running all the time. This translates to a very muscular-looking teenager in his human illusion.
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Tsume has a certain stiffness in the way he walks, someone who is more used to a faster pace of movement. This disappears when he begins to run or jump. There’s an animal grace in the way he moves then, fluidly and with confidence. He’s at his most relaxed when doing that.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?
Clearly, Tsume looks like a handsome young man or a striking looking wolf. Whether he is aware of it or not is an entirely different story. He seems to completely ignore or disregard any sort of ego, minus boosting his self-confidence when teasing Toboe or Hige. With his personality and shell he’s wrapped around himself, he likely has low self-esteem, if any at all in regards to how he looks.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Tsume’s skin tone is darker than most, looking tanned, like someone who spends a rather large amount of time in the sun. He’s the only wolf that looks this way, save Blue, the rest of his companions having paler tones. He has one prominent scar across his chest, lighter in skin tone than the rest, although Toboe describes him as being covered in them, suggesting he has many more that are not visible unless one is close-up.
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.
In his human form, Tsume’s hair color is light silver, almost white in appearance. It is cut short with a small rattail at the back. In wolf form, his fur is a dark grey, with lighter patches around his muzzle, chest, and the inside of his ears. Around the scar on his chest is an area where no fur will grow.
9. What color are his eyes?
In both forms, his eyes are a rich yellowish-golden color.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
In both forms, he has a large X-shaped scar stretching across the top of his chest. This was made by the Alpha of his former pack after Tsume ran when his pack was being killed.
11. What are his chief tension centers?
His shoulders, always so stiff and held high, are where the core of where his tension resides. The other area is the top of his head. While he’ll never admit it, he enjoys being touched by Cheza, since it is a calming feeling.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?
Tsume has a limited wardrobe in the most literal sense of the word. Since it is part of his illusion, it is his subconscious creating a look for him that can’t be changed. He wears a dark grey cropped tank top (the same color as his fur) with a torn leather jacket that is also cropped, showing off his midriff, and a pair of leather pants. His shoes look comfortable and from the sound they make most likely have rubber soles. He has three gold piercings, two in his left ear and one in his right. Occasionally, he wears a pair of black sunglasses and also carries around a curved knife.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?
Since they come from his subconscious, they fit his form perfectly. He’s always as comfortable as he ever gets in them.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?
Exactly the same. There’s no difference for him.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
With leather pants that look that tight, I don’t think he put enough thought into his illusion to consider underwear. Definitely commando.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Tsume has a deep and growly sounding voice. He is the one with lowest pitch out of all of the teenage wolves. Indeed, with how low he speaks, it clashes a bit and is almost at odds with his boyish good looks.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?
Tsume doesn’t speak needlessly or often, but when he does, people take notice. He doesn’t waste words idly or raise his voice, since the few words he does say speak a multitude about his feelings on any given subject. Since a good majority of wolf communication is done through body language, it can also be said the same for his non-verbal communication.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
There’s none as far as verbally. With body language, he does make an effort to stay closed off so that no one can easily read him, his hands shoved in his pockets or clasped together
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?
Since the series gives subtle clues that the show is based in Russia, it can be assumed he speaks the local language, whether than is Russian or English or whatever language it is people speak in the future. He can also communicate with all other animals, wolves, cats, horses, birds, etc, since they share one common language.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Tsume speaks the human language for the most part and only switches when he needs to communicate with other animals.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?
It’s shown several times in the series that Tsume rarely speaks before thinking. If he’s got something to say, he wants to make sure he’s the one that is going to be in the right in a battle of opinions. Oftentimes when pushed to speak immediately, he can suddenly clam up or hesitant before speaking.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
In comparison with the other wolves, Tsume is shown to be perhaps a better and more articulate speaker than Hige or Toboe, in conjunction with the way he always thinks before he acts or speaks. The one exception is when he tries to lie on the spot. It becomes evident when he does so and just about anyone can tell, for he hesitates in his words and tries to badly bluff his way out of whatever he’s just said.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?
Tsume is a very smart individual, despite a lack of what humans consider to be a formal education. He grew up fast and quick in his pack and then on his own, so everything he feels he needs to know can be found out through his past interactions of living on the streets. In truth, with the type of life he leads, he is right. There isn’t much else he needs to know in order to survive.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?
Tsume thinks purely on an instinctual level. As a wolf, there’s no time to rationalize or try to use human reasoning when a deer needs to taken down or a human is leveling a gun at his head. So instead he lets his instincts guide him as he thinks on his feet.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Tsume is first and foremost a realist. He is a practical being who thinks things through with logic and instinct. There is very little time in his mind for silly daydreams or idealistic spiritual thoughts, not when there is a very cold and harsh reality right in front of his eyes. He’s usually not the one to be coming up with creative ideas, but he can follow instruction when they are given to him.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
In terms of a formal one, involving actual schooling, Tsume never had one. What he knows could be summed up in one of those “All I ever needed to know about life I learned in ____” posters, just filling in the missing words with “a wolf pack.”
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?
Tsume’s expertise lies in the areas that best relate to his instincts: surviving and killing. He does both with a devastating accuracy, no matter which area he is currently focused on. Being a wolf, he feels he doesn’t need to learn anything else, since he already knows all he needs to about staying alive.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?
He is an introvert by every definition of the word. His thoughts and actions are all constantly turning inwards and he has been shown not to be able to tolerate more than a few people at a time. His nature is as a close to a true wolf as it as possible to show in human form.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
His mood is very level, usually staying aloof and withdrawn no matter what the situation. The only way to really get his temper riled up is to compare him to a dog or worse yet a human. The only time he gets visibly emotional is when faced with the hopeless situations at the end of the series of watching his friends and companions die one by one.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
Tsume begins all interactions with a mask of indifference, but the truth is that new situations make him close up because of his fear. He’s afraid of what a new and therefore unknown person or place might bring. As long as he knows about something, he can know how to react. Otherwise, he hides behind anger, sarcasm, and suspicion until he knows them better.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?
Despite his closed off nature, Tsume prefers to meet things head on and challenge them, acting rather than waiting for someone else to tell him what to do. It’s not to the point where he will blindly run into danger simply because it’s there, but definitely he’s a go-getter.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight?
Being a wolf, Tsume’s first instinct is to attack anything that pushes him too far. Ever since the disaster with his first pack, that has become even more imperative to him. He rarely turns and runs, even when the rest of his pack has done so or when that would be the smarter idea.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Tsume has a dry sense of humor that borders on the macabre, once lightly suggesting in which order the wolves should eat each other if they are starving. Its very snarky and he often snipes at the other wolves in regards to their shortcomings and personal faults, though these barbs are only meant to get under the skin, not viciously hurt them in any way.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?
While he doesn’t have any clear cut disorders, it’s clear that Tsume is screwed up in his mind more even than he realizes. He went through the trauma of watching his pack die and then being cast out, which definitely has led to trust issues and crippled interaction with other people. It’s almost like an anxiety disorder frozen in the early stages.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?
Abandoning his pack and being cast out, meeting Kiba and Toboe for the first time, being convinced to leave Freeze City, meeting Cheza, and confessing everything to Toboe after the pup had died.
14. What does he fear?
Tsume has no physical fears, but mentally, that’s another whole story. He fears his own inadequacies, considering himself to be less than what he is, and is afraid that he’s going to end up dragging everyone down with him when they come to light. He sees himself as a coward and is also terrified that part may someday resurface. Lastly, though he’ll never consciously admit it, he fears for his pack’s safety, afraid his actions may someday be the death of one of them.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations?
At first, Tsume is such a cynic he doesn’t have any. As time goes on, he begins to warm up to the idea of and finally embraces the idea that reaching Paradise can be a real goal.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?
He’s afraid his biggest failure of turning tail and running away when his first pack needed him the most will someday come into the light. It’s why he never answers any questions asked about the scar on his chest.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.
It’s never discussed how wolves get along with their biological parents within the series, so this is going purely off of the mun’s head canon. Tsume’s father was the Alpha of his first pack and so held all his sons to a higher standard than the rest. When Tsume ran as his pack was being massacred, he couldn’t stand the thought of one of them being a coward. He attacked him and then tossed him out, thus cementing in his mind that he had not only a failure as a pack member, but as a son.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
In regards to blood relatives, no. It’s suggested Tsume is the last survivor of his pack.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?
No. See the above answer.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?
Kiba he considers an equal, almost like a brother, but the type of one who he constantly wants to punch in the face. They are constantly at odds because of their personalities, but they balance each other out like ying and yang. At the end, it becomes clear Tsume respects Kiba as his leader and considers him to be as close as any of the other wolves, to the point where he’s the only one Kiba hesitates in his rescue of Cheza for.
Toboe is like a younger brother or even a son. He’s the one who can get the older wolf to open up more than anyone and Tsume readily takes on the role of someone the pup can look up to and emulate, shown in his loyalty of following Tsume whenever the wolves split up. While he seems to despise the attention the pup showers on him, clearly he cares for the boy very deeply and was willing to protect him almost from the moment they met.
Hige, he ignores almost entirely, considering him at best something akin to an eccentric and annoying cousin who doesn’t pull his weight. After learning of his betrayal, he constantly brings it up to hurt the other wolf, but at the end he forgives him.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
While he’d be loathe to actually pick one, the one whom Tsume is closest to and confides in the most is a toss up between Toboe and Kiba. With the first, the young wolf is the first person that Tsume can find himself letting his guard down around and has a sense of protecting him. With the latter, while the two seem to have a lot of friction, when push comes to shove, they care about and are most likely to confide in each other when showing weakness, as opposed to trying to confide in one of the other wolves.
6. Does he have other close friends?
At first Tsume was suspicious of Cheza, considering her to be dead weight to the pack. But as time went on, with her indiscriminately kind nature towards all the wolves, she won him over and Tsume is shown to open up to her more than any other female in the show.
Blue he seems ignore for the most part, save for a few barbs about her half-dog nature and her relationship with Quent, suggesting that she’d be happier being at his side.
Cher and Hubb he doesn’t give much attention to either, though it is shown he somewhat respects them for trying to keep up with the wolves, to the point of trying to save Hubb as he falls.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?
The wolf has possibly the worst people skills imaginable. Trying to get along with anyone is like constantly smacking his head into a brick wall, for he’s so guarded and on edge that he subconsciously tries to sabotage any relationship before it ever even begins. He doesn’t trust anyone and because of that he feels no one has to trust him.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?
Tsume sees them as being interchangeable puts them both on the same level. Family is friends and friends are family in a wolf pack. There’s no putting one before the other, for they both hold an equal amount of his heart.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?
Tsume is single and has no plans to change that at any future point.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
No.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?
Tsume’s still such a young wolf, despite acting much older, and it’s possible he hasn’t even felt the first stirrings of a crush for anyone yet with how emotionally repressed he tends to be towards the issue of love.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?
Tsume is the type of guy to enjoy someone who seems weaker than himself. It engages his protective instinct towards them and lowers his guard down. On a complete one-hundred and eighty degree opposite, he also enjoys a personality much like his own, although in this case, he enjoys the friction such a relationship can bring.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?
No, no, and no. There’s really no room in his life to watch over a group of pups.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?
At first, Kiba could be considered one, with the way they attacked each other and also how they kept fighting for dominance in the hierarchy of the pack. Eventually, this attitude developed into something more like friendship. Quent, the wolf hunter, could be considered an enemy, though he never actively hunts Tsume, leaving that up to his dog Blue. Tsume shows no qualms about leaving him to die in the snow. Lastly, both nobles Jagura and Darcia prove to be formidable enemies. Tsume, along with his pack, is often fighting with Jagura either directly or indirectly through the form of her soldiers. Darcia is a more personal opponent and indeed Tsume attacks him with more passion and anger at the end than any other adversary shown.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?
This is where things get…..complicated. Wolves have no known homosexual behavior, beyond the way males show dominance over one another, and as with all animals, the instinct to mate is there. That being said, Tsume shows absolutely no attention to any of the females, whether human or otherwise shown in the series, curiously being the only wolf that does this, as the rest of his pack all show multiple levels of attraction to different women, even those of different species.
Indeed, he pays much more attention and has a certain level of sexual tension with both Kiba and Toboe than any woman. However, with his fractured emotional state, it seems that this is more a result how well he is able to open up to people as opposed to any complete indifference towards the female sex. He is with his pack for 90% of the series and so can connect to them better on a more emotional level. With this in mind, he is a 3 on the Kinsey scale and could best be summed up as possibly being pansexual.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?
On a purely instinctual level, it’s the way to leave a piece of him behind, to make sure there’s another generation after him. Digging deeper, it’s also a way for him to both exert dominance over someone and to show his love for them at the same time.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Tsume seems like the type of guy who, for all his tough, macho attitude, secretly wants someone who can shower their full attention on him and make him feel like he’s special. Ego stroking makes him feel especially happy. Turn offs are someone who seems completely idiotic or that completely bores him. As for bedroom habits, it’s hard to tell if he has any, besides doing things, ahem, doggy style.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?
Tsume has none given, but seeing as how wolf pups are usually born in summertime; it’s possible he’s in the sign of Cancer the Crab. If so, that would explain an awful lot about his grumpy and introverted nature.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?
At first, Tsume is a cynic, believing such a place as Paradise, and by extension ideas like Heaven and the afterlife, can’t possibly exist. As the series goes on, he is slowly won over and begins to believe, if not the idea itself, than the belief of those around him. As they draw closer and closer to the end of their journey, he begins to believe in Paradise himself, becoming completely converted to their goal. He goes so far as to use his last breath to whisper to Kiba, “Let’s meet again in Paradise.”
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
Tsume’s instincts are tuned to the thought of the pack. Everything revolves around what is better for the group than the individual. As such, he has no qualms about stealing or killing in order to make sure those goals are realized. As for compromising it, he’s tried many times in the past to quash this instinct down, but no matter how many times he tries to go off on his own, he’ll always return to that basic principle.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
Tsume is almost completely indifferent to the things which are outside of his immediate sphere of influence. People and wolves alike do strange things and have odd ideas. So long as they don’t try to shove them onto him, he couldn’t care less about them.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?
He considers humans to be completely beneath him, a species to be used by him and nothing more. Even when he interacts with them towards the last part of the series, he doesn’t make a point to go out of his way to be friendly or talk to them. This attitude likely stems from being raised in a traditional wolf pack, as opposed to the others, who grew up surrounded by humans.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Tsume, being a wolf, doesn’t have the same standards as humans do. Wolves have no concept of personal wealth, only personal standing within the pack. By human standards, he’s very poor indeed, but by wolf, he’s very wealthy.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?
Once again, by human standards, Tsume is little better than a petty crook, stealing what he wants and living off of the hard work of others. But within the pack, he is seen as a valuable member, protecting others and doing what he must to keep them all alive. He’s high in the hierarchy, just below his Alpha, at the very end he could almost be seen as Kiba’s right-hand man.
3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?
Tsume stays and sleeps wherever he can find a place to lay his head. He stays in anything from abandoned and dilapidated old buildings to cave or being under a tree in the forest. It’s shown he’s more at ease when sharing the space with a pack as opposed to being alone.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?
The wolf doesn’t have money, instead stealing whatever it is he needs, or usually more likely, what he wants. Usually this is merely food, but sometimes he steals things he knows humans find valuable, if only more out of boredom and a need to do something than any real sense of greed.
5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?
Tsume is an ex-thief, ex in the sense he didn’t steal anything after joining up with the pack, though this more due to the fact he didn’t have any real opportunity or need to do so with traveling around so much. He was very good at it due to his heightened abilities as a wolf, his strength and agility helping him to avoid the authorities the entire time they sought to capture him. He mainly started up with the whole process just out of a lack of something useful to do or a pack to protect. Tsume doesn’t actively enjoy it but he doesn’t dislike it either.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?
As a wolf, Tsume’s first instinct is to make sure whatever he does is for the good of the pack. This being said, he’s usually fighting with this instinct, as he feels that he’s going to let them down. Thus, a great majority of his free time is spent off on his own, brooding, with his mind in turmoil.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Tsume eats whenever and whatever he can. Food isn’t always readily available in the world he lives in and he’s used to having to skip meals, although it does affect his mood and temperament in a visible manner when he does so. He can be a touch finicky over what foods he eats, but when push comes to shove, he’d eat a deer a few weeks old. When he does have food, he eats it quickly but with relish rarely seen in other parts of his life.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Grey
2. Smell? Air after a snow fall
3. Time of day? Midmorning
4. Season? Winter
5. Book? Little Red Riding Hood
6. Music? Guilty by The Rasmus
7. Place? Russia
8. Substance? Melting snow
9. Plant? Evergreen pine tree
10. Animal? Wolf
END
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