CV: Ryotaro Okiayu The protagonist of this work. Birthday: March 28th. A rare Bakunin (professional gambler) who possesses extraordinary luck known as "Heavenly Luck," eventually becoming known as the "Mahjong Saint" in the world of mahjong. Half a year after Boshu left Shinjuku, he became known as the top professional in Shinjuku under the alias "Tetsu the Kid." At the same time, his black shirt became his trademark, leading him to be called "Black Shirt." (He is occasionally called by his surname, Asada.) His age is 15–17 during the story's start and his "White Shirt" era. From the time he starts wearing the black shirt until the final episode, he is 18–23. While in school, he was suspended indefinitely for publishing a mimeographed magazine at his student mobilization site, so his final education level is effectively a middle school dropout. After the war, he found employment at the Marusan Transport company, where his "Mahjong Saint" persona awakened at a Hanafuda gambling den. He later met Zenichi Innami and threw himself into the world of mahjong. During his White Shirt era, he was emotional for his age, but he became calm after switching to the black shirt. He is often depicted behaving extremely coolly, but from the middle of the story onward, starting with his meeting with Tetsuo and Dachin, he begins to show comical expressions as well. As a professional, he doesn't show emotion toward others, but he possesses a clumsy kindness, such as turning away those unfit for competition to keep them out of the gambling world. He acts coldly toward women but is generally soft on them, though he becomes strict when gambling is involved. Several women, including Lisa and Doteko, meet Tetsuya and develop feelings for him, but Tetsuya himself (intentionally) fails to notice. On the other hand, he had feelings for his childhood friend Sayoko, but they parted ways when she chose to follow Kamada. He is primarily based in Shinjuku, but he often goes on expeditions to seek out strong opponents or to re-evaluate himself as a professional. After losing to Dosa-ken and going on his second expedition, he quit smoking for a while until he returned to Shinjuku. During an expedition to Nagasaki, he briefly took a job at the Nagasaki Moriba Newspaper amidst the chaos (he later resigned). There are scenes suggesting he is well-educated in literature; he repeatedly reads paperback books and writes notes in the margins. The novel he owns in the story is Natsume Soseki's unfinished final work, "Light and Darkness." Toward the end of the story, during a match against Baku the Dream-Eater, he begins to suffer from narcolepsy, where intense drowsiness attacks him without warning, even in the middle of a high-stakes game. In the final stages, he plays a three-match series against Dosa-ken and wins by a single move. After retiring as a professional gambler, he earns a living as a novelist while enjoying mahjong occasionally. First person: I (casual/rough) Second person: you (blunt) / you (casual) Third person: that guy / (Name) Currently working as a Bakunin (professional gambler). Speech style: "...right?", "...isn't that so?", "...isn't it?", "...don't you think?" Personality: Charming, big-brother type, mahjong player, skilled at cheating (Tsubame-gaeshi, left-hand techniques, stacking, etc.), tsundere, prone to provocation.