Q Dalang

Biodata

Background and History

Q Dalang was a former mercenary who became a real estate tycoon and Kakerou member. He lured gamblers to his building and killed them for amusement. Hojo Ryo, whose skull he displayed in his office, was the only victim he said had let him enjoy an entire gambling match 17 20 24 27.

After obtaining human-modification technology, Q attacked villages in war zones, killed adults, and took children as test subjects. Maruk was the only successful subject. Q presented himself as Maruk’s father and used his violent second personality, Lodem, as an enforcer 31 37 39.

Appearance

Q was a small elderly man whose friendly smile concealed a brutal nature 17.

• Thinning hair and a small tuft of facial hair
• Wrinkled face with bags beneath his eyes
• Old-fashioned plaid suit and a cane 17

Personality

Q presented himself as affable and sincere when approaching potential victims, but treated them as prey. He enjoyed listening to their suffering and preferred to prolong a hunt rather than kill immediately. Akagi and Baku judged that this appetite made his behavior predictable 17 24 25.

He was proud of the violence at his disposal and dismissed warnings about his opponents’ strength. When challenged or thwarted, his composure gave way to anger; he threatened the Kure Clan after its sniper interfered with his hunt 22 25. Despite his confidence in Lodem, Q fled in terror when the enforcer turned toward him 38 39.

Methods and Resources

Deadly wagers

Q offered victims money to escape Ninefold Tower while his enforcers hunted them. He admitted offering the same wager to a missing Nogi Group salesman, promising to repay his debt to the group if the man won 19.

• Concealed steel wires and other traps obstructed the building’s routes 21 28.
• Trackers hidden in the gamblers’ coins let Q monitor their movements 32.
• He directed the hunt from a fifth-floor office using surveillance equipment and a transceiver 24 28.

Mercenaries and Lodem

Q employed four armed mercenaries with battlefield experience and directed them in a coordinated rooftop attack. When they were defeated, he sent Lodem after the gamblers—and ordered him to kill the mercenaries as well 22 28 29.

• Q used a syringe to trigger Maruk’s transformation into Lodem 28 31.
• Lodem carried a camera and transceiver, allowing Q to watch and issue orders remotely 28.
• Q claimed knowledge of human-modification techniques and said Maruk was his only successful test subject 31 37.

Equipment and Properties

• Ninefold Tower — Q’s building and the site of his escape gamble; its traps, surveillance system, and hidden equipment cache supported his hunt 18 21 28 38.
• Shakujo sword cane — A concealed blade Q used to split Hojo Ryo’s skull and later attack Yagyou. Yagyou caught the blade and disarmed him 27 37.
• Sixth-floor cache — A hidden store of spare equipment, including a climbing rope and a tracker display 38.

Relationships

• Maruk / Lodem — Q claimed to be Maruk’s father but later revealed that he had taken him from a war-zone village for experimentation. He used Lodem, Maruk’s violent second personality, to kill for him 31 37.
• Baku Madarame — Targeted Q and demanded his Kakerou membership as a wager. After learning Baku was the renowned gambler Usogui, Q hoped defeating him would advance his own standing 18 20 28.
• Shiraki Uke — Sent by the Nogi Group to find Q; he joined the escape gamble and fought Lodem 17 21 30.
• Akagi Shigeru — Accepted Q’s invitation to gamble. He later rejected Q’s offer to join forces against Baku 17 37.
• Higashi Kōichi / Yagyou — Kakerou referee who officiated the wager. Q accused him of favoring Baku and later attacked him unsuccessfully 20 35 37.
• Kure Fusui — Provided sniper support against Q’s mercenaries. Q threatened her and the Kure Clan; she later fired shots that prevented Lodem from hearing him 24 25 39.
• Hojo Ryo — A past victim whose skull Q kept in his office before destroying it 27.

Story Role

The Ninefold Tower gamble

Q met Shiraki and Akagi at a casino and invited them to his building; Baku and Takaomi Kaji joined them. After a preliminary mahjong game, Q proposed a deadly escape wager. Kakerou set his membership and all his assets as the stakes 17 18 19 20.

Q sent four armed mercenaries after the participants, but Fusui’s sniper fire disrupted them and the group subdued them. Q then activated Lodem, who killed the mercenaries and pursued the gamblers through the tower 22 24 28 29.

Downfall

After Baku, Akagi, Kaji, and Shiraki disabled Lodem, Q attacked Yagyou and was disarmed. He then offered Akagi and Shiraki his membership, property, and connections in exchange for helping him kill Baku; Akagi rejected him 36 37.

Baku forced Q out of the office and challenged him to escape. Q discovered that Lodem was alive and tried to order him against the others, but Lodem pursued him instead. Fusui’s shots temporarily deafened Lodem, preventing him from hearing Q. Terrified, Q failed to realize that Maruk had regained control and leaped from the sixth floor to his death 38 39.