Baku Madarame

Biodata

Background

Baku spent years gambling in the underworld. At fifteen, he defeated Kakerou members and gained a reputation as “the strongest gambler in Kakerou’s history” 18 28.

He later wagered everything he had, including his life, against the leader of Kakerou in an overthrow gamble. After losing everything, he prepared for his encounter with Q Dalang 32 33.

A few days before meeting Shiraki Uke, Baku helped Takaomi Kaji by intimidating a loan shark company that had threatened him. Kaji had given Baku a few pachinko balls and subsequently began following him 18.

Appearance

Baku is a slender young man with a notably expressive face 17.

• Short, fluffy, curly white hair.
• Large, bright eyes and long eyelashes.
• Wore a casual striped suit when he approached Q Dalang 17.

Personality

Baku is playful and theatrical, using an exaggerated drunken act to approach Q Dalang. Beneath it, he assesses other gamblers carefully and seeks opportunities in their desires and mistakes 18 25.

He enjoys dangerous contests, but remains focused on winning. Even after realizing he was almost certain to lose the Ninefold Tower wager, he raced for the exit because he found the contest fun 24 30 41.

Abilities & Skills

Gambling and psychological insight

Baku is an experienced gambler known for his intelligence, ruthlessness, and exceptional ability to detect lies 22 28.

• Recognized that Shiraki was serious about potentially jumping from a building and landing on a car 22.
• Identified Q Dalang’s desire to prolong his victims’ suffering as a source of exploitable openings 25.
• Used psychological intimidation to drive away the loan sharks threatening Kaji 18.
• Lost most of his change in the preliminary mahjong game; Akagi remarked that Baku was weak when relying on luck alone 18.

Planning and improvisation

Baku prepares ahead but also adjusts his plans when new information or participants enter a gamble 24 32 33.

• Used a pen-shaped listening device to monitor Q Dalang and later revealed it to unsettle him 32 35.
• Helped set a trap using a handgun, gunpowder, stones, acid, and dust to impair Lodem and give Shiraki an opening 35 36.
• Relied on others for physical confrontation: his stamina was so poor that Kaji had to carry him to the rooftop 22 30.

Equipment & Items

• Pickled plums — A favorite snack he carries and eats during the gamble 20 24 32.
• Pen-shaped listening device — Used to overhear Q Dalang’s communications; Q destroyed it after discovering it 32 35.
• M9 pistol — Carried during the escape gamble; Baku planned to use it to subdue Q Dalang 32.

Relationships

• Takaomi Kaji — Baku’s follower and teammate. Baku protected him from loan sharks, while Kaji assisted him during the tower gamble 18 21 26.
• Shiraki Uke — An unexpected participant whose martial strength and Kure Clan connection helped Baku’s group survive. Shiraki ultimately won the wager with Akagi 18 25 41.
• Akagi Shigeru — A rival gambler whom Baku regarded as a dangerous complication. They cooperated against Q Dalang despite competing for the wager’s prize 18 35 41.
• Q Dalang — Baku’s intended target. Baku challenged him for his Kakerou membership and turned his escape game against him 18 20 38.
• Hikoichi Yakou / Yagyou — A Kakerou referee and old acquaintance of Baku’s who officiated the tower gamble 19 20 21.

Story Role: Ninefold Tower Gamble

Baku approached Q Dalang at a casino while pretending to be drunk and joined the trip to Ninefold Tower with Kaji, Shiraki, and Akagi. After a preliminary mahjong game, Q proposed a wager: the participants could take ten million yen if they escaped the building while his masked enforcer pursued them 17 18 19.

Baku rejected the initial prize and asked for Q’s Kakerou membership instead. The referee set Q’s membership and all his assets as the stakes, with Baku and Kaji competing against Shiraki and Akagi to escape first 20 21.

Inside the trapped tower, the four faced armed mercenaries and the masked Lodem. Baku used his listening device to track Q’s plans and worked with Akagi and Shiraki to disable Lodem. He then forced Q from his office at gunpoint, making him flee through his own building; Q later died after jumping from the sixth floor 32 35 36 38 39.

After Shiraki and Maruk survived a fall from the sixth floor, Baku remembered that the wager was still undecided. He rushed for the exit, but Shiraki stepped out first, securing victory for himself and Akagi 40 41.

Notable Quotes

“My goal has never changed from the start. I came to this building to win!” 30

“Because it’s fun, Kaji. A gamble purely for victory or defeat—just like Uke and Maruk’s fight—is a truly rare thing.” 41