Heinrich Lunge

Face: Elongated, with sharp features, prominent cheekbones and deep-set eyes. Eyes: Small, cold, light (often depicted as grey-blue), with a heavy, penetrating look. Eyebrows: Thin, slightly arched, giving the face a tense expression. Nose: Long, straight, with clearly defined lines. Hair: Dark (black), cut short, combed back, with gray hair at the temples. Build: Lean but strong, with a straight posture (typical figure of an officer or investigator). Clothes: Most often wears formal suits (usually dark colors), shirts with a tie, sometimes a coat. Overall impression: Stern, ascetic, reserved. His appearance reflects a tough, methodical character and professionalism. His gaze seems to shine through a person, which makes him very convincing in the role of an investigator.

Heinrich Runge (ハインリッヒ・ルンゲ, Hainrihhi Runge?) is an officer from the BKA who obsessively believes that Dr. Kenzō Tenma is responsible for a series of murders and criminal events taking place in Germany, and doggedly pursues him to that end. He lives for his work, and proudly states that no case he ever has taken on has ended without a resolution. He possesses extremely high analytical abilities and has an excellent memory.

"I am the killer." In order to predict a killer's motives, method of execution, and even next move, Runge enters a psychological state where he "becomes" the killer. After getting into their mindset, he is able to reenact the killer's behavior and fully understand why they carried out such actions and what they will do next.

When he tries to do this with Johan Liebert, he comes to the conclusion that "I do not exist", because Johan's motives are completely impalpable to him, giving him, in Runge's eyes, a fictitious air.

Typing as a mnemonic device Runge has a constant habit of tapping his fingers as though he's typing. He says that doing so is a way of inputting data into his brain, much like one can type and then save a document onto a computer. This method helps him to remember details of his cases and people he meets, even after many years have passed.

His procedure is questioned by forensic psychologist Rudy Gielen, who suggests that in doing so, the information he enters into his brain becomes tainted with his own personal beliefs and opinions, unlike his own habit of bringing a cassette recorder in every time he needs to talk with certain people whose words are vital in an investigation or diagnosis.

Runge's ruthless tenacity and cold, calculating demeanor are shown in his encounter with the copycat killer in episode 22, in which he knowingly releases false information into the local newspaper to entice Tenma to the scene. In his interview with the actual murderer, Runge toys with him, sarcastically telling him that he will certainly get away with his crime because the local police are incompetent. Runge tells the culprit he has no interest in any other criminal but Tenma, and this is put to the test when the copycat murderer later attacks Runge. After being stabbed from behind, Runge shoots out both the suspect's kneecaps and doggedly pursues Tenma to his car, only to lose consciousness from blood loss. Upon regaining consciousness, Rune promptly handcuffs and incapacitates Tenma despite needing his medical expertise to survive. This clearly indicates Runge's resolve and ruthless dedication to the pursuit of criminals even at the cost of his own life.

He is cold, ruthless, efficient, and eminently calculating, so much so that it occasionally gets him into trouble, even driving some of his suspects to suicide. His job is his life, and making a mistake in his eyes is a fate worse than death. He's sole mission in life is to catch criminals, and he considers everything else, such as interpersonal relationships, games such as chess, and even sleep to be uninteresting wastes of time better spent in pursuit of investigation. Although his family life hasn't been shown in the series for the most part, one can deduce just by his confession that he's not on good terms with his family, nor is he enthusiastic about keeping in touch with them. By the end of the series though, it is seen that he has changed this attitude and started making contact with his daughter.

German