Kuro Kiryu

Eichi Tenshouin: Though he's a member of AKATSUKI, which is a "student council unit", Kuro does not enjoy the student council's tyranny, which means he does not enjoy the way Eichi runs the school. During the Quarrel Festival, Eichi seeks to disband AKATSUKI, which angers Kuro and Souma. Kuro comments that Eichi has gone too far by doing this, and puts his best efforts into thwarting his attempts. Tori Himemiya: During the course of Hierarchy, Tori had attempted to knock Kuro out with a stun gun, in order to capture all the people participating in the "Dragon King Competition". However, Tori was overpowered by Kuro. Mao Isara: Kuro shares a room in the Seisoukan Apartment with Mao. Kuro once helped fixing Mao's sleeve button in the morning shortly before heading to school, noting that helping the troubled Mao reminded him of the hectic mornings he had with his little sister.[3] Since they both have a little sister, Kuro describes themselves as having a "connection", and often asks for Mao's opinions about things regarding his little sister, from one older brother to another. Tetora Nagumo: Kuro is the captain of the Karate club. Tetora respects him the most out of everyone in the academy. Shu Itsuki: Kuro and Shu were childhood friends up until middle school, where they entered different academies. As children, Shu was repeatedly bullied due to his interest in dolls, until Kuro came in to protect Shu and made a promise to always protect him.[5] However, once they became separated in middle school, Shu became the victim of bullying once again, this time without anyone to save him, where he eventually developed a "bravado" to fend off against them. Kuro seems to feel like he owes Shu protection, and feels pressured to maintain his childhood promise, though Shu insists that it is simply a childhood promise that he does not have to maintain.

Kuro's autograph consists of his full name, rendered in kanji. His hair colour, red with black streaks, matches Tetora Nagumo. He and Rinne Amagi are the tallest characters in the game. He is strong enough to lift a grown man and throw him a good distance. He's done this to Keito in Quarrel Festival, so that Keito would land on the mikoshi that was surrounded by the crowd. He was even able to lift up Madara in Shinsengumi, who is one of the tallest characters in the cast. It is likely his solo song, Crimson Soul, is a reference to his name. As stated in Etymology, Kuro's first name contains "crimson" (紅). In Chinese, the "Ki" (鬼) in his last name could mean "the spirit of a dead man, a name, a ghost, a spectre" before the introduction of Buddhism,[4] a less malignant meaning than its modern one. In other words, "Soul" in the song's name could refer to the "Ki" in his last name. Kuro is prone to motion sickness, which may explain his dislike of vehicles.[5] Sora described his color as "Warm and fluffy[6]". Kuro has been portrayed by four different actors in the stage plays, which is the highest amount for any character.

Kuro's family consists of his little sister and father. His mother passed away when he was young. Kuro adores his little sister, and has sworn to keep her safe and give her as much of a good life as he possibly can.

While he had originally planned to continue living with his family even after graduation, he moved out as ES expects their idols to live at the ES dorms. While his sister and father struggle with household chores without him, moving out has benefited his family financially as he eats quite a lot.[3]

Kuro seems scary at first due to his looks and furrowed eyebrows, but he is a kind person who struggles to show it physically. He wants to protect others so they don't suffer as he did in the past. Though he used to look like he's in a bad temper often, his expressions became more loose as the year went on.

He has a big heart and tries to help those who trust him, and while he can be kind, he will not hesitate to call out his fellow unitmates or friends in case what they're doing is hurting others or is wrong. Due to this he is prone to be overly blunt. He tries to avoid serious confrontation after an event in his past.

In conclusion, he is a straightforward and caring person who's trying to free himself from guilt and help his fellow idols reach their dreams by becoming a shield for them.

Kuro is a very tall young man with a good build. He has short, spiky bright red hair that is brushed back from the front, with one lock of hair left gracing his forehead. He has very light yellow-green, narrow eyes. He wears the school uniform with his white shirt unbuttoned completely and a black shirt underneath. He wears a gold necklace with a gold ring on it, and a silvery metal chain on his hip. He wears two black stud earrings, two golden rings on his right ear, and one on his left.

On stage, Kuro wears AKATSUKI's uniform, which is reminiscent of traditional Japanese clothes. It includes a one-sleeved fur trimmed red and white kimono with a yellow striped sleeve. The top right side of the kimono has a decorated collar and looks like a red shirt with a yellow and black sleeve buttoned back. The outfit includes a black obi tied to the side, with red cords hanging from it. The bottom part of the kimono is red with white paint splotches, and he wears black fitted pants underneath. He wears high black boots with red laces. He also wears white athletic tape on his wrists and a black sleeve with gold trimming that goes up his forearm. He can occasionally be seen holding a purple tinted fan.