| “ | There's one thing I've always wanted to say to any true monster or evil psychic or cyborg or ninja. Just one thing. Just one thing I want to say. And that is... Don't fuck with the traffic cops, monster. |
” |
Kinnosuke Kuzuhara (葛原 金之助, Kuzuhara Kinnosuke) is a motorcycle police officer known for dealing with the most troublesome characters who were transferred to Ikebukuro from another district to deal with Celty. He is especially known for going to insane lengths to get his target even if it means leaving a trail of damage behind him.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Kinnosuke's most distinguishing features are his red ascot, sunglasses, and a cross shaped scar on his cheek. His face resembles his older brother Ginichirou's. The rest of his attire is a normal traffic officer's uniform.
Personality[]
Kinnosuke is known to go to extreme lengths to make arrests and is almost zealous with maintaining order on the road. The numerous supernatural events around the city do little to faze him. He is extremely persistent and has a reputation for starting high-speed chases that end in accidents. He is proud of his position as a police officer and does his best to emulate the best qualities of his profession. As such, he has a strong set of morals.
His skills include extremely adept motor cycle riding, being able to keep up with Celty even when she uses her supernatural abilities. While not as strong or agile as other characters in the series, Kinnosuke is still very proficient in combat, even if he is forced to fight while riding his motorcycle.
Synopsis[]
Saika Arc[]
Kinnosuke's nameplate in the second opening
He is first seen when he and a unit of police officers corner Celty and warn her about messing with the police. When she returns home later, quivering, Shinra informs her that Kinnosuke is a hardened motorcycle cop who was brought in from another district to deal with her.
Yellow Scarves Arc[]
He is introduced in this arc chasing Celty around the city, eventually cornering her. Celty attempts to use her shadows to scare him and the other cops off but, much to her surprise, he remains unfazed. Kinnosuke's actions later traumatize Celty and cause her to develop a fear of traffic cops. Kinnosuke later appears to stop Horada from escaping, arresting him for traffic violations.
Hollywood Arc[]
Kinnosuke appears near the beginning of the arc, grilling Celty on her motorbike's illegal lack of headlights. The two begin yet another chase through Ikebukuro, with Kinnosuke keeping up with Celty easily despite her using her supernatural abilities to ride on walls and avoid traffic. This act generates massive media attention and is effectively what prompts a bounty on Celty's head.
He appears later and offers some unexpected assistance when Celty is chased by Toramaru members. When one of the bikers takes a swipe at him, Kinnosuke proceeds to assail every single biker around him despite being on a motorbike and still giving chase to Celty, increasing her panic. Celty manages to lose him during the battle under the overpass, when she captures masses of motorcycle gang members her net and those who get through her net are dealt with by Egor and Ruri. Kinnosuke returns once more with a larger entourage of traffic cops, and they deal with the massive numbers of motorcycle gang members who have begun fighting each other.
Dragon Zombie Arc[]
He appears briefly at the start of the first chapter chasing Celty once again. He passes a car in which Izaya and Shiki are conversing. Izaya comments on how Kinnosuke's relative, Yumeji Kuzuhara, is a member of the police's anti-yakuza branch and was responsible for Kine's expulsion from the Awakusu-kai.
Kadota's Coma Arc[]
Kinnosuke's niece Maju informs him that Shizuo has been sent to jail. He later interrupts two officers' interrogation of Shizuo after eavesdropping on their conversation, which had revealed the officers to be "children" of Haruna Niekawa's Saika. Since the officers had been threatening to falsely accuse Shizuo of assaulting an officer, Kinnosuke threatens to turn them over to internal investigations if they carry out their plan.
Final Curtain Arc[]
He later chases Shinra and Celty.
Etymology[]
- The name Kinnosuke means "gold/metal, money/cash, currency" (金) (kin), "this" (之) (no) and "help, rescue, assist/assistant/assistance" (助) (suke).
- Kinnosuke's surname Kuzuhara means "arrowroot" (葛) (kuzu) and "field, plain" (原) (hara).
Trivia[]
- Kinnosuke is a member of the reputable Kuzuhara family with over 200 relatives in the Tokyo police force.
- Kinnosuke's nephew Sōji Kuzuhara is a middle schooler who later becomes a main character Ryohgo Narita's series Etsusa Bridge, set about ten years after Durarara!! on an abandoned artificial island.