"Don't you mean scope out the food?"—Tsume to Hige
Tsume (Claw) was the second wolf to be introduced in the series. Rough and self-reliant, Tsume is portrayed as a strong fighter who keeps his true feelings to himself. He joins the others out of boredom and does not initially believe in Paradise. Though he frequently quarrels with Kiba over their journey, he eventually comes to believe in Paradise as strongly as Kiba.
Appearance
Tsume is a large grey wolf with an x-shaped scar on his chest. Toboe has noted that Tsume has scars all over his body, Toboe in fact noted that "But that one on your chest is really cool!" when they were alone in the cave like place they hid in. When human, he is tall and relatively muscular, with cropped silver hair that he ties back in a small ponytail. He wears one stud earing in his right ear and two hoops in the left, one larger than the other. He wears tight, black leather that exposes his belly, the sleeves partially ripped off. He appears to have golden-colored eyes. The manga artist, Iida Toshitsugu, commented that he had "never drawn eyelashes on a man before."
Personality
Tsume, his teeth are no longer humans
Tsume is depicted as a "a stereotypical angry anime loner" and an "emotionally distant hottie" who is confident, and at times arrogant, but keeps himself distant from his allies. Though he and Kiba continue to come into regular conflict,Tsume eventually comes to believe in their goal and becomes a loyal pack member. Of all of the pack, he is closest to Toboe, whom he refers to as "runt." Arguably, the red wolf is the one who keeps him with the pack until Paradise itself takes root in his heart.
Background
It is eventually revealed before moving to Freeze City, he had lived in another location with a large pack of wolves. Jaguara's wolf hunting troops attacked the pack, killing most of his family and friends. As Tsume attempted to flee from the battle, he was cast out by his pack and the alpha male attacked him, leaving Tsume with a large X-shaped scar across his chest. Tsume eventually traveled to Freeze City where his self-loathing over his actions caused him to refuse to befriend others.
Plot
Tsume's Human form
Tsume is first shown working with a gang of humans, attacking the nobles' supply ships. However, after he fails to save Gehl from falling, due to the boy's fear of his true form, he splits from them. Soon after he finds Toboe, protecting the young wolf from Quent. Toboe is mainly responsible for, despite Tsume's resistance, convincing the grey wolf to join the newly formed pack; Tsume convinces himself that he's only tired of the city, and that's why he's going along.
When Toboe accidentally triggers a pressure plate that activates an attack drone, he saves the young wolf from the unearthed "war machine". When the pack encounters the city of Lost Wolves, Tsume declares that it's proof that Paradise is only an illusion. When the pack splits up temporarily, he allows Toboe to remain with him, making it clear that even if the pack broke up at that point, he would willingly stay with the young red wolf. He shows rage similar to Kiba's in the face of the wolves' plight, although he isn't nearly as surprised; when Zali helps the pack, he accuses the other of not behaving like a wolf, looking out for a pack other than his own.
When Cheza joins the pack, it seems to go a long way in convincing Tsume of Paradise's existance. He dreams of Paradise, and fights with ferocity almost to match Kiba's when defending her from Darcia. Later, he and the other wolves defended Blue from being assaulted by human boys, despite his justifiable distrust of her, but later accepts her presence in the pack.
When Toboe says that he wants to stay with the Indians, he shrugs and gives his consent, so long as it is what the pup wants. When the pack reaches Jagura's city, he's the first one to discover Hige's connection with the noble, stumbling into a hall filled with stuffed wolves sporting similar collars to Hige's within the castle. At first he is critical of the Mexican wolf, but comes to realize that Hige did not betray the pack consiously or willingly.
After Toboe is killed, Tsume drops his tough facade and cries over his body, even telling the truth of how he got his scar. Tsume is the last of the pack to remain standing with Kiba in the final battle with Darcia after commiting a coup de grâce to end Hige's suffering after Darcia's vicious attack. Despite putting up a fierce fight, he is killed after Darcia rips open his side and legs. Before dying, he whispers to Kiba the exact words Hige told him "Let's meet again... next time.... in Paradise." Tsume then lets out a haunting howl before dying. At the end of the series, Tsume is seen in his human form riding a motorcycle in a city, glancing up as if hearing something, like the others.
Tsume
Biographical InformationReal Name:
Tsume
Alias:
Claw
Age:
25
Species:
Gray Wolf
Status:
Alive
Affiliations:
Toboe
Tsume's Gang
Tsume's Pack
Gehl
Physical DescriptionGender:
Male
Hair color:
Silver in human form. Grey and silver in wolf form.
Eye color:
Gold.
Height:
6'1
Character InformationPowers:
Fangs and claws in wolf form. Jackknife in human form.
First appearance:
City of Howls
Voiced by:
Kenta Miyake (Japanese)
Crispin Freeman (English)
