Durarara!!

Durarara!!
デュラララ!!
Genre	Action
Light novel
Written by	Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by	Suzuhito Yasuda
Published by	ASCII Media Works
Demographic	Male
Original run	April 10, 2004 – present
Volumes	7
Manga
Written by	Ryohgo Narita
Illustrated by	Akiyo Satorigi
Published by	Square Enix
Magazine	Monthly GFantasy
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	April 18, 2009 – present
Volumes	1
Anime
Directed by	Takahiro Omori
Studio	Brain's Base
Released	January 7, 2010 – ongoing (June 24, 2010)

Durarara!! (デュラララ!!, Dyurarara!!) is a Japanese light novel series written by Ryohgo Narita, with illustrations by Suzuhito Yasuda. As of January 2010, seven volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Akiyo Satorigi started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy on April 18, 2009. An anime adaptation began airing in Japan in January 2010.^[1] The series is about a Dullahan working as an underworld courier in Ikebukuro, an internet-based anonymous gang called Dollars, and the chaos that unfolds around the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro. A game based on the series for the PlayStation Portable will be released in the summer of 2010.^[2]

Mikado Ryūgamine is a young man who longs for the exciting life of the big city. At the invitation of his childhood friend Masaomi, he transfers to a school in Ikebukuro.

Masaomi warns him about people he doesn't want to cross in the city: a violent man dressed like a bartender, an information merchant, and a mysterious gang called "Dollars." And to top it off, Mikado witnesses an urban legend on his first day in the city: the "Black Rider."

Celty Sturluson (セルティ・ストゥルルソン, Seruti Sutururuson)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro^[3]

The heroine of the series. Also known as "The Black Rider" or "The Headless Rider", she is a Dullahan from Ireland who came to Japan looking for her stolen head. Her motorcycle is actually a horse in disguise. She has no heart and perceives via unknown sensors that are not located on the head. The physical strength she possesses is above human, though not quite on par with Shizuo Heiwajima. She is also capable of manipulating a shadow-like, durable substance to form objects ranging from gloves to chariots at her will.

Celty lives with Shinra Kishitani and works as an underground courier. She wears a helmet when she goes out and communicates via a PDA. She enjoys online chatting, television and DVDs. She is one of the minority who knows the creator of the Dollars. She seems to have feelings for Shinra, but she herself is unsure if it is really love, oddly enough she has the habit of punching Shinra in the stomach when he talks about his love towards her. She tends to get mad when Shinra says she does not need her head. She is afraid of extraterrestrials and traffic officers as she thinks of both as monsters. She is a member of Dollars.

Her online chat screenname is "Setton".

Mikado Ryūgamine (竜ヶ峰 帝人, Ryūgamine Mikado)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Toyonaga^[3]

A high school boy who moved to Ikebukuro with the encouragement of his best friend Masaomi in order to search for unusual beings and adventure. Mikado tries hard to change his image but so far he has not had any luck. Mikado has had moments where he speaks his mind, which makes a reason why Masaomi admires him. He is the only remaining creator of the infamous Dollars. He has a crush on Anri Sonohara, but has never found a chance to tell her, and when close to doing so, she leaves.

His online chat screenname is "Tanaka Taro".

Masaomi Kida (紀田 正臣, Kida Masaomi)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano^[3]

A resident of Ikebukuro and Mikado Ryūgamine's best friend from childhood. He encouraged Mikado to come to Ikebukuro. He is enthusiastic about picking up girls but often fails at it. Masaomi has commented on not letting Mikado "go to the dark side" and that he has already gone through it. Masaomi was depressed until Mikado arrived. He was the leader of the Yellow Scarves Gang 3 years ago, however, he was forced to join back again due to an event involving Saika. He is also an inactive Dollars member. He leaves Ikebukuro with his ex-girlfriend, Saki Mikajima, during the conflict between the 3 main forces in Ikebukuro.

His online chat screenname is "Bakyura"

Anri Sonohara (園原 杏里, Sonohara Anri)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa^[3]

A bespectacled girl who attends the same school as Mikado and Masaomi. She is rather quiet and timid, but seems very close towards Kida and Mikado, but sometimes she tends to enclose herself. Though she knows Mikado's feelings for her, she considers him no more than a "good friend". She is very busty and cute, which makes her somehow popular, even though she feels uneasy about it. She feels as if she needs to rely on somebody to move on. Instead of Niekawa Haruna, Anri is revealed to be the real owner of the blade "Saika" and she has shown great control over it as she is not possessed by it. This is due to a traumatic experience in her childhood that made her unable to love. This negates Saika's "love" for humans and thus makes Anri able to control the blade. She seems to be a skilled swordman, being able to handle Saika with great skill. After defeating Haruna, she gained control over the "Saika-children" that Haruna created. After a talk with Celty, she decides to use this ability for the best of the city.

Izaya Orihara (折原 臨也, Orihara Izaya)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya^[3]

A young man who sells information for his own enjoyment and the main antagonist. He claims to love the entire human race except for Shizuo Heiwajima, and exhibits said love by putting humans in often miserable conditions and observing their reactions.

He attended Raira Academy with Shizuo, Shinra and Kadota. According to Shinra, Izaya and Shizuo hated each other with a passion almost from the point they met. In the novels Izaya framed Shizuo for crimes on several occasions. In the anime he puts Shizuo in constant problems, such as gangs attacking him daily up to framing him of crimes.

He is a master of parkour, and also quite skilled with his flickblade (the blade he uses must be slightly opened before the mechanics of it springs opens the blade - a switchblade will open on its own after the user presses a switch) as he is implied to be the only one capable of leaving numerous cuts in Shizuo's bartender suit after a fight in the novels. In the anime, he shaves a gang member's head bald without him noticing it. Izaya has two younger sisters, Mairu and Kururi, who are twins and troublemakers. It seems that from the beginning Izaya had a hunch about Mikado being the creator of Dollars, and he was proven to be correct. He is a member of Dollars and the one who began recruiting people after Mikado stopped sending invitations to Dollars.

He is behind the most relevant events of the series.

His name comes from a combination of the biblical Isaiah and Japanese for "the one who looks over the crowd".

He is usually seen pretending to be female online and talks in a feminine manner in the chatroom. His screenname is "Kanra".

Shizuo Heiwajima (平和島 静雄, Heiwajima Shizuo)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono^[3]

A man who is always seen to wear sunglasses and a bartender's suit. Although quiet and nondescript while not angered, he has a very short fuse and fights with incredible strength. Despite his simple and unrefined fighting skills, he is often considered the strongest fighter in the series. In the novels his power is described as the naturally unlimited form of human strength and likened to "adrenaline power" that can give people superhuman strength in times of emergency. In addition, Shizuo is capable of often superhuman parkour moves, a skill he obtained naturally from years of hunting down Izaya Orihara. He is also a member of Dollars.

He works as a bodyguard for a debt collector in Ikebukuro and carries intense animosity towards Izaya. He has a younger brother, Kasuka, who is a top idol under the showbiz name of Yuuhei Hanejima. He is also a long-time acquaintance of Celty. Although he and Izaya Orihara are on bad terms, Shizuo is actually well-acquainted with Izaya's younger sisters, Mairu and Kururi.

His first and last name translates literally into "serene man" and "peaceful island" respectively.

Shinra Kishitani (岸谷 新羅, Kishitani Shinra)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama^[3]

A young underground doctor who lives with Celty and is also her lover. He stays mostly indoors and wears a white coat even when not working as a doctor. He went to the same primary school as Shizuo, and has since then been interested in his unlimited strength in times of anger, in fact he rather enjoys when Shizuo makes use of his strength. His father was a doctor and since childhood, has participated in surgeries with his father, the most notable a vivisection on Celty. He went to the same middle school as Izaya and has been friends with him since then. He as well enjoys to some point the constant fights between Shizuo and Izaya. As a doctor he is rather interested in what he finds is an interesting phenomena, such as Shizuo's power and Celty's body functions.

Shinra seems to have the "capacity" to tell what Celty is feeling, much to her surprise since she doesn't have a head to show her emotions.

Simon Brezhnev (サイモン・ブレジネフ, Saimon Burejinefu)

Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda^[3]

A tall Black Russian who came to the city to help out his Russian friend who runs a sushi shop. His real name is Semyon (Russian Семён) but everyone just calls him by the name, "Simon". Even though he is a friendly person, it has been shown that he is a force to be reckoned with as he is able to stop a fight with a man his size with just a single arm and also able to fight on par with Shizuo, who is one of the most feared men in Ikebukuro. He is another member of Dollars.

Kyohei Kadota (門田 京平, Kadota Kyōhei)

Voiced by: Yuichi Nakamura^[3]

Originally part of the Blue Squares, he is now a member of Dollars. He has a nickname called "Dotachin" which is used by several characters in the series (mostly Izaya and Erika). He quits the Blue Squares after finding out their leader kidnapped Saki Mikajima. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko light novelist Kadono Kouhei.

Walker Yumasaki (遊馬崎 ウォーカー, Yumasaki Wōkā)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji^[3]

Like his female friend and companion, Erika, Walker is a very passionate otaku and manga reader. He and Erika are nearly always together. He also likes to perform torture by letting the victim to choose a light novel or manga, and carrying out the contents.

He seems to be carefree. He also keeps a wide dumb smile most of the time. But this smile can hide more than people can see at first glance. He was also a member of Blue Squares but quits with Kadota. He saves Saki Mikajima, after she is kidnapped by the Blue Squares, by setting the kidnapper's van on fire and escaping with her in Saburo's van. Like Erika he is very mysterious person. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko light novelist Okayu Masaki.

He is a member of the anonymous online gang Dollars and Kadota's gang.

Erika Karisawa (狩沢 絵理華, Karisawa Erika)

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki^[3]

Erika is a very passionate otaku and manga reader. She and Walker are usually together. She is equally enthusiastic about manga or novel inspired torture. It is noted she is a "fujoshi" or a yaoi fan.

Like Izaya, she calls Kadota "Dotachin".

She is a member of the anonymous online gang Dollars and Kadota's gang. She was also a member of Blue Squares.

Her name is a reference to the Dengeki Bunko light novelists Arisawa Mamizu and Nakamura Erika.

Saburo Togusa (渡草 三郎, Togusa Saburō)

Voiced by: Takuma Terashima

A member of Dollars. He's the driver for Kadota's group. The famous singer Ruri Hijiribe is his goddess. He was also a member of the Blue Squares but quit with the others. His name is a reference to Dengeki Bunko novelist Watase Souichiro.

Seiji Yagiri (矢霧 誠二, Yagiri Seiji)

Voiced by: Kazuma Horie^[3]

A classmate of Mikado's. He quits school claiming he has something more important to do with his life. Being that to find his "love" and run away with her. He seems to rely on his sister's money for that. It is revealed that he is in love with Celty's head. After learning the truth of Mika's surgery he decides to accept her love.

Namie Yagiri (矢霧 波江, Yagiri Namie)

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi^[3]

The Chief of Yagiri Pharmaceuticals and sister of Seiji Yagiri. She harbors feelings for her brother. She is behind the recent human hunting in Ikebukuro which involves kidnapping people whose disappearance would not be noticed for unknown experiments. She seems to rely on Shinra for some tasks, including keeping their secret. She doesn't like the fact that Seiji is in love with Celty's head. She wants to get rid of what she calls "that thing." After Yagiri Pharmaceuticals ends up merging with another company, she makes a deal with Izaya and becomes his secretary.

Mika Harima (張間 美香, Harima Mika)

Voiced by: Mariya Ise

Seiji's stalker. She is a friend of Anri whom she has been looking for as she has disappeared from her home. They were very close to each other but they also used each other to look better. While stalking Seiji, she broke into his apartment and discovered Celty's head. Seiji attacked her, and called his sister, Namie. Namie made Mika undergo surgery to her badly-beaten face and added a "scar" to make it appear as though Celty's head had been surgically attached. After confessing the truth to Seiji he accepts her and is with him since then.

Shingen Kishitani (岸谷 森厳, Kishitani Shingen)

Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka

Shingen is the father of Shinra. He constantly wears a gas mask, claiming that the air in Tokyo is filthy. His personality ranges from childish for comic relief to intimidating, especially when in front of Izaya and Namie. He offered Celty a place to stay in exchange for being able to dissect her, to which she agreed. Izaya claims that Shinra acquired his twisted personality from Shingen. It is revealed that he was the one who stole Celty's head, using the demon blade "Saika" to sever the soul that connected her head and body. He later sold the sword to an acquaintance while giving Celty's head to Namie's uncle. He claims that his higher-ups are interested in Celty.

Kinnosuke Kuzuhara (葛原 金之助, Kuzuhara Kinnosuke)

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara

Kinnosuke is according to Shinra a policeman known by dealing with the most troublesome characters. He has been sent to Ikebukuro to deal with Celty, and he thinks of her merely as a monster. He is very proud of the Police and of himself warning Celty not to mess with them. He is known to be very persistant, as he and his men were able to follow Celty for a whole evening, something which eventually tired and scared her.

Saki Mikajima (三ヶ島 沙樹, Mikajima Saki)

Voiced by: Misato Fukuen

Saki is a girl who has a godlike idolization of Orihara Izaya. She approaches Masaomi under Izaya's instructions and becomes Masaomi's girlfriend. Later Saki lets herself be abducted and injured by Blue Square under Izaya's instructions. Blue Square members Kadota, Yumasaki and Karisawa betray their gang and save Saki, who is immediately hospitalized.

Kasuka Heiwajima (平和島 幽, Heiwajima Kasuka)

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio

Heiwajima Shizuo's younger brother. He's a famous actor under the alias, "Hanejima Yuuhei". In Vol.3, Shinra explained to Celty the link between Kasuka's true name and showbiz name: the "Hane" in "Hanejima Yuuhei" can alternatively be pronounced as "Wa" and "Yuu" as "Kasuka"; which gives you "Wa-jima-kasuka-hei" - a rearranged version of "Heiwajima Kasuka". He was scouted to debut after saving the life of a talent scout from Shizuo, who apparently did not appreciate being talked to by that talent scout.

The Durarara!! light novels are written by Ryohgo Narita and illustrated by Suzuhito Yasuda. The first novel was released in April 2004 under ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint, and as of January 10, 2010, seven novels have been released.^[4][5] A Chinese-language release in Taiwan and Hong Kong is published by the Taiwan branch of Kadokawa Media under their Fantastic Novels imprint.^[6] Daewon C.I. licensed the Korean-language release of the series in South Korea and releases the novels under their Newtype Novels imprint.^[7]

A manga adaptation written by Narita and illustrated by Akiyo Satorigi first appeared in the May issue of Square Enix's Monthly GFantasy in April 2009 and became a regular series starting with the magazine's July issue released June 2009.^[8][9] One tankōbon was published on December 26, 2009.^[10]

An anime adaption of the light novels was announced in the wraparound sleeve of the sixth volume of the light novel.^[11] The anime is produced by Brain's Base and started airing on January 7, 2010 on MBS, TBS, and CBC. Crunchyroll is to simulcast the anime at 480p and 720p within 24 hours of its Japanese premiere. Other users can see the same episode in standard definition for free one week later.^[12] The anime adapts the first three novels.

• デュラララ!! Template:Ja icon
• Durarara!! (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Durarara!! at Crunchyroll