Azuma

Brown hair above matching brown eyes gives Azuma a stern, unremarkable look that belies his temperament. His body is only lightly augmented, the standout feature being camera-equipped artificial eyes that also switch into an infrared mode.

Reckless and anything but reserved, Azuma acts with a boldness that once left Togusa worried about his own well-being while paired with him. Beneath the hardened exterior he tends to bond quickly with those he serves alongside, and his stretch in the Self-Defense Force earned him several commendations.

Azuma enters Section 9's orbit in 2032, scouted at the same moment as Yano. Neither manages to shadow the Major during their assessment, yet she chooses to relax the unit's entry bar to grow its ranks. He turns up at the card table beside Saito in one episode, fights in the shipyard clash that claims Yano, and is kept off active duty ahead of the Dejima siege. By the close of 2nd GIG he appears to have earned full standing, and he resurfaces early in Solid State Society backing Togusa through an incident at the airport.

In The Human Algorithm, Aramaki singles Azuma out as the member with the least cybernetic enhancement, below even Togusa and Tsunagi, along with the lowest measured intelligence. Those very traits make him the natural choice to slip into the body-purist movement Aterui as a would-be recruit once Togusa's cover falls apart. His origins trace to JGSDF Intelligence, where a record of commendations secured his transfer into Section 9.