Ranta Zenin

Slight of build and short next to clansmen like Naoya and Jinichi, Ranta is a young man with disheveled black hair gathered into a low ponytail. His light brown eyes are wide and framed by long eyebrows. In keeping with the rest of the clan, he dresses in a white kimono over dark blue hakama, with dark grey socks and no shoes on show.

Ranta carries himself with more reserve than most of his fellow clansmen, gentler in manner yet still sure of himself. Loyal to the Zenin name, he addresses senior members such as Jinichi with marked deference. He stood apart from the clan in his reading of Toji Fushiguro, recognizing the man's strength and speaking of him respectfully; in Ranta's view the clan endures only because Toji chose to leave it standing.

That same clear sight let him gauge how dangerous Maki had grown once her power neared Toji's level. Convinced of the threat, he was ready to spend his life to stop her, sacrificing his body without complaint and trusting Jinichi to finish the job. His optimism and selflessness shone at the end: believing Jinichi had triumphed, he died smiling, certain he had done his duty even as it cost him everything.

As a member of the Hei, the Zenin Clan's most select unit, Ranta was at minimum a semi-grade 1 sorcerer, since that ranking was a prerequisite for joining. He fought with discipline alongside Jinichi, the two coordinating their techniques to bring Maki down fast. The clan's misfortune was that Maki's body had shed its cursed energy and surged with immense strength, leaving their combined effort short.

His innate ability was a paralyzing gaze. By looking at a target, Ranta wrapped them in an immobilizing aura, manifesting a giant pair of eyes that generated the binding effect while straining his own eyes as a cost. When he turned it on Maki, the recoil was punishing; she forced her way through the conjured eyes and shattered the hold, leaving his eyes streaming blood. The damage proved fatal, and Ranta eventually died from the toll. In his final act he restrained Maki long enough for Jinichi to unleash a barrage of punches, then collapsed believing the deed done, never seeing Maki stride past carrying Jinichi's severed head.