Yoshikage Kira (吉良 吉影, Kira Yoshikage) is the main antagonist of Diamond is Unbreakable.
Unnoticed in Morioh for years and undisturbed all his life, Yoshikage Kira is an abnormal and paraphilic serial killer whose routine is shaken when the ghost of his first victim, Reimi Sugimoto, begs the Joestar Group to look for him and he attracts unwanted attention by killing Shigekiyo Yangu. Kira is a Stand User and wields the powerful Killer Queen to create deadly bombs.
Yoshikage Kira has light, loosely combed back hair with a few strands out of place. He wears a light Valentino[6] suit and a dark tie patterned by a column of skull emblems with upright, cat-like ears, similar to those on his Stand, Killer Queen. As a salesman by profession, he wears a similar suit throughout the series, though he usually takes off his jacket at home.
Kira adopts one face other than his original one in Part 4, and a ghostly body resembling his original, with a unique outfit, after this. He remains a man of average height and slim to athletic build.
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaAnimeAll-Star BattleEyes of Heaven
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Blond)
Eyes(Purple)
Outfit
(Lavender suit with a yellow-striped light green button-up, and brown shoes. Black/yellow tie.)
The anime marks a shift in Kira's portrayal in promotional materials as most media featuring Kira post-anime will portray him with his anime colors.
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Blond)
Eyes(Blue)
Outfit
(Light purple suit with a striped cyan button-up, and brown shoes. Navy/violet/tan tie.)
Hair(Blond)
Eyes(Cyan)
Outfit
(White suit with a white-striped green button-up, and navy shoes. Black/yellow tie.)
Hair(Blond)
Eyes(Cyan)
Outfit
(Light blue-purple suit with a beige-striped green button-up, and grayish-brown shoes. Purple/yellow tie.)
Kosaku-Kira
When Kosaku Kawajiri (川尻 浩作, Kawajiri Kōsaku) is killed, Kira assumes his facial features, including his spiky black hair, thin, large dark irises, and higher cheekbones. He retains his suit, changing only his tie to his normal Skull tie.
After being hit by the Arrow and receiving Killer Queen's third bomb, Kira's hairstyle spontaneously changes, becoming perfectly combed back, light, and striped by black strands.
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaAnimeAll-Star BattleEyes of Heaven
Skin(Fair)
Hair
(Black, light green with black streaks when "matured")
Eyes(Black)
Outfit
(Lavender suit with a yellow-striped light green button-up, and brown shoes. Black/yellow tie.)
The anime marks a shift in "Kosaku"'s portrayal in promotional materials as most media featuring "Kosaku" post-anime will portray him with his anime colors.
Skin(Fair)
Hair
(Black, white with black streaks when "matured")
Eyes(Black)
First Outfit
(Violet-tinted white suit with a pink-striped magenta button-up, and brown shoes. Teal/aqua/tan tie.)
Second Outfit
(White suit with a striped lavender button-up, and olive green shoes. Black/green/white tie.)
Hair(Purple-gray with black streaks)
Eyes(Black)
Outfit
(White suit with a white-striped blue button-up, and grayish-green shoes. Green/white tie.)
Hair(Gray-beige with black streaks)
Eyes(Black)
Outfit
(Light blue-purple suit with a beige-striped green button-up, and gray shoes. Indigo/yellow tie.)
Ghost
Shortly after he dies, as a ghost, he retains Kosaku's features for a few moments before reverting to his original appearance, which he retains in Dead Man's Questions.
Henceforth, he adopts an elaborate outfit consisting of a dark bowler hat with an upturned brim and a tie, both patterned by concentric squares, and a shirtless, dark, lapelless suit.
Personality
“
I really want to reveal Yoshikage Kira's true nature to that girl on the right. I'd like to reveal my deep desires to her. I really want to touch her thin neck with my hands... and strangle her to death.
Kira longs for a peaceful and quiet life, safe from any worry, and does not wish for it to be interrupted. Whenever that life seems assured, Kira adopts a jolly and confident demeanor.[7][8] Although he is highly intelligent and possesses many talents, this yearning shows in his dislike of coming in first, and Jotaro theorizes from his many trophies that he even made it a point to never rank better than 3rd in any competition so as not to stand out.[9] Since his youth, Kira has been avoiding standing out, living a healthy life and following a strict regimen.[10] He becomes bothered when someone disrupts his habits and goes to extreme lengths to get them back. As his father pointed out, this will to stay in the background was so bad that if bullied or denied his favorite toy, Kira would bite his nails until they bled, being the only way he's found to express his frustration.[11]
However, beneath his façade of a simple, humble salaryman, Kira is very abnormal. The most abnormal characteristic of Kira is his frequent and periodic murderous impulses. Kira targets women, or, more specifically, women with beautiful hands. Kira possesses a hand fetish, which he discovered when he found himself aroused by the Mona Lisa's hands.[12] However, his desire has never extended to the rest of the female person and he otherwise shuns their presence.[7] This results in murdering random women, not caring in the least how they look like or behave, in order to acquire their (severed) hands as "girlfriends", acting as if the severed hands were actually sentient and conversing with them, even offering them various gifts.[13] When one "girlfriend" begins to decay, he disposes of it and goes off in search of a replacement.[7] Kira is an opportunistic killer, his modus operandi being spotting a potential victim, following her to her house, and murdering her when both are isolated.[14][15] His Stand erasing any proof, these murders are actually reported as missing persons. Moreover, Kira has expressed various other similarly violent impulses such as the desire to choke his victims to death[16] and has horribly scarred at least Reimi Sugimoto.[17]
Apart from his murders, Kira is particularly violent when someone threatens his way of life or publicly humiliates him. Since Kira doesn't want to be noticed, he will try everything to solve his problems without facing anyone directly. However, if he doesn't have any other choice, he will instantly try to kill whoever discovers his true nature.[10] Kira is quick to drop his polite demeanor, rudely insulting his foes or violently beating them before killing them. After Koichi's Echoes ACT 3 results in Kira making a fool of himself in public and attracting unwanted attention, Kira went on his way to torture and humiliate Koichi, putting his shoe into his mouth and slamming his face against the ground.[18] Kira has a hard time controlling these impulses, as seen when Hayato Kawajiri threatened to blackmail him. Kira lost his calm attitude and murdered him despite knowing he couldn't afford such a mistake.[11]
Kira is also afflicted with a number of other quirks. Apart from his wish for a monotonous and tranquil life, Kira's OCD also makes him very meticulous and thorough. Kira has sophisticated tastes, notably buying his lunch at the best store in town[7] as well as wearing Valentino suits.[19] He doesn't tolerate any imperfection and is even willing to lose time fixing Koichi's socks, becoming agitated when he sees them being worn inside-out.[18] Furthermore, during his time as Kosaku Kawajiri, Kira made sure to perfectly mimic his new identity in every way, notably Kosaku's hand-writing,[16] which he trained himself to do conscientiously. Kira's solitary nature is partially stemmed from his disgust of people who don't behave as properly as he does.
Kira utterly determined to preserve his "peaceful life"
Kira is also an egocentric and selfish man, akin to a spoiled child. He doesn't care that is crimes involve murder and make his victim's relatives suffer. He only seeks to satisfy his basic instincts. In addition, Kira is determined to preserve his lifestyle, and being set back only increases his determination. Kira is also quick to shift the blame to someone else for his troubles, notably the Joestar group, for ruining his life.[16] Kira possesses a twisted pride in having managed to mix his tranquil lifestyle and his serial murders for so long, and categorically refused to flee the town and live in fear, preferring to maintain a shaky façade of normal life with the Kawajiri's.[11]
In addition, while normally a very cautious meticulous man who ensures he leaves no evidence behind, there are a few occasions where he becomes overconfident and lets his guard down, and each time has led him to a confrontation with the Joestar group or defeat at their hands. He once put his "girlfriend hand" in a sandwich bag and failed to notice Shigechi's presence as he came to take the sandwich bag, thinking it was his.[7] This would lead him to his first confrontation with the Joestar group. In addition, he left his jacket to a tailor at Centipede shoes and left his real name, forcing him to confront them.[20] He was overconfident in his Sheer Heart Attack, believing it was invincible and leaving the scene[21] but was forced to return to the scene of his crime when Koichi managed to subdue Sheer Heart Attack. In addition, he let his guard down near a wounded Jotaro, allowing Jotaro the opportunity to beat him. Finally, when he was overconfident he had beaten Hayato Kawajiri in his attempt to stop him, he blurted out his real name in front of Josuke by mistake, which Hayato had planned.[22]
Kira believes that he has luck and fate on his side, exposing a superstitious façade, claiming that whenever faced with an obstacle he will be able to make it through with a combination of hard work and opportunity. He measures and collects his own fingernail clippings, using them to predict his murdering luck off of their length.[9]
After getting Bites the Dust, Kira becomes extremely confident
When Kira was pierced with the Arrow, his demeanor became much more relaxed and prone to elation due to his new-found power, which guaranteed that anyone approaching Hayato would be killed. Ecstatic to possess a power which would dispose of anyone who investigated him, Kira allowed himself one loud boast, which caused his downfall as Josuke overheard him claiming to be "Yoshikage Kira".[22]
During his confrontation with the Stand Stray Cat, Kira expressed a desire to protect his "wife", Shinobu Kawajiri, and even showed relief at her safety. A feeling that confused him, and Kira rationalized it as him merely not wanting to arouse suspicion. Whether these feelings were genuine or not is left unanswered.[23]
As a ghost, Kira lost all memory of his previous life and has thus lost his temptation to kill. However, his desire for a peaceful existence and his latent brutality remained.[24]
Kira's Stand, Killer Queen, is a humanoid, short-range Stand with the unique ability to cleanly, and completely, wipe out objects and people alike with targeted explosions. This ability takes three forms that Kira names Bomb #1, #2, and #3.
Bomb#1 (Bomb transmutation): By touch, Killer Queen may charge any object with explosive energy, which is then transferred into the first person to touch it. The Stand can then manually detonate the energy with a gesture, creating explosions of variable size and power.
Bomb#2 (Sheer Heart Attack): An autonomous entity that detaches from the Stand's left hand. It tracks and destroys targets with infrared homing.
Bomb#3 (Bites the Dust): Developed with the touch of the Arrow, this ability is a booby trap that, when triggered, it allows Kira to loop time, resetting for up to one hour in order to outmaneuver attempts to investigate him.
Killer Queen changes an air bubble into a primary bomb
After developing Bomb #3, Kira keeps Stray Cat in Killer Queen's abdomen. With Killer Queen's Primary Bomb charging Stray Cat's condensed air bubbles, Kira may create invisible, speedy air bombs (空気弾, Kūki-dan) to use as projectiles. Although he cannot see these bombs, he is skilled in determining their trajectory using basic mathematical skills.
Mastery
Despite the power of his Stand, Killer Queen, Kira's passivity led to an overreliance on its powers to the detriment of actual mastery.
Up until his appearance, Kira has avoided fighting at all, leading to a laissez-faire approach to Stand battles. Although he did personally kill Shigekiyo Yangu and knows a great deal about the subtleties of Killer Queen, he then let Sheer Heart Attack take care of two Stand Users, leading to an unexpected defeat and almost leading to his capture. He then became overconfident in Bites the Dust's invincibility, again leaving ample opportunity for Hayato to seek a loophole. Kira's tendency to hide and avoid instead of confronting his foes has left him no time to show any imagination in using his Stand.
However, thanks to his intellect and "lucky" meeting with Stray Cat, Kira could sublimate Killer Queen's power to create a deadly long-range combination of Stand abilities.
In over 15 years, I, Yoshikage Kira, have never left behind even a single scrap of evidence. And now some kid's mistake is carrying that ring away... Like I'll let him.
I'm always thinking this, but damn, Yoshikage Kira, you're one lucky guy... With your friendly demeanor and bold drive, there's no way you won't be happy in life.
My name is Yoshikage Kira, 33 years old. My home is in the upscale neighbourhood of northeast Morioh. I am currently a bachelor. I work for the Kameyu Market regional management office. Every day I work late and don't get home until 8 PM. I don't smoke. I only drink occasionally. I'm always in bed by 11 PM so I can get a full 8 hours of sleep. Before my sleep I drink a warm glass of milk and do my stretching exercises for about 20 minutes. That way I fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly until morning. Every morning I wake up refreshed and stress free, like a baby. During my yearly check-up, my doctor always says everything's perfect...I was just explaining what I do to go about life quietly with a calm heart. If you keep worrying about winning and losing, it'll just stick your mind and you'll be troubled. You won't be able to sleep at night you're worrying about your enemies. My attitude toward society as a whole has made me a very... content person. But if anyone stands in my way... I won't lose.
You ants really think you can find Yoshikage Kira? I'll destroy you. My Stand Killer Queen's Sheer Heart Attack will kill anything it aims for, guaranteed.
For me, it's not really about winning or losing. I just want to survive. I want a peaceful life. It's just that it's in my nature to kill. I will have my happy life!
You must die. I can't leave witnesses alive. No one is allowed to know the identity of Yoshikage Kira.
”
“
There has never been any trouble that I, Yoshikage Kira, was unable to overcome!
”
“
I have no choice but to fight the ones who find out my identity.
”
“
I really want to show Yoshikage Kira's true nature to the girl on the right... I want to reveal my deep desires to her... I'm dying to touch her thin neck with my hands... and choke her to death.
You want me to leave Morioh!? To live in fear of pursuers, constatntly looking over my back without any tranquility or peace?! You should know better than to suggest that to me! I will never leave this town!
Lately, with everything going on, the waves of my life have grown rough and violent...But from now on, I'll be able to live my life with a peaceful mood. I matured last night, all because you cornered me...rather, I felt a truly powerful will radiating from you last night... You even managed to threaten me, Yoshikage Kira. Hahaha oh dear did I let my name slip...?
Even the fact that Rohan Kishibe met you has been erased! That is Killer Queen Bites the Dust! There's nobody you can talk to! Nobody who can investigate you!
For you information... I turned myself into Kosaku Kawahiri not because I was fleeing from you. If I had wanted to get rid of you all, I could have killed you at any time. I didn't simply because I don't have a taste for battle. I dislike combat because it runs counter to the tranquil life that I desire. Winning a single battle is simple, but stress builds up in anticipation for the following battle... It is a foolish act. [...] That was the only reason I didn't get you out of the picture.... Right now you three are the only ones disturbing my tranquility. Those who know my identity are the only ones I have no choice but to fight!
Phewwww~ Back when I was a kid... you know Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, right? I saw it in an artbook. When I saw Mona Lisa's hands, folded by her knee... How do I say this? It's a bit crude, but... hehe... I got...a BONER. I cut out just the hands... and put them up in my room for a while. I'd like to... cut yours off... too. My name is Yoshikage Kira... I've killed 48 women with pretty hands. You shall be the only one! The only one to know my secret!
Manga Appearances
Anime Appearances
Quotes
