Senju Kawaragi

Senju Akashi, or Senju Kawaragi, is the Fifth Division Captain (伍番隊 隊長) of the Second Generation Tokyo Manji Gang. Before joining the Second Generation, Senju was one of the Three Deities of Kanto and the Boss (首領) of the delinquent gang Brahman.

Appearance
Senju is a young woman of below-average height with short light pink hair, green eyes, and prominent eyelashes, sharing similar facial characteristics with her older brother, Haruchiyo Sanzu. Due to her layered tousled bob hairstyle with unruly waves and blunt edges, she is often mistaken for a boy. Senju wears the standard Second Generation Toman uniform unbuttoned with a  underneath. During her time in Brahman, Senju wore its traditional uniform with personally customized sleeves in a cherry blossom pattern instead of the Black Dragon typography. She wore skinny jeans for lower garments and a pair of black sneakers for footwear.

When she is not tending to her gang duties, Senju wears a white sailor top with a red necktie and a matching light blue skirt that ends right above her knee. She sometimes ties her hair in a well-kept bun and allows her bangs to freely cascade down the sides of her face. To complete her school outfit, she wears a pair of school shoes and white mid-calf socks for footwear.

Personality
Senju is a principled leader with a good moral compass. She commands Brahman through its losses and triumphs and aspires to preserve the gang as it is, veering it away from corruption and immorality despite being one of the most infamous bands of delinquents in Tokyo. However, her ideals become greatly challenged as she shepherds her team, occasionally encountering different opinions from her subordinates that counteract her beliefs until she succumbs to an inferior and unresponsive disposition toward them. She mostly puts this facade on with her older brother Takeomi Akashi, consequently her advisor, who she pronounced as such during the early formation stages of Brahman. Takeomi became her voice of reason throughout her time of governance, earning her trust in his judgment until he submitted to materialism and greed. He hinted to use Senju’s power and authority over the gang for indictable matters, and for this reason, Senju stowed away her true potential.

Senju is overshadowed by her older brother. Her refusal to involve Brahman in a prostitution ring ended in her defeat as she had given into Takeomi’s orders and accepted the business offer even after denouncing its felonious nature. Senju is prone to Takeomi’s subjugation and she is defenseless against him, even being reminded to separate personal emotions from making work-related decisions, and that successfully doing so is the major difference between a child (Senju) and an adult (Manjiro Sano). Eventually, Takeomi realizes his mistakes and seeks her forgiveness, permitting Senju to rise against him and exhibit her power for the greater glory of her gang.

Apart from submitting to Takeomi’s command, Senju believes in shouldering Brahman’s failures when the team is beset with adversities. She holds herself accountable and is inclined to blame herself for them, a detrimental mindset she has grown accustomed to after months of leadership as President. Her self-condemnation steers her to believe that she is incompetent in directing her gang and drives her to do better, first and foremost fighting her nemesis South Terano to bring Brahman to victory during the battle between the Three Deities. In fighting him, she proclaims herself as Brahman’s one and only boss, essentially a declaration of her strength and power against her subordinates from the First Generation Black Dragon.

Outside of her gang life, Senju shows a freer side of herself. According to Takemichi Hanagaki, “…no matter how you look at it, she is really just an ordinary cute trendy girl.” She is playful and childlike as seen during her rendezvous with Takemichi where she involved him in her shopping endeavors and dragged him around the amusement park on. She is also frequently presumed to be an ordinary high schooler when wearing casual clothes and presents a completely different side of herself that turns out to be a surprise for most.

Additionally, she is a loyal individual who thinks lightly of herself when a friend is in danger. As such, Senju did not think twice about saving Takemichi from Rokuhara Tandai’s goons who threatened to shoot him after making a wish to protect him on a Tanzaku. While she was saved by Takemichi in the current timeline, he failed to protect her in the previous where she blocked the bullet and died, proving her heroism, selflessness, and loyalty to her friends.

Authority
As the president of one of the strongest gangs to emerge during Tokyo's Sengoku Period, Senju has command of an incredibly fearsome fighting force. She has the allegiance of Black Dragon's founding members, one of which is her older brother, who are extremely powerful in their own right. Despite the generational differences between Senju and her subordinates, for Brahman is known to house fighters from older generations, she remains at the top of the ranks with the support of the First Generation Black Dragon.

Fighting Prowess
Apart from carrying the responsibility as Brahman’s president, Senju is also one of the gang’s notable fighters. She is a sly and cunning individual who chooses to have her right-hand man Takeomi Akashi lead her gang as a decoy for her to orchestrate sneak attacks when necessary, and is generally assertive in battle but has the ability to remain collected. During the spontaneous meet-up between Brahman and Rokuhara Tandai wherein both gangs ought to recruit Takemichi Hanagaki, Senju showcases her fighting prowess by landing a surprise attack on South Terano where she fights in a nimble and acrobatic style that befits her small stature. Senju can also execute high-level moves. Additionally, her strength and fighting skills are proven by her position as Brahman’s leader, as she established the gang after getting recognition for her outstanding performance in “B1,” Brahman’s underground ring. Although she is soon defeated by South in a one-on-one fight during the Battle of Three Deities, Senju's overall fighting abilities is commendable and acknowledged by the delinquents of Tokyo.

Quotes

 * "I want someone who I can trust! Someone who can give guidance to the team! Will you fill that role, big bro?" Senju asks her older brother Takeomi to be her advisor in Brahman
 * "Hanagaki Takemichi... two big gangs watched over you, as you boldly screamed, 'I will defeat Sano Manjiro!' If you do have such ambitions, please join Brahman. Brahman welcomes you." Senju recruits Takemichi into Brahman
 * "Shut your mouth, Takeomi! I never wanted the fight to go this way... but... at this point, Brahman is done for!" Senju yells at Takeomi for initiating the battle against Rokuhara Tandai and the Kanto Manji Gang

Etymology

 * The surname Akashi means "bright" (明) (aka) and "preside over" (司) (shi).
 * The name Senju means "thousand" (千) (sen) and curse (咒) (ju).
 * Senju's professional surname Kawaragi means "tile" (瓦) (kawara) and "castle" (城) (gi).