Hatsu

"You bastard! How dare you mock the way of the warrior?! There is no act more manly or noble than the Halbok!!"- Hatsu to Koon

Hatsu (하츠, Hahcheu; or "Hatz") is a Regular and a "devoutly" practised swordsman. He teamed up with with Anak and Ship during the first test on the 2nd Floor, and later signed Koon's friend list. He is a quiet and calm warrior, who has been making good progress in the tests merely by doing exactly what each test entails.

Background
Hatsu comes from a humble background, from a family with no particular fame. He credits his love for the sword to his father, a potter. Koon calls him a "country bumpkin" and assumes Hatsu is from a more rural area of the tower, to which he does not deny.

Personality & Appearance
Hatsu is a dark haired boy. He is well muscled, although very thin. He wears a black and maroon robe with an orange cloth around his waist.

Hatsu's actions are dictated by a code of honour drilled into him since he was a child. This includes repaying debts to other people, and not betraying one's teammates. He expects others to follow and is enraged when encountering people who don't (Koon). He also finds it hard to comprehend people who would betray their own teammates out of cowardice, exemplified when he trusted Parakewl in the Hide and Seek Test.

Apart from outbursts when his honour is insulted, Hatsu is generally very cool headed, being able to think quickly while fighting. He is quiet and does not socialize much, at times being abrasive and having difficulty recruiting friends. Nor does he know much about the sexual aspect of life, not understanding why people would want to look at Androssi in compromising garments or positions. His ineptitude is also seen when he turns his face away without blushing or changing his neutral facial expression after Androssi comments that he is quite handsome.

Evankhell's Hell
Hatsu appeared on the second floor with all the other Regulars. He encountered Anak and began to fight her. Ship Leesoo then turned up, but both Hatsu and Anak completely ignored him. Subsequently, It was announced that the Regulars had to form teams of three, and Hatsu and Anak stopped fighting immediately and teamed up. They continued to ignore Ship, but as he grabbed them they ended up on a team with him.

Yu Han Sung's Examination
Hatsu then passed the barrier and the Door Test without much trouble owing to Leesoo's high intellect. Ironically, he and Anak were almost disqualified when Leesoo had trouble getting through Lero-Ro's barrier.

Crown Game
He took part in the Crown Game with Anak and Ship. He was able to defeat most of the regulars who attacked him. However, Phonsekal Laure blasted him away with his Shinsoo. After Anak defeated Laure and made a bet with Baam, Hatsu watched the rest of the Crown Game in a moody fashion. At the end, when Anak was about to attack Androssi, he stopped her reminding her of her team. He recieved an icy response.

Position Test
Hatsu was put in the Scout position for training. During the lessons, he tried to get Koon on his "friends" list. At first, they hated each other, but Baam helped to cool down the tension between them, and he became Koon's friend.

Hide and Seek
He was put on Team B for the Hide-and-Seek test. He travelled with the Spear Bearers on the team, both of whom were very annoyed until Hatsu beat them up. He sensed Quant's ominous presence approaching by using his Shinsoo, and told the Spear Bearers to run and throw spears from a distance. Hatsu sensed that Quant was very angry, making the Ranker even more dangerous. He drew his swords and prepared for the coming onslaught. When a Lighthouse revealed Quant, Hatsu blocked his attack, and began to fight him. He noticed that while Quant moves were possible for a regular human, they had been honed to a level that was beyond human capability, and into the being that was a Ranker. He decided that he to finish the battle while Quant was still toying with him, and leapt into the shadows. He came out at high speed attacking Quant, but the Ranker simply grabbed him in midair and slammed him into the wall. However, Hatsu was able to remain consious, and grabbed Quant's hand, saying that he would not let go, and telling Parakewl and Mauchi to fire, not knowing that they had fled.

Final Examination
In the discussion the regulars had after Baam revealed himself as an irregular, he was the first to speak of Baam in a positive manner. When Koon acted like he was abandoning Baam for being an irregular, Hatsu became enraged and was about to attack him, calling him a coward.

In the Submerged Fish Hunt, Hatsu plays a minor role of watching the thieves' movements. After the test, he became annoyed with Parakewl who was only concerned about whether they had passed or not since this went against the code of honour he had been raised to. When Parakewl mentioned that Baam was dead and kept using the word dead, Hatsu threatened to kill him. He felt obligated to Baam and influenced everyone to help Rachel climb to the top of The Tower.

Tower of God: Part 2 - The Return of the Prince
Hatsu is now a great and powerful swordsman in Part II, recognized throughout The Tower for his skill. He is rumored to have fought the "Devil of the Right Arm" during the timeskip. Though he was strong, neither of his swords could pierce Cassano's arm, and the result was a crushing defeat. One of his swords may have shattered, as we only see him carrying one in the second part. Afterwards, he trained relentlessly to strengthen his sword to be able to pierce Cassano's arm.

Bet
As the Hand of Arlen was blown up, he along with the rest of his team watched the news grimly, believing the reports of Koon's death. When the invitation to the Workshop Battle was sent to Ship's pocket, he wordlessly followed Leesoo to the next floor.

Workshop Battle
When they arrived at the 30th floor, Ship was goggling at the enormity of Archemides, annoying the highly introverted swordsman. He mock-swung his sword at Ship, sobering the atmosphere by reminding them of the mission: to kill Jyu Viole Grace.

One shot, One Opportunity
He, Leesoo and Anak were running towards the centre of the city where there would be bullets when they ran into Androssi. He lashed out at them when they started randomly supporting FUG instead. After hearing from them about FUG's location, Leesoo deliberately decides that, because of their excess amount of bullets to use to get to Archimedes, to ignore the current game, and focus soley on attacking FUG.

Once there, they decide to stay hidden, and wait till the tickets given is down to 100. Once the tickets finally reach 100, Hatsu launched an attack on Cassano immediately, although this only served as a warning. With that, the two clash for a few moments. As the two back off from each other, Cassano reminds Hatsu of how the latter was unable to even scar him and his weapon once in their previous battle, and that Hatsu lost horribly. But, in response, Hatsu tells Cassano to check his arm if what he says is true. On doing so, Cassano was shocked to see his arm filled with several cuts done in by Hatsu's sword. Thinking Hatsu used some kind of trick, Hatsu explains that the one who trained harder is the one that will win the second clash, describing how he swung his sword billions of times to never lose again. He then thanks Cassano for helping him and his sword grow stronger, and proceeds to use Spectral Dance to inflict deep cuts on Cassano.

After a series of clashes, it is later shown with Cassano done in by Spectral Dance. But still conscious, Cassano then explains that he is jealous of Hatsu, of how people like him can grow stronger with not just body, but with the weapon they hold themselves. Suddenly, Cassano emerges and gives a massive clash to Hatsu. Though Hatsu is able to guard it with his sword, it is revealed that Hatsu's sword has broken in half. Following the catastrophe, Cassano then farewells him until they meet at the Workshop Battle, and a loud bullet shot is heard.

Archimedes
It is later revealed that Hatsu made it, presumably meaning Cassano shot Hatsu with the Holy Bullet to go up to Archimedes. Throughout the day, Hatsu is irritated that his sword had been broken. Later, Leesoo tells Hatsu to use Emile to find a shop that sells fresh swords. Though Hatsu was reluctant at first, Leesoo tells Hatsu that at times like this, he needs to let his broken sword go, and that he needs to move on from it.

Listening to Leesoo, he uses Emile for his first time, which arrives him at the Acorn Workshop. Confused of the name of the store, he wonders if the place actually sells the "sword that can cut devils." Once at the door, he tries to ring the bell several times, but to no avail. He looks back, and sees Cassano and Horyang approaching the Acron Workshop as well. Hiding, he witnesses the two enter the door, much to Hatsu's surprise, as he could not do so. Before the door closes, Hatsu goes incognito and gets in the shop. Quietly following them, he peaks at the room the latter two enter, and witnesses Horyang and Professor Sophia's reunion. Confused about how those two have some kind of connection with a Professor, someone from behind, named "Beta " interrupts his eavesdropping.

Hatsu turns around and by instinct "gets his sword ready," only to realize he has no sword. Beta then asks if he is here to "play" with him, and if it is fun to eavesdrop. At that moment, clear incriments of Shinsoo sparks begin to arise from Beta's body. Right after, though, Cassano and Horyang leave the room and see Hatsu red-handed. Hatsu, realizing his situation, is later seen locked up and thrown into a room. He demands Cassano to let him go and questions on what is happening. Cassano only responds by saying that they will lock him up only till after the Workshop Battle. He then locks him in the room.

Part 1


Swordfighting Skills: Hatsu is a very good swordsman, wielding his swords fast and precisely. He is well trained, is strong physically, and can easily best multiple Regulars in a swordfight. He was even able to hold off Quant for a short time. His training also gave him an almost exceptionally powerful grip, such that he may grasp whatever he chooses without fear of losing his hold over it. His grip has proven capable of even restricting the movements of a Ranker.


 * Sword That Flies Higher Than Any: This sword has a blue hilt with a red tassel on it. When Hatsu throws is intothe air, it will move on its own, attacking and blocking for Hatsu in midair.


 * Sword That Flies Lower Than Any: This sword has a red hilt with a blue tassel. This sword can emit a small but potent blast wave when Hatsu swings it hard.


 * Shinsoo Detection: Hatsu can detect the Shinsoo of others at a long range.


 * Spectral Dance: First Strike: A powerful sword technique Hatsu can use, strong enough to crack stone.

Card (From Part 1)
(Found on author’s blog and translated by Greenanatoly Edited by Kroll Source Here and Here)































Part 2
Swordfighting Skills: In part 2, his fighting style is similar to his initial one. But instead, he now wields one sword instead of two, but can still execute Spectral Dance. His swing is much more powerful, and his control over shinsoo has improved. He can now issue large shockwaves that are yellow and blue from it. As well, previously, he was unable to even scar Cassano, but during his initial return in battle in Part 2, his swings and sword-striking have massively improved, being able to severely damage both Cassano and his arm. His spectral dance is now much stronger as well, being able to breach Cassano's defences, who is one of the much stronger E-class regulars to date.

Relationships
Ship Leesoo: These two get along well. While Hatsu didn't want to associate with Anak anymore after the teams dissolved, he still socialized with Hatsu. They went friend hunting together, trying to fill up their friend list. Leesoo often acts as the glue and mediating force between Anak and Hatsu.

Later in Part II, their bond and trust has improved significantly. The two stuck together throughout the 8 years, giving each other complete trust since.

Anak: These two do not get along and often disagree on things. While Hatsu tolerated her selfish actions to a certain point when they were on the same team, he didn't wish to be associated with her anymore after the teams dissolved. Ship Leesoo is usually the reason why they can get along.

Baam: These two are good friends. Hatsu seems to like and appreciate Baam's honesty and desire to help others, regarding their friendship highly. They can sometimes be seen socializing outside of tests. Baam has helped Hatsu fill out his friend list. Hatsu is quick to defend Baam and was angry on Baam's behalf when it appeared that Koon was abandoning Baam. When Baam was thought to be dead, Hatsu was the one to propose helping Rachel because he felt he owed it to Baam.

Koon Agero Agnis: These two are friends, though they like to make fun of each other. Hatsu calls Koon "ear decorations" and Koon in return calls him "halbok warrior." They are often able to get a rise out of each other. Though Hatsu was the one to propose helping Rachel, he seems to follow Koon's lead on how to do it, letting himself get seperated into another team.

Notes & Trivia

 * It is implied that Hatsu entered the Tower because he seeks honor and pride (명예와 긍지).


 * As a humorous reference to old school yakuza manga or movies, Hatsu's defeated opponents were piled on top of one another, during the Crown Game.Hatsu_pile1.jpg


 * Hatsu may be of a descent similar to that of the Japanese, considering: his choice of weapon (katanas), the kimono like clothes he wore in Part 1, his overall samurai like demeanor especially his views on halbok (it is similar to the Japanese samurai's perspectives on seppuku), the references to the yakuza (as mentioned above), and above all, his name. 'Hatsu' is not an uncommon name in Japan, often meaning 'first/beginning' (though the meaning can differ greatly depending on the Kanji chosen).

Quotes
"Trusting your allies is obvious." -Hatsu to Ship Leesoo

"After I lost to you, I swung and swung, several thousands, no, several billions of times. Until my swords were tempered, to become sharper and more powerful than you." - Hatsu to Cassano in their second clash

Alternate Translations

 * (Korean Pronunciation) Ha-cheu
 * (SIU) Hatz