tsuji shinnosuke

First appearance: Battle 32
Age: 18
Type: Dou
Type: Katsujin Ken
Martial Arts: Koppou
Tsuji Shinnosuke, nicknamed "Shaggy Hair" by Kenichi, first shows up in Battle 24 as an ambitious rival of Kisara's. He frequently engages in arguments with other members about who is stronger. Despite having few techniques, his extensive fighting experience without a specific style compensated during his initial fight with Kenichi.
Tsuji once dreamed of leading a gang more powerful than Ragnarok, but his aspirations were shattered by Kenichi. Initially commanding many followers, he lost all but two after being defeated by Kenichi’s accidental sneak attack. Initially angry at Kenichi, Tsuji calmed down when his remaining two followers stated they stayed loyal because he was their friend. This led him to develop some respect for Kenichi, even informing him about Takeda's impending punishment by Ragnarok and warning him about Hermit.
After his defeat by Kenichi, Tsuji retreated into the mountains to train. There, he found a master—an old man wearing a bear skin—who agreed to teach him martial arts under the condition that Tsuji would leave the mountains upon completing his training.
Returning from his mountain training, Tsuji went back to Ragnarok and headed straight to Kisara's headquarters to challenge her. However, he was shocked to learn that Ragnarok had disbanded and the Shinpaku Alliance now held power. With his original purpose gone, he decided to seek out Kenichi again for a rematch.
During his fight with Kenichi at Ryozanpaku, Tsuji displayed a significant improvement in skill, though his punches remained slow enough for Kenichi to dodge. Ironically, Tsuji won by exploiting an opportunity when Kenichi looked away, similar to how he was previously defeated. He then fled, refusing a rematch and declaring he would cherish this victory forever and never fight Kenichi again.
According to Akisame, the style Tsuji uses could be over a thousand years old, making it one of the oldest Japanese styles of Koppou. It revolves around the Kanji 昒, meaning talent or skill to understand clever techniques quickly in modern Japanese and "core" in ancient Japanese. For practitioners, understanding the "core" distinguished those who truly knew the art from those who did not. Tsuji's approach to Koppou slightly differed from conventional styles.