tanaka tsutomu

First appearance: Battle 218
Age: 20
Type: Sei
Type: Katsujin Ken (also exhibits Satsujin Ken traits)
Martial Arts: Ancient Martial Arts (Tenchi Mushin Ryuu)
Tanaka Tsutomu was a contestant in the D of D tournament. He is a married office worker with a child named Satoshi. Tanaka has reached the pinnacle of ordinary martial arts and is ready to transition into the master class.
Tanaka was a disciple of the original Tenchi Mushin Ryuu master, Kai Midou, who trained alongside Ogata Isshinsai during their days at Ryozanpaku. However, one day Ogata used his master as a subject for martial art experiments, ultimately killing him while he was suffering from an unknown illness. This event set Tanaka on a path of vengeance.
During his training, he met his master's daughter and fell deeply in love with her, much like how Kenichi feels about Miu. This reportedly caused some tension between him and his master. They ended up getting married hastily at age 18 due to a shotgun wedding. Tanaka freely admits that he was "whipped" by his wife but adds that Kenichi would likely face a similar fate upon marriage. It is believed that he learned one of the Elder's 108 techniques, Kazoe Nukite, which was passed down from the Elder to Kai and then to Tanaka.
He appears to have a timid and carefree personality, even taking a phone call from his wife during a match. He seems somewhat naive, as evidenced by his initial unawareness of a robbery, though this may be a facade concealing his true ruthlessness.
Despite his adherence to Katsujin Ken, his emotions sometimes overwhelm him, pushing him towards the brink of becoming a Satsujin Ken. He considers it a defeat that he almost killed Kenichi because he couldn't control his Wooden Neck Cross technique, whereas Kenichi held back his punch when he saw the elder stop Tanaka's attack.