Hazama


 * Note: This article covers both Hazama and Yūki Terumi as the same person/being.

Hazama is a captain of the NOL's intelligence division. In reality, he is Yūki Terumi, the main antagonist of BlazBlue.

Information
Yūki Terumi was originally one of the Six Heroes who fought against the Black Beast in the First War of Magic. He created the Azure Grimoire (and in turn, the Black Beast) and had wished to quell the mistake he had made. However after the beast was destroyed, he turned his back on the Six Heroes, and murdered one of them, Nine, who was the mother of a fellow heroes' child.

He was the original owner of the Susano'o unit armor (which now belongs to Hakumen), and it is assumed that, after realizing he was forever linked to the Master Unit while in the armor, he drove himself out of it- which is possibly why he now appears as a ghost. He was formerly sealed away in the Boundary after Hakumen sacrificed himself to pull him into the Boundary, with help from Jubei, at the cost of his eye. He was later released before the events of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger by Takamagahara.

Years before the events of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Terumi had appeared at Caelica's church, where Ragna, Jin, and Saya lived. Upon arrival, he killed Caelica. After possessing Jin, Terumi burned down the church, cut off Ragna's arm, and abducted Saya. For much the events of the first game, Ragna believed Jin to be responsible for this incident.

During the majority of BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger, Hazama is supervising Noel Vermillion's mission to return major Jin Kisaragi to his post, and attempts to avoid fighting anyone, claiming he "isn't good with that sort of thing". However, during Rachel Alucard's story mode, he appears twice as Terumi, the first time mocking Valkenhayn and the second time mocking Rachel herself.

After the final fight of the True Ending in Calamity Trigger, he appears before Noel and Ragna, and after Rachel arrives, he loses his calm demeanor. His hair spikes up and voice becomes much louder. Rachel and Ragna, having recognized Terumi from the attack on the church years before, attack him immediately, but he simply shrugs it off, and begins to taunt Ragna over the church attack before departing. After the credits roll at the end of the True Ending, he is shown issuing confidential verbal orders to Tsubaki to kill Noel and Jin.

In BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, he appears as the main antagonist and a playable character, planning to destroy the core unit, Amateratsu, using Noel Vermillion, who becomes the Kusanagi unit, Mu-12. He sacrificed many NOL members in order to temper her. When he and Ragna battle, the former overwhelms the latter and proceeds to take his life. But Lambda-11 sacrifices herself to protect Ragna and gives him her Idea Engine. This allows him access to the True Azure and he defeats Hazama. However, Ragna does not kill him, and the latter calls the former a chicken before falling unconscious. During the ending it is revealed that Hazama and Relius Clover are working for Ragna and Jin's little sister Saya, who is now the Imperator of The NOL. In the post-credits sequence he is shown standing over a Cauldron containing the remains of Nu-13 with Relius, commenting that it could be used to make the "Sword of the Imperator" ("Sword of Izanami" in the Japanese dub).

It is revealed that Terumi, like Hakumen and Rachel, will fade away without an observer. Takamagahara and later Mu (with the power of the Eye), with whom he shared a Life Link, observed him in Blazblue. However, Mu lost her power after she turned back to Noel (according to Takamagahara) and Takamagahara was attacked by a virus from Phantom, losing its power. Terumi did not fade away, however, because he had awakened Saya, using her as his observer and presumably turning her into the person she has become, much like he did with Noel/Mu. As an added measure, he is using Ragna's hatred as a force to bind him to this world, as well.

Material Collection Information

 * Hobby: Collecting Silver Accessories
 * Likes: Boiled Eggs
 * Dislikes: Cats, Loud noises

Appearance
Hazama's appearance is taken after the shady, creepy archetype. He is depicted with bright green hair and an ever present smirk with his eyes closed, belying a demonic nature. He wears a simple black suit with a white shirt underneath, short brown gloves, and brown steel-toed shoes. He dons a pair of black trousers held up by two brown belts. He completes the outfit with a black fedora hat to close the shady visage. As Terumi, he loses the hat and his hair spikes upward and his eyes are open, showing off golden-yellow irises with snake-like slits for pupils. In his ghost form, he appears as a black apparition with a vague humanoid outline and green veins. His facial features consist of a single beady green eye and an eerie wide smile.

Powers and abilities
In battle, Hazama wields the Nox Nyctores, Ouroboros; a steel hook crafted in the shape of a snake that he summons in front of him, attached to a chain of green/black energy which he can use to attack opponents from afar or reel them in as well as zip around the battlefield quickly, if not instantly, and close gaps between him and his foes. On the other hand, he also uses Balisong-style butterfly knifes for close-range attacks. Most of his attacks are similarly based on summoning green/black energy and serpentine apparitions to attack his foes, with his Astral Finish being a gigantic cobra of green energy composed of many smaller snakes. Outside of his magical prowess, Hazama incredibly nimble and flexible, his moves vaguely reminiscent of dance techniques.

Having been the original creator of the Azure Grimoire, he possesses his own imitation, activating it in an identical manner to mock Ragna. When activated, a large magical circle envelops him, slowly sapping away vitality of anyone who steps inside. Also, Ragna was unable to use his Soul Eater until he absorbed Lambda's Idea Engine. In the Story Mode of the first game, Hazama's true form as Terumi depicts him as a black apparition with green glowing veins and aura, or alternatively, his facial features become psychotic and his hair spikes up.

According to dialogue Hazama (at least in his true form) is able to erase memories by "eating" them saying that they are delicious which he has used twice so far both of which was on Jin Kisaragi.

Combos and Movelist

 * See here for movelist and combos.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift

 * Gluttony Fang - Hazama's Theme
 * Nightmare Fiction - Hazama VS Ragna
 * Endless Despair - Unlimited Hazama / Terumi's Theme

Gallery
Click here to view all images of Hazama.

Trivia

 * His name "Hazama" (ハザマ) comes from the place in the Boundary -The Edge (挟間, Hazama)- where he and Hakumen were sent.
 * One of Hazama's alternate color palettes dresses him in white, which is seen by many as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson. As a result fans have dubbed Hazama/Terumi the "Smooth Criminal". Though before that, he was known as Ichimaru Jackson, a mixture of Gin Ichimaru and Michael Jackson's last names.
 * Hazama's birthday falls on the International Dance Day, possibly a reference to the fact some of his sprite movements are based off Michael Jackson, as well as an alternate color palette.
 * Storywise, Hazama/Terumi is possibly one of the strongest characters in the playable roster. This is reinforced by the fact that he is the only character with a Nox Nyctores and an imitation Azure Grimoire. While technically Noel has a Nox Nyctores and the true Azure, she cannot access both at the same time like he can. However, Ragna was able to severely wound Hazama when he absorbed Lambda's Idea Engine. He also has arguably one of the strongest Unlimited forms in the console version, on account of his entire moveset being amped up, two normal specials activating his Distortion Drives without the need for Heat (for instance, his Bloody Fangs will immediately activate the Eternal Coils of the Dragon Serpent attack portion), and a life stealing aura.
 * Hazama revels in taunting his enemies, Rachel included. This has caused fans to consider him a troll (a slang in internet community to refer to people who likes taunting and causing mischief for self-laughs) in Blazblue. The website TV Tropes took this one step further in their "pantheon of media deities" by appointing him the God of Trolling.
 * Terumi is said to be the most despicable being in the world, with many things take note to this: cutting off Ragna's arm, brainwashing Jin, wanting to destroy the world, laughing at Tsubaki in her bad ending when she dies (non-canon), killing Carl after thrashing Nirvana (non-canon), making Saya his Observer, screwing with the Continuum Shift, taunting anyone who comes his way, killing Nine and her sister, turning against the Six Heroes, pitting Tsubaki and Noel against each other, and among many of these things make him comparable to Justice and I-no from Guilty Gear. Though unlike Justice and I-no, who had good reasons for their acts, Terumi seems to find nothing but self-satisfaction. Though he could he been mislead and traumatized at one point in his life, knowing this, he possibly could have done such deeds along with Relius, Phantom, and Saya for the sake of revenge against the world for what it is and what it has done to him. This 'trauma' is evident in Noel's True Ending where Terumi begins ranting about how the Black Beast got out of hand. Though Terumi may simply be driven insane by his Ouroboros or the time when he was in the Susanoo Unit.
 * As a counter action to this cruelty however, for the bad actions Terumi has done in the past, his gag ending shows him putting on bath powder in a bath before accidentally ending up in the Lost Town, were he is ganged up on by Taokaka, Jubei, Kokonoe, and every Kaka and cat in Kagutsuchi. It is also revealed that his disliking for cats is due to allergies, which, as suggested from dialogue from Kokonoe, are rather severe. It is then revealed that Terumi accidentally put too much of the bath powder, which was fresh from the Kaka springs mixed with catnip and thus, Terumi put on too much which can cause 'uncontrollable courtship/mating in felines'. Many see this as the 'best ending ever', seeing that it's a fitting punishment for a cruel being of his type.
 * He bears a strong resemblance to Gin Ichimaru from Bleach in his Hazama self.
 * Coincidentally, they are both ranked as "captains" in the organizations they have worked for.
 * Both are supernatural entities, Hazama being a ghost, Gin being a shinigami (Japanese "god of death")
 * Also, they seem to have shifting eye colors. Gin has been shown with either red, silver, or yellow eyes, while Hazama has gold eyes as a human, but green eyes as a ghost.
 * Both have similar personality and dialogue, and are even referred to as "snakes" (by Rukia Kuchiki for Gin and by Makoto Nanaya and Tsubaki Yayoi for Terumi).
 * Both characters betrayed their former group for the sake of their own personal agenda(the Seat of the 13 Captains for Ichimaru, while the group of the legendary Six Heroes for Terumi).
 * Terumi has a fondness for silver, while Gin's name means "silver".
 * Both wield snake-like weapons, with Hazama having an extendable chain-blade and Gin using a wakizashi that extends in length.
 * In addition, some color schemes include a white hairstyle, further illustrating the similarity when he takes off his hat before/after battle.
 * Hazama sweeping back his hair when he switches to his real personality mirrors the actions of Gin's master Aizen, who has a similar reputation as a "troll" in the Bleach fandom.
 * Coincidentally, both Hazama and Gin are voiced in English by Doug Erholtz.
 * Both Hazama/Terumi and Gin even have similar playstyles in their game appearences. With Gin in Bleach: Blade of Fate and Dark Souls. Both of them have an attack that pulls in for combos(Zaneiga and "That's not good."), a far reaching attack(Ouroboros and "Shoot em' dead, Shinso." or "Ah, this is no good."), moves that require an initial hit (Mizuchi Rekkazan and Soeikan), a move that summons a multitude of some sort(Senkon Meiraku and Yarisazame), and can pull off near-infinite combos. The most notable difference is that in Gin's appearence in Bleach: Dark Souls, he has been severely nerfed from his Blade of Fate counterpart while Blazblue: Continuum Shift is Terumi's first playable appearence and has yet to suffer some sort of change in possible later installments.
 * In Continuum Shift II, Terumi's Devouring Fang makes the opponent spin in midair (though still draws them in), messing up some of his combos. Also, it is comfirmed that Terumi/Hazama deals less damage overall.
 * In his Terumi self his hairstyle is similiar to Batman's legendary villain, The Joker. One of Hazama's DLC color puts him to look like The Joker as well. Also, during Carl Clover's alternate story path, Hazama asks him "Why so serious?", a likely nod to the late Heath Ledger's role as The Joker from the movie The Dark Knight. Coincidentally, they are both described as "psychopaths".
 * The pose he does as Terumi, as well as the fact that he uses knives in battle, makes him a possible reference to Dio Brando of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
 * Terumi also sports similarities to Ryuji Yamazaki from Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters. Both of them fight with a hand in their pocket and have moves that revolve around snakes. They are also cruel and psychotic, but have different movesets.
 * Hazama does not have a human skeleton; what appears to be the imprint of his ghost form appears when he is electrocuted by Rachel.
 * While he usually keeps a 'high-and-mighty' attitude to everyone else, the only time Terumi ever gets his 'comeuppance' is during his 'Help Me, Dr. Kokonoe!' section, whereas he simply can't badmouth Kokonoe if he wants to leave. Once he believes he's in the clear, he spouts a few sly remarks, which Kokonoe replies to with a rocket launcher after she overhears it and snapped.
 * In his "Help Me, Professor Kokonoe!" section, Hazama makes his entrance by yelling "Heeeeeeere's Terumi!", a quote taken from The Shining from another over the top psychopath, "Heeeeeere's Johnny!" Coincidentally, the actor who played the character, Jack Nicholson, also portrayed The Joker in the first Batman movie.
 * Hazama's Drive name, Ouroboros, refers to either a serpent or a dragon. The Ouroboros is usually represented by a snake biting it's own tail, symbolizing infinity or a never-ending cycle.
 * Hazama is the only one who enjoys Noel's cooking, as seen in Noel's gag ending. This leads to the assumption that Hazama has no taste in food.
 * Hazama's Guilty Gear counterpart may be I-No. Both characters have acted as final bosses of their respective games, are loyal to an enigmatic figure (I-No to That Man, Hazama to Saya), are homages to famous musicians (Michael Jackson and Shiina Ringo), possess a mean streak, especially towards a certain character (Dizzy and Noel) and apparently motivated by personal ambitions or by self-entertainment. They have also caused strife for the protagonist of their series prior to the events of the first game. (Terumi cut off Ragna's right arm and kidnapped Saya, and Sol Badguy and I-No fought during the Crusades.) In terms of personality both Hazama and I-No differ because while most of the time Hazama has a laid back composure, I-No is known for going berserk in most situations including when someone questions That Man.
 * In terms of appearance, Hazama is the counterpart of Guilty Gear's Johnny. Both wear long, black suits; complete with a matching hat to cover their eyes, however their headwear is drastically different. Hazama wears a simple plain fedora, while Johnny wears an oversized one, with long brims in the shape of a card. Both also show to have a calm laid back personality, showing very little to no fear to most of their enemies. It is also worth noting that one of Johnny's move look similar to Hazama's "Serpent Infernal Rapture". Both Hazama and Johnny and only dash, not run.
 * Hazama's other counterpart may be Anji Mito as most of their attacks resemble dance moves.
 * Although Hazama gets his bad ending by losing to Jin Kisaragi he must lose to Ragna to get his "Help Me Professor Kokonoe" section.
 * Terumi seems to sport similarities to Geese Howard from the Fatal Fury and King of Fighters series, Geese in some of his win quotes says "Hah, waste of time." and Terumi often checks his watch in his winposes and does not like it when people get in his way. It can be assumed that they both hate having their time wasted, but Terumi's Astral Heat however, sports the infamous command of Geese's trademark Raging Storm attack(DB, HCB, DF + P/1632143 + D) a command motion that was said to be impossible for gamers, both casual and professional to input(though some of Geese's appearances such as in KOF '98 UM, SVC: Chaos, and Neo Geo Battle Coliseum have had the command turn very lax, being able to input it as HCBx2, DF/63214632143 instead of the original).
 * Terumi's Jabaki/Venom Sword(Snake Edge Fang) attack resembles K's Eins/First Trigger from the King of Fighters series.
 * Terumi's attacks with his snake-like chain are similar to Scorpion's "Bloody Spear" move in Mortal Kombat, even to go as so far as of saying "GET OVER HERE!".
 * Hazama's weapon & fighting style could be a Counterpart of Axl Low from Guilty Gear Series.