Akio Chage

Akio Chage (茶下 昭雄) is a character featured in Danganronpa Kirigiri.

Akio is an occult researcher who, after taking pictures of a UFO, was sent to the auction at Norman's Hotel by Men in Black.

Appearance
Akio has lightly tanned skin and is fairly tall. He has short, dark brown hair covered by a baseball cap. He has a light brown stubble and wears black shades.

Akio chose to wear a typical black baseball outfit with white details (matching his hat) to the auction because that's his idea of formal wear.

Personality
Akio is a mysterious man who claims to know “just a little bit” about the conspiracies of the world. He is very superstitious and a huge fan of the occult. He works day and night trying to prove the existence of various cryptids.

Akio doesn't mind getting pushed around, as shown when he dealt with the Men in Black. Despite his work he is not planning on keeping it to himself and is rather friendly, such as when he plays cards with Seiunsai Toyano'oh, Yuzen Minase and Meruko Mifune.

Dangaronpa Kirigiri
Akio is first shown as one of the 10 people locked inside Norman's Hotel. When Yui Samidare goes around to introduce herself to the others, Akio introduces himself as a man who knows "just a bit" on the conspiracies of the world.

He states that he was brought to the auction after he took some photos of a UFO, which wasn't his first time seeing one, just the first time he could get good photos. After Akio took the pictures and started to wonder where to send the pictures, Men in Black arrived, confiscated his camera and gave him an invitation to the auction. During the remaining greetings, Akio states that he had heard about Meruko and her psychic powers. Later on he is shown playing cards with the other inhabitants, when a door opens. After Suisei Nanamura opens it - to reveal a dining room, and he is shocked when Norman appears.

After Taehime Uozumi is killed, on the first day Akio is the first of the ten participants in Norman's Hotel's Duel Noir to be killed by the serial killer hiding amongst the group.

Trivia

 * The name "Chage" (茶下) means "giver of tea".
 * Chage's name is probably a reference to Shibata Shūji (柴田 秀之; born January 6, 1958), a Japanese musician known under the stage name of CHAGE (チャゲ) as part of the popular music duo . The reason for the reference lies in how similar Akio and Shibata look.
 * "Akio" (昭雄) means "shining hero" - which is somewhat ironic considering how he simply let Men in Black send him to Norman's Hotel without opposition and how he was the first person to be killed.