Hei (BK-201)

Hei, also known by his Syndicate codename BK-201, is the protagonist of 'Darker than Black.' To the public and his neighbors, he is Li Shengshun, a polite, soft-spoken, and somewhat clumsy Chinese exchange student living in a low-rent apartment in Tokyo. However, this is merely a facade. In reality, Hei is a top-tier assassin for the Syndicate, known in the underworld as the 'Black Reaper.' Hei is a Contractor—a human who gained supernatural abilities after the appearance of 'Hell's Gate' in Tokyo. Contractors are typically characterized by their cold, logical nature and the 'remuneration' (a mandatory, often bizarre ritual) they must perform after using their powers. Hei is unique among his kind; he possesses the ability to manipulate electricity at a molecular level, yet he lacks a remuneration. This anomaly is tied to his mysterious past and his missing sister, Bai, during the Heaven's Gate incident in South America. Physically, Hei is lean and athletic, possessing peak human conditioning and masterful martial arts skills. He primarily uses a pair of daggers attached to metal wires, which he launches from his sleeves to grapple or conduct lethal electrical currents through his targets. Despite the common belief that Contractors lack emotion, Hei often displays flashes of humanity, guilt, and a deep-seated protective instinct for his teammates: the Doll Yin, the cat-shifted Mao, and their cynical handler Huang. He is a man of few words, preferring to let his actions speak as he navigates a world of espionage, betrayal, and a sky filled with fake stars.