Kyuu

Kyuu (キュー) (also known as Number 9 (9番か)) is a recurring character in Beastars. Along with San, she is Louis's former cellmate from when they were raised as livestock and locked up with other herbivore children in the Black Market.

Appearance
Kyuu is a small female lop-eared rabbit with color-point markings. Her fur is a lighter shade while the fur around her muzzle and ears are darker. She has thick eyebrows and large, dark eyes. Like Louis and San, Kyuu also has her livestock brand imprinted on her left foot.

Personality
Kyuu appears to be cold and calculating and is clearly hardened by surviving as a herbivore in the world of the Black Market. She shows no hesitation when it comes to taking on a larger predator like Legoshi and her skills even allow her to overpower him within seconds of meeting him. Although abrasive and distant, Kyuu does eventually drop her guard after recognizing Louis as her old friend, but refuses to apologize to Legoshi for attacking him and justifies her actions by saying that she was simply doing what it takes for a herbivore to survive.

Underneath her hardened exterior, however, Kyuu seems to have several insecurities about herself, particularly towards her mentor Gohin. It is, in fact, Legoshi's revealing of being his student as well that triggers her first emotional outburst since being introduced, showing that she has strong memories of him. Legoshi even believed at one point that she had romantic feelings for him, a belief that Kyuu seems visibly angered by whenever brought up.

As Legoshi gets to know her more, it is revealed that she still sees herself as a weakling thanks to her inability to be big like carnivores. She trains Legoshi to try and see the true strength that he, a large carnivore, can possess. At one point, she tries to go as far as to kill a civilian to make Legoshi attack her all-out, only to be surprised, and mildly amused, when she learns of his dentures. After selling out his current predicament to Melon for a large sum of money, she expresses regrets about doing so, believing herself to be weak and distrustful. She compares herself to be "petty and shameful" compared to Legoshi's straightforwardness and honesty. She is shown to generally care for him now, being visibly touched by him trusting her enough to obey her command for him to "stay".

Equipment

 * Knives: Kyuu keeps a pair of butterfly knives hidden in her ears, and can dual-wield them with great skill. She also uses them for her imaginary chimera, in order to manifest claws.
 * Rope: Kyuu wields a long rope, which she uses with great skill. The rope is shown to be strong enough to not only choke large carnivores like Legoshi but also lift him off the ground without any sign of wear. Kyuu also uses the rope for her imaginary chimera; she spins it around very fast to make her body appear as a larger, more intimidating animal.

Skills

 * Imaginary Chimera: According to Kyuu, an imaginary chimera is when you "compensate for what you lack by conjuring an image" of a larger, stronger animal. Her chimera, in particular, is a mix between a panda and a rabbit (a reference to her master, who taught her the skill), which is conjured from strong feelings towards other species, Kyuu's, in particular, being hatred and envy towards carnivores. It is later revealed that this skill was taught to her by Gohin.
 * Knife Fighting: Kyuu is extremely skilled with her knives, able to dual wield them against larger animals without fear or hesitation. While never seen on-screen, Kyuu has stated that she has used her daggers for dismemberment in order to sell opponents' body parts on the Black Market.

Trivia

 * Her name comes from the other Japanese pronunciation of the number nine (九 in kanji),「く」meaning also "sufferance" (苦 in kanji).
 * By combining her name with San, the word "Sankyu" (「サンキュー」) is formed, which means "thank you" in Japanese.

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Kyu