Chapter 092 (Beastars)

You are the Prince of Beasts (君は百獣のプリンス) is Chapter 92 of the manga Beastars written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, published in the Weekly Shōnen Champion of the Akita Shoten publishing house.

Synopsis
In a memory of the past, Louis and Ibuki are eating in a restaurant, where Ibuki highlights that Louis now eats vegetables without hesitation. Louis replies that it is only when Ibuki eats deer meat, which he knows is his favorite, and he shouldn't hold back in his presence since he does not want any lies getting in the way of their friendship. Louis says that Ibuki better be as determined as he is, a comment that makes Ibuki happy.

In the present, Ibuki is surprised by Louis's decision to leave the Shishigumi and asks him if he really is leaving. Louis answers that he is and that he should do it right now because a friend of his is in danger of dying. Ibuki asks him if this animal is more important than the Shishigumi, and Louis tells him that he cannot compare them because his friend is the antithesis of the Shishigumi and is just as important to him; someone too radiant, so he wants to heed his resolve, and he can't do so if he is still the boss of the Shishigumi. Ibuki interrupts him and sinisterly tells him the Shishigumi is not nice enough to let him come back after leaving to save a friend. Louis smiles, telling Ibuki that he is a big animal and that he noticed he always crouches when he is around him out of worry over his small body, but who is a lion from a crime syndicate, and might get overwhelmed with fatigue if he keeps worrying about him. Ibuki, alarmed, interrupts him again, telling him to wait and to continue talking while they take a ride in the car.

Shortly after, while traveling, Ibuki tries to keep calm so he can convince Louis to stay in the Shishigumi. Looking towards Louis, Ibuki is surprised that Louis does not feel threatened by his invitation, with him being a lion who took back everything Louis said. Ibuki tells Louis that he is stronger than any animal he knows and cannot imagine anyone else as the boss. Louis replies that he is not happy to hear that from a lion. Ibuki says that to a lion, strength is just a weapon and whether he uses it or hides it, it becomes a burden to his entire being, and that before he met Louis, his strength was a double-edged sword that hurt him more than it helped him.

In a flashback, the former boss of the Shishigumi tells an 18-year-old Ibuki that, strange as it may sound, the world has a gracious title for lions, "the king of beasts". Still, adaptation is something that living beings cannot live without, and Ibuki plays the part of the king of beasts, which they do in the Shishigumi, where he can find true happiness as a carnivore.

Ibuki, realizing that he has been bluffing for a long time, reveals that he allowed himself to be convinced by the old boss's "king of beasts" spiel and used to rise to power. As the herbivores around him looked at him in fear, he was impelled to bluff more and more, until he expanded into a giant mass of unstable darkness, until Louis came along and didn't see him like how the other herbivores did. He says Louis surprised him and never stopped since, claiming that Louis's strength makes the "king of beasts" title seem like an empty void. Ibuki alleges that it may have been stressful working with Louis, but that he was more comfortable than he has ever been in his 35 years of life. Louis asks him why he is saying all that and Ibuki answers that if he is going to leave the Shishigumi after being in it for 6 months, it's not going to be easy to get his old life back. That is how the underworld is, like entering a dark road tunnel, and once you get in, there is no guarantee of getting out alive. Upon entering said tunnel, Ibuki tells Louis that he will see nothing but black and this time there will be no more bluffing since in the end he is just a lion from the Shishigumi and this is the only way he can break his ties with him. Ibuki tells Louis that before he told him that he felt comfortable working with him and reveals that it was a lie, he was happy and tells Louis that he saved him. Ibuki stops the car and Louis nervously points a gun at him, and Ibuki tells him that if he doesn't shoot him, he will eat him alive. He tells him to just point to the direction of his voice and shoot him. Louis says he can't do it, and Ibuki says he understands and proceeds to attack Louis. Suddenly, Ibuki is shot in the back and dies in Louis's arms. The murderer turned out to be Free who had followed them on his motorbike.

Characters

 * Louis
 * Ibuki
 * Free
 * Dolph (Louis's imagination)
 * Chief Lion (flashback)

Important Events

 * Part of Ibuki's past is revealed.
 * Faced with Louis's decision to abandon the Shishigumi, Ibuki gives him the option of either killing him or being eaten alive.
 * Ibuki is killed by a shot from Free.

Trivia

 * Ibuki says he lived 35 years, which at this point in the timeline is incorrect, and he is actually 36.