Hideaki Habaki

Chief Superintendent Habaki (幅木) simultaneously served the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department [TMPD] and the Bastard Children of Sabaramond, using his high rank in the former organization to aid in the latter's mission. He moreover offered the Bastard Children his illegitimate daughter Soara Habaki as a guinea pig, a past which would catch up to him once his daughter proved alive.

Appearance
Habaki is a short brunet man with a lined face. He wore business suits for work.

Personality
To be added.

Past
Habaki is entrenched in the Bastard Children of Sabaramond organization either by the time he fathers his illegitimate daughter Soara Habaki or at some point after her birth. He raises her or is otherwise involved in her childhood until he cam no longer "be bothered," and, at least ten years prior to Corpse God's reincarnation, relinquishes Soara to the Bastard Children's custody. This is done with full knowledge she would be experimented on in a laboratory with, at the time, a 100% fatality rate for its test subjects.

Fully expecting his daughter will die as well, Habaki makes her 'death' quietly public and keeps a photograph of the two of them on his work desk, telling his colleagues he lives on for her sake if his daughter is brought up.

Five years prior to Corpse God's reincarnation, Inspector Miyabi Hosorogi disappears and is presumed dead after his blood is detected in the basement of an Abandoned Building. It is implied Habaki was involved in Hosorogi's disappearance in some way, as he was promoted to Chief Superintendent in the aftermath—the only officer to receive a promotion. He also takes Hosorogi's protégé Tsubaki Iwanome under his wing, personally keeping Iwanome from being fired and thereafter looking out for him as a new mentor figure.

This role allow Habaki to keep an eye out for any concerning activity on Iwanome's part, such as snooping through HQ's confidential data—which, much to Habaki's chagrin, he does. After chastising Iwanome for his foolishness, Habaki deduces Iwanome is still investigating Hosorogi's disappearance and advises him to fixate on the future—for he should move on for his own sake. Iwanome asks if Habaki's daughter passed, which Habaki affirms; he adds that he is living his life for Soara's sake as much as his own.

Habaki remains close to Iwanome in the years leading up to the Reincarnation and is considered an ally of Comps 3 within the main police branch. When exactly Habaki's communication with Kuon Higuro starts is not entirely clear.

Present
Roughly two week after Corpse God's reincarnation, Tena Sorimura escapes Tokyo Penitentiary and announces he will be making a comeback performance in one week. One week later, he unleashes a fleet of dirigibles painted with a modified simplified Byandy Empire emblem in Shinjuku airspace; fifty-eight minutes later, a sniper attempts but fails to shoot him off one of the dirigibles.

In response to the incident, Superindentent General Jirotarou Takanosu re-organizes the Sorimura investigation taskforce and puts Iwanome in charge of the jurisdictional side. The next day, Iwanome leads a meeting on Sorimura at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters, with Comps-3 members and main branch investigators in attendance.

After the meeting adjourns, Habaki—who had not attended—overhears a commotion in the hallway and storms ove to find a dispute resolving between two main branch policemen and Comps-3 members Iwanome, Kōzaburō Arase, Danjō Tozawa, and Ranmaru Yatsu. Tozawa explains they were simply offering first aid to the main branch employee who tripped and hurt himself; the two employees mutter their agreement and take their leave.

Habaki demands an explanation from Iwanome, one on one, and the two move to the nearby break area where he can hear Iwanome out. Upon learning of the two employees' hostile treatment of Iwanome and physical aggression, Habaki sighs and says Iwanome should avoid provocation even if the other men were in the wrong—everyone, he says, in on edge. Iwanome asks if Solitaire's police traitor accusation is the cause; Habaki says yes, though his higher-ups are already insisting the snipers must have been part of Solitaire's act. He then reminds Iwanome that even a "higher-up" like himself cannot protect Iwanome from everything.

Overnight, beginning at 3 AM in the new morning, an incident takes place on the rooftop of the Abandoned Building that culminates in an extraordinary sighting: a flock of Brobdingnanian spectral hands bursts out of smoke plumes, attempting to snatch a fleeing Sorimura from the air. The incident is caught on camera and attracts attention from the police, the media, and the Bastard Children of Sabaramond, whose members—Habaki included—believe the hands are the work of a sorcerer.

Later that day, Higuro promises someone over a telephone call that he will be taking the same precautions that were taken with Hosorogi five years ago, and says that the absconding of the snipers (Rinne and Hiiro Horojima) will not be a problem. The "protection of Sabaramond" is invoked. It may be inferred that the other interlocutor is Habaki, as Habaki appears to have used his police influence in service of the plan Higuro executes. Furthermore, Habaki—with footage of the spectral hands open on his laptop—instructs Higuro to report anything he witnesses that appears to "bend the laws of nature."

The plan is executed as follows: Higuro and Momoya Agakura arrive in Shinjuku, decapitate Nishida, a bartender at Lisa Kuraki's club Youtoukorou, and deposit Nishida's body in the basement of the Abandoned Building—the same basement where Hosorogi's blood was found. The next day, Ikeuchi and Unit 1 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrive at the Abandoned Building with a search warrant, informing its residents that Nishida—a 'suspected mugger'—is suspected to be hiding somewhere on the premises. A sole Shinjuku officer accompanies Unit 1's investigation—an officer in cahoots with Habaki.

Unbelievably, the police do not find any body and leave the premises emptyhanded. That evening, Higuro calls someone—again, potentially Habaki—to inform them there was a "hiccup" and that he will deliver his report later.

At police headquarters, Habaki encounters Iwanome and Arase in a corridor and hears from Iwanome that the Abandoned Building has been implicated in the investigation of a Shinjuku mugging. 'Confirming' the Building is the same one where Hosorogi's bloodstain was found and Solitaire visited, Habaki promises he will look into the matter but reminds Iwanome to keep his emotions at bay, since he will not be able to protect Iwanome if he goes on a 'rampage'.

Later, Habaki receives multiple calls from Higuro despite having ordered Higuro to never call him when he is at work. When he eventually finally answers Higuro's calls in an empty meeting room, Higuro explains he has witnessed the high school girl from the Building "bend the laws of nature": despite confirming her 'conclusive death' earlier, he has since seen her alive and well.

Additionally, Higuro reports that he tussled with the Shinoyamas and is likely now known to them by name and face. Habaki assures him he will shield Higuro's location from the Shinoyamas and invokes "Sabaramond's protection"; a second later, an eavesdropping Iwanome pushes open the meeting room's door to confront his ex-mentor over both Higuro's and Sabaramond's names.

Habaki insists 'Sabaramond' is the codename of his hired information channel 'Higuro', saying any shared surnames are coincidences. Iwanome is not having any of this, but their tête-à-tête is interrupted by a crowd of law enforcement employees—from guards and officers to administrative staff—who come shuffling down the corridor, congregating outside the doorway to simultaneously accuse Habaki of being a Bastard Child.

Habaki realizes in horror that Fire-breathing Bug is after him; indeed, as he, Iwanome, and Arase are forced inside the room, Fire-breathing Bug's motto begins burning onto the ceiling. With Arase and Iwanome contending with some of the Bug employees, Habaki shoves a table at the ones advancing toward him and topples a bookshelf on it to use as a makeshift barricade, behind which he attempts to call the Bastard children's headquarters. However, Iwanome pulls Habaki over the barricade and orders him to move; he needs Habaki alive.

Having realized the Bugs are holding emitters, Iwanome orders Arase to spray the room with a fire extinguisher as a temporary measure to keep the three of them from being burned. Habaki uses the opportunity to ingest a powdery, strength-enhancing drug, and, with one hand, sends Iwanome flying backward. As he emerges from the fog, he babbles about someone "boring a hole."

When Iwanome implores Habaki to think of his daughter, Habaki rampages: with one hand, he picks up the fallen cabinet and swings it at Arase and Iwanome, howling that he cannot give up after his daughter was sacrificed. Seconds later, Yatsu appears in the doorway and says he rounded up as many Comps-3 people as possible—two of whom are already neutralizing Bugs in the corridor. Meanwhile, Habaki attempts to call HQ again; this time he is successful. After the call, he exits into the hallway to thank Iwanome for letting him "make it in time." A power outage plunges the hallway into darkness.

Habaki takes off down the corridor only to be intercepted by Tozawa, whom Iwanome has illuminated with a flashlight. The corrupt Shinjuku officer who accompanied Unit 1 aims a gun at Tozawa's back, but Yatsu sweeps Tozawa's feet out from under him, causing him to topple out of the bullet's path. Habaki gets to his own feet, telling the officer "Good work" and "We'll meet again on the other side of the beyond" as he sprints past him, crashes through a closed window, and survives a multi-story fall. Back in the hallway, his cohort officer shoots himself through the head.

Upon arriving at a building rooftop, Habaki is greeted by Civil A. Sabaramond: a lightning sorcerer who clothes bear the unaltered simplified Byandy sigil. Habaki is delighted to see him, assumes he was responsible for the power outage, and asks when he arrived in Japan; Civil replies 'today', remarking that he had been looking for a hotel when he heard HQ received Habaki's emergency call. He says "you've done good work so far," and, speaking of which, he recalls the goods that Habaki has personally brought to the organization—such as the daughter he offered up as a test subject. Habaki imagines his daughter must be overjoyed in her grave, at which point Civil finally corrects him: he had not been praising Habaki for his good work, and, furthermore, there are no graves to speak of.

Habaki whirls around and is punched in his face by Soara, now grown up, battle-hardened, and battle-scarred. Civil congratulates Habaki for his daughter being the first test subject to ever survive, quipping that Soara, who now ranks higher than her own father, desires to personally execute him for his past transgressions.

Crying out 'monster', Habaki draws his fist back—but Soara crushes his right wrist and soon does the same to his right ankle. As she punches him repeatedly, she dismisses his pain as nothing compared to that which she suffered over a decade. Had Habaki even checked up on her just once, she promised herself she would spare his life. "Luckily for me," she says, hoisting him up by his neck, "you're a coldhearted bastard."

With what breath he can draw, Habaki pleads that he can still be of use; he can find the sorcerer "who came from the other side of the sky"—i.e. the one presumably responsible for the flock of hands. Civil has no faith in Habaki's abilities, but says he would not mind giving Habaki a second chance—though the issue is that Habaki never changes, always looking ahead and never behind, like he should have done now.

A bullet cleanly rips through Habaki's head courtesy of a distant sniper on Lisa Kuraki's orders—the same sniper who had previously tried to shoot Sorimura dead. Habaki dies instantly, and Soara abandons his corpse on the roof so that she may pursue the snipers who robbed her of her revenge.

Habaki's corpse is taken away by unknown persons, but his spirit remains on the empty rooftop after Soara's boss and the child leave. A little later that night, Lisa, one of her associates, and Corpse God (with Polka and Hosorogi nestled in his hoodie) visit the rooftop to find it empty. After securing permission from Clarissa, Corpse God makes Habaki's corpse visible to himself and his companions.

Clarissa remarks she has "finally caught up" with Habaki; upon looking her over, Habaki recalls she was the person responsible for 'disappearing' Hosorogi's corpse. Unfazed, Lisa acknowledges what had been Habaki's plan—to frame Lisa for Hosorogi's death—and acknowledges that the plan failed. She then alludes to the myriad methods offered by the Torture Building through which one could make a body disappear.

It finally dawns on Habaki just what Clarissa is implying, and he expresses critical disbelief at the thought Clarissa would have made "mincemeat of [her] lover's corpse" like a deviant, though she takes this as a compliment from the likes of him. Finally, she asks her question: she wants to know who issued the order to have Hosorogi killed.

Habaki has no intention of answering. However, Corpse God casts a spell that induces a more compliant state of mind within him—one that draws upon Habaki's natural ego—and magic courses its way through Habaki's form. One moment, Habaki is 1auding himself for all that he has sacrificed for the Bastard Children of Sabaramond; the next, it occurs to him that Corpse God must be the sorcerer from the "other side of the sky"—the one he was looking for before being killed.

Head wriggling with joy, eyes rolling in their sockets, Habaki excitedly babbles that "that great man" will finally accept him, now that he has found the sorcerer—and furthermore, he will show his "foolish daughter" Soara as well. While Habaki is caught up in lamenting Soara's ingratitude, his memories of Soara—and the harm done to her—overflow to Corpse God and by extension Hosorogi's (present) spirit; then, his wrists and ankles are abruptly caught by chains.

Corpse God uses the chains to hold Habaki in place, skeletal hands writhing from the nether while thirteen levitating stakes encircle Habaki's form. Once Corpse God contracts his splayed hand into a fist, the stakes pierce Habaki's spirit simultaneously. Bulbous, multi-eyeballed spirits begin feasting on Habaki's legs; where some gnaw, others tear away enough flesh to expose his bones. Corpse God watches quietly for a little while; then, he casts another spell. Two large skeletal hands rise on either side of Habaki, as if to crush him—but Corpse God's own hand trembles.

A new, unexpected spirit—one whom Corpse God did not call forth—grips Corpse God's wrist: that of Byandy's last emperor. The young emperor chides Corpse God for sullying his hands with a lowlife, requesting that Corpse God yield the task to him instead. When Corpse God does, however reluctantly, the young emperor flings seven large gears at Habaki. The gears interlock to grind Habaki between their cogs. He screams until, abruptly, there is nothing of him to scream. His liquified remains spill to the ground.

Etymology

 * The surname Habaki means "Baseboard" (幅木).

Trivia

 * Habaki's title was originally written as 'Senior Commissioner' in the English translation, though later chapters would later use 'Chief Superintendent'. The reasons for this change are unclear. In 2013, the TMPD updated a few ranks' official English titles but still acknowledged the 'common translations': 'Chief Superintendent' became 'Commissioner'; the rank above it, 'Superintendent Supervisor', became 'Senior Commissioner'.
 * The translation's use of 'Chief Superintendent' does not necessarily mean the manga takes place prior to 2013, as it could simply be using a conventional, still accepted translation instead. The fact that 'Senior Commissioner' is a post-2013 title, and that it is an entirely different rank to 'Commissioner'/'Chief Superintendent', does mean that 'Senior Commissioner' and 'Chief Superintendent' are not interchangeable titles.
 * The electronic English release of Volume 6 has reverted to using Senior Commissioner.