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Balam Shichiro is one of the staff and the head of the Imaginary Things Research Division of Babyls Demon School. He was first introduced subbing for Dantalion Dali in Demonic History due to his Evil Cycle.
Appearance[]
Shichiro is a giant and muscular demon, towering over even the tall Naberius Kalego. He has bird-like legs from his knees down, at least, and long hair.
He wears a dark tank top, light-colored pants, leather gloves, and a mask over his mouth and nose, covering an injury that exposes the left side of his jaw and fangs.
In Chapter 66, he cuts his hair off into a buzz-cut, claiming it scared the students, and he didn't want them to be more afraid of him than they already were.
In Chapter 150, it is noticeable that his hair started to grow again, but it is still very short compared to the beginning, barely reaching his neck and covering part of his forehead. This fact surprises teachers Dali, Bars Robin, and Marbas March that he has already grown so much hair quickly.
In Chapter 182, his hair grows back more, but it is still not as long as before, reaching only his neck and covering his ears. His hairstyle is very similar to the one he used when he was a child and a student (but not as long in the back as in his student years).
For Chapter 219, his hair is back as before, although he has fixed it, so it is not as disarranged, besides he has a small ponytail, and his eyes are not shaded by this.
Personality[]
Shichiro is generally feared by many students because of his intimidating appearance and tendency to impulsively pet and touch other living beings, including the students he teaches. It gets to the point that he has to immobilize his students to prevent them from running from the lectures. The students also rumor that he abducts students he likes to experiment on them, but these were baseless assertions.
Despite his terrifying appearance, Shichiro is very kind and gentle, treating every living thing with compassion as well as curiosity. He is also extremely fascinated by the human world and the supposedly mythical creatures he believes exist there, even though everyone around him considered them myths. He gets very excited about the subjects he is passionate about, becoming elated when he learned humans do exist.
Because of the attitude of the people around him, Shichiro seems to harbor some insecurity about his impression. Meeting Iruma has encouraged him to interact more with other people, and he became a close instructor to the students of the Abnormal class. He also seems to worry that he had little authority as a teacher (compared to his friend), since his students repeatedly ignored or dismissed his orders.
He is also extremely protective. Upon discovering Iruma was a human living in the Demon World, he scolded the boy for being so careless, and ranted to him for hours about all the dangers he could get into and how to avoid them. He also continues to check up on Iruma thereafter, making sure the boy was staying out of trouble and ensuring that no one else had found out his secret.
Shichiro also has the habit of lecturing students for hours on end, either out of passion or concern for their wellbeing. He did this to Iruma upon first discovering his secret, and then to Asmodeus Alice to scold him for misusing the induced Evil Cycle in the Harvest Festival.
History[]
When he was a child, he got a scar on his face after he was abducted by a bird monster. After spending a night hiding in the nest, he tried to eat the eggs there with him, only for the angry mother bird monster to return and scar his face. His parents arrived in the nick of time to save him. Shichiro says that this event was when he recognized the beauty in living things.
He was in the same year as Kalego when they attended Babyls. Kalego was the only student who approached Shichiro, undeterred by the boy's appearance and eccentricity. They got along quickly after. Like Kalego, he was also roped into being Opera's "underling."
With his wealth of knowledge about biology and plants, Shichiro was the victor of his year's Harvest Festival, making optimal use of his wildlife understanding while avoiding direct confrontations with other students. He scored 58,000 points.
Sometime after graduating, he became a teacher at Babyls. He proctors the students' exams with his bloodline ability and personal magic, making it impossible for any cheating to go through without being discovered. Because of his eccentric behaviors and intimidating presence, many students of Babyls were wary of him, spreading rumors such as that he abducted students for experiments.
Synopsis[]
First Term Final Exams Arc[]
Shichiro makes his debut substituting for Dali while he is out on break due to his Evil Cycle, where he greets Iruma by picking him up and saying he is delighted to hear he wants to learn from him.[1] He starts his lecture discussing how imaginary creatures have been written about throughout demonic history, constantly bringing students he has tied up with his vines close to him so he can touch them, something Alice tells Iruma is because of his "Aggressive Skinship." Shichiro moves the topic to the discussion of humans, bringing out a human dummy and asking the students what they would do if they saw one. Many say they would eat them, and Shichiro adds that they are a source of nourishment. When asked what he would do, he says that he would like to know how one lived compared to those in the Demon World. As he mentions that demons have wings to help them escape from danger, he feels Iruma's back and notices his lack of wings, causing him to pick him up and leave the classroom in a panic.
He brings Iruma to the Teacher's Lounge and reveals that Iruma doesn't have any wings, but when they try to see for themselves, he sees a small pair that, unbeknownst to him, was created by Alikred to protect Iruma. As they walk back to the classroom, Shichiro, feeling guilty about exposing Iruma's supposed malformity, takes off his mask and shows Iruma his scarred face. While putting it back on, he confesses that he loves living things, but because they run from him out of fear, he tries to touch them as much as he can, which leads to his developing his skinship habit. When Iruma asks why he would tell him this, Shichiro tells Iruma that it is because he doesn't want him to feel bad about getting his "wings" exposed.
After Shichiro brings Iruma to his office and prepares some tea for Iruma, Iruma, having been touched by Shichiro's level of kindness, accidentally reveals to him that he is human.[2] After confirming his confession, Shichiro falls out of his chair and backs up, fearing that he won't be able to hold himself back from touching him. As he giddies from knowing that humans are real and that his earlier suspicions are correct, Iruma asks if he plans on eating him. Shichiro replies that he considers Iruma an endangered species, so he won't, preferring to touch him yet resisting the urge. When Iruma touches him himself, Shichiro backs up again and proceeds to give Iruma a long and hard lecture about keeping his identity safe from others.
The next day, he stops by Royal One, where he greets Kalego casually, revealing to the class that they are classmates and alumni of Babyls. Shichiro explained to Iruma that he wanted to check up on him and see how much he struggled with the test, so he wanted to help him.[3] As it turns out, his method of helping was making picture books to better help him understand the lessons, and he becomes delighted when Iruma shows enjoyment in reading them, compared to the students who run from them, mistaking them for experiment notes.
While showing him another book, he asks Iruma how his studies are going, and he says that he is improving and feels like he is bettering himself, causing Shichiro to start taking notes and calling Iruma interesting to observe.[4]
Shichiro later encounters Iruma as he is on his way to find him to tell him that he passed, where he also notices that Shichiro chose to cut his long hair short. He celebrates Iruma's victory before pulling a Salamander Flower out to test him to see how much he has learned to protect himself in the future and is delighted by the results. He tells Iruma that learning by influencing and improving each other is a privilege of living beings, and now he wants to not only approach others but let others approach him, which is why he cut his hair short, and he thanks Iruma for that.
Later, he meets up with Kalego, who tries to repress his urge to laugh, which Shichiro notes. He admits he is happy to see that he is more confident and reveals that he has the same rank as himself while also possessing the unique bloodline magic "Buzzer," which is why people easily get caught when they try to cheat because he administers it throughout the entire school. When Kalego says that there is no one he can manage, Shichiro says there is one he cannot predict, reinvigorating his love of living things.[5]
Walter Park Arc[]
Shichiro becomes one of the three ordered by Lord Sullivan to act as chaperones for Iruma and his friends at Walter Park, the other two being Kalego and Opera, and unlike Kalego, Shichiro felt it would be fun.[6] When everyone enters the park, he reminds the class that they can't just go off on their own without a chaperone and suggests everyone split up into three groups. He also supports the class's competition to see which group can have the most fun. After drawing straws, Shichiro's group consists of Iruma, Alice, Sabnock Sabro, and Agares Picero. After the group come across Ronove Lomiere, he asks him to help them have the most fun as part of their competition.[7]
While Shichiro enjoys himself by touching various things, he later becomes concerned when he realizes Iruma got separated from them, though he can find him alongside Alice and Sabro. As he watches Iruma partake in a play about the Six Fingers, they put their plan into action and summon three enormous beasts throughout the park, with his group encountering the Carmine Dragon.
Harvest Festival Arc[]
TBA
Heartbreaker Arc[]
TBA
Abilities[]
Balam is ranked 8 (Chet), among the highest-ranked known demons.
- Buzzer (Chimes of Deception): His bloodline magic. He can detect lies or wrongdoings of the target by just observing them. His ability is used to identify any cheaters on exam day, ensuring no student can cheat on the test without being discovered and punished.
- Summoning Vines: One of his most used Non-Verbal Plant-based magic. He uses them to take him places or grab anything nearby.
- Grand Cocoon: An advanced spell surrounding Balam or whomever he wants in a protective ball barrier. The defense is strong enough to take both Opera and Kalego's strongest attack firing their confrontation.
- Enhanced Strength: Balam has great physical strength and struggles to regulate while performing simple tasks, such as brewing tea. Even as a first year in Babyls, Balam is way stronger than the other students as he can crush one's wrist with one hand.
- Combat Expertise: Balam is proficient at hand-to-hand combat, fending off both Sabro and Alice without taking any hit initially.
- Wood-Dragon Nigyul: TBA
Relationships[]
Iruma Suzuki[]
Shichiro was excited to discover that Iruma was a human. However, he was very concerned for him due to his lack of Demon World knowledge and the danger that lurks beyond the school. He provided the help that Iruma needed to pass his final exam and was proud of him when he succeeded. Shichiro treats Iruma very kindly. Balam tends to pester Iruma for details of his human culture, while Iruma usually goes to him for tutoring sessions because the latter can easily explain demon subjects to him. He also gladly attended Iruma's birthday celebration. Shichiro is very protective of Iruma and ensures Iruma's not in danger. He also views Iruma as a student and a friend he can get along with. He also helps to ensure Iruma's secret as a human doesn't reach the public.
Naberius Kalego[]
They were in the same class at Babyls as students. They are excellent friends to the point that they are on a first-name basis. Though due to his love of cute things, he can't resist touching Kalego in his familiar form, constantly mentioning how fluffy he is while Kalego tries to calm him down.
Opera[]
Unlike Kalego, he gets along better with his upperclassman Opera.
Asmodeus Alice[]
TBA
Sabnock Sabro[]
TBA
Trivia[]
- In demonology, Balam (also Balaam, Balan) is a great and powerful king (to some authors, a duke or a prince) of Hell who commands over forty legions of demons.[8] He gives perfect answers on past, present, and to come and can make men invisible and witty.
- The name Balam in the Malay language also refers to doves (commonly the spotted dove), which might be the inspiration for his partial bird-like appearance.[9]
- He is one of the few Demons who knows about Iruma's status as a human.
- He loves children's picture books so much that he makes them a hobby. He is shown to have made Iruma several picture books to learn for the exam.[10]
- He also loves cute things.
- He is also left handed.
- Balam had incredible story-writing skills. One book he wrote, "The Lonely Torturer," made Iruma cry for the titular torturer.
References[]
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 62
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 63
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 64
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 65
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 66
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 69
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 70
- ↑ Bane, T. (2014). Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures. McFarland, pp.68–69.
- ↑ Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). (n.d.). Streptopelia chinensis. [online] Available at: https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/22588 [Accessed 2 Jul. 2022].
- ↑ Mairimashita! Iruma-kun Manga Chapter 65