| Courier | |
|---|---|
| Akudama Drive character | |
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:CourierAkudama.png) Promotional illustration for the character Courier by Cindy Yamauchi. | |
| First appearance | "Se7en" (2020) |
| Created by | Kazutaka Kodaka Tomohisa Taguchi |
| Voiced by | Yūichirō Umehara, Natsumi Fujiwara (young) (Japanese) Jonah Scott, Courtney Meeker (young) (English) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Courier |
The Courier (Japanese: 運び屋, Hepburn: Hakobi-ya) is a protagonist in the anime series Akudama Drive by Studio Pierrot and Too Kyo Games. He is a terse man who is skilled at delivering any package to any recipient as long as he is paid. Courier can also fight with his customized motorbike, which contains a small railgun built into the front. Courier is introduced in the first episodes, where he accidentally drags the Ordinary Citizen, who becomes the Akudama Swindler, into teaming up with other criminals and go on missions to protect people wanted by the law. He is voiced by Yūichirō Umehara.
The character of Courier was created by Kazutaka Kodaka and inspired by the cast of the Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs. His design was changed throughout the creation of the series, as its concept wavered between steampunk and cyberpunk, which also involved changes to the bike the character drives. Rui Komatsuzaki designed the character while Cindy Yamauchi adapted the visuals for the animation. Both of Courier's designers were pleased with the visual appearance of the original design.
Critical response to Courier was often mixed, with positive comments focused on his action scenes and role in the series, and negative comments focused on the simplistic and silent personality. Nevertheless, multiple writers noted that Courier often showed a more charming self when interacting with Swindler as he aids her in her journey without caring about the money he needs for her jobs. His character has also been popular in polls.