| Kei Kurono | |
|---|---|
| Gantz character | |
 Kurono from the manga | |
| First appearance | Gantz chapter 1 (2000) |
| Created by | Hiroya Oku |
| Portrayed by | Kazunari Ninomiya |
| Voiced by | Japanese Daisuke Namikawa (anime) Yūki Kaji (Gantz:O) English Christopher Ayres Lucien Dodge (Gantz:O) |
| In-universe information | |
| Relatives | Akira Kurono (brother, deceased) |
Kei Kurono (Japanese: 玄野 計, Hepburn: Kurono Kei ) is a fictional character in the manga series Gantz written by Hiroya Oku. In the story, Kurono is a teenager who feels forced to save a man from a subway train alongside his childhood friend Masaru Kato, but is killed in the process. He is revived by a being known as Gantz and with others is forced to fight aliens hiding in human society. Despite starting as a selfish character who does not care for others, Kurono feels more optimistic when he becomes the leader of the team and starts a romantic relationship with a teenaged girl named Tae Kojima. The character is also present in Gonzo's anime adaptation of the series, live-action films and a CGI film, Gantz: O, where his role and fate highly differ from the original manga.
Kurono was created by Oku as a character that would be relatable to manga readers, resulting in his having multiple weaknesses; he is one of Oku's favorite characters, alongside Kato. He was voiced by Daisuke Namikawa in Japanese and in English by Christopher Ayres. For the live-action films, he was portrayed by Kazunari Ninomiya. Both actors for the anime adaptation stated they enjoyed voicing the character to the point of relating with him.
Critical reception to the character has been mixed. While multiple writers who review manga, anime and other media enjoyed his character traits and growth across the series, he has also been found as an unlikable character due to his indifference toward others and preoccupation with sexual relationships. Similarly, Ninomiya's acting has received mixed opinions by critics.