| Lavi | |
|---|---|
| D.Gray-man character | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:LaviD.Gray.png) Lavi by Katsura Hoshino | |
| First appearance | D.Gray-man manga chapter 26 |
| Created by | Katsura Hoshino |
| Voiced by | Japanese Kenichi Suzumura (D.Gray-man), Natsuki Hanae (D.Gray-man Hallow) English Jason Liebrecht, Chris Patton |
| Notable relatives | Bookman (guardian) |
Lavi (Japanese: ラビ, Hepburn: Rabi), also known as Bookman Jr., is a fictional character from Katsura Hoshino's manga D.Gray-man. Lavi is a friendly exorcist in charge of slaying "Akumas", monsters created by the Millennium Earl who wishes to destroy humanity. Lavi is training to become "bookman", a person who records events from the entire history, such as wars between civilization and exorcists, without interfering with civility. However, he is caring when it comes to the Black Order's exorcists and works with them, bonding with most of them. He has also appeared in the series' two anime adaptations, light novels, and video games.
Lavi was based on the title character of Hoshino's one-shot manga, Bookman. Despite his lack of appearances in later parts of the story, where he mainly provides comic relief, Hoshino found the character easy to illustrate. In the Japanese version of the first anime he was voiced by Kenichi Suzumura, while in the sequel, D.Gray-man Hallow, the role was taken by Natsuki Hanae. He also shares two voice actors in the English dub: Jason Liebrecht and Chris Patton.
The character of Lavi has been well-received by manga readers, placing third in each of D.Gray-man's popularity polls. Multiple types of merchandise based on him have been released. Critics have praised Lavi's characterization, mostly for his cheerful personality and his character arc, which involved creating bonds with the other exorcists that he is told not to befriend by Bookman, his mentor.