Hei (Darker than Black)

Hei
Darker than Black character
Promotional illustration of Hei
First appearance	Darker than Black episode 1: "The Fallen Star of a Contract (Part 1)" (April 5, 2007)
Created by	Tensai Okamura
Designed by	Yuji Iwahara
Voiced by	Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese) Jason Liebrecht (English)
In-universe information
Alias	Li Shenshun, BK-201
Gender	Male
Relatives	Bai (sister)

Hei (Japanese: 黒（ヘイ）, pinyin: Hēi, lit. Black), also known as Li Shenshun (李舜生（リ・シェンシュン）, Ri Shenshun, pinyin: Lǐ Shùnshēng), is the protagonist of the 2007 anime Darker than Black by Bones. Codenamed "Hei", he is portrayed as a Contractor, a man with supernatural powers with Hei being able to generate electricity. In Tokyo, Hei works for an organization known as the Syndicate and earns the nickname "Black Reaper" (黒の死神, Kuro no Shinigami) due to his skills as an assassin. During the series, Hei's backstory of his mission involving his missing sister is developed. Hei also appears in the sequel Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor as the mentor of young Contractor Suo Pavlichenko while searching for his partner, Yin. He is also present in the inter-sequel original video animations Darker than Black: Gaiden, which explores his escape from the Syndicate with Yin between the events of both anime.

Hei's character was created by anime director Tensai Okamura, who cited espionage, ninja, and dual-personality influences in contrasting his daily life with his gruesome work. Yuji Iwahara faced multiple difficulties in making his design appealing, while Okamura was surprised by Hei's popularity in the series with male and female viewers. In the anime version, Hei is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in Japanese and Jason Liebrecht in English.

The character appeared in a number of popularity polls about anime characters, and was considered one of the best male characters from Japan during the 2000s. Critical response was mainly positive, noting his dual personality; Hei was initially seen as mysterious at the beginning of the first series but quickly developed into more a caring character. His role in the OVAs and his initial relationship with Yin were praised, but his darker portrayal Gemini of Meteor and his poor relationship with Suo had a mixed response.