Nanachi

Nanachi (Japanese ナナチ) is one of the few accursed characters capable of surviving the ascension of the abyss' 6th Layer. A Narehate rendered completely deformed due to abyss' strain, but still having intact mental faculties, Nanachi's vast knowledge of the abyss, it's ecosystem, vegetation and even the use of the medicines suggest the now former human lived a long and experienced life in the abyss' 4th layer

Appearance
Nanachi's appearance is very rabbit-like, save for a long sturdy tail. Medium tan fur covers their entire body, with light tan being on two spots on the cheeks, the insides of the ears, and on the belly. Nanachi has straight white hair in a short bobbed style, with the sides of the bangs going down to their shoulders. Their eyes are yellow and the pupils are horizontal ovals, similar to a goat's. Their fingers are rather stubby.

They wear very baggy pants that are pink, grey, and red. There is a hole in the back for their tail to stick out of. They are usually shirtless, however can fold up the front of their pants and tie it around their shoulders to cover their front.

Nanachi also wears a large, oddly-shaped headpiece the same colors of their pants. Attached to the sides of it are two curved horns that stick out horizontally. Hanging from the back there is a large layer of what appears to be shingles, covered by a layer of cream-colored animal pelts, and then another smaller layer of shingles. Strangely, Nanachi's side bangs seem to be much longer when the helmet is on, going down to their hips. They are tied at the end with metal rings. It is likely that these hair extensions are a part of the headpiece.

They typically walk upright, but sometimes they'll run on all fours when they're trying to move quickly.

Personality
Most of the time Nanachi is cool and reserved, keeping their distance emotionally and physically. Their attitude often borders on being sarcastic and even cynical, however behind this mask Nanachi hides a kind and gentle soul capable of deep compassion and selfless devotion. They are also quite bashful when complimented, seen in their reaction to being called "fluffy".

History
Not much is known about Nanachi's past—They were born in the Far North region of Sereni, lost their family and home at a young age, and was taken to the Abyss by treachery, along with many other children. Bondrewd was working on experimenting with ways to negate the curse of the abyss, and using children as his test subjects. While in the Abyss, Nanachi met Mitty, another child taken by Bondrewd, and the two became close friends. Nanachi and Mitty were best friends, until Mitty was chosen to be experimented on and was led out by Bondrewd. Worried for Mitty, Nanachi followed, until being discovered. Bondrewd then decided to use the two as test subjects together because of their strong relationship. Each were placed in separate connected capsules, lowered to the 6th layer, and then quickly brought back up. The capsules were designed to transfer the curse onto only one subject. Both survived and became Narehate (a hollow) as a result, but Nanachi retained their humanity, since the curse was transferred to Mitty, while Nanachi received the “blessing“.

Nanachi, in their new Narehate form, continued to work for Bondrewd at Idofront, helping him to create Cartridges. Unable to bear the horrible experimentation Mitty was subjected to any longer, Nanachi escaped Idofront with with Mitty on their back. The two traveled up to the 4th layer, where Nanachi found a spot away from the Abyss' vertical shaft where the force field was not present, and constructed a hideout there. Nanachi lived peacefully with Mitty in the fourth layer for some time. Sometimes delvers would pass through the area, and fearing that word of them may get out, Nanachi was careful to not reveal themself, and instead would watch from a safe distance. Occasionally, when a delver was wounded beyond help, Nanachi would take them in and experiment on them, hoping to find a way to kill Mitty. The bodies of these delvers are buried in a graveyard behind their hut.

Nanachi does reveal themself to Riko and Reg after seeing Reg crying over Riko's body. Because the two's relationship reminded Nanachi of their relationship with Mitty, Nanachi decided to aid them. During their stay Reg demonstrated the power of his Incinerator, which reminded Nanachi of Bondrewd's relic Sparagmos; the only thing that had been able to permanently damage Mitty. Seeing the opportunity, Nanachi asked Reg to kill her, to which he reluctantly agreed. After Mitty's soul was released, Nanachi decided to join Riko and Reg on their journey to the bottom of the Abyss.

Mitty
Mitty was the only one of the other children to approach Nanachi, the others complaining that they smelled bad. Mitty was impressed with Nanachi's artistic skills and knowledge, and asked to pair up. Nanachi was reluctant at first, but Mitty insisted, and her gentle enthusiasm quickly won Nanachi over. The two grew very close, and were practically inseparable. One possible interpretation is that Nanachi may have may have even had romantic feelings towards Mitty, as Nanachi would blush at Mitty's compliments or when they were in close quarters, and would draw pictures of her absentmindedly. The two often held hands, hugged, slept side by side, and were generally very intimate with eachother.

During Bondrewd's experiment, just before the two ascended from the 6th Layer, Mitty's last words were a tearful proclamation that she wished for her soul to accompany Nanachi if she did not survive. However, Mitty survived and as a result their body became mangled beyond recognition. After seeing Bondrewd's relentless torture of Mitty's new narehate form, Nanachi escaped Idofront and vowed to free Mitty's soul from her current physical state. Until that day, their hideout in the 4th Layer was filled with all sorts of books, homemade plushies, and pillows and blankets, all with the goal of enriching Mitty's life. Nanachi treated her as if she was still a self-aware being, and would talk and read books to her. Despite their peaceful living, Nanachi felt that Mitty was their only reason to be alive, and had planned to take their own life after her death was accomplished. They even called Reg cruel when he made Nanachi promise not to.

When the day came, Nanachi set up a large nest full of pillows and other items they had made for Mitty, so that she could be in comfort even as she was being released. Nanachi said their goodbyes, telling Mitty they would meet again. Only a minute later they recanted this, saying instead they would always be together. When the deed was done, Nanachi fell to their knees and cried intensely, proclaiming Mitty to be their "Treasure."

Nanachi copes with their loss by telling themself that they will one day meet Mitty again, though they've stated that they don't really believe this will happen. Even so, Nanachi holds onto hope with belief that everything returns to the Abyss, and has even been preparing for their fated meeting by learning how to cook good food.

Reg
Nanachi cares about Reg, but doesn't like when he touches them, claiming the way he does it is too lewd. This is much to his chagrin, as he seems to really take a lot of comfort in Nanachi's sweet aroma and fluffiness.

Abilities
On top of top-notch tracking and stalking skills, since becoming a Narehate (a Hollow), Nanachi has been able to see the flow of the curse throughout the abyss, thus being able to avoid it. Nanachi is very knowledgeable about the different plants and animals, and which can be used as medicine or food. They are also a decently qualified medic, and are able to perform a number of minor surgeries, thanks to their time at Idofront. Many of the curative methods and medicines they use are even unknown to delvers, showing their thorough knowledge of the 4th layer.

Nanachi is also shown to be artistically talented, having drawn pictures of themself, Mitty, Reg, and Riko, a representation of how the curse works, and accurate depictions of the things Reg was to fetch to help heal Riko's arm.

Trivia

 * Nanachi is generally presumed to be female, but their gender and sex are never explicitly stated, and when talking about themself Nanachi uses the gender-neutral pronoun "oira." Tsukushi commented on their sex by tweeting out "The sex of Nanachi is unknown. Let's imagine :)." Series translator Jake Jung has elected to use neutral pronouns for Nanachi.
 * Nanachi has an "irresistible fragrance". In particular, the base of their tail smells really good.
 * When signing their name, they always draw a picture of their face with the characters for "Nanachi" underneath.
 * Occasionally there are extra pages at the end of chapters that give more detailed descriptions of the creatures and relics seen. Nanachi often shows up on these pages giving their own insight on the subject. These small bits are called "Nanachi's Trivia."