Hump Day Husbandos: Worick Arcangelo (GANGSTA.)

It’s Hump Day Husbandos time once again, and this time, I’m feeling nostalgic for GANGSTA., an ongoing series that started back in 2011. While the chronic illness its creator Kohske suffers from explains why the series often goes on hiatus, what they have managed to conjure up is a brooding crime fantasy manga with snappy action sequences, an edgy and lawless world, and characters who are an appealing mix of badassery, intrigue and perseverance.

It’s a recipe for success, and one that deserves much more widespread recognition even if it has already been covered on Rice Digital once before. So here I am, imploring you to check it out once again — after celebrating my favourite character from it, Worick Arcangelo!

Who is Worick Arcangelo?

My first exposure to GANGSTA. was with its anime adaptation in 2015, which prompted me to check out the manga. What audiences were presented with was something truly promising: a product with the bleak and dark world design of Black Lagoon and Baccano!, filled with crime, violence and evil societies that hide their very worst elements beneath the already disgusting and macabre surface.

Many comparisons can be drawn to the just as underrated yet far more obscure manga series DOGS: Bullets & Carnage. Both feature an eye-patched comic relief hunk as a main character — and would you look at that? GANGSTA’s lead is voiced by the one and only Junichi Suwabe. At this point just expect pretty much each and every entry in Hump Day Husbandos to be a character he voices if it’s from me. (Way ahead of you – Ed.)

Worick Arcangelo is one part of the main trio of GANGSTA’s main characters alongside Nicolas Brown, his long-time friend and other half of their independent group that carries out dirty work: The Handymen. Third member Alex Benedetto joins the duo well after their establishment, and we are introduced to all three of them at the very start of their turbulent and emotional journey.

The three become increasingly close with each passing event and chapter as they all find comfort and solidarity in one another. They learn to vocalise and lay bare their past scares and personal troubles in a world that is continuously out to get them. This allows them to gradually form a special sense of unity between themselves before their lives begin to veer away from one another.

Why we love Worick Arcangelo

With the emphasis being on these three characters, Worick acts as an anchor for both Nicolas and Alex. He watches the former’s intake of medication so that he doesn’t overdose, and consoles the latter when she experiences episodes. In fact, he’s the reason for many heartfelt and emotional moments in a series that is otherwise ruthlessly violent, grim and hopeless. The way in which he gradually warms up to Alex in particular never fails to warm the soul after everything that goes down in the fictional city of Ergastulum.

Key moments of their relationship shifting are when he outwardly compliments her singing, something that Alex never considered an option for herself to pursue. This is a turning point for her valuing herself as someone more than mere “filth”. He later goes to extreme lengths to keep her safe, solidifying his sense of care and concern for her wellbeing despite the consequences.

On top of that, he’s easily the character with the best development, having come to terms with his past and accepted who Nicolas is despite their unusual, strained dynamic and shared past. He even goes as far as actively fighting for not just Nicolas’ sake and future, but for everyone like him. This is a complete turnaround from his viewpoint at the very beginning, and certainly a significant change of heart for someone who was once both extremely nihilistic and a massive misanthropist.

Why you’ll love Worick Arcangelo

Worick is such an easy character to love, and one who especially makes everyone watching the show or reading the series hopeful for an eventual happy ending. Considering his traumatic past and even after everything he’s gone through, he remains sympathetic for his enemies that deserve it, protects those he is loyal to, and never backs down when defending a friend and comrade. The way in which he welcomes Alex to the fold makes it clear he has morals, and he only gets better from there.

This part of his personality also adds another note to his character, since he’s almost always using his flirtatious remarks and playful antics to mask his true feelings. He’s quite often seen quipping to other characters no matter the situation, and making shady comments, teasing or acting up at the most inappropriate of times. At one point, he goes as far as becoming vocally and exaggeratedly agitated about Nicolas getting a shirt he loaned him dirty when he’s knocked into a trash pile during a fight to the death.

At the same time as him being a goofy character, he’s reliable and serious when he needs to be. He’s also unassumingly and incredibly perceptive, particularly for a normal human — in contrast to the “Twilights”, who have superpowers. He’s even more impressive for having the unique gift of hyperthymesia: the ability to recall past events and their dates in exhaustive detail. This natural talent of his allows him to quickly skim read any amount of text and recite it without fault on multiple occasions — useful when investigating!

Furthermore, he is the person responsible in piecing together the puzzle of the initial mystery of the show about a string of homicides, and ultimately takes matters into his own hands in the current arc of the manga — quite literally. Ultimately, he’s charming, always well-intentioned, and is yet another hunk with a heart of gold despite all the emotional and physical baggage he carries. It all makes it very understandable and easy to see how and why he’s such a ladies’ man.

If you’re new to this character, then be sure to check out GANGSTA. on Funimation for the anime adaptation, or you can find the manga volumes via stores such as Amazon.

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