Introduction to Toxic-a-Holic
Toxic-a-Holic is entering a new chapter/ arc in its story, and I figured now would be as good a time as any to try to rope people into getting into it. So here's a sort of introduction post to get started!
(NOTE: This post does not contain any lore that has been released in recent developments to avoid spoilers; however, I think the lore adds interest to the characters and will be making a separate post that goes over them (They aren't heavy spoilers but more so backstory to the characters, so you can still go into the episodes as a new viewer without much worry))
What is Toxic-a-Holic?
Toxic-a-Holic (トキシカホリック), abbreviated as TokiHoli (トキホリ), is a Japanese multimedia project created by Earth Star Entertainment and KADOKAWA that was launched on November 2024. The project consists of 9 characters working for an organization called the International Toxient Countermeasure Agency (hereinafter referred to as the Agency), particularly in the Tokyo Branch, that regularly release Youtube videos as a form of PR to both try to recruit new applicants to join the Agency as well as improve the image of toxients, also known as dokubutsu danshi (毒物男子, lit. "poison men"). It has a theme of "dokubutsu danshi x mystery"
The project mostly consists of voice dramas as well as character songs which can be found on their Youtube channel. They also have an official Twitter where they post their schedule as well as bits and pieces of lore amongst other small, fun stuff while pretending to be the characters. (NOTE: The story is entering a new chapter/ arc, and you will get spoiled if you check their Twitter now)
PR videos usually contain riddles to a password which you can input into the official site to unlock extra content like "documents" which contain interesting lore. Some of these documents have since been publicly released/ revealed in more recent episodes/ developments as the plot advances.
The fan name for TokiHoli is chuudokusha (厨毒者, lit. "poison addict")
Story/ Lore
The International Toxient Countermeasure Agency (the Agency) is an organization that employs intelligent life forms called toxients (also called dokubutsu danshi) to fight against the major threat called Voids. Voids are highly toxic creatures that randomly spawn and attack humans, and not much is known about them. Currently, the only way to defeat Voids is to employ toxients to battle against them.
Toxients look similar to humans, but they are not human themselves and do not possess any rights the same way that humans do. The main difference between toxients and humans is that toxients are poisonous. The poison they possess varies per individual, whether it be liquid or gaseous, highly volatile or not, etc. Some toxients, like the ones in the Tokyo Branch, are perfectly fine to touch, though caution should still be exercised.
The Tokyo Branch of the Agency is run by Akamune (commonly referred to as the Branch Chief/ Branch Manager) and is helped by his "right-hand man", Hibari (commonly referred to as Supporter). In the Tokyo Branch, there are currently 7 toxients.
The Branch Chief wishes for humans and toxients to peacefully coexist. Unlike other branches, the Tokyo Branch allows the toxients to freely roam around the branch grounds. The Branch Chief hopes to increase the public's image of toxients (which many see as either being "mysterious" and/ or "dangerous") and also convince people to join/ apply to the Agency as they are always understaffed. He thus started releasing PR videos which feature the toxients for this purpose. Rather than calling them "toxients", the Branch Chief and everyone at the Tokyo Branch calls the toxients (particularly the ones employed at the branch) "dokubutsu danshi" and are consistently referred to as such in the videos.
Characters
All of the dokubutsu danshi have a control number but are usually referred to by another name rather than the control number itself. You can read their full profiles on the official site.
An (CV: Shinnosuke Tokudome)
Control Number: T-81-3-001
An is gentle and shy. He doesn't like putting himself forward but will do so for the sake of his friends. He's often involved with C.B. He's very self-sacrificing and is often at the forefront of battles, which leads to him constantly getting injured. He might appear kind of detached, but he's actually laid-back and has a wide range of interests. He likes reading but struggles with difficult kanji, so he often has someone else read to him.
Birthday: December 1st
Height: 162cm
Hobbies: Stargazing, reading
Likes: Everyone
Dislikes: Mornings, humidity, when prey gets away
Weapons: Tail, scissors
His character song is 夜の火 (Yoru no Hi)
Hemlock (CV: Makoto Furukawa)
Control Number: T-81-3-002
Hemlock has a cool attitude towards both humanity and dokubutsu danshi. He has a strong intellectual curiosity and desire to learn; he can be rather proactive in his thirst for knowledge. Compared to the other dokubutsu danshi, he has more common sense, so he's often playing the role of the straight man or mediator which often mentally exhausts him. He's partial towards innocent things like small animals and children. He cares deeply for An.
Birthday: March 15
Height: 183cm
Hobbies: Reading (especially philosophical books)
Likes: Nature, small animals
Dislikes: People who don't think deeply, noisy places, society
Weapons: Shield, spear
His character song is Pathetique
Cyan (CV: Shunichi Toki)
Control Number: T-81-3-003
Cyan often has a sour look on his face and dislikes interacting with others, so he keeps his distance from the Branch Chief and other dokubutsu danshi. He appears cool and composed at first glance, but he's actually rather hot-blooded and has a low boiling point, making him quick to anger. When he gets teased, he loses his temper and becomes intimidating, resorting to threats. He doesn't get along with C.B., and the two are usually fighting which makes people say that they might actually be good friends.
Birthday: August 4
Height: 177cm
Hobbies: Combat, engraving
Likes: Gold, silver, specimens/ samples
Dislikes: Sweet things, getting close to others, weak things
Weapons: Gun
His character song is Franken_0
Ergot (CV: Taito Ban)
Control Number: T-81-3-004
Ergot is friendly, gentle, and easy to get along with, but he also gives off an air of being untrustworthy and likely to betray you, thus making him easily misunderstood by others. He isn't the type to lie but will sometimes unintentionally withhold information or manipulate people's impressions. He's the most calm out of all of the dokubutsu danshi and is usually the mediator, alongside Hemlock, but everybody agrees that he's the scariest when he gets angry.
Birthday: September 23
Height: 180cm
Hobbies: Playing violin and piano
Likes: Humans/ people (Note: I'm uncertain if 人間 refers to "humans" specifically (since he's a dokubutsu danshi) or if this refers to "people" in general), love and peace
Dislikes: Rats, discrimination and persecution
Weapons: Nails, flamethrower
His character song is L&P
Dion (CV: Shima)
Control Number: T-81-3-005
Dion is a laid-back and cheerful hedonist. He's always joking around and drinking whenever he gets the chance. He's good-looking, charming, and easy to get along with, so it's hard to hate him no matter what. He's aware of that fact himself. He has a high alcohol tolerance but will still sometimes get drunk which is when his true nature comes out. It's rumoured that when his true nature comes out, his character becomes unsightly and that he ends up crying.
Birthday: April 12
Height: 175cm
Hobbies: Drinking, gambling, spending money
Likes: Drinking parties, family
Dislikes: Hangovers, restraints/ restrictions
Weapons: Staff
His character song is Nonde!
C.B. (CV: Shun Horie)
Control Number: T-81-3-006
C.B. is affectionate to those he favours and has an interest in but is completely indifferent to everybody else. His favourite is An. On the other hand, he dislikes Cyan, and the two often clash. He doesn't feel any particular sense of camaraderie with the dokubutsu danshi and is of the mindset that people are people and he is himself. He likes shiny things, so his hobbies include collecting gems/ jewels, gold, and silver. He also likes gambling and will do almost anything if you give him money. He seems to like the sparkle of the moment a "life" is taken.
Birthday: Unknown
Height: 167cm
Hobbies: Combat, looking for sparkly things
Likes: Weapons, life, all things sparkly
Dislikes: Sea turtles, sour things, inconveniences
Weapons: Tentacles, concealed weapons
His character song is Bad噛んでべー (Bad kan de be)
Chain (CV: Yusuke Shirai)
Control Number: T-81-3-007
His appearance might lead people to mistake him for being gloomy, but he actually has a very energetic and cheerful personality. He's always looking for something interesting to do and stirs things up for fun. His words and actions don't always match, making it difficult to grasp his true nature. He claims to be a womanizer, but since he's under the control of the Agency, the truth of this statement is unknown.
Birthday: July 16
Height: 179cm
Hobbies: Volunteering, gambling
Likes: Depravity, piercings, good food
Dislikes: Golden eagle, people who are too smart
Weapons: Fangs, chains
His character song is 快楽主義のままごと (Kairaku shugi no mamagoto)
Branch Chief/ Akamune (CV: Ryōhei Kimura)
A young man who was appointed as the head of the newly established "Tokyo Branch" at a young age. A perfect superhuman, he's not only an excellent researcher but also good-looking; however, his strong insistence that "dokubutsu danshi should also be granted human rights" has earned him the ire from HQ. To reach his goal of a world where dokubutsu danshi and humans can coexist, he started filming PR videos to recruit people to work at the branch and convey that "dokubutsu danshi are not to be feared." His only flaws are that he's a workaholic and a bit of an airhead. He doesn't have a girlfriend because he's so busy which is a point that the dokubutsu danshi often tease him about.
Birthday: March 1
Height: 175cm
Hobbies: Cooking, academics in general, shooting
Likes: When a difficult problem is solved, happy endings
Dislikes: Things that defy reason, movies with bad endings
Weapons: Small gun
Supporter/ Hibari (CV: Yamien)
He was temporarily transferred to the Tokyo Branch from HQ due to a manpower shortage. Although he's still in his teens, he supports the Branch Chief with overwhelming abilities. As he believes that rules should be followed, he does not take any personal disciplinary action against the dokubutsu danshi and maintains his position as an administrator, but ever since a certain incident, he has fundamentally hated the existence of dokubutsu danshi. He respects the Branch Chief as a researcher and applied to be assigned to the branch so that he could study underneath him. Although he thinks the PR videos are ridiculous, he appears in them because the Branch Chief whom he respects requested him to do so.
Birthday: June 6
Height: 165cm
Hobbies: Exercise, self-defense, shooting
Likes: Rules, comedy, family
Dislikes: Dokubutsu danshi, stuffed animals
Weapons: Taser
That's all for now, but I hope this managed to pique your interest towards Toxic-a-Holic!
