Restricting member, developing device, process cartridge, and image forming apparatus

A developing device comprising:

• a developer carrying member configured to carry developer;
• and
• a restricting member configured to restrict a thickness of a layer of the developer on the developer carrying member,
• wherein the restricting member includes:
• a blade portion that extends in a longitudinal direction of the developer carrying member and that includes a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion in a transverse direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and
• a supporting portion configured to support the first end portion of the blade portion in the transverse direction,
• wherein the second end portion, which is a portion at a side of a free end of the blade portion in the transverse direction, includes a first surface, a second surface, and a third surface, the first surface being in configured to contact a surface of the developer carrying member, the third surface being an end surface of the second end portion in the transverse direction, the second surface being between the first surface and the third surface,
• wherein the second surface extends to an end of the third surface on a side of the developer carrying member from an end of the first surface on a side of the second end portion so that the second surface is farther away from the developer carrying member and thickness of the second end portion in a thickness direction of the blade portion is reduced as the second surface goes toward the third surface, the thickness direction being orthogonal to both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction, and
• wherein, in a case where, in a cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, a region is demarcated by connecting an intersection point, the end of the first surface, and the end of the third surface,
• the intersection point being a point where an imaginary line that is orthogonal to the transverse direction and that passes through an end of the second surface intersects an extension line of the first surface in the transverse direction,
• an area of the region in a first cross section at a longitudinal end portion of the blade portion is smaller than an area of the region in a second cross section at a longitudinal central portion of the blade portion in the longitudinal direction.