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| “ | I'm fine... This is the only place where I belong, after all. | „ |
| ~ Rikou Takitsubo's reasoning for joining Item. |
Rikou Takitsubo is a major character in the A Certain Magical Index franchise.
She is a Level 4 esper and an operative of the mercenary group ITEM, being the team's main support member due to her invaluable esper ability. While she isn't as violent or cruel like her teammates, she still willingly aids them during their missions. She is the love interest and eventual girlfriend of Shiage Hamazura, whom she falls in love with after he protects her from Shizuri Mugino.
She is voiced by Aya Suzaki in Japanese and Megan Shipman in English.
Appearance[]
Rikou is a teenage girl with shoulder length black hair that's cut evenly. She's often seen with a tired look on her face. She's almost always seen wearing an ordinary pink tracksuit to the point where Hamazura believes that she would probably wear it to a wedding or a funeral. She also wears a white shirt underneath her tracksuit.
Personality[]
Among her teammates, Rikou Takitsubo can be considered the nicest member of ITEM. She hardly ever shows emotion and maintains a static expression more often than not. She's also quite lethargic and laidback, having a tendency to blankly stare off into space. Unlike the other ITEM members, Rikou isn't aggresive or bloodthirsty, as she would rather hurt anyone if possible. However, although she tends to dissuade the rest of ITEM from making poor decisions, Rikou still considers violence as a valid option and doesn't show any qualms with assisting her comrades in their missions.
Moreover, Rikou displays total indifference and passivity when watching her teammates do their job and doesn't admonish them, even when they kill or torture others in front of her. Despite this, she's the only member of the group to actually show any concern for anyone else. In addition to this, beneath her reserved demeanor, Rikou deeply cares about her companions and states that ITEM is the only place where she'll belong. She is described as a courageous and noble girl despite her involvement with the criminal underworld, showing that she stills retains her humanity despite being constantly exposed to sinister environments.
Furthermore, as part of her caring nature, Rikou can be rather selfless and has no problem using herself as bait to lure out enemies so her friends can escape, regardless of her own well-being. In some cases, she even will refute the possibility of being rescued from danger as the risk is too high. While she's entirely reserved for the most part, Rikou is rather affectionate towards her boyfriend Shiage Hamazura, being the only member of ITEM to treat him nicely. She's extremely protective of Hamazura and will put his safety above her own, as seen when she pushes him into an elevator to save him from Teitoku Kakine. Hamazura is one of the few people who Rikou exibits strong emotions for, as she cries and rushes to hug him when he makes it out of his second fight with Mugino alive.
Additionally, in spite of her subdued personality, there are several moments where Rikou displays feelings of hostility. She tends to be very possessive when it comes to Hamazura and will show immense jealousy when he's approached by other girls. Though she's normally composed and laidback, Rikou is capable of irritation, as shown by her behavior towards Fremea Seivelun, even getting into an argument with her at one point. She is shown to be intolerant of Fremea's bratish attitude and will even threaten her with acts of violence if she starts to get on her nerves.
Biography[]
Much of Takitsubo's past prior to joining ITEM is currently unknown. However, it's revealed that her reason for joining ITEM was because she was once incriminated for a crime she didn't commit and arrested on false charges. This was presumably a plan by some lab to get a hold of her or test the Ability Body Crystal, using her arrest to get her thrown in prison and then make her disappear once interest in her faded. However, Shizuri Mugino saved her by managing to have the case against her dismissed, and subsequently recruited her. She's been with Mugino the longest out of all members of Item.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- AIM Stalker: Rikou's Level 4 esper power which allows her to trace and detect the AIM diffusion fields of other espers. Rikou herself boasts that as long as she recorded an esper's AIM diffusion fields, she can track them down even if they were to leave the solar system, though this is most likely an exaggeration. She can accurately gauge the distance and direction of the targets. Rikou initially needed to consume the Ability Body Crystal to activate her power. Under the effects of the Body Crystal, AIM Stalker becomes amplified and Rikou's eyes widen, enabling her to use her power. However, her continued use has worn her body down to the point where she will collapse and become seriously ill if she uses it again. After the events of World War III, Rikou was cured by Elizalina and is now able to utilize her power without the use of drugs.
- Magic Detection: In later volumes, it's shown that AIM Stalker isn't limited to tracking esper powers, but can somehow sense magic to an extent, such as the auras of the recreated Golden Dawn members and Orsola Aquinas as well as Madame Horos. Nephthys and Niang-Niang compares her to a spirit medium and warn her to be careful of what she is channeling.
- Power Manipulation: AIM Stalker's true power allows Rikou to hijack and manipulate an esper's AIM diffusion field and personal reality. This would enable her to alter esper powers in various ways, such as modifying levels, granting or removing abilities, and even replicating the powers of other espers by controlling their AIM fields. Due to this, Rikou has the potential to become the 8th Level 5 as she would be able to render the entire Power Development Curriculum obsolete. So far, she has only displayed some shades of this, as seen when she tried to disrupt Teitoku Kakine's ability and stabilized Mugino's Meltdowner.
External Links[]
- Rikou Takitsubo on the Heroes Wiki
- Rikou Takitsubo on the Toaru Majutsu no Index Wiki
