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Characters In-Depth Here we'll discuss the characters in-depth. While the original 'Characters' page will give you an idea of who's-who, this page will study the main (and some side, probably) characters and their personalities. It is still in progress, so it will be added to randomly. I would like to state right off that I am not completely impartial in regards to these characters, and some of them are exceedingly difficult for me to work with (Michelle and Blue come immediately to mind). So if anyone has some insights they want to contribute, please do not hesitate! Please note that this entire page includes SPOILERS for character backgrounds and the later episodes of the series. Quick Finder: Koui Aiba, , Ikumi Oze, Aoi Housen, Faina S. Shinozaki, Kozue Izumi, Juli Bahana, ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kouji is an ordinary guy. He has to study hard to be good in class, he doesn't have any outstanding skills, he isn't devastatingly handsome... He's average. But what he does have is optimism and the ability to get along with anyone. While most series would focus on the mech aces Yuki and Ikumi, Ryvius follows Mr. Nice-guy Kouji as his helpfulness and pleasant attitude get him mixed up with all the wrong people. Kouji's family, however, is not average. Kouji and Yuki's parents were divorced when the boys were young, leaving Kouji the man of the house. He cared for Yuki like a father would. But Yuki grew up. He came to resent Kouji's fatherly attitude, and especially his reluctance to fight back. Kouji gives in when pressed, not wanting to disturb the harmony around him. Harmony and comradery are very important to Kouji. Even though he's straight-laced ("by the book", Ikumi calls him in episode 1), he cares about people. He has a great sense of loyalty. When Blue's group is imprisoned and Blue goes into hiding, he protests, and Faina has to smack him to shut him up before he gets the rest of the bridge crew into trouble with the pursuers. Kouji doesn't quite understand. Blue is their comrade, they should be standing up for him. The rest of the bridge doesn't agree of course. During his time on the bridge, Kouji acts as go-between for the crew and the students. He drafts and makes most of the announcements, and reads the feedback from the polls for the public. They seem to trust him (at least up to a point), and he is next to incapable of lying to them. Unfortunately, when the bridge crew as a whole falls out of favor, he is also seen as the weakest. He is attacked by more than just his brother. ~In Progress?~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kouji's little brother is extremely intellegent, but his sullen attitude and disregard for others wears on those around him. He is not a leader, although he resents people who boss him around (mostly Kouji in his I'm-the-older-one mode). He seems perfectly content following others directions when he respects them in some way, like Blue and Ikumi and even Cullen. Yuki especially resents what is called Kouji's Sunny-Day personality, always looking on the bright side of things. He hates him for being in the right place at the right time, for ingratiating himself and making himself uselful. He sees Kouji as a simple opportunist. He also sees his brother as weak for not fighting for what he wants, and later in the series says 'You can't even protect a girl!'. But deep down, he still cares for his brother. He hides it as much as possible, but it's there. Yuki and Kouji's problems came to a head over a girl. Yep. A girl. Kouji was dating a girl named Keiko, and Yuki approached her. She ended up dating Yuki instead, and Kouji didn't even try to fight for her, which ticked off Yuki. He hated that Kouji just gave in to whatever happened to him and didn't stand up for himself. Yuki also had a crush on Aoi, and seemed to know that unconsciously she preferred Kouji, which did not help. As Ikumi guesses, Yuki has a Brother Complex. It doesn't come out until the very end, but it's there. ~In Progress~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Ikumi is the quintessential space opera hero. He's smart, a genius with the ships, popular, cute, and has a tragic past (although I don't know many anime heroes who wear baggy cargo pants...). Ikumi is at first glance helpful, cheerful, and out-going. He knows a lot of people who like him, but is loyal to his closest friends, sticking by Kouji when the students were dividing into groups so Kouji wouldn't be left on his own. He does however have a darker side that comes out when he is upset. Ikumi can become violent towards people when he's angered- not like Yuki, who regularly and for little provocation pounds his brother into the dirt. Ikumi has a tendancy to grab collars when he gets confrontational. He is upset by loss of life and tends to strike out at whomever he sees at fault, or walls. Ikumi's past and it's effects on his present can hold him back. His desire to protect the ones he loves is severely twisted when he fails. When Kozue was hurt, he was in the Vital Guarder control room, fighting the Dicastia. But the fact that he was protecting the ship is no consolation, and he still blames himself for not being able to protect her. She is the second person he couldn't protect. Ikumi was in love his older sister. But she killed herself when their parents separated them. Ikumi came to view this as a failure on his part. He couldn't protect her. This is also the root of his value of human life, and his view that "It sucks, people dying." ("Iyaja, hito no shinuno" Episode 1) He admits to Kouji in ep. 26 that he was afraid to fall in love with Kozue because of his sister as well. After Kozue is assaulted (see Kozue's entry below), Ikumi sets out to form the perfect system. The thought obsesses him. In order to protect Kozue, there must be perfect order. He implements a system of such rigid martial law that people are afraid to act or speak out against him. Except Kouji. Kouji sees the failing in Ikumi's system, the disquiet that lurks under the peaceful facade. When he tries to confront him, both Kouji and Ikumi fall back on violence. This is another example of the violence hidden under Ikumi's sunny exterior. When extremely upset, he lashes out. Walls and shirts in particular face his fury. Mostly he only threatens, seemingly hesitant to back it up, until the chain of events mentioned above. Then, he even turns on someone he once called his friend. ~In Progress~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Aoi grew up with the Aiba boys. She has come to see herself as an older sister/mother to them, making sure they take care of themselves. She goes to the Leib Delta partly because "Mommy Aiba told me to look out for you two." (episode 1, on the train- paraphrased) When the boys had their falling-out, Aoi had been attending a different school. When she returned, they were at odds, and neither would tell her. Thus, she doesn't realize how little they speak, and how much they hate each other. She still thinks of them as the boys she knew growing up. On the Ryvius, Aoi sees herself as having to remain strong for her roommates. Reiko and Kozue both need reassurance and comfort, so she gives it to them. She keeps going when others would have stopped, trying to make it through to the rescue she must believe will come. This refusal of hers to be weak and give it to emotions is part of why she is so despondant when things finally shatter around her. She comes to rely on the fact that she is the strong one for Kozue and Reiko, but when their support and need are taken from her, her world crumples underneath her. All she has left is Kouji, which is why she clings to him. In regards to her feelings for Kouji, she refuses to admit they exist at first. She spends her energy trying to take care of both Aiba boys. After Kozue is injured and the two become estranged, Kozue shouts at her, that she never knew which she wanted, so she tries to keep both, and it's not right. Kozue needs only Ikumi, but selfish Aoi wants both brothers. But as these events force Aoi and Kouji together again and apart from Yuki, they begin to realize that they care beyond being childhood friends. Aoi comes to depend on Kouji for company when Kozue, then Reiko leave her alone. She has a very deep fear of being alone. Aranea's attack on Aoi is the catalyst for them revealing their feelings to each other. As stated above, she relied on her friends to be there. Then they were gone, and this girl attacked her. It was, as they say, the straw that broke the camel's back. All her emotional strength had been long gone, and the reasons she was pretending she was strong was gone. Her world didn't exist, and the reality was horrible. Afterwards, she refuses to be parted from Kouji. It seems slightly unhealthy to me, to be so dependant on one person for emotional support, but Kouji has always been her anchor, in a way, and she knows that he will stay with her, so one has to understand at least a little. After they leave the Ryvius and go home, Aoi easily re-adapts to being a normal teenager. She is forced to, having to repeat a year of school with a younger class. So she attends school and dates Kouji and has the life she would have had if the Ryvius had never happened. But she is not so deluded to pretend the ship never happened at all. She made important connections on that ship, and even if it was awful to live through, there are things to treasure. She wants most of all to reconcile with Kozue, and I think this is why she returned to the Ryvius. Aoi, out of all the characters, is best able to get beyond the inner scarring the Ryvius gave her, and live again. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Faina is a native of Titania. This is a big influence, as Titania has their own religion following the Holy Mother Arne. One of Arne's teachings include the precept that "You cannot forget the past. You must tear it off, with your own hands." This is a precept which Faina has taken to heart. The past that she mainly wants to tear off is Kouji's. She falls for Kouji after he and Ikumi rescue her, and wants to have a future with him. Between Reiko telling people that Kouji and Aoi are dating, and her own views of them, Faina decides that his past with Aoi is an obstacle to overcome in order to build her future. Aranea, one of "The Fainas", takes this to heart and attempts to eliminate Aoi. Although Faina can be a kind person, especially to those who need care, like Reiko and Elina, her focus on making her own future makes her lose sense of the present, and she can seem a little cold at times. It also makes her quite dangerous, for she will not suffer obstacles or her past. Faina has put her belief in leaving behind the past into effect before, and Kouji should truly fear her when she tells him that if her boyfriend cheated she would never forgive him. Her former boyfriend McBane broke up with her just before the Dive Break. Thanks to the saboteurs, his body was lost in the Geduld. When Sandy asked her about him during the party, Faina strangled her. They messed with her vision of her future, and paid for it with their lives. Faina builds her life around Arne's teachings and her vision of her future. When that vision is ruined, she lashes out. Personally, I think Faina is a terrifying character. She's so nice, has such devotion to making her own way- oh, but Heaven help you if you mess with her. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Kozue is a cheerful, helpful, and slightly spoiled girl. She likes Ikumi and fixates on him. He cares for her as well. So it works out. Kozue yearns to be the center of Ikumi's affection, but at the same time, she seems subconsciously afraid. She said their first kiss felt weird, and on-screen after that, they shared no more than embraces. Her desire to be the center of Ikumi's attention is what led to her constant bragging at work. She knows Ikumi says he's fighting for everyone, but he promised to protect her. She wants to be the only one in his thoughts (a left-over of her spoiled only child upbringing), so she constantly asserts, to herself and to others, that "Ikumi's fighting to protect ME." Which pissed off everyone around to the point that three girls assaulted her. Reiko was not enough to protect her (which Ikumi was very upset about- note understatement). It is never explicitly said what the girls did to Kozue in episode 18 (except in sourcebooks, which use the word "okashite," meaning "assault, attack, or rape"). It is however, heavily implied. Aoi finds her in the shower, unwilling to see her and especially unwilling to be seen. She covers up her wounds that Aoi saw with covering clothes- no more cute mini-skirts. At the beginning of the following episode, we see the boys' reactions as they return from their stations during the battle. Kouji is shocked, and Ikumi is distraught. Ikumi is then shown confronting the three terrified girls and their companions, destroying their room and beating the boys up. It seems that the girls enlisted the help of these boys to teach Kozue a lesson. It has been said that Kozue's reactions are typical of rape victims; the showering to feel clean again, lashing out at friends, wearing concealing clothing. Now, I am no expert, not a psychologist at all, but I would have to agree. Kozue's sudden change is indicative of a deeply traumatic experience. ~In Progress~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Juli is the ace pilot of the Zwei. They all look up to her, whether they admit it or not. She is intelligent and compassionate, and seems like she would be a brilliant leader. She seems quite ready to turn Blue out of the bridge and assume command, but backs down when threatened. She values her life and the lives of others, often looking out for the general populace of the ship as much as she can. She comforts Pat and takes him under her wing, looking out for the child who now has noone nearby to turn to. But when she is actually put in command, she cracks. ~In Progress~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Possibilities: Airs Blue, Cullen Lucciora, Michelle Cay, Fuu Namchai, Lucson Houjou, Stein Heigar, Cliff Cay, Charlie, Elina Rigby |
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