...Pixel Fetish

Name: Asuka Tachibana

Race: Human alter user

Age: 16 years old

Hair: Violet

Eyes: Light Brown

Status: Holy Native alter, later a smuggler

Anime: s-CRY-ed

Voice: (English) Dave Wittenburg (Japanese) Tetsuya Iwanaga

History and Personality: Asuka Tachibana (generally refered to as Tachibana) is a member of HOLY who possesses the alter power of the 'Eternity Eight.'  He is one of the youngest, but also one of the higher rank (or "class") members. Tachibana has a sweet demeanor when he's not fighting, but when conflict arises he becomes stern and professional. Early in the series, a bitter but unrequited rivalry with Kazuma rises after he is embarrassed by Kazuma during his escape from HOLD headquarters. Tachibana fights Kazuma...but he loses, and his right arm is broken in the process. Because of his loss, not only is he removed from the ranks of HOLY, but he loses contact with Cammy (his fiancée). The triple whammy of losing the fight, his prestige, and his girl, drive him crazy, and this makes him interfere in Kazuma and Ryuho's second encounter. In the ensuing upheaval, he and Kazuma become trapped underground.

Forced to work together, Tachibana finally gets a clear picture of what makes Kazuma tick. He realizes that Kazuma isn't crazy, just fighting with an implacable resolve. He also realizes why Kazuma is fighting: because HOLD and HOLY are intruding on the Inners. He's just defending his turf. Tachibana begins to realize that his own resolve had never been that strong. He'd been hiding behind that HOLY badge when he should've been trying to earn that privilege.

To this point Tachibana had been hoping to defeat Kazuma and return to HOLY. After this encounter he decides to leave HOLY behind and disappears to adjust to his new found life as a broker (and smuggler), helping merge the ghetto and metropolis. He later teams up with Mimori to find Ryohou (and Kazuma). Because of their mutual concern for the two men, and the rest of the people who live in the poor Inner city the two continue to work closely together. When he finds Kazuma their roles are reversed and it is Tachibana who must teach Kazuma to find his way and not be driven insane by bitterness.  He becomes something of a safe haven and an anchor for the characters caught in internal and external struggles.

Tachibana continues to find his own way in the Lost Ground like everyone else. His hard work doesn't go unrewarded, however. At the end of the series, his girlfriend, Cammy, finds Tachibana and rejoins him.

Relationships: Tachibana has a girlfriend/fiancée named Cammy.  We know very little about her or their relationship except that she is in the hospital and his concern for her is his primary motivation for most of the series.  To protect her he pretends not to care about her when he is expelled from HOLY, but in his private moments we know that he misses her very much.  More than anything Tachibana wants to deserve Cammy's love.

Tachibana has a more complicated relationship with Kazuma (the main character of s-CRY-ed).  At first he sees him only as a mission and a disturbance, and then he decides that he hates him and wants to defeat him. After spending some "quality time" with the older boy Tachibana comes to respect him and his view of life.  He even seems to adopt part of that view (though without the part about fighting all the time just for the heck of it...)  While they never really become friends Tachibana does care about Kazuma's well being.  He looks after him, adn tries to help him when he seems to lose sight of what is important.  They also work together to try and make Inner a better place for everyone.

The only other personal relationship Tachibana seems to have is the one that develops with Mimori - a rich girl sent to do scientific research for HOLY.  Mimori ends up leaving HOLY and fleeing to Inner in search of Ryuhou, but she soon finds herself in over her head.  She is rescued by Tachibana who offers to help her in her search.  Eventually they work together to smuggle supplied from the metropolis to Inner. The two respect and understand one another, but because they are both already in romantic... well, romantic somethings since neither is really dating or even seeing their respective love interests, the relationship never develops beyond friendship.

Techniques: Asuka's alter, Eternity Eight, consists of eight small emerald (or jade) orbs that act as an extension of his will, proving to be one of the most versatile alters in the series. These orbs allow him to control minds (although some alter users can resist this effect by force of will), form a shield or a sword, heal himself or others, or fly at great speeds. He can also use them to manifest a bow to fire his Eternity Eight as an arrow, calling it the "Eternity Extra Shot".

Why we love him: Quite frankly I don't know what first attracted me to him.  I suppose it was his innate sense of right and wrong - the way he believes in duty and placing others before himself (you know, except for the couple episodes he goes on a crazy rampage).  He's incredibly sweet and very mature especially when compared against the older characters.  He is a rock for the others, a place they can come to get their heads on straight.  He also happens to be voiced (in the American dub) by my (apparently) favorite voice actor.  I just love that voice.  And, of course, any guy who can pull off purple hair and still look good... well, that's really saying something.