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Main Characters
Ichise
Ichise
Voiced by: Satoshi Haga(Japanese), Justin Gross(English).
The main protagonist of the series. An 18 year old former prize fighter who, after getting his arm and leg chopped off by his former promoter, is selected by Doc to be the subject of her greatest experiment.
- The Aloner: Ichise is almost constantly alone. Though, as the series progresses, he becomes more willing to engage with other characters.
- An Arm and a Leg: Loses them in the first episode to Organo thugs sent to punish him for injuring a Mafia Princess.
- Animal Motifs: Often referred to as a "stray dog" by other characters, reflecting his lifestyle as a street urchin who often has to steal to survive.
- Anti-Hero: Nominal Hero: Ichise doesn't actively want to hurt people but, he has few qualms about punching people's faces in without hesitation and only helps people if they've helped him or he likes them.
- Artificial Limbs: Ichise's right arm and left leg are replaced with mechanical ones by the 4th episode.
- Assassin Outclassin': Effortlessly takes out a gang of hitmen while almost completely unarmed in Episode 14.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: In the later episodes, he wears a very nice black suit as part of the Organo.
- The Berserker: When he gets really angry, he's almost unstoppable, especially after becoming texhnolyzed. In the first episode, he continues charging at his opponents even after getting his arm cut off.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Ichise is very taciturn and rarely speaks. But, he will punch your head off if you annoy him enough.
- Big Damn Heroes: Saves Onishi from being killed by Yoshii in episode 10.
- Boxing Battler: Ichise's primary fighting style is simple boxing jabs.
- Chick Magnet: Almost every woman he comes across seems to want a piece of him. It's more disturbing than anything, especially considering his reactions to them.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Ichise comes from a lifetime of poverty and extreme hardship. So, it's only natural for him to be a very morose individual.
- Determinator: Ichise proves immovably determined to stay alive time and time again. Even Doc and Onishi remark on this, the first with amusement, the second with irritation because Ichise refuses to die in the first couple of episodes when he really should have.
- Dying Alone: Ichise inadvertently fulfills Ran's prophecy of him. However, as the power of his texhnolyzed limbs almost dissipates completely, his arm projects an image of a flower onto the ground. Also notable in that he's very probably the last human alive at that point. When he dies, humanity is officially extinct.
- Extreme Doormat: Ichise seems to have this attitude a lot of the time, though he does lash out every so often.
- Eye Scream: In the first episode, during sex, Ichise has his eye stabbed by a woman's fingernail.
- Expy: He looks an awful lot like Killy, minus the scars.
- Extreme Mêlée Revenge: On the man who sold out his father to die. Also on the Organo thug who cut his arm off.
- Go Out with a Smile: One of the few times he does smile is as he lies dying in the final episode.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Phlegmatic: Genereally calm and chill when not being bothered, and rarely engages in socialization. Shows a lot of the weakness typical of the temperament, being something of an aimless, indifferent doormat.
- Hates Being Touched: Even during sex, he just lies there.
- The Hero Dies: The final scene of the series is Ichise dying.
- Heroes Fight Barehanded: Ichise, mainly because he's a prize fighter. He does get a sword later on.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: While he doesn't show it, Ichise does care for a few specific individuals.
- Megaton Punch: He does this a few times, and it's almost always a One-Hit Kill. Yoshii and Kano learn this the hard way.
- Mercy Kill: What he does to Ran at the end of the series.
- Mr. Fanservice: Ichise gets shirtless and oftentimes completely nude, though most of it aren't play for titilation.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Ichise does this to... a lot of people.
- One-Hit Kill: He does this three times over the course of the series.
- Only One Name: In episode 20, he's asked what his last name is. Ichise responds that he doesn't have one.
- Pinball Protagonist: He survives largely to keep on surviving, and for the most part, acts as a soldier on the Organo's behalf after joining Onishi. It's not until he meets their leader that he starts considering his own needs and desires.
- The Quiet One: Ichise doesn't even speak until the 3rd episode. After that he typically has only a couple lines of dialogue per episode.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
- Ichise to the man who sold his father out and had him killed. It gets him in trouble.
- What Ichise does to the crazed people of Lux after they kill Onishi at the Obelisk.
- Also counts when Ichise punches off Kano's head for what he's done to Ran.
- Screw Destiny: Ichise's approach to Ran's prophecy. It doesn't work.
- Shirtless Scene: The anime begins with a naked Ichise staring at himself in the mirror. Keeping up with the spirit of the series, it is not used as Fanservice.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Ichise sharply disagrees with Kano's nihilism. This is expressed by punching Kano's head clean off.
- The Sociopath: Ultimately subverted. Despite his apathy, and generally lack of sympathy for his peers, Ichise does care about a few select people, and shows real genuine emotions, albeit of rage most of the time. It's just that he hides this under his perpetual stoicism.
- Sociopathic Hero: There are few, if any, heroic traits to Ichise, as he lacks very little empathy for the people around him, and never really shows much remorse for the people he hurts.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Ichise is a sort of diamond-in-the-rough version, until he puts a suit on that is.
- That Man Is Dead: Ichise says this when talking about his missing limbs.
- Trauma Conga Line: The first 3 episodes, in which he gets dismembered and almost dies before Doc takes him in for experimentation. Things improve a tiny bit for him after that.
- Took a Level in Kindness: His rough edges dull a bit after the Yoshii arc. He opens up slightly to several people and there's a number of small scenes that show off a more human side. He begins to more openly express concern for others and risks his life helping the Doc, Ran, and even Gotou.
Doc
Eriko "Doc" Kaneda
Voiced by: Shizumi Niki(Japanese), Victoria Harwood (English)
A scientist and the one who gave Ichise his texhnolyzed limbs. Considered an authority on texhnolyzation and the one whom Onishi trusts outside the Organo, she was a member of the Class before a disagreement with Kano led to her exile to Lux.
- A Glass of Chianti: Doc can frequently be seen drinking red wine, from a lab beaker no less.
- Animal Testing: being a scientist, she frequently is seen experimenting on rats in her lab.
- Anti-Hero: Nominal Hero: While certainly genial, Doc is only interested in the pursuit and propagation of Texhnolyze technology, regardless of how it aids others.
- Despair Event Horizon: After reaching the surface world and seeing the state humanity has let itself become, Doc loses all hope.
- Driven to Suicide: As a result of her crossing the Despair Event Horizon.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Doc slides into alcoholism as her situation becomes much more depressing.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Sanguine: Ever cheerful, and loves to talk, especially on the subject of texhnolyzation. She very much enjoys being around Onishii and ichise, even if they fail to be good company.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Doc is never referred to as anything other than Doc.
- Fallen Princess: She was a member of the Class, but was banished for vague reasons.
- I Lied: She lied to Ichise when she claims that she used his mother's cells to create his texhnolozed limbs
- Icy Blue Eyes: Very sterile and piercing.
- Mad Scientist: While calmer and more sympathetic than most, she doesn't appear to be completely sane.
- Ms. Fanservice: A scientist who occasionaly Sleeps in the Nude. Much like Ichise, however, these scenes aren't play for titilation.
- Motivational Lie: Ultimately, what she sees the lie she told Ichise about using his mother's cells to create his texhnolozed limbs as.
- Pygmalion Plot: Between her and Ichise.
Keigo Onishi
Keigo Onishi
Voiced by Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese), Patrick Seitz (English)
The current chairman of the yakuza-like Organo group that controls a significant part of Lux's economy. While young and mistrusted, Onishi is likely the most moral character in the show. He is often referred to as "the man who hears the voice of the city".
- Anti-Hero: Pragmatic Hero: Onishi is willing to tolerate and commit morally questionable actions to ensure that the Organo remains. However, he's also acting in the best interests on Lux and is always willing to pursue a non-violent option.
- Artificial Limbs: Both of Onishi's legs are texhnolyzed. The story is that as a teenager, he gave his legs to Kano.
- Assassin Outclassin': Does this to some Union street thugs early in the show while never losing his composure.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Sharply dressed and very fond of it.
- Big Brother Mentor: Eventually, to Ichise.
- Big Good: As leader of the Organo, he's probably the most powerful force for good in the series, and serves as a benefactor for Ichise after Doc rescues him.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Downplayed. Organo is more like a Yakuza than a corporation, but while he's obviously not morally pure person, he's still the best chance Lux has to survive.
- Determinator: While not to Ichise's extent, when all of Lux falls to Kano's madness, he remains strong and working for the best.
- Enemy Mine:
- Onishi tries to negotiate this with the Racan and the Salvation Union in the beginning of the series when he suspects that somebody's attempting to break the incredibly fragile peace in Lux.
- Onishi and the Organo assist Kimata and the Union when they attempt to rally against the Shapes. It doesn't end very well for the Union and Onishi's forced to retreat.
- Face Death with Dignity: Just before he's gunned down by the crazed Luxites, Onishi gives a brief smile.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Choleric: Fairly comfortable taking charge and being the leader, and shows a sense of purpose and drive the other characters lack. While he can be fairly unempathic to other people's situations, he is the most frequently willing to call them out on their bullshit and stupidity.
- Good All Along: For nearly the first half of the show, he's basically just portrayed as a gangster ruling the city through force. It's only near the end midpoint that it becomes clear that he's one of the few people who actually has the city's best interests at heart or that he's actually only able to stay in power because he works to earn people's respect.
- Good Is Not Nice: A fairly grumpy and frigid Yakuza-esque mob boss, who nevertheless is dedicated to keeping Lux stable. Aside from Ran, he's probably the closest thing the series has to an Ideal Hero.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: He's despised as being "soft" by many of his own underlings, who are more concerned with enriching themselves than maintaining the city. Subverted when one of his underlings tries to take advantage of this to supplant him in a coup; he discovers that the same behaviors he considered soft - going around without bodyguards, avoiding overt shows of strength - earned Onishi the respect of the people in the city who actually matter, and that without that respect it's impossible to rule Organo, let alone Lux.
- Hidden Depths: While at first Onishi is cold, stoic and not particularly kind to anyone, as the series progresses, he's revealed to be the most rational individual and caring for his underlings.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Ultimately gunned down to nothingness by the deranged citizens of Lux.
- Manipulative Bastard: A heroic variation.
- Master Swordsman: He's very skilled with his katana.
- Mercy Kill: He kills his secretary after she begs for death.
- Nerves of Steel: Very little fazes him, including assassination attempts.
- No Body Left Behind: Onishi is gunned to bits, leaving only his artificial legs.
- Not So Stoic: Has a few moments of this during the series' most dire moments, including when his wife is killed.
- Only Sane Man: He's essentially the only character actively trying to keep the city alive.
- Prevent the War: His primary motivation in the first half of the series is to stop the impending war being incited by Yoshii. Unfortunately, his efforts are frustrated both by his enemies and by people in his own organization.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Onishi tries his best to make sure that Lux remains functional and is willing to listen to alternative ideas.
- The Stoic: Not a particularly emotive guy.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: Is sleeping with his secretary Michiko, but it's shown that his wife Mana is a nearly catatonic Empty Shell and thus unable to provide either physical or emotional intimacy. It's also shown that he really does love her, as one of his few Not So Stoic moments is when Yoshii holds her hostage and kills her.
- There Are No Good Executives: A rare subversion in Onishi, who is distrusted as the head of the ominous mafia-like business, Organo, that maintains enough control over Lux to prevent it from falling apart; despite this, he is one of the show's few sympathetically heroic characters.
- Tranquil Fury: Whenever he gets genuinely angry, it's usually like this.
- White Shirt of Death: Onishi is shot to smithereens that even parts of his white suit is barely left behind.
Ran
Ran
Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)
The young seer of Gabe. Ran is able to see the future and is revered by many people in the city, including Onishi. However, as the series progresses, she grows increasingly uncomfortable with her role after meeting Ichise.- Alas, Poor Yorick: Ichise is seen cradling her mutilated head before dropping it into the Raffia as a makeshift burial.
- Alone with the Psycho: When Kano forces her to be his oracle.
- Ambiguously Related: To Kano. Both Kano and Ran have yellow eyes, while other characters have realistic eyes colours. Kano refers to Ran as his sister, but he may speak metaphorical. Also Kano is completely insane.
- And I Must Scream: Her fate, at the end of the series.
- Animal Motifs: She's associated with dragonflies.
- Anti-Hero: Unscrupulous Hero: Ran is almost completely apathetic to the fates of many of the people in Lux and allows many unfortunate things to happen. However, she is still quite young and overwhelmed by her lot in life.
- Blessed with Suck: While most would consider seeing the future as a generally positive power, Ran ultimately comes to hate her ability.
- Cool Mask: Her hand-painted fox mask. Could also be a White Mask of Doom, considering that it makes her look very ominous.
- Body Horror: Her ultimate fate. Kano forces her to be his oracle and grafts her head into a statue.
- Damsel in Distress: Subverted. When Kano gets his hands on her, it's already much too late.
- Decapitation Presentation: Kano does this in a slightly less traditional way with Ran, and she's still alive.
- Defiant to the End: To Kano, at the end.
- Dies Wide Open: Played with. Ran is still alive after her horrifying forced texhnolization so she asks Onishi to Mercy Kill her consciousness so Kano won't be able to use her powers. When Ichise finally finds her, what remains of Ran is in a catatonic state giving a (almost literal) lifeless stare. Ichise ultimately mercy kills her for good and buries her, with Ran's eyes finally closed.
- Fainting Seer: Seeing Ichise's future causes her to scream in horror and faint. Considering how quiet and composed she is all the time, it's pretty jarring.
- The Fatalist: Doesn't have much hope of stopping her own visions from coming to pass.
- Fate Worse than Death: Kano beheads her but keeps her alive to serve as his personal oracle.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: Melancholic: Quiet, dignified, and always somber and depressive. While she is fairly self-sacrificing and dedicated to her role as a seer, she is also the most fatalistic of the cast, albeit for good reason.
- Free-Range Children: Seemingly wanders the city at her own discretion, often following other main characters from the shadows.
- Girlish Pigtails: It emphasizes her youth and naiveté.
- Innocent Flower Girl: Ran plays with the trope in various ways, though she really isn't all that innocent.
- Little Dead Riding Hood: The frequently red dressed Ran is ultimately subjected to a horrifying Fate Worse than Death.
- Meaningful Name: Her name can translate to "chaos" or "rebellion". Overlaps with Names To Run Away From Very Fast.
- Messianic Archetype: The closest thing to one in the setting.
- Morality Pet: Seemingly to both Ichise and, of all people, Yoshii.
- Mysterious Waif: Especially before becoming a main character.
- Oracular Urchin: She's not particularly happy about it.
- Pretty in Mink: Ran's regular outfit is a coat/parka with fur on all tips.
- The Quiet One: She seemingly only talks when she needs to.
- Red Is Heroic: She's redhead who regularly wears blood red coat/parka and one of the more heroic characters in the series.
- Seers: As mentioned, she can see into the future, and it's subtly implied that she already knows everything that's going to happen at the beginning of the series.
- The Stoic: Barely ever shows emotion. When she's in danger of doing so, she dons her fox mask to hide her face.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Making her more ethereal and unique in the series, which favours realistic hair and eye colours.
- You Can't Fight Fate: Her general attitude. Ran prophesies that Ichise will kill countless people before dying alone and unloved. He swears to fight this fate. He doesn't succeed.
The Organo
Kyousuke Ishii
Kyousuke Ishii
Voiced by: Masahiko Tanaka (Japanese), Lance J. Holt (English)
An enforcer in the Organo that wields a sword. It was he who cut Ichise's arm and leg off in the first episode.
- Dragon with an Agenda: Though he's a ranking member of Organo he does not respect Onishi and frequently defies his orders. Onishi wants Ichise back alive but when Ishii finds the injured man he has him tossed into a sewer to die.
- Laser-Guided Karma: He dismembered Ichise and when he goes to kill him in their third encounter, Ichise blocks his blade with a Texhnolyzed limb (a limb he only got because Ishii cut off his original one). He then proceeds to beat Ishii to death... with his normal arm proving his superior strength in both his altered and unaltered state.
- "Not So Different" Remark: He sees something of his old self in Ichise."This guy makes me sick, I'll cut off the rest of his limbs and then Onishi can have him. What the hell kind of look is that? You're disgusting. I hate your type because you act like you're better than everyone, thinking you can live on your own. But you're nothing but scum! Because I used to be just like him.
- Starter Villain: On account of him dismembering Ichise, he becomes one of the early villains of the series. He poses the most direct threat to Ichise, wanting to kill or further maim him, and Ichise carries a murderous hatred of him in turn.
Hirohisa Gotou
Hirohisa Gotou
Voiced by: Hidekatsu Shibata (Japanese), Bill Morgan (English)
The founder of Organo and the "Great Father" of the organization. Gotou is a mild-mannered old man who's Seen It All. He was Onishi's mentor and handed the organization off to him.
- Cool Old Guy: He's essentially the founder of one of the most powerful factions in Lux and plays the role of an elderly gangster who used to run the place. He's also quite a personable man, even Ichise opens up to him.
- Not Afraid to Die: Due to his age and illness, Gotou has been dying for some time. Whenever potentially lethal danger comes at him, he's completely fearless.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Downplayed. Gotou is a wise old man able to see the bigger picture and it's clear Onishi takes after him. However, while he has inspired a lot of loyalty in Organo, Gotou's actual authority is quite small.
The Racan
Shinji
Shinji
Voiced by: Shinya Kitade (Japanese), Jason Miller (English)
The leader of Racan, one of the central factions in Lux. The Racan belong to nobody and comprise of outcasts and free spirits. Shinji's leadership is more relaxed compared to the more ideological Salvation Union and Organo.
- Badass Biker: Rides a cool bike and is a talented swordfighter.
- Fingore: His index finger was lost in some undisclosed incident and he now has a Texhnolyzed replacement. It's the only part of him to be Texhnolyzed compared to Kimata and Onishi's more invasive procedures and when Texhnolyzed limbs are all shut down, Shinji simply removes the finger.
- The Leader: Of Racan, one of the three factions in Lux. He, alongside Kimata and Onishi, is the most powerful man in the city.
Hal
Hal
Voiced by: Sanri Okada (Japanese), Josh Phillips (English)
The second in command of Racan. Hal is Shinji's right-hand man and in a polyamorous relationship with Yuko, Shinji's girlfriend.
- Artificial Limbs: His left arm is Texhnolyzed later on much more of him undergoes the procedure and all of his limbs become artificial.
- Face–Heel Turn: He went from one of the less villainous characters to one of the most. When Kano reveals himself, Hal defects from Racan with a large number of the members and joins the ranks of The Shapes.
- Number Two: Racan's hierarchy is quite lax with the organization's focus on the freedom of the individual. Hal is one of the few shown to wield any semblance of authority within the group as he rallies the men around Shinji.
Other Citizens of Lux
Genji Kimata
Genji Kimata
Voiced by: Joji Nakata (Japanese), Michael McConnohie (English)
The Leader of the Salvation Union, Kimata is a stoic man whose faction despises the rot they feel has taken Lux. The Union is very anti Texhnolyzation, in contrast to Organo and Racan's embracement of the procedure.
- Boomerang Bigot: The Union is violently anti-Texhnolyzation but early on Onishi mentions that Kimata himself is Texhnolyzed. When confronted about it in episode 16, Kimata admits that having been exposed to the process himself galvanized his resolve in wanting to see it abolished.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: In contrast to Shinji and Onishi who both use weapons, Kimata only ever fights with his bare hands. It's another clue to his Texhnolyzation.
- Hypocrite: It's pointed out several times in the series that Kimata's rhetoric of purity of the body and soul is ultimately hypocritical because he himself is Texhnolyzed. The reality is much closer to Genji being a Boomerang Bigot rather than a complete hypocrite.
- Sinister Shades: He wears a pair of thick sunglasses at any time of the day. It serves to make him even less emotive.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While not to Onishi's extent, Kimata is not an unreasonable man. He meets with Onishi to try and defuse tensions at first and when Yoshii begins his False Flag Operation, Kimata's initial response is to investigate the attacks rather than retaliate. It's only when a squadron of Organo men, in defiance of Onishi's orders, torch his headquarters does he go on the offensive.
The Class
Kano
Kano
Voiced by: Kaijiro Tanaka (Japanese), Freddy Douglas (English)
The current leader of the Class society that controls Lux. Born from generations of selective inbreeding, Kano despises the other members of the class for their stagnant attitudes. After Yoshii's rampage, Kano descends onto the city with his army of full-bodied cyborgs called Shapes to reshape Lux according to his own ideology.
- Ambiguously Related: To Ran. Both Kano and Ran have yellow eyes, while other characters have realistic eyes colours. Kano refers to Ran as his sister, but he may speak metaphorical. Also Kano is completely insane.
- Artificial Limbs: Both of Kano's legs are texhnolyzed, just like Onishi. Kano's subjects, the shapes, are these taken to the utter extreme.
- Asshole Victim: Played With. Normally, his decapitation would be a cause for celebration, but the fact that it happens after the damage has been done makes it a hollow victory at best.
- The Bad Guy Wins: In spite of the fact that he dies, Kano ultimately accomplishes his mission.
- Bad Boss: He essentially views his army as lab rats at best or disposable soldiers at worst.
- Badass Longrobe: Kano wears two over the course of the series, which adds to his regal nature.
- Big Bad: As the leader of the Class, Kano exerts a considerable amount of control over Lux. When Yoshii's defeated, Kano steps into the position as the central villain of the story raising an army to wipe out the gangs and the surface.
- Body Horror: How the shapes are created and how Ran ends up.
- The Caligula: While very intelligent, charismatic and eloquent, he's a deranged solipsist who believes that he's the only real person in a world that exists inside his mind. A possible explanation for this may be the fact that he's the result of generations of selective inbreeding, designed to create the perfect ruler.
- The Chessmaster: Kano prefers to stay in the shadows and manipulate everyone to fulfil his objectives and, he does this very well.
- Creepy Monotone: His voice always stays calm and quiet, adding only to his creepy nature.
- Decapitation Presentation: He does this in a slightly less traditional way with Ran, and she's still alive.
- Driven to Madness: In perhaps the most ambitious example of this trope, Kano drives the entire city of Lux to madness, reflecting the inner state of his mind.
- Evil Counterpart: To Onishii and Doc. Like Onishii, he's a texhnolyzed human being who has risen to the top of the hierarchy of the society he lives in, and like Doc, he's trying to expand the limits of texhnolyzation, but whereas Onishii acts as a stabilising influence on the Organo, Kano drives the already fairly twisted Class to insane extremes, and unlike Doc, who seems to see texhnolyzation as a support for men, Kano's looking to use the process to replace men with machines as much as possible.
- Faux Affably Evil: When conversing with Onishi or Kohakura, Kano is very formal and polite. But unlike Yoshii, it's not genuine, as he makes it clear by the end that he views anyone who isn't him as a figment of his imagination, barely worth respecting in any way.
- Foil: Yoshii and he are both villainous manipulators, but whereas Yoshii was an office drone who put himself directly into the action to bring his goals to fruition, Kano relies more heavily on his status as royalty, and his command of the Shapes to see his vision brought into being.
- Hero Killer: Of pretty much everyone by the end of the show, most directly Ran.
- Humanity Is Insane: Kano seems to believe this. Within the context of the show, he is arguably right.
- I Reject Your Reality: Kano is a delusional solipsist with severe homicidal tendencies who won't entertain the idea that human beings are anything other than playthings produced by his mind.
- It's All About Me: In one of the most horrifying examples of this trope. He believes that Lux itself is a reflection of his mind, and that humans are puppets or homunculi eroding it. He would qualify for a god complex, except that he doesn't believe that he's God, he believes that he is reality itself.
- Kick the Dog: When Kano confronts Onishi, he essentially gloats about how he threw away Onishi's legs after he sacrificed them for Kano's sake.
- Knight of Cerebus: His entrance into the series turns it from grim but hopeful, to a metaphorical march through the wastes of Tartarus.
- Mad Scientist: Kano is essentially a male version of Doc, with her curiosity taken to a nihilistic extreme.
- Mask of Sanity: Any time he speaks, his words are ever cool and quiet, but it's made emphatically clear that saying Kano is fucked in the head is akin to saying Lux isn't a holiday resort.
- Mukokuseki: Subverted. His blue hair and golden eyes make him one of the few characters that aesthetically come across as someone from a regular anime, but being such amongst a cast of fairly realistic looking people, it not only acts to distinguish him from them, but serves gives him an unnatural wrongness to his character.
- My New Gift Is Lame: Kano has a more petulant version of this in his backstory, just to show off what an irredeemable monster he is: Onishi sold his legs to the Class in exchange for what amounted to starter money to work his way in to the Organo (hence why he has texhnolyze legs). Kano received the legs as a gift and either got bored of them or found some other reason to be rid of them, effectively squandering Onishi's sacrifice. And of course, he gloats to Onishi about it when they meet face to face.
- Non-Action Big Bad: Unlike Yoshii, Kano doesn't have any fighting abilities.
- Off with His Head!: After seeing what Kano did to Ran, a totally pissed as fuck Ichise gives him a Megaton Punch so hard Kano's head flies off.
- Outside-Context Problem: He has absolutely no relation to Ichise until the end of tale, has met Doc and Onishii perhaps once before it started, and no one knows of him, his goals, or his involvement with Lux until he wants them to know. As such, only a few people in Lux are even marginally prepared to deal with him, and as a consequence, he wins.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Ultimately, Kano sees the whole world as a giant playground for him to play in, to the exclusion of everyone else.
- Royally Screwed Up: Kano, as a high-ranking member of the Darwinistic nihilistic Class, fits this to a T.
- Sissy Villain: Kano is effeminate and physically unimpressive.
- The Sociopath: Kano reveals in the final episode that not only does he have no problem forcefully turning a little girl into a cyborg, but that he doesn't even believe that anyone in Lux actually exists, let alone count as actual people.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: In a similar manner to Yoshii.
- The Stoic: Kano tends to be rather stone-faced, making his actions all the more horrific.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Subverted, as he's crazy but human.
- Übermensch: Kano rejects the beliefs of the Class, and the despair of Lux in order to impose his own vision and beliefs upon the world. He could potentially be viewed as a Deconstruction of this idea, however, as the traits that make him one also cause him to become a solipsistic madman who willingly destroys what's left of humanity in the name of his vision.
- The Unfettered: Kano will stop at nothing to impose his own vision on Lux, regardless of the human cost.
- Visionary Villain: Though it's a vision of basically nothingness.
- Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Kano is a Manipulative Bastard with yellow eyes.
The Shapes
The Shapes
Kano's main enforcers. The Shapes are severely Texhnolyzed humans who sided with the Class for power. They're made of numerous citizens from all over Lux including a number from the Union, the Racan, and the Organo. The Shapes have their entire body below the neck Texhnolyzed and are incredibly durable and deadly.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The un-Texhnolyzed head serves as one of their main weaknesses, though numerous times in the series the heroes just tear through the bodies with superior strength or fire-power.
- Body Horror: The Class is a treasure trove of it and the Shapes are some of the most disturbing implementations of Texhnolyzation in the series. Kohakura is seen undergoing the process and the only part of his body left is his head hooked up to the cocoon-like chest unit with the rest of his limbs and torso being attached later.
- Faceless Mooks: Their heads are completely covered in armor with one exposed eye lens. That said, the armor is retractable and several Shapes remove the helmet to show the audience who they once were.
- Immune to Bullets: Subverted. While at first small arms are seemingly ineffective against the Shapes's superior armor, higher caliber weapons prove capable of killing them just fine. Even small-caliber weapons can do the trick if they hit the right places.
The Surface
Kazuho Yoshii
Kazuho Yoshii
Voiced by: Takashi Inoue(Japanese), Sam Riegel(English)
A resident from the surface world who journeys to Lux for an assignment. Intrigued by life in the city and the potential that the people of Lux appear to have, Yoshii decides to start a war among the factions in Lux to stir the passions of the residents.
- Affably Evil: Yoshii may be a manipulative sociopath who tried to cause chaos on a grand scale, but he's very polite and soft-spoken throughout the show.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Despite everything he has done and has proven to be, Yoshii's death is treated in an incredibly somber manner, to the point that any potential Catharsis is drained out of the scene..
- Arc Villain: Yoshii serves as the main antagonist for the first half of the series.
- Artificial Limbs: Roughly half of his body has become texhnolyzed.
- Bait the Dog: Seems very gregarious and thoughtful at first, but is actually a sociopath who wants to engulf Lux in civil war.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Part of his prosthetic arm, unfortunately for Onishi. Also retractable.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: In spite of Yoshii's capable planning and manipulative skill, his tendency to blab about his plans tends to screw him over.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Yoshii appears to be naive and completely out of his depth. However, underestimate him at your own peril.
- Despair Event Horizon: Yoshii was driven to insanity and despair over the state that the surface world has become, resulting in his actions throughout the series.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Ultimately, what he becomes when Kano enters the picture.
- Disney Villain Death: Ichise punches him off a balcony to the street below, mortally injuring him.
- Dissonant Serenity: Yoshii comes across as a mildly camp call centre employee when he threatens Onishii and tortures a Mook for information.
- For the Evulz: This is what makes Yoshii's reign of terror all the more horrifying: his utter lack of a motive for it. It's made even worse by his placid and rational demeanour throughout the whole event and gets down right chilling when we see through Sakimura that he was once just an innocent, optimistic office drone.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Yoshii arrives in Lux halfway through his transition and its only through flashbacks that we learn just how much of a nobody he was before he damn near destroyed the city.
- I Have Your Wife: Threatens Onishi's wife to draw him out to fight and kills her.
- Karma Houdini: Arguably, to the extent, someone can be in this show. While he does get killed, his death is a lot less gruesome and painful than those which befall pretty much every other character.
- Kick the Dog: Mocking Onishi over his wife's death, which was somewhat at odds with his generally Affably Evil behaviour.
- Likes Older Women: Yoshii is only interested in prostitutes with "experience."
- Manipulative Bastard: A very effective one, being able to turn Lux in on its head within roughly a week's time.
- Mercy Kill: Sakimura puts a bullet in his head after Ichise mortally wounds him.
- Mob War: This is the focus of the first half of the series, instigated by Yoshii.
- Morality Pet: Is quite nice and affectionate to Ran in every scene they have together, even after he's revealed to be a manipulative sociopath.
- Mugging the Monster: Two Racan thugs try to mug Yoshii.
- Platonic Prostitution: Yoshii rents a room with a prostitute who turns out to be severely mutilated, but only to get information about the city. Later he does sleep with her and finally kills her and her pimp.
- The Sociopath: Yoshii not only kickstarts a civil war in Lux, but murders a prostitute he had seemingly bonded and sympathized with the night before for no conceivable reason.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: The fact that Yoshii's voice never seems to alter its gentle tone makes his actions all the more monstrous.
- Übermensch: Yoshii's discussion with Tatsuya of the "human's primitive energy" seems pretty evocative of Nietzsche's Will to Power, and his Motive Rant to Shinji implies that he is possibly trying to create an Übermensch to save Lux.
- The Unfettered: Nothing will get in Yoshii's path when he sets his mind to it.
- Would Hit a Girl: Men and women are pawns to him and he'll manipulate and dispose of them when he sees fit.
Tatsuya Sakimura
Tatsuya Sakimura
Voiced by: Akihiko Tonosaki (Japanese), Ivan Buckley (English)
A man from the surface, like Yoshii. He worked an office job before taking an assignment down in Lux where he worked as a train driver. He has a greater knowledge of the Surface than most city-dwellers and Yoshii ropes him into his plot.
- Only Sane Man: It's not apparent at first but Sakimura is surprisingly rational and down to Earth. When the audience finally sees what the Surface is like, Sakimura is the only one not resigned to the living death that everyone else is fine with. He actively worries about the future of the world while all of the others simply go through the motions of their ghost living. It contrasts him with Yoshii who also resisted stagnation, except Sakimura didn't become a murderer.
- Sole Survivor: Sakimura is the only one of the named cast still alive at the end of the story. Though as humanity is marching towards extinction anyway he'll ultimately pass away.
