Lan Hikari
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| Lan Hikari | |
|---|---|
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| Game series | MegaMan Battle Network series |
| First game | MegaMan Battle Network |
| Creator(s) | Keiji Inafune |
| Voice actor(s) (English) | Alex Doduk (Episode 1-14) Brad Swaile (Episode 15+) |
| Voice actor(s) (Japanese) | Kumiko Higa |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Classification | Human |
| Weapon(s) | PET, BattleChips |
Lan Hikari, known in Japan as Netto Hikari (光熱斗 Hikari Netto?) is a fictional character and the human protagonist of the MegaMan Battle Network series of video games and the MegaMan NT Warrior (Rockman EXE) anime and manga. He is the operator of the MegaMan.EXE. In the anime, he is voiced by Alex Doduk (episodes 1-16) and Brad Swaile (17-present) in the dub, and Kumiko Higa in the original version of the series.
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[edit] History
Lan is the son of Yuichiro Hikari and Haruka Hikari, and the grandson of Tadashi Hikari, the Battle Network incarnation of Dr. Thomas Light. In the video games, but not the anime, Lan had an identical twin brother named Hub (Saito Hikari), who died when the boys were young. Near the end of the first Battle Network game, it is revealed that MegaMan was programmed using Hub's DNA, slightly modified to avoid dangers between operator and Navi. MegaMan is nearly deleted before this cutscene, and Lan is told to apply the "Hub. BAT" (Saito. BAT) file to erase the difference between their DNA and reincarnate MegaMan as Hub. (It bears mentioning that a batch file is designed for the rapid execution of a command or a series of commands already existent on a computer system; this implies that Yuichiro had planned for this event all along).
Lan lives next door to longtime friend Mayl Sakurai (Maylu Sakurai in the English anime, Meiru Sakurai in the Japanese versions), who, as revealed at the end of Battle Network 6, he marries and has a child (by the name of Patch/Raito) with. He is also friends with Dex Ogreon (Dekao Oyama) and Yai Ayano (Yaito Ayanokouji), and in the anime, also becomes friends with Tory Froid (Tohru Hikawa) early on in the series.
How Lan obtained MegaMan is unknown in the games - they were long acquainted from the beginning. In the anime, however, Lan was the operator for a generic Navi, eagerly awaiting the day that his father - who was often away on business trips - would send him his own custom-made Navi. When MegaMan presented himself to Lan, he was visibly underwhelmed until he saw MegaMan in action, defeating Dex and GutsMan.EXE with ease.
Throughout all of the Battle Network games, Lan enjoys a rivalry with top NetBattler Eugene Chaud (Chaud Blaze in the English anime, Enzan Ijuuin in the Japanese version), just as MegaMan enjoys a rivalry with Chaud's NetNavi, ProtoMan.EXE (Blues).
In the anime, Lan eventually becomes a NetSaver (Net Savior), aiding the Net Police in stopping crimes. This responsibility leads Lan on many missions involving the Darkloids and the Dark Chips in Axess, and his duties are expanded in Stream, as he becomes one of the Cross Fusion members opposing Duo.
[edit] Personality
Lan is a typical youth in search of adventure and fun. He frequents NetBattles, and places the prospect of completing menial tasks like homework behind him. Despite his seemingly carefree attitude, Lan is always prompt to do the right thing, either for the world, or simply for a friend. He is talented on inline skates in every version of the franchise, loves curry in the anime, and in episode 8 of Axess, reveals other aspects about himself; his favourite colour is blue, his favourite fruit is ripe mango, favorite toothpaste is strawberry-scented, and he despises cockroaches and the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. In the dub though, he hates the sound of an alarm clock instead.
According to the Secret of Rockman EXE - Official Illustrated Guide (ロックマンエグゼのひみつ―オフィシャル設定イラストガイド), Lan's birthday is June 10th (thus his astrological sign is gemini according to the tropical zodiac), his blood type is B, and he is, despite appearances depicting otherwise, shorter than Mayl.
[edit] Trivia
- The mark representing the Hikari family (which appears in many places, including Lan's headband, MegaMan's chest and helmet, and on the various series logos) is a tilted letter "H" for "Hikari."
[edit] Notes
Note 1: Lan's Japanese name is a pun on the word "net." Official sources [1] have sometimes referred to him as "Net" [2] and sometimes as "Netto" [3] - the pun is more evident due to the phonetics of his name when written in Kanji and Hiragana, as well as nuances in pronunciation by the voice actors involved.
