Kyoji Kagami

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Kyoji Kagami (鏡形而 Kagami Kyōji) is a fictional character in the manga / anime series Get Backers. In the original Japanese version, he's voiced by Sakurai Takahiro.

[edit] IL arc

A resident of Babylon City (the topmost tower of the Infinity Fortress), Kagami came down to the lower town to "observe" the retrievers of "IL" by first joining MakubeX's side and then later by going his own way towards the climax of the IL arc as the main characters come to finally confront and persuade MakubeX not to use the IL. Kagami first appears inside MakubeX's monitor room, asking MakubeX if he thought that the Raitei of old was some kind of god. When when Ginji Amano and Kurodou Akabane of the IL retrievers prematurely arrived in the underground waste districts, both Kagami (after his introduction) and Juubei go to encounter and greet them. In their immediate absence, Sakura converses with MakubeX over whether they can really trust him or not because she is more or less certainly sure that one such as him would most probably never swear loyalty to MakubeX. MakubeX claims that Kagami is very hard to read as a person. He comments that he is a person to be feared just as Sakura says and that he sees through everything whilst smiling like he doesnt know a thing at all, but as MakubeX procclaims, he needs Kagami's power in the meantime.

Kagami fights Akabane, but only to assess Akabane's actual strength and skill at first and as both men claim that the other is fighting unseriously, Kagami obliges to Akabane's whim and fights using his Diamond Dust technique to humour him. Kagami goads Akabane after he falls to the ensarement of his Diamond Dust at first that he was hoping to see what no man, woman or child has ever been able to have seen, Dr.Jackal actually serious in a fight and promptly makes his exit from the encounter after Akabane goads him back and uses his Bloody Cross attack to destroy a mirror image of him. As Juubei is essentially outmatched by his own opponent, Kagami approaches him afterwards and Juubei worringly asks him if what they are doing by following MakubeX is right. Kagami calms him down and convinces him that if he followed his path of his own free will then there shouldnt be any qualms of seeing where it all leads in the end regardless of what he believes. Juubei however with little trust of Kagami though as with MakubeX and Sakura before asks him at the last minute that if he's sure if he knows what the right answer to the question is anyway and Kagami brushs it off claiming that "who knows really".

After the IL recovery service reconvenes inside the numerical doors room, Himiko Kudo takes her turn of rolling the dice as the fourth member of the IL retrievers and ends up taking door #4 for herself. Inside the large VR room which everyone secretly enters Kagami awaits her as her opponent. Himiko instantly stays cautious and stationary whilst in Kagami's presence claiming that the aura he gives off reminds her very much of Akabane and Kagami asks her as his impatience grows if something was wrong?. He tells her that obviously she is from the outside world so she isnt used to the shadows and darkness in the Infinity Fortress but assures that dawn will soon come, Himiko asks what he means just after and the entire area recreates itself via Virtual Reality into the scenery of a Mayan sacrificial altar. Kagami claims there's at least some value in observing her for the time being and the two fight but despite Kagami's clear power, speed and skill levels over her, he is forced to take her seriously when she reveals that she can screen the air around her since she is an expert using poisons herself rendering Kagami's Diamond Dust attack mute and ends up seeing through his mirror reflections and eventually cuts his ear piece off. He applauds her skill and claims that she is exactly what one should expect from one of the Voodoo Children which leaves her shocked momentarily and asking frantically how he knows about the Voodoo Children.

Kagami over powers her and commits her to the Mayan altar where she is supposed to be sacrificed and claims jokingly as Himiko hurls abuse at him on the altar that she is a fairly bad loser, Ban arrives luckily in the nick of time and uses his Evil eye on Kagami to distract him from taking Himiko off the sacrificial altar. Ban comes to the realization finally about what he thinks the IL is exactly and Kagami comes to the conclusion as well that Ban himself is a dangerous man indeed as the two finally see each other as they really are. Himiko still wanting to fight Kagami however uses her Acceleration perfume on herself doubling and then tripling her speed, with this she more then makes an adequate opponent for Kagami then (at the expense of recieving injuries from breathing in the perfume) and he is forced to retreat with the acknowledgement of what Ban came to slightly earlier, that in the end all thats important is the IL and that Kagami has made his observation on Himiko for now.

At the climax of the arc Kagami welcomes the main characters to MakubeX's lair and steps aside for them all to enter into to face off against MakubeX, Kagami also notices that more then the alloted members of the IL retrieval team also made it to the final door (including Emishi and Juubei who fought for MakubeX earlier) and walks away wondering if MakubeX foresaw even that coming as per his earlier calculations and predesigns as his role in the arc ends.

Over time Kagami becomes enamoured by Himiko and how well she did when she fought him on the VR Mayan altar and eventually comes into possession of her and awaits her seventeenth birthday when she will become a key he can use to re-enter Babylon City. He also intends to marry Himiko, claiming to love her. However, he may have a more sinister plan at hand: He once commented, "...And your (Himiko's) heart will be mine!" It should be noted that at the beginning of the Voodoo Child arc, Himiko had a dream of Ban ripping her heart out.

His favourite activity is to observe the actions of his opponents, hence his title The Observer. In the power struggle among the denizens of Bablyon City, he appears to defer to the Voodoo King, though the King suspects him of treachery. He's also known as "the Lord of the Looking Glass" (魔鏡の王) because of his skills with illusions.

Alluding to his association with mirrors, Kagami is also a handsome and charming man (Ban's nickname for him is "Bar Host"). Also, his surname means "mirror".

In the "Get Back the Lost Time" arc, he was assigned to kill Hevn, as she tries to reach Babylon City. He was however stopped by her escort, Akabane Kurodou. Later, he was to have an arm torn off by Ban after the 2 Himikos combined into a single person. After making his escape, he finally realised (but not the reader) the true meaning of the letters "GB". Fearing that he may have already discovered too many secrets, the Specialist got Akabane to run through Kagami's heart with his Blood Sword. Before dying, Kagami revealed the Specialist's surname: Makube, the same as MakubeX's....

[edit] Abilities

As mentioned earlier, Kagami hails from Bablyon City. Therefore, he can be considered to be among the top tier characters in the series. He's a master of mirrors, which meant that his fighting style revolves around illusions and doubles by using diffuse reflections.

One of his favourite weapons of choice is his mirror fragments, which are ground so finely that they resemble Diamond Dust which Kagami claims are made of demonic shards. When unleashed, these fragments can be inhaled by the opponent or absorbed through the skin if touched recklessly. Then, being diamond sharp, they damage the internal organs of the victim, even shredding them whenever possible.

Another weapon in his arsenal is his speed. Very few characters have managed to match him in this department, except Ban, Akabane and Himiko while under the effects of her Acceleration Scent.

Deeply calculating and cautious, Kagami's penchant for observing and planning also makes him a master strategist.

[edit] Trivia

• He has been compared with Kurodou Akabane for a few reasons.
  • He wears white, which is a contrast to Akabane's black outfit.
  • Both men came from Bablyon City, and are polite to others.
  • Both men are noted for their incredible speed.
  • In their first fight, the sight of his glass shards clashing against Akabane's scapels, together with the smiles both men flashed at each other, makes for some eerie similarities.
  • In their rematch, both men managed to find ways to duplicate themselves. (Kagami by using mirrors, Akabane by using his blood)
  • Both men are noted to have purple eyes.
• Interestingly, the slit in Akabane's hat was inflicted by him on their first fight, and the Jackal had never repaired it since.
• He's featured on the back cover of Volume 30 of the manga.
• Kagami came 11th in the results of a popularity poll that appeared in volume 14 of the manga with 213 votes

GetBackers
Story arcs • Episode List
Characters
GetBackers: Ginji Amano + Ban Mido
Volt Kings: Kazuki Fuuchouin* | Shido Fuyuki | MakubeX | Masaki Kurusu
Transporters: Kurodou Akabane (Dr Jackal) | Himiko Kudo
Infinity Fortress Characters: Juubei Kakei* | Haruki Emishi | Sakura Kakei* | Kyoji Kagami | Toshiki Uryuu*
Crew of the Honky Tonk: Hevn | Paul Wan | Natsumi Mizuki
Other Characters: Maria Noches | Saizou Toufuuin* | Madoka Otowa | Miroku family
*Fuuga member - italics: manga only character
Other Topics
Infinity (Limitless) Fortress - Fuuga (Elegance)