Mukuro Rokudo

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Mukuro Rokudo
Reborn! character

Mukuro Rokudo as shown in the manga
First appearance Manga chapter 63
Anime episode 20
Created by Akira Amano
Voiced by Toshinobu Iida[1]
Profile
Age 15[2]
Date of birth June 9[2]
Nationality Italian[2]
Height 177.5 cm[2]
Weight 62 kg[2]
Information
School Kokuyo Junior High
Affiliation Kokuyo Junior High Gang
Vongola Ring Ring of Mist

Mukuro Rokudo (六道 骸 Rokudō Mukuro?) is a fictional character in the Reborn! universe created by Akira Amano. The Reborn! series developed into a media franchise, and consists of an anime, manga, light novels, video games, soundtracks, and other merchandise or collectibles.[3] The story revolves around a middle schooler named Tsunayoshi Sawada and his life as the heir to the most powerful Mafia organization in the world, the Vongola Famiglia.[4]

Portrayed as the series' first primary antagonist, Mukuro Rokudo is introduced as a 15-year-old[2] Mafia criminal who is the leader of the Kokuyo Gang, which consists of heinous criminals whom have recently escaped from prison.[5] However, later on in the series, he takes on a more supportive role for the series' main characters, becoming somewhat of an ally rather than an enemy, though he prefers to not consider himself as one of their allies.[6]

Mukuro's character has been well-received since his introduction, ranking as the most popular villain in the second official Shonen Jump poll of the Reborn! series,[7] as well as ranking as the series' third most popular male character in the third poll.[8] Also, his and Kyoya Hibari's character CD, entitled "Sakura addiction", peaked at seventh place on the Oricon charts,[9] becoming the most successful soundtrack of the series. Their performance would also earn each of their voice actors a Seiyū Awards' nomination for "Best Musical Performance". In addition, his portrayal as Mukuro Rokudo also lands Toshinobu Iida a "Best Rookie Actor" nomination.[10] However, neither of the voice actors win their nominations.[11]

Contents

[edit] Profile

[edit] Background

As revealed in a flashback sequence,[12] Mukuro Rokudo was born into the Estraneo Family, and was one of the children experimented on by the Estraneos.[12] One day, Mukuro killed his captors with his abilities and offered Chikusa Kakimoto and Ken Joshima, two children who were also experimented on, a chance to join him in his new quest to destroy the "insignificant" world.[12]

Not long after, within the past five years before his first appearance in the story,[13] Mukuro was adopted into a Mafia family in Northern Italy. However, unbeknownst to the family, Mukuro was periodically controlling one of its members, Lancia, and used him to kill others, eventually making him kill his own family. Since then, Mukuro had Lancia under his complete control,[13] using him as a "fake Mukuro" who is eventually mistakenly identified as the real Mukuro in a picture.[14] Whereas, Mukuro is mentioned to have never even been photographed.[13]

What else Mukuro did in recent years remains a mystery, but it is mentioned that he, along with Ken and Chikusa, had been locked up in a high security Italian prison, which is reserved for the most dangerous of Mafia criminals, who have even committed crimes against the Mafia itself.[5] Two weeks prior to the Kokuyo Gang's appearance in the story, they staged a jailbreak on the eve of Mukuro's execution,[15] resulting in the death of several wardens and prisoners, and later the escape of other dangerous criminals, including Lancia.[5]

[edit] Personality

Despite often being shown with a playful smile, Mukuro is seemingly apathetic to the suffering of others. Appearing as the series' first antagonist, Mukuro is not averse to disposing of those who get in his way, and is not easily intimidated, usually speaking to others in a very direct and arrogant manner. He cares little for others, and simply considers people to be "toys"[16] or "tools"[2] he can sacrifice in order to get to what he wants.

However, despite claiming that people are just toys, he seems to tolerate both Ken and Chikusa, and even protects them when need be, though he does not directly do so in front of them. He later sacrifices himself in order for Ken and Chikusa to safely escape from the Vendicare, and he also agrees to be the Guardian of the Mist in exchange for the two's safety.[17] And it is implied by Glo Xina that he feels the same way about Chrome.

Mukuro, along with Ken and Chikusa, is implied to have a strong dislike for the entire Mafia underground, possibly due in part to the experimentations he suffered as a child. However, not only does he have the desire to destroy the entire Mafia, he also wants to invoke world suffering by starting a world war, claiming to want to cleanse the world of its filth.[18]

Even after becoming the Mist Guardian, Mukuro still claims to no longer be part of the Mafia, having been exiled from it,[5] and continues to view the organization with great contempt, though he now prefers to avoid any involvement with them. Mukuro is also quite knowledgeable of the Mafia's dark secrets, possibly even the secret behind the Arcobaleno,[19][16] a group of the Mafia's most powerful infant hitmen.

[edit] Abilities

Known as someone who has driven both the Mafia and police into the most dangerous and desperate of situations,[15] Mukuro is a formidable and deadly opponent.

Though Mukuro's main weapon is a trident, which he always carries with him, he is first and foremost a master of illusions; he can even overpower an Arcobaleno in a battle of its use, albeit Mukuro is also able to use combative skills. Being a skillful user of illusions, he is not easily deceived by illusions that are cast by others, possessing a highly perceptive mind.

He acquired his skills by having followed the ways of the "Six Paths of Reincarnation", which has been carved into his memories, possibly due to the experiments he underwent as a child. He claims that his body has gone through all six paths to Hades, granting him six powerful skills.[16] When using his skills, a Japanese numeral, corresponding to the realm he has entered, appears in his right eye:

  • When the symbol "一", representing the number one in Japanese, appears in his eye, it indicates his use of the first realm, the "Realm of Hell", which grants him the power to create illusions.[20]
  • Second ("二" represents the number two) is the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, which grants him the power to use the skills of others; when he controls a person's body, he is able to perfectly perform their signature attacks.[21]
  • Third ("三" is three) is the Realm of Animals, which grants him the power to summon and control deadly animals.[20]
  • Fourth ("四" is four) is the Realm of Asura, which increases his battle skills; when using this skill, a dark flame surrounds his right eye.[16]
  • Fifth ("五" is five) is the Realm of Humans, which increases his battle aura, thus his strength; it is considered to be the most dangerous of the Six Realms; when Mukuro first enters the realm, he physically pierces his right eye, and a type of aura, resembling the Dying Will Flame, then surrounds Mukuro's entire body,[22] but unlike the Dying Will Flame, Mukuro's aura, in itself, poses no danger,[18] as it just represents Mukuro's fighting spirit.[22]
  • Sixth ("六" is six) is the Realm of Heaven, which grants him the power to control others.[16]

Along with his Six Paths of Reincarnation, Mukuro possesses the Estraneo Family's Possession Bullet, which was deemed forbidden by the rest of the Mafia. When shot by the bullet, the person shot will be able to possess the body of another person. Its use requires the user to have a strong will and an affinity for the bullet itself.[23]

When shot with the bullet, Mukuro is able to possess and control the body of anyone that he has cut with his trident. He can possess several bodies simultaneously, and he is also still able to enter the Six Realms, granting him the ability to use a different skill for each body.[23]

[edit] Chrome Dokuro

Chrome Dokuro
Chrome Dokuro
Main article: Chrome Dokuro

Mukuro first comes upon Chrome Dokuro, who was known as "Nagi" at the time, whilst he was taking a stroll through one of his illusions.[24] When Nagi was thinking to herself about how her life will finally end due to the accident which caused her to lose her right eye and most of her organs, Mukuro's voice told her that it will not end. To his surprise, she was able to hear his voice and reply back, which is when he takes her into his illusion. He tells her that they are alike, and he proceeds to activate his Sixth Realm.[25]

By possessing her body, he is able to create illusionary organs for her, allowing her to live.[25] Though his essence resides in Nagi's body, he chooses to not take full control of her body, usually only mentally communicating with her, and appearing only when she is in dire situations; when Mukuro takes over her body, he uses a huge amount of energy in order to become a reality, rather than his appearance being a simple illusion.[6] However, this intertwines their existence; for as long as Chrome is alive, Mukuro can exist, and as long as Mukuro exists, Chrome can continue living.[17]

In the future, however, when Mukuro loses contact with her, the young Chrome is able to create her own illusionary organs using the power of the Vongola rings.[26]

The Japanese rōmaji of Chrome's name, Kurōmu Dokuro, is an anagram of Mukuro Rokudō.[27]

[edit] Plot overview

Ten days prior to their first appearance in the story, Mukuro, Chikusa, and Ken, enrolled in Kokuyo Junior High after arriving from Italy. They then started a gang made up of Mafia criminals, and kidnapped a young statistician, Futa, in order to find the Vongola's tenth generation boss. However, when Futa refused to reveal information on the Vongola, Mukuro took his list of the strongest students attending Namimori High instead, and ordered his subordinates to attack each one on the list, starting from the weakest.[16] However, Kyoya Hibari, who is ranked as the strongest student, later finds Mukuro's hideout, and is beat unconscious by Mukuro after the latter casts an illusion of sakura trees, which makes Hibari weak due to the Sakura-kura disease Dr. Shamal infected him with.[28]

During the fight with Tsuna, he reveals his plan of taking over Tsuna's body in order to take revenge on the Mafia, and eventually take over the world.[23][18] After losing the battle to Tsuna and having his evil aura purified by Tsuna's flame,[18] he and his friends are dragged away by the Vendicare,[12] and imprisoned in the Vendicare's jails, otherwise known as the "Iron Wall", which are known to be inescapable.[17]

A month before the Vongola Tournament, they attempt a breakout, but in order for Chikusa and Ken to get away safely, Mukuro uses himself as bait. As a result, he, alone, ends up being thrown into a lower level jail cell, which had neither light nor sound.[17] However, after gaining Chrome's body, he made a bargain with the Vongolas to become one of the ring guardians in exchange for his comrades' safety,[17] though claims that the only reason he allied himself to the Vongolas is to once again try to take over Tsuna's body.[6][29] Now residing within Chrome, Mukuro later appears from within her in order to help her defeat Mammon when she is unable to do so herself.[6]

Future Mukuro
Future Mukuro

[edit] In the future

In the future, an adult Mukuro was presumed dead by Millefiore hitman Glo Xinia, who prided this when fighting against a displaced Chrome,[30] who had been transported into the future by the Ten-Year Bazooka. However, the future Mukuro used this to his advantage, possessing Glo's owl and helping Chrome defeat him.[31]

He is later revealed to be spying on the Millefiore Family under the guise of Leonardo Lippi, however, after Byakuran, one of Millefiore's leaders, reveals that he has always known "Leo's" true identity, Mukuro reveals himself and his true intentions: to possess Byakuran's body. During the battle, Mukuro is severely wounded, and due to the room being specially shielded, it prevented him from leaving the body.[32]

His fate is unknown, but in a dream, Chrome believes that Mukuro, with the last of his strength, tried to show her valuable information.[33] Also, before his battle with Byakuran, Mukuro apparently sabotaged one of the Millefiore's computers into transmitting information about the Millefiore's base to the server in Hibari's hideout.[34]

[edit] Appearances in other media

Besides his appearance in the original manga series and its anime adaptation, Mukuro has appeared in other Reborn! works. In addition to appearing in all of the series' video games,[35] Mukuro appears in the first light novel, Hidden Bullet: Mukuro's Illusions, where the events of how Mukuro took over Kokuyo High are revealed.[36]

Also, in the series' character book, Vongola77, there is a short story of how Mukuro attempts to once again take over Tsuna's body while he is in the Vendicare's jails. In it, though Mukuro is imprisoned in Italy, he is shown to be able to control the body of a small boy in Japan using his spiritual powers, but is unable to use his full powers. Using the boy, he attempts to take over Tsuna's body, but never gets a chance to do so, and because of the unstable "connection" with his host, he was not capable of residing in it for a long amount of time, thus he thought of later taking Chrome's body instead.[2]

[edit] Reception

In the second official Shonen Jump poll of the Reborn! series, which was divided into heroes and villains, Mukuro ranked as the number one most popular villain.[7] In the third poll of the series, Mukuro ranked as the third most popular male character, losing to Tsunayoshi Sawada and Kyoya Hibari, who took second and first place, respectively.[8]

On November 7, 2007, a character CD entitled "Sakura addiction", featuring Mukuro and Hibari, was released, and became the most successful Reborn! character CD, debuting in ninth place in the Oricon charts.[37] The single reached its peak at seventh place,[9][38] but remained in the chart's Top 40 till mid-January of 2008.[39] It contains duets and individual songs sung by both voice actors: Toshinobu Iida and Takashi Kondō. There are two available covers; both show one character as the main feature, with the other shown in the background with his back turned.[40][41] The song "Sakura addiction", which was a duet sung by both voice actors, was used as the fifth ending theme for the series.

For the second annual Seiyū Awards, Toshinobu Iida and Takashi Kondō each received a nomination for "Best Musical Performance", for their music theme "Sakura addiction". Toshinobu also received a "Best Rookie Actor" nomination for his portrayal as Mukuro Rokudo.[10] However, neither of the voice actors win their nominations.[11]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ Toshinobu IIDA. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Amano, Akira (2007). 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN! 公式キャラクターブック Vongola77 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 308. ISBN 978-4-08-874196-3. 
  3. ^ 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！（週刊少年ジャンプ） 商品一覧 (Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  4. ^ Amano, Akira (October 3, 2006). "Target 1", Reborn!, Vol. 1 (in English). Viz Media, 192. ISBN 1-4215-0671-8. 
  5. ^ a b c d Amano, Akira (July 1, 2008). "Target 65", Reborn!, Vol. 8 (in English). Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1665-9. 
  6. ^ a b c d Amano, Akira (March 2, 2007). "Target 117", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 14 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874328-8. 
  7. ^ a b Amano, Akira (January 4, 2007). "Target 113 (page 1)", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 13 (in Japanese). Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-874301-1. 
  8. ^ a b Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 164", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  9. ^ a b Ｓａｋｕｒａ　ａｄｄｉｃｔｉｏｎ/雲雀恭弥　ｖｓ　六道骸 (Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  10. ^ a b 第二回声優アワード　ノミネート者中間発表 (Japanese). seiyuwards.jp. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  11. ^ a b 第二回声優アワード　受賞者発表 (Japanese). seiyuwards.jp. Retrieved on 2008-03-12.
  12. ^ a b c d Amano, Akira (June 2, 2006). "Target 81", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 10 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 224. ISBN 4-08-874110-2. 
  13. ^ a b c Amano, Akira (April 4, 2006). "Target 72", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 4-08-874042-4. 
  14. ^ Amano, Akira (July 1, 2008). "Target 67", Reborn!, Vol. 8 (in English). Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1665-9. 
  15. ^ a b Amano, Akira (July 1, 2008). "Target 68", Reborn!, Vol. 8 (in English). Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1665-9. 
  16. ^ a b c d e f Amano, Akira (April 4, 2006). "Target 74", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 4-08-874042-4. 
  17. ^ a b c d e Amano, Akira (January 4, 2007). "Target 116", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 13 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 978-4-08-874301-1. 
  18. ^ a b c d Amano, Akira (June 2, 2006). "Target 80", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 10 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 224. ISBN 4-08-874110-2. 
  19. ^ Note: Mukuro is the first character in the series to mention the Arcobaleno curse.
  20. ^ a b Amano, Akira (April 4, 2006). "Target 75", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 4-08-874042-4. 
  21. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2006). "Target 77", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 4-08-874042-4. 
  22. ^ a b Amano, Akira (April 4, 2006). "Target 79", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 4-08-874042-4. 
  23. ^ a b c Amano, Akira (April 4, 2006). "Target 76", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 4-08-874042-4. 
  24. ^ Note: In the character book, Vongola77, it is revealed that taking strolls through his illusions is one of Mukuro's favorite pastimes.
  25. ^ a b Amano, Akira (January 4, 2007). "Target 115", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 13 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 978-4-08-874301-1. 
  26. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 169 (page 10)", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  27. ^ Amano, Akira (January 4, 2007). "Target 113 (page 20)", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 13 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 208. ISBN 978-4-08-874301-1. 
  28. ^ Amano, Akira (July 1, 2008). "Target 63", Reborn!, Vol. 8 (in English). Viz Media. ISBN 1-4215-1665-9. 
  29. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 168", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  30. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 163 (page 4, panel 6)", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  31. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 165", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  32. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 169", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  33. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 171", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  34. ^ Amano, Akira (April 4, 2008). "Target 172", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 19 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 200. ISBN 978-4-08-874497-1. 
  35. ^ Reborn Goods Com - Games (Japanese). reborngoods.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-23.
  36. ^ Amano, Akira (March 12, 2007). "Mukuro's Illusion", 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！ 隠し弾1　骸・幻想 (in Japanese). Shueisha, 232. ISBN 978-4-08-874301-1. 
  37. ^ Katei Kyoshi Hitman Reborn! Character CD: Sakura addiction (Japanese). cdjapan.com. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  38. ^ 2007年11月第3週の邦楽シングルランキング情報 (Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  39. ^ 2008 年 01 月 14 日 付 (Weekly charts) (Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved on 2008-01-20.
  40. ^ Official Reborn! Website (CD+DVD section) (Flash) (Japanese). Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
  41. ^ 家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN！プレゼントのお知らせ (Japanese). TV Tokyo. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.


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