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totallysane Spoilers for both DRRR!! anime and light novels abound.
Update: (As of November 2015, undressed Mikado comes with a self-harm warning: he's sporting scars across his ribs and hips, little rows of hash marks. These can be played up or down in threads as needed, of course!)
Age: 18 (recently turned in game)
Height: 165cm/5'5"
Weight: 50kg/110 lb
Appearance: Mikado - with his short messy black hair and wide eyes - appears small, innocent, and young-looking. He is often referred to in the text of the novels as being likely to be mistaken for a middle school student, and he is not particularly athletic. His posture tends to be somewhat closed-off and submissive. When not wearing his school uniform, he dresses simply and casually. When he is angry or determined, he straightens and clenches his fists. The only other time at which he seems to “forget” to hold a shy posture is when he’s looking at something he finds wonderful or amazing, whether it’s the presence of an otherworldly figure or the sheer enormity of the city itself.
History: The wiki - is pretty decent, if you include through the light novel spoilers section, up to the Adabashi arc. I do have one written in my own words here - if you feel like the wiki isn’t enough, but it’s a little long.
Personality: Mikado’s first appearance shows him as shy, naive, nervous, and easily both startled and excited. His introduction into the city of Ikebukuro is full of conversations he can’t keep up with, wide-eyed views of the buildings and people, and trepidation about violence. He follows rather meekly along after his more experienced friend Masaomi, and it takes all of his courage to volunteer to be class representative. Likewise, while he wants to be brave and protect his classmate Anri when she’s being bullied, Mikado has to work hard to convince himself to step forward and actually do so, considering his shy nature and his lack of experience with conflict. Although his personality while chatting online as Tanaka Taro is a little more outgoing, he still tends to attempt to avoid arguments.
His sense of excitement and wonder can sometimes overwhelm these traits, however. When Mikado first met Celty Sturluson - known as the “Black Motorbike” and “Headless Rider” - he reacted with astonishment rather than fear. On a later meeting, he requested that she allow him to see under her helmet, and when he saw that she truly did lack a head, he proceeded to act as a friend to her rather than running away.
It is also pointed out by several people who know him that when Mikado is in dangerous situations, he’s not just afraid but also exhilarated. Of course, anyone would have an adrenaline reaction, but the fact that Mikado started the Dollars as a way to escape from “everyday life” makes it apparent that some part of him wanted more. While he didn’t understand what he was getting into at the time, there are several points where he was offered an “out” and didn’t take it.
Is this because he enjoys danger and truly does want a “non-everyday life”? Partially. It is pointed out to him that he’s smiling or obviously enjoying himself during a tense situation more than once, and he eventually has to admit that he doesn’t want to be left out or left behind.
The other main reason for his continued involvement in the underworld of Ikebukuro, however, is a sense of responsibility. For Mikado, it is a simple truth that if he hadn’t created the Dollars, many of the things which happened to his friends and other innocent parties wouldn’t have happened. While Color Gang violence in Ikebukuro was a problem before he was ever involved, the Dollars created a whole new type of gang, and had a lawless platform that allowed members to feel emboldened without feeling constrained. Despite the fact that his fellow founders cut and ran, Mikado quite simply feels that he would be wrong to do the same, and must follow things through to their conclusion.
This sense of responsibility not just for his own actions but for the actions of others that were using the name of his organization has led him to a turning point: in order to have some measure of the “happy ending” that he does crave - and the everyday life he now wishes he could return to - he has to learn to be cold, calculating, and dangerous in his own right. When he commits violence against Aoba, he has planned it out in advance, is tapping his pen in a manner that intimidates and distracts, and is presenting a smiling and self-assured countenance. When he bandages the young man’s hand immediately afterward, Mikado is right back to the kind face he shows at school or anywhere else.
This kind of versatility and ability to evolve in order to reach his goal is a very important part of Mikado’s current personality, just as much as the fact that he still does retain enough of his earlier idealism to want to “clean Dollars up” in the first place. He takes the violence one large step further in the situation with Adabashi, where he calmly sets the man on fire. This casual act of brutality is followed by smiling and laughing, and he does not appear to be in shock from either his own actions or the injuries he has sustained.
Exactly how far Mikado is capable of going isn’t known at this point in the series, but he’s definitely on a road to a darker place. While his stated goals still include making Dollars a “good” group and creating a place where his friends can return, he is obviously employing any method he can to reach those goals, including ones which horrify the very same friends.
Abilities: Mikado has no supernatural or special abilities. His ability to accept and adapt to otherworldly and shocking things could be considered a natural talent: he quickly becomes used to dealing with strange situations. He has a good head for finances, considering that while he told his parents he would get a part-time job to support himself, he actually lives off a number of internet streams of income during his time in Ikebukuro. He is very experienced with using computers and the internet, as well as cell phones, in in-depth and often illegal manners.
His intelligence - when he is thinking clearly enough to bring it fully to bear on a situation - is an important asset. He’s also pretty darn good at lying, considering he spent much of the series asking questions about and pretending not to know about something he started himself.
Update: (As of November 2015, undressed Mikado comes with a self-harm warning: he's sporting scars across his ribs and hips, little rows of hash marks. These can be played up or down in threads as needed, of course!)
Age: 18 (recently turned in game)
Height: 165cm/5'5"
Weight: 50kg/110 lb
Appearance: Mikado - with his short messy black hair and wide eyes - appears small, innocent, and young-looking. He is often referred to in the text of the novels as being likely to be mistaken for a middle school student, and he is not particularly athletic. His posture tends to be somewhat closed-off and submissive. When not wearing his school uniform, he dresses simply and casually. When he is angry or determined, he straightens and clenches his fists. The only other time at which he seems to “forget” to hold a shy posture is when he’s looking at something he finds wonderful or amazing, whether it’s the presence of an otherworldly figure or the sheer enormity of the city itself.
History: The wiki - is pretty decent, if you include through the light novel spoilers section, up to the Adabashi arc. I do have one written in my own words here - if you feel like the wiki isn’t enough, but it’s a little long.
Personality: Mikado’s first appearance shows him as shy, naive, nervous, and easily both startled and excited. His introduction into the city of Ikebukuro is full of conversations he can’t keep up with, wide-eyed views of the buildings and people, and trepidation about violence. He follows rather meekly along after his more experienced friend Masaomi, and it takes all of his courage to volunteer to be class representative. Likewise, while he wants to be brave and protect his classmate Anri when she’s being bullied, Mikado has to work hard to convince himself to step forward and actually do so, considering his shy nature and his lack of experience with conflict. Although his personality while chatting online as Tanaka Taro is a little more outgoing, he still tends to attempt to avoid arguments.
His sense of excitement and wonder can sometimes overwhelm these traits, however. When Mikado first met Celty Sturluson - known as the “Black Motorbike” and “Headless Rider” - he reacted with astonishment rather than fear. On a later meeting, he requested that she allow him to see under her helmet, and when he saw that she truly did lack a head, he proceeded to act as a friend to her rather than running away.
It is also pointed out by several people who know him that when Mikado is in dangerous situations, he’s not just afraid but also exhilarated. Of course, anyone would have an adrenaline reaction, but the fact that Mikado started the Dollars as a way to escape from “everyday life” makes it apparent that some part of him wanted more. While he didn’t understand what he was getting into at the time, there are several points where he was offered an “out” and didn’t take it.
Is this because he enjoys danger and truly does want a “non-everyday life”? Partially. It is pointed out to him that he’s smiling or obviously enjoying himself during a tense situation more than once, and he eventually has to admit that he doesn’t want to be left out or left behind.
The other main reason for his continued involvement in the underworld of Ikebukuro, however, is a sense of responsibility. For Mikado, it is a simple truth that if he hadn’t created the Dollars, many of the things which happened to his friends and other innocent parties wouldn’t have happened. While Color Gang violence in Ikebukuro was a problem before he was ever involved, the Dollars created a whole new type of gang, and had a lawless platform that allowed members to feel emboldened without feeling constrained. Despite the fact that his fellow founders cut and ran, Mikado quite simply feels that he would be wrong to do the same, and must follow things through to their conclusion.
This sense of responsibility not just for his own actions but for the actions of others that were using the name of his organization has led him to a turning point: in order to have some measure of the “happy ending” that he does crave - and the everyday life he now wishes he could return to - he has to learn to be cold, calculating, and dangerous in his own right. When he commits violence against Aoba, he has planned it out in advance, is tapping his pen in a manner that intimidates and distracts, and is presenting a smiling and self-assured countenance. When he bandages the young man’s hand immediately afterward, Mikado is right back to the kind face he shows at school or anywhere else.
This kind of versatility and ability to evolve in order to reach his goal is a very important part of Mikado’s current personality, just as much as the fact that he still does retain enough of his earlier idealism to want to “clean Dollars up” in the first place. He takes the violence one large step further in the situation with Adabashi, where he calmly sets the man on fire. This casual act of brutality is followed by smiling and laughing, and he does not appear to be in shock from either his own actions or the injuries he has sustained.
Exactly how far Mikado is capable of going isn’t known at this point in the series, but he’s definitely on a road to a darker place. While his stated goals still include making Dollars a “good” group and creating a place where his friends can return, he is obviously employing any method he can to reach those goals, including ones which horrify the very same friends.
Abilities: Mikado has no supernatural or special abilities. His ability to accept and adapt to otherworldly and shocking things could be considered a natural talent: he quickly becomes used to dealing with strange situations. He has a good head for finances, considering that while he told his parents he would get a part-time job to support himself, he actually lives off a number of internet streams of income during his time in Ikebukuro. He is very experienced with using computers and the internet, as well as cell phones, in in-depth and often illegal manners.
His intelligence - when he is thinking clearly enough to bring it fully to bear on a situation - is an important asset. He’s also pretty darn good at lying, considering he spent much of the series asking questions about and pretending not to know about something he started himself.