TV-Series
Description
Haruto Tokishima is the main protagonist of the anime Valvrave the Liberator. He is a sixteen-year-old second-year student at Sakimori Academy, a neutral Japanese state known as JIOR, where he is also a member of the track and field club. Before the series' events, he is an ordinary student and the childhood friend of Shoko Sashinami.
Haruto possesses a personality that is initially passive and conflict-averse. He dislikes competition, often follows the commands of others, and is characterized as naive and somewhat of a pushover. Despite this tendency to yield in everyday situations, he demonstrates a capacity for decisive and even ruthless action when his principles are challenged or when those he cares about are threatened. He harbors a crush on his childhood friend, Shoko, but struggles to confess his feelings.
His primary motivation is born from tragedy during the Dorssian military's invasion of his school. In the ensuing chaos, Haruto witnesses what he believes to be Shoko's death. Driven by grief and a desire for vengeance, he activates a mysterious humanoid weapon, the Valvrave, hidden within the academy. To pilot the machine, he is forced to agree to "resign his humanity," a decision that grants him incredible power but also inflicts upon him a curse that defines his role in the story.
Following the activation, Haruto is shot and killed by a Dorssian agent, L-Elf, only to rise again, revealing his new nature. He becomes a Magius, an immortal being, and the pilot of Valvrave I. His role evolves from a vengeful student to the central figure of the independent nation formed by his classmates, Module 77. He is hailed as a hero by the world after his exploits are broadcast, but he personally views his powers as a curse and is filled with fear and self-loathing over what he has become.
Throughout the series, Haruto forges several key relationships. His bond with Shoko is central, though he keeps his distance from her, believing that his monstrous nature disqualifies him from happiness or a normal relationship with her. His relationship with the enemy agent L-Elf starts with conflict and mutual killing but evolves into a critical alliance based on a shared goal of revolution and mutual trust, with L-Elf providing strategic genius to complement Haruto's piloting abilities. Haruto also shares a deep and complicated connection with his classmate Saki Rukino. As fellow Magius, they share the burden of their secrets. During a period where he loses control of his "vampiric" berserker state, he sexually assaults Saki, a traumatic incident that leads him to awkwardly propose marriage to her out of a sense of responsibility.
Haruto undergoes significant development throughout the narrative. He begins as a follower but is forced into a leadership role he never wanted. He struggles with shaky resolve, particularly after witnessing the death of Marie, which depletes her runes and deepens his fear of the Valvrave's cost. However, he ultimately regains his determination to bear the curse of the Valvrave alone, rather than forcing others to share his fate. His journey forces him to confront the fact that his continued existence relies on sacrificing others, as he must absorb runes from humans to power his machine. He eventually applies for human experimentation and despairs at the idea that his death might solve everyone's problems, but is spurred back to action by L-Elf's cold logic. His ultimate goal shifts from simple revenge to a promise shared with L-Elf to create a new world where both humans and Magius can coexist peacefully.
As a result of piloting the Valvrave, Haruto gains several notable abilities. He is granted true immortality, able to heal from any fatal wound, including being shot multiple times. He gains the power to transfer his consciousness into the body of another person by biting their bare skin, a process which also allows him to access their skills and memories. Furthermore, he must absorb runes, a form of life energy, from humans by biting them to prevent himself from going berserk and to power the Valvrave. However, the most tragic consequence of his abilities is that overusing his powers consumes his own runes, leading to the progressive and irreversible loss of his memories. In his final battle, he expends all his runes to defeat the primary antagonist, Cain Dressel, by utilizing L-Elf's body to gain superior combat experience. He dies shortly after, but not before being acknowledged as a friend by L-Elf in his final moments.
Haruto possesses a personality that is initially passive and conflict-averse. He dislikes competition, often follows the commands of others, and is characterized as naive and somewhat of a pushover. Despite this tendency to yield in everyday situations, he demonstrates a capacity for decisive and even ruthless action when his principles are challenged or when those he cares about are threatened. He harbors a crush on his childhood friend, Shoko, but struggles to confess his feelings.
His primary motivation is born from tragedy during the Dorssian military's invasion of his school. In the ensuing chaos, Haruto witnesses what he believes to be Shoko's death. Driven by grief and a desire for vengeance, he activates a mysterious humanoid weapon, the Valvrave, hidden within the academy. To pilot the machine, he is forced to agree to "resign his humanity," a decision that grants him incredible power but also inflicts upon him a curse that defines his role in the story.
Following the activation, Haruto is shot and killed by a Dorssian agent, L-Elf, only to rise again, revealing his new nature. He becomes a Magius, an immortal being, and the pilot of Valvrave I. His role evolves from a vengeful student to the central figure of the independent nation formed by his classmates, Module 77. He is hailed as a hero by the world after his exploits are broadcast, but he personally views his powers as a curse and is filled with fear and self-loathing over what he has become.
Throughout the series, Haruto forges several key relationships. His bond with Shoko is central, though he keeps his distance from her, believing that his monstrous nature disqualifies him from happiness or a normal relationship with her. His relationship with the enemy agent L-Elf starts with conflict and mutual killing but evolves into a critical alliance based on a shared goal of revolution and mutual trust, with L-Elf providing strategic genius to complement Haruto's piloting abilities. Haruto also shares a deep and complicated connection with his classmate Saki Rukino. As fellow Magius, they share the burden of their secrets. During a period where he loses control of his "vampiric" berserker state, he sexually assaults Saki, a traumatic incident that leads him to awkwardly propose marriage to her out of a sense of responsibility.
Haruto undergoes significant development throughout the narrative. He begins as a follower but is forced into a leadership role he never wanted. He struggles with shaky resolve, particularly after witnessing the death of Marie, which depletes her runes and deepens his fear of the Valvrave's cost. However, he ultimately regains his determination to bear the curse of the Valvrave alone, rather than forcing others to share his fate. His journey forces him to confront the fact that his continued existence relies on sacrificing others, as he must absorb runes from humans to power his machine. He eventually applies for human experimentation and despairs at the idea that his death might solve everyone's problems, but is spurred back to action by L-Elf's cold logic. His ultimate goal shifts from simple revenge to a promise shared with L-Elf to create a new world where both humans and Magius can coexist peacefully.
As a result of piloting the Valvrave, Haruto gains several notable abilities. He is granted true immortality, able to heal from any fatal wound, including being shot multiple times. He gains the power to transfer his consciousness into the body of another person by biting their bare skin, a process which also allows him to access their skills and memories. Furthermore, he must absorb runes, a form of life energy, from humans by biting them to prevent himself from going berserk and to power the Valvrave. However, the most tragic consequence of his abilities is that overusing his powers consumes his own runes, leading to the progressive and irreversible loss of his memories. In his final battle, he expends all his runes to defeat the primary antagonist, Cain Dressel, by utilizing L-Elf's body to gain superior combat experience. He dies shortly after, but not before being acknowledged as a friend by L-Elf in his final moments.