TV-Series
Description
Arata Kokonoe, known almost exclusively by his codename Nine, is one of the central figures in the narrative. He is a tall, seventeen-year-old young man with a lean build, black hair cut short with bangs falling to his eye level, and eyes that typically appear grey or black, though their shade can seem to shift depending on the light. He is often seen wearing dark clothing and a pair of dark blue-framed glasses, which he loses near the climax of the story.
Nine is one of the survivors of a secretive and cruel experiment known as the Athena Plan, conducted by the Rising Peace Academy. This program took orphaned children with savant syndrome and attempted to develop them into human weapons. During a desperate escape from the facility he and his friend Twelve started a fire, and in the ensuing chaos, Nine was forced to leave another child, Five, behind, an event that created deep psychological scars and recurring nightmares. As a result of the experimental drugs administered during his childhood, Nine suffers from debilitating headaches and his life expectancy is severely shortened.
Nine is characterized by his stern, aloof, and exceptionally calm demeanor. He is the strategic mastermind behind the terrorist acts committed by the duo he forms with his partner, Twelve, a group they call Sphinx. While his outward composure rarely cracks, he is not without emotion. Under extreme stress, such as when he realizes his past has caught up with him through the appearance of Five, he experiences moments of panic and emotional instability. Despite his cold and calculating exterior, his partner describes him as a sadistic yet nice person. He adheres to a strict, self-imposed rule against killing. His bombings are meticulously planned to cause destruction and panic but are designed to avoid human casualties, a principle he upholds even at great personal risk, such as when he shields an innocent bystander from an explosion.
The primary motivation for Nine's actions is not mindless violence but a form of vigilante justice and exposure. He and Twelve aim to bring down the Japanese government and expose its involvement in the inhumane Athena Plan. Through the theatrical and puzzle-based attacks of Sphinx, they force the public and the police to pay attention to the truth about their traumatic past and the corruption of the state. This makes Nine a well-intentioned extremist, using criminal methods to achieve a goal he believes is just.
His role within the story is that of the brains of the operation. He is the primary architect of Sphinx's intricate plans, the creator of their cryptic riddles, and a highly skilled hacker. He is the stoic counterbalance to the more impulsive and outwardly emotional Twelve. Nine's key relationship is with Twelve, whom he views as a brother. Their bond, forged through shared trauma and a common goal, allows them to work together with near-telepathic understanding. In contrast, his relationship with Lisa Mishima is more distant. While Twelve is quick to embrace her, Nine initially seems dismissive and cold, a distance that likely stems from his desire to protect her from the dangerous world he inhabits and from the pain of further loss. His relationship with Five is deeply complex; he holds a profound hatred for what she represents and the games she plays, yet his reaction upon witnessing her death reveals a lingering guilt and horror rooted in his failure to save her years ago.
Throughout the series, Nine shows subtle but significant development. His stoic mask begins to crack as the pressure from Five's pursuit increases and as the physical toll of his condition worsens. The most profound display of his hidden vulnerability occurs when he sees Twelve get shot; in this moment, he completely loses his characteristic composure. In the end, Nine is a victorious loser. He succumbs to the physical effects of the drugs from the Athena Plan, dying a tragic death. Yet, his ultimate goal is realized: with the help of Detective Shibazaki, the government's crimes are exposed to the world, and through the use of a stolen atomic bomb as an EMP, he successfully topples the very system that created him.
Nine possesses several notable abilities beyond his strategic genius. He has extraordinary hacking and computing skills, which he uses to manipulate digital infrastructure and cover his tracks. He also has a remarkable capacity for mental visualization, able to map out complex scenarios, such as bomb placements or chess boards, with perfect clarity in his mind. His knowledge extends to classical literature and mythology, which he frequently weaves into the riddles that are the hallmark of Sphinx's attacks.
Nine is one of the survivors of a secretive and cruel experiment known as the Athena Plan, conducted by the Rising Peace Academy. This program took orphaned children with savant syndrome and attempted to develop them into human weapons. During a desperate escape from the facility he and his friend Twelve started a fire, and in the ensuing chaos, Nine was forced to leave another child, Five, behind, an event that created deep psychological scars and recurring nightmares. As a result of the experimental drugs administered during his childhood, Nine suffers from debilitating headaches and his life expectancy is severely shortened.
Nine is characterized by his stern, aloof, and exceptionally calm demeanor. He is the strategic mastermind behind the terrorist acts committed by the duo he forms with his partner, Twelve, a group they call Sphinx. While his outward composure rarely cracks, he is not without emotion. Under extreme stress, such as when he realizes his past has caught up with him through the appearance of Five, he experiences moments of panic and emotional instability. Despite his cold and calculating exterior, his partner describes him as a sadistic yet nice person. He adheres to a strict, self-imposed rule against killing. His bombings are meticulously planned to cause destruction and panic but are designed to avoid human casualties, a principle he upholds even at great personal risk, such as when he shields an innocent bystander from an explosion.
The primary motivation for Nine's actions is not mindless violence but a form of vigilante justice and exposure. He and Twelve aim to bring down the Japanese government and expose its involvement in the inhumane Athena Plan. Through the theatrical and puzzle-based attacks of Sphinx, they force the public and the police to pay attention to the truth about their traumatic past and the corruption of the state. This makes Nine a well-intentioned extremist, using criminal methods to achieve a goal he believes is just.
His role within the story is that of the brains of the operation. He is the primary architect of Sphinx's intricate plans, the creator of their cryptic riddles, and a highly skilled hacker. He is the stoic counterbalance to the more impulsive and outwardly emotional Twelve. Nine's key relationship is with Twelve, whom he views as a brother. Their bond, forged through shared trauma and a common goal, allows them to work together with near-telepathic understanding. In contrast, his relationship with Lisa Mishima is more distant. While Twelve is quick to embrace her, Nine initially seems dismissive and cold, a distance that likely stems from his desire to protect her from the dangerous world he inhabits and from the pain of further loss. His relationship with Five is deeply complex; he holds a profound hatred for what she represents and the games she plays, yet his reaction upon witnessing her death reveals a lingering guilt and horror rooted in his failure to save her years ago.
Throughout the series, Nine shows subtle but significant development. His stoic mask begins to crack as the pressure from Five's pursuit increases and as the physical toll of his condition worsens. The most profound display of his hidden vulnerability occurs when he sees Twelve get shot; in this moment, he completely loses his characteristic composure. In the end, Nine is a victorious loser. He succumbs to the physical effects of the drugs from the Athena Plan, dying a tragic death. Yet, his ultimate goal is realized: with the help of Detective Shibazaki, the government's crimes are exposed to the world, and through the use of a stolen atomic bomb as an EMP, he successfully topples the very system that created him.
Nine possesses several notable abilities beyond his strategic genius. He has extraordinary hacking and computing skills, which he uses to manipulate digital infrastructure and cover his tracks. He also has a remarkable capacity for mental visualization, able to map out complex scenarios, such as bomb placements or chess boards, with perfect clarity in his mind. His knowledge extends to classical literature and mythology, which he frequently weaves into the riddles that are the hallmark of Sphinx's attacks.