TV-Series
Description
Kikunojō Tendō is the current head of the Tendō family, a powerful and influential political dynasty within the Tokyo Area. As an elderly man, he has light skin, gray eyes, and white hair that is slicked back with a few loose strands, often tied into a ponytail. His appearance is distinguished by a full white beard and a chevron mustache, and he is almost always dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, specifically a long white haori and matching hakama.
On the surface, Kikunojō presents a caring and pleasant demeanor. This is most evident in his treatment of Rentaro Satomi after the death of the boy's parents. Speaking highly of his late friends, Kikunojō offered the orphaned Rentaro a home and officially adopted him into the Tendō family. Even when a young Rentaro ran away crying from the funeral, Kikunojō searched for him and welcomed him with open arms, showing genuine compassion. He has also demonstrated personal bravery, standing his ground to protect others, including Rentaro and his biological granddaughter Kisara, during a Gastrea attack.
However, this caring persona masks a far more complex and darker set of beliefs. Kikunojō is a radical purebloodist who holds a deep-seated hatred for the Cursed Children, young girls infected with the Gastrea virus. This ideology puts him in direct opposition to the Seitenshi, the ruler of the Tokyo Area, who seeks to pass laws to protect the Cursed Children. His political power is immense; as the head of the Tendō family, he is the real power behind the throne, able to maintain authority and rule the area even without the Seitenshi, who serves more as a public figurehead. Despite this political friction, he shows a contradictory protectiveness towards the Seitenshi, not wishing for her to come to harm.
His motivations are driven by this purebloodist philosophy, which itself stems from personal tragedy. Having lost his own family to the Gastrea, his hatred for the monsters and, by extension, the Cursed Children who carry their virus, is absolute. He believes the Cursed Children are a threat to humanity, and his actions are aimed at suppressing them and preventing them from gaining any rights or acceptance in society. To this end, he is willing to take extreme measures. In the first major story arc, he secretly conspires with the rogue Civil Security agent Kagetane Hiruko, providing him with the dangerous Seven Stars Legacy. This artifact has the power to summon a Stage V Gastrea that could destroy the Tokyo Area. Kikunojō's plan was to use Kagetane to spread fear and anti-Cursed Child sentiment by showcasing the power of an Initiator (Kagetane's daughter, Kohina), thereby generating public opposition to the Seitenshi's proposed anti-discrimination laws.
Kikunojō's most significant relationships are defined by conflict and contradiction. His relationship with his granddaughter, Kisara Tendō, is one of pure animosity. She is the sole target of Kisara's vengeance, and she glares at him with murderous intent whenever they are in the same room, a feeling he reciprocates. This hatred stems from the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of her parents, which she believes was murder orchestrated within the Tendō family. With Rentaro Satomi, the relationship is more complex. As his adoptive grandfather, Kikunojō trained Rentaro and passed on the Tendō martial arts and combat techniques. However, their ideological divide over the Cursed Children has made them bitter enemies. Rentaro, who fights to protect his Initiator partner Enju Aihara, directly opposes Kikunojō's goals. After learning of Kikunojō's role in the plot with Kagetane, Rentaro aimed to confront him, though Kikunojō did not retaliate against the boy he raised.
In the story, Kikunojō acts as a primary political antagonist. He is frequently seen standing beside the Seitenshi at public events, representing the old guard of human purists who are unwilling to coexist with the Cursed Children. His role is to create the political and social obstacles that the protagonists must navigate, often proving more dangerous than the physical threat of the Gastrea themselves. While his full combat abilities are not detailed, he is not a front-line fighter in the present. Instead, his power lies in his immense political influence, strategic cunning, and willingness to sacrifice the lives of others to achieve his vision for humanity. He is known to have taught Rentaro various techniques, suggesting a formidable skill in his youth, but his primary strength in the series is his political maneuvering and control over the Tokyo Area's government.
On the surface, Kikunojō presents a caring and pleasant demeanor. This is most evident in his treatment of Rentaro Satomi after the death of the boy's parents. Speaking highly of his late friends, Kikunojō offered the orphaned Rentaro a home and officially adopted him into the Tendō family. Even when a young Rentaro ran away crying from the funeral, Kikunojō searched for him and welcomed him with open arms, showing genuine compassion. He has also demonstrated personal bravery, standing his ground to protect others, including Rentaro and his biological granddaughter Kisara, during a Gastrea attack.
However, this caring persona masks a far more complex and darker set of beliefs. Kikunojō is a radical purebloodist who holds a deep-seated hatred for the Cursed Children, young girls infected with the Gastrea virus. This ideology puts him in direct opposition to the Seitenshi, the ruler of the Tokyo Area, who seeks to pass laws to protect the Cursed Children. His political power is immense; as the head of the Tendō family, he is the real power behind the throne, able to maintain authority and rule the area even without the Seitenshi, who serves more as a public figurehead. Despite this political friction, he shows a contradictory protectiveness towards the Seitenshi, not wishing for her to come to harm.
His motivations are driven by this purebloodist philosophy, which itself stems from personal tragedy. Having lost his own family to the Gastrea, his hatred for the monsters and, by extension, the Cursed Children who carry their virus, is absolute. He believes the Cursed Children are a threat to humanity, and his actions are aimed at suppressing them and preventing them from gaining any rights or acceptance in society. To this end, he is willing to take extreme measures. In the first major story arc, he secretly conspires with the rogue Civil Security agent Kagetane Hiruko, providing him with the dangerous Seven Stars Legacy. This artifact has the power to summon a Stage V Gastrea that could destroy the Tokyo Area. Kikunojō's plan was to use Kagetane to spread fear and anti-Cursed Child sentiment by showcasing the power of an Initiator (Kagetane's daughter, Kohina), thereby generating public opposition to the Seitenshi's proposed anti-discrimination laws.
Kikunojō's most significant relationships are defined by conflict and contradiction. His relationship with his granddaughter, Kisara Tendō, is one of pure animosity. She is the sole target of Kisara's vengeance, and she glares at him with murderous intent whenever they are in the same room, a feeling he reciprocates. This hatred stems from the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of her parents, which she believes was murder orchestrated within the Tendō family. With Rentaro Satomi, the relationship is more complex. As his adoptive grandfather, Kikunojō trained Rentaro and passed on the Tendō martial arts and combat techniques. However, their ideological divide over the Cursed Children has made them bitter enemies. Rentaro, who fights to protect his Initiator partner Enju Aihara, directly opposes Kikunojō's goals. After learning of Kikunojō's role in the plot with Kagetane, Rentaro aimed to confront him, though Kikunojō did not retaliate against the boy he raised.
In the story, Kikunojō acts as a primary political antagonist. He is frequently seen standing beside the Seitenshi at public events, representing the old guard of human purists who are unwilling to coexist with the Cursed Children. His role is to create the political and social obstacles that the protagonists must navigate, often proving more dangerous than the physical threat of the Gastrea themselves. While his full combat abilities are not detailed, he is not a front-line fighter in the present. Instead, his power lies in his immense political influence, strategic cunning, and willingness to sacrifice the lives of others to achieve his vision for humanity. He is known to have taught Rentaro various techniques, suggesting a formidable skill in his youth, but his primary strength in the series is his political maneuvering and control over the Tokyo Area's government.