Izumi Higa, also known as the Ashikabi of the East, is a significant antagonist in the second season of the anime. He is a young man of average height and build, recognizable by his distinct appearance which includes brown hair, green eyes, and an elaborate, pure white suit that he wears consistently. His youthful and conventionally handsome features belie a calculating and ruthless interior.

As his title suggests, Higa is the Ashikabi who exercises control over the eastern sector of the city, a position of considerable power within the Sekirei Plan. Unlike many other Ashikabi who form genuine emotional bonds with their Sekirei, Higa approaches the entire competition with a cold, businesslike detachment. He is profoundly amoral and highly manipulative, showing no hesitation in using lies, coercion, and psychological warfare to achieve his objectives. His methods often involve turning other Sekirei against each other and exploiting their vulnerabilities for his own gain. A core aspect of his personality is a deep-seated disdain for Sekirei, whom he seems to view not as partners but as tools or assets to be used and discarded. He reportedly does not tolerate disobedience from the Sekirei he has winged and appears to have little regard for their well-being beyond their utility in his schemes.

Higa's primary motivation stems from a desire to take over the Mid Bio Informatics (MBI) corporation, which administers the Sekirei Plan. He considers the official rules of the Plan a farce and has no interest in following them, instead seeking to use the conflict as a means to seize power for his own professional advancement. To this end, he has assembled a formidable force, having personally winged a large number of Sekirei (at least twelve) and brought several other subordinate Ashikabi, each with their own Sekirei, under his command. His most trusted associate is a man named Kakizaki, who serves as his secretary and carries out many of his orders.

His role in the story is defined by his antagonistic actions against the protagonist, Minato Sahashi, and other key characters. He notably blackmails the Sekirei Uzume into servitude by holding her critically ill Ashikabi, Chiho, hostage within Hiyamakai Hospital, an institution owned by Higa's company. He also targets Yukari Sahashi, Minato's younger sister, and her Sekirei Shiina. His forces incapacitate Shiina, and he takes Yukari prisoner, even making a marriage proposal to her as a means to solidify his control. He confronts Minato during the third stage of the Plan, proposing a temporary alliance against MBI, a suggestion Minato refuses, further establishing their opposition.

Throughout the events of Pure Engagement, Higa shows little to no character development. He remains consistently focused on his goal of dismantling the Sekirei Plan's structure to serve his own ambitions. His interactions reinforce his calculating nature, such as when he uses psychological manipulation on Shiina to sow distrust between him and Yukari. While not primarily a frontline combatant himself, Higa's notable abilities lie in his vast resources, his strategic cunning, and his ruthless talent for manipulation and blackmail. He wields his influence like a weapon, orchestrating events from behind the scenes and forcing others to fight on his behalf, believing that the act of winging a Sekirei is merely a business contract, a misunderstanding that ultimately limits the true potential of his own forces.