TV-Series
Description
Koichi Aizawa presents himself as an ordinary fourteen-year-old middle school student and a classmate of Miharu Rokujou, but this is merely a cover for his true identity as a ninja of the Banten Village. He studies ninjutsu under his teacher Tobari Kumohira and is a member of the school Nindo club, a front for their hidden activities. Outwardly, he maintains an energetic and friendly demeanor around others, but when it comes to ninja duties, his attitude shifts completely to one of seriousness and relentless focus.
His youthful appearance is deeply deceptive. Koichi is not originally human but was once an owl. During the Edo period, a former possessor of the Shinra Banshou, a medical practitioner who sought to place the wisdom of the art into animals, experimented on him. He and a woman named Shijima Kurookano were the only two successful survivors of those experiments, gaining immortality as a result. This origin makes him at least a century old, and together he and Shijima are known as the Hakutaku.
The core of Koichi's personality and his primary motivation stem directly from his immortal condition. He is profoundly fascinated with death, a fascination that arises from his own inability to die. Having lived for centuries, he yearns for the peace of mortality and is driven by an ultimate goal: to use the Shinra Banshou to release him from his eternal life and ensure that no other immortal being, or monster as he calls it, is ever created again. He and Shijima believe their true purpose is to observe the hidden world of Nabari and witness its end.
Initially, Koichi serves as a loyal protector and supportive ally to Miharu and the Banten group, using his skills to defend Miharu from the various ninja factions that covet the Shinra Banshou within him. As the story unfolds and his true nature is unveiled, his role transforms. He becomes more independent and pursues his own agenda regarding the Shinra Banshou, eventually severing his ties with Banten alongside Shijima. Throughout this development, he remains deeply connected to those around him. His strongest bond is with Shijima, his fellow immortal, who alone shares the weight of his long existence. He cares for Miharu and Tobari, though his path ultimately diverges from theirs. He also harbors romantic feelings for the samurai Raimei Shimizu, to whom he has confessed his love.
Koichi is a highly capable ninja trained in the Fukushima shinobi style of the Banten area. His specialties include the use of the five elements in combat and Japanese dancing, which is integrated into his fighting style. Beyond his martial skills, his most defining ability is his immortality, which he ultimately seeks to end. In the conclusion of the story, he and Shijima take the Shinra Banshou within themselves and disappear, finally achieving the eternal rest they had long sought as their immortality is lifted.
His youthful appearance is deeply deceptive. Koichi is not originally human but was once an owl. During the Edo period, a former possessor of the Shinra Banshou, a medical practitioner who sought to place the wisdom of the art into animals, experimented on him. He and a woman named Shijima Kurookano were the only two successful survivors of those experiments, gaining immortality as a result. This origin makes him at least a century old, and together he and Shijima are known as the Hakutaku.
The core of Koichi's personality and his primary motivation stem directly from his immortal condition. He is profoundly fascinated with death, a fascination that arises from his own inability to die. Having lived for centuries, he yearns for the peace of mortality and is driven by an ultimate goal: to use the Shinra Banshou to release him from his eternal life and ensure that no other immortal being, or monster as he calls it, is ever created again. He and Shijima believe their true purpose is to observe the hidden world of Nabari and witness its end.
Initially, Koichi serves as a loyal protector and supportive ally to Miharu and the Banten group, using his skills to defend Miharu from the various ninja factions that covet the Shinra Banshou within him. As the story unfolds and his true nature is unveiled, his role transforms. He becomes more independent and pursues his own agenda regarding the Shinra Banshou, eventually severing his ties with Banten alongside Shijima. Throughout this development, he remains deeply connected to those around him. His strongest bond is with Shijima, his fellow immortal, who alone shares the weight of his long existence. He cares for Miharu and Tobari, though his path ultimately diverges from theirs. He also harbors romantic feelings for the samurai Raimei Shimizu, to whom he has confessed his love.
Koichi is a highly capable ninja trained in the Fukushima shinobi style of the Banten area. His specialties include the use of the five elements in combat and Japanese dancing, which is integrated into his fighting style. Beyond his martial skills, his most defining ability is his immortality, which he ultimately seeks to end. In the conclusion of the story, he and Shijima take the Shinra Banshou within themselves and disappear, finally achieving the eternal rest they had long sought as their immortality is lifted.