TV-Series
Description
Itsuki Kisaragi is a prominent supporting character in RahXephon, appearing as a researcher and doctor working for the organization TERRA. He is a man in his late twenties with gray hair and blue eyes, and he presents a composed, urbane, and intelligent demeanor. While he can be gentle, kind, and even social with a ready smile, his personality is fundamentally reserved and somewhat detached. He often interacts with others as if they are subjects in a study or positions to be managed rather than as people with emotions, leading to a perception that he is cold or unfeeling. He is deeply observant and frequently gets lost in his own complex thoughts, sometimes ignoring those around him. On rare occasions, he displays profound emotion, typically in connection with the two central figures in his life: Haruka Shitow and Quon Kisaragi.
Born with the marks of a potential Instrumentalist on his body, Itsuki is actually a Mulian, a member of the ancient, god-like race. He is the twin brother of the protagonist, Ayato Kamina, though the two were separated and did not meet until Ayato was brought to TERRA. Itsuki was raised in the Bahbem Foundation alongside Makoto Isshiki and Helena Bahbem. He is also the adoptive older brother of Quon, who is in fact his biological mother, a complex familial truth that remains hidden from most. This upbringing and his true nature heavily inform his worldview and his motivations.
Itsuki serves as the leading researcher on the RahXephon and the Dolems, the series' mysterious giant mecha and its enemies. A significant part of his work involves studying the relationship between these entities and music, specifically sound waves and the enigmatic D1 arias. He is responsible for analyzing the synchronization between Ayato and the RahXephon, a role that highlights his deep knowledge but also his profound jealousy. Despite bearing the marks of a chosen pilot, Itsuki is unable to activate or control the RahXephon. An attempt to pilot it, urged by Makoto, resulted in the water surrounding the machine violently slamming him against a wall, a failure that solidified his envy of Ayato, who could do what he could not.
Itsuki has several key relationships that define his role in the story. He was once a romantic partner of Haruka Shitow, having met her in college. He remains deeply in love with her, but she ended their relationship and only sees him as a friend, her heart belonging to Ayato. This unrequited love contributes to his feelings of inferiority and loss. At work, his assistant Sayoko is deeply in love with him, but Itsuki remains largely oblivious or indifferent to her affections, often treating her as a tool to be used. He puts her in serious danger on more than one occasion for his own purposes, though he becomes more considerate of her later. Despite a seemingly reserved nature, he maintains a complex friendship with Makoto Isshiki, whom he knew from childhood, and continues to spend time with him outside of work.
His most significant relationship is with Quon, his adoptive sister. He acts as her guardian, constantly worried about her safety and saddened by her mysterious fate. For much of the story, his feelings for Haruka blind him to the true nature of his attachment to Quon, but over time he realizes his emotions for her are romantic. In the final events of the series, this realization comes to the forefront.
Throughout the narrative, Itsuki struggles with a sense of worthlessness and inferiority, constantly comparing himself to his twin brother, Ayato. He is envious not only of Ayato's ability to pilot the RahXephon but also of the fact that Ayato is the one Haruka loves, and he privately fears that Ayato is simply a better person. This internal conflict drives many of his actions and his cool, observational nature can be seen as a defense mechanism against his own deep-seated pain. He wants to be the one with Haruka, to be the chosen Instrumentalist, and to find a place where he belongs.
In terms of abilities, Itsuki is a brilliant scientist and a leading expert on the musical principles underlying the RahXephon and Dolems. He bears the physical marks of an Instrumentalist, signifying his connection to the Mulian lineage and the potential for a greater role that he ultimately cannot fulfill. His death comes at the hands of his assistant, Sayoko, who stabs him in a sudden, jealous outburst. In his final moments, he is initially surprised, then appears almost relieved, as his dying perception causes him to see Sayoko as Quon, the person he has come to love. After his death, he appears in a dream-like plane of existence where he reconciles with Quon. In the movie adaptation, his role is significantly altered; he is portrayed primarily as the lovesick guardian of a sleeping Quon, without the same focus on his scientific work. In the manga, he and Haruka eventually marry, and it is revealed on their wedding day that he is a reincarnation of Ayato.
Born with the marks of a potential Instrumentalist on his body, Itsuki is actually a Mulian, a member of the ancient, god-like race. He is the twin brother of the protagonist, Ayato Kamina, though the two were separated and did not meet until Ayato was brought to TERRA. Itsuki was raised in the Bahbem Foundation alongside Makoto Isshiki and Helena Bahbem. He is also the adoptive older brother of Quon, who is in fact his biological mother, a complex familial truth that remains hidden from most. This upbringing and his true nature heavily inform his worldview and his motivations.
Itsuki serves as the leading researcher on the RahXephon and the Dolems, the series' mysterious giant mecha and its enemies. A significant part of his work involves studying the relationship between these entities and music, specifically sound waves and the enigmatic D1 arias. He is responsible for analyzing the synchronization between Ayato and the RahXephon, a role that highlights his deep knowledge but also his profound jealousy. Despite bearing the marks of a chosen pilot, Itsuki is unable to activate or control the RahXephon. An attempt to pilot it, urged by Makoto, resulted in the water surrounding the machine violently slamming him against a wall, a failure that solidified his envy of Ayato, who could do what he could not.
Itsuki has several key relationships that define his role in the story. He was once a romantic partner of Haruka Shitow, having met her in college. He remains deeply in love with her, but she ended their relationship and only sees him as a friend, her heart belonging to Ayato. This unrequited love contributes to his feelings of inferiority and loss. At work, his assistant Sayoko is deeply in love with him, but Itsuki remains largely oblivious or indifferent to her affections, often treating her as a tool to be used. He puts her in serious danger on more than one occasion for his own purposes, though he becomes more considerate of her later. Despite a seemingly reserved nature, he maintains a complex friendship with Makoto Isshiki, whom he knew from childhood, and continues to spend time with him outside of work.
His most significant relationship is with Quon, his adoptive sister. He acts as her guardian, constantly worried about her safety and saddened by her mysterious fate. For much of the story, his feelings for Haruka blind him to the true nature of his attachment to Quon, but over time he realizes his emotions for her are romantic. In the final events of the series, this realization comes to the forefront.
Throughout the narrative, Itsuki struggles with a sense of worthlessness and inferiority, constantly comparing himself to his twin brother, Ayato. He is envious not only of Ayato's ability to pilot the RahXephon but also of the fact that Ayato is the one Haruka loves, and he privately fears that Ayato is simply a better person. This internal conflict drives many of his actions and his cool, observational nature can be seen as a defense mechanism against his own deep-seated pain. He wants to be the one with Haruka, to be the chosen Instrumentalist, and to find a place where he belongs.
In terms of abilities, Itsuki is a brilliant scientist and a leading expert on the musical principles underlying the RahXephon and Dolems. He bears the physical marks of an Instrumentalist, signifying his connection to the Mulian lineage and the potential for a greater role that he ultimately cannot fulfill. His death comes at the hands of his assistant, Sayoko, who stabs him in a sudden, jealous outburst. In his final moments, he is initially surprised, then appears almost relieved, as his dying perception causes him to see Sayoko as Quon, the person he has come to love. After his death, he appears in a dream-like plane of existence where he reconciles with Quon. In the movie adaptation, his role is significantly altered; he is portrayed primarily as the lovesick guardian of a sleeping Quon, without the same focus on his scientific work. In the manga, he and Haruka eventually marry, and it is revealed on their wedding day that he is a reincarnation of Ayato.