TV-Series
Description
Inkarmat is a mysterious and cunning Ainu woman who first appears as a fortune teller, though her skills and motives prove to be far more complex than they initially seem. Her name roughly translates to a woman who sees or one with penetrating sight, which reflects her reputation for having uncanny insight into people and events. She is often associated with a fox motif, capturing her sly, shrewd, and elusive nature. While her methods can appear deceptive, her actions are largely driven by a deep-seated desire to protect her fellow Ainu people and ensure the safety of the young girl Asirpa.
Inkarmat was born in the Saru district of Hokkaido and became an orphan at a young age. During her wandering childhood, she met Wilk, Asirpa's father, in the town of Otaru. At the time, Wilk was a newcomer to Hokkaido, and Inkarmat, despite being a child herself, taught him about Ainu customs and culture. It is implied she developed romantic feelings for him, though he viewed her as a child. Before parting ways, Wilk gave her a precious garment that had belonged to his mother, which she continued to wear as a cherished memento. After Wilk married, Inkarmat left Otaru, predicting she would never see him again as she believed she would die in eastern Hokkaido.
Personality-wise, Inkarmat is assertive, confident, and comfortable using both her intellect and her spiritual persona to get what she wants. She enjoys fortune telling not only as a source of income, which she spends on herself and later on others, but also as a method of psychological manipulation. She is adept at using quick deduction and information she has secretly gathered to make accurate predictions. For instance, she guessed Asirpa was searching for her father based on her blue eyes, a trait inherited from her Ainu-Russian father. Despite her self-serving and often sly exterior, she has shown fierce loyalty to those she cares about and is deeply concerned with the fate of the Ainu people and the gold that rightfully belongs to them.
In her first appearance, Inkarmat meets the main characters and uses her fortune-telling to swindle Yoshitake Shiraishi out of money at a horse race, correctly picking winners through a combination of luck and knowledge of the sport. However, she deliberately causes him to lose the final bet, explaining to Asirpa that getting rich would distract the group from their true purpose. She then hints that she knows a secret about Asirpa's father before disappearing. This introduction establishes her role as a source of cryptic information and a wildcard within the story.
Her role deepens significantly as she becomes a key source of conflict and revelation. She reveals that the man known as Noppera-bo is not Asirpa's father, Wilk, and accuses Kiroranke, a trusted companion, of murdering him. This accusation tears the group apart and exposes a web of hidden loyalties. It is eventually revealed that Inkarmat is acting as a spy for Lieutenant Tsurumi of the Seventh Division, though she insists she is merely using him to achieve her own goals of protecting the gold and Asirpa. Her character is defined by this moral ambiguity, playing multiple sides in the conflict for her own perceived greater good.
A key and transformative relationship for Inkarmat is with the former Seventh Division soldier Genjirou Tanigaki. Their bond begins when Tanigaki protects her from danger, and she later saves his life during a bear attack while he is seriously injured. A romantic connection develops between them, culminating in a physical encounter that she later partially attributes to the aphrodisiac effects of sea otter stew. Despite her secretive and self-serving nature, she demonstrates genuine care for Tanigaki, and he becomes fiercely protective of her in return. She eventually reveals to him that she does not actually care about the gold or the political conspiracies, only that Asirpa returns home safely.
Throughout the story, Inkarmat's development sees her evolve from a disruptive, trickster-like outsider into a more vulnerable character driven by personal loyalty and survival. Her greatest fear is her own prophecy of dying in eastern Hokkaido, a fate she feels is drawing closer as she accompanies those who murdered Wilk. However, she survives a near-fatal stabbing and later retreats from the central conflict. In the final resolution of the story, she escapes with Tanigaki, gives birth to his children, and lives peacefully in an Ainu village, subverting the death she had long foreseen for herself.
Inkarmat possesses no supernatural powers, but her abilities are nonetheless remarkable. Her primary skill is her keen observational and deductive reasoning, which allows her to simulate clairvoyance. She uses tools like a fox jawbone for her divination rituals, but her predictions are based on gathered intelligence and quick wit. She is also a capable cook, preparing traditional Ainu dishes that differ from Asirpa's more rustic hunting fare. While she cannot swim, she proves resourceful in dangerous situations and is a survivor above all else.
Inkarmat was born in the Saru district of Hokkaido and became an orphan at a young age. During her wandering childhood, she met Wilk, Asirpa's father, in the town of Otaru. At the time, Wilk was a newcomer to Hokkaido, and Inkarmat, despite being a child herself, taught him about Ainu customs and culture. It is implied she developed romantic feelings for him, though he viewed her as a child. Before parting ways, Wilk gave her a precious garment that had belonged to his mother, which she continued to wear as a cherished memento. After Wilk married, Inkarmat left Otaru, predicting she would never see him again as she believed she would die in eastern Hokkaido.
Personality-wise, Inkarmat is assertive, confident, and comfortable using both her intellect and her spiritual persona to get what she wants. She enjoys fortune telling not only as a source of income, which she spends on herself and later on others, but also as a method of psychological manipulation. She is adept at using quick deduction and information she has secretly gathered to make accurate predictions. For instance, she guessed Asirpa was searching for her father based on her blue eyes, a trait inherited from her Ainu-Russian father. Despite her self-serving and often sly exterior, she has shown fierce loyalty to those she cares about and is deeply concerned with the fate of the Ainu people and the gold that rightfully belongs to them.
In her first appearance, Inkarmat meets the main characters and uses her fortune-telling to swindle Yoshitake Shiraishi out of money at a horse race, correctly picking winners through a combination of luck and knowledge of the sport. However, she deliberately causes him to lose the final bet, explaining to Asirpa that getting rich would distract the group from their true purpose. She then hints that she knows a secret about Asirpa's father before disappearing. This introduction establishes her role as a source of cryptic information and a wildcard within the story.
Her role deepens significantly as she becomes a key source of conflict and revelation. She reveals that the man known as Noppera-bo is not Asirpa's father, Wilk, and accuses Kiroranke, a trusted companion, of murdering him. This accusation tears the group apart and exposes a web of hidden loyalties. It is eventually revealed that Inkarmat is acting as a spy for Lieutenant Tsurumi of the Seventh Division, though she insists she is merely using him to achieve her own goals of protecting the gold and Asirpa. Her character is defined by this moral ambiguity, playing multiple sides in the conflict for her own perceived greater good.
A key and transformative relationship for Inkarmat is with the former Seventh Division soldier Genjirou Tanigaki. Their bond begins when Tanigaki protects her from danger, and she later saves his life during a bear attack while he is seriously injured. A romantic connection develops between them, culminating in a physical encounter that she later partially attributes to the aphrodisiac effects of sea otter stew. Despite her secretive and self-serving nature, she demonstrates genuine care for Tanigaki, and he becomes fiercely protective of her in return. She eventually reveals to him that she does not actually care about the gold or the political conspiracies, only that Asirpa returns home safely.
Throughout the story, Inkarmat's development sees her evolve from a disruptive, trickster-like outsider into a more vulnerable character driven by personal loyalty and survival. Her greatest fear is her own prophecy of dying in eastern Hokkaido, a fate she feels is drawing closer as she accompanies those who murdered Wilk. However, she survives a near-fatal stabbing and later retreats from the central conflict. In the final resolution of the story, she escapes with Tanigaki, gives birth to his children, and lives peacefully in an Ainu village, subverting the death she had long foreseen for herself.
Inkarmat possesses no supernatural powers, but her abilities are nonetheless remarkable. Her primary skill is her keen observational and deductive reasoning, which allows her to simulate clairvoyance. She uses tools like a fox jawbone for her divination rituals, but her predictions are based on gathered intelligence and quick wit. She is also a capable cook, preparing traditional Ainu dishes that differ from Asirpa's more rustic hunting fare. While she cannot swim, she proves resourceful in dangerous situations and is a survivor above all else.