TV-Series
Description
Kiroranke is a complex figure whose background is deeply tied to revolutionary politics and the indigenous cultures of Northeast Asia. He is an Ainu man of Tatar descent, originally from the Amur basin region, who fought as a guerilla alongside his close comrade Wilk, the father of the main character Asirpa. His real name is Yulbars, a Turkic word meaning tiger, and he has been a wanted man by the Russian government since he was a teenager for his involvement in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, an act committed as a member of the radical organization People's Will. Following this, he fled across Siberia and eventually to Hokkaido, continuing his revolutionary activities.
In terms of his physical presence, Kiroranke is a tall and muscular man standing 184 centimeters tall, with a robust and hairy physique. He has a characteristic male Ainu haircut, with long hair reaching his shoulders but cut short on the top of his head and around the ears, a style based on historical photographs of Sakhalin Ainu. He has distinct blue eyes, angular eyebrows, and a thick beard, and he typically wears a traditional Japanese army uniform topped with an Ainu garment called a ruunpe, along with swirling earrings in both ears.
Kiroranke's personality is defined by a strong set of ideals, and he is a man of deep conviction who is deeply concerned with the future of the Ainu and other ethnic minorities in the Russian Far East. He is generally laid-back, cheerful, and easy to approach, but this exterior masks a resolute and flexible mind capable of standing against immense political powers. He believes his goal of liberation is just and is prepared to take extreme measures, including lying and manipulation, to achieve it. For instance, he skillfully manipulates Asirpa into remembering the code to the hidden Ainu gold. Despite this capacity for deceit, he is never portrayed as cruel; he often shows hesitation when it comes to directly hurting or killing others and demonstrates genuine bravery, such as when he rescues his ally Shiraishi from drowning or risks his own life to save an Orok man from a sniper. He has a particular soft spot for horses and once risked everything to win a race against yakuza who were abusing the animals, breaking his agreement with bandits in the process. He likes river fish but refuses to eat horse meat.
His primary motivation is the procurement of the Ainu gold to use as military funds for an independence movement aimed at liberating the small, oppressed nations of the Far East from the imperial rule of Japan and Russia. This mission is the driving force behind all of his actions. He was originally a comrade of Wilk, Asirpa's father, sharing the same revolutionary dreams. However, he came to believe that Wilk had abandoned their shared ideals after starting a family, choosing to focus only on the Hokkaido Ainu rather than all minorities, a betrayal Kiroranke could not accept. This ideological break led him to conspire with the sniper Ogata to assassinate Wilk during the Abashiri prison break, a pivotal event that sets the stage for the latter part of the story.
Within the narrative, Kiroranke initially joins Sugimoto and Asirpa's group, posing as a helpful ally with a shared goal of finding the gold for the Ainu people. His role is that of a patient mentor and capable fighter, using his extensive skills to aid the group in their journey. However, his true role is that of an antagonist with a noble but ruthlessly pursued cause. After Wilk's death, he flees with Asirpa, Shiraishi, and Ogata to Karafuto (Sakhalin) in an attempt to continue his plan, using Asirpa as the key to the gold and hoping to awaken her to become a leader for his cause.
His key relationships are central to his character. His bond with Wilk is foundational; while he felt deep admiration and love for his friend, he was ultimately so distressed by Wilk's perceived betrayal of their cause that he felt compelled to kill him, an act he framed as a kindness akin to a wolf killing the weak member of its pack. He also harbored unrequited romantic feelings for their mutual comrade Sofia. While he loved her, she always saw him as a younger brother, yet his loyalty to her never wavered, and a significant part of his journey involves attempting to break her out of a Russian prison. His relationship with Asirpa is one of manipulation, but he also seems to hold a genuine, if paternalistic, care for her as the daughter of his old friend, making his betrayal of her trust all the more tragic.
Throughout the story, Kiroranke undergoes significant development as his true nature is slowly revealed. He transitions from a trustworthy and skilled ally to a grieving, desperate revolutionary whose personal feelings and political ideals become tragically intertwined. His death occurs on the icy floes of Karafuto, where, after being fatally wounded, he dies content knowing that Asirpa has successfully deciphered the code to the gold, ensuring his life's mission was not in vain.
Kiroranke possesses a number of notable abilities. He is a skilled combat engineer or sapper, having served in the Japanese 7th Division, and is adept at creating improvised grenades and building tunnels. He is a master of explosives and booby traps. He is also a polyglot, well-versed in several languages including Japanese, various Ainu dialects, Orok, and Russian. Furthermore, he is an expert horseman, having grown up riding, and his skills are such that he can compete with and defeat professional jockeys.
In terms of his physical presence, Kiroranke is a tall and muscular man standing 184 centimeters tall, with a robust and hairy physique. He has a characteristic male Ainu haircut, with long hair reaching his shoulders but cut short on the top of his head and around the ears, a style based on historical photographs of Sakhalin Ainu. He has distinct blue eyes, angular eyebrows, and a thick beard, and he typically wears a traditional Japanese army uniform topped with an Ainu garment called a ruunpe, along with swirling earrings in both ears.
Kiroranke's personality is defined by a strong set of ideals, and he is a man of deep conviction who is deeply concerned with the future of the Ainu and other ethnic minorities in the Russian Far East. He is generally laid-back, cheerful, and easy to approach, but this exterior masks a resolute and flexible mind capable of standing against immense political powers. He believes his goal of liberation is just and is prepared to take extreme measures, including lying and manipulation, to achieve it. For instance, he skillfully manipulates Asirpa into remembering the code to the hidden Ainu gold. Despite this capacity for deceit, he is never portrayed as cruel; he often shows hesitation when it comes to directly hurting or killing others and demonstrates genuine bravery, such as when he rescues his ally Shiraishi from drowning or risks his own life to save an Orok man from a sniper. He has a particular soft spot for horses and once risked everything to win a race against yakuza who were abusing the animals, breaking his agreement with bandits in the process. He likes river fish but refuses to eat horse meat.
His primary motivation is the procurement of the Ainu gold to use as military funds for an independence movement aimed at liberating the small, oppressed nations of the Far East from the imperial rule of Japan and Russia. This mission is the driving force behind all of his actions. He was originally a comrade of Wilk, Asirpa's father, sharing the same revolutionary dreams. However, he came to believe that Wilk had abandoned their shared ideals after starting a family, choosing to focus only on the Hokkaido Ainu rather than all minorities, a betrayal Kiroranke could not accept. This ideological break led him to conspire with the sniper Ogata to assassinate Wilk during the Abashiri prison break, a pivotal event that sets the stage for the latter part of the story.
Within the narrative, Kiroranke initially joins Sugimoto and Asirpa's group, posing as a helpful ally with a shared goal of finding the gold for the Ainu people. His role is that of a patient mentor and capable fighter, using his extensive skills to aid the group in their journey. However, his true role is that of an antagonist with a noble but ruthlessly pursued cause. After Wilk's death, he flees with Asirpa, Shiraishi, and Ogata to Karafuto (Sakhalin) in an attempt to continue his plan, using Asirpa as the key to the gold and hoping to awaken her to become a leader for his cause.
His key relationships are central to his character. His bond with Wilk is foundational; while he felt deep admiration and love for his friend, he was ultimately so distressed by Wilk's perceived betrayal of their cause that he felt compelled to kill him, an act he framed as a kindness akin to a wolf killing the weak member of its pack. He also harbored unrequited romantic feelings for their mutual comrade Sofia. While he loved her, she always saw him as a younger brother, yet his loyalty to her never wavered, and a significant part of his journey involves attempting to break her out of a Russian prison. His relationship with Asirpa is one of manipulation, but he also seems to hold a genuine, if paternalistic, care for her as the daughter of his old friend, making his betrayal of her trust all the more tragic.
Throughout the story, Kiroranke undergoes significant development as his true nature is slowly revealed. He transitions from a trustworthy and skilled ally to a grieving, desperate revolutionary whose personal feelings and political ideals become tragically intertwined. His death occurs on the icy floes of Karafuto, where, after being fatally wounded, he dies content knowing that Asirpa has successfully deciphered the code to the gold, ensuring his life's mission was not in vain.
Kiroranke possesses a number of notable abilities. He is a skilled combat engineer or sapper, having served in the Japanese 7th Division, and is adept at creating improvised grenades and building tunnels. He is a master of explosives and booby traps. He is also a polyglot, well-versed in several languages including Japanese, various Ainu dialects, Orok, and Russian. Furthermore, he is an expert horseman, having grown up riding, and his skills are such that he can compete with and defeat professional jockeys.