TV-Series
Description
Tatsuya Tachibana arrives as a transfer student in Mikuru Shindou's class at Tokyo Metropolitan Harumi Middle School. He forms a close bond with Shinemon Nitta, viewing him as a mentor and striving to adopt Shinemon's confident, determined attitude towards Cardfight!! Vanguard and life itself. Energetic and earnest, Tatsuya nonetheless struggles with self-doubt in his cardfighting skills and feels intimidated by stronger opponents. He wears a purple school uniform, jacket, and slacks, with grey hair featuring one prominent spike and deep purple eyes. His sincere dedication manifests in protecting Card Capital alongside Shinemon.
A catastrophic explosion at Yumigatake, orchestrated by scientist Ryuzu Myoujin, destroys Tatsuya's home and kills his parents. This shatters him, leading to the discovery that Ryuzu was conducting experiments to prove Planet Cray's existence by summoning its units to Earth. Inheriting his parents' fortune, Tatsuya funds Ryuzu's research and becomes a researcher at his lab, adopting a cold, cynical, and calculating persona. He wears a standard lab coat during this time. His sole motivation shifts: he plans to exploit Ryuzu's work to use the Angel Feather unit "Arch-Aider, Malkuth Melekh"—a card capable of resurrecting the dead—to bring his parents back. He conceals this true goal while biding his time to hijack the experiments.
Two years later, Tatsuya emerges as a direct antagonist. He betrays Ryuzu during a critical experiment, challenging him to a cardfight and seizing control of the research equipment. During this fight, he reveals his Angel Feather deck, centered on Malkuth Melekh, which sacrifices its own wings (representing self-inflicted damage) to resurrect units from the drop zone. He defeats Ryuzu by leveraging Malkuth Melekh's healing to mitigate the resurrection cost, then destroys Ryuzu's Gear Chronicle cards to focus exclusively on summoning Malkuth Melekh to Earth. His obsession drives him to manipulate Shinemon into a cardfight, orchestrating the kidnapping of Rive Shindou's son, Chrono, to lure the Gear Chronicle unit Chrono Dran to Earth. This act charges the equipment sufficiently to summon Malkuth Melekh, triggering collateral damage as other Cray units manifest.
In his final confrontation with Shinemon, Tatsuya agrees to Malkuth Melekh's bargain: resurrecting his parents in exchange for his own life. He disregards Shinemon's pleas about the futility of his sacrifice and the destruction caused by the summoned units. Shinemon defeats him using "Giant Deity of the Distant World, Valkerion," forcing Malkuth Melekh and the other units back to Cray. The aftermath results in Rive Shindou being lost in the inter-dimensional portal while rescuing Chrono. Defeated and confronted by the consequences of his actions, Tatsuya experiences profound remorse. Ten years later, he abandons his antagonistic path and dedicates himself to scientific research aimed at preventing similar tragedies, demonstrating a commitment to atonement.
A catastrophic explosion at Yumigatake, orchestrated by scientist Ryuzu Myoujin, destroys Tatsuya's home and kills his parents. This shatters him, leading to the discovery that Ryuzu was conducting experiments to prove Planet Cray's existence by summoning its units to Earth. Inheriting his parents' fortune, Tatsuya funds Ryuzu's research and becomes a researcher at his lab, adopting a cold, cynical, and calculating persona. He wears a standard lab coat during this time. His sole motivation shifts: he plans to exploit Ryuzu's work to use the Angel Feather unit "Arch-Aider, Malkuth Melekh"—a card capable of resurrecting the dead—to bring his parents back. He conceals this true goal while biding his time to hijack the experiments.
Two years later, Tatsuya emerges as a direct antagonist. He betrays Ryuzu during a critical experiment, challenging him to a cardfight and seizing control of the research equipment. During this fight, he reveals his Angel Feather deck, centered on Malkuth Melekh, which sacrifices its own wings (representing self-inflicted damage) to resurrect units from the drop zone. He defeats Ryuzu by leveraging Malkuth Melekh's healing to mitigate the resurrection cost, then destroys Ryuzu's Gear Chronicle cards to focus exclusively on summoning Malkuth Melekh to Earth. His obsession drives him to manipulate Shinemon into a cardfight, orchestrating the kidnapping of Rive Shindou's son, Chrono, to lure the Gear Chronicle unit Chrono Dran to Earth. This act charges the equipment sufficiently to summon Malkuth Melekh, triggering collateral damage as other Cray units manifest.
In his final confrontation with Shinemon, Tatsuya agrees to Malkuth Melekh's bargain: resurrecting his parents in exchange for his own life. He disregards Shinemon's pleas about the futility of his sacrifice and the destruction caused by the summoned units. Shinemon defeats him using "Giant Deity of the Distant World, Valkerion," forcing Malkuth Melekh and the other units back to Cray. The aftermath results in Rive Shindou being lost in the inter-dimensional portal while rescuing Chrono. Defeated and confronted by the consequences of his actions, Tatsuya experiences profound remorse. Ten years later, he abandons his antagonistic path and dedicates himself to scientific research aimed at preventing similar tragedies, demonstrating a commitment to atonement.