The Emperor (帝, Mikado?) is the nominal current ruler of the Empire. His duties have been taken over by his second son and crown prince Takaihito. He is the leader of all the Gift-users in the nation.
Appearance[]
The Emperor is an elderly, sickly man with a withered build and gaunt, deep-set eyes.[1] He is completely bald.[2]
Personality[]
The Emperor is scheming and paranoid, willing to go to extremes to hold onto power without caring about the consequences to other people.
History[]
During his time as crown prince, the Emperor developed a particular fear of the Gift known as Dream-Sight, believing it to be a power capable of surpassing his own Divine Revelation. He regarded the potential reemergence of Dream-Sight as a direct threat to the Imperial Family’s authority, fearing that if his ability were proven inferior, both he and his lineage could be displaced.[3]
Although the Usubas were long viewed as a potential source of this danger, the Emperor took no concrete action against them until the birth of Sumi Usuba. Upon Sumi’s awakening of the Gift of Telepathy, the possibility arose that her child could inherit Dream-Sight. This event reinforced the Emperor’s belief that the Usubas must be weakened to prevent any future threat.[3]
In addition to enforcing the existing code of conduct that restricted the Usubas, the Emperor undertook measures to diminish their political and economic influence. Acting indirectly, he used his position to disrupt the operations of their business, Tsuruki Trading, resulting in a prolonged financial decline that left the family in a state of near ruin.[3] The Emperor also sought to prevent intra-family marriage within the Usubas, fearing that a child with concentrated Usuba lineage would possess an exceptionally strong manifestation of Dream-Sight. To that end, he arranged for Sumi to marry into the Saimoris, a household nearly devoid of Gift-users and facing the loss of its noble standing. He disclosed the existence of Dream-Sight to the Saimoris, provided them with a large payment, and encouraged them to pursue the match in order to separate Sumi from her family.[3]
Following Sumi’s marriage to Shinichi Saimori and the birth of Miyo Saimori, Sumi sealed her daughter’s Gift of Dream-Sight. As a result, Miyo was widely believed to be born Giftless, and the Emperor, satisfied that the potential threat had been eliminated, ceased his interference in Usuba affairs.[3]
In later years, the Emperor’s health deteriorated severely. Once constantly attended by courtiers, he became frail and bedridden, rarely speaking or moving. He has also lost his Divine Revelation Gift, which is kept secret from the people as to prevent a major scandal.[1][3]
Plot[]
Volume 2[]
The Emperor sensed Miyo's Gift awakening after the seal on her powers broke when she left the Saimori estate. With her marriage to Kiyoka Kudou finalized, the Emperor viewed him and the already-powerful Kudou family as threats as well. Already panicking from losing his Divine Revelation, he plotted to separate Miyo and Kiyoka by releasing the seal on the Burial Grounds and sending the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit on a dangerous mission to subdue the escaped spirits, which he hoped would kill Kiyoka as well. When he learned that Arata Usuba was trying to figure out a way to bring Miyo into the Usuba family but lacked the physical and social avenues to separate her from the Kudous, he lent him his aid in exchange for keeping Miyo confined to the Usuba estate. This had the added benefit of potentially creating friction between the Kudou and Usuba families and lead to their mutual destruction. The Emperor insinuated to Arata that there would soon be an incident that will cause great difficulties for the Special Anti-Grotesquerie Unit, allowing Arata to use that as a pretext for contacting Kiyoka. [4][3]
After the Emperor's plot failed, Takaihito has him confined to his quarters on the outskirts of the Imperial Palace and cut off all communication to the outside world under the pretext of his recuperation. As abdication isn't possible, he remains on the throne while Takaihito assumes his duties.[3]
Volume 4[]
Taking advantage of the relaxed defenses around the Emperor's residence, Naoshi Usui and the Gifted Communion manipulates the guards into letting them kidnap the Emperor in order to exploit his authority to take over the country. This is witnessed by Arata, who sends a familiar after their car to follow them and another to report what he saw to the unit station. The familiar tracks the car to the imperial family's vacation home, which is presumed to be the group's hideout. Arata, Masashi Ookaito, and a group of soldiers track the familiar, but it mysteriously vanishes en route. Once at the vacation home, they find that no one has been there in the past few hours.[5]
Volume 5[]
The Emperor's disappearance is kept a secret from the people by a gag order issued by Takaihito. Meanwhile, the ailing Emperor receives enough care from the Gifted Communion to stay alive, but no more than that. Usui, using the Emperor's authority to gain power within the military and government, kill the Emperor once he takes over the country as he no longer has any need of him by that point.[6]
Volume 6[]
When Miyo and Kiyoka confront Usui at the military headquarters and ask him if the Emperor is safe, Usui has one of his subordinates toss the unconscious Emperor onto the ground before them and kicks him contemptuously. He is rescued after Usui is killed by Arata.
Abilities[]
- Divine Revelation: The Emperor possessed this ability that is passed down through the direct imperial line. The Gift would give him advanced warning from the gods about disasters that would befall the nation.[7] However, after the Emperor has fallen ill, he lost this ability, which causes him to panic, given that possessing the Divine Revelation is a necessary qualification for being emperor.[3]
Trivia[]
- The Emperor has his kimono's tailor-made at Suzushima's.[8]
- Most of the Empire's citizens, not knowing emperors were chosen based on whether or not they inherited Divine Revelation, venerate the Emperor out of a belief that he is descended from a divine lineage.[9]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Novel, Volume 2 Prologue
- ↑ Anime, Episode 6
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Novel, Volume 2 Chapter 5
- ↑ Novel, Volume 2 Chapter 3
- ↑ Novel, Volume 4 Chapter 5
- ↑ Novel, Volume 5 Chapter 4
- ↑ Novel, Volume 2 Chapter 1
- ↑ Novel, Volume 1 Chapter 2
- ↑ Novel, Volume 5 Chapter 1
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