Akane Higurashi
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character in the anime and manga series My-HiME
. In the alternate universe
sequel My-Otome
and its manga series she is known as Akane Soir. She is voiced by Junko Iwao
in Japanese and Morgan Partridge in English.
s and the element of wind
.
and works part-time as a waitress with Mai Tokiha
and Midori Sugiura
at the Linden Baum diner. She is shown to be dating Kazuya Kurauchi, Mai's classmate, who also works at the diner. She is also seen text messaging
Kazuya during class with her cellphone. It is implied by Chie that Kazuya and Akane have difficult family lives, though this is not elaborated on.
In episode 5 an Orphan attacks the bus she is riding on, though Akane manages to escape mostly unharmed. She is timid around Miyu Greer
, who was also present at the accident, though the exact reason is not revealed immediately. In episode 8 during the Founder's Day festival Akane takes Kazuya into the woods to tell him something, but is interrupted by Miyu, who asks Akane to help her against an Orphan. Akane then reluctantly summons her Element, a pair of tonfa
and her Child - a tiger-like creature named Hari - and defeats the Orphan. She asks Kazuya to forgive her and is afraid that he will be terrified, only to learn that he accepts her, and the two share a kiss.
However, Miyu reveals herself to be a cyborg sent to gather information on the HiME, and proceeds to kill Hari in front of a screaming Akane. Kazuya then collapses and dissolves into green sparks in Akane's arms. Nagi Homura
then appears to tell Akane the true price of being a HiME is losing what is most important to her. Rumors begin circulating that she and Kazuya have elope
d, and it is through this mistaken impression that Mai begins to wonder about her feelings for Reito Kanzaki
.
Akane is later seen in a mental institution screaming for Kazuya by Natsuki Kuga
, who eventually rescues her and puts her in a safe place. When the HiME and their loved ones are revived by Mashiro Kazahana Akane is reunited with Kazuya and fights the final battle. At the end of the series she and Kazuya are seen together.
, Akane is introduced as a HiME much earlier. Kazuya is her Key, meaning that she needs physical contact with him to summon her Child, though she is too shy to do this for the most part. She rescues both Kazuya and Mikoto Minagi
from the three Scale Sisters and the Ori-HiME Squad (respectively) during part of the manga, though the latter occurs "off screen". Unlike her anime counterpart, Akane retains her powers until the very end. During the manga's rendition of the final battle, she serves as the defense of Fuuka Academy and eventually uses her Child to block a beam attack from the HiME Star intended to kill the entire student body, much like in the vein of Mu La Flaga of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
.
with both an upper and lower part to them as her Element that allow her to manipulate wind currents and slice foes with them. Her Child, Hari, resembles a tiger and is able to manipulate wind currents to slash at enemies before drawing them into a vacuum
to crush them. In the manga, it was shown that Hari is capable of creating a towering spiral of wind that seems to have an abrasive effect on those caught inside (save for the eye of the storm), appropriately named "Love Love Typhoon". On Sunrise's official My-Hime website, the URL for the Child's individual information is written "Hurry". Her HiME mark is located on her left upper back near her shoulder blade.
In My-Otome Akane Soir is the leader of the Trias, the top students at Garderobe, and hails from Cardair. Erstin Ho
and Irina Woods are her room attendants and she is in a relationship with Kazuya Krau-xeku, one of the princes of Cardair. She is cautious about going too far physically with him, and becomes conflicted between her dream of becoming a Meister and her love for him. When the King of Florence, Charles Guinel Roy d'Florince VIII, comes seeking a new Otome Akane is assigned, and nearly becomes his Otome before Kazuya arrives at the ceremony and elope
s with her.
It is later shown that Kazuya was taken by Cardair guards right before he and Akane could consummate their relationship, and that Akane was arrested by the 5th Column Mahya Blythe in episode 24 and forcefully contracted to Kazuya, the new king of Cardair, with Mahya declaring that she will not let the couple do anything "H
" (essentially meaning not allowing them to have sex).
Akane returns in My-Otome Zwei
as one of the Otome involved in Operation Meteor Breaker in a non-speaking role, and features in Episode 3 with several other Otome in a bathhouse in Artai while the SOLT is taking place. King Kazuya (wearing a chastity belt
) is with her where it revealed that they haven't given up on their relationship, despite Mahya's repeated foiling of their plans to have sex.
) to be with him. She changes her mind after learning that he is a member of Schwarz and proceeds to "deal with him" after he attacks Arika and attempts to mate with her using a tentacled SLAVE. She eventually gained the Robe of her anime counterpart, although how this came about was unexplained.
rather than the Child of Akane's HiME counterpart. This continues the trend of tokusatsu
parodies found throughout My-HiME and My-Otome.
Although the exact capabilities of this robe have not been shown in any major work, the PS2 My-Otome game depicts Akane with some sort of beam-generated tonfa (a direct reference to her original Element) capable of creating dangerous wind storms. The game also shows this special attack is named Oriental Magic Typhoon. She is briefly shown wielding her tonfa in the final episode of Zwei.
My-HiME
is an anime series, created by Sunrise. Directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, the series originally premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo from September 2004 to March 2005...
. In the alternate universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
sequel My-Otome
My-Otome
is an anime series created by Sunrise. Directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, it is a spinoff of My-HiME anime series and as such My-Otome takes place in a new setting with new main characters....
and its manga series she is known as Akane Soir. She is voiced by Junko Iwao
Junko Iwao
is a Japanese voice actress who has also released several CD albums as a J-pop singer. Her most notable role is in Cardcaptor Sakura providing the voice to Sakura's best friend, Tomoyo.-TV Anime:*.hack *.hack//Roots...
in Japanese and Morgan Partridge in English.
Common Characteristics
Akane is a hardworking, bashful girl with short brown hair and light brown eyes. She is very close to Kazuya, and her character tends to have an association with tigerTiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s and the element of wind
Air (classical element)
Air is often seen as a universal power or pure substance. Its supposed fundamental importance to life can be seen in words such as aspire, inspire, perspire and spirit, all derived from the Latin spirare.-Greek and Roman tradition:...
.
My-HiME
In My-HiME Akane is a classmate of Natsuki KugaNatsuki Kuga
is a fictional character from the My-HiME andMy-Otome anime and manga series. Her name is in the My-Otome series. She is voiced by Saeko Chiba in Japanese and Cheryl McMaster in English.- Common characteristics :...
and works part-time as a waitress with Mai Tokiha
Mai Tokiha
is a character from the My-HiME and My-Otome anime and manga series. She is voiced by Mai Nakahara in Japanese and Carol-Anne Day in English.- Common characteristics :Mai is depicted with short orange hair and a rather large bust...
and Midori Sugiura
Midori Sugiura
is a character in the My-HiME and My-Otome anime and manga series. In My-Otome, she is simply known as Midori. She is voiced by Yukari Tamura in Japanese and Mariette Sluyter in English.- My-HiME anime :...
at the Linden Baum diner. She is shown to be dating Kazuya Kurauchi, Mai's classmate, who also works at the diner. She is also seen text messaging
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
Kazuya during class with her cellphone. It is implied by Chie that Kazuya and Akane have difficult family lives, though this is not elaborated on.
In episode 5 an Orphan attacks the bus she is riding on, though Akane manages to escape mostly unharmed. She is timid around Miyu Greer
Miyu Greer
is a character in the anime and manga series My-HiME. She also exists in the alternate universe My-Otome, where she is known simply as Miyu. She is voiced by seiyū Kiyomi Asai in Japanese and Maizun Jayoussi in English.- My-HiME anime :...
, who was also present at the accident, though the exact reason is not revealed immediately. In episode 8 during the Founder's Day festival Akane takes Kazuya into the woods to tell him something, but is interrupted by Miyu, who asks Akane to help her against an Orphan. Akane then reluctantly summons her Element, a pair of tonfa
Tonfa
The tonfa , also known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It is a stick with a handle, and is about 15-20 inches long. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs...
and her Child - a tiger-like creature named Hari - and defeats the Orphan. She asks Kazuya to forgive her and is afraid that he will be terrified, only to learn that he accepts her, and the two share a kiss.
However, Miyu reveals herself to be a cyborg sent to gather information on the HiME, and proceeds to kill Hari in front of a screaming Akane. Kazuya then collapses and dissolves into green sparks in Akane's arms. Nagi Homura
Nagi Homura
is a fictional character in the My-HiME series. He appears in the My-Otome universe as well where he is known as . He is voiced by Akira Ishida in both series and by Graham Ko in the English version.- My-HiME :...
then appears to tell Akane the true price of being a HiME is losing what is most important to her. Rumors begin circulating that she and Kazuya have elope
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
d, and it is through this mistaken impression that Mai begins to wonder about her feelings for Reito Kanzaki
Reito Kanzaki
is a character in the anime and manga series My-HiME. In the alternate universe My-Otome, he has become a cyborg called Rad . He is voiced by veteran seiyū Toshihiko Seki in Japanese and Ethan Cole in English.-My-HiME anime:...
.
Akane is later seen in a mental institution screaming for Kazuya by Natsuki Kuga
Natsuki Kuga
is a fictional character from the My-HiME andMy-Otome anime and manga series. Her name is in the My-Otome series. She is voiced by Saeko Chiba in Japanese and Cheryl McMaster in English.- Common characteristics :...
, who eventually rescues her and puts her in a safe place. When the HiME and their loved ones are revived by Mashiro Kazahana Akane is reunited with Kazuya and fights the final battle. At the end of the series she and Kazuya are seen together.
My-HiME manga
In the mangaMy-HiME (manga)
is a manga based on Sunrise's My-HiME series, following a storyline different from that of the anime. It is authored by Hajime Yatate , Noboru Kimura , and Kenetsu Satō . During its 44-chapter run, it was published in Shōnen Champion. It has been licensed for English distribution by Tokyopop; all...
, Akane is introduced as a HiME much earlier. Kazuya is her Key, meaning that she needs physical contact with him to summon her Child, though she is too shy to do this for the most part. She rescues both Kazuya and Mikoto Minagi
Mikoto Minagi
is a fictional character from the My-HiME and My-Otome anime and manga series. Her name is simply Mikoto in My-Otome. She is voiced in both series by Ai Shimizu in Japanese and Caitlynne Medrek in English.- Common characteristics :...
from the three Scale Sisters and the Ori-HiME Squad (respectively) during part of the manga, though the latter occurs "off screen". Unlike her anime counterpart, Akane retains her powers until the very end. During the manga's rendition of the final battle, she serves as the defense of Fuuka Academy and eventually uses her Child to block a beam attack from the HiME Star intended to kill the entire student body, much like in the vein of Mu La Flaga of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
is an anime series developed by Sunrise and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda. As with other series from the Gundam franchise, Gundam SEED takes place in a parallel timeline, in this case the Cosmic Era, the first to do so...
.
Element and Child
Akane wields a pair of tonfaTonfa
The tonfa , also known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It is a stick with a handle, and is about 15-20 inches long. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs...
with both an upper and lower part to them as her Element that allow her to manipulate wind currents and slice foes with them. Her Child, Hari, resembles a tiger and is able to manipulate wind currents to slash at enemies before drawing them into a vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
to crush them. In the manga, it was shown that Hari is capable of creating a towering spiral of wind that seems to have an abrasive effect on those caught inside (save for the eye of the storm), appropriately named "Love Love Typhoon". On Sunrise's official My-Hime website, the URL for the Child's individual information is written "Hurry". Her HiME mark is located on her left upper back near her shoulder blade.
My-Otome
Erstin Ho
is a fictional character in the anime and manga My-Otome. She is voiced by Minami Kuribayashi in Japanese and by Lori Barnes-Smith in the English version.-Character overview:...
and Irina Woods are her room attendants and she is in a relationship with Kazuya Krau-xeku, one of the princes of Cardair. She is cautious about going too far physically with him, and becomes conflicted between her dream of becoming a Meister and her love for him. When the King of Florence, Charles Guinel Roy d'Florince VIII, comes seeking a new Otome Akane is assigned, and nearly becomes his Otome before Kazuya arrives at the ceremony and elope
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
s with her.
It is later shown that Kazuya was taken by Cardair guards right before he and Akane could consummate their relationship, and that Akane was arrested by the 5th Column Mahya Blythe in episode 24 and forcefully contracted to Kazuya, the new king of Cardair, with Mahya declaring that she will not let the couple do anything "H
Hentai
is a Japanese word that, in the West, is used when referring to sexually explicit or pornographic comics and animation, particularly those of Japanese origin such as anime, manga, and computer games. The word hentai is a kanji compound of 変 and 態...
" (essentially meaning not allowing them to have sex).
Akane returns in My-Otome Zwei
My-Otome Zwei
is a Japanese OVA anime series, created by Sunrise. Directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, it consists of four episodes, which were released across three-month intervals and is the sequel to the original My-Otome anime series...
as one of the Otome involved in Operation Meteor Breaker in a non-speaking role, and features in Episode 3 with several other Otome in a bathhouse in Artai while the SOLT is taking place. King Kazuya (wearing a chastity belt
Chastity belt
A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse. They may be used to protect the wearer from rape or temptation. Some devices have been designed with additional features to prevent masturbation...
) is with her where it revealed that they haven't given up on their relationship, despite Mahya's repeated foiling of their plans to have sex.
My-Otome manga
In the manga she is still one of the Pearls and one quarter of the Trias. She temporarily leaves Garderobe in an attempt to find the missing Kazuya, and was willing to give up her Otome-hood (virginityVirginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
) to be with him. She changes her mind after learning that he is a member of Schwarz and proceeds to "deal with him" after he attacks Arika and attempts to mate with her using a tentacled SLAVE. She eventually gained the Robe of her anime counterpart, although how this came about was unexplained.
GEM
Akane's GEM, the , gives her a Robe that resembles a cat girl. Unlike the Meister forms of the other returning HiME characters, the robe's design appears to be based loosely on KibaRanger from Gosei Sentai DairangerGosei Sentai Dairanger
is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the seventeenth production in the long-running Super Sentai franchise of television tokusatsu dramas produced by Toei Company, following Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It was originally broadcast from February 19, 1993 to February 11, 1994...
rather than the Child of Akane's HiME counterpart. This continues the trend of tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
parodies found throughout My-HiME and My-Otome.
Although the exact capabilities of this robe have not been shown in any major work, the PS2 My-Otome game depicts Akane with some sort of beam-generated tonfa (a direct reference to her original Element) capable of creating dangerous wind storms. The game also shows this special attack is named Oriental Magic Typhoon. She is briefly shown wielding her tonfa in the final episode of Zwei.
Name Origins
- Akane's Otome surname of "Soir" references the kanjiKanjiKanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
in her Mai-HiME incarnation's name, as both mean "evening" in their respective languages of French and Japanese. - Her Child Hari's name is believed to be derived from Harimau, the MalaysianMalaysian languageMalaysian or Standard Malay is the official language of Malaysia and a standardized form of the Malay language of the Austronesian family. It is over 80% cognate with Indonesian and is spoken natively by over 10 million people...
word for Tiger :ms:Harimau.
Trivia
- For the majority of the original series, Akane is the first character to demonstrate the mysterious mentally damaged state a HiME is left in after being defeated.