Inori (character)

Inori (イノリ) is one of the main characters from Koei and Ruby Party's popular neoromance game Harukanaru Toki no Naka De which was serialised into a manga and subsequently an anime series. "This page discusses the anime/manga rendition of Inori's character and should not be confused with the gameplay incarnation."

Also known as: nihongo|Ten no Suzaku|天の朱雀. (Suzaku of Heaven)

Basic information

Inori is a young swordsmith's apprentice who lives in the city of Kyou, although he was born in a village somewhere outside the city limits. Aside from his apprenticeship, he also operates somewhat as 'law and order' [Hachiyou Shou Episode 2] in the rougher areas of the city, and despite his young age is considered 'leader' or 'boss' by many of the orphaned children whom he protects. [Hachiyou Shou TV Series episodes 4 and on] . It is through this position as "peacekeeper" that he first encounters Tenma, helping him to find work in the same line. An orphan himself, Inori lives with his older sister Seri, who he believes he has a responsibility to protect. As a "commoner", Inori does not have a surname, as he does not belong to any of the landed 'clans' or families.

Probably because of his "peasant" origins, Inori's name is always written in katakana, although the Japanese word nihongo|inori|祈り means 'prayer'. As Ten no Suzaku, Inori's Hachiyou powers manifest as fire magic, allowing him to shoot flame.

Background and Personality

Hot-headed, fiesty and self-determined, Inori is a born leader who takes very seriously his position as the surviving male member of his family. His older sister Seri is someone he is very close to, and her frail physical form means that he has a tendency to protect her - even as a very small child he was always resolved to look after her in the absence of their parents. Even when Seri's initial involvement with the oni Ikutidaru resulted in them being attacked and evicted from the village [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 2] , Inori still did not blame Seri, instead blaming the demon for having 'fooled' his sister. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 11] Because of this event, and because of the constant toll the demon attacks take on the people around him, Inori loathes the demon clan with every inch of his being. [Hachiyou Shou episode 7]

Inori is resolute but often stubborn to the point of unreasonableness. Partly because of his age and partly because of his obstinacy, he finds it difficult to understand Seri and Ikutidaru's relationship. On a number of occasions he asks others' opinions on love and why people who are in love act the way they do. At one point he asks Akane what she would do if she had a relationship with someone everyone around her hated. Akane, thinking he's referring to her feelings for Akuram tells him that she'd follow her heart and hope the people around her would come to understand - an answer which sparks Inori's frustration even further. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 21] It is probably Inori who has the least 'romantic' attachment to the Miko, since he is unable to discern exactly what that feeling is. In spite of that, however, he is capable of understanding enough to know that Tenma is in love with Akane, and he openly expresses his support for his friend's claim on many occasions (often to Tenma's acute embarrassment!) [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 12]

Because his parents died when he was small, Inori has few memories of them and does not seem to hold any residual grief for their passing. Indeed, when he initially meets Akane and casually mentions the fact they are dead, he tells her that it's nothing she needs to worry about and that it's not a problem. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 7] Equally, in the manga, when Inori's father comes back to reveal to him the location of the Suzaku seal, Inori has almost forgotten his father's face. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 11]

Inori and Shimon

Inori's relationship with his Hachiyou "partner" Shimon is a troublesome and often volatile one, since although both are chosen of Suzaku, Inori is convinced that Shimon is really a member of the oni clan. For this reason, Inori is hostile towards Shimon from the first moment they meet, and Shimon's natural retiring nature makes it difficult for him to stand up for himself. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 7] Despite the number of times Akane tells Inori that Shimon is not an oni and not even from Kyou originally, Inori's past encounters with the oni clan taints his judgement to the point where he does not generally listen.

For this reason too, when some of the city children fall victim to the oni Sefuru's trap, Inori is quick to jump to the conclusion that it is Shimon who is at fault. He joins the city population in condemning Shimon, even telling Akane that it is Shimon who has attacked the child and Shimon who must be held responsible. However, it is also at this point in both the anime and the manga that Inori and Shimon's relationship changes. In the anime, when the attacked child recovers and tells Inori that Shimon came to save them, Inori realises his mistake and resolves to make amends for letting his prejudice cloud his judgement. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 15]

In the manga, the situation is a little more complex. Here, the situation escalates to the point where Shimon is imprisoned for the apparent crime, and held pending a hearing before the city's populace where his fate is yet to be determined. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 7] Despite his hatred, Inori realises that - oni or not - he still can't let Shimon be executed because he's a friend of Akane's and one of the Hachiyou. Reluctantly he assists in he switching of Shimon for Sefuru, and later, discovers that Shimon was not guilty of any crime after all. It is at this point that both Shimon and Inori realise the strength of their combined power and properly bond as Suzaku Hachiyou. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 8]

After this point, Shimon and Inori become close friends, as Shimon is quick to forgive and forget the past rift between them. Because they are of a similar age, they often spend time together, and Inori expresses sincere regret at the thought of Tenma and Shimon returning to their own world. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga volume 12] However, due to the effects of Akuram's cursed black arrows, Inori and Shimon's memories of encountering one another no longer seem to exist, and Inori has reverted to his old state of disliking Shimon on the grounds of his appearance as an 'oni'. [Harukanaru Toki no Naka De Manga Volume 14] .

Despite his general change of heart towards Shimon, however, Inori's general hatred of the oni clan remains, and even though Shimon does his best to make Inori speak to Ikutidaru and understand his sister's situation, Inori obstinately resists for as long as he can.

Inori and Ikutidaru

Inori's hatred of the oni Ikutidaru is twofold. Initially, he resents the expulsion from their original village and the physical and psychological wounds both he and Seri received as a result of being driven out of their homes. However, despite his hurt towards his past, Inori does not blame the actions of the villagers, but shares their view that the oni is the one to blame and therefore it was the oni's fault they were evicted. Despite the fact that Seri is determined not to give Ikutidaru up and is even carrying his child, Inori resolutely clings on to the idea that somehow Ikutidaru has used his dark arts to blind her to the truth.

His hatred of Ikutidaru also stems from the fact that he wants to protect Seri himself, and with Ikutidaru's involvement in Seri's life he feels somewhat helpless to do anything to keep her safe. As time progresses, however, even Inori realises that there is something to be gained by talking to Ikutidaru, and that, if he wants to stop hurting his sister, he has to at least attempt to reach terms with the oni in some respect. Although wary of him, as time goes on he seems to realise that Ikutidaru is not out to hurt his sister, and at one point he even seeks his rival out in order to ask him about Akuram's plans and location. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 23]

At the close of the final episode of the anime, Inori is shown with Seri and Ikutidaru and their newborn baby. Sefuru is also there as though part of the family - suggesting that by the close of the story, Inori has come to terms with the fact that the oni are not all bad, and that in many ways the prejudice of the people - him included - was a large part of the divide between them. [Hachiyou Shou Episode 26]

Other Information

References

External links

* [http://www.gamecity.ne.jp/neoromance/ Neoromance official site]
* [http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/haruka/ TV Tokyo website]
* [http://haruka8tv.gamecity.ne.jp/ Haruhachi Koei official fansite]
*ann anime|id=4484|title=Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Hachiyō Shō