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Sekirei manga chapter 116

Some prominent Ashikabi involved in the Sekirei Plan, from the viewer's left-right: Natsuo, Mikogami, Higa, Sanada, Seo, and Minato.

Ashikabi (葦牙, lit. Reed Sprout/Bud) are humans with unique genes that enable them to empower Sekirei destined to serve them through an exchange of DNA between the Sekirei and the Ashikabi (usually done through a kiss). The result is a "winged" (or "emerged") Sekirei with whom an everlasting bond is forged. For the vast majority of Sekirei, the reaction is one of deep and committed romantic love and fondness, although some Sekirei may instead view their Ashikabi as one does a friend or sibling, such as Mutsu's relationship with Hayato Mikogami, who he reacted to. If a person is an Ashikabi they can forcefully wing Sekirei against their will, but this goes against the principle that the Ashikabi's power is the power of fate (as stated by Asama Takehito and Seo Kaoru) rather than letting the Sekirei find their destined Ashikabi naturally. The only Ashikabi said to have forcefully winged Sekirei are Higa Izumi and Mikogami Hayato. In terms of appearance, unlike Sekirei (who are mostly buxom women or handsome young men) Ashikabi can be quite innocuous as they vary in gender, age, sexual orientation, personality, physical attractiveness, and social status, however most prominent Ashikabi, such as Higa, Natsuo, Seo, and Yukari, are good-looking, and a few, such as Natsuo, Higa, and Mikogami, are very wealthy.

The power of an Ashikabi can be determined not only by the number of Sekirei he or she has bonded to him or her, but by the emotional bond between them.[1][2] One aspect of the bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi is that they can feel each other's feelings. For example, when Musubi's crest disappears and Minato becomes sad and starts crying, Tsukiumi and Kazehana (who wasn't winged at the time) feel his pain; Kusano who is far off at Izumo Inn immediately knows what happened, and it is implied that Matsu also can feel Minato's feelings.[3] The feelings of the Sekirei can also be felt in return by the Ashikabi. If the link is particularly strong it can enable full telepathic contact.[1][4] According to Miya, many of the current Ashikabi may be descendants and have genetic remnants of former "authority holders" from a distant past within them.[5] Miya also stated that the reward for the last Ashikabi in the game (Sekirei Plan) is the last Sekirei.[6] Another important part of the Ashikabi-Sekirei relationship is the fact that when an Ashikabi is killed, all of the Sekirei that they have winged are 'terminated.'[7] This is supposed to be classified information held within MBI, however most Sekirei and many Ashikabi know about it anyway.

Ashikabi throughout the series have been shown to be lacking in purpose and hope, as MInato was an introverted ronin suffering from crippling self-doubt, Mikogami was friendless, neglected, lonely, and socially inept, Higa was burdened by the pressures of being groomed into a specimen worthy of inheriting his family's company, Seo was down on his luck and showed signs of being world-weary and self-hating despite his bravado and alpha-male image, Oosumi was a drifter who felt as though he meant nothing to anyone and lacked anything to set him apart from his peers, Chiho was sick, frail, imprisoned, and grieving, and Natsuo was grieving, immensely nihilistic, and suicidal following the death of the love of his life. It wasn't until their Sekirei came into their lives that they considered the possibilities of a fulfilled and happy life, either for the first time, or once again, although some (Chiho, Minato, etc.) would come to realize this and appreciate their Sekirei accordingly sooner than others (Natsuo, Higa, etc.).

  • Musubi (while controlled by Yume's spirit) once answered Minato's question about Ashikabi like this:
"An Ashikabi's power is something from ancient times. A power left behind by a miracle called love. What you saw was an ancient memory carved into your genes. An Ashikabi is someone who accepts love from Sekirei and someone who guides us with love."

- Yume to Minato[8]

  • Asama Takehito once told Homura that he believes an Ashikabi's power is the power of fate.[2]

Known Ashikabi[]

Four Ashikabi in particular, including Minato, wing a great deal more Sekirei than their peers and are considered the most powerful Ashikabi of their generation, having titles based on their names followed by what part of Shinto Teito (Tokyo) they "rule" over (in reality, it's more so the part or region they live in). Sanada and Minato, however, were given their titles by others, and neither really acknowledges this fact until others begin calling them by their titles. These titles hold a sort of urban legend-like stigma based around an Ashikabi's supposed actions and motives, with varying degrees of accuracy. Mikogami has a "collection" of Sekirei and hunts to collect Sekirei in a similar fashion to animals or toys, although he later matures out of this crude conception of Sekirei. Sanada wanders around the western region of the city for thrills. Higa created an anti-MBI faction with other Ashikabi (through blackmail and other underhanded means) to suit his professional needs, seeing his Sekirei as soldiers or chess pieces more so than intelligent beings with feelings and personalities, once again, albeit before a shift in perspective. Last of all concerning the four major Ashikabi, Minato simply goes about his business alongside his Sekirei with the added benefit of having Miya as an ally to repel his enemies even if his Sekirei could not. In the game these four reign supreme in a way, and their desires and antics shape much of the events of the series. The Ashikabi of the Third Generation Disciplinary Squad, Natsuo, is also treated as a contender in the Sekirei Plan by way of the power of his Sekirei and his affiliation with Minaka and MBI. It is also mentioned by the competitors in the fourth match of the Plan that the 'Demon' Ashikabi and "Death God" Sekirei (Yukari and Shiina) and the Lightning twins and their Ashikabi (Hikari, Hibiki, and Seo), are also considered to be major powers and that all of these groups are dangerous, with all three groups gaining a similarly prominent position amongst the rumours passed around by other participants in the Plan to the others.

Name Title Sekirei # Status
Sahashi Minato Ashikabi of the North 6/7 Alive/active
Higa Izumi Ashikabi of the East at least 12 Alive/active, his terminated Sekirei revived
Mikogami Hayato Ashikabi of the South  at least 9 Alive/active, his terminated Sekirei revived
Sanada Nishi Ashikabi of the West 6 Alive/active, his terminated Sekirei revived
Hidaka Chiho - 1 Alive, her Sekirei terminated, revived
Shigi Haruka - 1 Alive, escaped from the Sekirei Plan
Tanigawa Junichi - 1 Alive, defeated, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Kakizaki - at least 1 Alive, withdrawn from the Sekirei Plan
Ichinomiya Natsuo Disciplinary Squad Co-Leader, MBI's Ashikabi 3 Alive/active
Sahashi Yukari Demon Ashikabi 1 Alive, escaped from the Sekirei Plan
Seo Kaoru Worst Ashikabi, Lightning Twins' Ashikabi 2 Alive/active
Takano Kouji - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Tsudanuma Osamu - 1 Alive, escaped from the Sekirei Plan
Himura Youichi - 1 Alive, defeated, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Kunimitsu Hiroyuki‎ - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Yashiro Itsuki - 1 Alive, defeated, her Sekirei terminated, revived
Oosumi Orihiko - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Mutou‎ - 2 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Unknown - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Unknown - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Unknown - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Unknown - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived
Unknown - 1 Alive, his Sekirei terminated, revived


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sekirei Manga chapter 20
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sekirei Manga chapter 66
  3. Sekirei Manga chapter 47
  4. Sekirei Manga Chapter 45
  5. Sekirei Manga chapter 114
  6. Sekirei Manga chapter 62
  7. Sekirei Manga chapter 91
  8. Sekirei Manga chapter 79
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