Takuto Kira

Takuto Kira, Kira Takuto when he was human, is a Shinigami for the Death Pediatrics Ward.

Human life
When Takuto was human, his father disappeared while his mother passed away from an illness when he was 9 years old. He debuted at the age of 12 and was the lead vocalist for ROUTE: L, along with Keiichi Wakaoji and Aoi Koga, for two years. After a hiatus (due to Aoi's untimely death), Takuto re-debuted as a solo singer at the age of 17. In his early 20s, he and Keiichi went to the orphanage Mitsuki and Eichi were staying at. When Mitsuki ran over to get the ball coming their way, Takuto kicked it away. After testing the girl, Takuto promised to protect her with all of his strength.

A year after his visit to the orphanage, he met the famous model, Hikari Hayashi. To hide his feelings, he claimed he was her fan and she boasted it to her workmates. Embarrassed he listened to what she had to say: "Hey, let's leave this party and go someplace... Let's disappear just the two of us. Let's have people talk about us." Reluctantly, he did and let passion get in the way. Slowly though, he was figuring out the true dangers of Hikari and what the relationship really was, toying around and using him for her own popularity and personal gain.

Takuto soon learned that he was developing a tumor in his throat. This devastated him because he may never be able to sing again. Soon afterwards, he struggled to survive with the cancer, have a "one-sided" relationship and sing. At the age of 24, he couldn't take the relationship he had with Hikari anymore. He was going to break up with her, but the cancer got in the way. It was too fatal so Keiichi (who became a doctor) forced him into the surgery, even though Takuto didn't want it. The surgery saved Takuto's life; however, he ended up losing his voice. He then committed suicide by jumping from the top floor of the hospital in the manga. In the anime, it was a motorbike accident.

Shinigami life
After just becoming a Shinigami, Takuto was told by his boss that he was in a twisted maze of eternal punishment and that there was no hope or light to guide him. His name was reversed but he still managed to keep his first name the same. His first task was to collect the soul of Eichi, who died in a plane crash. The 14-year-old boy left Takuto scarred with a curse and these words "Are you... a Shinigami? I'm sorry... but I can't give you my soul. Only one girl... can take or release my soul." Takuto failed that mission as a Shinigami but the words still rang in his ears. He didn't understand what they meant... until he re-met Mitsuki in his second job, as Negi Ramen with Meroko as his partner.

Shortly after Takuto meets with his ex-girlfriend Hikari Hayashi, Mitsuki becomes conflicted because Takuto told Mitsuki that he loved her. They arrange to go on a date but Hikari ruins it by kissing Takuto in front of Mitsuki and Mitsuki collapses She reunites with him in the hospital, he tells her he properly rejected Hikari and they kiss. Meroko and Takuto travel to the Shinigami world, and as they start searching, Meroko knocks Takuto unconscious, as part of their plan to get deeper into the concubines of the labyrinth. When the guards come after the two, Takuto protects Meroko from a rain of arrows, saying "she's still his shinigami partner" no matter who is in love with who.

She and Takuto rush to Izumi and Mitsuki, whom are facing Sheldon (Jonathan's true form). They stand in front of them, and scream "NEGI RAMEN" for the last time.

Takuto shields Mitsuki from the Scythe of Fate but it stabs through the two of them. He seems unharmed when he regains conciousness shortly after this but is seen suffering later, unable to watch Full Moon's final concert. He assumes that his soul is being pulled back after all, thanks to the scythe and has a bitter smile on his face before saying "Mitsuki, I'm sorry" right before vanishing.

In the anime, Takuto chooses to lose his memories after Mitsuki begs him to stay with her, and he and Meroko are watching Fullmoon sing at her final concert. He asks who he is, and Meroko tells him he is Takuto Kira, and he is here to make new memories. Takuto is about to become a ghost, and as a dark force surrounds him, she tries her best to hold on to him to stop it. He still disappears, and a single teardrop falls down Meroko's face. She sees that the same darkness is trying to swallow up Mitsuki, and rushes to her aid, only to be captured by it as well. In a golden world Takuto is battling himself, unable to remember what he is fighting so hard for. All he can remember is that "the girl must not die." and he feels great pain in his heart over her. The Great Mother speaks to him that if that is his wish, he can no longer be a shinigami or a ghost and must give up his life. He agrees to this with no hesitation. Meroko begs the Great Mother to make her a ghost instead. The woman recognizes Meroko's selflessness, and turns her into an angel. She tells Meroko that Takuto will be given another chance. Takuto's soul flies into Meroko's hands, and she holds it crying.

Takuto is in the human world with no memories. Meanwhile, Jonathan is playing with Mitsuki. The stuffed Meroko becomes alive, and leads Mitsuki to Takuto. From it comes Meroko in angel form. She tells Mitsuki goodbye, and stares at Takuto from afar one last time. A feather falls from her, and as Takuto looks at it and back at Mitsuki, he remembers everything.

In the epilogue drama CD, 'Final Live', a track reveals that he and Mitsuki are seeing each other regularly. It seems he does not remember every single event fully, but is hinted that this could change with time. Mitsuki proclaims that they will make many more memories together.

Physical appearance
Takuto has black hair which is tied back in a short ponytail and blue eyes. In his Shinigami clothes he is seen in a short black shirt with long sleeves, a blue hoodie with a swirl on it, a gray backpack that has his wings on it, blue jeans and a black belt, white gloves with blue stripes at the end with a picture of his cat form on them, and a cat hat. He wears his long bangs through the front opening of his hat as though it is a backwards baseball cap.It is revealed in a short story in the manga that Meroko is the one who made this outfit for him. In the anime, this is not mentioned. Takuto can also be seen wearing casual clothing, though these are also of blue shades. It can be assumed that is his favorite color. When he is in his cat form he looks like a cat plushie. The design is very simple, bearing resemblance to a Sanrio character. In the manga, he sleeps with his hair untied but never unties it in the anime. As a child, he has shorter hair and sometimes wears a baseball hat.

His clothing in the manga is more detailed, with a blue and white striped hoodie and striped hat straps with gold rings on each end.

When Takuto is reborn as a human (end of the anime only) he has a small ponytail and appears in the form of a young male. He also carries a guitar on his back, reminiscent of when he was ROUTE:L's lead guitarist.

Personality and traits
Takuto has a personality. He speaks roughly and informally to people he knows but politely when introducing himself to others. Takuto uses the pronoun "ore", in contrast to Eichi and Izumi's "boku". "Baka" (Japanese for idiot) seems to be his favorite word. He also uses foul language when he gets angry like "kuso" and "chikushou". He gets flustered very very easily and has a short temper but is also a very passionate and loyal boy who is true to his word. He can be quite stubborn and reckless, yet he is the more logical thinker of the three main characters. He can be found rolling his eyes whenever Meroko is causing chaos and scolds her when things go south for Mitsuki. Underneath his 'tough guy' act, he possesses a very kind heart and can't stand to see girls cry even if making them happy greatly inconveniences him. He has a great amount of pride but does his best to hide his emotional and physical suffering so others will not worry about him and will lie that he is feeling fine when he actually isn't. Takuto seems to get confused whenever Meroko talks about him getting jealous over other guys and normally denies it. In the anime, he was more passive around Mitsuki when confessing to her. In the manga he is more aggressive when confessing his feelings after a certain point, but he obeys Mitsuki when she tells him to stop. Also, in the manga, he is more cunning and will use his transformation ability to trick other characters. He also has a playful side and likes to tease Mitsuki sometimes. Like many tsundere, he is prone to blushing and stammering whenever the girl he loves touches him or even so much as smiles at him. He's also very bad at lying.

Mitsuki Kouyama
After refusing her throat operation, Mitsuki encountered a Shinigami named Kira Takuto, who was supposed to stop someone from preventing her death. Takuto takes pity on Mitsuki, realizing that she, like he at one time, couldn't live without singing. Takuto gave Mitsuki a drop of his blood, which enabled her to become her 16 year old self "Fullmoon". He was originally going to do this to grant a last wish, but after hearing her sing, Takuto is blown away by how amazing her voice is gets a very mysterious and nostalgic feeling about the girl but he doesn't understand why. He gets angry when Mitsuki reveals she is singing in order to fufill a promise to another guy but continues to come to Mitsuki's aid when she needs him. Things get very rocky for the two of them when Mitsuki triggers a taboo for incomplete shinigami, asking him about his past. It is revealed should Takuto remember, his soul will be pulled back from the realm of the dead and that he will become a ghost. He separates himself from her for one night to ensure his own safety but once again returns to her when she calls him back by singing. She's overjoyed to see him and hugs him, telling him "she likes him a lot". This makes his heart pound but he snaps at her not to say such embarrassing things so casually. Mitsuki suddenly has trouble breathing because she sang in her weak condition and Takuto gives her mouth to mouth to revive her, though she never realizes it in the manga. In the anime, this scene is treated much more seriously as Mitsuki does understand what happened and feels flustered about it but Takuto tells her "CPR doesn't count as kissing", despite blushing extremely hard himself.

After losing to Madoka, a depressed Mitsuki decides to run away from home and the two take shelter in a lighthouse on a beach. Takuto is able to bring Mitsuki spirits back through his own voice when she overhears him singing her own song. The young shinigami and small girl form a stronger bond with this turn of events and he promises to help her with her goal "no matter what". But it still hurts him inside that despite her affection towards him, she loves someone else.

There is a brief moment when, suspecting Mitsuki is worried about dying, Takuto embraces Full Moon from behind and holds her hand. He says "If you're scared, just tell me." She looks longingly at him for an instant but then smiles cheerfully and says "she's just fine" and runs off. Takuto looks bitter, thinking she's lying and wants to remind her that if she dies, she can't see Eichi. But he keeps his mouth shut.

When Wakaouji comes face to face with Takuto, he recognizes him from the past right away and calls his name. Takuto bolts away, gritting his teeth and Mitsuki bumps into him. She is shocked to see tears in his eyes for the first time ever and chases after him to the beach with Meroko at her heels. Mitsuki then offers her remaining life to Takuto to save him from turning into a ghost and promptly faints from exhaustion. He is utterly shocked at her sacrifice but Meroko says he will regret it greatly if he takes Mitsuki's soul. Takuto's eyes soften as he looks at the sleeping girl and affectionately lays his head to Mitsuki's as he recalls the memory of meeting her the very first time from his former life as Kira Takuto. A flashback shows a younger Takuto kicking a seven-year-old Mitsuki's ball on a playground but after talking to her about her late parents for a little bit, he returns the ball, smiles and tells her "he'll protect her with all of his strength".

Takuto brings the sleeping Mitsuki to her bed and informs the other two shinigami that they should find Eichi so Eichi can prevent Mitsuki's death and change her fate. He just wants her to be happy and alive, even if he's not the one who can be with her. But when Meroko finds a photo of Eichi, Takuto is shocked to discover it is the very same boy he was first assigned to take, a dead boy from two whole years ago. Along with the photo are newsclippings of the airplane accident that killed Eichi and his foster parents. Takuto concludes that from this evidence, Mitsuki has known from the start that Eichi is dead and has accepted that she will die too so their souls can unite. All three of the shinigami are very distressed over this but Takuto tells them not to say a word to Mitsuki about it.

Though the shinigami team tries to avoid Mitsuki after this, Takuto and Mitsuki find themselves alone together in her room one day. After some awkward silence, Mitsuki presents Takuto with a gift, a cute kitty outfit. He is annoyed by this but she thanks him for being there for her and helping her with her dream. "I'm really glad we met", she says. Takuto knows that Mitsuki's smile is hiding her pain and can no longer stand it. He finally acts on his feelings and silently tries to hold her close but she pushes him away, confused and alarmed. He apologizes and goes outside to cool off. For the first time, Mitsuki is blushing, flustered by his actions. She wonders why Takuto is suddenly "acting manly" towards her.

When Takuto goes to talk to Mitsuki again, he finds a good-bye note saying she cannot be with the shinigami if they know the truth and not to search for her until her appointed death. He confronts her by a lake in the middle of the night and witnesses Mitsuki's violent breakdown after he confesses his love to her. She screams and sobs that she hates them all for "getting in the way" of her and Eichi and why don't they just leave her alone. Takuto smiles sadly, puts Mitsuki's hand on his unbeating heart and quietly says "Because you are alive now." Mitsuki stares at him, unable to say anything at all but seconds later throws herself at him, sobbing harder than ever. He continues to silently hold her in the dark as the full moon watches over them and then flies her back home. He reminds her that she shouldn't easily let go of her passion for singing, nor her decision to act on her own and she agrees, tearfully.

Mitsuki is in a deep depression after these events, suffering from insomnia, anemia, and is not even able to eat. Takuto is feeling frustrated that she is this obsessed over Eichi and confronts her on her bed, saying "he won't hand her over to anyone". Mitsuki again, gets a look of longing on her face but pushes him off, saying she "hates him" and wants him to "get out". He makes a rather comical, depressed face but does as she asks, saying "okay fine." When she is alone again, Mitsuki starts crying because she wanted Takuto to get angry so she could apologize for saying she hated him. She doesn't like that Takuto is "a person who makes her feel like she doesn't want to be alone anymore."

When Meroko snaps after remembering her past, she attacks Mitsuki with her whip that takes souls but Takuto shields Mitsuki to protect her. He tells Meroko that if she wants to kill Mitsuki, she has to "get rid of him first". This makes Meroko even angrier and she strikes him over and over. He cries in pain but still refuses to move an inch. Meroko is thinking all the while how she wants him to stop because it looks like he really is in love with Mitsuki.

As time passes, Mitsuki's broken heart slowly begins to heal and Takuto decides for the shinigami to throw her a small birthday celebration. Mitsuki returns to being Full Moon and singing as an idol as before. She seems more cheerful now...but this soon changes when a stranger among her fans starts to attack the people close to her. It triggers her trauma from when her first orphanage director told her that her parents' deaths are all her fault. Mitsuki wants to quit being an idol so no one else will suffer. Her manager yells at her for this decision and she finds herself running to Takuto for comfort. When he sees the devastated tears on her face, he hugs her tightly and asks her what's wrong. Her heart pounds hard and she confesses her fears and sorrow to him. She isn't afraid to die but she is terrified of living and she thinks her parents died because of her and that Eichi died because she didn't stop him from getting on the plane. Takuto cheers her up by saying he's pretty sure that her father would brag about "being able to use his life for her" and draws a funny picture. He tells her that when he sees her laughing, he feels good and asks if Eichi makes her feel that way too. Mitsuki reflects on this and decides she doesn't want to be weak anymore. She also wonders why she went to Takuto first and was able to confess things to him that she had never been able to tell anyone...

Later it is revealed that Takuto has an ex-girlfriend named Hikari. Mitsuki feels confused and uneasy about this. She asks Takuto if "he's the sort of guy who would remember everything about his past except for the woman he loved?" He (comically) gets really mad and Mitsuki apologizes. She doesn't understand why she feels this way and acknowledges she has no right to and thinks it's "not very cute" of her to act this way. But her emotions "feel cloudy" to her right now. After some comical bickering, Takuto commits the infamous 'kabe-don' trope with Mitsuki and asks her if she thinks his confession was just a lie or a joke? She says no, she never thought that. He tells her he keeps having dreams every day of her being close to him. Mitsuki nods and bashfully invites him on a date to the amusement park. Although the date is ruined by Takuto's ex, he makes up with Mitsuki later, gives her a necklace (to wear next to Eichi's) and shares a consensual kiss with her before leaving to erase her name from the List of the Dead. When they are reunited during Sheldon's attack, Takuto shields Mitsuki with his body but the scythe goes through the two of them. Mitsuki is unharmed but Takuto disappears as he whispers he's sorry he can't protect her now.

Takuto reunites with Mitsuki in his human form three years later. She's shocked he's alive because she thought he had turned into a ghost like Eichi. He explains that he had actually been in a comatose state and that was the reason he was only "a half shinigami'. Takuto grins and asks her if she cried when he disappeared. Mitsuki gets super mad, saying she cried a lot and he should have contacted her right away. He said it "wasn't cool" for a girl to see him in a bedridden state but she snaps that he shouldn't care about that and his feelings for her should be more important. She finally confesses that she loves him and she doesn't want him to leave her ever again. He promises he won't and the two wrap up in each others' arms and kiss as Mitsuki's concert audience cheer.

In the anime, Takuto saves her from a man who was about to kiss her. He also kisses her twice. The first was for CPR when Mitsuki collapsed while she was running to an audition. The second time was when Takuto is reluctant to drink from the flower of forgetfulness, so he and Mitsuki kiss and he consents to drinking from the flower of forgetfulness.

Izumi Rio
Takuto and Izumi have a strange relationship. It is theorized that Takuto is sore at Izumi for taking Meroko away, as he still belives that she loves Izumi, though she really does love him. Arina Tanemura states that Takuto has "an inferiority complex" towards Izumi and Izumi loves making fun of him. For whatever it may be, Takuto and Izumi constantly fight, and he is very uncomfortable with having him around. Once the shinigami realize that Eichi is dead, the boys seem to respect each other's feelings, and Takuto's bitterness is shown much less (however, in the anime, they seem to hate each other though the whole series). In the manga, the two share more of a 'big brother picking on a little brother' type of relationship...where Takuto is always losing, much to his chagrin. Izumi measures his dislike for Takuto in "KP" (kirai pointo) which translates to "hate points".

Madoka Wakamatsu
Takuto and Madoka never meet, but she constantly stresses him out. When Izumi gave Madoka Fullmoon's lyrics, Takuto was furious. He seems to dislike strong personalities like Madoka's, and suggests that he dislikes her several times (specifically, in the anime). In the manga, he outright calls her "a bitch" whenever she upsets Mitsuki.

Hikari Hayashi
Takuto was Hikari's biggest fan back when he was still alive. Though he was with ROUTE :L, and clearly famous, he was humble and innocent about his feelings for her. At the time, Hikari was really only interested in press coverage, and the two entered a relationship. Takuto had real feelings for her, but of course, she was playing him for a fool. Once Takuto died, she realized in the time they spend together, that she loved him after all. For that long, she never stopped loving him. As fate would have it, one day, after Takuto's death, she saw him as a "human", and felt an instant connection. The two once again became involved, though this time, she did not know it was Takuto. She told him that she preferred him over Takuto (showing his growth). Takuto knew he was lying to himself, so he broke it off with Hikari, and she gracefully accepted that. When he is "reborn", she also gracefully accepts that he is with Mitsuki.

Masami Ooshige
Takuto and Ooshige only seem to formally meet in the anime, though they don't really speak, because Ooshige cannot see him. She interacts with him in his cat plush form. Otherwise, one would assume that Takuto at least knew of her from their days as singers, since she liked his close friend Wakaouji. In the manga, Ooshige comically refers to younger Takuto as "a cheeky brat who let his popularity go to his head" when Mitsuki asks her if she knew him.

Eichi Sakurai
Eichi was Takuto's first assignment but Eichi refused to hand over his soul to Takuto. Takuto had always been haunted by the young boy's eyes and says he feels "cursed" by them. Takuto is very jealous of Eichi, and badmouths him to Mitsuki, saying that he probably forgot all about her. Later on, he thinks more and more about what Eichi would do to comfort Mitsuki during her times of distress but then decides he's going to do things his own way. According to Arina Tanemura, if the two were to interact at length, Takuto would continue to get angry as Eichi remains calm and collected. Despite being jealous of Eichi's relationship with Mitsuki, Takuto shows intense anger towards him for dying and causing the girl he loves so much pain. In both the anime and manga, he looks incredibly devastated and disturbed when he finds out Eichi has died. He even freezes up and starts trembling. When Mitsuki finally finds Eichi's soul in the next to last manga chapter, he leaves them alone, keeping his feelings to himself. He even tells Mitsuki she doesn't need to remove Eichi's necklace; she can just wear them both. When he proposes to her in the epilogue doujinshi, he tells her it's okay if she still loves Eichi.

Meroko Yui
Meroko is Takuto's partner as a Shinigami and a lifetime friend who has an unrequited infatuation with him. In the anime, she is more passive; however, it depicts her love for Takuto as being much deeper and more permanent than the manga. She will always love both Takuto and Mitsuki and spends the last few episodes of the series doing all she can to ensure they get together. In the manga, Meroko says she is in love with Takuto, but by the end of the manga she has fallen in love with her new/old partner Izumi because Takuto is in love with Mitsuki. Though Meroko always liked Izumi and had pretended to like Takuto because she wanted to get Izumi's attention. She does end up having real feelings for Takuto but through trial and error, allows him to be with Mitsuki.

OVA

 * Full Moon o Sagashite: Cute Cute Adventure

Trivia

 * Takuto's name holds special meaning in Japanese. 吉良 "Kira", his surname means "good fortune". 托する"taku-suru" means to "entrust to" and 人 "-to" means "person" so "Kira Takuto" essentially translates to "person entrusted with good fortune". Whether this foreshadows that he is the one who saves Mitsuki's future...or it is just a random surname is up to fan speculation.
 * Takuto's cat form first appeared in volume 7 of "Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne."
 * In the manga, when Takuto saw a picture of Eichi for the first time, he immediately recognized him because the plane crash that killed Eichi was Takuto's first assignment as a Shinigami. He saw Eichi's soul.
 * In the manga, Takuto died by jumping of a building while the anime, he died in a motorcycle accident.
 * Takuto was only 12 years old when he was in ROUTE:L (the same age range as present day Mitsuki).
 * When Takuto is reborn as a human, his age then is unknown. It is possible he was reborn at a younger age due to his youthful look, because he carries a guitar similar to when he was ROUTE:L's lead guitarist, and because of the circumstances of his past life (and because he debuted at 17). It is also unknown if he debuted again when reborn, or if he's still working towards a similar goal.
 * As well, when Takuto is reborn at the end of the anime, he is shown walking instead of riding a motorcycle like he often did before his original death. In Japan, you can start learning to drive at age 18 (the age of majority, or adulthood, in Japan is also 20, effective until 2022; where it may lower to 18.). This also implies Takuto is younger than 18 at the end of the anime.
 * At the end of the anime, Mitsuki is also about a year, or more, older once she "meets" Takuto again. The exact timeframe is unknown, though Mitsuki's birthday is in April, and no snow is seen.
 * While Mitsuki does "meet" Takuto again, it is unknown what may happen after, as the anime had ended there. It's also possible they could part ways temporarily again until Mitsuki is older.
 * When Takuto looks at Meroko's feather, it is implied he is maybe beginning to remember what happened as his expression turns shocked, while Mitsuki faces him happily. However, it is also unknown what happens after this, or how much he may remember. The implication before this scene appears to be that Takuto may have never remembered what happened, and lived completely as a normal human, had he not been approached by Mitsuki at the end.
 * The manga's ending is very different, and Mitsuki is 16(+) at the end.
 * Tanemura also stated in the first chapter's official English translation's notes that at the time the anime was decided, only 4 chapters of the manga had been made. This would also mean Takuto's age in the anime wouldn't reflect his age as a human in the manga, as those chapters hadn't even been written yet.
 * When Tanemura made official doujinshi for the series around 2015, the doujinshi for Meroko and Izumi was rated 18+ (and had adult elements), but the doujinshi for Mitsuki and Takuto wasn't.
 * The day of the concert Takuto "disappeared" (near the end of the manga), Takuto thought he disappeared but he was still conscious. When he woke up, he was in the hospital. At first he couldn't remember anything, but 3 months later he suddenly "knew". He was in a coma, but was still alive.
 * (Manga) Takuto: "I was in a coma, but I was alive. Seems like I will always be 'half-half '."
 * The implication from this line is "half" in a coma, "half" alive, possibly also reflecting how he feels about his "age" at the end of the series (also possibly implying one cannot age mentally when they are in a coma, as they are unable to experience the outside world, due to the coma).
 * Another implication could be not only the above, but also that he will continue to feel such regardless of how he ages.
 * This also implies his mental age may be closer to Mitsuki's by the end of the manga.