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1[[foldercontrol]]
2
3!The Twins
4
5Migi and Dali are a pair of twins who pretend to be one boy named Hitori in order to get themselves adopted by a couple from Origon Village, the town where their mother was murdered seven years ago. Their goal is finding their mother's killer and take revenge.
6----
7[[folder:Tropes shared by the twins]]
8* AmateurSleuth: They came to Origon Village to investigate the mysterious murder of their mother.
9* ButNotTooForeign: Their mother Metry was a foreigner, as evidenced by her blonde hair. [[spoiler:Their father Akira is Japanese.]]
10* CharacterTics: They stick out their tongues when they're surprised. [[SharedFamilyQuirks They got it from their mother.]]
11* ClearMyName: [[spoiler: Reiko frames them for Micchan's murder and the story's final arc has them team up with Akiyama and Maruta to clear their names as well as find out the truth about Metry's fate.]]
12* CollectiveIdentity: Both twins pretend to be one boy named Hitori to get themselves adopted by the Sonoyama couple and secretly investigate the murder of their mother.
13* CoordinatedClothes: {{Justified|Trope}}. They always wear matching sets of clothes because they're pretending to be one person and people would easily notice when they switch places if they wore different clothes.
14* CreepyTwins: The two of them start off as so perfectly identical and coordinated that they can pretend to be one person for their revenge plot to find and kill their mother's killer. They become less so as the story goes on and their personalities become more distinct.
15* CynicIdealistDuo: Towards the end of the series, Migi's increased idealism has made him lose interest in taking revenge for his mother's death anymore as he wants to move on with his life and open up to the Sonoyamas and Akiyama. Meanwhile, Dali is still obsessed with revenge [[spoiler:and works alone to target the culprit, Eiji]]. After [[spoiler:Reiko frames them for Micchan's murder]], Dali wants to run away and live in hiding with Migi to avoid any danger, but Migi persuades him to go back and challenge [[spoiler:Reiko]], in order to clear their names and become a real family with the Sonoyamas.
16* DivergentCharacterEvolution: The twins start out as pretty similar (and intentionally so since they're pretending to be one person). However, as time goes on they become very distinct from each other; Migi is more emotional, a bit dumb and often seemed to rely on Dali to come up with plans (but had a knack for impersonating his foster mother), while Dali tries to position himself as the older brother but has a hot temper and a BigBrotherInstinct when Migi is pushed too far.
17* DubNameChange: The English dub has their singular persona named "Solo", rather than "Hitori".
18* EmbarrassingDampSheets: An entire chapter is about the twins hiding and cleaning their sheets after one of them wets the bed. Migi thought he was the who peed himself, but it was actually Dali.
19* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: [[spoiler: Three years after the main plot, the twins now have different hairstyles with Migi having shorter hair and Dali growing his hair out. This signifies how they no longer have to live as Hitori and are allowed to be their own person now.]]
20* TheFakeCutie: As Hitori, they pretend to be an angelical and naive boy, but they're actually very manipulative and out to get revenge for their mother's murder.
21* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: The older twin Dali takes everything seriously, looks after his brother, and puts much more effort and attention on the revenge quest and school. The younger twin Migi gets distracted easily, usually by girls, and only gets motivated to study when trying to impress his crush.
22* FormalCharactersUseKeigo: {{Invoked|Trope}} as part of their Hitori persona, always speaking politely to others, including their adoptive parents, to give the impression of being a well-behaved and gentle boy.
23* GuileHero: They rely on trickery and deception to reach their goal of finding their mother's killer, starting by fooling everyone around them by pretending to be one person. They continue using underhanded strategies to deal with [[spoiler:Reiko]], as they know they can't win in a fair fight.
24* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: DoubleSubverted. Migi and Dali inherited their mother's blond hair. At the start of the series, they pretend to be perfectly sweet and angelical kids to make a good impression on their adoptive parents, but they're really tricksters out for revenge. Eventually, both of them become more heroic and compassionate towards people around them [[spoiler:even finding it in their hearts to forgive Eiji for accidentally killing their mother]].
25* HappilyAdopted: They get themselves adopted by Osamu and Youko Sonoyama for the sake of their goal of finding their biological mother's killer, but both grow truly attached to their kind adoptive parents over time. [[spoiler:At the end of the series, they reveal their true selves to the Sonoyamas, who accept them both immediately, and become a genuine happy family.]]
26* HeroicBastard: [[spoiler:They're the illegitimate sons of Akira Ichijou. Their mother Metry was Akira's mistress.]]
27* IdenticalTwinIDTag: They look identical, but Migi's bangs as combed to the left side while Dali's are combed to the right side.
28* IHaveYourWife: Once they realize just how dangerous [[spoiler:Reiko]] is, they take [[spoiler:Eiji]] hostage to force a confession about what really happened to Metry.
29* LimitedWardrobe: {{Invoked|Trope}}. They intentionally wear the same set of clothes every day because that helps keep people from noticing when they switch places, as "Hitori" can't be seen wearing different clothes all of a sudden.
30* NoSocialSkills: For most of their childhood, they only interacted with each other. When they try making friends for the sake of their investigation, they realize they don't have any idea of how to befriend someone.
31* OnlyOneName: They don't have a surname because neither of them knows their mother's full name. [[spoiler:At the end, both of them have officially taken the surname Sonoyama.]]
32* PolarOppositeTwins: Their personalities become more different and individualistic over time. Migi is emotional and silly, while Dali is more serious and smarter. By the end, Migi has become a free-spirited aspiring artist and Dali is a more collected intellectual.
33* PunnyName: The name of their shared fake identity, Hitori, is homophonous with "One Person" in Japanese, because the Sonoyamas were looking to adopt only one kid.
34* RedOniBlueOni: Migi is the impulsive, excitable Red Oni and Dali is the coolheaded, calculating Blue Oni.
35* SignificantWardrobeShift: Both wear the same set of clothes for almost the entire series, to help them keep up the pretense of being the same person. In the epilogue, [[spoiler:both are wearing different clothes that reflect their individual personalities, since they're now living as themselves instead of Hitori.]]
36* SingleMindedTwins: {{Subverted|Trope}}. They start as completely indistinguishable in appearance and personality, since they're pretending to be one person. They gradually become different from each other through DivergentCharacterEvolution.
37* SmartJerkAndNiceMoron: Dali is smart, cunning, aloof, cynical, and obsessed with revenge. In contrast, Migi is dumber, naive, trusting, empathetic, and sociable.
38* StrongFamilyResemblance: They resemble their mother physically. Flashbacks show Metry looked like a female version of the twins when she pulled up her hair.
39* ThemeTwinNaming: In Japanese, Migi means "right" and Dali means "left".
40* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Youko Sonoyama's cherry pie though Dali seems to also like omurice a lot.
41* TricksterTwins: They trick everyone around them into thinking they're one boy, usually through very devious tricks.
42* TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour: At the beginning of the story, both of them are turning 13 and they are planning on taking revenge on the person who killed their mother. They later attempt to murder their adoptive parents after [[ItMakesSenseInContext assuming that the Sonoyamas are planning to scalp Hitori at a party]] and even fantasize about watching them burn, though thankfully, they later realize their error and ultimately never go through with their murderous intents.
43* TwinSwitch: They take turns in who plays "Hitori", often switching places right in front of others with everyone none the wiser.
44* YouKilledMyMother: They're trying to find out who murdered their mother so they can take revenge on the killer. [[spoiler:After they find out Eiji was the murderer and it was entirely an accident, they lose their desire for revenge, especially due to Eiji being their long-lost brother.]]
45[[/folder]]
46
47[[folder:Migi]]
48!! Migi
49!!! '''Voiced by:''' Creator/ShunHorie (Japanese), Jackson Kirk (English)
50[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/migi_anime.png]]
51
52The younger twin brother.
53----
54* BookDumb: While he is able to come up with effective plans to fool his adoptive parents (albeit with some help from his brother), his grades in school aren't that good.
55* ButtMonkey: He tends to get the shorter end of the stick during the story's more comedic moments such as having to wear embarrassing pajamas and accidently getting burned by his brother with a magnifying glass.
56* CrazyJealousGuy: He tries to take "Sali" away with him the moment he catches Eiji talking to "Sali".
57* DisguisedInDrag: [[spoiler:He dons the "Sali" disguise when he visits an injured Eiji.]]
58* EveryoneHasStandards:
59** In the final arc where even after he becomes more caring and trusting of others, he and Dali don't exactly have a high opinion of Maruta and at one point, he even tells Shunpei that he doesn't trust Maruta. That being said, by the time the main plot has resolved, Maruta has managed to win over their trust.
60** On the flip side, back when he and Dali were fully focused on their mission of avenging their mother and only saw the Sonoyamas as tools, he makes a disgusted face after the twins find an old picture of their adoptive parents and believe that Osamu had an affair when he was younger.
61* ForcedToWatch: [[spoiler:Reiko captures the twins and ties them up to the footboard slat of their own bed. When Dali tries to sacrifice himself for Migi, Reiko forces Migi to watch as she almost strangles Dali to death.]]
62* LikeParentLikeSpouse: He has a big crush on "Sali" because "Sali's" eyes remind him of his mother.
63* LoveAtFirstSight: He falls for "Sali" at first sight.
64* LovesMyAlterEgo: He develops a crush on the beautiful Sali, unaware that Sali is really his twin brother Dali [[DisguisedInDrag who is crossdressing for disguise]].
65* MoralityPet: Is this to Dali as his brother is protective of him even when they were at their most anti-heroic. [[spoiler: In the final arc, Dali even admits to himself that had it not been for Migi, he probably would have ended up like Eiji.]]
66* ObfuscatingStupidity: To free himself from imprisonment at the Ichijou house, Migi plays along with Reiko's "re-education" and pretends his mind has regressed to a toddler, managing to fool the Ichijou family into thinking he's too dumb to cause them any trouble.
67* SurpriseIncest: He develops a big crush on a girl named Sali, unaware that "Sali" is his twin brother Dali in disguise. Dali doesn't tell Migi the truth to not break his heart, but [[spoiler:Migi still finds out later and becomes ''very'' pissed at Dali for lying to him]].
68* TerribleArtist: His drawings are incompressible scribbles. Surprisingly, Shunpei is the only one able to perfectly interpret his drawings.
69* TookALevelInIdealism: He starts out similar to Dali in terms of personality but becomes more trusting of others as the story goes on.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Dali]]
73!! Dali
74!!! '''Voiced by:''' Creator/AyumuMurase (Japanese), Jackson Kirk (English)
75[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dali_anime.png]]
76
77The older twin brother.
78----
79* AloofDarkHairedGirl: {{Parodied|Trope}}. Dali sometimes disguises himself as a black-haired girl, and Migi and Eiji are very attracted to "Sali's" beauty and mysteriousness.
80* AttractiveBentGender: His crossdressing persona looks so attractive that both Migi and Eiji get a crush on "Sali".
81* BigBrotherInstinct: As the older twin, he's very protective of Migi. Anyone who messes with Migi will get a good beating from Dali.
82* BrutalHonesty: [[spoiler:When Eiji reveals he's Migi's and Dali's triplet brother, Dali coldly tells him he won't acknowledge him as family because he's their mother's murderer, even if it was an accident. Dali's rejection drives Eiji to murder Reiko and attempt suicide via setting the Ichijou house on fire, prompting Dali and Migi to rescue him.]]
83* DisguisedInDrag: When he needs to move around without being recognized as "Hitori", he disguises himself as a girl named "Sali".
84* EffeminateVoice: He's voiced by Creator/AyumuMurase, who is known for his high-pitched voice. This makes his disguise as "Sali" all the more convincing.
85* EveryoneHasStandards: As much as he hates Eiji, even he's horrified to see [[spoiler: how Reiko's "re-education" has made the latter mentally regress to a baby.]]
86* FakeBoobs: He puts on a padded bra while crossdressing as "Sali" in his attempt to seduce Eiji for information.
87* GenderConcealingVoice: He speaks in a higher voice than usual when he's disguised as "Sali".
88* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:In the climax of the story, Dali recognizes he would be just like Eiji if Migi haven't been at his side as he grew up, leading him to finally accept Eiji as his other brother.]]
89* PragmaticPansexuality: Even though he feels no attraction to other boys, he disguises himself as a girl and seduces Eiji to get information about Metry from him.
90* PromotionToParent: After their mother was killed, Dali raised himself and his younger twin brother Migi at the forest where they spent their childhood until an orphanage took them in.
91* ScarsAreForever: [[spoiler:He gets a large scar on his left cheek during the fire of the Ichijou mansion in the climax.]]
92* SobriquetSexSwitch: Dali uses the alias "Sali" when he crossdresses.
93* TakeMeInstead: [[spoiler:When Reiko captures the twins, Dali begs her to only kill him and let Migi go free. Fortunately, Micchan arrives just in time to save him.]]
94* TearsOfJoy: [[spoiler:He's moved to tears when the Sonoyama accept both him and Migi as their sons.]]
95* TooDesperateToBePicky: When hiding himself at the Ichijou house for a week, Dali has to survive off garbage and dog food.
96[[/folder]]
97
98!Sonoyama Family
99
100[[folder:Osamu and Youko Sonoyama]]
101!!Osamu and Youko Sonoyama
102!!! '''Osamu is voiced by:''' Creator/TakashiMatsuyama (Japanese), Shawn Motes (English)\
103'''Youko is voiced by:''' Creator/KotonoMitsuishi (Japanese), Katabelle Ansari (English)
104[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/youko_and_osamu_sonoyama_anime.png]]
105
106The kind elderly couple who adopted "Hitori".
107----
108* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Youko tells Micchan all about Hitori's striped underpants much to Migi's embarrassment.
109* DoggedNiceGuy: In their youth, Osamu asked Youko out and got rejected multiple times until he finally won her over and they got married.
110* GlassesOfAging: Osamu didn't wear glasses when he was younger.
111* GoodParents: They try their best to be good parents for "Hitori", and by the end of the series, following the reveal that [[spoiler:they've known the twins' secret all along, are shown to have raised the two boys with genuine love and care]].
112* GratuitousEnglish: In the original Japanese dub of the anime, Youko will occasionally say English words in her sentences such as "good boy" and [[ForeignCussWord "shit".]]
113* HappilyMarried: They get along perfectly well and clearly love each other.
114* IWasQuiteALooker: Youko looked completely different when she was younger. When Migi and Dali saw an old picture of the couple, they actually mistook the younger Youko for a mistress.
115* MistakenForCheating: Migi and Dali thought Osamu was having an affair after seeing a picture of him holding who they thought was a different woman from Youko. Then they find out the woman in the picture ''was'' a younger Youko.
116* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: [[spoiler:After the fire at the Ichijou house, Dali hides himself because the scar on his face has made it impossible for him to keep playing at being "Hitori". Osamu and Youko soon notice that something is off because Dali has certain preferences Migi doesn't have, like his love for omurice. On Christmas, they pick two presents that match Migi's and Dali's individual tastes perfectly, showing how well they have come to know both of their children individually even though they pretended to be one person.]]
117* SecretSecretKeeper: [[spoiler:At some point in the story, they figured out "Hitori" was two people due to noticing the twins' different interests. On Christmas, they reveal to the twins that they already know their secret so Dali stops hiding himself, as they're accepting both Migi and Dali as their children.]]
118[[/folder]]
119
120[[folder:Sardine]]
121!! Sardine
122[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sardine_anime.png]]
123
124The Sonoyama family's dog.
125----
126* BigFriendlyDog: He's a very friendly and affectionate Golden Retriever.
127* HeroicDog: [[spoiler: After Micchan shows up to rescue the twins from Reiko, the two women get into a fight which leads down to the kitchen. Just when it looks like Reiko has the upper hand, Sardine comes in and bites her, buying Micchan some time to get the twins out of the Ichijou household.]]
128[[/folder]]
129
130!Ichijou Family
131
132[[folder:Eiji Ichijou]]
133!! Eiji Ichijou
134!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KengoKawanishi (Japanese)
135[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eiji_ichijou_anime.png]]
136
137The eldest son of the Ichijou family.
138----
139* TheAce: He's a model student, smart, popular, and well-liked by everyone in the village.
140* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:After Migi and Dali stop his suicide attempt, Eiji turns himself in to the police to take responsibility for having murdered Metry and Reiko.]]
141* BastardBastard: Downplayed. [[spoiler:He's really the third illegitimate son of Akira and Metry. He killed his biological mother, but it was an accident and he's portrayed very sympathetically even after he kills his foster mother.]]
142* BreakTheHaughty: His arrogant behavior completely disappears after [[spoiler:he realizes he's a murderer and becomes crushed by guilt]].
143* BringMyBrownPants: He pees himself when [[spoiler:he sees one of the twins disguised as Metry. The fact that he acts like he saw a ghost lets the twins know Eiji had something to do with their mother's death.]]
144* ButNotTooForeign: [[spoiler:As the separated triplet brother of Migi and Dali, his biological mother was the foreigner Metry.]]
145* ClassRepresentative: He's the representative of his class.
146* EmotionalRegression: [[spoiler:Because of Reiko's "re-education", Dali and Migi find Eiji in a cradle and wearing diapers. Whatever Reiko did to him was bad enough that Eiji mentally regressed to a baby. He reverts back to normal after he remembers Metry's last words to him and he realizes she was his real mother.]]
147* FamilyEyeResemblance: [[spoiler:Like Migi and Dali, he also inherited Metry's blue eyes. This is the only major physical trait that he shares with his two brothers.]]
148* ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou: He becomes attracted to "Sali" for being the only student who doesn't act like a buttkisser towards him and is smart enough to blackmail him into giving personal information about his childhood.
149* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler:In the climax, Eiji kills Reiko and attempts to die with her by setting the Ichijou house on fire with himself and Reiko's body inside. Dali and Migi come to rescue him and convince him to live on.]]
150* LovesMyAlterEgo: Dali approaches Eiji while disguised as the female student Sali to get information about Metry's death. Eiji quickly feels very attracted to Sali.
151* {{Matricide}}: [[spoiler:When he was a child, he accidentally killed Metry when she tried to take him away from his bedroom and he pushed her off the window, unaware that Metry was his biological mother or her motivations for doing so. Once he finds out the truth, he loses it and kills his foster mother Reiko.]]
152* MeaningfulName: Eiji's name contains the kanji for "two". Migi points out it's odd that he wasn't named "Eiichi" to signify him being his family's firstborn. [[spoiler:Turns out he ''wasn't'' the firstborn because Metry gave birth to Dali a few minutes before him.]]
153* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:He's horrified when he finally remembers he pushed Metry out of his window when she tried to kidnap him as a child. It gets much worse when he discovers Metry was his biological mother and he killed her that night.]]
154* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: [[spoiler:After he finds out he killed his biological mother, Eiji offers Dali to take revenge on him by killing him. Dali instead chooses to force Eiji to live as one of his brothers.]]
155* RepressedMemories: [[spoiler:He repressed the memory of the Christmas Eve where he pushed Metry out of his window and killed her by accident.]]
156* SeparatedAtBirth: [[spoiler:He's actually Migi and Dali's triplet brother who was stolen from their mother by Reiko the moment he was born.]]
157* StrongFamilyResemblance: He inherited his father's hairstyle and color. It's heavily implied [[spoiler:that this was the reason Reiko stole him from Metry when he was born, because he was the only one among the triplets she could pass off as her own son rather than Metry's, even though Eiji's eyes and facial features are still clearly that of his birth mother's]].
158* SurpriseIncest: Like Migi before him, Eiji becomes attracted to "Sali", blissfully unaware that it's just Dali in disguise, who also happens to be [[spoiler:one of his long-lost brothers]].
159* SympatheticMurderer:
160** He accidentally [[spoiler:killed Metry when he was a child, but the fact that he [[AccidentalMurder didn't mean to do it]], nor knew that Metry was his biological mother, and he's horrified when he finally remembers make him very sympathetic. Migi and Dali can't bring themselves to hate him when they learn the full truth and instead accept him as their brother]].
161** Him ultimately [[spoiler:choosing to end Reiko's life by fatally stabbing her also counts, considering all the horrible things that woman had done to him and his real family, not to mention all the other innocents who've suffered and/or died because of her insane machinations]].
162* TakingTheBullet: In Chapter 32, [[spoiler:Eiji saves Migi from a trap set up by Dali, pushing Migi out of the way and getting hit in the head by a pumpkin in his place.]]
163* WiseBeyondHisYears: He acts very mature for his age. He does counseling for "Hitori" while his father, the actual psychiatrist, is out.
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Reiko Ichijou]]
167!!Reiko Ichijou
168!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RomiPark (Japanese), Katherine Clavelo (English)
169[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/reiko_ichijou_anime.png]]
170
171Eiji's mother.
172----
173* AbusiveMom: [[spoiler:Eiji defies her for the first time when he protects Migi from her. [[DisproportionateRetribution In retribution]], Reiko puts Eiji through the same "re-education" she inflicted on Migi, causing Eiji to emotionally and mentally regress to a baby.]]
174* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Eiji kills Reiko after he realizes both have committed crimes they can never walk back from. Eiji still laments that he couldn't do anything to improve Reiko's mental health since despite all the evil things she did, she was the mother who raised him.]]
175* AxCrazy: [[spoiler:Towards the end of the series, Reiko turns into a homicidal maniac when she attempts to murder the twins and kills Micchan for saving them.]]
176* BaguetteBeatdown: She tries using a stonebaked baguette as a weapon when she chases down a crossdressing Migi.
177* BigBad: [[spoiler:She's the main villain of the series.]]
178* BitchInSheepsClothing: She pretends to be polite and gentle, but her true personality is extremely controlling, malicious and outright psychotic.
179* BlameTheParamour: [[spoiler:Due to her infertility, Reiko asked Metry to become pregnant with her husband's child, convincing herself that she could start a family by using Metry as a pseudo-surrogate. It all backfired when Akira saw through the BedTrick and openly expressed his preference for Metry. Even though she deliberately caused the affair to happen, Reiko still pushed all the blame on Metry and locked her up in a pantry for five years.]]
180* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Her maid Metry looked up to her as an older sister figure and role model until Reiko went crazy due to learning she's infertile, ordered Metry to get pregnant with Akira's child so she could steal one of her babies, and lock her up in the pantry to keep her from stealing her husband's attention any further.]]
181* ComicalNapDrool: When she took a young Eiji to the planetarium, she fell asleep and Eiji was amused by her drooling, as that was the only time he could see her being "imperfect".
182* ControlFreak: Not only does she try to have absolute control over her children's lives, she monitors ''everyone'' in Origon Village to keep them where she wants them.
183* CovertPervert: [[spoiler:She keeps the pretense of being a conservative and refined housewife, but it was her idea to have Metry sleep with her husband through a BedTrick, and she even secretly watched them during the act of sex.]]
184* CreateYourOwnHero: [[spoiler:She's indirectly responsible for the birth of Migi and Dali, since she was the one who ordered Metry to bear her husband's children in her place.]]
185* DissonantSerenity: [[spoiler:She kills Micchan in cold blood with a calm smile on her face.]]
186* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: She has black hair, pale skin, and a very sinister personality that she hides under a mask of perfection.
187* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler:For all her evilness and inclination for murder, she seems to have genuine love for Eiji and she really thinks of him as her son despite her most loathed enemy Metry being his real mother. At the end, it's her caring for Eiji that leads to her demise, as he makes her lower her guard enough for him to stab her to death.]]
188* EvilLaugh: She laughs like an evil lunatic after [[spoiler:she traps the twins, Akira and Karen inside the pantry, leaving them there to rot while she escapes with Eiji]].
189* EvilMatriarch: She's the matriarch of the Ichijou family and is revealed to be very wicked. [[spoiler:Her two children aren't even hers, but she stole them from her husband's mistresses.]]
190* EvilWearsBlack: She wears a black dress and eventually reveals herself as the evil villain of the story.
191* FakePregnancy: [[spoiler:She faked being pregnant to pass Eiji as her own child, even having pretended to "give birth" right before she stole Eiji away from Metry.]]
192* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:She lures the twins, Akira and Karen into the pantry by pretending to be dead. When Karen doesn't buy it, Reiko runs out of the room and locks everyone else inside.]]
193* FauxAffablyEvil: She remains consistently polite and well-mannered, but she's really ruthless and insane, being obsessed with getting rid of anyone who threatens her "perfect" life at all costs.
194* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:She gets killed by Eiji after he finds out she stole him away from his real mother Metry and created the circumstances that resulted in him murdering Metry by accident.]]
195* LawOfInverseFertility: [[spoiler:She's infertile, driving her to steal the children of her husband's mistresses and raise them as her own.]]
196* MadnessMantra: When she [[spoiler:chases after Migi]], she keeps repeating "Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill." like a madwoman.
197* MaskOfSanity: She appears to be an ideal housewife, but she's really unstable and outright murderous underneath that mask of perfection.
198* MurderByInaction: [[spoiler:Eiji told her that he pushed Metry off his window, but Reiko deliberately didn't look for help because she wanted Metry dead anyway.]]
199* NeverMyFault: [[spoiler:She requested Metry to get pregnant with Akira's child due to being unable to do it herself, but she didn't foresee Akira would develop feelings for Metry after sleeping with her. She then blamed Metry for stealing Akira's love from her, ignoring the fact that she technically pushed Metry and Akira together. When revealing the backstory, Reiko goes as far as to blame her own infertility on Metry, claiming that Metry "cursed" her.]]
200* PsychoKnifeNut: [[spoiler:She slices Micchan's throat with a knife.]]
201* ShearMenace: When [[spoiler:she sees one of the twins disguised as Metry]], she brings out a pair of scissors and wields them like a deadly weapon.
202* SoftSpokenSadist: She always speaks with a calm and polite tone, even when attempting to control Migi through infantilazion [[spoiler:and committing murder]].
203* StepfordSmiler: Her smiling face conceals a highly unstable and psychotic mentality.
204* WickedStepmother: [[spoiler:She's really Eiji and Karen's stepmother who stole them away from their birth mothers and forced them to pretend to be her perfect children. Eiji has mixed feelings about her because he wasn't aware she wasn't his real mother until he found out about Metry, but Karen clearly resents her for separating her from her real family.]]
205* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:When she captures the twins, she attempts to suffocate Dali to death, while forcing a helpless and tied up Migi to watch his own brother almost getting killed.]]
206* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:After she found out her husband preferred Metry over her, she stole a newborn Eiji from Metry, and then locked her and her other two babies in the pantry. When she sees one of the twins disguised as Metry, she tries to stab "Metry" with scissors.]]
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:Akira Ichijou]]
210!!Akira Ichijou
211!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/TokuyoshiKawashima (Japanese)
212[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/akira_ichijou_anime.png]]
213
214Eiji's father and Reiko's husband. He works as a psychiatrist.
215----
216* AccidentalAdultery: [[spoiler:Subverted. He slept with Metry when he was already married to Reiko, but he didn't know it was her at the time because Reiko forced Metry to [[BedTrick disguise herself as her]] when they did the act. He figured out the truth when he discovered Metry was pregnant and he confessed he liked Metry more than Reiko because he wanted a normal woman over a "perfect" one.]]
217* DoesntKnowTheirOwnChild: He rarely spends time with his children, with the implication being that he's usually out of the house and presumably fooling around with women to get away from his wife. He didn't even know that Eiji needed to wear a nappy because of his late night bladder problems.
218* {{Irony}}: {{Lampshaded}} by Karen. As a psychiatrist, Akira should have been able to help Reiko with her mental problems, but he instead only made them worse by neglecting her and having affairs with other women.
219* LockedOutOfTheLoop: He has been blissfully unaware of [[BigScrewedUpFamily how screwed up his family really is]] because of [[EvilMatriarch Reiko]]. [[spoiler:He didn't even know Reiko locked up Metry and two of his sons by her in the pantry of their house for ''five years''.]]
220* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler:He's Migi and Dali's biological father.]]
221* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: [[spoiler:He confessed to Metry that he preferred her over Reiko, unaware that the latter was overhearing them. This was what really kicked off Reiko's SanitySlippage, driving her to lock Metry in the pantry with two of her newborn babies and steal the third one to raise him as her own.]]
222* UselessBystanderParent: He never did anything to reel in his wife's ControlFreak tendencies and enabled her to put an extreme amount of pressure on their two children, as he never seemed very invested in their upbringing. {{Lampshaded}} by Karen who calls him out on his failure as a psychiatrist for not noticing Reiko's insanity.
223[[/folder]]
224
225[[folder:Karen Ichijou]]
226!!Karen Ichijou
227!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/AkiraSekine (Japanese)
228[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/akira_sekine_anime.png]]
229
230Eiji's younger sister.
231----
232* BrutalHonesty: [[spoiler:She criticizes her father's neglect of his wife and children, pointing out that a professional psychiatrist like him ''should'' have recognized that Reiko was mentally ill for a long time and he still did nothing to de-escalate the situation.]]
233* GirlishPigtails: She's a cute young girl with her hair tied up into pigtails.
234* HeroicBastard: [[spoiler:Like Dali, Migi and Eiji, Karen is a child born from one of Akira's affairs. She eventually proves to be the most reasonable and morally correct member of the Ichijou family, as she helps out the heroes multiple times.]]
235* LongDistanceRelationship: She gets into a relationship with Maruta in the final arc, but [[spoiler:Reiko's death]] causes her to move out of town with her family. Despite this, she stays a couple with Maruta for several years.
236* PinkMeansFeminine: She's a feminine girl from a well-off family and is always seen wearing a pink dress.
237* RomanticSpoonfeeding: She feeds pie to her boyfriend Maruta with a spoon in the final chapter.
238* TheStoic: While not emotionless, she has rather muted reactions to everything that happens around her, no matter how bizarre. [[spoiler:She doesn't even emote when she realizes the Ichijou house is on fire with her, her father, the twins, and Maruta still trapped inside.]]
239[[/folder]]
240
241[[folder:Fidelite]]
242!!Fidelite
243[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fidelite_anime.png]]
244
245The Ichijou family's dog.
246----
247* BigFriendlyDog: He's a large and intimidating Dobermann, but surprisingly friendly.
248* IronicName: His name means "fidelity." Within the family that owns him, [[spoiler:both children are the father's bastards from affairs]].
249[[/folder]]
250
251!Others
252
253[[folder:Metry]]
254!!Metry
255!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/SumireMorohoshi (Japanese)
256[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metry_anime.png]]
257
258Migi and Dali's deceased mother.
259----
260* ChosenConceptionPartner: {{Invoked|Trope}} by [[spoiler:Reiko. After being told she was infertile, Reiko instructed Metry to become pregnant with Akira's child, but she didn't inform her husband of her plan and disguised Metry as her when she sent her to sleep with him. In Reiko's mind, she believed it was acceptable that Akira and Metry had an affair when it was only for the sake of conceiving a child, but it all went wrong when Akira sought to make Metry his official mistress.]]
261* CuteClumsyGirl: Even though she worked as a maid, she was very clumsy at housework.
262* DeathByOriginStory: Her death is the main motivator behind Migi and Dali's actions, as they want to take revenge on her murderer.
263* DeceasedParentsAreTheBest: Migi and Dali loved her dearly and their flashbacks show Metry was a loving mother to them.
264* ExtremeDoormat: Flashbacks show Metry was very passive and submissive [[spoiler:towards Reiko. Metry ''knew'' it was wrong to sleep with Reiko's husband, even if only to get pregnant, but she couldn't refuse when Reiko requested her to give birth to Akira's child in her place.]]
265* FamilyEyeResemblance: Her sons got their blue eyes from her.
266* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She had blonde hair and flashbacks depict her as a goodhearted and gentle mother.
267* KindlyHousekeeper: Before her children were born, she worked as a housemaid [[spoiler:for the Ichijou household]].
268* MissingMom: She died when her sons were very young.
269* TheMistress: [[spoiler:She was Akira's mistress, although not exactly by choice since Reiko was the one who ordered her to sleep with Akira and bear his children as Reiko was unable to do it herself.]]
270* MorningSickness: In a flashback, Metry threw up in the sink, which is how [[spoiler:Reiko and Akira]] knew she was pregnant with the latter's children.
271* NoFullNameGiven: We never find out what was her surname.
272* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: [[spoiler:After she escaped from the pantry with Migi and Dali, Metry went back to the Ichijou mansion to take back her third son Eiji and bring him to his brothers. Unfortunately, the young Eiji mistook her for a monster and pushed her out of his window, killing her.]]
273* PlotTriggeringDeath: The plot is set into motion by Migi and Dali's quest to find their mother's killer.
274* PosthumousCharacter: She was killed seven years before the start of the story.
275* WeUsedToBeFriends: [[spoiler:Metry originally had a very close friendship with Reiko, her employer who she looked up to as an older sister figure. That was until Reiko overheard her husband admitting he preferred Metry over her. Reiko came to see Metry as a nothing but a threat to her marriage, driving her to steal one of Metry's babies and lock her up in a pantry for five years.]]
276[[/folder]]
277
278[[folder:Shunpei Akiyama]]
279!!Shunpei Akiyama
280!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ShintaroAsanuma (Japanese)
281[[quoteright:140:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shunpei_akiyama_anime.png]]
282
283One of "Hitori"'s classmates and fellow boy scout who wants to fly like a bird. He befriends "Hitori" after being inspired by his determination.
284----
285* AnimalMotifs: Birds. He's so obsessed with birds that he wants to become one and made his own bird costume that he intends to use to fly one day.
286* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: "Hitori" is the only kid who made a real effort to befriend him and he didn't make fun of his dream to become a bird. Akiyama is so moved that he becomes "Hitori's" most loyal and caring friend.
287* FirstFriend: He's the first friend "Hitori" makes in the town.
288* FriendlessBackground: Until he met "Hitori", no one wanted to be his friend because he was ridiculed for being obsessed with trying to become a bird.
289* HiddenDepths: Aside of his obsession with becoming a bird, Akiyama has an amazing artistic talent, having been able to decipher [[TerribleArtist Migi's childish scribbles]] and draw a very accurate portrait of Sali.
290* HotWings: [[spoiler:When escaping the fire at the Ichijou house, Akiyama runs through the flames to rescue Fidelite and jumps out of the second-story window with the dog in his arms, briefly taking the form of a flaming phoenix because his bird costume caught fire.]]
291* NiceGuy: He's one of the few people around the twins' age who averts KidsAreCruel and tries to help out with "Hitori"'s troubles. [[spoiler: When he does find out about the twins, he's sympathetic to their plight.]]
292* UndyingLoyalty: To the twins. He's the friend who stands up for them through thick and thin, even before [[spoiler:knowing their secret]].
293[[/folder]]
294
295[[folder:Maruta Tsutsumi]]
296!!Maruta Tsutsumi
297!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/ShunsukeTakeuchi (Japanese)
298[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maruta_tsutsumi_anime.png]]
299
300Another of "Hitori"'s classmates.
301----
302* AffectionateNickname: His girlfriend Karen calls him "Maru-chan".
303* AnimalMotifs: He wears a beaver crockett cap and his buckteeth also remind of a beaver.
304* BrattyHalfPint: He starts as a very obnoxious brat, but he gets better later on.
305* BullyTurnedBuddy: He starts as a bully who treats "Hitori" like a toy he wants to torment, but he ends up befriending the twins later on.
306* FormerlyFat: In the epilogue, Maruta has slimmed down a lot after three years.
307* GoofyBuckteeth: He's a BrattyHalfPint with buckteeth to match his beaver AnimalMotif.
308* LongDistanceRelationship: He and Karen become a couple near the end of the story but following [[spoiler: Reiko's death]], their relationship become this after Karen moves away. The two of them are still a couple after they reunite three years later.
309* SignatureHeadgear: He wears an iconic crockett cap. By the time of the epilogue, he has stopped wearing it after growing older.
310* TookALevelInKindness: He becomes much less of a jerk later in the story. By the end of the series, he's now good friends with Migi, Dali and Shunpei.
311[[/folder]]
312
313[[folder:Mrs. Mitsuyama / Micchan]]
314!!Mrs. Mitsuyama / Micchan
315!!!'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KimikoSaito (Japanese), Patricia Azan (English)
316[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/micchan_anime.png]]
317
318A housekeeper who lives in the neighboring town. Due to her job, she goes in and out of many homes. She loves gossip.
319----
320* BuriedAlive: [[spoiler:After finding her sneaking around the Ichijou mansion, Reiko buries her alive in the garden. She gets saved by Karen.]]
321* FriendlyGhost: [[spoiler:After she gets killed by Reiko, her ghost returns to save Migi and Dali once again during the climax. Three years later, her ghost still hangs out at the Sonoyama household and has friendly conversations with Youko.]]
322* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Reiko kills her as she couldn't allow her to live after discovering her darkest secrets and exposing that she stole the children of her husband's mistresses.]]
323* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:When Reiko is about to kill Dali, Micchan comes to the rescue and helps the twins escape while she stays behind and gets killed by Reiko.]]
324* KindlyHousekeeper: She's a housekeeper with a very friendly relationship with the Sonoyama family. She becomes one of Migi and Dali's most important allies.
325* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: She's mainly referred to as "Micchan". Her actual surname is Mitsuyama, but [[NoFullNameGiven her given name remain unknown]].
326* TalkingWithSigns: After [[spoiler:coming back as a ghost]], Micchan communicates with the Sonoyama family via writing on the kitchen's powder.
327[[/folder]]

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