Mitsuhiko Hirukawa

is a guest character and minor antagonist who appeared in Ultraman Mebius. He is a freelance journalist.
==Personality==
Hirukawa's personality is perceived to possess traits of selfishness, malice, cynicism, and arrogance. He is willing to sacrifice others for his own gain, often employing malicious, rumor-filled, suspicious, and self-centered tactics to publish sensational gossip news in tabloid magazines. He frequently resorts to methods that tarnish the reputations of others.
In general circumstances, he appears relatively amiable, but his demeanor during conversations can come across as casual and cunning, giving off an air of rudeness. When faced with unexpected situations and losing his composure, he becomes emotionally charged and prone to anger. Additionally, due to his self-centered nature, he lacks empathy and considerate behavior when interacting with those around him.
He holds an extreme contemptuous attitude towards GUYS, often provoking them based on the "vulnerability" of civilians and the "Freedom of speech" of journalists. He even harbors intense hostility and absurd prejudice towards the existence of Ultraman. He goes as far as derogatively labeling them not only as "monsters,” but even as aliens that are no different from Kaiju and other hostile alien species for having “harmful and destructive desires to invade Earth and enslave humanity.” This has further fueled evident alienation and conflicts between Hirukawa and others.
==History==
===Pre-Ultraman Mebius===
Hirukawa is a journalist for a weekly news magazine. At the beginning of the series, he seemingly wrote a critical article about the football player George Ikaruga's departure from the team. The article claimed that George faced the team's dissatisfaction due to his "attention-seeking performance," and after suffering a leg injury, he left the main lineup, which surprisingly relieved the entire team. The article mentioned that retired football players could only join GUYS, and only those who are arrogant and timid would come up with excuses for themselves. These remarks deeply angered George and created a strong resentment towards Hirukawa thereafter.
===Ultraman Mebius===
During his initial appearance, with the aim of obtaining gossip news about GUYS members, Hirukawa took notice of Konomi Amagai's childhood friend and former actor, Jun Suzaki, who had left the entertainment industry due to a past alleged involvement in a harm case. The two conspired to collaborate. Hirukawa, disguised as Suzaki's "friend," attempted to contact Konomi under this false identity, seeking to gather insider information about GUYS.
However, influenced by prior malicious reports, George quickly discerned Hirukawa's true identity. In the course of questioning GUYS members, George unveiled the real motive behind Suzaki's interaction with Konomi, revealing the truth to the GUYS members as well.
Nevertheless, Hirukawa remained undeterred by these developments. He utilized a camera to covertly film the agitated and unsettled GUYS members, provoking their anger. The attempted actions of Hirukawa infuriated the GUYS members, who tried to approach him, while he attempted to manipulate the situation to appear as a scene of "violence against an ordinary citizen." Subsequently, he successfully captured footage of Mirai Hibino's anger towards Suzaki for deceiving Konomi and attempting to assault him, then fled the scene amidst the chaos. However, with the news of the appearance of Nova, the GUYS members were forced to abandon the pursuit of Hirukawa, redirecting their attention to the new threat.
As events unfolded, Suzaki eventually reflected on his actions and returned the photos and relevant data, which Hirukawa had covertly taken, to Konomi. He assured her that he would no longer have any contact with Hirukawa in the future. This also resulted in Hirukawa's attempt to discredit GUYS through his reporting plan ending in failure.
After a period of time, due to the previous events, he developed a growing resentment towards Mirai. He diligently searched the city for potential scandalous material to discredit GUYS. By chance, he stumbled upon Mirai's date with marine researcher Aya Jinguji and proceeded to shadow them. He even attempted to interview Mirai in a confrontational and sarcastic manner. However, faced with Aya's unwavering demeanor, he was met with rejection. Despite this, he persistently continued to pursue the two of them.
Shortly thereafter, the three of them unexpectedly witnessed the appearance of Mebius Killer in the city. Startled by the sight, Hirukawa even pushed Aya away in haste to flee the scene. However, after Ultraman Mebius successfully defeated the Mebius Killer, he returned to the side of the already exhausted Mirai. He once again confronted Mirai in a more taunting manner. However, at that moment, due to Yapool's intervention, he, Mirai, and the nearby Aya were kidnapped and drawn into a parallel dimension.
Upon realizing they were in a parallel dimension within a desolate city, Hirukawa felt despair and panic. He continuously blamed Mirai, exclaiming, "It's all because of you!" and took out his frustration by physically assaulting Mirai.
However, utilizing his defensive skills, Mirai managed to protect himself and Aya. Upon witnessing this scene, Yapool became aware of Mirai's identity. However, succumbing to panic once again, he resisted any contact with Mirai and venomously shouted at him, "Don't touch me! Monster!" Yapool's strategy involves exploiting human selfish psychology to psychologically manipulate Mebius. His true intention is to showcase Hirukawa's ugly behavior to Mirai, leading him to feel disappointed in humanity and guiding him to join forces with Yapool.
However, Mirai remained resolute in his unwavering belief in humanity. Following that, he transformed into Mebius, defeated Yapool, and successfully rescued Aya and Hirukawa, enabling the three of them to return to their original world. Nevertheless, Hirukawa showed no remorse or regret for Mirai's assistance. He cast an ominous smile at Mirai, stating, "I won't stay silent," and left the scene with a vague and meaningful expression.
Later, he published an article in a weekly magazine titled "Infiltration of Alien Threats by GUYS." He exposed Mirai's true identity to the Japanese media and personally appeared on television programs to launch an attack against Mirai and GUYS. This caused a societal shock, aiming to undermine the trust society had in GUYS and Mebius.
As Earth was facing threats from the Alien Empera at this time, they demanded the surrender of Mebius. This proclamation eventually led to Mirai being plunged into a crisis of being expelled from Earth, nearly facing detention by the Government of Japan.
However, when GUYS Director Shingo Sakomizu took the stage for a live broadcast speech, Hirukawa displayed a disdainful attitude towards Sakomizu's remarks. He mocked and taunted him on the program, only to be sharply reprimanded by the co-host present. Yet, hearing Sakomizu emphasize that humanity wouldn't surrender Mirai and needed to unite against the Alien Empera threat actually bolstered trust in GUYS and Mebius among people, completely contradicting Hirukawa's plan.
Amidst the changing public sentiment, Hirukawa's expression began to display confusion and anxiety, his face appearing vacant. Ultimately, his scheme came to a pitiable end in failure.
==Gallery==
===Ultraman Mebius===
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===Miscellaneous===
Mitsuhiko Hirukawa Miscellaneous 1.jpeg
==Trivia==
*Hirukawa is the second antagonist portrayed by Kosei Kato in the Ultraman series. He previously appeared as Mitsuhiko Ishibori in Ultraman Nexus.
Category:Ultraman Mebius
Category:Ultraman Mebius Characters
Category:Human Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Civilians
Category:Human Villains
Category:Reporters