Atsuko Chiba

Atsuko Chiba and her alter ego, Paprika, are the main protagonists in the 2006 anime science fiction film Paprika. She is a psychiatrist at the Institute for Psychiatric Research, and a member of the DC development team. Atasuko uses the DC Mini, a portable version of the machine to perform unauthorized psychiatric treatments as Paprika, her hyper-feminine, outgoing alter-ego.
She is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara in the Japanese version, and by Cindy Robinson in the English version.
==Appearance==
Atsuko is an attractive young woman with a pale skin complexion, black hair that is tied into a bun with bangs swept to the left side and black eyes. She often wears suits, a pencil skirt, black pantyhose and high heels.
As Paprika (Atsuko's alter ego), she has curly, short red hair with a slightly-darker skin tone. She is always seen wearing a red shirt with a white belt, jeans and sneakers.
==Story==
Many scientists have created a device called the "DC" that allows people to go into other people's dreams and record them. One of these people is the titular Paprika, a colorful and perky young dream therapist. She's the dream avatar of Dr. Atsuko Chiba, one of the scientists involved in the creation of the DC. Things start to go wrong when prototypes of the DC-Mini, a portable version of the DC machine, go missing; the prototypes are missing a vital piece of programming which, basically, protects DC-Mini users' minds from being hacked.
Things get even more dangerous when it's discovered that the thieves are using the megalomaniacal dream of an insane person as a Weapon of Mass Destruction. People who used the DC machines frequently in the past, such as Chiba, are at risk for being "infected" by the mad dream, and it's up to Chiba/Paprika, the DC's naive yet brilliant creator Kosaku Tokita, and stressed-out detective Toshimi Konakawa to save the day before reality gets invaded by the unstable dream land.
==Personality==
Atsuko is a very cold and very professional woman in the real world, and at times even a little harsh. However, though she can usually only express empathy and joy as Paprika, these emotions do exist, resulting in surprising moments of friendship with Shima and Tokita.
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:Anime Heroes
Category:Science Fiction Heroes
Category:Female
Category:Amazons
Category:Freedom Fighters
Category:Alter-Ego
Category:Doctors and Scientists
Category:Genius
Category:Pessimists
Category:Rescuers
Category:Harmonizers
Category:Loyal
Category:Honest
Category:Optimists
Category:Honorable