Akira Ibe

* Garden of Light
* New York Sense

**Akira Ibe** (伊部 晃 *Ibe Akira*) is a character in the *Banana Fish* series. She is the niece of Shunichi Ibe and the future wife of Sing Soo-Ling.

## Appearance

Akira is a young girl of short stature. She had short black hair in a near bowl cut style which caused her to be mistaken for a boy by some.

In New York Sense, she is shown in a traditional Chinese wedding attire, and in a white wedding gown. She has gotten taller since her debut and her hair appears longer.

## Personality

Akira is a kind and curious young girl. She often helps those around her and is also shown to be observant to the emotions and situations of those around her.

## History

Before journeying to New York, Akira was well aware of the hardship between her parents that was mainly stemmed from her father being upset that Akira was born a girl instead of a boy. She appears to have known Eiji for a short time in Japan.

## Plot

At 13 years old, Akira is sent on a trip to visit Eiji Okumura who currently resides in New York City. Although Eiji was supposed to pick her up at the airport, he got caught up at work and asked Sing Soo-Ling to get her. However, Akira was frightened at the sight of Sing and was unsure of his intentions until he proved he knew Eiji and had been asked to get her.

She finally meets with Eiji when at his home and sees how different he is from the last time she saw him. When asked what she would like to do while visiting, she lists a few places she would like to see including the public library but doesn't notice Eiji's reaction when she says this. For the next several days, she spends time with Eiji and Sing as they take her to different locations around the city and notices how Sing stays close to Eiji. She learns that Sing juggles a life between school and business trade but also that she's grown to enjoy the city since she is not as often confused as a boy like in Japan.

One day, she joins Eiji and Sing in preparing a gallery for an art exhibit that will feature Eiji's work when she meets Michael. During this time, she hears Michael ask about art featuring a person named Ash. She remembers hearing the name being mentioned by her uncle Shunichi Ibe and determines that this person is the reason Eiji returned to America.

Because she is not able to find any photographic proof of Ash, she goes to Sing but doesn't get clear answers as Sing claims Ash is the name of the computer he uses. As she does not fully buy his story, she asks if Ash was a person Eiji loves. Sing confirms Eiji loves Ash and causes Akira to become jealous when he states that Ash was incredibly beautiful. When she meets with Michael back at the gallery, she asks him about Ash and learns that Michael looked up to him, Akira learning at this point that Ash is a man and not a woman.

When she turns to Sing once more to confirm this information, he takes her to his former neighborhood and building where he proceeds to tell her that the love between Ash and Eiji connected their very souls and the bond never broke, not even after Ash's death at the hands of Sing's half-brother Lao.

The following day, the trio made a trip to Cape Cod so Eiji could take photos. As she took time to walk Eiji's dog, Buddy, Sing learned the truth about her family's current hardship mainly caused by her father and his disappointment at Akira having been born a girl instead of a boy like he wanted, a fact that only became worse when she entered womanhood and her father stopped returning home. Akira seems to have accepted this reality of her family.

When they returned to New York, Akira finally sees a picture of Ash when Eiji adds his photo to his exhibition and obtains a better understanding of the man Eiji loved. She also witnesses Sing seem to overcome his own past.

When her trip comes to an end, Akira tells Sing that she is glad to have been born a girl as it means she can marry Eiji when she's older. Sing naturally teases her about this until she points out how old he'll be when she becomes an adult, and they make their way to the airport.

## Relationships

* **Eiji Okumura**: Akira has a good friendship with Eiji and was shown to have briefly knew him when he was still in Japan. When she temporarily stayed with him in New York, she appears to have developed a crush on him and had mentioned to Sing how she wanted to marry him when she was an adult.

* **Sing Soo-Ling**: Akira became close to Sing, the two often teasing one another and learning about their respective pasts and hardships. Through several talks, they came to better understand each other and help the other overcome several troubled areas. In New York Sense, they are revealed to have gotten married and have a son.

* **Unnamed parents**: Although not much is known about her relationship with her parents, Akira is stated to hold great guilt about their relationship since her father was greatly upset that she was born a girl and eventually left the family when she entered puberty. It is implied that she and her mother do get along.

* **Shunichi Ibe**: Akira often mentions times when she and Ibe spent time together and have a close relationship.

## Etymology

* Courtesy by Eiji Okumura, the name **Akira** means "clear, dawn" (晃), same with the meaning of Ash Lynx's real name, **Aslan**.

* Akira's surname **Ibe** means "that one" (伊) (**i**) and "part, department, category" (部) (**be**).