Hattori Hanzou

* Novel
* Manga
* Railgun
* Imaginary Fest

**Hattori Hanzou** (服部 半蔵, *Hattori Hanzō*?) is a character introduced in *Toaru Majutsu no Index*. A ninja from the pure line of the **Hattori clan** (服部家, ***Hattori clan***?), he hid his status and went to Academy City. Initially a member of Komaba Ritoku's Skill-Out, he becomes its leader after the death of Ritoku and the abdication of Hamazura Shiage.

## Etymology

Hattori Hanzou was the name of a famous ninja from the Sengoku Period; the fact that Hanzou comes from a ninja family is an obvious reference to that, as noted by even Hamazura Shiage.

## Appearance

Hattori Hanzou is the agile type of fighter and not very big in comparison to Komaba Ritoku. He usually wears black clothes decorated with white cross patterns.

## Personality

Despite being a ninja descendant, Hanzou looks and acts like a typical delinquent, willing to beat weak people if it gives them easy money. In spite of this, he is very loyal to his group as well as the people in it. He is the one willing enough to take control of the remnants of Komaba Ritoku's Skill-Out after he died and after Shiage abdicated his position and runs it according to how Ritoku would have run it. He is also reasonable and kind to the people he knows, understanding Shiage's reasoning for leaving Skill-Out, and even helping him from thugs. Another example is him sparing Kuruwa despite going against the tenets of being a ninja as well as trying to cover her after she removed her clothes as courtesy for her.

As a ninja descendant, he strictly adheres to the tenets of a ninja being in a supporting role and hide in the shadows, though this seemingly doesn't influence his role as a Skill-Out.

## Background

Hanzou is a descendant of the pure Hattori line. Though through Kuruwa's reactions to Shiage's wild mass guessing of Hanzou's status, Hanzou is likely part of some conspiracy involving "some ninja faction that's going to plunge Hanzou into some kind of miracle battle".

He later arrives in Academy City, hide his status, though not his name, and somehow ends up in Skill-Out. The very act that he is in Skill-Out, a group of armed Level 0s, suggests that he went through the Power Curriculum Program as well.

## Chronology

### Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Battle Royale Arc

*Main article: Battle Royale Arc*
According to Shiage, Hanzou may have been trying to break into ATM machines again when he was around the area he found Shiage being beaten down by a thug. Hanzou calls out to him and tosses a pipe for him to fight back. As Shiage is too preoccupied with beating up the thug who attacked him, Hanzou was forced to even the odds some more, throwing a brick at one of them who had brought out his hammer. He then proceeds to run away with Shiage afterwards. Hanzou berates Shiage for being hung up with victory over the thug to the point that he could've been killed. After checking that no one was following them, Shiage asks Hanzou why he saved him despite running out of Skill-Out. Hanzou points out that isn't something for him to say, as Skill-Out doesn't bear a grudge against him. He tells Shiage on how they don't think their fall was his fault and that no matter who was their leader at that time they would've still fallen. Shiage could not respond but Hanzou keeps on speaking, saying that though it was fun with Ritoku and him with all their little plans, it wasn't at all a nice path to make him want to cling to it. Shiage agrees that it was a terrible life they had but it was at least fun. With that, Hanzou asks what he is going to do now. Shiage says he doesn't know as he thinks that his situation will be the same no matter where he ends up in, even if he goes back to Skill-Out, and that there is no value in going back to it. Hearing this as Shiage started to walk away, Hanzou takes a small handgun from his pocket and tossed it to Shiage, saying that he needs it. Shiage points out that it was a lady's handgun, though Hanzou says that it doesn't matter as a weapon that's a little hard to use is perfect. Shiage then puts away the gun and leaves the alleyway they were in without looking back at Hanzou.

Hanzou was monitoring radio channels during Shiage's battle with Mugino Shizuri in a botanical ethanol fuel plant in School District 3 and meets up with him right after he defeats her. Hanzou appears and calls out to him, saying on how he heard of Shiage's victory over a Level 5 all on his own. Although Shiage is surprised on he could've known, he remembers the handgun and says to Hanzou on how it came in handy. Hanzou praises Shiage for defeating a Level 5 using the handgun as he took out two cigarettes for the both of them. Hanzou says that with that kind of accomplishment no one will reject Shiage now, despite the fact that were not many people who hated him in the first place. Hanzou then tells Shiage to come back to Skill-Out as there are people waiting for him there. Shiage however apologizes, saying with a smile on how he has something he has to do. Hanzou clicks his tongue and remarks on Shiage makes him jealous, but accepts his explanation, not pressing Shiage any further. Hanzou tells Shiage on how he'll now be consolidating Skill-Out for the moment, until Shiage decides to return to them after he is done with what he has to do. With that, they bumped fists and parted ways once again.

### Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Freshmen Arc

*Main article: Freshmen Arc*
Shiage meets Hanzou after running away from some delinquents that had attacked him while he was with ITEM. The two boys enter a set meal restaurant and talk about Shiage's current situation and his aspirations of finding work to support his girlfriend. Hanzou leaves the restaurant when he receives a message, lying to Shiage when he asks what the message is about by calling it a money-making opportunity, when he's actually going to go to Fremea Seivelun's side, as he has taken up Ritoku's role as her guardian.

Hanzou had been tailed by the Freshmen, who were after Fremea, forcing him and Fremea to escape into an underground mall. The two are chased by the Enemy Blaster, a miltary Powered Suit. Thanks to the environment causing some interference with the suit's targeting equipment, Hanzou and Fremea don't receive a direct hit from the suit's shells, but are still hurt and thrown around by the shockwaves caused by the shells. After a failed attempt from Anti-Skill members in the mall to stop the suit, the suit finally cornered its prey when the damage Hanzou had received from the shell's shockwaves threw his balance off and caused him to fall. However, he and Fremea were saved by the intervention of Shiage, who helped them escape.

Hanzou was angry at himself for for getting Shiage involved when he was finally getting ahead in life in a clean way, but he and Shiage decide to collaborate to protect Fremea, with Shiage suggesting to use a private salon in School District 3 to hide, as all of Hanzou's hideouts were compromised. Once there Hanzou and Shiage try to figure out why people are chasing Fremea, who's supposed to be a worthless Level 0 to the city. Hanzou also contacts Kuruwa and asks he to come and meet them so that they can all move to one of her hideouts. However, Kuruwa takes too long to come, worrying Hanzou, who eventually leaves Shiage and Fremea to go find Kuruwa.

After Fremea is kidnapped by Silvercross Alpha, Shiage contacts Hanzou, who had found Kuruwa. Hanzou makes a MAV to track the fleeing kidnapper and Fremea, but warns Shiage the MAV can't follow them too far becuase of range limitations. When Shiage rescues Fremea he hands her to Hanzou while he fights Silvercross, but Hanzou leaves Fremea with Kuruwa and comes back to get Shiage, fleeing from Silvercross' powered suit colelction and leading him to Kuruwa's nearby hideout, an abandoned supermarket.

Hanzou, Shiage and Kuruwa make a last stand in the supermarket and fight against the powered suits sent to kill them and Fremea, including a Railgun FIVE Over.

#### Magic God Othinus Arc

*Main article: Magic God Othinus Arc*
In the final recreation of the world by Othinus created specifically to break Touma's spirit, known as the *Version\_Omega* world in-text, where several characters from the original world have been "saved" or have not experienced great tragedy, Ritoku survives and has somehow become part of ITEM as a subordinate. Hamazura Shiage, Hattori Hanzou, Komaba Ritoku, and Fremea Seivelun are first sighted by Kamijou Touma entering a family restaurant where ITEM is in, apparently late. Here, Saiai asks why they are late and why their efficiency is dropping as they gained more subordinates. Shiage blames Hanzou for the shortcut they took, but Hanzou says it is because Ritoku could not leave a vending machine with a roulette alone. Frenda, who is alive in this reality, wonders how Fremea could be so attached to a macho man like him.

#### Magic God Invasion Arc

*Main article: Magic God Invasion Arc*
Both Hanzou and Kuruwa are on the same subway train as Akikawa Mie during her adventures with the Liquid Diamond. Due to High Priest's rampage in School District 5, the train comes to halt, surprising the already fearful Mie. Mie bumps into some people as the train comes to a stop, which includes Hanzou and Kuruwa. Kuruwa accuses Hanzou of being a pervert, believing him to have molested Mie, which he denies. Kuruwa doesn't believe him, and says that she will train him for losing control, much to his chagrin. As they argue Mie leaves the train on her own determined to get the Liquid Diamond to her mother.

Both Hanzou and Kuruwa end up where Mie is after finally delivering the Liquid Diamond to her mother and father. When Kenzan Shouji pulled out a gun (stolen from Shiosai) to force Mie to give the Liquid Diamond to him, despite the presence of a crowd, Hanzou and Kuruwa draw out their weapons. However, Shouji's friend, Higata Akio, tries to incapacitate him, though it is the subsequent attack of Shiosai and Mie's father that knocks him out. After seeing the matter all settled, Hanzou and Kuruwa hide their weapons again as their "jobs" have been taken away from them, though Kuruwa is relieved they don't have to do anything.

#### Processor Suit Arc

*Main article: Processor Suit Arc*
Late on December 11th, Hanzou was using Kuruwa's computer for an online game, unaware that Hamazura Shiage was trying to call him.

## Abilities

As a member of Skill-Out, Hanzou prefers to make use of a handgun with dealing with enemies, and as with how these things go would rather gang up on a weaker opponent, as he states to Shiage when discussing on how they steal money. However, as a ninja, he is very skilled. Following the pragmatic tenets of the ninjas, he uses trickery and deception to beat opponents. As a ninja he prefers to use to kill opponents in the first strike, and if that fails would rather flee, though he is skilled enough to hold himself back.

He prefers to use a weapon that can easily be concealed like the **Uchine** (打ち根, ***Uchine***?). The Uchine is an extremely short arrow only about 15 centimeters long. It is used for stabbing and not throwing, and is mostly used for assassinations. In spite of the short range of the weapon, Hanzou's ninja skills allow him to compensate for its drawbacks.

Hanzou carries a modified cell phone that can pick up electromagnetic waves other than the ones intended for phones. For example, the radio signals from Anti-Skill. He also has a device called **Shield AED** (シールドAED, ***Shield AED***?) that automatically applies an electric shock to Hanzou's chest in response to the level of his brain waves. The device is capable of making him regain consciousness 3 seconds after he had been knocked out by the shock wave caused by a smoothbore gun's shell.

Hanzou can build a **MAV** (Micro Air Vehicle) by folding a 30 cm square piece of thick waterproofed paper into a paper airplane and adding a couple of motors about the size of the nail on his pinky in a couple of places, some small flaps and a rudder, and taping on a camera and transceiver to the bottom. The MAV can be used as a flying radio-controlled camera. The MAV can fly at 150kph. Since its using a signal transmission meant for a toy, it can't reach very far.

## Quotes

* (After being captured by Aiho, from Index Volume SS2): *"I think I'm in love."*
* (To Kuruwa, ibid): *"I think you’re a little confused about what a ninja is. A ninja was originally a bandit hired by some powerful military commander; it wasn’t something that had ‘pure lines’ or anything. Sure, some of that started later, but the farther you look into our origin, the more it becomes clear that a ninja can really just be anyone."*
* (To Kuruwa, ibid): *"Look, let me give you a tip: learn to be like a weed, think like a poisonous insect, and honor your own supporting role. Weeds are everywhere, we will never be rid of poisonous insects, and the supporting roles blend into the background. Taking all of that together and condensing it gives you the essence of what a ninja is."*
* (To Shiage, NT1): *"…You had gained what none of us in Skill-Out had been able to gain. You had a girl! You were thinking about what to do in the future! You were going ahead on an honest path!! You were studying to open a road service!! So why did you come here and come back into contact with the darkness!? You…you may have destroyed your own dream!! Do you understand that, Hamazura!?”*
* (Upon building a MAV, ibid): *"There really is no place for a ninja now that you can make one of these things with objects bought at a discount shop."*