Ryotaro Date

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With Imagigear

**Ryotaro Date** is one of the protagonist's companion characters in *Monark*.

## Background

> What's so wrong about sticking to my guns? You wanna get in my way, you better be ready!
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Ryotaro is a haughty second-year high school student at Shin Mikado Academy. He is infamous within the campus for his long list of wild escapades, and has no reservations about openly revealing himself as the Pactbearer of Gluttony. Despite being the heir of the Date Group, an old-money conglomerate, his arrogance isn't very distinguished in nature. On the contrary, he gives off more of a rugged, almost magnetic bad-boy vibe.

In terms of chess Ryotaro is associated with a rook. As you unlock abilities and his Imagigear changes his belt and "shields" have the design of a rook piece on them. His crown also has the pattern of the top of a rook.

In his early life (around but still before he turned 8) Ryotaro watched his mother die in an earthquake when a house collapsed on her while his father and older brother were away for a business trip. In the wake of this Ryotaro was sent to live with his grandfather, Taro Date (who helped build the Archives on Shin Mikado Academy grounds). During this time Taro took him on a trip around the world to share his love and respect of architecture with him. Taro also taught Ryotaro that buildings, especially urban ones, should be able to last generations.

During his time in school (pre-game) Ryotaro went on many "adventures" that were really just a result of his bad, practically non-existence, sense of direction. There are two major ones talked about in-game. The first was him getting lost during the school camping trip and hitchhiking through all of Japan for a month before eventually coming back with a literal truckload of souvenirs. The second involved him going on an unplanned gap year abroad because *he got lost on the way to the entrance ceremony*. There is a third incident that explains why he's a second-year while being the same age as Nozomi, in that he left without telling anyone where he went, and didn't come back for a year. Chiyo also says that many pages in the school's rule book were made *specifically because of Ryotaro*.

Despite all of this Ryotaro is good natured at heart, and is also smart and clever. He is able to deduce who a Pactbearer of Envy is, and is also to (correctly) deduce the existence of a "god" in the Otherworld, reasoning that if Daemons exist, there should also be a higher power. While Sora scoffs at this and claims Daemons are referred to as such because it was how they were named, Ryotaro points out that "Shin Mikado" and "Jingu" mean "Divine Gate" and "shrine" respectively, and Kokoro saw the existence of a gate that could potentially resolve the anomalies with her Precog-analysis. While he's missing a lot of details, Ryotaro is correct in thinking there's a god somewhere in the Otherworld—specifically an *Outer God,* although he doesn't learn until later who it is.

In the current time, Ryotaro is all but disowned in his family. There is no love lost between Ryotaro and his father, who has committed acts of corruption, caused scandals, and skimped during building (not using as many regulations as Taro did) in the span of less than a generation, all for the sake of making a quick and easy buck. His older brother seems to be following in his footsteps. In Act 2 as you shatter Ryotaro's ideals, one of them describes the houses his father builds as "glass/paper" and "like the one mom was in".

Originally when the barrier around the school first appeared, Ryotaro was in the same building as Kurama. Kurama attempted to bring Ryotaro under his control as well with his Authority, only to have Ryotaro soundly defeat him with his own Authority before leaving the building.

When Ryotaro first meets the Protagonist he helps by taking out the Unsettled that were about to attack him. When Ryotaro shakes the Protagonist's hand afterwards he's really trying to take his energy via his Authority. When he is unable to, he quickly realizes that the Protagonist is also a Pactbearer. Together they team up to figure out who the Pactbearer in the second year building is. Ryotaro makes it clear his alliance with the TSC is one of convenience. While he wants out of the school, he refuses to part with his authority, viewing it as a necessity for his future goals.

During the time in the second year building Ryotaro and the Protagonist have several run-ins with Hayate Tsumabuki, a close friend on Ryotaro's grandfather. Ryotaro recalls that Taro spoke of him fondly, which leads to great disappointment when he figures out that Hayate was the Pactbearer of Envy, using his Authority cause great pain to the students in the second year building. Before the boss fight, when Hayate reveals Ryotaro is all but disowned, Ryotaro has his own version of the "why you suck speech" to Hayate. *"Cry me a river. Save me your self-centered excuses. You live in a world where all you do is make up bullshit that justifies your actions. Are you even trying to get me to feel sorry for you? The only thing I feel is skeeved out."*

During Act 2, Ryotaro feels guilt for Chiyo's death. Reasoning that her death is proof the distortions have gotten to the point where calls from the Otherworld are happening outside the Mist and he's helped contribute to it by using his Authority. It's hard for him to admit as much, claiming he's gotten too far and that he is "beyond redemption" and doesn't deserve the chance to atone, partially because he doesn't want to give up his dream of usurping his father and brother from the Date Group without the use of his Authority.

At the end of his route, Ryotaro pounds the ground in frustration at the "death" of the Protagonist, yelling that everything has been taken away from him again.

## Idle Conversation

There are multiple idle conversations that can happen in TSC room as you gain companions, available right as the game starts.

* In an idle conversation with Chiyo, she asks if he's ever been in a relationship or dated anyone. Ryotaro states he's never been in one, but not because of bad luck with girls. The only girl he intends to date is the one he intends to marry and support for the rest of his life. This shocks Chiyo to the point of calling him old-fashioned and wholesome.

## Profile

From the in-game smartphone profile:

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> A member of the Go-Home Club who enrolled in the academy for high school.
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> A haughty second-year who has been held back before, he is also the heir of the Date Group, an old-money conglomerate.
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> Despite his pedigree, he doesn't abuse his family standing, and his arrogance isn't very distinguished in nature. On the contrary, he gives off more of a rugged, almost magnetic bad-boy vibe.
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> His countless wild escapades are well-known throughout campus.
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