Aya Tademaru

* Anime
* Manga

**Aya Tademaru** (蓼丸 (たでまる) 綾 (あや) ,, *Tademaru Aya*?) is the younger sister of Shiki Tademaru and revealed to be the **Golden Spider Webbing**.

## Appearance

Aya is a young girl with long, pink hair. She wears a short-sleeved dress with a collar.

After arriving to Tokyo and her mother awakening from sleep, she begins to wear a high pony tail. She also wears a crop top and a pink jacket, matching her hair color and short denim shorts. Aya is also seen wearing red sneakers.

Later in the manga, Aya cuts off her ponytail and gives it to Kabane. She says it can heal light injuries, and doesn't seem to care too much about her lost hair.

Aya as a babyAya's former look
## Personality

When first introduced, Aya seemed to be shy and innocent to those around her. However, she is quickly revealed to be quite confident, loud-mouthed and bratty, especially to Shiki. Despite being described as obnoxious by others, Aya is kind and often tries to help those that need her abilities.

Aya is mature and smart well beyond her age, likely a result of being raised under a harsh setting. She's also very precocious and makes several advances on Kabane, which the latter is oblivious of.

## Background

Aya is the result of many experiments of Akio Tademaru to be able to create the healing silk. She was born with the ability to heal with threaded powers.

## Plot

### Shiki Arc

Aya sees Kabane and Shiki in a souvenir shop, but says nothing. Later, when the group faces Akio Tademaru and his kemono creations, Aya appears in front of Kohachi Inugami and Akira and tells the kemono to not attack them. As Inugami is poisoned, she takes him to a spring, believing that the spring has healing effects from what she has seen in the past. Dipping his hand into the spring, Inugami heals his poisoned arm. Then, Aya exchanges a favor with them to have Akio alive.

Returning to Kabane, Shiki and Akio, Aya confronts Akio wanting to know where he hid the cocoon she made. Realizing that way she cannot leave him or kill him, Akio doesn't want to reveal where it was hidden. Inugami then offers his service as detective and calls Mihai Florescu, who recalls Akio's previous investigation. It was revealed that he had often go visit four locations, one of which was the spring with flowers. Shiki recalls those are his mothers favorite flowers. Aya realizes the cocoon she had made must have started to dissolve in the water, which explains why the spring can heal. They get to the spring and Shiki goes in it. As he emerges, he confirms that he found a cocoon with his mother in it. Aya is glad that she found her and reveals she is the Golden Thread.

## Appearances

**Manga Appearances**
*Chapters in order of appearance*

Shiki Arc

* Chapter 11 - The Spider's Thread
* Chapter 12 - Madness
* Chapter 13 - Dearest Wish
* Chapter 14 - The Golden Thread

Intermission Arc

* Chapter 15 - Takeshita Street, Harujuku's Obsession
* Chapter 16 - Kabane's Long Day

Akira Arc

* Chapter 18 - The Stone That Brings Death
* Chapter 21 - Operation Everybody Gets Along

**Anime Appearances**
*Episodes in order of appearance*

Shiki Arc

* Episode 7 - Home
* Episode 8 - Truth
* Episode 9 - Family

Intermission Arc

* Episode 9 - Family

## Relationships

### Shiki Tademaru

As she grew under harsh circumstances from Akio, she eventually came to learn that she had a brother, Shiki. As she was younger and read fairy tales, she idolized Shiki as her potential "White Knight" that would come to save her and mother with the three living together afterwards, although she quickly realized such ideas were mere fantasies. When she did meet Shiki, she acted meek, ashamed and full of guilt, blaming herself for causing her mother and Shiki in pain and tried to distance herself from him and even Kumi. Shiki, however received her with open arms as their mother woke up again, much to her delight.

Following the battle against Akio, Aya has a much different attitude with Shiki, being snarkier, loud, mocking and even authoritative to which Shiki responds with annoyance, which is all in all a fairly normal sibling relationship. Shiki himself is horrified by Aya's advances on Kabane, thinking it is both unbecoming of her age along with the fact that if Kabane *does* marry Aya, he will become his brother.

### Kumi Yamagumonoko

Aya loves her mother deeply, but at the same time feels tremendous guilt regarding her, thinking it is her fault that Kumi was put through so much pain by Akio. Although, Aya wished nothing more to find her and see if she was alright. Ultimately, Kumi welcomed both children with open arms, much to Aya's delight.

### Akio Tademaru

Aya feels nothing but profound disgust towards her uncle, who raised her only as a means to secure his own legacy, treating her little more than an object as well as being abusive to her mother whom he also exploited for his selfish ends. Although she gets along well with all the other failed offsprings, she's genuinely horrified by the inhuman experiments Akio performed and his cruelty in hiding her mom from her as a means of insurance.

### Kabane Kusaka

Aya meets Kabane when they went to Kinshi-go to gather information about Shiki's parents although they never communicated much. After moving to Tokyo, Aya starts to get intrigued by Kabane's actions and even wants him to become her boyfriend. Aya would also go to the agency just to meet him and go out with him.

## Etymology

* Aya's given name means "**damask silk**" (綾, aya).
* Her surname contains the kanji for "**knotweed**" (蓼, *tade*) and "**round**" (丸, *maru*).

## Trivia

* Her favorite fashion style is cool and sport.
* Her least favorite fashion style is frilly and childish.
* She went to a thrift shop when she first came to Tokyo.
* She is against being on full display.
* She wears an apron when cooking because she doesn't want to get her clothes dirty.

## References

*Kemono Jihen* Manga: Chapter 15.
*Kemono Jihen* Manga: Volume 4.
*Kemono Jihen* Manga: Volume 5.