Kei

* Kei
* The Dragon

**Kei**, also known by his online persona as the **Dragon** (**Ryū 竜**) in the world of U, is the deuteragonist of the 2021 Japanese animated science fantasy film *Belle*. He is considered a threat to the balance of U, and is chased down by the vigilante group, the Justices, who are convinced he needs to be stopped. In real life, he is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives with his abusive father and younger brother, Tomo.

## Description

A mysterious AS in the shape of a dragon that people believe disrupts order in U. It becomes the target of trolling and abuse both in U and the real world.

Will the dragon slowly open its heart to Belle's gentle singing voice?

## Biography

Kei and his younger brother, Tomo, suffer physical and verbal abuse at the hands of their father, who mourns the loss of their late mother. While Kei tries to protect his brother as best he can, he partakes in the virtual world of U as a dragon-like avatar, using his alter ego to let out the aggression he receives in real life. Due to U avatars being unique, where they share biometrics with the sole user, his entire back is covered with bruises.

Suzu Naito grows curious about the Dragon, who interrupts her concert whilst being chased by the vigilante group, the Justices, led by Justin who believes the Dragon incites disorderly and violence. She discovers that the Dragon is popular amongst children, who consider him to be their hero. Eventually, Suzu is able to find Kei's true identity after hearing his younger brother sing the song that should be known only by her and the Dragon. She witnesses their abusive father from a live video. While Suzu attempts to reach out for help, Kei doesn't believe she's Belle. In order to gain his trust, Shinobu Hisatake suggests for her to sing as her true self. This leads to Suzu unveiling herself to the entire universe, and gains support from everyone watching.

Watching Suzu, Kei is willing to trust and tries to contact her. However, his father has witnessed the recorded video of his abuse posted online and immediately cuts off the internet connection before Kei can share his address. From the recording of the room, Kamishin recognizes the buildings near Kei's hometown, which are located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa. Since the authorities cannot act until 48 hours have passed, Suzu rushes to the city herself to find Kei and Tomo, shadowing her own mother's actions to rescue a child. Arriving at their hometown, Suzu protects them from their father, who shows remorse upon seeing Suzu shield Kei and Tomo with her own body. Afterwards, Suzu and Kei thank each other and go their separate ways.

## Trivia

* Director Mamoru Hosoda noted of the heavy theme to *Insider*, "Oftentimes I feel these certain themes, child abuse, are tabooed in animation, because animation is often seen as a medium that will be viewed by families and kids. If you try to hide these and taboo it out of entertainment and media, it's almost as though you're saying that these issues don't exist."
	+ He elaborated to *Newsweek* of Kei's defense mechanism in [[U], "The reason that I wanted to show this situation that you wouldn't normally see in an animated film is because it's based on the internet, in this online world, and it needed to show these social problems for that reason, because everyone has secrets [...] But, the internet is a place where anonymity can allow us to share [our] secrets and that can really save some people. Even the opportunity to let it out just a little bit can really lighten the load. Which is why it was important to show that." He also did research and worked with organizations related to social services and child protective agencies.
* An early concept design t-shirt of The Dragon was sold in select stores, partnered with the Japanese clothing company, Uniqlo.

## Gallery

Images
**@StudioChizu**: "This T-shirt features concept art for the dragon in #BELLE. The images on the dragon’s body reveal his inner world. 🐉"
* October 19, 2021
* Twitter
**@StudioChizu**: "An early study for the Dragon by Kageichi Akiya. 🐲"
* March 31, 2023
* Twitter
**@StudioChizu**: "Left: Director Mamoru Hosoda's pencil sketch for publicity art for #BELLE. ✏️"
* May 19, 2023
* Twitter
**@StudioChizu**: "Right: The final image. A touching portrait of the Dragon and Belle."
* May 19, 2023
* Twitter

Videos
* Clip: Meeting the Dragon

## References

1. ↑ Haasch, Palmer (January 22, 2022). "'Belle' Director Mamoru Hosoda Doesn't Think Issues Like Child Abuse Should Be 'Taboo' in Animation". *Insider*.
2. ↑ Simons, Roxy (January 15, 2022). "Mamoru Hosoda on How 'Belle' Depicts Real-Life Child Abuse Crisis". *Newsweek*.
3. ↑ "Mamoru Hosoda Animation Works". *uniqlo.com*. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021.