Ryou

Ryou as he appears in Chapter 21

Ryou (了) is a minor antagonist that appears in the Kara no Kioku manga. He appears to be a human with a shadow.

## Personality

Ryou tries to keep any situation under control, however, if something goes wrong, he becomes nervous. He is willing to disregard the wellbeing of others for his purpose. He appears to be rather weak-willed, as he immediately surrendered upon his defeat, although it may have been that Yuu told him to do so as part of his plan.

## Appearance

He is a photographer with a gaseous, snake-like shadow. He wears a blue shirt with small triangle-shaped embellishments on the front, black pants and black shoes.

## History

Ryou first appears at the end of Chapter 19, where he is seen taking a photo of an unknown body. He laughs and assesses that this person "made a withdrawal." At this point, his name was not revealed.

In Chapter 21, Rei and Tobi overhear people talking about a new popular photographer while at the cafe owned by Yukito's relative. Ryou, the photographer in question, then appears on the TV screen in an interview. He claims to be able to capture every little detail on camera, including "the lurking shadows".

Ryou is further described to be known for selling scandalous photos of celebrities to the press, that people describe as having an "otherworldly quality". It is theorized by Mai that this quality is due to the abilities of his shadow. Despite his popularity, Ryou has been criticized for the negative effects his photos have on the lives of those who appear in them.

A majority of his backstory is revealed in Chapter 27, where Mai uses her clairvoyance to read his mind.

## Relationships

### Yuu

Ryou followed a trail of suspicious events that his camera showed him, leading him to Nagi's hospital room, where he finds Yuu possessing Nagi's body. Upon meeting him, Ryou comments that his manner speech is incredibly gentle, yet makes him feel a sense of bottomless dread. Yuu offers Ryou a deal; He will teach Ryou about his shadow's abilities and how to use them, in exchange for Ryou capturing Q-ta.
It's revealed later that Yuu only used Ryou to attack Agents' secret base, possessing him and using his body as a way to gain access to the facility. It's implied that Yuu only viewed Ryou as a pawn and likely only told him necessary information, as Ryou did not realize his shadow's weakness against creatures without eyes.

### Ryou's Mother

Ryou's mother is the one who gave Ryou his camera. They care deeply for each other. Ryou's main motivation in helping Yuu is to make money so he can afford treatment for his mother, who is seriously ill.

### Ryou's Shadow

Ryou and his shadow coexist in a parasitic-like relationship, according to Mai. It's implied that the reason Ryou's camera started showing past events is due to his shadow's influence, as his shadow's first fully-formed appearance is the moment Ryou's camera takes the first image on its own. Ryou does not appear to be very close to his shadow, never giving it a name nor even directly addressing it. This may be because Yuu told Ryou things about his shadow, rather than letting him confront his own heart and figure things out.

## Trivia

* Gin and Mashiro from Promise, and the boy from Demon Dance Tokyo, are also cameramen. It's theorized by some that they may be prototypes or inspiration for Ryou.
* His shadow is unable to attack anyone, only allowing them to be frozen in place.
	+ It maintains its power through eye contact, meaning creatures with no eyes, such as Baku, are immune to its effect.
	+ Since it doesn't have any combat abilities, Ryou carries a knife with him as a weapon.