Alfredo Takahitsuji

Alfredo Takahitsuji (高羊 アルフレッド) is the heir of the prestigious Takahitsuji clan and one of the main protagonists of Kindred Hearts.

His title is "Vermilion Blade of Vengeance" (復讐の朱刃 *Fukushuu no Shujin*)

## Appearance

Alfredo is an Esper boy with a short and spiky black hair and a pair of ruby-like vermilion eyes. His physique is slightly tall and toned, probably from his intense training regime. His casual outfit consists of a black open hoodie with a white shirt underneath, a pair of blue loose denim pants and a pair of black sneakers. He also wears a pendant with a red meteor shard, a heirloom from his mother Mizuki. Sometimes he also wears a black hoodie and a pair of matching pants. When using his Sigil, his iris turns from blood red into vibrant light red.

## Personality

Alfredo is a rather introverted person. He rarely talks with anyone except his friends and his elder sister, but he’s actually a nice person. He always treats women with respect, and never wanted to fight one except when he’s forced to. However, Alfredo has a strong sense of vengeance and bent on finding the person responsible for the death of his family, as well as the person pulling the strings behind the incident. That feeling of vengeance is what made his darker split personality, Scarlet Raven. As a side effect of his trauma, he couldn't control his anger and often lashes out at people close to him.

In Broken Wings, he became cynical due to his loss of his alter-ego. He distances himself from others to keep them away from his path. But deep down, he still had kindness inside.

Prior to the events of Kindred Hearts: Zero, Alfredo used to be a friendly person but with a slightly introverted personality. He was mostly well-mannered but often lacks confidence.

After the events of Zero, he grew to be a calm and refined adult with deep concern for his new family.

## Family and relatives

* Lumino Angelus (progenitor from Takeru's side, sacrificed his life prior to the events of Kindred Hearts to seal Dark Nightmare)
* Hajime Yakumo (maternal grandfather, poisoned by Shinzo and Christie)
* Emi Futaba (maternal grandmother, poisoned by Shinzo and Christie)
* Mizuki Takahitsuji, née Futaba (mother, assassinated by Christie)
* Takeru Takahitsuji (father, assassinated by Christie)
* Yuzuki Futaba (aunt and adoptive mother)
* Dr. Marika Takahitsuji (elder sister)
* Catherine L. Futaba (distant relative)
* Yurika Kurihara (fiancée and wife)
* Izana Takahitsuji (son)
* Himeko Takahitsuji (daughter)
* Alyssa Takahitsuji (AU/genderbent self)

## Abilities

* Vermilion Volt: The progenitor of the Kinetic Jolt Sigil, but with a radiant red aura. Unlike Kinetic Jolt, Vermilion Volt lacks electromagnetism. However, Vermilion Volt comes with a set of EX Skills of its own.
* Multiple forms: Alfredo has different forms that gives him additional attributes or Sigil enhancements.
* Scarlet Raven (真紅のカラス, *Shinku no Karasu*): A dark side of his own, who happened to be Dark Nightmare's spawn that possessed him since his days inside Mizuki's womb. With Scarlet Raven by his side, Alfredo gains a Dark attribute, and his personality changes whenever the shadowy being possesses him. Scarlet Raven is the embodiment of Alfredo's vengeance, hatred as well as rage in one.
* Swordsmanship: Alfredo is pretty skilled in sword-based combat, thanks to years of training with his father. He also used to be the captain of Rurigaoka Academy’s kendo club, where he shares his teachings to his juniors. He is armed with the Black Sky sword, one of the two swords Takeru forged from the meteorite that turned his family into Espers. Later on, he will also wield the White Order, which was in Tsubaki's possession during the events of Zero.
* Martial arts: In addition to his swordsmanship, Alfredo also excels in martial arts, namely aikido and judo, taught by his teacher Akira. He uses his martial arts skills when someone knocks his sword off from his hand. He can easily incapacitate and knock out a kickboxer or a wrestler with a single roundhouse kick into their head or by breaking their spine by slamming them into the ground. When combined with Vermilion Volt, Alfredo’s moves becomes even more potent and deadlier.
* Equipment: Alfredo is armed with a katana named Black Sky, which was also a heirloom from his father. It was forged using the meteor that turned his family into Espers. The sword’s blade is exceptionally sharp and hard, and it can cut and tear through almost anything, from flesh to metal. It can even decimate an armored thug with ease. When combined with Vermilion Volt, his sword becomes even more deadlier.

## Forms

* Vermilion Falcon: Alfredo’s default form.
* Scarlet Raven: Alfredo’s dark form, activated after his dark side (who happened to has the same name as this form) took over his body partially. This form has an Electric/Dark attribute and gives Alfredo a more dark yet cruel personality. His outfit turns from black and white to black with some dark turquoise parts, and his irises turns from bright vermilion to deep, blood-like scarlet.
* Hijack Raven: Alfredo’s berserk form, activated after Scarlet Raven fully took over his body. This form has the same attribute as Scarlet Raven, but much stronger and has a feral mind. He only knows vengeance and hatred, yet he has a thirst for bloodshed. His outfit turns into black and scarlet, his hair turns from pure black to black with scarlet tips, and his eyes turns even darker, with black sclera and scarlet irises. He sprouts horns, his back flares out fiery wings and his limbs are covered in a dark, spiky, chitinous armor. Prolonged or excessive usage will drive him into insanity and potentially, turning him into an Allosaurus Deviant.
* Lumino Nova: Alfredo’s light/awakened form, after Scarlet Raven sacrificed himself. This form has an Electric/Light attribute and gives Alfredo a calm, joyous yet stalwart personality, with a strong belief in heroism and justice. He vowed to repent his sins and to protect those who he loved with his blade and Sigil. His outfit turns into yellow and white, his hair turns silver, and his eyes becomes brighter than usual, with a pair of bright vermilion irises and white pupils. However, this form is relatively unstable and might not be able to fight properly later on. After some training during the interim period to Broken Wings, he manages to be able to maintain and stabilize his form for longer periods.
* Eclipse Wings: Alfredo's "advanced default" form, with a rather grim appearance and wearing a black coat worn by the Yakumo clan assassins. This form is pretty fickle, but slightly stronger compared to Vermilion Falcon. It is caused by the lack of Scarlet Raven inside him.
* Lumino Neo: Alfredo's ultimate form, from the fusion of Zero Raven and Lumino's remnants. Light and darkness becomes one, giving him a balanced attribute. In this form, Alfredo's hair becomes two-toned, half black and half white, and appears to be a mix of Lumino Nova and Hijack Raven altogether. He becomes even stronger than usual thanks to the balance of the two rivalling elements, and any senses of vengeance and anger has disappeared. His personality becomes a mix of heroic and arrogant.

## EX Skills

* Vermilion Blitz: Alfredo’s variant of Rachel’s Blitz Kick. It emits a crackling explosion that could send his opponents flying and burning at the same time. He has many variations of this EX Skill, from a flying side kick to a spinning heel kick.
* Izanagi: Channels Vermilion Volt at his right hand, and then rushes at the opponent with one strike or he slices the opponent with a cutting beam, creating an explosion of electricity. This EX Skill is inherited from his mother, Mizuki.
* Midnight Raven Combo: A ten hit combo charged with Vermilion Volt which devastates his opponents. The damage varies on how much power is charged.
* Crimson Dragon Blast: A sphere of pure electricity that can blast an opponent in one shot, but overusage can cause recoil.
* Photon Blaster: Creates a blade of red lightning that can cut through almost anything. A variant of Rachel’s Volt Cutter. This EX Skill can be combined with Black Sky to gain a better slicing edge.
* Volt Vanguard: An electromagnetic forcefield that also serves as Alfredo’s means of defense. A progenitor of Rachel’s Galvanic Shield, but without its magnetic properties.

## Etymology

His name is derived from Alfred, a masculine given name of English origin, formed from the Germanic words ælf, meaning "elf", and ræd, meaning "counsel", while his last name are derived from the kanjis for "high/hawk/eagle" and "goat/sheep", true to his clan's symbol (a black eagle).

## Gallery

Alfredo and Rachel in Kindred Hearts' key art, wearing a different oufit. Drawn by Reei Rein.Concept art of Alfredo's Eclipse Wings formConcept art of Alfredo's Hijack Raven formAlfredo and Scarlet Raven side-by-side key artA younger Alfredo with his mother Mizuki
## Trivia

* Alfredo’s appearance and personality are inspired by various anime, video game and tokusatsu characters, such as Kazuma Kenzaki from Kamen Rider Blade, Daiji Igarashi from Kamen Rider Revice, Ryuga Banjo from Kamen Rider Build, Dan Kuroto from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Hotaro Ichinose from Kamen Rider Gotchard, Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach, Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto, Shadow the Hedgehog from Sonic the Hedgehog series, Ren Amamiya and Makoto Yuuki from Persona series, Accelerator from Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, Sun Ce and Sun Quan from Dynasty Warriors series, Cid Kagenou from The Eminence in Shadows, Rei Sakuma from Ensemble Stars and Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass. His appearance is also based on protagonists from fighting games and shonen animes.
* On the other side, Scarlet Raven is based on Kagero and Vail from Kamen Rider Revice, Zangetsu from Bleach and Gan Ji from Dynasty Warriors series.
* His Lumino Nova form is a tribute to Copen from Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX, and his Lumino Neo form is inspired by Kamen Rider's final/super forms (notably Kamen Rider Evility Live, Destream and Genm Musou Gamer), Uesugi Kenshin from Fate/Grand Order and Ultraman Trigger Truth Type.
* His Hijack Raven form is inspired by Kamen Rider's berserk forms (notably Kamen Rider Jack Revice, Genm Dangerous Zombie and Blade King Form), as well as Ultraman Blazar, Ultraman Orb (the Thunder Breastar form to be exact), Godzilla (its Reiwa variant from Godzilla Minus One to be exact) and *Allosaurus*.
* Alfredo's paternal progenitor, Lumino Angelus was the leader of the Angelus Warriors. He sacrificed himself to seal Dark Nightmare and its Deviant army, only to be unsealed many years later by an undersea earthquake caused by an unknown source. His fellow warriors and Juno mourned for Lumino after his sacrifice, though he came back as a spirit within Alfredo that awakens Lumino Nova, and Neo alongside Scarlet Raven.
* During the development phase back in 2019, Alfredo was originally going to be Rachel’s adoptive son, but the idea was scrapped.
* Just like her elder sister’s name, Alfredo’s name can be mispronounced as Alfred Kouyagi.
* Alfredo's image animal is a falcon, though his image animal is also a raven, depending on his form.
* Due to his past and background, Alfredo is diagnosed with PTSD and dissociative identity disorder.
* Alfredo, Daniel, Kuroi and Hiroki are part of Rurigaoka’s Elite Four (or Four Heavenly Kings in Japanese), a group of four male Espers with the strongest Sigils. Each of the Elite Four represents four different attributes (Electricity, Ice, Aura and Spectral).
* Back during his childhood, Alfredo used to be a fan of a TV show called “Armored Insect Warriors”, a tokusatsu show about a group of anthropomorphic insects fighting against a legion of aliens bent on world domination. He even imitated poses, quotes and scenes from said TV show and cosplayed as the show’s main protagonist.
* Alfredo has a crush on Yurika. He fell in love with her after he remembered that he used to be a fan of Lucky☆Colors, and he also helped Yurika with her problems a lot. He even frequented her family's shop, Kurihara-ya after school, though he doesn't order anything else but coffee. It's actually revealed that Yurika and him were once childhood friends.
* Alfredo’s favorite activities includes listening to music, motorcycling, practicing his fighting skills, playing basketball with his friends, helping others and enjoying a good cup of coffee. Alfredo prefers black coffee, preferably hot and bitter. At one time, he tried a cup of latte that Yurika offered and he suddenly liked it, despite the fact that he never liked sweet things.