Akihiro Kuma

> "*This world isn't as forgiving as you've been made to believe. There are people out there who CAN and WILL hurt you and those you love. The only way to make sure your castle stays strong, is to be strong yourself.*" - Akihiro to Daisuke about the importance of "strength".
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### Aliases

Akihiro, Akihiro-Kun, Akihiro-San, Aki-Chan, The Bear in the Woods, Onikuma, The Ogre-Bear, Bear-Fist, "Hunter"

## Physical description

### Eye color

Red

**Akihiro Kuma** (**くまあきひろ** - *Kuma Aki-Hiro*) is a character first debuting in Rebirth, and is the second hunter to be introduced overall in the series. He is a somewhat strange, distant figure who first appears in Mitakihara following the scent of powerful magic- craving a fight. His somewhat brutal and battle-loving nature often puts him at odds with others, but despite this, he has a kind heart buried deep down in his chest and is eventually made more "open" thanks to many welcoming and understanding arms presented by the main cast.

## General Information

Akihiro is an extremely powerful Hunter, born from a Magi mother and Hunter Father, with a fully-developed Catalyst at the time of his birth, something that was not only immensely rare concerning Hunters, but had possibly never been seen before in the Hunter's history.

Akihiro is often compared to or referred to as an "Oni" or, more commonly: "Bear" (Kuma) by his friends and enemies, or in hushed tones as a legend spread through the Tibetan Mountains where he grew up. This is something which goes much deeper than most people realize, the Hunter having developed an affinity for the raw, animalistic strength of a bear through the practice of Kemono-no-Chii, which was taught to him by the Hunter residents of the Mountain Dojo.

## Pre-Conception

Akihiro was born from the union of a Hunter Father and a Magi Mother in the outskirts of a cold, remote village high in the Tibetan mountains following the end of the Hunter/Magi war in the late 1400's. Unlike most Hunters; Akihiro developed and was born with a fully-formed Catalyst, a rare "mutation" that allowed him to begin building his immense power even before he was born, with his initial potential being vastly superior to the average Hunter whose Catalyst instead emerged at physical maturity. Unfortunately, this caused Akihiro's mother to grow weak before his birth, Akihiro's Catalyst having been draining her of her magic from within the womb ever since it formed. As a result, Akihiro's mother nearly died during childbirth, but the pain and suffering she endured was washed away once she looked upon her baby boy's face- And she knew she must continue living so her son could have a chance at life as well.

Akihiro's father, at the time of his birth, was nowhere to be found, either having gone off on his own, abandoning his still pregnant wife in the process, or supposedly having suffered a different fate, either death or because he was beginning to undergo his mutation into an Archfiend, though Akihiro's mother was not sure what to believe. In truth, Akihiro's father had left once he realized that Akihiro's Catalyst had been formed before he was born, knowing that, if he remained, his wife would have to endure the drain of two hunter Catalysts instead of merely his own. Despite his unnanounced departure, Akihiro's father secretly returned to the home he had abandoned on various ocassions with a grief seed wrapped in a white cloth, which he left on the doorstep for his wife to find, and hopefully to sustain her just a little while longer so she could continue to raise their son. However, eventually the grief seeds stopped coming, and Akihiro's mother knew the end was inevitable, but she chose to hold on to the hope that her husband would return in time to her dying breath.

Akihiro, who was playing in the snow at the time, did not know what was happening when his mother transformed into a witch, and her barrier began to form. However, before any harm could befall the bewildered boy, a man appeared from the ice and wind and destroyed the witch with a single blow- Seizing Akihiro soon after and carrying him away into the mountains while the realization of what had occurred, slowly dawned on the still young boy.

## Relationships

* Mami Tomoe - Akihiro has been brought up to distrust Puella Magi in general, and automatically assumes ones like from the Holy Quintet are natural enemies. Over time he learns it doesn't have to be so, but for the time being; while he wishes to challenge her, he at least find's Mami's intentions of training the others to fight admirable.
* Kyouko Sakura - Kyouko's well known bad temper and near bravado tends to lead the two into fighting each other on sight, let alone potentially fighting for even more simple things like food or places to hang out. While he is frustrated on Kyouko's persistance, he also sometimes finds the fights a good source of venting.
* Madoka Kaname - Madoka slowly became one of the reasons he begins to doubt the indoctrination of rivalry as he becomes more and more confused towards her general attitude on life and her refusals to fight. He mistakenly looks down on her as if she is weak and defenseless from her attitude, and does not wish to challenge her until she becomes braver.
* Homura Akemi - Homura is perhaps the only one in the group that causes Akihiro to distrust Puella Magi more. He does not trust her cold and mysterious nature, and he especially does not respect her methods of fighting. As he is not entirely sure how her powers even work, for the time being he waits and tries to learn.
* Sayaka Miki - Her stubbornness and use of many blades in her fighting style can also be aggrivating for Akihiro, but has heard tale of when she snaps, and whilst hoping to get a decent fight from her, Akihiro tries to encourage such behaviour from her.
* Mariko Takekawa - Akihiro feels that the two of them are meant to fight for more than the supposed rivalry between Hunter and Puella Magi; to him a battle to the death would be inevitable. At the same time, Akihiro is secretly impressed by presumably her strong will which allows her to control herself, and wishes such determination existed more in the world.
* Daisuke Jikihara - As another Hunter, Akihiro wants to not only become brethren, but also see him at his peak potential. While he claims that some day they must battle with no holding back, for the time being he tries to encourage the seemingly younger Hunter to aim for greatness, often trying to push him further than Daisuke feels comfortable to.
* Momo Sakura - Akihiro sees Momo as even less of a threat than Madoka, and generally has no interest in interacting with the girl what so ever.
* Robin Calatia - Robin as seen less of a Puella Magi and more of someone who would best understand Akihiro's way of life. Though she isn't nearly as agressive as him, she has an understanding of the life of an animal and often tries to even speak in a non-hostile manner to her in secret.
* Citalee Coatl - Akihiro has only met Daisuke and the Hunters trained within the Dojo, and even he became surprised on his appearance. The two of them seem to have an understanding that they are meant to fight yet hold no grudges or hatreds towards one another. Both merely wish to survive and grow stronger.