Keiji Itami

**Keiji Itami** (伊 (い) 丹 (たみ)  啓 (けい) 司 (じ) , *Itami Keiji*) was the Deputy Director of the Defense Force until being appointed the position of Director General after the death of Isao Shinomiya.

## Appearance

Keiji is an elderly man with a hairless and sharp-eyed face, usually displaying a serious look. He has a visible scar on his left temple. Keiji usually wears the uniform of the Defense Force.

## Personality

Keiji seems to be a serious and rational man, well-informed about kaiju and the history of the Defense Force. He seems to highly respect Isao Shinomiya, both for his position and his power.

Keiji was very loyal and close to his superior Isao Shinomiya, being a dependable Deputy Director and calmly filling in what Isao lacked. He trusted Isao to the point of letting him fight Kaiju No. 9 alone, firmly believing in his superior.

## History

Despite his initial dislike of being in a position above others, Keiji was strongly requested by Isao Shinomiya himself to become the Deputy Director of the Defense Force.

In the past, Keiji discussed with Isao about a young Gen Narumi, with Keiji theorizing that Gen could surpass Isao despite the former's discorderly conduct.

## Plot

### Kaiju No. 8 Captured Arc

When Kafka Hibino of the Third Division was revealed to be Kaiju No. 8, Keiji suggested disposing of him and convert him into weaponry, before Director General Isao Shinomiya himself ordered to have Kafka secured at the Ariake Maritime Base. Then, when Kafka arrived, Keiji watched with Kikoru Shinomiya as Isao attacked Kafka, confused at the fact that Isao didn't kill Kafka immediately.

### Kaiju Weapon Arc

Keiji, Isao and Nogizaka watched the First Division's fight against Kaiju No. 9 and the Ant-type Kaiju from the temporary base. When Kaiju No. 9's true body appeared there too to collect Kaiju No. 2's power from Isao, Keiji stopped Nogizaka from joining Isao in fighting the kaiju, following the Director General's orders and evacuating the place.

After their fight and Isao's death, Keiji and Nogizaka attended Isao's funeral with the rest of the First Division at Ariake Maritime Base.

### The Compatible User Arc

During the Anti-No. 9 Eastern Divisional Conference, Keiji took part as the newly appointed Director General of the Defense Force, giving the word to Third Division Vice-Captain Soshiro Hoshina to reveal the insight he was given from Kaiju No. 10 on No. 9 and his plans.

Some time later Keiji and other Defense Force high-ranking members discussed the unsolved kaiju cases than unfolded in the last month, preparing a plan to face the new No.9-induced cataclysm.

### Cataclysms Arc

During the Cataclysms, Keiji watched from afar as the Defense Force faced the multiple kaiju which appeared in Japan. From the Ariake Maritime Base, Keiji then watched as Kikoru was dispatched with her new weapon Numbers Weapon 4. Upon watching her fighting the kaiju at the National Diet Building, Keiji realized how Kikoru was just like both of her parents, not just her mother Hikari.

### The Second Wave Arc

As the new quintet of Identified Kaiju appeared, Keiji realized there were no reinforcements to send on the battlefield, even though fighting kaiju that powerful was a job suitable for a platoon of captain-level officers, and not a first-year rookie like Kikoru. While following Kikoru's fight with Kaiju No. 15, Keiji was concerned before seeing Kikoru improving mid-fight and theorizing she was seeing her mother's Ghost through the memories of Numbers Weapon 4. Later, as No. 15 unleashed its mental powers to incapacitate Kikoru, Keiji started to wonder why these new Identified Kaiju were so accurate in their attacks, ultimately stating that they were created with the purpose of targeting specific members of the Defense Force and eliminate them.

### The Last Wave Arc

After Mina Ashiro managed to eliminate Kaiju No. 14, thus ending the Second Wave, Keiji listened in shock as No. 9 made a speech through Defense Force comms, stating the war was its win. Then, Keiji's reacted in shock as Kurusu announced that No. 9 appeared in Tachikawa.

## Powers & Abilities

**Overall Abilities**: Keiji is the newly appointed Director General of the Defense Force and can be implied to be an extremely powerful combatant.

### Abilities

* **Leadership Skills**: Due to both his current and past high-ranking roles in the Defense Force, Keiji possesses remarkable leadership skills, able to easily calm down a situation between hot-blooded division captains.
* **Keen Intelligence**: While observing most of the fights around him, Keiji showcased remarkable levels of intelligence and intuition, rarely breaking from his collected persona and always gaining a quick understanding of the situation at hand.

## Etymology

* The name **Keiji** means "open, begin" (啓, *kei*) and "officer, boss" (司, *ji*).
* Keiji's surname **Itami** means "that one" (伊, *i*) and "rust-colored, red/red lead/red earth, pills" (丹, *tami*).

## Trivia

* Keiji likes quiet places, taiga dramas and mandarin oranges.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Keiji's character profile
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chapter 35
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Chapter 57
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 49
5. ↑ Chapter 88
6. ↑ Chapter 33
7. ↑ Chapter 36
8. ↑ Chapter 42
9. ↑ Chapter 54
10. ↑ Chapter 68
11. ↑ Chapter 71
12. ↑ Chapter 72
13. ↑ Chapter 77
14. ↑ Chapter 79
15. ↑ Chapter 80
16. ↑ Chapter 81
17. ↑ Chapter 96
18. ↑ Chapter 97