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I'll tell you what I think about 'secrets'. It's best to bring them out into the sun and let everyone see them. Then no one needs to fight over them, right?
― Anji Mito[src]

Anji Mito is a recurring character in the Guilty Gear series. A young man of Japanese origin, he chases after That Man out of sheer curiosity. Having run away from the Colony, Anji is in possession of the Zessen which takes the form of fans, and his fighting style involves Japanese dancing steps.

Design[]

Of a muscular frame, Anji has black eyes and always wears small round-framed pince-nez glasses. A white cloth is wrapped around his head, dividing his dark brown, spiky hair in two.

As for his outfit Anji is shirtless, wearing only kimono-like sleeves below the shoulders that are connected behind his back; they are dark blue with a white layer underneath. He wears a matching hakama tied at the waist with a black belt. Anji also wears blue boots with unusual soles reminiscent of traditional Japanese footwear known as geta, as well as white arm gloves. In his Rev 2 cameo, Anji is seen sporting a loose blue and white kimono resembling his previous outfit, as well his white arm gloves.

In Strive, changing his white cloth for a blue bandanna decorated with a white butterfly, Anji—still with a mostly bare torso—retains his connected kimono sleeves but they are shirt-like, covering his shoulders, and are worn above a skin-tight, black garment that covers his upper back and shoulders. He also wears divided hakama below a black outer layer, decorated with a light-blue Mount Fuji and butterflies, held together at the waist by a red cord, and a light brown obi with the kanji (kaze?, lit. wind). His hair and arm gloves are now black, and has replaced his boots with geta and white tabi.

Personality[]

A firm pursuer of adventure[8] and his own freedom, Anji is a young man who generally acts according to intuition rather than reason.[2] Because of his impulsive nature, Anji rarely worries about consequences before acting, not because he doesn't care, but because he doesn't really think things through.[8] Despite not being much of a thinking person, he is a curious man, pursuing knowledge for the sake of knowledge.[9] Claiming that the more he knows, the happier he gets, Anji doesn't mind risking his life to get the secrets he wants.[10] Seemingly rather straightforward at first glance, Anji does have a deceptive side, knowing more than he usually lets on,[11] and will act in a serious manner if the situation demands for it, being more cautious than Chipp.[12]

Anji often displays a cheerful and light-hearted personality,[6] and may occasionally make a fool out of[8] people he is with,[5] but he means it amicably.[7] A free spirit, he doesn't attempt to force his own version of justice onto others,[8] but will not hesitate to show his dissatisfaction towards dishonesty and things he disagrees with.[5]

Story[]

Background[]

Little is known about Anji's past. A descendant of pure Japanese ancestry, Anji was raised in one of the colonies. Due to the destruction of Japan[4] by Gear commander Justice in 2074,[13] only a handful of Japanese survived[4] and are protected—or rather, are forced to live under the "protection" of the world's governments.[6] Though many accepted this,[6] Anji rejected the system, and chose the freedom of the present[2] over a sedentary life.[8] While living in the Colony, he met Baiken.[5]

Having a theory of his own regarding the origin of Gears,[6] Anji decided to conceal his own racial origins in order to search for "That Man",[4] who caused the Crusades, who supposedly appeared in many different times, places, and disguises,[14] and was responsible for the destruction of Baiken's hometown.[15] He decided to investigate not out of spite, but out of sheer curiosity.[3] Before leaving, Anji took Zessen—the focus of the colony's dimensional barrier, which thus began to progressively weaken every day—, and then disappeared from the colony,[16] although he would since claim to have stumbled across it accidentally.[17] Since then, Anji has been evading authorities looking to send him back to the village.[2]

Guilty Gear X[]

In 2181, when a bounty is issued on an independent Gear called Dizzy,[4] Anji continues his search for the cause behind the destruction of Japan, this time his target being Sol Badguy, having somehow ascertained that he is a centuries-old Gear. Upon finding him after meeting Dizzy, Anji asks Sol if Gears really are evil and tries to explain his theory, but Sol attacks him. In one path, he defeats Sol, and muses that he should find That Man before drawing any conclusions. In his other path, Sol spares him, proving Anji's Gear theory to be right; despite Sol's threats, Anji is undeterred and privately vows to expose That Man's secrets.[18]

Having searched for intel together with Axl Low in the past, Anji arranges to meet in London for one of their periodic exchanges of information. Anji arrives to find Axl injured by Geena and time-slipping, and catches Mizuha as she collapses from using her abilities to attack Geena.[19] Almost immediately, Tyr is taken over by Fenrir. Anji quickly deduces Mizuha's power and helps her pacify Tyr,[20] who returns to his sealed state. Potemkin then appears and escort them to Zepp, where President Gabriel explains that Mizuha has evoked the mothership and that they need to put Mizuha to "death" to save the world, to which Anji objects.[21] Tyr wakes up just in time, however, and they join forces to destroy the approaching ship[22] and transmute Geena, defeating her for good.[23]

Guilty Gear XX[]

Ggxxr mm 13

Illustration.

Weeks later, Anji is initially approached by Ky Kiske regarding the suspicious persecution of Japanese individuals, but Anji misinterprets him and runs away. In one path, Anji finds and defeats I-No to meet That Man. Anji asks if Gears are really meant to be weapons, and why everything went wrong, so That Man asks Anji if he is prepared to "defy both heaven and earth" to know more.[24] In another path, Anji learns that the Robo-Kys are after the Japanese; realizing that Baiken is in danger, he charges off to protect her.[25] In his third path, Ky catches up to Anji and informs him of the Post-War Administration Bureau, advising him to lay low and be careful.[26]

After meeting That Man, Anji begins to think it might be OK to help him with his plans. His first mission is to search for I-No, who has disappeared after escaping capture.[27] In one path, Anji tricks I-No into entering a trap devised by That Man that freezes her in a temporal stasis; Anji privately remains suspicious of That Man.[28] In another path, Anji runs into Baiken, who demands that he reveal That Man's whereabouts. Anji admits to be working for him, but says he will stop; Anji becomes Baiken's guardian instead, admitting that he doesn't want her to die.[29]

Guilty Gear Xrd[]

On November 9, 2187, Anji has an operator find Baiken for a collect call. Anji asks her to return to the Colony to investigate the Illyrian presence, but she refuses. Baiken then inquires about the "other case", but Anji is reluctant to speak and Baiken suspects that he has found That Man. Anji convinces her that he didn't, and so Baiken agrees to take care of the Colony and ends the phone call. Privately, Anji ponders about keeping secrets, hesitant to tell her that the Gear Maker may not be the one she wants revenge on.[11]

Guilty Gear -Strive-[]

At some point in the aftermath of the battle in the Illyrian capitol, Anji starts to work for Chipp Zanuff[30] and meets Delilah.[12] Anji asks Baiken to take her to police, to which she questions why he can't do it, to which he states that he's too busy making mirrors, surprising Baiken at his new job, with him adding "Umbrellas don't pay the rent these days".

After That Man surrenders himself to the U.S. government,[31] Anji intercepts President Vernon's car en route to the White House to confirm That Man's identity. He jumps over the roof, making it disappear, and sees that it is indeed the Gear Maker—or rather, Asuka R. Kreutz. He informs Chipp via comm that the "other one" is in Illyria.[30]

After I-No releases Happy Chaos from within Ariels[30] and lets herself be captured by Illyrian soldiers, Anji and Chipp manage to locate Chaos on the road near L'oro Di Illyria to take a look at him. Anji warns him not to get "funny ideas", but Chipp ignores him and attaches himself to Chaos' car, forcing Anji to follow him. With the chase involving Sol, Jack-O' Valentine and Nagoriyuki, Anji approaches Chaos from the side, but is "mesmerized" by him; Chaos points his gun at Anji but Chipp saves him, only to almost fall off the cliff, saved in turn by Jack-O'. Given Chaos' resilience, Chipp decides to let him go.[12]

While Anji remains in L'oro Di Illyria, Chipp leaves.[32] After the G4 Summit is disrupted by Chaos[33]—who activates the White House's Tír na nÓg flying mode[34]—, Chipp sneaks into the Pentagon to share their intel, and calls Anji. Anji explains to everyone that Chaos is also "That Man", or rather, a monster who wreaked havoc during the Crusades by possessing people in spirit form.[32] Presumably, like the rest of humanity, Anji witnesses I-No's ascension to godhood, but she is soon defeated by Sol, Ky and Nagoriyuki. In the aftermath, Anji reunites with Baiken under a cherry blossom tree.[35]

Abilities[]

Anji's elegant[7] fighting style incorporates the movements[6] of mai (?),[2] a genre of Japanese traditional dance that is reserved and typified by circling movements where the body is kept low to the ground. Flexible and dexterous, Anji is able to use the fluidity of his dance-like moves, described as "poetry in motion",[3] as reversal moves that makes use of his enemy's attack,[6] dodging and misdirecting them to his advantage.

His weapons of choice are a pair of foldable hand fans called Zessen, one of the Sacred Treasures.[8] An instroment[36] that concentrates and amplifies Wind magic, Zessen can change size as required, and activating certain abilities alters the glyphs that appear on the fans.[17] To be carried by those adept at the use of magic,[37] Anji is able to wield them in spite of the massive mental and physical strain they put on a wielder.[38]

Furthermore, Anji is shown to have knowledge of binds, as he is able to use the technique Kimontonkou Hakkeshouou (奇門遙甲 八卦照応?) to momentarily hinder Baiken's movements.[39] He is also able to conjure glowing butterflies and birds[20] made of magic energy. By summoning many at once and forming a cloud-like flock, Anji can use it to fly at high speeds above the ground.[12] He is also able to convert material objects into these butterflies, as seen when he attacks the roof of Vernon's car.[30] Due to being of Japanese origin, Anji is, presumably, blessed with the spirituality that characterizes his people, as well as the innate capacity to control Ki.[6]

Gameplay-wise, Anji is an all-around character with many moves that have an autoguard/guard point property, automatically blocking moves that make contact depending on their type, as well as unique Gatling options from an array of command normals. His playstyle is good for conditioning and punishing, but requires that the player be able to read the opponent's next moves, being quite high risk.

Music[]

Quotes[]

Allusions[]

  • The origin of his name is in the Japanese rock band ANGIE and their leader, Mito Hananosuke.
  • His alias may be a reference to the Japanese musician Susumu Hirasawa.
  • His theme, "Fuuga", sounds similar to the Mötley Crüe song "Live Wire".
  • When Shitsu is blocked, the butterfly spreads its wings into a shape that looks like the Aerosmith logo. This appears to have been changed in Strive as the butterfly now turns into a bird when blocked.
  • His move Sai may be a reference to the album Aja by Steely Dan, called 彩〜Aja〜? in Japan.
  • His move Kou is the same kanji as the title of the song "Kurenai" by X Japan.
  • Anji gets his name from the accoustic guitar solo "Anji/Angi" by Davy Grahm.
  • The bird symbol that appears when a Shitsu Butterfly projectile is blocked is an iconic logo reference to the band Aerosmith. It's been suggested that Anji's theme of 'dreams' is a reference to Aerosmith's song "Dream On", as well, though this has yet to be confirmed.
  • Anji's song theme "Fuuga" (風雅) [Elegance] gets its name from a Rage song of the same name in their album "Soundchaser".
  • Anji's theme song is also a music reference to the song "Live Wire" by Mötley Crüe and the song "Crush & Dush" by Japanese band Saber Tiger.
  • Anji's intro where he magically appears behind his enormous fan is a reference to the anime OVA "Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still". Slayer's conversation with him about Slayer's youth is also a nod to the character "Alberto Impact" of the same series.

Trivia[]

  • Anji's alias, Hirasawa, signifies the rising spirit and brilliant achievements that are in his future.[1]
    • Notably, the name Hirasawa was Anji's original name at the beginning of the development cycle for Guilty Gear X.[40]
  • Daisuke Ishiwatari has said that Anji is the closest to a certain type of character—his type of "ideal" man—from Kazuhiko Shimamoto's mangas.[40]
  • Anji's bounty in Guilty Gear XX describes him as "A wicked villain who fans his victims to death... and steals their valuables under the auspices of artistic dance." and "Known to get angry when someone guesses his identity."[41]
  • Anji could be bisexual, as he has flirted with several characters regardless of their gender. Examples of this include quotes exchanges with Baiken, Jam Kuradoberi, and That Man. In Guilty Gear Dust Strikers, he claims to be "interested in guys too"; however, he backtracks upon being met with questioning.[source needed]
  • Anji's english Strive Voice Actor was very commonly believed to be "Kae Min" for the longest time, until on April 1st, 2023, it was revealed to be veteran voice actor Aleks Le under a pseudonym. [40]

Gallery[]

External links[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 [GGWorld - "Brilliance"]
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 GuiltyGearX.com
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Guilty Gear XX script § "Report ♯4152"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Guilty Gear X manual, pg.4,34
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 [GGWorld2 - "Anji Mito"]
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Guilty Gear Codex, pg.20,51,61-62
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 ANJI | CHARACTER | GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- | ARC SYSTEM WORKS
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 [GGWorld - "Anji Mito"]
  9. Guilty Gear XX script § "Testament Path 1"
  10. Guilty Gear XX script § "Sol Path 1"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 script § "Baiken"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Guilty Gear -Strive- script § "Encounter"
  13. Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- script § "Kaleidoscope A"
  14. [GGWorld - "That Man"]
  15. GuiltyGearX.com
  16. Guilty Gear Xtra § "Barrier Distortion"
  17. 17.0 17.1 [GGWorld - "Zessen"]
  18. Guilty Gear X Plus script § "Anji"
  19. Guilty Gear Xtra § "Butterfly Dancing in Chaotic Flowers"
  20. 20.0 20.1 Guilty Gear Xtra § "Words that Cut Through Darkness"
  21. Guilty Gear Xtra § "Ship in the Stars, Island in the Sky"
  22. Guilty Gear Xtra § "Those Worthy"
  23. Guilty Gear Xtra § "The Power to Choose"
  24. Guilty Gear XX script § "Anji Path 1"
  25. Guilty Gear XX script § "Anji Path 2"
  26. Guilty Gear XX script § "Anji Path 3"
  27. Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus script § "Dubious allegiance"
  28. Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus script § "Trick path"
  29. Guilty Gear XX Λ Core Plus script § "Protect path"
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Guilty Gear -Strive- script § "Prologue"
  31. Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 script § "After Story A"
  32. 32.0 32.1 Guilty Gear -Strive- script § "Confrontation"
  33. Guilty Gear -Strive- script § "Intruder"
  34. Guilty Gear -Strive- script § "Myth"
  35. Guilty Gear -Strive- script § "Strive"
  36. [GGWorld - "Components of Magic Production"]
  37. [GGWorld - "Sacred Treasures"]
  38. [GGWorld - "Fireseal"]
  39. Guilty Gear XX script § "Baiken Path 3"
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 Guilty Gear X Drafting Artworks, pg.78,??
  41. Guilty Gear XX script § "Innocent criminals"


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