The Execution Division Apprentice (処刑課弟子, Shokeika Deshi) is a character that appears in Akudama Drive.
Background
A young woman in the Kansai Police Execution Division. She is burning to eliminate Akudama, but there are times when her ambition exceeds her abilities. She looks up to and admires the Execution Division Master.[2]
The Apprentice had been paired with the Master for about two years, and was close to becoming independent. Her mission of pursuing the Akudama who had released the Cutthroat could be considered her last case as an apprentice, but turned out to become a life-changing event.[3] Indeed, while the two of them were wounded and in the hospital in the follow-up of their fight on the Shinkansen, the Master secretely left to fight the Akudama on his own, to eventually die fighting the Brawler. Having searched for him everywhere despite their superior's refusal to help, she arrived too late on the scene only to witness his death. As she stared at her dying master in horror, she was attacked by the Hoodlum who struck her in the eye.
Upon losing her master and receiving an eye injury, she attempts to change her attitude and views with difficulty. Despite refusing to work in a duo again, she is given the responsibility of the Execution Division Junior.
Appearance
The Apprentice wears a white military uniform with a skirt, black tights, red socks and black boots. She has short black hair and red eyes. She also has an energy sword which she carries on a red belt.
In Episode 6, she loses her right eye and is shown to have long scar running down her face. From that point on, she wears a black eye patch to cover it.
From Episode 11, the Apprentice's uniform changes to that of a more experienced Executioner, with red shoulder pads and cuffs, which she wears with trousers instead of a skirt.
Personality
The Apprentice is very serious and diligent about her work, thus earning the code name "Full Effort".[4] She is dedicated to taking down Akudama. She is eager to respect and help her superiors and appears excited whenever her Master suggests that they fight or work harder. That being said, if it is needed to complete what she sees as her duty, she is ready to suggest to go against orders.
Following the death of her Master, and having received an injury to her eye, she becomes much more somber and cool-headed. She wants to work by her own, but her Boss remarks that this is only due to her craving for death. Despite stating that she does not need a partner, she remains respectful of her Junior and insists that he does not have to worry about fighting, as she wants to do the work herself. Eventually, she reveals that she fears for his death.
The Apprentice strongly believes that it is her pride to kill Akudama, however, in Episode 10, she hesitates to kill the Swindler and Hoodlum who are being threatened by one of their own, despite her visible wish for revenge against the Hoodlum, who was the one to injure her eye.
Abilities
The Apprentice fights with skilled martial arts and excels at hand to hand combat, on par with the Brawler. Her reflexes and senses are such that she can sense when someone is behind her or throwing something quickly, and can react accordingly. However, she has a lot more training to do before she is on the same level as the Execution Division Master[2].
In Episode 12, the Apprentice is the only Executioner to manage to save herself from being killed by the Courier. When he shoots her, she manages to protect herself with her energy sword with impressive speed.
History
- See also: Execution Division
Relationships
Execution Division Master
The Apprentice greatly respects her Master and wants to impress him. She admires his will and is excited whenever he suggests that they push forward or entrusts her with a mission.
When in Episode 5, the Master insists that they must respect their Boss' orders, she looks disappointed but initially obeys him. Upon hearing the order to kill the Akudama, however, she tries to bring it up again, only to discover that he left the room in secret.
In spite of her injuries, she goes to look after him, even asking the Boss for help. When she finds him on the brink of death, she looks upon him in shock, and never forgets his last words to her, that she must "live on". Following his death, her attitude changes drastically.
Execution Division Junior
The Apprentice rejects her Junior at first, as she doesn't wish to work in a duo following her Master's death. Forced to work with him by her Boss, she is however respectful of him, although she refuses to let him handle what she perceives to be her work.
While the Junior visibly looks up to her, she does not appear to care for that fact. She is normally very formal towards him, however, when the Doctor threatens his life, she gives up on her mission and follows her orders in order to protect him without hesitating. He winds up gravely injured, and he asks her to let put an end to his suffering, but she refuses, and remembering her Master's death, cries out that she will not let him die.
She looks after him while he is in the hospital and lets him in on the current situation. When he gets shot in Episode 12, upon realizing that he is still alive, she immediately calls for a medic.
Boss
The Apprentice is, at first, overly polite towards her Boss, to whom she immediately apologizes whenever she fails a mission. Following her Master's death, however, her attitude changes, and she speaks to her in a much colder manner, even attempting to argue with her, although she eventually has no choice but to follow her orders.
Doctor
While the Apprentice believes it is her pride to kill any and all Akudama, and even though she was looking forward to executing the Swindler and Courier, she finds herself especially disgusted with the Doctor, whom she cannot execute as she was removed from the Akudama list, in Episode 10. When the latter reveals that she caused the Brawler's death, she calls her a fiend with a disgusted expression. This causes her to empathize with the other Akudama enough to hesitate to execute them.
Hoodlum
In Episode 6, the Hoodlum attacks the grieving Apprentice and injures her right eye. Although she does not mention him from that point on, when she runs into him in Episode 10, she immediately points his sword to him, putting her hand to her eye, recognizing him as the culprit for her injury. As the situation progresses, however, she appears to forget about it, and even hesitates to execute him, being that she is more disgusted with the Doctor, who is ordering her to.
Gallery
Trivia
- Renta! hosted a popularity poll in December 2020, in which the Apprentice ranked 8th with 636 votes to her name.[5]
- On April 3rd, 2021, Scenario Writer Kazutaka Kodaka posted a Tweet[6] complimenting the upcoming Director's Cut version of the last episode, to come out with the last Blu-Ray & DVD on May 28th. In order to hype up its contents regarding the Execution Division, he included a low-resolution sneak peek of a scene involving the Apprentice and her Junior.
- This scene turned out to be a follow up of the Shinkansen's destruction, in which the Boss called the Apprentice.
External links
- Execution Division Apprentice on Miraheze
References
|
| Characters | |
| Akudama | Swindler • Courier • Brawler • Doctor • Hacker • Cutthroat • Hoodlum |
| Execution Division | Master • Apprentice • Junior • Boss |
| Other | Black Cat • Brother • Sister |
| Locations | |
| Anime | Kansai • Kanto • Shinkansen • Absolute Quarantine Zone • Expo Park |
| Akudama Drive Anime | |
| Episodes | Episode 1 • Episode 2 • Episode 3 • Episode 4 • Episode 5 • Episode 6 • Episode 7 • Episode 8 • Episode 9 • Episode 10 • Episode 11 • Episode 12 |
| Media | |
| Manga | Akudama Drive Comicalize |
| Corporate | |
| People | Kazutaka Kodaka • Rui Komatsuzaki • Cindy Yamauchi • Rokurou Ogaki |
| Companies | Too Kyo Games |