Almost done with finals for winter quarter, yay.  I should actually be memorizing for Chem right now, but have decided that Ikki has my attention more than chemistry does. 

 

Ikki is Ikki is Ikki.  He's such a character.  Ikki is one of the things that makes Saint Seiya so awesome.  First of all, you should know that Ikki starts out as an enemy.  I mean, ok, they all start out as enemies, which is interesting enough.  But Ikki starts out evil.  He and his little followers basically crash the Galactic Tournament and steal the prize.  Yeah.  He starts out evil.  He even tries to kill Shun.

 

After much development, Ikki eventually makes it to be a part of the group.  But he still hangs out on his own, and only shows up when he's needed.  He chills when everyone else is freaking, and he can sometimes be such a jerk.  As Saori tells Seiya at one point, however, Ikki is merely bad at expressing himself, and he actually cares deeply about his friends.  He just doesn't know how to show his sympathy. 

 

Ikki is one of the most developed characters in the show.  Like Hyoga and Shun, he's been through a lot of troubling things.  His master, for one, fought life-and-death battles with him every day.  His master also wore an oni mask.  He fell in love with his master's daughter, who was then killed by his master while his master was actually trying to kill him.  And...he's just one twisted soul.  Even after he defaults to the "good" side, he's still rather sadistic at times.  He doesn't always tell the others what he's thinking, and sometimes he makes it seem like he's abandoning their cause. 

 

But inside, Ikki is one big softie.  You can tell by some of the sweet things that occasionally pop out of his mouth, by the way his smile softens when he looks at Shun, and by the way he completely melts when anything involving Esmeralda happens.  Actually, I think Ikki's deathwish comes almost completely from Esmeralda.  I mean, sure, he cares about Shun more than anything, almost, and he does care a lot about Athena.  But look at him in Poseidon. 

 

 

People tend to forget the huge influence that Esmeralda has on Ikki, probably in great part due to the fact that she's dead and rarely appears in the show.  But I really like Esmeralda's character.  For a dead girl, she's got spunk.  She can force Ikki to stop being dumb and go back to living.  And Ikki will listen.  Ikki, who never listens to anyone, will obey Esmeralda. 

 

Ikki has some interesting relationships with the other characters.  He and Seiya have interesting interactions, as they are friends deep down, but Ikki is infuriating and Seiya is impulsive, making the two of them occasionally volatile.  He and Shiryuu interact less, but Shiryuu, being wise, seems to understand Ikki's thoughts a little better.  He and Hyoga are a silent pair of damaged bishies, and I get the vague impression that they understand each other very well, even with minimal communication.  And with Shun, Ikki is seriously overprotective and sometimes you can see through his facade of emotionless stoicism.  Take Hades Inferno for example.  Ikki starts to cry when he realizes he hasn't been able to protect Shun from being possessed by Hades. 

 

Beneath that cool, smooth, sadistic, self-assured surface, beneath the arrogant, sarcastic smile and the renegade habits, Ikki is actually just a scared little boy.  He's 15, don't forget.  However much more mature any of them may sometimes seem, in reality, they are all but high school aged children, learning how to live.  Ikki has spent his entire life unable to completely protect those he loves, and that has made a huge impact on him.  He's also spent most of his life devoid of most social interaction, thus allowing him very little social skill. 

 

His speech and manner can be incredibly unkind and harsh, but sometimes his true personality is revealed, and we see his sweet, innocent side as well.  Ikki may seem anything but innocent, but anyone fighting for Athena has to maintain at least a little innocence--enough to keep believing that their battles will benefit the world, that there might be peace and happiness one day.  And perhaps Ikki's ability to be both a sarcastic jerk and a hopeful little boy--perhaps that is what intrigued Shaka about him.  Perhaps that is what intrigued all of us Ikki fans as well.