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====Humans====
====Humans====
[[Image:Kouta.png|right|100px]]
[[Image:Kouta.png|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Kouta|コウタ/耕太|Kouta, also romanized as ''Kohta''}}: He is a 18 year-old student and one of the main characters of the series. Kouta enters the story when Yuka's family rents him a closed down inn as long as he maintains it, and begins living there while going to a university. Kouta has [[Psychological trauma|traumatic]] [[memory|memories]] of the deaths of his father and sister, late in the series revealed to be by Lucy's hand, which he has [[repressed memory|repressed]]. Due in part to his loss, Kouta has a "soft-spot" for girls in trouble and is extremely generous and protective to the girls around him.
;{{Nihongo|Kohta|コウタ/耕太|Kohta, also romanized as ''Kouta'' and ''Kōta''}}: He is a 18 year-old student and one of the main characters of the series. Kohta enters the story when Yuka's family rents him a closed down inn as long as he maintains it, and begins living there while going to a university. Kohta has [[Psychological trauma|traumatic]] [[memory|memories]] of the deaths of his father and sister, late in the series revealed to be by Lucy's hand, which he has [[repressed memory|repressed]]. Due in part to his loss, Kohta has a "soft-spot" for girls in trouble and is extremely generous and protective to the girls around him.
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Chihiro Suzuki]] (Japanese), [[Adam Conlon]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Chihiro Suzuki]] (Japanese), [[Adam Conlon]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Yuka.png|left|100px]]
[[Image:Yuka.png|left|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Yuka|ユカ}}: She is Kouta's [[cousin]]<ref>Elfen Lied Ep. 1: Yuka greets Kouta and then says "''Yuka desu... Itoko no...''"「ユカです…従姉妹の…」, which quite unambiguously translates as "I'm Yuka. Your cousin."</ref> around his same age and lives with him at the [[inn]]. She is in love with Kouta, and is therefore jealous of Kouta's attention to Nyū, to the point of being very irrational. Mayu once described her as the "mother" at Kaede House, and Kouta as the "father".
;{{Nihongo|Yuka|ユカ}}: She is Kohta's [[cousin]]<ref>Elfen Lied Ep. 1: Yuka greets Kohta and then says "''Yuka desu... Itoko no...''"「ユカです…従姉妹の…」, which quite unambiguously translates as "I'm Yuka. Your cousin."</ref> around his same age and lives with him at the [[inn]]. She is in love with Kohta, and is therefore jealous of Kohta's attention to Nyū, to the point of being very irrational. Mayu once described her as the "mother" at Kaede House, and Kohta as the "father".


:Note: Yuka's relationship with Kouta may be considered [[taboo]] or illegally [[Incest|incestuous]] by [[United States|U.S.]] viewers, but marriage between cousins is not necessarily [[taboo]] in all cultures.<ref>''[http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=1373 Why is Romance Between Cousins Common in Anime?]''</ref> [[Structural anthropology#The Structural Anthropology of L.C3.A9vi-Strauss|Cousin marriage]] is not scandalous in [[Japan]].
:Note: Yuka's relationship with Kohta may be considered [[taboo]] or illegally [[Incest|incestuous]] by [[United States|U.S.]] viewers, but marriage between cousins is not necessarily [[taboo]] in all cultures.<ref>''[http://www.animenation.net/news/askjohn.php?id=1373 Why is Romance Between Cousins Common in Anime?]''</ref> [[Structural anthropology#The Structural Anthropology of L.C3.A9vi-Strauss|Cousin marriage]] is not scandalous in [[Japan]].
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Mamiko Noto]] (Japanese), [[Nancy Novotny]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Mamiko Noto]] (Japanese), [[Nancy Novotny]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Mayu.png|right|100px]]
[[Image:Mayu.png|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Mayu|マユ}}: She is a young 14 year-old girl, abandoned by her mother and a victim of [[sexual abuse]] by her [[stepfather]]. She has run away from home and is [[homeless]] at the start of the series, subsisting on [[bread]] crusts she is given at a local bakery under the pretence that they are for the small puppy that accompanies her. She found and named the puppy "Wanta." She later ends up living with Kouta and Yuka as her [[legal guardian]]s. Mayu befriends Nana and tries to take her under her wing.
;{{Nihongo|Mayu|マユ}}: She is a young 14 year-old girl, abandoned by her mother and a victim of [[sexual abuse]] by her [[stepfather]]. She has run away from home and is [[homeless]] at the start of the series, subsisting on [[bread]] crusts she is given at a local bakery under the pretence that they are for the small puppy that accompanies her. She found and named the puppy "Wanta." She later ends up living with Kohta and Yuka as her [[legal guardian]]s. Mayu befriends Nana and tries to take her under her wing.


<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Emiko Hagiwara]] (Japanese), [[Cynthia Martinez]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Emiko Hagiwara]] (Japanese), [[Cynthia Martinez]] (English)</span>
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<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Jouji Nakata]] (Japanese), [[Jason Douglas]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Jouji Nakata]] (Japanese), [[Jason Douglas]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Kanae.png|left|100px]]
[[Image:Kanae.png|left|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Kanae|カナエ}}: She was Kouta's younger sister between the ages of 8-10 years old. She is protective of her brother and is jealous of other girls' attentions to him. Kouta cares about her very much, but repressed much of his memory of her after Lucy [[murder|murdered]] her on a [[train]] along with Kouta's father. Kouta's repression of the events leads him to believe she died of a long sickness of some kind.<br clear="all"/>
;{{Nihongo|Kanae|カナエ}}: She was Kohta's younger sister between the ages of 8-10 years old. She is protective of her brother and is jealous of other girls' attentions to him. Kohta cares about her very much, but repressed much of his memory of her after Lucy [[murder|murdered]] her on a [[train]] along with Kohta's father. Kohta's repression of the events leads him to believe she died of a long sickness of some kind.<br clear="all"/>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Maria Yamamoto]] (Japanese), [[Monica Rial]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Maria Yamamoto]] (Japanese), [[Monica Rial]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Arakawa.jpg|right|100px]]
[[Image:Arakawa.jpg|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Arakawa|荒川}}: She is a young researcher in her mid-20's who is also Professor Kakuzawa's partner who works alongside him to create a [[vaccine]] in order to counter the threat of the Diclonius virus. She along with Kouta inadvertently discovered Professor Kakuzawa's severed head and warned the boy not to disclose anything of what he saw or heard with anybody else. Afterwards, she reported her finding to Director Kakuzawa at his compound facility, but he wouldn't let her go scot-free after seeing his son's horns. She was threatened by Chief Kakuzawa to take charge of his deceased son's research or else be killed.
;{{Nihongo|Arakawa|荒川}}: She is a young researcher in her mid-20's who is also Professor Kakuzawa's partner who works alongside him to create a [[vaccine]] in order to counter the threat of the Diclonius virus. She along with Kohta inadvertently discovered Professor Kakuzawa's severed head and warned the boy not to disclose anything of what he saw or heard with anybody else. Afterwards, she reported her finding to Director Kakuzawa at his compound facility, but he wouldn't let her go scot-free after seeing his son's horns. She was threatened by Chief Kakuzawa to take charge of his deceased son's research or else be killed.


:In the anime, Arakawa is a minor character whose role provides little or no contribution at all for advancing the plot, as later she's often seen complaining about that being so busy does not allows her to take a shower which becomes a recurrent gag in the series. However, her character eventually plays an important, key role for humanity's salvation in the last story arc of the manga.
:In the anime, Arakawa is a minor character whose role provides little or no contribution at all for advancing the plot, as later she's often seen complaining about that being so busy does not allows her to take a shower which becomes a recurrent gag in the series. However, her character eventually plays an important, key role for humanity's salvation in the last story arc of the manga.
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====Diclonius====
====Diclonius====
[[Image:Evil Lucy.png|right|100px]]
[[Image:Evil Lucy.png|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Lucy|ルーシー|Rūshī}}: She is a [[teenage]] [[diclonius (Elfen Lied)|diclonius]] girl roughly 18 years old. She has four vectors (much more in the manga) with a limited range of two meters. However, she can be swift and lethal within that range, and will also use any nearby inanimate objects as high velocity [[projectile]]s to kill at a greater distance. She is also capable of stopping or deflecting most standard ammunition when she concentrates on the task. Lucy hates humans mainly because of how she was treated by her human peers as a child. Lucy also shows various signs of jealousy towards Kouta's cousin, Yuka. This is proven when she slaughters the people at the festival and then Kouta's sister and father after she sees Kouta and Yuka together. This occurs once again when she sees Kouta and Yuka at the shrine and shortly afterwards attacks Yuka.
;{{Nihongo|Lucy|ルーシー|Rūshī}}: She is a [[teenage]] [[diclonius (Elfen Lied)|diclonius]] girl roughly 18 years old. She has four vectors (much more in the manga) with a limited range of two meters. However, she can be swift and lethal within that range, and will also use any nearby inanimate objects as high velocity [[projectile]]s to kill at a greater distance. She is also capable of stopping or deflecting most standard ammunition when she concentrates on the task. Lucy hates humans mainly because of how she was treated by her human peers as a child. Lucy also shows various signs of jealousy towards Kohta's cousin, Yuka. This is proven when she slaughters the people at the festival and then Kohta's sister and father after she sees Kohta and Yuka together. This occurs once again when she sees Kohta and Yuka at the shrine and shortly afterwards attacks Yuka.


:Consequently, she discounts non-diclonius as 'non-humans'. On the surface, she lacks [[empathy]], kills without much concern, and acts somewhat [[sadism and masochism|sadistic]]. Nonetheless, her capacity for love (both romantic and for friends), as well as [[remorse]] is integrated throughout the series. Indeed, one of the major [[irony|ironic]] elements of the anime is the interaction between the all-too-human diclonius and the savage and sadistic humans who purportedly need protection from them.
:Consequently, she discounts non-diclonius as 'non-humans'. On the surface, she lacks [[empathy]], kills without much concern, and acts somewhat [[sadism and masochism|sadistic]]. Nonetheless, her capacity for love (both romantic and for friends), as well as [[remorse]] is integrated throughout the series. Indeed, one of the major [[irony|ironic]] elements of the anime is the interaction between the all-too-human diclonius and the savage and sadistic humans who purportedly need protection from them.
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;{{Nihongo|Nyū|にゅう}}: She is a [[dissociative identity disorder|split personality]] of Lucy, possibly created from [[brain damage]] caused by a [[.50 BMG]] round ricocheting off her head (due to a metallic helmet). Nyū has a child-like [[personality]] and infantile knowledge of the world, and lacks spoken [[language]] skills. Nyū is lovable, innocent and incapable of violent acts, a [[Foil (literature)|foil]] to the normal Lucy; she is the manifestation of her 'good side'. When Nyū is attacked violently (or hit on the head), she will regress into Lucy; likewise, when Lucy is treated with love and kindness, she will uncontrollably switch back into Nyū, showing a [[The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde complex]]. As Nyū, Lucy cannot be sensed by other Diclonius and Silpelits.
;{{Nihongo|Nyū|にゅう}}: She is a [[dissociative identity disorder|split personality]] of Lucy, possibly created from [[brain damage]] caused by a [[.50 BMG]] round ricocheting off her head (due to a metallic helmet). Nyū has a child-like [[personality]] and infantile knowledge of the world, and lacks spoken [[language]] skills. Nyū is lovable, innocent and incapable of violent acts, a [[Foil (literature)|foil]] to the normal Lucy; she is the manifestation of her 'good side'. When Nyū is attacked violently (or hit on the head), she will regress into Lucy; likewise, when Lucy is treated with love and kindness, she will uncontrollably switch back into Nyū, showing a [[The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde complex]]. As Nyū, Lucy cannot be sensed by other Diclonius and Silpelits.


:One example of this is when Lucy's presence surfaces when Nyū sees a picture of Kouta's little sister Kanae, whom Lucy had encountered eight years before. At the same moment, Nyū starts to cry and eventually tells Kouta that she's sorry. While she does so, she starts to remember something, and suddenly grabs her head as if in pain (much like Lucy had done when she switched back to Nyū as she tortured Bandou). Kouta embraces her, and the Lucy side of her settles. Both Lucy and Nyū are in love with Kouta.
:One example of this is when Lucy's presence surfaces when Nyū sees a picture of Kohta's little sister Kanae, whom Lucy had encountered eight years before. At the same moment, Nyū starts to cry and eventually tells Kohta that she's sorry. While she does so, she starts to remember something, and suddenly grabs her head as if in pain (much like Lucy had done when she switched back to Nyū as she tortured Bandou). Kohta embraces her, and the Lucy side of her settles. Both Lucy and Nyū are in love with Kohta.


In the anime, it is suggested that Lucy partially manufactured the Nyū personality. She explains to Kohta (as Lucy) that having to face him terrified her, due to her compounding guilt about killing his family in a jealous fit. She wasn't able to find a way to apologize, so she instead became Nyū. It's worth noting that the Nyū personality seems to have disappeared after Kohta regains his memory.
In the anime, it is suggested that Lucy partially manufactured the Nyū personality. She explains to Kohta (as Lucy) that having to face him terrified her, due to her compounding guilt about killing his family in a jealous fit. She wasn't able to find a way to apologize, so she instead became Nyū. It's worth noting that the Nyū personality seems to have disappeared after Kohta regains his memory.


:Notes: The character is called "Nyū" because, when Kouta and Yuka first meet Lucy on the beach, this is the only word she is capable of saying. Some anime fans compare this childlike state to Chī, the female lead of [[Chobits]], where when she is activated, the only word she can say is "chī", and her vocabulary later grows, much like Nyū's.
:Notes: The character is called "Nyū" because, when Kohta and Yuka first meet Lucy on the beach, this is the only word she is capable of saying. Some anime fans compare this childlike state to Chī, the female lead of [[Chobits]], where when she is activated, the only word she can say is "chī", and her vocabulary later grows, much like Nyū's.


<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Sanae Kobayashi]] (Japanese), [[Kira Vincent-Davis]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Sanae Kobayashi]] (Japanese), [[Kira Vincent-Davis]] (English)</span>
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<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Kinryu Arimoto]] (Japanese), [[Andy McAvin]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Kinryu Arimoto]] (Japanese), [[Andy McAvin]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Professor Kakuzawa.png|right|100px]]
[[Image:Professor Kakuzawa.png|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Professor Kakuzawa|角沢教授|Kakuzawa Kyōju}}: He is the son of Chief Kakuzawa and also a watered-down diclonius with smaller horns and no vectors in his mid-30's. When he and Kurama were younger, they both went to university together and it was Kakuzawa that originally got Kurama involved in the research on Diclonius. He ends up, coincidentally, being the lecturer for a course at the [[university]] in which Kouta and Yuka are enrolled. He was the one responsible for releasing Lucy at the research center. He is later [[decapitation|beheaded]] by Lucy after he abducts her and attempts to have [[sexual intercourse]] with her.
;{{Nihongo|Professor Kakuzawa|角沢教授|Kakuzawa Kyōju}}: He is the son of Chief Kakuzawa and also a watered-down diclonius with smaller horns and no vectors in his mid-30's. When he and Kurama were younger, they both went to university together and it was Kakuzawa that originally got Kurama involved in the research on Diclonius. He ends up, coincidentally, being the lecturer for a course at the [[university]] in which Kohta and Yuka are enrolled. He was the one responsible for releasing Lucy at the research center. He is later [[decapitation|beheaded]] by Lucy after he abducts her and attempts to have [[sexual intercourse]] with her.
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Hiroaki Hirata]] (Japanese), [[John Swasey]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Hiroaki Hirata]] (Japanese), [[John Swasey]] (English)</span>


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<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Maria Yamamoto]] (Japanese), [[Tiffany Grant]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Maria Yamamoto]] (Japanese), [[Tiffany Grant]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Sozomi.png|right|100px]]
[[Image:Sozomi.png|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Nozomi|ノゾミ|}}: She is a 15-17 year old soft-spoken and shy friend of Yuka who only appears in the manga from chapter 43 onwards. She has a [[bladder]] problem and therefore wears [[diaper]]s. Kouta first encounters her while walking to the store (not realising they both know Yuka), and both are embarrassed when the wind blows her [[skirt]] up. They later meet at the inn and Nozomi is revealed to have a great talent for [[singing]]. Nozomi is the person that sings the song "[[Elfenlied]]", while teaching Nyū how to sing.
;{{Nihongo|Nozomi|ノゾミ|}}: She is a 15-17 year old soft-spoken and shy friend of Yuka who only appears in the manga from chapter 43 onwards. She has a [[bladder]] problem and therefore wears [[diaper]]s. Kohta first encounters her while walking to the store (not realising they both know Yuka), and both are embarrassed when the wind blows her [[skirt]] up. They later meet at the inn and Nozomi is revealed to have a great talent for [[singing]]. Nozomi is the person that sings the song "[[Elfenlied]]", while teaching Nyū how to sing.
{{-}}
{{-}}
[[Image:Koutas_father.jpg|left|80px]]
[[Image:Koutas_father.jpg|left|80px]]
;Kouta's father: He was in his mid-30's when he was killed along with his daughter, Kanae (Kouta's sister), by Lucy as a retaliation against Kouta. Upon seeing the tears of sorrow and listening over to the painful screams of a grief-stricken Kouta, she realizes with horror that she made a terrible mistake and goes on to regret it deeply.<br clear="all"/>
;Kohta's father: He was in his mid-30's when he was killed along with his daughter, Kanae (Kohta's sister), by Lucy as a retaliation against Kohta. Upon seeing the tears of sorrow and listening over to the painful screams of a grief-stricken Kohta, she realizes with horror that she made a terrible mistake and goes on to regret it deeply.<br clear="all"/>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Daisuke Ono]] (Japanese), [[John Swasey]] (English)</span>
<span style="font-weight: normal">''Voiced by:'' [[Daisuke Ono]] (Japanese), [[John Swasey]] (English)</span>
[[Image:Tomoo.jpg|right|100px]]
[[Image:Tomoo.jpg|right|100px]]
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[[Image:Elfen Lied OVA Aiko.jpg|right|100px]]
[[Image:Elfen Lied OVA Aiko.jpg|right|100px]]
;{{Nihongo|Aiko Takada|高田愛子|Takada Aiko}}:<ref>Full name and kanji provided by {{cite web | title=On "A Grand Finale" of vol 12 | work=elfiniantop | url=http://www.geocities.jp/elfenlied88/memo8.htm#「大団円」の考察}}</ref> She only appears in the [[Elfen Lied OVA Special|Elfen Lied OVA]], though her full name is never revealed in that episode. She is Lucy's 11-12 year-old friend 3 years prior to the start of the main story, and becomes the second human who has both given love and come to accept Lucy by who she is, regardless of her Diclonius condition (''i.e.'' her horns). It is unknown as to how she came in contact with Lucy, but her first appearance implies that Lucy's predisposition for violence was involved as her uniform was soaked in blood. Unfortunately, Aiko is shot after an ambush captures Lucy and Aiko by surprise. Kurama, who accompanied the police, promised Aiko's well-being in exchange for Lucy's capture. Lucy agrees to be captured, but Aiko eventually dies at the hospital of her injuries. The death of Aiko serves the final straw for Lucy to become resolved in killing deliberately every human at sight (though Kouta and those familiar with him are spared), and triggering the start of her ill-fated [[vendetta]] against Kurama, promising him that she will erase everything related to him.
;{{Nihongo|Aiko Takada|高田愛子|Takada Aiko}}:<ref>Full name and kanji provided by {{cite web | title=On "A Grand Finale" of vol 12 | work=elfiniantop | url=http://www.geocities.jp/elfenlied88/memo8.htm#「大団円」の考察}}</ref> She only appears in the [[Elfen Lied OVA Special|Elfen Lied OVA]], though her full name is never revealed in that episode. She is Lucy's 11-12 year-old friend 3 years prior to the start of the main story, and becomes the second human who has both given love and come to accept Lucy by who she is, regardless of her Diclonius condition (''i.e.'' her horns). It is unknown as to how she came in contact with Lucy, but her first appearance implies that Lucy's predisposition for violence was involved as her uniform was soaked in blood. Unfortunately, Aiko is shot after an ambush captures Lucy and Aiko by surprise. Kurama, who accompanied the police, promised Aiko's well-being in exchange for Lucy's capture. Lucy agrees to be captured, but Aiko eventually dies at the hospital of her injuries. The death of Aiko serves the final straw for Lucy to become resolved in killing deliberately every human at sight (though Kohta and those familiar with him are spared), and triggering the start of her ill-fated [[vendetta]] against Kurama, promising him that she will erase everything related to him.


:Note: The full account of her background story and how she met Lucy is thoroughly explained in the manga.
:Note: The full account of her background story and how she met Lucy is thoroughly explained in the manga.

Revision as of 08:38, 16 March 2007

This article lists the fictional characters in the manga/anime series Elfen Lied.

Major characters

Template:Spoilers

Humans

File:Kouta.png
Kohta (コウタ/耕太, Kohta, also romanized as Kouta and Kōta)
He is a 18 year-old student and one of the main characters of the series. Kohta enters the story when Yuka's family rents him a closed down inn as long as he maintains it, and begins living there while going to a university. Kohta has traumatic memories of the deaths of his father and sister, late in the series revealed to be by Lucy's hand, which he has repressed. Due in part to his loss, Kohta has a "soft-spot" for girls in trouble and is extremely generous and protective to the girls around him.

Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki (Japanese), Adam Conlon (English)

File:Yuka.png
Yuka (ユカ)
She is Kohta's cousin[1] around his same age and lives with him at the inn. She is in love with Kohta, and is therefore jealous of Kohta's attention to Nyū, to the point of being very irrational. Mayu once described her as the "mother" at Kaede House, and Kohta as the "father".
Note: Yuka's relationship with Kohta may be considered taboo or illegally incestuous by U.S. viewers, but marriage between cousins is not necessarily taboo in all cultures.[2] Cousin marriage is not scandalous in Japan.

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Nancy Novotny (English)

File:Mayu.png
Mayu (マユ)
She is a young 14 year-old girl, abandoned by her mother and a victim of sexual abuse by her stepfather. She has run away from home and is homeless at the start of the series, subsisting on bread crusts she is given at a local bakery under the pretence that they are for the small puppy that accompanies her. She found and named the puppy "Wanta." She later ends up living with Kohta and Yuka as her legal guardians. Mayu befriends Nana and tries to take her under her wing.

Voiced by: Emiko Hagiwara (Japanese), Cynthia Martinez (English)

File:Director Kurama.png
Kurama (蔵間)
He is the chief of research, aged in his mid-30's, of the diclonius children in the research containment facility. He is also the surrogate father of Nana and biological father of Mariko. His wife, Hiromi Kurama, died from Caesarean section complications shortly after she gave birth to Mariko. Although he had previously been tasked with killing all diclonius births, he falters when he must kill his own daughter. Lucy carries a deep hatred toward Kurama, stemming from his failure to save Aikon Takada (seen in the Elfen Lied OVA); however, she states that she will not kill him but will kill everything that loves him. It is revealed late in the series that the General Director of the diclonius research program kept his daughter alive, increasing Kurama's perceived debt to him. Kurama dies at the end of the anime after the explosives inside Mariko (whom he is cradling in his arms while walking away) are detonated at his command. It should be noted that right before the explosion, Kurama has a series of images flash in his mind. In them, his wife is still alive and Mariko is a normal baby, and together the images make up Kurama's idea of how life presumably would have played out if Mariko had been born normal (Mariko as a toddler, Mariko on her first day of school, etc.).

Kurama does not die in the manga; Mariko (worried about the safety of her father) confronts Lucy and clings to her as the bomb inside her detonates; this results in Lucy's horns being destroyed and turning back into Nyū, as well as Mariko's death. Kurama, depressed by his pathetic ability as a father, attempts to commit suicide with a nearby MP5, but is saved by Bandō. Kurama now lives in a small shed on the beach and is partially insane. He clings to a dead body of what he thinks is his daughter, Mariko, and won't let anyone come near him. Later, Nana finds him but he shuns her away, still clinging to the clone Mariko. Another clone Mariko shows up and Kurama tries to embrace her too. She however attacks him and fights with Nana. When she is about to finish Nana off, Kurama shoots her in the head and regains his sanity. He survives throughout the rest of the series.

Voiced by: Osamu Hosoi (Japanese), Jay Hickman (English)

File:Bando.png
Bandō (坂東)
He is an operative in his mid-30's for the National Police Agency's Special Assault Team (SAT). Though he is fully human, he is as homicidal and apathetic to other people as the worst diclonius are. He is a hardy and effective soldier. After being maimed by Lucy and repaired with bionic, cybernetic and prosthetic implants, he escapes on a quest for revenge against her. He gets two or more Desert Eagle hand guns. In the manga he gets other weapons such as a RPG. The guns fire .50 caliber rounds which are so powerful the rounds can not be blocked with vectors. But the bullets can be pushed off course at long range though; however at close range not even Lucy can stop them. He gets sidetracked several times in this quest, and ultimately receives aid from Kurama to "kill a diclonius that was coming." Bandō is driven by the will to fight and to prove his superior ability in combat. At the end of the anime he is crippled again by Lucy. In the manga his role is extended a bit more and he is shown to have a more compassionate side, such as saving Kurama, and burying the dead.

Voiced by: Jouji Nakata (Japanese), Jason Douglas (English)

File:Kanae.png
Kanae (カナエ)
She was Kohta's younger sister between the ages of 8-10 years old. She is protective of her brother and is jealous of other girls' attentions to him. Kohta cares about her very much, but repressed much of his memory of her after Lucy murdered her on a train along with Kohta's father. Kohta's repression of the events leads him to believe she died of a long sickness of some kind.

Voiced by: Maria Yamamoto (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)

File:Arakawa.jpg
Arakawa (荒川)
She is a young researcher in her mid-20's who is also Professor Kakuzawa's partner who works alongside him to create a vaccine in order to counter the threat of the Diclonius virus. She along with Kohta inadvertently discovered Professor Kakuzawa's severed head and warned the boy not to disclose anything of what he saw or heard with anybody else. Afterwards, she reported her finding to Director Kakuzawa at his compound facility, but he wouldn't let her go scot-free after seeing his son's horns. She was threatened by Chief Kakuzawa to take charge of his deceased son's research or else be killed.
In the anime, Arakawa is a minor character whose role provides little or no contribution at all for advancing the plot, as later she's often seen complaining about that being so busy does not allows her to take a shower which becomes a recurrent gag in the series. However, her character eventually plays an important, key role for humanity's salvation in the last story arc of the manga.

Voiced by: Eriko Ishihara (Japanese), Jessica Boone (English)

Diclonius

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Lucy (ルーシー, Rūshī)
She is a teenage diclonius girl roughly 18 years old. She has four vectors (much more in the manga) with a limited range of two meters. However, she can be swift and lethal within that range, and will also use any nearby inanimate objects as high velocity projectiles to kill at a greater distance. She is also capable of stopping or deflecting most standard ammunition when she concentrates on the task. Lucy hates humans mainly because of how she was treated by her human peers as a child. Lucy also shows various signs of jealousy towards Kohta's cousin, Yuka. This is proven when she slaughters the people at the festival and then Kohta's sister and father after she sees Kohta and Yuka together. This occurs once again when she sees Kohta and Yuka at the shrine and shortly afterwards attacks Yuka.
Consequently, she discounts non-diclonius as 'non-humans'. On the surface, she lacks empathy, kills without much concern, and acts somewhat sadistic. Nonetheless, her capacity for love (both romantic and for friends), as well as remorse is integrated throughout the series. Indeed, one of the major ironic elements of the anime is the interaction between the all-too-human diclonius and the savage and sadistic humans who purportedly need protection from them.
Notes: It is likely that Lucy's name was assigned to her by Chief Kakuzawa because she never refers to herself by that name, and it pays homage to "Lucy", the human ancestor whose fossilized remains were found in Ethiopia. In the manga, her real name is revealed to be Kaede ().
Nyü
Nyü
Nyū (にゅう)
She is a split personality of Lucy, possibly created from brain damage caused by a .50 BMG round ricocheting off her head (due to a metallic helmet). Nyū has a child-like personality and infantile knowledge of the world, and lacks spoken language skills. Nyū is lovable, innocent and incapable of violent acts, a foil to the normal Lucy; she is the manifestation of her 'good side'. When Nyū is attacked violently (or hit on the head), she will regress into Lucy; likewise, when Lucy is treated with love and kindness, she will uncontrollably switch back into Nyū, showing a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde complex. As Nyū, Lucy cannot be sensed by other Diclonius and Silpelits.
One example of this is when Lucy's presence surfaces when Nyū sees a picture of Kohta's little sister Kanae, whom Lucy had encountered eight years before. At the same moment, Nyū starts to cry and eventually tells Kohta that she's sorry. While she does so, she starts to remember something, and suddenly grabs her head as if in pain (much like Lucy had done when she switched back to Nyū as she tortured Bandou). Kohta embraces her, and the Lucy side of her settles. Both Lucy and Nyū are in love with Kohta.

In the anime, it is suggested that Lucy partially manufactured the Nyū personality. She explains to Kohta (as Lucy) that having to face him terrified her, due to her compounding guilt about killing his family in a jealous fit. She wasn't able to find a way to apologize, so she instead became Nyū. It's worth noting that the Nyū personality seems to have disappeared after Kohta regains his memory.

Notes: The character is called "Nyū" because, when Kohta and Yuka first meet Lucy on the beach, this is the only word she is capable of saying. Some anime fans compare this childlike state to Chī, the female lead of Chobits, where when she is activated, the only word she can say is "chī", and her vocabulary later grows, much like Nyū's.

Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English)

Silpelits

Note: Silpelits are Diclonii that cannot reproduce, instead propagating by infecting humans with the Diclonius virus via their vectors. The manga also states that they age faster than humans and normal Diclonius, explaining Nana's childish antics while she has the body of a 12-14 year old.

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Nana (ナナ)
Also known as Number 7, she is a young Silpelit girl who has the physical appearance of being 12-14 years old (though because Silpelits age rapidly, she is actually only about 6 years old). Her name, 'Nana', is Japanese for the number seven, the number by which she was called at the research facility ("Nana" is also a fairly common female name in Japan). Most diclonius babies are euthanized at birth in sweeps of hospital maternity wards, but Nana was one of a handful kept alive for use as a test subjects; as a result she has spent her entire life in the diclonius research facility. Kurama sees her as his daughter and cares very much for her. In an attempt to recapture Lucy, Kurama sent out Nana to find her (diclonii can telepathically sense each other), then retreat until Kurama could arrive with soldiers, but Nana wanted to impress Kurama so she tried to capture Lucy herself. Lucy and Nana engaged in a brutal telekinetic battle that ended with Lucy tearing all of Nana's limbs off. Kurama personally came to stop Lucy and save Nana, then also disregarded Director General Kakuzawa's order to kill her by giving her new prosthetic limbs and setting her free with a lot of money. Unlike many other Diclonius, because Kurama treated her with kindness, she is not homicidal or sadistic. She has the ability to temporarily disable other Diclonius' vectors by having her vectors go through their pineal gland. Although her vector power is slightly superior to Lucy's in terms of range (3 meters to Lucy's 2)and certain abilities, she lacks Lucy's sheer strength (Lucy can lift and throw many more heavy objects than Nana can), and violent nature: Nana's empathy for others does not allow her to fight as vigorously, and she loses her arms and legs when she is viciously dismembered by Lucy. With her vector arms, she is later able to manipulate prosthetic appendages and even throw them like a rocket punch.
Nana can be seen as the exact opposite of Lucy. While Lucy's default personality is serious and cold, Nana's is friendly and kind; Lucy's split personality "Nyu" is similar to Nana's default while Nana sometimes goes into trances and acts cold like Lucy's default personality. Nana is in the middle of the spectrum of Lucy's split personalities: she's not as mature as Lucy, but more mature than Nyu.
Nana is also known for being the main character of the fan comic Nana's Everyday Life.

Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Sasha Paysinger (English)

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Mariko Kurama (蔵間マリコ, Kurama Mariko)
Also known as Number 35, she is a young girl described as the only surviving "third generation" Silpelit(a Silpelit born from one infected by another Silpelit, as opposed to one born from one infected by a Diclonius), and the daughter of Kurama at five years old. During an escape attempt by Number Three (who is actually Nana's sister), Kurama was infected by her vectors and thus turned into a carrier of the diclonius virus, and his daughter was born a silpelit. In the anime she possesses 26 vectors , each with an approximate range of 11 meters (the number and range is much higher in the manga). Mariko was imprisoned as an infant and raised inside a steel container with human contact consisting of nothing more than a scientist acting as a sort of foster mother through speakers and monitors. Her physical impairment is seen in her atrophied limbs as she moves around in a wheelchair.
Despite the environment she was raised in, she is relatively well developed psychologically. She is extremely homicidal and sadistic, and enjoys torturing and dismembering her victims. However, her personality is not blatantly evil. She is only having fun, and the pleasure she gets from it is equivalent to a child playing with toys.
In order to keep Mariko under control, the research institute implanted at least two bombs (probably more) in her body during infancy; one is used to remove her right arm after she attacks scientists at the institute. Kurama later orders the other bomb(s) to be detonated as he walks away embracing his daughter, killing not only Mariko, but himself as well.

In the manga she and Kurama maintain their love for each other and Mariko attempts to kill Lucy (who looks as if she will kill Kurama though it is unknown what she was planing at the time) by using her bomb as a kamikaze method. She only however manages to destroy both of Lucy's horns and return Lucy to her Nyu state. But nonetheless Kurama is agitated by her death. Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)

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Number 03 (3番)
She is a Silpelit child of around 3-4 years old whose name is her designation number given by the human scientists at the research facility, as she does not possess a personal name of her own. She appears only in episode 10 of the anime when Kurama experiences a series of flashbacks back when he became director at Chief Kakuzawa's island facility.
Kurama's flashbacks give insight on the activities the scientists were performing on Diclonius to measure the range and power of their vectors. Everyday, Number 03 was chained up on a wall, and on a far end a machine shot small iron balls at her from different angles. The purpose of that test was to evaluate the maximum range at which each Diclonius's vectors could reach and deflect the balls.
When the experience became too traumatic for Number 03, Kurama voiced out his protest for witnessing such inhuman activities. Afterwards, the locks on Number 03's bounds were mysteriously opened up, and she went on a killing spree until she found Kurama. Number 03 had concealed the true length of her growing vectors from the research team, aiding in her escape. She immediately placed her vector on his head and thanked him in a haunting manner, before being shot dead at the head by Professor Kakuzawa with an armor piercing bullet. Several months later, Kurama's wife gave birth to a Diclonius baby (Mariko) much to Kurama's fear and astonishment. But, it made Kurama to quickly recall his near-death experience with Number 03 and finally realized that the virus is passed on through the vectors.
Note: The official Elfen Lied website confirms that Number 03 is Nana's older sister.[3]

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese), Allison Sumrall (English)

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Anna Kakuzawa (角沢アンナ, Kakuzawa Anna)
Only appears in the manga. She is a Chief Kakuzawa's daughter. She looks up to him in a similar fashion to Nana and Kurama's relationship. She was good at running and struggled to meet her father's expectations, for he considered her "superior" due to her Diclonius heritage.

She underwent an operation on her father's request, to make her "more superior". The results of the operation have increased her mental capacity and therefore she can predict estimates of what the future may be. However the operation has turned her into a giant deformed Diclonius. Her previous self is seen in a number of flashbacks.

Part-Diclonius

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Chief Kakuzawa (角沢長官, Kakuzawa Chōkan)
He is the head of the research center at 70+ years old performing experiments on diclonius. He is from a long line of diclonius ancestry that has been watered down by inter-breeding with humans (much of this is, however, only revealed in the manga). As a result of this he has no vectors and much smaller horns on his head. The aim of him and his son is, in part, to replenish their bloodline with the diclonius they are experimenting on (of which Lucy is the first to be able to reproduce) and thus gain power as "kings" of the new race.

Voiced by: Kinryu Arimoto (Japanese), Andy McAvin (English)

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Professor Kakuzawa (角沢教授, Kakuzawa Kyōju)
He is the son of Chief Kakuzawa and also a watered-down diclonius with smaller horns and no vectors in his mid-30's. When he and Kurama were younger, they both went to university together and it was Kakuzawa that originally got Kurama involved in the research on Diclonius. He ends up, coincidentally, being the lecturer for a course at the university in which Kohta and Yuka are enrolled. He was the one responsible for releasing Lucy at the research center. He is later beheaded by Lucy after he abducts her and attempts to have sexual intercourse with her.

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata (Japanese), John Swasey (English)

Minor characters

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Kisaragi (如月)
She was Kurama's personal secretary and a graduate of Tokyo University at approximately 21 years of age . She is an outright clumsy but pure hearted woman who seems to space out at work, oblivious to the situation she accidentally stumbles into it. Despite her failures, she is optimistic and has good intentions in doing anything to please Kurama. Her bumbling, airheaded, and innocent demeanor is parallel to that of Mutsumi Otohime. She is killed by Lucy at the start of the story. Kisaragi trips (completely oblivious of what is going on) in front of the rampaging Lucy who takes advantage of her interference to tear off her head and use her body as a shield to fend off the security team's gunfire.

Voiced by: Maria Yamamoto (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)

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Nozomi (ノゾミ)
She is a 15-17 year old soft-spoken and shy friend of Yuka who only appears in the manga from chapter 43 onwards. She has a bladder problem and therefore wears diapers. Kohta first encounters her while walking to the store (not realising they both know Yuka), and both are embarrassed when the wind blows her skirt up. They later meet at the inn and Nozomi is revealed to have a great talent for singing. Nozomi is the person that sings the song "Elfenlied", while teaching Nyū how to sing.
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Kohta's father
He was in his mid-30's when he was killed along with his daughter, Kanae (Kohta's sister), by Lucy as a retaliation against Kohta. Upon seeing the tears of sorrow and listening over to the painful screams of a grief-stricken Kohta, she realizes with horror that she made a terrible mistake and goes on to regret it deeply.

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese), John Swasey (English)

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Tomoo (トモオ)
He was a 10 year old orphan boy living together with Lucy and several other parentless kids in a child welfare facility. He along with two other bullies constantly pick on Lucy everyday primarily because of the latter's physical difference (her horns), though he also adds later on that seems weird for him to see that Lucy never displays emotions. He takes pleasure in making Lucy as miserable as possible with malice by deliberately playing mean pranks on her (like spilling milk on her backpack), calling her "horns" (a pun about her horns), subjecting her to various acts of humiliation, and physically assaulting her. When he finds out that Lucy has been taking care of a puppy, he forces her to witness a plain act of extreme cruelty by repeatedly smashing a flower vase on the dog several times just to watch her cry in order for him to quench his sick curiosity. Instead, a shocked Lucy violently snaps in a murderous rage, beheading him and his accomplices with her vectors.
Note: He, the unknown man and Bandō are the only human characters in the anime shown to express outright sadism without regret or inhibitions at all.

Voiced by: Reiko Takagi (Japanese), Chris Patton (English)

Unknown man

Only appears in the manga. Seemingly a mercenary hired by Chief Kakuzawa to hunt down Lucy. He seems to know much about the Diclonius and their limits. He is tall and wears a black coat, shade glasses and uses a crossbow as his weapon. His cruel demeanor is larger than even Batou's. He is very cruel and uses spiked ball projectiles as projectiles, these balls are filled with neurotoxin to cause immense pain to their target. He is dis-sensitive, especially to women and seems to be a sexual-predator in nature.

Saito (斎藤)
She is Mariko's foster mother in her mid-20's and one of the scientists working at Chief Kakuzawa's compound facility. Although she has never actually seen Mariko in person, everyday she and the Diclonius girl have been verbally interacting with each other through the use of loud speakers.
When Shirakawa and the scientists were forced on necessity to release Mariko from her confinement tank, which she had been sealed inside and kept from outside contact all of her life, they pondered their options as how to make Number 35 submit to their commands. Saito was the first to volunteer in greeting Mariko to appease her, mistakingly believing that allowing herself to be seen by Number 35 will help to identify herself as the Diclonius mother. At first the reunion went as expected, Mariko overjoyed for seeing her "mother" Saito for the first time ever, and Saito immediately feeling pity for the Diclonius upon watching the abysmal condition of her body: dehydrated, undernourished, unable to walk.
Once an unsuspecting Saito approached close enough, the mischievous Mariko revealed her true colors responding unemotionally, "Mommmy..? No, you're not." Then, she blew up the lower half of Saito's body and brutally threw the upper torso through the window of the control room to catch the operator off guard.
Mariko would have killed everyone and gone in a rampage, if it wasn't for the barely alive Saito who used her last breath to detonate the explosive in Mariko's right arm in order to subdue her by force.

Voiced by: Allison Sumrall

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Aiko Takada (高田愛子, Takada Aiko)
[4] She only appears in the Elfen Lied OVA, though her full name is never revealed in that episode. She is Lucy's 11-12 year-old friend 3 years prior to the start of the main story, and becomes the second human who has both given love and come to accept Lucy by who she is, regardless of her Diclonius condition (i.e. her horns). It is unknown as to how she came in contact with Lucy, but her first appearance implies that Lucy's predisposition for violence was involved as her uniform was soaked in blood. Unfortunately, Aiko is shot after an ambush captures Lucy and Aiko by surprise. Kurama, who accompanied the police, promised Aiko's well-being in exchange for Lucy's capture. Lucy agrees to be captured, but Aiko eventually dies at the hospital of her injuries. The death of Aiko serves the final straw for Lucy to become resolved in killing deliberately every human at sight (though Kohta and those familiar with him are spared), and triggering the start of her ill-fated vendetta against Kurama, promising him that she will erase everything related to him.
Note: The full account of her background story and how she met Lucy is thoroughly explained in the manga.

Voiced by: Maria Yamamoto

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Isobe (磯部)
He is the head staff manager of research on the diclonius children in Chief Kakuzawa's island facility and also Kurama's subordinate in his mid-40's. He's portrayed as an uncaring, callous, and analytical figure towards the Diclonius just like the rest of the scientists experimenting on them. Both his role and physical appearance are slightly altered for the manga, seen few times paired up with Bando in the latter, but do not seem to affect the general plot in any way. Isobe views all Diclonius as dangerous threats to humankind's existence that need to be permanently caged or "put to sleep" like animals. In the final episode he is decapitated by Lucy, when he tries to take advantage in shooting at Nana after the latter was taken aback by Kurama's death. In the manga he is killed by Mariko.

Voiced by: Naoki Kinoshita (Japanese), Rick Pearsall (English)

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Shirakawa (白河)
She is another member of the Diclonius research and termination staff, as also Kurama's right-hand woman in her mid-30's. Though her personality on the surface reflects a business-like demeanor, she holds a secret affection and genuine concern for Kurama and on all the matters related with his mysterious past, implicitly hinted from time to time in the series. However, Kurama does not return the feelings because most of his time he focuses on attempting to find and terminate Lucy, therefore, keeping the relationship strictly professional. Her personality in the manga is mostly servile and submissive, going to such extents as letting Chief Kakuzawa to sexually abuse and play humiliation games on her (to get information from him). In the manga she has feelings for him and considers admitting it before being decapitated by Lucy. Nonetheless, her character plays an important role in the manga than the anime, but literally meets her demise at the hands of Lucy.

Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese), Shelley Calene-Black (English)

Hiromi Kurama (蔵間ヒロミ, Kurama Hiromi)
[5] She is both Kurama's wife and Mariko's biological mother who was in her mid-20's before she died. She only appears in episode 10 of the anime during the series of flashbacks that Kurama recalled to relive his first experiences with the Diclonius. Prior to Mariko's birth, she was diagnosed uterine cancer during her last month of pregnancy. The doctors were forced to perform an emergency Caesarean section to save her life and the baby's, however, the operation resulted in the complete removal of her uterus leaving her in a delicate state of health due to massive blood loss. After Kurama found out the child was born a Diclonius, he told Hiromi that she (the baby) had to be disposed of. Hiromi immediately went hysterical upon hearing this, furthering aggravating her condition until she passed out.
Shortly afterwards, she walked into the nursery, drenched in blood, to find her husband there attempting to strangle their daughter. She approached him in a trance state (no doubt due to her fragile state of health and overwhelming concern about the fate of her daughter) and told him, "Why does she have to die? You always wanted to have a child, but/and I won't be able to bear you children anymore." Hiromi then tries to make Kurama promise her that he would keep their daughter (Mariko) alive, collapsing dead in front of him as a result of the strain the past events had on her body {It is to be noted, in the anime at least, she isn't shown to have commited suicide, but rather seemed to have died as a result of her failing health in attempting to eke the last promise out of her husband}.

Voiced by: Akemi Kanda (Japanese), Luci Christian (English) Template:Endspoiler

Notes

  1. ^ Elfen Lied Ep. 1: Yuka greets Kohta and then says "Yuka desu... Itoko no..."「ユカです…従姉妹の…」, which quite unambiguously translates as "I'm Yuka. Your cousin."
  2. ^ Why is Romance Between Cousins Common in Anime?
  3. ^ Template:Ja icon Elfen Lied official website
  4. ^ Full name and kanji provided by "On "A Grand Finale" of vol 12". elfiniantop.
  5. ^ Elfen Lied manga; Chapter 61, page 16