Ken Hidaka

Ken Hidaka is a fictional character in the anime Weiß Kreuz. He is part of the four member group, Weiß, who are florists by day and assassins by night. His character design is based on his seiyuu, Tomokazu Seki, a member of the band by the same name, Weiß.

Personality and Traits

Ken is about 19 years old with brown hair and blue-green (in the anime) or brown (in the manga) eyes. He is athletic, being an avid soccer player but is rather clumsy as well. He happens to be a hot-head, rushing into things without giving it a second thought. Although he has a short temper, he is very cheerful and friendly. He is pure hearted, kind natured, shy and quite sentimental. He loves kids and teaches a kids' soccer team when not in Weiß. He also trusts easily, a weakness that has been exploited more than once.

Ken has a strong sense of morals (it's stated that he dislikes liars) and is the only one who feels conflict over becoming a killer. As the story progresses, guilt over his actions begins to weigh him down. At the end of Verbrechen & Strafe, the first signs of insanity and him going berserker can be seen. In the dramatic CDs, his struggle to keep his growing bloodlust in control shows how much his life as an assassin has begun to corrode his soul.

History

Ken used to be a superb goalkeeper and was considered the number one goalie in the J-league. Unfortunately, during an important game, he was mysteriously drugged, resulting in a terrible performance. Due to this, Ken was blamed for throwing the game away deliberately and was banned from the J-League.

Kase, his best friend and another player on the team, claimed that he would help Ken find the ones who had done that to him. However, right when they were about to find them, they were interrupted. Kase ended up being kidnapped while Ken was left for dead in a burning building. Ken was rescued by Kritiker agents who trained him to be a member of Weiß (the White Hunters). Considered dead to the world, he took up the mantle as an assassin to get revenge for his failed hopes and now unreachable dreams.

Role in the Series

An Assassin and White Shaman

Ken is introduced during a mission conducted by Weiß. He is the one who spots Ran Fujimiya first who after asking Ken if he knows about Fujimiya, begins to attack him. Later, when Ran visits the Koneko no Sumo Ie (House of the Kitten, the flower shop which Weiß uses a cover) for the first time, Ken punches Ran in retaliation for their previous encounter. This leads to a fistfight. By the end of the manga, Ran and Ken end up having a tentative partnership.

Kapitel

It is during this series that Weiß receives a mission to eliminate Ken's ex-best friend, Kase. Ken, overwhelmed that Kase is still alive, sets out to find him and warn him of Weiß' orders due to his belief that Kase is merely being misled. Kase, however double crosses Ken and frames him. This is when Ken finally finds out that Kase was the one who betrayed him back in the J-league, slipping a drug into his water bottle during half-time.

Back then, Kase had been jealous of Ken's success for a long time and knew that it was only due to his friendship with Ken that he was still in the team. Envious and angry, he teamed up with a gang and betted high on his team losing the next game. To ensure that they did, he drugged Ken. Later on, he acted as though he was on Ken's side to murder him and make it look as though a gang had done it. This was the true extent of Kase's treachery. Angered, Ken killed him but not before Kase told him, "I'll see you in Hell" to which Ken's reply was, "Hell? This is hell."

Kase's death haunts Ken who resorts to racing on his motorcycle to stop remembering the incident. While on one of these races, he meets Yuriko, a fellow motorcyclist. They go swimming, play tennis, ride their bikes, and spend the night in a motel. Yuriko tells Ken about her dream of going to Australia to ride her bike in the outback. She asks Ken to be a part of it. Eager to be rid of the world of blood that he's seeped in, Ken agrees to leave with her after his last mission with Weiß.

However, this mission changes his mind. Yuriko is unwittingly affected and it is only due to his knowledge as a member of Weiß that Ken ends up saving her. Yohji, who follows him, finds out about the whole affair and warns Ken not to go with her. As a killer, Yohji reminds him, he has no right to care for her. Although Ken promised Yuriko that he would meet her at the airport, he ends up watching her leave by herself. She finds a flower pressed between the pages of her book along with his ticket on the plane.

Verbrechen & Strafe

Ken sides with Akira, ignoring Weiß' orders to kill him, causing a split in Weiß that has tragic results.

Gluhen

Though Ken takes five episodes to appear, he is undoubtedly still one of the main characters. His absence so far is explained as he's been stationed in Europe to bring down a sister school of Koda Academy. His entrance shows the dark trail of mind that he's settled in. The change in his character can be witnessed as a presence which brushes his mind to take control over him, decides otherwise as it considers him too impure.

After returning to Japan, he plays the undercover role of a college student. He bears a grudge against Sena in the beginning and believes that he should not be a part of Weiß. During the mission, he is perceptive enough to realize Aya's thoughts about leaving Weiß but remains loyal to him and doesn't reveal it to anyone.

In the end, Ken voluntarily ends up in jail (as speculation among his jailors go) due to his connections with the Takatori family. There he reflects over what is missing in his life and why he can't let go. He also wonders why he felt so hesitant when he saw Ran off in the airport. His life's passion, soccer finally helps him realize what path his future should follow. He decides that he wants to be with Ran and mentally tells Ran that he'll catch up with him soon.

Weiß Side B

Due to Mamoru's (Omi's) connections, Ken finds out that Ran is currently being scouted by Krypton Band. He meets up with Yohji, now Ryo and takes back Ran's katana and heads to England. He surprises Ran by turning up in Richard's mansion during Ran's practice match. They team up and work together along with Richard to beat the combined team of Mitsurugi, Michael and Chloe.

As Krypton Band, Side B, Ken and Ran once again assume the role of florists by day, assassins by night as they begin to uncover the trail of a drug trade that links back to the Koda Academy and the Z-Class (Gluhen). Ken's soccer past is once again brought up as an old friend of his, a soccer player dies. Ken suspects foul play, especially with evidence pointing to the drug's role in his death.

In the team, Kurumi trusts Ken the most and Ken regards her as a little sister perhaps. Chloe and him are openly antagonistic to each other and he's amiable with the rest of his team members, the closest one being Ran. He hopes that Ran's logic about Krypton Band allowing them to choose their own paths unlike Weiß is indeed true.

Role in Fandom

Weiß Kreuz, known for its bishounen has a large fan following, especially due to its yaoi potential. Ken has been linked with most of the characters such as Ran, Schuldig, Yohji, Chloe, Omi and Kase.

Random Facts

• Ken's codename is Siberian, a reference to his favourite weapon, the bagh nakh (tiger claws).
• His favourite gun is Smith and Wesson. (Gluhen)
• His birthday is on December 23.
• His height is 175 cm or 5' 8".
• He has blood type B.
• His image flower is the Gentian, which means "sweet by thy dreams".
• Ken usually travels by motorcycle.
• He enjoys Japanese food and strives to become perfect in it. (Side B)
• He's pretty bad at English. (Side B)