Jiro's favourite video game characters: Rapi.

 

Quite some time ago, I made a blog post about one of my absolute least favourite video game characters of all time. It did big numbers, for whatever reason. Anyways, I wanted to revisit the topic of gaming and provide a counter-balance to such a negative post. This time around I shall be writing about one of my most beloved characters of all time. I absolutely adore Rapi from NIKKE and with this post, I hope to be able to tell you why exactly. Before I dive into explaining why I love Rapi, a warning: This blog post will absolutely contain spoilers for the main campaign and lore of NIKKE. 

Now, Rapi's story is about finding one's self. It's extremely relatable for quite a number of people. From what she tells the Counters, Shiki-kan included, her life was a rather bleak, sad affair even as a human. She grew up in a hospital, having to undergo daily treatment injected via needles. Upon hearing of the Surface Reclamation War for the surface via the TV every day and on every channel, Rapi pondered why and also grew vexed as it took time away from her cartoons that she enjoyed. Naturally, the nurse who looked after her, was amused and stated that a young girl that had never been outside the Ark wouldn't be as emotionally invested because she wasn't old enough to remember when the Raptures forcefully took the humans home on the surface. Still, Rapi did share the nurses admiration for the Nikkes, who would fight to reclaim the surface for humanity. At one point, Rapi shied away from her daily treatment. It wasn't out of fear, but rather more bleakly, a lack of hope. She had overheard the nurse speaking with someone and they expressed judgement that poor Rapi's condition was without a cure and that she'd die in the hospital. Gut-wrenchingly, Rapi was curious about dying as it meant an end to her suffering. Later, the nurse admits that humanity had lost the Surface Reclamation War and as a result, the Ark was going through a financial crisis that would ultimately affect the hospital. When the nurse asked Rapi if there was anything that she wanted, Rapi's response was depressing. She saw little point in wanting anything when even tomorrow wasn't guaranteed for her. After Rapi inquires about the nurses injuries on her body, the nurse informs her patient that she's been taking part in protests against anti-Nikke rhetoric after the Nikkes were scapegoated and took the blame for losing the Surface Reclamation War. After telling Rapi not to put a price on life, the nurse leaves. That very same night, it is revealed via the news that the nurse had died thanks to the government violently suppressing the aforementioned protests. 

Years later, things turned out as feared as a doctor informed Rapi that the hospital would close down. There was nowhere for Rapi to go... No traces of her family, no one willing to adopt her due to her serious condition and no other hospital could treat her. Still, Rapi was impassive to the point that the doctor asked her to take part in a clinical trial. The trial? Take a new drug developed for patients with rare conditions and diseases such as Rapi's. Rapi agreed, seeing little issue with it despite the risks and pondered whether she would finally be at peace if she died. Her decision allowed the hospital to remain open for a while longer. During this time period, The Goddess Fall event had shifted the public perception of Nikkes, becoming more sympathetic towards them. The doctor remarked that perhaps the Nikkes will finally be free from oppression. He also unfortunately showed his true colours by merely thinking of the money that the drug which Rapi had taken would bring in, ignoring her pained groans and her pushing the button to call for help. Several more years passed with Rapi growing older and maturing with her condition improving. The doctor even informed her that she was completely cured and would be discharged, given some money for living expenses and a place to stay. However, having lived her entire life within the confines of the hospital walls, Rapi never knew what living a 'normal life' even looked like. She didn't know if she was even capable of such a thing. She requested to stay at the hospital, but was ignored by the doctor and so, with no other option, she finally left the hospital... 

Finally outside the walls, Rapi didn't have much with her, just the clothes she was wearing, the credits for currency she had never used before and a piece of paper with the address of her new residency. She felt alone, isolated as she navigated the unfamiliar streets whilst throngs of people walked by. Unable to ask for directions to the address listed on the piece of paper, she simply walked until she felt an aching feeling in her feet. At this moment she glanced down to see that she was bare foot whilst everyone around her was wearing shoes. She continued to walk until coming across a crowd of people shouting. She had stumbled into a mass-produced Nikke making a speech in protest of anti-Nikke rhetoric and poor treatment despite the rise in sympathy following the Goddess Fall event. Sensing an opportunity, Rapi got closer to the crowd in an effort to ask for help. Instead,  explosions began to erupt and screams could be heard. The mass-produced Nikke swiftly spotted Rapi, who stood out like a sore thumb and urged her to get to safety. Unfortunately, Rapi's poor luck continued, with the Nikke she was speaking to was caught in an explosion and began bleeding a strangely coloured fluid. At this point, Rapi's instincts told her to run and so she did, until being shot in the arm after being mistaken for a fleeing protestor. Sensing no point in continuing to run, Rapi stopped and was shot once again.

When she next came to, she was a Nikke. Following the successful implementation of NIMPH, she was given the designation of RR-15436. Of note is the scientists exclamation of her low levels of knowledge and how sheltered Rapi was. Anyways, following this Rapi met her squad leader, a Product-12 mass-produced Nikke. Rapi's swift acceptance of the mission caused the squad leader to wonder why she accepted so readily without any trepidation or asking questions but Rapi simply stated that she did not care as long as she didn't have to think for herself. 

During the mission on the surface with Squad 09-10F, Rapi met her very first friend. Seira, a mass-produced Nikke, started attempting to engage Rapi in conversation, with Rapi at first rebutting due to protocols prohibiting idle chatter whilst on assignments. Still, the squad leader didn't oppose to it and so, Seira continued to engage Rapi in conversation. She informed her that this was also her very first day as a Nikke. Something which surprised Rapi as she had figured that with her bubbly personality, that Seira had become acclimated to this life as a Nikke. Bulldozing through all of Rapi's reservations, Seira even went so far as to invite her and the squad out for drinks, with the squad leader begrudgingly acquiescing. Rapi's attempts to decline the invitation were unsuccessful and Seira let her in on a little secret: She had never drank before as she was allergic to drinking as a human. This caused Rapi to respond by asking why she'd want to try something unfamiliar. Seira's response was simple yet oddly profound. The least she could do with her new lease on life as a Nikke was to try new things that she previously couldn't as a human. When the conversation turned to their pasts, Rapi bluntly informed Seira that she was shot at a protest, a sign of Rapi's endearing blunt awkwardness. In a bar following the mission, the squad held a party with drinks and snacks. Rapi silently sipped a drink in the corner whilst the others chatted merrily. She commented on how terrible the drink was before a tipsy Seira leaned onto her and praised her marksmanship. Seira then fired off a series of questions at Rapi. Asking her about her aspirations, dreams, hobbies, even her favourite food, to which Rapi shot them down by firmly stating that she had none. Seira mistakenly took it as Rapi simply being unsocial, rebuffing the overtures before she collapsed from drinking. As time passed with the squad, Seira never left Rapi alone, always probing for even the most minute of personal details, but Rapi never cracked and thus, Seira decided that she'd spill her life story first over drinks and snacks following their latest mission, only this time, no alcohol. This would never come to pass sadly as upon destroying a group of Raptures, Rapi tried to report to the squad leader, only to be met with corpses. Her squad had been decimated. Even with Seira being unable to be recognised amongst the corpses, Rapi confessed to being empty inside. She told the corpses her life story up to that point and her reasons for being unable to answer the questions... It was simply because she really didn't have anything. Rapi apologised and expressed regret at being unable to hear Seira's story as well as the other squad members. She wouldn't have the chance to ask how they lived, what they liked and what drove them. She took back three of her squads heads back to the Ark after knowing that with the brains intact, they could potentially be revived.

At this point, rumours spread about her being the lone survivor that brought back three of her squad members heads. Whilst being questioned by an iDoll Flower and an iDoll Sun about her blasé behaviour such as eating food soon after having taken the decapitated heads of three of her squad members back to the ark, Rapi bluntly stated the aforementioned possibility of revival. Then the 20 million credit reward and the medal she was receiving came up. Rapi confirmed that she was receiving those rewards as well as the privilege to join any squad she wished. Th iDoll Flower accused Rapi of stabbing her squad in the back, implying that she herself killed them to bring back the heads for the rewards, even going so far as to ask if she remembered the names of the Nikkes she 'butchered'. This was a turning point for Rapi as for once, the NIMPH held no answers for what she should do in this moment and so, she followed her gut instinct. Slapping the iDoll Flower hard enough to knock out a tooth, Rapi slapped the mass-produced Nikke senseless until iDoll Sun ran to get help. When recounting this to the Counters, Rapi stated that this was the very first day in which she'd acted on her own will and not out of orders or protocol. 

The beatdown earned Rapi some time in the detention centre. It was there that she Rio, a product 08 and Wendi, a iDoll Ocean. At this time, Rapi was actually excited on the notion of acting on her own will for once and who wouldn't be? Rio had a love for an idol named Pretty and watched her almost religiously. Rapi studied the product 08's expression as the latter beamed and gushed about her adoration for Pretty. Unfortunately, Rapi's staring had been misunderstood by Rio, resulting in the product 08 charging at her, only to be floored with a single uppercut. Ironically, this was the beginning of their friendship. Rio and Wendi did their very best in attempting to teach Rapi how to socialise with others. Rio's gruff nature and foul mouth inadvertently infected Rapi with the latter blurting out some truly belligerent things causing amusement for Wendi and exasperation for Rio. When another ad for Pretty played, Rapi saw Rio's elation and asked why the product 08 about her love for the idol. Rio responded that she felt envious of the idol, causing Rapi to ask why. The unattainable pretty face, beautiful voice and skilful dancing that drew adoration were listed as Rio's reasons why. Rapi wondered why she felt like she couldn't be like Pretty, given the fact that they were both Nikkes. After pondering the question, Rio asked if Rapi had someone she admired, something which Rapi answered in the negative. This prompted Rio to state that Rapi would one day find someone she admired to the point of wanting to emulate them. Only then would Rapi understand that wanting to be like someone and actually becoming them are two entirely separate things. This would be a key point in time for when Rapi later met Red Hood... 

Rio and Wendi were waiting for Rapi upon her release from the detention centre and intended to recruit her into their squad. They explained that their squad was named, being a cut above the numbered ones and their Skull Head was no different. After proclaiming to have never heard of the squad before, Rapi is prompted to look them up, digging up bad press and articles regarding violent altercations. Still, this was waved off by Rio, who also explained that Skull Head was a combat squad designed to eliminate Raptures and clear out valuable surface facilities and locations. Rapi with the urging of both of her friends, agreed to join the squad. 

On a mission, Rio had one of her legs blown off by enemy fire, resulting in Wendi telling Rapi to fend off the Raptures whilst she tended to her. After the battle was over, Rapi speculated that the Raptures were evolving. Rio argued with the human commander who eventually walked off, leading Rio to scoff at how everything had gone south after the commander had been brought in. The next day, Wendi implored Rapi to check the news to discover that Pretty had been murdered by a Nikkephobe during her comeback concert. Worried about Rio, Wendi desperately tried contacting her friend, until she showed up looking suspiciously calm. Rio at this point told Rapi that there's no point in trying as no matter what one accomplishes or does in their life, none of it matters when they're dead and gone. Wendi hugged her despondent friend, attempting to console her. A few days later, Rapi questioned Rio about her admiration for Pretty with Rio explaining that she wanted to become a popstar, seeing how Pretty shined on stage and wanted to become similar to her. This caused Rapi to hold out an envelope, explaining that she and Wendi called in a lot of favours to get an audition for Tetra line's idol programs. Smiling, Rapi urged Rio to go show her that dreams are achievable if you worked hard enough. Rio profusely thanked Rapi and Wendi for how much they supported her dream and as the mission continued, she hummed Pretty's songs under her breath even after the commander told her to hush. 

That night, the corruption took hold as Rio opened fire on her own squad, eyes glowing with that red light, still humming Pretty's songs. Wendi was forced to shoot down her best friend, the consequences of which caused her to turn the gun on herself. Raptures then came and killed the rest of the squad, except Rapi and one other Nikke. The human commander was amongst the dead. After a routine check-up upon her return to the Ark, a news report informed Rapi that counterfeit Tetra line idol program audition tickets were being sold. Skull Head was disbanded and Rapi felt that Rio was right, dreaming, striving for a dream... It was all meaningless. Glancing in the mirror, Rapi saw the same emptiness on her face that she saw on Rio after Pretty had been murdered. 

Following this, Rapi watched as countless squad members died before her eyes or were driven insane. She had to take up the role of executioner, much like Wendi had done with Rio, putting down those unfortunate souls that had fallen to corruption and mind switches. It got to the point where she just wanted it to be over... With the announcement of the Second Reclamation War, seeing others being roused with a new hope and fervour, it ignited the tiniest flicker of hope within herself. Two years later, she once again found herself on the surface with half of her squad not even making it out of the elevator before being gunned down. Ambushes took most of the other half and the commander, but still Rapi persisted even when a fellow survivor by the name of Kalia suggested that they take the elevator and go back to the Ark, abandoning the mission. Rapi refused, even with only four Nikkes left, they still had a duty to rendezvous with the main force and continue the campaign. Kalia was less than confident that the surviving squad members could accomplish much of anything and declared that it was a suicide mission. Kalia was a four-time veteran of surface missions and still this was worse than she imagined, asking Rapi her own deployment count and being staggered when Rapi responded by stating that with SSRW alone, this is her 27th deployment. Unfortunately, upon asking for and hearing Rapi's name, Kalia went into a panic as Rapi had been dubbed the Grim Reaper or her ability to be the lone survivor of her squads and was known as a bad luck charm that caused the deaths of them. Rapi refuted this, stating that she never caused the deaths. This conversations was cut short by artillery fire as they were ambushed by Raptures. Rapi was once again left all alone. When she saw the oncoming Raptures, she muttered about how tired she was of this occurrence. Whittling them down to a single Rapture, Rapi suddenly had a stressful revelation. She lacked the ammo to create an opening to attack the core. When all hope seemed lost, the Rapture's attention was drawn elsewhere long enough for her to charge and put a bullet in it's core. This was her first encounter with Red Hood. Rapi eventually gave Red Hood her name after referring to herself with her designation a number of times. 

After getting Red Hood up to speed with around 30 years having past since humanity fled the surface for the safety of the Ark, Red Hood introduced herself as a member of the Goddess squad. At Red Hood's insistence, Rapi dropped the formalities. Wolf's bane was relieved of the rust that had covered it's body and it's ammo was replenished before the Nikkes buried the bodies of their fallen comrades. After saying a small prayer for the dead just because she wanted to, Red Hood engages Rapi in conversation which resulted in her groaning about her cassette player having broken down due to neglect and wear. After asking Rapi to fix it, she proceeded to ask the same questions Seira, Rio, Wendi and others asked her previously. No hobbies, no preferences, seemingly no sense of humour... Rapi felt a sense of deja vu with this sequence of questions and reactions to her responses having become a routine. When pressed on why she didn't have any aspirations, Rapi's verbose response was depressing, stating that she'd witnessed countless dreamers dying before they could achieve their dreams. Knowing that everything is over once she's dead, Rapi saw little point in wishing for anything. That led to Red Hood surprising Rapi with an offer to grant one wish of her choosing. Shocked, Rapi asked why such an offer was made before Red Hood revealed the sad news that she didn't have much time left. The bright eyes was a clear indication of her corruption, something that Rapi immediately recognised. The reveal of the corruptions led to a tense standoff with Rapi pointing her gun at the Goddess as Red Hood assured her that she wouldn't suddenly attack her or anyone else. Still, Rapi aired on the side of cautious, sticking to protocol by asking a series of questions. Red Hood answered every question with Country music, which convinced Rapi that it was indeed terminal corruption, but Red Hood complained about the questions being ones which could be answered with the same response. 

Still, Red Hood's corruption was an anomaly, far from the norm and Rapi lowered her gun. The Goddess even states that she mistakenly believed that she was cured following her 30 year slumber. As for not having much time left, it was a hunch and a gut feeling that was telling her that she had about a week left. Rapi remarked that Red Hood seemed awfully calm for someone knowing that they've not got much time left with Red Hood responding that she'd done everything she could, had come to terms with it and thus with the time that she had left, she'd fulfil Rapi's wish. Heck, she even offered to go as far as making one up if Rapi couldn't think of one. Another sense of Deja vu hit Rapi as she thought back on all those who previously offered helping hands only to be drawn away for various reasons. She figured that not expecting anything from anyone was a reasonable way of living and figured that this wouldn't be any different. Still, she humoured the Goddess, prompting Red Hood to ask if there was any place she'd like to go for starters. After another wave of deja vu, Rapi replied with the unthinkable: The Lift. Although taken aback by the answer, Red Hood agreed to take Rapi as close as possible to The Lift even though it was almost a hive of Rapture activity. There were no objections from Rapi. 

After fixing the cassette player along the way, one song was played at Red Hood's request, but unfortunately for her, Rapi didn't seem to like it very much upon being pressed for her thoughts. The sniper indicated that Rapi should broaden her horizons and listen to a variety of genres to get a sense of what she liked, even though the cassette player only had a tape with Country music on it. Similarly, Red Hood informed Rapi that taste was just as important as caloric and nutritional intake, even shoving Rapi's uneaten meal into her mouth and telling her to close her eyes and properly taste it. Then, Red Hood continued giving Rapi advice on a multitude of things from trying out different guns and shooting styles to sleeping habits and even telling jokes. Rapi eventually tells her to stop bothering her, claiming that aspirations, dreams, hobbies and preferences were unnecessary to live, with Red Hood countering that being without such things might not even constitute living. 

Upon their arrival at The Lift, upon being asked how she felt about her wish being granted, Rapi admitted that she felt nothing. There was no joy, no sense of accomplishment, nothing. So, Red Hood asked if she had another wish, up to three as she knew that Rapi was lying about the visit to The Lift being a wish. Before any of those wishes could be made, artillery fire interrupted the duo and due to the overwhelming number of Raptures approaching, they both fled. An artillery strike narrowly missed them, opening a crack in the ground in which Rapi fell. The impact rendered Rapi's legs useless and even though Red Hood repeatedly called her name, asking if she was okay, she resigned herself to her fate. Recalling how many others were cut down before her or corrupted to the point that she had to become their executioner, Rapi found herself praying for Red Hood to abandon her. On the contrary, Red Hood managed to get down to her and stood before her, prompting Rapi to finally voice a true wish: To become like her. 

Whilst searching for something to repair Rapi's legs with, Red Hood encountered D.E.E.P. and was shown the power source that fuelled The Lift: A giant Rapture core named Ultra Massive Core. Another such core resided inside the Ark, which is why D.E.E.P. would not allow this one to be destroyed. Eventually, D.E.E.P. followed Red Hood back to Rapi to fix the latter's legs. D.E.E.P. also commented on just how empty Rapi was whilst examining her before knocking out Red Hood. Red Hood's NIMPH was fighting the corruption inside her with all its' might which usually led to mutual destruction, still it was a miracle that the sniper had kept her sanity and survived as long as she did. Eventually, both Rapi and Red Hood awaken on the outskirts of The Lift, with the former's legs fixed. Neither had any recollection of just how they were fixed though. It is believed that D.E.E.P. fused their cores within Rapi's body, but this wasn't outright confirmed by the devs. 

In accordance to Rapi's wish to become like Red Hood, the latter trained the former to fight like her and also gave advice. At one point, Red Hood bluntly stated that Rapi and Red Hood would always be two very separate beings and that Rapi couldn't simply become her. Despite that, Rapi asserted that someone as empty as her could become anyone she wished and she wanted to become Red Hood. The idea of Red Hood dying was completely alien to Rapi, even with the former's terminal corruption which was met with Red Hood stating that Rapi was just infatuated by her earlier heroism, only for her to become flustered when it's not denied. With the sniper pondering on what brought this wish on, Rapi told the sniper her story, starting with the hospital and how her belief of Nikkes truly being Goddesses of Victory, bringing hope to humanity was eroded when she became one herself. However, despite the fact that Nikkes weren't all that different to humans in reality, Red Hood stood out from the rest. She embodied Rapi's idealised versions of the Godesses of Victory she had in her mind as a child. Red Hood quipped that Rapi was praising her too much and that she wasn't as amazing as she made her out to be, but this didn't deter Rapi. Red Hood eventually capitulated and 12 hours later was training Rapi to master the art of shooting whilst moving.

As night fell, the duo had a profound conversation in which Rapi asked Red Hood why she was spending her time remaining teaching her when she could have found her old squad members or done things she couldn't do before her slumber. Acknowledging the fact that she could have done so, Red Hood stated that she was certain that she had ended things with her former companions on a high note and ended that particular chapter on a high, satisfying note. She also believed that Goddess had their own goals that they were attempting to achieve and so, rather than attempting to find them, which might have been unsuccessful with how vast the world was, her time was better spent helping the person she did find. Rapi responded by stating that she still didn't have any real motivation to live, which prompted an exasperated Red Hood to promise her that she would find a reason one day. When Rapi brought up Goddess squad and asked for details about them, Red Hood saw through the attempt by Rapi to find them and make them her own comrades and refused to give her details and just stated that they would also live up to Rapi's idealisations of Nikkes. Rapi then pondered whether she would ever have companions as strong as Goddess herself, to which Red Hood responded by telling her that like attracts like and that if Rapi focused on becoming strong herself first, she would attract all kinds of strong Nikkes. 

The conversation then turned towards Red Hood's hometown, with her lamenting never having visited before she died. When Rapi attempted to gather information about it, the sniper couldn't really tell where it was, given their current location being unfamiliar. Rapi tried to convince Red Hood to at least attempt to find out where it was, but settled for a description when the latter reminded her of her limited remaining time. Red Hood mused that it was a normal village, same as any other out in the countryside and yet, that gave it a sense of nostalgia that made her really miss it. This whole conversation stuck with Rapi as she forced Red Hood to go back to her hometown in Chapter 25 and 26. 

The next day saw Red Hood once again train Rapi in mastering the art of shooting whilst on the move, this time stopping after a dash and firing after a sharp turn. Rapi struggled to master this technique, complaining that her gun was different form Wolf's Bane and was causing her to fail. This prompted Red Hood to take on the challenge and successful prove that it wasn't the gun's fault, but Rapi's insistence on moving too stiffly and following the manual of combat tactics to a tee instead of thinking on her own. Rapi attempted to counter by arguing that she wouldn't be able to efficiently co-ordinate with team mates if she just did her own thing, forcing Red Hood to retort that she should trust her allies to adapt and improvise. She also stated that this applied to social situations, not just the battlefield and came down to trusting your gut's instinct. When asked if she'd ever done something like that, Rapi responded by recounting the time in which she beat up the mass-produced Nikke who besmirched her name with lies and slander and also the time in which she had given a gift to a squad member. When pressed on how she felt at those times, Rapi admitted that she felt proud. The sniper then told her that she should rely on her gut instinct more often, even if it meant forcing herself to do so. As night fell, Rapi pressed for details on Red Hood's backstory with the latter sharing how she used to be a delinquent, avoiding chores and work to do whatever she wanted with friends. One day she had an accident and died, waking up as a Nikke. She made the most of her second chance at life and found herself to be really good at doing Nikke things. Having capable and close companions helped a great deal too. Her existence was helped tremendously by having such camaraderie and she implored Rapi to find her own companions as it helped make the war less lonely. Still, Red Hood insisted on not turning off the Country music song playing on the cassette tape as they laid down to rest, assuring Rapi that she'd develop a taste for it. 

The next day, Rapi took Red Hood's lesson to heart and excelled, leaving the latter feeling proud. After declaring that she had nothing left to teach, Red Hood decided it was finally time for them to part ways. Still, she insisted on guiding Rapi back to the Ark, despite Rapi protesting about parting ways, sensing her time was really running up. On the way back, Rapi was desperately trying to come up with something to talk about before the sound of Red Hood calling her name caused her to jump in surprise. She attempted to assure the sniper that nothing was bothering her, but the stuttering gave away just how weak it was. She couldn't give an ETA on making it to the Ark when asked to and instead suggesting finding Red Hood's hometown, promising she'd find it after asking for information on it. Red Hood smiled, sighed and told Rapi that it was okay. This triggered a memory from within Rapi's brain as those words were taught to her as a magical phrase to get someone to reflect on their actions. Red Hood was given some little time by some form of miracle even with her terminal corruption, and here was Rapi squandering it all on herself, selfishly. The once-Goddess smacked her on the back, stating that she chose to spend time with and train Rapi of her own will, no matter the time or effort it took and assured her that she didn't regret a thing. 

After resuming their march towards the Ark, Rapi watched Red Hood's back, confirming that there was no hesitation nor regret in her movements and all the while trying to burn one final image of her mentor in her mind and memory. Red Hood then express fatigue as the sun began to set, sweat visibly pouring down her face with her eyes a crimson red. Rapi with a sense of foreboding that this was indeed the end of their time together, obliged the request to rest. Leaning against a building, the sniper jokingly blamed her weariness on her age, rebuffing any offers of a drink and then urged Rapi to go on ahead to avoid having her protegee having to witness her turning into a mindless beast. Rapi vehemently tried to refuse, even stating her willingness to put down her mentor if it came to that. Red Hood urged her not to die with her and instead to live her life and not do anything she'd regret. Rapi had found something to strive for. When Red Hood tried to indicate that she wasn't as great as Rapi made her out to be, the latter stated that she was a good person regardless and if nothing else, that made her someone worth emulating. Red Hood's beautiful response came as she thought that Rapi was a good person herself and that she was blessed to have her company in her final moments. Visibly struggling, Red Hood held out her fist to Rapi, offering a fist bump. Rapi obliged before wordlessly slipping the earphones for the cassette player into the once-Goddess's ears. Red Hood then bid Rapi farewell before closing her eyes for the final time. Rapi was left sobbing uncontrollably whilst clutching onto her mentor's body with that one week spent with Red Hood had given her more vibrancy and meaning than anything in her life ever had before. The screaming and tears continued before eventually Rapi stilled, stopping moving completely even as seasons passed with her still clutching onto the body of her fallen mentor. When she finally came to, she wasn't clutching anything. Somehow, someway... The body of her mentor was gone. This gave her a small hope that Red Hood had somehow survived and she suddenly felt something in her chest that calmed her, as if her mentor was still with her. Vowing to keep her promise to become Red Hood, she made her way back to the Ark.

Some time later, she found herself within Elysion's headquarters with Ingrid conversing on how remarkable it was that Rapi has survived no less than 300 battles in the last 4 years. The combat data proved it. When Ingrid met with Rapi, she at first referred to her by her designation RR-15436, which caused Rapi to assert herself and reject the moniker, referring to herself as Rapi. Ingrid obliged after a moment and then proceeded ask some questions that revealed that 6 years had passed since the Second Surface Reclamation War. Rapi spent 2 of them in active deployment before being MIA for 4. She covered up Red Hood's existence by claiming that she was trying to make her way back to the Ark with the help of some other Nikkes, who sadly didn't make it. Ingrid then had her undergo an examination which revealed no corruption or Mind Switch had affected her. Upon being asked, Ingrid revealed that humanity had lost the war again and it had already been 4 years since the end, which didn't surprise Rapi due to how bad things were when she was deployed. New Hope's guerrilla warfare tactics were now becoming standardised with small squads of Nikkes being led by elite human Commanders. Soon after, as Ingrid pondered the possibility of Rapi's extensive combat experience becoming an invaluable asset, the mechanic responsible for the examinations barged in and claimed that there were anomalies found within Rapi's body. Inside the Elysion lab's, it was revealed that Rapi weighed twice as much as the average Nikke and also held not one, but two cores inside her. This was unheard of and no one knew what to make of it, even with only a single core being active. NIMPH scanned also revealed a significant uptick to the region dedicated to the sense of one's self which heavily contrasted her previous record which had shown almost nothing. Black boxed to the staff was a week of memories, the week she spent with Red Hood. It was deemed insignificant and thus went untouched. Ingrid gave the order to reconstruct Rapi's body based on the NIMPH's self-actualisation and for the duo-core body to be disposed of. 

Ingrid filled Rapi in on what transpired regarding her old body and somehow, the anomalies returned despite the new body. Rapi played dumb regarding the two cores after Ingrid conjectured that it had something to do with her NIMPH and ego. From that moment onward, Rapi was to be reassigned as an Elysion Nikke whilst the company researched way for her to make use of her duo cores. Her performance and record data would be recorded with the concession being that she would be able to choose which squad to join. She replied by asking for it to be a strong squad with no worries of the others dying, splintering or succumbing to insanity as there's something she's aspiring to. Thus, she joined the strongest squad Elysion had to offer: Absolute. Eunhwa uncharacteristically had nothing but praise for Rapi who in turn gave credit to the others for their exemplary results. This led to Rapi requesting a test to see if something might change by pushing her second core to its' limits. Ingrid initially refuses as Rapi could die if it goes beyond 10 seconds of activation time, but acquiesces when Rapi insists. The test itself was a scary experience as Ingrid had ordered it to cease when the sub-core began encroaching the primary core's activity, but the controls were unresponsive. Rapi's body was transforming into an entirely different Nikke with the sub-core taking over completely. Red Hood. She was unconscious and showing no signs of waking as Ingrid pieced things together with what Rapi had told her, the duo cores and the NIMPH ego storage. The sub-core had Red Hood's body-mapping and ego. This was a revelation that Nikkes could be freely altered even from their baseline. Using NIMPH with a different personality type and ego body-mapping which modified the body, it was possible for Nikkes to become someone entirely different. It could even be used to make copies of the same exact person or bring back the dead. To prevent this knowledge from leaking out, Ingrid ordered every Nikke involved in the testing to be mind-wiped. In the days that followed, becoming Red Hood became an obsession for Rapi before she suffered an identity crisis that resulted in her resigning from Absolute as she felt shame in using them as props for her obsession. She then drifted around until eventually bumping into Anis. 

From there she was paired with Anis and whilst on a mission, they met Shiki-kan and dealt with Marian before Neon completed the squad. Officially being designated Counters, the squad went on several missions together gaining valuable experience, surviving encounters with Heretics and becoming a highly skilled unit. They saw Modernia, defeating her before she suddenly reverted back to Marian. They survived being betrayed by Exotic and eventually helped save the Ark from the Rapture invasion, fought Chatterbox more than once, encountered Eden and Inherit, gaining new skills and becoming battle hardened. Took on Nihilister, took down Mother Whale, gained some Unchained (Vapaus)... Impressive for a ragtag squad thrown together by fate. 

Okay, I didn't mean to go that much into detail about her backstory, but there's so much important information in there, that condensing it felt impossible. I would like to focus on Chapter 26 as it is a rather important one and my personal favourite of the ones that I have played through. After having deliberately using the power of her secondary-core, Rapi urged the commander to find her before beating down Indivilla, Nihilister and Chatterbox. Following this, she fully transformed into Red Hood, something which came as a shock to her squad members when they eventually found her after tracking her movements with the 'aid' of Dorothy. As it turned out, Rapi was stuck inside Red Hood after having transformed into her and in a wonderful little moment of character development, she unselfishly refused to turn back until Red Hood visited her hometown. She yapped constantly, urging Red Hood onwards until her mentor gave in and headed home. Even doing so despite the fact that every moment Red Hood is in control, it could kill Rapi as the heat produced by the cores could melt her brain and dissolve her consciousness. Rapi goes as far as grabbing Shiki-kan's arm to prevent him from injecting Red Hood with the toxin to bring her back, insistent that she visits her home town. She doesn't let go even when Red Hood uses the other arm to punch the one Rapi was controlling. This was the first time that she indicated any desires of her own. During a conversation with the Shiki-kan, Red Hood asked him what Rapi meant to him. She revealed that Rapi holds feelings for him, akin to that between a man and a woman. Eventually with the protagonist being incredibly dense, she spells it out for him: Rapi is in love with him. Suddenly after that conversation, Red Hood (or Rapi) grasps his hand and they walked hand in hand for a while. After the injection gun is finally used, Rapi reflected on everything. She had felt that the Goddess was more valuable than her and thus, wanting to cede control over to her, much like Dorothy wanted. Then, she met new friends, Anis and Neon, with whom she has created many lasting memories with. She also met her special someone, Shiki-kan! Once she felt like an empty shell, now she felt almost completely fulfilled. Her and her mentor state that they enjoyed their time together and say their goodbyes with Rapi going to miss her friend, her mentor, her hero. Rapi also emphasised with Dorothy whom wanted Red Hood to stay and will miss her dearly. To her squad, she couldn't thank them enough for keeping their promise and finding her. Never doubting them. The new Rapi shone through when she separated Shiki-kan and Dorothy after their hands touched, claiming that Shiki-kan should refrain from physical contact, but should he wish to, he could hold her hand. This possessiveness stemmed from her love and came out during the Crystal Chamber arc with her bluntly telling Liveryn that he had a wife and two kids. In the Four Beasts arc after having inherited Red Hood's power, she grew bolder and proclaimed her love for Shiki-kan, stating her wish to become his girlfriend. 

Rapi has the most character development out of any in Nikke, besides perhaps, the Shiki-kan himself, going from a hollowed husk, an empty shell of a person with zero aspirations, desires, dreams, hobbies or preferences into a somewhat socially awkward extrovert that tries her best to express herself without knowing what the line is. Her jokes are delivered in an earnest, yet awkward manner. Her transformation from the repressed introverted shell into the still socially awkward but much more expressive and outspoken extrovert, influenced by her mentor is wonderful to witness. She is extremely relatable to me because I myself went through a long period of not knowing who I was or what I wanted in life and am still quite socially awkward, but make an effort. If anyone deserved Shiki-kan's love, it is Rapi. 

Her story is one of finding one's self and that really resonated with me. Of overcoming what was a very depressing life and making something out of herself. Finding her aspirations, her desires, her dreams, her hobbies, her preferences and becoming a whole person instead of the empty shell she used to be. I know that some people within fanbase have issues with how Red Hood is used so prominently within Rapi's story, but I love it. It's the kind of friendship/mentorship that anyone would be privileged to have, even if for a finite amount of time. That one week changed everything for best girl. From hopeless to hopeful. No future to a bright one. 

Now I also want to address some criticism in regards to her characterisation within the Boom the Ghost summer event. Certain people didn't like how she was portrayed and saw her jokes and observations as mere cruelty and out of character for her. She's always had a sense of humour. Mostly deadpan style humour has been her thing for a long time. In regards to her overall personality, she swiftly reverts back to her more serious, stoic nature when she confronts Dorothy and I love that about her. I also loved how Shift-Up made a point to unsubtly state that she's not being Red Hood, but herself.

One major reason for my love for Rapi is Yui Ishikawa's wonderful performance in the role. Her voice acting gives the character enough emotion to really hint at the internal conflict and repressed aspirations, desires and feelings beneath the surface. Also, her voice is just super soothing and I will always swoon for her tender moments with the protagonist. Just hearing the way she says 'Shiki-kan' makes my heart do backflips. Now, I will confess that I have heard some negative feedback regarding the English Voice Actress, but I never, ever play games nor watch anything in English dub. The criticisms of Mills do not apply to Yui Ishikawa.