Game X Rush/Characters

Game X Rush has a relatively small cast, the better to focus the action on our stars; that said, the characters themselves are often complicated enough to rate a good chunk of infodumpage, and so they'll be listed here to prevent the main page from getting snarled in details.

SPOILERS AHOY!!

But it's really a short series, so you may want to read the whole thing first anyway so you know who these people are. We'll wait.

...

Okay, done? Yes? No? Anyway, we're moving on!

Main Characters

Memori Fujieda

Age 19

Memori is the ideal bodyguard : On the job, he's professional, gallant, and he sparkles too. This is a good thing, because Memori is also the only active bodyguard at Fujieda Security, and he's more than happy to complain about the long hours, the dangerous risks, the overworking, the lack of time off, and the fact that his brother Ken spends all the company cash at the race-track. Despite his apparent White Prince appearance, Memori has his share of flaws, which he doesn't bother to conceal when he's not working: Among other things, Memori is short-tempered, demanding, impatient, brusque, and the biggest money-grubber this side of Scrooge McDuck. If it weren't for the fact that he loves money, and that he has immense personal reasons for protecting people, Memori would probably quit. When Memori was a young child, his parents were murdered before his eyes, and only good fortune brought Memori into a loving, if somewhat unusual, family. Because they were bodyguards and protected people, Memori grew up wanting to do the same... Even if he's still no saint.

Due to his high standards and exacting personality, Memori has never found a partner he could work with for long. Enter Yuuki Shin, mysterious teenager with the skills of a bodyguard... or an assassin. Back and forth go the volleys of words, the unexpected attacks, and although Memori quickly learns that Yuuki's hiding more than just his past, something about him refuses to relinquish Memori's attention. After Yuuki is hospitalized while protecting Memori, the tables turn and Memori becomes the one who shadows Yuuki as best he can, determined to know whatever it is that Yuuki's hiding. When it all finally comes out into the open, there's only a moment of calm before Yuuki disappears as suddenly as he appeared.

Three years later, Memori is still the star bodyguard at Fujieda Security, still annoyed at his older brother, and still easily bribed with large fees. On the way to a job, he discusses the scars on his arms, which linger as proof of the burns he and Yuuuki suffered together. He doesn't mind them, because:

"In case I ever run into a certain somebody again... He'll have the same scars as me."

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• Bishounen: Even prettier than most, sometimes into Dude Looks Like a Lady territory. Lampshaded when it's used as a major selling-point on fliers advertising the company.
• Bodyguard Crush: Memori's the target of many of these, due to his job being "dreamy bodyguard for female clients.' Presumably the company also takes requests from males, but if so, they're never mentioned.
• Clark Kenting: Memori wears glasses despite having 20/20 vision, because he "hates getting attention" and he's just too good-looking without them on.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Played for comedy, when the judo team ("Can I call you 'Big Brother'?!"), the G-ing bodyguards, and the male kids at the elementary school become big fans of Memori.
• Fridge Logic: If Memori looks enough like his mother - near-identical, in fact - to confuse even Ken at first, shouldn't more people comment on Memori looking like a girl?
• Happily Adopted: Despite his new family being weird, they're still essentially good and a lot healthier than his birth family.
• Hates Being Touched: Possibly as a side-effect from his youth, where his family tended to treat him like a beloved pet (dressing him up, teasing him until he cried) than is probably good for a kid. Completely ignored in the second half of the manga, at least where Yuuki's involved.
• Ho Yay: Once he starts with the internal monologues while gazing soulfully in Yuuki's direction...
• Medium Awareness: A minor version, when he's having an internal rant about Yuuki.

'AND I SHOULD KICK MYSELF FOR SAYING HE WAS WORTHWHILE BACK IN CHAPTER ONE TO BEGIN WITH!'

• Megane: Although his personality usually doesn't fit the stereotype.
• Super-Deformed: Usually in response to someone else's bizarre or frustrating statement. Usually overlaps with Face Fault and/or Memori feeling like the Only Sane Man.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: As a gag, and his adopted mother used to dress him up like a girl when he was young.
• Younger Than They Look: Memori doesn't seem like he should be older than Yuuki, and yet he is. This could be a case of Artistic Age except that Yuuki actually mentions it himself.

Yuuki Shin

Age 18

When we first meet Yuuki, we think he's just a guy with skills; his people-skills, in particular, pick up where Memori's fail, and he seems like he's got a good heart under the perpetual grin. After all, a guy who'd save Memori from a bomb can't be all bad, right? Of course, it turns out that Yuuki's the would-be assassin, and from there he shows up repeatedly to laugh at Memori for taking him so seriously. When his cheerful mask slips, darker emotions flicker into view: This is what convinces Memori that there's something more to Yuuki than what he claims, something confirmed when Yuuki takes a knife to the stomach for Memori, then proceeds to have some kind of breakdown that results in him kicking ass until collapsing from his wounds. From there, Yuuki's past comes to light despite his best efforts; Yuuki's appearance in Memori's life was anything but mere coincidence, for the mother whom Memori had thought lost had become the only one whom Yuuki had ever cared for. Yet, when she in her madness demanded Memori's death, Yuuki couldn't bring himself to kill her real son, intending to die in the blaze that ultimately took Miyuki's life.

After the house burns, Yuuki wants to stay with Memori and his family, but ultimately decides he needs to find himself first. Yuuki escapes from the hospital with his backpack and a smile, bandaged arms and all. All he leaves behind is a short note for Memori, anchored under the canned drink in the empty, sunlit hospital room:

I'm glad I met you.

---

• Becoming the Mask: Two successive layers: The outer mask which is the happy-go-lucky guy, which he became for Miyuki's sake; the inner mask is the cold psychopath, which he became in order to protect Miyuki's belief. By the end, both masks have been torn off and stomped on by Memori.
• Bishounen: Although more masculine that Memori, most times; Lampshaded when Memori and Himiko both comment that Yuuki's looks would be an additional draw for the company.
• Fridge Logic: Where the heck did Yuuki pick up his assorted assassin-type skills if he just made the assassin thing up?
• Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: You can generally tell if Yuuki's having a traumatic/traumatized/traumatizing moment by how his eyes are drawn.
• Ho Yay: Initially in the Foe Yay way, before shifting to pure Ho Yay in Volume Two. Hello close physical contact!
• Likes Older Women: At one point, Yuuki says that 'his type of girl' is like Himiko, and he seems to be in love with Miyuki; although both are young-looking, Himiko is 28 and Miyuki is 37.
• Mommy Issues: Woo-boy. Does it help if she's not his real mom?
• Psycho for Hire: Seems like a stealth version at the beginning of the series.
• Super-Deformed: Usually to grin obliviously or in confusion.
• Walking the Earth: What Yuuki decides to do at the end of the series, going off to find himself.

Sayako Oumi

Age 13

Sayako Oumi first appears at the Fujieda offices as a 'victim,' claiming to require protection from... someone. Memori is offered for the job, and Yuuki happens to be there and gets thrown in too, and subsequent wacky hijinks occur. When armed men invade the apartment, Yuuki and Memori easily take them down, and Sayako turns out to be the young head of the Oumi Security Corp, scouting for new recruits. She offers Memori and Yuuki jobs, but Memori stays loyal to his family. Sayako contracts Yuuki for a baby-sitting job, and - as planned - Memori tags along. As the day ends, Sayako is ambushed by an armed attacker, whom Memori fends off. While he's getting Sayako into the car, the attacker comes after Memori, and while Yuuki recuperates in the hospital Sayako comes to visit. We also find that she has something of a crush on Memori, although he doesn't seem to notice...

We next see Sayako after the timeskip, wearing a blazer-type high-school uniform; apparently she and Memori had plans to hang out, and now Sayako's pouty because Memori is blowing her off for work. She's there at the crosswalk when a Strangely Familiar Man passes by, but Sayako doesn't notice him. When she asks Memori what's wrong, the man replies "Nothing..." and then runs off with a grin, presumably leaving a very irate Syaako behind.

"When will you give up your shabby job and come work for me?"

---

• Child Prodigy: Thirteen and running a major security firm? And her employees treat her like an adult boss too.
• The Ojou: She's a little young in the main manga, but still this trope to a T.
• Tsundere: she gets like this when the guys treat her like a kid (which she is) or tease her; this is especially noticeable post-timeskip.

Kenjuo "Ken" Fujieda

Age 29

Memori's older brother, currently the operator of Fujieda Security... more or less. Back when their parents ran the show, Ken was a bodyguard himself; that's how he and Himiko met. But now that he's in charge, Ken usually hangs out in the office, chain-smoking while betting on the horses. Since that's where all of the company's profits wind up, Fujieda Security is always teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. As he and Memori aren't blood-related, Ken sometimes brings that up when putting Memori down; despite that, he's really very protective of his younger brother, although he'd never admit it. And, despite their being adopted siblings, Memori really is a lot like Ken... Not that either seem to notice.

Most of the time, Ken is partially easy-going and lazy; he recruits Yuuki on the spot, never passes up a chance for a profit, and is apparently unsurprised no matter what talent Himiko can come up with. When Miyuki Asaka comes looking for her son, Ken naturally thinks she means Memori, which she does; but she thinks Yuuki is Memori, so it gets confusing... But anyway, Ken thinks she means the real Memori and refuses to let Miyuki in. Ken winds up pushed over the railing and in the hospital with broken bones, but he gets better in time to make deadpan comments about Memori and Yuuki.

"It seems that the past can't stay buried forever."

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• Deadpan Snarker: When he deigns to get involved in the conversation.
• Retired Badass: When his dad ran the company, Ken was the sole bodyguard and apparently a very successful one; now, though, he seems to just laze about all day.
• Smoking Is Cool: Almost perpetually, except for when he's hospitalized.
• The Gambler: Although, since the company's always broke, he's not a very good one.
• Tsundere: Towards Himiko; he's always teasing her about her age, but he gives her offhanded compliments and when she's crying over his injuries, he tugs on her hair and tells her not to cry, since he's still alive.

Himiko

Age 28

The other employee of Fujieda Security, Himiko isn't a bodyguard; her forte is data-gathering, and her detective skills are unmatched. She's usually found in the offices and seems to act as a secretary as well: Accepting assignments, taking calls, organizing the office in general. Aside from running the company, Himiko is also a great cook, and usually cooks for both herself and the Fujieda brothers; she finds Yuuki outside of the building and invites him in, and seems happy to adopt Yuuki into their loose family circle. Himiko is cute despite being 28, with long wavy hair and an almost perpetual smile; although Ken sometimes makes comments about Himiko's age, they seem to actually like each other under all of the insults and the brush-offs. A page in the manga reveals that they met when Himiko was 16 and Ken was 17; apparently Himiko was the client back then, and it seems as though she's been with them ever since.

She's apparently a very impressive driver, and Ken notes that some call her the Racer Queen; in Volume Two, she tracks down Yuuki's house and his connections for Miyuki Asaka. Rather than dig into his past, however, Himiko only says that both she and Ken really like Yuuki, and they really care for Memori, and Himiko thinks that it's good for Memori to have Yuuki around.

"He was so lonely." ... "So promise me..." "Promise me that you won't break Memori-kun's heart."

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• Beware the Nice Ones: Although she seems sweet and like a big sister, commenting on her age or implying that she has feelings for Ken will set her off.
• Christmas Cake: Although she's youthful looking, Himiko is 28 and Ken mentions this when she's dressed as a maid.

Ken: "Good God, woman! Consider your age!" [cue Himiko's rampage.]

• Drives Like Crazy: She's able to keep up with Yuuki's zero-to-sixty evasive driving.
• Eyes Always Shut: Of the smiley kind, except in particularly serious moments.
• Meido: She seems to think they're adorable, telling a maid at Sayako's manor "I'm taking you home with me!", and dresses up in a maid outfit herself.
• Moe: Himiko seems to like cute things, like maids; her flier designs is filled with sparkly flourishes; the teddy bear we assume she bought Yuuki is moe; Himiko mentions how adorable little Memori was when he was being clumsy or scared.
• Onee-Sama: Type 1, she's the mothering/big sister kind of person.

Miyuki Asaka

Age 37

The former neighbor of the Fujieda family, nothing is known about Miyuki prior to her marriage; all we know is that she was exceedingly beautiful, and that her husband beat her almost constantly. Although Ken's father intervened as often as he could, nothing changed, and Miyuki's only happiness was her precious son. One day the fighting got worse, and Miyuki's husband threatened to divorce her and take their son with him. Miyuki's fragile mind snapped, and she killed her husband with a kitchen knife before losing track of her son in their burning home. Miyuki vanished until she rescued a young boy from being hit by a car. She adopted this child, who in her mind was her son, so she rechristened a young Yuuki Shin as Memori.

Miyuki is a gentle woman with moments of intense madness; anything which is seen as a threat to her or to her "son" is dispatched. She's also responsible for Yuuki's fractured psyche, as well as the one life he did take, yet in her mind Miyuki believes that it's protecting her beloved son. When the real Memori shows up, Miyuki falls into another mental break and the events of ten years ago re-create themselves: This time, Miyuki walks into the flames on her own, recognizing that she can protect neither the boy she saved or the son she lost.

"My sweet and precious child..." "I could never live without you."

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• Broken Bird: A lifetime of abuse, murdering your abusive husband, losing your son in a fire... Yeah, she's pretty broken.