|
Iwakura Gou | |
| |
| Vital Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 17 |
| Infected | No |
| Status | Alive |
| Abilities | Military training |
| Relationships | |
| Affiliation | Cell Four |
| Rivals | Inmates |
| Series | |
| First Appearance | Chapter 1: Soon Crazy |
Iwakura Gou (I岩倉 碁 Gou Iwakura) is a 17 year old serving 3 years at the Shouran Academy Juvenile Delinquency Center for killing the leader of the African militia group he was forced to join. He resides in cell block four along with Yoshioka Masafumi and Mitsuru Yamanoi and recently, Yoshiaki Maeda .
Appearance[]
Iwakura's gunshot wound.
Iwakura is tall with a muscular, sturdy build. He has dark spiked hair. He also has gunshot wounds on his lower back.
Personality[]
Iwakura is even-tempered, practical, and willing to do jobs others are not. He can quickly assess the danger level of a situation and act accordingly. He is also kind-hearted, though his imposing presence conceals that fact. He tries to protect those around him, and at one point was willing to sacrifice his own life in order to save Maeda's.
In terms of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, Iwakura is highly likely to be have an ISTP type personality.
Skills[]
Iwakura possesses considerable physical strength, so much so that he was able to snap the neck of a zombie with ease. Iwakura is intelligent, and due to his service in an African militia, is very knowledgeable of weapons and combat.
Reason for Arrest[]
Iwakura was sent to the Shouran Academy Juvenile Detention Center for murder. He killed his mentor and captor, the leader of guerrilla group in Africa.
History[]
Young Iwakura in Africa
When Iwakura was a child, he lived in Africa with his parents. His father was a Japanese businessman and became the target of a militia group. The perpetrators were an anti-government guerrilla group called "Light Brigade". Everyone in the house was murdered except for Iwakura, who hid under a bed during the attack. But he was found and given an ultimatum- live by joining them, or die like his parents. Iwakura, now an orphan, chose to live. And thus he spent his youth as a child soldier, training with the guerrilla group.
The Beginning of the Outbreak[]
Iwakura saves Maeda
When the zombie outbreak begins Iwakura and his cellmates were on Shouran's exercise yard. Iwakura saves Maeda from being attacked, and even saves a boy Yoshioka leaves behind as a decoy for the zombies. But the situation quickly gets out of hand. Maeda wants to see his family, so the four teens managed to take the only vehicle at the Academy and go to Maeda's house. But by the time they get there his family have all become zombies. Questioning what to do next they were suddenly attacked by a naked man who appeared to be controlling the zombies. After Maeda shoots the man down, the way forward is blocked by the man’s collapsed mountain of zombies. Cell Four had no choice but to go back to the Academy.
JSDF Weapons Run[]
Nakazaki Hitoshi electrocutes Iwakura
When Cell Four returned to the Academy a fight breaks out over whether they should be allowed to stay, since they deserted the Academy with the only vehicle. During this the Nakazaki brothers jump and electrocute Iwakura. Yamanoi bargained with Hitotsukabuto, the new "director" of the Academy, to let them stay if they can bring weapons back to the Academy from the JSDF Garrison. He agrees but forces them to go on foot. Iwakura vows to bring back two bullets back for the Nakazaki’s.
Cell Four stop at a strip mall and while looking around, Iwakura and Maeda meet an infected man. Obtaining a shotgun, Iwakura humanely kills him and places his child's shoe in his hands. Then they obtain vehicles a make a detour to Yoshioka's family arcade. He and the others take time to protect Yoshioka from the infected while he tries for one final high score on his favorite pinball machine.
Once they get to the JSDF, Iwakura and Maeda pair up again to look for weapons. They find a JSDF worker hiding in a file room. As soon as he asks how they managed to avoid the nimble dog-like things one such creature jumps through a window and kills him. Iwakura and Maeda jump out of a window and run for safety in a shed. But the shed is full of bodies that the “nimbles” have been saving to eat later. One of the bodies is still alive, and Iwakura does yet another mercy killing, a task he sees a necessary though very saddening.
Iwakura contemplates suicide
Maeda says they need to make a run for it, but Iwakura reveals that he can no longer run because of a glass shard in his foot from when they jumped out of the window. He tells Maeda to run for it, and he will cover him. Maeda reluctantly leaves him, vowing to come back for him. It is in the shed that we learn of his tragic upbringing in Africa. Suddenly there is a loud explosion and the shed catches fire. Between the nimbles outside and the fire inside, Iwakura sees no way out of this situation. He decides to turn his gun (and one remaining bullet) on himself. But Maeda makes good on his promise. After being reunited with Yoshioka and Yamanoi (who refused to help rescue Iwakura despite being cellmates) Maeda flagged down Hanabata and Kasahara's armored van. With their help he rescues Iwakura "because they are friends."
The group eventually find weapons, and injured Iwakura stands watch while the others
Iwakura and Yamanoi disagree about the Bokor
load them into Hanabata and Kasahara’s van. He hears a rustling from within the van and discovers a bound and gagged Riku. Disgusted, he punches Hanabata who quickly tells him that this is his 'sick' child. Resuming his watch Iwakura sees a hoard of nimbles and alerts the others. But the hoard rushes past them, running away from… the naked man! The gang jump into the truck and run from the man and his zombie mountain. Iwakura leads Maeda and Yamanoi in firing on the zombies, but the man is persistent, He uses the infected as arms, lifting the van off the ground and shaking it. Then he strides across a zombie bridge into the van and unleashes a sonic blast that stuns them. With the guys incapacitated he He bites off his own tongue and approaches Maeda to exchange fluids. Iwakura grabs the man by the hair and tosses him out of the van. Thinking it all over, they relax for a moment. But the man reappears and prepares to stuns them all again. He inflates his massive lungs in preparation for his blast, but Yamanoi stabs him with a pen, deflating and pacifying him. Yamanoi then states that they will be bringing the naked man back to the academy with them. Iwakura vehemently protests this and he and Yamanoi draw their guns on one another. The idea is put to a vote and Iwakura is overruled. They return to the Academy with the naked man.
The Death of the First Bokor[]
Iwakura aims at Nakazaki Kyouichi
Back at the Shouran Academy, Iwakura tracks down the Nakazaki brothers to repay them for attacking him with the shock stick. He shoots Hitoshi, who collapses, and then he shoots Kyouichi. He looks down notices there is no hole in his body. Iwakura tells him that he shot them both with blanks, and that his brother passed out. Kyouichi starts to threaten Iwakura, but Iwakura tells him that if they try anything he will use real bullets. He then joins Cell Four, Hanabata, Kasahara and Riku in the cafeteria. A fight breaks out between Cell Four and some jealous inmates. The inmates decide it attack Maeda, their weakest link, and Iwakura calls out to him in concern. This is the opening the inmates were looking for. The kick Iwakura in the groin, instantly dropping him. Suddenly Riku goes berserk and slaughters the inmates. Yamanoi discovers that the naked man chewed through his gag and was controlling him. Once they are both restrained Iwakura and the Cell Four burn the bodies as an example to the other inmates- do not mess with us or this is what you'll get.
Later, Yamanoi conducts his examination of the naked man, who they now call the Bokor. While he shows the
Iwakura prepares to amputate Maeda's right arm
results to the inmates the Nakazaki brothers find and accidentally free the Bokor. He goes on a rampage, summoning a tower of the infected and destroying part of the Academy. The boys arm the remaining inmates with guns while Yamanoi looks for the Bokor. He is cornered by the infected but is rescued by Iwakura and the others. Suddenly the Bokor returns and attacks them with his sonic blast, but Hitotsukabuto protected Maeda's ears before he was stunned. Maeda shoots the Bokor until he's decapitated. The guys turn away from his body to deal with the zombies roaming around the Academy.
But the Bokor is not dead. He attempts to regenerate his head, and rushes away to completely reform himself. Hot on his heels, Iwakura and Yoshioka manage to grab his legs and drag him to Maeda, who truly decapitates him this time. Maeda picks up the Bokor's head. It twists in his hands and bites his right thumb off! Iwakura, scared for his friend, frantically shouts out various medical techniques to try on Maeda to treat his wound. Yoshioka and Yamanoi however want to grab Maeda to "deal" with him. His bite means he's been infected. Maeda turns to Iwakura, but he brandishes a machete at him, telling him to hold still. Maeda runs from them all and eventually makes his way back to their room. But by the time he gets there the guys are waiting for him. Yoshioka subdues him, and Iwakura, apologetically, chops off the infected limb.
While sewing up Maeda's arm, the Nakazaki brothers knock on their door, demanding to see Maeda. Yoshioka tries to shoo them away, but Iwakura has a better way to chase them off. They let Kyouichi look into the room, and Iwakura points a bazooka at him. They tell him that nothing is going on in the room, and he takes the inmates away.
The Child of Light Cultists[]
Iwakura shoots at the Child of Light cultists
As Iwakura, Yamanoi and Yoshioka are waiting outside while Maeda heals, there is the sound of a helicopter. The guys watch as it lands, and a bunch of people dressed as soldiers emerge. They claim to be at the Academy to help the inmates, but they were really there to fish for information about the Bokor. Skeptical from the start, Cell Four, Hitotsukabuto and Kasahara meet up and try to ambush the soldiers. They fail with their overt attempt, but Kasahara’s subtle poison attack works. Several soldiers turn against after being infected one by one. During the chaos Iwakura sneaks away and even infects assassinate/infect a solider with a bow and arrow. It is all short lived, the guys are caught and brought to the roof to be executed for their part in examining and killing the first Bokor. Kasahara and Hanabata are pushed off the roof, and Yoshioka, Iwakura and Yamanoi all decide to jump to their deaths instead.
Iwakura emerges from the zombie pit
Iwakura wakes up at the bottom of a pit full of the infected, and when he makes his way out of it he finds that all but Kasahara survived falling off of the roof. While he was inside the pit, Maeda has been busy. He regained consciousness and grew back his right arm. He proceeded to kill most of the cultists with his new found ability to control the infected. Then he’d been kidnapped by Corporal Hat, who took him onto the cultists’ helicopter. Hitotsukabuto saw all of this and shot down the helicopter with Iwakura’s bazooka as it took off, and Maeda, seeing the missile, jumped out of the helicopter. He landed on the ground broken but alive. Yoshioka was about to decapitate him, but stopped when Maeda expressed happiness over seeing all of his friends were safe. So Iwakura, Yamanoi and Yoshioka take Maeda back to Cell Four to ask him about his metamorphosis into a Bokor. They are soon interrupted by Hitotsukabuto, who tells them they have a phone call.
Journey to the Sea Firefly[]
When they get to the director’s office, Hitotsukabuto gives them the phone. It is Dr. Sakagami Yuuko, a biologists who confirms Yamanoi’s theory that the zombies carry a highly contagious virus. She tells them that there are in fact two viruses- the M-Virus and the F-Virus. With their help, she can create a cure for the common M-Virus by using a sample of an F-Virus infected human. It is decided that Maeda is an F-Virus carrier, and he volunteers to go to her at her lab on the Sea Firefly. Iwakura is the first to volunteer to escort Maeda, as it is too dangerous for Maeda to go alone. Yoshioka, Yamanoi and Hanabata (with Riku) agree to go as well.
Iwakura kills zombies in the tunnel
While on the road it is discovered that Yamanoi is also an F-Virus carrier. He tells Iwakura to leave him behind, tie him up, or bash his head in. Iwakura seems to think it over, but Yoshioka says they can take care of him should he become a problem down the line. So they continue onward, and eventually reach a tunnel leading towards the Sea Firefly. After walking for hours in the tunnel Iwakura realizes that there is no air circulating through the tunnel, and that their growing physical discomfort is the onset of carbon monoxide poisoning. Then they run into a pile up of cars. Trapped and in risk of suffocation, Hanabata opens an emergency exit door and accidentally frees all of the infected locked inside. Iwakura, Yoshioka and Hanabata get into a car together, and Maeda and Yamanoi get into its trunk. They are imprisoned in the car, surrounded by the infected.
As Iwakura, Shinpei, Riku and Yoshioka sat and suffocated they saw a strange sight. Yamanoi and Maeda got out of the trunk and climbed over the infected. They have no idea what the pair are up to. Soon they could breathe again thanks to the ventilation being restored throughout the tunnel. Eventually they see Maeda return followed by Yamanoi who has completely changed into one of the infected. Iwakura could only stare helplessly as Yamanoi shoves Maeda back into the trunk, slams to door and flick on a lighter, igniting the flammable fumes circulating throughout the tunnel. Presumed dead from the explosion, the remaining 5 continue onward to find Sakagami Yukko's lab on the on the Sea Firefly.
Sea Firefly[]
Once they find Yukko on the Sea Firefly they prove that Maeda is an F-virus carrier by cutting off his finger and watching it grow back. Satisfied, she tells the group that she must give them a vaccine since they've been outside among the infected and exposed to any number of germs. They accept the vaccine and quickly collapse. She actually gave them all a super dose of insulin, which severely dropped their blood sugar and sapped them of their energy. She takes Maeda away to start on her zombie cure. Yoshioka meanwhile secretly ate a piece of candy to counteract the insulin drop. He was able to recover and chase the doctor, but she fought him off. She then began to violently bash Maeda in the head to get to the grey matter in his brain. This is the only way she can create an M-virus cure. Surprisingly Hitotsukabuto appeared and stopped Yukko from killing Maeda.
Iwakura attempts to stop Yoshioka and Hitotsukabuto from fighting.
Everyone then gathered in one room and Hitotsukabuto explained why he was there. Daisy has been bitten and he wants to get the cure before she turns into a zombie. He wants the satisfaction of killing her himself and doesn't care if Maeda has to die for the cure. Yoshioka and Iwakura decide to stand up to Hitotsukabuto who threatens to kill Maeda himself for the cure.
Maeda suggests that they use the other F-virus carrier nearby. It's the female Bokor. But Iwakura demonstrates an important setback. He shoots at her and she uses a mass of the infected as a shield. Refusing to be denied, Hitotsukabuto tries to hit Maeda with a machete to knock him out for the doctor. But before he can hit him Riku protects Maeda. Realizing that he can use this to his advantage, Yoshioka proposes they send Riku over to the Kisarazu side of the Aqua-line to capture the female Bokor. Shinpei objects to using his child in this way and Iwakura turns to the doctor. He asks her if the cure will do anything for someone who is in an advanced stage of infection. Yukko states that the cure won’t reverse infection but it will prevent further progression and alleviate some of the symptoms. With this in mind, Hanabata allows Maeda to guide Riku over to the Kisarazu side of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line to grab the female Bokor.
The Merged Bokors[]
Riku successfully captures the female Bokor. As Iwakura and the others watch Riku carry her back towards them a newer, larger male Bokor emerges behind him. Iwakura and the others watch as Riku tries to attack the new Bokor and fail. Maeda calls Riku back to the Sea Firefly to protect him from any possible harm.
Iwakura and others shoot at the Bokor zygote.
While Riku swims to safety the large male Bokor helps the female Bokor stand. They hug each other as if ready to kiss. But then they begin to bite at each others faces. Slowly their bodies begin to merge together. Once they become one, they form a orb. Yukko recognizes it as a zygote, a fertilized egg in the process of becoming a living being. Hitotsukabuto orders everyone to grab a gun and shoot at it. But it doesn't work. The egg undergoes cellular divistion and eventually melts away. A mutant fetus emerges. This monster then grows tendrils and inserts them inside the ears of the zombies nearby.
The baby Bokor begins to pull the attached zombies to it and creates a body for itself. Towering high above everyone, it moves towards the gap between the Tokyo Bay roadway and falls into the water. Iwakura and the others think that is the end of the monster, the Bokor arises from the water, just as large as before.
He chases them and grabs Maeda, who he puts into its mouth. Iwakura intervenes by ramming a forklift into the baby, causing it to drop Maeda. Maeda tells Iwakura to run and Iwakura tells him to run too, then warns the monster that bullets come from behind as well as in front. Yoshioka then drives a truck into the baby which causes an explosion that breaks apart the baby Bokor’s zombie body.
The group think it’s finally over when out of the smoke emerges a giant Maeda. Shocked by this Maeda runs but trips and falls. The giant version of himself picks him up. Unknown to everyone else, the male and female Bokors talk to Maeda telepathically, trying to persuade him to merge with them. Again Iwakura intervenes. He climbs the Bokor’s body and pulls Maeda free.
Iwakura and Maeda find a place to hide while the baby Bokor searches for Maeda. When Iwakura looks at Maeda he has a flashback of his days with the guerrilla group he belonged to in Africa.
Iwakura’s Crime[]
Iwakura was a well-rounded soldier. He was strong, obedient and unafraid to punish disobedient soldiers. "Punishment' means amputating the persons dominant arm. While with the group he meets a new young recruit named Tony. He instantly tries to make friends with Iwakura since they are both Asian. But Iwakura tries to ignore him. Tony does poorly as a soldier and when Iwakura tries and fails to run away, Tony is given the option of dying or cutting off Iwakura’s right arm. Tony instead swings his machete at the guerrilla captain, and earns a death sentence. But before his is killed a shootout erupts between the guerrillas and some government troops. During the chaos Iwakura grabs Tony and heads for the Japanese embassy.
When Iwakura and Tony get to the embassy gates the guards there are shocked to see that Iwakura is still alive. They still have a copy of his passport, even though they thought he was dead like his murdered family. He asks if they will let Tony in as well because they are friends and they do. The two boys relax as they think about life away from the guerrilla group. Suddenly Iwakura hears gunshots and feels a pain in his left side. He realizes he has been shot, and yells for Tony to get down. But he is too late. Tony is dead from a gunshot to the head. The General steps around the embassy guards he’s killed and tells Iwakura how disappointed in him he is. He is angry because he created the perfect soldier in Iwakura until Tony came along and corrupted him. The General repeatedly shoots Tony’s lifeless body as he laments Iwakura’s weakness. Iwakura cannot take it anymore and punches the General so hard in the head that he kills him. He is eventually restrained, sent back to Japan by plane and is imprisoned at the Shouran Academy Juvenile Detention Center.
Iwakura adjusts to life at the Academy. One day when he returns to cell 4 Yoshioka enters the room with their new roommate. Iwakura is shocked when he sees Tony, but quickly comes to his senses when he sees it’s actually Maeda.
Current Plot[]
Iwakura refuses to hide from the Infant Bokor any longer. He swears to protect Maeda -his friend- no matter what. He steps forward with a hidden gun and prepares to face the monster. He remembers that Bokors can sense each other, so he takes the gamble that if Maeda is unconcious, the Bokor cannot find him. He turns to Maeda and when the younger teen asks what he can do to help Iwakura punches him in the stomach. As Maeda passes out Iwakura tells him that he will be right back. When Maeda passes out Iwakura puts him in a trash bin.
Iwakura's crushed body
When Maeda wakes up he sees he is alone. He begins to look for Iwakura and soon sees bullet casing on the ground. He follows the trail of casings until he sees Iwakura's machete on the ground. Then he sees bloody hand prints. Maeda follows those as well until he sees a large cement block with blood and an human hand underneath it. Fearing the worst, Maeda tries to lift it but cannot. So he looks underneath and sees the remains of Iwakura's crushed body.
The infant Bokor finds Maeda now that he is conscious again and tells him that Iwakura was violent and relentless. He stomped on Iwakura and broke his spinal cord. But that wasn't enough to kill him so he dropped the cement block on him. Iwakura's death hits Maeda hard, and triggers the next stage of his Bokor evolution- eyes with three irises. Maeda's lashes out at the Bokor until it's body is ripped to pieces. Then he sees a construction sign near where Iwakura's body is. So he uses the infected to lift up the Boulder and discovers Iwakura is still alive underneath it.
Epilogue[]
Iwakura along with his friend Maeda few years after the infected epidemic
Few years after the infected epidemic, Iwakura no longer has his left arm and is now a gardener taking care of the apple orchard along with his co-worker Maeda Yoshiaki
Relationships[]
The African Militia
Iwakura hates the African guerrella group known as the "Light Brigade" and "Army of Light". These renegade soldiers killed his family and forced him to either join them or join his dead parents. The leader of the group likes him best of all the other soldiers. He made Iwakura a hardened solider and forced him cut off the arms of an unknown number of disobediant soldiers. He also taught Iwakura to use every bullet in his gun but the last one, which he must save for himself if he is about to lose in a battle.
Yoshioka Masafumi
Yoshioka sees Iwakura as too strict sometimes, but seems to be on positive terms with him.
Maeda Yoshiaki
Iwakura and Maeda have the best relationship among the Cell 4 guys. They fight to protect each other, have similar ideals, respect one another. Maeda considers Iwakura his friend, a title Iwakura has not denied.
Yamanoi Mitsuru
These two are the most polar opposite within Cell 4, and disagree on almost everything. While Iwakura tries to save people, even if it means harm to himself, Yamanoi has no interest in anything other than himself and his scientific "research". Yamanoi repeatedly calls Iwakura a monkey. He feels that Iwakura is only good for manual labor and fighting, but no good at making important decisions. Iwakura however has still protected Yamanoi's life, despite their dislike of each other.
The Nakazaki Brothers
Iwakura hates Hitoshi and Kyouichi Nakazaki. They attacked him with a police stun gun before Cell Four went to the JSDF. He returns the favor by pretending to shoot them, threatening to shoot them for real if they bother him again.