Ryouko Asakura

Ryouko Asakura (朝倉 涼子 Asakura Ryōko) is a Data Overmind Humanoid Interface, much like Yuki Nagato, and serves as Nagato's "backup unit". She initially held the identity of a highly social high school student and the class president for Haruhi Suzumiya's homeroom class, but after she proved to be rebellious and unstable, this identity was officially transferred to Canada.

She no longer holds a human identity and she can only maintain human form for brief periods.

Biography
As Yuki Nagato's backup, Asakura is a Data Overmind humanoid interface. Prior to attending North High, Asakura (supposedly) attended junior high school in a suburb far from North High, but had purchased a condo unit (unit 505) with a lump sum of cash at a condominium near North High. She gave the building manager candy when she first appeared. She shares the same block of flats as Nagato, who is somewhat her superior.

In her first year at North High, Ryoko appears as a very popular, outgoing, kind, bubbly, and hard-working high school girl. Taniguchi (one of Kyon's friends) places her in the top three first-year girls in the school with a grade of AA+: indicative of her pleasant personality, beauty, and athleticism. Her enormous popularity made her the unanimous choice for class president of Kyon's homeroom. She also showed particular concern about how Haruhi Suzumiya had distanced herself from the rest of the class, hoping to start up a friendship with her in order to observe her more closely. Ryoko seemed to hang out with her classmates Kotone Kenmochi, Kaori Seno, Yui Nishijima. Yamane seemed to have a crush on her. In contrast with Yuki, she is unable to empathize with humans, but can parrot human mannerisms and possesses exceptional social skills. She supports Kyon's reaching out to Haruhi, encouraging him to "open her up to the class," making Haruhi easier to observe. Being unable to empathize with humans, she is disinterested in Haruhi's emotional changes and yearns to see a dramatic use of her data creation powers instead. She grows bored when this doesn't happen, and tries to kill Kyon with a combat knife in the hopes of catalyzing an observable reaction from Haruhi. Her efforts are thwarted; Yuki defeats and removes her from the physical world. Her cheerful personality doesn't falter, even at the moment of her defeat. Afterward, Yuki fabricates a cover story that she moved to Canada, having Ryoko's "father" call the school to say that she had moved, without leaving any contact information.

The Disappearance
An alternate version of Ryoko appears in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, in the altered reality. She sits behind Kyon, where Haruhi once sat, and cares for Yuki, ostensibly as "a friendship fostered by living in the same apartment block". In actuality, when Yuki altered the world she programmed Ryoko to protect her from any harm. Because Yuki has difficulty keeping herself active, Ryoko brings her food every day and helps her with minor things. When Ryoko sees Kyon aiming a gun at Yuki, she comes after him with a knife again, which fatally wounds him. After a Yuki from the near future comes and saves Kyon, she reverts the world to normal, ceasing Asakura's existence from his world once again.

The Surprise
In the Beta timeline of The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, she is summoned by Emiri Kimidori to protect Kyon, and tries to kill Kuyou Suou against her orders. Ryoko makes a show of thanking Kyon for her being returned to the real world and acting hurt by his dislike for her, but she insists on holding a knife against his throat for most of the battle and wonders aloud how Kuyou would react if Kyon died, hinting she still feels some desire to kill him. Asakura and Kuyou fight to a standstill, then Asakura captures Kuyou with a "data attack", transforming her knife into a set of hexagons which begin to cover Kuyou. However, Kuyou escapes.

Kimidori warns her that she will be dissolved if she does anything unexpected. Ryoko can only be summoned during an emergency. She expresses a continuing desire to go beyond the Data Overmind's orders and instigate something, but agrees to follow Kimidori's orders for the moment.

Asakura appears briefly with the other two interfaces in closed space shortly after the timelines merge.

Appearance
Ryoko is a beautiful girl with long navy blue hair that has a part of which is tied in a ponytail with a red hairclip, blue eyes, and thick eyebrows.

Powers
Like Yuki Nagato and Emiri Kimidori, Asakura is an Data Overmind humanoid interface.

"Expanding data control range. Deploying offensive data. Shifting to Termination Mode. Requesting authorization for localized combat simulation within limited space for the purpose of analyzing specified target."&mdash;Asakura's requests for combat power.

She has demonstrated superhuman strength and reflexes: Asakura could throw a knife with considerable force, then use her quick reflexes to catch one flying at her. Asakura appeared to value her knife, asking for it back when Emiri Kimidori caught it. Asakura could leap incredible distances (once leaping 5 meters when surprised). Data jurisdiction enables Asakura to "cut off" a portion of reality into a "bubble dimension", enabling her to engage in combat without revealing her presence to anyone outside the field. Asakura could request permission from the Data Overmind to expand the field. In a data jurisdiction space, Asakura can create "icicles" or metal rods from the surrounding structure. This ability requires vocalization, although it appears that Asakura only needs to vocalize to change their properties, rather than continuously doing so. Other abilities in data jurisdiction include telekinetically moving or "hurling" objects and freezing a human in place; these abilities do not require vocalization.

Asakura can transform her arms into large blades. In the manga adaption, Asakura turned her fingernails into long metal claws that later extend into razor-sharp whips. These were strong enough to cut apart Nagato in one swipe.

By holding onto another being, Asakura could generate a field of geometric shapes which would capture them. To use this ability, Asakura chanted "Initiating offensive data assault." The ground was affected, and her knife dissolved as she did so.

Other versions
Ryoko Asakura also appeared as a chibi in The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and Nyoron Churuya-san named Ryoko Achakura, who is usually stuck at Yuki's apartment doing chores. Whenever she gets uppity and is about to rebel, Yuki uses various non-violent methods to keep her in line. In Nyoron Churuya-san she appears to have a crush on Kyon and gets jealous when he pays attention to Churuya.

As a normal human, she is a major character in The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan manga and anime series. She is Yuki's best friend and willing to help her when necessary, but also hopes Yuki will become more assertive. She supports Yuki and Kyon's developing relationship despite her fear that both of them will become more distant from her in the process, and vehemently opposes Kyon's romantic interactions with Haruhi. Despite this, Haruhi and Ryoko are also very close friends.

Music
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Character Song Vol. 5 Ryoko Asakura, is a CD featuring the character songs for Ryoko Asakura. Ryoko has received her own version of the 'Hare Hare Yukai', along with two other character songs, 'COOL EDITION' and 'Koyubi de Gyu'.

Ryoko Asakura – Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu Character Song Series 'in Love' case.2, is a CD featuring Ryoko Asakura's character songs for the The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan. Except from her own 'Fure Fure Mirai' version she got two more songs, 'LOVE EDITION' and 'Shiawase wa Nichijou no Naka de'.

Etymology

 * The name Ryouko means "cool, refreshing" (涼) (ryou) and "child" (子) (ko).
 * Ryouko's surname Asakura means "morning" (朝) (asa) and "warehouse" (倉) (kura).

Trivia

 * Ryouko bears a strong resemblance to Ami Kawashima from Toradora.
 * Ryouko had a ponytail in her initial character design, but it was later removed.
 * Ryouko is a member of the Radical faction of the Data Overmind.
 * In the spin-off series The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Ryouko's hair is shorter than her original design.

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Ryouko Asakura