| Itsuki Koizumi (古泉一樹) | |
| Age | 16-17 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 178 cm (5' 10") |
| Occupation | Student (grade 11), Deputy Chief of the SOS Brigade, esper, member of The 'Agency' |
| Introduced In | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| Last Appearance | The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| Voiced by | Daisuke Ono (JP) Johnny Yong Bosch (EN) Michail Kadanyn (RU) |
"Nice to meet you, I'm Itsuki Koizumi, and I just transferred here. There's still a lot I don't know, so I hope you'll show me the ropes."
―Itsuki Koizumi introducing himself to Kyon
Itsuki Koizumi (古泉一樹 Itsuki Koizumi) is a main character in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise (original light novel series, TV anime, and manga). He is the fifth person to join the SOS Brigade, and was recruited by Haruhi Suzumiya because he fit her idea of a "mysterious transfer student", after he was transferred into North High.
He later reveals himself to Kyon as an esper, working for a group he only acknowledges as the 'Agency' (translated as The 'Organization' in the anime). According to Kyoko Tachibana, he in fact founded it. Though he was sent to North High by the 'Agency' to observe Haruhi, he believes that it was Haruhi's will that really brought him there. Due to his "distinguished service and dedication to the brigade," Haruhi promotes Koizumi to Deputy Chief.
He is voiced by Daisuke Ono in the Japanese dub and Johnny Yong Bosch in the English dub.
Personality
"I don't know how I know, I just know that I know, you know?"
―Itsuki Koizumi
Koizumi has an unflappable polite and affable manner and likes to go into long lectures and explanations with very expressive hand gestures. However, after numerous hints to this extent, in "Love at First Sight" he confesses to Kyon that his polite manner is an act, and underneath he is often stressed out or even angry.
He excels at academics. Heavily intellectual, he enjoys arguing contradictory theories for rhetorical purposes. He often tells Kyon that he was "just kidding" about a grave statement he made earlier, making it ambiguous whether the statement was one of those strictly-for-fun theories or he is simply trying to disclaim responsibility for leading Kyon's thoughts in a certain direction.
He's characterized as being very bad at board games and cards, though in the anime version of "Remote Island Syndrome Part 1" Kyon loses to him at "Old Maid".
Koizumi is regarded as very attractive by the girls at North High due to both his looks and his mannerisms (as mentioned in The Surprise, for instance).
Biography
Koizumi being introduced by Haruhi
Koizumi became an esper three years prior to his transfer into North High, and was quickly taken in by the 'Agency'. (According to Kyoko Tachibana, he in fact founded it.) Upon his transfer to the school, Haruhi "voluntarily arrested" Koizumi to be part of her SOS Brigade. As with Mikuru Asahina, who Haruhi considers the "cute mascot" of the group, she sees Koizumi as the "mysterious transfer student" of the group. Koizumi's transfer occurred shortly after Haruhi expressed a wish for a mysterious transfer student, suggesting that Haruhi subconsciously chose Koizumi out of the entire population of espers and used her powers to set his transfer in motion.
Having already heard from Yuki Nagato and Mikuru Asahina concerning their true identities (as an alien and time traveler respectively), Kyon approaches Koizumi about his true identity. Koizumi informs Kyon that the higher-ups in the 'Agency' believe that the world is simply a dream a certain being is seeing, who can only be described as God. This being is Haruhi Suzumiya. The reason behind Koizumi's smiling façade was to please Haruhi, and he urges Kyon to do the same. He often watches from the sidelines and agrees to everything Haruhi says.
Aside from giving Kyon advice, Koizumi does not play a major role in any of the events until "Remote Island Syndrome", in which he stages a murder case in order to entertain Haruhi. The people involved in the staged murder case (Arakawa, Sonou Mori, Keiichi Tamaru and Yutaka Tamaru) are all Koizumi's colleagues in The Agency. In the same story, due to his "distinguished service and dedication to the brigade," Haruhi promotes Koizumi to Deputy Chief (Vice Leader), much to Kyon's chagrin.
In "Endless Eight", Koizumi and the rest of the SOS Brigade are put in a time loop in which they are forced to repeat two weeks of summer vacation. He participates in various activities which include going swimming, going to O-bon festival, playing with fireworks, and bug hunting. However, by the ends of the loops, Koizumi and Kyon are plagued by an increasing sense of deja vu. Mikuru calls Kyon in a panicked state, asking him to meet her outside the station. Kyon meets up with her, Nagato and Koizumi to find that he has been experiencing an endless loop of events from the 17th of August through to the 31st. When time reaches the end of August 31, time resets and every ones memories are erased, apart from those closest to Haruhi who although having their memories erased have vague memories of all the previous loops. This constant relooping of time is caused by Haruhi not wanting summer vacation to end because she feels there are things she still wants to do. At the end of the 15,532nd loop of summer vacation, Haruhi closes up the summer activities, and Kyon suffers the most intense moment of déjà vu yet, and says he needs to say something to prevent the loop from continuing. Just as Haruhi is about to walk out the door, Kyon shouts for her to wait. When she walks back in, Kyon says that he needs to finish his homework. He tells all the members to meet at his place to do their homework together. Haruhi berates Kyon for giving orders without asking her permission first, but wishes to join them in doing homework together. With Haruhi satisfied, Kyon successfully ends the loop.
In The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, when Nagato alters the world such that Koizumi and herself are normal humans, he reveals that he is in love with Haruhi and also states that he feels jealous, due to Kyon's relationship with Haruhi. Once Nagato's alteration is reversed, like most of the world's population, Koizumi retains no memory of the incident. In "Snow Mountain Syndrome", he helps Kyon solve a puzzle to get out of the house and save Nagato.
In "Editor in Chief★Straight Ahead!" Koizumi puts a new Student Council President into power in order to serve as an adversary for Haruhi to focus her energies on. The President reports to Koizumi for any instructions.
In The Dissociation of Haruhi Suzumiya, he meets briefly with Sasaki and her faction members Kyoko Tachibana and Kuyou Suou. Tachibana seems delighted to have met him.
In The Surprise of Haruhi Suzumiya, in both the α and β timelines, Koizumi reveals he already knew of Sasaki's group and isn't surprised they would take action, although he believes the kidnapping in The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya wasn't her idea. He says that Tachibana is rational, making her better than an ignorant ally. Tachibana's group is similar to the 'Agency'.
After the timelines merge, he and Mikuru (big) use his esper power to enter the closed space in which Kyon and Haruhi have been trapped and help them fight against Fujiwara and Kuyou Suou.
Kyon asks him if Sonou Mori-san is his superior in the 'Agency', since he addresses her with honorifics, but she doesn't. He just says that they can address her as they like, avoiding answering the question clearly.
Powers
Esper powers.
Koizumi claims to be part of a group called The 'Agency' that consists of espers who work together to fight off celestials and repress Haruhi's creation of closed space. As an esper, he can use psychic, supernatural powers, but generally only in the closed space (beyond being able to sense supernatural phenomena). To use most of these powers, he takes on an energy-based form which allows him to fly and move at the speed of thought. However, he is capable of creating and using small but powerful energy spheres without transforming into his energy-based form.
Koizumi uses an energy sphere
In the anime, his powers derive two special attacks, named "Second Raid" and "Fumoffu", names of the two sequels of the Full Metal Panic! series. In the novels, his "attacks" are unnamed.
Relationships with SOS Brigade members
Haruhi Suzumiya
His attitude towards Haruhi is ambiguous, given that he agrees to everything Haruhi says to keep her happy; however, in The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, the Alternate Itsuki reveals that he has feelings for Haruhi. It is implied that these feelings to at least some extent relate to the real Itsuki, since the Alternate Itsuki explains his feelings by saying he finds Haruhi "charming", echoing a comment the real Itsuki made in The Melancholy, and the real Itsuki in turn echoes the Alternate Itsuki's remark "Makes me jealous..." when Haruhi stays at Kyon's side the whole time at the hospital.
While Itsuki has said that Haruhi only listens to Kyon, she does accept Itsuki's suggestions in cases where they conform to her own desires.
Kyon
Itsuki considers Kyon a trustworthy place to give information, but often invades his personal space. He often seems disappointed by Kyon's nonchalant or irritated attitude. Itsuki has even complained that Kyon's attitude toward him resulted in mockery at "the office". Socially specking, despite Kyon's annoyance and mistrust of Itsuki, they get along well. As the only two males in the club, they relate to each other in ways that they cannot with the other members.
Itsuki takes a keen interest in Kyon's relationship with Haruhi, rarely missing an opportunity to suggest a romance between them, sometimes jokingly, other times more seriously. In The Surprise, he directly suggests that Kyon ask Haruhi out on a date, and says that he hopes for a relationship to start between them. He believes Haruhi only listens to Kyon and expects him to "stabilize" her emotions in order to prevent the creation of closed space.
In The Intrigues and Random Numbers he admitted being envious about Kyon's time traveling trips, having taken a lot of interest in them, and complaining that Kyon would do things without him.
Itsuki offered to turn Kyon into an esper (which Kyon firmly turned down). He also mentioned how he was spending less time helping Kyon with various Haruhi-related problems, but (along with other 'Agency' members) helped him when Mikuru was kidnapped by a rival organization.
Mikuru Asahina
Itsuki believes that the older Mikuru Asahina can not be trusted, but is willing to come to terms with her. He also apparently distrusts the younger Mikuru, believing she created a pleasing helpless facade to manipulate Kyon. In "Love at First Sight", he backs away from this claim, leaving Kyon to doubt whether he was telling the truth or not.
There is also slight hostility between them as their factions have contradicting theories about Haruhi.
Yuki Nagato
Itsuki is able to track Yuki's development, although apparently not to the same extent as Kyon. Kyon noticed that Itsuki follows Nagato's every move.
He mentioned that Yuki rarely responds to his inquiries, but she often follows his instructions (which are based on Itsuki having a fairly high amount of knowledge of her abilities), such as getting her to destroy a fence in The Sigh or keeping track of time in Snow Mountain Syndrome. She sometimes answers factual questions which are beyond Kyon (most notably in Mystérique Sign, in which he mentions wishing to help her get new hobbies).
Other versions
Alternate Koizumi
An alternate version of Itsuki Itsuki appears in The Disappearance. He transferred to Kouyouen, which is a co-ed school in the alternate universe, explaining that he chose that school because it fitted his educational aptitude.
Unlike the original he isn't an esper (and so didn't know which organization Kyon referred to) and has a crush on Haruhi Suzumiya, whereas the original Itsuki only said he found her charming but otherwise displayed no romantic affection towards her. However, Haruhi lost interest in him by the December day on which the world was altered. The Alternate Itsuki confesses that he has feelings for the Alternate Haruhi to Kyon straightforwardly, unlike the original version, but says that Haruhi is probably getting bored with him and that she only started talking to him because he was a transfer student.
When Kyon informs him and Haruhi of his situation, Itsuki describes two potential explanations; that Kyon travelled to an alternate timeline, or that the world had changed. He expresses concern that, in the event Kyon was successful with his mission, both he and Haruhi would cease to exist.
Haruhi-chan Suzumiya
Itsuki retains much of his original personality in The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya, his chibi form is generally the same aside from harbouring a deep love for Kyon. Throughout the series he and the SOS Brigade get placed in humorous situations.
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan
In the alternate universe spinoff The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan, Itsuki is a normal human attending Kouyouen just as in the alerted universe from The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, but his obsequiousness to Haruhi is much more pronounced, despite his not having to worry about her destroying the world. He unquestioningly answers Haruhi's every whim solely out of romantic attraction to her, even though (as he tells Kyon in "Haruhi Suzumiya", the first episode he appears in) he holds no hope of her ever returning his feelings. His role in this series is extremely small compared to his role in the original series, with him serving almost purely as comic relief.
Etymology
- The name Itsuki means "one" (一) (i) and "tree" (樹) (tsuki).
- Koizumi's surname Koizumi means "old" (古) (ko) and "spring, fountain" (泉) (izumi).
Gallery
- Main article: Itsuki Koizumi/Gallery
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