Takeaki Misawa
三沢岳明
Ground self defence force member (major, land) / male / 38 (actor: Pierre Taki)
A land JSDF member who crashlands on Yamijima after helicopter trouble, caused by becoming caught up in the oddity during cargo transportation training. His rank is major. In response to the crisis on Yamijima he takes charge, responding to the strange happenings calmly, but he gradually begins to aberrate, drawing the suspicion of his subordinate and companion, Nagai.
Misawa has obstinate tendencies, but is a realist never swayed by idealistic thoughts, a JSDF member with a constant dedication to his work, who enlisted in the land division after graduating from university, always conscious of the JSDF's purpose and his duty as a member. He is a certified ranger and took first place in the biathlon, earning distinguished accolades as part of the JSDF, having little interest in the race for promotion, completely focused on his work and taking pride in it.
On the inside, however, Misawa has steadily been losing his mind after an incident that occurred two years ago. This incident was the "Great Landslide of Hanuda" caused by an earthquake directly beneath Misumi County (the setting of the first game) in 2003. Dispatched to aid in the rescue, Misawa headed for Hanuda in a helicopter, finding Harumi Yomoda, the sole survivor, and successfully rescuing her. It was then, though, that Misawa made contact with a part of the "oddity" in Hanuda, catching a glimpse of an unusual world.
As a dutiful, exemplary member of the JSDF, Misawa - a thoroughly realistic thinker - couldn't open up to others about the oddity, sealing the darkness away inside him. Amidst the strange events, Misawa intuitively senses that his own nightmare is coming true. He attempts to calmly suppress the approaching fear, but the young Nagai is unable to understand his suffering. Taken over by a hopeless fear, Misawa's mental balance breaks down.
Misawa also has sharp senses (perhaps due to coming into contact with the oddity), sensing that Ichiko and Yuri are abnormal. Somewhere deep down, he actually also wants Nagai to believe in the fear he feels, wanting him to understand... but Nagai, of course, cannot. This despair makes Misawa's feeling of isolation even more profound. Shot by Nagai, he is finally released from the "nightmare".
Symbolised by a caricaturised normality. A shadow invades the apartment where he spent his youth, and the daily life he wants to protect. This is the nightmare Misawa always has.
Misawa takes the last of his "medicine"Misawa's nightmares were never ones that could be treated, or cured with medicine. Despite knowing that it's only a brief respite, Misawa puts an end to his own nightmare.
Turning into an emotionally broken killing machineMisawa goes mad, having already gone beyond desperation, massacring Shiryo as he totally suppresses his emotions. On the inside, he despairs at his endless nightmare.
Freed from his sufferingAfter being shot by Nagai, Misawa is finally freed from the nightmare he has been having for so long, turning into a Yamibito. Maybe, though, Misawa was happier for it.
"Curse" (2 years ago / Hanuda Village / Site of landslide)
Whilst working on a rescue operation at Hanuda Village's landslide two years earlier, Misawa made contact with a part of the oddity that occurred there, seeing an intense vision of countless arms trying to drag him down. Being a realist, Misawa shuts this terrifying experience away in the back of his mind; however, the nightmares, combined with the image of Harumi, eat away at Misawa for the next two years.
"Failure" (3:00:59 / Yamijima / Uryu Forest)
While Misawa has battled with the fear and nightmares for the past two years, hiding them away inside, the normal Nagai expresses his unease. The ambivalence inside Misawa from jealousy and hatred of his sanity explodes, leading to a reaction unexpected even to him (pointing a gun at his subordinate) - you can sense the grimness in the complex look, full of mixed feelings, he directs at Nagai.
"Spontaneous Fire" (14:00:45 / Yamijima / Aonoku Settlement)
"You stink... even worse than the woman," Misawa says to Ichiko, sensing something strange about her, demanding an explanation. Seeing her true nature is his own desperate attempt to understand the darkness that has made him suffer, and to try to fight it... However, right afterwards, Misawa is shot semi-reflexively by Nagai. Realising that his nightmare is over at last, Misawa dies.
Q: In 23:00 "Decisive Battle", there's a scene where Otoshigo comes onto land and attacks Misawa (Type A Yamibito). What is this about?
A: Mother (Yamibito) and Otoshigo (Shiryo) were once the same being, so it's a depiction of the weaker thing being consumed by the stronger one. Yamibito eat Shiryo, after all. Ichiko (eyeball ver.) is consumed also.
As well as this, Type A Yamibito, unlike Type Zero, cannot use human weapons, but Misawa can use a gun (the 5.56mm machine gun MINIMI). This becomes Nagai's ultimate weapon.
The only survivor of the Other World in the first game was a young girl called Harumi Yomoda. Misawa experiences the oddity as he is carrying her on a rope, causing Misawa to have nightmares, where Harumi is a symbol of negativity. Over the next two years, Misawa is tormented repeatedly by visions of Harumi's phantom (nightmare), causing him to start going insane. By the way, as far as "Vision" (objective 2), Harumi's "ghost" has followed him as far as Yamijima, appearing in a daydream.
An image of Harumi as a Shibito, that people who know the first game will find shocking. The real Harumi never turned into a Shibito, but this is stuck in the back of Misawa's head as a symbol of fear. It really does seem like an image that would show up in your dreams.
Past
Born on 9 November 1966
2003 - Dispatched to aid in rescue efforts at site of Hanuda Village landslide, saving Harumi Yomoda. Comes into contact with part of the oddity
Left haunted by his experiences in Hanuda
Real World
-5:00 - Flying in JSDF transportation helicopter for cargo transport training. Sudden death of the pilot due to the oddity off the Yamijima coast. Aircraft in chaos
-3:00 - JSDF helicopter crash lands on Yamijima's Cape Hidaru
-2:00 - Escapes from the crashed helicopter with a badly-wounded survivor of the explosion. Reacts in a detached manner to the strange happenings
-1:00 - Looks around the area, giving the shellshocked Nagai time to recover. Confrontation with Shibito Okita. Obtains "medicine"
Other World
0:00 - Finds Itsuki and Yuri. Immediately afterwards, siren sounds. Swept away by a giant red tsunami
1:00 - Misawa begins having nightmares. Brushing off his horrible past, he finds the collapsed Nagai
2:00 - Explores ship; finds Yuri
3:00 - Called to Nagai's attention
4:00 - Takes the last of his "medicine". Breaks through the besiegement of his Shibito former colleagues. Confronts vision of Harumi
Return of the Dove
6:00 - Siren. Misawa mechanically massacres countless Shiryo
11:00 - Rests in a lit area
13:00 - Real-world island reflected in the sky. Saves Ichiko from Yamibito
14:00 - Tormented by doubts about Ichiko. Shot by Nagai, Misawa collapses with a warped smile
14:00 - Transforms into Yamibito
23:00 - Type A Yamibito Misawa defeated by Nagai. Swallowed by Otoshigo that rises out of the sea