Kiyoshi Takakura (高倉キヨシ) is a member of the Onmoraki-Gumi and of the Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins. Formerly a violent yakuza, Kiyoshi later became one of the most trusted and loyal Japanese Assassins of the 21st century.
From 2015 to 2018, Kiyoshi partook in the Brotherhood's investigation of Abstergo Industries' Phoenix Project and the Instruments of the First Will, which culminated in him playing an important role in the resurrected Juno's defeat at the hands of Charlotte de la Cruz.
In late 2018, Kiyoshi was re-assigned to a cell led by the newly-recruited Assassin Layla Hassan, who sought to locate the entrance to Atlantis and the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus. Following Layla's accidental killing of the team's doctor, Victoria Bibeau, Kiyoshi's relationship with Layla became strained and he elected to leave the cell.
By 2019, Kiyoshi returned to Japan and was sent to Yokohama to monitor an Animus test subject, the teenager Kō Risa. He later initiated Risa's cousin Mari into the Brotherhood and explained the dangerous side effects of the Animus and Abstergo's true nature as a Templar front company to her. With Mari's help, Kiyoshi ultimately managed to save Risa from the Abstergo facility where she had been taken hostage.
In 2020, while in Tokyo, Kiyoshi was re-assigned to a new cell with his old teammate Layla and veteran Assassins Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings. Despite his previous falling out with Layla, Kiyoshi agreed to perform one final mission with her, and the team infiltrated an Abstergo facility to extract an Assassin mole, Dr. Kazui, and destroy samples of his DNA collected by the Templars. The Assassins were ultimately successful in their task and Kiyoshi and Layla parted ways on good terms after she rescued him from Juhani Otso Berg.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Kiyoshi Takakura was originally a member of the Onmoraki-Gumi, a faction of the yakuza located in Osaka, before they were taken over by the Japanese Brotherhood of Assassins in late 2013.[1] During his time as a yakuza and before his recruitment by the Assassins, the young Kiyoshi was a violent individual who relished in causing trouble and breaking the law. He also often found trouble with his brother.[2]
Encounter with Gavin Banks' crew[]
Kiyoshi beating Gavin
On 17 December 2013, Kiyoshi was guarding the entrance to the headquarters of the Osaka Brotherhood when he was approached by Gavin Banks and Emmanuel Barraza, who demanded to see the head of the Onmoraki-Gumi. Kiyoshi told them to leave before he had to beat them, but Gavin then insulted his fashion sense and refused to go. Kiyoshi responded by punching him in the face and kicking him as he fell to the ground.[3] Several of his fellow Assassins came out to watch and cheer him on, and Kiyoshi attempted to stab Gavin with his Hidden Blade.[4]
However, Emmanuel stuck his palm in between the blade and Gavin, allowing his hand to be impaled.[4] Emmanuel then asked Gavin what the first tenet of the Creed was, stunning Kiyoshi, who responded that it was "stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent". Emmanuel pulled out a dog tag with the insignia of the Assassin Order on it, proving he and Gavin were also Assassins. Kiyoshi retracted his Hidden Blade and apologized to Gavin and Emmanuel for attacking them. He later complimented Emmanuel on how he stopped his Hidden Blade, claiming that he was "almost Japanese" in how he dealt with the pain from his impaled palm.[1]
On 31 December, Kiyoshi accompanied his Mentor, Saeko Mochizuki, aboard the Altaïr II to help the crew gather supplies for their next journey, and to celebrate the new year. After sparring for several hours with Emmanuel, Kiyoshi managed to convince him to join Dr. Stephanie Chiu and himself at a local karaoke bar.[5]
Assassin missions[]
By late 2015, Kiyoshi was ordered by Saeko to go to China to help the local Assassin cells and to look for Álvaro Gramática's secret laboratory in which he planned to replicate an Isu's body with the help of a Shroud of Eden.[6]
In 2016, Kiyoshi and Arend Schut-Cunningham were sent by Gavin to rescue Galina Voronina and her team from a Templar strike-team assaulting Erudito's hideout in Argentina. With a helicopter, the two Assassins rescued their compatriots and their Erudito allies, and also killed the high-ranking Templar Ortega Sanchez while escaping the island.[7]
In February 2017, Kiyoshi and Arend were in London with Galina and her apprentice My'Shell. During a training session, Galina received a call from Charlotte de la Cruz, who reported about her mission in Hong Kong. Charlotte informed her fellow Assassins that the Abstergo office they raided for intel about the Phoenix Project was empty and that Barindra Mitra's cell had been butchered by an unidentified third party.[8]
The Phoenix Project[]
One month later, in a back alley outside the Abstergo offices in Berlin, Kiyoshi, Arend and Galina intercepted Heinrich Hart, an engineer and Kiyoshi's mole within Abstergo. The pair were seeking answers over their losses in Hong Kong and threatened the German because it was his information that had led the Assassins into the ambush. Hart swore that he knew nothing of what had lied in wait for them at the Hong Kong site and told them that the Templars were also oblivious to the group who had attacked them, with rumors that the feared Black Cross was investigating the matter. After demanding that Hart find answers or else they would come back for his blood, the trio left.[9]
Kiyoshi, Charlotte and My'shell viewing the Koh-i-Noor
Later, back in London, Kiyoshi and his fellow Assassins reviewed the media, where a large explosion in Berlin dominated the headlines. Kiyoshi argued that killing 170 people in public did not really fit with the Templars' ideals, and suggested another faction might be in play. My'Shell revealed that she had a list of Pieces of Eden retrieved from the Hong Kong Abstergo lab, and pulled up an image of the Koh-i-Noor. With My'Shell convinced that it was present in the Spanish Civil War, Charlotte strapped herself into a makeshift Animus to relive the memories of her ancestor Ignacio Cardona, who had encountered the Piece of Eden.[10]
However, the machine appeared to malfunction, with Charlotte seemingly trapped inside a simulation and unable to be awoken. An injured Guernica Moneo returned to find the team surrounding the stricken Animus. He was shocked to learn that My'Shell had repaired the machine with unvetted Abstergo parts, and feared that the Animus was now compromised. My'Shell apologized and left, whilst Guernica informed the others that they would need the assistance of Felix Oladele, an Erudito symphatizer working at the Abstergo offices in Montreal who was familiar with Animus extractions.[10]
Kiyoshi and Arend fleeing the Abstergo facility
Kiyoshi and Arend immediately flew to Canada using a cargo plane, and performed a halo jump onto the roof of Abstergo Montreal. After working through the few guards present, they reached the office of Oladele—only to find him already slain by a high-tech Assassin, the same individual from Hong Kong. The 'Assassin' wounded them both with throwing knives, and threw Arend out the nearest window which he just managed to hang onto. After a few shots from Kiyoshi's gun, the 'Assassin' jumped from the window.[10]
Kiyoshi and Arend made their way back out, both heavily injured, and realized that the only way that the 'Assassin' could have known where they were headed was if they had a leak either from the Animus or one of their own within the Brotherhood. They then decided to lay low in a safe house and recover from their injuries.[10]
Back at the safehouse, Kiyoshi and Arend arrived to find Guernica bound to a chair by Galina, who explained that she had found Guernica attempting to slash Charlotte's throat. She believed that he also sent the both of them to Montreal to die and had been trying to obtain information but to no avail. Arend was unwilling to take part in the torture, so he left to recuperate.[11]
Kiyoshi and Arend returning to the safehouse
Kiyoshi, on the other hand, decided to stay as he had experience with torture. He asked Galina what information she had obtained, to which she said "someone" was sifting through the memories of Charlotte in the Animus. Kiyoshi and Charlotte suspected that My'shell may be on the same side as Guernica since they both came from Erudito. After a short while, Charlotte woke up from the Animus, telling Kiyoshi and Galina that she knew who had been attacking them and that they needed to warn the Templars.[11]
Sometime later, Kiyoshi discovered Arend, who called the Abstergo Entertainment Customer Service to warn them about the Instruments of the First Will who had infiltrated their ranks. As they argued about Arend's actions, Charlotte cut in to end the conversation. The Assassins were later surprised by My'shell, who had returned with the Templar agent Juhani Otso Berg. At a restaurant, Berg explained to the Assassins about his mission in Geneva, where he met My'shell and was attacked by the Instruments. Kiyoshi told the group that Guernica may be a member of the faction, which My'shell refused to believe. Berg then suggested that they work together which Charlotte accepted.[12]
After Charlotte desynchronized while trying to relive Ignacio Cardona's memories, Kiyoshi stated that it was probably Juno's interference that she had still not recovered from. Kiyoshi also informed Charlotte that they were still having difficulty retrieving Cardona's records. After Charlotte told Berg to momentarily leave so she could concentrate, Kiyoshi followed the Templar outside. It was there that Berg and Kiyoshi discussed Charlotte's Templar ancestor, and how Kiyoshi had chosen to keep it a secret "for the good of all". After exiting the safehouse together, the two witnessed Galina interrogating Guernica for information on Juno.[13]
After Charlotte's second desynchronization, more violent than the first, Berg took her place in the Animus. Kiyoshi explained to Charlotte that he was reliving the memories of Albert Bolden, the last known Black Cross, and also someone who Ignacio Cardona had come into contact with.[14] After learning the supposed location of the Koh-i-Noor from Bolden's memories, Berg exited the Animus and called an associate. Kiyoshi was sure that Arend had taken Berg's phone from him; however, he had a backup. The reluctantly allied group then traveled to Barcelona, where the Koh-i-Noor was buried in a mass grave 60 miles south of the city.[15]
Resurrection Day[]
In August 2018, three days before Resurrection Day, Kiyoshi came across Arend recording a message for his husband. He stated that neither Charlotte nor Berg recognized any of the nearby scenery, so they were no closer to finding the Koh-i-Noor. The two sat together and had a heart-to-heart conversation about their pasts. However, they were soon interrupted when Spanish nomads attacked them. They managed to fight them off before being interrupted again by Jasdip Dhami, to which they hid and watched the events unfold, though they were quickly discovered by Jasdip's men.[2]
Kiyoshi "disarming" his captors
The Spanish nomads were revealed to be the protectors of the Koh-i-Noor, personally trained by Ignacio Cardona and Albert Bolden. As they were taken captive by the Instruments, Kiyoshi and Arend were made to watch Jasdip torture the nomads for information. Jasdip's men then notified him that Berg and Charlotte had found the Koh-i-Noor, and so took the two captive Assassins with him as hostages.[2]
After Jasdip found the other Assassins just as they located the Koh-i-Noor, Galina reminded Kiyoshi of his razor-wire gauntlet. Kiyoshi then literally disarmed his captors and attempted to fight off Jasdip. However, when Charlotte suddenly touched the Koh-i-Noor at exactly 12am, there was an explosion of blue light.[2]
Now with only two days until Resurrection Day, Jasdip stopped Charlotte and managed to kidnap her. Due to the blinding light, Kiyoshi and his allies were helpless to intervene. The Spanish nomands sacrificed themselves to protect the Koh-i-Noor but saved Charlotte instead and Jasdip escaped with the Piece of Ede. By daybreak, the team helped bury the protectors before boarding a plane bound for Australia, where Álvaro Gramática's secret laboratory was located.[16]
Aboard the plane and with only several hours left until Resurrection Day, Kiyoshi enjoyed some mineral water while trying to dissuade Arend from antagonizing Berg. After his advice fell on deaf ears, Kiyoshi gathered together with the others to discuss the laboratory's blueprints and the team's strategy. When they were ready, Charlotte was the first to parachute down into the middle of the Australian desert.[17]
Kiyoshi firing a rocket launcher
Landing sometime after Charlotte, the mismatched band of allies began their attack on Gramática's front door. Kiyoshi wielded a rocket launcher and blasted a hole in the front door. After Charlotte's signal went dark, the group rushed the Instrument's forces, making their way inside. Suddenly, a forcefield of blue light appeared around the group to protect from incoming gunfire, thanks to Charlotte having found and activated the Koh-i-Noor. The light then turned into a path, leading Kiyoshi and Arend to Charlotte. However, when the two entered the inner laboratory, they were struck by a blast from the Koh-i-Noor wielded by Juno and knocked down.[18]
Charlotte managed to steal the Piece of Eden from Juno without her knowing and conjured an illusion to distract her. Kiyoshi and the others looked on confused to see Juno seemingly yell at a coffee mug. While distracted, Charlotte assassinated the reborn Isu. However, as the building started to collapse, Kiyoshi and the other fled, unaware that Charlotte was stuck behind. By the time they realized this, it was already too late, as Berg detonated an explosive he had planted inside the facility to wipe out any remaining Instruments. Kiyoshi tried to stop him but was knocked to the ground, and Charlotte ultimately perished in the explosion.[18]
Working with Layla Hassan[]
By late 2017, Kiyoshi Takakura and his team befriended Layla Hassan, a former Abstergo employee who had been found and recruited by William Miles in Egypt.[19] As part of her first Assassin mission,[20] Kiyoshi took Layla with him to the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec in Canada in search of a relic belonging to the Recollects.[21] When Layla was discovered by Abstergo, Kiyoshi was able to help her escape danger.[22]
Layla talking to Kiyoshi via walkie-talkie
In late 2018, following the events of Resurrection Day, Kiyoshi was recruited by Layla as part of her cell to search for the Spear of Leonidas.[23] When Layla found the Spear and used it to relive the memories of the Spartan misthios Kassandra in the Animus, Kiyoshi took the role of security and kept watch on the Assassin hideout in London.[22]
After the cell abandoned the London safehouse due to the enclosing Templars, Kiyoshi accompanied his teammates aboard the Altaïr II to the coast of Santorini for Layla to swim underwater and find the lost city of Atlantis.[22] Sometime later, after Layla had entered Atlantis' throne room, members of Abstergo's Sigma Team attacked the ship, but Kiyoshi managed to fend them off despite sustaining some injuries in the process.[24]
However, the cell's mission to Atlantis ended tragically, as despite their successful retrieval of the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, Layla accidentally killed the team's doctor, Victoria Bibeau, while under the influence of both the Staff and the Bleeding Effect.[24] This soured her relationship with Kiyoshi and Alannah Ryan, both of whom elected to leave the cell.[25]
Mission in Yokohama[]
Kiyoshi eavesdropping in Yokohama
By 2019, Kiyoshi had returned to Japan and was sent to Yokohama to locate and extract an Animus test subject, the teenager Kō Risa. Outside the Abstergo clinic where Risa attended therapy for her violent impulses, Kiyoshi overheard a conversation between the girl and her doctor, Kaori Kagami. He then contacted Saeko Mochizuki to inform her that he would not be able to complete the mission as quickly as he would have liked, and expressed his fear that overexposure to the Animus might end up killing Risa.[26]
A couple of days later, Kiyoshi approached Risa and her cousin Mari in a café to voice his negative opinion on the Animus and its dangers, and handed Risa a business card with an address attached. After telling Risa to meet him there at 5pm the next day, Kiyoshi whispered to the girl that he was an Assassin like her and that the war against the Templars was still raging on, before taking his leave.[27]
Kiyoshi meeting with Risa and Mari
The following day, Kiyoshi met the two cousins and told them the truth regarding the Assassins and Templars. He also revealed that Risa's doctor Kagami was a Templar and did not care about her well-being, warning the girl about the dangers of prolonged Animus sessions, which could result in the Bleeding Effect. He then pleaded with Risa to not let the Templars get their hands on the artifact they hoped to find by exploring her ancestor Shao Jun's memories, but Risa was angered by the accusations against her trusted doctor and stormed off.[27]
Left alone with Mari, Kiyoshi explained to the curious girl that the Bleeding Effect could get a lot worse than simple hallucinations and may lead to Risa ultimately losing control and hurting those close to her. He then recalled how the Bleeding Effect had caused Layla Hassan to lash out at Victoria Bibeau and kill her, as well as Desmond Miles' unintentional murder of Lucy Stillman seven years prior.[27]
Kiyoshi recounting the dangers of the Bleeding Effect
Stating that Mari should stay out of it for her own safety, to his surprise Mari was insistent on helping Risa. She told Kiyoshi how Risa was the only one that had stood up against her abusive father, and now she wanted to do the same. At that moment, a wheelchair-bound Saeko Mochizuki entered the room and drew the attention of both Kiyoshi and Mari. She warned Mari that there would be no turning back if she became involved, but the girl did not waver.[27]
Continuing his conversation with Mari, Kiyoshi told her the rest of the story regarding the Assassin-Templar War and how long it had been going on for. While Mari did not believe that such things could continue into modern times, five centuries after Shao Jun's time, Kiyoshi tried his best to put things into perspective for her.[28]
Kiyoshi and Mari discussing the Templars
Asking how Mari had found out how to get to the restaurant, she answered that through the internet apps she was able to find her way. Kiyoshi then explained that the Templars, through their public face—Abstergo Industries—harvested people's data for malicious reasons, hunting the descendants of Assassins. Revealing how dangerous Abstergo was made Mari more set on helping, especially after Kiyoshi revealed that Risa's doctor Kaori Kagami was a Templar.[28]
Mari later relayed all the information learned from Kiyoshi to Risa, but instead of being convinced to end her therapy with Dr. Kagami, Risa became more determined to uncover Shao Jun's secrets and returned to the Abstergo clinic.[28] After Mari called Kiyoshi to give him the news, the Assassin promised that he would keep her cousin safe and continued to eavesdrop on the conversations between Risa and Dr. Kagami.[29]
When Risa was eventually taken hostage by the Templars after she refused to continue her treatment, Kiyoshi called Mari to inform her of the situation and decided to intervene. As Mari was insistent on helping, Kiyoshi drove to pick her up and the two headed to the Abstergo clinic.[30] Breaking into the facility, the Assassin easily dispatched most of the guards while Mari assisted him by knocking out a hidden guard with a fire extinguisher.[31]
Kiyoshi introducing Risa and Mari to Saeko
Eventually, the two came across Risa and were surprised to see that the girl had freed herself from Dr. Kagami and was holding her at gunpoint. After Risa decided to spare Kagami's life and shot her Animus instead, destroying it, she, Kiyoshi and Mari left the facility and were greeted by Saeko Mochizuiki, whom Kiyoshi had called for backup. As the Assassin explained to Risa and Mari that Saeko was his Mentor, she praised Kiyoshi for a job well done and invited the two girls to join the Brotherhood, which they accepted.[31]
Tokyo extraction[]
In early 2020, while Kiyoshi was in Tokyo, he reunited with Layla and her recently assigned replacement cell consisting of Rebecca Crane and Shaun Hastings. Layla had intercepted a message from the Abstergo facility in the city involving extensive analysis of Isu artifacts upon non-voluntary subjects, and Kiyoshi reluctantly agreed to help Layla and her team investigate the situation. While the main entrance of the facility was poorly guarded, the team elected to enter through the roof, bypassing their security.[32]
Kiyoshi throwing two Abstergo guards off the rooftop
An informant within the facility left the group a note encrypted within an Animus, and after obtaining and decrypting the note, they discovered that the Templars were performing experiments on a Staff of Eden.[33] After Layla, the only one with detailed Animus experience and training, entered the simulation of the Venetian Assassin Bastiano da Mezzo, they discovered that their informant was his modern-day descendant, Dr. Kazui, and they moved to extract him.[34] Intent on hindering the Templars' plans, the group moved to the secure DNA analysis room and destroyed Dr. Kazui's DNA.[35]
The group safely found Dr. Kazui before Abstergo could use him. Along the way, they also analyzed any data and documents they could about their experiments regarding the Staff.[36] Disguising the doctor in an Abstergo guard's uniform, the four Assassins were able to exfiltrate him before Abstergo even realized what was happening. Along the way, however, the doctor got cut, leaving behind trails of blood.[37] Returning to the premises, any trace of Dr. Kazui had to be wiped clean. The Assassin also stopped to erase his DNA data from the Abstergo database.[38]
Before they could leave the facility, the Assassins were cornered by Juhani Otso Berg and fought him as the building was engulfed in flames.[38] After a four-on-one fight, Berg came close to killing Kiyoshi but the latter was saved by Layla, who was finally able to subdue the Templar, and the four Assassins escaped. This was the last time Kiyoshi worked with Layla but the two were ultimately able to part ways on good terms.[39]
Personality and traits[]
Kiyoshi is a fan of gastronomy and of the unique meals that are part of every culture.[6] He also enjoys Confucianism and Texas BBQ,[8] and has a large chest tattoo of two traditional green dragons.[11] He is also a fan of old yakuza movies and would occassionally act and speak like the gangsters portrayed in said movies as a joke.[27]
Due to his personal experiences with the Bleeding Effect, having lost his teammate Victoria Bibeau after Layla Hassan, in a Bleeding Effect-induced outburst, accidentally struck her with the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus,[24] Kiyoshi developed a strong dislike of the Animus, viewing it as a dangerous machine. He expressed concern for Kō Risa's safety when the girl was being overexposed to the Animus,[26] and later explained its dangerous side effects to Risa and Mari in an attempt to convince the former to end her treatment at Abstergo.[27]
Skills and equipment[]
Kiyoshi's Hidden Blade
Kiyoshi is a native speaker of Japanese, and is also able to fluently speak English. He is quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat, being able to best Gavin Banks rather easily, and also showed a proficiency with firearms. Kiyoshi is additionally credited as a master swordsman, always carrying his katana on missions. When battling Gavin in Osaka, Kiyoshi was shown to have a Hidden Blade under his sleeves.[3]
Kiyoshi was also shown to be versatile in the use of the Razor-wire Gauntlet, a hyper-tensile nylon wire that could easily cut through flesh. He used it to literally disarm two Instruments of the First Will working under Jasdip Dhami.[2] Kiyoshi could also comfortably rest a rocket launcher on his shoulder and fire it without visibly suffering from recoil.[18]
Behind the scenes[]
Kiyoshi Takakura is a character introduced in the community-driven project Assassin's Creed: Initiates, in the Surveillance series of stories. He later became a regular character in Titan Comics' Assassin's Creed and Uprising series. He made his video game debut in Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, but was restricted to only being mentioned in database entries. In Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, he is portrayed by Dai Tabuchi in a voice-only role.
Etymology[]
Kiyoshi (キヨシ) is a Japanese name which can be written severl different ways, among them 清, 淳 , 潔, 清志, all of which are related to the meanings 'clean' and 'pure'.Takakura (高倉), is a Japanese surname meaning 'high storehouse'.
Gallery[]
.png "ACBV Kiyoshi Takakura (unpainted).png (220 KB)")
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Initiates (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate – Jack the Ripper (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Uprising
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (voice only)
- The Fate of Atlantis (voice only)
- Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (indirect mention only)
- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice – Tokyo XXI
References[]
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