Kikuno Saikawa
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Kikuno Saikawa is a minor character from the Persona series that originates from Persona 3 Drama CD: New Moon and Persona 3 Drama CD: Full Moon, and later appears as a side character in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
Profile
Kikuno is the bodyguard, personal maid, and childhood friend of Mitsuru Kirijo.
In Persona 3 Drama CD: New Moon and Persona 3 Drama CD: Full Moon, it is revealed that at a young age, Kikuno was sold by her parents to the Kirijo Group to be used as a guinea pig for experiments pertaining to the Dark Hour. She was saved from this fate by a young Mitsuru, who consistently visited her in the Kirijo-owned hospital she was made to stay at. Going forward, Kikuno entirely swore her life to protecting and living alongside Mitsuru. Kikuno takes her promise to great lengths, even showing willingness to betray Mitsuru herself if it is in service of keeping her safe. She demonstrates this over the course of the audio dramas by keeping Mitsuru subdued while the Kirijo Group attempts to disband S.E.E.S.. This plan ultimately failed and S.E.E.S. was able to demonstrate the strength of their bond with Mitsuru, something Kikuno previously doubted.
Although Kikuno appears outwardly polite, she can be snappy and defensive when it comes to matters concerning Mitsuru. She is shown to be cunning and a step ahead of other people, demonstrating her well-preparedness with the use of the Dark Hour ring. Her devotion to Mitsuru runs deep enough that she is willing to betray Mitsuru herself if it means better protecting her. Her loyalty is unrepentant despite that, and she immediately returns to Mitsuru's side the moment Ichiro Takadera's plan shows signs of failure. Kikuno is also known to have a mischievous streak, shown by her tendency to tease Mitsuru, and other characters she isn’t even fully familiar with like Chidori Yoshino and Yukari Takeba.
In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Kikuno reappears as a member of the Shadow Operatives. She is shown to have a healthier relationship with Mitsuru's friends, often by overcompensating in taking care of their needs. She is the main person that keeps correspondence with Labrys regarding Sho Minazuki's origins. She consistently provides aid to the other operatives by transporting and acting as offense using a helicopter.
Kikuno has the ability to retain awareness and memories during the Dark Hour, and is one of the only characters to naturally achieve this without a special item while also lacking a Persona.
Audio Drama Appearances
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Persona 3 Drama CD: New Moon
In New Moon, Kikuno arrives in a limo to the dorm to escort Mitsuru Kirijo back home following the death of Takeharu Kirijo. After introducing herself, she scolds Yukari and Akihiko Sanada for interfering with Mitsuru's leave, claiming they have no apprehension for the feelings of their friend following the tragedy. She and Mitsuru leave to the Kirijo Estate, where Kikuno guides Mitsuru through the crowd of people surrounding the estate to pay their respects. After meeting with Mitsuru's mother, Hanae Kirijo, they are interrupted by Ichiro Takadera, who speaks of Takeharu's shady dealings to Mitsuru while Kikuno reprimands him for tainting her with that knowledge on the day of Takeharu's mourning.
While Mitsuru relaxes with a book after greeting guests, Kikuno keeps her company and reminisces on how books were part of their first meeting, where Mitsuru visited a gloomy Kikuno when they were children every two days, bringing her a book each time because she wouldn't speak to her. When Kikuno told her "I'm not stupid", Mitsuru replied with "At last, I heard you say something, I win,". Kikuno states that she hates Shakespeare when she realizes what Mitsuru is reading, to which Mitsuru gets onto the topic of Kikuno knowing what its like best to commit sin for the one you must protect. Kikuno irritably denies that she would want to be free from serving Mitsuru, that protecting her is carrying a burden but more importantly an honor.
Takadera disrupts them again to inform them that the unsealing of the testament will occur during the Dark Hour. At this point he reveals that since six years ago, Kikuno has been wearing a ring that allows its wearer functionality within the Dark Hour. Mitsuru expresses shock at this, to which Kikuno assures her it is in the favor of being able to help her at any possible time, and that she was previously a test subject in the first place so it doesn't bother her. She implies that Takadera may be their enemy, which Takadera denies quickly.
At the unsealing, it is revealed that all Takeharu has left to Mitsuru is the card to a wine cellar, and that any other discussions of management within the group are left to Takadera. When Mitsuru's relatives begin acting out about the news, Kikuno escorts Mitsuru and her mother away, saying that there's "no point in staying in a vile place like this".
Kikuno later has Mitsuru cancel her return to the dorm and stay another night at the estate due to the emotional labor of the day, and brings her sleeping pills so that she can rest. Mitsuru stumbles out of her room to talk with her mother about what her father left behind, and Kikuno expresses distress upon finding her, worried since she had just taken pills. When asked by Hanae what she thinks the meaning of what Takeharu left Mitsuru is, Kikuno says that Takeharu is granting Mitsuru freedom from the group's burdens by having nothing to do with it through his dying order. When Mitsuru finds the wine that her father wanted to drink with her on her 18th birthday, Kikuno cries with her.
Once Mitsuru goes to sleep, Kikuno meets in private with Takadera, where it is revealed that she is cooperating with him to make sure that Mitsuru is able to be completely free.[1]
Persona 3 Drama CD: Full Moon
Full Moon opens with a flashforward of Kikuno arriving to the dorm and thanking Yukari for her help, telling her that she came to cook a meal with Yukari that they could give to Mitsuru together.
Mitsuru wakes up unexpectedly and starts asking Kikuno questions about the strange occurrences that have been adding up since she returned home. Kikuno tries to deflect, but Mitsuru quickly puts together that they're being tricked, and that Kikuno is involved with tricking her. When asked why, Kikuno reacts strongly, exclaiming that when hearing Takeharu had been killed that she was terrified that someday Mitsuru might die the same way if she continued working with SEES. At this point she reveals that she was sold to Ergo Research by her parents, and that after Mitsuru came into her life as a child she vowed to stand by and protect her. She claims that Mitsuru has no reason to go back to SEES now that they have no clear end goal, thinking there isn't any reason for them to care about each other otherwise.
Yukari arrives at the manor, and Kikuno makes her prove that she's an ally of Mitsuru's by explaining how she pinned the location of the manor. Kikuno allows her to see Mitsuru when she reveals that she's the daughter of Isako Takeba from the Foundation Council, and that her mother's house is nearby. Kikuno is unable to stop Mitsuru from leaving with Yukari, left to lament her failure as well as sit with the knowledge that Mitsuru was right to have faith in her friends beyond being teammates. [2]
When Takadera next meets with Kikuno, Kikuno is in the garden, where she proclaims there was nothing worth tricking Mitsuru over and that she won't betray the one she serves by her heart. When threatened by Takadera to become an experiment again, Kikuno dramatically removes the ring containing her Dark Hour memories and shatters it before passing out, making herself useless to Takadera's needs.
Later, Mitsuru receives a call from Kikuno who reports that she's in the hospital after supposedly passing out while working. Mitsuru is briefly convinced that Kikuno has lost her memories, but Kikuno quickly reveals that she hasn't forgotten at all and was only teasing Mitsuru by pretending not to remember. It is then made apparent that Kikuno is naturally able to enter the Dark Hour, never having needed use of the ring in the first place but having had it as a failsafe. She claims she has been able to enter the Dark Hour since swearing herself to Mitsuru. When Kikuno hangs up with Mitsuru, it is revealed she is roommates with Chidori in the hospital. To tease her, Kikuno says that this room has a jinx where 'the one destined for you' will come to visit, comparing her relationship with Mitsuru to that of Chidori and Junpei Iori's. Afterward, the flash-forward from before is picked up from where it was left off. Kikuno causes an explosion in the dormitory kitchen, after which she admits that she's never been entrusted with cooking and decided to come on impulse, comparing her actions to that of Yukari's earlier on.[3]
Game Appearances
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Kikuno pilots a helicopter to gather the Auxiliary Shadow Operatives, including Yukari, Labrys, Ken and Koromaru, and transport them to Inaba during the P-1 Climax tournament.
Movie Appearances
Persona 3 The Movie: Winter of Rebirth
Kikuno briefly appears in Winter of Rebirth, shown guiding Mitsuru to and explaining her late father's wine cellar.
Stage Play Appearances
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Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold
Nomenclature
| Language | Name | Meaning |
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 Japanese
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斉川 菊乃 Saikawa Kikuno | |
Gallery
Stage Play Appearances
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Kikuno's character visual
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