Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit 10.1

Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit Vol 5

By Motoro Mase

Episode 10: Honor and Duty

Act 1

Ikuhiko Sugita, the son of a National Welfare police officer, is a fierce proponent of the law. His father wants him to become a police officer but Ikuhiko isn’t doing very well in school. Ikuhiko’s father is very strict and pushes his son to excel. Ikuhiko wants very badly to be a National Welfare hero.

Ikuhiko's situation gets worse when Kiminari, one of his classmates, makes a name for himself by turning in his tutor for speaking badly about the National Welfare Act. Ikuhiko suddenly feels like his position in their high school class has been usurped. He used to be the one in the class who spoke loudest about the National Welfare. Now he is nothing and he feels his other classmates turn their backs to him. Ikuhiko is in that frame of mind when he gets a visit from Fujimoto who is there to deliver an Ikigami to him. Ikuhiko looks very happy to get it.

Thoughts

There are two aspects of this story that are really creepy. The first was the way everyone rallied around Kiminari when it was announced that he had turned in his tutor. I didn’t expect such unanimous support. It speaks to the degree to which these kids have been brainwashed.

Ikuhiko’s reaction to the Ikigami was also creepy. He needed a win and in his mind this is it. He can now be a hero just like Kiminari. Fujimoto is even a bit surprised by the way Ikuhiko responds to the death sentence.