Riku

"Come on now. Weren't you listening?... I absolutely loathe the Four Perils. The only time I'd be willing to take a life is if I'm taking it from someone that I love."

- Riku to Jyūbei

is a character in Hanyō no Yashahime. He is a mysterious young financier of Shikabaneya, a demon bounty-hunting business owned by Jyūbei, the corpse dealer.

History
Little is known of Riku's history or his nature; all that is known is that he secretly intends to obtain all seven Rainbow Pearls. It is not known when or from whom he acquired his blue Rainbow Pearl, which he has fashioned into an earring, nor when he first met Jyūbei. He appears to have a past with Kirinmaru's Shikyō and holds an intense dislike for them. He is also familiar with Sesshōmaru and his father, although to what extent is unknown.

Personality
Riku generally is friendly and easygoing, but this affable nature appears to hide an unknown true nature and agenda. Despite remaining civil with them, he harbors the belief that no good can ever come from loving a human.

Although he is capable of handling things on his own, he will not act unless it is something that he wants to do personally, preferring to let others unknowingly take care of those problems for him. Despite his manipulative nature, Riku does reward those that aid him, as he is the one that has been hiring Moroha to kill various yōkai for him, paying her through Jyūbei.

He seems to have taken an interest in Towa, befriending her shortly after meeting her. However, he has expressed disappointment in her skill with her blade in comparison to her father.

He also seems to be very knowledgeable as it was he who warned Kagome about the Grim Comet and Kirinmaru wanting to kill her child and the half-demon twins. Apparently, he also knows that Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha are granddaughters to the Great Demon Dog as he addresses them as "Half-demon princesses." He is aware that Towa inherited her father's Sōryūha.

Physical Description
Riku is a handsome young man with green eyes and auburn hair worn to his neck, with part of it styled into a Japanese topknot, as well as two long bangs along the sides of his face.

Outfit
Riku wears a striped blue and dark blue kosode with torn edges along the sleeves, a white hadajuban undershirt, a beige haori jacket with red and black stripes along the collar, a light blue sash tied along his waist, purple hakama leggings with thin vertical dark purple stripes, a pair of black suneates around his shins, and a pair of white tabi on his feet with waraji straw sandals.

He wears a round blue earring on his left ear.

Powers & Abilities
Not much is known about his abilities, although it is said he could easily kill the Shikyō if he actually desired it.

He was shown to generate gold, having provided his contact with a large amount of it to pay him.

Weapons

 * Earring: His earring...
 * Matter Manipulation: By flicking his earring, Riku can alter and control any form of matter (both organic and inorganic), such as manipulating water, producing gold dust and even disintegrating living beings like Kyūki.
 * Summoning: By touching his earring, Riku is able to call Takechiyo at his command.
 * Blue Rainbow Pearl: TBA
 * Purple Rainbow Pearl: TBA
 * Energy Absorption: TBA

Trivia

 * Riku seems to be a demon, as he speaks distainfully of demons loving humans and is mentioned to be strong enough to kill the Four Perils. He also shows no signs of aging from fourteen years in the past.

Media Appearances

 * Episode 7 (Hanyō no Yashahime)
 * Episode 8 (Hanyō no Yashahime)
 * Episode 14 (Hanyō no Yashahime)
 * Episode 15 (Hanyō no Yashahime)
 * Episode 17 (Hanyō no Yashahime)
 * Episode 18 (Hanyō no Yashahime)

Riku