Izaya Orihara: character character

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The character of Ryogo Narita Izaya Orihara gained its popularity largely due to the anime adaptation of the book series called Durarara. The first pages of light novels appeared back in 2004, being published by ASCII Media Works.

Unfortunately, the light novel was only partially translated into Russian, since groups of enthusiasts did it for free. However, a full English version has been posted on the web, in which you can see the original character of Orihara, which has undergone minor changes in the television adaptation.

Character's Past

It is believed that Izaya Orihara, whose biography is almost not revealed in the course of the plot, grew up in a completely ordinary family, therefore one can only guess what exactly influenced the development of his personality. At the time of the story in the light novel, the guy appears already at the age of 25, but in the anime adaptation his character is two years younger, which does not make him less mature. At the same time, he is already a mafioso and the most sought-after informant in the city of Tokyo.

It is also known that Izaya attended the same academy (former Raijin High School) withDurarara's other heroes are Shinra, Kadota, and Shizuo Heiwajima. Orihara didn't get along with the last of them right away, which caused conflicts to constantly flare up between them throughout the story, however, none of them had serious consequences.

As a "parting gift", Izaya framed Heiwajima by hanging on him a number of crimes of which he was not guilty. Since then, the rivalry between the characters completely eliminated compromise, which made a clash inevitable if one of the characters was in the territory of the other.

As the main antagonist of the series, Izaya Orihara is involved in all major incidents in Ikebukuro. For example, in the war between the Blue Squares and the Yellow Scarves, he played a major role, pitting the gangs against each other through false reports and working on both sides.

This is due to Izaya's chaotic desire to ignite a major confrontation, during which he would come out victorious and ascend to Valhalla. But despite this, Orihara is an atheist, afraid of death and pain.

Nothing more specific about the character's life is known, except for the fact that he has twin sisters of adolescence, who are not distinguished by complaisance.

Difficult character

Orihara Izaya, whose quotes describe him with maximum accuracy ("The past will catch up wherever he hides", "I don't think I can fight. So I need to unleash a war that only I can win", "The truth and a little lie, a lie and a pinch of truth - what is worse?", "No one can livewhole life honestly”, “It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either funny or boring, "etc.), has a rather desperate disposition, albeit moderately cautious. The guy claims to be in love with all of humanity with the exception of Shizuo Heiwajima, but he has this feeling for people as a class of objects, because his affection often results in ethically ugly acts.

Izaya often sets up people of interest to him, unleashing difficult and potentially dangerous situations on their heads. At the same time, it is not cruelty that drives him, but the desire to know all the facets of human nature.

Recalling a quote from the fourth volume of the light novel, Izaya "was human in every sense of the word." He did not possess any special restraint or rationality, he did not have any special honesty or charisma. Orihara simply had an acute lack of intrigue and knowledge about people, and also had no habit of betraying his desires.

Other heroes of the light novel speak of him as dangerous, but real and possessing a truly frightening gift of persuasion.

Light novel appearance

Being Japanese, Izaya Orihara, whose art is shown below, is quite tall and well built, despite being thin. Often in the lines of the novel, the guy is called handsome: he is described as the owner of thin, sharp features with a mobile expression of sharp eyes and shiny dark hair. A certain originality slips in the clothes of the main antagonist, and special attention in the textgiven to the aura and voice of Orihara - very clean and invigorating, as the author himself writes.

But even if at the beginning Izaya always arouses if not sympathy, then at least some interest, everyone who has felt his influence eventually feels disgust for the guy.

Special skills

Izaya Orihara has an excellent memory that allows him to work as an informant. He is a skilled liar and an eloquent speaker, perfectly mastering his facial expressions and intonation of his voice, which makes it easier to control the crowd along with knowledge of psychology. Due to it, the antagonist easily predicts the actions of others.

If we touch on the physical aspect, then it is worth saying that Orihara is strong - he deftly handles melee weapons and perfectly controls his body, which allowed him to reach noticeable heights in parkour. However, Izaya's main weapon should be considered his ability to analyze and use the information received.

Conclusion

Let Orihara not be considered a main character, he is the main antagonist of the series, without which many events would not have happened. In fact, Izaya is the engine of the plot, invisibly watching his pawns from the shadows and correcting their actions.

This ambiguous guy is perhaps the most versatile character that makes you think about what is happening not only in the light novel, but also outside the book world. Without him, Durarara would have lost a significant part of its fascinating story.