Dr. Ichiro Katsuragi is Misato Katsuragi's father a dedicated and brilliant scientist.
Professional Life[]
Dr. Katsuragi's exact field is unknown, although theoretical physics or energy research are possibilities. His work eventually resulted in the publication of the Super Solenoid (or S²) Theory, which appears to have been poorly-received by the scientific community. He hoped to utilize the principles established by his theory to create a device (the "S² Engine") capable of generating limitless amounts of energy — a perpetual motion machine, effectively.
Funded by Seele and with the cooperation of the United Nations, he led the eponymous Katsuragi Expedition to Antarctica for the ostensible purpose of acquiring "proof" for his theory. This was obtained "inadvertently" by the expedition's discovery of the humanoid entity designated "Lilith", whose innate energy source ultimately proved to operate in accordance with the S² Theory. Dr. Katsuragi's ideas vindicated thus, Lilith's own "S² Engine" was utilized in the continuing effort to create an artificial one.
Luckily Delphi stepped in putting a stop to Gendo and Keel’s Contact Experiment preventing the Second Impact. While Ichiro continued to work for NERV he is unaware that Gendo and Naoko continued the experiment. They were stopped from reviving Lilith, but not before core samples were obtained.
Personal Life[]
Katsuragi was a man who became utterly consumed by his work, not only did this lead to his and Kanoe’s divorce, but he can be rather scatterbrained. For example when Ulsa attacked NERV despite general excitement since the alarms he didn’t believe anything was wrong as no one could lay siege to the complex. Though when his ex-wife approaching him in a hurried run he changed his tone. Despite this and his nominally mild-mannered and conformist appearance. Ichiro does have a bit of a rebellious streak of his own which is what initially attracted him to Kanoe in the first place.
Profile[]
Kanoe told Ichiro about Misato and Ritsuko being trapped in the central labs with Reiko. The two argued for a little while blaming each other but not willing to concede that they were entirely guiltless of the matter. After calming down she told him about Ulsa attacking. As he started wondering why the Daokan would interfere with the work they do at the complex she called him for being blind to what Gendo and Naoko were doing. Kanoe never trusted Gendo and informed her former husband that stumbled on some classified files while checking his personal database and I've uncovered the whole horrific story.
Realizing that Lilith could be awakening and knowing a way to bypass the security channels Ichiro surprised even himself by grabbing his ex-wife by the arm and hurrying her along as he led the way out of their high-security offices. Kanoe hurried right along after her former husband, drawn as much by the urgent desire to rescue their daughter as she was by a stabbing sense of nostalgia for the not-so-good-old-days.
The group stood off in one corner, guarding what was left of the SEELE paramilitary force while watching Yui read Gendo the riot act with mingled looks of pity and satisfaction. Seeing Ichiro, Kenoe, and Naoko doing the same with their daughters Ulsa took pity on them and decided to call Naoko out on her hypocrisy for being mad at them for breaking into a secure lab knowing full well that the greater crimes were committed by those in their employ. While she realized that she acted at the behest of one who claimed to love her, that didn’t let her off the hook.
Ulsa fixed the older blonde Akagi woman with a silent litany of past sins that culminated with the present knowledge about the special “extra-marital” affair presently being conducted between herself and the project director, Gendo Ikari. Naoko reacted to this betrayal of her darkest secrets by taking a step backwards and gasping in fear of their revelation, but Ulsa silently conveyed to her that she had no intention of making what she knew such common fodder for rumor and gossip. Rather she silently admonished the scientist with a very stern-yet-compassionate thought of warning that she needed to clean up her act and do right by Ritsuko.
By this point Yui had ended her angry tirade by telling Gendo that it was over between them. Seeing Gendo’s devastated look shocked Naoko to no end as she had thought the man would get over Yui in time and realize that she was much better suited to be his equal, companion and help mate. Ulsa pointed out that Gendo never truly loved her she was just a means of company and comfort. She assured the tearful Naoko that she sympathized with her pain. She wasn’t taunting her merely bringing this tragedy to a close before she and Gendo could render any further harm to humanity. She trusted that Naoko was wise enough to change her ways after seeing her errors through Ulsa’s eyes.
When Naoko asked what she had left. Ulsa told her that she had many years to repair the rift between her and her daughter, because despite Ritsuko’s age she will always need her. The conversation was interrupted by Excel coming back with Hyatt. Before another argument could start between her and Reiko about the existence of ACROSS. Ulsa removed the mental block that was keeping her from processing data in a regular manner. Causing her to believe she was Reiko’s twin sister. She also changed the polarity of Hyatt so that she is not quite so Necrotic, allowing her to process Oxygen normally so that she would not pass out every few seconds and would have considerably more vitality. Which she would need as Ulsa also directed Excel’s former one-sided infatuation away from Lord Ilpalatzo and towards a more appropriate partner. Finally she directed them to find a nearby motel so that they can work off their long-repressed ardor.
John was amazed that Ulsa was able to do all that with just a glance causing her to turn her amused gaze towards the werewolf and project a faint air of uncharacteristic smugness. This caused Frank to shudder slightly at the casual display of whimsical humor in someone whose reputation to date had depicted her as anything but the type to show off her prowess in so off-handed a manner. By this point Yui had finally spent her rage and was turning her back upon her husband, who was standing there stricken with a look of forlorn yearning. Gendo stammered, half to himself that he only wanted to help. When she turned back to favor him with one arched eyebrow. He declared that he wanted to give humanity a chance of evolving at last to a nigher level.
Agent Kei spoke up curtly telling Gendo that didn’t justify anything as Humanity wasn’t at a dead end, he just saw the next level of human growth as anything but a threat to the status quo. Calling him by his original name Rogunbugi Ulsa told him that his actions have forfeited any right that he might have for claiming the Ancient technology that he has been abusing so badly. It was time for NERV to be disbanded and for he and his people to pack up and leave this complex altogether. Naoko, Ichiro, Kozo and even Yui tried to protest only to be told that it wasn’t a request she made her point known with a solid wall of roiling water that stood more than a hundred meters high, threatening to crash down upon the chamber and flood it utterly with everyone present being caught within its deadly tide. She gave everyone an hour to evacuate before she released the tide. Ichiro and Kenoe joined Naoko in urging their daughters to make haste towards the exit while Yui picked up her own newly acquired daughter and did likewise with Rei clinging dutifully to her shoulder.
The group surveyed the opening to the now flooded NERV complex. Kenoe spoke calmly to Misato who was complaining about how she had lost her entire wardrobe. Telling her that they would get her something to wear that was more appropriate. She then shocked Ichiro when she told Misato that they could stay at his separate dwelling in Tokyo. With a hopeful note in his voice Ichiro agreed to let them stay. Naoko wasn’t quite so optimistic depressed that years of research was gone specifically her grand project of building the Magi computer system. Ritsuko assured her mother that she would help her retrieve whatever important data she lost from the backup files. However she just as upset as Misato about losing all of her personal belongings. This prompted Misato to murmur how they still had their memory of what happened causing her and Ritsuko to turn as one and share a poignant stare together that spoke volumes over the change in their relationship that had been brought about as a result of their encounters with Ulsa and Lilith.