Yoshikage Kira/es

"Para mí, no se trata realmente de ganar o perder. Quiero una vida pacífica. Es sólo que matar es parte de mi naturaleza."

- Yoshikage Kira,

Yoshikage Kira (吉良 吉影) es el antagonista principal de la cuarta parte de la serie JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Diamond is Unbreakable, y el tercer antagonista principal de la serie. También aparece como protagonista de la historia corta Deadman's Questions.

Inadvertido en Morioh por años y tranquilo por toda su vida, Yoshikage Kira es un asesino serial anormal y parafílico cuya rutina asesina se ve perturbada cuando el fantasma de su primera víctima, Reimi Sugimoto, le pide al Grupo Joestar que lo busque. Kira recibe atención no deseada al matar a Shigekiyo Yangu, y el Grupo Joestar pone a Kira en su mira para ponerle un fin a su matanza.

Kira es un Usuario de Stand y blande el poderoso Killer Queen para crear bombas letales.

Apariencia
Yoshikage Kira tiene un cabello claro y peinado hacia atrás sueltamente con algunas hebras fuera de lugar. Usa un traje ligero y una corbata oscura con un patrón de emblemas de calaveras con orejas de gato, similares a las de su Stand, Killer Queen. Como vendedor por oficia, usa un traje similar a lo largo de la serie, aunque suele sacarse el traje en casa.

Kira adopta otra cara además de su cara original en la Parte 4, y un cuerpo fantasmal similar al suyo original, con un atuendo único, después de esto. Sigue siendo un hombre de altura promedia y físico delgado-atlético.

Kosaku-Kira
Cuando Kosaku Kawajiri (川尻 浩作) es asesinado, Kira toma sus rasgos faciales, incluyendo su cabello negro y puntiagudo, iris delgadas, negras y grandes y pómulos más altos. Se queda con su traje, nada más cambiando la corbata de este por su corbata normal de Calaveras.

Tras ser atravesado por la Flecha y recibir la tercera bomba de Killer Queen, el cabello de Kira cambia espontáneamente, ahora estando peinado hacia atrás perfectamence,siendo claro, y teniendo rayas de hebras negras.

Fantasma
Un corto tiempo tras su muerte, como fantasma, se queda con las características de Kosaku por unos momentos antes de volver a su apariencia original, la cual retiene en Deadman's Questions.

A partir de ahí, adopta un atuendo elaborado que consiste en un bombín oscuro con su borde doblado hacia arriba y una corbata, ambos con cuadrados concéntricos como patrón, y un traje oscuro, sin camisa y sin solapa.

Personalidad
"Realmente quiero revelarle la verdadera naturaleza de Yoshikage Kira a esa chica de la derecha. Me gustaría revelarle mis deseos oscuros. Realmente quiero tocar su delgado cuello con mis manos... y estrangularla hasta la muerte."

- Yoshikage Kira,

Kira es un, caracterizado como altamente y , con algunas tendencias. También es un.

Kira desea una vida tranquila y pacífica, a salvo de las preocupaciones, y no desea que sea interrumpida. Cuando su vida se ve asegurada, Kira adopta un comportamiento alegre y confiado. Aunque es altamente inteligente y posee muchos talentos, estos deseos se muestran en su disgusto por salir primero, y Jotaro teoriza a partir de sus varios trofeos que incluso se aseguró de nunca salir en una posición más alta que la tercera en ninguna competencia con tal de no sobresalir. Desde su juventud, Kira ha estado evitando sobresalir, viviendo una vida sana y siguiendo un régimen estricto. Se molesta cuando alguien perturba sus hábitos y llega a extremos para recuperarlos. Como señaló su pádre, este deseo de mantenerse al fondo era tan fuerte que si lo acosaban o no le permitían jugar con su juguete favorito, Kira se empezaba a morder las uñas hasta que sangraran, siendo esta la única manera que encontró de expresar su frustración.

Aún así, bajo su fachada de vendedor simple y humilde, Kira es muy anormal. La característica más anormal de Kira son sus frecuentes y periódicos impulsos asesinos. Kira pone a mujeres como su objetivo, o, más específicamente, mujeres con manos hermosas. Kira tiene un fetiche por las manos, el cual descubrió cuando se sintió excitado por las manos de la Mona Lisa. De todas maneras, su deseo nunca se extendió hacia el resto de la persona femenina y más allá de sus manos, detesta sus presencias. Esto resulta en él asesinando a mujeres al azar, sin importarle en lo más mínimo como se ven o se comportan, para así adquirir sus manos (cortadas) como "novias", actuando como si las manos cortadas tuvieran consciencias y conversando con ellas, incluso ofreciéndoles varios regalos. Cuando una "novia" empieza a deteriorar, se deshace de ella y va en búsqueda de un reemplazo. Kira es un asesino oportunista, su modus operandi siendo seleccionar una víctima potencial, seguirla hasta su casa, y asesinarla cuando ambos estén aislados. Dado a que su Stand no deja rastros de la víctima, estos asesinatos son denunciados como casos de personas desaparecidas. Además, Kira ha expresado varios otros impulsos igual de violentos, como el deseo de estrangular a sus víctimas hasta la muerte y le ha causado una cicatriz horrible al menos a Reimi Sugimoto.

Aparte de sus asesinatos, Kira es particularmente violento cuando alguien amenaza su estilo de vida o lo humilla públicamente. Como Kira no quiere ser notado, hace todo lo que puede para resolver sus problemas sin enfrentarse a nadie directamente. De todos modos, si no tiene elección, instantáneamente va a intentar de asesinar a quien sea que quiera descubrir su verdadera naturaleza. Kira es rápido a la hora de dejar su comportamiento educado, maleducadamente insultando a sus enemigos o golpeándolos violentamente antes de matarlos. Tras que el Echoes ACT 3 resulta en Kira quedando como un tonto en público y atrayendo atención no deseada, Kira se encaminó hacia Koichi para torturarlo y matarlo, poniendo su zapatilla en su boca y golpeando su cara contra el suelo. A Kira le cuesta controlar estos impulsos violentos, algo que se vió cuando Hayato Kawajiri lo amenazó con chantajearlo. Kira perdió su actitud tranquila y asesinó a Hayato tras perder la cabeza por un segundo.

Kira is also afflicted with a number of other quirks. Apart from his wish for a monotonous and tranquil life, Kira's OCD also makes him very meticulous and thorough. Kira has sophisticated tastes, notably buying his lunch at the best store in town as well as wearing Valentino suits. He doesn't tolerate any imperfection and is even willing to waste time fixing Koichi's socks instead of fleeing the scene, as he could not stand seeing them being worn inside-out. Furthermore, during his time as Kosaku Kawajiri, Kira made sure to perfectly mimic his new identity in every way, notably Kosaku's hand-writing, which he trained himself to do conscientiously. Kira's solitary nature is partially stemmed from his disgust of people who don't behave as properly as he does. Kira's favorite fashion brand is .

Kira is also an egocentric and selfish man, akin to a spoiled child. He doesn't care that his crimes involve murder and make his victim's relatives suffer. He only seeks to satisfy his basic instincts. In addition, Kira is determined to preserve his lifestyle, and being set back only increases his determination. Kira is also quick to shift the blame to someone else for his troubles, notably the Joestar group, for ruining his life. Kira possesses a twisted pride in having managed to mix his tranquil lifestyle and his serial murders for so long, and categorically refused to flee the town and live in fear, preferring to maintain a shaky façade of normal life with the Kawajiri's.

In addition, while normally a very cautious, meticulous man who ensures he leaves no evidence behind, there are a few occasions where he became overconfident and let his guard down, and each time has led him to a confrontation with the Joestar group or defeat at their hands. He once put his "girlfriend hand" in a sandwich bag and failed to notice Shigechi's presence as he came to take the sandwich bag, thinking it was his, which eventually lead to him being found out. In addition, he left his jacket to a tailor at Centipede shoes and left his real name, forcing him to confront them. He was overconfident in his Sheer Heart Attack, believing it was invincible and left the scene but was forced to return to the scene of his crime when Koichi managed to subdue Sheer Heart Attack. In addition, he let his guard down near a wounded Jotaro, allowing Jotaro the opportunity to beat him. Finally, when he was overconfident he had beaten Hayato Kawajiri in his attempt to stop him, he blurted out his real name in front of Josuke by mistake, which Hayato had planned.

Kira believes that he has luck and fate on his side, exposing a superstitious façade, claiming that whenever faced with an obstacle he will be able to make it through with a combination of hard work and opportunity. He measures and collects his own fingernail clippings, using them to predict his murdering luck off of their length.

When Kira was pierced with the Arrow, his demeanor became much more relaxed and prone to elation due to his new-found power, which guaranteed that anyone approaching Hayato would be killed. Ecstatic to possess a power which would dispose of anyone who investigated him, Kira allowed himself one loud boast, which caused his downfall as Josuke overheard him claiming to be "Yoshikage Kira".

During his confrontation with the Stand Stray Cat, Kira expressed a desire to protect his "wife," Shinobu Kawajiri, and even showed relief at her safety. A feeling that confused him, Kira rationalized it as merely his not wanting to arouse suspicion. Whether these feelings were genuine or not is left unanswered.

As a ghost, Kira lost all memory of his previous life and has thus lost his temptation to kill. However, his desire for a peaceful existence and his latent brutality remained.

Killer Queen
Kira's Stand, Killer Queen, is a humanoid, short-range Stand with the unique ability to cleanly, and completely, wipe out objects and people alike with targeted explosions. This ability manifests itself as three distinct forms, or 'bombs'.

Bomb Transmutation (Primary Bomb): Killer Queen can charge any object into a bomb simply by touching it. The Stand can then manually detonate the charged object, causing powerful explosions.

Sheer Heart Attack
Sheer Heart Attack (Secondary Bomb): Sheer Heart Attack is an autonomous entity that detaches from Killer Queen's left hand. It is a mobile, heat-seeking bomb that is extremely durable and leaves massive explosions in its wake.

Bites the Dust
Killer Queen Bites the Dust (Tertiary Bomb): Created by a second pierce of the Arrow, Bites the Dust is an independent bomb that implants Killer Queen into a host body. If the host reveals Kira's true identity in any way, willingly or unwillingly, Bites the Dust will trigger, and any investigators will be blown up before a time loop commences that sends everyone back an hour.

Air Bomb Transmutation ("Stray Cat")
After gaining Bites the Dust, Kira keeps Stray Cat in a hollow space within Killer Queen's abdomen. With Killer Queen's Primary Bomb charging Stray Cat's condensed air bubbles, Kira may create invisible, speedy air bombs (空気弾) to use as projectiles. Although no one, not even Kira, can see these bombs, the latter is skilled in determining their trajectory using basic mathematical skills.

Mastery
Despite the power of his Stand, Killer Queen, Kira's passivity led to an over-reliance on its powers to the detriment of actual mastery.

Up until his appearance, Kira has avoided fighting at all, leading to a laissez-faire approach to Stand battles. Although he did personally kill Shigekiyo Yangu and knows a great deal about the subtleties of Killer Queen, he then let Sheer Heart Attack take care of two Stand Users, leading to an unexpected defeat and almost leading to his capture. He then became overconfident in Bites the Dust's invincibility, again leaving ample opportunity for Hayato to seek a loophole. Kira's tendency to hide and avoid instead of confronting his foes has left him no time to show any imagination in using his Stand.

However, thanks to his intellect and "lucky" meeting with Stray Cat, Kira could sublimate Killer Queen's power to create a deadly long-range combination of Stand abilities.

Family

 * Yoshihiro Kira: Yoshihiro is protective of his son, enough so that he was willing to support his son's murderous streak without a care as long as it made him happy. However, Yoshikage thinks little of his father, ignoring his advice of leaving Morioh and sparing no thought for him when he died. In the end, Yoshihiro died in the most ironic way possible, being blown up by his son's bomb after he was tricked by Josuke into doing so.
 * Mother: While little is known about their relationship and Kira's opinions of her, Araki points out that her overall appearance, as presented in their family portrait, suggests she may have been a bit overprotective of Kira to a point of abusive coddling.

Kosaku Family

 * Shinobu Kawajiri: While Kira impersonated Kosaku, his failed attempts at acting ordinary were mistaken by Shinobu for a change toward a bolder demeanour from her husband. Charmed, Shinobu became attracted to her husband, not knowing that it was Kira. Kira on the other hand first struggled not to act on his murderous impulses on Shinobu and tried his best not to attract attention, thus acting gently with her. As time passed, notably after protecting her from Stray Cat, Kira noted a burgeoning affection for her.
 * Hayato Kawajiri: Hayato and Kira lived in mutual suspicion, with Hayato noting everything his "father" did that was out of the ordinary, while Kira disliked the company of such a nosy child. When Hayato hears Kira plotting to kill him and then sees him use Killer Queen to kill a couple, their relationship turns antagonistic, culminating in Kira killing Hayato in a fit of rage. When Hayato becomes the catalyst for Kira gaining the sub-bomb Bites the Dust, Kira underestimates Hayato's resourcefulness, dismissing him as harmless at first, which Hayato exploits to lure Kira into the hands of his enemies. Hayato had come to know Kira well and proved a useful source of information during the climactic fight between Josuke and Kira.
 * Tama: Kira and the cat Tama were initially enemies due to Kira's interference in Stray Cat's revenge against Shinobu. Kira wanted to get rid of the conscious plant as it was likely to attract attention, but after distracting it, he decided to keep Stray Cat in the attic, planning to use it later. During his confrontation with Josuke, Kira made the most of Stray Cat's power by combining it with Killer Queen's detonation ability to produce air bombs.

Enemies

 * Josuke Higashikata: After Shigechi had been killed, Josuke developed a grudge against Kira and swore to avenge Shigechi. While Josuke loathed Kira, the latter didn't think much of Josuke and as an enemy, preferred to avoid any confrontation with him. However, Kira noticed that Josuke's healing power and resourcefulness countered his Killer Queen's bomb power and was precautious against him during their fight.
 * Rohan Kishibe: Rohan was at first only curious about the local murderer, but after learning that he almost died by his hand and that Reimi protected him, his efforts for finding Kira became more personal. As an enemy, Kira preferred to avoid any confrontation with him. He was also aware of Rohan's status as a famous mangaka. When Rohan fell victim to Bites the Dust, Kira took great joy in his death.
 * Koichi Hirose: Koichi, after learning of Kira's crimes, came to deeply loathe him to the point he would attack him on sight. Kira, on the other hand, came to somewhat praise Koichi's ability for being able to track him and then indirectly humiliate him in public, which he made sure to pay back with a beating. When Koichi humiliated Kira a second time, demonstrating how careless the serial-killer could be, Kira was enraged and came to detest Koichi, being happy at the prospect of Koichi dying.
 * Okuyasu Nijimura: Okuyasu, after learning that Kira killed Shigechi, developed a deep grudge against the murderer. As an enemy, Kira preferred to avoid any confrontation with him. Kira attempted to kill Okuyasu and turned him into a bomb. He was surprised when Okuyasu suddenly came back to life during his fight with Josuke.
 * Jotaro Kujo: The first time Jotaro would encounter Kira was near the Centipede shoe shop after Jotaro was heavily wounded by Sheer Heart Attack. Kira underestimated Jotaro due to the poor state he was in, only to get pummeled by Star Platinum for his trouble. Kira noted how dangerous Jotaro was and took care to avoid confronting him again. During the events of Bites the Dust, Kira mentions to Hayato that he would be very happy if Jotaro were to die in particular.

Victims

 * Reimi Sugimoto: Reimi was the first victim of Yoshikage Kira fifteen years prior to the start of Part 4 along with the rest of her family, including her pet dog Arnold. As a ghost, Reimi remained in Morioh, looking for someone to help her put a stop to Kira's murders in order to restore Morioh's peace and dignity. While Kira managed to remember her name when Shigekiyo mentioned her, he couldn't recognise her at first when they met fifteen years later, which Reimi theorises as Kira not having the occasion to remember her since he didn't take her hand as a "girlfriend". After her archenemy was dragged away by the ghost hands of the alleys, Reimi was able to peacefully ascend to heaven.
 * Arnold: Arnold's throat was slashed by Kira fifteen years prior to the start of Part 4. Kira then hangs the dog's body on a clothes hook in the wall. He remains as a ghost in an alley until his soul ascends to Heaven after Kira is dragged away by the ghost hands.
 * Shigekiyo Yangu: When Shigechi unwittingly takes Kira's girlfriend, Kira saw Shigechi as a potential threat to his peaceful lifestyle. When both confront each other, Shigechi, shocked to learn that he is a serial killer and seriously injured when trying to fight Kira, tries to warn his friend Josuke in order to protect his family. On the other hand, Kira thought little of Shigechi and swiftly disposed of him, wanting to forget about his fight as soon as possible.
 * Aya Tsuji: The two had little interaction but Kira was aware of her occupation and abilities, which allowed him to escape the protagonists and change his identity. Before being killed by Kira, Aya describes him as truly terrifying and hated him for using her powers for evil.
 * Kosaku Kawajiri: The two had no onscreen interaction and Kira only accosted him because they were of similar height and build. He kidnapped Kosaku, dragged him to Salon Cinderella, killed him, and took his identity including his face, fingerprints, and hair. Kira, however, was annoyed by Kosaku's willingness to have a promotion, forcing Kira to stress himself by bootlicking Kosaku's superior while having to impersonate him in order to maintain his masquerade.

Trivia

 * According to Kira himself, the total amount of women he's killed for their hands is 48.
 * He committed his first murder on August 13, 1983, at the age of 18.
 * According to a Top 10 List published in JOJO A-GO!GO!, released in 2000, Kira is Araki's favorite antagonist and 2nd favorite character overall.
 * According to an interview with Araki, the idea to have Kira take over Kosaku's life while Hayato suspects his "father" of being replaced was inspired by the novel, .
 * In an ironic twist, Kira has his hands severed multiple times: his left hand twice (when he removed Sheer Heart Attack from his body and when the Cleansers attacked him) and his right hand once (when he was bitten by Arnold in Reimi's alley as a ghost).
 * The story of Kira's first murder as told by the ghost of Reimi Sugimoto shares similarities with the "Humans Can Lick Too" horror story.
 * Kira's initial design is fairly notable among JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans due to its resemblance to the late British singer David Bowie (particularly how he appeared during his Serious Moonlight tour). Coincidentally, the finale of Diamond is Unbreakable, which featured Kira's death, aired in late December 2016, while Bowie himself had died in early January of that same year.
 * Kira's TV anime voice actor, Toshiyuki Morikawa, also voices Diavolo in the Bandai Namco video games.


 * Despite being the main antagonist, Kira doesn't have an active role in Diamond is Unbreakable until halfway in the part. The anime attempts to build up Kira's presence before his first appearance by showing the aftermath of his murders and the severed hands he's collected along the way from the opening scene of the very first episode of the Part 4 anime, along with a quick cameo in episode 86 (DU episode 12).
 * Araki thought of a backstory for Kira which would portray Kira's abusive relationship with his mother and neglect from his father. Kira's backstory wasn't included in the manga both because it was serialized in a magazine for a younger audience and Araki felt Kira would end up being a very sad villain so readers wouldn't see him as the enemy.