Yoshikage Kira/History

A detailed chronological summary of the life of Yoshikage Kira.

Background
"I Yoshikage Kira, just want a quiet life, but these shitheads keep getting in my way."

- Yoshikage Kira,

Kira was born January 30, 1966, in Morioh Town within Japan's M Prefecture in the city of S. His parents, already old when he was born, died when he was 21; his father from cancer, his mother passing away peacefully. Kira lived an eventful childhood, making sure that he would never be noticed by having mediocre grades. In any competition he participated in, Kira also was never ranked above 3rd place. Araki has stated that Kira did not have a good childhood, but Jotaro narrated that the Kira family was very close. He graduated from D University in 1988 with a literature degree, then moved to S city for a job at Kameyu's corporate office. He eventually transferred to the Morioh-cho branch in 1993.

Kira discovered his fetish for hands as a child, when he first laid eyes upon the 's image in an artbook. He had an erection looking at her hands and cut off the image's hands to admire them privately. Starting his spree roughly when he was in high school, Kira is a serial killer who originally murdered his victims by stabbing them so viciously that they were left with horrific back wounds (their hideous nature is implied by the fact that the reader is never actually shown Reimi's wound, despite all the instances of blood and gore that Araki had drawn up to that point). His first victims were Reimi Sugimoto and her entire family, including their dog Arnold.

Kira's Stand, Killer Queen, came as a result of his father, Yoshihiro Kira, giving him a Stand arrow that he himself received from Enya and DIO. Killer Queen allowed him to erase all evidence of his murders by atomizing the victims' bodies, and thus all his murders were ruled out as disappearances. At an unknown point, Kira dubbed his Stand, but refrained from inquiring further about this ability. Though the number of missing people would eventually attract attention, no one would have any reason to suspect that Yoshikage Kira was involved due to his simple demeanor and lifestyle.

Rohan Kishibe's Adventure
Yoshikage Kira is first seen when Josuke stops Koichi from walking into the road as he's driving. He briefly stops his car and stares at the teen but ultimately remains silent and leaves, returning home with the severed hand of a recent victim with whom he gets acquainted with. Kira worries about his girlfriend's wristwatch only to realize it is in her hand bag and promises to get it fixed the next day so that it fits her. Once they arrive at his home, the hand drips some blood on the seat, and Kira makes her wipe the bloodstain before they enter the house.

Some time after, Kira buys a ring for his girlfriend to wear

Yoshikage Kira Wants to Live Quietly
On a sunny day in Morioh, salaryman and secret serial killer Yoshikage Kira is invited to lunch by several of his female coworkers and admirers but pretends that he has an urgent document to deliver. to St. Gentleman's Bakery to buy a sandwich. Conversing with his girlfriend, Kira take the time to appreciate the sandwiches and accidentally makes her girlfriend pierce the wrapping of a sandwich. He lustfully licks the sauce off her fingers and decides to take the sandwich behind.

After buying a sandwich, Kira sits under a tree at the park to eat it, contemplating the beauty of Morioh. The hand begins to smell and Kira already plans to get a new girlfriend. A dog comes by, begging for food but Kira scares him away with a look. Suddenly, Kira notices that his sandwich bag, which contains the severed hand, has gone. He sees a fat boy leaving with a bag while the dog from earlier is munching on a sandwich, and understands that the boy took his bag by mistake. Kira follows the kid to prevent him from seeing the hand, as he fears that the police could easily trace the ring on it and Kira's fingerprints back to him. Having not left a single clue during his 15-year career as a serial killer, Kira is determined to reclaim his "girlfriend". Kira follows Shigechi across town until the latter runs into Josuke & Okuyasu again. Shigechi offers to let them into his school's prep room to have the coffee and tea that the gym teacher regularly smuggles into the school, but Josuke & Okuyasu turn him down. Thinking that he can reclaim his "girlfriend" without much trouble, Kira follows Shigechi into his school's prep room and tries to grab the St. Gentleman's bag while Shigechi is busy brewing himself some coffee, but is forced to hide in the gymnastics equipment when Josuke & Okuyasu suddenly join Shigechi, having changed their minds about his offer. While the trio is busy eating lunch, Kira attempts to grab the bag with a straightened-out coat hanger, but drops it, piquing Josuke's curiosity. Just when he is about to investigate the bag, however, Shigechi stops him and accuses him of trying to steal his sandwich. He then leaves again to prepare tea for Josuke & Okuyasu, during which Kira successfully reclaims the bag. Upon noticing that his bag is gone, however, Shigechi sends out Harvest to look for it but is cut short when the gym teacher enters the prep room, driving the three boys out and giving Kira an opportunity to escape without a trace.

But, Shigechi notices Kira carrying the bag from the same bakery that his sandwich came from, and suspects Kira of having stolen his sandwich. Shigechi tries to take it back with Harvest, but the bag rips open, exposing Kira's "girlfriend." Kira, knowing that he'll probably be exposed, gives Shigechi a monologue on how he wishes to live a quiet life before summoning his own Stand, Killer Queen, aiming to kill Shigechi before the boy can expose him. Shigechi summons his own Stand, Harvest, to try and incapacitate him. Kira deduces from his incident in the school that Josuke and Okuyasu are also Stand users while revealing a 100 yen coin. Shigechi orders Harvest to take the coin, right before Kira reveals Killer Queen's ability to turn anything it touches into a bomb. The coin explodes, maiming Shigechi but not killing him. After revealing his knowledge of Reimi, Shigechi uses Harvest to distract Kira and hide. Kira overtakes Shigechi and traps the doorknob of the classroom where Shigechi's friends are. He detonates the bomb he planted on it, causing Shigechi to explode from the inside-out without leaving a trace. Kira leaves the school, reassured that he's managed to escape notice and doesn't think much of the button he's lost. However, Harvest has taken it and brought it to Josuke as a clue to the killer. Meanwhile, Reimi witnesses Shigechi's ghost disintegrating in agony while ascending to Heaven, immediately realizing that this was Kira's doing.

Incidentally, Kira witnesses the meeting between Josuke Okuyasu & his father, Koichi, Jotaro, Joseph and Shizuka, Yukako, Hazamada, Tonio, Aya, and Rohan and brings them to meet Reimi. Curious, Kira doesn't act but scouts his next victim.

Later, Kira investigates the Stand Users of Morioh and learns about their powers. Unable to fix his own suit, he pays the owner of the Centipede Shoe Store to repair it for him.

Sheer Heart Attack
The next day, Kira comes back to Centipede Shoes, and sees that Jotaro Kujo and Koichi Hirose are investigating his jacket. As a result, he sends Sheer Heart Attack after them. Sheer Heart Attack kills the owner first because of his hot cup of tea. Then, Kira tries to pull his jacket to him, slowly to bait Jotaro and Koichi into approaching but Jotaro sees through the ploy and stays out of the range of Sheer Heart Attack's blast. Kira leaves, confident in Sheer Heart Attack's ability to kill his foes and relaxes at a café.

However, when Koichi awakens Echoes Act 3 and traps Sheer Heart Attack in place, the weight increase effect transfers into Kira's left hand. He breaks his cup of coffee, attracting the attention of a waiter. Kira quickly tries to pay for the cup as he feels he must return to the battle but his hand is too heavy and he accidentally destroys his table and tears the waiter's clothes. On the way back to Centipede Shoe Store, Kira encounters a pair of thugs who antagonize him because of his snobby outfit and attitude. Although he cannot physically defend himself, Kira lures one of the thugs into touching his wallet, making his fingers explodes since Killer Queen has also touched it.

Kira eventually reaches Centipede Shoes and confronts an angry Koichi. Killer Queen proves to be stronger than Echoes ACT3 and thus it is knocked away, making Sheer Heart Attack come out of Echoes' range. Kira then easily beats up Koichi with a pincer attack and takes the time to torture him as payment for the earlier humiliation. However, Koichi steals his wallet and learns his name and address. Kira is extremely vexed as Koichi declares that he's easy to unmask and has Killer Queen impale the boy through the chest in a fit of rage. Kira prepares to make Koichi explode, but sees that the boy's socks are inside out. Kira hesitates and proceeds to fix Koichi's sock, allowing time for Jotaro to get back up. Star Platinum attacks but Killer Queen easily blocks the punch, making Kira overconfident about his chances. However, Jotaro does heavily pummel him with his Stand before collapsing from his wounds again. Kira loses consciousness for a moment and weaks up hearing Josuke and Okuyasu on the scene. He pretends to be a mere bystanders but makes the mistake of asking Josuke to 'fix' him as he fixed Jotaro and Koichi, meaning he can see Stand abilities. Kira outs himself as the enemy. Cornered, Kira cuts his own hand off to release Sheer Heart Attack from Echoes Act 3's ability and flees.

In the streets of Morioh, Kira meets his coworkers again and shocks them with his bloody state. Kira forces a random commuter, Kosaku Kawajiri, to come with him to Aya Tsuji's shop and forces her to use Cinderella to switch his face and fingerprints with Kosaku Kawajiri's. Kira escapes through the back shop and even gets his hand back since Josuke fixed it to follow Kira. However, in their distraction with Aya, the heroes loses Yoshikage Kira's trail. Kira has escaped retribution and changed identity.

Yoshikage Kira's New Situation
Kira thus goes to the Kawajiri's house and discovers Shinobu, Kosaku's unloving wife who feels trapped in a loveless marriage, and also Hayato, the seemingly equally apathetic son of the family. When he returns home, Kira is not greeted by his wife, who says that she hasn't had time to prepare dinner and only gives him a bowl of instant ramen. Kira simply cooks himself, which impresses Shinobu despite herself. However, Kira feels his predatory instincts increase and must clip his nails.

The next day, Shinobu reprimands him for leaving the cat outside and he apologizes. The landlord comes in and then demands to 260,000 yen that the Kawajiri owe him, two months' worth of rent. Shinobu presses "Kosaku" to go to their safe and open it to at least accept their savings, pushing Kira into an impossible situation as he doesn't know the combination. Kira decides to act bodly and confronts the landowner. While he apologizes profusely, he summons Killer Queen and has it steal 500,000 yen from the landlord's own bag, pretending to honestly paying the man. Shinobu has seen everything, but instead develops romantic feelings for this new, more assertive and active version of her husband, without suspecting a thing.

From now on, Kira applies himself to perfect his disguise and steadily make sure nothing about him is suspect. However, his sexual frustration grows as he refrains himself from killing and one evening, he almost lets himself kill Shinobu, who fortunately mistake his gestures for mere sexual advances. Meanwhile Hayato spies on his parents, and wonders why his father would practice writing his own name over and over again.

The Cat Likes Yoshikage Kira
One day as Kira returns home, he notices that Kosaku's shoes are too big for him and plan to replace them. Suddenly, he hears Shinobu cry in fear and rush to his side. Having found a stray cat in her basement, Shinobu returns to Kira and begs him for help, explaining the cat's hostility towards her. Kira is enticed upon hearing that the cat had a strange hole in its neck, deducing that it is the result of an arrow strike and that the cat is a potential Stand user. However, when Kira goes down to the basement to investigate, he finds the cat dead, having been fatally pierced by glass shards during a previous fight with Shinobu; from this, Kira determines that the cat must not have been a Stand user due to how easily it died. Kira buries the cat in his backyard.

The next day, Kira comes back to the garden and notices Stray Cat, the cat-plant. He thus confirms that the cat he buried was indeed a Stand user based on Shinobu's account of what just happened to her. As Stray Cat grows in size, Kira performs a number of tests on Stray Cat. He realizes that Stray Cat is the Stand reincarnation of the cat, conceived by the arrow and brought forth from death. Shinobu, meanwhile, asks Kira if the spot he's looking at is really where he buried the cat, citing her dislike of that spot due to it being where she lost her toenail. Kira, however, is more concerned about not letting Shinobu notice the plant moving, fearing that it would allow Jotaro to trace it back to him. Thus, Kira sends out Killer Queen to discretely blow up Stray Cat and get him out of his hair, only for his bomb to dud; Kira determines that this anomaly is the result of Stray Cat's powers. Shinobu sees Stray Cat moving, but is knocked out by one of his air bubbles. When Stray Cat knocks away Kira's bomb, it goes off, allowing Kira to deduce that the plant is surrounding itself with a vacuum bubble to suppress Killer Queen's weaponry. Killer Queen and Stray Cat square off. During their fight, Stray Cat uses an air bubble to blow up a nearby cactus, covering Kira and Shinobu in cactus spines. Kira panics that Shinobu got hit, and then is stunned when he realizes that he just worried about some woman. He backpedals by stating he was only relieved that her eyes weren't struck by the spines because if something happens to her then it would be easier for Jotaro to discover his identity. Stray Cat fires more compressed air bubbles but Killer Queen blocks it. Kira says the attack is nothing against his Stand now. However, the cat-plant simply grooms itself while Kira realizes that its attack got air inside the blood vessels of his forearm. The air progresses up Kira's arm and moves toward his heart, threatening to cause a deadly embolism due to its large dosage, forcing Kira to stab his arm open to release the excess air. Stray Cat prepares to attack him again, but Kira is at a loss of how he could defeat it. Just then, he spots a golf ball on the ground and rolls it over to the cat-plant. Stray Cat notices the ball and has fun rolling it around with its leaves. Thus, Kira is saved for now as the cat is distracted from its grudge.

Kira finally notices Hayato spying on him and Shinobu, noting the child's suspicious behavior during his time as Kosaku Kawajiri. After Hayato exits the house, Kira also leaves to go to work but notices that all the kids from Hayato's school wear identical yellow sun hats. Remembering that Hayato left his hat at home, Kira returns to the Kawajiri household, suspecting that Hayato is still at home and up to no good. Kira hears a noise and rushes up to the attic in a panic. However, he merely sees that Stray Cat has made a mess, probably because it was hungry. Kira leaves, reassured that he doesn't have to kill Hayato for knowing his true identity. Kira thus inadvertently confirms Hayato's worst suspicion as the boy eavesdrops on Kira, hidden in the attic.

My Dad Is Not My Dad
Kira continues to struggle to maintain his disguise as Kosaku Kawajiri, with his murderous urges growing more and more. While on the subway, he is pestered by a couple after he accidentally irritates them, and gets mocked by them for his bowling pin nail clipper. In retaliation, Kira gives in to his urges and follows the couple home, calmly destroying the man with Killer Queen and forcing the woman to clip his nails. Kira torments the woman, pinning her boyfriend's earrings, his ears still attached, to her before using Killer Queen to completely obliterate her, save for her hand.

However, Kira's moment of calm joy is interrupted when he realizes that he was being covertly filmed by Hayato. Not wanting to be exposed, Kira destroys the woman's hand before following his "son" back home and confront him in the bathroom. After a very tense time together, Kira and Hayato turn on each other when Kira confirms that Hayato was taping him. Kira attempts to kill Hayato and make it look like an accident, only for Hayato to point out that all of this is being filmed as well. Trapped between a rock and a hard place, both Kira and Hayato's tensions come to a boiling point. Kira loses his temper and kills Hayato.

Another One Bites the Dust
Having barely managed to hide the corpse from Shinobu, Kira then learns that Rohan and the others now have "Kosaku" as one of their suspects. Under such desperate circumstances, Yoshihiro suggests to leave Morioh but Yoshikage vehemently refuses to become a fugitive and lose all hope of a peaceful life. Yoshikage is suddenly impaled by Yoshihiro's Arrow, giving Killer Queen a new ability.

The next morning, Hayato is alive again. Kira reappears with a cheerful and confident attitude contradicting his supposed predicament. When Shinobu accidentally breaks her teapot and gets angry that Hayato hasn't answered the phone, Kira acts the part of a good father and kisses Shinobu on the cheek, frustrating Hayato. When the two go out, Kira openly confesses that thanks to a new ability, he will keep his peaceful life posing as his father forever.

Hayato then meets Rohan, who triggers Kira's new ability: Bites the Dust. Killer Queen is posted inside of Hayato and infiltrates the eyes of anyone who interrogates the boy about Kira, then makes them explode from the inside. Rohan dies and the second part of Bites the Dust activate. Time is rewinded to one hour ago, just this morning. Hayato learns about his new condition. Seeing Hayato's distress but not remembering the loop, Kira guesses that one of his enemies has died. While Shinobu answers the phone, Kira enjoys the realization that one of his enemies, most likely Rohan Kishibe, has died. When Kira tries to kiss Shinobu on the cheek, Hayato ruins the moment by making his teapot fall on the ground. Nonetheless, Kira is unfazed by the incident.

Hayato tries to sneak out of the house to warn Rohan but Kira surprises him anyway and explains him that the events that occurred last time will still happen even without him being there, making any effort to avert the death moot. Rohan thus is killed by Bites the Dust's explosion and Reimi witnesses his ghost ascending to the heavens. Even though he could make Rohan's death permanent by deactivating Bites the Dust right now, Kira decides to keep it inside of Hayato in case Rohan's companions find him. After Kira takes his leave, Hayato meets Josuke Higashikata, Koichi, Okuyasu and Jotaro and kills them as well.

The next loop, everything seems normal but a teacup breaks but only while Kira has holding it. Moreover, Hayato kisses his mother's cheek in Kira's place. Kira his suspicious about Hayato and keeps his distance as the moment of Rohan's death approaches. His instincts tell him to observe Hayato further. However, the boy's desperate looks trick Kira into thinking all is well and the man finally approaches Hayato. Hayato unveils Stray Cat who shoots straight at Kira's chest. However, he then gets back up to Hayato's horror and proceeds to explain how the events of the morning have led him to put his wristwatch at the right place for the right time. Kira is at his peak just as the clock hits 8:30AM, the time of Rohan's death. Kira guesses that all the heroes will die since only this many people would allow Hayato enough loop to think of such a plan. He gloats and inadvertently reveals his name. However, Hayato reveals that he also made a call to Josuke this morning, making him come early. Fatefully, Josuke hears Kira says his name and attacks him. Kira is forced to recall Killer Queen and cancel Bites the Dust's effects.

Crazy Diamond is Unbreakable
Forced to engage in a battle against Josuke and Okuyasu who are still looking to avenge Shigechi, Kira reaffirms his commitment to a peaceful life but also boasts that he won't lose when backed into a corner and knows all about the group's ability. Crazy Diamond and Killer Queen engage each other but Crazy Diamond takes the advantage. As Killer Queen tries to touch Josuke, Okuyasu intervenes and makes Kira turn toward himself with The Hand, only for his side to be blasted apart. Kira has just stored Stray Cat in Killer Queen's belly and now has an infinite supply of invisible remote bombs. Josuke is hit once but then discovers but then enters minimal range, stopping Kira from triggering his bombs without risking hurting himself. When Josuke rushes to Okuyasu's side to heal him, Kira touches the body and attempts to lure Josuke into touching his fallen friend. However, Hayato, also deducing that Kira can only set off one bomb at a time, sets off the bomb on himself, allowing Josuke to heal both him and Okuyasu. Josuke and Hayato soon retreat into an empty house, carrying Okuyasu's body with him as the rain stops. Kira, meanwhile now no longer believes that Jotaro isn't the greatest threat to his peaceful life, but Josuke is.

The skies clear up on Morioh as Kira must call his boss and deeply apologizes for his anticipated delay. Eyeing the house where Josuke and Hayato have hidden inside, Kira is surprised by a suspicious neighbor and promptly kills him. Yoshihiro, hidden in Hayato's jacket, helps him spot Josuke's position and Kira is able to pilot an air bomb into Josuke, deeply wounding him. At the same time, Josuke breaks a vase and throws a glass shard at Kira, who was on guard and deflects it with Killer Queen. However, the shard is an automatic homing attack set toward the dried blood on Kira's jacket. Kira takes the shard on the back as a result. As Kira takes cover, Josuke sees through the window that Kira is still holding his mobile phone. Killer Queen then sends another bubble hiding inside the house while Crazy Diamond shoots a shard again. However, this time, Josuke discovers Yoshihiro and takes the phone to guide the air towards the ghost, killing him for good. Josuke reveals himself to Kira and at the same moment, the second shard hits Kira again.

Josuke then comes out of the house; despite their injuries, both Stand Users are determined to win the fight. Another close-quarters fight ensues, but Stray Cat uses his bubbles to protect Killer Queen and himself from Crazy Diamond's attacks. Just as Josuke is about to be hit by another air bomb, he is saved by a very much alive Okuyasu, who teleports the bomb and erases it. Okuyasu then effortlessly steals Stray Cat from Killer Queen, driving Kira further into a corner as Jotaro and the others arrive on the scene. Injured, surrounded on all sides, Kira is under tremendous pressure. Kira is left in disbelief at the prospect that Jotaro might finally catch him. As a paramedic who came to help any wounded victim of the explosion from earlier rushes to aid him, Kira senses his opportunity to escape. He reveals his identity and his hand fetish to the female paramedic. Hayato suddenly screams for the heroes to stop Kira; he plans to make the paramedic the new host of Bites the Dust and undo his defeat. Jotaro runs at Kira as Killer Queen raises its left thumb but Echoes ACT3 stops him from pushing the trigger. This gives Jotaro the time to enter Star Platinum and pummel the serial-killer.

Delirious, Kira still clings to the hope of activating his Stand but finds himself in the way of an ambulance, which crushes his head. Yoshikage Kira dies.

Kira's Fate
Kira finds himself in an unfamiliar part of the town after initially believing he's made it. He soon encounters Reimi, who reveal to him that he's now a Ghost, making him remember the circumstances of his death. Upon recognizing Reimi and wondering why she would show him her back wound, Kira recalls that his father told him about Ghost Girl's Alley and warned him that he mustn't turn his back. He sees through Reimi's ploy and tries to force her to turn back, actually beginning to enjoy his status as a ghost who won't have to worry about anything. However, his plan fails when Arnold comes out from the shadows and bites off his hand. Kira falls to the ground, ends up turning around in surprise, and sees the hands coming to get him. Even when he calls Killer Queen, the Stand itself is torn into pieces. Panicking, Kira asks Reimi where he's being taken and Reimi answers that no matter what, it won't be a peaceful place. Kira is dragged to another world by the hands and disappears for good.

Dead Man's Questions
Somehow, Kira returns to the world of the living as a Ghost. He has lost all memories of his former life save his own name, as well as changed appearance. At one point, Kira meets a monk and takes up her job offer to act as her personal hitman in exchange for money. He believes that, by making this job his purpose to live, he might find happiness although he also is subconsciously certain that he won't go to heaven. He also dreams of acquiring his own house. Kira is first shown on a mission to assassinate a child murderer before the prescription time for his crime applies at midnight. He takes the train to Nijigaoka station, smelled the flowers of the flowershop for 3 minutes then goes to the downtown shops to cut out a picture of a deliveryman to perform his plan. Needing a phone and a knife, he heads for the appartment of a random woman named Yamaoka. He rings and with the help of the cutout, pretends to be a deliveryman from the "Mitsumaru department store", pretending to have made a delivery by mistake and needing the receipt signed. The woman is reluctant to open but tells Kira to slip the paper in the mail slot, which is a good enough invitation for Kira to slip into Yamaoka's appartment. Kira notices that there is another resident in here in a bedroom and he cannot enter. Lost in his thought for a moment, he then decides to call his target but the phone won't work. He goes to the kitchen to take a knife but meets a dog, which surprises him because pets are not allowed in this block. The dog chases him and bites off his leg, Kira then bumps into Yamaoka and loses an arm. Thankfully, he frightens Yamaoka by phasing his hand into a closet and making a mess. Yamaoka opens the closet, pushing Kira's limbs to him. Kira then escapes the dog by phasing through the wall. This same evening, Kira finds his target in Yamaoka's bedroom and gaslights him to push him into taunting anybody to come get him as the hour of the prescription approaches. Kira thus opens the window of the bedroom and stabs the target, a wanted child murderer, before leaving.

Later, Kira goes to the monk's temple to get another assignment. It is shown how he hides his money in a pillar and has exclusive access to one ticket machine by putting a panel stating that the machine is broken. His peaceful ride is disturbed by a noisy boy named Yoshiki. Kira puts Yoshiki's shoe in his mouth and knocks down his mother to have peace. At the temple, Kira is surprised to by his assignment. He must investigate a ghost house who belonged to a former officer and is seemingly related to a surge in suicides in the area. Kira finds the house, hidden in a crack between two buildings. Entering the house, Kira is amazed at all the ghost furnitures that he could use. However, when he opens a cabinot, a bunch of eggs fall out and crack open. Anxious about these eggs, Kira eventually discovers and is attacked by Cleansers. The cleansers eat at his arm and he is forced to cut his own arm off. Kira runs to the exit but Cleansers have barred the way, forcing him to run to the second floor. The Cleansers catch up to him, but Kira finds a ghost pistol and fires at the creatures. This allows him to jump out of the window. Taking an ammunition case with, Kira sees that the target was absent and decides to investigate the monk's claim, promising to kill her if he finds any discrepancy. Looking at the blue sky, Kira wonders where he should rest this night.

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