Arataka Reigen

Arataka Reigen (霊幻新隆, Reigen Arataka) is Mob's mentor and boss. He is the self-proclaimed "Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century" as well as owner and operator of the (霊とか相談所, Reitoka Sōdanjo).

Appearance
Reigen is a tall man with dark brown eyes and short, reddish-blond hair with messy bangs. He is also very vibrant with his facial expressions ranging anywhere from attractive to terrifying, and he s a man who tends to sweat profusely.

He is usually shown wearing a dark grey business suit with a pink or black tie, though he has also worn such outfits as a sweatsuit, a tank top with shorts, and a complete high school girls' uniform. Still, that revealed that he also has relatively hairy legs.

Personality
Reigen has few to no qualms about manipulating clients, enemies, allies, and even spirits to his own advantage. Later in the series, he feels guilty about manipulating Mob in particular. The gift of the gab or conversation is his specialty. Throughout the series, he has been shown to remain composed in almost any situation, and he is extremely reluctant to admit to his own mistakes. He is very careful during his investigations, and he often confuses his adversaries by announcing his next action aloud and then doing something different.

Reigen seems to be a man guided by principles and is very socially and emotionally intelligent. He believes hurting others is wrong and reminds Mob of that often, demonstrating his honorable and noble side covered by his shady business. When he entered the Claw headquarters, the subordinates found him to be a very kind and honorable man, and even after they realized he wasn't "The Boss", they still commented on his wise and caring nature. He is even willing to carry some of Mob's burden if it means the boy will suffer less, showing that he does care about those close to him, and even tells Mob he didn't have to stoop to their level and fight because he knows Mob would be hurting, showing he doesn't want Mob to feel pain. He is clever and agile, often taking action with his special techniques at critical moments.

He is also a very intelligent man, capable of analyzing a person's psychology fairly well and giving advice to several people, which makes them better individuals, such as the members of Claw. He is also not easy to fool, as he was the only one of the many espers who were assigned to eliminate the evil spirit possessing Minori Asagiri who didn't believe her lies. While the other espers believed it was simply the father attempting to control her and using the claims of an "evil spirit" as an excuse to justify his behavior, Reigen was able to notice things wrong with what Mogami said, such as switching from "papa" to "father", and calling Reigen a psychic despite not introducing himself beforehand. Because of this, Mogami abandoned his charade and attacked the espers.

Despite his status as a con artist, he often gives at least some sort of procedure or "spiritual cleansing" for whoever requests them. When one of his clients says some fortune teller told them spiritual negativity enveloped their shoulders, but only offered the words and didn't provide any actual service to the client, Reigen found it disgusting. Adding to that, his "spiritual cleansings" have been shown to relax his clients greatly, and many remarks on how they feel much better, demonstrating his abilities as an expert masseur.

He is shown to easily sense Mob's emotional state despite his student's stoic appearance and is quick to listen to Mob's problems and offer him advice. When Mob is training for a school marathon, Reigen immediately steps up to help him train, showing that despite his occasionally selfish tendencies, Reigen cares greatly about him even if there is nothing for him to gain. When he was publicly humiliated on TV and his career as a 'psychic' diminished, Reigen's biggest fear was being hated by Mob. But when Mob told Reigen that he considers him a nice person, Reigen felt relieved and happy that Mob doesn't hate him.

He finds all people to be equal, no matter what kind of abilities they have, and thus, he believes that those with psychic abilities who claim themselves to be "superior" are simply detached from the real world. Even when he gained phenomenal psychic abilities, he scoffed at them as no big deal.

His relationship with Mob has changed him, making him a better person. Reigen was about to quit his job and do something else, but at that time, he met Mob. Despite initially wanting to give him improvised advice so he could get rid of him, Reigen hired him as his personal assistant after witnessing Mob's psychic power. After a couple of years of working together, their relationship became close, with Mob looking up to him as a mentor, while Reigen sees Mob as someone he can actually help and support whenever he needs it. However, over the course of the story, Reigen becomes too dependent on Mob and doesn't want him to leave him behind, so he begins to summon him out of the blue, a thing that starts to anger Mob, causing him to abandon him eventually, something that affected Reigen more than he thought. But Reigen briefly demonstrated that he could actually manage his own business without the help of Mob. This proves that underneath his manipulative side, the reason why he felt he needed Mob is that Reigen sees him as the first friend he's had in his life and doesn't want to feel alone anymore, and feels proud of Mob because he was able to move on and have a private life. In contrast, Reigen's life is absolutely about his job, to the point of telling Mob in a press conference that he's grown up a lot. After these events, both reconciled and fixed their relationship. Reigen cares very much for Mob, to the point of taking a gun with him and standing in front of Toichiro Suzuki despite having no psychic powers, showing that he will put his life on the line to protect Mob.

History
His grades were above average during his teenage years. One time when he was in grade school, he forgot to tell his parents that it was sports day at school, so he was the only one in his class with nothing to eat. He wrote an essay as a student expressing his desire to make a difference in the world; this was leaked to the media after his scandal on live television. He was a regular salaryman before quitting his job and starting his own business. One day, Mob encountered him seeking advice on controlling psychic powers. After discovering Mob's powers, he decides to hire the boy.

Spring of Youth Arc
Reigen is seen accepting a job request from a woman named Hanako. Her boyfriend, Taro, is suspicious of Reigen and believes him to be a fraud. They go to Hanako's place, and they encounter the evil spirit, Ceiling Crasher, who shows up. Reigen attempts throwing salt at the spirit, but it's ineffective due to just being normal salt. Reigen decides to call his student, Mob, to exorcise the evil spirit, easily defeating Ceiling Crasher.

Later on, Reigen and Mob go to Honeido Tunnel, where rumors have spread that despite the tunnel being closed, people keep disappearing whenever they enter. Reigen first enters the tunnel, but quickly runs back and asks Mob why he didn't come in, to which he replies that he believed his master had it under control. As they enter and Mob senses the presence of other evil spirits, Reigen encounters a man he mistakes to be a wrestler, but is, in fact, the leader of the Biker Gang that had died in the tunnel more than thirty years ago. Boss attacks Reigen, though he's protected by one of Mob's barriers. Believing Reigen to be a strong esper, he cowers in fear as Reigen punches him with a fist full of salt. Seeing the attack did no damage, Boss believes him to be a weakling after all, but he's quickly exorcised by Mob. Reduced to a small state, Boss reveals the evil spirit that was hiding in the mountains for hundreds of years and responsible for all the deaths. Reigen doesn't believe him, but Mob senses the presence of an evil spirit and heads in. Boss attempts to get Reigen to call Mob back, and fearing his words, Reigen tries to get Mob to stop. However, Mob returns, having easily exorcised the evil spirit. A shocked Boss asks Mob who he is, and the esper replies that he's nobody. Reigen counters this, explaining that Mob is the disciple of Reigen Arataka, the psychic star of the 21st century.

Reigen is in his office, explaining to a client that he has a digital curse from one-click porn sites that is responsible for the stiffness in his shoulders. The client is skeptical, but when Reigen performs a massage, the client feels much better and is convinced the "curse" was removed. After this job, Mob asks Reigen if something is missing: he initially fears that Mob is angry about his low pay or he finally found out he's a fraud, but is relieved when Mob merely asks if there's something more he should be doing with life. Reigen tells Shigeo not to worry, as he's at the stage in his life where he can goof off the most.

Reigen calls Mob to accompany him for a job: when Mob explains that he has to stay behind to help the Telepathy Club, but when hearing his reasoning and lack of desire actually join the club, Reigen tells Mob to come over. Enraged, Tome Kurata picks up the phone, and the two end up arguing about the other stealing Mob. Reigen reaffirms his command and tells Mob to come to the office.

The two attempts to infiltrate Highso Private Girls' Academy disguised as girls since Reigen couldn't get permission to come in, but he and Mob are stopped at the front gate. The guards are instantly suspicious of Reigen, but assume that Mob is indeed a regular girl and let him in. Seeing this, Reigen points his finger and tells Mob to enter, where he succeeds in exorcising the evil spirit haunting the school.

(LOL) Cult Arc
Shortly after joining the Body Improvement Club and having been convinced by Tome that reading minds could make him popular, Mob goes to Reigen and asks him if he can read minds. He replies that he can't read minds, but can read the thoughts of evil spirits, correctly assuming that Mob wants to read a girl's mind. Mob leaves and runs into Dimple and his LOL cult, exorcising the evil spirit and freeing all the people under his control. When the esper returns, he explains to Reigen what happened and the guilt he feels for disbanding a cult that did nothing but laugh. Reigen reassures his disciple, explaining that Dimple merely wanted to depend on him and that it wasn't salvation, assuring Mob that he did the right thing and something only he could've done, so he should be proud.

Teruki Hanazawa Arc
Reigen attempts to use photo editing software in an attempt to remove the image of an evil spirit from a picture sent by a client. While doing this, Mob arrives and tells him about Dimple haunting him and what he should do. Unable to see the evil spirit, he lies that he can't see Dimple because he's too weak, remarking that it's the equivalent of a ladybug on his shoulder and he can do whatever he wants.

Big Cleanup Arc
Reigen performs a seance with a client named Hitoshi, attempting to call upon the parted soul of Hitoshi's father. Upon calling his "spirit", Hitoshi immediately holds a knife to Reigen's neck, demanding to know the password to the safe. Not knowing the combination of the safe and being threatened, Reigen uppercuts him, knocking him out in the process. Mob asks why he took out the client, and his master replies that it was only in self-defense. Using this rationale, Mob asks if that could justify everything that happened with Teruki Hanazawa, but Reigen remarks that such actions would be beyond self-defense. The esper remarks that there're times when he loses control of his powers, and he doesn't want them any more due to the burden. However, Reigen reassures him by saying that Mob had done plenty of good with those powers by helping people.

To complete a job for a client, Reigen approaches Ritsu Kageyama for help, assuming that he has psychic powers like his older brother. Ritsu coldly remarks that he does not, and Reigen should be able to handle it himself since he's a psychic, to which Reigen nervously laughs.

Mob is approached by a woman and her associate who invite him inside to examine a vase, tricking him into breaking it to have Mob pay for it full price. Unsure of what to do, he calls his master, who instantly realizes the ploy they're attempting to use and sees right through it. When they retaliate, Reigen begins pretending like they injured him, inflicted psychological damage onto him, and damaged his suit, all of which equal the amount they charged Mob. Preparing to leave, the two con artists threaten Reigen and Shigeo by saying a curse would fall upon them for breaking the vase, but Reigen retorts that there was a haunting spirit he'd removed earlier that would be sent after them. The two laugh this off, but suddenly, the lights in the room all break, and the paintings begin falling, terrifying them both. When having lunch together, Reigen congratulates Mob for scaring them, but the disciple replies that it was the cursed spirit he sent after them. Confused, Mob asks if his master didn't see the spirit, but Reigen bluffs and calmly states that he did see it. The esper expresses his disgust at con artists like them, which Reigen hypocritically agrees with.

7th Branch Arc
Reigen sees a client, who explains how a fortune teller had told her of a curse that was lying densely on her shoulders. Internally disgusted at how the fortune teller merely told her this and took the money without actually doing anything for her, Reigen gives the client a massage using aroma oils and Himalayan rock salt to remove the curse. He's relieved that there was no actual evil spirit involved, but wonders why Mob didn't show up to work, since he's never been late before.

Reigen attempts calling Mob, but doesn't receive an answer. Curious about this, Reigen decides to locate Mob using his phone's GPS, taking a cab into the woods and finding the base of the 7th Division of Claw. The guards stop him at the front and demand to know who he is. Reigen remains calm and collected, asking what's going on inside the building and wondering why he wasn't informed on anything. Continuing further, he asks all the guards there whether they can all use psychic powers. Getting no answers, Reigen attempts to enter the building but is stopped by one of the guards. Reigen demands to be let go of and explains he has work matters to discuss with his subordinates. Based on his behavior and commentary, they all assume Reigen is the boss of Claw, and the guard who grabbed Reigen panics, believing he will be killed for his rude behavior. Seeing his panicked state, Reigen tells the other guards to bring him into a break room. Touched by his kindness, the other guards cheer him on, proudly proclaiming him to be their boss.

Reigen enters alongside the rest of the guards, where they encounter the four teenagers from the Awakening Lab. When they inform him of their situation, Reigen scolds the guards, and when they reply they were simply following orders, Reigen lectures them about climbing up the ladder the right way and not through blind obedience. After letting them go, Reigen finds Mob, Ritsu, and Teruki in the sealed chamber. Everyone is shocked when they discover Reigen is both Claw's boss and Mob's master; seeing the opportunity, Teruki also informs them they're being held against their will. After settling this, Reigen leaves with the three, when they encounter Ishiguro and the remaining Scars in the hallway. Both parties introduce themselves, shocking the guards with the truth that Reigen wasn't the boss of Claw. Ishiguro launches a psychic attack, which Mob blocks with a barrier. As Ishiguro prepares to attack again and get the guards caught in the crossfire, Reigen tells the guards to flee, urging them to free themselves from Claw and leave. Touched by his kindness, they all do as Reigen says and flee. Reigen decides to go with them, but Ishiguro stops him by crashing the ceiling down and blocking the path. Reigen is shocked by the realization that there're espers other than Mob.

Reigen watches his student fight Ishiguro and resists his gravitational wave as he sinks into the ground. Reigen attacks Ishiguro with a dropkick, freeing Shigeo from the heightened gravity. Reigen begins to scold Shigeo for preparing to use his powers against another person even after having expressly forbade him from doing this. Still, when Ritsu informs him of the situation, Reigen laments how he must've been backed into a very tight corner, and the situation must've been rough for him. Reigen addresses the other Scars, telling them not to stress out his student and engage him in a physical confrontation and instead deciding to fight them himself. The con artist approaches Muraki while pretending to use hypnosis, then punches Muraki across the face when getting in close.

Reigen had hoped he could reason with the Scars after shocking them with his physical attacks, but laments that his plan backfired and only enraged them even further. He realizes these Scars were irrational children who failed to grow up and, therefore couldn't reason with them. Reigen decides to make a run for it, but Ishiguro unleashes one of his Black Orbs, threatening to suck Reigen in. Shigeo grabs him before he can be pulled in, but the Black Orb suddenly explodes, creating a huge hole in the building.

The other Scars begin fighting the others, and a fierce battle ensues. Reigen tells them all to fall back, seeing no reason to fight back. Ritsu and Teruki tell Mob to use his psychic powers to defeat the Scars, but Reigen continues insisting they simply run away, urging Mob not to fight against people with murder on their minds. Mob realizes that he must fight, preparing to attack with full intent and unleash an explosion of 100% Murderous Intent, but Reigen slaps his hands onto Mob's cheeks before he can. He begs Mob not to fight, knowing that he'd be the one suffering in the end, and explains there're times when it's ok to run away. Shigeo is deeply moved by his master's words and consideration for his feelings, unintentionally entering 100% Gratitude and transferring all his energy into Reigen. As this happens, Yusuke Sakurai appears behind Reigen and slashes him across the back, seemingly killing him.

Thanks to Mob's energy, however, Reigen is completely fine. Returning to his regular, composed demeanor, he assumes that everything he saw before was merely a series of tricks. He easily tanks all of the attacks from Muraki, Sakurai, and Matsuo with complete ease. Ishiguro fires more of his Black Orbs, but Reigen easily swats all of them away this time. Ishiguro beings pummeling Reigen with a continuous barrage of attacks, sending him flying through the air and crashing into the ground. As he stands on top of Reigen's body, Ishiguro begins monologuing about his power and rise to world domination, but Reigen interrupts, annoyed at his monologue. He grabs Ishiguro by the face, remarking how it's rude to wear a mask while talking to others, and sends him crashing into the wall.

Sakurai attacks again, but fails to do any damage. Angered by Reigen's words, he reveals his dark past and hatred toward society. Reigen attempts to sympathize with his pain by recalling a minor moment in his childhood when he felt lonely, though it further angers Sakurai due to him trying to compare such a trivial story to his. Sakurai attempts to shoot Reigen with his Jugan and put him to sleep with a cursed cologne, but Reigen once again is unaffected by any of the attacks. Muraki punches Reigen with one of his clones, but doesn't do any damage: Reigen takes note of Muraki's ridiculous appearance and fashion accessories.

Reigen explains to them that no matter their powers, they're only human. But they've convinced themselves they're superior immediately, wanting to conquer the world without seeing it, and declaring that if they want to make it big, they'll have to live in reality. Muraki tries to affirm that Reigen is saying they should return to being commoners, but Reigen, angry they aren't getting the message, states they've always been commoners. When Muraki says Claw only allows elite espers to join, Reigen says that he is a commoner, and since he's more powerful than them, they're commoners as well. Muraki and Sakurai, stunned by their loss and his words, are dragged back into reality by Reigen and accept they're regular people.

However, Ishiguro rises up with his face mask removed, rejecting Reigen's words and asserting the superiority of espers over the rest of the human race. Reigen simply retorts that society doesn't care about him either way. As Ishiguro continues to ramble about his superiority and his belief everyone should worship him, Mob rejects his words and says having psychic powers doesn't make a person popular. Reigen shows this to Ishiguro as proof and tells him that he'll never be popular. Infuriated, Ishiguro uses his psychic powers to destroy the entire building, but is promptly stopped and defeated by Sho Suzuki. After knocking out Ishiguro and leaving, Matsuo prepares to unleash the final evil spirit from his jar. Still, that spirit is revealed to be Dimple, who knocks out Matsuo and prepares to fight with some of his strength regained from consuming the evil spirits within the jar. Reigen, having been imbued with Mob's psychic powers, is finally able to see Dimple. The five promptly leave the 7th Division base and the other four teenagers from the Awakening Lab.

Keiji Mogami Arc
He and Mob go to perform an exorcism on Minori Asagiri. He interviews Minori and realizes she is possessed when she calls him a psychic, despite the fact he never said he was a psychic and, because she was in a sound-proof room, it was odd that she could hear him; also due to the inconsistency in how she acted when compared to footage of her given to him by Masashi Asagiri.

When Minori breaks free of her shackles, and Mogami overpowers Kirin Jodo swiftly, possessing him temporarily, Reigen performs an Anti-Possession Jumping Knee Strike on Jodo and confronts Mogami. However, this only puts him in danger as Mogami attacks him. He is saved as Mr. Asagiri attempts to console Minori, an attempt that unfortunately results in Mr. Asagiri being gutted. Reigen retreats in shock and asks Mob if he has anything to offer. He is resistant to allowing Mob to leave his body, expressing distrust in Dimple, but is intrigued by Mob's growth leading to his decision. When Mob forces an Out-Of-Body Experience, he catches his body and tries to protect it from Mogami. However, he is overcome and only saves himself with his quick thinking, saving the back of his head with his hands as he is thrown to the ground. Due to the force, Reigen is immobile for about half an hour.

During Mob's adventure within Mogami's world, Reigen and Dimple converse. He is relieved when Mob wakes up, ironically commenting on how long it took.

Separate Ways Arc
Reigen called Mob, who was currently hanging out with his friends, to come to his office and claimed that Mob had time to spare because he had no friends. Feeling obligated, Mob decided to leave his friend and meet up with him. Mob explained how he had some privacy at school with his friends and to not call him without warning. Reigen responded by saying that the friends at his school were fake and only using him. Surprisingly, he sternly said Mob had to abandon his friends because he was the only one who understood him. Mob talked back to him. Shocked that Mob treated him like that, he offered to get some ramen but Mob refused and left.

He waited for Mob to show up at the office, but Mob never did. Worried that if he ever needed to do any exorcism, he'd be disadvantaged, but he was lucky that all of his customers were not the real deal. He started to think back on how he usually did the job with his own two hands. He also felt that Mob was a burden to him and felt better now that he was alone.

Days passed, and he was consulted by several men telling him that inside a game that they were playing, existed a Player Killer who was very powerful. The account owner was said to have passed away, but the character was still there, so they claimed that it was a spirit playing the game. The character had been online in the game for 24 hours a day nonstop for months. To counter this, Reigen first analyzed the character and borrowed several personal computers that he got from acquaintances. He played on 12 accounts simultaneously, and the shabby-looking one became the bait while the other 11 accounts ganged up on the spirit. Online news said that the Psychic did exist thanks to him getting rid of said spirit.

Much to his surprise, he saw that Mob was having a good time with his friends. He then set his goal to something greater and invited Dimple, much to Dimple's rejection. He started to clean up the city while hanging his plate on his back. He also filmed the process of an exorcism at haunted places and put them on the internet, offered free classes from being tricked by exorcism frauds, and gave advice to people about life, quickly becoming famous in the process. He was called Spice City's Bro, and his reputation rose rapidly. He was interviewed by several magazines and even got an offer to be on television.

He accepted the offer without knowing that it was a plan by Jodo, who wanted to bring him down as revenge for the fact that Reigen kneed him in the stomach during Minori Asagiri's exorcism. The live show started with the introduction of a boy that was said to be possessed. The host asked Jodo to exorcise the spirit that was possessing the boy, but he rejected and claimed that he would like to see Reigen's abilities instead. Reigen started to get nervous and replied that he was there just to make some comments. He realized that one of the staff gave a script to Jodo, meaning that all of this was staged and he would be fine if he followed the script. He started by throwing salt on the boy resulting in the boy cringing in pain, thus convincing him that it really was staged. He used many different techniques to falsely get rid of the spirit in the boy's body. 30 minutes later and nothing changed. The host asked Reigen to swap with Jodo. He at first thought that Jodo tricked him by showing that his exorcism techniques had no effect so Jodo could take the credit for exorcising the spirit. But Jodo resorted to a much more cunning move when he claimed that the boy was not actually possessed, but it was all an act. This claim shocked Reigen and the audience.

The television bombshell instantly destroyed Reigen's reputation. He tried to defend himself by posting comments in a thread on a certain website about how he was a legit exorcist, but it was seen through, and his reputation dropped even lower. His acquaintances ignored him, and a private detective was spying on him. He put up a trap and confronted the detective, and told the detective to leave him alone. Whenever he was outside, the media followed him. The media surrounded his house, and he finally decided to take a press conference. He was asked many questions, but he dodged almost all of them. He stated that no one in the press conference could prove that he was not a Psychic. During the press conference, he started to have a flashback of how he met Mob. At first, he thought Mob was playing around when he claimed he was an esper. But he was convinced that Mob was an esper when he accidentally dropped a cup of tea right on Mob, and Mob used his power to make it float in the air. Reigen started to think of how he had treated Mob ever since, and he then gently smiled as he said on television that Mob had grown up. Mob, who was currently watching the press conference, realized that it was directed at him. The media responded negatively to the statement because they thought he was making fun of them. Suddenly, all of the cameras started floating, and the media immediately thought that Reigen was really a Psychic even though it was actually Mob using his power secretly. After the press conference, Reigen and Mob met up, and Mob said that Reigen's actual identity was a good person. Reigen then treated Mob to ramen for their reunion.

World Domination Arc
His office is burnt down by Claw espers. After learning that insurance won't cover the damages, he decides to lead an attack on Claw. He inadvertently and unknowingly takes advantage of the fact Shimazaki can only see Espers with his powers and defeats him with a combo attack.

Divine Tree Arc
He receives a job to remove the Divine Tree.

???% Arc
As Mob unconsciously storms through the city, Reigen has Katsuya Serizawa escort him through the destruction. Though Serizawa's powers are limited in shielding him, he decides to venture on by himself even without protection.

Reigen catches up to Mob near the eye of the storm. Though ??? vehemently rejects Reigen and forces him back, Reigen attempts to power through the psychic whirlwind. He reveals that Mob inspired him and that he began to train his muscles as well. However, his limited physical strength cannot stand up to the winds created by Mob's powers even as he desperately chases after him. As he finally manages to grab Mob's ankle, ??? blows him away.

As Mob approaches the meeting point with Tsubomi Takane, Reigen appears before him, possessed by Dimple and saved by his power. He asks Dimple to leave him and Mob alone to speak in private, thanking him for his help. Facing off against ???, Reigen reveals his greatest lie to Mob, confessing that he possesses no psychic powers whatsoever. Out of vulnerability and shame, he begins to cry but holds himself together in front of his student and friend. He talks about his deception to not only Mob, but also his customers the entire time. He tells Mob that everyone has two sides to them, and he is grateful for both his lies and Mob's abilities that allowed them to grow closer. Relinquishing his status as Mob's master, Reigen tells him that he'll be alright and that he believes in him.

As Mob takes back control and goes to find Tsubomi, Reigen and Dimple wonder whether or not she decided to stay with all the danger present. Mob returns, revealing to them that she rejected him. As he begins to cry, Reigen comforts him telling Mob that he'll be alright and that this is only the beginning.

Epilogue
Reigen returns to the office after leaving Kurata and Serizawa in charge. Having been called away to investigate a spirit that only turned out to be an old man with a butt-shaped chin, he talks with Dimple about just doing business as usual. Confused at the empty office upon returning, he is caught off guard as everyone jumps out to surprise him on his birthday. He nearly cries out of happiness. As Kurata slaps him on the back, asking for a raise, Reigen drops his cake. He panics only to have the cake fly back up into his face. Confused about whose psychic powers were responsible, Reigen asks everyone to help him since he's expecting a client soon, and everyone laughs.

Powers & Abilities
Reigen possesses a wide variety of skills and knowledge due to working many different jobs while trying to avoid becoming a masseur as his parents wanted. He applies these skills and knowledge when helping his clients, only calling in Mob if actual spirits are involved. Reigen has also said he possesses the green belt in Shaolin kung-fu and is proficient enough in martial arts to knock people out.

Initially unable to see spirits, he gained the ability to see them after being temporarily infused with Mob's psychic power. When infused with Mob's powers, he entered the "Reigen Arataka - 1000%" state, where he was able to effortlessly deal with all of the 7th Division Scars, taking their most powerful attacks like they were nothing.

Reigen's true strength lies in his mental fortitude and charisma. He has the ability to focus on and execute solutions when in the face of uncertainty or adversity and keeps his cool in all situations. He is good at winning arguments, and maintaining common sense and positivity no matter the argument. He's a skilled manipulator of other people, able to tell half-truths and straight-up lies naturally. He's also a good actor, which helps him carry his lies along and is critical to maintaining his persona as a master psychic, especially during the years when he couldn't even see spirits.

Reigen is also the creator of various "special techniques", which he uses to great effect in his line of work. They can range from offensive abilities to restorative body or mind-cleansing procedures, often involving him dramatically shouting the name of the said ability as he performs it.

Quotes

 * Catchphrase: "Safely."
 * Business phrase: "That's the work of an evil spirit!"
 * (Reigen to Shigeo) "Listen well, we are different than regular people because we are born with special powers. But that shouldn't give you the illusion that you're a special being. We are part of humanity. Besides our rare power, we are no different than them. People who run fast, people who can sing well, people who study hard, people who are funny, and people with psychic powers. Are we different from them? Having confidence in your strength is good thing but do not get carried away. Our powers are a dangerous weapon."
 * (Reigen to Shigeo) "Stop it, Mob. In the end, you'll be the one that's hurting. At times you don't like it, it's okay to run away."

Etymology
His full name is a pun on 霊験灼か, reigenarataka, which loosely translates to "strikingly blessed by the gods".


 * The name Arataka means "fresh, new" (新) (ara) and "noble, prosperous" (隆) (taka).
 * Arataka's surname Reigen means "spirit, soul/departed soul, ghost" (霊) (rei) and "phantom, vision, illusion, dream, apparition" (幻) (gen).

Notes & Trivia

 * Reigen's seiyū voices Zombieman in the anime adaptation of One-Punch Man, another manga written by Mob Psycho 100 mangaka ONE.
 * Before deciding on Spirits and Such Consultation Office, Reigen considered the following names for his business: Reigen's Exorcism Place, Consultation With Arataka, Reigen Arataka, Reigen's Exorcism Business, Reigen Triumphant Against Evil, and Spirit Consultation Office.
 * Reigen's favorite music is the classic stuff at his workplace, and his favorite movie genre is B-rated movies (and then falling asleep).
 * Reigen is very weak to alcohol and has been known to get wasted on a single lemon sour. This has resulted in the bartender at Bar Happy Trail purposefully serving Reigen his drinks without any alcohol.
 * According to his character profile, Reigen's biggest weakness is that he is too kind to scold anyone...
 * Reigen hates cockroachs.
 * Reigen is averse to spicy foods, to the extent that he avoids having wasabi with his sushi.
 * Reigen secretly enjoys collecting memorabilia.
 * Reigen would leave his business to Mob if he were to pass away.
 * Reigen was bullied in his youth and considered himself an outsider.
 * Reigen enjoyed video games when he was younger, spending enough time playing them to memorize a cheat code that would give his character maximum stats from the beginning.
 * Reigen is very knowledgeable when it comes to food and nutrition, and enjoys creating his own recipes.
 * According to the Character Guidebook, Reigen stops smoking completely once Mob starts coming to the office.
 * Upon being asked about Reigen's family structure, ONE states that he imagines Reigen to have an older sister.
 * When asked about Reigen's preferences during summer break, ONE imagines that he would be tied down by the word "summer" and he would become obsessed with the compulsive idea that he has to do summery things during the summer. In other words, he would run around outside - be the outdoors type of guy during summer.