Arataka Reigen

Arataka Reigen
Character Info
Kanji	霊幻新隆
Romaji	Reigen Arataka
Alias	Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century, Seasoning City's Bro
Race	Human
Gender	Male
Status	Alive
Voice Actor(s)	Takahiro Sakurai Chris Niosi
Technical Info
Birth Date	October 10 (Libra)
Age	27-28
Height	179cm (5'10)
Weight	66.1kg (145.5 lbs)
Professional Status
Affiliation	Spirits and Such Consultation Office
Debut(s)
Manga	Chapter 1
Anime	Episode 1
Image Gallery

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 Spirits and Such Consultation Office (霊とか相談所, Reitoka Sōdanjo).

Appearance

Reigen has dark brown eyes and short, reddish-blond hair with messy bangs. He is also very emotive, with his facial expressions ranging anywhere from attractive to terrifying, and is a man who has a tendency 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, though 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 starts to feel guilty about manipulating Mob in particular. Conversation is his speciality. 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, as he believes that hurting other people is wrong and reminds Mob of that often, demonstrating his very honorable and noble side covered by his shady business. When he entered into 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 told Mob he didn't have to stoop to their level and fight because he knew Mob would be hurting, showing he doesn't want Mob to feel pain. He is clever and agile, often taking action at critical moments with his special techniques.

He is also a very intelligent man, being able to analyze a person's psychology fairly well and giving advice to several people which makes them better individuals, such as with 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 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. It was because of this that 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 onto that, his "spiritual cleansings" have been shown to greatly relax his clients, and many remark 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 was training for a school marathon, Reigen immediately stepped up to help him train, showing that despite his occasionally selfish tendencies, Reigen cares greatly about Mob even if there is nothing for him to gain.

He finds all people to be equal, no matter what kind of abilities they have, and as 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 just scoffed at them as no particularly big deal.

History

His grades were above average during his teenage years. 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. One time when he was in grade school, he forgot to tell his parents that it was sports day at school, and so he was the only one in his class with nothing to eat. He was a regular salaryman before he quit his job and decided to start his own business. One day, Mob encountered him seeking advice on how to control psychic powers. After discovering Mob's powers, he decides to hire the boy.

Plot

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 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 gutted. Reigen retreats in shock and asks Mob if he has anything to offer. He is resistant to allow 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 was thrown to the ground. Due to the force, Reigen is left 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 due to the fact that 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 that Mob had to abandon his friends because he was the only one who understood him. Mob talked back to him. Shocked due to the fact 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 actual 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 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 owner of the account was said to have passed away but the character was still there so they claimed that it was a spirit that was playing the game. The character had been online in the game for 24 hours a day nonstop for months. In order to counter this, Reigen first analysed 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.

He saw, much to his surprise, 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 Kirin Jodo, who wanted to bring him down as a revenge for the fact that Reigen kneed him in the stomach during Minori Asagiri's exorcism. The live show started with an introductions of a boy that was said to be possessed. The host asked Shoudou 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 here just to make some comments. He realised 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 a lot of 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 that 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 audiences.

The television bombshell instantly destroyed Reigen's reputation. He tried to defend himself by posting comments in a thread on a certain website of how he was a legit exorcist but it was seen through and his reputation dropped even lower. His acquaintances ignored him and he was being spied on by a private detective. He put up a trap and confronted the detective and told the detective to leave him alone. Whenever he was outside, the media were following him. His house was surrounded by the media and he finally decided to take a press conference. He was asked a lot of questions but he dodged almost all of them. He made a statement 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 the 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 realised that it was directed to 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.

Powers & Abilities

Reigen possesses a wide variety of skills and knowledge due to working a lot of different jobs while trying to avoid becoming a masseur like 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, after being temporarily infused with Mob's psychic power, he gained the ability to see them. When infused with Mob's powers, 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, able to maintain common sense and positivity no matter the argument. He's a skilled manipulator of other people, able to naturally tell half-truths and straight-up lies. 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 that 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, and often involve him dramatically shouting the name of said ability as he performs it.

Reigen's Special Techniques
	Salt Splash Reigen violently throws table salt everywhere. Unfortunately it's not purified salt, which makes it fairly ineffective against spirits.
	Banishing Salt Punch Reigen punches the enemy with a fist covered in table salt. It proved to not do much damage.
	Sorcery Crush Reigen uses a massage to relieve the stress from physical fatigue and eliminates any stiff shoulders or back pains. This move proved very effective.
	Graphic Exorcism Reigen uses photo editing software to remove any evidence of spirits from photographs with spirits in them, making them look perfectly natural.
	Cheeseburger Tornado Reigen uses his whole body like a spring and smashes his fist into his opponent's face with a powerful spin. It was enough to knock a dangerous client unconscious.
	Aroma Runaway Express Reigen sends his client on a beauty trip that relaxes the body and soul, combining a Himalayan rock salt massage with aroma oils and incense for maximum effect.
	Anti-Esper Dropkick Reigen dropkicks his opponent in the head with both feet as hard as he can. Seems to work best on very short opponents unless there's a ledge he can jump from. Good at interrupting an esper's psychic powers.
	Hypnosis Punch Reigen uses a coin on a string to distract his opponent before suddenly sucker punching them out of the blue. Proved very effective.
	Anti-Possession Jumping Knee Strike Reigen performs a flying knee strike to the chest to knock a possessed person unconscious. It was strong enough to actually knock Keiji Mogami out of Kirin Jodo's body.
	Self-Defense Rush Reigen brutally batters the opponent. Unsure if it's really self-defense, he yells out "self-defense" just in case. We don't even know if this qualifies as justifiable, but he's yelling it and that counts.
	Knee Strike Similar to Anti-Possession Jumping Knee Strike, Reigen grabs the enemy by the back of their neck with both his arms and pushes their head down, enabling him to smash them in the face in with his knee, causing a concussion. A critical impact shaking the brain causes a shock on brain tissues, making it hard for the recipient to breathe. Equally effective on human and spirits alike.
	Evil-Crushing Elbow Reigen performs an elbow drop that makes electronics inaccessible.
	Picking Evil Purification Reigen removes part of a wall, flips it around, and puts it back in the other way in order to hide a spirit's face on the wall. Unfortunately, it didn't work and the face reappeared on the other side of the wall.
	Rainbow Seal Reigen uses a large amount of spray paint to create wall art in another attempt to hide a spirit's face on the wall.

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."

Notes & Trivia

• His full name is a pun on 霊験灼か, reigenarataka, which loosely translates to "strikingly blessed by the gods".
• His 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.
• His favourite music is the classic stuff at his workplace, and his favourite movie genre is B-rated movies (and then falling asleep).
• He 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, his biggest weakness is that he is too kind to scold anyone...
• Reigen is averse to spicy foods, to the extent that he avoids having wasabi with his sushi.
• He secretly enjoys collecting memorabilia.
• Reigen would leave his business to Mob if he were to pass away.
• He was bullied in his youth, and considers himself an outsider.
• He enjoyed video games when he was younger, spending enough time playing them to memorise a cheat code that would give his character maximum stats from the very 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.