- "Why do I have to sound so different from everyone else?"
Eiru (えいる Eiru) is a character in NEO: The World Ends with You. He is a popular streamer and rising star who charms his audience with his unique, high-pitched voice. He is often mistaken to be a woman, which hurts his self-esteem. He only grew comfortable with his voice thanks to Eiji Oji, however, and now hopes to collaborate with him someday.
Eiru is also friends with Masaya of Cony×Cony. Eiru's uncle is Wataru Koketsu who works for Il Cavallo Del Re.
Appearance[]
Eiru has black chin-length hair and light brown eyes. He wears a baggy navy jacket with yellow lining, a white turtleneck, shredded light gray jeans and black boots.
Personality[]
Despite the fame and adoration he receives from his fans, his manager Hide Takenouchi, and Eiji Oji, Eiru is extremely self-conscious over his high-pitched voice that leads to many people mistaking him as a woman. He struggles to appreciate the great things it brings him in his career along with cope when others misgender or criticize him - the Dearly❤beloveD (Week 3, Day 2) sidequest "Voice of an Angel" revolves around Takenouchi mishearing Eiji Oji as hating Eiru's voice, and they find themselves at a stalemate when confronted.
Eiru idolizes Eiji Oji, another effeminate celebrity who appreciates Eiru's voice. When he misunderstands Eiji calling his voice "detestable" instead of "delectable" he becomes defensive and devastated. He often finds himself confused by Eiji's metaphors and manners of speech.[1][2]
Story[]
NEO: The World Ends with You[]
Eiru first appears on Week 1, Day 2, with a crowd of Prince fans, although no major significance is given to him.
He appears again on Week 2, Day 2 and he is the subject of an imprinting when he agonizes over his voice and being mistaken for a girl. Fret wants to help Eiru with his self-esteem by imprinting on Eiru that he should stop caring about what other people think of him, although Nagi is concerned that Eiru will become asocial and thinks Eiru should find a healthier method by embracing his unique voice. It is up to the player to decide to use Fret's or Nagi's method, although it has no major significance.
Eiru appears on Week 3, Day 2 with Hide Takenouchi and Eiji. Eiru and his manager confront Eiji over calling Eiru's voice "detestable", which Eiji has no memory of. Using Remind, they remember that the Prince compared Eiru's voice to a fine wine and called it "delectable", which Takenouchi misheard as "detestable".
Quotes[]
- "What a nightmare... Three different people called me "miss" today—three! The Prince may have praised my voice, but that doesn't make me feel any better when I get mistaken for a girl... I can't stand it!" - Eiru's "My Identity" Tweet in Week 2, Day 2
- " I'm so sick of this! Sure, some good stuff has happened because of my voice. But I feel like I've had to deal with way more bad stuff..."
- "No, I've got to love me for me... Sure, my voice may be high, but it's part of what makes me who I am. I oughta use that to my advantage!" - Imprint "Utilize something different"
- "I'm starting to feel like I'm overthinking things... So what if I'm different? If other people don't like it, that's their problem, not mine!"' - Imprint "Reject something different"
- "Some people might make fun of me for my voice, but thousands more people love me for it. I can't let the haters get me down: my fans need me!" - Imprint "Utilize other people"
- "Y'know what? I don't have time for haters. If other people don't want to recognize who I really am, then all I have to say to them is "buh-bye!"" - Imprint "Reject other people"
- "I know I let the haters get to me from time to time, but at the end of the day, this voice is my weapon, and I'm gonna wield it with pride!" - Imprint "Utilize something complex"
- "I need to let this go. I can't obsess over it! Or wait—am I getting obsessed with not obsessing? Ugh, forget it! I've just gotta be me. Period!" - Imprint "Reject something complex"
- "Y'know what? I should stop taking it so personally! And if worrying over what people think is getting me down, I should stop that, too! No more worrying! No more thinking!" - If imprinted with a Reject keyword
- "My voice is mine alone—and if I don't use it, no one will!" - If imprinted with a Utilize keyword
- "Geez, I feel silly for wasting so much time worrying! For now, I'm gonna focus on making my next video."
- "But you obviously did! It's all anyone's talking about! Just admit you said my voice is detestable!" - to the Prince
- "Why would he turn around and say my voice is "detestable" after he said he liked it? It doesn't make any sense!" - Eiru's "Why..." Tweet in Week 3, Day 2
- "Omigosh, the Prince himself said he liked my voice! He said it was like a spicy wine or something! I can't believe he actually complimneted me!" - Eiru's "Why..." Tweet after being Reminded.
Trivia[]
- In the Japanese version of the game, Eiru is upset because men flirted with him, thinking he was a girl. However, in the English version, Eiru is upset because he was called "Miss" a few times.
- Eiru is described by character designer Miki Yamashita as "kind of non-gender specific", mentioning, "This is a character that I designed at the very end. When we look at the original TWEWY, we had Rhyme, who is also kind of non-gender specific or somewhere in the middle. We thought it might be a good idea to have a similar character in the mix as well for this game."[3]
- Eiru shares his voice actress, Kayleigh McKee, with Jo Makita.[4]
Gallery[]
Citations[]
- ↑ Dearly❤beloveD (Week 3, Day 2)
@CallMeEiru: He said it was like a spicy wine or something! - ↑ Dearly❤beloveD (Week 3, Day 2)
Prince: You have a lovely voice. It's smooth, sweet, and well-rounded. And I think Shibuya will mold it into something even more unique and wonderful. Like a new type of fusion cuisine. A kimchi pizza!
Eiru: Kimchi...pizza? - ↑ How Nomura's Signature Style Was Refreshed For NEO: The World Ends With You, interview of Gen Kobayashi, Miki Yamashita, and Tetsuya Nomura by Michael Higham.
- ↑ @GhaspeyVO tweet