Kaie Ono

Overview

Gallery

Kaie Ono
Age	22 (apparent age)
Birthday	November 3
Gender	Male
Height	Around 185cm (6'1")
Affiliations	Shinjuku Reapers
Voice Actor(s)	Shoya Chiba (Japanese) Josey Montana McCoy (English)

"I must, if I am to realize my dream of digitally archiving every possible phenomenon."

— Kaie in SHIBUYA (Week 3, Day 7'')

Kaie Ono (小野 解依, Ono Kaie) is an elite Shinjuku Reaper, fortune-teller, programmer, and data analyst in the beginning of NEO: The World Ends with You. While he does special tasks such as data and system management for the Reapers' Games, he usually runs a digital fortune-telling shop on Spain Hill. He communicates using his phone and is the developer of the Reaper Networking Service app.

Appearance

Kaie has chin-length black hair covering his ears and green eyes. His eyes appear to have some dark bags, making him look sleep-deprived. He wears a black hat with a pink circle which is surrounded by smaller grey circles. The motif also appears on his black jacket. He wears a blue necklace, a blue beaded bracelet and a silver bracelet on his right wrist, and a pink beaded bracelet on his left wrist. His loose undershirt is dark grey and has light grey vertical stripes. He wears long baggy black pants which rise above his knees, a pink beaded bracelet on his right ankle, and black loafers.

Personality

"As you wish. I shall reveal the deepest of truths. Let the spirits guide me—or rather, let me guide you toward the answer you seek."

— Kaie giving hints in Noisrevni (Week 2, Day 5)

Outwardly, Kaie is a very expressionless and silent man. Like Rindo Kanade, Kaie prefers to communicate via text than speech due to it being more comfortable to him and feeling it prevents miscommunications. It may also be from an anxiety or language disorder: Fret comments Kaie has "issues" when he first meets him, and Kaie says Fret is "not mistaken". Near the end of the game, Kaie begins talking with voiceover, although his text bubbles are still present and he is still seen looking at his phone, suggesting he is now reading his texts out loud. He has a stutter and speaks quickly in a nervous manner, possibly implying one reason he texts is to avoid embarrassment, but him speaking suggests he has grown the courage to overcome it. At one point, he also made a long series of sighs and other small noises out loud instead of using words. His darker eye bags may also indicate he is often tired. According to Shoka Sakurane, he can't focus on anything else while having a conversation.

In text, Kaie is extremely talkative, expressive and knowledgeable, showing a cheerful and caring side and using lots of emojis. He also tends to use courteous old-fashioned language (aside from the emojis.) Unlike many of the Reapers seen in the series who have been shown to be manipulative and selfish, Kaie is shown to be generally kind and compassionate towards the other Players, never betraying or hurting them, as well as helping them on some occasions. He told Rindo and Fret that they can consult him at any time if they lack confidence and he is the one who explain how the UG and Reapers' Game works in more detail if asked. He also adds a ":3" after telling them they are trapped in Shibuya, which is likely his way of trying to calm them down. However, he once showed annoyance when Fret took his statement about blushing from compliments literally, as he pointed out to the boy that it's a figure of speech after a pause with ”:/” During a search mission, his app also uses rather mischievous and even mean language. When fortune-telling, he speaks in riddles which often annoys the other characters.

His main motive and goal in life is to digitally archive every phenomenon, but he seems to genuinely enjoy helping others on the side. He noticed Shoka was lonely and struggled with face-to-face communication, decided to create a FanGO account for her and was later very happy that she had found many good friends. He is shown to be worried about her safety in general and is saddened by Susukichi's erasure.

At one point, he sadly but calmly admitted that if Shibuya will suffer Shinjuku's fate, he will go down with it, seeing no point in delaying the inevitable. However, he becomes more active with Rhyme's support.

Story

Background

In Shinjuku, Kaie was an elite Reaper. When the Executor Angel Tanzo Kubo infiltrated the Reapers' ranks and brainwashed Shiba Miyakaze, he along with Susukichi suspected foul play and sought the truth, but their efforts were futile against the Higher Plane. Kaie is one of the survivors of Shinjuku's Inversion. Somewhere after this, Shiba demoted Kaie from elite.

Around 3 years before NEO: The World Ends with You, Kaie sets up Shoka Sakurane's Swallow account, seeing she was a lonely person who struggled with face-to-face communication and tried a digital medium.

NEO: The World Ends with You

Kaie first appears on the second day at the Scramble Crossing near Hachiko. He installs the RNS app onto Rindo and Fret's phones, and introduces himself to Rindo. If talked to after his introduction, he can speak about the RNS, walls, scanning, and Noise. Kaie briefly appears on the third day to show and explain the Reaper decals on shops to Rindo and Fret. Kaie appears at the end of In2 the ✖ing (Week 1, Day 6) telling Susukichi's fortune at his fortune-telling shop. He foretells trouble in social life, difficulty in Susukichi finding who he seeks but a beauty in the search, and recommends Susukichi changes his perception and lets his curiosity explore the unseen possibilities.

Kaie tells Shoka's fortune at the end of Sound♪Surfer (Week 2, Day 3). He foretells of an unwelcome conclusion she should be cautious and act on. He adds there are "uninvited guests". Shoka is frustrated and leaves. Kaie warns her to stay safe. Kaie gives hints in Noisrevni (Week 2, Day 5) when Rindo is locked in O-East's concert hall and the Wicked Twisters have to solve puzzles without him. Kaie offers his services to all Players for free on the day, and appears when the player makes too many errors when trying to solve the puzzles. Before the fourth puzzle, Kaie updates Nagi's, Fret's, and Beat's RNS apps to allow them to look through each other's cameras for the puzzle. If Nagi Usui is asked to talk to the Reaper Commentator in Put the Phone Down (Get A Hobby) in CHECKMATE! (Week 2, Day 7) she recommends him an app that gives a discount on Kaie's fortune-telling services. The Reaper Commentator is suspicious and calls him creepy but is quickly convinced to get his fortune read by Kaie.

Kaie's first appearance in Week 3 is at the end of Re:START (Week 3, Day 3), where he tells Coco Atarashi's fortune. He has a reading with a unique energy that recommends she is continuing on a dead end, to appeal to a creator, reforge her connections with acquaintances, and be patient. He cuts their session short, telling her his next client has arrived: when Coco leaves he gets on his laptop and starts writing to Rhyme, a former Player who has hacked the RNS. He is unsure of who she is but knows she means well, and guesses their problems have the same cause and suggests they work together. Near the end of 🡐stabbed (Week 3, Day 6), Hishima Sakazuki visits Kaie's fortune-telling shop. He judges Kaie, a former Shinjuku elite, for straying from Shiba, and Kaie tells him to reflect on himself before speaking of others. Hishima asks Kaie where he plans to go after Shibuya is Inverted - Kaie says he might stay and be erased if the next place is doomed as well. Kaie asks Hishima what he thinks Shiba wants. Hishima is uncertain but believes he may want to ascend to a higher existence.

Coco recommends the Wicked Twisters speak with Kaie to get advice on how to defeat Shiba in S • B • Y (Week 3, Day 7), reasoning he's knowledgeable about the city. He is found in Udagawa, saying he can't help them because he is waiting for "someone who holds incredible power" not of the supernatural variety (later revealed to be Rhyme) but worries they can't make it to their rendezvous point. He promises that if they come and assist him he can help the Twisters, but can only analyze the data he can find for now. When Rindo creates a second loop of the Final Day in SHI • BU • YA (Week 3, Day 7'), Kaie is unsurprised to learn Kubo is the Executor and explains he could tell from analyzing his Soul. Kaie suggests Hishima could help persuade Shiba and reveals they were close friends before the Shinjuku Inversion. In SHIBUYA (Week 3, Day 7'') Rindo plans to make Kaie and Rhyme meet. Neku Sakuraba originally gets Coco to escort Rhyme to rendezvous with Kaie, where they brainstorm how to deal with the corrupted Soul Pulvis data in Shibuya. However, Neku remembers he asked Coco to escort Shiki Misaki to Tsugumi Matsunae trapped inside the Mr. Mew doll, so Rindo has to Replay back and ask Uzuki Yashiro to escort Rhyme. Using information from Sho Minamimoto, Kaie and Rhyme learn Soul Pulvis is a distortion Noise created by displaced souls cut off by time travelling. They come up with "Operation: Awakening", a plan to save Shibuya.

In the epilogue, Kaie leaves with the other surviving Shinjuku Reapers to rebuild Shinjuku using the data he collected.

Abilities

"An analysis of his Soul told me as much. The realms of data and spirituality are remarkably similar at first glance. As it happens, a Soul can be parsed in much the same way as data. Unfortunately, this is only true to a certain extent. :/ I have dedicated years to finding and testing the limits of studies of the Soul."

— Kaie explains the similarity of data and Souls, SHI • BU • YA (Week 3, Day 7')

As both a psychic and programmer, Kaie is able to use the similarity of data and Souls to analyze and parse people, like he had done with Kubo. Kaie developed the RNS which Sanae Hanekoma notes in his Secret Reports is able to measure an individual's vibes and Imagination. Kaie can add features to phones through RNS updates, like adding a camera-sharing feature to Fret's, Nagi's, and Beat's phones.

Kaie's dream is to "digitally archive every phenomenon". He is especially drawn to Shibuya's unique vibes and the data he has on Shinjuku that allows him and the other Shinjuku Reapers to begin rebuilding the city.

Relationships

Raimu "Rhyme" Bito

"Mysterious stranger... Your identity is unknown to me. But I sense your aim is not our destruction. I currently find myself faced with troubles not so easily resolved. Chances are good they share their roots with your own predicament. A friend in need... Perhaps we can work together toward a common goal."

— Kaie writing to Rhyme for the first time, Re:START (Week 3, Day 3)

When Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito is drawn into the Underground, his sister Rhyme, a former Reapers' Game Player is able to hack into the RNS to search for him. He is shocked the RNS can be hacked by an RG person, but he greets her kindly believing she hacked into the RNS motivated by the turbulence and Dissonance in the Reapers' Game at the time. When waiting for Rhyme, he calls her "one who holds incredible power" not of a supernatural variety. When they meet for the first time, Kaie praises Rhyme for her assistance in data-analysis and ability to hack the RNS from the RG, and she commends him for working with Players to stand up against the Game Master.

Etymology

小野 Ono is surname from an archaic word for field. Individually, the kanji mean small and field. The kanji in 解依 Kaie mean answer/understanding and depend on, which could refer to his earnest and helpful personality.

Quotes

• "Salutations! It is I, the man standing before you. ;)"
• "Oh, you wound me! Although you are not mistaken. XD"
• "As it were, I am the developer of the new application you just downloaded. It will serve many uses throughout your missions ;) For instance, it can act as an answer sheet, as it shall for today's challenge. Solve the riddle via the app once you have collected enough clues. :)"
• "Oh dear, you're making me blush! :3 ...It was a figure of speech. :|"
• "Ah... That's a bit different, I'm afraid. :/ To put it bluntly, you Players are all trapped here in Shibuya. The game is in session. No one can leave until it is over. :3"
• "To scan is to enter into a state of total concentration. Close your eyes, still your mind, and focus your senses. Then, you will see the unseeable. :O"
• "Trouble in social life... You struggle to find who you seek, but there is beauty in the search. Change in perception... Let your curiosity explore the unseen possibilities of the as-of-yet unseen." - Kaie telling Susukichi's fortune
• "As you wish. I shall reveal the deepest of truths. Let the spirits guide me—or rather, let me guide you toward the answer you seek." - Kaie giving help on Week 2, Day 5
• "I see ten numbers. The digits 0 through 9. The number pad feels so familiar beneath your fingers. Decades of memories surely live on in this device. It stands unchanging in front of TOWER RECORDS. Its name is passed down in whispers as a legend... The "phone booth."" - Kaie's hint for the first puzzle of Week 2, Day 5
• "You have overlooked one crucial area in your search for the harbinger. Nearby is a building bearing an enormous screen, and beyond that, a purveyor of stories and writings. You will find who you seek there." - Kaie's hint for the first half of the second puzzle of Week 2, Day 5
• "I sense a presence nearby... Somewhere you have yet to search. Somewhere with a dog. A dog who waits still as stone, his tail unwagging as the crowd ebbs and flows around him. Hachiko, no doubt. He stands before what you seek." - Kaie's hint for the second half of the second puzzle of Week 2, Day 5.
• "Let's just say a certain someone is working to ensure your success. ;) Someone who has your best interests at heart. Just as I do. :3 Well, best of luck out there!"
• "I see...a police station, its face visible from only one viewpoint. Which could also be said of the presence haunting it. :O May they find peace..." - Kaie's hint for the fourth puzzle of Week 2, Day 5.
• "Let's review the basics of this puzzle. If you follow along the rivers in accordance with the clue, It forms one neat, unbroken line. As you pass each location, enter in the letter you obtained there. We begin at the lower Shibuya River, at the Expressway Underpass. This gives us an "R." Next, we go through Scramble Crossing, past TOWER RECORDS and Tipsy Tose Hall, and make our way back to where we started. R—E—A—P—E—R You have your answer. Now remember it well. ;) And do take care." - Kaie's hint for the fifth puzzle of Week 2, Day 5
• "Clouds gather on the horizon... A storm brews... An unwelcome conclusion hides within the veil of possibility. Caution should be exercised toward those around you. Sloth will not serve you. It is your own actions that speak louder than any words. The cup overflows with exceptions to the rule... Records of the past lose their meaning. Uninvited guests appear before me of late." - Kaie telling Shoka's fortune
• "Today's mission brings with it great uncertainty. It is simply my desire to put you at ease. :D"
• "To guide you in your leader's absence. I will be offering free assistance to all Players today. And if you're satisfied with my fortune-telling services and wish to utilize them at a later date, I look forward to providing them at my usual rates. ;)"
• "Dead end... Your efforts will prove fruitless if you continue on this path. I've never seen anything like it... I sense a unique energy emanating from within. :O Appeal to a higher power... When all else fails, turn to the creator for guidance. Reforged connections... You may find what you seek through the acquaintances you already have. Also, regarding your earlier reading... Patience is key. Your wish will be realized soon." - Kaie telling Coco's fortune
• "Oh, but I AM doing something! I'm awaiting a certain someone. :O One who holds incredible power. A power not of the supernatural variety. I believe they may be able to offer some assistance. And if we are to save the city, we will need all the help we can find. That said, I worry they might be unable to arrive at our rendezvous point... :/ If I do manage to meet them, and if they are willing to assist, then I will gladly aid you in your efforts. :)" - Kaie waiting for Rhyme
• "The realms of data and spirituality are remarkably similar at first glance. As it happens, a Soul can be parsed in much the same way as data. Unfortunately, this is only true to a certain extent. :/ I have dedicated years to finding and testing the limits of studies of the Soul."
• "The Soul is merely a container full of energy. I suspect that energy will be collected and stored elsewhere."
• "We've discovered some strange entities lurking in Shibuya. Entities bearing an eerie resemblance to our own spiritual energies. :O" - Kaie about Soul Pulvis
• "All signs point to "yes," unfortunately. :( Our data should be the only information that exists here, but it seems there's corrupted data hidden throughout the city. And it is thus now our job to get that data under control."
• "Nor did I imagine an RG-dweller could infiltrate the RNS. :P You have certainly proven yourself a force to be reckoned with. It would be foolish of me not to request your aid! :)" - to Rhyme
• "I must, if I am to realize my dream of digitally archiving every possible phenomenon."
• "Your assistance in data analysis has been invaluable. To think we managed to explain even this phenomenon! :D And there is still work to be done in regards to Shinjuku, though nothing is left of it but data. Not to mention the allure of examining Shibuya's unique vibes. I wish for nothing more than to continue analyzing and archiving as much data as possible."
• "Indeed. The people's Souls have been sapped of their energy. :( They may not be of much help in their current state. That said, human Souls are known to regenerate on their own. "Time heals all wounds," as Rhyme would say. :)"
• "Nor can I. I've got data on Shinjuku. That should help us start rebooting the city."