Motoi Anazawa

Overview

Gallery

Motoi Anazawa
Nicknames	An0ther
Age	24
Birthday	October 2
Gender	Male
Height	Around 168cm (5'6")
Race	Human
Affiliations	Purehearts
Classification	Player Leader of the Purehearts
Status	Deceased (erased)
Voice Actor(s)	Wataru Komada (Japanese) Nick Thurston (English)

For the boss, see Motoi (Enemy).

"I’m prepared to help out, of course! The more people working together, the better the résultat."

Motoi Anazawa (穴泽 基威, Anazawa Motoi) is a Player in NEO: The World Ends with You, and the leader of the Purehearts.

Appearance

Motoi is a large man with tan skin, and dark brown hair and eyes. He wears a dark blue blazer and pants, a white v-neck shirt, a white belt, and dark shoes. He accessories with a simple circle necklace and bracelets on both wrists. He appears to have a white smartwatch on his left wrist. He is often using his laptop, white and with a heart on the back. While his appearance and use of Spanish implies a Spanish or Latino heritage, he claims “he's as Japanese as curry rice”.

Personality

On the surface, Motoi's winning smile and poetic platitudes give off good vibes only, even though his superficiality and frequent use of “fancy” words can rub some people the wrong way. Nevertheless, his magnetic personality has proven quite attractive, amassing him a large number of followers, power and influence. In reality, Motoi is highly manipulative and deceitful, and he is unafraid to kick people while they are already down.

Before his death, Motoi was known as An0ther, not sharing his physical identity online, and ran a blog posting inspirational quotes and poetry. Motoi amassed millions of followers including Rindo Kanade who would read this blog and look up to An0ther. However, Rindo was unaware that Motoi was using his material from others; Rindo would later accuse Motoi of stealing, although Motoi viewed it more like "recycling" and helping others' works become noticed, even if they were not credited, considering it a "win-win" of sorts that, in the end, still made him and other people like Rindo happy.

At first, it appeared that Motoi was helping Rindo during the Reapers' Game; despite the rivalry between the Purehearts and Wicked Twisters such as needing to defeat other members to control turfs during the Scramble Slams, Motoi and Rindo remain on amiable terms, with Rindo trusting An0ther. However, it is later revealed Motoi was trying to sabotage the Twisters' efforts.

Motoi is not entirely bad-natured, as he feels some remorse and asks for Rindo's forgiveness later. He mentions that he has never once had to face a disappointed fan face-to-face before, and that it's not a good feeling.

Story

Background

Motoi is an international traveler. It is unclear how Motoi died, although he mentions it was a "fateful day when tragedy struck". It is implied he, along with Kanon Tachibana and Fuya Kawahara, have been playing the Reapers' Game for at least seven months with at least 30 loops.

NEO: The World Ends with You

Rindo first meets Motoi on Day 5, where he introduces himself to the Wicked Twisters as the leader of the Purehearts. He mentions he was an international traveler when he was alive. When Nagi calls him a "professional tourist", Motoi says he prefers the term "citizen of the world" instead. Motoi teaches the team about imprinting.

On Day 6, Motoi reveals to Rindo he is An0ther, and mentions he will go easy on the Wicked Twisters, as the Purehearts are not in last place.

Rindo disheartened by his role model's plagiarism and lack of creativity.

Motoi does not have a strong role in the plot until Week 2, Day 6. Rindo has a vision of Motoi apparently unconscious on the floor. Later, Motoi ends up being constantly defeated by the target Shoka Sakurane after the Scramble Slam despite Rindo's constant time travels to rescue Motoi. However, as Rindo continues traveling backwards in time, Rindo begins to realize that Motoi was there much earlier than he was supposed to, discovering Motoi lied to him in order to try to get a shot at taking down Shoka before any other team. Angered, Rindo and the team prepare to engage Motoi and his team into a fight, and Motoi follows through the reaction with his own defense during their battle.

After the battle, Motoi, while mortified, tried to defend his actions saying all the Reapers' Game was all about survival due to the reality of the gravity of their situation, feeling lying and cheating was justified with their lives on the line. It is also revealed he wanted to become a Reaper, with the approval of Tanzo Kubo who arrives on the scene, and encourages Kubo to demote Shoka for abusing her powers as a Reaper for secretly helping the Twisters the previous day. Kubo is unimpressed by Motoi's inability to defeat Shoka and the Wicked Twisters, but gives Motoi another chance the next day.

On Week 2, Day 7, Motoi texts Rindo an apology for lying to him. He helps the group try to gang up on the Ruinbringers, and stays behind to ensure a defeated Susukichi remain unconscious. However, Susukichi recovered very fast due to being a Reaper and overpowered Motoi. Later, Motoi goes to the rooftop confrontation with Susukichi. Due to the Purehearts being in last place for the week, Motoi and his team are erased by Shiba.

On Week 3, Day 5, remnants and lingering memories of Motoi's soul in the UG take the form of a Noise created by Shiba, although as Nagi notes, it is an empty husk with no soul. The Wicked Twisters defeat it as part of their mission.

Abilities

Motoi is a boss who uses his lackeys to help fight for him. His only main attack ability is a Trip Wire, similar to the equivalent player pin; but beware that stepping on these will stun a character as well as causing damage. Be careful about accidentally triggering trip wires while automatically moving into range for an attack.

He can also engage in a chat session with his teammates in order to cover the screen in speech-bubbles. Attacking the Purehearts will cause their speech-bubbles to break and cease obscuring the view of the battlefield.

Eventually, he begins using a "FundMePlz" ability where his lackeys begin "fundraising". A progress bar will be shown on screen, and if the fundraising is completed, Motoi and his team gain a bonus. There are three possibiities: a) a temporary boost in power, b) reinforcements are spawned in, and c) an instant victory for Motoi (only used once). It is important to defeat the fundraisers as soon as possible. Remember that Motoi himself contributes to fundraising even though the "fundraising" tag does not appear over his head, so just attacking the fundraising Purehearts will not defeat the attack.

Time is of the essence during this battle so it is important to not bring in pins that take a long time to reboot. Defeating Motoi himself reduces this battle to a simple one with the remaining Purehearts so it may be a good idea to focus on him as far as possible, although he has a large number of HP.

Relationships

Rindo Kanade

Rindo giving Motoi another chance to prove himself.

Main article: Rindo Kanade

Rindo revered An0ther and was thrilled to discover Motoi's identity. Because of this, Rindo trusts Motoi quite a lot, but his confidence is shattered on Week 2, Day 6 when he discovers Motoi lied to him to gain an advantage for the Purehearts. Although angered, Rindo understands that Motoi's life was on the line and that Motoi's actions were rooted in fear instead of malice. Motoi gives Rindo an apology the following day. Although Rindo can't bring himself to fully forgive him, as it turns out Motoi lied again, Rindo still asks for Motoi's help in bringing down the Ruinbringers. Rindo is still shocked and disheartened by Motoi's death as it turns out that Motoi finally kept his honest word this time. Even though Rindo still has mixed and complicated feelings about Motoi after, he is able to get better closure with him before his death. Rindo views the whole situation with pity, but tries to use Motoi's death as motivation for him to win the Reapers' Game.

Etymology

The Kanji Ana-Zawa Mo-Toi translate as: Hole, Brilliance, Foundation, Menace. This may refer to the twist of him actually being a danger to Rindo while lying to make himself appear brilliant. The name is also wordplay; Anazawa can be read as ANAZA wa.., meaning "An0ther is.."

His online name may also be a pun, in that since his online content was stolen, it was literally "written by another."

Quotes

• "Heeey! You there! Buongiornooo!"
• "Oh, phew! I wasn't sure if you'd hear me, but perfecto."
• "You three must be Players—wait! Don't tell me. Let me guess: Les méchants tornades, right?"
• "Ayyyyyy! Super glad I ran into you! Gotta give gracias to fate for bringing us together."
• "Whoops! Guess I forgot to introduce moiself. But you probably already know who I am. Ayyyyyy, it would be my plaisir! Mi nombre es Motoi Anazawa. Ah, that's Spanish for "My name is Motoi Anazawa." I'm the leader of the Purehearts."
• "Geez, getting thrown into this Game without any prior warning... Quelle surprise, am I right? Oh! Speaking of the Game, how goes la missione?"
• "Haha, don't be fooled by my impeccable pronunciation: I'm as Japanese as curry rice! I just traveled a ton, that's all. I was quite the international sightseer while I was alive."
• "I prefer "citizen of the world," but yes. There's nothing like taking a deep breath at the airport—"
• "I can say, though, that something seems different about Fuya... Je ne sais quoi. Ah, I should mention he's the leader of the Deep Rivers Society. I've got a hunch he's been biding his time, waiting for this day to come. He knows if his team performs really well today, they can easily escape last place. Which is where you three are right now... Oh, but I don't mean that in a bad way! What I mean is that you three are in last place because you just joined. In other words, your presence is keeping the DRS afloat. But if you give it your all today? I'd say their ship is sunk. Of course, they recognize this, so they're probably gonna give it their all, too..."
• "Oh, whoops. Did I slip back into French?"
• "Well, it's been a blast, but I should probably get back to my team."
• "Ayyyyyy, no problem, mi amigo! Until we meet again... Au revoir!"
• "Bonjour, my Wicked friends!"
• "As far as I'm concerned, you've already won. In fact, I've actualmente come to congratulate you. So! In honor of your first conquest, I say "bravo"! (That's Italian for "bravo.")"
• "Haha, my bad! I just love a little dramatic tension."
• "At the heart of every battle beats a hero.... A hero who beats his foes...like a heart. And I've got a feeling that hero might be you."
• "Can't wait to see what sort of aventuras you heroes will get up to today."
• "No kidding! Well, in that case, what would you say... if I told you An0ther... was none "other" than moi?"
• "Yes, it's true. Pity that I haven't been able to post anything over the past year. Ever since that fateful day when tragedy struck and took my life away..."
• "The one and only! And I gotta tell ya, it sure is swell to meet a fan here in the UG. Oh, but what a shame that we're being pitted against one another! If all the world's a stage, then this must be a tragedy."
• "C'est vrai. But I have high hopes for you, my friend. This Game is a cruel one, as you have no doubt realized. We Players had pretty much given up all hope of winning - until you came along, that is. The winds of change are blowing now, thanks to you."
• "Hey there, mi amigo! Thought I'd share some juicy goss with my favorite go-getter. So, you know Susukichi, right? From the Ruinbringers? He only sees things in black and white, and he struggles when people challenge that worldview. Well, you didn't hear this from me, but if you get him to question that outlook, he goes COMPLETELY loco in the cabeza. And you know how he loves Reversi, right? Ask him about "breaking the diagonal." Apparently it's a stratégie he's never managed to parse. Hope that info comes in handy! Anyway, have a marvelous mañana!"
• "Fancy running into vous here! By which I mean "you." Sorry—cosmopolitan habits die hard!"
• "What a predicament... We are truly les misérables."
• "Heyyy, no need to fret at all, Fret et al.!"
• "I don't envy your position, mi amigo. You're faced with a tough decision! But allow me to share my thoughts. Forming an alleanza under the current circumstances would be muy bien. It certainly isn't a bad one. And I'm prepared to do what I must as well. Why, help out, of course! The more people working together, the better the résultat. The vérité of the matter is, I don't want to get erased—and, if possible, I don't want anyone else to get erased, either."
• "It's as I once wrote: "Existing means being here or wherever you may be being." I think it's vital we don't lose sight of the undeniable fact that all of us exist here, right now, together."
• "Well, it's certainly nice to be entendido by you gents. I am eternally grateful to the city that brought us together and to all those who call her home."
• "Bonjour, madame. I'm thrilled to finally meet you. What a pleasure! Now, now. That attitude is unbecoming, señorita. Ah, one sec—and...sent! So, what's the deal? Got a crush on Mr. Twister or something? I mean, there must be some reason you keep lending them a hand. Whatever your reason, I hope it was worth it. Seeing as you did such a poor job covering your teacherous [sic] tracks. Which suited moi just fine! I got to take credit for those hints and curry favor with the Reapers by exposing you. Seriously, you couldn't write en histoire this good! Anyway, time to find out how long he'll be... I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were tú. For I am not truly solo, you see. Unlike you, dear Shoka, I have allies. Allies that care about moi very much. Hold your tongue. Honestly, do you have any idea how many followers I had? An0ther was trending across all social media. Oui, madame. That was my internet alias back when I was still alive and kicking. There is one fan of mine in particular for whom I have high hopes. I know he won't let me down. Y'know, I still can't quite believe today's mission. Why, I was positively shocked when I heard! But surely no more shocked than you, being targeted tout à coup. Ah, ya veo. Interesting. Who'd've thought mere boredom would bring us to this point? I imagine la gravité of the situation is slowly dawning on you. You may not show it, but I've no doubt you're quaking in your proverbial botas. ¡Qué lástima! My heart goes out to you, it really does. But I can't exactly back down now, can I? You're all that stands between me and my destiny. We'll see about that. "Never fear a fight; fight your fear instead." Play time's over, gatita. And know that I expect no quarter from you, either." (full altercation with Shoka in DesireDestination (Week 2, Day 6))
• "No need to keep dreaming... 'Cause I'm making my dreams a reality! The Reaper mantle belongs to moi!"
• "Oh, mi amigo. You're so naïve you put the Purehearts to shame. Have you forgotten that our very lives are on the line here? If you're not doing whatever it takes to get ahead, you're bound to get left behind."
• "Only an absolute idiota would trust a total stranger!"
• "Ironic, isn't it? Looking down on someone you looked up to."
• "Everything went wrong. I was supposed to beat you to the target and take her down. I was supposed to become a Reaper."
• "You and I both know this was never a fair fight. Even if we took the top spot, the tables would've turned on us soon enough. They don't play fair. Why should we?"
• "Please, listen to me! Shoka deserves to be punished for abusing her position! You know she's been conspiring with the Wicked Twisters. And the only reason you do is because I informed you! Surely I deserve some sort of reward for helping the Reapers save face!?"
• "B-but why must we fight? Haven't I already proven my worth as an informant? I exposed the traitor in your ranks! You could've found yourselves in grave danger without my—"
• "They spoke to me, too. That's why I decided to make 'em my own. I just slapped my name on other people's content. Didn't write a thing. Eh, I wouldn't say that. Think of it this way: all those great posts would've gone unseen if I hadn't salvaged 'em. After all, better to use 'em than to lose 'em, right? I didn't steal—I recycled. That blog got me a lot of work, and made a lot of people happy—including you. Sounds like a win-win to me."
• "I guess that shows just how much I've hurt you. Y'know, back when I went by "An0ther," I may have looked like I knew what I was doing, but I didn't have a clue. I didn't know a damn thing—not even what I liked. I couldn't take responsibility for anything because I didn't want to be wrong. Saying "no" to something's a hell of a lot easier than saying "yes." Even so, I figured I was in the clear as long as I kept the wool over everyone's eyes. And even when somebody did find out the truth, they'd just unfollow me and go on with their lives. I've never had to face a disappointed fan before. And I've gotta say, it doesn't feel too great."
• "N-no, please... This can't be happening. I was destined for greatness!" (last words before erasure)

Poetry

• "At the heart of every battle beats a hero... A hero who beats his foes... like a heart."
• "Don't miss your chance to make a new friend."
• "Never fear a fight; Fight your fear instead."
• "All around us, everywhere; Not just sky, but also air."
• "If you want your wet clothes to dry, hang 'em where water's in short supply."
• "You can't walk up or down the street without the ground touching your feet."
• "I hear my chest begin to pound - and know my heart is making sounds."
• "If ever your throat begins to thirst, have a sip of water first."
• "If you shed a tear, don't fret; that just means your eyes are wet."

Trivia

• In the Japanese version of the game, Motoi uses English phrases. Because this aspect would not work in the English version, he uses Spanish, French, and Italian instead so he is still multilingual.
• Motoi's shallow nature can also be represented by his poetry which often contains rather basic meanings, such as "drink water if you are thirsty."[1]
• Motoi could be seen as an equivalent to real-life online frauds, as modern technology has made it possible for people to use social media/the Internet for personal gain, money, fame and “clout” by lying and faking content for views on different forms of media platforms. Motoi's "fundraising" attack could be seen as echoing GoFundMe, a site known to have people faking or manipulating situations (e.g. lying about having cancer) in order to receive donations and profits. The character could also be seen as an allusion to Internet anonymity and how people online can lie about who they are, as well as steal others' creative works.
• The name of Motoi's team could be possibly a reflection of his fraudulent nature, as they are called the "Purehearts."
• Motoi's reward for unlocking his Social Network slot is Noise Magnet, which is the exact same power his teammate, Sumio Tanaka, gives, reflecting his habit of stealing other people's work.