Mirai Kuriyama

Mirai Kuriyama (栗山 未来, Kuriyama Mirai ) is the main protagonist in Kyoukai no Kanata series. She is a first-year student and a member of the school's Literary Club. She comes from a bloodline of Spirit World Warriors who possess blood-manipulation abilities. However, because these abilities are considered heretical among the Spirit World Warrior clans, she is shunned.

Appearance
Mirai has a petite body with wavy chin-length peachy hair that styled in a bob with fringes reaching her eyebrows and golden eyes with a shade of amber and brown.

Mirai is typically seen wearing her school uniform, with a light pink cardigan on top, and grey tights, or similar hosiery. Mirai wears her cardigan to conceal a bandaged wound (a gash on the right forearm in the light novels/ a small round wound on the right palm in the anime). The wound serves as a way to transport her blood out of her body whenever she needs to use her ability to manipulate blood. In the light novels, she also wears a set of bracelets to secure the bandages to her wounds. On top of that, she constantly wears a simple golden ring on her pinky finger, which seals her ability.

During the summer, she exchanges her cardigan for a sleeveless sweater, identical to her cardigan in every other aspect, and wears this on top of her summer uniform.

Probably Mirai's most distinguishable accessory is a pair of thick-rimmed, rounded, red spectacles which she adorns at all times. For a short time, she temporarily switched to a pair of square black glasses but switched back to her red ones as soon as she was able to.

It is later revealed that Mirai's appearance is very similar to her mother's, apart from her hair color and style.

Personality
Clumsy and with an awkward personality, Mirai rarely stands out in school. In fact, she struggles in life; she has to earn her own money to make ends meet, but her constant fear of actually encountering a Youmu used to prevent her from earning an income by slaying Youmu, which most Spirit World Warriors take on as part of their profession. To make things worse, her hobby of writing blog articles about her much-beloved bonsai-trees is often ridiculed on the internet. Her movements in battle demonstrate a certain degree of fighting knowledge, although she lacks actual combat experience due to her issues with Youmu encounters. After bonding with those around her, Mirai begins to feel more confident about defeating Youmu and becomes an experienced Spirit World Warrior.

She is fond of saying the words "How unpleasant!" (不愉快です！, "Fuyukai desu!") when agitated. Mirai has been shown to be very bad at lying, as the other characters in the show, mainly Akihito Kanbara, immediately notice that whenever she lies she subconsciously cleans her glasses while avoiding eye contact. Mirai has a similar personality as a Dandere, with a little bit of Tsundere. She is also awkward, even though she doesn't mean to be. She tends to withdraw and stay in the background but does have a voice of her own. Mirai Kuriyama is also self-conscious about her looks, for example when Ai and Mitsuki were talking about how having big breasts is troubling. Mirai tries to avoid interacting with others but fails. She is very persistent and doesn't enjoy being ridiculed.

History
Mirai is the sole survivor of a Spirit World Warrior-clan with the ability to manipulate their own blood - they were able to form weapons from their blood and use it as a corrosive spray. Left without relatives, Mirai was adopted by the Inami family but kept isolated because of her powers. However, the family's middle daughter, Yui Inami, befriended Mirai on contravention of her family's harsh treatment of the girl (in the anime series, Yui's younger sister, Sakura, becomes a second friend). When the Hollow Shadow later appears it possesses Yui and left without any other choice, Mirai kills her to save herself, something she has regretted ever since. This act, understandably, drew the ire of the Inami family, and especially that of Sakura.

The Inami family wanted to kill Mirai in retribution but never got the chance, as she was taken in by Izumi Nase, who believed that her powers would potentially be strong enough to kill Akihito Kanbara, a half-Youmu she considered a threat to Nagatsuki City.

Beyond the Boundary
Mirai and Akihito meet for the first time when he sees her standing on the edge of his school's roof. Assuming that she is attempting to commit suicide, he runs to the roof to stop her. Upon seeing him, Mirai stabs him with a sword she conjures using her blood. To her surprise, he survives due to his young lineage. Mirai continues to hound Akihito, attacking him unexpectedly but without success. Mirai later reveals that she is struggling to make ends meet as a Spirit World Warrior due to her lack of experience in slaying youmu (a source of income for Spirit World Warriors who sell the stones that defeated youmu leave behind). With support from Akihito, Mirai manages to kill a youmu for the first time. Akihito starts to consider her his friend, but the following day, to his surprise, she tells Akihito to stay away from her because she has cursed blood and once killed someone. He responds by telling her that she doesn't understand anything.

News soon spreads about a powerful youmu known as the Hollow Shadow approaching Nagatsuki City and Mirai goes to fight it on her own despite explicit orders that Spirit World Warriors are not to confront it, especially alone. Just as she is about to engage the Hollow Shadow, she is attacked by Sakura Inami, who is determined to avenge her sister. Both Sakura and Mirai are then swallowed by an illusion created by the Hollow Shadow's presence, and Mirai narrowly escapes Sakura's powerful attacks with the help of Akihito, who pursued her after learning of her decision to take on the youmu single-handedly.

Akihito and Mirai soon find themselves in a twisted replica of the local train yard, where the youmu manifests itself in the form of Yui Inami. Mirai is almost overwhelmed with guilt, but Akihito helps her once more and she manages to dispel the illusions. However, the weakened youmu then attempts to take over Akihito's body, leaving Mirai with no choice but to stab Akihito. He survives the attack but is weakened sufficiently that his youmu half awakens and goes berserk. Seeing this transformation, she realizes what he meant when he said that the two of them were not that different. With the assistance of three Spirit World Warriors, Mirai is able to quell the youmu and return Akihito to normal. He befriends Mirai and eventually convinces her to join the Literary Club. However, due to her disobeying orders during the Hollow Shadow incident, her Spirit World Warrior license is confiscated, leaving her out of action and without income for the following month. Akihito helps her survive by introducing her to his senpai, Mitsuki Nase, as well as Ai and Ayaka Shindou, who agrees to give Mirai a part-time job in her shop and as a photography model.

Her peaceful life, however, is disrupted again when Sakura returns and transfers into her class. The two battle once more, and Mirai defeats Sakura. Afterward, Sakura's weapon turns against her, prompting Mirai to protect Sakura. Afterwar, ds the two girls reconcile and even share an apartment.

The peace gained by the destruction of the Hollow Shadow is only temporary, though. Another threat, known as the Calm, approaches. Under the influence of the Calm, youmu are weakened and become easy prey for Spirit World Warriors. After using her powers on Akihito's human half, Izumi Nase uses the effect of the Calm to bring out his youmu form and it is revealed that he has been harboring an ultra-powerful youmu, known as Beyond the Boundary, within him and that Mirai was brought to the city to kill this youmu. Having developed feelings for Akihito, Mirai does not want to kill him and is told of a way to save him. She follows this advice and removes the youmu from Akihito at the cost of her own life. Akihito falls into a three-month-long coma and when he awakens it is revealed that Beyond the Boundary is still fighting Mirai, having created a pocket dimension. Miroku Fujima, having sacrificed himself to a youmu, wants to bring about the destruction of the world and acts to aid Beyond the Boundary. He is confronted by Izumi, Shizuku Ninomiya, Hiroomi Nase, Mitsuki Nase and Sakura who interfere with his efforts. It is revealed that Izumi also harbors a youmu within her but has retained her humanity. Elsewhere, Akihito uses a Spirit Stone to enter the pocket dimension and aids Mirai in defeating Beyond the Boundary. Having used all of her blood to remove the youmu from Akihito, its defeat means that she no longer has a body. Just before she disappears, Mirai confesses her love to Akihito.

In the aftermath of this event, Izumi has disappeared for parts unknown, leaving Hiroomi as head of the Nase Clan and everything else returns to normal: Ayaka and Ai return to their shop, Mitsuki continues to insult Akihito during their club activities and Hiroomi continues to harass both Akihito and his sister. Throughout it all, Akihito has kept Mirai's ring as a memento. Then one day the ring disappears from his hand and Akihito races to the roof of the school where he finds a miraculously living Mirai waiting for him.

Beyond the Boundary -I'll be Here- Future
One year after the end of the series, it is shown that she no longer has any memory of her fight with the Beyond the Boundary, Akihito, or her ability to manipulate her blood. She is seemingly living a normal life with Sakura, as they are still roommates and classmates. Life seems normal, and she is seen making a scrapbook of things she thinks are nice, and participating with Sakura and Ai in tennis tryouts. While walking back with Sakura they come across a mysterious shadow that comes menacingly towards them. Sakura tells Mirai to flee, but Mirai stops when a hooded figure asks her, "Do you wish to know who you are?" She narrowly avoids one of the shadow's attacks and is saved by Akihito and Hiroomi. Afterward, she confronts Akihito about why he ran to her on the roof and cried. Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase cover by saying that he has a glasses fetish and only was crying out of sheer awe upon seeing her. Later that night she notices that blood is coming from her ring, thinking that she cut herself.

The next day she joins the Literature Club with Mitsuki and Akihito, much to Akihito's apprehension. More of her past life start to surface: while going out to eat and going to the park with Akihito, she feels as if they had done this before, and sensed that they had a connection. She also reveals that she is able to manipulate her blood into a sword and cause her blood to form spikes from the ground; she believes that this is the reason that she and Akihito cannot be together. Before he is able to answer, they are attacked by the mysterious hooded figure, who incapacitates Akihito. Mirai defends herself, and the hooded figure is revealed as Izumi Nase, who flees. Hiroomi and Akihito get Mirai back to her apartment and go their separate ways. A short while later Akihito appears to come back to talk; as Mirai is about to leave with him she receives a phone call from Akihito who admits to leaving on a bad note and wants to talk. Confused, Mirai quickly realizes that the one who appeared at her door is none other than Fujima Miroku. It is revealed that the youmu he possesses is able to infect others just by looking into their eyes and that the shadows wandering around the city are Spirit Warriors as the youmu shows the darkness in one's own soul, causing them to hallucinate their darkest fears until it consumed them.

Fujima Miroku is able to get a hold of Mirai and infect her. Akihito rushes to her but is too late, and the darkness takes hold of her as her hair turns black and black clawlike appendages sprout from her body. Everyone rushes to an old building where many of the shadows have appeared. They find the hooded figure but soon discover that it is the dead body of Miroku. He was the one behind the youmu that infected Izumi, for him to have a new vessel upon his death at the end of the anime series. Izumi and Hiroomi fight, which ends with Hiroomi reaching out to her, finally grasping the sacrifice that Izumi made to protect her family.

As Mirai and Akihito fight, flashbacks show the pain she felt as she and her mother were persecuted for being a part of the Cursed Clan. Her mother makes the ultimate sacrifice and gives her life. In the present Akihito is shown with Mirai on a cliff overlooking the sea, where she expresses her loss and abandonment for being a "monster" to everyone throughout her life, believing that she should have never existed. Akihito embraces her and confesses his love for her, breaking the hold of the darkness on her.

In the real world, it is shown that Ayaka, Izumi, and Shizuku are well and alive.

It is shown in the credits that everyone is moving on as they continue their day to day lives, and Izumi is recovering. On their way to school, Mirai tells Akihito that she loves him, and he reciprocates. As Akihito remarks that he was also bringing a lot of glasses, Mirai replied with her trademark "How unpleasant" with a happy smile.

Abilities
Hemokinesis

Swordsmanship Agility
 * Mirai was born with the ability to manipulate her blood in various ways such as shaping and solidifying it to form constructs, e.g. a sword or shield. This ability is limited by her body's natural blood volume. Her blood also has corrosive properties when injected into or sprayed against an opponent.
 * Mirai displays graceful swordsmanship, defending herself by swinging her sword around her body while cutting through enemy attacks.
 * As shown in the anime, Mirai can also avoid any certain attacks at a distant speed. She can also jump high without even injuring herself that no other normal being cannot do.

Darker Form


 * On Beyond the Boundary Movie, Mirai-hen, while being possessed by Miroku Fujima's youmu, Mirai's peach-colored hair has been turned into black and her personality became dark and unfamiliar. Being possessed by this form allows her to have dark tentacles on her back with a face in one of its' tentacles that allow breathing fire. Other than that, she can also perform pyrokinesis which can also obliterate anything with just a swing of her sword, it can also penetrate Glaciate Barriers more effectively. However, the side-effects of this darker form will result in agonizing pain to Mirai's chest.

Akihito Kanbara
Mirai first met Akihito on the roof of the school building. She stabs him only to find out that he is immortal. She goes on trying to stab him for practice until eventually, they became friends. Akihito helps Mirai overcome her fear of Youmu, and even though she always complains about how unpleasant he is, she still cares about him. In Episode 12, when Mirai is about to disappear, she thanks Akihito for allowing her to know him, expressing how grateful she was for the opportunity to fall in love with him, admitting her feelings for him.

In the end of Mirai-hen they are promising to each other. That promise is "Will you be by my side forever?". After the credits they confess each other.

Sakura Inami
After finding out that Mirai had killed her older sister, Sakura began to hunt her down. After a battle with Mirai, Sakura realizes that she is not a Spirit World Warrior and becomes friends with Mirai, eventually developing a bond with her. She currently lives in Mirai's apartment. She seems to care about Mirai to the point of frantically asking where she was after she disappears and kicking Akihito when he doesn't answer.

Mitsuki Nase
Mirai meets Mitsuki after Akihito introduces them. Although Mitsuki is initially cautious of Mirai, she develops a bond with her after getting to know her better and has girl talks with her from time to time. Mitsuki gives Akihito information about Mirai's background, a major part of the storyline.

Etymology

 * The name Mirai means "future " (未来).
 * Mirai's surname Kuriyama means "chestnut" (栗) (kuri) and "mountain, hill" (山) (yama).

Trivia

 * Mirai likes sweets, high-calorie snacks and bonsai.
 * Mirai is quick to jump to conclusions and is very skeptical of others, such as Ai Shindō when they first met.
 * Mirai is bad at cooking.
 * Mirai spends a lot of time on her phone, writing rants on her blog which are often subject to scrutiny.
 * Mirai's three sizes are ??, 57, 86.(From top the bottom)