CHARACTER INTERVIEW!
Interviewee: Ragyo Kiryūin (Kill La Kill)
Portrayed by: @LadyRagyo (Twitter)
Bio: Ragyo is the overarching antagonist of the Kill La Kill series. We haven't covered the series much in this blog, so a brief synopsis is that she seeks global conquest by using her position as a corporate CEO to propagate clothing infused with an alien life fiber. These life fibers can then assert control over their human hosts, and it all culminates an a plot to use the planet Earth as an energy source for the life fibers to grow and multiply across space. Today, we have the chance to sit down with Ragyo Kiryūin, in order to understand her motivations for doing so.
Q: What is your name and what do you commonly do?
A: My name is Kiryuuin Ragyo, I am the head of the REVOCS corporation, the leading company in clothes manufacturing.
Q: Is REVOCS a successful business by your standards?
A: Yes, most definitely - It currently holds over 90% stock share in the industry, world-wide.
Q: I want you to talk about an event which deeply impacted you emotionally. How did you feel as the event unfolded? What did you hope for as the end result, and how did you feel when things turned out the way they did?
A: The event was the Grand Sports and Cultural Festival - I felt quite calm as it unfolded, very collective...As I almost always am. I'd hoped for the whole audience to be consumed and offered up to the Original Life Fiber to initiate the last few stages of Absolute Domination. The way things turned out; I was less than pleased with, I found out I had a daughter who was almost unkillable, most of the audience escaped, Honnouji Academy was almost in ruins. But I did capture one of my daughters who was meant to be controlled by Shinra-Kouketsu.
Q: Your critics often question your fascination with the Original Life Fiber. What exactly do you gain from helping the OLF meet its goals?
A: Complete divinity, immortality and I'm given a means to watch the world burn - Enough of an answer?
Q: I want you to talk about a great achievement. What motivated you to push forward in this endeavor?
A: Gaining 100% in all market share, in the clothing industry, across the globe - My motivation was the chance to please the Life Fibers and hopefully become one with them, reaching divinity.
Q: What is a value that you hope to instill in other people? What is it you want people to learn from having met you?
A: Loyalty, obedience and proper manners - I want them to learn all three of those things, punishment is the only way they'll know in any case.
(Final Question): Is there anything which you regret thus far?
A: No, I do not regret a single thing - That road only leads to despair.
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Inspiration (2/4): The mechanism adopted by Ragyo during her conquest was rather straightforward: all of the money which was made in the sale of REVOCS clothing was reinvested into the business venture, with competitors being either bought out or otherwise destroyed. While this isn't particularly genius in itself, credit must be given for contracting out to regional schools to ensure that life fiber-infused clothing would be mandatory. For Ragyo, it is important to do one thing well rather than to do multiple things half-decently, and as a conquest tactic, it works. The business also doubles as a cover for illicit activity which is par for the course.
Aspiration (2.5/4): Ragyo as an individual is a little harder to wrap one's head around. From our interview, we can deduce that she is something of a megalomaniac, but her desire has always been to reach the peak of her potential, even if it requires sacrifice. Even as a corporate leader, she still views herself as a subordinate (to the Original Life Fiber), so she never once becomes complacent in her elevated position.
Verdict (4.5/8): The problem with Ragyo is that all of her actions are textbook villain (with some choices being utterly despicable), but her motivations are a total grey area. She isn't performing evil for the sake of performing evil, nor is she trying to create some deranged utopia. She ends up being just a woman trying to fight for a personal ideal, which is really nothing special. At her core, the monster we all feared is actually a quite rational and perhaps even pleasant businesswoman. As a result, she is nothing more than a representation of how human nature truly manifests, which means there isn't to much to take away from.
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