Ichiro Hiruma (蛭間 一郎, Hiruma Ichirō) was one of the three Japanese members of BUGS-2 mission, and one of the only 2 surviving members of the failed mision. He is the oldest of eleven siblings, and for this reason he joined the BUGS-2 project in order to provide for his mother and younger siblings. After the failure of the mission, twenty years later he has become the 502nd Prime Minister of Japan.
Appearance
Despite his corpulent appearance, most of his mass is in fact the result of dense muscle bone mass, not unlike that of a sumo-wrestler.
Personality
Ichiro is a honest and a straight person who would do anything to help his family and his siblings. Even when he was bullied because of his weight and appearance, he would never once fight back and was a moma's boy as he would never once tried to go against his ailing mother who strictly told him not to do any part time jobs and simply focus his efforts into getting into a university and earn a stable job. However, his dreams were ruined when his teacher, blackmailed him in order to cover up an affair he was having with a fellow classmate who'd gotten pregnant. This lead to Ichiro coming to believe he had no-one he could trust besides his family. During the BUGS-2 project he faked cowardice and showed complete apathy towards his crew members. He was willing to gain money with underhanded tactics at the cost of the crews lives until he was attacked by an evolved Terraformer. When he was saved by Thien and escaped with Shokichi, his views changed and vowed to never go back to Mars or see the Terraformers again. 20 years later he became the 502nd Prime Minister of Japan made shrewd judgements on the situation. He keeps in contact with his siblings and gave them some political connections to aid each other in a time of need.
History
Prior to joining the BUGS-2 project, Ichiro was a struggling high-shool student who worked hard into gettting accepted at Tokyo University at the wishes of his ailing mother, who wanted him to enter an university and get a stable job from the University degree. However, his dreams were ruined when his teacher, who he considered his sole supporter, blackmailed him in order to cover up an affair he was having with a fellow classmate who'd gotten pregnant. This lead to Ichiro coming to believe he had no-one he could trust. WIth the heavy need of money for his mother and siblings, Ichiro turned to the BUGS-2 project.
Ichiro is first seen reading on the spaceship BUGS-2, where Komachi Shokichi tried to get him to defend his point of the Japanese being fearful of cockroaches due to the rest of the crew mocking him for his fear of Cockroaches. While not seeming to outwardly care, Ichiro agreed that he didn't care to see them either, before continuing to read his book. Following Captain Davis' extermination of the invading terraformar, the crew realises that they have been surrounded by hundreds of Roaches. Davis and Shokichi devise a plan to save the crew and kill off the roache. however in order for it to work two sacrifices were be required. As captain, Davis volunteers himself being the most capable of killing roaches and after Shokichi is shot down Ichiro suggests himself, his reason being that compared to the rest of the crew, his life is worth the least. After the crew escapes, Ichiro is seen unconscious in the burning ship, where Davis is also making his last stand against the terraformars. When the plan succeeds, he is later revived by Gloria Wood using water, with his real mission revealed; the two of them having been sent to retrieve a Terraformar egg to bring back to earth by Mr. Honda.
However, the egg hatches unexpectedly and the 2 new terraformars having been born with an immunity to Victoria's venom, swiftly disables Victoria by kicking her legs off and start turn on Ichiro but the ship crashes down to mars due to the weight and damage done from the exterior roaches. He blacks out once again, only to revive after Thien's blood lands on him. In danger, the two of them use multiple injections to take down the terraformars; Ichiro snapping a terraformar's head off with pure strength alone. However, due to the roach's ability to function because of its Subesophagael Ganglion the body almost kills Ichiro but was saved by Thien who uses Ming's arm to cut off the arm that was about to crush Ichiro's throat. Ichiro then grabs Victoria's handgun and uses it to kill the roach.
Afterwards witnessing Thien's death, he and Shokichi use the BUGS-2I emergency escape pod to return to earth, Ichiro vowing to never return to Mars or see the Terraformars again. When he asks what Shokichi plans to do, Shokichi tells him he intends to first make graves for their comrades, and then gather new ones to go back to Mars.
20 years later, he becames the 502nd prime minister of Japan and is currently leading the talks between the 5 heads of state during the ANNEX I crisis.
Powers and Abilities
The DNA used in Ichiro's Bug Procedure comes from the larva of the Central African "sleeping chironomid". While the adult insect is a midge with no remarkable traits, the larvae posses a defensive ability called "cryptosis" that allows them to enter a state of extreme hibernation in areas lacking in water.
While in this state, the sleeping chrinomid is virtually indestructible, capable of surviving being temperatures up to 200 degrees, frozen to -270 degrees for 168 hours, exposed to 7000 Gray of radiation, and being exposed to the vacuum of space. They can then resume as if nothing has happened if exposed to water.
Ichiro's Bug Procedure grants him the same nigh-indestructible body and cryptosis state even in his natural human form. He can instantly revive after being exposed to water, as shown when Victoria revived him with water and he revived during the battle thanks to Thien's blood.
Using multiple injections causes his muscle mass to expand to the point it rips his suit, giving him incredible strength and allowing him to fight the Roaches hand to hand using sumo-like tactics.
Although he hasnt transformed for 20 years he is seen training in his office,it can be assumed he never rested and trained knowing that one day he will have to fight again.
| Supervisor | Alexander Gustav Newton |
| Members | Donatello K. Davis (Captain) • Shokichi Komachi • Ichiro Hiruma • Zhang Ming-Ming • Thien • Akita Nanao • Maria Viren • God Lee • Yang Huwan • Victoria Wood • Jaina Eisenstein • Tejas Viji • Toshio Blight • John Welthork • Redon Bergsmuller |