Mirai: Difference between revisions

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'''Mirai''' (Japanese: ミライ Hepburn: Mirai), often referred to by her occupation '''Park Guide''' or simply '''Guide-san''', is a recurring human character in the [[Kemono Friends]] multimedia franchise. She has appeared in most media of the series to date and is one of the series' most recognizable faces. She is a Park Guide of [[Japari Park]].

== Role in the Plot ==

=== Backstory ===

Several years before the beginning of Kemono Friends, a young Mirai met the slightly older [[Kako]] at a zoo, and the two girls quickly hit it off, developing a close relationship in the coming years. Although Mirai already had a long-standing love for animals, her new friend and mentor would teach her a great many things about them. It was because of this friendship that Mirai would dream of following in Kako's footsteps to work at Japari Park; at some point before the events of the manga, she would succeed in doing so, as well as becoming a Park Guide.

=== Kemono Friends: "Welcome to Japari Park!" [[Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park!|(Manga)]] ===

[[File:miraimanga.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left| Mirai, as she appears in the manga.]]

=== Kemono Friends [[Nexon Game|(2015 Mobile Game)]] ===

Note: Contradictory to her appearance in the manga, Mirai is presented as a fairly new Park Guide during the events of the 2015 Kemono Friends game, although it is possible that this was retconned.

Mirai does not appear physically in the anime's first season; her presence consists of several voice and hologrammatic recordings played back from [[Lucky]], the first of which is played after the latter meets [[Serval/Anime|Serval]] and [[Kaban]] for the first time and misidentifies the feather accessory in Kaban's hat as belonging to Mirai.The robot then joins them on their journey to the library as a guide, with Mirai's recordings in tow. These range from narrations of park attractions to detailed research notes to conversations, and serve to provide the characters (and the audience) with snippets of information about the world around them.

The next recording is heard after the protagonists [[Episode 4 - Desert Area|exit the Underground Labyrinth,]] where she announces the "opening" of the attraction, implying that she was present at the time of the giant maze's completion and public unveiling. It is at this point that Kaban first hears Mirai's voice, due to being asleep when Lucky played the first recording.

[[File:sp00k.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left| Mirai, the "ghost" of Lodge Campo.]]

She appears extensively throughout [[Episode 10 - Lodge|Kaban and Serval's stay at Lodge Campo]], and is mistaken for a "ghost" as Lucky begins to project holograms in her likeness for the first time. This misunderstanding becomes the mystery that forms the episode's focus, as the pair attempt to figure out the identity of the ghost with the help of the other residents of the lodge.<br>

At Kaban's party after the final battle, [[Raccoon/Anime|Raccoon]] explains that she had found Mirai's hat lying in the Savanna Area and was about to pick it up, but since it was hit directly by Sandstar as a result of the most recent eruption, a human form within it began to take shape and would soon become Kaban herself. [[Tsuchinoko/Anime|Tsuchinoko]] theorizes that this is because of a reaction with hair inside the hat, which was indeed the case, meaning that Kaban is a human Friend formed by the interaction of Sandstar and a strand of Mirai's hair. This is further confirmed by her final recording, which plays when Kaban and Serval ride the amusement park's Ferris wheel together. In the recording, Mirai states that she "just had to ride [the Ferris wheel] one more time" and that, while she's sad that the park staff ultimately needed to evacuate the island, she's grateful for all the miracles she saw during her time there. Nevertheless, she expresses hope that she'll be back again someday, and bids her farewell to Lucky-san, whom she simply calls "Lucky". She promises it that she'll be back soon, at which point a strong gust of wind blows her signature sun hat off of her head, presumably reaching the Savanna Area at some point after her departure. The Serval Friend calls out to her one last time, and Mirai's final recording ends, leaving Kaban to ponder the world outside of the Kyōshū Region.

=== Current Whereabouts ===

Like all other humans who once inhabited Japari Park, Mirai's current whereabouts are a mystery, and the amount of time that has passed since the staff's evacuation of the Kyōshū Region is as-of-yet unknown.

== Relationships ==

=== [[Nana]] ===

During the events of the [[Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park!|manga]], Mirai was Nana’s supervisor and the two were very close, holding a strong bond and respect for one another. Mirai was fond enough of her to go as far as to insist on Nana calling her by her real name, rather than job title. The two worked together very often. It is possible that Mirai saw elements of Kako in her (being the latter's cousin), which could explain why Mirai took a particular shine to her and offered the same help and guidance that Kako did for Mirai. While it is unknown whether their relationship continued after the abrupt shut-down of Japari Park due to the Cellien outbreak, it can be inferred that they stayed in contact due to Nana and the manga’s many references in the direct sequel [[Kemono Friends 3|KF3]].

== Trivia ==

* Mirai's name means "Future" in Japanese, much like how her mentor and dear friend [[Kako]]'s name means "Past." This may be a reference to Mirai's great importance to the franchise's lore as a whole since her first appearance in the original [[Nexon Game|Nexon Game]], being a notable presence even in Season 1 (by which point she is no longer in the park).

* Mirai and [[Kaban]] share the same voice actors in English and Japanese: [[Aya Uchida]] and [[Suzie Yeung]], respectively. This is likely a deliberate choice to represent Kaban being created in Mirai's image and essence. In addition, they also both voice [[Lucky|Lucky]], which is a nod (and foreshadowing) to his and Mirai's strong connection and how she would often speak through him via his recordings.

[[Category:Humans]]

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