Keitz Nokleben

Keitz Nokleben (カイツ＝ノックレーベン) is a character introduced in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun manga. Originally unnamed in the manga, he only gains a proper name after his debut in the anime adaptation.

He is the mysterious security supervisor of the Level 6 Shift project during the time when it was still running, and serves as an indirect antagonist to Misaka Mikoto.

Appearance
He is shown to be a tall man, with blond hair swept back paired with green eyes.

Personality
He is shown to be confident in his decisions, and is able to predict who was attacking the research facilities connected to the experiment. Because of his confidence, he seems to be bored, or at least indifferent, to the situation most of the time and even when the situations were dire, he was merely cutting his nails. He has a subtlety that allows him to manipulate people obviously below him like Amai Ao without him knowing.

In spite of this, he is obviously just doing his jobs that his employers has him do. However, he has enough delicacy to stop Misaka 10032 from thanking him for taking care of him, knowing of the history he has with the clones.

Background
Not much is know about him, though he has shown casual familiarity with Shokuhou Misaki, the 5th ranked Level 5. Where it seems that their history with one another developed into them having a mutual trust between the two.

Sisters Arc

 * Main article:Sisters Arc

He first appears being briefed by the attacks on the various facilities that are connected to the the experiments. He quickly deduces that Mikoto could be behind the attacks on the research facilities, although unsure of it, he did surmised that the attacker is a proficient Electromaster.

With only two facilities left, the S-Processor Laboratories, Keitz hires ITEM, a mercenary group from the dark side of Academy City, to protect another research facility long enough so they can move important data and equipment, to other branch facilities, which was planned by the supervisor to discourage the attacker and to cut losses while still maintaining the experiment.

He later reappears after the project has been distributed to various facilities, here Amai Ao objects to him for distributing the experiment to various facilities. Ao worries about the interests of the project being split-up, but is calmed by him after he explains to him that those who will receive gains from the experiment are the one who are still running it at the time of the project's completion. He leaves his office shortly therafter.

After the freezing of the project, he is called upon by Shokuhou Misaki, who became interested on the fate of the Sisters. She set up a meeting after hiring him, to which he woefully concludes that he has no idea what happened to the clones. He tells her that all liability was pushed towards Amai Ao, and that another agency has taken care of the Sisters. However, he says that there is another group searching for the clones. Hearing this, Misaki tells him to investigate and continue to search about the whereabouts of the clones.

Daihasei Festival Arc

 * Main article:Daihasei Festival Arc (Railgun)

After the Level 6 Shift was frozen after the efforts of Kamijou Touma, and later cancelled altogether after the death of Amai Ao, Keitz reappear when Misaki is enjoying her day with her clique. He talks Misaki as he drinks a cup of coffee from an adjacent table. Her underlings are about to intervene but she uses her powers to rewrite their memories and shoo them away -- adding on that they should eat twenty Éclairs as fast as possible while they're at it. When they are gone, the man and Misaki speak on an arrangement about certain knowledge she wants. The man says he has what she wants but that Misaki shouldn't concern herself with that; the top priority this time is to get the client to trust them. He says Misaki's help is appreciated and the two beam contrasting smiles at each other that perhaps aren't that different.

During the first day of the festival, he appears alongside with Misaki after Yoshio Baba mistakenly knocks out Misaka 10032 deeming her to be Mikoto. Keitz and Misaki comes upon the clone and tells her how she was injected with a nanodevice, as such the anitvirus software for her would not be able to heal her. Misaki says that if it is a danger to her life, she might be forced to ask Misaka Mikoto for help, but Keitz says that the opportunity might allow them to do the first move against their enemy, Kihara Gensei. Misaki later asks about the urban legend website called Auribus oculi fideliores sunt, which was somehow able to monitor her whereabouts within a secret institution in School District 2. Keitz tells her that he has prepared a program that creates dummy sites to bury the website in the web. With that done, Misaki later takes her in to protect her against MEMBER, keeping her inside the secret institution in School District 2.

Later, when he is monitoring his program, he discovers that someone was able to break through his setup and reach the website, annoying Misaki and berating him. However, he reveals that he can trace the intruder, to which it reveals that it was from Judgment 177 Branch Office. Seeing that it is Mikoto's interference, Misaki leaves Keitz to meet up with her. Keitz is with Misaka 10032 as she comes to, she asks him if he was the one who saved her and at that tries to thank him. Keitz tries to tell her that it just part of his job and says that their relationship is not something that deserve thanks, referring to him being the security supervisor for the Level 6 Shift Project. As Misaka 10032 quickly falls asleep once again, Keitz hear a ruckus, and is shown that the building has been taken over by Gensei and his special armed forces. Upon arriving there, he swiftly forces Keitz Nokleben, the security supervisor of the Level 6 Shift, and now under the employ of Misaki up on the roof in desperation with Misaka 10032 with his group of skilled special forces. He quickly takes over Exterior, going through its complex registration protocols for usage by aligning its brainwaves with his. Up on the roof with Misaka 10032, Keitz Nokleben is finally able to make contact with Misaki. She asks where he is, to which he says is on the rooftop along with Misaka 10032. Misaki is estatic, but Keitz interrupts her, saying that the attackers were a group of skille special forces and that he may have been led up there in the first place. He tells her to be careful, but Misaki notes on how she has Mikoto there to aid her. Suddenly, something happens with Exterior, and Misaki falls to her knees. Gensei arrives on the roof and quickly stuns Keitz with the power of Mental Out, and later taunts Misaki on the phone regarding one he easily took over, asking her if she heard that rumors, the Level Upper. Keitz is completely stunned and unable to move throughout Mikoto's transformation after being poured in by the power of the Misaka Network.

Misaki later arrives and, after making sure that he won't attack her using her powers, unfreezes him. She tells him to get Misaka 10032 to safety, and remarks that only someone with Mental Out can defeat somoene with the same ability, and as such she must confront Gensei herself. At this time she is attacked by the liquid metal humanoid created by Mitori's Liquid Shadow in order to capture her for Gensei. Both Keitz' gun and Misaki's Mental Out can't affect the puppet, but they are saved by Kuroko's arrival. Kuroko declares her intention to arrest and question everyone present, especially Mitori for falsifying of the Bank's data, Mitori attacks with her puppet. Kuroko evades her attack and on Misaki's request, teleports Keitz and Misaka 10032.

Keitz is not seen afterwards, though since even Misaka 10032 survived the ordeal of the Level 6 Shift attempt on Misaka Mikoto, he too likely survives.

Quotes

 * (To his subordinate, from Railgun S Episode 7): ""We" have no means."
 * (Recurring phrase): "Oh dear."