Kamijou Touya

Kamijou Touya (上条刀夜) is a character introduced in Toaru Majutsu no Index during the Angel Fall Arc as Kamijou Touma's father.

He is a businessman who travels a lot and collects various good luck charms due to Touma's unnatural streak of bad luck. He may seem silly at times but he does care about his wife and son. He is partly responsible for causing Angel Fall, the spell that threw off a powerful angel in Heaven onto Earth without him knowing about it.

Appearance
Touya appears as a middle-aged man, probably around his thirties, and sported a stubble. He is depicted as having the same build as Touma's and is described as looking like him.

Personality
Even though he is now happily married and even likes to flirt around with his wife and has no interest with other women, like his son, he still manages to attract women and gets embarrassed around them, much to the chagrin of his wife and his own colleagues, who often complain that Touya's flaunting the fact he has a young wife (though the colleagues might just be jealous) yet still attracts women.

Background
From the moment Touma was born he was apparently unlucky, and drew misfortune upon others, so much so that Touma was abused by children and adult alike, and was called a god of pestilence. As the final straw hits Touya, when his son almost got stabbed by a man blaming his misfortune on him as well Touma becoming a media sensation, Touya sends Touma to Academy City, in the hopes that a city deprived of superstition would be able to help his son. Regardless, Touma sends letter to his father, and there Touya still felt that Touma was still miserable.

From then on, Touya began collecting souvenirs and charms, arranging them with accordance of Feng Shui in order to counteract, though there is doubt in his heart that it would work. Even then, Touya still believed he was actually helping Touma.

In the anime adaptation, Touya and Shiina moves away from the original family home, an old Japanese home to a more modern home, where he keeps all the souvenirs.

Touya looks like he can be mistaken as a salaryman, but he is actually a traveling businessman in his foreign investment company, under the Securities Exchange Counter Measure Group (証券取引対策室), which allows him to travel around the world, where he tries to stop potential harmful mergers and trading of stocks for his company. Touya is an elite in the company along with his kouhai, Tanaka, fairly skilled in economics, psychology, and other overlapping disciplines that is required in his job.

Index Arc
Although he does not appear in the arc itself, in the original light novel, it is referenced that Touya and Shiina went to look on Touma after his "head injury", where Touma sees the strange combination of his parents, being that Shiina looks incredibly young for her age.

Angel Fall Arc
In the original light novel, Touya is introduced earlier to Touma back in July. Here, Touma completely disregards Touya's culpability as the culprit in Angel Fall, as Hino Jinsaku preoccupies his and the magician's time. For the most part of the arc, Touya simply just tries to spend some time with his family and enjoy his vacation, while Touma tries to stop Touya from doing anything lewd to his mother, whose appearance has switched with Index. It is not until Touma discovers a photo of a younger Kamijou family in the assault on the Kamijou Family Residence, that Touma is reminded that he too did not switch appearance with anyone.

Touma confronts his father about delving into the occult, to which Touya acknowledges it. Reminding Touma of his childhood, and the reason why he was brought into Academy City. After, Touma states that he was happy with living with his misfortune because it allowed him to take care and help people, Touya apologizes, and states that he didn't even think that collecting souvenirs would help Touma in the first place. Here, Touma realizes that Touya has no idea about Angel Fall, and that he is also affected by it.

After being led away by Kanzaki, who chose to stay and fight Misha Kreutzev, the disgruntled angel that was brought down by Angel Fall, Tsuchimikado Motoharu confirms that Touya was the one who caused Angel Fall, but completely by accident. Here, Touya watches as Touma tries to defend him from Motoharu, who says that someone needs to be sacrificed in order to avert disaster as Misha begins casting The Sweep to destroy civilization. After Touma is incapacitated, Touya tries to attack Motoharu but is instantly dispatched by him. Here, Touya lies unconscious, as Touma discovers Motoharu sacrificing himself to destroy the ritual location in Touma's house.

The events in the anime remain relatively the same, however, Touma meets Touya for the first time in the arc.

Daihasei Festival Arc
He has a minor role in this arc and virtually acts "as a tourist" the whole time. In this arc it is revealed that Touya might have a charisma to attract girls much like his son, however he either doesn't seem aware of this or actually doesn't care at all; referring himself as a happily married man, though he gets embarrassed when they are too close to him.

Touya gets acquainted with Misaka Misuzu during this arc as well. Shiina would later develop a bond of friendship with her, as the Kamijou Family would later move in the same area as the Misakas.

When growing concerned of Touma's disappearance in the games, he talks to Tsukuyomi Komoe about it, who apologizes. Here, it is shown that he and his wife trusts Touma's decision if he was not forced, and that whatever Touma is doing must be of more importance than the games.

He and Shiina later wait at the hospital for Touma's operation to finish, after his battle with Oriana Thomson.

GREMLIN invasion of Tokyo
While the GREMLIN invasion of Tokyo takes place countless of miles away, Touya is in Silicon Valley waiting to meet with the new head of the Blueshake media empire, Lindy Blueshake. While waiting he tries to contact Shiina and Touma, but discovers that he can only connect to the disasters message board service, frustrating him greatly.

Lindy later arrives, apologizing to Touya for making him wait. As Touya's parent company supported Lindy's company to stand back up again, they were there to conduct business. Lindy went to the table and asks him where to sign in the paperwork before her. Touya confirms to her that she is correct in where she is signing. He then asks if she has properly read over it as contracts usually have some kind of hidden meaning inside it. Lindy tells him not to worry as she has read it over with her lawyers and accountants. Touya wanted to clear up her naiveté with the world, worried about industrial spies, but hesitated after seeing her bodyguard behind her. The man speaks, saying that there is no problem for they have a system for revealing corrupt personnel. Hearing this, Touya says that if that is the case, then his group will not be at fault if it begins to decline.

Lindy was puzzled upon hearing this, and took a quick glance with her bodyguard. Touya watches as she sign the documents. Lindy then asks if the situation in Tokyo bothers him. Touya gives a bitter smile, to which Lindy says that they are specialist who can tell right away when communications are overloaded in an area as is their business. Touya gives out a laugh, saying that it will be difficult hiding things from her. Lindy then says that the situation was strange. She says that using the internet normally should not overload it to such an extreme, unless everyone in Japan took simultaneous action to overload it, information should not be cut off so cleanly for a localized area. This prompts Touya to ask if she believes that someone or something is guiding the large flow of events, recalling on how valuable are now being bought and sold as if a war is stirring. Lindy once again asks her question if it bothers him, though he cannot answer but could only admire her sharp perception. Lindy then talks again, saying that there seem to be a number of people who would be happy if the commotion that was happening would be dragged on. She continues by saying that if one gathers and analyze data from chosen sources on the Internet, it would point out in quite a dangerous direction. Touya can only lament on the unpleasantness of the age they were living as he heard this. He speaks, saying that in the financial world, there are many who are trades of death, but says to her that it is more than just the specialists this time. He states that now they are catching glimpses of innocent young men and housewife day traders, every day normal people, who want this confusion to continue. Lindy says that it seems that some hints have been left to ensure those people he referred to voluntarily think that way. Touya asks if she doesn't know who left those hints, to which she says that they are not capable of collecting information that allow them to specify individuals as it is spying and eavesdropping, recalling on how that's exactly what her mother did.

Touya continues to think. He believes that the true agitator will have manipulated complete strangers to make those posts, as such he doubts that he or she will remain in the kind of location anyone would think to check. Lindy then tells him after finishing the final document, that if they use the packet pattern file structure of the Japan-America hotline connecting the White House to the prime minister’s residence, they should be able to break through the overloaded line network with a top priority VoIP connection. Hearing this, Touya approves, stating that he doesn't care if he gets arrested, just so long as his wife is not charged on some national crime.

Shifting and Fluctuating World
In the first recreation of the world by Othinus, known as the Version_Alpha world in-text, where she has changed the entire perspective of the world to make Touma into the world's enemy and thus break his spirit, the alliance formed to combat her and GREMLIN in Touma's original world is an international coalition that is set out to kill Touma.

Touma's parents are apparently taken into custody and in trial for simply being Touma's parents. Touma later sees them immediately after being stabbed by Tsukuyomi Komoe. Here, his parents do not deny that they are his parents, but tells the court that they are willing to help everyone in order to kill him because he is an absolute evil and that they will correct the mistake they made. The people there responds positively to that comment, making Touma fall into despair in his final moments in that world.

New Year's Eve Arc
Touya and Shiina had already sent Touma a fair amount of money for the winter, but Touma couldn't get it due to closed ATM service. Touya suggested him to use HayHay, an electronic payment service, instead and gave advice to Touma that he need to learn how to use all the basic apps.

New Year's Arc
Touya and Shiina sent a New Year's post card for their son, Touma.

The Fourth Friday of February
Escaping Lidvia's sermon, Balbina sets up a shop in the middle of the road and meets a traveling businessman, Kamijou Touya. Touya wonders about the festivities going around him, to which Balbina lectures him about it regarding Lent coming up. Balbina assumes Touya to be a mere tourist but he reveals that he is a businessman who just finished some business negotiations. He then lectures her about how to run a business, much to her apathy. Balbina then asks if he is going to buy something from her or not. Touya reveals that he wants a good luck charm. After rummaging through her pile of goods, Balbina hands him a lucky dollar bill for 100 euros. Touya points out that Italy doesn't even use dollars, though she ignores him as she hands out a receipt, though she stops after his remonstrations. Then, seeing Lidvia coming, hurriedly packs up her things and apologizes to Touya. She says that someone who won't let her sell souvenirs is headed their way, saying that she is strict about ripping people off, then lists three things she hates: parents, teachers, and missionaries. With that she bolts off.

Lidvia arrives there but Balbina has already gone, though her characteristic magic power is still "warm" which means that Balbina ran off only recently. She questions Touya if he saw an "unintelligent little lamb in the middle of her rebellious age", to which Touya replies that he only saw a "charming young lady with freckles". This annoys Lidvia however as Touya says his obvious lie with a smile. Touya then says that he was looking at Italian souvenirs, and asks if Lidvia is Balbina's guardian or teacher. Lidvia responds that she isn't, and says that she is a missionary for the Roman Catholic Church, and introduces herself to him. She tells her that if he is interested in God or has any idea where Balbina is then she should contact her. They then go off in their own separate paths.

Despite this, Touya chances upon Balbina five times, and five times does she run away from Lidvia whom later meets up with Touya again. Lidvia questions Touya about being there where Balbina is likely to go, to which he replies that as he is looking for Italian souvenirs, she just happens to be at every place he goes. Lidvia points out to various souvenir shops in the town, saying that he doesn't need to buy from Balbina. Touya however says that he has his reasons, and asks her if she believes in misfortune, confusing Lidvia. Touya tells Lidvia that he is not looking for mere souvenirs but that of good luck charms as is the reason why he keeps trying to find Balbina. Here, Touya tells to Lidvia about his son's misfortune where he laments on how there is none who can cure of him from it, and ever the listener of the plights of the weary and downtrodden she also becomes intrigued of the insolvability of Touma's misfortune. Hearing this, she begins to laugh and enamored by the difficulty of Touya's problem with the fortunes of his son, scaring Touya. She proclaims how wonderful the challenge before is and how she shall conquer it. She calls out to Balbina, calling her "Magical Plant Master Balbina" as she ran down in alley. In her fervor, she finally finds the wayward blond girl, dragging her by the nape of her neck as the girl pouts. Balbina complains, but is told by Lidvia that she has no time for her complaints and explains the situation to Balbina. Hearing that Lidvia is trying to save someone, Balbina pulls out some strange dolls and dried plants from her bag and then starts writing on a notebook. Balbina has gathered all the items she has that don't need a chant or a ceremony and has an effect even if left alone. Balbina says that if he is to make sure to follow the warnings on storing them that she is writing for him it should all work out. Lidvia says that it would be bad if he was caught by an anti-magician organization where he lives and asks if he is concealing his souvenirs. Balbina says that there is no problem as the items are all below the level of a spiritual item and none of them are only used for magical things, as such they aren't enough to draw attention, making them pass more as odd souvenirs even to professional magicians. They push the items to Touya with their seal of approval, and Lidvia furthermore pushes a Bible into his pocket. Lidvia then says if that it isn't enough then he should see a church in his area, saying that they build them in order to protect the lambs who are suffering from meaningless tragedy. Touya just laughs and says that though he wouldn't say he believes in god, but if there are people as kind as them who believes in a god, perhaps he could too.

Little does he know that their meeting leads to Lidvia to formulate a much more peaceful method in conquering Academy City that would lead to the event of the Daihaseisai and his own son's struggles against Lidvia. Moreover, it is likely that this souvenir only added to the danger of the Angel Fall after being part of his souvenir collection in his home

The First Friday of July
A day before the events of the First Friday of July, Touya finds the Gemstone Girl in a train station, and believing that she is lost calls out to her. It is unknown what happens next though regardless of this Touya makes a strong impression on the girl.

The next night, Tanaka is with Touya in the streets of London, with the former complaining about the heat, to which Touya tells him to watch how he speaks. Despite this, Tanaka continues to complain. Touya mentions on how Tanaka was the one who wanted to go for a drink after finishing their work. Tanaka however retorts that they've ended up wandering place to place because he kept on whining about every bar that has women in it. Touya reminds Tanaka however that he is married, and asks the bachelor Tanaka if he is trying to destroy his relationship. Hearing this, Tanaka references Touya's various, though accidental, escapades with women, and then asks him about the girl from yesterday, who had little clothing on her. Touya tells Tanaka that he called out to her because she was wandering around near a train station, and wonders what her situation was. Tanaka however isn't listening to his explanation, seeing as he is a bachelor while Touya is married and women keeps falling on his laps. Still hot, Tanaka says that he wants to get a drink in a bar, to which Touya says that they'll go to the next one they find.

They enjoy themselves in the bar. After drinking their beer, they hear the drunken rambling of a certain man talking about how to give people an alternative means of making money instead of cutting trees. He later introduces himself as Misaka Tabigake, as he enjoys eating prepared for him in the bar. Tabigake mentions he is Japanese and continues to ramble about the cutting of trees again. Tanaka asks what is up with him, but before he can reply Tabigake asks what jobs they have. Touya mentions that they are members of the counter measure group for their company that prevents purchases for it. Tabigake mistakes Touya for the president for the company he was whining about as he asks him to listen to him.

Meanwhile, both Touya and Tanaka notices a blond and blue-eyed girl with a tight suit drinking alone. Seeing her, Tanaka wants to approach the girl, to which Touya says that he will be shot down quickly. As he laughs, Tabigake says that Tanaka would be fine with her. Initially confused by this, Tabigake explains that Tanaka should be fine as the girl looks like a whore, much to the utter apprehension of Touya and Tanaka. Hearing this, Touya says that Tanaka should be fine, though says it isn't fine as well as he believes the values in London are the same in England. Regardless, Tanaka becomes confident and as he stands up he says that he wins. Touya asks what he means, to which Tanaka says that since Touya is married he can't do anything unlike a bachelor like him, saying that he'll finally get revenge for showing off his young wife to him. Tanaka goes to the girl rather brusquely and receives a punch to his privates for his trouble. Tabigake was wrong; she wasn't a whore, just an office lady.

Touya later apologizes profusely to the woman who actually understood Japanese. He later tells Tanaka that they shouldn't have these kind of adventures, saying that talking to a prostitute in a bar in London is dangerous to him. All of a sudden Tabigake starts talking about Gemstones, though both of them ignore him. Touya continues by saying that they shouldn't stick their heads in places that would get them into trouble, as well as doing things they aren't used to. He references his son, and the trouble he's seen, saying that it is no laughing matter. Tanaka complains that he wants to meet someone and that it won't happen unless he has a bit of an adventure, though Touya says that since he is young he can wait to meet someone instead. Tanaka complains again that meeting a beauty is out of the ordinary itself, and says that he thinks Touya did something to get where he is, saying that he wants to punch him for it.

Touya can only laugh at this. However, he then feels a tug on his sleeve. He then finds the thinly dressed girl he met in the train station from yesterday. Tanaka asks who is that to which, he reveals it is the girl from yesterday while he was gone. Before he can continue his explanation he sees that the girl has a hand of hers' handcuffed to the handle of a tough-looking attaché case. Seeing her, Tabigake immediately recognizes her as a Gemstone, and references their rarity. Touya had a feeling about the situation, and almost immediately the bar's door is kicked down and a mysterious group of men dressed in black enters. However, the girl somehow uses her powers on them, and with an "amazing noise" knocks them out in one blow. The girl then speaks and reassures the patrons in the bar not to be afraid. As the girl talks however, Touya, who didn't want to get involved, quickly runs out of the bar through the backdoor, followed shortly by Tanaka.

He once again reminds him why they shouldn't go for things that are out of the ordinary. Tanaka however states that it was Touya's fault in the first place, and says that being with him is dangerous. Touya mentions that Tanaka may have been the cause as the girl he may have hit on may have been the mysterious group's boss. Tanaka however states that if that was the case, it would be possible this whole situation would play out as a romantic comedy. They then notice that the girl with the attaché case followed them, much to their chagrin as they are once again involved in a troublesome situation. Touya later says that if they work together they will make it, though Tanaka is worried and disturbed on how Touya is taking the situation so lightly.

They later end up faking their deaths by blowing up an unmanned Cessna plane.

Abilities
Though not having any formal training in magic, Touya has at least some basic knowledge about Feng Shui and different types of lucky charms from various cultures.

Design Evolution
Touya has changed little since his design's inception, based off a standard portrayal of a father. In SS2 he has a draft designed for his businessman look, though his face does not appear in the cover of the volume.

Quotes

 * (To Motoharu from Volume 4) "But I definitely won't forgive you. Even if I can't beat you, even if I lose countless times, I won't forgive you. Because I'm an amateur, I don't have what I'm going up against, and I have no place to negotiate. Decades, centuries, no matter what, I will pursue you. Even if I die and turn into bone, I won't forgive you. Listen, if you don't understand, let me tell you something... I'm Kamijou Touma's father. I'm proud to be his father."
 * (To Komoe from Volume 10) "If so, there’s no reason for me to stop him, is there?"
 * (To Tanaka from Volume SS2) "Talking to a prostitute in a rundown bar in a stylish city like London seems pretty dangerous to me. Not even the protagonist of a manga that’s always getting in trouble would do something as dangerous as this. It’s like stepping out on a suspension bridge when the ropes are about to snap."
 * (To Tanaka from Volume SS2) "Ha, ha, ha. You’re not with your mommy anymore kid!!"

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Touya Kamijou