Komaba Ritoku

Komaba Ritoku (駒場 利徳) is a side character of "Toaru Majutsu no Index". He's a leader of Skill-Out, where both Hamazura Shiage and Hattori Hanzou are in. A large and imposing man, he is later killed during Accelerator’s first mission in GROUP. Before his death, Ritoku was the guardian of Fremea Seivelun, Frenda's little sister who is in primary school, and his actions against specific espers is likely derived from the desire to protect her.

Appearance
Komaba Ritoku is described as a gorilla-like person. He's pretty large and has a body built like a tank. He wears a black leather jacket and pants.

Personality
As a leader, he was respected by all of Skill-Out as good person who cares about his friends and subordinates. He is an honorable person in general, forbidding all members to have any connections with prostitution, a method Musujime Awaki said would have been the fastest way to gather funds and not have to rob banks. Even the targets picked out by Ritoku are only those who actively misuse their power on Level 0's, unlike factions such as 'Big Spider' who attack espers indiscriminately.

Skill-Out Uprising

 * Main article:Skill-Out Uprising

The Board of Directors wish to eliminate him since he was having a positive influence on the underground and rendered him too dangerous and influential, so they tasked GROUP with terminating him and his Skill-Out operations. The Accelerator was tasked with terminating him while Musujime Awaki was sent to terminate his resources. Coincidentally he found Awaki first and she decided to eliminate him and failed. After "defeating her" he proceeded to face the Accelerator and after a complicated fight where he used many of the Accelerator's weak points against him he would ultimately meet his demise when the Accelerator managed to reflect the bullets of his smart weapon.

His friend, Hamazura Shiage becomes the leader of the gang after this, though garners no respect in spite of this.

After his defeat the Accelerator would later obtain his cellphone and a list of the people he was targeting. The Accelerator then takes it upon himself to clean up what Ritoku had left, mentioning on how he still has a job left to do.

Freshmen Arc
It is revealed that he was protecting Fremea and that she was the main reason why he took control of Skill-Out even though he personally disliked conflicts. It's also subtly stated that he knew that he would be unable to keep the conflict between ""threatening espers" and Skill-Out from escalating and eventually targeting those weaker than them and innocent people; thus he felt that he needed an assurance that would stop those labeled by his side as "threatening espers" regardless if his plan failed or succeeded. Upon meeting the Accelerator he told to himself "this is it" and so he gambled on Accelerator's taking up on his role, and even gambled on it with his own life.

Magic God Othinus Arc
In the final recreation of the world by Othinus created specifically to break Touma's spirit, known as the Version_Omega world in-text, where several characters from the original world have been "saved" or have not experienced great tragedy, Ritoku survives and has somehow become part of ITEM as a subordinate. Hamazura Shiage, Hattori Hanzou, Komaba Ritoku, and Fremea Seivelun are first sighted by Kamijou Touma entering a family restaurant where ITEM is in, apparently late. Here, Saiai asks why they are late and why their efficiency is dropping as they gained more subordinates. Shiage blames Hanzou for the shortcut they took, but Hanzou says it is because Ritoku could not leave a vending machine with a roulette alone. Frenda, who is alive in this reality, wonders how Fremea could be so attached to a macho man like him.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS2

 * Main article:Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS2

Abilities
Komaba Ritoku is a true level 0 with no esper abilities, though he is physically strong and is probably knowledgeable in fighting. Additionally, he has been stated to have a greatly trained, hardened body. He uses tactics and technology against his enemies, which include:

Equipment

 * Hard Taping — An elastic band meant for power suits and of military use, he uses it to strengthen his body and his speed, the tapping puts a heavy strain in his muscles and thus he needs to take many precautions so that his body doesn't break down from its use; even with that the taping is still harmful to him.


 * Chaff Seed — Remotely controlled machines of small size that could hover around and were meant to jam communications between Anti-Skills. It's jamming characteristic proved to be useful against the Accelerator since it prevented him from activating esper mode on his electrode.


 * Smart Weapon — An automatic weapon that verifies the properties of the target with an infrared rays and adjusts a proper blast to ultimately destroy it with a very accurate shot.

Design evolution
Kiyotaka Haimura designed Ritoku to look like someone from Fist of the North Star, but apparently failed to accomplish it.