Hattori Hanzou

Hattori Hanzou (服部 半蔵) is a character introduced in Toaru Majutsu no Index. A ninja from the pure line of the Hattori clan, he hid his status and went to Academy City. Initially a member of Komaba Ritoku's Skill-Out, he becomes its leader after the death of Ritoku and the abdication of Hamazura Shiage.

Etymology
was the name of a famous ninja from the Sengoku Period; the fact that Hanzou comes from a ninja family is a possible reference to that.

Appearance
Hattori Hanzou is the agile type of fighter and not very big. He usually wears black clothes decorated with white cross patterns.

Personality
Hattori Hanzou is kind of a frivolous character. According to Kuruwa, a kunoichi who is familiar with Hanzou, he is a descendant of the pure Hattori line who supposedly left when offered the place of becoming the head of the family and strike back at the Koga ninjas. His views on ninjas is that they should just hide in the flow of history, not be out in the open like Kuruwa suggests. He's seems to be pretty informed, even having knowledge of cases such as the Gemstones.

In SS2, after being caught by Yomikawa Aiho in an incident when he, Shiage, and Komaba robbed an ATM, he fell in love with her.

Battle Royale Arc
According to Shiage, Hanzou may have been trying to ATM machines again when he was around the area he found Shiage being beaten down by a thug. Hanzou calls out to him and tosses a pipe for him to fight back. As Shiage is too preoccupied with beating up the thug who attacked him, Hanzou was forced to even some more, throwing a brick at one of them who had brought out his hammer. He then proceeds to run away with Shiage afterwards. Hanzou berates Shiage for being hung up with victory over the thug to the point that he could've been killed. After checking that no one was following them, Shiage asks Hanzou why he saved him despite running out of Skill-Out. Hanzou points out that isn't something for him to say, as Skill-Out doesn't bear a grudge against him. He tells Shiage on how they don't think their fall was his fault and that no matter who was their leader at that time they would've still fallen. Shiage could not respond but Hanzou keeps on speaking, saying that though it was fun with Ritoku and him with all their little plans, it wasn't at all a nice path to make him want to cling to it. Shiage agrees that it was a terrible life they had but it was at least fun. With that, Hanzou asks what he is going to do now. Shiage says he doesn't know as he thinks that hsi situation will be the same no matter where he ends up in, even if he goes back to Skill-Out, and that there is no value in going back to it. Hearing this as Shiage started to walk away, Hanzou takes a small handgun from his pocket and tossed it to Shiage, saying that he needs it. Shiage points out that it was a lady's handgun, though Hanzou says that it doesn't matter as a weapon that's a little hard to use is perfect. Shiage then puts away the gun and leaves the alleyway they were in without looking back at Hanzou.

Hanzou was monitoring radio channels during Shiage's battle with Mugino Shizuri in a botanical ethanol fuel plant in School District 3 and meets up with him right after he defeats her. Hanzou appears and calls out to him, saying on how he heard of Shiage's victory over a Level 5 all on his own. Although Shiage is surprised on he could've known, he remembers the handgun and says to Hanzou on how it came in handy. Hanzou praises Shiage for defeating a Level 5 using the handgun as he took out two cigarettes for the both of them. Hanzou says that with that kind of accomplishment no one will reject Shiage now, despite the fact that were not many people who hated him in the first place. Hanzou then tells Shiage to come back to Skill-Out as there are people waiting for him there. Shiage however apologizes, saying with a smile on how he has something he has to do. Hanzou clicks his tongue and remarks on Shiage makes him jealous, but accepts his explanation, not pressing Shiage any further. Hanzou tells Shiage on how he'll now be consolidating Skill-Out for the moment, until Shiage decides to return to them after he is done with what he has to do. With that, they bumped fists and parted ways once again.

Freshmen Arc
Hanzou spend the majority of the volume protecting Fremea from the Freshmen alongside Shiage.

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.

The Third Friday of January
Shiage, an apparently new member of Komaba Ritoku's Skill-Out, joins him and Hattori Hanzou to steal an entire ATM using his construction equipment knowledge. Shiage asks how they gather money from before, to which Hanzou says that they steal something and then run, leading to Shiage to say that their style is lame. Hanzou says that it would be easy for them to drag a weak-looking person into a back alley and beat the money out of them but says Ritoku is against letting people lay a hand on fragile girls. Shiage asks about Ritoku, to which Hanzou recalls of that scene in an elementary school where Ritoku sent a man with a bow gun who invaded the school flying 5 meters with just his fist. Hanzou declares that when it comes to little girls Ritoku is really shy. They later find Ritoku looking at online store for an XL-sized Santa outfit and white beard. Hattori then says that he remembers what the girl (probably Fremea) said to Ritoku, and that is she asked if Santa Claus really existed. Ritoku then becomes embarrassed.

As they try to check up the ATM, Ritoku calls his attention to a thing he has found, a GPS transmitter. At that moment, Anti-Skill cars drive behind them, and a barricade robot appears ahead of them. Shiage then decides to break through the barrier, forcing the pursuing cars to slam the breaks due to the debris that it caused by destroying the barrier.

Yomikawa Aiho, whose vehicle was used as part of the barricade, manages to jump out of the way as Shiage, Ritoku, and Hanzou manage to get away with their stolen ATM after smashing through the barricade. Their recklessness makes Aiho interested of them. As they drive off and try to get as far away as possible, they find Yomikawa Aiho uses a Fukuoka Fireworks Manufacturing large specialized transport truck catch up to them from a side street, slamming into the station wagon. Shiage lets their station wagon slide as so not to lose control. After he regains control of the vehicle he speeds off again. They later see that she has passed off the vehicle as an Anti-Skill vehicle by attaching red lights on top and uses a megaphone to ordering them to stop.

Hanzou tries to shoot at her, but she uses the truck to pin the station wagon on a guard rail. As it could not handle the force, the rail breaks apart with the station wagon and transport vehicle, sending them into an uninhabited warehouse. After striking the inner wall of the warehouse, the truck becomes stuck and couldn't move anymore. Aiho is later given a three-shot at by Hanzou, who says that it is powerful and cool to fire a bunch of bullets at once. Hearing their argument, Aiho determines that her opponents are all idiots. Suddenly, either due to the crash, the gunshots, or both, the truck's transport of soccer ball-sized fireworks falls out all over the warehouse. Moreover, Hanzou's haphazard firing had hit some sort of electrical wire which in turn has come into contact with some leaking gasoline from the truck. Seeing this, Aiho flees.

This was apparently all set-up by Shiage, who had Hanzou fire at the truck's fuel tank. The three then find that Aiho is running away, to which Shiage says that he wants to capture her and show her up. Ritoku responds that they will do no sexual crimes, though Shiage says he knows and changes the subject to the ATM. As Shiage tries to go back to the station wagon, something hit his toes. Much to their horror, they find one of the soccer ball-sized fireworks spheres on the ground and that the truck they hit is from Fukuoka Fireworks Manufacturing. With a flash from the electric wires that has been severed, the fireworks explode. Aiho later comes and arrest the three after escaping the explosion.

In their cell, they are ignored by their fellow inmates due to how they looked all covered in soot. Shiage complains that though stealing an ATM is bad, Aiho is worse as all the cash in the ATM had been burned up. Ritoku comments that Aiho would likely make things more peaceful if she lets criminals go, and calls her a horrible Anti-Skill and an idiot, though somehow appends at the end that he hates large breasts. Shiage tries to justify to Ritoku that Aiho isn't a fragile girl and then makes lewd gestures regarding what he will do to her. However, Hanzou has yet to speak, as he just sits in the corner of the cell with his arms around his knees and not moving. He then apologizes to Shiage and Ritoku, saying that he has fallen in love with Yomikawa Aiho.

Abilities
Hattori Hanzou favors shuriken for combat, since he prefers to end fighting in the first blow. Hanzou is shown to be a very capable fighter and a good planner.

Design evolution
Hanzou's design remains static throughout the entire series. Haimura designed his clothes to look somewhat like a modern ninja outfit.

Quotes

 * (After being captured by Aiho, from Index Volume SS2): "I think I'm in love."