Misaka Tabigake

Misaka Tabigake (御坂 旅掛) is a character introduced in Toaru Majutsu no Index. The father of Misaka Mikoto and the husband of Misaka Misuzu, he travels around the world to "find its flaws and correct them".

Appearance
Tabigake is a man who looks to be between his mid to late thirties. He has a reasonable height and has a well-featured face. He also has a beard and wears a slightly unbuttoned shirt with his suit. His appearance makes him stand out in Japan.

Personality
Tabigake carries himself with an air that would befit someone that would look at home in the back alleys, being described as the kind of person one would not feel the urge to approach, someone who looked like one had plenty of money and someone who would get people in trouble if he is approached. In spite of this, Tabigake is actually a man who carries no money with him, loves his family, and someone who helps people out.

A confident and intelligent man with an analytical mind, he is able to figure out a person's situation apparently at a glance, as shown when he figured out what was Ines' situation even when she was in the shadows of an alleyway. He is also acquainted with how the human mind works in times of war and its effects on the country and its economy.

As stated, he loves his family and is willing to threaten world leaders if he has a reason to believe if they are endangering them, as Aleister Crowley can attest after hearing rumors of girls that look like Mikoto.

Background
His job is to "point out what the world lacks," apparently entailing him to travel the world and act as some sort of "consultant" to people. This job is to apparently create money, and though he doesn't get money he creates he does receive rewards. He however leaves financial management to Misuzu.

Because of this globe-trotting occupation, it allows him to have contacts all over the globe, and even know people in important positions, from a person in Brazil requesting him to do something about the illegal dumping of trash in the country, to Aleister Crowley himself. He also has connections with the and has met another globe-trotting father, Kamijou Touya.

Tabigake apparently has a drinking habit, but is considering putting an end due to the scarce money on his person. He apparently drinks himself to drunkenness when things don't go his way with his ventures.

The First Friday of April
Ines, a girl he helped back in, Brazil, is interviewed regarding Tabigake's role in her success. While in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Misaka Tabigake is requested by a certain person to do something about all the illegally dumped trash in Brazil. He later comes upon a young Ines. He finds her in a slum of Rio de Janeiro shrouded in darkness, ready to commit a murder-suicide through killing a debt collector to help out her family. Tabigake attempts to convince her that there are other possibilities. Despite being initially mindful of Tabigake even suspecting him of wanting to have sex with her, Ines eventually opens up to a debate regarding the city's trash problem. He mentions how he was requested to clear out the illegally dumped trash within the slum. She, however, tells him that it would be impossible to do so. He points out to her how the slum they are in is like its own world filled with the illegally dumped electronic trash and asks her what it lacks. She realizes it is money to which he acknowledges.

Afterwards, Tabigake tells Ines regarding the minute amounts of gold in ICs and LSIs from electronic around her. Seeing it as better than getting into trouble with a debt collector, she gets to gathering the gold, at first manually. However, after gathering enough she manages to exchange the gold for money and then developed machine tools to gather the gold more efficiently. She then used the money to buy tools which she used to collect more rare metals from the trash. Eventually this expanded into a thriving business for her. In the end, Tabigake's predictions that she'll be a president of a company and rolling in a bed of money proved to be true as she successfully broke the boundary between rich and poor. Moreover, her efforts later reduce 70% of the illegal dumping of trash in all of Brazil to the point that Brazil's Minister of the Environment wanting to give her a public commendation. Essentially solving the request Tabigake was given regarding doing something about all the illegal trash dumping in Brazil.

The First Friday of July
Apparently upset at a company that doesn't share his views on how to prevent illegal logging, Tabigake goes to a bar in London and becomes drunk. Later, Kamijou Touya and his colleague Tanaka go into the bar as well for a drink. Here, Tabigake begins talking to them, sharing his disappointment with the company. He later introduces himself to them 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 talking to the girl and 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 is 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. With Touya and Tanaka running away, Tabigake is left behind the bar.

The Second Friday of October
Sitting on an off-road car in the middle of Arizona, Tabigake calls Aleister Crowley personally, inquiring about recent troublesome events. Aleister says that it is just the usual violence and it was nothing that required him. Tabigake says it is true as he doesn't use violence and that he can come up with at least three more peaceful methods off the top of his head. Aleister tells him that it isn't a matter of cost, and is dependent on the situation, and this time Aleister says that the violent methods was cheaper.

Tabigake says that it is a boring reason. He mentions that Academy City has now gathered up the Gemstones that were spread our around the globe, and now their possibility of getting proper esper development has stopped, and says that only Aleister is the one that profits from it.

He then asks Aleister regarding the violence related to the gathering of the Gemstones. He tells him that despite the chaos of the operations and people's accounts not begin too reliable, he wants to check if there is someone who can make copies of themselves or someone who can teleport hundreds of thousands of kilometers since Academy City is the city of espers. He tells the reason for asking Aleister is because he has heard that identical-looking girls were spotted near the estimated fifty research facilities all over the world. Aleister responds that he will leave it up to Tabigake's imagination but says that it isn't a problem he needs to worry about.

Despite Aleister's assertions Tabigake asks once again. He asks him if he shouldn't worry about the information that the girls that were spotted in the chaos resembled his daughter. Aleister doesn't reply. Tabigake then tells Aleister that if he told him not to worry about it then it is fine as he can't trust what he says in the first place. However, he asks what would happen if him if he does something to his wife or daughter, asking him if he knows what it means to make an enemy of a mere father. Aleister questions his threat, and asks him how he would be able to attack the Chairman of the Academy City Board of Directors as a normal freelancer.

Tabigake says that he may not be able to do anything int he world that can take him out with one blow, however he says that since his job is to point out what the world lacks, then he will essentially find a way if the world lacks the means to take Aleister Crowley out. With that warning, the conversation between them ends.

Magic God Othinus Arc
Tabigake is inside a London bar while the GREMLIN invasion of Tokyo occurs, complaining to a man on the other side of the line of his satellite phone regarding the frozen transactions. The man on the phone replies saying that the countries are preparing for war, selling valuable objects until the world passes the boiling point. Tabigake points out how if both sides stop trading, they will not able to be self-sufficient long enough before their selling of valuables pays off. The man on the phone says that he shouldn't blame him, and complains on how he should be grateful as he is in Europe and he is in Africa.

The man then turns to asking him if he is fine being in London right now as Tokyo has become a battlefield, asking him why he didn't rush to his family. Tabigake says that he tried every method he could think of, but all the airlines have shut down, he can't use his connections in the RAF, and his calls and e-mails aren't getting through, as such he went back to work because nothing worked out for him. The man on the other side becomes frightened of Tabigake casually mentioning the RAF. Tabigake says that he also tried getting a civilian space trip, but didn't pan out as well due to the panic despite him promising to pay. He then wonders if he can buy a Soviet warplane from the European mafia. The man is boggled by this but Tabigake continues, frustrated that he can't return to Japan immediately, and starts thinking of a buying an old ballistic missile and climb inside as the payload. This however continues to disconcert the man on the other side.

Coronzon Arc
Following the evacuation of Academy City and in the middle of the Crowley's Hazard invasion of London, Tabigake was in the city and phoned Mikoto, who was in Bali with the rest of the Tokiwadai students, advising her to get to the nearest embassy or consulate and warning her to stay away from London. Before he was cut off, he saw and commented on the nearby Kamijou Touma and Orsola Aquinas, inadvertently alerting Mikoto to the fact that Touma was in London.

A little while later, when the reproduced Golden Dawn emerged, Tabigake observed Hamazura Shiage's group in their stolen car around the Piccadilly Circus area, but missed an opportunity for a lift as they were picking up the injured Dion Fortune. He then encountered William Wynn Westcott and Annie Horniman, who were playing the role of boogieman towards the people of London. Despite recognizing the danger he was in and being injured by debris from a barricade destroyed by Westcott's magic, he prioritized the safety of the group in the car and urged them to get going. He was saved from further harm when Westcott and Annie came under attack from the Anti-Art Attachment and was shocked to see his daughter flying the weapon.

Design Evolution
Misaka Tabigake's design was made by Haimura Kiyotaka to look more like a member of the mafia or con man and less like a businessman. His design remains static throughout the series.

Quotes

 * (During SS2, said to Aleister) “Hey, Aleister. If you say I don’t have to worry about it, then fine; after all, I can’t trust what you say in the first place. But there’s one thing you need to keep in mind: if you do anything to my wife or daughter, what do you think will happen once I find out? Do you know what it means to make an enemy of a mere father? Think about those things.”