Koujun Kikuhiko

Koujun Kikuhiko (鋼盾 掬彦) is a minor character from the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun sidestories. He is a Level 0 student of Academy City and a user of the Level Upper.

Appearance
He is a hefty young man who sports a bowl cut.

Background
Not much is known about him, but for an unexplained reason, he felt that he was looked down upon by Academy City and wanted to gain power, as he was a Level 0. Because of this, he sought the Level Upper, no matter the price.

Level Upper Arc
He appears during the height of the Level Upper incidents, trying to obtain the Level Upper from thugs for a monetary price during Judgment's crackdown on both it and its users. The thugs raise the price of the Level Upper mid-transaction and refuse to give it to him even though he already paid for it; however, when he asked for his money back, the thugs assault him. He was about to be used as a test subject for the thugs' powers (as they were Level Upper users as well) when Saten Ruiko tried to stop them from beating him up, but she, also powerless, fails until Shirai Kuroko appears to face the thugs.

In the manga, Kikuhiko persuades Ruiko during Kuroko's battle with Trick to run away as she cannot do anything to help as she was a Level 0 herself. Both he and Ruiko leave the scene before the arrival of Anti-Skill.

Kikuhiko later obtains the Level Upper by downloading it from a website. He uses it and consequently falls into a coma, just like the other users. During the rampage of the AIM Burst, Kikuhiko can be seen in a ward in Mizuho Medical Institute, having uncontrollable fits just like the other comatose Level Upper users. He and the rest of the users later calm down after Uiharu Kazari plays the treatment program for the Level Upper all over Academy City.

His last appearance is during the special class held for some of the Level Upper users. During the entire day, he does not talk much and prefers to isolate himself from the others. During the lunch break, he stays on the roof. Later during Yomikawa Aiho's training where everyone is to run around the track until they literally can't, Kikuhiko is seen as the last person running around the track despite being the first to want to give up, and Aiho uses him as an example on surpassing one's limit. After class, he once again meets with Ruiko after the System Scan on their abilities; here, he blushes and greets her after they speak out the exact same thing: "Let's keep trying."

Quotes

 * (His thoughts from inside the AIM Burst) "That's why... All I can do is obtain one. All I can do is obtain one, no matter what it takes!"
 * (To Saten) "Let's keep trying."