The Mugino Family (麦野家 Mugino-ka?) is Mugino Shizuri's family, one of the wealthiest families in the world, who secretly own a major grain production company as well as various hidden criminal enterprises.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Etymology[]
The name Mugino (麦野?) means "wheat field", fitting the family's business in the grain production industry.[1]
Principles[]
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This section requires expansion Multiple |
The Mugino Family is a gang that is a mix of both Japanese and Western styles,[1][3][6] having gained power by absorbing Western gangs and style of organized crime before anyone else,[1][3] alongside many over things brought into the country from the West (most notably, things relating to wheat), during the Westernization of Japan at the start of the post-isolation Meiji Period.[1]
In the present, at least a year prior to the main story, the group was running a worldwide grain production company,[1] said to feed 1.4 billion worldwide,[1] though their name was not present in the company's name or on its personnel list.[1] The fortune produced by this company was laundered through certain banks and casinos, being used to sustain and grow the Mugino family's organization,[1] possessing a worldwide army a hundred thousand strong,[1] including tanks and attack helicopters.[1] In addition, the family had an investment fund which would be used to buy up any company which would give the corporation an opening to spread across the world, whether it be an established group or a new startup.[1]
Differing from the Japanese-style yakuza, the Mugino family keeps its presence hidden, not doing anything too noticeable and not having obvious signs, so that their criminal bases and members don't come to light. They use signs such as the way they shake hands or graffiti on walls to identify insiders and outsiders, with any of the latter who nose around too much being eliminated - the Western way of using violence as a tool.[1] Coupled with the way it has spread itself like an amoeba, the organization has been described as having become an inextricable gear of society, all while hiding presence.[1]
'Family'[]
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This section requires expansion Family/'adoptees' (gang context), main/branch family, 'elopement'/betrayal[8][9] |
Aside from the main family (本家 Honke?), who bear the name Mugino directly, there is also at least one branch family (分家 Bunke?). This family operated a jewel store inside Academy City and had, without informing the main family, cooperated with an insurance company on a security device installed on their server, codenamed 'sternlight'.[8][9]
Sternlight[]
Sternlight (船尾灯 Senbitō?) is an old gang-related term, a code referring to a decoy or safety device (dating back to the time of Prohibition when gangs used schooners to smuggle alcohol and needed to evade pursuing coast guards),[8] which was used to refer to the security device installed by the branch family onto the insurance company's server.[8][9]
The 'sternlight' used an oscillator to generate a cipher and if anyone attempted to access data without properly decrypting the cipher, it would give out dummy data while notifying the company and client of the attempt.[9] As equipment which could replicate the oscillation could be used for decoding, the stone used in the oscillator was cut out from natural stone to prevent reproduction.[9] Since even the same kind of stone possesses subtle differences, only a twin cut out from the exact same stone could be used for a match, the production of which required a high skilled jeweler.[9] In theory, one half of the twins would be held by the insurance company and the other by the client,[9] although the family actually produced triplets and secretly kept the third triplet as a precaution.[9]
Background[]
The Mugino Family took advantage of the Westernization of Japan at the beginning of the Meiji Period to prosper, particular in the field of wheat.[1]
A year prior to the main story, it was among the five wealthiest in the world,[1] with a worldwide grain production company and an army over a hundred thousand strong.[1] However, it had not made much headway into Academy City, due to the city's automated agricultural buildings,[4] though at least one branch family was involved in running a jewellers in the city.[9]
Chronology[]
Toaru Anbu no Item[]
Enemy Item Arc[]
- Main article: Enemy Item Arc
On the morning of July 1st, one year before the main story and just before the events involving the Colosseum, Mujinayama called Mugino Shizuri via her apartment's phone and lectured her, with the two going over the background of the Mugino Family.[1][10]
After Item's interrogation of the insurance company manager, Mugino phoned Mujinayama at the main family's house for insight on a term which was mentioned during the interrogation, 'sternlight', which seemed vaguely familiar to her. Mujinayama told Mugino what the gang-related term meant, while several maids collided with one another behind him.[8] It was subsequently revealed that 'sternlight' was the name of a security device on the insurance company's server, which one of the branch families worked on, without informing the main family.[9]
When Item obtained the requisite stone from the branch family's jewelry store, two of the maids involved in the previous incident, working on behalf of the branch family but moving without being contacted for further instruction, sniped the store's employee (from outside the city wall, using a drone for spotting) before pinning Item down with fire. They were sniped in turn by Mujinayama, fresh off an interrogation of his own, from outside the other end of the city.[9]
Dark Justice Arc[]
- Main article: Dark Justice Arc
On August 30th, while Item were homeless, Mujinayama directly called Mugino Shizuri (something he didn't usually do, after having used indirect methods to sense something was wrong), encouraging her while also succinctly telling her what things were like in the family at present. Mugino herself declined the offer of supplies or a simple house kit, seeing she would be a laughing stock if she accepted a handout from the family, with Mujinayama relieved that she had not forgotten her pride as a member of the Mugino family.[5]
During the events between August 29th and 31st, Mugino thought about the family's wheat company while considering Academy City's windowless agricultural buildings such as the Clone Complex,[4] and the Reserve Meal food vault.[7] She was also reminded of her home when visiting a 'manners classroom', an old-fashioned house atop a skyscraper roof.[6]
Known Members[]
Main Family[]
- Mugino Shizuri (heiress)[5]
- Mugino's grandfather[11]
Staff and Servants[]
- Mujinayama (lead butler)[5]
- Miharu (maid, deceased)[8][9]
- Unnamed maid (deceased)[8][9]
- Unnamed maid[8]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 01 Chapter 1 Part 1
- ↑ Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 02 Chapter 2 Part 3
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 02 Chapter 4 Part 3
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 03 Prologue
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 03 Chapter 2 Part 2
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 03 Chapter 3 Part 7
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 03 Chapter 4 Part 4
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 Toaru Anbu no Item Manga Chapter 007
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 Toaru Anbu no Item Manga Chapter 009
- ↑ Toaru Anbu no Item Manga Chapter 002
- ↑ Toaru Anbu no Item Light Novel Volume 02 Epilogue
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| Main Family | |||
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| Mugino Shizuri | |||
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| Mujinayama | Miharu | ??? | ??? |