Takenaka, Masahiro

竹中正洋

Born in Tokyo's Adachi ward, Masahiro Takenaka spent much of his life fighting one revolution after another. Originally a member of the Japanese Red Army, he was forced to leave the country after many of his compatriots were arrested. Now serving as a co-leader of the Protectors of the Islamic Front, Takenaka often finds himself in friendly conflict with his partner and friend, Ibraha.
Unlike his hate-driven friend, years of experience have given Takenaka the ability to rationally analyze any situation. He is calm, good-natured, and sociable. As a communist, he is also an atheist.
He correctly assessed that the Lagoon Company, working with Mr. Chang's Triad, was heading for Basilan in the Philippines to deliver the P.I.F.'s schedule regarding a presidential assassination in the United States. He successfully captured Rock, whom he believed had the papers (they were actually on Revy), but lost him when Revy, Shenhua, and Leigharch mounted a rescue. He also had to kill Ibraha when the latter tried to order the Basilan insurgents they had hired into a suicidal attack on a government base to stop them.