I'd like to introduce Liu Tianhua, a shady man who repeatedly stands in the way of our protagonist, Makoto, and his friends. He's a senior employee and security officer at Huron Corporation. He's a highly capable man who mercilessly bullies our protagonists, but his true intentions are revealed towards the end of the story.
【INGRESS】Before Introducing Liu Tianhua
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Ingress The Animation uses settings from real-life games, so let's start by explaining them. Ingress is a smartphone game that has been distributed in over 200 countries and regions worldwide since its official launch in 2012, achieving over 20 million downloads. This is a reality-linked game where players compete for bases called portals, located at real-world landmarks and historical objects.
Worldview and Setting
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
CERN, the Swiss nuclear research institute that appeared in another work but actually exists in the real world, discovers a substance called "exotic matter (XM)" that gives people special powers. Humanity is divided into two factions: the "Enlightened," who embrace XM and seek to use it for human evolution, and the "Resistance," who view XM as a threat and seek to control it.
Sensitives and Ingress's Treatment
People with a particularly high affinity for XM and superhuman abilities are called "Sensitives." Sensitive abilities are amplified within fields connected by portals acquired by the faction selected in Ingress, but are suppressed within fields owned by a different faction. Ingress is distributed worldwide as a game, and ordinary players also compete for territory as part of the game.
【INGRESS】Liu Tianhua's Introduction
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Christopher Brandt's suicide bombing caused an explosion, but the incident was covered up by Huron Transglobal, and Huron's security officer, Liu Tianhua, was dispatched to the scene. Afterwards, Ryu relentlessly pursues the escaped Sarah and Makoto, and even after capturing Sarah, he relentlessly stands in his way to eliminate Makoto and Jack.
【INGRESS】Ryu Tianhua Chooses the Resistance!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Ryu Tianhua chooses the Resistance. Although it is not directly stated that they are the Resistance, it can be determined that they are the Resistance based on the fact that Huron is a company that leans towards the Resistance and the coloring it uses when its ability is activated. As Christopher Brandt states early in the story that the Resistance is not united, Huron acts in pursuit of profit, and similarly attempts to eliminate Jack, who is part of the Resistance camp.
【INGRESS】Ryu Tianhua is an exceptionally talented teacher who messes up
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Ryu Tianhua is an extremely talented person, having become a senior executive at Huron Corporation at a young age. He deduces the destination of the fleeing Sarah and Makoto, and gives precise instructions to his subordinates to relentlessly pursue Makoto, Sarah, and Jack. Although he succeeds in capturing Sarah at the Kyoto research facility, he persistently tries to eliminate Makoto and Jack, who are a worry to him, but fails every time. However, it is his subordinates who are actually making the mistakes, so he himself is not making the wrong decisions.
[INGRESS] Liu Tianhua is a super-abusive boss who forces people to do unreasonable things!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Liu Tianhua acts for the organization to raise his own status. While he generally only issues orders to his subordinates, his execution team has become increasingly rough, perhaps due to repeated failures. Some of his subordinates even go so far as to issue orders equivalent to "die!", engaging in outrageous and unreasonable power harassment.
【INGRESS】Liu Tianhua's ability is to read other people's thoughts!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
In fact, Liu Tianhua himself is sensitive, and his ability is to read other people's thoughts. Even Jack, who uses his powers due to this, is overwhelmed by his superior abilities. As a security officer, he possessed highly skilled combat skills. However, after Sarah's intervention temporarily sealed his abilities, he was shot, incapacitated, and ultimately made a mistake himself.
【INGRESS】Is Liu Tianhua's goal to become a sensitive character?!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Liu Tianhua had a reason for being so attached to his position. That reason was that he himself was a sensitive character. Like other Sensitives, he was viewed coldly by society and was not treated well. His goal was to improve the status of Sensitives by allying himself with Huron Corporation and the "COLLABRATORS," the organization that could be considered the mastermind behind it.
Why did he relentlessly target Makoto and Jack?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Perhaps this is because he predicted that Makoto and Jack, who are also Sensitives, would pose a threat to him. He valued and knew the abilities of Sensitives more than anyone, so Makoto and Jack's abilities were a threat to him, and they actually managed to fend off assassins and reach Sarah.
Ryu Tianhua Recruits Makoto and the Others
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
For the sake of the organization, he tries his best to eliminate Makoto and Jack, who pose a threat to his own advancement. However, deep down, he values the two, who share his same sensitivity. Therefore, he offers to become his subordinate as a condition for saving Jack, whose life as a clone is coming to an end. However, Makoto refuses, saying, "You only think about controlling others."
【INGRESS】【Spoiler】The Very Stubborn Man Ryu Tianhua
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
After being defeated by Makoto and Jack in the battle at CERN, Ryu Tianhua is abandoned by the executives of "COLLABRATORS." The world is in dire straits, but he takes action and appears before Makoto. Upon learning that Sarah, his only hope, has disappeared, he lynches Makoto, who took everything from him.
The Final Gunfight
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Sensing Sarah's presence within the Dark XM, Makoto regains his strength. Using his psychometry abilities, Makoto traces Jack's memories stored in the gun, leading to a final gunfight. Ryu Tianhua is shot through the heart, but he still smiles. When Makoto asks if there was no other way, he dies, uttering the final words, "It's what I wanted."
In Ingress the Animation, he's portrayed as a perfect fit, but if you watch all the way to the final episode, you'll see that he has his own unique thoughts and actions. I think this anime is worth watching until the end, so even if you stopped after episode 4, I highly recommend watching it all the way through.
