INGRESS is a smartphone application that links with reality and involves competing for territory. When you think of games that link with reality, Pokémon GO comes to mind, but this is the game that Pokémon GO was based on. We'd like to introduce you to Makoto Midorikawa, the protagonist of the anime INGRESS, which incorporates the settings of INGRESS!
【INGRESS】Before Introducing "Makoto Midorikawa"
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Ingress is a mobile game that has been distributed in over 200 countries and regions worldwide since its official launch in 2012, achieving over 20 million downloads. Players play as either the Enlightened or the Resistance, competing to capture bases called Portals, located at real-world landmarks and historical objects. Some people may think it's similar to Pokémon GO, but it was also developed by Niantic.inc, and in short, it's the game that inspired Pokémon GO.
About the World and Setting
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
In 2013, CERN, the Swiss organization for nuclear research familiar from Steins;Gate, discovered a substance called "Exotic Matter (XM)" that responds to human minds and abilities. 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. The anime's timeline is set in 2018, the same year it aired.
Sensitives and the Handling of Ingress in the Series
The protagonist and other "Sensitives" are people who use XM and possess superhuman abilities. Their abilities are amplified within fields connected by portals acquired by the faction selected in Ingress, but suppressed within fields belonging to a different faction. Ingress, like real life, is distributed worldwide as a game, and even ordinary players unaware of the existence of Sensitives and XM compete for territory as part of the game.
【INGRESS】Introduction to Makoto Midorikawa
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto Midorikawa, the protagonist of this work, is an external police officer. Since childhood, Makoto has had the ability to read the memories of objects he touches. However, this ability has never been properly appreciated, and he has led a restrictive life, viewed with unease by those around him. He is currently using his abilities to assist the police in their investigation, but during the investigation he receives a message from a mysterious person saying that only he can save the world. Makoto finds the message creepy, but heads to the location specified in the message.
【INGRESS】Makoto Midorikawa's ability is psychometry, which allows him to read the memories of objects
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Since childhood, Makoto has had the ability to read the memories of objects he touches. It is revealed in the story that this ability is a type of sensitivity that allows him to use the power of XM to achieve superhuman abilities. The official website describes it as "the ability to read the memories of objects he touches (psychometry)." However, his ability was viewed with unease by those around him, including his family, and led to his isolation.
【INGRESS】Makoto Midorikawa has a powerful sensitivity! Its abilities can also be applied.
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto's sensitivity is apparently extremely powerful, and he uses it to get out of numerous difficult situations throughout the series. In addition to his investigator skills, as he can read the memories of objects, he can also use technologies that require advanced training (such as aircraft and firearms) by reading the memories of their owners. However, he usually wears gloves to suppress his overly powerful abilities. He also seems to have plenty of spares.
[INGRESS] Is Midorikawa Makoto a coward? But when it's time to get serious, he's a capable man!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Having been looked upon strangely since childhood, Makoto is generally introverted. He failed to find employment before becoming an investigator and lived a reclusive life. To make a living, he used his ability to read the memories of objects to become a hacker. However, because he was timid and didn't like committing crimes, he never committed any major crimes. Instead, he was caught by the police for a minor crime and ended up confessing everything to the investigators.
More than a coward, perhaps a good person?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Rather than being cowardly, he's more of a genuinely good person. He has a strong sense of justice and the strength of heart to act when the time comes, even when he knows it's dangerous. He nearly dies many times throughout the story, but he still has the inner strength to act without giving up. He also does reckless things at times.
【INGRESS】Makoto Midorikawa chooses the Enlightened faction (Awakened faction)
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto Midorikawa chooses the Enlightened faction, but this is not to say that he is ideologically inclined toward the Enlightened. Rather, he chose the Enlightened faction to deal with the immediate crisis. He does not harbor any particular ill will toward the Resistance, and he cooperates with Jack, who is a member of the Resistance faction.
【INGRESS】Makoto Midorikawa Has No Friends!?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Originally a recluse, he made a living as a hacker, a job that allowed him to avoid meeting people, in order to secure his immediate living expenses. It's likely that his relationship with his parents wasn't particularly good, and the only person he felt comfortable with was fellow hacker Jion Kunikida. Inspector Furuta, who scouted Makoto to become an external police officer, recognizes his abilities, but their relationship cannot be described as friendship. The lack of human connections may be one reason why Makoto is able to act without regard for danger.
[INGRESS] What is the relationship between Midorikawa Makoto and the true heroine, Sarah?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
After receiving a message from someone saying, "Only you can save the world," Makoto, half-believing it, heads to the hospital where Sarah is being held. Later, Huron Transglobal, which is trying to capture Sarah, places him on the police's wanted list, leaving him unable to turn back. Makoto must evade Huron operatives and Jack Norman's pursuers, and go on the run with Sarah, who has lost her memory, for a certain purpose.
The Mystery is Solved and Sarah is Kidnapped
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto and Sarah discover at an XM laboratory in Kyoto that Huron Corporation is conducting human experiments with Dark XM, an unknown XM that significantly interferes with the human psyche. They also learn that Sarah, before losing her memory, had been trying to blow the whistle. However, Sarah surrendered to Huron Corporation within the facility to allow Makoto to escape. However, it seems Huron's goal isn't to prevent Sarah from blowing the whistle.
Fighting Together with Jack
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto then teams up with Jack Norman, who, following Christopher Brandt's lead, is attempting to capture Sarah. They pursue Liu Tianhua of Huron Corporation, who has traveled overseas with Sarah. However, Makoto and his friends are put on the wanted list by Huron Corporation, which even controls national power, and its masterminds. With the backing of Kunikida Jion, they set off overseas.
Why was Sarah targeted?
Makoto and his friends then learn of the existence of "COLLABORATORS," an organization that could be considered the mastermind behind Huron Corporation. Their goal is to analyze Sarah's hidden ability to transmit information to others and develop a system to virtually brainwash them. "COLLABORATORS" plans to install this system in AR goggles to be released worldwide, brainwashing people all over the world. However, their plans take an unexpected turn.
[INGRESS] Here are some notable points about Midorikawa Makoto in the story!
Why was Makoto chosen?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto receives a message from a mysterious person telling him to save the world. This leads to an encounter with Sarah and Jack, but who sent the message? And why was Makoto chosen to save the world at that exact moment? These mysteries will be fully solved.
【INGRESS】Makoto Midorikawa Summary
This article introduces Makoto Midorikawa, the protagonist of Ingress. Although Ingress is a 11-episode series, it takes advantage of the unique setting of the game, which links the game with reality, and sets up various plot threads that are neatly resolved, resulting in a very satisfying ending. The last three episodes in particular become very interesting with a furious development, so it's a work that you should definitely watch!
