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| By AirMasterParker | Part of the Hikar's Spiritual Chronicles continuity. |
| "GO NIKUMI!!" |
| — Nikumi's words to attack or run, said by Hikar. |
Nikumi (NEE-koo-mee) is the animal companion of Hikar Firestone, an armadillo lion Sterkur found abandoned near the village before Hikar was born. Sterkur tamed it and he grew up alongside Hikar, becoming best friends, and alongside Kensi given he was half adopted.
History[]
Early Life[]
It's known that before Hikar was born, his father, Sterkur, found a newborn armadillo-lion cub abandoned in the backyard. Seeing it helpless, he decided to adopt him, and after Hikar was born, Nikumi grew up with him and Kensi to be best friends. He spent most of the time napping though.
254 AG, discovering the Avatar's Identity[]
In later years, Nikumi grew from a small cub into a full adult armadillo lion that was just as tall as Hikar and could carry him, Kensi and Shaila from the Northeast River Valley to the Meridian Avenue Police Station in a matter of minutes, showcasing a spee higher than average vehicles like Tao's motorbike.
Abilities[]
Nikumi has a special ability: he rolls his body over himself and turns into a speedy hard cannonball that can break metal and take down his opponents.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Hikar Firestone: He's been his pet and a close companion since before he was born.
- Kensi Firestone: Always played with him since he was a kid, and still is one more friend to him.
- Bultina Silverfox: Likes to snuggle his crust every now and then, but she doesn't seem to be a fan of riding him.
- Shaila Yakuto: She seems to enjoy riding him and has no complaints with him.
- Denryoku: Seems they had a chill relationship. But ultimately Nikumi didn't show much importance on the matter when his death came.
Appearances[]
Hikar's Spiritual ChroniclesBook One: Metal (金) |
Trivia[]
- Like Naga, it's the second time an Avatar tames an animal from a single species for the first time. He's the first armadillo lion to be tamed just like Naga was the first known polar bear dog to be tamed.
- Nikumi seems to like naps and behaves mostly like a cat, a steer counterpart to his predecessor Naga.
- His name, Nikumi (二組), means "two sets" in Japanese, it's the maximum of persons he can carry on his slippery shell, even though he could carry three people, but that would make him more tired.
- According to close sources, "Nikumi" also means hatred in Japanese, which could also be associated with Nikumi's feeling towards most humans outside Hikar.
- In the Anime Food Wars, one of the main characters, Ikumi Mito, is nicknamed "Nikumi" in japanese, since "Niku" means "meat" and she's essentially a meat cooking expert. of the characters have similar fierce personalities and a liking for meat.
- The original animal from which Nikumi is based on only appeared in the episode of "The Tales of Ba Sing Se", and there were so few references, Parker had to make his own, and by doing so, learned how to draw cats and feline animals, despite him being a dog person.
- Parker inspired himself by referencing screenshots of Aslan from the "Chronicles of Narnia" movie trilogy, as it was a very realistic yet expressive take of a lion on a movie.
- Another source of references was
- For the armoured crust, he took inspiration from actual armadillo images and armors from the "Critical Role" character of Droogami.
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