Kiruko

Kiruko (Japanese: キルコ) is a fictional character from the manga series Heavenly Delusion, created by Masakazu Ishiguro. Kiruko works alongside their partner Maru as a bodyguard job around Japan to reach an area known as Heaven. The character's true identity is Haruki Takehaya (竹早 春希, Takehaya Haruki), an orphan who was raised by his sister Kiriko and had his brain transplanted to her body to survive after suffering severe wounds from fighting a "man-eater" creature. Both Kiruko and Maru are able to defeat these creatures with Kiruko relying on the gun she names "Kiru-Beam" (キル光線, Kiru Kōsen).

When creating Kiruko, Ishiguro was inspired by stories of brother and sisters; he was aiming to write a story in which the siblings swapped bodies. In contrast to previous stories he read, Ishiguro wanted Kiruko's body change to be written in a realistic manner. The relationship between Kiruko and Maru was one of the most important things Ishiguro found writing. In the anime adaptation of Heavenly Delusion, Kiruko was voiced by Sayaka Senbongi in Japanese and Anjali Kunapaneni in English.

The character was given a positive critical response for the serious portrayal to their gender identity and bond with Maru, with whom Kiruko forms an appealing relationship that acts as a counterpart to parallel stories involving other students from Heaven.