Dr. Tsukimi

Tsukimi was elderly, his face creased and his head long and egg-like, topped by bald skin beneath white brows. A heavy neck sat above notably slender arms and legs, and his eyes stayed shut at all times, giving him a serene, satisfied air. For clothing he favored a pale gray robe with a hood and a buttoned collar, plus dark sandals.

Great gentleness marked the old man. His automata cherished him so fiercely that they made the journey to the moon both to lay him to rest with dignity and to avenge him. As one might guess from a name that means moon-viewing, watching the moon was his great love.

Robotics was his gift, and he produced automata that behaved with human-like character and mannerisms. Four wingless machines, Spacey, Cosmo, Galaxy, and Macro, were his creations on Karakuri Island. One night the group was sharing dumplings while gazing skyward when an enormous detonation flared on the moon. The fright made Tsukimi gag on a dumpling, ending his life. His sorrowful machines laid him in a coffin and wept, and after burying him they pledged to avenge the lunar blast that had taken their creator. He stands as the lone character ever depicted dying in the course of a cover story.