Kagari Shiina

Kagari Shiina (椎名 かがり, Shiina Kagari) is one of the characters of Steins;Gate 0. She is a war orphan and the adopted daughter of Mayuri Shiina in 2036 in the Beta Attractor Field. She was stranded in the year 1998 after having run away from Suzuha Amane, who she had time travelled with to stop the Y2K problem.

Appearance
Kagari is a pale-skinned girl with long red hair, blue eyes and slender build. Although her similarities with Kurisu Makise are initially noted by Rintaro Okabe, there is no known connection between the two.

Personality
As a child, Kagari deeply cares for and idolizes Mayuri. Her most prized possession is an Upa Keychain Mayuri left to her. After being forced to use the time machine, her biggest fear was that changing the worldline would result in her never meeting Mayuri. As a result of her brainwashing, she prioritizes Leskinen's orders almost instinctively. She hears his voice in her head almost constantly, believing it to be "the Voice of God", and the only thing that can convince her to go against these orders is Mayuri and in the Recursive Mother Goose ending, the voice disappears entirely.

When she has amnesia, she was a kind meek woman. After regaining her memories, her affection for Mayuri returns, but even though she cant remember anything past age 10, she acts her age. Though she still refers to Mayuri as "Mommy". She shows signs of PTSD, sometimes suddenly screaming and begging her mother to save her.

As Kurisu's memories begin to overlap with Kagari's, she becomes increasingly worried about disappearing. She starts panicking at the prospect that "Kagari" would be replaced by Kurisu. That being said, she still wanted to know more about Kurisu, asking Okabe to take her to where he met her.

After her experimentation and "training" at the hands of Stratfo, Kagari is shown to be ruthless, calculating, and cold, keeping Moeka at death's door many months in order to assure her loyalty and killing those who get in her way. However, this breaks away when Mayuri is involved. She is incredibly unstable, jumping between her admiration for Mayuri and the orders given to her by the "Voice of God". She desperately wants Mayuri to treat her as she did in the future, and upon seeing Mayuri injured, she enters a berserk rage with the intent of slaughtering whoever is responsible.

In the Vega and Altair route, Kagari acknowledges that she fell in love with Daru while posing as Yuki.

Background
Due to the death of her parents during World War III in the Beta Attractor Field, Kagari became an orphan at a very young age. Since the registers of her family had been lost during the war, her true name was lost. She first met Mayuri Shiina during the year 2028 as she was working at a children's orphanage, and was given custody of the girl.

As the connection between the two grew, Mayuri went to eventually adopt Kagari in the year 2032, becoming her new mother and giving her her new name.

However, during the time Kagari spent in the orphanage, she was a victim of numerous experiments lead by Alexis Leskinen, who was trying to test Amadeus' capabilities as military weaponry, under the pretense that she was being treated of PTSD.

In the year 2036, Kagari was forced to travel back to the past alongside Suzuha Amane to escape an incoming attack. However, after they stopped in 1998 to stop the Y2K problem in 2000, Kagari's fear to lose her mother due to the worldline change caused her brainwashing to activate, resulting in her attacking Suzuha and running away. After that, she went on to contact Alexis Leskinen of that time and explained details about the future to him. She was then taken by Stratfo to further experiment with her and given the codename "K6205", a reference to Mozart's The Magic Flute. Before escaping, she was kept in a building close to Tokyo and missed Mayuri so dearly that she wrote "Mommy" and "I miss you" in what appears to be blood everywhere in a particular room. At one point, she escaped and met a young Okabe at a train station, giving him the inspiration for Hououin Kyouma and teaching him a song. However, she was recaptured and this event was forgotten.

Stray Sheep
She would eventually escape again in 2010, but this time suffering from complete amnesia. She was taken in by a temple, but believing that it was bad for the monks to be in the presence of a young woman, she was left in the care of Yanabayashi Shrine. Believing Okabe might be able to help her, Luka contacts him, but is unable to fully explain the situation. He later brings Kagari to the Future Gadget Lab where Suzuha quickly recognizes her as Kagari. She then gets dizzy and passes out.

Orbital Eclipse
After Kana wakes up, Okabe sends Luka and Mayuri to get some things so he and Suzuha can talk to Kana alone. Suzuha tries to interrogate Kana, but Okabe informs her of Kana's amnesia. After they confirm that she is indeed Kagari, Mayuri and Luka return. Luka asks if they know where Kagari's family is and Okabe lies about her and Suzuha being childhood neighbors who lost contact. After Mayuri decides to help Kagari get her memory back, Okabe asks if Kagari can stay with Luka a bit longer, to which Luka agrees.

Kagari is one of the girls who agree to work as a shrine maidens at the New Years festival.

Back at the lab, the group throws their new years party. After Amadeus disappears, Kagari suddenly drops a glass on the floor. Before it can be cleaned up, several masked men invade the lab and point guns at the group. A woman in a black motorcycle outfit then walks in and grabs Kagari. Luckily Yugo Tennouji arrives and takes out the men. Suzuha then manages to free Kagari forcing the assailants to retreat.

The entire group aside from Tennouji and Nae stay together as they walk to the station and the Yanabayashi shrine. By then, Daru, Suzuha, Luka, Kagari, and himself were the only ones left. Kagari apologizes for putting everyone in danger, but Okabe does not blame her. Okabe convinces everyone to not go to the police, as he knows they cannot explain Kagari's identity. He suggests that Suzuha stay with Luka and Kagari in case anything happens.

After Okabe fails to convice Tennouji to protect Kagari, Suzuha and Kagari arrive and Suzuha convinces him to let them work for him which he agrees to.

Twin Automata
In the new wordline, Kagari went with Suzuha, Luka and Eisuke Urushibara to meet witha possible relative of her's in Iwate following the Christmas party at the shrine.

Antinomic Dual
In the new worline Okabe finds himself in after erasing the Alpha worldline, he had revealed Kagari's origins to Mayuri and Luka and Kagari retained her memories from 2036. Shortly after Okabe arrives, Kagari leaves for work. That night, Kagari sees a report about Viktor Chondria University and seems to recognize it.

Luka and Kagari go to the lab the next day and reveal these news to Okabe. While Kagari seems not to know anything, she calls Maho Hiyajo "senpai", and states that she has her own spoon despite not actually having one. After asking her several more questions, Okabe concludes that Kurisu's memories have somehow been transferred into Kagari.

The next day, Maho and Okabe ask Kagari more questions with Okabe concluding that even if she has Kurisu's memories, she cannot freely recall them.

While conversing with Kagari, she explains that she always heard stories about Okabe from Mayuri and Daru. Okabe then invites her shopping. While out, Kagari explains that, in the future, no one blame Okabe for how things turned out, as they all believed that he would eventually reach Steins Gate. He takes her to MayQueen, but they leave when Faris NyanNyan tell them about the half-hour wait time. They end up buying cup ramen and she abruptly asks him about Kurisu, leading him to explain her personality. During the conversation, Kagari suddenly collapses into Okabe. She suddenly has an emotional breakdown, begging Mayuri to save her. Okabe manages to calm her down and the two return to the lab, where Kagari falls asleep. Mayuri and Luka later arrive. Kagari wakes up, but begins speaking as if she was Kurisu and Okabe tries to remind her of who she is. Once she calms down, he takes her back to Yanabayashi shrine.

The next day, at the lab, Kagari is helping Maho build the machine while Daru hacks into SERN's LHC. Okabe calls out to Kagari several times, but she does not respond until he calls her Kurisu. Kagari suddenly breaks down, admitting that she cannot distinguish her memories from Kurisu's anymore. At Daru's suggestion, Okabe takes Kagari for a walk to clear her head. While out, Kagari asks Okabe to take her somewhere he took Kurisu. He eventually ends up taking her to Radio Kaikan, though Okabe is slightly panicked to go inside. The two make their way to the Time machine in the roof. It then starts to rain and the two head back inside. Kagari, noticing that Okabe seemed frightened, pats his head like Mayuri used for do for her. Kagari then expresses her fear about losing her memories as Kagari. The two leave the building and make their way to Yanabayashi shrine. When they reach the shrine, Kagari suddenly seems to forget who Mayuri and who she herself are before screaming and begging her parent to help her. She passes out and Okabe leaves the shrine that night.

When Okabe sets his trap for the DURPA Agents, Kagari's condition worsens and she is left breathing heavily on the couch. She begs Okabe to erase her and Okabe realizes that those are Kurisu's words. They prepare to send the memories to Kagari as the Stratfo agents enter come up the stairs. Okabe then receives the call to overwrite Kagari's memories.

Recurrsive Mother Goose
Okabe is hesitant to answer the phone, but Kagari(Kurisu) answers it for him, causing the worldline to change. In this new worldline, Kagari did not remember anything besides the recent past, never seemed to have Kurisu's memories, and he, Daru and Suzuha were the only ones that knew her true identity.

After hearing Mayuri singing, Kagari, who also arrived at the time, recognizes the song, but passes out. After she wakes up, Kagari asks where Mayuri is, but Okabe tells her that she went to work. The two of them decide to meet up with Mayuri when she finishes her shift.

When her shift ends, Mayuri tells them that she heard the song from Suzuha. The group then head to the Braun Tube Workshop, but Tennouji tells them that Suzuha had something to do that afternoon. Okabe messages her asking where she is, and she reveals that she is at GO GO Curry. When they get there Suzuha reveals that she heard the song from Yuki. The group decide to ask Yuki about it, but when Mayuri messages her, they learn that she is on a date with Daru. While they decide to wait and speak with her later, they happen to see the café the two are eating at. Deciding to watch them, the three wait out of sight, with Kagari and Mayuri bonding over crêpes, but they are accidentally discovered. Okabe goes ahead and asks where Yuki heard the song. Yuki reveals that she heard it from someone at a dessert cooking class who turns out to be Okabe's mother.

When Okabe explains that the song somewhow came from him, they decide that going to Mayuri's grandmother's grave might trigger some memories.

The next day, the three of them go to the cemetery, but before they can do much, it starts to rain. As the go for cover, Kagari stops and says she hears a voice. She suddenly runs out into the street and is nearly hit by a truck. However she is saved by Okabe, but passes out.

She wakes up at the hospital suddenly remembering her life from 2036 and tearfully embraces Mayuri. Mayuri, while initially confused, quickly makes heads of the situation and embraces her back.

Several months later, Kagari confronts Mayuri when she is about to use the time machine with Suzuha. Kagari is initally against the idea, but is conviced of its necessity by Mayuri. However, still not wanting Mayuri to endager herself, Kagari jumps into the machine with Suzuha instead and the two of them time travel again.

Promised Rinascimento
Okabe quickly answers the phone and presses it against Kagari's head, changing the worldline.

In 2036, after Suzuha brings Okabe to the base, a young Kagari then arrives at the base and briefly talks to the group.

After Okabe time leaps back to 2011, he confirms that Kagari does not remember her relation to Mayuri or possess any of Kurisu's memories. After he reignites his Houoin Kyouma persona and gets his lab coat back, he designates Maho and Kagari as Lab Member 009 and 010 respectively.

Several days later, Okabe enacts his plan to delete Kurisu's memories from Stratfo's files and Kagari hides out with Yuki at Daru's hideout. However, Kagari hears a song and suddently runs off. Okabe then gets a call from Kagari's number where someone on the other end tells him that they have Kagari and that they will exchange her for Kurisu's laptop and hardrive the next day before hanging up.

Okabe and Suzuha later arrive at Tokyo Denki where they discover Kagari and Dr. Reyes, who is actually a DURPA agent. Reyes attempts to overwrite Kagari's memories with Kurisu's, but it does not work and Kagari wakes up, running to Okabe. Reyes then attempts to upload the memories into herself, but Daru manages to delete Kurisu's memories first, resulting in Reyes's mind being overwritten by nothingness, essentially making her brain dead. The three of them then leave.

Following Dr. Reyes's defeat, Kagari explains that she heard a voice yell "No!" at the moment of transfer, causing Maho to speculate that the transfer failed because [Kurisu] rejected it. Okabe then offers everyone Lab Member pins.

Ten months later, the lab implements Operation Helheim. Kagari is hesitant, but Okabe assures her that she is destined to meet Mayuri in the Beta attractor field regardless of what they do. Suzuha thanks Okabe for his work, and Okabe announces the beginning of Operation Helheim, and sends the D-RINE to the past.

Gehenna Stigma
Kagari finds Maho after the girl tells Mayuri the truth about her numerous deaths. She briefly threatens Maho for hurting Mayuri, but leaves upon realizing that Mayuri is in danger.

Later, Maho finds Kagari at Radio Kaikan, with the girl being depressed following Mayuri's apparent death. Maho convinces her that they need to try and save Okabe. Once they get Okabe from Amadeus, they lead an assault on the facility, with Kagari dying in the battle.

Presage or Recognize
Kagari spies on the lab for several days before breaking in and attemptin to attack Suzuha while she is in the shower. While initially having the advantage due to discretely emptying the barrels of Suzuha's guns earlier, Suzuha manages to get the upper hand and pin Kagari to the ground. Kagari expresses her pain in the voice of her younger self, throwing Suzuha off and allowing her to escape. On her way out she briefly takes Daru hostage, but releases him after Suzuha threatens her and flees.

Vega and Altair
After Moeka is betrayed by SERN, Kagari saves her life. Kagari keeps Moeka locked in her apartment and leaves her injuries untreated for five months, then, when Moeka is at her breaking point, Kagari gives Moeka a new phone which Kagari uses to send her messages posing as FB. Kagari then begins treating her injuries.

7/7/2011 First Iteration Later on, when Mayuri and Suzuha attempt to use the time machine, they are intercepted by Stratfo, resulting in Mayuri being injured. Kagari then arrives and, noticing Mayuri's injury, begins brutally slaughtering the Stratfo agents with a pair of cleavers much to Mayuri's and Suzuha's horror. While Kagari does manage to kill all the agents, she is severely injured, including multiple gunshot wounds and and even having her hand severed. She then attempts to crawl towards Mayuri but is distraught over Mayuri's apparent fear of her. Losing the remainder of her strength, she is caught by Okabe who removes her helmet, revealing Yuki's face. Okabe tells Suzuha to focus on Mayuri while he looks after her. Kagari explains that she had been impersonating Yuki since she met Mayuri and Daru and the real Yuki was on an exchange trip to Europe and would not meet Daru for another year. She then states that the real Yuki would definitely fall in love with Daru like she did before dying in Okabe's arms. Not wanting to tell Mayuri and Suzuha of Kagari's death, Okabe lies, saying that he plans to take her to the hospital.

When the time machine is seemingly destroyed, Okabe is forced to leave her body behind in order to escape.

Second Iteration After Okabe time leaps to before the war, he manages to slow down the Stratfo forces and reach the rooftop before they arrive. Kagari then appears, shoots Okabe in the leg and attempts to prevent Mayuri and Suzuha from leaving. Okabe, despite being outmatched, manages to hold her back long enough for Mayuri and Suzuha to leave. A distraught Kagari once again feeling abandoned points her gun at Okabe, but Okabe manages to talk her down and convince her that Mayuri and Suzuha went to save the world, despite the "Voice of God" telling her otherwise. Kagari is then shot by Moeka, who had seen through her deception. Then, as before, Kagari dies in Okabe's arms.

Milky Way Crossing
Kagari sees Okabe off before he uses the time machine, giving him her plastic Upa.

Stray Sheep
In some worldlines, she would eventually escape again in 2010, but this time suffering from complete amnesia. She was taken in by a temple, but believing that it was bad for the monks to be in the presence of a young woman, she was left in the care of Yanabayashi Shrine. Believing Okabe might be able to help her, Luka contacts him, but is unable to fully explain the situation. He later brings Kagari to the Future Gadget Lab and upon seeing Mayuri, memories of her childhood return to her, leaving her as a 22 year old with the mental state of a 10 year old.

Recursive Mother Goose
She ends up working for Yugo Tennouji in his shop. Later on, she overhears Mayuri singing a song and remembers Mayuri singing it in the future. Beleiving that the song might help her recover her lost memories, she Okabe and Mayuri track down the source of the song, learning tht Mayuri learned it from Suzuha who learned if from Yuki who learned it from Okabe's mother who learned it from Okabe himself after he started his Houoin Kyouma phase. They decide to head to the cemetary the next day, but while there, Kagari hears a song and wanders off. No one is able to find her for six months.

Presage or Recognize
Kagari attacks the lab while Suzuha is showering. Catching her off guard, Suzuha manages to get the upper hand and pin Kagari to the ground. Kagari expresses her pain in the voice of her younger self, throwing Suzuha off and allowing her to escape. On her way out she briefly takes Daru hostage, but releases him after Suzuha threatens her before grabbing her Upa and fleeing.

Vega and Altair
Kagari later shows up for the final battle for the time machine atop Radio Kaikan. Seeing Mayuri injured, she turns on Stratfo and takes the agents out, but is shot in the back by Leskinen. When Okabe time leaps, he manages to save Kagari's life by recruiting Moeka to help him and Mayuri and Suzuha are able to successfully time travel.

Milky Way Crossing
In 2025, she is present when Okabe uses the time machine to go save Suzuha and Mayuri.

Runaway of the Free Particles
In the wordline shown in the Drama CD "Runaway of the Free Particles", Kagari Okabe is Okabe's adoptive daughter from 2036. Believing that her mother does not care about her because she is not her biological daughter, Kagari runs away from home, using a time machine to go back to 2011 where she meets the Future Gadget Lab. While Suzuha tries to being her back, the lab members dote on and spoil her throughout the day, with several of the girls being especially so after she notes that her mother used to be very gentle. Later, Kurisu helps remind her that her mother actually does love her and she agrees to go back with Suzuha.

Trivia

 * As with other elements of Steins;Gate 0, Kagari was first introduced in the Epigraph Trilogy.
 * The song that Kagari teaches Okabe was taught to her by Mayuri who learned it from Yuki who learned it from Okabe's mother who learned it from a younger Okabe himself and who then learned it from Kagari from the past. This creates a situation resembling a causal loop with the song seemingly not having a proper origin.
 * While it resembles a causal loop, those do not exist in Steins;Gate due to how time travel is explained in the series. The song's true origin is most likely a prior Beta wordline that was overwritten after Kagari time-travelled.
 * One of the possible origins for the song is the music box gifted to Maho during the Vega and Altair branch of the Visual Novel.
 * Kagari has been assigned the lab number 010.
 * Kagari is somewhat claustrophobic, being unable to stay in confined spaces for long periods of time.
 * Kagari only appears to replace Yuki in the Vega and Altair ending as they remain as separate characters in nearly every other ending.
 * The Gehenna Stigma ending is the only ending where it is left ambiguous as she dies off screen, so her face is never seen.

Etymology

 * The name Kagari was given to her by Mayuri Shiina - a reference to "kagaribi（篝火?)", meaning bonfire -, with the wish that Kagari would be a shining light to everyone no matter how dark the worldline was.
 * Kagari's surname Shiina means "oak, mallet" (椎) (shii) and "name, noted, distinguished, reputation" (名) (na).