It's a law of nature that all anime characters are assigned a set of features that, depending on the context of the show, mean a lot or mean absolutely nothing. It's the usual array of birthdays and blood types, things that some people believe can be read into to find out more about the subject. Here I'll go over the stats Akio's given, and if they mean anything at all.
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Akio's hair alternates from light purple to silvery white to pale blue depending on the scene. A typical feature of very light shades like his, so I just save myself the trouble and call it silver, since that's a nice summary color.
The color of a character's hair in Utena stalks them all throughout the series with its symbolic significance, right down to the roses they duel with. Akio's color, by merit of the rose he duels with, is lavender. I say this because while most of the cast clearly have their rose and their hair color in common, Akio's hair color isn't quite the same shade as his rose in most scenes. It's a coloring that hasn't changed since his days as Dios.
Lavender is a shade of violet, and as much as anything else, it's a display of his being related to Anthy. Their hair colors are clearly from the same genetic line, though Akio's is of course much lighter; more what you'd expect from a prince. Light colors are associated symbolically with good; we've all seen the blond angel in the white gown, so it seens only fitting for Dios to have
It's not just a color, it's a plant! The lavandula genus contains about 30 different species. Worth noting, since this is about how many different hair colors Akio sports in the series, even under similar lighting.
light hair. (Of course, hair like that on such dark skin is a major genetic rarity, to say nothing of the green eyes both siblings share. But we're not going to get into that in a series where people are born with bubblegum pink and Akio car red hair.)
Akio's lavender draws another hard to ignore parallel to Anthy. In SKU, white is reserved for the prince, and though in the series Utena claims it herself, it would stand to reason the color originally belonged to Dios. Now Dios' symbol of pure goodness doesn't suit him anymore, and the result is white shot with the color of the one who destroyed it. A little purple will turn white to lavender, and so Akio's color is Dios' white marred by Anthy's touch.
Unfortunately, in terms of plain old color symbolism, it's rather off the mark. Lavender is considered a very feminine color; it's what women wear when they've outgrown pink. While wildly popular in baroque men's fashions, most guys today wouldn't be caught dead with such a stereotypically gay color on their person, and would dye it out of their hair since it too closely resembles the greyness of old age. (In fact, Lavender is the name of a gay/lesbian magazine—first hit on google when you search the word.) As usual, Akio doesn't seem concerned with the gender association. He's clearly not worrying about looking old, either.
One thing I ran across that struck me funny is that ancient Egyptians and Romans associated the lavender plant with danger and deception. The dreaded asp often made its nest under lavender plants, so it was not always wise to go in pursuit of the flower, though it was quite popular in scents and cooking. It may be overanalyzing to say this was deliberate, but it is an amusing coincidence, considering that snakes tie in even more with the Satan mythos Akio's so fond of. |
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It's never specified whether this is Akio's sun sign or Dios'. Virgo is why. Virgo doesn't fit Akio. It doesn't fit Dios, either. It fits the both of them. Certain aspects are recognizable in Akio, and others in Dios. Putting Virgo under the microscope, it seems much more likely to be the day Dios is
Birth Date: 9/15 (September 15th), year obviously unknown
Sun Sign (Star Sign): Virgo (  )
Virgo's Ruling Planet: Mercury (  )
Virgo's Element: Earth
Virgo's Quality: Mutable
Virgo's Ruling House: 6th
Virgo is an analytical sign. If any sign could put emotions to a math formula, it's Virgo, who is exacting to a fault, and as we all know 'the devil is in the details'. Virgos are also masters of miscellaneous fact, and have limitless quarries of random knowledge. Because of their over-attention to detail, Virgos tend to like to get into a routine and stick with it. As one would expect from someone of this nature, they are also perfectionists, and occasionally get a bit critical of others because of it. Virgo has, because of it's analytically keen grasp on human behavior, trust issues. Virgo tends to be pessimistic because of this, and rarely sees the world in positive light.
That certainly does sound like Akio. He has the subconscious mind down to a science. He conducts his work with the greatest attention to detail, and has found himself in a routine of playing Ends of the World, handing out letters, and organizing duels. He's such a creature of routine that the duelists are made to follow one of his making. (He even has the emotional breaking points of the duelists scheduled.) And of course, we all know him to be a well of random facts and tidbits.
However, that's not all there is to Virgo. Virgo is (as the association with virgins would indicate) humble, modest, and humane. Virgos consider their modesty a good trait, though others might find them a bit prudish. Virgos also have a very strong sense of duty, and are quite comfortable devoting themselves to the greater good. This sounds very much like Dios, an innocent prince who literally broke his back trying to save the world as if he owed it something. He was humble and modest, as no clue is made in the series that Dios ever used his power to further his own cause, but instead let people use and trample him.
Virgo's ruling planet is Mercury. Mercury is logical and down to earth. Mercurians tend to over think situations, only furthering the already strong attention to detail seen in Virgo. Mercury is a thinker, and he makes matters of intellect his pastime (Akio). Mercurians are also people in perpetual motion, often so much so that they're considered busybodies, and rarely give themselves a moment's rest (Dios).
Virgo's quality is Mutable. Mutable people tend to go with the flow, and can seemingly totally change their personality when such a thing is called for. They're considered the chameleons of the Zodiac. Mutables are also blessed with a talent for dissecting a situation and have an uncommon amount of resourcefulness (Akio). They're also very sympathetic, and often find themselves biting off more than they can chew in their attempt to make everyone around them happy, usually concerned more with the greater good than their own well being (Dios).
Virgo and Mercury rule the 6th house of the Zodiac. The 6th house is the house commonly associated with health and matters of practicality. While this says little concerning personalities, it is worth noting that health was the main factor in the chain of events that took Dios to Akio. Also, Akio seems to be able to induce sickness or health at his leisure, a power that clearly acts above and beyond his manipulative talents (The Chairman, Ruka) .
In short, Virgo is a suitable assignment, not to Akio, or to do Dios, but to them both. What doesn't apply directly to Akio invariably applies to Dios, and hints at them being parts of a whole. Which helps. Sometimes it's easy to forget they're still the same person.
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The Rider-Waite version of The Hermit.
The Hermit is someone who has departed from the world, left behind possessiveness and worldly needs, to learn from the lessons in their own heart. Strength through
inner reflection, etc, etc. As I
The Magician in the doujinshi tarot deck made by fans in Japan. As usual, he's pictured as a man suffering a total inability to keep his pants from falling off.
said, doesn't fit Akio at all. But tarot cards don't always represent people directly. The Hermit often is read as a journey of enlightenment yet to be taken. With that in mind, The Hermit may be the journey Akio must take to leave his prison after the series. At that point Anthy is no longer there to protect him from the consequences of his own actions.
But then, there's Akio's unofficial tarot card!
In the tarot deck, which long sold on eBay for 150+ bucks a pop, Akio is The Magician. Though the deck was a fan effort in Japan, I must say most of the cards were very fitting of the images given to them, chosen more for cards fitting the character personalities
than telling of what the character needs or wants. The Magician is a conduit of power. It never comes from within, but from an outside source that he commands. The Magician would, as a result, be completely powerless on his own. Sound familiar? Akio's manipulative talents are his alone, but his indirect control over the Power of Dios comes to him through his Rose Bride, who is the before mentioned outside source that Akio, The Magician, commands. This makes his being chosen as The Magician quite snappy, since the obvious first thought is probably The Devil (controlling people through willing submission) or The Moon (deception and lack of clarity). The casting of these cards in the deck are Mamiya and Shiori, respectively, and I'd say they fit the cards quite well.
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Blood type analysis is considerably more popular in Japan than astrology. Akio's blood type is 'A'. Type 'A's are very understanding of others' emotions, though how that understanding is used is often up for debate. Type 'A's put others ahead of themselves, often at great risk to their own hides, and while they desire nothing more than peace, they often find themselves in the middle of the tempest (Dios). 'A' types are fond of repeated structure and formality, Akio's bread and butter. Type 'A' has a tendency to get obsessed with one thing, often getting caught up in dreams, and unwilling to face difficult situations. Type 'A' people do not like unfamiliar company and meeting new people. A trait which, though not made obvious, would hardly be unexpected in Akio. Type 'A's are usually inclined to show little genuine emotion, and only feel comfortable showing real emotion when it's highly controlled, and easy to turn off.
More interesting, perhaps, is the Strong/Weak Dominant/Recessive interactions of blood types. This is the interaction between other blood types, and how some blood types are dominant or recessive next to others. Type 'A' people understand, and thus better manipulate, type 'O' and 'AB' people. However, type 'A' often has a hard time with type 'B's, because type 'B' is the dominate type. Why is this interesting? Anthy, Akio's number one victim, is type 'AB'. Utena, the bone-crushing defeat? Type 'B'. The only other type 'B's in the show are Nanami and Shiori. Apparently, this stuff ain't set in stone, but that said, both Nanami and Shiori win little attention from Akio. Shiori is manipulated largely by Mikage and Ruka, and most of Nanami's path is laid out by Touga.
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