Keiko Takimoto (Earth-97082; Iron Man character)

takimoto-keiko-97082-intro-face KEIKO TAKIMOTO
of Earth-97082 circa 2015 A.D. takimoto-keiko-97082-most-full

Real Name: Keiko Takimoto

Identity/Class: Alternate reality (Earth-97082) human;
Japanese citizen

Occupation: Executive position in Stark International's Japanese branch

Group Membership: Stark International's Japan branch

Affiliations: IM2, Iron Man/Tony Stark,
formerly Hiro Matsui

Enemies: Hiro Matsui and his unidentified cabal seeking to manipulate/takeover Japan;

Known Relatives: Hideo Shinoda (step-father), unidentified mother

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
formerly ESON Development building, Tokyo, Japan

First Appearance: Iron Man: Crash (April, 1988)

Powers/Abilities: Keiko has the business and/or technological acumen to serve as an executive in a Stark International branch.

She is highly skilled in unarmed (even unclothed) combat, able to take down a trained assassin by herself. She is willing to kill someone if needed, but is saddened to do so.

Keiko is a woman of loyalty, honor, and beauty.

Height: Unrevealed (apparently wearing high heels, she looked to be at least 6 inches shorter than the 6'1" Tony Stark, so perhaps 5'5")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 125 lbs.)
Eyes: Dark brown (possibly black)
Hair: Black

History:

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Hideo Shinoda married the mother of Keiko Takimoto.

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Noticing Keiko's admiration of his business rival Tony Stark, Hideo -- now the CEO of the technology firm ESON development -- encouraged this, ultimately wishing Keiko and Stark to fall in love and marry.

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Keiko became achieved an executive position in Stark International's Japan branch.

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Seeking to give more to the world, Stark recently agreed to market the Somatic Amplification Vehicle (SAV), a non-weaponized version of his Iron Man armor, via ESON, whom he considered the best for its mass production.

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - After Stark International shipped the final schematics and the wire-wrapped prototype, ESON broke contact.
This was presumably under Matsui's direction and without Hideo Shinoda's knowledge.

(Iron Man: Crash) - After arriving in Tokyo to deal with the break in contact, Stark met with his local executive, Keiko Takimoto, who told him it was an honor to meet him, but as she prepared to introduce himself, he identified her himself, noting that he tried to know all of his executives through their OmniCorp personnel file. She told Stark that she hoped she did not appear too nervous, as he was a legend to her and to most people, and she apologized that they had to meet under such distressing circumstances. Although she had no further knowledge of the situation, she told him that based on their knowledge of ESON she believed that this would eventually prove to be a minor misunderstanding. As Stark and Keiko departed, Stark's bodyguards agreed that she was a pretty lady, and Stark and Keiko took each other's hand and encouraged the use of first names. takimoto-keiko-97082-massage

(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - Stark met with Hideo Shinoda and his apparent second-in-command, Hiro Matsui. Ultimately, Hideo took Stark's question of the breach in contact as accusation and insult, and he departed the meeting with Hiro, who suggested they allow their lawyers to handle things.

(Iron Man: Crash) - As Keiko drove Stark, he noted that the meeting was not productive, and he worried that delays would allow greater damage if his designs had been compromised. Keiko assured him that Hideo was an honorable man: "We Japanese hold Hideo Shinoda in much the same regard as your country holds you. Few would believe him capable of what <he feared>." When Stark expressed frustration of his inability to access knowledge as he could from OmniComp back home as well as his ignorance of Japan, Keiko assured him that she could teach him, but she first suggested that, before absorbing the new, he should clear his mind and relax.

Keiko took Stark to a Japanese bath where she gave him an intimate massage, during which time she noted that the Perpetuon drug he took to shield him from aging also desensitized the user against many emotions. They were then interrupted by an assassin who broke through the ceiling and began firing. While Stark dove under water, Keiko struck their attacker with a bucket, kicked him into the water and then drowned him, apparently resisting his efforts to choke her and return and apparently crying from the effort and/or having killed a person. After discovering the attacker had already slain Stark's bodyguards, they were confronted by Fury and a SHIELD contingent who had Stark put into a plane headed back to the USA.

(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - Stark donned a suit of Iron Man armor hidden in his luggage, and flew back. He called Keiko, who -- despite surveillance from both SHIELD and local authorities -- met him in a secluded area.

(Iron Man: Crash) - Keiko gave Stark a CDV-ROM map of the city, which he translated via his armor's onboard lexicon. As Stark apparently started to discuss plans for the two of them "when this is over," Keiko told Stark that she was raised in duty and obligation, and she was pleased that it was helping a man she so much admired. takimoto-keiko-97082-outfit

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Keiko vanished into the night (presumably avoiding surveillance).

(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - Iron Man located a cyborg Dreadnought, whose systems he hacked, finding evidence that Shinoda had altered the Stark programs and further evidence of a SCV samurai project.

(Iron Man: Crash (fb) - BTS) - Operating in haste to keep SHIELD diverted, Keiko obtained the IM2 robot Stark had had sent to help him confront ESON.

(Iron Man: Crash) - Keiko delivered the IM2 robot to Iron Man, and he explained its nature and purpose. Before Stark left, Keiko noted the lengths to which she had gone, and she confessed that Shinoda was her stepfather and that he had wanted them to fall in love and marry, but her admiration of Stark created a distance that made love difficult, and that recent events further complicated that. She finally insisted that while Shinoda was tough and aggressive, that the man who raised her was not a thief or a killer. As he departed, Stark noted, "Men change."

(Iron Man: Crash - BTS) - Iron Man, aided by IM2, found that Hiro had masterminded the usurping and weaponizing of Stark's SAV while framing Hideo in his plot to use his warriors to allow Japan to take the lead in military might. Iron Man and IM2 helped Hideo escape and defeated Hiro's armored samurai warriors, during which time Hiro apparently perished. IM2 apparently gained sentience and left Stark as a result of this conflict.

Keiko Takimoto's subsequent fate was not revealed.

Comments: Created by Michael Saenz

Crash was billed as "The First Computer Generated Graphic Novel." That was a big deal back in 1988. There's an extensive feature on how they did it at the back of the book. Buy it, and read it!

    Much like Earth-8410, the "future" of 2020 A.D., this is a reality where Stark was active from the mid-60's forward, with no sliding timescale. With the graphic novel published in 1988, the main story in 2015 AD was meant to take place 27 years in the future.

    The terms SAV and SCV were used somewhat interchangeably in the story, but the SAV was a non-weaponized version, while the SCV was the combat version. Iron Man's armor was a SCV, but he de-weaponized it into a SAV, which is what he distributed to ESON. Hiro weaponized the SAV technology to make his SCV Samurai.

    ESON was always in all capitals, and so I would assume it is an acronym, but we were never given any further description of the name.

    As the story was written in the 80's it wasn't suspected that pay phones would be largely obsolete within a few decades.

    This profile was completed 03/10/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 20^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Keiko Takimoto should be distinguished from:

TAKIMOTO, RON - Hydra, elite bounty division, teamed with Punisher against Guillotine, killed in the process. Japanese male, skilled in martial arts--Daredevil I Annual#7
other "Keiko" or "Takimoto" characters

images: (without ads)
Iron Man: Crash graphic novel, pg. 26, panel 1 (face, introduction);
    pg. 29, panel 1 (massage);
    pg. 30, panel 4 (shadowed, taking down assassin);
    pg. 35, panel 4 (outfit, upper body);
    pg. 40, panel 6 (mostly full body)

Appearances:
Iron Man: Crash graphic novel (April, 1988) - Mike Saenz (writer, artist), William Bates (producer/programmer), Archie Goodwin (editor)

First posted: 09/07/2021
Last updated: 09/05/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
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