Kako
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Professor Kako (Japanese: カコ博士 Hepburn: Kako-hakase), though seldom featured in person, is nevertheless a major figure in the backstory of the Kemono Friends universe. She was the vice-director of Japari Park's animal research team prior to its closing, as well as both a close friend and mentor to Mirai.
Personality
Little is known about the professor's personality, other than what appears in her self-introduction in the fourth Kemono Friends guidebook. Appropriate for her position, Kako is enormously hard working and devoted to her research. Disappearing into the lab for extended periods of time to conduct research with no outside interaction is her norm, although she does it out of love for the animals (and Friends) that she studies. Contrary to initial fan impressions, Kako is shy and somewhat socially awkward, possibly owing to her lack of regular contact with other people. She is much more comfortable around animals, however, and has been a regular visitor to the zoo since she was very young.
Role in the Plot
Backstory
Kako was one of the researchers present for the discovery of Friends when the phenonemon of animals becoming humanoid girls was first observed in Japari Park, and is responsible for some of the earliest documentation and reports on the new discovery. All known information on Kemonoplasm was documented by her, and she has been credited with the revival of extinct animals as Friends as well. It has also been heavily implied, by an unidentified Lucky Beast in the fourth official guidebook, that she was the creator of the prototype drones which would eventually be finalized and mass-produced as Lucky Beasts. Whether the final model is also her design is as-of-yet unknown.
Kemono Friends (2015 Mobile Game)
At the outset of the events of the game's story, during the Cerulean invasion of Japari Park, the park staff's headquarters is beseiged by the Cerulean Queen and her followers, forcing them to abandon Park Central and flee from the island. The staff manages to escape safely, with the sole exception of Kako, who is injured and has her Sparkle stolen by the Cerulean Queen, who then assumes a form resembling the professor's own. She enters a comatose state following her injury.
In Chapter 9, when the player reaches Park Central, Mirai informs the party as to the whereabouts of the Japari Park staff, as well as the danger that Kako could potentially be in. She tells the others that Kako was the one who inspired her to become a Park Guide from the start, giving the player a nod to their close friendship as mentor and pupil.
During the fight with the Cerulean Queen in Chapter 10, Mirai attempts to persuade the villain to stop fighting, hoping that she might possess a personality similar to Kako's own due to the form she had taken on. Mirai reasons that no one loves the Park as much as Kako, so if any trace of her personaltiy remained, the visually similar Cerulean Queen might be open to compromise. Unfortunately, the Queen is unaffected, disregarding the Park Guide's words entirely. The party concludes that she is nothing like Kako herself, and proceeds to foil her plans and defeat her, reducing the story's antagonist to nothing but a basic Cerulean. Kako awakens from her comatose state shortly thereafter, but is not seen even during the game's conclusion.
Current Whereabouts
Professor Kako's current status, along with that of all other humans that once inhabited Japari Park, is a complete mystery. Her research and accomplishments nevertheless continue to impact the universe of Kemono Friends.
Trivia
- Kako's hair ornaments resemble the tail of a Lucky Beast, which one (who narrates the bulk of the new information in the fourth guidebook) uses to hint at her role as the creator of the robot's prototype model.
- Kako's name means "Past" in Japanese, much like how her pupil and friend Mirai's name means "Future". This may be a reference to Kako's limited role in the story compared to her extensive imapct on the franchise's backstory.