Monika Kaniyashiki[2] also known as Kaniko, is a member of the Police Force.[3]
Appearance#
Monika is a short, petite girl with a round face and semicircular, orange-brown eyes. Her dull red hair is short and worn styled like a crab’s body in two high bunches with claw-shaped ends, six short tufts protruding out to the sides resembling the animal's legs, and split bangs hanging over each eye.
While working for the Kanidoge chain as an undercover cop, she wears a pinkish-red knee-length kimono, left open to reveal a black combat vest and pale green shorts, and a pair of black 3/4 leggings underneath. She also sports black fingerless gloves and geta on her feet, as well as a yellow and black striped headband.
When working as a police officer, she wears the standard female uniform of the Japanese police.[4]
Personality#
Monika has a cheerful and outgoing personality, tending to be laid-back, calm, and openly friendly in personality. This makes Monika easily able to socialize with other people, including those she has just met, and her friendly personality makes her prefer to be called Kaniko rather than by her real name. She is also a jokester, having a goofy sense of humor and enjoying making jokes to make others laugh, although this doesn't impress anyone, which she attributes to a lack of humor in others. When she feels upset, her face adopts an appearance that resembles the shell of a Heikegani.[2]
Due to her behavior, many people do not take her seriously, which is good for her because she is a police officer who usually works undercover. Though she may appear unprofessional, Monika takes her real job very seriously, proving to have great deductive and investigative abilities.[5] She does not hesitate to risk her life to protect others, even if she has to use her Quirk for it, even though this could cause her problems given her cop status.[6]
All in all, even when she works as a police officer, her outgoing personality and joking behavior is still present, which makes her teammates sometimes have trouble knowing when she is serious or when she is joking.[3]
Abilities#
Deductive Skills: Despite the first impressions she may generate, Monika is very intelligent and has a sharp mind. She was able to deduce the method by which the Villain Factory was using the products of the Kanidoge food chain to import and distribute Trigger, as well as discover the main suspect even though he was disguised.[5]
Quirk#
Snip Clip: Monika's Quirk allows her to give her index and middle fingers the properties of a pair of scissors. She can snip through almost anything placed between them. Monika can apply the same power to her legs, allowing her to make larger cuts.[6]
Ultimate Moves#
- Rocket Crab Clip: When she is thrown against a target, Monika uses her legs to make the cut.[7]
Chapter Appearances#
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Anime Appearances#
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Trivia#
- The kanji in her surname, Kaniyashiki, respectively mean "crab", "roof/house" or "shop/seller", and "spread/promulgate". Her given name, Monika, is written in katakana (モニカ) and therefore has no known kanji reading, though its last two kana can be rearranged to spell "kani" (crab).
- According to Monika's Volume 5 profile:
- Her favorite food is kani miso.
- Hideyuki Furuhashi explains that Monika's character is made up of three required story elements: a native Osakan, another idol to interact with Pop☆Step, and a law enforcement officer working with Fat Gum. While finding her a little absurd, Furuhashi admires how she balances being a cute girl with a hammy sense of humor.
- Betten Court was unsure how to make Monika look cute at first, but as he began drawing her, she began to exude a mysterious charm. Underneath her goofy exterior, Betten finds her character to be deliciously savory, much like an actual crab.
- The Heikegani, or Heike crab, is a species of crab native to Japan with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face.
- Monika shares her birthday with Flect Turn and Simon Gollini.