Ren Shimosawa

Ren Shimosawa
Portrayed by	Toru Uchikado
First appearance	Brave New World
In-story stats
Known ability	None
Nickname	Reckless Ren
Gender
Home	Tokyo, Japan
Occupation	Gamer

Ren Shimosawa is a gamer who tries to convince Miko that she is the "Katana Girl".

Character History

Brave New World

Ren travels to an address he got in a secret message after beating the second to last level of Evernow. There, he meets Miko Otomo who he seems to recognize but has no idea who he is. Ren eventually leaves, but not before he spots a scene from Evernow on the door of Hachiro Otomo's study.

Ren later returns to the apartment with the game manual for Evernow which he uses to show Miko that she is Katana Girl. Ren insists that Miko is Katana Girl even though she doesn't believe it. Ren shows Miko how in the manual Katana Girl wants vengeance for her father and how the sword that makes her a warrior is beneath the floorboards of her father's study. Miko eventually sends him away, but Ren leaves her his game manual which she uses to help locate the Kensei sword.

Odessa

Ren returns to Miko's apartment to apologize to her but finds the door open and Evernow open on her computer. Ren enters the game and finds Miko fighting a bunch of warriors in Bandit City. Seeing her about to be overwhelmed, Ren logs in and helps her fight off the warriors. Miko takes off, asking Ren to distract the warriors as she races after her father who she saw being dragged away. Ren defeats the guards then asks where Miko went as he can't see her anymore. Ren watches as Miko saves her father only for him to tell her their work isn't over yet. Suddenly, Hachiro is dragged into a nearby tower and Miko is knocked out. Ren watches, stunned, as Miko teleports back to the apartment after accidentally resheathing her sword as she fell.

Later, Ren tends to Miko, stunned as she really is Katana Girl, what he calls an incredible miracle. Miko tells Ren he was right all along about her and looks out the window at Yamagato Tower, stating that she needs to go there as it was where her father was taken. While Ren suggests a taxi, Miko tells him that she means in the game and insists on going back even though she nearly got killed last time. Telling Ren to guide her from the computer, Miko teleports back to Evernow.

Ren later guides Miko into Yamagato Tower where she finds herself surrounded. To escape, Miko teleports away but ends up in the real Yamagato Tower rather than back in the apartment with Ren.

Under the Mask

Ren arrives at Yamagato Tower, using a picture of the tower from Evernow to confirm its the right place. In the lobby, Ren is stunned to find the security guards being treated for their altercation with Miko and spots Erica Kravid and Harris approaching, carrying Miko's sword. Ren takes a picture of them with his phone and listens in as Harris tells Erica they will land in Midian at 7:00pm and that "it" should be online by then. Ren gets worried when Harris tells Erica that they are holding Miko in the main conference room and Erica orders him to do whatever it takes to get answers from her. Ren grows more worried when Harris tells Erica that she didn't hire him for his restraint and is briefly noticed by Harris as he moves away from them. Ren purposefully bumps into a Yamagato employee and steals her pass to get further into the building.

Ren emerges from the elevator on the correct floor and uses the camera on his phone to make sure there are no guards around the corner before he goes down a hallway. Ren manages to narrowly avoid two guards who go by him discussing Miko and her sword and continues searching for her. Nearing the main conference room, Ren hears Miko scream and bursts in, distracting Harris. Miko uses the opportunity to grab a meat cleaver and cut off Harris' hand before knocking him down and fleeing with Ren.

As they flee Yamagato Tower, Miko stops Ren as she no longer has her sword and can't save her father without it. Ren tells her that its okay as he knows who has it. He shows her his picture of Erica Kravid and tells Miko the woman's name is Erica and she is going to Midian which he thinks is in Colorado in America. Miko tells him that they have to go to America then.

The Needs of the Many

Ren and Miko make their way to the airport in a taxi to fly to America to retrieve the Kensei sword. The cab driver comments that a last minute ticket will cost Ren over a million yen, but he tells him its no problem when your famous and shows Miko his video blog site. The driver asks what kind of pornography he does, but Ren explains he's a gamer and people all over the world pay to watch him play online. Ren demonstrates by recording a video in English stating that he is with Hachiro Otomo's daughter, the real-life Katana Girl. Though Miko asks him to stop, Ren continues, telling his followers they are on a real-life quest to America and need their help. Ren tells his followers if they love Evernow as much as he does, to dress up as their favorite character and meet them at the gates of Renautas in Midian the next morning. Miko questions how Ren getting all of the gamers to Renautas will help her rescue her father and defeat the forces of evil, but he just tells her to never doubt the power of social media and the gamers would be there.

On the plane to America, Ren notices Miko is distracted and questions her on it. Miko tells him its about what happened at Yamagato Tower and Ren realizes she's worried about what Harris had said about her being dead. To cheer her up, Ren teasingly pokes at Miko until she tells him to stop and he tells her that if she was dead, she'd be a zombie and she doesn't feel like or act like one. Ren reassures Miko about her being alive and she tells him that Harris had told her that her father had the same ability as her. Ren is surprised at the thought the Hachiro could leap into his own video games as well and tells Miko that that's why Hachiro's games are so realistic: he lives in them. Miko realizes that that's why he was taken into Evernow and Ren tells her that its her destiny to save him. Miko worries about failing her father and Ren tells her that if quests weren't so hard, they wouldn't be heroic.

Ren and Miko arrive across the street from Renautas and Miko questions Ren on his plan. Ren assures her it will work and that his plan is already in motion. Ren explains that with all the Katana Girls that will show up due to his broadcast, it will be easy for them to infiltrate Renautas. While Miko comes up with a complicated plan to get them in, Ren instead tells her to just take off her sweatshirt which covers her Katana Girl armor. The two then approach the outside of Renautas Headquarters, causing the Evernow fans to rush over to them when they spot the real Katana Girl with Ren.

The Lion's Den

Ren has the gamers he has gathered storm the gates of Renautas Headquarters so they can go on a sort of scavenger hunt to get pictures in as many places of the campus as possible. Erica Kravid recognizes that Ren's plan is a Trojan Horse to sneak Miko in since there are so many people dressed as Katana Girl. In response, she sends a Harris clone to let the gamers in so he can discreetly scan them with E.P.I.C for evos and the real Katana Girl. As they enter the gate, Miko recognizes Harris as the one who stole her sword and she and Ren follow him.

Miko and Ren keep an eye on Harris as he uses E.P.I.C to scan the crowd. The two realize that Harris is looking for them with the glasses and it is likely a trap. Miko tells Ren that even if it is a trap, they have to keep going as finding the sword is the only way to save her father who is all she has except for Ren. Ren and Miko eventually follow Harris inside the building where he puts on E.P.I.C goggles and grabs a fake Katana Girl who looks a lot like Miko to scan her. As the girl was right in front of them, Miko jumps a nearby wall and pulls Ren up with her before Harris can complete his scan. Ren points out a picture of Erica on the wall and comments that they face a formidable foe, but their mission is honorable so they won't fail. The two eventually follow Harris outside where they see him entering a vehicle with the Kensei sword. Ren puts his cell phone inside the car's gas cap unnoticed and shows Miko how he is going to use the phone's GPS to track Harris from his laptop.

As Miko breaks into the Kravids' home, Ren nervously waits outside, ducking out of sight as Noah Bennet looks outside. Finally, Miko teleports behind him and shows an excited Ren she got back her sword. Miko thanks Ren for his help and says she must go back to Evernow to rescue her father. Ren holds up his video game controller and promises to have her back in Evernow. Ren excitedly watches as Miko teleports back to Evernow.

Game Over

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Sundae, Bloody Sundae

Ren tries to access Evernow on his laptop in a café, but finds that Evernow's servers are down.

11:53 to Odessa

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Send in the Clones

Before having Tommy Clark send her to Sunstone Manor, Miko asks Tommy to tell Ren she loved him too if Tommy ever sees him. Tommy promises to do so.

Company Woman

Ren arrives in Gateway where he nervously allows the guards to scan him. They find him in the database and give him an injection that will allow him to get his watch. After getting his watch, Ren notices Emily Duval and how upset she is and attempts to comfort her. Emily tells Ren that she's worried that her friend is making a terrible mistake. Ren reluctantly tells her he is looking for "the Master of Time and Space" and Emily tells Ren that is her boyfriend. Emily and Ren set out to locate Tommy with Ren recognizing part of Gateway as being similar to Evernow. Ren realizes Hachiro Otomo must've created both and leads Emily to an elevator he believes will take them to the core where they can find Tommy. The two are unable to operate the elevator, but Ren notices a knob with an indent of the symbol within. Ren places the symbol necklace the construct of Hachiro gave him and it allows him to activate the elevator. Ren is pleased to realize why Hachiro gave him the necklace. Reaching the core of the building, Ren and Emily find Hachiro being knocked out and learn that Tommy has been imprisoned in Evernow to their horror.

Heroes Evolutions

Brave New World

In the eBook Brave New World, Ren plays Evernow, and beats the highest boss with what he thought was just a delaying tactic. Excited, Ren realizes he is the first gamer in the world to get this far. He writes down a message on the screen, and is amazed when the game won't work until he goes to the address listed in the message. The message also says to stay off social media, which is difficult for Ren since he "lived and died by the page views on his video channel".

Memorable Quotes

"Leeroy Jenkins!"

- Ren to skull-faced samurai

"I'm looking for the Master of Time and Space."
"Dude, I'm dating him!"

- Ren and Emily Duval meet

"Very clever Hachiro-san!"

- Ren praising Hachiro's useful gift

See Also

• For other uses of Ren, see Ren (disambig).