Chisato Nishikigi

During the series' pre-production, Chisato's character profile was a topmost priority by the staff. In an interview, series director Shingo Adachi noted that he wrote Chisato's character as if she's writing her own. Adachi also felt that Chisato should be more human to make her likable to the audience and express more owing to her status as a main character.[1] Adachi describes Chisato as an 'intelligent, yet normal kid, not having answers to anything but following what is right in her heart, believing that her words is what drives the story forward'. He also wanted her to speak after a moment of thinking, finding unnecessary dialogue and pauses to be significant and shows authenticity.[2] Chisato was intended in the earlier drafts to be a serious character who would later softened as her friendship with Takina progress. When Adachi later joins the project, he presented his idea of happiness and type of woman to Asaura, who became interested in his idea, causing major revisions to Chisato's personality. Asaura admits in an interview that due to this change, she became difficult to write and her personality can be best expressed using the anime medium. He further noted that the changes made Chisato the perfect fit to Takina's 'aloof persona', stating that if they were the same as it once was, they would both be busy people.[3] Chisato was also originally written as being dissatisfied with having Takina as her partner. This was changed as Asaura didn't like the idea as the first episode would be too tense for his taste.[4] Furthermore, he also expressed difficulty in presenting a story featuring children firing guns in a positive light; as a result, they reframed the story to focus more into the development of friendship between the two main characters.[5]

In her initial design, her hair was originally white with a bluish shadow, but character designer Imigimuru thought she looked like a royalty, opting for a yellowish shadow instead. He also wanted to give her a distinct look, thus her hair gained curls and ribbons.[6] Imigimuru also stated that he wanted to have the hairstyles of the two main characters to be symmetrical; thus, he contrasted Takina's hair design with a long black hair with no accessories.[7] Originally, Chisato was meant to be skilled only with guns. However, the idea was rejected as Adachi thought that the series would be like a 'John Wick film', opting to give her the superhuman ability to dodge bullets.[1]

Chisato was recognized as the most skilled among the Lycoris at a very young age, almost singlehandedly defeating the terrorist Majima during the Radio Tower Incident.[12] When she was a child, she would kill with no mercy. This changed after she was given an artificial heart by Yoshimatsu, giving her a pacifist perspective in life.[13] During the first episode of the series, Chisato was called by Direct Attack to assist with their operation regarding a suspicious deal by suspected terrorists, unaware that an agent named Takina was also assigned in the same mission. She later learned that Direct Attack discharged Takina for disrespecting official orders during the mission, transferring her to LycoReco, a café affiliated with the organization where Chisato also works as a waitress.[14] The two would then go together in a mission to protect the hacker named 'Walnut' from danger. The two initially thought that Walnut was the person inside a squirrel costume bringing a suitcase, with them being shocked as they witnessed him being gunned to death. They soon learned that Walnut was in the suitcase and is a pseudonym of a girl that goes by the name Kurumi, who would join the café as a waitress afterwards in exchange of protection.[15] While going to the headquarters of Direct Attack, Takina tags along in hopes of being reinstated. However, she would find out that she is replaced by Sakura Otome as the partner of Fuki Harukawa, her former partner. She and Chisato would team up and fight Furukawa and Otome in a mock battle. With Takina clearly upset of being replaced, Chisato consoles her, noting that she has a place in the café.[16] One night, while the Lycoris were forced to stay indoors, she was targeted by the terrorist Majima, but narrowly escapes.[17]

Chisato goes undercover to the club where LycoReco's owner Mika went to after accidentally checking out his phone and unexpectedly meets Yoshimatsu once more.[18] After a confrontation with Majima, she went to her routine health check-up at Direct Attack, where she was sedated by Yoshimatsu’s assistant to damage her artificial heart, forcing her to die after two months.[19][13] During a terrorist attack orchestrated by Majima and his group, Chisato, along with Takina, are called by Direct Attack to assist with the incident.[13] As the café closes, Mika reveals to Chisato that she was originally meant to be used as a weapon. However, differences erupted between him and Yoshimatsu regarding Chisato's future after the Radio Tower incident. Despite learning this, Chisato told Mika that she still choose to love them.[20] She would later learn that Majima has held Yoshimatsu hostage at the same tower that she blew up years ago.[21] She would later confronts Yoshimatsu, who orders her to kill him since her new artificial hear is inside him, which she refuses. As Yoshimatsu escapes, Chisato and Takina arrive at Enkoboku to save the trapped Lycoris from being murdered by the organization after their identities are revealed to the public by Majima.[22] As they evacuate the Lycoris agents, Majima shows up and challenges Chisato to a one-on-one fight, which she accepts. She would ultimately prevail as Majima was shown to fall to the ground as she herself was rescued by Takina and others. Her whereabouts were kept unknown to Takina, who resolves to find Chisato using any means, finding her through an unassuming photo purportedly showing Chisato at the background. Chisato was revealed later to be in Hawaii, enjoying a vacation with her co-workers at LycoReco, which Takina later joins as well.[23]