| Leiko Tanaka |
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|---|---|
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| Art by KodamaCreative | |
| Name | Leiko Tanaka |
| Alias | Ice Queen |
| Also known as | Empress of Shadows |
| Status | Alive |
| Condition | Drylon tech user |
| Occupation | unknown |
| Previous occupation | CEO of the Scion Corporation, inister of Defense of Japan, aide to the Winter King, Queen of the Winter Kingdom, Zenith agent |
| Affiliation | Herself, Mortal Liberation Front (formerly), Empire of Shadows (formerly), Mortal Alliance (formerly), the Zenith (formerly) |
| First appearance | BTI 002 |
| Character Information | |
| Age | 44 years (chronologically, physically 27 years) |
| Year of birth | 16 BN 1980 AD |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Orientation | Heterosexual |
| Relatives | Daichi Tanaka (father, deceased), Noriko Tanaka (mother, deceased), Hideki Tanaka (brother, deceased), Shinobu Tanaka (nephew), Noriko Null (daughter) |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Black |
| Unusual features | Organic heart removed and cybernetically replaced with the Endless WInter (formerly) |
Leiko Tanaka (田中麗子 in Japanese) is the mother of Noriko Null.
A cold and ruthless schemer, she’s had many roles: heiress to the Tanaka estate, CEO of the Scion Corporation, secret leader of the Empire of Shadows, former Minister of Defense of Japan, former aide to the Winter King, former Ice Queen of the Winter Kingdom.
Biography
Leiko is the only daughter of businessman Daichi Tanaka and professor of archeology Noriko Tanaka; her two brothers died of overdose before she was 15 years old. After her mother’s brain was damaged for attempting to interface with the Core, Leiko grew under the influence of the alien device and the harsh ubringing of her father. Discovering that the Heart Of The Universe was in possession of Bob Null and that the only way to activate it was by being pregnant, she conceived the child that would one day grow to be Noriko Null.
Leiko was recruited in the Mortal Liberation Front and acted as their secret agent on Earth; Noriko grew up without knowing the identity of her mother.
After Leiko revealed herself to Noriko 18 years later, Athena activated the Nexus that the Mortal Liberation Front had installed into her brain during the pregnancy. Mother and daughter would soon start a bitter rivalry, leading to the Scion Corporation takeover by Null Technologies. Later, by using technology stolen from Noriko and with the Core’s help, Leiko founded the terrorist organization called the Empire of Shadows and used the identity of Empress of Shadows. Leiko has also formed secret alliances with Hermes, Eris, the Scribe and the Mist.
During the Guild invasion of Earth, Leiko was almost able to conquer the entire planet and steal control of the Nexus but was ultimately defeated by her daughter. Exiled on Boreas by the Heart Of The Universe, she befriended the Winter King and became his trusted advisor.
She convinced the Winter King to invade Earth and recover the Vial of Destiny and access to Lar technology. After the Winter King was defeated by Noriko Null, Leiko killed him, claiming his armor and the title Ice Queen.
In recognition of her help to stop a potential coup, Hera granted Leiko the gift of eternal youth, rejuvenating her both to that of a 25 year old and stopping her aging process.
After losing the throne of the Winter Kingdom to Harmonia, Leiko was recruited by Roxiana into Ulysses‘ Zenith.
Her brief attempt to reconquer the throne was short-lived, as she was dethroned and succeeded by her daughter and imprisoned.
Powers
Leiko was originally a human with no powers.
ENHANCED INTELLIGENCE
Leiko’s mind was slowly altered by the Core, boosting her intelligence and giving her easier access to alien technology; it may also be responsible for her total lack of empathy.
Former powers
IMMUNITY TO DIVINE POWERS AND DRYLON WEAPONS
Leiko used to wear the Vial of Destiny at all times. Containing the last known samples of Drylon DNA, the Vial made her immune to the powers of the gods and to the Blood.
INFINITE COLDNESS CONTROL
As the Ice Queen, Leiko had access to (and was later cybernetically linked to) the Endless Winter, a Lar device that allows the user to create, shape and manipulate ice for various effects.She could use this to freeze solid an entire planet in seconds.
While the device was destroyed, it has since been replaced by the similar Eternal Winter build by Roxiana.
ETERNAL YOUTH
As a gift from Hera, Leiko stopped aging. After Hera was turned back into an infant, Leiko has started to age again, but she has retained her youth.
Technology
WINTER ARMOR
Near invulnerability: the armor is laced with indestructible Neutral Matter and is impervious to most physical attacks.
Life support: the armor allows the user to survive in outer space
Notes
- While arguably among the weakest of all the Vanguard’s enemies, she’s the only adversary from the first 50 issues still around
- Leiko was selected as Time’s Person Of The Year before her daughter, much to Noriko’s annoyance
- She’s been shown to speak both English and Russian fluently. She likely knows Olympian as well.