Erika
Hayasaka Erika (早坂 えりか)[1] is a female of presumably Japanese descent in her mid-twenties. She shares an apartment with Nanasawa Kimiko and works at the Megagamers game store with Yanagisawa and Piro. Tall, beautiful, and (in Largo's words) "r4ck3d", Erika is generally cynical, especially about men. She is fluent in both Japanese and English, as well as being able to speak to Largo's "conscience", Boo.
Erika was an idol several years prior to the events of Megatokyo, providing the voice for the lead character Moeko of the popular anime Girl Phase. She was engaged to her high school sweetheart, Hitoshi, who ended up breaking the engagement for disturbing reasons. Deeply wounded by this, she left the spotlight, seeking obscurity. (See also Erika's retirement.)
Although Piro and Largo were initially unaware of it, Kimiko and Yanagisawa both knew about her past, as well as Hitoshi's brother, Inspector Sonoda of the Tokyo Police Cataclysm Division. Although she has completely dropped out of the idol scene, she retains a dedicated following capable of forming Obsession Level 5 fan groups. Her fans address her as "Hayasaka-hime" and "Eri-rin." Recently, Dom arriving in Tokyo has presented problems for Erika, as he has manipulated her fanbase into action by revealing her location and attempting to coerce her into signing on with his company Sega for "protection".
In addition to her work at Megagamers, she has also been seen working as a boothbabe at the 2000 Tokyo Game Show and is known to have been the model used to update the movements of the character Kasumi in Tecmo's "Dead or Alive: Ultimate Fear". Between her beauty and willingness to exploit it she tends to provide the most fanservice in the comic.
Erika also seems to have a violent streak, having been known to break Largo's arms, as well as pummeling assorted perverts on trains. It has also been revealed that at one stage, she broke Kimiko's nose while drunk. Erika's closeness to Kimiko stems from this event and the fact that Kimiko never gave up on her when she had given up on herself.
Memorable Quotes
"Oi. Want me to break your other arm so you have a matching set?" - to Largo
"Well, well, it looks like Piro's little fan club is all here. How nice." - strip 251
"Can we play one of my games?" - to Largo
Relations with other characters
- Piro
- Coworker, fanboy. Currently works at and lives above Megagamers thanks to Erika's influence. Was fan of a voice actress named Hayasaka Erika (he owned a life size poster and body pillow) but did not realize this was 'his' Erika until Yanagisawa pointed this out to him. First Shown Together: Strip 89.
- Largo
- This relationship is somewhat nebulous. In the early strips Erika regarded Largo as a rude, possibly crazy man. However, Largo's eccentricities proved him to be something other than the sterotypical "fanboy" she had come to regard all males as. From Chapter 4 on, Largo has attempted to protect Erika from her fans, however, she would prefer not to be helped in this way. Since that incident, they have gotten to know one another. Erika has noticed his more admirable qualities and started to make romantic advances. First Shown Together: Strip 23.
- Kimiko
- Roommate and best friend. Erika seems to "mother" Kimiko, advising her on multiple things, including her career, and attempting to cheer her up. She also seems to pay for a good deal of Kimiko's living expenses. First Shown Together: Strip 24.
- Yuki
- Encountered briefly on various occasions at MegaGamers, but has only recently discovered her relation to Inspector Sonoda. Erika once nearly broke Yuki's arm, thinking she was a fan sneaking up on her. First Shown Together: Strip 92
- Dom
- Seeks to recruit Erika for the Sega Corporation in order to make use of her "idol powers" for Sega's benefit. Was the architect of the fanboy incident in Chapter 5. First Shown Together: Strip 420.
- Junpei
- Largo's "little friend". Junpei chased Dom off after he confronted Erika with information about her past. Has also been working with Largo to control Erika's obsessive fanhorde at the bequest of an unknown entity. First Shown Together: Strip 421
- Yanagisawa
- Boss at Megagamers. These two have a rather interesting rapport, which hints that their relationship is more complex than simply that which has already been revealed in the comic. First Shown Together: Strip 100.
- Meimi
- Mother hen type. Obviously cares about Erika, but does so in a loving-but-annoying friend type way. She is concerned for Erika's wellbeing almost to the point of meddling and Erika deals with this by use of well intentioned deception. The two were out of contact for two years until very recently. First Shown Together: Strip 671.
- Hitoshi
- High school sweetheart and ex-fiancé. Hitoshi broke off the engagement a few years prior to current events, causing Erika to retire from her career as an idol. First Shown together: Only in flashback 627.
- Inspector Sonoda
- The two have a working relationship, apparently going back several years. He is Hitoshi's brother. First Shown Together: Strip 598.
- Boo
- It has been revealed that Erika can both see and understand Boo, and has conversed with him about his job. First Shown Together: 1222.
Relations with places
- Hayasaka Erika's apartment
- First seen in: Strip 71.
- MegaGamers
- First seen in: Strip 89.
- NIA Hamburger
- First seen in: Strip 682.