Lan Hikari

"Jack in, Megaman.EXE! Execute!"

- Lan

Lan Hikari, known in Japan as Hikari Netto (光熱斗) is the main human protagonist of the MegaMan Battle Network Series. In the early games, he is 11 years old and in 5th grade. After MegaMan Battle Network 3, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade. He is the operator of a NetNavi named MegaMan.EXE, who is also his twin brother.

Lan is the son of the world-renowned scientist Dr. Yuichiro Hikari and grandson of Tadashi Hikari. His mother is Haruka Hikari. He wishes to become a skilled NetBattler. His main rival is Eugene Chaud, whom Lan technically defeats in every game, but Chaud nonetheless often looks down on him despite being unable to beat him. Lan is the human protagonist of the video games, anime, and graphic novel where he battles with MegaMan against multiple crime organizations such as World Three, Gospel, Nebula, and Duo.

Personality
Lan is quite childish, and also reckless, however; this is what defines his ability to bounce back, even after the severe trauma that he is often subject to. This behavior of his puts him at odds with his rival, the confident Chaud. His recklessness also allows him to be a risk taker, but he always seems to make it through (i.e. Leaping out of a 2-story window into the ocean and surviving). He is kind and has a good heart, and his parents and friends are proud of him.

Design
Lan has brown eyes and spiked hair, which he keeps neatly tied with a headband bearing the Hikari family symbol. His attire consists of a white shirt with black squares on the elbow portions, an orange vest worn over the shirt, black shorts with yellow stripes on the sides, and orange shoes with black stripes which convert into rollerblades with black ankle-socks. He will often be seen with his backpack.

Biography
Lan is constantly around his friends, hanging out with them, Netbattling, or sometimes pranking one another (like giving Dex a wedgie). His best friend Mayl, who has lived next door to him since they were both very young, is with him always and carries a torch for him, although, naturally, Lan is too distracted to notice (either pretends he doesn't notice or is oblivious in a moment he could have realized). Dex is Lan's constant source of Netbattle practice and male humor, and Yai is an intelligent young blonde who likes to share her wealth (and her... forward personality) with her friends. He has an obsession with food, especially curry.

Lan is a sportsman with a particular love for soccer and an excellent inline skater. His connection to MegaMan.EXE is second to none, and this allows him to reach revolutionary new heights in NetBattles, such as Full Synchro and Cross Fusion.

History
Lan Hikari is the youngest child in the Hikari clan, sired by Yuichiro and grandsired by Tadashi Hikari (the games' version of Dr. Thomas Light). He is the youngest of twins, the elder being Hub Hikari, who fell prey to a rare heart disease known as HBD. He never met his grandpa, who died before the twins were born, but still loves him very much.

It is revealed in MegaMan Battle Network 6 that Lan married Mayl and became a scientist. He also has a son named Patch. Mega Man Star Force 2 reveals that Lan invented the BrotherBand system.

Trivia

 * Hikari in Japanese means "light", which means that his Grandpa's official title (from Mega Man Battle Network 3), in English, is Dr. Light (quite fitting, since they look almost identical). His first name (Tadashi) means Right, a pun on the naming confusion in America.
 * Both "Lan" and "Hub" are networking terms, as are "Net" (Netto) and "Site" (Saito).
 * Lan made a cameo appearance in Mega Man Star Force 2 in a side quest which can be unlocked by having a Battle Network game pack in the DS. In this side quest, the player can obtain his diary entries, and see more of what has happened after the events of Mega Man Battle Network 6.
 * Although Lan's original goal was to become the best Netbattler in the world, it is revealed in Mega Man Battle Network 6 and Mega Man Star Force 2 that he really wants to be a Net Scientist like his father.
 * According to the anime, Lan invented the forerunner of laser jack-in PETs, the wireless jack-in port, at only 11. This foreshadows his goal to become the top Net Scientist even more.
 * According to MegaMan NT Warrior manga by Ryo Takamisaki, Lan's favorite food is his mom's Curry Rice. A related situation also appeared in MegaMan Battle Network 4, when Lan had to compete with Fleuve in a Cyber Cooking Contest, where after tasting Fleuve's curry "delicacy", Lan says that he prefers his mom's curry. In the anime, Lan was had curry contests with Dingo in Stream and Mick in Beast.
 * Lan has always had a "partner" in the anime series: Mayl in NT Warrior, Chaud in Axess and Stream, Iris in Beast, and Zero in Beast+.
 * In Network Transmission, Lan's last name is misspelled "Hikaru" instead of Hikari.

Lan Hikari