Yomiko Readman

Yomiko Readman (読子・リードマン, Yomiko Rīdoman), also known as "The Paper," is the protagonist in the Japanese novel series Read or Die and its manga and original video animation (OVA) spin-offs. She is also a major player (but not the protagonist) in the sequel, R.O.D the TV. She also makes a brief cameo appearance in Read or Dream.

She is a papermaster, a person with the ability to bend paper material to her will, making it bulletproof and durable enough to use as a weapon, among other, more creative applications.

Etymology

Yomi (読) in her first name means reading in Japanese, while -ko (子) (literally 'child') is a common suffix in Japanese female names, so her first name means Reading-woman. This has the same meaning as her surname Readman if neglecting gender differences. The name is also shared by book publisher Yomiko Classics.

Character background

Through much of the R.O.D series, Yomiko works as a secret field agent for the British Library, using her papermastery to thwart the British Library's foes and collect valuable books and documents. Yomiko's code name is "The Paper" (while this is said in English even in Japanese dialogue, English dubs often turn this into "Agent Paper" or "Miss Paper" to make dialogue more smooth). She is the 19th person to serve the Library in this capacity. Yomiko is assigned her missions by the British Library special operations commander, codenamed "Mr. Joker." She often works with partners, such as the American mercenary Drake Anderson, the clumsy but capable junior field agent Wendy Earhart, and the suave wall-phasing gunslinger girl, Nancy Makuhari.