Masakaki (真坂木) is the mysterious individual from the Financial District. He is dressed in fancy clothes, which, among other things, include a top hat with a Midas Bank logo pattern, an eerie cane and a pink cape. His job is to offer the job of an Entrepreneur to the chosen people, introduce them to the rules of Deals and pick them up whenever a new Deal is up. His eccentric behavior fluctuates between random jester-like acts and to-the-point business briefings.
Masakaki of South-Eastern Asian District.
He exists in every Financial District, although his colors change between the Districts. For example, his cape is pink in the Far Eastern District, while it is cyan in the South-Eastern Asian District.
Masakaki is not the one who runs the Midas Bank, but he is the person who is associated with it most often.
The Monologue[]
This is the translation of Masakaki's mini-drama, which can be seen here.
I am called Masakaki, from the trade department of the Midas Bank. On this occasion I would like to once again explain to you all about the Far-Eastern Financial District. There is only one rule that the people that frequent the Financial District, called Entrepreneurs, must obey: to participate once a week on the Deals that we promote. That is all. If you win, you profit; if you lose, you take a loss. It is extremely simple. We do not mind if you use the money you earned in the real world. In exchange, if you forgive me for saying… Your future will be taken as collateral. Huh? What do I mean by future, you ask? It could be your children or your dreams for the future. For a certain college student and Entre, it is the daughter or granddaughter that should be born someday; For a certain powerful Entre, it’s the little sister that never wakes from her slumber; It varies from person to person. Have I managed to clarify things a little bit? Until now, there have been people that attempted to use the fortune they earned to support reality; and there were others that attempted to recover the future lost because of that. We don’t mind if you act to your heart’s content. We are quite… lenient. If one day, a vacant spot appears among our Entres, I might visit you in person. On that day, if you would be so kind, I hope we can be in business.
Speculation[]
It is unknown whether Masakaki is an Entrepreneur, an Asset, or neither. His eyes, however, are of the same golden color that eyes of an Entrepreneur have when one spectates Deals. This may imply that Masakaki is always aware of every Deal that happens in the Financial District, ready to congratulate the winner or exile the bankrupt loser.
A popular theory among the fans is that Masakaki's true identity is that of Devil himself, as both of them make suspicious deals for the price of the individual's abstract possession (the future and the soul, respectively). This theory is supported by the fact that the Financial District is filled with infernal symbolism, making it similar to Hell. It was partially refuted after the introductions of other Masakakis.
After the reveal of different incarnations of Masakaki, a theory was made about him being the Stocks of an incredibly powerful Asset.
As revealed by C of the South-Eastern Asian Financial District, the mysterious higher-ups of Masakaki may be powerful elder gods, similar to Lovecraft's Cthulhu.
Trivia[]
A closer look at Masakaki's cane.
The head of Masakaki's cane depicts Midas, whose donkey ears are the result of Apollo's curse.
When shaken, Masakaki's cane makes a sound similar to the sound of shaken coins.
The pattern on Masakaki's hat, while obviously connected with Midas Bank, may also be a reference to MMM, a Russian ponzi scheme company that was active in 1990s.
The Chinese characters of Masakaki's name are 真 (Truth), 坂 (Slope), and 木 (Tree).
Masakaki may be the reference to Masaaki Shirakawa, who controls the Central Bank of Japan. He is also the Alternate Governor of the Japanese branch of International Monetary Fund, which is also a major force in the series.
Many fans compare Masakaki to Kyubey, a character of the popular Puella Magi Madoka Magica series. Both are mysterious beings with unknown powers that are eager to offer a deal to almost everyone they meet.
Other characters Masakaki is often compared to are Willy Wonka and Mad Hatter, especially their impressions by Johnny Depp. The three have many similarities in their looks and act weirdly most of the time.
