Hanako Arasaka is Saburo Arasaka's only daughter. She's the character Goro Takemura turns to in the game in an effort the unveil the truth about Saburo's death. Compared to the other Arasakas, Hanako has a more reserved demeanor, calm, and almost kind.
Despite her reservations towards her family, she is shown to project affection towards them. With all of her emotions, suppressed and showed, Hanako is a fairly interesting character. There are a lot of things about her that are not very visible in the game, and even more that are not revealed in the game itself.
10 Her Mother Died After Giving Birth To Her
Hanako is the youngest child of Saburo Arasaka. She was conceived while Saburo while eighty years old. Her mother was Michiko Arasaka, Saburo's third and final wife. She gave birth to Hanako's older brother, Yorinobu in 1995, with Hanako following four years after.
When she gave birth to Hanako on March 2, 1999, she died shortly after due to pregnancy complications. Despite this, Saburo ended up being very affectionate towards Hanako. Saburo never remarried after Michiko's death.
9 She Had A Very Reclused Childhood
When Hanako was born, Saburo immediately took a liking to her. He was also very taken aback by her daughter's exquisite beauty. Wanting to protect her from the dangers of the outside world, Hanako was raised in the sheltered confines of their family compound.
Hanako received education within the compound, under the teachings of trusted tutors. She remained at their compound even as she reached adulthood, then only being able to leave her confinements just once a month.
8 She's A Highly Skilled Netrunner
Hanako's confinement made her very far-removed from the outside world. Wanting to learn more about it, without having to leave the compound, she learned how to travel and explore using the Net.
As an adult, Hanako started working more on the digital world rather than the physical. Most of her projects were digital, including the revised version of the Soulkiller program. Hanako's skill allowed her to be the only one to understand Alt Cunningham's work.
7 Her Relationship With Her Siblings
Saburo Arasaka has three children. Kei Arasaka, the eldest son, Yorinobu, the second son, and Hanako, the youngest. Hanako had a very strained relationship with his oldest brother. He was particularly fond of Hanako, and unlike everything else in his life, he wasn't extremely critical of her. Hanako, on the other hand, found him to be very cold and calculating.
Hanako was very close with Yorinobu, though. She considers him her closest family member. Even when Yorinobu left the family, she would constantly communicate with him on the net.
6 She's The Head Of The Arasaka Kiji Faction
The Arasaka family was a heavy player during the Fourth Corporate War. The end of the war saw the death of Kei Arasaka, the CEO of the company at the time. When Kei died, Saburo returned to being the CEO, but the remaining Old Guard members unified around Hanako.
This formed the Arasaka Kiji Faction, one of three factions that were formed after Kei's death. The aim of the Kiji Faction is to peacefully reconcile Arasaka with the NUSA.
5 She's The Head Of The Hatashi Shipping Company
As an Arasaka, Hanako has access to a vast number of resources and wealth. One of the ways Hanako amasses and expands upon this wealth is through her shipping company called the Hatashi Shipping Company.
Not much is revealed about the shipping company in the game, save from the fact that Hanako is the leader of it. The shipping business operates from Japan, a place where Hanako barely leaves. She only managed to visit Night City due to the alleged death of her father.
4 She Was Initially Oblivious To Arasaka's Darker Side
Because Hanako was very secluded as a child, due to Saburo's wishes, she never knew much of the outside world. One information that was totally kept from her was Arasaka's venture into darker and more dangerous territories.
Saburo made sure of this. He was very keen on keeping Hanako's ignorant to maintain her innocence. However, due to her expertise with Netrunning, she began to discover the darker side of the company for herself.
3 She Was To Be Wed
Despite being extremely critical of Hanako, going as far as secluding her from the rest of the world to save her from its horrors, Saburo Arasaka planned to do something that's not very fatherly. He wanted to wed Hanako to someone for the sake of solidifying a corporate alliance.
Despite being very restrained by her father, Hanako never once voiced her complaints or revealed her true emotions. She, however, knew about her father's plan to forcefully wed her to someone she didn't know. Since her father died, it is clear that this plan never reached fruition.
2 She Wanted To Be Independent After Her Father Died
Hanako is a very calm, intelligent, and sweet woman. Growing up, despite being reclused and trapped by the wishes of her father, she has remained extremely loyal to him. She has had feelings of dismay and disapproval, but not once did she ever reveal nor voice these feelings.
She did, however, make one wish for herself. Hanako swore to live an independent life, away from any form of restraints, after Saburo Arasaka dies. After that happened in the game, Hanako was unable to do this due to Yorinobu's restrictions, similar to how their father treated her.
1 Yorinobu Vowed To Free Her
Yorinobu Arasaka is the second son of Saburo and Hanako's older brother from the same mother. Hanako considers him to be her closest family member as they've been extremely close since they were young.
After his 21st birthday, Yorinobu left the family after learning about the corporation's dark nature. While away, he and Hanako remained in contact via the net. Here he promised he would free Hanako when the time came. When he managed to gain control of Arasaka after he killed Saburo, during a quest in the game, however, he seems to have forgotten his promise.