Rhyme: I still think it's pretty cool. It must be nice to have a dream-- to
be head over heels about something. I don't know what it's like. Not really.
Shiki: Why not? You don't have any dreams?
Rhyme: No... But when I look at Beat I think: keep moving forward. Because someday my dream will find me.
Rhyme: No, unfortunately. But I can kinda tell what he's saying from the look on your face. What a relief that you managed to find each other. Once this is all over, we'll bring you back to life lickety-split.
Neku: ...Here's hoping.
Rhyme: I know Shiki can't wait to see you, either. So you'd better not let her down, okay?
That sounds pretty wild... Are you sure you'll be okay? Huh, that's a new one. Lucky I managed to get through to you, then. Don't worry—I'll do everything I can to help. Information is the key to victory, and I've got that key right at my fingertips.
„
~ Rhyme to Beat
“
Wow, that's rough. Guess you'll be stuck there a while longer. The weird goings-on in Shibuya are all over the news right now. Think you'll be okay? Should I join you? I mean, you're not wrong... But I'm still worried.
Raimu Bito (尾藤 来夢 Bitō Raimu), nicknamed Rhyme (ライム Raimu), is Beat's younger sister and also his partner during their first Reapers' Game in The World Ends with You.
Rhyme returns in NEO: The World Ends with You, as a talented hacker in the Realground who manages to hack the Underground's Reaper Networking Service in an attempt to find Beat after his disappearance.
This dropdown contains the synopsis of Rhyme’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!
Background
When her brother Beat ran away from home after a dispute with their parents, Rhyme followed him to the Miyashita Park Underpass. She urged him to give their father another chance, believing he would understand if Beat spoke to him. However, Beat dismissed the idea, calling their father stubborn and insisting he had nothing left to say. When Rhyme mentioned an adage, Beat snapped at her to be quiet and leave him alone.
In that moment, an out-of-control car sped toward Rhyme. Beat attempted to save her by pushing her aside, but both were struck and killed.
Beat's entry fee for the Reapers' Game turned out to be Rhyme's memories and love for him, though at first, he mistakenly believed it was Rhyme who had lost something instead. While she retained a vague recollection of having a brother and worried about him, she failed to recognize Beat as that sibling, instead seeing him as a kind stranger. This realization devastated Beat, driving him to win the Game and restore her memories.
Week One
On their first day in the Reapers' Game, Beat is seen sprinting, likely trying to find his sister before she is erased. In the opening, he rescues Rhyme from a Noise-induced explosion atop a building near AMX, catching her on his skateboard and fleeing from the Noise while holding her. Uzuki Yashiro and Koki Kariya are also seen, hinting at their role in summoning these Noise. Beat and Rhyme fail to reach 104, as the mission required, but their timers vanish when Neku and Shiki manage to complete the task. They also encounter Harrier Reaper Uzuki Yashiro, who seems to have tricked them, a situation similar to what happens to Neku and Shiki the next day.
On Day 2, Beat and Rhyme meet Neku and Shiki. Although they initially plan to team up, Neku's antisocial tendencies and Beat's competitive nature keep them apart. However, both groups form a strong bond and agree to help each other.
Later, on Day 3, Beat and Rhyme complete their mission by erasing a small golden bat Noise that Neku and Shiki missed while focusing on defeating a larger one.
On Day 4, the mission is simple, requiring only a move to another area with no time limit. However, the simplicity is a trap, designed to lower the Players' guard. Beat accidentally summons a powerful shark Noise by stepping on its sigil. In an act mirroring Beat's earlier attempt to save her, Rhyme pushes him out of the way, sacrificing herself to save him and getting Erased instead. Her favorite pendant is left behind.
Rhyme's lingering soul is later bound to a pin by Sanae Hanekoma (Mr. H), from which her Noise can be summoned. This pin becomes available in Beat's inventory on Day 7. From then on, Beat's goal to restore Rhyme’s memories becomes his motivation for continuing in the Reapers' Game.
Week Three
In the third week, Rhyme is transformed into a pin by the Game Master, Mitsuki Konishi, who uses it as Beat's entry fee. Konishi promises to return Rhyme to Beat if they manage to complete her assigned task. Later, during a confrontation with Konishi, Neku summons Rhyme to help defeat her, even though she exists as a Noise.
At the end of the Game, Rhyme is revived and seen with Beat, Neku, and Shiki. Since Beat succeeded in the Game, Rhyme regains her memories and affection for him. However, the Secret Reports reveal that, having technically lost the Game, her entry fee was considered non-refundable.
Rhyme stands out as the only known Player to have both a human and a Noise form, with Reapers (particularly Game Masters) and Mr. H being the only others who share this distinction.
A New Day
In A New Day, Rhyme is shopping with Beat when he is taken into Coco's Reapers' Game Expert Mode. She doesn't notice his disappearance right away, but once she does, she begins to panic. In this Expert Mode, an illusionary version of Rhyme appears. However, Beat finds her distant and uncharacteristically cold. The illusionary Rhyme tries to convince Beat that she is real by sharing her dreams, but Beat cannot verify her claims since the real Rhyme never shared them with him. Eventually, this illusionary version sacrifices herself by pushing Beat out of the way of a Dissonance Shark, mimicking how the real Rhyme was erased.
Once Neku and Beat escape Expert Mode, Beat calls the real Rhyme, and they agree to meet up again to finish their shopping.
NEO: The World Ends With You
Sometime before the events of NEO, Rhyme developed an interest in hacking as she sought to find her own purpose and dream.
Throughout Weeks 2 and 3, Rhyme appears multiple times on a computer, though her full appearance is not revealed until the final day of Week 3. While still in the RG, she hacks into the Reaper Networking Service and establishes contact with Kaie Ono, managing to message Beat while he's in the UG. Despite Beat's wishes for her to stay out of Shibuya and avoid getting caught up in the Reapers' Game again, Rhyme travels to Dogenzaka to meet Kaie in person, with Coco and Uzuki accompanying her for safety. Together, Rhyme and Kaie analyze the Noise generated by Rindo's Replay ability and assist the group in saving Shibuya.
Personality
Kindness and Optimism: Rhyme maintains a cheerful and supportive demeanor, always offering a smile and words of encouragement. She serves as a calming presence, balancing out Beat’s impulsiveness with her steady and level-headed nature. Her positive attitude and ability to keep others organized make her an invaluable ally.
Selflessness and Devotion: While Rhyme lacks personal dreams due to her entry fee in the Reapers' Game, she dedicates herself to helping Beat achieve his goal of becoming the best skateboarder. Unbeknownst to her, this dream was fabricated by Beat to give her a reason to live again. Before the Game, she was driven and ambitious, supporting Beat even when their parents did not.
Deep Bonds: Despite losing her memories, Rhyme immediately bonds with Beat in the UG, demonstrating an innate trust and affection for him. She shows kindness and understanding to everyone she meets, offering reassurance and guidance. Her natural warmth fosters cooperation and unity among her friends.
Intelligence and Growth: By NEO, Rhyme has found a new passion as a skilled hacker, showcasing her intelligence and determination. She manages to connect with the Reaper Networking Service despite being in the RG and plays a key role in devising and organizing the plan to save the city. Her collected and pragmatic nature helps her support characters like Kaie Ono, encouraging him to pursue his own dreams.
Post-Game Aspirations: After reuniting with Beat and helping save Shibuya, Rhyme expresses a desire to finally relax. She urges Beat to be less protective of her and seems perplexed when someone attempts to flirt with her.
Shiki and Rhyme quickly became friends on Day 2 after meeting, along with Beat. On Day 4, Shiki asks Rhyme about her pendant, which Rhyme reveals was a gift from her brother. Shiki recognizes the pendant as very rare and praises Rhyme's brother for obtaining it, unaware that the brother is Beat, as Rhyme doesn't remember either. When Rhyme is erased on Day 4, Shiki is deeply upset.
Key:As a Player | As a Noise | NEO: The World Ends With You
Key Information
As a Player: This key covers Rhyme while she is a player in the Reaper's game.
As a Noise: This key covers when Rhyme was a erased by a Noise, however her soul was bound to a pin which turned her into a Noise.
NEO: The World Ends With You: This key covers Rhyme during NEO: The World Ends With You, where she is no longer a player of the game and exists in Realground as a hacker helping Beat, Neku, Rindo, and co.
Her pin during the events of The World Ends With You, it allows Rhyme to attack against The Noise.
Her Phone
Rhyme uses her phone to intercat with Reapers while in Realground, along with being able to hack into the RNS with it.
Notable Techniques
Energy Psych
In The Animation, Rhyme is given more depth regarding her abilities in the Underground. She is shown fighting alongside Beat, Neku, and Shiki during her time in the Game. Rhyme is capable of unleashing a green, thunderbolt-like energy beam that temporarily stuns Noise upon impact, allowing Beat to finish them off.
The World Ends With You: Rhyme is a more strategic thinker, using her pin to shoot out energy beams and composing team attacks with Beat.
NEO: The World Ends With You: In NEO: The World Ends With You, Rhyme is not in UG thus she does not inherit her superhuman strength, however, she is a massively skilled hacker, using this to come up with strategies that ultimately help save all of Shibuya.
Rhyme was originally intended to be a gender neutral boy who was Beat's friend instead of sibling. The staff mistook male Rhyme's concept art as a girl and were disappointed Rhyme was not a girl. Rhyme was also changed into a girl so the ratio of the five main players (boys and girls) would be 3:2 instead of 4:1[170].
Like Eiru, Rhyme is described to have a "kind of non-gender specific or somewhere in the middle" look by the character designer Miki Yamashita[171].
Rhyme's entry fee is never stated within the original game. However, it is revealed to be her dreams in The Animation.
In Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, she is also mentioned to have extraordinarily powerful dreams.
As a non-playable character, it is impossible to determine her associated brand from item bonuses. However, her pendant can be acquired from Sheep Heavenly.
Rhyme did not have her dreams returned to her after being revived at the end of the original game[172]. She develops a new dream in hacking by the point of NEO: The World Ends with You.
Interestingly, Beat expects her to have a dream in A New Day although he doesn't know what it is.
The NEO: The World Ends With You's Official Guidebook + Setting Documents Collection mentions Rhyme's age is 17 in NEO, which would make her 14 in the first game. Unlike the other main Players of The World Ends With You, Rhyme's age was never officially stated until the guidebook was released.
Explanations
The following is an explanation of the various status effects of The World Ends With You
Status Effects
image
Name
Effect
Immobility
Immobility incapacitates the target, preventing any actions such as movement, attacking, or using pins, unless the pins are specifically designed to cure it. While immobilized, the target remains vulnerable to damage. It is symbolized by a white square with black lines.
HP Drain
HP Drain gradually reduces the target's HP as a percentage of their maximum health. This effect excludes Noise attacks intended to deplete HP, like those involving jelly grabs. The icon is a white square with circular shapes.
Attack Break
Attack Break cuts the target's offensive power in half. Several pins, such as Pavo Real's Poison Skull and Rapier Glance, Mus Rattus' Cornered Rat, and Hip Snake's Eyes Full of Hope and Eyes Full of Light, trigger this effect. It is represented by a white square featuring an 'A' inside a red arrow.
Defense Break
Defense Break reduces the target's defense by half. The icon used is a white square with a 'D' inside a blue arrow.
Stun
Stun, also known as "flinching," is a temporary status where the player or Noise cannot act for a brief moment after taking significant damage. Some Noise might be immune to this effect, while Neku and his allies will avoid flinching from minimal damage.
Knock-Back
Knock-Back is triggered when an attack causes the player or Noise to be pushed backward. Neku and his partner will likely fall to the ground, but Noise are only thrown backward. This effect is similar to Stun, but with the added movement.
Airborne
Airborne, or "knock-up," occurs when the player or a Noise is sent into the air by an attack. Neku and his partner will likely fall afterward, but Noise are only pushed back. This status can be exploited by Neku to juggle enemies.
↑NEO: The World Ends with You: Official Guidebook + Setting Documents Collection (新すばらしきこのせかい公式ガイドブック＋設定資料集 Shin Subarashiki Kono Sekai Kōshiki Gaidobukku + Settei Shiryōshū) exclusively released in Japan, July 2021.
