Mariko Kurama (蔵間マリコ, Kurama Mariko), also known as Number 35, is the daughter of Kurama She is described as the most powerful of the diclonii. During an escape attempt by Number Three, Kurama was infected by her vectors, turning him into a carrier of the Diclonius virus, which was later passed Mariko. In the anime she possesses 26 vectors and up to fifty in the manga, each with an approximate range of 11 meters, though the range is wider in the manga.
Mariko was imprisoned as an infant and raised inside a steel container with no human contact other than a scientist acting as a makeshift foster mother through speakers and monitors. She is physically impaired, shown by her atrophied limbs, as she moves around in a wheelchair.
Despite the environment she was raised in, Mariko is relatively well developed psychologically. She is extremely homicidal and sadistic, and enjoys torturing and dismembering her victims. However, her personality is not blatantly evil. She is only having fun, seeing killing as a game, and the pleasure she gets from it is equivalent to a child ripping the wings off of an insect or burning ants with a magnifying glass. She is in fact capable of caring about others and has a strong love for Kurama.
In order to keep Mariko under control, the research institute implanted at least two bombs (probably more) in her body during infancy; one is used to remove her right arm, after she attacks scientists at the institute. When she is sent to kill Nana, Mariko is also given a prosthetic to move with her vectors. In the anime, Kurama later orders them to detonate the other bombs; he walks away embracing his daughter, killing not only Mariko, but himself as well.
In the manga, during confrontation with Nana, Kurama tells both of them about the circumstances of the birth of Mariko. Feeling rejected by her father, Mariko attempts to kill Nana as an act of revenge but is stopped by Bando, who at the request of Kurama, escapes carrying Nana with him, although he is not able to prevent her from returning to the fight.
Meanwhile, Kurama reconciles with Mariko, who immediately afterward protects him from being hit by a non-explosive missile. After being hit by this missile, Mariko temporarily manifests a split personality like Lucy/Nyu that is infantile and affectionate towards her father. Lucy then appears, searching for Nana with the rest of the inhabitants of the Inn. Upon seeing Kurama, Lucy attempts to kill him, but Mariko sacrifices herself to save her father. She tries to kill Lucy to protect Kurama by activating the bombs that were inside of her body, while holding on to Lucy.
Voiced by: Tomoko Kawakami (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)
