Durarara!! Episode 01

Title: Kaikōichiban (開口一番) - First Words

Date Aired: 8 January 2010

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Synopsis
Mikado Ryūgamine leaves his country home to attend high school in Ikebukuro, Tokyo with his childhood friend Masaomi Kida. Three people chat online about current events in Ikebukuro. As Mikado and Kida wander around the district, Mikado meets four of Kida's friends: Walker Yumasaki, Erika Karisawa, Saburo Togusa, and Kyohei Kadota. Elsewhere, a trio of men confirm that their target is a teenage girl. In the chatroom, they discuss the recent mass suicides. A girl approaches a sharply dressed man and asks him if he is Nakura and he says he is. He leads her to the van, where she is kidnapped.

Mikado and Kida encounter Simon Brezhnev, and Kida advises Mikado not to make enemies with Simon. Mikado sees a vending machine fly through the air. Kida explains that Shizuo Heiwajima threw it and warns Mikado to be careful of Shizuo. As the three in the chat room talk about the legendary headless motorcycle rider, the kidnappers wait at an exchange point. A helmeted person on a black motorcycle appears and attacks them, but one kidnapper escapes. During the chase, he discovers that it is headless. When he attacks it, it slashes him with it's scythe and he falls to the ground.

Kida tells Mikado to stay away from Izaya Orihara and the Dollars gang. Mikado bumps into a red-haired girl, knocking her down. As Kida helps her up, Mikado notices a scar around her neck. The girl screams and runs away. Soon after, Mikado and Kida watch the headless motorcycle rider pass by. This episode is from Mikado's point of view.

Adapted From
Chapter 1 of the manga; Chapter 1/2 of the light novel

New Characters
In order of appearance (not including OP)
 * Mikado Ryūgamine
 * Masaomi Kida
 * Erika Karisawa
 * Walker Yumasaki
 * Kyohei Kadota
 * Saburo Togusa
 * Mika Harima
 * Rio Kamichika (as Magenta/Mezenda)
 * Izaya Orihara (as Nakura)
 * Simon Brezhnev
 * Celty Sturluson (unnamed)

Unanswered Questions

 * Why is the motorcyclist's head not attached to its body?
 * What is the motorcyclist's weapon and what does it do?
 * Why does the motorcycle make such odd noises?
 * Non characters are gray: Durarara!!_E01_04m_48s.jpg

Cultural References

 * Cardboard cutout is reference to Spice and Wolf.