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T(caps)een Wolf: The Movie introduces new members to the McCall Pack, but the debut of Hikari Zhang in particular makes Kira Yukimura's (Arden Cho) absence worse. To reignite the franchise, Scott McCall (Tyler Posey) is re-assembling his pack after the Nogitsune return to Beacon Hill — a threat compounded by the mysterious resurrection of Allison Argent (Crystal Reed). Serving as a reunion project for the MTV show, the Teen Wolf movie also brings in some new characters, including Hikari Zhang (Amy Lin Workman). While she is a welcome addition to the McCall Pack, her arrival makes Kira's complicated absence worse.
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Over its six-season run, the MTV series had its fair share of character departures. Allison's death in Teen Wolf season 3 stemmed from Crystal Reed's decision to venture out with his career. Tyler Hoechlin and Colton Hayes expressed the same reasoning for their respective exits. Arden Cho's situation was different, however, since there was no official reason provided for why Kira was written out of the series. That being said, it's heavily believed that leaving Teen Wolf wasn't Arden Cho's decision.
Hikari Is More Like A Kira Replacement Rather Than A New Teen Wolf Character
Considering the long time jump between the Teen Wolf show and its movie sequel, it's understandable that Paramount+ would want to introduce new characters to the franchise as a way to infuse it with new blood. That being said, unlike Derek's son, Eli, who plays an important part in his dad's story and could very well be the future face of the franchise, Hikari's debut seems to be an attempt to make up for Kira's absence in Teen Wolf: The Movie. Aside from having similar backgrounds, the characters also serve the same purpose in the narrative as Kitsunes. The Paramount+ project didn't establish Hikari's character beyond her parallels to Kira.
What makes this so much worse is the fact that Cho was asked to return as the Thunder Kitsune in Teen Wolf: The Movie. However, she declined, citing pay disparity issues. This suggests that the Paramount+ reunion project has always had plans to incorporate Kira into the story, and when they weren't able to get her, they came up with an entirely new character that's patterned after her. Teen Wolf: The Movie could have been the perfect opportunity to also tackle Kira's uncertain fate. However, because Cho turned down the role, Kira's character arc remains a loose plot thread.
How Hikari Played A Big Part In Teen Wolf: The Movie's Ending
Aside from his relationship with Liam Dunbar, not much else is revealed about Hikari. Despite this, she remains an important Teen Wolf: The Movie cast member. She played an important role during Scott and the McCall Pack's final stand against the Nogitsune. The Alpha uses Hikari’s Kitsune shield to protect him, catching the villain off guard. This allows the heroes to band together to make a coordinated attack. Ultimately, it was still Derek's heroic death that spelled the defeat of the Nogitsune. Without Hikari's help, the McCall Pack wouldn't have had the chance to contain him in the first place.
