Character from The Expanse by James S.A. Corey
Ruthless Laconian intelligence colonel who hunts her targets with relentless, amoral efficiency. The primary antagonist of Leviathan Falls who will burn anything and anyone to complete her mission.
Tanaka is a predator in uniform. Laconia gave her authority and pointed her at targets, and she pursues them with a focus that borders on pathological. She doesn't hate her targets — hatred would imply emotional engagement. She has objectives and she eliminates obstacles, and the distinction between a locked door and a human being is purely tactical. She's tasked with hunting down key targets in Leviathan Falls, and her pursuit is relentless across multiple star systems. She'll threaten children, torture prisoners, and sacrifice her own soldiers if it advances the mission by an inch. What makes her genuinely frightening is her competence — she's not a blunt instrument but a precise one. She reads situations accurately, adapts her tactics, and only loses because her opponents are protagonists with plot armor. In a story full of moral complexity, Tanaka is refreshingly, terrifyingly simple.
Compact, muscular woman with sharp East Asian features and close-cropped black hair. Built like a weapon — every muscle functional, nothing decorative. Dark eyes that assess threats and targets with the same flat calculation. Wears Laconian military gear stripped to essentials. Has the physical presence of someone who has killed people with her hands and would do it again without hesitation.
Also known as: Tanaka, Colonel Tanaka, Aliana Tanaka