Kasumi

Kasumi (かすみ, Kasumi) is a Japanese kunoichi of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan from the Dead or Alive video game series. Debuting in the first Dead or Alive, Kasumi became a "Runaway Shinobi" after she entered the first Dead or Alive Tournament in order to avenge her older brother, Hayate. She is also the older half-sister, and cousin of Ayane.

One of the first three females that appeared in the series (alongside Lei Fang and Tina Armstrong), Kasumi seems to have become the offical flagship protagonist of the Dead or Alive series. Kasumi's biggest trademarks are the that blow in the wind around her, her  and her blue ninja outfit. According to series canon, she won the first tournament by defeating Raidou.

History
Kasumi is the daughter of Shiden and Ayame. Being born into her clan's head family, she is the "princess" of the Mugen Tenshin Village. When they were children, Kasumi and Ayane - unaware that they were related - played together as best friends, even sharing the same hairstyles, althought the clan saw Ayane as a "cursed child" and didn't want Kasumi to be around her. Her relationship with Hayate was also ideal, with the two playing games and training together happily.

However, once Ayane learned of her true heritage, their friendship ended due to her jealous anger over her mistreatment by the clan, centering her animosity on the "princess" Kasumi.



Ninja Gaiden Sigma II
At about the age of 16, for unknown reasons, Kasumi observed the events surrounding the Black Spider Ninja Clan’s assault on the Hayabusa Clan, and Ryu Hayabusa’s consequential vengeance and foiling of their plans to resurrect the Archfiend. She is seen witnessing Obaba's death at the hands of Ayane.

Dead or Aive
Years later, a rogue ninja of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, Raidou, Kasumi’s paternal uncle and Ayane's father, returned to the village to obtain the Torn Sky Blast. Defeating even the prodigious Ayane, Raidou eventually managed to mimic the technique from Hayate before rendering him both comatose and paraplegic. After Raidou's rampage, Kasumi was left taking care of Hayate and, due to his state, Kasumi was chosen to become the clan’s eighteenth master, replacing her beloved brother who was originally meant to inherit the title. Impulsively, Kasumi left the village to find Raidou and defeat him for what he did to Hayate.

Tracking him to the Dead or Alive Tournament, she entered the contest in the hopes of defeating Raidou. However, by leaving the secretive ninja clan, and placing them in danger of being discovered, she became a Nuke-nin (抜忍; Runaway Shinobi). This meant that she had to now live on the run from her former family every day as they sought to silence the "traitorous" Kasumi. Eventually, Kasumi kills Raidou and wins the tournament. Afterwards, Kasumi was captured by DOATEC and from her a clone was created.



Dead or Alive 2
Entering the second tournament in order to defeat the clone, Kasumi Alpha, Kasumi fights her clone and defeats it soundly. She then proceeded on to face Ryu Hayabusa, who was in the tournament to defeat the renegade Tengu, Gohyakumine Bankotsu-bo. Her next match was against Ayane, who had been sent by the Mugen Tenshin Clan to kill her. However, despite Ayane’s efforts, Kasumi survives. Further onward in the tournament, Kasumi faces a healed but amnesiac Hayate who, thinking of himself as the Karate prodigy Ein, fights her without a second thought. Eventually the tournament was won by Ryu who defeated the Tengu.



Dead or Alive 3
Homesick and constantly hunted, Kasumi still wishes to see her brother. To see Hayate, she enters the third tournament to meet him as he, Ayane and Hayabusa was there to defeat Omega: a monstrosity created by DOATEC who was once an esteemed member of the Mugen Tenshin Clan, as well as Ayane's master and foster-father, Genra. It is perhaps due to this mission that the three ninjas didn’t make much of an attempt to attack Kasumi during the tournament.

Kasumi does meet with Hayate, and him becoming burdened with the guilt of having to make an attempt to kill her. After her meeting with Hayate, Kasumi left the tournament and continued running from the ninjas. The tournament would be won by Ayane, who defeated Genra.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Kasumi is invited to Zack Island for the fourth Dead or Alive Tournament. However, the tournament was a hoax made-up by Zack and Kasumi (with the other Dead or Alive girls) ends up stuck for two weeks on the tropical island.



Dead or Alive 4
Kasumi enters the fourth tournament, again seeks to meet Hayate. As she tries to convince him to stop the war against DOATEC, Hayate remains quiet and Ayane arrives to interrupt them, providing enough of a distraction for Hayate to continue on with his mission.

Kasumi pursues Hayate to the DOATEC Tritower. There she is confronted by Helena Douglas, who has taken control of DOATEC and from her learns that a clone of Kasumi - codenamed ALPHA-152 - is about to become active. Kasumi fights her way past Helena and then heads down to the lab to destroy ALPHA-152. She fights her clone to her best efforts but in the end it appears ALPHA-152 escapes in the chaos of the destruction wrought by the Mugen Tenshin invasion.

After the match, having herself escaped the burning building, Kasumi is last seen watching Helena entering the blazing helipad. As Kasumi tries to stop her, Ayane prevents her from going after Helena, who by doing so saves Kasumi's life as the building starts exploding mere seconds later.

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
Kasumi traveled to New Zack Island upon hearing that Hayate was there, even though she wondered what he was doing on a tropical island. Discovering that Hayate was actually not on the island she spends two weeks on the island, vacationing with the other girls, until transport was provided to leave.

Appearance
Also see: Kasumi's Outfit Catalogue

Kasumi is a slender, physically-fit teenage girl of average height. She was designed to appear "soft" (based on the idea that Dead or Alive is softer in consept compared to Ninja Gaiden, thus making her symbolic to the series) so she has a round face, small facial features, and wide brown eyes. Originally, her waist-length hair appeared to be a dark brown color. However, since Dead or Alive 2, Kasumi's hair has lightened over the years to a copper shade. Today, her hair style is not fixed into one or two fashions like the other girls, as she now possesses four styles to choose from: loose, a low ponytail, a high ponytail tied with a long yellow ribbon, or a low braid tied with yellow bows.

She is usually seen in her trademark outfit: a blue, side-tie "shinobi dress" with short puffy sleves, white trim, her name (written in Japanese) stiched in yellow on the back, and a light-coloured bird pattern on the shirt, complete with white stockings, knee-high boots and arm-guards. As well as this outfit - and variations of said outfit - Kasumi sports other shinobi costumes. She also has modern, casual clothes, and Japanese school uniforms, suited for average, everyday girls. No matter what she wears, Kasumi is usually wearing feminine gear, such as skirts, and girly colors, like pink.

In her cameo appearance in Ninja Gaiden Sigma II, although her face cannot be seen, a younger Kasumi is seen wearing a modified version of her shinobi dress; the puffy sleeves have been replaced by white straps, the bird pattern is now gold, and her arm guards, and shoes have been slightly changed. She also has shuriken tied to her left leg. Her hair is shorter then normal, only reaching to just below the shoulders rather than to her waist.

Personality
Kasumi is portrayed throughout the Dead or Alive series as a more compassionate character than any of the other fighters. She is an honorable and kind spirit, and although a highly skilled kunoichi with deadly abilities, she does not enjoy or wish to fight. Many of the statements she makes in the game series before a round begins reflect her desire to avoid confrontation. Much of the reasoning behind this comes from the fact that in all appearances in the tournaments (with the exception of the first) her motive was not to fight or win, but to meet Hayate. However she is capable of killing in cold blood, as demonstrated when she defeated and killed Raidou.

She is demonstrably family orientated and would like nothing more than to return home in peace. There were instances where she refused to show mercy though, as seen when she willingly goes to look for Raidou in the first game, fighting her clone in the second game, and also when facing Helena when the woman had almost shot her.

Etymology
The kanji used to spell Kasumi's name, 霞, means "mist", a light fog. Mist and fog is often used as a symbol of isolation and loneliness, maybe alluding to Kasumi's isolation from her clan, forced to live alone. Mist can also represent unclear thinking, possibly reflecting Kasumi's personality who, as a compassionate, empathetic character, is powered by emotion and will react by her feeling rather then think things through first, such as her leave from her clan to take revenge for Hayate.

Mist could also be a physical link to her; just as mist cannot be easily contained, Kasumi has also been proven to be hard to "contain" and be captured by the clan's assassins, and has been been able to avoid them for a long time.

Finally, mist can be a symbol of the indeterminate phase in development, when things have yet to be defined. As she is a runaway shinobi, Kasumi could be seen as living in a indeterminate state, unsure if tomorrow will bring her death, or good fortune.

Hayate
Hayate is Kasumi's older brother. Hayate was a very protective and understanding brother to Kasumi, so they had a close brother/sister relationship. After Hayate was injured by Raidou, Kasumi sought revenge on Raidou for what he did to her dear brother, seeking to restore his honor. They have a very strong bond, even as Hayate becomes the leader of the Mugen Tenshin Clan and Kasumi becomes a runaway shinobi. Hayate will never harm Kasumi himself, but he will not speak to her out of the shame he feels over Kasumi's abandonment. Still, no matter what, Hayate and Kasumi will always be a loyal to each other.

Ayane
Ayane is Kasumi's younger half-sister. Kasumi's mother, Ayame, was raped by Raidou, thus conceiving Ayane. Kasumi and Ayane had a close relationship as friends when they were kids. However, their friendship turned to bitter rivalry when Ayane learned about her true heritage. Ayane was consumed with jealousy over the fact that Kasumi was treated like a princess, while she was treated like an outcast and the clan's "cursed child". After Kasumi left the village to find Raidou, Ayane was sent to kill her. Although it seems the hatred was one-sided from Ayane, as Kasumi was never intentionally mean or cruel to Ayane, and only fought her when it was absolutely necessary; in some games, before fighting Ayane, Kasumi may ask "Why?", questioning the reasons for their battle.

It is possible that their rivalry is over, or at least weakened, when Ayane stops Kasumi from trying to save Helena during the fourth tournament, as the attempt likely would have ended in Kasumi's death. Also, in Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, Kasumi and Ayane seem to have started to develop a more friendly relationship with each other.

Ryu Hayabusa
Ryu is good friends with Kasumi, just like how he is with Hayate. Ryu promised Hayate that he would protect Kasumi at all costs. Even though she broke the Mugen Tenshin laws and became a runaway shinobi, Ryu still kept his promise and still watches over Kasumi, as he is one of her only ninja allies not burdened by the clan’s laws.

Helena Douglas
Kasumi seems to be friendly with Helena, and seems to understand the pain that Helena must be going through. However when Helena tries to kill Kasumi it is one of the few times that Kasumi has no mercy for Helena. Even so she still tried to stop Helena from committing suicide, which would have resulted in her death had Ayane not stopped her, showing that she still cares for Helena.

Raidou
Raidou was Kasumi's uncle; he was the younger brother of Shiden, Kasumi's father. Kasumi defeated and killed Raidou in the first DOA tournament as revenge for causing Hayate’s then comatose and paraplegic state. This was the only time that Kasumi showed pure hatred and cruelty towards another person.

Dead or Alive
Similar to the other Dead or Alive ninjutsu characters, Kasumi is considered a mid-to-top tier character due to her balanced character traits. She features good speed, execution, and fairly simplistic input commands. However, her range is lacking and her single strikes do little damage.

Kasumi's playing style has differed slightly over the series. In the original Dead or Alive and its sequel, her commands were suited to performing air combos and juggles. However in the later games, she became a pressure character, focusing more on extremely fast attacks and great interrupters to keep the opponent constantly on the defense.

Dead or Alive Xtreme
Kasumi can easily be befriended as anyone's volleyball partner, and vice versa if playing as Kasumi, except with Ayane, who will not become friends with her very easily.

In beach volleyball, Kasumi is a weakling; she can't spike the ball as hard as everyone else, and because of her stature, she will often be knocked down by stronger players, such as Helena, Hitomi or Tina Armstrong. However, while not the most powerful girl, she does have great technique that can be helpful, is a great jumper, good in defense, and quite quick on her feet.

She is best suited playing as defense for Hitomi, or Tina, who both lack the speed Kasumi has, and acts as a balance with their strengh. For a team with great speed, and aim, teaming-up with Ayane is ideal, but keep in mind that neither of them are very strong.

Dead or Alive Ultimate
Kasumi also appears as a playable character in the compilation collection, Dead or Alive Ultimate. In Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate, she has a total of twenty costumes, in which eighteen need to be unlocked by replaying her Story Mode - costumes 3 through 7 can be unlocked on easy mode, 8 through 14 on normal mode, and 15 through 20 on hard mode.



DOA: Dead or Alive
In the non-canonical movie DOA: Dead or Alive, Kasumi is portrayed by Devon Aoki, and her personality is cold, as opposed to her calm and compassionate nature in the games. In the movie, she is told that Hayate died by Leon's hand. However, shortly after she fights Leon and wins, she has serious doubts that Hayate could have died by Leon’s hand. In the end, she got to go home with her brother despite being a runaway shinobi. Throughout the movie, she and Ryu have shown to have romantic feelings for each other.



Girls of DOA BlackJack
There is a Kasumi version of the game Girls of DOA BlackJack of the, in which she acts as the Blackjack dealer. She is not voiced in the game and her animation is limited but the player can unlock diffirent costumes for her with their winnings, as well as pictures of her which can be used as backgrounds for the iPhone.



Dead or Alive Paradise
Kasumi also appears as one of the ten playable characters for the Dead or Alive Xtreme spin-off, Dead or Alive Paradise for the. Like other Xtreme titles before it, Paridise shows Kasumi and the other girls of the series enjoying a two-week vacation on a tropical island, playing volleyball and exchanging gifts.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions
Kasumi is set to appear in the up-and-coming Dead or Alive game, Dead or Alive: Dimensions, in development for the. She will be a playable character, but her role in the game is currently unclear.

Queen's Blade
Kasumi has appeared as a playable character in the visual combat books series,, published by. Her player book is part of the sub-series Queen's Gate which, unlike the rest of the series which features original characters, uses licensed characters from video games and anime series, such as Lili from Tekken, and from . The overall plot of the game revolves around a tournament held every four years to determine a queen. Only young women who are considered beautiful in their home town are allowed to enter.

It's highly likely that Kasumi will also appear in a strategy-RPG video game version of the series called Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos. The game will be released for the PlayStation Portable, and will be published by in 2011.



Bijin Tokei
To celebrate the release of Dead or Alive Paradise, Kasumi was featured as a place card girl on the Bijin Tokei iPhone digital clock application, from the 1st April to April 30th, 2010. She appeared at random times at least 10 times throughout the day, holding a placard with the current time written upon it.



Monster Rancher
Kasumi appeared as a playable "Sprite monster" in ' and ', games that are also produced by Tecmo. She must be unlocked by going to the Shrine and inserting the first Dead or Alive CD in the disc tray in Monster Rancher 2, and the Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore disc in Monster Rancher 4.

Outfit Usages
Kasumi’s signature blue outfit is an unlockable costume in ' and '. In the game  for the, the outfit also appears as an alternative outfit for Mio Amakura, one of the game’s two protagonists.

Dead Fantasy
Also see: Kasumi on Dead Fantasy Wiki

Kasumi appears as a combatant in Monty Oum's fan-made CG movie series Dead Fantasy, where cast members of the Dead or Alive franchise fight cast members from the Final Fantasy franchise.

She fights with her wakizashi sword, utilizing her Tenjin Mon style and ninpo abilities to battle the Final Fantasy cast. Her main opponent is Yuna from Final Fantasy X. As of the fifth episode, Kasumi is with Ryu Hayabusa and Momiji, who are most likely getting aid for the wounds she recieved from her battle with the Kasumi Alpha clones.

Oum has also made two music videos that Kasumi features in: Dead Fantasy - Obsessed to 's Obsessed and Dead Fantasy - Gee with the song  by.

Musical Themes

 * Ketsui No Toki - Dead or Alive
 * Hitohira -Reminiscent of Ketsui No Toki - Dead or Alive 2
 * Eternity - Dead or Alive 3
 * The Moon Leads Her To... - Dead or Alive 3 Ending Theme
 * Purity - Dead or Alive 4
 * Now and Forever - Dead or Alive 4 Ending Theme

Trivia

 * Throughout the series, Kasumi's main tag partner has been Ryu.
 * Kasumi has been ranked numerous times in many countdown lists created by game-based publications:
 * Ranked #3 on TeamXbox's "Top Ten Xbox Babes" list in 2004.
 * In the 2005 TV show , Kasumi won in the category "Dressed to Kill".
 * IGN featured her in their "Videogame Babe of the Day" series in 2006.
 * Ranked #38 on The Age newspapers's "The Top 50 Xbox Characters of All Time" list in 2008.
 * Ranked #8 on GameDaily's "Top 50 Hottest Game Babes" list in 2008.
 * Ranked #1 on VG Chartz's "Hottest Videogame Babes" list in 2009.
 * Ranked #3 on UGO Networks's "Top 50 Videogame Hotties" list in 2010.
 * The reason Kasumi, Ayane, Eliot and Kokoro do not have listed ages in western versions of the Dead or Alive games is because they are under 18 years old. Tecmo decided to give them an undefined age to avoid the risk of a moral backlash from western countries.
 * Kasumi makes a cameo appearance in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, though her face cannot be seen.
 * Kasumi is Tomonobu Itagaki's favorite character in the series.