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Description
Another piece by

Keiko ‘Crimson Lotus’

The idea I had for Keiko was to essentially be a counterpoint of series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa: he was raised as a ninja, she’s been trained as a samurai; he’s male, she’s female (duh!); he’s calm, collected, humble and sedate; she’s loud, cocky, impulsive and (justifiably) arrogant about how good she is with a blade (and she’s very good); Ryu prefers to fight as a last resort where Keiko is looking for any excuse to throw the first punch; he’s normally dressed in black, while Keiko prefers red, gold and other bright colors (she wants you to see her coming). She’s also the redhead of my crew, as you may have been able to gather.

Stats

Keiko ‘the Crimson Lotus’ Benihasu
Age: 24

Sex: right now? None. Once I find a man with a sword big enough to fill my sheath, as much as we can both stand. …what do you mean that’s not the answer you were looking for? It’s all you’re getting.
Height: 6'4"
weight: muscular
Measurements: 46H-26-43
Magic: ki fueled sword skills

Fighting style: kendo, akido, kenjutsu, family style sword magic

Eye color: Green
Hair: Red
Weapon: demon bane katana Crimson Lotus

Likes: Killing demons and monsters (I’m good at my job), training & sparring (shows how good I am), my sword (I get the cool family heirlooms), Ako (when she’s not bring a bitch like she is right now)

Dislikes: ninjutsu (too indirect and sneaky, fight me fair dammit), small men (meant in every possible way)

Background: Keiko is the haughty, proud eldest daughter of an ancient samurai line, as well as their finest sword master. Always ready to fight to protect others (or to fight for any reason, actually), Keiko’s combativeness commonly gets her into trouble both out in the world and among her own family. Born of a Japanese father and a fiery Scottish mother, Keiko was lucky to be born into a family that was not much of a stickler for family purity. And this was a very good thing for that family. Inheriting her father’s tremendous talent with both ki and blade and her mother’s massive size and strength, Keiko is very much not a typical demure Japanese female as well as an unprecedented threat on the battlefield.

Nanashi and his crew approach Keiko for help on the advice of and alongside Ryu Hayabusa. While Ryu and Keiko have had…mild personal disagreements in the past, they also have a lot of professional respect for one another (not that Keiko would ever admit it), so Ryu thought the introductions would go relatively smoothly.

Naturally, Keiko attacked Nanashi as soon as she saw him.

Ironically, this was the best thing she could have done. The sight of her fiend slaying katana caught firmly between Nanashi’s bare palms and having no effect whatsoever when it usually ignites fiends and demons from the inside out with the slightest scratch, was enough to prove to the stubborn woman that there was more to the male than met the eye. After that – and the sparring sessions with the ninja, Talia and Nanashi that she demanded as her price – she agreed to take the trio to the one person she knew who might be able to help: Ako Black Orchid.

Powers & Abilities: While her training method was different due to her samurai heritage, Keiko essentially possesses the same ki heightened abilities that Ryu Hayabusa and his ninja brethren do, which allows her to move, think and fight at superhuman levels. She can match the ninja step for step, vastly outstrips the average person in terms of physical ability and is more powerful naturally than Talia is with her amulet fueled artificial abilities. However, unlike the ninja, who focused on speed and agility as much as power, Keiko is a raw power warrior. This has made her slightly slower than the ninja but far stronger. She’s able to physically overpower even Ryu Hayabusa himself if she can get into close quarters, and is the only one in her family's history to have beaten an Oni to death with her bare hands. Keiko’s magic also takes a slightly different form as well. Where Ryu and the ninja can manifest things like fire, wind and gravity through ninpo, Keiko’s clan channel their ki through their swords, the blades’ special forging techniques and metals allowing them to both survive the act and to act as potent conduits. Keiko’s clan can conjure earth, wind, water, fire, lightning, ice, darkness or light depending on the wielder to a wide variety of offensive and defensive effects. Keiko herself prefers fire and lightning. The downside to the nature of this ability is that without a sword, the clan’s magic effects are greatly weakened, so many tend to carry more than one blade when out on missions.

Description
Another piece by

Keiko ‘Crimson Lotus’

The idea I had for Keiko was to essentially be a counterpoint of series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa: he was raised as a ninja, she’s been trained as a samurai; he’s male, she’s female (duh!); he’s calm, collected, humble and sedate; she’s loud, cocky, impulsive and (justifiably) arrogant about how good she is with a blade (and she’s very good); Ryu prefers to fight as a last resort where Keiko is looking for any excuse to throw the first punch; he’s normally dressed in black, while Keiko prefers red, gold and other bright colors (she wants you to see her coming). She’s also the redhead of my crew, as you may have been able to gather.

Stats

Keiko ‘the Crimson Lotus’ Benihasu
Age: 24

Sex: right now? None. Once I find a man with a sword big enough to fill my sheath, as much as we can both stand. …what do you mean that’s not the answer you were looking for? It’s all you’re getting.
Height: 6'4"
weight: muscular
Measurements: 46H-26-43
Magic: ki fueled sword skills

Fighting style: kendo, akido, kenjutsu, family style sword magic

Eye color: Green
Hair: Red
Weapon: demon bane katana Crimson Lotus

Likes: Killing demons and monsters (I’m good at my job), training & sparring (shows how good I am), my sword (I get the cool family heirlooms), Ako (when she’s not bring a bitch like she is right now)

Dislikes: ninjutsu (too indirect and sneaky, fight me fair dammit), small men (meant in every possible way)

Background: Keiko is the haughty, proud eldest daughter of an ancient samurai line, as well as their finest sword master. Always ready to fight to protect others (or to fight for any reason, actually), Keiko’s combativeness commonly gets her into trouble both out in the world and among her own family. Born of a Japanese father and a fiery Scottish mother, Keiko was lucky to be born into a family that was not much of a stickler for family purity. And this was a very good thing for that family. Inheriting her father’s tremendous talent with both ki and blade and her mother’s massive size and strength, Keiko is very much not a typical demure Japanese female as well as an unprecedented threat on the battlefield.

Nanashi and his crew approach Keiko for help on the advice of and alongside Ryu Hayabusa. While Ryu and Keiko have had…mild personal disagreements in the past, they also have a lot of professional respect for one another (not that Keiko would ever admit it), so Ryu thought the introductions would go relatively smoothly.

Naturally, Keiko attacked Nanashi as soon as she saw him.

Ironically, this was the best thing she could have done. The sight of her fiend slaying katana caught firmly between Nanashi’s bare palms and having no effect whatsoever when it usually ignites fiends and demons from the inside out with the slightest scratch, was enough to prove to the stubborn woman that there was more to the male than met the eye. After that – and the sparring sessions with the ninja, Talia and Nanashi that she demanded as her price – she agreed to take the trio to the one person she knew who might be able to help: Ako Black Orchid.

Powers & Abilities: While her training method was different due to her samurai heritage, Keiko essentially possesses the same ki heightened abilities that Ryu Hayabusa and his ninja brethren do, which allows her to move, think and fight at superhuman levels. She can match the ninja step for step, vastly outstrips the average person in terms of physical ability and is more powerful naturally than Talia is with her amulet fueled artificial abilities. However, unlike the ninja, who focused on speed and agility as much as power, Keiko is a raw power warrior. This has made her slightly slower than the ninja but far stronger. She’s able to physically overpower even Ryu Hayabusa himself if she can get into close quarters, and is the only one in her family's history to have beaten an Oni to death with her bare hands. Keiko’s magic also takes a slightly different form as well. Where Ryu and the ninja can manifest things like fire, wind and gravity through ninpo, Keiko’s clan channel their ki through their swords, the blades’ special forging techniques and metals allowing them to both survive the act and to act as potent conduits. Keiko’s clan can conjure earth, wind, water, fire, lightning, ice, darkness or light depending on the wielder to a wide variety of offensive and defensive effects. Keiko herself prefers fire and lightning. The downside to the nature of this ability is that without a sword, the clan’s magic effects are greatly weakened, so many tend to carry more than one blade when out on missions.