Black Kaze

<infobox> <title source="name"><default>Black Kaze</default></title>

<image source="Image"></image> <image source="image"></image> <group><header>Basic Information</header> <label>Civilian Name</label> <label>Aliases</label> <label>Gender</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Death</label> <label>Age</label><default>Unknown</default> <label>Post-timeskip</label> <label>Ward start</label> <label>Relations</label> <label>Family</label></group> <group><header>Professional Status</header> <label>Occupation</label> <label>Classification</label> <label>Unique Features</label> <label>Alignment</label>

<label>Status</label><format>

Alive

</format>

<label>Location</label> <label>Teams</label> <label>Previous Team(s)</label> <label>Base of Operations</label></group> <group><header>First Appearance</header> <label>Worm Debut</label> <label>Ward Debut</label></group> </infobox>Akemi,<ref name="II10.y"/> known publicly as Black Kaze, was a cell-block leader in the Birdcage.

Appearance

Black Kaze is described as an "ordinary looking" Japanese woman with her hair in a ponytail in prison sweats<ref name="27.3"/>. Her fingers constantly twitched, as if searching for a weapon they expected to find<ref name="27.3"/>. She was very measured in her movements during combat.<ref name="30.2">Speck 30.2</ref>

Personality

It was theorized that the Endbringer attack on Kyushu broke her psychologically. When she was captured and put on trial she remained cognizant and controlled,<ref name="27.3"/> and she defaults to cold non-emotion in all situations, with no ability to socialize.<ref name="playtest"/> When in an altered mental state - whether natural (tired, stressed) or power-induced - she risks entering a homicidal frenzy.<ref name="playtest">Playtest Capes</ref> In none of her appearances has Black Kaze spoken.

Abilities and Powers

Black Kaze is capable of teleporting by using her weapon's movement.<ref name="Playtest 2">Power: Katana Flash - When she would attack, she may instead travel up to 40’, attacking everyone between her and her destination (with 10’ leeway to either side). Works with bonus attacks from Finesse. - Playtest Capes</ref> The greater the arc of her swing, the greater distance she can cover with a maximum range of about 50 feet. She is capable of striking an approximately 40 foot radius with ten feet of leeway from her start and end point.

While teleporting, innumerable versions of herself occupy space in the area between her departure and arrival point<ref name="email1">Black Kaze can teleport. While teleporting, innumerable versions of herself occupy space in the area between herself and the target point (with some leeway to either side), moving for a fraction of a second (not long enough to be seen). She teleports past you, you get shredded by a thousand cuts. - Private Email by Wildbow, archived on Spacebattles</ref>, moving for a fraction of a second (not long enough to be seen<ref name="30.2"/>) which lets her cut people with her ever present katana.<ref name="List">Black Kaze Teleported, with momentary existence in all spaces between departure and arrival, allowing katana strikes at intervening foes Independent Mover/Striker - Parahuman List, bolded edit by Wildbow.</ref> Black Kaze has an enhanced physique and is highly skilled in fighting with in depth awareness of her surroundings brought on from years of practice and untreated PTSD<ref name="playtest"/>.

In actual combat she is able to moderate the swings she makes with her weapon, for example multiple small swings allow for multiple short range teleports. She is also able to strike the ground a hundred times, kicking up clouds of dust, moving chaotically within the created effect, executing available targets with one final swing of her blade, or focus<ref name="Reddit1">Black Kaze teleported by using her weapon - any movement of the weapon could teleport her. Bigger swing, more distance covered. Swing multiple times, teleport multiple times. Strike the ground a hundred times, raise up clouds of dust, move unpredictably, cover the distance between herself and her target, execute multiple targets in one final teleport.

At the end of the day, though, she was human, and living on one's own, scavenging, possibly getting sick, or having tooth problems, or missing nutrients, she started to slip. Maximum connection to passenger, minimum quality of care for her own body. Might well have passed out or fainted in the midst of a confrontation. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref> to absolutely shred a single target with a thousand small cuts by teleporting past them.<ref name="email1"/>

Her experience left her with a superb connection to her Agent, though this has heavily damaged her ability to interact with others<ref name="Reddit1"/>.

History

Background

Following Leviathan's attack on Kyushu, Black Kaze went around killing anyone she saw. She purportedly killed twenty-thousand people,<ref name="Playtest 1">There’s something to be said for someone who gets a body count of 20,000 with a sword, and something to be said for leader of a Birdcage cell block. Odd that that something is ‘she is to be pitied’. - Playtest Capes</ref> killing survivors, killing rescuers, boarding the ships that approached too close to the ruined area and killing the crews, and rendering a widespread area devoid of life. She was considered an urban legend.<ref name="27.3">Extinction 27.3</ref>

Living on her own, scavenging, and possibly as a result of health problems that went untreated with her isolation, she started to slip. She may or may not have fainted during combat<ref name="Reddit1"/>. She was captured and sentenced to the Birdcage<ref name="27.3"/>, where she became a cell block leader.<ref name="I16">Interlude 16.z</ref>

Post-Slaughterhouse Nine

Black Kaze attended a meeting of cell block leaders in the Birdcage, but did not speak.<ref name="I16"/> She was one of the twelve cell block leaders to engage in dialogue with the various factions at the Cauldron forum. Again she did not speak.

Gold Morning

She was given the okay for release from the Birdcage to fight against Zion,<ref name="27.3"/> she stayed close to Masamune during these events.<ref name="29.3">Venom 29.3</ref> In the final stages she directly engaged Zion alongside Acidbath<ref name="30.2"/> before the various parahumans began coordinating.

Early-Ward

According to Jessica Yamada and Chris, Black Kaze is doing probationary public service, but is relatively happy.<ref name="II10.y">Chris snorted. “Whatever. Tom Moss? Dead. They didn’t put much effort into investigating that one. Ricario D’Alleva, imprisoned. Akemi whatshername? Imprisoned.”

“She seems reasonably free and happy by all reports I’ve seen.”

“Led around like a dog, watched constantly.” - Excerpt from Interlude 10.y II</ref>

Trivia

• Kaze means wind which makes her name black wind, or possibly dark wind or foul breeze or similar. It can mean ill fortune.
• Her experiences in the wake of Leviathan's attack on Japan would have been explored in another quest after PRT Quest had concluded.<ref name="R1">4. Sentai Elite Quest - Leading a squad post-Kyushu, Asia. Black Kaze's story, more touching on the CUI. - Comment by Wildbow on Reddit</ref>

Gallery

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  The three forms of Black Kaze, as a hero, as a inmate and as an calamity
• Error creating thumbnail: File missing
  Black Kaze perhaps in better days

References

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