Suzunagi

Suzunagi（すずなぎ）is a fictional character who appears in the "Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers" (鎧伝サムライトルーパー) (Ronin Warriors) anime OVA, "Message".

Origin

Born during the late Edo Period in Japan, Suzunagi was born and raised in a Christian family, who happened to be indirect descendants of the Kaos (The Ancient One) Clan. Members of the family have the ability to predict the future with a 90% accuracy rate. Her father was a local playwright in the Edo area (in the Japanese fandom, he's rumored to be Bushi, based on a magizene) who ran a theater house. Her mother also help with theater duties (it's rumoured in the Japanese fandom that she may have also been a dancer/performer of some sorts for the theater, as seen through the ending credits).

Summary

Suzunagi's father created and compiled a manuscript that would reveal to his audience the tales of five young men wearing magical suits of armors fighting the forces of evil. However, due to certain circumstances (some say it was because Suzunagi and her family were Christians, others say it was because Suzunagi's father was speaking out against the Shougun), the Shougun's samurai arrived and set the theater on fire. Suzunagi's father was then beheaded for his actions. During the chaos, Suzunagi's mother realized that her daughter was trapped inside the theater. While running inside to rescue her, Suzunaig's mother was killed when the roof of the theater caved in. Suzunagi was also killed in the fire.

Centuries passed and Suzunagi's spirit became a wandering spirit, unable to rest until the armors were annihilated. Because, in her mind, these armors brought about nothing but sorrow, pain, and death. While on her mission, she encountered Kaos during the 1940s (more precisely, World War II) as he was prepared to break the seal that prevented the Armor of Tenku (Armor of Strata) from falling into the wrong hands. At the time, Suzunagi learned all that she could about the manuscript her father wrote. She knew what was about to unfold and believed that the armors would unleash nothing but evil and corruption. Kaos knew something was wrong with Suzunagi, as she was a girl filled with such anger and hatred. Suzunagi tried to fight Kaos off, but Kaos retaliated and released the Armor of Tenku to use its powers to chase Suzunagi away.

Many more years would pass before Suzunagi appeared once again, this time as an adult with more power and much more determination. With her abilities increased tenfold, she went after the very people that were involved in her father's manuscript: the Samurai Troopers. Originally she wanted to use the Troopers to summon their armors, the Kikôtei, and to use its power to "purge the world from the pain and sorrow, which the armors caused" (which would end up destroying the world, as well as Suzunagi, in the process). One by one, she captured the five young warriors by enticing them with their deepest fears and strengths. She had created her own set of armors that held the captive Troopers; however, she had no idea that her victims would become her saviors.

Suzunagi slowly realized that they suffered as well because of the armors. With their combined efforts, the Troopers helped Suzunagi overcome her pain and even be reunited with her late mother. Even without their armors, the Troopers gave her the strength to free herself of her inner demons. In return, Suzunagi gave them new and more powerful armors that were free from any influence of Arago or his evil essence. She also helped them realize that being Samurai Troopers didn't mean it was their destiny--it was a choice they would keep, as defenders of the Earth.

Manga and Dôjinshi Adaptions

Like many of the OVA characters, Suzunagi does not appear in the manga. She does appear in a couple dôjinshi stories, mainly dealing with the "Message" storyline. The most common Suzunagi based doujinshi are from a company called "Doujinshi Network", who did two special editions for the releas of"Message".

Trivia

* Suzunagi's Japanese voice actress is Yayoi Mitsuki (Yayoi being her first name and Mitsuki being the last). Her English voice actress is performed by Canadian Ellen Kennedy. In the Italian dub, her voice is done by Sonia Mazza.
* Her age is a mystery. As a child, she is estimated to be around 9-10 years old. As an adult, many centuries have passed. She is said to be 130-160 years old. While the Edo Period began 300 years ago, she was probably born later in the era.
* The armors that Suzunagi created do not require "kokoro tama" (USA fandom refer to these as "kanji orbs") to power up.
* In spirit form, Suzunagi is rumored to have powers that rival Kaos', if not, exceed them.
* Suzunagi is an indirect descendant from Kaos' clan. Though, it's unknown which side of her family the relation is from.
* Suzunagi's family has the ability to predict the future, but their predictions are not very reliable, only 90% accurate.
* The armor that Suzunagi created do not have the ability to link up with the Mashou's (Dark Warlords in the US) armor.
* Suzunagi is the only character whose name is written in hiragana.
* Suzunagi's armors do have mystical abilities, despite the fact they are not shown.
* Suzunagi's armors do come with sure-kill attacks.