Natsu

Origin

Natsu is young ninja who was trained by the master ninja Taki. A member of the same clan as Taki, the Fu-Ma clan of ninja, she was destined to excel and trained to kill demons, however unfortunately a great demon was bound to Natsu. The great demon Arahabaki resided within her and because of this, many of the other Fu-Ma ninja clam members treated her with suspicion, fear and resentment. Some members of the clan would even try to assassinate her. The strong willed and honorable Taki however would defend, protect and speak on Natsu's behalf, which came to create a sense of appreciation and hero worship within Natsu towards Taki. Despite having a rebellious and anti-authortian personality, Natsu would always respect and honor her ninja master Taki. She would not always show that level of respect for other clan members.

At some point Taki would have to leave for a longer period of time for important work. Natsu would start to grow concerned as more time passed, and around that same time a young girl named Leixia would appear to the clan seeking assistance. A skilled fighter herself, Leixia would not find the fact that Natsu is possessed by a great demon terrifying, and would instead be curious fascinated. Natsu herself would find Leixia an endearing mix of awkward and sincere and so decide to be Leixia's bodyguard on her upcoming quest. The two girls would later come across nun chuck master Maxi and the staff wielding Xiba and as a group continue on together.

Creation

Natsu is fictional character created for the Soul Calibur franchise, created by the publisher Bandai Namco. The young ninja first appeared in Soul Calibur V released in 2012 and her design is attributed to Tomoko Imura. She is considered a legacy character, in the sense like many of the Soul Calibur V roster, she is a direct substitute for a former Soul Calibur character. She replaces Taki as a ninja styled character, and Taki herself is involved in the plot of Natsu. Speaking of the characters design Imura mentions, "The basic premise for Natsu's character was simplicity. I started with a rough draft and tried to figure out what which parts to keep, though that proved to be quite tricky. Natsu's fairly young so she may not have as much volume as Taki, but she's still growing"

Character Evolution

Natsu is effectively Taki's replacement in Soul Calibur V, one of the sequels in Namco's weapon based fighting games. Soul Calibur V introduced many new characters as substitutes for older characters, Natsu fulfilling the role of Soul Calibur's ninja expert. Originally Natsu was quite shy and timid, however the mentorship of Taki, gave her more confidence and bravado, especially after her training she received becoming of the more skilled and effective ninjas around.

Major Story Arcs

The Demon Arahabaki

At some point in the past, near the Izumo mountains, powerful demonic energies were noted, near one of the shrines at the location. The Fu-Ma ninja clan, and its leader Chie, became aware of this disturbance, and knew that a powerful demonic entity, Arahabaki was sealed there. Arahabaki is known as an ancient aborigine Japanese god, possessing shadowy spiritual powers and energies. It is known to manifest eight large electric snakes, in its physical form. She would send an experienced Fu-Ma clan ninja Juju to investigate. She would not return.

This would alarm Chie and she would arrange for various ninja clan heads to met and discuss the problem. The head of the Inobe faction would suggest crafting specific weapons to counter Arahabaki, but the head of the Fujibe clan, Shuke, was impatient and rashly decided to lead his entire clan out to attack and defeat Arahabaki. When she learned of this decision, Taki would quickly rush after the Fujibe clan, to catch up, but it would be too late, she would arrive to find the whole clan had been slaughtered. Only the Arahabaki possessed body of Juju stood before her, forcing Taki to battle her former clan member. The battle was intense, and brutal, but Taki would hesitate to use her most powerful dagger Mekki Maru, a vow she had made earlier. She would manage to kill the possessed Juju to stop Arahabaki. Unfortunately Arahabaki had not been destroyed, and had its spirit fled to a nearby village. Taki would track its demonic energy signature only to find the village in flames, destroyed with only one survivor, a small baby girl.

Recognizing the child as innocent and having some regret that she had not used Mekku Maru, Taki decided to seal Arahabaki inside the girl and to take her with her. Now Arahabaki would not threaten anyone else and the young girl would not have to be killed.

Powers and Abilities

Natsu is a trained and skilled ninja, and member of the demon hunting Fu-Ma ninja clan. Trained and mentored by the legendary ninja Taki, the greatest Fu-Ma ninja, Natsu is even more competent and skilled than most ninja. She wields two daggers, dual ninjato's, called Kuzukiri and Awayuki. She is practiced in Musoh-Battoh-Ryu. Natsu would be very fond of her weapons, as they were crafted and forged by Taki and her adoptive mother Chie.

Natsu is also is inhabited by a great demon, that is sealed inside her. Arahabaki. Although he is sealed within, his prescence within her also allows her certain supernatural abilities, she can use for various effect, like shockwaves and pillars of fire. Though Natsu knows to be careful, as each time she draws on such power, the demon Arahabaki regains strength, and one day may have enough strength to break through his bonds and take her over completely. Occasionally her appearance may alter to reflect the demon that resides inside her.

Physical Characteristics

• Height: 5'4"
• Weight: 114 lbs
• Eyes: Green
• Hair: Blonde

Other Media

Soul Calibur V (2012)

Natsu's first appearance came in the Namco video game, fighting franchise 2012's installment of Soul Calibur V. She is voiced by Fuyuka Ōura.

Project X Zone 2 (2015)

Natsu is the first Soul Calibur character to guest star in 2015's Project X Zone 2.