Aoi Kusanagi

Aoi Kusanagi (, Kusanagi Aoi) is a character from The King of Fighters series. She is a cousin of Kyo Kusanagi and voiced by Ayako Kawasumi.

Story
When Souji Kusanagi moved to Tokyo, Aoi moved with him. A short while before Kyo went to search for Souji, Aoi and her brother had a fight. Aoi then ran away from home and ran into Shermie. Acknowledging Shermie as a Hakkesshu, Aoi asked her to turn her crimson flames into purple flames, in a rebel act against her brother. Shermie did what she asked, inflicting her with the same curse inflicted on the Yagami clan.

She found Kyo, who was looking for her on her brother's behalf. Kyo asked her to return home, and she reluctantly agreed. She met her brother Souji at the Kusanagi temple and after a short discussion, they reconciled.

It is still unknown if Kyo, Saisyu, Shizuka or Souji is aware of Aoi's excursion with the Orochi blood. However, no canon stories or events in the games involving Orochi and the Riot of the Blood depict Aoi's bout with the Riot of the Blood in the same fashion as Iori or Leona.

Personality
Aoi seems to be a rebel girl who fights with her brother almost all the time, although she cares for her family and clan.

Abilities
As a member of the Kusanagi bloodline, she wields the Kusanagi flames and pyrokinesis. Being tainted by Orochi's blood however will not hinder her ability to perform the tasks of the Kusanagi bloodline, if needed be, as Iori Yagami can perform his duties too in spite of being cursed by Orochi's blood.


 * Pyrokinesis - Due to her Kusanagi heritage, Aoi can control fire. She can create fire from thin air, create fire balls, deliver punches of fire, create pillars of fire and put her own body on fire. She is not immune to other types of fire. She cannot control other fires that she didn't create.
 * Riot of the Blood - Thanks to the pact she made with Orochi though Shermie's intervention, Aoi goes into this state whenever Orochi's presence is strong. While in this form, her eyes are dilated, her back is hunched, and her skin adopts a shade of violet (estimated). She is mostly incoherent. She becomes stronger and faster but loses intelligence. She has never entered this state, but is susceptible to it.

Fighting style
Aoi fights with the Kusanagi style of ancient martial arts, a Japanese style of empty handed combat taught only to the Kusanagi.

Appearances

 * The King of Fighters: Kyo

Etymology

 * The name Aoi means "hollyhock, althea" (葵).
 * Aoi's surname Kusanagi means "grass, herb, weed" (草) (kusa) and "mow" (薙) (nagi).
 * Kusanagi comes from Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (which is the name Yamato Takeru gave to the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi), a legendary Japanese sword and one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan that represents the virtue of valor.

Trivia

 * As of KOF XV, there is no mention of Aoi in the KOF series at large outside the KOF: Kyo game. Souji would make a cameo with Kyo and Saisyu at the randomized staff roll art from KOF98.
 * Due to her blood pact with Shermie, Aoi's Kusanagi blood is now cursed, including her possible descendants, and her flames.
 * As revealed in Shingo's side story however, those who taint themselves with Orochi blood are cursed forever; however only their branch and lineage would carry the curse, and not the entire bloodline. Kyo and Saisyu's lineage remain pristine. The only way to lift this curse is to excise themselves of the sacred treasures they hold, as what happened to Iori when Ash stole his sacred treasure during The Tales of Ash saga.
 * The untainted Yasakani bloodline would eventually die out, with only the remaining Yagami bloodline in existence.

Gallery
Aoi Kusanagi