Natsuki Kuga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Natsuki Kuga (玖我 なつき Kuga Natsuki?) is a character from the My-HiME and My-Otome anime and manga series. Her name is Natsuki Kruger (ナツキ・クルーガー Natsuki Kurūgā?) in the My-Otome series. She is voiced by Saeko Chiba in Japanese and Cheryl McMaster in English.
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[edit] Common Characteristics
Natsuki is portrayed as a tough-as-nails blue-haired girl with extremely poor luck. She is regarded as one of the greatest beauties in each of the incarnations but tends to end up in embarassing situations. Natsuki always uses some type of gun as her weapon. Running gags include her hobby of collecting lingerie, her fondness of mayonnaise, and her tendency to become irritated and embarassed easily.
[edit] My-HiME anime
| Natsuki Kuga | |
|---|---|
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| Character Information | |
| Age: | 16 (Beginning), 17 (End) |
| DOB: | August 15 |
| Height: | 160 cm |
| Weight: | 47 kg |
| Blood type: | A |
| B/W/H: | 82/57/83 |
Natsuki Kuga is a strong-willed and forceful individual known for being a truant.[1] Her only friend at the start of the series is Shizuru Fujino; she prefers to work alone, but over the course of the series warms up to Mai Tokiha. Natsuki also works with Kaiji Sakomizu and Yamada to carry out her missions during the course of the series.
[edit] Actions
Natsuki makes her first appearance in episode 1 as a mysterious figure chasing after Mikoto Minagi, who is picked up by a ferry that Mai Tokiha is riding. After a battle, Natsuki warns Mikoto and Mai against going to the academy, though her warning goes unheeded.
Initially, Natsuki doesn't want to work with Mikoto or Mai, but the tension between them is broken in episode 4 when Mai helps Natsuki with her lingerie crisis. As the series progresses and the three fight off the various Orphans at the academy, they become friends. However, she takes an immediate disliking to Nao Yuuki when the two meet in episode 7.
Natsuki's purpose for fighting is revealed in episode 9 when the three girls investigate an old First District lab. Natsuki tells the others that she wants revenge on the First District for causing the death of her mother, a researcher for the First District.
Natsuki rescues Akane Higurashi from a privately controlled hospital in episode 13; Akane later reveals to Natsuki in episode 17 the link between a Child and the HiME's most important person. Natsuki and Nao become the first HiMEs to fight each other in episode 18.
In episode 20, Natsuki learns from John Smith that her mother actually attempted to sell her to the Searrs Foundation, rather than attempting to protect her. This sends Natsuki into depression, preventing her from summoning her Element or Child and allowing her to be caught by Nao.
Natsuki is saved by Shizuru and later finds out that Shizuru is actually in love with her. Surprised, Natsuki rejects her in episode 23, causing Shizuru to go insane. Natsuki later confronts Shizuru in an emotional battle in episode 25, which ends with the deaths of the two. They are later revived in episode 26 with the other HiME and destroy the HiME Star. The official guidebook suggests that Natsuki's relationship with Shizuru becomes deeper as time goes on.
[edit] Powers
Natsuki's Elements are a pair of small pistols, with the spheres on the pistols providing it with unlimited ammunition.[2] She also displays knowledge of hand-to-hand fighting techniques.[3][4] Natsuki's HiME mark is located on her lower left back, an area said to be governed by Leo, her zodiac sign.
Natsuki's Child is Duran, a silver wolflike creature named after her deceased pet dog. It has a pair of cannons on its back, and in its hind legs are several different types of projectiles: Silver Cartridges create icicles, Chrome Cartridges are conventional explosive charges, and Flash Cartridges produce a blinding light. Duran is also capable of close-combat fighting, and it can transform into a hoverbike that Natsuki can ride. Natsuki's most important person is Shizuru.
[edit] My-HiME manga
[edit] Characteristics
In the My-HiME manga, Natsuki Kuga is a typical tsundere character involved in a love triangle with Mai Tokiha and Yuuichi Tate, the latter being the Key for both girls. Natsuki shows a rivalry with Mai in the first chapter, indicating the two were fighting since before Yuuichi appeared. Natsuki's inability to do housework and her fondness of mayonnaise is more emphasized in the manga than in the anime.[5]
[edit] Actions
Natsuki is first shown in chapter 1, fighting Mai in front of Fuuka Academy. She is the first to realize that Yuuichi is a Key - more specifically, her Key - but is surprised when he turns out to be Mai's Key as well.
In chapter 5, Natsuki reveals her reason for fighting: to avenge her mother, who died at the hands of a HiME. Later in that chapter, events force Natsuki to move in with Mai, Mikoto Minagi, and Yuuichi.
In chapter 7, Natsuki joins the Ori-HiME Team; it is shown later in chapter 12 that this was only to get information on every HiME on campus, which Shizuru gives to her. She rejoins the Anti-Orphan Squad at the end of chapter 14, helping to defeat Haruka Suzushiro and Yukino Kikukawa.
Natsuki loses the ability to summon Duran when the relationship between Mai and Yuuichi is revealed in chapter 24. In the following chapter, she meets her mother, who is revealed to be alive and working for the Searrs Foundation, and her sister, Alyssa Searrs. She refuses to work with her mother, leading to a battle with her sister in chapter 29. Natsuki frees Mashiro Kazahana, who holds off Alyssa and allows Natsuki to confront her mother at the gate of the HiME Star. During the ensuing battle, Natsuki regains the power to summon Duran in chapter 34 and subsequently defeats her mother.
In chapter 38, Yuuichi and Natsuki break into the Obsidian Palace. They encounter and defeat Mai, who returns to their cause. The three fight Takumi Tokiha, and in chapter 43 use the Sword of Kagutsuchi to defeat the HiME Star's Child. In the final chapter, Natsuki is shown living with her mother, sister, and Miyu Greer.
[edit] Powers
Natsuki's Elements are a pair of small pistols similar to her anime counterpart's Elements. She, along with Mai, still has her HiME mark on her lower-left back.[6]
Natsuki's Child is Duran, similar to the anime version but named after the doll her mother gave her. In addition to the cartridges the anime version has, it also fires Diamond Cartidges, which can freeze the molecules of their target.[7] Natsuki's Key is Yuuichi Tate.
[edit] My-Otome
In My-Otome, Natsuki Kruger is the headmaster of the Garderobe Academy - a school where young girls are trained to become honored Otomes. Shizuru is her assistant and closest confidant, as well as her former upperclassman. It is strongly implied that she is also Natsuki's lover.
Natsuki appears more mature and disciplined than her HiME counterpart, most likely due to her age and relatively high social position. She is a capable leader and exudes an air of confidence that inspires both the faculty and students of Garderobe alike.
Her relationship with Juliet Nao Zhang no longer contains the bitter malice that their My-HiME counterparts had. The two women now have a sisterly if somewhat begrudging affection for each other which more often than not manifests in bouts of bickering and teasing. This is made apparent during their journey to the Republic of Aries where Nao (in reference to a similar situation in HiME) removed an article of Natsuki's clothing in order to increase their chances of hitching a ride.
Natsuki comes from a remote region of territory owned by Count Kruger (クルーガー伯辺境領). During her days as a student at Garderobe, she and Mai Tokiha were rivals as well as roommates. The two very soon became very good friends despite their ranks of Coral #1 and #2. She also became Shizuru's room attendant, with a bit of help from Mai and Haruka. Her own room attendant was Rosalie from Florence.
[edit] Manga
In the My-Otome manga, two versions of Natsuki exist.
The first is Natsuki Kruger, who is this time the daughter of Aries' president. She is still the headmaster of Garderobe, and Alyssa Searrs is her sister just like in the HiME manga. Her Robe remains the same as in the My-Otome anime, but she doesn't use it until shortly before the end of the series. A running gag is made of her being deprived of the opportunity to Materialize at the most inconvenient times. She displays a more forceful personality than in the anime, taking it upon herself to scold Manshiro a few times for his misdeeds.
The second is Natsuki Kuga revived from the dead. This Natsuki has a larger bust than any of her other incarnations (though this is not reflected in the image to the right.) In her second encounter with Natsuki Kruger, the latter claims that her increased bust size was due to breast padding[8]. She mocks the appearance of others and has a deep-seated hatred for those with larger bust sizes than her own[9]. She has a seemingly congenial relationship with the revived Nao Yuuki, who addresses her as an elder sister[10] rather than an enemy as in My-HiME.
[edit] GEM
She is #2 of the Five Columns - special Otome who serve no master save for Garderobe, and who are considered to be among the strongest of all Otome - and her GEM is known as the Ice Silver Crystal (氷雪の銀水晶 Hyōsetsu no Ginsuishō).
Her Element is a massive cannon capable of executing an energy attack called Howling Silver Wolf. In another of many references to My-HiME, she shouts "Load Silver Cartridge" and "Load Chrome Cartridge" before firing.
[edit] References
- ^ My-HiME anime, episode 2
- ^ "My-HiME: Characters". Accessed April 8, 2007.
- ^ My-HiME anime, episode 1
- ^ My-HiME anime, episode 15
- ^ My-HiME manga, chapter 5, pages 2-5
- ^ My-HiME manga, chapter 18, page 3
- ^ My-HiME manga, chapter 40, page 13
- ^ My-Otome manga; Chapter 39, page 15
- ^ My-Otome manga; Chapter 36, page 5
- ^ My-Otome manga; Chapter 39, page 14
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| My-HiME | Anime: Characters · Episodes · Soundtracks Manga: Characters · Chapters |
| My-Otome | Anime: Characters · Episodes · Zwei · Soundtracks · GEMs Manga: Characters · Chapters |
