Kurogawa Yamasawa



Kurogawa Yamasawa (山沢 黒川, Yamasawa Kurogawa) is a Fullbringer born and raised in Aizuwakamatsu. Her powers were imbued with her during an incident where her father, a spiritually aware being, was attacked by a hollow while protecting his pregnant wife. However, this unique ability extended beyond the physical realm and affected her emotionally. The doctors and her parents noted that she never cried after birth. She possessed dead eyes and a face devoid of feelings. Kurogawa's deadened persona only became more prominent as she grew through her childhood years and into adolescence. Despite the inability to form genuine relationships and the product of a harsh perspective, Kurogawa Yamasawa always found popularity throughout her years in school. She was considered the ultimate challenge. Hundreds desired to melt her heart and become the only light of her blacked eyes. And without emotions hindering her judgement, Kurogawa was able to apply logic to the toughest situations. Fortunately, Kurogawa's father decided to involve his daughter in Kendo from a young age. She embodied the spirit of the samurai; a warrior who would slaughter thousands without a reasonable cause. She was obedient. Dominate. A woman who could send fear into the opponent, the judges and the audience with a single glare. This warrior's spirit turned Kurogawa into a competition winning Kendo practitioner. She has attended the finest educational institutions through various Kendo scholarships, grants and programs; and has travelled across Asia and the west to compete against the finest masters. Fellow masters project that Kurogawa Yamasawa can potentially be the first female to achieve the ranking of Eighth Dan when she becomes eligible at 46.

Kurogawa awakened her powers during a match against an opponent more than twice her size. The overwhelming challenge should have caused her to have experienced even the slightest fear. But instead, she had kept a mind of complete tranquility. Her initial Fullbring appeared as an alteration to both her mind and spirit. After achieving victory, she realized that her body possessed a certain enhancement. She could reach speeds that surpassed the fastest humans and demonstrated strength capable of breaking Shinai against opponents. Her father decided to explain his understanding of the afterlife and its connection to humanity. He also took her to a nearby hollow which he had sensed earlier, and ordered her to defeat it as a test of might. After the flawless victory, her father began training in Kurogawa in spiritual matters in order to create the perfect warrior. A defender of humanity. However, she is currently a college student with extremely high grades when not defeating hollows.

Appearance
Families, friends and doctors who were present to Kurogawa's first hours of life noted that she possessed empty eyes. A certain face of a warrior whose seen thousands of battles during her past lives. She rarely smiled and only cried when hungry or soiled. Genuine laughter was a spectacle which appeared during moments of absolute bliss. She inherited dark brown hair which grew at an alarming rate compared to other girls her age and was kept in a variety of ponytails. Kurogawa's parents brought her loose and plain dresses as opposed to pretty yet restrictive clothing worn by fellow children. And as she grew older, her taste in color and style was solidified. She chooses apparel that allow her to transition swiftly into a battle ready stance without risking openings. As an adult, her wardrobe consist of a black uniform with a matching skirt, leggings and sneakers. Her hair is kept hanging loosely behind her back. Kurogawa is considered a rare beauty in her grade ranking. She has flawless skin, a petite build and skin that is light with a touch of blush. During the rare instances of her smiling, it is a small yet satisfying curve that fits her face perfectly. A certain softness found within the hardest soul. The warmth that follows grasping something frozen. She is of average height for those of her hometown while possessing the athletic build of a Kendo master. As expected of Kurogawa, she is known for walking around with two Shinai tied at her waist.

When she is competing against an opponent, Kurogawa wears the traditional kendōgu used in Kendo competitions. She keeps her hair tied in a ponytail during combat and refrains from wearing clothing that would get in the way of her movements. She is infamous for removing her footwear before battle due to practicing combat in such a manner in her father's dojo.

Personality
Kurogawa's Fullbring is considered a potent energy which took a passive influence on her personality. Behaving in the manner similar to a hollow's aura, her concentrated skills devastated her ability to experience and express emotions. As a child, Kurogawa rarely smiled; a weird trait for the heiress to one of Kyoto's prominent families. The countless gifts and endless affection appeared to actually annoy her. Contrarily, she seemingly preferred challenges and competitions as opposed to useless ramblings and gossip perform by young girls. Whether it involved defeating the boys in masculine games or outsmarting the other children who believed themselves geniuses, Kurogawa appeared as someone unable to enjoy the finer things in life. She grew up with a strict sense of obedience to both her parents and ancestors, enough that surrounding adults thought she was simply a mindless heiress being groomed for inheriting wealth. Quiet. Easily unnoticed yet impossible to forget. Young boys would eat their heart out trying to figure out the young girl. Perhaps the greatest affect of her Fullbring was the destruction of fear and confusion. The young girl feared nothing and preferred to experience life without questions. However, her odd personality matured once her powers were further awakened.

Kurogawa appears as a cold warrior unable to process human emotions. She can keep her composure against enemies who are beyond comprehension. But this unique ability carries over to her normal life. She rarely acknowledges others and seemingly lives the day for herself. When people question her over trivial matters, her answers are kept relatively short and to the point. She avoids useless conversations and despise people who lecture. Kurogawa prefers isolation and solitude despite her popular status. As the center of attention, she is the eye of the storm. A quiet space surrounded by the chaos of human nature. Her inability to display surprise, fear and doubt causes others to fear approaching her. Kurogawa rarely appears happy to see people; a trait which causes those to fawn over her suppose coolness. Kurogawa appears distant to those around her and attempts to remain untouched both physically and emotionally. She regards her school crowd as people who choose to follow her, and cares little if their decision gets them killed.

Kurogawa's matured personality caused a strife in her relationship with her parents. She disregarded her father's goal of creating the perfect spiritual warrior and pursued her passion in Kendo. She began skipping her father's lessons and avoided classes to compete in distant tournaments. Swordsmanship became the center of her focus. The aftermath being her developing a personality and mindsets similar to the samurai of old. Devoid of surprise, Kurogawa is known for wearing a face of boredom and condescension. She has witnessed sudden death without looking away and appeared unfazed by the creation of life. She appears to comprehend situations she is unable to grasp, leading to allies following her without question. Her friends noted that throwing parties for Kurogawa was useless for she once walked passed a group of celebrating family members without glancing in their direction. Even without the slightest knowledge of an event, Kurogawa is unable to display the surprise normally exhibited by humans. Unable to experience fear, she is a headstrong girl who welcomes challenges without hesitation. She charged into battle when the Yamasawa head ordered her to kill her first hollow. Mysterious situations do not pose a threat to Kurogawa who believes the only chance of victory is by experience. She is considered a person without doubt; a woman capable of following her heart and mind's decision without worrying about the ramifications. If she believes a certain decision or path is correct, she will jump onto the road while abandoning hesitation.

Contrarily, Kurogawa possesses the ability to display and experience positive emotions. Those closest to her have stated that she generally enjoys the company of people similar to her, such as her rival, but refrains from showing it externally. It is through subconscious tendencies and small actions that one can tell whether or not she cares for someone. She demonstrates the normal symptoms of being a female such as an infatuation with cute things. While she despises anyone who treats her with the damsel motif, she is willing to die for those who actually care about her wellbeing As opposed to those who follow her out of admiration, she only respect those who stands beside her as a companion. Kurogawa believes that humans should be free to choose their own decision and path and despises any who attempts to restrict it.

History
Kurogawa was born in Aizuwakamatsu Japan and is the daughter of a wealthy businessman. Her family possesses a strong connection in the old city which extends into both physical and spiritual matters. They are a lineage descended from, the famous Onna-bugeisha who helped defend the Fukushima domain during the infamous Battle of Aizu. The current head of the Yamasawa, a spiritually aware human, desired to continue the family tradition of producing offspring capable of interacting with the spiritual realm. He heard tales of humans inheriting hollow-like abilities after being subjected to their presence while in the womb. And such, he used his spiritual power to attract a hollow in order to attack his pregnant wife. Of course he prepared his own protective forces in order to protect her and the unborn Kurogawa's life. His goal was to create the perfect warrior for combatting Hollows and use this unique strength to increase profit. And such, Kurogawa was born.

The Yamasawa head was delighted when he saw that his daughter was born a stoic child. She underwent harsh training from the minute she could walk; from continuous lessons in the ancient art of Kendo to the foundations of spiritualism. She learned the connection between the afterlife and human realm and performed ancient ceremonies long forgotten by heiresses. When Kurogawa was not subjected to schoolwork, she was reading old text and weapon manuals. But her father became fixated on awakening the dormant power within, an energy he could sense from the moment she was born. The young heiress never enjoyed the normal life of children. They showered her with toys and gifts in order to deter those who feared that she would lack a normal. Yet kept her focused on becoming a warrior capable of slaying beast, so much so she lacked the time to experience actual joy. Fortunately, they passed onto her the importance of the human heart and spirit. They taught her compassion and sympathy yet placed them as weaknesses that hinder a warrior. She, as a sword of humanity, should never subjugate herself to human emotions. Kurogawa was imbued with the belief that she is nothing more than a sacrifice for others to enjoy life. A demon who fights demons. Regardless, Kurogawa continued her training without a sign of regret or disagreement, obediently following the Yamasawa orders.

To better gain an understanding of human nature and the personality traits of mankind, Kurogawa was told to enlist in one of her school's many clubs. She chose to join the Kendo club since it was the closest program to what she understood. Her comprehension of spiritualism and the usage of swordsmanship made her one of the team's greatest combatants. Enough to defeat several grown men consecutively. Unknowingly, her spirit began to react to the enjoyment she felt when crossing weapons against an opponent. The connection created by understanding one's opponent beyond a verbal level. Sadly, The Yamasawa head was ultimately disappointed in the lack of spiritual progress. Kurogawa appeared more focus on winning her competitions than actually making progress. She started shirking her duties as the future heiress of both her father's company and as a spiritualist; and Kurogawa's cold persona allowed her to disappoint her parents without regret.

When Kurogawa was twelve, she went up against an opponent who was a newly declared 4th Dan practitioner. Her father was present during the competition only to see if her passion was legitimate. But the intense match managed to shock numerous spectators who were unable to believe that a young girl could threaten a young adult. She moved with a certain understanding of the connection between mind body and spirit without succumbing to the four deadly sins of Japanese fencing. Kurogawa felt something flick in the back of her mind. She understood the movements and intentions of her opponent and managed to claim victory. After the match, the Yamasawa head revealed that he sensed the sudden change in her soul during the match. She had finally awakened the initial form of her Fullbring, 'One Full Point. It was then he chose to explain the importance of souls and how they affected everyday life. Perhaps he was wrong in forcing Kurogawa to blossom in a manner similar to him. Maybe catering to her ambition by combining it with spiritual training was the correct path to take.

Kurogawa defeated her first hollow in three steps. She was soon considered a prodigious spiritualist capable of surpassing their ancient ancestors by the Yamasawa household. One even referred to her as the reincarnation of Takeko Nakano after witnessing a match between Kurogawa and a former sensei. However she lacked the ability to understand human nature due to the potent energy imbued within. So upon turning eighteen, the Yamasawa head had Kurogawa apply to a college in Osaka where she would hopefully mature; and upon return become eligible to inherit the company and family estate. Kurogawa joined Xstence in the months following in order to fully master her Fullbring.

Equipment

 * Bokuto:

Powers & Abilities
"Warriors who breath with their shoulders are the one's who'll get struck down the quickest."

- Kurogawa Yamasawa

Expert Swordsman: Kurogawa is an expert of modern day Kendo who specializes in the usage of the Shinai. She was trained by both her father and several masters from the moment she could walk. Before discovering the source of her special abilities, her masters and father had hoped to switch her to a form of Ono-ha Ittō-ryū (小野派一刀流) using an actual katana. But upon awakening One Full Point, Kurogawa focused upon the mastery and usage of the Shinai; the source of her supernatural talents. Her main choice for a weapon is a Daito Shinai, a longer variation of the shinai that allows her to focus upon the strength of her strikes rather than the swiftness. She can manipulate and maneuver the blade without wasting strength and energy, efficiently alternating the trajectory of her strikes during combat. Alternatively, Kurogawa is also able to utilize a variation of the Niten Ichi-ryū (二天一流) she created after watching a Nitō practitioner's match during her teenage career. Although ranked as a 4th Dan Kendōka (剣道家), Lady Yamasawa demonstrates enough efficiency to easily overpower those of the 6th Dan without relying on a supernatural boost. Her Shinai become deadly weapons against humans, as she has defeated human opponents with minimal effort. Lady Yamasawa is proficient in multiple groups of Waza. Her style of combat revolves mostly on strength and durability rather than evasion and precision. She attacks with the intent to kill in one strike, and evades in order to avoid damage completely. And such, her choice in the groups of techniques vary around the aforementioned concepts. Of course she is able to practice other techniques belonging to different groups. However those that are compatible with her persona are utilized at maximum efficiency while the others often leave vital openings in her form. Primarily, she is prefers the approach of Shikake-waza the group known for Offensive or aggressive strikes against enemies. Her attacks are ferocious and fierce. Even without the usage of supernatural skills, she strikes an opponent with the destruction of a silent tsunami. Kurogawa prefers to utilize Shikake-waza from the Jōdan-no-kamae positioning due to the unique formation where she possesses the ability to obscure the length of the Shinai and create a threatening appearance. She uses the Shikake-waza without fear, doubt and hesitation; allowing her to break through defenses or challenge enemy offenses with an iron heart. Another benefit of her aggressive approach towards battle is the usage of the Harai-waza; strikes meant to brea the opponent's stance by deflecting their oncoming attack. After becoming a Kendōka of the 4th Dan, Lady Yamasawa began practicing strikes which belonged to the Suriage-waza; techniques designated for deflecting an oncoming attacks upwards and then striking one's opponent. The Suriage-waza is also useful for disrupting the balance of the opponent so she can finish the enemy swiftly. Kurogawa is a practitioner of the five basic stances practiced in Kendo and a master of theJōdan-no-kamae. Her ability to switch between the varying stances allows Lady Yamasawa to approach situations differently. She can overwhelm opponents by alternating and throw off enemies who believe they have her figured out. To her, predictability is the step before death. The following stances are useable with both a Daito Shinai and shoto.
 * Chūdan-no-kamae' (中段の構え): Firstly, she is able to utilize the fundamental stance known as the Chūdan-no-kamae. Although her left foot is kept slightly behind the right with the left heel somewhat elevated, both of her feet are ultimately parallel and her hips are facing the opponent. She keeps her shoulders relaxed and spine upright. She assumes this stance against opponents she regard as weak or foolish. Overall this stance eliminates overwhelming power and swiftness for balance between the two forces as well as control over her weapon. She assumes Chūdan-no-kamae when preparing to strike an opponent with one movement to a revealed opening.
 * Jōdan-no-kamae (上段の構え); Kurogawa learned the Jōdan-no-kamae immediately after gaining an understanding of the Chūdan-no-kamae. However, the Jōdan-no-kamae is perhaps the one stance that she mastered completely and the stance she prefers over the other five. The Jōdan-no-kamae compliments her focus on the usage of techniques belonging to the Shikake-waze group of attacks. She raises the Shinai over her head and keeps the saki-gawa pointing backwards and the taka facing upwards, prepared to strike her opponent immediately. This stance, although considered the most aggressive, is also the one with the weakest defense due to leaving a vast area of her body vulnerable. Fortunately, both her Fullbring and natural atmosphere is enough to force the opponent into extreme caution. They fear the aggressive appearance of the stance and such refrain from approaching. Also, the weapon's distance is considered impossible to accurately judge due to the Shinai being held above her head.
 * 'Gedan-no-kamae (下段の構え''): When opponents are aggressive towards Kurogawa, she switches to the Gedan-no-kamae in order to counter and create an opening. While useful, this specific stance focuses on solitary positioning, which hinders her enjoyment of aggressiveness. She keeps her footing similar to the Chūdan-no-kama but her Shinai is held at a lower-level, towards the waist and ankle. Her usage of the Gedan is often prerequisites for the Suriage waza group of techniques, where Lady Yamasawa deflects oncoming strikes and counters.
 * Hassō-no-kamae (八相（八双）の構): Lady Yamasawa's second favorite stance, the Hassō-no-kamae is a posture where she places her left foot forward, and keeps her sword held upright with the hilt in front of the right shoulder. The usage of this stance compliments her style of combat by utilizing a strike similar to the Jōdan-no-kamae. However, the greatest advantage of the Hassō is the ability to strike from any direction. Granting her the ability to utilize the Shikake waza from various locations. As a descendant of and a woman of Aizuwakamatsu, the Hassō stance's compatibility with the Naginata gives her a certain heartwarming sensation. When wielding a Naginata, Lady Yamasawa takes the Hassō as the primary stance in combat.
 * 'Waki-gamae (脇構''): Kurogawa only resorts to the Waki-gamae when she is preparing to strike the opponent without leaving her initial position. The Waki-gamae is a form where she places the blade behind her person in order to mask the exact length and orientation of the weapon. Allowing her to strike an opponent with a sudden surprise.


 * Enhanced Speed:


 * Enhanced Endurance:.


 * Enhanced Durability':.


 * High Spiritual Power:.


 * Spiritual Awareness:
 * Keen Intellect:

Fullbring
One Full Point:
 * Kiai: Kiai is the physical representation of one's spirit, the force of one's soul materialized into the physical realm with a powerful shout. The battle cry of a samurai whose only goal is to bring about death. Those with a strong soul have an even greater Kiai. Although normally quiet, Lady Yamasawa possesses a powerful Kiai which is seen even without a battle cry. It is this great soul that creates the fuel for her advancement through life. One Full Point uses the Kiai to amplify the attack once her Shinai makes contact with an opponent.
 * Shikai: Shikai are the four sins of Kendo....kyo, ku, gi, waku...

Trivia

 * Kurogawa is regarded as the antithesis to Bang; which, when placed together, represent the ancient Chinese theory of the . She symbolizes the Yin persona through various aspects in her personality, abilities and appearance. Yin is the symbol of femaleness, darkness, passivity, and absorption. Her personality demonstrates several traits tied to the aforementioned concepts. However, she also possesses a certain amount of traits that appear in Bang, creating a certain bridge that spans spiritually between the two. Her given name, which means Black River, also ties to her connection to the Yin persona. Most importantly, her Fullbring is tied to the art of Kendo which uses a black protective gear known as kendōgu as a base of her Clad Type transformation while Bang's Fullbring is based off his mastery over fencing, which uses a white uniform.
 * Kurogawa's theme song, as chosen by the author is,
 * Kurogawa was originally meant to be a Yandere. However, the author decided to use the archetype of a super Tsundere as a basis.
 * A lot of Kurogawa's Kendo usages are from websites, videos and overall research performed by the author. If there are any actual Kendo practitioners, please feel free to correct anything in the Talk page; though the author ask that it is done politely and civilized.