Kasumi (Dead or Alive)

Kasumi (Dead Or Alive)

Kasumi (Japanese: かすみ?, also written as 霞, meaning "mist") is a player character and the lead protagonist in the Dead or Alive fighting game series by Team Ninja and Tecmo (Tecmo Koei). She is also portrayed by Devon Aoki as one of the main characters in the film DOA: Dead or Alive.

According to the games' canon, Kasumi, also known as "the Kunoichi of Destiny", is a teenage female ninja skilled in the Tenjin Mon (天神門?) style of Mugen Tenshin (霧幻天神流?) ninjutsu. Leaving her clan makes her an outcast, pursued by her younger half-sister Ayane. Kasumi has served as the main character of the Dead or Alive franchise since its premiere in 1996 and was the official protagonist in the first two main games in the series. There are also two Dead or Alive boss characters who are clones of her.

Kasumi is a symbol of the DOA franchise and is known to be the personal favourite of Team Ninja's founder and the series' creator Tomonobu Itagaki. She has been the subject of various merchandise, including being used to promote the Xbox console in Japan. Kasumi has become a popular sex symbol in gaming and one of the iconic video game ninja characters.