Keiko Matsumori

Background

Keiko is a wandering samurai who came to Great Europa to test her skills on the capabilities of their so called knights herself and a few other things, desperately looking for glory and honor. Hailing from the Scarlet Empire as the eldest daughter of Clan Matsumori, a particularly prestigious and powerful clan that serves as the shogun's military right hand. Born with great talent for both sorcery and swordsmanship, Keiko has grown up without much hardship. However she's also searching for a man who dishonored her family. Growing up with retainers her whole life, she does not have much skill in self-care. Her hair is rather unkempt and her tail unbrushed. Even with her capabilities, she remains horribly broke, constantly cheated of her coin, and is extremely susceptible to trickery. She prides herself in being highly educated and civilized, but try as she might, her handwriting is completely illegible. She as well believes her picture book's stories to be truthful events.

Effortlessly crushing every challenge thrown at her, she yearned for a true challenge and a foe that will push her beyond her limits, for the one thing she fears more than anything is stagnation, and the death of her ambitions. Considering herself as a rival to Flayne la Karrotte, with whom she often argues that Bushido is cooler than Chivalry as part of her extreme adherence to Bushido, which prioritizes honor over morals. The two have at least once clashed in a duel, in which Keiko lost. One of the reasons she's so fixated on Flayne is because she is attracted to strong and confident people. She has already met with Flayne's father, Pascal Karrotte. Keiko is a very prideful person at heart, with Pride's beliefs coming naturally after, she knows that she is better than most, blessed with beauty, skills and of course an affluent family. Despite this however, she yearns to find real meaning, a real struggle that will push her beyond her comfort zone, and reach heights as great as her heroes that she looks up to. Being ambitious and competitive has pushed her into worshipping Envy as well, as she's currently trying to find a place where she belongs, whether it be serving her clan, or carving her own path.

Due to her noble upbringing and generally higher education and status, she usually acts all haughty and arrogant. However this is usually not intentional for she simply doesn't know how to act normal, and can't convey her desires and ideas properly. Surprisingly yet, she crumbles easily in both social situations and physical altercations, as she’s just not very good with people. This kitsune is a fussy young lady, who would want the finest of foods and only wear the finest of silks she could get her hands on. Keiko loves anything sourdough, and is a rather huge germophobe as well. Despite her armor and clothing sometimes, she cares highly of her femininity, trying her very best to look beautiful at any occasion. She has a refined palate, and is horrible at cooking. Missing the food from home, she has invented miso made from chickpeas and a terrible copy of onigiris made from brown rice and lettuce. As they pale in comparison to her homeland equivalent, this makes her quite sad.

She has a few tails, but those are hidden underneath an illusion magic. The amount of tails a kitsune has, the more gifted they are in most aspects. Her tails are fluffy even when unkempt.

Powers

Keiko has a deeper understanding of magic and sorcery than the usual folk in the western lands, but she chooses to use her magic as little as possible for honor's sake. She could be considered a prodigy as she doesn't train very often, yet manages to master many great techniques and amass plentiful knowledge through the reading of various books. She is actually very skilled, but most of the time simply not very informed, which causes her to lose. Keiko despite being a Mage herself believes in the teachings of Temperance. She was born with a rare ability known as true sight, which she considers as a curse more than a gift. Hence, she often prays to Temperance to find relief in the constant nightmares and visions she experiences. She is however incredibly proud of her own capabilities, to the point she handicaps herself in order to give herself a challenge and a self-imposed code in order to pursue true bushido.

At a certain point of injury, Keiko starts running on autopilot, with her mind barely holding up but her body moving regardless. In those moments she displays a hollow look because she mentally checked out. This ability can easily rival an Exalted of the Inquisition, with some saying she could be on a level as a Chosen Candidate. She is skilled in the wielding of a variety of weapons, her favorite being the katana, but she also possesses a naginata and a kanabo. Keiko Matsumori has a Scarletine katana, but because she is so bad at polishing it she often cuts herself whenever she tries to sharpen her blade.

Trivia

• Keiko is the most bullyable character, followed by Flayne.

• Binkie said Keiko was the type to spend hundreds of hours in Animal Crossing, making sure all her neighbors are happy.

• In one of his posts, Binkie said that he envisioned her as a 'Sasuke-esque' character for Flayne's 'Naruto-esque' design.