Kasuga

Kasuga is a fictional ninja introduced in Sengoku BASARA. Her name is a reference to Kenshin's main fortress, Kasugayama Castle. Kasuga was originally from the same ninja village as Sarutobi Sasuke, and the two had an amiable relationship. Eventually she was sent on a mission to kill Uesugi Kenshin. However, before she could kill Kenshin, Kasuga fell in love with the warlord. Kenshin pardoned her and took her in as a spy. However, because of her failure to assassinate Uesugi, she was exiled from her village. From then on, Kasuga served Kenshin and became their most loyal ninja. In Sengoku BASARA 4 Sumeragi, Sasuke says that ninja from their village must shed their humanity; he then says that it was when she entered Kenshin's employ that she "became human" again, due to the love she felt for her master- in comparison, Sasuke "became human" due to having Kasuga to worry about back in their village. Kasuga often gushes about her lord Kenshin, going so far as to have "delusional" hallucinations where she calls out their name as she braces herself tightly. When these things occur, sometimes others notice and find amusement, while at other times those around simply brush it off. When she is not on the job and is alone with Kenshin, she is quite amiable, but she can become very reserved when Kenshin dotes on her. However, if Kenshin goes too far with their compliments, Kasuga may have one of her episodes. That being said, Kasuga can be rather dour, whether on the job or not. She clearly takes her job seriously and is powerful enough on the battlefield to be called a "goddess" by some Uesugi retainers. She isn't humorless, however, and has been known to act sassy towards both enemies and allies alike. She is not without kindness either, and she displays warmth towards those in the Uesugi army and concern for her allies. She, in fact, seems to loathe killing, only doing so in order to protect those she cares about or achieve the world Kenshin wants. Kasuga has a rivalry with Sasuke, in no small part due to the friendship they shared. Sasuke often teases her, both about her skills and in a mocking romantic fashion, which Kasuga reacts to with great irritation. It's clear she still harbors some warm feelings towards him, however, as she does not hesitate to assist him when he is not acting against Kenshin. She also has a rivalry with Nōhime, due to the other woman's role as Nobunaga's love interest and protector, and their similar personalities. Kasuga is known to be a very beautiful woman, often complimented as such by Kenshin. But she is noted by other characters to have a very suggestive appearance (much to her chagrin) due in no small part to her low-cut bodysuit. In the first Sengoku BASARA she wields two small ringblades in a fashion similar to Sasuke's shuriken, but in later titles, she wields two sets of four kunai attached by a wire. In Sengoku BASARA 3 Utage, her personal item allows her to bind enemies with the wire- while, in Sengoku BASARA 4 Sumeragi, her attacks by default can bind enemies. Like Sasuke with his crow, she can glide down using an owl familiar.