SUMERAGI, Kohaku

Kohaku Sumeragi

17

Female

Japanese

Isolde's appearance

A slow but strong attack, you can tell when Razor Wind is coming when Isolde slowly draws her blade back behind her and glows green. After charging her attack, she unleashes it in a powerful strike, hitting up to three enemies in a cone in front of her and sending leaves scattering, or other appropriate detritus depending on the region.

To use this Sword Art, Isolde will hold her sword to the side, parallel to the ground, which will begin to glow with yellow energy. She will strike the enemy twice in rapid succession, and then quickly dart behind them. She will then follow it up with a powerful vertical slash from behind to finish off the enemy.

Positive traits
Loyal – When it comes to friends or family, there’s little Isolde won’t do to back them up. From helping out with chores to tackling a difficult quest, you can always count on her when it counts.
Diligent – By the same token, she isn’t one to cut corners. Since she was young her parents taught her that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. If that means it’ll take longer, so be it.
Composed – She doesn’t rise to anger easily. Isolde tends to remain calm under pressure so that she can respond to the cause in a rational manner.
Spirited – Far from being a boring workaholic, Isolde loves to try new things and cut loose. You’ll never know if something’s fun if you don’t try it yourself!
Kind – If you’re feeling down, she’s always available to try and help out, even if it’s just to lend a sympathetic ear. If you’re getting bullied, she’ll stand up to them. Sometimes she’ll give someone a gift for no reason other than she thought of them when she saw it.

Negative traits
Uncompromising – It’s very difficult for her to bend to the will of others once she is set on something. In her mind, her way is the best way and the faster the others accept that the better.
Overreaching – She overestimates just how much she can handle, and more than that, burns herself out. She might be cool and composed one second, and in tears the next as the weight of her responsibilities comes crashing down on her.
Vengeful – When she or a friend is seriously wronged, she does not forgive the perpetrator easily, if at all. Even if reparations are made, she won’t hesitate to antagonise them further until she feels satisfied.
Intrusive – She can’t help but get herself involved in the affairs of others, whether she’s wanted or not. She’ll argue that she’s got their best intentions at heart, but really, it’s more because she’s curious and can’t stand not knowing another’s secrets.
Strict – She holds herself to a high standard, and expects others to be able to meet this. She can certainly be abrasive, and she’s also hard on herself when she falls short, potentially leading to a spiral of self-loathing if she consistently reaches beyond her means.

Likes
Kendo
Swimming
Sweets
Mythology
The unfamiliar and exotic

Dislikes
Bullies
Falling short of her goals
Mornings
The cold
Being ignored

Kohaku Sumeragi was born in Tottori, Japan to Akio and Nanami Sumeragi. Her family was in charge of a local shrine, and she learned the duties of a shrine maiden at a young age. Akio was a strict parent, but he loved Kohaku, as well as Michiko when she was born a few years later. She was a dutiful daughter who did what she was told, and made sure to do well in school. She quite enjoyed it, actually, and was always interested in learning new things. Kohaku was the kind of girl who didn’t worry her parents, and knew that she wouldn’t get into trouble. She had a perfectly ordinary childhood, and her most traumatic experience was when her grandfather passed away from lung cancer.

She ended up taking up Kendo as a way to cope, since he had always insisted that the girls learn some form of martial art to stay healthy and protect themselves. Kohaku ended up really enjoying the physical workout, and it became something she wanted to do instead of simply something to honour her grandfather. She got to the point where she was the captain of the Kendo Club in high school, and did incredibly well in tournaments. This was on top of being class representative and studying for tests, and although she bore it better than most, she was quite stressed out from the pressure, as well as the desire to do well so she could go to University after school.

Kohaku enjoyed video games, but she wasn’t all over them like some of the other people at school. However, when she heard about Sword Art Online, a true VR experience, she got really excited. How could she not? It was a fully simulated virtual world almost indistinguishable from reality. She made sure to get a pre-order in early, and lined up early as well. She was lucky enough to be one of the 10,000 early access players, though not so lucky as to get an extra game for her sister. She promised Michiko that she’d let her have a go after dinner, and then logged in to Sword Art Online…

Using the name of an Irish princess, Kohaku - or Isolde as she was known in Sword Art Online - was very impressed with the virtual world. However, when she realised that the logout button wasn't available, she became concerned. There was no way out except for that - it was a serious glitch in the game. She didn't expect anything like Kayaba's announcement, however. She was angry at first, furious that someone would do something like this. Then she thought about everything she was losing... her friends and family, the chance to finish school, find a boyfriend, compete at a national level... everything. It truly upset her... but also gave her motivation. She wasn't going to let this guy screw her and 9,999 other people over just because he felt like it. She would win this game and escape. There was no way she was going to just sit around town and wait for rescue, or die. She would win.