No, this article isn’t about boobs. I am legitimately talking about the plot of one of my new favorite series. The games haven’t always held up quite well in terms of gameplay, as you can find in my review of Shinovi Versus, but I genuinely enjoyed the story and characters within each game. Well, maybe except Deep Crimson, but there were a lot of elements I did enjoy and will bring up. My absolute favorite however is the Versus series. And with the girl account over 20, barring the New Wave card series, I want to count down the top 10 characters with, in my opinion, the best stories, aka MASSIVE PLOT!
Note that because some characters have to share their plots with others, some slides may feature two characters.
#10: Yozakura
Despite being one of the youngest girls in the series, Yozakura is surprisingly more mature than one might expect. At least in terms of trying to keep everything together and organized. She was born into an extremely large family of 12 brothers and sisters, and due to being the oldest, had to help raise her other siblings by helping with cooking and cleaning. However, much like her other teammates, her parents had died. Adding to the pain was multiple families coming in, adopting said siblings, and leaving her alone with Kurokage. Thinking she needed more power to prove she could take care of all her siblings, she trained extremely hard alongside her teammates, taking the situation extremely seriously. Eventually seeing her teammates as a new kind of family, she took on the role of taking care of them as well, being strict when she needed to. Hell, her weapons are kinda symbolic of her attitude, taking the form of giant gauntlets, trying to grab anything and everything. But even she isn’t capable of doing everything.
Estival Versus also showed her being more in a second-in-command role as she was able to calm down her teammates for the sake of the leader, Yumi. Though she does embrace her childish side more when finally on the beach, but considering all the training she constantly put herself under, a little vacation is good for calming someone down.
Not the most complex or deepest character on the list, but has a compelling reason to keep getting stronger and growing up more. Here’s hoping her reunion with her siblings doesn’t end horribly. I mean characters do die in this series if they don’t have a character model! I’m just saying.
#9: Haruka
When it comes to sex appeal, there is no one who uses it more than Haruka. Ryona doesn’t count; that’s just masochism. Despite that though, her backstory is not really a happy one. While she did grow up with a wealthy family, her father was hardly around as he cheated on Haruka’s mom. The mother in the meantime treated her daughter more like a doll, and was suffocating Haruka with so much time dedicated to dressing up. Haruka literally had no control of her life for years, unable to have a life of her own. She was kinda going crazy from it all. How crazy? Well, Haruka tried to set her house on fire just to get rid of her parents. Thankfully, Suzune, her future teacher, prevented her from committing murder. Instead, she suggested something else.
After learning puppetry, Haruka manipulated her own father to admit all his corrupt deeds, and managed to enroll into Hebijo with ease. From that point, she had a taste of trying to take over other people and liked doing it to those weaker than her. That did begin to tone down a bit more as she kept setting her eyes on certain people, namely Hibari of Hanzo Academy, an enemy she hoped to make a friend. Surprisingly, Haruka didn’t turn Hibari into a doll, and even fought her own teammates about letting Hibari stay on their side.
However, she hasn’t fully gotten over trying to control others. Many of her Shinobi Heart missions involve her trying to manipulate others, and she does come on in a bit too strong on Hibari. Combat can also show this as she appears to be happy a lot of the time, likely to lower the guard of her prey before she inevitably takes control. In Estival Versus, it finally seemed to come to an end as Hibari finally had enough of Yagyu and Haruka trying to control her, leading the other two ninja to realize the mistakes they made; more on Yagyu later. The point is that Haruka genuinely cares about others, but she kinda needs a bit of help in stopping to be like her mother. In fact, Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson showed how much she hated being controlled and used by Dogen to offer her friends up in a ritual to summon a Yoma/giant monster. The moment she thought she saw Dogen, she instantly went to try and kill him.
While not a heartless character, definitely still one you want to watch out for, and for the love of god stay on her good side...at a reasonable distance until she can be trusted. Look, I don’t want to turn into doll!
#8: Yumi
The leader of the Gessen Girls Academy elites, Yumi is not one to mess around. Much like her teammates, Yumi was orphaned at a young age, her parents killed in a mission. Unlike with everyone else though, Kurokage is actually related to her as her real grandfather. Adopting her, he quickly taught Yumi his ice techniques...and realized a bad idea of teaching his granddaughter how use dangerous powers. Fearing she would grow to be a vengeance-hungry shinobi, he took a break from training to teach her other stuff, and in the end was one of the few people to make Kurokage live happily.
Though it was because of her devotion that she sought to make her grandfather’s wish of eliminating evil shinobi for good. So in nearly trying to stop her from becoming one monster, he almost created another...that’s kind of a big whoopsy. But through fighting others, Yumi did eventually overcome the flaw in that ideology, and even Kurokage admits he did not want her to follow that path, admiring his daughters over that useless dream.
Estival Versus gave much more depth to Yumi, but due to limited time, it’s definitely recommended you play the game in order to find out more details. Trust me, there’s a lot that can’t quite exactly be summarized, and she is kind of a main character in that game. But the overall summary you need to know: someone struggling to find answers in the heat of battle and always willing to learn as well, which is more than I can say for some people in real life.
Though I will never understand why her Shinobi Heart missions in Estival Versus involved marriage. I dunno, it’s something that made no sense to me, especially when she was never interested in any of the other girls. Well, save for teasing Homura and Asuka together.
#7: Yagyu
Yagyu certainly fits a stereotype of the strong and quiet girl, though there are some deviations. Namely, her obsession with Hibari, though there is a bit of a reason for that.
Shinovi Versus reveals that Yagyu once had a little sister she played around with often, though later died in a traffic accident. She grew fearful of forgetting her sister, especially given the line of work she was destined for. The incident made Yagyu don an eyepatch with her ribbon, making sure she could never forget, though this did cut down her eyesight and power. This eventually led to her friendship, and obsession, with her classmate Hibari, as she resembled her deceased sister quite a lot. In exchange for the happiness Hibari gave her, Yagyu vowed to protect her.
But ultimately, Yagyu’s method of holding Hibari back and trying to protect her did more harm than good. It’s a great plot point Deep Crimson brought up, in which Haruka wanted Yagyu to back off of Hibari, as it made Hibari a weaker fighter and too dependent. This was kind of a problem in Burst too, and helped aid in Hibari’s development. Estival Versus thankfully had Hibari point out both of Yagyu and Haruka’s major problems, and hopefully as a good step to help them recover from their own personal traumas. Though in the end, the three still remain friends...though maybe not Yagyu and Haruka just yet.
#6: Mirai
While not the girl with the biggest chest, she really doesn’t need one. And she’s probably another character I can actually relate to.
Her appearance may be that of a little girl, but she’s actually a tad bit older than some of the cast members, at least by a year. Her backstory involved a lot of bully and distrusting people as a result, which I think is something at least someone can relate to. Thus she sought something we would all want, revenge...though hers involved murder; a pie in the face would have worked for me. Of course, the other girls stopped her and eventually showed that she can have people who liked her...but that didn’t stop some problems from emerging.
One was Haruka playing pranks on her because, well, she’s Haruka. And another was everyone else constantly looking down at her due to her appearance, thinking she was even younger. This kept bringing out a desire for attention and being admired for her work, and a desire to be taken seriously. You could argue her fighting style is meant to do just that, as she unveils bigger and bigger guns to level foes with giant explosions and waves of bullets, likely to make sure her enemy doesn’t forget about her.
And let’s face it: not being remembered by others sucks. Not the most complex story, but certainly an interesting one I love to see...even if Mirai’s shrieking does grate on my ears sometimes.
#4 and #5: Yomi and Ikaruga
Alone, their overall stories aren’t quite as strong, but together is a whole other matter. They initially started off as rivals, with Yomi carrying an extreme hatred for Ikaruga. See, Ikaruga was part of a very wealthy family, and her family often gave money to charity events to those less fortunate in other countries...not so much in Japan itself, where Yomi had to grow up poor. Yomi had to grow up with no parents, as they had to work hard just to try and get her into a good school before passing away. Viewing Ikaruga as some spoiled princess, Yomi quickly wanted to kill her. In the Hebijo route of Senran Kagura Burst however, things changed a bit. Ikaruga was in fact not only donating to the poor in the slums, but putting on acts as B.C. Mask for the children as well. Yomi caught on and was outraged at how little Ikaruga was giving, saying it wasn’t nearly enough.
And yet throughout all this verbal abuse, and sometimes physical given that they would fight, Ikaruga never hated her or tried to make any excuses. She was fully prepared to take on the vendetta Yomi had on her family, driving Yomi even more insane and confused. At least until they did something I did not expect.
They actually talked like human beings about their lives to one another.
I know right!? Usually in the world of games, this would just lead to another brawl, as the characters are too stupid to actually talk about their problems. Yet these two do, and Yomi eventually learns not only of Ikaruga’s kindness, but the fact that Ikaruga was adopted into the rich family as well. And eventually, they become good friends. It’s a much better ending to their relationship than in the Hanzo route of Burst, where Yomi still held onto that hatred until the near end of Deep Crimson. They would later have an impact on another character on this list...which will come soon.
#3: Murakumo
Yes, I criticize the design a lot. Well, at least the armor which has her boobs just flapping about. I’m sorry, but breast armor is pretty stupid, especially like that. Take some lessons from Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail! At least with the first armor anyway.
However, I still really like Murakumo’s personality as I can kind of relate to it. The main issue of the character is that she always wears a mask in order to express herself better. While orphaned at a young age due to her folks dying, and poor to boot, she hid away her sorrow under a mask. The renegade shinobi, Kurokage, adopted her along with four other girls, creating a new family. He ultimately wished she could live and fight without her mask, though died from illness before that could happen. Making matters worse was that was eventually adopted by the CEO of the Tairo corporation, cutting her time short with her new family until they could attend Gessen Girls Academy. All Murakumo felt during that time was rage with her masked persona.
Without that mask though, she is a nervous wreck with no confidence. With it on, while kind to her teammates, she is an absolute beast on the battlefield. Yet throughout the game, she does have to learn to rely without it...which takes quite some time as she has to also fight the other girls without it. So trying to get rid of a crutch while fighting isn’t an easy task. During Estival Versus on an island where fallen shinobi show up, when she wanted to stay by Kurokage’s side, Yomi had to forcefully take away her mask to get over her fear. Through a need to make it up to the closest thing she had to a father, she did eventually defeat Yomi, getting her mask back.
However, she later removed it in front of Kurokage, wanting to prove that she could survive without the crutch of her mask. And with that, Kurokage was able to eventually pass on. Maybe she hasn’t completely gotten over her mask issue, but can any of us say we got rid of that so easily? Let’s face it, some of us wear masks of our own to hide emotional pain, and move on through the day. I know I need one at times in order to do my work. It’s why I can relate to Murakumo. Sometimes we wish for strength, but hiding behind a mask isn’t the answer. We need to create our own strength to move on, and there’s no shame in getting help either.
#2: Homura
Definitely my favorite of the Senran Kagura girls, and for good reason: she helped me get into the series!
Homura was at one time the highest of the elites at Hebijo, but she wasn’t meant to be. Originally born into a good shinobi family, she was pressured by her family into getting good grades and become a good shinobi. Being able to only talk to her tutor, she saw him as a good escape from it all, and wanted to admit her love for him. It did not go well. How? Well, turns out he was an assassin who played with her feelings, and enjoyed every single moment of it. Her life and her family’s in danger, and her heart broken, Homura didn’t fly into despair...she flew into Marvel Wolverine-levels of rage, defeating a supposedly highly skilled ninja while only in middle-school.
However, because she had willingly revealed herself, and likely made such a chaotic scene that other schools saw her as mentally unstable, she was forbidden from ever entering one of the good shinobi schools. Her family kicked her out of the house, not letting her get a word out, and she had to live on the streets...at least until Suzune found her, and convinced her to join Hebijo. From then on, Homura sought out power...though lacked much purpose outside of it, not even seeing friends as useful. Really, she only hung out with her team because it was her job more than anything.
She was later convinced by Haruka that shutting herself out wasn’t the answer, and eventually found a reason to fight in Hebijo...at least until Dogen used the other girls to summon Orochi, that Yoma I mentioned earlier. She reacted well...by slicing Dogen in half. She was later branded as a renegade along with her friends, and thus the question of her purpose came into play again. Her entire story is centered around this in Shinovi Versus, and in the end, she is the one responsible for uniting all four schools of shinobi against a common threat: the rest of the Yoma.
Homura is relatable since, well, I was constantly pressured in school, later expelled, no one in the family listened to me, and I felt a need to isolate myself. It’s why I admired her role in trying to deviate from the path others tried to force onto her, mainly her parents, Dogen, and even Hebijo to an extent. I could write about Homura forever, but I wanna save that for a future video.
#1: Murasaki
Just a warning ahead of time, if you are sensitive to the subject of suicide or depression, you may wish to skip this one. Yeah, this character has a very dark story, probably the darkest of all the Senran Kagura characters.
Murasaki is the sister of Imu on the new Hebijo squad, and never even wished to attend a ninja school. She had some good reasons, like her dad constantly pushing her and Imo into deadly situations to draw out a power ability in the family “The Root of Calamity.” By harnessing negative emotions, one can create deadly energy. When forced into a fight with her sister to draw the power out, Murasaki was successful...and injured her sister. Being congratulated by her horrible family and forced into Hebijo, Mursaki threatened her family with her power if they ever involved themselves in her affairs. Surprisingly, they backed off. Given the amount of negativity put onto Mursaki, probably the safest bet. She never attended a class in Hebijo, and no teacher, not even Suzune, one the fastest and strongest ninja in the series, could get her to come out of her room!
Well Imu did, though had to use forceful means and saying she needed her. Likely due to caring about her sister, especially after injuring her before, Mursaki joined the new Hebijo team. In fact, Imu was the only one she cared about, actually taking a bullet for her during the finale of the Hebijo route; she lived, no worries. After that horrifying incident, Imu and Murasaki grew closer, though the team did keep trying to get Murasaki more active; the attempts have been hit or miss, and usually involves some coercing/tough love. Though it’s clear no one really knew how to handle her situation, and in Shinovi Versus, the darkest Shinobi Heart mission ever is revealed.
Murasaki has suffered enough negativity to question if she should even exist, killing a mental version of herself and glad it vanished. This was because with all things forced onto her, she kept thinking people only valued her for her dangerous power. Eventually, her teammates did apologize and tried to be a bit softer. Trying being the keyword since they clearly don’t want Murasaki to keep isolating herself. Hell, the negativity got so bad, the doll she carries around spews insults at her. I’m pretty sure she is just being a ventriloquist as opposed to it being alive, but either way it’s still a problem even if she is getting better.
It’s actually something I can relate to, as I had massive amounts of negativity grow. Family, friends I went to school with, even the school itself kept working against me so much, I was okay with just staying in my room. Depression is not a topic that is so easily solved using brute force, but at the same time, being left alone isn’t good either. Murasaki’s story was easily the one that hit way too close to home. And yet that’s why I root for her as well.
Despite having the darkest Shinobi Heart scenario in Shinovi Versus, in Estival Versus, she has one of the cutest and most light-hearted missions ever! In this one, she decides to venture out of her room willingly and wants to have a musical to brighten her mood. Surprisingly, it’s something many of the other girls agree to, even the almost always serious Miyabi. Yes, even as the fights are going on, they are singing throughout it and it is surprisingly heart-warming. Estival Versus also shows more growth for her character in combat, as she is not only willing to fight more for the sake of her sister, but also in able to smile more despite the screaming she does with her attacks. So it’s a good sign that she is indeed developing.
For growing both in terms of spirit and gameplay, I hereby reward Murasaki with the title of “Girl with most Plot!”
...But I still like Homura better!
So who’s your favorite Senran Kagura girl? Maybe you're more of a Miyabi fan? Or do you think Sayuri should deserve a spot? Did yours make the list? Be sure to leave comments below on whichever Senran Kagura girl you love the most, and why you love her! Until next time!
Published: Jun 25, 2016 05:20 pm