Chapter 17: Tatsu Yamashiro AKA Katana
Tatsu is one of those characters that has been horribly abused by the DCU. As society has changed its perception of women, marriage, and fidelity, the DCU has pushed Tatsu into the current role of grieving widower. I don't like that. Tatsu deserves so much more than a bogus teenage stereotype. The Arrowverse did better… slightly. Tatsu is one of my characters where I cherry picked the both from both to create a new character.
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ORIGIN:
Tatsu Akana was the first-born daughter in a proud lineage of caretakers of the Soul Blade. That is when tragedy began to strike the clan. Her grandfather was the current guardian of the Soul Blade. Each of his children, Tatsu's aunts and uncles, died of seemingly random things. A drowning. A car wreck. A plane crash. Her grandfather was concerned and began to sequester the remaining members of the clan. Tatsu was the oldest of her cousins. She began to train with the sword like her cousins. However, the tragedies continued to follow the clan.
Tatsu's parents died in a car crash on the way to the hospital to deliver her younger sibling. Her brother also died. Two of her cousins died while eating a poisonous plant. Her great aunt and uncle were killed in a market robbery. Her grandfather moved the clan three times. Until all that remained of the clan was Tatsu and her grandfather.
As a young woman, Tatsu was beautiful and attracted the attention of several young men. A pair of brothers vied for her attention. Her grandfather approved of one, but disapproved of the other. Tatsu liked them both, but followed her grandfather's wishes and started a relationship with Maseo Yamashiro. His brother, Takeo, was angry with her decision. He eventually left his family for Tokyo. He was disinherited by the Yamashiro's a year later for his involvement with the Yakuza.
Tatsu married Maseo that year. She gave birth to their son, Akio, within a year of marriage. Tatsu complete her training as guardian of the Soul Blade, Soultaker. Her grandfather finally passed away in his sleep, making her the new guardian of Soultaker. Tatsu bonded with the blade and learned about an aspect of the Soul Blade that her grandfather had not told her about. The Soul Blade allowed her to see into the hearts of those around her if it was in her hand. She was grateful to the insight of her grandfather into Takeo Yamashiro.
They lived in Japan until Maseo was recruited into ARGUS. Tatsu was uneasy with some of the ARGUS agents, but their stated purpose matched her duties as guardian. Eventually, Takeo used his Yakuza contacts to hunt down Maseo and Tatsu. They fled Japan. Maseo pled with his director to allow him to bring his family on this last mission. Waller agreed as long as Maseo handled Chien Na Wei. He was to determine her purpose and ensure the Triad were neutralized for her leniency. Tatsu resented Waller, but approved of hiding her family in Triad controlled territory. The Yakuza could not hunt for them here. They would return to Japan when Chien na Wei was no longer a threat.
Tatsu does not know about Maseo working with the League to find Chien Na Wei and the missing Omega virus. She kept her son close to protect him while they were in China. This protection is justified when Chien Na Wei attempted to kill Tatsu. She failed. When Tatsu first met Oliver, she was impressed with his good heart. She approved of the assistance he gave Maseo to stop the Triad. She trusts him enough to ensure the safety of her son.
After the tragedy in Hong Kong, Tatsu was lost. Her son and heir was dead. Her husband had fled a broken man. She needed to regain her purpose and her strength. She dedicated her purpose to the Cresent Order. The order would assist her in fulfilling her duties as guardian of the Soul Blade. Their temple was soothing to her wounded spirit. She became known as Katana. Just as her grandfather was known before his death.
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FAMILY:
Tatsu Akana married Maseo Yamashiro. She is the mother of Akio Yamashiro. All of her extended family is dead. She, Maseo, and Akio are the last of the caretaker clan.
Maseo Yamashiro has a younger brother, Takeo Yamashiro. Takeo took her rejection hard and joined the Yakuza. He was later disinherited from the Yamashiro family.
The caretaker clan is responsible for keeping and maintaining the Soul Blade. This duty is passed on to a member of the clan to ensure the Soul Blade remains protected. The Soul Blade is used to ensure that great evil is removed from this Earth and does not reincarnate as most other souls do. The Soul Blade destroys the soul. It is a very powerful artifact. It is not used casually. Her family named the Soul Blade, Soultaker. Tatsu is the only descendant remaining in her family.
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MOTIVATION:
Tatsu is strongly motivated by order and peace. She has lived with her whole clan being hunted and exterminated. She holds the safety of her family more than anything else. She decided that she must know peace to bring it to the world. However, her life has been on tragedy after another. She no longer wants to be the sole guardian of the Soul Blade. It is her duty. She will complete her duty, but she fears that she is the last of her line. She only wants good to flourish in the world.
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PERSONALITY
Tatsu is a passionate person with a fiery personality. She can bring order and peace, but she ignites passion in others as well. Tatsu is incredibly loyal. When she decides a person is worthy of her loyalty, they gain her loyalty for her lifetime. She made a habit of holding the Soul Blade when meeting new people to ensure they are worth her loyalty.
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NOTES:
I like Tatsu as a character. I love how strong she is. How unapologetic she is with others. Tatsu embodies the strong female archetype. With that said, I cherry picked her relationship with Maseo and her loyalty to Akio and built a backstory. I took DCU!Takeo and fleshed him out. I made Arrowverse!Maseo a perfect partner for her. I let the events in Hong Kong play out mostly the same, but with a few character changes. Unfortunately, Akio had to die to allow Maseo and Tatsu to evolve. Luckily, the dead have a voice in my AU.
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