Ichika

Ichika Kishimojin is a 17-year-old highly trained shinobi and Bureau of Espionage agent who becomes one of the core members of the Black Torch squad. She is the only daughter and heir of the prestigious Kishimojin onmitsu clan, a family with a long tradition of female shinobi. Ichika has bright red hair usually tied into a ponytail with a black scrunchie, red eyes, and a slender, athletic build suited to her life as a combat operative. Her standard field uniform consists of a white short-sleeved bodysuit with short-shorts, a black tactical vest and belt, long fingerless gloves, black thigh-highs, and black boots, while her camouflage equipment gives her a more casual but still combat-ready appearance. She fights primarily with a tanto and is exceptionally skilled at close-quarters combat, combining speed, precision, and hand-to-hand techniques. Personality-wise, Ichika is serious, disciplined, proud, independent, hardworking, and fiercely competitive. She takes her responsibilities extremely seriously and expects others to treat dangerous situations with the same level of professionalism. At first, she is cold and openly distrustful toward Jiro Azuma because of his connection with the Mononoke Rago, whom she considers a potentially dangerous threat. She also strongly dislikes being underestimated because she is a girl, especially by men who assume she is weaker or less capable. Beneath her stern exterior, however, Ichika is deeply compassionate, loyal, and protective, and she gradually becomes more willing to trust Jiro and the other members of Black Torch as they prove themselves. Her harsh attitude toward Mononoke is rooted in her painful childhood: her mother, Kanade Kishimojin, was a highly respected member of the Kishimojin family but was turned to stone by a Mononoke when Ichika was young. Because nobody knew how to reverse the petrification, Ichika grew up believing that her mother had effectively been taken from her, causing her to develop an intense hatred of Mononoke and a determination to become strong enough to confront them. Her family also placed enormous expectations on her as the heir to their shinobi tradition, and she was subjected to rigorous training from childhood. As she becomes involved with Jiro, Rago, and the Black Torch team, Ichika's worldview gradually expands beyond simply seeing Mononoke as enemies. Her experiences force her to recognize that individuals cannot always be judged solely by what they are, and her journey becomes intertwined with her desire to honor her mother, prove herself through her own abilities, and ultimately uncover the truth behind what happened to her family.