Kagura Mutsuki

Kagura Mutsuki, commonly known as the Black Knight and Black Gale, is a colonel in the Novus Orbis Librarium. Kagura is the current head of the Mutsuki family, and leader of the Imperial Guards. He led the coup d'etat that helped remove Izanami from power to seat Homura Amanohokosaka as its new Imperator.

Kagura debuted and was made playable in BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma.

Appearance
Tall and lean, with purple eyes and spiky black hair. Kagura wears a baggy white shirt with black lines running down it. It's held onto his body with three brown belts - the last of which is much larger with a golden buckle. Over his shirt, Kagura wears a black NOL cape with golden rims and a crimson red interior lining. The cape is held onto his body with a brown belt. Kagura also wears black trousers and brown shoes with steel toecaps.

Personality
To most people, Kagura can easily be described as a womanizer and alcoholic - he often has wild parties and is easily caught hungover from the last one. Women are his greatest weakness, as he often flirts with them without missing a beat, although this often leads to him getting beaten by the victims of his attitude. He does have some semblance of when it is appropriate to do so, but this is not always present.

Underneath this, however, Kagura is actually deeply dedicated to Homura, going above and beyond what any soldier would do for their liege. At times, Kagura can be serious, and will do anything to help not just those close to him, but even civilians. He was close friends with Bang Shishigami in the past as well. Kagura's deepest relationship is with Hibiki Kohaku, the organized foil to his usual disarray, and the duo's personalities bounce off one another.

Biography
Born into the Mutsuki family in the 1st Hierarchical City of Ookoto, Kagura spent some of his life learning under Tenjou Amanohokosaka, and would eventually grow up to become her protector as the head of the Imperial Guards. While still a child, he met Meifang Lapislazuli, who had accidentally met Tenjou, and he immediately went to her side to protect her, scaring Meifang and Tenjou. Houichirou Hazuki found him, and hit him over the head for being so rude, as did Tenjou - Kagura was dragged away.

He is stationed in the 5th Hierarchical City of Ibukido. At some point, Hibiki Kohaku attempted to assassinate him, refusing to become his servant as per the rules of the Kohaku family. Kagura's resolve, however, won him over, and Hibiki has remained at his side ever since. At some point, he became acquainted with Makoto Nanaya. As a member of the Duodecim, he knows Jin Kisaragi and Tsubaki Yayoi.

Remix Heart
At some point, Kagura visited the 15th Hierarchical City of Torifune to check up on Jin, and ran into Taro Sasagae who had just accidentally shared a kiss with Mai Natsume. He taunted his relative, asking him if he should go and try his luck, but this struck a nerve. Kagura asked how Jin was before leaving Taro to arrange dinner for his dorm - although he did comment on flirting with Estella McKenzie.

Determination, Collisions, Spiral Shift
During the Ikaruga Civil War, Kagura was forced into a difficult position, knowing that he would have to be against his former mistress and Bang, once a great friend of his. At some point, he told Meifang that Tenjou had been taken somewhere safe and due to her low nobility, she wouldn't be told where. Tenjou secretly issued Kagura an order to take Homura before her assassination by the NOL, knowing that her child wouldn't be safe from them. Kagura began rebuilding Ibukido after its demolition, and made great progress in the year since it was destroyed absolutely. Hibiki gave Kagura a report on the mass looting's of Ibukido after its destruction by the Nox Nyctores - Gigant: Take-Mikazuchi in the year afterwards, and the Black Knight suggested having the stragglers relocated to the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. He asked Hibiki to greet Jin in the 7th Hierarchical City of Kazamotsu, and to bring him back to Ibukido. They talked about the war, and ultimately about Kagura's decision to press forward with ending the war.

Kagura colluded with Sector Seven to bring an end to the civil war, working together with Kokonoe in order to do so. Through their collaboration, they were able to lock away Azrael afterwards. They organised a skirmish where Tager and Kagura were to pretend to fight, causing a big enough distraction that would allow Kagura and Hibiki to sneak Homura out of the country. Kagura feigned injury from his fight with Tager, allowing him to escape Ikaruga and help his young Lord escape. He deployed Jin to the Ninth Squadron after he interfered in a mission to "capture" Iron Tager.

Variable Heart
The war had ended, and Tenjou lay dead. Jin's medal ceremony as the Hero of Ikaruga was underway in the 2nd Hierarchical City of Iwatsuchi, and Kagura attended. He found Tsubaki, Makoto, Mai, and Noel Vermillion, offering to take escort them across the city, but Makoto knocked him out after ignoring him. Kagura later found Mai being assaulted by Meifang, and bought her some time by fighting his former friend. He lost, and Meifang advanced forward to continue her hunt for Mai. At some point, Kagura relayed some information to Makoto, asking her to relay it Tager and Kokonoe, as it continued information pertaining to the coup d'etat he was planning in regards to replacing Hades: Izanami with Homura

Chrono Phantasma
In the February of 2200, Kagura finally gathered the approval and backing of all the Duodecim heads in his plan to overthrow Izanami in her position as Imperator. Kokonoe took over his basement, turning it into a laboratory after being hunted down by the recently escaped Azrael. He sent Hibiki to find Jin and bring him back to Ibukido. While he was away, he threw a massive party, and had a hangover the next morning, being barged in on by Tager, Noel, and Makoto. He was formally introduced to Noel, and threw hints of having once spent a night alone with Makoto before being attacked by her for his insistent flirtation. Kagura was made aware of Azrael's new found freedom.

Kagura met with Tsubaki, who was being controlled with the Mind Eater (Maledictus Plaga), and he told her that they had something of great importance to discuss. Hazama arrived and introduced himself, giving him a letter from the Imperator, which ordered Kagura's troops to be under Hazama and Tsubaki's command during their tenure in Ikaruga. Hazama dropped hints that he knew about Kagura sheltering Kokonoe, who he told later after he was warned about the powers of the Sealed Weapon Izayoi. He was later introduced to Celica A. Mercury.

Kagura travelled to the 6th Hierarchical City of Yabiko in order to find Noel who had gone to pursue Tsubaki. Doing so made him encounter Ragna the Bloodedge, and Kagura bested him in combat. Ragna was taken back to Ibukido and imprisoned, much to Kagura and Kokonoe's enjoyment. With Kagura's encouragement, he persuaded Noel to not pursue Tsubaki and made his way back to his office, finding that Hibiki and Jin had finally arrived. They began organizing the Battle of Ragna the Bloodedge.

Now with Noel back at headquarters, Kagura went out to find Makoto, who had also began pursuing Tsubaki, and found her on the brink of being defeated by the Izayoi's overwhelming power. He arrested Makoto and issued a fake decree from the Imperator to Tsubaki, allowing her to go back to her task of finding and apprehending Ragna. He later scolded Makoto for being reckless, telling her that he tipped Tsubaki off to her location, and was watching them fight so he could verify the Izayoi's power. He later further explained his plan to Ragna and Celica.

A massive feast was organised which Kagura attended. He was introduced to Taokaka, Rachel Alucard, and Valkenhayn R. Hellsing. In the evening, Kagura fought Arakune who had attempted to consume Noel, and listened to Kokonoe's explanation of how the creature was able to enter the building. Kagura met with Bang later on, and introduced him to Homura, and the two reconciled. The following day was the Battle of Ragna the Bloodedge, which Kagura presided over. He watched the numerous contestants fight up until Azrael made his way into the Colosseum, and watched as he battled Bullet. Ragna took over for Bullet, fighting the Mad Dog, but was unable to keep up for much longer, which made Kagura tag-in to fight Azrael himself. The fight was long and almost evenly matched even with Celica's presence, but Azrael landed a blow that forced Kagura unconscious. During this brief moment, he realised that Azrael cannot fight those who have no will to, and abused it, giving Kokonoe and Tager enough time to teleport the criminal into a dimensional prison.

With Kagura's direction, Tsubaki was lured into the Colosseum herself after Azrael's defeat, and was locked into a battle against Makoto, Noel, and Jin which forced her to become Izayoi. After her Mind Eater was broken, Kagura introduced both Izayoi and Jin to Homura, having turned the woman to his side of the rebellion. Kagura and Kokonoe later explained to Ragna how they planned on overthrowing the Imperator and the circumstances surrounding Celica. He was later caught flirting with Noel, but was knocked down to the floor by Makoto.

Kokonoe and Kagura explained how they would defeat the Imperator to Ragna, and Noel. Rachel reminded them that Tenjou's soul inside the Phoenix: Rettenjou could be used to activate the Kushinada's Lynchpin which could be used to nullify the seithr that Izanami uses. He later directed Jin and Izayoi to stay with him and Hibiki in protecting Homura while he directed another group consisting of Noel, Makoto, and Ragna to the Lynchpin, who he had Bang protect. The former group was assaulted by Izanami and Nine the Phantom, and were left unable to even move as they were compressed by their magic. Izanami seriously injured Kagura, and formerly announced Homura as her successor, abdicating her position as Imperator.

As the Doomsday began, Kagura helped Homura keep the NOL together as their soldiers began dissolving into seithr. Kagura became one of the chosen, and was eventually sucked into the Embryo that had begun to occupy the space above Ibukido.

Central Fiction
Before being taken inside the Embryo, Kagura and Kokonoe gathered Tager, Makoto, and Hibiki together in order to tell them about the situation at hand, and gave them a brief description of the events that had occurred in the last few months.

When sucked into the Embryo, Kagura's memories were completely changed. He was made to believe that he was actually the Hero of Ikaruga, that he had slain Tenjou, and that he was in 12/31/2199. Kagura was charged by the NOL to find Jin, who had abandoned his post, and found him in Kagutsuchi. Kagura couldn't understand what Jin was saying as the latter's memories were unchanged. He would later find and apprehend Ragna, and battled against Tager, who Kokonoe ordered to stop Kagura from progressing. Kokonoe explained to him that they were in a changed world, and that there were discrepancies in his memories, but Kagura was transported to the Phantom Field by Nine, and the two fought. She explained to him that he is one of the chosen, and that to fulfil his wish, he must defeat Izanami.

Inside the Embryo, Kagura stayed in Ibukido, rendezvousing with Kokonoe, Hibiki, and Tager in his office. He was told about Noel being found, and Kagura ventured to the Lakeside Port in Yabiko, where he found Hazama fighting Mai and Noel. With his intervention, he was able to bring them both safely to Ibukido. They all discussed the discrepancies in their memories until Celica found her way to them, and their memories eventually returned to them when the Amaterasu Unit entered the Embryo. She told them that Ragna was looking for Noel, and they set up a gauntlet of opponents for him, with the final one being Kagura himself. The two fought, and Ragna rejected his dream before Amane Nishiki teleported him away. Kagura returned to Ibukido with Tsubaki in tow. At some point, he ordered Mai and Hibiki to guard Homura in case he would be targeted.

Rachel explained to Kagura that Ragna was using the Azure Grimoire to consume people's "wishes" so that multiple "possibilities" could be made, and that so Noel wouldn't have to die as Izanami had wanted. He joined in on Ragna's gamble, putting his faith in the Grim Reaper. They returned to Yabiko and discussed how to break into Nine's laboratory under Sector Seven's headquarters, meeting Jubei and Trinity Glassfille for the first time. After the death of Nine, Kokonoe came back to Ibukido where Kagura waited. A week later, and the remainder of the squadron sent to her laboratory were teleported back to Yabiko, where Kagura also learnt of Celica's death.

Before the squadron arrived, Kagura deployed Hibiki to fetch Hakumen and Tsubaki back to Ibukido. They all discussed how to take down Izanami and Relius Clover. Kagura, alongside Ragna, Lambda-11, Hakumen, Minerva, Noel, Tsubaki, and Jin, was teleported above the frozen space-time that Izanami had created using the Corpus Sepulcro: Requiem. Kagura and Jin separated from the group, going to the Embryo's version of Kazamotsu. To their dismay, Azrael found them, and shifted space so they were back in the Colosseum. Kagura and Azrael had their rematch, and for a while, Kagura was winning thanks to his intensive training - unfortunately for him, Azrael released more of his limiters, moving faster than Kagura could see; Jin and Trinity unleashed Yukianesa, saving Kagura's life and freezing Azrael in place, giving him his first ever taste of defeat. Kagura told Jin to catch-up to Ragna, and that he was going to rest before hauling Azrael to Kokonoe. At this point, it is presumed that Kagura dissolved into seithr after having his data stored by Es around this point.

Kagura was last seen in the new world created by Ragna. He delivered a speech in an official NOL ceremony which Homura presided over. Hibiki and Jin were also present.

Powers and Techniques
The Black Knight is easily among the strongest of the cast. He has consistently battled all his life, and undergone harsh training that has allowed him to best even Azrael's first limiter, a feat which no one else can boast. Kagura's Drive is Black Gale and allows him access to several different stances. Kagura primarily fights using Ars Magus. As the head of the Praetorian Guard, his strength is legendary even among the strongest of the NOL forces.

Kagura has gifted strength and can lift his massive sword with relative ease; he dances around his blade, launching it at his opponents, or using it as a vault and even a shield, showing great talent with his weapon despite what could be considered a cumbersome size. His strength has even been compared to Azrael's himself, although he rejects being "lumped in" with the Mad Dog.

Despite all his strengths, Kagura still has weaknesses. He can underestimate opponents such as Meifang, and be beaten because of his attitude towards women, as he is usually against causing them any form of harm.

Kagura Mutsuki
''The head of the Mutsuki Family of the Duodecim. He is a commander of the Praetorian Guard, and the highest ranking official in the Intelligence Department. His rank is Colonel.

''He has no shortcomings in both politics and martial arts – and wields his massive sword with grace, earning him the nicknames, Black Knight Kagura, or Black Gale.

''If there were two things in the world he could not survive without, it would be alcohol and women. He’s a man of gentle manners but is always in some way showing off. And it might seem like he constantly wavers in attitude and opinion, but he never forgets his own sense of justice when it’s time to act.

''The Mutsuki Family has been placed in charge of overseeing the Ikaruga Federation since the war came to an end. But that does not mean he enjoys it. Recently, he has begun to doubt the Imperator’s methods of enforcing order upon people, and while being a member of her closest guards, the Praetorian Guards, he secretly plots a coup d’état.

''To correct the wrongs in the world from the inside of the NOL, he resorts to drastic measures, reaching out to the NOL’s sworn enemy, Kokonoe of Sector Seven.

Appearances in other Media

 * The mobile game, Mabinogi Duel, stars Kagura as a playable card.

Trivia

 * All of Kagura's moves are named after various types of dragons and similar creatures depicted in folklore and mythology.