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* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of the series, she acts a lot nicer towards the people around her, [[spoiler:because she started seeing them as friends rather than soldiers.]]
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* TheUnfavorite: After she's been captured, [[spoiler:Ragyo tries to convince her of this by saying that Soichiro didn't trust her to fulfill his goals which is why he secretly raised Ryuko and gave her Senketsu and the Rending Scissors. Satsuki just ignores her.]] Ragyo herself considers Satsuki this after she [[spoiler: betrays and stabs her in the back]] and after she discovers [[spoiler: Ryuko is her other daughter, who has bonded with Life Fibers]].
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* TheUnfavorite: After she's been captured, [[spoiler:Ragyo tries to convince her of this by saying that Soichiro didn't trust her to fulfill his goals which is why he secretly raised Ryuko and gave her Senketsu and the Rending Scissors. Satsuki just ignores her.]] Ragyo herself considers Satsuki this after she [[spoiler: betrays and stabs her in the back]] and after she discovers [[spoiler: Ryuko [[spoiler:Ryuko is her other daughter, who has bonded with Life Fibers]].
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* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of the series, she acts a lot nicer towards the people around her, [[spoiler:because she started seeing them as friends rather than soldiers.]]
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* TookALevelInKindness: By UnscrupulousHero: Has fundamentally good intentions, but does a LOT of damage in the end of the series, she acts a lot nicer towards the people around her, [[spoiler:because she started seeing them as friends rather than soldiers.]]process.
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** She can't stand [[AllMenArePerverts perverted guys]], and will beat them up the first chance she gets.
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** She can't stand [[AllMenArePerverts perverted guys]], and will beat them up the first chance she gets.gets, seen during her first run in with [[LovableSexManiac Barazo]], which sees her guarding his own daughter from him with her scissor blade.
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* ProHumanTranshuman: After her true nature comes to light. [[spoiler:Ryuko suffers from a brief IAmAMonster moment, but gets over it and decides that even if she's not fully human she'll fight on behalf of humanity.]]
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* TheRival: One-sided for Nui, who regards Mako and her nonsensical rants with particular vehemence and in the final battle expresses the intent of shutting her up once and for all. Mako, being Mako, is mostly oblivious to this.
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* GenkiGirl: Whenever she's not [[{{Sleepyhead}} sleeping]].
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* GenkiGirl: Whenever she's not [[{{Sleepyhead}} sleeping]]. She also makes for a surprisingly competent and savvy club president.
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* GoldenSuperMode: [[spoiler: When she confronts Ragyo with Senketsu-Kisaragi.]]
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* GoldenSuperMode: [[spoiler: When she confronts Ragyo with Senketsu-Kisaragi.Senketsu-Kisaragi]]. The color is used to emphasize the power she has received by [[spoiler:absorbing the power of all the Goku uniforms of the Honnouji students.]]
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* AGirlAndHerX: A girl and her {{Stripperiffic}}, LivingWeapon, SailorFuku.
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* AGirlAndHerX: A girl and her {{Stripperiffic}}, LivingWeapon, SailorFuku.SailorFuku, who she meets and allies with in the first episode and realizes has the power to help her fulfill her quest of exacting revenge for her father's death.
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* FakingTheDead: In Episode 23, when she and Satsuki are [[spoiler:fighting Ragyo, she is seemingly bisected at the waist but actually stopped Ragyo's attack at the last second, keeping her Life Fibers from being destroyed and then throwing her body to the water below, which allowed her the chance to recover and attack the Primordial Life Fiber while Satsuki continued to engage Ragyo in combat.]]
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* ContraltoOfDanger[=/=] GutturalGrowler: Has a very noticeable deep growl and she also kicks a lot of ass.
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* ContraltoOfDanger[=/=] GutturalGrowler: ContraltoOfDanger[=/=]GutturalGrowler: Has a very noticeable deep growl and she also kicks a lot of ass.
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*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon was a [[ShrinkingViolet meek]] NiceGuy who was neglected by his peers, but later gains their trust as he starts developing confidence. [[spoiler:In his story, Simon has a crappy childhood, seven years of fame and glory around the world, and the rest of his life as a hermit WalkingTheEarth while the rest of the universe revere him as their savior, something he's fine with]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, is a bad-tempered JerkWithAHeartOfGold who pushes others away from her, but starts to show her softer side when Mako and her family, and Senketsu show her friendliness. [[spoiler:In ''her'' story, Ryuko has a crappy childhood, months of absolute insanity at the bottom of the social ladder, and the rest of her life [[ThemeTuneCameo ambiguous]] as a normal girl, something that she's always wanted]].
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*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon was is a [[ShrinkingViolet meek]] NiceGuy who was neglected by his peers, but later gains their trust as he starts developing confidence. [[spoiler:In his story, Simon has a crappy childhood, seven years of fame and glory around the world, and the rest of his life as a hermit WalkingTheEarth while the rest of the universe revere reveres him as their savior, something he's fine with]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, is a bad-tempered JerkWithAHeartOfGold who pushes others away from her, but starts to show her softer side when Mako and her family, family and Senketsu show her friendliness. kindness. [[spoiler:In ''her'' story, Ryuko has a crappy childhood, months of absolute insanity at the bottom of the social ladder, and the rest of her life [[ThemeTuneCameo ambiguous]] as a normal girl, person, something that she's always wanted]].
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Changed line(s) 147 (click to see context) from:
*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon was a [[ShrinkingViolet meek]] NiceGuy who was neglected by his peers, but later gains their trust as he starts developing confidence. [[spoiler:When his story ends, he gives up the fame and glory he built up in the span of seven years and becomes a hermit WalkingTheEarth]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, is a bad-tempered JerkWithAHeartOfGold who pushes others away from her, but starts to show her softer side when Mako and her family, and Senketsu show her friendliness. [[spoiler:By the end of ''her story'', she goes through a crappy childhood and months of craziness before she ends up in a much better position than she ever had in her life]].
to:
*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon was a [[ShrinkingViolet meek]] NiceGuy who was neglected by his peers, but later gains their trust as he starts developing confidence. [[spoiler:When [[spoiler:In his story ends, he gives up the story, Simon has a crappy childhood, seven years of fame and glory he built up in around the span of seven years world, and becomes the rest of his life as a hermit WalkingTheEarth]].WalkingTheEarth while the rest of the universe revere him as their savior, something he's fine with]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, is a bad-tempered JerkWithAHeartOfGold who pushes others away from her, but starts to show her softer side when Mako and her family, and Senketsu show her friendliness. [[spoiler:By the end of ''her story'', she goes through [[spoiler:In ''her'' story, Ryuko has a crappy childhood and childhood, months of craziness before she ends up in a much better position than she ever had in absolute insanity at the bottom of the social ladder, and the rest of her life]].life [[ThemeTuneCameo ambiguous]] as a normal girl, something that she's always wanted]].
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* BadassAdorable: Early on, when she was embarrassed about wearing Senketsu. Also extends into [[PajamaCladHero episode 4]].
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* BadassAdorable: Early on, Her brash attitude and ability to take on super-empowered opponents completely contradict the downright adorable expressions she makes a fair amount of times, particularly when she was she's embarrassed about wearing Senketsu. Also extends into [[PajamaCladHero episode 4]].Senketsu early and when admitting to be AfraidOfNeedles.
Changed line(s) 132 (click to see context) from:
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the "edgy" NinetiesAntiHero-esque archetype. The first moments of her show her as a dark and gritty character, eating lemon skins and telling off little kids. This is the result of having been neglected by her father and never knowing her mother ([[spoiler:which is shown to have been for the better]]). When she's shown compassion from Mako and her family that she never had as a child, she starts becoming more sweet and friendly.
to:
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the "edgy" NinetiesAntiHero-esque archetype. The first moments of her show her as a dark and gritty character, eating lemon skins and telling off little kids.beating up Mataro and his gang. This is the result of having been neglected by her father and never knowing her mother ([[spoiler:which is shown to have been for the better]]). When she's shown compassion from Mako and her family that she never had as a child, she starts becoming more sweet and friendly.
Changed line(s) 147 (click to see context) from:
*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon starts out as unconfident and hated by his peers because he was physically uninteresting and a ShrinkingViolet, but starts to earn the trust of his companions when he starts gaining confidence. [[spoiler:By the end of his story, he abandons all he had and goes back to the simple life he once had]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, starts out as overconfident and was hated because she was an imposing delinquent and scared other people, but when she gets humbled and befriends Mako, she starts to become more extroverted. [[spoiler:When ''her'' story ends, she finally gets to live the normal life she never had]].
to:
*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon starts out as unconfident and hated was a [[ShrinkingViolet meek]] NiceGuy who was neglected by his peers because he was physically uninteresting and a ShrinkingViolet, peers, but starts to earn the later gains their trust of his companions when as he starts gaining developing confidence. [[spoiler:By [[spoiler:When his story ends, he gives up the end of his story, he abandons all he had fame and goes back to glory he built up in the simple life he once had]]. span of seven years and becomes a hermit WalkingTheEarth]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, starts out as overconfident and was hated because she was an imposing delinquent and scared other people, is a bad-tempered JerkWithAHeartOfGold who pushes others away from her, but when she gets humbled and befriends Mako, she starts to become more extroverted. [[spoiler:When ''her'' story ends, show her softer side when Mako and her family, and Senketsu show her friendliness. [[spoiler:By the end of ''her story'', she finally gets to live the normal life goes through a crappy childhood and months of craziness before she never had]].ends up in a much better position than she ever had in her life]].
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That\'s not hypocrisy, it\'s character development. Take it to discussion if you disagree.
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* {{Hypocrite}}: This may very well be based on the viewer's POV, but nonetheless
** [[spoiler: After Nui was forced into retreat and Junketsu was back in Satsuki's possession, she offered Ryuko the chance to punch her with all her might; the latter accepted the offer with zero hesitation despite knowing that Aikuro's warning might have been true.]]
-->[[spoiler: Aikuro: "She's down to nothing but a trench-coat while you're in full-blown sync-mode. One blow from you and she's dead!"]]
** [[spoiler:Yet after she defeated Ragyo, Ryuko gave her mercy and a chance to start anew; someithng she that clearly and willingly denied her sister Satsuki at first.]]
** [[spoiler: After Nui was forced into retreat and Junketsu was back in Satsuki's possession, she offered Ryuko the chance to punch her with all her might; the latter accepted the offer with zero hesitation despite knowing that Aikuro's warning might have been true.]]
-->[[spoiler: Aikuro: "She's down to nothing but a trench-coat while you're in full-blown sync-mode. One blow from you and she's dead!"]]
** [[spoiler:Yet after she defeated Ragyo, Ryuko gave her mercy and a chance to start anew; someithng she that clearly and willingly denied her sister Satsuki at first.]]
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She would have killed her victim of a sister without a second thought even sane, and yet she spares that monster? I sense a great deal of BS, my friends.
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* {{Hypocrite}}: This may very well be based on the viewer's POV, but nonetheless
** [[spoiler: After Nui was forced into retreat and Junketsu was back in Satsuki's possession, she offered Ryuko the chance to punch her with all her might; the latter accepted the offer with zero hesitation despite knowing that Aikuro's warning might have been true.]]
-->[[spoiler: Aikuro: "She's down to nothing but a trench-coat while you're in full-blown sync-mode. One blow from you and she's dead!"]]
** [[spoiler:Yet after she defeated Ragyo, Ryuko gave her mercy and a chance to start anew; someithng she that clearly and willingly denied her sister Satsuki at first.]]
** [[spoiler: After Nui was forced into retreat and Junketsu was back in Satsuki's possession, she offered Ryuko the chance to punch her with all her might; the latter accepted the offer with zero hesitation despite knowing that Aikuro's warning might have been true.]]
-->[[spoiler: Aikuro: "She's down to nothing but a trench-coat while you're in full-blown sync-mode. One blow from you and she's dead!"]]
** [[spoiler:Yet after she defeated Ragyo, Ryuko gave her mercy and a chance to start anew; someithng she that clearly and willingly denied her sister Satsuki at first.]]
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* BloodOath: [[spoiler:Ryuko mentions this after the other three manage to free her from Junketsu's control. She then proudly declares that she feels Senketsu has gotten warmer thanks to Mako and Satsuki's blood flowing through him.]]
to:
* BloodOath: [[spoiler:Ryuko mentions this after the other three manage to free her from Junketsu's control. She then proudly declares that she feels Senketsu has gotten warmer thanks to Mako and Satsuki's blood flowing through him.]] Althought she doesn't appreciate Satsuki's blood being inside Senketsu nowhere near as much as she does Mako's for obvious reasons]]
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** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]]. Although her's isn't to the extent of Shadow's, both characters carry a SmugSuper attitude towards their abilities and carry a cocky demeanour. Also, both end up [[spoiler:joining forces with a group of characters they initially opposed to fight a grater evil.]] In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Shadow takes to outer space to engage the FinalBoss, while in SuperMode just as Ryuko [[spoiler:powers up Senketsu for the final fight with Ragyo.]] In Shadow's final battle, he sacrafices himself to defeat the Final Hazard and Ryuko [[spoiler:does not die but Senketsu does, so both suffer a great loss in the final conflict to save the world.]]
to:
** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]]. Although her's isn't to the extent of Shadow's, both characters carry a SmugSuper attitude towards their abilities and carry a cocky demeanour. Also, both end up [[spoiler:joining forces with a group of characters they initially opposed to fight a grater evil.]] In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Shadow takes to outer space to engage the FinalBoss, while in SuperMode just as Ryuko [[spoiler:powers up Senketsu for the final fight with Ragyo.]] In Shadow's final battle, he sacrafices himself to defeat the Final Hazard and Ryuko [[spoiler:does not die but Senketsu does, so both suffer a great loss in the final conflict to save the world.]]]] And, finally, while one parent is elderly [[spoiler:(except in the case of Isshin, who was actually around Ragyo's physical age as Sochiro Kiryuin)]], while the other [[spoiler:wants to consume the world for their race (again, in Ragyo's case, she's still somewhat human). Both Ragyo and Black Doom even look similar (with opposing color schemes (white for Ragyo, black for Black Doom).]] They also both have (or had) a cheerful female friend (Maria for Shadow, Mako for Ryuko)
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* NewTransferStudent: For all but three minutes at the start of the series.
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* NewTransferStudent: For all but three minutes She joins Honnouji Academy in the first episode to get answers about her father's death. Like most transfers, she turns out to be a force to be reckoned with and is very skilled at the start of show's fighting style, even [[spoiler:being imbued with the series.resident phlebtonium]]. Additionally, this trope shows her defiant character, as she never switches to wearing the Honnouji uniform, instead starting off with street clothes and then switching to Senketsu.
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* NotInThisForYourRevolution: In regards to Nudist Beach.
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* NotInThisForYourRevolution: In regards to Nudist Beach.Beach, who are mobilizing to [[spoiler:stop the Kiryuin Conglomerate from allowing Life Fibers to devour the planet]]. Ryuko, however, is only on their side because ItsPersonal between her and the villains, who are responsible for the death of her father.
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* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: Her strength and speed are top notch, but her defenses are quite low, evidenced by the fact that she takes damage from attacks coming from three-star Goku uniforms, which are considerably weaker than a Kamui, and the fact that Junketsu can pierce through Senketsu's defense.
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* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: FragileSpeedster: Her strength and speed are top notch, is top-notch, but her defenses are quite low, evidenced by the fact that she takes damage from attacks coming from three-star Goku uniforms, which are considerably weaker than a Kamui, and the fact that Junketsu can pierce through Senketsu's defense.
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* GlassCannon: Her strength is top-notch, but her defenses are quite low, evidenced by the fact that she takes damage from attacks coming from three-star Goku uniforms, which are considerably weaker than a Kamui, and the fact that Junketsu can pierce through Senketsu's defense.
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* RedIsHeroic: Not only is it Senketsu's secondary color but thanks to her being OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank she often ends up spurting the color, albiet in a {{Squick}}y way.
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* RedIsHeroic: RedIsHeroic:
** Not only is it Senketsu's secondary color but thanks to her being OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank she often ends up spurting the color, albiet in a {{Squick}}y way.
** Not only is it Senketsu's secondary color but thanks to her being OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank she often ends up spurting the color, albiet in a {{Squick}}y way.
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* TookALevelInBadass: She was already a badass to start, but she needed Senketsu for her to even stand a chance against Satsuki and her Elite Four. At the start of the series, her embarrassment about Senketsu's skimpiness hindered her fighting ability until she embraced her nudity, she then fought Satsuki to a standstill after getting [[CurbStompBattle curb stomped]] by her. Come episode 14 and 15, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is shredded by Nui]] she goes through Satsuki's ''entire army'' to put him back together, and one shots each them in nothing but a track suit. She then fights Satsuki again and does far better, even forcing her to retreat. By the time episode 18 has come, she's so powerful that she overwhelms Satsuki ''without'' Senketsu, while she is using her own Junketsu and when she does transform she's so in sync with Senketsu that she even overwhelms [[spoiler: Nui Harime]] to the point the latter sports a very uncharacteristic OhCrap expression. This girl is going places.
to:
* TookALevelInBadass: TookALevelInBadass:
** She was already a badass to start, but she needed Senketsu for her to even stand a chance against Satsuki and her Elite Four. At the start of the series, her embarrassment about Senketsu's skimpiness hindered her fighting ability until she embraced her nudity, she then fought Satsuki to a standstill after getting [[CurbStompBattle curb stomped]] by her. Come episode 14 and 15, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is shredded by Nui]] she goes through Satsuki's ''entire army'' to put him back together, and one shots each them in nothing but a track suit. She then fights Satsuki again and does far better, even forcing her toretreat. retreat.
** By the time episode 18 has come, she's so powerful that she overwhelms Satsuki ''without'' Senketsu, while she is using her own Junketsu and when she does transform she's so in sync with Senketsu that she even overwhelms [[spoiler: Nui Harime]] to the point the latter sports a very uncharacteristic OhCrap expression. This girl is going places.
** She was already a badass to start, but she needed Senketsu for her to even stand a chance against Satsuki and her Elite Four. At the start of the series, her embarrassment about Senketsu's skimpiness hindered her fighting ability until she embraced her nudity, she then fought Satsuki to a standstill after getting [[CurbStompBattle curb stomped]] by her. Come episode 14 and 15, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is shredded by Nui]] she goes through Satsuki's ''entire army'' to put him back together, and one shots each them in nothing but a track suit. She then fights Satsuki again and does far better, even forcing her to
** By the time episode 18 has come, she's so powerful that she overwhelms Satsuki ''without'' Senketsu, while she is using her own Junketsu and when she does transform she's so in sync with Senketsu that she even overwhelms [[spoiler: Nui Harime]] to the point the latter sports a very uncharacteristic OhCrap expression. This girl is going places.
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* BigOlEyebrows: A highly unusual feature for a LadyOfWar, which she inherited from her mother. Shown to have had them back when she was a ''baby''. Ryuko even calls her a "caterpillar-eyebrowed bitch" to mock her at one point.
** Amusingly enough, the first drama CD reveals that she doesn't think that they're big, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because they taper at the edges]].
** Amusingly enough, the first drama CD reveals that she doesn't think that they're big, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because they taper at the edges]].
to:
* BigOlEyebrows: A highly unusual feature for a LadyOfWar, which she inherited from her mother. Shown to have had them back when she was a ''baby''. Ryuko even calls her a "caterpillar-eyebrowed bitch" to mock her at one point.
**point. Amusingly enough, the first drama CD reveals that she doesn't think that they're big, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because they taper at the edges]].
**
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** [[spoiler: Her entire plan when running the academy was to train an army to stand up to her mother's fashion empire and sinister plans.]]
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* EasilyForgiven: Subverted. Despite the fact that her actions were noble from the start, and risking her life to save Ryuko after the latter [[spoiler: was brainwashed]], Ryuko herself notes that doesn't excuse all of the things Satsuki's done before and it takes a heartfelt apology from her for Ryuko to forgive, and accept her as an ally [[spoiler: and sister.]]
to:
* EasilyForgiven: EasilyForgiven:
** Subverted. Despite the fact that her actions were noble from the start, and risking her life to save Ryuko after the latter [[spoiler: was brainwashed]], Ryuko herself notes that doesn't excuse all of the things Satsuki's done before and it takes a heartfelt apology from her for Ryuko to forgive, and accept her as an ally [[spoiler: and sister.]]
** Subverted. Despite the fact that her actions were noble from the start, and risking her life to save Ryuko after the latter [[spoiler: was brainwashed]], Ryuko herself notes that doesn't excuse all of the things Satsuki's done before and it takes a heartfelt apology from her for Ryuko to forgive, and accept her as an ally [[spoiler: and sister.]]
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* AfraidOfNeedles: Acts like a crybaby when her teacher is about to draw blood from her, and for good reason.
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* AfraidOfNeedles: Acts Despite fearlessly challenging Satsuki in front of all of Honnouji Academy and chopping through her goons without any fear of pain, she acts like a complete crybaby when her teacher is about to draw blood from her, and for good reason.reason. Helps establish her BadassAdorable character by contrasting her brash attitude towards combat with a fear of a mundane medical tool.
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Changed line(s) 78 (click to see context) from:
* BattleAura: She gets this in episode 4 (and she's [[PajamaCladHero not even wearing Senkestu!]]) when she's about to lay a beat down on Maiko. Later on, [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi gives her a glowing gold background, fitting the final fight she's about to engage Ragyo in.]]
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* BattleAura: BattleAura:
** She gets this in episode 4 (and she's [[PajamaCladHero not even wearing Senkestu!]]) when she's about to lay a beat down onMaiko. Maiko.
** Later on, [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi gives her a glowing gold background, fitting the final fight she's about to engage Ragyo in.]]
** She gets this in episode 4 (and she's [[PajamaCladHero not even wearing Senkestu!]]) when she's about to lay a beat down on
** Later on, [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi gives her a glowing gold background, fitting the final fight she's about to engage Ragyo in.]]
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Changed line(s) 208 (click to see context) from:
* LadySwearsALot: Especially in the dub where she drops almost every single bit of profanity but an PrecisionFStrike.
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* LadySwearsALot: Especially in the dub dub, where she drops almost every single bit of profanity but an except for a PrecisionFStrike.
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Changed line(s) 146 (click to see context) from:
** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]]. Although her's isn't to the extent of Shadow's, both characters carry a SmugSuper attitude towards their abilities and carry a cocky demeanour. Also, both end up [[spoiler:joining forces with a group of characters they initially opposed to fight a grater evil.]] In VideoGame/''SonicAdventure2'' Shadow takes to outer space to engage the FinalBoss, while in SuperMode just as Ryuko [[spoiler:powers up Senketsu for the final fight with Ragyo.]] In Shadow's final battle he sacrafices himself to defeat the Final Hazard and Ryuko [[spoiler:does not die but Senketsu does, so both suffer a great loss in the final conflict to save the world.]]
to:
** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]]. Although her's isn't to the extent of Shadow's, both characters carry a SmugSuper attitude towards their abilities and carry a cocky demeanour. Also, both end up [[spoiler:joining forces with a group of characters they initially opposed to fight a grater evil.]] In VideoGame/''SonicAdventure2'' ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', Shadow takes to outer space to engage the FinalBoss, while in SuperMode just as Ryuko [[spoiler:powers up Senketsu for the final fight with Ragyo.]] In Shadow's final battle battle, he sacrafices himself to defeat the Final Hazard and Ryuko [[spoiler:does not die but Senketsu does, so both suffer a great loss in the final conflict to save the world.]]
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* [[AloofOlderBrother Aloof Older Sister]]: [[spoiler:Subverted. By the time she reunites with Ryuko following TheReveal, she already TookALevelInKindness.]]
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* [[AloofOlderBrother Aloof Older Sister]]: AloofBigSister: [[spoiler:Subverted. By the time she reunites with Ryuko following TheReveal, she already TookALevelInKindness.]]
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** Once again in episodes 19 and 20; [[spoiler: after discovering the truth of her origin and birth, Ryuko abandons Senketsu, disregarding the state of the world and leaving to face Nui and Ragyo by herself.]]
to:
** Once again in episodes 19 and 20; [[spoiler: after discovering the truth of her origin and birth, Ryuko abandons Senketsu, disregarding the state of the world and leaving to face Nui and Ragyo by herself.herself]]. What snaps her out of this one is actually [[spoiler:becoming victim to Ragyo's mind control and making a sudden turn against the heroes.]]
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* ActionGirl: Can wield a scissor-shaped sword like nobody's business, with good escaping skills as a bonus.
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* ActionGirl: Can wield a scissor-shaped sword like nobody's business, with good escaping skills as a bonus. Her introduction solidifies her as this to the audience when Mataro's gang [[MuggingTheMonster try and rob her]] and she smacks them all down in seconds.
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* AchillesInHisTent: After she [[spoiler: completely loses her confidence due to giving into her rage during her fight with Nui]] in episode 12, she spends her time moping in her room. Eventually she changes her mind with a little persuasion from Shinjiro.
to:
* AchillesInHisTent: After she [[spoiler: completely loses her confidence due to giving into her rage during her fight with Nui]] in episode 12, she spends her time moping in her room. Eventually she changes her mind with a little persuasion from Shinjiro.Shinjiro, [[spoiler:who was ironically Nui Harime in disguise. So she both caused Ryuko to fall into this state and then brought her out of it]].
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* TheBrute: [[spoiler: Becomes the Kiryuin Conglomerate's one while she's under the influence of Junketsu. When she fights for the bad guys, she immediately charges into combat and simply tries to destroy all the heroes in her path.]]
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* TheBrute: [[spoiler: Becomes the Kiryuin Conglomerate's one while she's under the influence of Junketsu. When she fights for the bad guys, she immediately charges into combat and simply tries to destroy all the heroes in her path. This straightforward and aggressive fighting style is in stark contrast to Ragyo, who prefers to capture people so as to give the Life Fibers a food source and bodies to produce COVERS and Nui, who enjoys taunting her opponents and screwing with them as opposed to going straight for the kill.]]
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** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]].
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** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]]. Although her's isn't to the extent of Shadow's, both characters carry a SmugSuper attitude towards their abilities and carry a cocky demeanour. Also, both end up [[spoiler:joining forces with a group of characters they initially opposed to fight a grater evil.]] In VideoGame/''SonicAdventure2'' Shadow takes to outer space to engage the FinalBoss, while in SuperMode just as Ryuko [[spoiler:powers up Senketsu for the final fight with Ragyo.]] In Shadow's final battle he sacrafices himself to defeat the Final Hazard and Ryuko [[spoiler:does not die but Senketsu does, so both suffer a great loss in the final conflict to save the world.]]
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%% There is no reason to put the name of a trope in spoiler tags. If the name of the trope considered to be a spoiler, either don't add it or pothole it from a related trope entry. The point of this page is to convey information; an entry that is completely spoilered out does not achieve this. See Administrivia/HandlingSpoilers for further details.
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This index is for the main characters of ''Anime/KillLaKill''. [[Characters/KillLaKill Please go here]] if you are looking for the index of the other characters. '''Unmarked spoilers ahead'''.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:General]]
* ActionGirl: All three girls, though it took Mako a while to become one.
* BareYourMidriff: All three of their battle uniforms expose their stomachs.
* BloodOath: [[spoiler:Ryuko mentions this after the other three manage to free her from Junketsu's control. She then proudly declares that she feels Senketsu has gotten warmer thanks to Mako and Satsuki's blood flowing through him.]]
* {{Chaste Hero}}ine: Ryuko and Satsuki don't seem to be interested in any sort of romantic relationship with anyone.
* DarkActionGirl: Mako and Ryuko briefly underwent a FaceHeelTurn, and Satsuki was initially the BigBad.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
** Ryuko is Choleric due to her HotBlooded nature and single minded determination to get the answers she wants out of Satsuki.
** Senketsu is Phlegmatic, mostly being interested in assisting Ryuko's quest and protecting her from harms way, as well as try to keep her extreme temper under control.
** Mako is Sanguine being the PluckyComicRelief interested in having fun with Ryuko, and seems to know just what to say in a given situation to snap people out of their funk.
** Satsuki is Melancholic. She focuses on accomplishing her plans and using whatever means necessary to do so, and cares very little for anything that hinders her progress.
* TownGirls: After the end they could fit this dynamic with Mako as the Femme, Satsuki as the Neither and Ryuko as the Butch.
* TrueCompanions: Ryuko has Mako and Senketsu in her corner for most of the series, and snap her out of her more emotional moments whenever they can. Satsuki has the Elite 4, whom all have nothing but UndyingLoyalty towards her. [[spoiler: By the end of the series, both groups come together to form one large group of TrueCompanions.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ryuko Matoi]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/694c87e47751c0fa4cc51697e7447332.png]]
->''"This [outfit] is a keepsake from my father. And this Scissor Blade was left behind by the person who killed him. Now you're going to tell me who this Scissor Blade belongs to... Satsuki Kiryuin!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/AmiKoshimizu (Japanese), Creator/EricaMendez (English)
Our main heroine, a wandering transfer student who comes to Honnouji Academy in search of the truth behind her father's murder. Her investigation sends her on a collision course with the academy's StudentCouncilPresident, Satsuki Kiryuin, whom she thinks has the answers she seeks. Her only clue is also her WeaponOfChoice, a giant red Scissor Blade left behind by the killer.
----
* TenMinuteRetirement:
** In episode 13, due to going out of control against Nui Harime in the previous episode. [[ShesBack She bounces right back]] in order to help a student who, in a twist on the usual outcome of this, [[spoiler: turns out to be Nui in disguise, who promptly defeats Ryuko and tears up Senketsu.]]
** Happens again in episodes 16 and 17. [[spoiler: Ryuko refuses to help Nudist Beach take out the Life Fibers after finding out Senketsu was designed to kill them, only to put him on again and agree to help them the episode right after.]]
** Once again in episodes 19 and 20; [[spoiler: after discovering the truth of her origin and birth, Ryuko abandons Senketsu, disregarding the state of the world and leaving to face Nui and Ragyo by herself.]]
* AchillesInHisTent: After she [[spoiler: completely loses her confidence due to giving into her rage during her fight with Nui]] in episode 12, she spends her time moping in her room. Eventually she changes her mind with a little persuasion from Shinjiro.
* ActionGirl: Can wield a scissor-shaped sword like nobody's business, with good escaping skills as a bonus.
* AesopAmnesia: When faced with something that truly [[HeroicBSOD shocks her to the core]], Ryuko forgets everything she has learned about the PowerOfFriendship and the PowerOfTrust in a flash, only to learn the exact same lessons again one or two episodes later when someone manages to talk her out of her [[AchillesInHisTent Tent]] (episode 13) or out of her [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]] (episode 21).
* AfraidOfNeedles: Acts like a crybaby when her teacher is about to draw blood from her, and for good reason.
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Aikuro points out that her prickly personality is fairly typical of a seventeen year old. You also have to remember that she's a severely neglected orphan with a FriendlessBackground.
* AllMenArePerverts: There's hardly a single major male character she's met that she hasn't called a pervert, mainly because they [[YouCanLeaveYourHatOn keep taking off their clothes]] or telling her to take off her own. She even calls Tsumugu the "Pervert Club President" when she mistakes him for another one of Satsuki's flunkies.
* AllEncompassingMantle: She dons one to hide her {{Stripperific}} in the first episode on her way to save Mako. She later does this again when [[spoiler:the relevation that she is part Life Fiber]] enrages her and she refuses to wear Senketsu, instead opting to wrap herself in her bedsheet... and nothing else.
* AmbiguouslyGay:
** Throughout the majority of the series, Ryuko [[CelibateHeroine shows no real attraction or desire to be with anyone]] and is mostly focused on beating her enemies. However, [[spoiler: before the final confrontation with Ragyo and the Life Fibers, she agrees to go on a date with Mako if they survive.]] The series keeps it ambiguous, however, about whether or not said date is [[JustFriends a get together between two friends]] or [[RelationshipUpgrade a romantic encounter]]. If it's the latter, it may overlap with IfItsYouItsOkay.
** After her [[spoiler: make-out session with Nui during her stint as BrainwashedAndCrazy, Ragyo says something along the lines of "Her emotions are less restrained," which could be taken as meaning Ryuko really ''is'' lesbian (or [[BiTheWay bisexual]]), and is simply [[NotDistractedByTheSexy extremely focused]], or it could mean she's simply more open to suggestion while [[NotHimself Not Herself]].]]
* AncestralWeapon: It is explicitly stated that Senketsu was created by her father and that he had the Scissor Blades in his laboratory and they were specifically designed to [[spoiler:cut Life Fibers]] heavily implies that they were his creation as well.
* AntiAntiChrist: [[spoiler:She was concieved solely to further Ragyo's goals, but she eventually ends up as mankind's savior and the one to defeat her]].
* AntiHero: While she is a good person at heart, her goals and motivation have little to do with heroism. She is a deeply scarred, aggressive girl who will not sacrifice her own goals for the sake of others. She will help those she cares for but doesn't really care much about the rest, though she starts to grow out of this mindset later in the series.
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: [[spoiler: She reasons that she's immune to Ragyo's Absolute Submission because she's "a little in between human and Life Fiber]].
* AwesomenessIsAForce: For all of Inumuta's TechnoBabble regarding Ryuko's powers, Mako is able to boil it down to its purest form: Ryuko-''chan'' is really awesome.
* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: When BrainwashedAndCrazy, she rivals Nui in her enjoyment of violence and destruction.]]
* BackToBackBadasses: With Tsumugu in episode 15.
* {{Badass}}: Nothing will stop her in her quest for vengeance, even if she has to turn the entire school upside down to do so.
* BadassAdorable: Early on, when she was embarrassed about wearing Senketsu. Also extends into [[PajamaCladHero episode 4]].
* BadassBiker: In episode 14, she takes out all of the Elite Four's men on a motorbike and while having only a small piece of Senketsu on her at the time.
* BadassBoast: Threatens to destroy Satsuki's plans at the end of episode 3. And that's just after their first real encounter, when Satsuki was handing Ryuko her ass for a good majority of the fight.
* BadassFamily:
** Her father was a [[BadassBookworm scientist who was brilliant enough]] to make a fortune selling patents and inventions, if the size of his house is any indication. [[spoiler:He also fought [[HumanoidAbomination Nui Harime]] despite being just a normal human and even though he was killed was still able to lay all the groundwork for the heroes to stop the BigBad.]]
** Her sister [[spoiler:is none other than Satsuki Kiryuin, who shows off just how {{Badass}} she is when she engages Ryuko in combat and by the respect and fear she commands at Honnouji Academy. On top of that, she's also preparing to take on the biggest company in the world, along with all its superweapons.]]
** Her mother [[spoiler:is a darker example but Ragyo shows that AuthorityEqualsAsskicking by giving it to Satsuki in a matter of moments in her intro fight and proceeds to plunge the world into darkness using the Life Fibers she has sworn allegiance to.]]
** Tragically for Ryuko, this trope doesn't get played to its full-effect since by the time [[spoiler:we find out that her father was a badass, he's long dead and we don't learn who her mother is until it is clear Ryuko and Ragyo will be in opposition to each other. A downplayed version does occur, since she and Satsuki eventually team up to take on Ragyo and make an immensely powerful duo, even able to temporarily destroy the Primordial Life Fiber while engaging Ragyo in combat.]]
* BadassNormal: She can take out One-Star Uniform-wearers with ''just'' the case she carries her weapon in. A flashback of her past even hinted she could beat up gangs of delinquents by herself.
* BareYourMidriff: Exaggerated, after losing her first uniform. Everything else she wears always exposes her stomach, except [[spoiler:when wearing Junketsu, in episode 20 and 21.]]
* BashBrothers:
** With Senketsu, although neither of them really counts. Inevitable seeing how Senketsu can't fight by himself but this is essentially their dynamic. They know each other very well, their trust in each other is boundless and they love to banter happily during a fight.
** As of episode 22 [[spoiler: she's working this with Satsuki, who is her actual sister.]]
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: [[spoiler:In the final battle with Ragyo, she seems to have no problem breathing while in orbit around the planet.]]
* BattleAura: She gets this in episode 4 (and she's [[PajamaCladHero not even wearing Senkestu!]]) when she's about to lay a beat down on Maiko. Later on, [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi gives her a glowing gold background, fitting the final fight she's about to engage Ragyo in.]]
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: PlayedForLaughs. After being beaten by Fukuroda, she comes back home and wishes she was stronger. Almost instantly, she gets dropped into the basement where she finds Senketsu who forces himself upon her. That probably wasn't the kind of power up she wished for.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Ryuko tries avoiding Mako in the first episode, but starts hanging out with her more after Mako's family lets her stay with them for as long as she needs.
* BerserkButton:
** She can't stand [[AllMenArePerverts perverted guys]], and will beat them up the first chance she gets.
** In episode 11, [[WhamLine these words]] from Nui Harime [[UnstoppableRage set her off]]:
--->'''Nui Harime:''' [[spoiler: [[TheReveal I'm the one who killed your father]]!]]
** Ryuko's family and details surrounding her father seem to be this. When being taunted by Ragyo, [[spoiler:her biological mother]], and Nui, [[spoiler:her father's killer and technical half-sister]], at the same time, Ryuko is nearly in a rage-aneurysm.
* {{BFS}}: Her Scissor Blade in Decapitation Mode extends a hidden blade within it, increasing the resulting weapon's length to more than double its original size. [[spoiler:In episode 25, upon regaining the Rending Scissors that fell from space, Ryuko is able to perform a final move that makes each half of the scissors grow to ridiculous proportions, dwarfing Honnouji Academy's mecha mode!]]
* BifurcatedWeapon: The scissor blade can be split into 2 halves.
* BigDamnHeroes: While it certainly looks like one, her appearing out of nowhere and beating up Honnouji's students during the Kansai school raid is more like like [[IWasJustPassingThrough she was just passing through]]. For one, she didn't come to save anyone but to [[spoiler:reclaim the pieces of Senketsu]], and in the long run didn't really defeat the three armies, merely weakening them. Furthermore, the three schools that were targeted by Ira, Uzu and Nonon still fell.
* TheBigDamnKiss: Exploited, when she [[spoiler:has a very intense make-out scene with Nui Harime.]] Since she was under the influence of Ragyo's mind-stitching, it's more like KissingUnderTheInfluence.
* BikerBabe: In episode 14, after [[spoiler:Nui Harime shreds Senketsu and Satsuki administers his parts to various Honnouji students for the Tri-City Raid Trip and Ryuko needs fast transport to go retrieve him]]. Don't ask where she got the bike. Again in episode 20, when [[spoiler:Ragyo's taunting, coupled with her horror at being part-Life Fiber, she angrily goes to face her mother in a reckless mood, fittingly riding something stereotypically associated with delinquents.]]
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Her Scissor Blade becomes fused to her right arm when [[spoiler: she loses control and overwhelms Senketsu]] in episode 12.
* BloodSplatteredWarrior: As she goes berserk, she becomes drenched in ''her own'' blood. Taken to the next extreme when [[spoiler:she rips apart Junketsu, who was forcibly attached to her through Life Fibers, resulting in her standing naked in a geyser of blood.]]
* BloodSplatteredWeddingDress: Episode 21, when she kills [[spoiler:Senketsu]] inside her MentalWorld.
* BodyHorror: In episode 12, when she [[spoiler: loses control of Senketsu and merges with him]]. Her skin turns a sickly bluish-green color; her eyes become yellow, bloodshot, and bulge (one bigger than the other) and her teeth become huge fangs, one of which sticks right up in front of her face, the others going through her skull, making her "horns"; her head rests atop her massive left shoulder/Senketsu's eye, feeding into her freakishly swollen left arm; her right arm becomes spindly, with her Scissor Blade grafted onto it; her neck is crooked and keeps cracking and [[HighPressureBlood spurting blood; her upper and lower body are held together by a gaping, toothy mouth; and her otherwise normal legs have spikes hammered through them.]]
* BookDumb: The first Drama CD has her boldly saying she'll spend a week in the town library to prepare for an upcoming test... only to do nothing but sleep and eat for the week and end up relying on Senketsu to answer the academic questions for her. She shows her street smart side by analyzing Satsuki's intuitive questions, like whether or not Satsuki's eyebrows are big and figures out that based on Satsuki's personality and the setting that her tester does NOT want to hear that they are.
* BornWinner: Why is she able to fight increasingly intense battles with students who are literally being trained to fight in a war? Simple, being [[spoiler:infused with Life Fibers at birth gives superpowers including regeneration, enhanced speed, and strength.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
** Ragyo takes control of Ryuko's mind with a Life Fiber and makes her attack Satsuki in episode 18, only for Ryuko to break free and become very pisssed at Ragyo.
** In episode 20, [[spoiler:Ragyo rewrites Ryuko's memories to make her think she loves her insane mother, driving Ryuko to do a FaceHeelTurn.]] However, the efforts of [[spoiler:Satsuki, Mako and Senketsu]] have snapped her out of it at the end of episode 21.
* BridalCarry: Holds Mako this way in episode 23 after [[spoiler:destroying the Primordial Life Fiber.]]
* BroughtDownToBadass: Episode 4 revolves around her having to navigate a massive DeathCourse on the way to school without Senketsu. She still does better than most of the No-Star student body, even when dragging along Mako and Maiko. In episode 14 and the first half of episode 15, she's brought down again because she has to reclaim [[spoiler:the pieces of Senketsu]] from the invasion force, succeeding by the second half.
* TheBrute: [[spoiler: Becomes the Kiryuin Conglomerate's one while she's under the influence of Junketsu. When she fights for the bad guys, she immediately charges into combat and simply tries to destroy all the heroes in her path.]]
* CainAndAbel: [[PlayingWithATrope Played With.]] She ''would'' have been the Abel to [[spoiler: Satsuki's]] Cain, but [[spoiler: the fact that they were siblings wasn't revealed until after they were on the same side.]] She's definitely this to Nui though, who considers Ryuko her "soul sister" [[spoiler: due to be both being bred with Life Fibers.]]
* CannotSpitItOut: Really struggles [[spoiler: to call Satsuki "Nee-''san''" (big sister), after acknowledging the fact that they were [[LongLostRelative sisters]].]]
* CantStandThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Ryuko always responds with a swift punch to the face whenever Mako's dad, brother, and dog try to peep on her, but she still considers them to be her family. This is most evident when she helps the Mankanshokus become wealthy, only for them to become so self-absorbed in their new lifestyle that they stop spending time with her, and she opens the window while taking a bath hoping they'll at least be there.
* CelibateHero: Ryuko is more driven by getting to know/avenging her father than considering a love interest, although in a world where AllMenArePerverts is rampant, you can't blame her. [[spoiler:She does agree to go on a date with Mako at the end of the series.]]
* ChangedMyMindKid: Initially, she's not interested in donning Senketsu again and helping Nagita's resistance. However, that changes when [[MoralEventHorizon Honnouji enforcers beat up Mr. Mankanshoku in his own home]], where Nagita is trying to hide. ''However'', this turns out to be a serious case of ExploitedTrope, since [[spoiler: Nagita is Nui in disguise.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Initially, all that she cares about is using Senketsu to get her {{revenge}}, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge everyone and everything else be damned]]. After she interacts with Mako, who loves her deeply, and Senketsu, [[spoiler: who is nearly permanently killed while serving her]], she begins caring about others. She eventually forgoes her revenge altogether and instead focuses on protecting the things that are important to her. A good example of this is when she eventually decides against [[spoiler: killing both Nui and Ragyo. Instead, she asks them to give up. Neither accepts this.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The red highlight in her hair. [[spoiler:It can cut and absorb Life Fibers]].
* CloseCallHaircut: When Tsumugu fires a giant seam ripper at her to stop her following him in episode 5.
* CombatPragmatist: Uses all the advantages and dirty tricks she can get her hands on and never adheres to the rules of Honourable Combat.
* ConfusionFu: She uses this on Inumuta after she [[GenreSavvy instantly picks up his]] "[[AwesomeByAnalysis analyze-first, attack later]]" fighting style.
* CombatStilettos: Gains a pair when activating Senketsu, which form over her sneakers.
* ContraltoOfDanger[=/=] GutturalGrowler: Has a very noticeable deep growl and she also kicks a lot of ass.
* ColorFailure: In [[spoiler: episode 18, she becomes stark white while under influence of Ragyo's Mind Stitching.]]
* CoolShades: Sports a pair in episode 14 riding a motorbike.
* CovertPervert: It takes a few episodes before she can keep herself from blushing whenever Aikuro removes his glasses and shows off his manly physique.
* CurbStompBattle: After all of the shit Nui put Ryuko through in the series, it's really satisfying to see the latter dish this out to the former in episode 22. [[spoiler: Even when Nui had both Scissor Blades]], she was still completely outmatched and Ryuko manages to take them back with ease. [[spoiler: Nui ends up losing her arms as a result, and absolutely flips her shit.]]
* CursedWithAwesome: She takes the discovery [[spoiler:that she's part Life Fiber]] like this, given that it means she was lied to the whole time. On the other hand, her having these powers makes her the only who who can stop [[spoiler:Ragyo]].
* CuteBruiser: Which she first demonstrates when Mataro and his gang think her appearance makes her [[MuggingTheMonster an easy target for robbery]]... they're bruised and bowing to her about five seconds later.
* CuteLittleFangs: Has prominent canine teeth, as part of her WildChild image.
* CuteMonsterGirl: [[spoiler: Discovering she's been imbued with Life Fibers didn't make her any less attractive.]]
* DaddysGirl: PlayedForDrama. Her father was never there for her when she was growing up and her quest for his killer was meant to gain information on him and finally sort out her own life and feelings for him as much as it was to avenge him. The more she learns about the conspiracy he was involved in and her true origins, the more confused and resentful she becomes about everything that has to do with him and his work.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Her combat outfit has a very, ''very'' short schoolgirl-themed skirt (the skirt is just about the only thing she doesn't mind about her uniform), and boy is she dangerous.
* DarkActionGirl: All courtesy of [[spoiler:being brainwashed by Ragyo.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Not as obvious as most examples, but let's sum up her past: her mother dying at a young age, her father abandoning her when she was no more than 8 years old, alienated by her classmates, getting into fights and becoming a full-on juvenile delinquent, then, to top it all off, her father also dying under tragic circumstances. Gets even worse when it's revealed in episode 18 that [[spoiler: Ragyo is her mother and only had her to use for Life Fiber experiments]], and to top it all off ''[[spoiler: Ragyo threw her away to die when Ryuko was just out of the womb]]''.
* DarkIsNotEvil: She wears a dark-colored uniform, but is nonetheless heroic.
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler:Her father Isshin Matoi, a.k.a. Soichiro Kiryuin, made Ragyo believe their second daughter died during the Life Fibers infusing experiments, but she actually survived and that baby turns out to be Ryuko.]]
* DeathGlare: ''[[http://benigmatica.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/kill-la-kill-19-05.jpg?w=512&h=288 FEAR HER.]]''
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the "edgy" NinetiesAntiHero-esque archetype. The first moments of her show her as a dark and gritty character, eating lemon skins and telling off little kids. This is the result of having been neglected by her father and never knowing her mother ([[spoiler:which is shown to have been for the better]]). When she's shown compassion from Mako and her family that she never had as a child, she starts becoming more sweet and friendly.
* DespairEventHorizon: She crosses this at the end of episode 18 when she finds out that, like her mother, [[spoiler:she is infused with Life Fibers.]] After this revelation, Ryuko refuses to wear Senketsu again and leaves her friends behind. This is mercilessly exploited by Ragyo, who succeeds in [[spoiler: [[MindRape mind-raping Ryuko]] to the point of [[FaceHeelTurn turning heel.]]]]
* {{Determinator}}: Even as she gets beaten and bruised, she ''refuses'' to go down if it means keeping her Scissor Blade and Senketsu out of enemy hands.
* DidntSeeThatComing: She was completely prepared to take down Satsuki and Ragyo to save the world from Life Fibers. What she wasn't prepared for was [[spoiler: the former betraying the latter, and then finding out that the latter is her mother.]] The first one she gets over pretty quickly despite the initial shock, the latter...[[HeroicBSOD not so much.]]
* DualWield: In episode 22, [[spoiler: Ryuko takes both halves of the Rending Scissors from Nui. Afterwards, Ryuko [[JustForPun disarms]] Nui.]]
* EdgyBackwardsChairSitting: In Episode 16, while listening to Mikisugi's lecture on Life Fibers.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:She gains the combined power of every student's uniform before leaving to face Ragyo for the final time.]]
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: A very competent fighter in her own right, but can't take on any Two-Star or higher uniform user without Senketsu. [[spoiler:Episode 18 also reveals she was fused with Life Fibers since her infancy, subverting both this and BadassNormal in the process. Until episode 21 reveals that her Life Fiber powers had been dormant until being faced with fear of death courtesy of Ragyou.]]
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Mako demonstrates such while encouraging her not to be afraid of getting naked:
-->'''Mako:''' Your boobs are bigger than [Satsuki's]! I saw them! "That Ryuko, she's got a great rack!" My whole family was talking about them!
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Has a penchant for spinning her Scissor Blade around whether she's going for a finishing blow or just bringing it out of its case.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler: After the MindRape from Ragyo, she wears Junketsu, and in a departure from the norm with this, it covers far more of her skin than Senketsu did.]]
* ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow: When wearing [[spoiler:Junketsu]]. It's red and makes her look more akin to [[spoiler:Ragyo]].
* {{Expy}}:
** To [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon the Digger]]. Both of their [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman respective]] [[HumongousMecha powers]] are connected to [[EmpathicWeapon their mental state]], they both [[TookALevelInBadass take exponential levels in badassery]] throughout the story, and their adventures allow them to [[CharacterDevelopment grow as people]]. Physically, they both also sport dark hair with some type of red incorporated in, goggles, in Simon's case and a different-colored strand of hair in Ryuko's. Additionally, the final fights in both series result in [[spoiler:Ryuko and Simon losing someone very close and as a direct result of defeating the antagonist.]]
*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon starts out as unconfident and hated by his peers because he was physically uninteresting and a ShrinkingViolet, but starts to earn the trust of his companions when he starts gaining confidence. [[spoiler:By the end of his story, he abandons all he had and goes back to the simple life he once had]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, starts out as overconfident and was hated because she was an imposing delinquent and scared other people, but when she gets humbled and befriends Mako, she starts to become more extroverted. [[spoiler:When ''her'' story ends, she finally gets to live the normal life she never had]].
** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]].
* ExoticEyeDesigns: The edges of her irises are surrounded by tick marks resembling stitches, an early clue to her true nature that's only apparent in retrospect.
* FaceHeelTurn: Does this unwillingly later in the series; after picking up the JerkassBall and confronting Ragyo and Nui in episode 20, [[spoiler:she gets brainwashed into doing their bidding, wearing Junketsu in the process and attacking Nudist Beach's battleship not long after.]]
* FakeMemories: [[spoiler:Ragyo]] implants some into Ryuko, leading her to believe that [[spoiler:they've lived a normal and happy life as mother and daughter, thus resulting in her aforementioned FaceHeelTurn.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: Senketsu has a multicolored eye on one side and a black eyepatch on the other. She also wears a fingerless glove on her left hand.
* FatalFlaw: Being that her intial motivation was revenge for her father's death, wrath is a major one.
* FieryRedhead: Pushes it normally, since she only has a single streak, but when she activates Senketsu, the entire back of her hair turns red.
* FingerlessGloves[=/=]TrickedOutGloves: Her [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Crimson Glove]], which has a built-in syringe so Ryuko can feed Senketsu her blood and activate his power.
* FinishingMove: ''Sen-i-Soshitsu'' ("Fiber Stripper"), which completely shreds her opponent's uniform.
* FlawedPrototype: [[spoiler:To Nui Harime. Ragyo originally conceived Ryuko to make her into the ultimate Life Fiber[=/=]Human hybrid minion, but considered her to be a failure and threw her out. Eventually, Ragyo created the more successful Nui, seemingly from scratch using the Primordial Life Fiber, even though she's too unstable to be effectively controlled.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Hey, have you ever noticed how that red streak in her hair glows when she transforms? Ever see how [[spoiler: it's similar to Ragyo's own sparkling hair?]] Now [[WhamEpisode episode 18 rolls along]], and drops the bomb that [[spoiler: Ryuko's actually her daughter.]]
** There is even more to that lock of hair. In some of her lectures, Mako has a red streak of hair like Ryuko and when she does she touches it with one hand while [[spoiler:making scissor cutting like motion with her other hand. Now, what did Ryuko use to break out of Ragyo's mind control?]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XAmch6M0v8U&t=41s "Blumenkranz"]] starts playing when Ryuko is first revealed wearing Senketsu; {{foreshadowing}} the fact that she is [[spoiler:Ragyo Kiryuin's daughter.]]
** The name "Ryuko" is a homophone to "dragon girl/daughter" and "two rivals". One of the kanji for Ragyo's last name is "dragon". This suggests [[spoiler:Ryuko was used as a test subject for the Kiryuin conglomerate, and was appropriately named]], and both Satsuki and Ragyo are rivals of Ryuko.
* {{Forgiveness}}: In the final episode, after [[spoiler:defeating Ragyo and stopping her plan of converting the Earth into a massive source of Life Fibers]], Ryuko offers forgiveness to her, telling her to [[spoiler:come back down to Earth with her like the mother and daughter they are. Ragyo [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled says no]].]]
* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: Her strength and speed are top notch, but her defenses are quite low, evidenced by the fact that she takes damage from attacks coming from three-star Goku uniforms, which are considerably weaker than a Kamui, and the fact that Junketsu can pierce through Senketsu's defense.
* FullNameBasis: She tends to contemptuously address Satsuki by her full name, and vice-versa. [[spoiler: This is dropped in episode 22 when they make amends and switch to FirstNameBasis with each other as acknowledgement of being sisters.]]
* GenreSavvy: In episode 10, she mocks Inumuta for being a stereotypical EvilGenius who'd brag about [[AwesomenessByAnalysis analyzing and predicting all her moves]], [[ConfusionFu so she fights erratically to keep him from getting that chance.]] She's also fully aware that attacking Gamagoori's Regalia will only make him stronger.
* AGirlAndHerX: A girl and her {{Stripperiffic}}, LivingWeapon, SailorFuku.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: A heroic version in episode 22, after [[spoiler: Ryuko and Senketsu [[ShesBack reunite]].]]
* GoingCommando: She is completely naked under her robe in episode 20 and doesn't even seem to care.
* GoldenSuperMode: [[spoiler: When she confronts Ragyo with Senketsu-Kisaragi.]]
* HairDecorations: Sports a pair of small horns when Senketsu is activated.
* HalfHumanHybrid: She was [[spoiler:infused with Life Fibers as a baby]].
* [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe Half the Girl She Used to Be]]: Ends up a victim of this in [[spoiler:Episode 23 after seemingly being bisected at the waist by Ragyo...although this was an invoked and subverted case to fake her death, as she managed to deflect the attack at the last second to prevent being totally bisected and jumped into the water to recover, then attacked the Original Life Fiber as Ragyo was being distracted by Satsuki.]]
* HamToHamCombat: Essentially gets into a screaming match with Ragyo during the final battle.
* HandbagOfHurt: She employs her metal guitar case as both a weapon and a shield.
* HappilyAdopted: Well, if you count her living with the Mankanshokus as being adopted.
* HealingFactor: Being [[spoiler:part Life Fiber]] gives her this. Though this mostly becomes prominent after [[spoiler:Ragyo reveals that Ryuko is the same daughter she discarded during an experiment to create human-Life Fiber hybrids]].
* HeroesPreferMotorcycles: In contrast to the truck driven by the Mankanshokus, the limo used to transport Ragyo or the helicoptors Satsuki seems to always be getting around in, Ryuko, TheProtagonist takes a motorcycle. Tsumugu also has one so this may be used to drive the AntiHero feel of the two characters.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Ryuko finds herself in a funk throughout episode 13 after [[spoiler: losing control of herself and dragging Senketsu in a horrific rampage across the school]], fearful of putting him through that again.
** This happens in episode 19, when [[spoiler:she rejects wearing Senketsu, shunning it, as well as herself as a monster after the huge revelation. Understandable, considering her mother is one BigBad and the fact that she is not actually a human.]]
* HeroicRROD:
** In her [[UnstoppableRage rage against her father's killer]], [[spoiler: her [[HotBlooded boiling blood]] becomes too much for Senketsu to handle, causing him to instinctively eat her whole. The results are [[BodyHorror not pretty]]]].
** {{Defied}} in episode 15. She's forced to transform using an only partially restored Senketsu, causing energy leakage that will eventually kill her. However, she snatches the very last piece from Satsuki before that can happen. Really shows how much she has grown as a person.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: She and Mako are inseparable, although the "hetero" part is debatable on [[AmbiguouslyGay Mako's]] end.
* HiddenBuxom: While her brash aggressiveness subverts the usual timidity associated with this, she is ''far'' more full-figured than her fully-clothed appearance suggests, as demonstrated when wearing [[{{Stripperiffic}} Senketsu]], and Mako states she surpasses Satsuki in bust size. However, she ''does'' initially get embarrassed over being seen in this state, though she puts up with it for the sake of defeating her enemies.
* HighPressureBlood: Bear in mind, though, [[OverDrawnAtTheBloodBank she also has enough blood]] to rival [[Manga/OnePiece Roronoa Zoro]].
* HotBlooded: Her blood literally ''boils'' in the heat of battle. [[spoiler: This proves incredibly dangerous for Senketsu, sending him into a frenzy and triggering a ''[[BodyHorror nightmarish]]'' HeroicRROD, which is only reversed thanks to [[ThePowerOfFriendship Mako]]]].
* HourOfPower: Initially, she can only fight using Senketsu for a limited time since he continually sucks her blood. If she fights for too long, she will eventually collapse from massive blood loss. This changes when she accepts Senketsu and they bond properly.
* HowlOfSorrow:
-->'''Ryuko:''' [[spoiler:SENKETSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!]]
* HulkingOut: In episode 12, when [[spoiler:Nui Harime reveals herself as Isshin Matoi's killer]], Ryuko flies into a rage. This trope is combined with BodyHorror, as she turns into a green-skinned monstrosity, barely recognizable as human.
* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: She's the younger sister of Satsuki that was infused with Life Fibers and presumed dead]]. In fact, to drive the point home, [[spoiler: her heart is made of Life Fibers]].
* IAmAMonster: After finding out that [[spoiler: she's half Life Fiber, and pretty much everything she knew was a lie,]] she concludes that she isn't human any more and [[spoiler: wants nothing to do with Senketsu.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: She usually fights with the blunt edge of her Scissor Blade, only using the sharp edge when she finds herself outclassed. [[SubvertedTrope Not that this helps her in]] [[CurbStompBattle her first fight against a Two-Star student]].
* IAmWho: She's just a drifter seeking to avenge her father's death... [[spoiler:but that's not all: she's the child that Ragyo bore to experiment on, making her the second human-Life Fiber hybrid; incidentally, this makes her Satsuki's sister.]] This [[GoMadFromTheRevelation causes her some emotional]] [[HeroicBSOD distress, to say the least]].
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: While it's never said outright, it's quite obvious that she really wants to have them. Despite being a bit aloof towards Mako at the start, she very quickly befriended her and became ferociously protective of her. Also, when she befriended Mako, she seemed really happy to have found another one.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: In episode 2, she uses her Scissor Blade as an improvised tennis racket by holding it from the blade and tying some of Senketsu's thread on the handle.
* IndyPloy: Her stock in trade. Her long-term planning abilities are unimpressive, to put it mildly, but she's ''amazing'' at on-the-fly improvisation.
* IneffectualDeathThreats: Even though she was enraged and thirsted for blood, all of the threats she made at [[spoiler:Mikisugi and Tsumugu had no substance behind them. Even when she cut DTR in half, Mikisugi was completely unharmed.]]
* InTheBack: Throws her scissor blade at [[spoiler:Nui, which impales her from behind and leaves her PinnedToTheWall, after being freed from Junketsu's influence in episode 21.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: Subverted. She's absolutely hellbent on her quest for vengeance, and [[HeroicSelfDeprecation admits to Senketsu]] in Episode 16 that she's just using him as an outlet for her anger, but despite this, she isn't particularly selfish (and [[JerkassBall when she is]], it's [[WhamEpisode very justified]]), and Senketsu says otherwise about her behavior.
* JapaneseDelinquent: Ryuko has the appearance and attitude of one, and she has a history of picking fights at school since she was very young.
* JerkassBall: Clutches it pretty hard at the end of episode 19. [[spoiler: After finding out about of her parentage, namely Ragyo being her mother and her father not being the man she thought he was, and that she's not fully human, she awakes from a month long coma lashing out at her friends over this and eventually abandons them to stage a one woman assault against Ragyo and Nui.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's an aloof drifter with a serious vengeful streak to be sure, but she's also one of the kindest students in the school and is always willing to lend a helping hand, so long as no one tries to peep on her.
* KissingUnderTheInfluence: Deeply kisses [[spoiler:Nui of all people]] in episode 21, [[spoiler:under Junketsu's influence when Nui asks if she still wants revenge for Nui killing her dad.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
** She always retreats the first chance she gets whenever she's faced with someone she knows she can't beat. Particularly justified when she starts using Senketsu, as up until episode 3, his power can only last for so long in battle before she gets exhausted.
** It gets somewhat exaggerated in the manga where she treats running away almost like some sort of special technique. Then again, judging by the reactions of everyone who saw her doing that they might not have even considered [[WorldOfBadass that someone can run away from a fight.]]
* LadySwearsALot: Especially in the dub where she drops almost every single bit of profanity but an PrecisionFStrike.
* {{Leitmotif}}:
** "Before my Body is Dry", a dynamic rock ballad which features lyrics that explicitly state her and Senketsu's motivations, though only her sole half of the song has been used in the show so far.
** The first half of "斬LLLア生LL" -- essentially an orchestral remix of "Before my Body is Dry" -- is used many times during Ryuko's awesome or power-up scenes. Notably, it was used many times in episode 14, whenever Ryuko busted in on the Honnouji armies to retrieve Senketsu's pieces.
* LightIsNotGood: Played completely straight in episode 20, since she's seen [[spoiler:wearing Junketsu and displaying maniacal faces after [[FaceHeelTurn turning heel]]]].
* LimitedWardrobe: After the first episode, Senketsu is the only non-pajama clothing she owns.
* LivingWeapon: Senketsu functions as a friend, mentor, armor and weapon - all in one!
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: By her [[ParentalAbandonment father Isshin]], [[TricksterMentor teacher Aikuro]], and [[TheRival rival Satsuki]] until episode 16, then it's one revelation after another.
* LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality: She mellows out significantly over the course of the series thanks to Mako's influence.
* LukeIAmYourFather: The end of episode 18 reveals that [[spoiler: Ragyo is her mother, and by extension Satsuki is her older sister.]]
* MadeOfIron: Even when not transformed, Ryuko can take a stupid amount of punishment and get right back up. Episode 18 justifies this: turns out [[spoiler: she's a [[HalfHumanHybrid human-Life Fiber hybrid, like Ragyo.]]]] This is taken to new heights in the penultimate episode. [[spoiler:Ragyo partially [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe bisects]] her, and she shrugs it off almost immediately.]]
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Initially subverted. Isshin Matoi was a perfectly sensible and sane scientist, despite his eccentric appearance. [[spoiler:Then we find out what her ''mother'' was like...]]
* MeaningfulName: One of the potential meanings of "Ryuko", [[spoiler:is "abandoned child"]]. [[http://sushiobunny.tumblr.com/post/76850838550/its-interesting-to-note-that-ryuukos-name-has See this for more details]], '''but watch out for spoilers'''.
* MediumAwareness: Not as much as Nui, but she is able to see Mako's thoughts on Isshin Matoi being the founder of Nudist Beach.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: In her berserk state. [[BodyHorror And not just where her mouth should be...]]
* MindRape: Is subjected to one in episode 20. [[spoiler:Before Ragyo implants FakeMemories of a happy life, and turns her [[FaceHeelTurn heel]], Ryuko pleads for her to stop.]]
* MissingMom: Her mother died when she was very young. Episode 18 expands on this by explaining that [[spoiler:Isshin actually lied to her, her mother is Ragyo Kiryuin who is very much alive.]]
* [[DaddysLittleVillain Mommy's Little Villain]]: [[spoiler:In episode 20, Ryuko's memories get replaced to make it look like she's been doted on by her mother Ragyo for her entire life, and always been in support of Ragyo's apocalyptic evil plan.]]
* MorphWeapon: She learns to make her weapon unfold into bigger forms.
* MsFanservice: Not that she's happy about it. See ReluctantFanserviceGirl.
* MulticoloredHair: She has black and red hair. The red stripe in her hair becomes significant when it [[spoiler:cuts through Ragyo's Mind Stitiching threads, freeing Ryuko from her control.]]
* NearRapeExperience: Parodied as a RunningGag. She gets into several situations which ''look'' like this, [[NotWhatItLooksLike but aren't]]. [[spoiler:Her suggestive scene with Nui and Ragyo in episode 21 genuinely qualifies as rape as she was not in her right state of mind at the time.]]
* NewTransferStudent: For all but three minutes at the start of the series.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** In episode 7, she starts a Fight Club and hands the presidential position to Mako so she and her family can have better living rights ([[JerkassBall and so she doesn't have to do all that paperwork herself]]). [[GoneHorriblyRight It works, but it also stiffens their quirky family dynamic]].
** Somewhat zigzagged in her fight against Sanageyama. At first it looks like a straight example because Sanageyama gains lots of [[TookALevelInBadass levels in badass]], meaning that Ryuko unintentionally made Satsuki's army stronger. But then it's inverted when [[spoiler:Satsuki and Honnouji Academy perform HeelFaceTurn and become Ryuko's allies against Ragyo.]]
* NinetiesAntiHero: Mostly {{subverted|trope}}. She has the appearance and mood of one, but acts like more of a PragmaticHero than anything else really.
* NominalHero: For the first part of the series, she's motivated solely by the death of her father. Even when [[spoiler:Satsuki reveals her plans to Ragyo]], she only agrees to [[spoiler:help her]] because [[spoiler:Ragyo's dragon was the one who did the deed]].
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: In regards to Nudist Beach.
* NotHerself: In episodes 19-21 because of [[spoiler:Ragyo [[MindRape Mind Raping]] her into attacking the heroes on the Naked Sun by rewriting her memories.]]
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: She was believed by the Kiryuin family to have been killed as an infant in an experiment that infused her with Life Fibers. Only her father knew she survived and faked both of their deaths to her mother.]]
* OddFriendship: With Mako. Ryuko is the only person in the series that comes anywhere near what may be considered normal, while Mako is such a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} that even other people in Honnouji find her strange.
* OneManArmy: Can take out entire schools on her own before getting Senketsu. Eventually, she takes on entire armies of one-star students (again without Senketsu), and later on [[spoiler:takes out an entire army of COVERS in a single swing.]] Again, without Senketsu. Now just imagine what she is with Senketsu.
* OneWingedAngel: Inverted, she's TheHeroine but [[spoiler:assumes such a form to fight Ragyo in episode 24 when she powers up via absorbing the energy from everyone's Goku uniforms.]]
* OnlySaneWoman: The only character who notices the total absurdity of [[WidgetSeries everything that ever happens in Honnouji]], which is only natural, since she doesn't live there.
* OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank: Ryuko loses ludicrous amounts of blood throughout episode 12. First, [[spoiler: she overwhelms Senketsu and [[BodyHorror crudely fuses with him]]]], causing her to start venting blood. After that, [[spoiler:Tsumugu is forced to topple spiked pillars on her]] releasing enough blood to create a ''geyser''! Then came episode 21, [[spoiler:where she rips off Junketsu as if it were her own skin, resulting in an absurd shower of blood.]]
* PajamaCladHero: For the duration of episode 4, since she's forced to go to school at 4 in the morning while Senketsu's being washed.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her mother died when she was little, and she lived in a boarding school away from her father right up until he was murdered. It's still [[spoiler: much better than what her biological parents did to her.]]
* PenPushingPresident: In episode 7, the prospect of becoming this is what prompted her to pass leadership of the newly formed Fight Club to Mako instead.
* PlatonicLifePartners: She and Senketsu are as inseparable as [[HeterosexualLifePartners her and Mako]], and the fact that he isn't human doesn't diminish their friendship at all. [[spoiler:Although, it helps that Ryuko isn't fully human, either.]]
* PowerDyesYourHair: Her hair gains even more red undertones when using Senketsu's full power. [[spoiler: Fittingly, it looks similar to Ragyo's usual hairstyle.]] The undertones turns blue when [[spoiler: she wears Junketsu.]] It turns completely blonde after [[spoiler: she absorbs all the Life Fibers in the Honnouji Academy.]]
* PowerLimiter:
** Done unconsciously. During her first two fights using Senketsu, she only has access to a fraction of the power he could grant her due to her embarrassment over how revealing the outfit is. Once she is able to embrace her own body, and thus stop being embarrassed over the outfit, she is able to access his full potential.
** The details are not explained but it seems like she had another one on her natural power. When [[spoiler:Ragyo put her under MindControl]], that limiter too was taken off and she was actually capable of [[spoiler:going toe to toe against a transformed Satsuki]] without even activating Senketsu.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: [[spoiler: When she equips Senketsu-Kisaragi, her hair seems to puff out to a longer length than usual.]]
* PowerStrainBlackout: Before learning how to equip him properly, she passes out whenever Senketsu drinks too much blood.
* PragmaticHero: Ryuko has no qualms about using sneak attacks, or attacking enemies before they are prepared.
* AProtagonistIsRyu: A rare female example, though the "Ryu" in her name means "stream" rather than "dragon". Other than that, she fits this perfectly with her [[HotBlooded feistiness]] and intense rivalry with [[TheRival Satsuki Kiryuin]] who, ironically, ''does'' have the character for "dragon" in her name. This fits even more considering that her [[FridgeBrilliance rightful name]] is Ryuko [[spoiler:Kiryuin.]]
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Does not appreciate Aikuro's pre-episode 16 YouAreNotReady attitude, and is skeptical that he's told her the full truth after the revelations of episodes 18 and 19 [[spoiler: that she's a Life Fiber/human hybrid, she's Ragyo Kiryuin's daughter, Satsuki's her sister, and Isshin Matoi was really Soichiro Kiryuin.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: When she finds out [[spoiler:Nui is the one who killed her father]], she goes into such a furious rage that she nearly dies from the over-exertion.
* RangedEmergencyWeapon: By using a wire leash, she can hurl her Scissor Blade as a ranged attack.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Inverted; despite wearing a black and red Kamui, she's TheHero of the story. In fact, during her FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler:she's wearing blue and white]].
* RedBaron: She's infamous as the "Kanto Vagabond" and the "[[SenselessViolins Guitar Case Drifter]]".
* RedIsHeroic: Not only is it Senketsu's secondary color but thanks to her being OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank she often ends up spurting the color, albiet in a {{Squick}}y way.
** After [[spoiler:Nui Harime shreds Senkestu]] she spends her time [[spoiler:collecting his pieces]] while wearing a red jump suit.
** When she dons [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi]] she couples this with gold.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** The vengeful, HotBlooded and defiant Red Oni to Satsuki's Blue Oni. Incidentally, her Kamui (Senketsu) has red highlights whereas Satsuki's has blue.
** Senketsu also serves as the Blue Oni when Satsuki isn't present.
* RefusalOfTheCall: After knowing the truth about Senketsu, Nudist Beach, COVERS, and the Primordial Life Fiber, she refuses the role because no one besides herself even considered Senketsu's feelings on [[spoiler: fighting his own kind.]]
* ReluctantFanserviceGirl: She's mortified by Senketsu's skimpy armored form. It later turns out this prevents her from unleashing his full potential, forcing him to drink more of her blood just to stay active, which in turn exhausts her in battle. Once she embraces her own body, she is able to share it with Senketsu more evenly.
* RetractableWeapon: She can make her Scissor Blade small enough to fit in her pocket, like regular scissors.
* RightHandOfDoom: Ryuko gains a grotesquely bloated left arm when she [[spoiler: gives into her fury and overwhelms Senketsu]] in episode 12.
* RivalsTeamUp: Subverted in episode 22, for by that time the rivalry was dropped.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: She's on one to avenge the death of her father.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Mako.
* SailorFuku: Senketsu takes the form of a Japanese school girl's outfit when not in combat mode.
* SanitySlippage: After [[WhamEpisode episode 18]], it seems her sanity deteriorates with every episode. It all culminates in her being [[spoiler: brainwashed into an AxCrazy sociopath]] in episode 20.
* SayMyName: Screaming/snarling Satsuki's name is practically her CatchPhrase for the first half of the series. Then, in the finale, [[spoiler:[[TearJerker "SENKETSUUUUUUUU!!!"]]]]
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Wears [[spoiler: Senketsu's last remaining piece]] as one in episode 14.
* ScreamingWarrior: It's hard to find a fight scene where she doesn't scream everytime she winds up an attack.
* SecondHourSuperpower: She taps into Senketsu's full power as early as episode 3 once she learns to accept his skimpiness. She only keeps getting more and more powerful from there.
* SecondYearProtagonist: She's in her second year of high school.
* SecretLegacy: Twice over. First through Isshin, who [[spoiler:founded Nudist Beach]] and made Senketsu especially for her, and then as revealed in episode 18 [[spoiler:she's really Ragyo Kiryuin's lost daughter.]]
* SeenItAll: Slowly develops into this. At the start of the series, she's as weirded out by Mako's antics as everyone else and can't help but blush at Mikisugi's stripping; later on, she can predict what's going on in Mako's head and is barely fazed by a whole army of nude guys.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:Subverted. She may have defeated Ragyo in the final battle, but Ragyo [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled kills herself]]]].
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: The direct result of the ReluctantFanserviceGirl entry above, [[DownplayedTrope though she still won't tolerate guys trying to get some eye candy.]]
* ShearMenace: Her main weapon is the half of an enormous pair of scissors that are engineered to destroy Goku Uniforms.
* SheatheYourSword: In episode 7, she deactivates Senketsu and lowers her weapon to get Mako to stop fighting her.
* ShesBack:
** She recovers from her HeroicBSOD in episode 13 and goes back to fighting the bullies of the academt. [[spoiler: Nui invoked this in order to her back on her feet just for a chance to continue their battle, and even then, Ryuko hasn't fully overcome her fears and holds back, leading to Senketsu getting torn to shreds.]] It only happens for real two episodes later, when she [[spoiler:recovers all of Senketsu's pieces.]]
** After yet another HeroicBSOD in episode 19, which was combined with DespairEventHorizon and [[spoiler:an involuntary FaceHeelTurn,]] she pulls out all the stops and [[spoiler:breaks free from Ragyo's FakeMemories]] in episode 21, [[spoiler:tearing Junketsu to shreds in the process.]] She then proceeds to beat Nui senseless in the following episode.
* ShesGotLegs: Accentuated by her DangerouslyShortSkirt.
* SkunkStripe: Has a single red streak in her dark blue hair. [[spoiler:It's also a Life Fiber blade.]] She gains more of them the more she draws on Senketsu's power.
* SlasherSmile: As episode 20 demonstrates, Ryuko can pull off ''terrifying'' ones. Being [[spoiler:brainwashed by Ragyo]] has a lot to do with it, but still...
* SmugSuper: The more powerful she becomes and the easier she knocks her opponents down, the cockier she gets. Senketsu does call her out in episode 5, but it only barely sticks after [[WakeUpCallBoss Tsumugu]] and later Sanageyama take her out.
* SoleSurvivor: In episode 24, [[spoiler:with Nui assimilated into Ragyo and Ragyo herself committing suicide, Ryuko is the last remaining Life Fiber-Human hybrid on Earth]].
* SpeedEchoes: Ryuko is fast enough to create these with Senketsu's help.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: She can spin her Scissor Blade fast enough that it can neutralize Gamagoori's whip lashes.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Senketsu's base form barely covers anything. This is subverted when [[spoiler: she wears Junketsu post-FaceHeelTurn]], which is the most modest Kamui transformation yet.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: There are two distinct sides to Ryuko's personality: the side that's driven by stone cold vengeance to slaughter the Honnouji Academy Student Council, and the side that just wants to enjoy eating lunch with her best friend.
* SuperMode: When she finally achieves the perfect Synchronization with Senketsu, her hair and the lines on Senketsu begin to glow and she becomes so fast that she leaves [[SpeedEchoes afterimages.]]
* SuperSpeed: Nearly every opponent, including Satsuki herself, has expressed shock at Ryuko's tremendous speed while wearing Senketsu.
* SuperStrength: She becomes able to destroy stuff ''without'' putting on Senketsu once [[spoiler: her dormant Life Fiber powers awaken.]]
* SwordBeam: She is able to do this with her Scissor Blade.
* ThemeNaming: "Matoi" means "to wear" and "entwine", foreshadowing her relationship with Senketsu & the Life-Fibers.
* ThongOfShielding: Her suspenders ride up her backside just like an actual thong. Some shots show she [[PantyShot still wears panties]] under Senketsu.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy to Mako's Girly Girl. She's also the Tomboy to ''Nui's'' Girly Girl, though in that case the relationship isn't exactly a friendly one.
* TomboyishSidetails: She gains a pair of these whenever she activates Senketsu.
* TookALevelInBadass: She was already a badass to start, but she needed Senketsu for her to even stand a chance against Satsuki and her Elite Four. At the start of the series, her embarrassment about Senketsu's skimpiness hindered her fighting ability until she embraced her nudity, she then fought Satsuki to a standstill after getting [[CurbStompBattle curb stomped]] by her. Come episode 14 and 15, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is shredded by Nui]] she goes through Satsuki's ''entire army'' to put him back together, and one shots each them in nothing but a track suit. She then fights Satsuki again and does far better, even forcing her to retreat. By the time episode 18 has come, she's so powerful that she overwhelms Satsuki ''without'' Senketsu, while she is using her own Junketsu and when she does transform she's so in sync with Senketsu that she even overwhelms [[spoiler: Nui Harime]] to the point the latter sports a very uncharacteristic OhCrap expression. This girl is going places.
** And by episode 20, even when suffering a HeroicBSOD and without Senketsu at all, she can lop buildings in half from miles away, and is finally able to [[spoiler: grab and impale Nui, who only survives thanks to being another Life Fiber-empowered being like Ryuko.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: Slowly but surely, Ryuko goes from cold, aloof, and revenge-driven to friendly, outgoing, and [[spoiler:willing to forgive the people who put her through hell]].
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Lemons, if episode 1 and the opening are anything to go by. She even eats the skin!
* TragicKeepsake: Her Scissor Blade is the very same one used to kill her father. She also considers Senketsu to be this, since he was made by her dad.
* TransformationSequence: Complete with {{Gainaxing}}.
* TraumaCongaLine: It feels like episodes 18 and on are dedicated to just how much shit can be thrown at Ryuko. First, she finds out that Ragyo [[spoiler:is her mother]], [[BeatStillMyHeart in the worst possible way no less.]] Then, she discovers that [[spoiler: she isn't human.]] And finally she is {{Mind Rape}}d into [[spoiler: wearing Junketsu.]]
* TrueCompanions: With Senketsu and Mako, though on separate terms since Mako doesn't know Senketsu is alive. Later on, Nudist Beach, [[spoiler:Satsuki and the Elite Four also join her circle of friends.]] Epitomized during her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Nui in episode 22.
* UglyGuysHotDaughter: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged.]] Hell, her dad looks old enough to be her ''grandfather''. Then it was revealed that [[spoiler: she was actually Ragyo Kiryuin's daughter, which utterly confused the idea that she could possibly be his daughter. Then it was revealed that she actually was his daughter. Not only that, but her father was very good-looking, but purposely changed his looks to hide from his wife.]]
* {{Underboobs}}: While Senketsu is transformed.
* UnskilledButStrong: Shares this with Senketsu in early episodes. There are few better ways to describe someone wearing a 100% Life Fiber uniform that some subs translate as a "Godrobe," (which, by the way, is probably not an exaggeration) but struggles against people wearing 20% Life Fiber. She and Senketsu get better, though. [[DegradedBoss Lord,]] [[CurbStompBattle do they]] [[TookALevelInBadass get better.]] Especially after consuming all that Life Fiber.
* UnscrupulousHero: Despite claiming she's only out to avenge her father, she isn't willing to leave a helpless student behind, as seen in episodes 4 and 13. [[spoiler:[[ExploitedTrope Of course, said students pretty much screwed her over...]]]]
* UnstoppableRage: She ''completely'' flips her lid when she meets her father's killer, [[spoiler:Nui Harime]], which transforms her in a [[spoiler: [[BodyHorror very terrible manner]] that causes her to [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank lose a nearly fatal amount of blood]], nearly dying if [[BigDamnHeroes it weren't for Mako]]]].
* UnwittingPawn:
** Brought about by Satsuki in episode 7, who uses her newly founded Fight Club to weed out all undesirable students at the academy so she can restructure the Student Council to her liking.
** Happens again after episode 12, where Satsuki reveals that both the Naturals Election and Ryuko's battles with the Elite Four allowed her to create better Goku Uniforms, finally giving her the power to take over all the schools in Japan.
** Satsuki reveals that initially her plan was to simply to use Ryuko [[spoiler:in her quest to defeat Ragyo]].
* VaginaDentata: Her entire waistline turns into a massive mouth with sharp teeth when [[spoiler: she goes berserk.]]
* VaporWear: Played with. Somehow, despite all appearances, she's wearing modest and sensible (especially for this anime) underwear underneath Senketsu, as it miraculously appears whenever he's removed, willingly or not.
* WallRun: She can run up vertical surfaces without activating Senketsu, as demonstrated at the end of the Naturals Election.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Her skirt transforms into a combination of skirt and shorts (shorts in the middle, skirt in the sides) when she activates Senketsu.
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: Noticeably sports them when [[spoiler:under Junketsu's control, being brainwashed to support Ragyo's plan and fight Nudist Beach.]]
* WorthyOpponent:
** Satsuki considers Ryuko to be this.
** Sanageyama also sees her as this, outright proclaiming he refuses to die until he gets even with her.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: [[spoiler: She and Senketsu give out a good amount of these during their final battle with Ragyo.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Ryuko doesn't hesitate to hit Mataro, who is a child, if he peeps her. Mataro is a pervert, and Ryuko does ''not'' tolerate perverts. She also beat up Mataro's gang when they picked a fight with her, though she was probably holding back a lot when she did.
* YouKilledMyFather: She's looking for the woman responsible. When she does, she's...[[UnstoppableRage not happy]].
* ZettaiRyouiki: Grade-A when Senketsu is activated.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Satsuki Kiryuin]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/41368fde2ff0cc76e3d37f5c82cc9c6c.png]]
->''"Fear is freedom! Subjugation is liberation! Contradiction is truth! Those are the facts of this world, and you will all surrender to them, you pigs in human clothing!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/RyokaYuzuki (Japanese), Creator/CarrieKeranen (English)
The StudentCouncilPresident of Honnouji Academy, and Ryuko's [[TheRival arch rival]]. Her goal: total WorldDomination through the superpower-endowing Goku Uniforms. Her sword, Bakuzan, is enough to withstand even the awe-inspiring might of Ryuko's Kamui, Senketsu. Not one to let herself get outdone by anyone, however, she ends up donning her own Kamui, Junketsu,[[note]]"Purity"[[/note]] to counter Ryuko's.
----
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Her sword is keener than the Scissor Blades and it's able to easily cut Senketsu.
* AbusiveParents: The first time we see her and her mother together in person on screen, Ragyo fondles her body with a disturbing level of intimacy for some reason. She also gets even more grabby in episode 16, when she bathes Satsuki in herbs to to cleanse her chakra gates and increase her affinity for her Kamui. While this may sound relatively innocuous, if your mind isn't dirty enough, bear in mind that Satsuki was ''naked'', making rather [[{{Squick}} suggestive]] [[TheImmodestOrgasm noises]], and the Root Chakra gate is located in the groin.
* TheAce: Very much so in the first half of the series. She's the president of an AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil that rules an entire school and has enough influence to take over other schools across the globe, is feared and admired by everyone in said school, masters the power of her Kamui before the protagonist is able to, and has a [[XanatosSpeedChess plan for almost]] [[XanatosGambit anything that might be an inconvenience for her.]] [[BrokenAce The second half of the series tears all of that down]].
* AintTooProudToBeg: By episode 22, she becomes humble enough to ask [[spoiler:Ryuko to join forces with her and defeat Ragyo.]]
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Composed and focused almost at all times in carrying out her plans.
* [[AloofOlderBrother Aloof Older Sister]]: [[spoiler:Subverted. By the time she reunites with Ryuko following TheReveal, she already TookALevelInKindness.]]
* AntiHero: Of the GoodIsNotNice and PragmaticHero variety, everything she has done is to make her army stronger and complete the façade of allegiance, in order to defeat [[spoiler: her mother and free the world from the Life Fibers.]]
* AntiVillain: A combination of the [[NobleDemon Noble]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned]] variants. She's a complete and utter despot with [[TheSocialDarwinist disdain for the weak]], but only because she believes the world to be in complete disarray unless she's in control. She also shows respect and even [[PetTheDog kindness]] to those who prove their strength and resolve. [[spoiler:So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when she later pulls a HeelFaceTurn.]]
* ArchEnemy: Out of everyone in the school, Satsuki is at the very top of Ryuko's hit list since she believes she knows what happened to her father, at least before the actual culprit entered the picture. Afterwards, the antagonism dies down somewhat between them and Satsuki straddles the line between this and being TheRival. [[spoiler:Later on, she becomes an ally and teams up with Ryuko in order to defeat their mother Ragyo.]]
* {{Badass}}: Able to go toe to toe with Ryuko/Senketsu, even ''before'' she acquired Junketsu, and is a credible enough threat to make Nui back down when necessary.
* BadassBack: She pulls this off [[CurbStompBattle very well]].
* BadassInCharge: The absolute ruler of Honnouji Academy.
* BadassLongcoat: Briefly dons one in episode 22.
* BadassNormal: Is able to put Ryuko, wearing Senketsu, in a pinch without a Goku Uniform or Kamui, and can blow away 500 men with [[{{Kiai}} just a shout]]. She doesn't have special abilities, and [[spoiler: isn't a Life Fiber hybrid like at least three other characters]], she's just ''Satsuki Kiryuin''.
* BigBad: Serves as the main antagonist for the first half of the series.
* BigGood: Despite appearing otherwise, she is in fact [[spoiler:plotting to stop Ragyo and has created Honnouji Academy to train students to be able to fight her mother and her Life Fibers.]]
* BigOlEyebrows: A highly unusual feature for a LadyOfWar, which she inherited from her mother. Shown to have had them back when she was a ''baby''. Ryuko even calls her a "caterpillar-eyebrowed bitch" to mock her at one point.
** Amusingly enough, the first drama CD reveals that she doesn't think that they're big, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because they taper at the edges]].
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: Bakuzan has a very dark finish, seen during the rare times she's drawn and wreaked havoc with it. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it's not quite good enough; Ragyo is able to shatter it.]]
* BoringButPractical: In a fight which involved sentient alien school uniforms, shadow clones, optical camouflage, mini-mecha etc. she created an opening she needed to [[spoiler:decapitate Ragyo]] by blinding them with her sword's reflection, one of the oldest sword tricks in the book.
* BenevolentBoss: To the Elite Four, at least. The rest of the Academy? Not so much.
* BreakTheHaughty: Episode 18 has not been kind to her. Neither has any episode after that until episode 21. Though ultimately {{Subverted}} as her greatest asset, her will, is far from broken, no matter how harsh a physical beating she might get.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Thanks to some toe blades, she's able to [[spoiler:break out of her prison and oneshot COVERS even while completely naked.]] She is also able to fight evenly with [[spoiler:Nui despite being stripped of her Kamui.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: [[spoiler: How she's able to utilize Senketsu's transformation forms during episode 21. She even invents one for him on the spot. This is because she cannot communicate with Senketsu the way Ryuko can, thus has to call out her desired transformation. Ryuko points out that this method has a slight timing lag, thus is easier to stop.]]
* CameBackStrong: Because Bakuzan [[spoiler: is shattered, then reforged into two blades]], it gains the same ability to [[spoiler:destroy Life Fibers that Ryuko's Scissor Blades do. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] fifty-three seconds into the final episode, when they are once again destroyed by Ragyo.]]
* CastingGag: Physically she bears a striking resemblance to Arashi from ''Manga/{{X1999}}'', one of Ryoka Yuzuki's famous earlier roles.
* CatchAFallingStar: She catches [[spoiler:Ryuko as she is [[UpToEleven falling from space.]] It doesn't stop Ryuko's motion though, just changes the direction from vertical to horizontal. It takes the entire cast to safely slow Ryuko down.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Initially was an arrogant SocialDarwinist who had no problems using people as pawns for her plans, and while her goals were later revealed to be noble, she acknowledges that treating people that way made her no different from Ragyo and [[spoiler: humbly asks Ryuko for her help in defeating their mother.]] Afterwards, she mellows out significantly sporting a far more relaxed expression and even smiles and laughs a lot more.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: There is no indication that there is [[BadassNormal anything abnormal]] about her fighting prowess and yet she can crush steel armor with mere strikes of her sheathed sword.
* ChildhoodFriends: She's been friends with Jakuzure since before kindergarten.
* CleavageWindow: While wearing Junketsu.
* CloseCallHaircut: In [[OriginalVideoAnimation episode 25]], [[spoiler:[[DragonTheirFeet Rei]] attempts to slit Satsuki's throat when she's defeated, but fails to kill her and cuts the right part of her hair.]] Satsuki later cuts the rest of her hair short, [[spoiler:as proof of having graduated from Ragyo's shadow.]]
* CombatStilettos: Multiple shots are dedicated to her striking her high heels on the ground whenever she makes a DynamicEntry. She's even delivers a few ultra-powered kicks during her fights with Ryuko.
* ConsummateLiar: Had [[spoiler:Ragyo]] completely fooled into thinking she was loyal.
* ContraltoOfDanger: She has a noticeably prominent and deep voice compared to the most of the women in the cast, especially when it comes to exercising her authority over others, although she has her share of action as well.
* CoolBigSis: By the end of the series, Satsuki is definitely trying to live up to this role for [[spoiler:her actual younger sister, Ryuko; the latter even calls her such eventually.]]
* CoolSword: Secret Sword Bakuzan, a katana so sharp that it can cut Kamui and send people flying with the sheer RazorWind it emits when swung.
* CrazyPrepared:
** Satsuki is not one to underestimate, despite it looking like everything she planned all led to episode 18. [[spoiler: Episode 19 shows that she did have a few plans in case she lost, such as rigging the stadium to blow, or got captured, where she reveals that some of her toenails have been replaced with the same metal the Bakuzan is made of.]]
** [[spoiler: She had Honnouji Academy in its entirety built as a hidden HumongousMecha, to fight the Primordial Life Fiber]].
* CurbstompBattle: Casually delivers one to Ryuko during their first fight to show just how more experienced she is with her Kamui. During [[WhamEpisode episode 18]], [[spoiler:Ragyo inflicts a brutal one on her, reducing Satsuki to a bloody, broken husk of her former self.]] In episode 21, [[spoiler: she is once again on the receiving end, this time against a Junketsu-wearing Ryuko, despite wearing Senketsu since she couldn't access his full strength (Ryuko, however, had all of Junketsu's power). But she has a plan.]]
* DaddysGirl: PlayedForDrama. [[spoiler:After his death, she takes up his plans in order to fight her mother and destroy the COVERS.]]
* DamselOutOfDistress: Episode 19 has her captured by [[spoiler:Ragyo]], but Satsuki later escapes using just her toenails as weapons.
* DarkActionGirl: Even her most martially skilled subordinates have an infallible respect for her fighting prowess.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Her [[spoiler:father was killed by her mother and her sister, Ryuko, was subjected to medical experimentation]], and she spent most of her life being [[spoiler: physically and [[RapeAsBackstory sexually abused]] by [[ParentalIncest her mother.]]]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: [[spoiler: She temporarily wears Senketsu in episode 21 in order to stop a brainwashed Ryuko.]]
** [[spoiler: Her entire plan when running the academy was to train an army to stand up to her mother's fashion empire and sinister plans.]]
* DeadLittleSister: One of her biggest reasons for [[spoiler: rebelling against her mother. She planned on avenging her death, their father's death, and stopping Ragyo's ultimate goal with the Life Fibers.]] Several minutes after revealing this, she, along with everyone else, discover that her sister is actually [[spoiler:Ryuko.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Can be this when not overtly stern.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: This is how she recruited Gamagoori and Sanageyama, with Inumuta being a borderline case.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Ever since she was 5 years old, she has been plotting [[spoiler: to destroy her mother Ragyo, the true BigBad, and eliminate the Life Fibers.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: She gradually softens. Satsuki starts out as a ruthless [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinist]], but later finds it in her to stop a humiliated Gamagoori from committing suicide. By episode 22, she even smiles now and then.
* {{Determinator}}: She holds strength of will and resolve in the highest of regards, and even though Junketsu puts an enormous strain on her and tries to devour her, she never lets it show in front of Ryuko or even her Elite Four. Even after [[spoiler:her lifelong planned revolution failed and she had been imprisoned on chains for an entire month, she ''still'' hasn't given up.]]
* DesperatelySeekingAPurposeInLife / VictoryIsBoring: [[spoiler: Episode 25 reveals that after Ragyo was defeated, Satsuki has no idea what to do anymore, and isn't able to move on. It's so bad that she even offers to let [[DeathSeeker Hououmaru take her life]] if it will help the girl move on, feeling that is her final purpose. Luckily, Ryuko's speech to Hououmaru helps her realize that she still has a purpose and she vows to make the world a better place for everyone.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: The series is mostly centered on her relationship with Ryuko, and later on arguably eclipses Ryuko herself as the series` primary heroine [[spoiler: until the latter's comeback from being brainwashed at the end of episode 21]]. The creators even describe her as the ''other'' main character of the show.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Even with [[BigBad her mother]] backing her as Honnouji Academy's board chairwoman, Satsuki acts largely independently as the main antagonist, sending her subordinates after Ryuko and using her to further her own plans. [[spoiler: Episode 18 eventually reveals this agenda was getting the perfect opportunity to assassinate her mother and rebel against her cause.]]
* DualWielding: Starting in episode 21, she fights using [[spoiler:Gako and Koryu, the two blades that were made from Bakuzan's remains.]]
* EasilyForgiven: Subverted. Despite the fact that her actions were noble from the start, and risking her life to save Ryuko after the latter [[spoiler: was brainwashed]], Ryuko herself notes that doesn't excuse all of the things Satsuki's done before and it takes a heartfelt apology from her for Ryuko to forgive, and accept her as an ally [[spoiler: and sister.]]
** Invoked in the OVA, when [[spoiler:Rei creates Life Fiber clones of her and the Elite Four, which are near-identical copies of [[IHatePastMe the ruthless despots they once were]]]].
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Bakuzan, which can cut Life Fibers, is still a threat to Senketsu when combined with Satsuki's swordsmanship and Junketsu's advanced abilities.
* EnfantTerrible: Even in kindergarden, she was known for making profound EvilOverlord speeches.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Read the above quote. She says this while addressing the entire student body atop an ''impossibly'' massive school building.
* EvilOverlord: Has the tone of this, as she plots to take over the world. [[spoiler: This is revealed to be a ruse to trick Ragyo into thinking she was on their side.]]
* {{Expy}}:
** She could be considered a CompositeCharacter of [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Roy Mustang and Olivier Mira Armstrong]] born into a different universe, given the long list of similarities she has with the two of them.
*** Both: A superior of the hotheaded hero in what's effectively a military dictatorship? Check. Heavily disliked by the protagonist? Check. Has employed sheer tactical genius on several occasions? Check. Has a boisterous subordinate full of size, muscle, and valor? Check.[[note]]Bonus points for Roy's big guy also doubling as Olivier's at times due to being her kid brother, which accounts for a couple of her similarities as well.[[/note]] Has a group of immediate subordinates who believe in their cause no matter what? Check. [[spoiler:Said cause is actually to overthrow the dictatorship they purportedly serve in order to stop it from secretly conspiring to destroy everyone to feed some ungodly power? Check.[[note]]Although Satsuki has a leg up on both of them—she's closer to the central power by the start of her series and she learned of her world's evil conspiracy beforehand, while Roy and Olivier are essentially playing catchup, climbing through the ranks while gradually coming into the truth.[[/note]] Becomes a BigGood[=/=]SupportingLeader to the hero's side as a result? Check. The protagonist comes to respect and trust them as a friend/ally despite their disparate personalities? Check. Helps slow down the BigBad and set up their ultimate defeat at the hands of TheHero? Check.]]
*** Roy: Has fought the protagonist in front of their troops early on in the story? Check. Accused of murder by the protagonist because of one of their master plans? Check. [[spoiler:Is a candidate for use as a LivingBattery for the ungodly power at the head of the evil conspiracy? Check. Seeks to atone for atrocities they committed in support (real or fake) of the regime? Check. Is motivated by revenge for someone the regime had killed? Check. Embarks on a road to use their power for the benefit of society, complete with trusting a certain subordinate to take their life if they go down the wrong path? Check.[[note]]Though in this case it takes the ending for Roy to get enough power for this and for Satsuki to find the purpose.[[/note]]]]
*** Olivier: A SocialDarwinist {{Iron|Lady}} LadyOfWar who rules a military fortress which is imposing both in stature and in the discipline that runs it? Check. Respects strength and order above all else and strikes fear into damn near everyone who serves under her? Check. Favors the HitlerCam / SwordPlant image and makes bold commanding speeches on at least a semi-regular basis? Check. [[spoiler:Has a HiddenHeartOfGold and deeply cares about her troops underneath all that militant luster? Check. Has deceived a superior in the evil conspiracy into thinking said heel had seduced her into loyalty just to wait for the perfect opportunity to impale and destroy the heel? Check. Does said impaling while the heel in the midst of a power-crazed monologue and proceeds to answer back with a speech about the villain's evil and/or cowardice? Check. Is the [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]/[[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling Responsible Sibling]] in a hostile SiblingRivalry which turns out in the end to be a strong SiblingTeam as the two show themselves to be NotSoDifferent from one another? Check. Said SiblingTeam does major damage to an EldritchAbomination on the bad guys' side during the final battle? Check.]]
** Similar to how Ryuko is an expy to [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon]], Satsuki is one to Rossiu. Both are white-clad authority figures obsessed with order with a DarkAndTroubledPast (Rossiu's harsh village life, Satsuki's [[spoiler:ParentalAbandonment and RapeAsBackstory]]) who provide a {{law|ful neutral}}[[LawfulEvil ful]] {{foil}} to the ChaoticGood hero. Both are also willing to do [[ShootTheDog morally ambiguous things]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist for the greater good]], [[spoiler:but they eventually learn that what they did was in the end wrong, and try to atone for their mistakes]].
** Also one to [[Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt Stocking Anarchy]]. Both are [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana wielders]] with [[RavenHairIvorySkin pale skin, dark]] [[RapunzelHair long hair]], and a no-nonsense attitude that contrasts with the HotBlooded nature of the other main protagonist, [[spoiler:who happens to be their sister]], the key difference being that Satsuki is a noble AntiVillain [[spoiler:who turns out to have been GoodAllAlong and ends up in a loving relationship with her sister]], while Stocking is a sociopathic AntiHero [[spoiler:who turns about to have been EvilAllAlong and murders her sister in cold blood]].
* FemmeFatalons: Has artificial toenails on her big toes made of the same material as Bakuzan so she can [[spoiler:escape after being captured by her mother.]]
* FatalFlaw: Pride. As she eventually admits later in the series, her manipulations and ruthlessness that were meant to create allies strong enough to help her against [[spoiler:Ragyo]], tended to create more disarray because she was stubborn in insisting her way was the best way to go about it. [[spoiler: What's more, it didn't even work in the long run as she grossly underestimated Raygo and the Primordial Life Fibers who easily swatted Satsuki's (one-Star) forces down. As opposed to Nudist Beach who put up a fight despite have no Goku Uniforms to use. But this is kind of averted when it turns out that Satsuki's Elite Four are capable of doing more than the entire Nudist Beach forces combined. The two main Nudist Beach operatives grow increasingly ineffective as the series goes on while the Elite Four only get stronger.]]
* FirstNameBasis:
** Her childhood friendship with Jakuzure is referenced when Satsuki uses her first name when they're alone.
** She also uses this on her mother in episode 18, a sign of gross disrespect in Japan, which is exactly what Satsuki meant it to be.
** By episode 22, she finally calls [[spoiler: Ryuko solely by her first name, indicating her recognition of Ryuko as her little sister]].
* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler: her mother's sexual abuse]] is the reason why she's so messed up.
* FullFrontalAssault: During episode 20, she [[spoiler:escapes from her prison with just her toenails as weapons]] and cuts down a few [[spoiler:COVERS {{Mook}}s]] while naked.
* FullNameBasis: Like Ryuko does with her, Satsuki addresses Ryuko by her full name. Until episode 21.
* GodivaHair: And not just her breasts, it's long enough to cover her butt and even crotch at one point.
* GoingCommando: As a member of [[spoiler:Nudist Beach]]. She was also naked during [[spoiler:her escape from the school.]]
* GoodAllAlong: In episode 17, [[spoiler: she and all of Honnouji are actually good guys trying to stop the global take over and subjection of man by Life Fibers.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Shows no mercy in attaining her goal [[spoiler: to kill Ragyo and free mankind from Life Fibers.]]
* HairDecorations: Has small wings in her hair when Junketsu is activated.
* HateSink: Invokes this InUniverse to make sure Ryuko's attention stays on her, going so far as to lie about her involvement with Isshin's death. She also tends to tell people it's fine when they insult or say they hate her since that's how she wants it.
* HazyFeelTurn: She always had her own agenda since the very beginning of the plot, it just took her seventeen episodes to get the perfect shot at [[spoiler: Ragyo's]] back.
* TheHeavy: She may not have as much power as [[BigBad her mother]] and [[spoiler:she is neither evil nor responsible for Isshin Matoi's murder]], but she was still the primary antagonist in the first half of the series.
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Even if her goals were noble, she apologizes to Ryuko when she realizes that treating people like pawns and manipulating Ryuko makes her no different than Ragyo.]]
* HeroicWillpower: Invoked when she wears Junketsu. If episode 20 is any indication, [[spoiler:Junketsu has been trying to MindRape her every time she activated it, or even every time she wore it.]] Despite this, she forced Junketsu to give her power and was able to fight Ryuko on equal terms.
* HimeCut: Appropriate for someone of such regal power.
* HitlerCam: Most if not all shots of her are angled upwards. Used to great effect in as she [[YourSizeMayVary towers]] over Ryuko in episode 2 when she goes to strike her.
* HobbesWasRight: Her justification for her social darwinist views in the first half.
* HolyBacklight: Every time she steps on top of the school, her mere existence can shoot out beams of light rays fiercer than the sun, and blinds all who are below her into submission. Her mother apparently [[InTheBlood can do the same]], but with a rainbow spectrum. Apparently, it is symbolic of her willpower: [[spoiler: In the OVA, when Satsuki is despondent after having accomplished her life's goal, she loses the ability to do this, and when she regains her determination, she gets it back.]]
* HotBlooded: When the situation calls for it, she proves that she can scream with the best of them.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** In middle school, she disparages two bullies who rely on their parents' positions and connections for their power. Gamagoori points out that she's doing exactly the same thing; she counters that unlike them, she truly ''owns'' her parents' power. It turns out that [[spoiler: she's only doing this so that she can eventually rebel against her mother]], making this something of a subversion.
** She spends a good three-quarters of the series lambasting Ryuko for having something as small-minded and self-centered as a revenge quest fueling her one-man war against her. Then she reveals to Ragyo that [[spoiler:she originally started her rebellion plans when her father revealed what was done to her little sister and requested her to carry on his quest to stop Ragyo just before he was chased off by her.]] When Ragyo points out how petty that motivation is, Satsuki without a modicum of irony or self-awareness asserts that great causes and champions are fueled by personal desires. Of course, her original statement was made in public before witnesses, and she had a cover to maintain at the time, so whether she really believed it is suspect at best.
* IcyBlueEyes: Always has a piercing stare that goes with her frown.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: She feels that her actions as an EvilOverlord were completely necessary to get her to a point where she could [[spoiler: kill her mother Ragyo.]] This is also her reasoning for not holding back when fighting [[spoiler:her fellow students brainwashed to serve Ragyo]] in episode 18. It's ultimately {{subverted}} when she admits her actions were no better than [[spoiler:her mother's]] in episode 22 and apologizes to Ryuko.
* IHaveTheHighGround: Specifically so she can look down on others from a more befitting height.
* ILied: In TheStinger of episode 12, Satsuki tells Ryuko she was the one who ordered Isshin's death. Late in the series, it's revealed she purposely lied to Ryuko to make sure she didn't try going after [[spoiler:Nui]] until Ryuko was stronger.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler: Against Ryuko in episode 21. She puts her body through excessive strain to wear Senketsu to let him fight, since they both want to bring her back to her senses.]]
* ImportantHaircut: Following [[spoiler:Ragyo's defeat]] in the epilogue, she cuts her HimeCut to a bob. Episode 25 reveals that this is to signify that she's graduated from [[spoiler:Ragyo's influence]] as well as Honnouji Academy, and to even out [[spoiler:her CloseCallHaircut in the same episode]].
* IronLady: Has a strong disposition and feared by most of the academy.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Her sword can cause [[RazorWind massive damage]] even if blocked, and can slice a Kamui ''without'' any Goku Uniform power boost. Subverted later on in Episode 18, however, as it is completely ineffective in killing [[spoiler: her mother, despite the fact that Satsuki first impaled her, and then cut her head off. To add to this, Ragyo easily breaks the blade with nothing but her ''fists''.]]
* {{Kiai}}: A single shout of hers is enough to blow away 500 men.
* KickTheDog: Subverted. The only reason why she antagonized [[spoiler:her little sister, Ryuko]], is to help her get stronger.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:Subverted]]. She rams her sword straight into [[spoiler:Ragyo]] as retribution for all the crap she's done, [[spoiler:but unfortunately for her, [[NoSell Ragyo isn't fazed in the slightest]]]].
* KnightInSourArmor: While she believes that HumansAreBastards, she still [[spoiler: declares that she fights for the sake of human freedom when she confronts Ragyo.]]
* LadyOfWar: She has a composed and dignified demeanor when using Bakuzan, and is very calculating in battle. However, she breaks from standards with her monstrous physical strength.
* LargeHam: As a general example, before she starts her dramatic speeches, she always slams down her heel, gives a very intimidating stare, and looks down at the masses with a powerful wind blowing her long hair.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Embraces a social darwinist philosophy, looks down on others, and controls the student body through fear and violence. [[spoiler: When she finally makes her move, not only does she fail and wind up getting captured and tortured by Ragyo, she later ends up fighting a brainwashed Ryuko, who delivers a brutal CurbstompBattle to Satsuki while subjecting her to the same verbal abuse Satsuki had so frequently inflicted on the no-star students. What makes this especially ironic is that Ryuko is the long lost sister for whom Satsuki committed so many sins in order to avenge.]]
* LastNameBasis: She calls her subordinates by their last names. [[VillainousFriendship The one exemption is Jakuzure]] [[Heartwarming/KillLaKill when they share a tender moment]].
* {{Leitmotif}}: "鬼龍G@キLL",[[note]]''Kiryu ga Kill''[[/note]] an overbearing, militaristic piece.
* LightIsNotGood: Wears a bright white uniform. Runs several schools across the country like a fascist regime. [[spoiler: But she turns to LightIsGood after episode 22, after her HeelFaceTurn and getting to wear Junketsu again.]]
* LittleMissBadass: As a middle school student, she easily defeated both Sanageyama and Gamagoori in single combat.
* LivingBattery: [[spoiler:Ragyo originally planned on having Satsuki be the power source for the kamui Shinra-Koketsu, a role that eventually went to Rei.]] In episode 25, [[spoiler:Rei uses Satsuki as a means to power up Honnouji Academy's mecha form, and also kidnaps Mako as a spare battery.]]
* LongGame: She's been building her power at Honnouji Academy for years, and [[spoiler:has waited all this time to unleash the army she's built against her mother. Ragyo and the COVERS dismantle it within minutes.]]
* LongLostRelative: [[spoiler:She's eventually revealed to be Ryuko's long lost older sister.]]
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Considering how her parents [[spoiler:experimented on her and her little sister]], she very much qualifies.
* [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]]: In-universe example. She takes full advantage of Ryuko's arrival at her academy, using her battles with the Student Council to make the final adjustments to their Goku Uniforms to stage a full invasion of Japan, while also purging the system of any dissenters for good measure. Ryuko later points this out.
* MightyGlacier: She isn't exactly slow, but her strength is mostly centered on her monstrous physical strength, and her tough defenses, something Ryuko comments on during their match at Osaka.
* [[DaddysLittleVillain Mommy's Little Villain]]: Extremely ambitious and ruthless, she also inherited her charisma and love for speeches from her mother. Subverted actually because [[spoiler:it's been all a ruse to fool Ragyo so Satsuki could kill her and save humanity from Life Fibers.]]
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: She may be miffed that Ryuko got to wear a Kamui before her, but she boasts being the first one to master its power.
* NamedWeapons: Bakuzan, which can mean [[{{Foreshadowing}} "to cut one's ties"]].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Kiryuin" contains the characters for "demon", "dragon", and "ex-empress", all three of which aptly describe her.
* NecessarilyEvil: Satsuki will execute anyone who opposes her and runs Honnouji Academy like a dictatorship in general. However, her interactions with the Elite Four imply that there is an AntiVillain hiding under the ruthless things she does. [[spoiler:She shows this to be true in episode 17 when she reveals she has been taking a SocialDarwinist stance so that her students will be strong enough to stand up against her mother, who is trying to destroy the world.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: She destroys [[spoiler:Nudist Beach and Osaka on the pretext that any group which cannot defeat her Life Fiber-enhanced army would be useless against Ragyo and COVERS.]] As it turns out in episode 18, her much-vaunted One-Stars [[spoiler:are defeated without firing a shot, in less than a minute. The crippled remnants of Nudist Beach, meanwhile, remain combat-effective a whole month later, because of her mother's Absolute Submission being able to possess Life Fibers.]] Evidently, someone didn't think her plan all the way through.
* NobleDemon:
** Even though she views weaklings as the lowest form of scum that need to be ruled by the strong, such as herself, she is shown to admire and respect people with ambition (such as Inumuta and Jakuzure) and determination (such as Gamagoori and Sanageyama) and rewards them as she sees fit. She even goes as far as giving second chances, like allowing Sanageyama to have a rematch with Ryuko [[EyeScream after he sews his eyes shut]] or [[DrivenToSuicide stopping Gamagoori from committing seppuku after he loses to Ryuko]]. In fact, she goes out of her way to protect Mako from Nui while the former attempts a CooldownHug on a rampaging Ryuko, and compliments her when she succeeds.
** Later, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is destroyed by Nui]], Satsuki has the courtesy of not only sparing Ryuko when she's practically at her whim, but after collecting most of [[spoiler: Senketsu's remains]], Satsuki allows Ryuko to keep a single piece despite presumably knowing the risks of an empowered Ryuko once again, and the fact that she could simply take it as well for the sake of removing both a threat and amplifying her regime's power.
** Ryuko counts on this when she gives Satsuki her sword back in Osaka, knowing Satsuki isn't so petty that she'll break her promises as soon as she has an advantage.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Her less than ethical actions are met with no severe consequences during the first part of the series. On the other hand, [[spoiler:her rebellion against Ragyo gets her beaten to a pulp, held prisoner and molested for a month]].
* NotSoDifferent:
** For all her speeches about her ambitions, when you discover her base motivation, it is really no different than Ryuko's: [[spoiler:She wants revenge for her father's and sister's death. Bonus points for the former being the same person, and the latter being Ryuko herself.]] Also, just as Ryuko must rely on TrueCompanions like Mako and Senketsu, Satsuki admits to rely on the Elite Four as hers.
** For all the hatred she has for Ragyo and her actions, Satsuki's HeelRealization reveals that her ruthlessness and manipulation of others for the sake of her own revenge have effectively turned her into the same person as her mother.
* TheOjou: Is treated as royalty by the student body as well as the faculty.
* OneWomanArmy: She can blow away dozens if not hundreds of opponents with her [[KiAttacks willpower]] alone. And that's ''without'' Junketsu's power.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** It really shows just how much strain Junketsu puts on Satsuki in episode 16. Satsuki who up until this point was always confident, grim-faced and absolutely unwavering looks like a lost, hurt little girl for a moment after taking Junketsu off.
** Her demeanor as she begins her [[spoiler:rebellion against Ragyo]] is also notable. While her baseline emotional state is rather intense, she is still extremely composed and would at most show contempt for an opponent. The sheer depth of rage and hatred she shows [[spoiler:Ragyo]] is incredible.
** Shows probably her greatest loss of composure verging on genuine fear when [[spoiler: Senketsu is sheared apart by Ryuko.]]
** The ending, where she screams at the top of her lungs while running as fast as she can to [[spoiler:catch her free-falling sister, Ryuko.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: {{Subverted}}; she steps down from her perch to personally fight Ryuko as soon as episode 2, even holding a proper match the very next episode. After that, however, she retires to her throne and sics the rest of her {{Mooks}} on Ryuko with the promise of fighting her again once she takes them all down. That is, until Ryuko goes berserk and starts demolishing her school.
* PerpetualFrowner: Wears a stern expression at almost all times. Until episode 22, where her expression softens up quite a bit.
* PetTheDog:
** When Sanageyama decides to fight Ryuko, he tells Satsuki to invite him for tea after he wins. Even though she made no such promise, she still honors it after he beats Ryuko. By that point, however, Sanageyama can sadly no longer enjoy hot beverages.
** We get one of the first indications that Satsuki isn't as bad as she pretends to be during Gamagoori's flashback when she saves a helpless student from bullies and ruthlessly punishes said bullies.
** When Gamagoori loses to Ryuko during the Naturals Election, she [[InterruptedSuicide stops his attempt at suicide.]]
** After Nui destroys Senketsu, Satsuki forces her to leave Ryuko alive, then leaves Ryuko covered in a blanket and with one remaining piece of Senketsu.
* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: She says a variation of this so much it's practically her catchphrase. Most of the time it's more of a "If you think I'm wrong, then take my head" dare then actual sincerity, though she does mean it. [[spoiler: In episode 25, while at a loss of what to do with herself after Ragyo's defeat, Satsuki sincerely tells Rei to just kill her and be done with her [[AvengingTheVillain revenge]]. Luckily, Ryuko indirectly gives her a wake up call. By the end of the OVA, she is back to her old ways of using this.]]
* PlotArmor: While Ryuko had this during her first fight with Satsuki, the latter has had this for a longer period of time; predominantly the last quarter of the anime. From [[spoiler:episode 18 onward, it seems like the writers could have killed her off at any given moment.]] Below is a list of times she could have died:
** [[spoiler:Ragyo's [[CurbStompBattle brutal beatdown]], [[GroinAttack laser blasting her in the crotch]], and throwing her into a stone wall afterwords]] and she's still lives.
** After that, Satsuki [[spoiler:sets the stadium to explode, giving everyone else a chance to escape.]] Instead, Satsuki [[spoiler: was made held prisoner and [[FateWorseThanDeath was her evil mother's favorite source of free time.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Ragyo planned to use Satsuki as a power for the ultimate Kamui]], but instead of that she [[spoiler:helps herself out.]]
** Even when sane, Ryuko still could have [[spoiler:killed Satsuki with only one punch since the latter was down to only a trenchcoat, while the former was in full-blown Synch Mode]]. Satsuki's friends wound up taking [[spoiler:Ryuko's punches for her and said punches didn't even killed them.]]
** Finally, Satsuki [[spoiler:catches her sister, Ryuko, when the latter falls down from Earth's orbit.]]
* PresidentEvil: President is in her official title, she's the main antagonist, and based on how Honnouji Academy and Honnou Town is operated, it's basically a city-state under her iron fist.
* PrivilegedRival: Satsuki, most certainly and most definitively, against the lifestyles of Ryuko and Mako: the Elite Four easily slide a single step below her in opulence, but possibly a step above her in terms of rivalry - with Ryuko, in particular.
* PureIsNotGood: Her Kamui's name is Junketsu, which means "purity," and she talks about her actions being "utterly pure." Ryuko [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this:
-->'''Ryuko:''' Is there anything about you that's pure?
* PuttingOnTheReich: She runs the school in a way eerily similar to social Darwinist fascist dictatorships. Justified in that [[spoiler: she needs to raise an army in order to have hardened fighters stand up to her mother.]]
* RapunzelHair: Down past her waist.
* RapeAsBackstory: Satsuki is subjected to repeated sexual abuse by [[spoiler:her mother]], and it is heavily implied that it has been going on since childhood.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: As if being constantly on the end of CurbStompBattle[=s=] lately wasn't enough, she is subject to lengthy speeches about how she is nowhere near as strong as she thinks she is, basically saying she is all talk. The fact that she was unable to use Junketsu [[spoiler: or any Kamui]] to its full potential is constantly brought up as proof of how weak and pathetic she is. Luckily, her friends tend to be more pissed about these speeches than she is.
* RedHerring: Viewers thinking she was [[spoiler:Isshin's murderer]], particularly since she never denies it, were completely thrown off guard by episode 11. Not helping matters is that the silhouette of [[spoiler:the murderer]] looks more and more like her in Ryuko's flashbacks, though [[spoiler:the real killer]] looks closer to the silhouette in the first episode.
* RedOniBlueOni: The [[TheStoic cool]], [[WickedCultured cultured]] Blue Oni to Ryuko's Red Oni. Her Kamui even has blue highlights where Ryuko's has red. This being a WorldOfHam, however, she's prone to her own bouts of HotBlooded-ness.
* TheReveal: After seventeen episodes, it turns out [[spoiler:she has been preparing for thirteen years in order to fight her mother and destroy the Life Fibers.]]
* {{Revenge}}: Essentially her motivation for [[spoiler:starting a rebellion against her mother.]]
-->'''Satsuki:''' [[spoiler:Ragyo Kiryuin!]] You shall pay for taking the lives of [[spoiler:my father Soichiro, and my little sister who was never even given a name!]]
* ReverseMole: [[WhamEpisode Episodes 17 and 18]] reveal that she has always been planning to [[spoiler:defeat her mother and stop the world take-over of the Life Fibers.]]
* TheRival: To Ryuko; they're mortal enemies, but there's still a sense of grudging, mutual respect for each other's strength between them. [[spoiler:Until episode 22, when they befriend each other and acknowledge each other as [[LongLostRelative sisters]].]]
* SayMyName: Often exchanges this with Ryuko, be it FullNameBasis at first or FirstNameBasis in the last episodes.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections:
** Subverted; while she does have her mother's influence to thank for her position, she exploits and absorbs their power to use as her own rather than leech off of it.
** And then in [[spoiler:episode 17, it's revealed that she's been doing this simply to gather enough strength to outright declare open rebellion against her mother and REVOCS/COVERS]].
* ShamefulStrip: After [[spoiler:failing to rebel against her mother]] and being captured because of it, [[spoiler:Ragyo]] has hung Satsuki in a cage by her arms, naked. ''Then'' [[spoiler:Ragyo]] manages to make the scene even more disturbing by groping her and spanking her ass repeatedly.
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Unlike [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl Ryuko]], she immediately and fully embraces her Kamui's revealing form as a symbol of her mastery over its full power.
* ShearMenace: [[spoiler:After Bakuzan Gako and Koryu are destroyed by Ragyo, Ryuko lends Satsuki one of her Scissor Blades.]]
* SheathStrike: One delivered to the diaphragm is her favorite method of taking down opponents non-lethally.
* ShouldersOfDoom: Junketsu gives her massive shoulder spikes that serve as her outfit's eyes.
* ShutUpHannibal: She cranks a ''spectacular'' example of this against [[spoiler:Ragyo]] in episode 17.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: When in her transformed state, she looks like a giant white ''hannya'' mask, with the fins as horns.
* TheSocialDarwinist: She arranges the Student Council based on their strength and superiority over other students. She even holds a "[[PunnyName Naturals Election]]"[[note]]Move the "s" over and you get "natural selection"[[/note]] after rooting all undesirable students out of her system. This makes perfect sense when you consider that the academy [[spoiler:wasn't a school, but a training ground for an army. Weak people in an army are just cannon fodder, and discipline has to be stricter than you would expect for a mere high school.]]
* SoWhatDoWeDoNow: [[spoiler:With Ragyo dead, she's lost the purpose that has defined most of her life, as shown in the OVA: Sanageyama describes her as seeming empty, and she's lost her backlight. It takes some work for her to get over this.]]
* SpikesOfVillainy: Employed as a weapon; Junketsu's shoulder fins can become drill-shaped blades.
* StatuesqueStunner: Her exact height [[YourSizeMayVary varies from scene to scene]], but Satsuki's easily one of the tallest women in the show, and towers over Ryuko by at least a foot.
* [[SinkOrSwimMentor Sink-or-Swim]] StealthMentor: Was one to Ryuko and [[spoiler:Nudist Beach]] all along. All the fights and hardships she heaped on her opponents were aimed at making them strong enough to [[spoiler:help her in a fight against Ragyo]]. It's subverted, however, as [[spoiler:she overdid it with the damage she has done to Nudist Beach and actually weakened them which bit her in the ass later on.]]
* TheStarscream: [[GoodAllAlong Heroic Version]]
* TheStoic: Most of the time, unless she's fighting or making a speech.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: She shows quite a bit of skin while wearing an activated Junketsu.
* StudentCouncilPresident: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] [[UpToEleven to high holy hell and back]]. Not only is she in charge of the school, effectively outranking the principal, but has also dominated countless ''other'' schools across the country.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She acts cool, distant and arrogant in public, staying in control of her emotions at all times, but allows herself to smile and relax a bit more among the select few she genuinely trusts and respects.
* SwipeYourBladeOff: She does this very fast after she [[spoiler:all but decapitates Ragyo]] in episode 18.
* SwordPlant: Her default position, spoofed by Mako (with an invisible sword) during her [[ChewbaccaDefense rant]] in episode 3.
* TearsOfJoy : Never actually happens, but referenced in one of the [[http://h0saki.tumblr.com/post/110180648615/mikiryuko-h0saki-i-think-rei-has-more-lines-in Drama CDs]].
-->'''Rei''': Nonsense. You will never win. That day will never come, no matter how much you cry or scream. You won’t escape your fate of becoming a sacrifice to the Life Fibers.\\
'''Satsuki''': I will not cry or scream. I will save my tears for the day I win.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Refers to herself by her full name quite a lot, usually when making a BadassBoast.
* ThongOfShielding: Again, absolutely literal. Junketsu's released form most closely resembles a sling bikini.
* [[TodayXTomorrowTheWorld Today Japan, Tomorrow the World]]: She has much of Japan in her grasp already. Once her takeover is complete, she can focus on conquering the rest of the world.
* TransformationSequence: Very much like Ryuko's.
* {{Ubermensch}}: She scoffs at society's petty standards of morality (and indecent exposure). [[spoiler:Initially as she admits she was wrong for following this philosophy.]]
* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: [[spoiler:Subverted. Soichiro Kiryuin changed his appearance after leaving her behind]].
* TheUnchosenOne: Possibly. She exerts great effort in wearing Junketsu and uses the phrase "Life Fiber Override" when she transforms. [[spoiler: According to Ragyo, she is unfit to even wear a Kamui and thus only forces Junketsu to cooperate with her]]. While impressive, Ragyo points out that [[spoiler:her strength while wearing Junketsu pales in comparison to those who have bonded with Life Fibers such as herself and Ryuko.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:when she wears Senketsu, Satsuki can't synchronize with him the way Ryuko does and has to [[CallingYourAttacks call her attacks]] so that Senketsu will even know what to do. While that's initially not obvious to the viewers (Ryuko always called her attacks too, as that's just the kind of series this is), the BrainwashedAndCrazy Ryuko then points out that having to call an attack ''before'' using it instead of ''while'' using it delays her attacks long enough to render them ineffective]].
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Ragyo tends to do this a lot since Satsuki isn't as strong as Ryuko, which bites her in the ass a couple times.
* TheUnfavorite: After she's been captured, [[spoiler:Ragyo tries to convince her of this by saying that Soichiro didn't trust her to fulfill his goals which is why he secretly raised Ryuko and gave her Senketsu and the Rending Scissors. Satsuki just ignores her.]] Ragyo herself considers Satsuki this after she [[spoiler: betrays and stabs her in the back]] and after she discovers [[spoiler: Ryuko is her other daughter, who has bonded with Life Fibers]].
* TheUnfettered: She will do anything and, if need be, go through anyone in order to achieve her goals. As she bluntly puts it, even if she has to be naked, if it serves a purpose in achieving her goals, then she doesn't really give a damn.
* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of the series, she acts a lot nicer towards the people around her, [[spoiler:because she started seeing them as friends rather than soldiers.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: She discussed this with Soroi, musing that she used hold back her opinion on how bitter Soroi made her tea, but it grew on her since he made it. Soroi apologizes for not knowing she was just humoring him, with Satsuki claiming it's fine, and that she must have been a more kind-hearted girl back then.
* VaporWear: Played with. Like Ryuko, when Junketsu is foricbly removed, she is shown to be wearing a sensible bra and panties.
* VillainousFriendship: With Jakuzure, whom she's known since kindergarten.
-->'''Jakuzure:''' Just you watch, I'll catch up to her in no time!\\
'''Satsuki:''' Perhaps, but like this, you cannot get a higher eye level than mine. Can you, Nonon?\\
'''Jakuzure:''' Don't be silly.
* VillainousRescue: After Nui Harime destroys Senketsu and is about to deal the killing blow to Ryuko, she intervenes immediately before driving her off with a blatant death threat hanging over her head.
* VisionaryVillain: She's basically [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Raoh]] and [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Lordgenome]] in a school setting. To her, strength is the only virtue and the foundation of the school system she runs. Weakness is to be loathed, and weaklings to be pruned.
* WallRun: She once ''walked briskly'' up a building whilst wearing an activated Junketsu.
* WeakButSkilled: She's nowhere near as strong as Ragyo or a fully synced Ryuko, but what she lacks in strength she more than makes up for in tenacity and determination.
* WhenSheSmiles: Most of time, she seems stern ([[spoiler: which makes sense considering her motivations and past]]), but when she finally came to understand [[spoiler:her friendship with the Elite Four, and that she has her sister Ryuko with her against their mother]], we get to see a really heartwarming smile.
* WickedCultured: Seems fond of sipping tea, and has a butler. [[spoiler:Subverted after her HeelFaceTurn, when she drinks tea and eats croquettes with Nudist Beach.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: She's had her totalitarian mindset since kindergarten.
* WorldDomination: Her ultimate goal. [[spoiler:Or so she wants everyone to think.]]
* WreckedWeapon: [[spoiler:Bakuzan literally snaps in half when Ragyo [[BareHandedBladeBlock blocks it with her fist.]] Bakuzan's pieces were later remade into a dagger and a sword named Gako and Koryu respectively. Both weapons are destroyed by Ragyo again in episode 24.]]
* XanatosGambit: Being an Machiavellian tactical genius, she excels at executing these on a regular basis.
** Her plot in episode 7, in which she permits Ryuko to start her own club to fight the other club presidents, ends with her able to weed out dozens of weaklings and gain an excuse to rebuild and fortify her system with a "Naturals Election". Even if that failed, it still would have ended with Ryuko being either destroyed or integrated into the system, and the one to cause it would have proven to be a worthy addition to the Student Council's inner circle.
** Episode 12 reveals another one: by pitting the students of Honnouji Academy against each other during the Naturals Election, and later having Ryuko fight the Elite Four, she was able to assess any weaknesses in their Goku Uniforms. Even though Ryuko beat her inner circle, she now possesses an upgraded arsenal capable of taking over Japan.
** Pulls yet another in episode 15. Though her armies are forced to withdraw from the Kansai region thanks to Ryuko's efforts, she uses the duel as a distraction for Jakuzure to locate and destroy the hidden Nudist Beach command center. Her enemies are left in a significantly weaker position, and the respite is much more beneficial for her to regroup and rebuild.
** Episode 17 is the gambit of all her gambits. [[spoiler:Everything she did, the Naturals Election, upgrading her arsenal, the takeover of Japan, etc. was all for her [[HeelFaceTurn to rebel against Ragyo and to take down both COVERS and the Primordial Life Fiber]]. Ryuko and [[LaResistance Nudist Beach]] DidntSeeThatComing.]]
* XanatosSpeedChess: At several point in the story, she was forced to revise her plans in a hurry.
** In episode 12, after [[spoiler:Nui appeared and revealed that it was actually her who killed Ryuko's father.]] she confronted Ryuko and outright said that [[spoiler:it was actually her who sent Nui after Isshin, which was a lie to keep Ryuko from going after Nui.]]
** In episode 13, after [[spoiler:Nui destroys Senketsu]] she uses the opportunity in two different ways. [[spoiler: Firstly she hands out the pieces of Senketsu to her soldiers to give them a power up and gather data. Secondly she [[StealthMentor gives Ryuko an opportunity to train herself up by reclaiming the stolen pieces]].]]
** In episode 17, there is no indication that [[spoiler:she knew of the existence of the Primordial Life Fiber]], but when it was revealed to her she quickly adjusted her plans by [[spoiler:sending Iori and a Sewing Club Strike force to Kiryuin Manor to destroy the Primordial Life Fiber and COVERS]].
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Father and My Little Sister]]: Her primary motive for [[spoiler:wanting Ragyo dead. Though she was lied to about the latter.]]
* ZettaiRyouiki: Grade-A when wearing her Kamui, Junketsu.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Senketsu]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d373d3d74da4fa1e5baef2c1296cf948.png]]
[[caption-width-right:245:[[labelnote:Click here to see talking mode]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unnamed_qq_screenshot20131028161449_6446.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Don't leave! Put me on! Put me on! I don't want to go back to sleep!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/ToshihikoSeki (Japanese), Creator/DavidVincent (English)
After suffering a crushing defeat by the Student Council, Ryuko finds this living SailorFuku beneath her house. Named Senketsu[[note]]"Fresh Blood"[[/note]] by Ryuko, he is a garment known as a Kamui[[note]]"God Robe"[[/note]] that grants its wearer phenomenal abilities in exchange for their blood. He was made by Ryuko's father Isshin, though he doesn't remember much more than that.
----
* AdaptiveAbility: During the King of the Hill Final Battle, Senketsu demonstrates the ability to evolve to counteract each of the Elite Four's tricks: for Gamagoori's binds, he sprouts blades to shred them; for Inumuta's invisibility, he turns into a [[GiantEyeOfDoom massive eye]] so Ryuko can pull an AreaOfEffect attack to hit him; and for Jakuzure's flying tank, he turns into a [[DeathFromAbove jump jet]].
* AdaptiveArmor: Grants power to Satsuki, albeit stunted.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted. Senketsu is the ''only'' Kamui seen thus far who isn't as malevolent as they are believed to be, especially when compared to the likes of Junketsu, who is pretty much feral, and the Kamui that devoured Kinue.
* AlwaysWithYou: [[spoiler:Acknowledged ''multiple'' times and outright confirmed towards the end of the OVA, as Senketsu is able to come back and aid Ryuko momentarily just by ''willing'' him to be there despite his apparent death.]]
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: At the end of episode 15, he demonstrates the ability to merge his WolverineClaws into this when Ryuko drops her Scissor.
* BloodLust: He feeds on Ryuko's blood to keep himself awake. This thirst becomes more intense the more he's starved, driving him to force himself on Ryuko during their first encounter after he tastes her blood for the first time in years. After getting to know Ryuko, he tries to keep this bloodlust under control. [[spoiler: Episode 12 shows what happens if he's overfed blood with too much rage and he fails to keep control, and the results are [[BodyHorror not pretty]].]]
* BloodOath: Of a sort with Ryuko, seeing as they are TrueCompanions and he requires to drink her blood to activate.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Being a sapient outfit, he has an odd sense of insults and compliments, being very hurt when called ugly, and bursting into tears of joy when Ryuko says he's warm and comfortable.
* BodyHorror: During episode 12, when [[spoiler: Ryuko's UnstoppableRage at Nui completely overwhelms him]], he transforms into a screaming behemoth form of his original consumption transformation sequence. The monstrosity he and Ryuko become would look right in place with ''Film/TheThing1982'' or screaming beside [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion a berserking Unit-01.]]
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu[=/=]HeroicRROD: He winds up [[spoiler:disintegrating shortly after the final battle with Ragyo]], when he'd already been overloaded with [[spoiler:Shinra Koketsu's Life Fibers and had to get Ryuko safely back to Earth in a HeroicSacrifice.]]
* BrutalHonesty: He lectures Ryuko on everything, from her impulsiveness to her BMI.
* ButtMonkey: A lot less than Ryuko, but is subject to this by those who don't realize he's alive, especially when put through the wash.
* ChainmailBikini: While Senketsu may not cover much, his protection still explicitly extends to the rest of Ryuko's skin. He is also skimpy for a good reason. [[spoiler:Since he's derived from a race of parasites, reducing the contact area with him minimizes the risk that he will mentally overwhelm the wearer.]]
* CustomUniform: Episode 16 revealed that Isshin made him specifically for Ryuko to use.
* DetectEvil: Senketsu somehow sensed, that Junketsu was donned by Satsuki and got something like "goosebumps".
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: Falls victim to this at the hands of Nui Harime when she plays a disguised WoundedGazelleGambit to corner Ryuko.
* DetachmentCombat: He's a two-piece uniform, so he splits to [[spoiler:avoid Nui's attack]] in episode 22.
* DisneyDeath: He at one points ends up sliced up into dozens of pieces, though Ryuko is able to put him back together.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:Senketsu-Kisaragi]], where he gains the combined power of [[spoiler:every student's uniform before he and Ryuko leave to face Ragyo for the final time.]]
* EmbarrassingButEmpoweringOutfit: The kind of outfit he is when he's worn. Despite how {{Stripperiffic}} he makes Ryuko look, he acts as strength-enhancing armor and grants Ryuko even more abilities once she learns to accept his skimpy design.
* EmpathicWeapon: Usually only acts as strength-enhancing armor for Ryuko, but becomes a weapon himself when using Senketsu Senjin.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He refuses to let Maiko Ogure wear him, despite the latter having absolutely no shame, a vital requirement for working with him. He even [[VomitIndiscretionShot ejects Maiko's blood from his system when he's finally undone from her]].
* EvolvingWeapon: He's apparently evolving too fast, according to Aikuro.
* EyepatchOfPower: His right eye is covered with a scarred patch. [[spoiler: The eye underneath is either restored or uncovered when he's given enough Life Fibers to enter his super mode.]]
* FrillyUpgrade: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]; he becomes more jagged-looking when Ryuko finally embraces his skimpy design. This becomes more prominent in his Senketsu Senjin mode, covering his whole body in spikes.
* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:"Don't cry, Ryuko. Sailor uniforms are made to be grown out of. From now on, you're free to wear what you like. Clothes far cuter than I could ever be."]]
* GiantEyeOfDoom: In episode 10, he stretches his eye to expand ''the entire battle arena'' just so Ryuko can have a chance to hit Inumuta while he's invisible.
* HalfHumanHybrid: He is actually the same as [[spoiler:Ryuko]] but in clothing rather than human form. He is neither human, nor clothing but both at the same time. This is what allows him to overcome the [[spoiler:control Shinra Koketsu has over all the Life Fibers.]]
* HeroicBSOD:
** He gets a minor one when he learns the truth of Life Fibers origin and what the Life Fibers do to humans.
** He falls into it again when Ryuko declares she would never wear him again at the end of episode 19.
* HeroicSacrifice: During the finale, Senketsu ultimately [[spoiler:sacrifices himself to save Ryuko from burning up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere after the final battle.]]
* HonestAdvisor: A very [[BrutalHonesty blunt one]] at that.
-->'''Senketsu:''' Ryuko, I feel I should warn you. Your opponent is more powerful than you are.\\
'''Ryuko:''' [[SarcasmMode Gee, thanks for your concern]].
* HotBlooded: He's normally cool and collected in battle, but gets this way whenever he craves blood.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: As it turns out, the Life Fibers that he was created to fight against are [[StarfishAliens living beings, making him unwittingly this for the first fifteen episodes]].
* IAmNotAGun: A variation. He doesn't object to Nudist Beach's demand that he become their trump card against the Kiryuins, but Ryuko does. After all, Ryuko doesn't want him to fight his own kin, the sentient Life Fiber aliens.
* ImAHumanitarian: With the reveal that Life Fibers are actually aliens it turns out that Senketsu is a cannibal and has been eating his own kind through the entire series.
* InelegantBlubbering: He gets very emotional when it comes to family and friendships.
* InvisibleToNormals: {{Downplayed}}; he can clearly be seen by everyone, and a select few other than Ryuko know he's alive, but for some reason only Ryuko, and briefly Tsumugu, can hear his voice. Later on, another person becomes able to hear him: [[spoiler:Satsuki.]]
* JumpJetPack: Has thrusters to help propel Ryuko forward in battle.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: He can't remember anything about himself, except his function and the exact description of his creator.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Suck your blood". The lyrics refer to skimpy clothes, drinking blood, and "becoming one" to achieve greater power.
* LiterallyShatteredLives: He's cut into dozens of square sheets of cloth by [[spoiler:Nui, though the part that Ryuko holds on to at least is still completely sentient]].
* LuminescentBlush: When Mako cuddles him in episode 20.
* ManlyTears: Despite being generally a serious minded character (and ya know, an article of clothing), he is not afraid to shed these when genuinely moved by something.
* MeaningfulName: His name means "fresh blood", which he must drink from Ryuko to stay active. Ryuko named him for this very reason. His final form, Kisaragi, takes its name from the old word for February, which literally means "wear more clothes" or "change clothes for the season". Which is exactly what he's doing, with both meanings.
* MotorMouth: Not normally, but at the beginning of episode 16, he recounts the prior events of the series at an incredible speed.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: He starts cranking out new forms to fight the Elite Four during the King of the Hill Final Battle. Aikuro and Tsumugu imply that this isn't a good thing, and they're right. Eventually, both he and Ryuko lose their way and turn into a monster.
* NighInvulnerable: He turns his wearer's entire body as hard as steel, even the parts he doesn't cover.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Along with Mako, Ryuko's bond with Senketsu is one of the cores of the series.
* NotQuiteDead: In episode 14, it's revealed he still lives in the one fragment Ryuko has.
* OcularGushers: In episode 22, and even Ryuko lampshades how a piece of clothing is crying.
* TheOneGuy: He's important due to his relationship with Ryuko.
* OnlySaneMan: As he's mostly defined by his relationship with Ryuko, this makes one of the more normal characters in the series.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: He forms a symbiotic relationship with Ryuko where she lets him drinks her blood in exchange for power.
* ParentalSubstitute: Nags, lectures, and worries for Ryuko like a real parent would. [[spoiler: Made all the more tear- and heartwarming when he finally sacrifices himself, while telling Ryuko that she's "free to wear what she likes" and that every girl "grows out of her school uniform eventually".]]
* PowerAtAPrice: He needs a constant stream of blood to keep powering up the user; using his powers for too long will make the user faint. This stops being a problem when Ryuko starts to take pride in her body and stops being embarrassed by Senketsu's skimpiness; after that, a small blood sample is enough to keep him sustained.
* PowerCopying: He learns to take multiple forms simply by watching Gamagoori so the same with his uniform; by his reasoning, it's unthinkable a Kamui can't do anything a Three-Star uniform can.
* PowerGivesYouWings: When in Senketsu Shippu mode.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Inverted; he's the only good Kamui in the series.
* RedOniBlueOni: The calm and analytical blue oni to Ryuko's red oni.
* RocketBoots: When in Senketsu Shippu mode.
* SailorFuku: A walking, talking one, to be precise.
* SatelliteCharacter: He's pretty much defined by his UndyingLoyalty towards Ryuko. [[TropesAreNotBad This, however, is what makes him such a compelling character.]] Ryuko is the only one who can hear his voice, [[spoiler: and her father created him to be used primarily by her in the first place.]]
* ScarfOfAsskicking: All that's left of him after episode 13, until Ryuko puts him back together in episode 15.
* ShapeshifterBaggage: Several of his more advanced forms, namely his GiantEyeOfDoom, are ''much'' bigger than they should be.
* SharingABody: A variation; he fuses with Ryuko whenever she activates him.
* SmokeOut: His awakened form has vents that let off clouds of steam, which he can use to help Ryuko escape.
* SuperMode: [[spoiler:Senketsu-Kisaragi.]]
* SuperPowerMeltdown: The functional effect of [[spoiler: Senketsu losing control and attempting to consume Ryuko]]. So far he's only done it when [[HotBlooded her blood became so red-hot that he couldn't resist taking it any longer]].
* TheSymbiote: Whereas most Life Fiber uniforms seem to be parasites, Senketsu is firmly on the Mutual side of the spectrum. He and Ryuko care for each other deeply and both benefit from their relationship.
* TakingTheBullet:
** A non-fatal variant occurs in episode 5 when he does this for Ryuko against Tsumugu so he would target him and leave her alone.
** A nearly fatal example occurs in episode 21 when Senketsu takes a attack from [[spoiler:Nui meant to kill Mako, which misses him, and then again when Mako goes into Ryuko to disentangle her and Junketsu's Life Fibers, this time actually suffering damage]].
* ThisIsADrill: He turns his entire body into one as a surprise attack against [[spoiler: Ragyo]].
* TokenNonHuman: He's the only known SailorFuku to have the ability to talk.
* TomatoInTheMirror: While he's surprisingly blasé about finding out he's an alien, Senketsu is truly horrified discovering Life Fibers see humans as food, and nearly has a HeroicBSOD when he realizes he's been doing the same to Ryuko.
* TrueCompanions: With Ryuko.
* UndyingLoyalty: Despite his constant lectures, he is very devoted to Ryuko and genuinely cares about her well-being.
** In episode 4, when the Head of Trap Development puts him on to use against Ryuko, he stiffens up to keep his unwanted wearer from attacking. He then spits out the blood when he's taken off, earning him a thank you from Ryuko for not "cheating" on her.
** In episode 5, he leaps off of Ryuko to [[TakingTheBullet take the bullet for her against Tsumugu, and then threatens him into backing off. This act of loyalty causes Ryuko to see him as a friend and not just an outfit]].
** In episode 12, Senketsu [[GenreSavvy sees through Nui's ploy to exploit Ryuko's RoaringRampageOfRevenge against them by causing him to lose control and go into a blood rage due to Ryuko's intensified emotions almost immediately]], and repeatedly tries to dissuade Ryuko for her sake. The second that they are brought back to normal by Mako, Senketsu's thoughts are immediately on Ryuko's welfare.
** In episode 13, it's revealed that it wasn't Senketsu who took control of Ryuko but rather Ryuko overpowering and absorbing Senketsu's consciousness into herself when she had her HeroicRROD, causing Senketsu extreme agony which Ryuko described as him crying. Despite this, Senketsu not only shows no fear of this happening if Ryuko berserks again, [[TrueCompanions but he would rather aid Ryuko in realizing her desires even if he has to suffer along the way.]]
* WolverineClaws: Protrudes these for Ryuko's use when in Senketsu Senjin mode.
* YourSizeMayVary: When thrown by Mako in order to [[spoiler:break Ryuko free from Junketsu's control]], he becomes uncharacteristically large.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mako Mankanshoku]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fb30907009975df0788809b281922513.png]]
->''"...And everybody knows that if you win at friendship, you win at life!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/AyaSuzaki (Japanese), Creator/ChristineMarieCabanos (English)
A second year No-Star student at Honnouji Academy who becomes Ryuko's best, and only, friend as soon as the two meet. She is a complete and utter airhead whose odd and overly-energetic antics never cease to baffle everyone around her. Nevertheless, she has a good heart and provides Ryuko with invaluable moral support.
----
* ActionSurvivor: She acts like she'd be better suited for a light-hearted slice-of-life comedy than a testosterone-packed action drama.
* AlliterativeName: '''Ma'''ko '''Ma'''nkanshoku. Perfect for a quirky best friend.
* AlmightyJanitor: Her [[spoiler: Two-Star Goku Uniform]] is by far the most powerful one seen in the series, and probably on par with the Elite Four's Three-Star uniforms.
* AmbiguousSituation: As Ryuko says, it's hard to tell if she's actually strong or weak. Sometimes she acts cowardly, sometimes brave, sometimes she can barely keep up with the physical feats of the combatants and sometimes she can impressively react to or survive against nigh-impossible odds. [[spoiler:Turns out to be a ChekhovsGun during the finale, where it's revealed that the duplicitous nature of Mako's skills means that she's amongst the weakest of the cast without a Goku uniform, but also amongst the ''strongest'' WITH one!]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She openly admits to ogling and discussing Ryuko's chest alongside the rest of her family, she thinks Ryuko is sexy, and is in general very clingy around her. [[spoiler:In the final episode, she kisses Ryuko on the lips (possibly, it was during a [[ImagineSpot "Halleluiah" moment]]) and asks her on a date, which they go on in the episode's CreativeClosingCredits.]] However, she also comments on how she wants the first person to see her naked is the man she loves.
* AmbitionIsEvil: When Mako becomes the Fight Club President and moves her family up the social ladder, she becomes so determined to keep her family's lives comfortable that she fights Ryuko so she can become a Three-Star student.
* AmusingInjuries: She gets hit in the face with a flurry of tennis balls until it's literally ''covered'' in bumps.
* AsleepInClass: To the point where it is a RunningGag; not even ten seconds into class, and she starts snoring. Taken UpToEleven in episode 4, where after she and Ryuko crash through the wall of the classroom from a gondola, Mako gets out of the gondola, sits at her desk and immediately falls asleep.
* BadassNormal: She's only a No-Star student, yet she can face ''Satsuki herself'' without an ounce of fear. She even successfully snaps Ryuko out of her HeroicRROD despite facing the berserk Ryuko, Junketsu Satsuki and Nui Harime.
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim:
** In episode 12, when Ryuko merges with Senketsu into a rampaging monster, Mako gives her a good solid smack to her head that returns her body to normal. [[AngerBornOfWorry She then]] [[FunnyMoments smacks her]] [[HeartwarmingMoments some more]].
** Does so again in [[spoiler:episode 21 by donning Senketsu and entering Ryuko's mind somehow. She proceeds to help Ryuko escape being BrainwashedAndCrazy.]]
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She may be sweet and silly, but as episode 7 shows, she can be quite ruthless when someone gets in the way of something she wants, even if that someone is her best friend.
* BigEater: She eats even while class is still going, and considers being deployed to Osaka a chance to sample their local delicacies.
* BodySushi: One of her spotlight speeches involves this. It was probably relevant. Somehow.
* BoobsOfSteel: [[GagBoobs Huge rack]]? Check. Enough power to destroy the school's arena with one punch in her Goku Uniform? Check.
* BookDumb: Mikisugi is amazed she managed to get to high school. It's implied that she can't even read kanji. The fact that her "Hallelujah" speeches are ''full'' of kanji-based [[VisualPun visual puns]] make this even more hilarious.
* BrilliantButLazy: She doesn't normally show this, but when she wants something, she ''will'' pull out all the stops just to get it. Noted examples are when she catches [[AbnormalAmmo weaponized paper currency]] [[BulletCatch with her bare hands]] because she wanted to eat all the good food in Osaka and her successful tenure as the Fight Club president to give her family a better life.
* BulletCatch: During episode 14, Mako catches rapid-fire [[AbnormalAmmo weaponized paper currency]] without a Goku Uniform, because she ''really'' wants that money.
* ButtMonkey: Poor Mako has it hard when it comes to the Student Council.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In episode 7, Mako calls her family, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone as well as herself]], "the worst" for cheering her on in her fight to the death with Ryuko instead of trying to stop her. They immediately see the error of their ways.
* CaptainObvious: States that dying of blood loss means that somebody will die.
* CharacterTics: She likes to extend her hands above her head and cross her wrists when she's trying to attract attention.
* ChewbaccaDefense: Mako is the reigning queen of stunning opponents into absolute silence through InsaneTrollLogic. This even includes members of the Elite Four and Satsuki.
* ChivalrousPervert: With Ryuko, though not to the extent of the male members of her family.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She sings using a banana peel as a microphone, just to name one of the many, ''many'' odd things she does. Even among Honnouji, she is a ''very'' strange person.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: On her own, one would never suspect she attends a school that forces her to live in a slum and punishes misbehavior with death.
* CoolDownHug: Gives one to the mutated, rampaging Ryuko/Senketsu monster in episode 12, cooling her down. Literally; [[VisualPun her body is piping hot, and hugging her burns Mako's skin.]]
* CorruptTheCutie: During episode 7, her promotion as Fight Club President causes her to become blinded by greed, though she doesn't realize it as she does it to provide for her family.
* CovertPervert:
** When seeing Ryuko's {{Stripperific}} outfit, she can't help but stare despite her (poor) attempts at averting her eyes.
** Her reaction to learning that Ryuko's father founded Nudist Beach? Imagining said founder playing around with naked girls on a beach.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: She may be lacking between the ears but, as Iori states, once you add [[spoiler:a Goku Uniform]] to the equation, her combat abilities are off the charts.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In episode 3, after Ryuko is beaten by Satsuki and has a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]] delivered to her, Mako suggests that Ryuko strip down and prove that she's sexier than Satsuki. This gives Ryuko the idea and resolve to think of wearing Senketsu as a second skin instead of just a really embarrassingly skimpy outfit, which gives her a power boost.
* TheCutie: Her happy and carefree nature is utterly adorable.
* DamselInDistress: She often winds up in a bind with the Student Council one way or another, though Ryuko's always there to help her out.
* DarkActionGirl: Briefly becomes one in episode 7 once she gets a Two-Star Goku Uniform.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "People die when they're killed by blood loss!"
* DumbMuscle: When wearing a Goku Uniform, her physical stats are all [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale flickering Level 9999]], except her intelligence, which is a big fat zero.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Becomes one briefly in episode 7 when she gets promoted to a Two-Star student. [[spoiler:She later gets the uniform back in episode 22]].
* FaceMonsterTurn: [[spoiler:Is turned into a COVER right before the time skip. She gets better.]]
* FightingFromTheInside: Ryuko pretty much names this trope word-for-word after said fight. [[DownplayedTrope It's more like a case of]] ConflictingLoyalty than direct MindControl, though. Note that HeroicWillpower is still in full effect.
* FriendlessBackground: Mako says that before Ryuko transferred to Honnouji, the only friends she had were [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} the ones in her head]]. This is how she comes to relate to Ryuko after she first notices the equally-friendless Matoi talking to Senketsu while initially believing the Kamui to just be ordinary clothes.
* FunPersonified: Long story short, this girl is a walking CrowningMomentOfFunny. She always tries to lighten the mood and every time she opens her mouth, you can be sure that she will say something crazy, or funny, or (most often) both sooner than later.
* GagBoobs: The bustiest of the girls, hardly ever wears a bra, and tends to jump around and get turned upside-down a lot.
* GeniusDitz: She's geographically challenged (she thinks the three major cities of Japan's Kansai region are the three major islands around Japan) and is implied to be illiterate (she skips all the kanji while reading a newspaper headline), yet she can present [[ChewbaccaDefense outlandish defenses]] like no one's business.
* GenkiGirl: Whenever she's not [[{{Sleepyhead}} sleeping]].
* HamToHamCombat: She challenges Gamagoori to a cheering competition for their respective sides during the King of the Hill Final Battle.
* HamsterWheelPower: Uses her [[SuperStrength immense strength]] to single handedly power the Naked Sol's turbine engines.
* TheHeart: Mako may be the PluckyComicRelief, but she also embodies the spirit of the insane nature of the series and the theme of friendship with her devotion to Ryuko.
* HeelRealization: During her stint as the Fight Club President in episode 7, Mako finds that she and her family seem much happier having their own apartment outside the slums, and fights Ryuko after Satsuki promises her a Three-Star uniform if she wins. It's only until Ryuko stops putting up a fight that Mako sees just how corrupted with greed she and her family have become.
* HeroicWillpower:
** Rather than surrender to the power of her Two-Star Goku Uniform and kill Ryuko so she can continue to live wealthily in episode 7, Mako remains in enough control to hold back and overcome her own desires.
** In episode 25, despite being its alternate power source, as well as to prevent Satsuki, the main power source, from killing herself, Mako briefly takes control of Hououmaru's Giant Mech and gives an impassioned speech to Ryuko and the Elite Four, which gives them a HeroicSecondWind.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ryuko. Although in her case, the "heterosexual" part is [[AmbiguouslyGay ambiguous]] to say the least.
* HitMeDammit: Boldly stands in front of a Takarada trooper and orders him to shoot her with [[AbnormalAmmo money]]. [[BulletCatch She catches every single bill]] [[ScrewTheWarWerePartying then heads off to buy]] [[BigEater every single Osakan food she can see.]]
* HollywoodToneDeaf: Her singing skills are abysmal, her enthusiasm is the opposite.
* ImagineSpot: Her "Halleluiah" moments, which involve her standing in a beam of light performing {{Visual Pun}}s while talking a mile a minute about [[InsaneTrollLogic something nonsensical]] that somehow winds up getting through anyways.
* InelegantBlubbering: Tears slide down her face in huge globs and form puddles at her feet when she cries.
* InkSuitActor: WordOfGod confirms that her hairstyle was modeled off Aya Suzaki's.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: She doesn't have any problem being in the buff and is perfectly oblivious to the reactions of others.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Pretty much ''all'' of her logic qualifies as this.
* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Firing a heavy machine gun mounted on a bus turned her on.
* InsigniaRipOffRitual: After a stint as a Two-Star student in episode 7, she decides that her friendship with Ryuko is more important than her social standing and rips off her uniform for Ryuko to destroy.
* InTheBlood: The more is shown about the Mankanshoku family, the more it's obvious that she isn't the only {{Cloudcuckoolander}} in the family; even the dog is crazy.
* IronButtMonkey: The sheer amount of punishment she endures would be nightmarish if it weren't so cartoonish.
* ItMakesSenseInContext: Some of the stuff she says actually makes sense. For example, she claims that Ryuko won a tennis match because she saved her from being executed by the Tennis Club, which was Ryuko's main concern.
* LargeHam: GenkiGirl that likes breaking into speeches that typically make sense only to her, and she gets very passionate about them.
* {{Leitmotif}}:
** The distinctive "Hallelujah" chorus from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Handel) Handel's Messiah]] can be heard whenever she starts her [[SimpleMindedWisdom unusually]] [[ChewbaccaDefense inspirational speeches]].
** There is also her more traditional theme, "Light Your Heart Up", which is about [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship how much she enjoys being Ryuko's friend]].
* LetsGetDangerous: At the end of episode 22, [[spoiler: Mako gets her Two-Star Fight Club uniform back to defend the ''Naked Sun''.]]
* LimitedAnimation[=/=]OffModel: Like with Nui, this seems to be a character trait of hers. Her nose also has a habit of disappearing every now and again.
* MotorMouth: She is known to give long-winded rants almost OncePerEpisode, complete with quirky animaitons.
* MsExposition: She helps get Ryuko up to speed on the happenings at Honnouji Academy.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Her reaction when she nearly kills Ryuko just so she can be promoted to a Three-Star student.
* NaiveEverygirl: Her singular ''codifying'' character trait in the entire series. Whether it's interrupting a heated battle to deliver a [[MidBattleTeaBreak necessary speech about the importance of cross dressing]] or being the only person able to calm down a berserk Ryuko, Mako's naivety combined with her unflagging optimism is the show's continuing source of humor, as well as heart.
* NarrativeShapeshifting: She turns into various people and things during her crazy monologues, to better convey what she's talking about. Among the others, she turned into Ryuko, Satsuki, Tsumugu, and Ragyo.
* NiceGirl: She might be [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} completely bananas]], but she's also sweet, caring and loyal to her friends.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: She sings [[LyricalDissonance a cheerful road song about going on a drive to Hell]].
* NotHerself: Ryuko notes how Mako becomes less and less like her usual chipper self after becoming the Fight Club president. First she becomes increasingly formal and smug, and when she gets a Two-Star uniform, she is noticeably more brutal and doesn't even crack a smile.
* TheNotLoveInterest: To Ryuko along with Senketsu. When it comes to how Mako sees Ryuko, [[AmbiguouslyGay however...]]
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Towards Ryuko, frequently glomping and groping her. She also has no problems treating Gamgoori like a climbing frame.
* OcularGushers: When [[spoiler:Gamagoori]] shields her from a stab attack by Nui, then tells her about having no regrets before passing out, her eyes instantly gush out ridiculous streams of water that nearly make up a puddle.
* OddNameOut: Her name is written with kana, instead of kanji like the majority of the cast.
* OffscreenTeleportation: On No-Late Day, she manages to catch Gamagoori completely off-guard by popping up out of nowhere on the podium next to where he's standing. She does it again on Ryuko, [[spoiler:in her MentalWorld no less.]]
* OnlyFriend: She's the only student in the entire school who talks to Ryuko without trying to kill her or get under her skin.
* ParodySue: Mako covers a lot of the traits. Quirky, cheerful, energetic, buxom, an every-girl that manages to defuse the drama of a dangerous situation, the first and only friend of the protagonist, incredibly powerful and brilliant when she actually tries to be, and she has the odd friendship (later crush) and leniency of the ultra-strict disciplinary committee's chair. Sanageyama even {{lampshaded}} her eccentric behavior.
-->'''Sanageyama:''' That one has resolve, too. That, or she's an idiot.
* PluckyComicRelief: Often she'll interrupt very dramatic moments to lighten the atmosphere and (humorously) encourage Ryuko.
* PluckyGirl: She always comes out of any situation with a smile on her face, ''no matter what''. She's pushed to her limits when sharing a stand with the demoted Elite Four while cheering Ryuko on during the King of the Hill Final Battle, resorting in her cheering for ''herself'' so she won't crack under the pressure.
* ThePollyanna: She hardly ever seems aware she's in a school run by a fascist student body.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Her friendship with Ryuko is ultimately what [[spoiler: snaps the latter out of Junketsu's control and Ragyo's FakeMemories.]]
* ThePromise: Just before Ryuko heads off to her final battle, Mako makes Ryuko promise [[spoiler: to go on a date with her when she comes back.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: How she [[BulletCatch snatches]] [[AbnormalAmmo all the paper bills shot at her]], complete with "[[FistOfTheNorthStar ATATATATATA]]!!!"
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Ryuko. Although on her part, the attraction [[{{Nosebleed}} might not be entirely platonic]].
* SayMyName: There have been two instances wherein Ryuko's life has been in danger and Mako resorts to yelling her name [[OverlyLongGag over and over and over]].
* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: Satsuki and her lackeys are busy conquering Osaka (and Kobe and Kyoto) and things are going up in flames. Ryuko is going on a desperate trip to recover Senketsu's missing pieces. Aikuro has dropped his teacher guise and returned to being a Nudist Beach operative. And Mako? [[WhileRomeBurns She's on a culinary trip through the aforementioned burning Osaka]].
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: When held upside-down, she complains that she forgot to bring her sexy panties, and that's just the ''first episode''. For someone who wears normal clothes, she also tends to show off a lot of {{Underboobs}}.
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Her ramblings can be profound when viewed at the right angle.
-->'''Mako:''' My life's traffic lights are always yellow!\\
'''Gamagoori:''' "In life, proceed with caution," eh?
* SkewedPriorities: She has several priorities when caught in a death trap, and her life is never one of them.
** Episode 1: She's less concerned about being fried alive in boiling oil and more concerned about how the oil will [[SexySoakedShirt make her clothes see-through]], and that she wasn't wearing her sexy panties that day.
** Episode 5: She's afraid that if the Biology Club slices her belly open, it would ruin the lunch she stashed in her clothes.
** Episode 12: She considers the burns she suffers from giving a CoolDownHug to Ryuko a free tan.
** Episode 16: When Mikisugi asks her if she has the resolve to join them in battle she says that she doesn't... [[ComicallyMissingThePoint have the resolve to get naked]], but will follow them because she is Ryuko's friend.
* {{Sleepyhead}}: Shockingly enough, for a GenkiGirl such as herself, she can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, even when cheering for Ryuko in the middle of a fight.
* StrikeMeDown: Tells [[spoiler:a brainwashed Ryuko inside her MentalWorld]] to kill her if the latter insists on [[spoiler:staying cooped up in her FakeMemories, which Ryuko does, but ultimately snaps out of her funk, with Mako relatively unharmed.]]
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Whenever she starts her motivational speech, everyone stops, no matter how heated the situation is except when Nui [[BigShutUp interrupts her]] and [[NightmareFace scares her]] into silence.
* TemporarilyAVillain: In episode 7, she gets promoted to a Two-Star Club President and fights Ryuko to become the school's fifth Three-Star student and maintain her family's new-found wealth and social status, thinking they'd be much happier than when they were poor. However, she resigns once she realizes that she'll kill her best friend if she keeps things up.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Girly Girl to Ryuko's Tomboy.
* {{Ubermensch}}: An unusually unphilosophical and unintelligent version, being less a result of being AboveGoodAndEvil than viewing the world through the lens of InsaneTrollLogic. Mako completely defies the expectations of her environment and refuses to be a part of Satsuki's fascistic organization. She does not care about the consequences of this ''at all'', and fearlessly defies Satsuki and the Elite Four to their faces.
* VictoriasSecretCompartment: Where she keeps her lunch box, though considering its size, it's more like {{hammerspace}}.
* VisualPun: Mako is ''the'' absolute master of making these, especially during her "Halleluiah" moments.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She accepts the job as Fight Club President to improve her standing in the school, and her family's social standing with it, no matter what. So when Ryuko's resignation threatens to send her family back to the slums, and since the reward for any club president to beat her is a Three-Star uniform, the most logical conclusion to her is to fall out with her friend.
* WhileRomeBurns: She actually goes on a sightseeing tour of Osaka as the city goes up in flames during Satsuki's invasion.
* WillfullyWeak: She ''greatly'' holds back while fighting Ryuko in a Two-Star Goku Uniform in episode 7, as she could easily punch a crater in the ground with her uniform's powers, but subconsciously fears killing Ryuko if she were to go all out.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: She punishes her younger brother by putting him through a number of wrestling holds.
[[/folder]]
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This index is for the main characters of ''Anime/KillLaKill''. [[Characters/KillLaKill Please go here]] if you are looking for the index of the other characters. '''Unmarked spoilers ahead'''.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:General]]
* ActionGirl: All three girls, though it took Mako a while to become one.
* BareYourMidriff: All three of their battle uniforms expose their stomachs.
* BloodOath: [[spoiler:Ryuko mentions this after the other three manage to free her from Junketsu's control. She then proudly declares that she feels Senketsu has gotten warmer thanks to Mako and Satsuki's blood flowing through him.]]
* {{Chaste Hero}}ine: Ryuko and Satsuki don't seem to be interested in any sort of romantic relationship with anyone.
* DarkActionGirl: Mako and Ryuko briefly underwent a FaceHeelTurn, and Satsuki was initially the BigBad.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
** Ryuko is Choleric due to her HotBlooded nature and single minded determination to get the answers she wants out of Satsuki.
** Senketsu is Phlegmatic, mostly being interested in assisting Ryuko's quest and protecting her from harms way, as well as try to keep her extreme temper under control.
** Mako is Sanguine being the PluckyComicRelief interested in having fun with Ryuko, and seems to know just what to say in a given situation to snap people out of their funk.
** Satsuki is Melancholic. She focuses on accomplishing her plans and using whatever means necessary to do so, and cares very little for anything that hinders her progress.
* TownGirls: After the end they could fit this dynamic with Mako as the Femme, Satsuki as the Neither and Ryuko as the Butch.
* TrueCompanions: Ryuko has Mako and Senketsu in her corner for most of the series, and snap her out of her more emotional moments whenever they can. Satsuki has the Elite 4, whom all have nothing but UndyingLoyalty towards her. [[spoiler: By the end of the series, both groups come together to form one large group of TrueCompanions.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ryuko Matoi]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/694c87e47751c0fa4cc51697e7447332.png]]
->''"This [outfit] is a keepsake from my father. And this Scissor Blade was left behind by the person who killed him. Now you're going to tell me who this Scissor Blade belongs to... Satsuki Kiryuin!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/AmiKoshimizu (Japanese), Creator/EricaMendez (English)
Our main heroine, a wandering transfer student who comes to Honnouji Academy in search of the truth behind her father's murder. Her investigation sends her on a collision course with the academy's StudentCouncilPresident, Satsuki Kiryuin, whom she thinks has the answers she seeks. Her only clue is also her WeaponOfChoice, a giant red Scissor Blade left behind by the killer.
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* TenMinuteRetirement:
** In episode 13, due to going out of control against Nui Harime in the previous episode. [[ShesBack She bounces right back]] in order to help a student who, in a twist on the usual outcome of this, [[spoiler: turns out to be Nui in disguise, who promptly defeats Ryuko and tears up Senketsu.]]
** Happens again in episodes 16 and 17. [[spoiler: Ryuko refuses to help Nudist Beach take out the Life Fibers after finding out Senketsu was designed to kill them, only to put him on again and agree to help them the episode right after.]]
** Once again in episodes 19 and 20; [[spoiler: after discovering the truth of her origin and birth, Ryuko abandons Senketsu, disregarding the state of the world and leaving to face Nui and Ragyo by herself.]]
* AchillesInHisTent: After she [[spoiler: completely loses her confidence due to giving into her rage during her fight with Nui]] in episode 12, she spends her time moping in her room. Eventually she changes her mind with a little persuasion from Shinjiro.
* ActionGirl: Can wield a scissor-shaped sword like nobody's business, with good escaping skills as a bonus.
* AesopAmnesia: When faced with something that truly [[HeroicBSOD shocks her to the core]], Ryuko forgets everything she has learned about the PowerOfFriendship and the PowerOfTrust in a flash, only to learn the exact same lessons again one or two episodes later when someone manages to talk her out of her [[AchillesInHisTent Tent]] (episode 13) or out of her [[spoiler:FaceHeelTurn]] (episode 21).
* AfraidOfNeedles: Acts like a crybaby when her teacher is about to draw blood from her, and for good reason.
* AgeAppropriateAngst: Aikuro points out that her prickly personality is fairly typical of a seventeen year old. You also have to remember that she's a severely neglected orphan with a FriendlessBackground.
* AllMenArePerverts: There's hardly a single major male character she's met that she hasn't called a pervert, mainly because they [[YouCanLeaveYourHatOn keep taking off their clothes]] or telling her to take off her own. She even calls Tsumugu the "Pervert Club President" when she mistakes him for another one of Satsuki's flunkies.
* AllEncompassingMantle: She dons one to hide her {{Stripperific}} in the first episode on her way to save Mako. She later does this again when [[spoiler:the relevation that she is part Life Fiber]] enrages her and she refuses to wear Senketsu, instead opting to wrap herself in her bedsheet... and nothing else.
* AmbiguouslyGay:
** Throughout the majority of the series, Ryuko [[CelibateHeroine shows no real attraction or desire to be with anyone]] and is mostly focused on beating her enemies. However, [[spoiler: before the final confrontation with Ragyo and the Life Fibers, she agrees to go on a date with Mako if they survive.]] The series keeps it ambiguous, however, about whether or not said date is [[JustFriends a get together between two friends]] or [[RelationshipUpgrade a romantic encounter]]. If it's the latter, it may overlap with IfItsYouItsOkay.
** After her [[spoiler: make-out session with Nui during her stint as BrainwashedAndCrazy, Ragyo says something along the lines of "Her emotions are less restrained," which could be taken as meaning Ryuko really ''is'' lesbian (or [[BiTheWay bisexual]]), and is simply [[NotDistractedByTheSexy extremely focused]], or it could mean she's simply more open to suggestion while [[NotHimself Not Herself]].]]
* AncestralWeapon: It is explicitly stated that Senketsu was created by her father and that he had the Scissor Blades in his laboratory and they were specifically designed to [[spoiler:cut Life Fibers]] heavily implies that they were his creation as well.
* AntiAntiChrist: [[spoiler:She was concieved solely to further Ragyo's goals, but she eventually ends up as mankind's savior and the one to defeat her]].
* AntiHero: While she is a good person at heart, her goals and motivation have little to do with heroism. She is a deeply scarred, aggressive girl who will not sacrifice her own goals for the sake of others. She will help those she cares for but doesn't really care much about the rest, though she starts to grow out of this mindset later in the series.
* AcquiredPoisonImmunity: [[spoiler: She reasons that she's immune to Ragyo's Absolute Submission because she's "a little in between human and Life Fiber]].
* AwesomenessIsAForce: For all of Inumuta's TechnoBabble regarding Ryuko's powers, Mako is able to boil it down to its purest form: Ryuko-''chan'' is really awesome.
* AxCrazy: [[spoiler: When BrainwashedAndCrazy, she rivals Nui in her enjoyment of violence and destruction.]]
* BackToBackBadasses: With Tsumugu in episode 15.
* {{Badass}}: Nothing will stop her in her quest for vengeance, even if she has to turn the entire school upside down to do so.
* BadassAdorable: Early on, when she was embarrassed about wearing Senketsu. Also extends into [[PajamaCladHero episode 4]].
* BadassBiker: In episode 14, she takes out all of the Elite Four's men on a motorbike and while having only a small piece of Senketsu on her at the time.
* BadassBoast: Threatens to destroy Satsuki's plans at the end of episode 3. And that's just after their first real encounter, when Satsuki was handing Ryuko her ass for a good majority of the fight.
* BadassFamily:
** Her father was a [[BadassBookworm scientist who was brilliant enough]] to make a fortune selling patents and inventions, if the size of his house is any indication. [[spoiler:He also fought [[HumanoidAbomination Nui Harime]] despite being just a normal human and even though he was killed was still able to lay all the groundwork for the heroes to stop the BigBad.]]
** Her sister [[spoiler:is none other than Satsuki Kiryuin, who shows off just how {{Badass}} she is when she engages Ryuko in combat and by the respect and fear she commands at Honnouji Academy. On top of that, she's also preparing to take on the biggest company in the world, along with all its superweapons.]]
** Her mother [[spoiler:is a darker example but Ragyo shows that AuthorityEqualsAsskicking by giving it to Satsuki in a matter of moments in her intro fight and proceeds to plunge the world into darkness using the Life Fibers she has sworn allegiance to.]]
** Tragically for Ryuko, this trope doesn't get played to its full-effect since by the time [[spoiler:we find out that her father was a badass, he's long dead and we don't learn who her mother is until it is clear Ryuko and Ragyo will be in opposition to each other. A downplayed version does occur, since she and Satsuki eventually team up to take on Ragyo and make an immensely powerful duo, even able to temporarily destroy the Primordial Life Fiber while engaging Ragyo in combat.]]
* BadassNormal: She can take out One-Star Uniform-wearers with ''just'' the case she carries her weapon in. A flashback of her past even hinted she could beat up gangs of delinquents by herself.
* BareYourMidriff: Exaggerated, after losing her first uniform. Everything else she wears always exposes her stomach, except [[spoiler:when wearing Junketsu, in episode 20 and 21.]]
* BashBrothers:
** With Senketsu, although neither of them really counts. Inevitable seeing how Senketsu can't fight by himself but this is essentially their dynamic. They know each other very well, their trust in each other is boundless and they love to banter happily during a fight.
** As of episode 22 [[spoiler: she's working this with Satsuki, who is her actual sister.]]
* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: [[spoiler:In the final battle with Ragyo, she seems to have no problem breathing while in orbit around the planet.]]
* BattleAura: She gets this in episode 4 (and she's [[PajamaCladHero not even wearing Senkestu!]]) when she's about to lay a beat down on Maiko. Later on, [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi gives her a glowing gold background, fitting the final fight she's about to engage Ragyo in.]]
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: PlayedForLaughs. After being beaten by Fukuroda, she comes back home and wishes she was stronger. Almost instantly, she gets dropped into the basement where she finds Senketsu who forces himself upon her. That probably wasn't the kind of power up she wished for.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Ryuko tries avoiding Mako in the first episode, but starts hanging out with her more after Mako's family lets her stay with them for as long as she needs.
* BerserkButton:
** She can't stand [[AllMenArePerverts perverted guys]], and will beat them up the first chance she gets.
** In episode 11, [[WhamLine these words]] from Nui Harime [[UnstoppableRage set her off]]:
--->'''Nui Harime:''' [[spoiler: [[TheReveal I'm the one who killed your father]]!]]
** Ryuko's family and details surrounding her father seem to be this. When being taunted by Ragyo, [[spoiler:her biological mother]], and Nui, [[spoiler:her father's killer and technical half-sister]], at the same time, Ryuko is nearly in a rage-aneurysm.
* {{BFS}}: Her Scissor Blade in Decapitation Mode extends a hidden blade within it, increasing the resulting weapon's length to more than double its original size. [[spoiler:In episode 25, upon regaining the Rending Scissors that fell from space, Ryuko is able to perform a final move that makes each half of the scissors grow to ridiculous proportions, dwarfing Honnouji Academy's mecha mode!]]
* BifurcatedWeapon: The scissor blade can be split into 2 halves.
* BigDamnHeroes: While it certainly looks like one, her appearing out of nowhere and beating up Honnouji's students during the Kansai school raid is more like like [[IWasJustPassingThrough she was just passing through]]. For one, she didn't come to save anyone but to [[spoiler:reclaim the pieces of Senketsu]], and in the long run didn't really defeat the three armies, merely weakening them. Furthermore, the three schools that were targeted by Ira, Uzu and Nonon still fell.
* TheBigDamnKiss: Exploited, when she [[spoiler:has a very intense make-out scene with Nui Harime.]] Since she was under the influence of Ragyo's mind-stitching, it's more like KissingUnderTheInfluence.
* BikerBabe: In episode 14, after [[spoiler:Nui Harime shreds Senketsu and Satsuki administers his parts to various Honnouji students for the Tri-City Raid Trip and Ryuko needs fast transport to go retrieve him]]. Don't ask where she got the bike. Again in episode 20, when [[spoiler:Ragyo's taunting, coupled with her horror at being part-Life Fiber, she angrily goes to face her mother in a reckless mood, fittingly riding something stereotypically associated with delinquents.]]
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Her Scissor Blade becomes fused to her right arm when [[spoiler: she loses control and overwhelms Senketsu]] in episode 12.
* BloodSplatteredWarrior: As she goes berserk, she becomes drenched in ''her own'' blood. Taken to the next extreme when [[spoiler:she rips apart Junketsu, who was forcibly attached to her through Life Fibers, resulting in her standing naked in a geyser of blood.]]
* BloodSplatteredWeddingDress: Episode 21, when she kills [[spoiler:Senketsu]] inside her MentalWorld.
* BodyHorror: In episode 12, when she [[spoiler: loses control of Senketsu and merges with him]]. Her skin turns a sickly bluish-green color; her eyes become yellow, bloodshot, and bulge (one bigger than the other) and her teeth become huge fangs, one of which sticks right up in front of her face, the others going through her skull, making her "horns"; her head rests atop her massive left shoulder/Senketsu's eye, feeding into her freakishly swollen left arm; her right arm becomes spindly, with her Scissor Blade grafted onto it; her neck is crooked and keeps cracking and [[HighPressureBlood spurting blood; her upper and lower body are held together by a gaping, toothy mouth; and her otherwise normal legs have spikes hammered through them.]]
* BookDumb: The first Drama CD has her boldly saying she'll spend a week in the town library to prepare for an upcoming test... only to do nothing but sleep and eat for the week and end up relying on Senketsu to answer the academic questions for her. She shows her street smart side by analyzing Satsuki's intuitive questions, like whether or not Satsuki's eyebrows are big and figures out that based on Satsuki's personality and the setting that her tester does NOT want to hear that they are.
* BornWinner: Why is she able to fight increasingly intense battles with students who are literally being trained to fight in a war? Simple, being [[spoiler:infused with Life Fibers at birth gives superpowers including regeneration, enhanced speed, and strength.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
** Ragyo takes control of Ryuko's mind with a Life Fiber and makes her attack Satsuki in episode 18, only for Ryuko to break free and become very pisssed at Ragyo.
** In episode 20, [[spoiler:Ragyo rewrites Ryuko's memories to make her think she loves her insane mother, driving Ryuko to do a FaceHeelTurn.]] However, the efforts of [[spoiler:Satsuki, Mako and Senketsu]] have snapped her out of it at the end of episode 21.
* BridalCarry: Holds Mako this way in episode 23 after [[spoiler:destroying the Primordial Life Fiber.]]
* BroughtDownToBadass: Episode 4 revolves around her having to navigate a massive DeathCourse on the way to school without Senketsu. She still does better than most of the No-Star student body, even when dragging along Mako and Maiko. In episode 14 and the first half of episode 15, she's brought down again because she has to reclaim [[spoiler:the pieces of Senketsu]] from the invasion force, succeeding by the second half.
* TheBrute: [[spoiler: Becomes the Kiryuin Conglomerate's one while she's under the influence of Junketsu. When she fights for the bad guys, she immediately charges into combat and simply tries to destroy all the heroes in her path.]]
* CainAndAbel: [[PlayingWithATrope Played With.]] She ''would'' have been the Abel to [[spoiler: Satsuki's]] Cain, but [[spoiler: the fact that they were siblings wasn't revealed until after they were on the same side.]] She's definitely this to Nui though, who considers Ryuko her "soul sister" [[spoiler: due to be both being bred with Life Fibers.]]
* CannotSpitItOut: Really struggles [[spoiler: to call Satsuki "Nee-''san''" (big sister), after acknowledging the fact that they were [[LongLostRelative sisters]].]]
* CantStandThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Ryuko always responds with a swift punch to the face whenever Mako's dad, brother, and dog try to peep on her, but she still considers them to be her family. This is most evident when she helps the Mankanshokus become wealthy, only for them to become so self-absorbed in their new lifestyle that they stop spending time with her, and she opens the window while taking a bath hoping they'll at least be there.
* CelibateHero: Ryuko is more driven by getting to know/avenging her father than considering a love interest, although in a world where AllMenArePerverts is rampant, you can't blame her. [[spoiler:She does agree to go on a date with Mako at the end of the series.]]
* ChangedMyMindKid: Initially, she's not interested in donning Senketsu again and helping Nagita's resistance. However, that changes when [[MoralEventHorizon Honnouji enforcers beat up Mr. Mankanshoku in his own home]], where Nagita is trying to hide. ''However'', this turns out to be a serious case of ExploitedTrope, since [[spoiler: Nagita is Nui in disguise.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Initially, all that she cares about is using Senketsu to get her {{revenge}}, [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge everyone and everything else be damned]]. After she interacts with Mako, who loves her deeply, and Senketsu, [[spoiler: who is nearly permanently killed while serving her]], she begins caring about others. She eventually forgoes her revenge altogether and instead focuses on protecting the things that are important to her. A good example of this is when she eventually decides against [[spoiler: killing both Nui and Ragyo. Instead, she asks them to give up. Neither accepts this.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The red highlight in her hair. [[spoiler:It can cut and absorb Life Fibers]].
* CloseCallHaircut: When Tsumugu fires a giant seam ripper at her to stop her following him in episode 5.
* CombatPragmatist: Uses all the advantages and dirty tricks she can get her hands on and never adheres to the rules of Honourable Combat.
* ConfusionFu: She uses this on Inumuta after she [[GenreSavvy instantly picks up his]] "[[AwesomeByAnalysis analyze-first, attack later]]" fighting style.
* CombatStilettos: Gains a pair when activating Senketsu, which form over her sneakers.
* ContraltoOfDanger[=/=] GutturalGrowler: Has a very noticeable deep growl and she also kicks a lot of ass.
* ColorFailure: In [[spoiler: episode 18, she becomes stark white while under influence of Ragyo's Mind Stitching.]]
* CoolShades: Sports a pair in episode 14 riding a motorbike.
* CovertPervert: It takes a few episodes before she can keep herself from blushing whenever Aikuro removes his glasses and shows off his manly physique.
* CurbStompBattle: After all of the shit Nui put Ryuko through in the series, it's really satisfying to see the latter dish this out to the former in episode 22. [[spoiler: Even when Nui had both Scissor Blades]], she was still completely outmatched and Ryuko manages to take them back with ease. [[spoiler: Nui ends up losing her arms as a result, and absolutely flips her shit.]]
* CursedWithAwesome: She takes the discovery [[spoiler:that she's part Life Fiber]] like this, given that it means she was lied to the whole time. On the other hand, her having these powers makes her the only who who can stop [[spoiler:Ragyo]].
* CuteBruiser: Which she first demonstrates when Mataro and his gang think her appearance makes her [[MuggingTheMonster an easy target for robbery]]... they're bruised and bowing to her about five seconds later.
* CuteLittleFangs: Has prominent canine teeth, as part of her WildChild image.
* CuteMonsterGirl: [[spoiler: Discovering she's been imbued with Life Fibers didn't make her any less attractive.]]
* DaddysGirl: PlayedForDrama. Her father was never there for her when she was growing up and her quest for his killer was meant to gain information on him and finally sort out her own life and feelings for him as much as it was to avenge him. The more she learns about the conspiracy he was involved in and her true origins, the more confused and resentful she becomes about everything that has to do with him and his work.
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Her combat outfit has a very, ''very'' short schoolgirl-themed skirt (the skirt is just about the only thing she doesn't mind about her uniform), and boy is she dangerous.
* DarkActionGirl: All courtesy of [[spoiler:being brainwashed by Ragyo.]]
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Not as obvious as most examples, but let's sum up her past: her mother dying at a young age, her father abandoning her when she was no more than 8 years old, alienated by her classmates, getting into fights and becoming a full-on juvenile delinquent, then, to top it all off, her father also dying under tragic circumstances. Gets even worse when it's revealed in episode 18 that [[spoiler: Ragyo is her mother and only had her to use for Life Fiber experiments]], and to top it all off ''[[spoiler: Ragyo threw her away to die when Ryuko was just out of the womb]]''.
* DarkIsNotEvil: She wears a dark-colored uniform, but is nonetheless heroic.
* DeathFakedForYou: [[spoiler:Her father Isshin Matoi, a.k.a. Soichiro Kiryuin, made Ragyo believe their second daughter died during the Life Fibers infusing experiments, but she actually survived and that baby turns out to be Ryuko.]]
* DeathGlare: ''[[http://benigmatica.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/kill-la-kill-19-05.jpg?w=512&h=288 FEAR HER.]]''
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the "edgy" NinetiesAntiHero-esque archetype. The first moments of her show her as a dark and gritty character, eating lemon skins and telling off little kids. This is the result of having been neglected by her father and never knowing her mother ([[spoiler:which is shown to have been for the better]]). When she's shown compassion from Mako and her family that she never had as a child, she starts becoming more sweet and friendly.
* DespairEventHorizon: She crosses this at the end of episode 18 when she finds out that, like her mother, [[spoiler:she is infused with Life Fibers.]] After this revelation, Ryuko refuses to wear Senketsu again and leaves her friends behind. This is mercilessly exploited by Ragyo, who succeeds in [[spoiler: [[MindRape mind-raping Ryuko]] to the point of [[FaceHeelTurn turning heel.]]]]
* {{Determinator}}: Even as she gets beaten and bruised, she ''refuses'' to go down if it means keeping her Scissor Blade and Senketsu out of enemy hands.
* DidntSeeThatComing: She was completely prepared to take down Satsuki and Ragyo to save the world from Life Fibers. What she wasn't prepared for was [[spoiler: the former betraying the latter, and then finding out that the latter is her mother.]] The first one she gets over pretty quickly despite the initial shock, the latter...[[HeroicBSOD not so much.]]
* DualWield: In episode 22, [[spoiler: Ryuko takes both halves of the Rending Scissors from Nui. Afterwards, Ryuko [[JustForPun disarms]] Nui.]]
* EdgyBackwardsChairSitting: In Episode 16, while listening to Mikisugi's lecture on Life Fibers.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:She gains the combined power of every student's uniform before leaving to face Ragyo for the final time.]]
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: A very competent fighter in her own right, but can't take on any Two-Star or higher uniform user without Senketsu. [[spoiler:Episode 18 also reveals she was fused with Life Fibers since her infancy, subverting both this and BadassNormal in the process. Until episode 21 reveals that her Life Fiber powers had been dormant until being faced with fear of death courtesy of Ragyou.]]
* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Mako demonstrates such while encouraging her not to be afraid of getting naked:
-->'''Mako:''' Your boobs are bigger than [Satsuki's]! I saw them! "That Ryuko, she's got a great rack!" My whole family was talking about them!
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Has a penchant for spinning her Scissor Blade around whether she's going for a finishing blow or just bringing it out of its case.
* EvilCostumeSwitch: [[spoiler: After the MindRape from Ragyo, she wears Junketsu, and in a departure from the norm with this, it covers far more of her skin than Senketsu did.]]
* ExcessiveEvilEyeshadow: When wearing [[spoiler:Junketsu]]. It's red and makes her look more akin to [[spoiler:Ragyo]].
* {{Expy}}:
** To [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon the Digger]]. Both of their [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman respective]] [[HumongousMecha powers]] are connected to [[EmpathicWeapon their mental state]], they both [[TookALevelInBadass take exponential levels in badassery]] throughout the story, and their adventures allow them to [[CharacterDevelopment grow as people]]. Physically, they both also sport dark hair with some type of red incorporated in, goggles, in Simon's case and a different-colored strand of hair in Ryuko's. Additionally, the final fights in both series result in [[spoiler:Ryuko and Simon losing someone very close and as a direct result of defeating the antagonist.]]
*** Despite the similarities between them, there are also a notable amount of [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differences]], as well. Simon starts out as unconfident and hated by his peers because he was physically uninteresting and a ShrinkingViolet, but starts to earn the trust of his companions when he starts gaining confidence. [[spoiler:By the end of his story, he abandons all he had and goes back to the simple life he once had]]. Ryuko, on the other hand, starts out as overconfident and was hated because she was an imposing delinquent and scared other people, but when she gets humbled and befriends Mako, she starts to become more extroverted. [[spoiler:When ''her'' story ends, she finally gets to live the normal life she never had]].
** Also one to [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Shadow the Hedgehog]]. Both are "dark and edgy" characters with a black and red theme, [[spoiler:and both were created to be enhanced beings]].
* ExoticEyeDesigns: The edges of her irises are surrounded by tick marks resembling stitches, an early clue to her true nature that's only apparent in retrospect.
* FaceHeelTurn: Does this unwillingly later in the series; after picking up the JerkassBall and confronting Ragyo and Nui in episode 20, [[spoiler:she gets brainwashed into doing their bidding, wearing Junketsu in the process and attacking Nudist Beach's battleship not long after.]]
* FakeMemories: [[spoiler:Ragyo]] implants some into Ryuko, leading her to believe that [[spoiler:they've lived a normal and happy life as mother and daughter, thus resulting in her aforementioned FaceHeelTurn.]]
* FashionableAsymmetry: Senketsu has a multicolored eye on one side and a black eyepatch on the other. She also wears a fingerless glove on her left hand.
* FatalFlaw: Being that her intial motivation was revenge for her father's death, wrath is a major one.
* FieryRedhead: Pushes it normally, since she only has a single streak, but when she activates Senketsu, the entire back of her hair turns red.
* FingerlessGloves[=/=]TrickedOutGloves: Her [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Crimson Glove]], which has a built-in syringe so Ryuko can feed Senketsu her blood and activate his power.
* FinishingMove: ''Sen-i-Soshitsu'' ("Fiber Stripper"), which completely shreds her opponent's uniform.
* FlawedPrototype: [[spoiler:To Nui Harime. Ragyo originally conceived Ryuko to make her into the ultimate Life Fiber[=/=]Human hybrid minion, but considered her to be a failure and threw her out. Eventually, Ragyo created the more successful Nui, seemingly from scratch using the Primordial Life Fiber, even though she's too unstable to be effectively controlled.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** Hey, have you ever noticed how that red streak in her hair glows when she transforms? Ever see how [[spoiler: it's similar to Ragyo's own sparkling hair?]] Now [[WhamEpisode episode 18 rolls along]], and drops the bomb that [[spoiler: Ryuko's actually her daughter.]]
** There is even more to that lock of hair. In some of her lectures, Mako has a red streak of hair like Ryuko and when she does she touches it with one hand while [[spoiler:making scissor cutting like motion with her other hand. Now, what did Ryuko use to break out of Ragyo's mind control?]]
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XAmch6M0v8U&t=41s "Blumenkranz"]] starts playing when Ryuko is first revealed wearing Senketsu; {{foreshadowing}} the fact that she is [[spoiler:Ragyo Kiryuin's daughter.]]
** The name "Ryuko" is a homophone to "dragon girl/daughter" and "two rivals". One of the kanji for Ragyo's last name is "dragon". This suggests [[spoiler:Ryuko was used as a test subject for the Kiryuin conglomerate, and was appropriately named]], and both Satsuki and Ragyo are rivals of Ryuko.
* {{Forgiveness}}: In the final episode, after [[spoiler:defeating Ragyo and stopping her plan of converting the Earth into a massive source of Life Fibers]], Ryuko offers forgiveness to her, telling her to [[spoiler:come back down to Earth with her like the mother and daughter they are. Ragyo [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled says no]].]]
* FragileSpeedster[=/=]GlassCannon: Her strength and speed are top notch, but her defenses are quite low, evidenced by the fact that she takes damage from attacks coming from three-star Goku uniforms, which are considerably weaker than a Kamui, and the fact that Junketsu can pierce through Senketsu's defense.
* FullNameBasis: She tends to contemptuously address Satsuki by her full name, and vice-versa. [[spoiler: This is dropped in episode 22 when they make amends and switch to FirstNameBasis with each other as acknowledgement of being sisters.]]
* GenreSavvy: In episode 10, she mocks Inumuta for being a stereotypical EvilGenius who'd brag about [[AwesomenessByAnalysis analyzing and predicting all her moves]], [[ConfusionFu so she fights erratically to keep him from getting that chance.]] She's also fully aware that attacking Gamagoori's Regalia will only make him stronger.
* AGirlAndHerX: A girl and her {{Stripperiffic}}, LivingWeapon, SailorFuku.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: A heroic version in episode 22, after [[spoiler: Ryuko and Senketsu [[ShesBack reunite]].]]
* GoingCommando: She is completely naked under her robe in episode 20 and doesn't even seem to care.
* GoldenSuperMode: [[spoiler: When she confronts Ragyo with Senketsu-Kisaragi.]]
* HairDecorations: Sports a pair of small horns when Senketsu is activated.
* HalfHumanHybrid: She was [[spoiler:infused with Life Fibers as a baby]].
* [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe Half the Girl She Used to Be]]: Ends up a victim of this in [[spoiler:Episode 23 after seemingly being bisected at the waist by Ragyo...although this was an invoked and subverted case to fake her death, as she managed to deflect the attack at the last second to prevent being totally bisected and jumped into the water to recover, then attacked the Original Life Fiber as Ragyo was being distracted by Satsuki.]]
* HamToHamCombat: Essentially gets into a screaming match with Ragyo during the final battle.
* HandbagOfHurt: She employs her metal guitar case as both a weapon and a shield.
* HappilyAdopted: Well, if you count her living with the Mankanshokus as being adopted.
* HealingFactor: Being [[spoiler:part Life Fiber]] gives her this. Though this mostly becomes prominent after [[spoiler:Ragyo reveals that Ryuko is the same daughter she discarded during an experiment to create human-Life Fiber hybrids]].
* HeroesPreferMotorcycles: In contrast to the truck driven by the Mankanshokus, the limo used to transport Ragyo or the helicoptors Satsuki seems to always be getting around in, Ryuko, TheProtagonist takes a motorcycle. Tsumugu also has one so this may be used to drive the AntiHero feel of the two characters.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Ryuko finds herself in a funk throughout episode 13 after [[spoiler: losing control of herself and dragging Senketsu in a horrific rampage across the school]], fearful of putting him through that again.
** This happens in episode 19, when [[spoiler:she rejects wearing Senketsu, shunning it, as well as herself as a monster after the huge revelation. Understandable, considering her mother is one BigBad and the fact that she is not actually a human.]]
* HeroicRROD:
** In her [[UnstoppableRage rage against her father's killer]], [[spoiler: her [[HotBlooded boiling blood]] becomes too much for Senketsu to handle, causing him to instinctively eat her whole. The results are [[BodyHorror not pretty]]]].
** {{Defied}} in episode 15. She's forced to transform using an only partially restored Senketsu, causing energy leakage that will eventually kill her. However, she snatches the very last piece from Satsuki before that can happen. Really shows how much she has grown as a person.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: She and Mako are inseparable, although the "hetero" part is debatable on [[AmbiguouslyGay Mako's]] end.
* HiddenBuxom: While her brash aggressiveness subverts the usual timidity associated with this, she is ''far'' more full-figured than her fully-clothed appearance suggests, as demonstrated when wearing [[{{Stripperiffic}} Senketsu]], and Mako states she surpasses Satsuki in bust size. However, she ''does'' initially get embarrassed over being seen in this state, though she puts up with it for the sake of defeating her enemies.
* HighPressureBlood: Bear in mind, though, [[OverDrawnAtTheBloodBank she also has enough blood]] to rival [[Manga/OnePiece Roronoa Zoro]].
* HotBlooded: Her blood literally ''boils'' in the heat of battle. [[spoiler: This proves incredibly dangerous for Senketsu, sending him into a frenzy and triggering a ''[[BodyHorror nightmarish]]'' HeroicRROD, which is only reversed thanks to [[ThePowerOfFriendship Mako]]]].
* HourOfPower: Initially, she can only fight using Senketsu for a limited time since he continually sucks her blood. If she fights for too long, she will eventually collapse from massive blood loss. This changes when she accepts Senketsu and they bond properly.
* HowlOfSorrow:
-->'''Ryuko:''' [[spoiler:SENKETSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!]]
* HulkingOut: In episode 12, when [[spoiler:Nui Harime reveals herself as Isshin Matoi's killer]], Ryuko flies into a rage. This trope is combined with BodyHorror, as she turns into a green-skinned monstrosity, barely recognizable as human.
* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler: She's the younger sister of Satsuki that was infused with Life Fibers and presumed dead]]. In fact, to drive the point home, [[spoiler: her heart is made of Life Fibers]].
* IAmAMonster: After finding out that [[spoiler: she's half Life Fiber, and pretty much everything she knew was a lie,]] she concludes that she isn't human any more and [[spoiler: wants nothing to do with Senketsu.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: She usually fights with the blunt edge of her Scissor Blade, only using the sharp edge when she finds herself outclassed. [[SubvertedTrope Not that this helps her in]] [[CurbStompBattle her first fight against a Two-Star student]].
* IAmWho: She's just a drifter seeking to avenge her father's death... [[spoiler:but that's not all: she's the child that Ragyo bore to experiment on, making her the second human-Life Fiber hybrid; incidentally, this makes her Satsuki's sister.]] This [[GoMadFromTheRevelation causes her some emotional]] [[HeroicBSOD distress, to say the least]].
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: While it's never said outright, it's quite obvious that she really wants to have them. Despite being a bit aloof towards Mako at the start, she very quickly befriended her and became ferociously protective of her. Also, when she befriended Mako, she seemed really happy to have found another one.
* ImprobableUseOfAWeapon: In episode 2, she uses her Scissor Blade as an improvised tennis racket by holding it from the blade and tying some of Senketsu's thread on the handle.
* IndyPloy: Her stock in trade. Her long-term planning abilities are unimpressive, to put it mildly, but she's ''amazing'' at on-the-fly improvisation.
* IneffectualDeathThreats: Even though she was enraged and thirsted for blood, all of the threats she made at [[spoiler:Mikisugi and Tsumugu had no substance behind them. Even when she cut DTR in half, Mikisugi was completely unharmed.]]
* InTheBack: Throws her scissor blade at [[spoiler:Nui, which impales her from behind and leaves her PinnedToTheWall, after being freed from Junketsu's influence in episode 21.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: Subverted. She's absolutely hellbent on her quest for vengeance, and [[HeroicSelfDeprecation admits to Senketsu]] in Episode 16 that she's just using him as an outlet for her anger, but despite this, she isn't particularly selfish (and [[JerkassBall when she is]], it's [[WhamEpisode very justified]]), and Senketsu says otherwise about her behavior.
* JapaneseDelinquent: Ryuko has the appearance and attitude of one, and she has a history of picking fights at school since she was very young.
* JerkassBall: Clutches it pretty hard at the end of episode 19. [[spoiler: After finding out about of her parentage, namely Ragyo being her mother and her father not being the man she thought he was, and that she's not fully human, she awakes from a month long coma lashing out at her friends over this and eventually abandons them to stage a one woman assault against Ragyo and Nui.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She's an aloof drifter with a serious vengeful streak to be sure, but she's also one of the kindest students in the school and is always willing to lend a helping hand, so long as no one tries to peep on her.
* KissingUnderTheInfluence: Deeply kisses [[spoiler:Nui of all people]] in episode 21, [[spoiler:under Junketsu's influence when Nui asks if she still wants revenge for Nui killing her dad.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm:
** She always retreats the first chance she gets whenever she's faced with someone she knows she can't beat. Particularly justified when she starts using Senketsu, as up until episode 3, his power can only last for so long in battle before she gets exhausted.
** It gets somewhat exaggerated in the manga where she treats running away almost like some sort of special technique. Then again, judging by the reactions of everyone who saw her doing that they might not have even considered [[WorldOfBadass that someone can run away from a fight.]]
* LadySwearsALot: Especially in the dub where she drops almost every single bit of profanity but an PrecisionFStrike.
* {{Leitmotif}}:
** "Before my Body is Dry", a dynamic rock ballad which features lyrics that explicitly state her and Senketsu's motivations, though only her sole half of the song has been used in the show so far.
** The first half of "斬LLLア生LL" -- essentially an orchestral remix of "Before my Body is Dry" -- is used many times during Ryuko's awesome or power-up scenes. Notably, it was used many times in episode 14, whenever Ryuko busted in on the Honnouji armies to retrieve Senketsu's pieces.
* LightIsNotGood: Played completely straight in episode 20, since she's seen [[spoiler:wearing Junketsu and displaying maniacal faces after [[FaceHeelTurn turning heel]]]].
* LimitedWardrobe: After the first episode, Senketsu is the only non-pajama clothing she owns.
* LivingWeapon: Senketsu functions as a friend, mentor, armor and weapon - all in one!
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: By her [[ParentalAbandonment father Isshin]], [[TricksterMentor teacher Aikuro]], and [[TheRival rival Satsuki]] until episode 16, then it's one revelation after another.
* LoonyFriendsImproveYourPersonality: She mellows out significantly over the course of the series thanks to Mako's influence.
* LukeIAmYourFather: The end of episode 18 reveals that [[spoiler: Ragyo is her mother, and by extension Satsuki is her older sister.]]
* MadeOfIron: Even when not transformed, Ryuko can take a stupid amount of punishment and get right back up. Episode 18 justifies this: turns out [[spoiler: she's a [[HalfHumanHybrid human-Life Fiber hybrid, like Ragyo.]]]] This is taken to new heights in the penultimate episode. [[spoiler:Ragyo partially [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe bisects]] her, and she shrugs it off almost immediately.]]
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Initially subverted. Isshin Matoi was a perfectly sensible and sane scientist, despite his eccentric appearance. [[spoiler:Then we find out what her ''mother'' was like...]]
* MeaningfulName: One of the potential meanings of "Ryuko", [[spoiler:is "abandoned child"]]. [[http://sushiobunny.tumblr.com/post/76850838550/its-interesting-to-note-that-ryuukos-name-has See this for more details]], '''but watch out for spoilers'''.
* MediumAwareness: Not as much as Nui, but she is able to see Mako's thoughts on Isshin Matoi being the founder of Nudist Beach.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: In her berserk state. [[BodyHorror And not just where her mouth should be...]]
* MindRape: Is subjected to one in episode 20. [[spoiler:Before Ragyo implants FakeMemories of a happy life, and turns her [[FaceHeelTurn heel]], Ryuko pleads for her to stop.]]
* MissingMom: Her mother died when she was very young. Episode 18 expands on this by explaining that [[spoiler:Isshin actually lied to her, her mother is Ragyo Kiryuin who is very much alive.]]
* [[DaddysLittleVillain Mommy's Little Villain]]: [[spoiler:In episode 20, Ryuko's memories get replaced to make it look like she's been doted on by her mother Ragyo for her entire life, and always been in support of Ragyo's apocalyptic evil plan.]]
* MorphWeapon: She learns to make her weapon unfold into bigger forms.
* MsFanservice: Not that she's happy about it. See ReluctantFanserviceGirl.
* MulticoloredHair: She has black and red hair. The red stripe in her hair becomes significant when it [[spoiler:cuts through Ragyo's Mind Stitiching threads, freeing Ryuko from her control.]]
* NearRapeExperience: Parodied as a RunningGag. She gets into several situations which ''look'' like this, [[NotWhatItLooksLike but aren't]]. [[spoiler:Her suggestive scene with Nui and Ragyo in episode 21 genuinely qualifies as rape as she was not in her right state of mind at the time.]]
* NewTransferStudent: For all but three minutes at the start of the series.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** In episode 7, she starts a Fight Club and hands the presidential position to Mako so she and her family can have better living rights ([[JerkassBall and so she doesn't have to do all that paperwork herself]]). [[GoneHorriblyRight It works, but it also stiffens their quirky family dynamic]].
** Somewhat zigzagged in her fight against Sanageyama. At first it looks like a straight example because Sanageyama gains lots of [[TookALevelInBadass levels in badass]], meaning that Ryuko unintentionally made Satsuki's army stronger. But then it's inverted when [[spoiler:Satsuki and Honnouji Academy perform HeelFaceTurn and become Ryuko's allies against Ragyo.]]
* NinetiesAntiHero: Mostly {{subverted|trope}}. She has the appearance and mood of one, but acts like more of a PragmaticHero than anything else really.
* NominalHero: For the first part of the series, she's motivated solely by the death of her father. Even when [[spoiler:Satsuki reveals her plans to Ragyo]], she only agrees to [[spoiler:help her]] because [[spoiler:Ragyo's dragon was the one who did the deed]].
* NotInThisForYourRevolution: In regards to Nudist Beach.
* NotHerself: In episodes 19-21 because of [[spoiler:Ragyo [[MindRape Mind Raping]] her into attacking the heroes on the Naked Sun by rewriting her memories.]]
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: She was believed by the Kiryuin family to have been killed as an infant in an experiment that infused her with Life Fibers. Only her father knew she survived and faked both of their deaths to her mother.]]
* OddFriendship: With Mako. Ryuko is the only person in the series that comes anywhere near what may be considered normal, while Mako is such a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} that even other people in Honnouji find her strange.
* OneManArmy: Can take out entire schools on her own before getting Senketsu. Eventually, she takes on entire armies of one-star students (again without Senketsu), and later on [[spoiler:takes out an entire army of COVERS in a single swing.]] Again, without Senketsu. Now just imagine what she is with Senketsu.
* OneWingedAngel: Inverted, she's TheHeroine but [[spoiler:assumes such a form to fight Ragyo in episode 24 when she powers up via absorbing the energy from everyone's Goku uniforms.]]
* OnlySaneWoman: The only character who notices the total absurdity of [[WidgetSeries everything that ever happens in Honnouji]], which is only natural, since she doesn't live there.
* OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank: Ryuko loses ludicrous amounts of blood throughout episode 12. First, [[spoiler: she overwhelms Senketsu and [[BodyHorror crudely fuses with him]]]], causing her to start venting blood. After that, [[spoiler:Tsumugu is forced to topple spiked pillars on her]] releasing enough blood to create a ''geyser''! Then came episode 21, [[spoiler:where she rips off Junketsu as if it were her own skin, resulting in an absurd shower of blood.]]
* PajamaCladHero: For the duration of episode 4, since she's forced to go to school at 4 in the morning while Senketsu's being washed.
* ParentalAbandonment: Her mother died when she was little, and she lived in a boarding school away from her father right up until he was murdered. It's still [[spoiler: much better than what her biological parents did to her.]]
* PenPushingPresident: In episode 7, the prospect of becoming this is what prompted her to pass leadership of the newly formed Fight Club to Mako instead.
* PlatonicLifePartners: She and Senketsu are as inseparable as [[HeterosexualLifePartners her and Mako]], and the fact that he isn't human doesn't diminish their friendship at all. [[spoiler:Although, it helps that Ryuko isn't fully human, either.]]
* PowerDyesYourHair: Her hair gains even more red undertones when using Senketsu's full power. [[spoiler: Fittingly, it looks similar to Ragyo's usual hairstyle.]] The undertones turns blue when [[spoiler: she wears Junketsu.]] It turns completely blonde after [[spoiler: she absorbs all the Life Fibers in the Honnouji Academy.]]
* PowerLimiter:
** Done unconsciously. During her first two fights using Senketsu, she only has access to a fraction of the power he could grant her due to her embarrassment over how revealing the outfit is. Once she is able to embrace her own body, and thus stop being embarrassed over the outfit, she is able to access his full potential.
** The details are not explained but it seems like she had another one on her natural power. When [[spoiler:Ragyo put her under MindControl]], that limiter too was taken off and she was actually capable of [[spoiler:going toe to toe against a transformed Satsuki]] without even activating Senketsu.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: [[spoiler: When she equips Senketsu-Kisaragi, her hair seems to puff out to a longer length than usual.]]
* PowerStrainBlackout: Before learning how to equip him properly, she passes out whenever Senketsu drinks too much blood.
* PragmaticHero: Ryuko has no qualms about using sneak attacks, or attacking enemies before they are prepared.
* AProtagonistIsRyu: A rare female example, though the "Ryu" in her name means "stream" rather than "dragon". Other than that, she fits this perfectly with her [[HotBlooded feistiness]] and intense rivalry with [[TheRival Satsuki Kiryuin]] who, ironically, ''does'' have the character for "dragon" in her name. This fits even more considering that her [[FridgeBrilliance rightful name]] is Ryuko [[spoiler:Kiryuin.]]
* RageAgainstTheMentor: Does not appreciate Aikuro's pre-episode 16 YouAreNotReady attitude, and is skeptical that he's told her the full truth after the revelations of episodes 18 and 19 [[spoiler: that she's a Life Fiber/human hybrid, she's Ragyo Kiryuin's daughter, Satsuki's her sister, and Isshin Matoi was really Soichiro Kiryuin.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: When she finds out [[spoiler:Nui is the one who killed her father]], she goes into such a furious rage that she nearly dies from the over-exertion.
* RangedEmergencyWeapon: By using a wire leash, she can hurl her Scissor Blade as a ranged attack.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Inverted; despite wearing a black and red Kamui, she's TheHero of the story. In fact, during her FaceHeelTurn, [[spoiler:she's wearing blue and white]].
* RedBaron: She's infamous as the "Kanto Vagabond" and the "[[SenselessViolins Guitar Case Drifter]]".
* RedIsHeroic: Not only is it Senketsu's secondary color but thanks to her being OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank she often ends up spurting the color, albiet in a {{Squick}}y way.
** After [[spoiler:Nui Harime shreds Senkestu]] she spends her time [[spoiler:collecting his pieces]] while wearing a red jump suit.
** When she dons [[spoiler:Senkestu Kisaragi]] she couples this with gold.
* RedOniBlueOni:
** The vengeful, HotBlooded and defiant Red Oni to Satsuki's Blue Oni. Incidentally, her Kamui (Senketsu) has red highlights whereas Satsuki's has blue.
** Senketsu also serves as the Blue Oni when Satsuki isn't present.
* RefusalOfTheCall: After knowing the truth about Senketsu, Nudist Beach, COVERS, and the Primordial Life Fiber, she refuses the role because no one besides herself even considered Senketsu's feelings on [[spoiler: fighting his own kind.]]
* ReluctantFanserviceGirl: She's mortified by Senketsu's skimpy armored form. It later turns out this prevents her from unleashing his full potential, forcing him to drink more of her blood just to stay active, which in turn exhausts her in battle. Once she embraces her own body, she is able to share it with Senketsu more evenly.
* RetractableWeapon: She can make her Scissor Blade small enough to fit in her pocket, like regular scissors.
* RightHandOfDoom: Ryuko gains a grotesquely bloated left arm when she [[spoiler: gives into her fury and overwhelms Senketsu]] in episode 12.
* RivalsTeamUp: Subverted in episode 22, for by that time the rivalry was dropped.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: She's on one to avenge the death of her father.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Mako.
* SailorFuku: Senketsu takes the form of a Japanese school girl's outfit when not in combat mode.
* SanitySlippage: After [[WhamEpisode episode 18]], it seems her sanity deteriorates with every episode. It all culminates in her being [[spoiler: brainwashed into an AxCrazy sociopath]] in episode 20.
* SayMyName: Screaming/snarling Satsuki's name is practically her CatchPhrase for the first half of the series. Then, in the finale, [[spoiler:[[TearJerker "SENKETSUUUUUUUU!!!"]]]]
* ScarfOfAsskicking: Wears [[spoiler: Senketsu's last remaining piece]] as one in episode 14.
* ScreamingWarrior: It's hard to find a fight scene where she doesn't scream everytime she winds up an attack.
* SecondHourSuperpower: She taps into Senketsu's full power as early as episode 3 once she learns to accept his skimpiness. She only keeps getting more and more powerful from there.
* SecondYearProtagonist: She's in her second year of high school.
* SecretLegacy: Twice over. First through Isshin, who [[spoiler:founded Nudist Beach]] and made Senketsu especially for her, and then as revealed in episode 18 [[spoiler:she's really Ragyo Kiryuin's lost daughter.]]
* SeenItAll: Slowly develops into this. At the start of the series, she's as weirded out by Mako's antics as everyone else and can't help but blush at Mikisugi's stripping; later on, she can predict what's going on in Mako's head and is barely fazed by a whole army of nude guys.
* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler:Subverted. She may have defeated Ragyo in the final battle, but Ragyo [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled kills herself]]]].
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: The direct result of the ReluctantFanserviceGirl entry above, [[DownplayedTrope though she still won't tolerate guys trying to get some eye candy.]]
* ShearMenace: Her main weapon is the half of an enormous pair of scissors that are engineered to destroy Goku Uniforms.
* SheatheYourSword: In episode 7, she deactivates Senketsu and lowers her weapon to get Mako to stop fighting her.
* ShesBack:
** She recovers from her HeroicBSOD in episode 13 and goes back to fighting the bullies of the academt. [[spoiler: Nui invoked this in order to her back on her feet just for a chance to continue their battle, and even then, Ryuko hasn't fully overcome her fears and holds back, leading to Senketsu getting torn to shreds.]] It only happens for real two episodes later, when she [[spoiler:recovers all of Senketsu's pieces.]]
** After yet another HeroicBSOD in episode 19, which was combined with DespairEventHorizon and [[spoiler:an involuntary FaceHeelTurn,]] she pulls out all the stops and [[spoiler:breaks free from Ragyo's FakeMemories]] in episode 21, [[spoiler:tearing Junketsu to shreds in the process.]] She then proceeds to beat Nui senseless in the following episode.
* ShesGotLegs: Accentuated by her DangerouslyShortSkirt.
* SkunkStripe: Has a single red streak in her dark blue hair. [[spoiler:It's also a Life Fiber blade.]] She gains more of them the more she draws on Senketsu's power.
* SlasherSmile: As episode 20 demonstrates, Ryuko can pull off ''terrifying'' ones. Being [[spoiler:brainwashed by Ragyo]] has a lot to do with it, but still...
* SmugSuper: The more powerful she becomes and the easier she knocks her opponents down, the cockier she gets. Senketsu does call her out in episode 5, but it only barely sticks after [[WakeUpCallBoss Tsumugu]] and later Sanageyama take her out.
* SoleSurvivor: In episode 24, [[spoiler:with Nui assimilated into Ragyo and Ragyo herself committing suicide, Ryuko is the last remaining Life Fiber-Human hybrid on Earth]].
* SpeedEchoes: Ryuko is fast enough to create these with Senketsu's help.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: She can spin her Scissor Blade fast enough that it can neutralize Gamagoori's whip lashes.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Senketsu's base form barely covers anything. This is subverted when [[spoiler: she wears Junketsu post-FaceHeelTurn]], which is the most modest Kamui transformation yet.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: There are two distinct sides to Ryuko's personality: the side that's driven by stone cold vengeance to slaughter the Honnouji Academy Student Council, and the side that just wants to enjoy eating lunch with her best friend.
* SuperMode: When she finally achieves the perfect Synchronization with Senketsu, her hair and the lines on Senketsu begin to glow and she becomes so fast that she leaves [[SpeedEchoes afterimages.]]
* SuperSpeed: Nearly every opponent, including Satsuki herself, has expressed shock at Ryuko's tremendous speed while wearing Senketsu.
* SuperStrength: She becomes able to destroy stuff ''without'' putting on Senketsu once [[spoiler: her dormant Life Fiber powers awaken.]]
* SwordBeam: She is able to do this with her Scissor Blade.
* ThemeNaming: "Matoi" means "to wear" and "entwine", foreshadowing her relationship with Senketsu & the Life-Fibers.
* ThongOfShielding: Her suspenders ride up her backside just like an actual thong. Some shots show she [[PantyShot still wears panties]] under Senketsu.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Tomboy to Mako's Girly Girl. She's also the Tomboy to ''Nui's'' Girly Girl, though in that case the relationship isn't exactly a friendly one.
* TomboyishSidetails: She gains a pair of these whenever she activates Senketsu.
* TookALevelInBadass: She was already a badass to start, but she needed Senketsu for her to even stand a chance against Satsuki and her Elite Four. At the start of the series, her embarrassment about Senketsu's skimpiness hindered her fighting ability until she embraced her nudity, she then fought Satsuki to a standstill after getting [[CurbStompBattle curb stomped]] by her. Come episode 14 and 15, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is shredded by Nui]] she goes through Satsuki's ''entire army'' to put him back together, and one shots each them in nothing but a track suit. She then fights Satsuki again and does far better, even forcing her to retreat. By the time episode 18 has come, she's so powerful that she overwhelms Satsuki ''without'' Senketsu, while she is using her own Junketsu and when she does transform she's so in sync with Senketsu that she even overwhelms [[spoiler: Nui Harime]] to the point the latter sports a very uncharacteristic OhCrap expression. This girl is going places.
** And by episode 20, even when suffering a HeroicBSOD and without Senketsu at all, she can lop buildings in half from miles away, and is finally able to [[spoiler: grab and impale Nui, who only survives thanks to being another Life Fiber-empowered being like Ryuko.]]
* TookALevelInKindness: Slowly but surely, Ryuko goes from cold, aloof, and revenge-driven to friendly, outgoing, and [[spoiler:willing to forgive the people who put her through hell]].
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Lemons, if episode 1 and the opening are anything to go by. She even eats the skin!
* TragicKeepsake: Her Scissor Blade is the very same one used to kill her father. She also considers Senketsu to be this, since he was made by her dad.
* TransformationSequence: Complete with {{Gainaxing}}.
* TraumaCongaLine: It feels like episodes 18 and on are dedicated to just how much shit can be thrown at Ryuko. First, she finds out that Ragyo [[spoiler:is her mother]], [[BeatStillMyHeart in the worst possible way no less.]] Then, she discovers that [[spoiler: she isn't human.]] And finally she is {{Mind Rape}}d into [[spoiler: wearing Junketsu.]]
* TrueCompanions: With Senketsu and Mako, though on separate terms since Mako doesn't know Senketsu is alive. Later on, Nudist Beach, [[spoiler:Satsuki and the Elite Four also join her circle of friends.]] Epitomized during her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Nui in episode 22.
* UglyGuysHotDaughter: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged.]] Hell, her dad looks old enough to be her ''grandfather''. Then it was revealed that [[spoiler: she was actually Ragyo Kiryuin's daughter, which utterly confused the idea that she could possibly be his daughter. Then it was revealed that she actually was his daughter. Not only that, but her father was very good-looking, but purposely changed his looks to hide from his wife.]]
* {{Underboobs}}: While Senketsu is transformed.
* UnskilledButStrong: Shares this with Senketsu in early episodes. There are few better ways to describe someone wearing a 100% Life Fiber uniform that some subs translate as a "Godrobe," (which, by the way, is probably not an exaggeration) but struggles against people wearing 20% Life Fiber. She and Senketsu get better, though. [[DegradedBoss Lord,]] [[CurbStompBattle do they]] [[TookALevelInBadass get better.]] Especially after consuming all that Life Fiber.
* UnscrupulousHero: Despite claiming she's only out to avenge her father, she isn't willing to leave a helpless student behind, as seen in episodes 4 and 13. [[spoiler:[[ExploitedTrope Of course, said students pretty much screwed her over...]]]]
* UnstoppableRage: She ''completely'' flips her lid when she meets her father's killer, [[spoiler:Nui Harime]], which transforms her in a [[spoiler: [[BodyHorror very terrible manner]] that causes her to [[OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank lose a nearly fatal amount of blood]], nearly dying if [[BigDamnHeroes it weren't for Mako]]]].
* UnwittingPawn:
** Brought about by Satsuki in episode 7, who uses her newly founded Fight Club to weed out all undesirable students at the academy so she can restructure the Student Council to her liking.
** Happens again after episode 12, where Satsuki reveals that both the Naturals Election and Ryuko's battles with the Elite Four allowed her to create better Goku Uniforms, finally giving her the power to take over all the schools in Japan.
** Satsuki reveals that initially her plan was to simply to use Ryuko [[spoiler:in her quest to defeat Ragyo]].
* VaginaDentata: Her entire waistline turns into a massive mouth with sharp teeth when [[spoiler: she goes berserk.]]
* VaporWear: Played with. Somehow, despite all appearances, she's wearing modest and sensible (especially for this anime) underwear underneath Senketsu, as it miraculously appears whenever he's removed, willingly or not.
* WallRun: She can run up vertical surfaces without activating Senketsu, as demonstrated at the end of the Naturals Election.
* WhoWearsShortShorts: Her skirt transforms into a combination of skirt and shorts (shorts in the middle, skirt in the sides) when she activates Senketsu.
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: Noticeably sports them when [[spoiler:under Junketsu's control, being brainwashed to support Ragyo's plan and fight Nudist Beach.]]
* WorthyOpponent:
** Satsuki considers Ryuko to be this.
** Sanageyama also sees her as this, outright proclaiming he refuses to die until he gets even with her.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: [[spoiler: She and Senketsu give out a good amount of these during their final battle with Ragyo.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: Ryuko doesn't hesitate to hit Mataro, who is a child, if he peeps her. Mataro is a pervert, and Ryuko does ''not'' tolerate perverts. She also beat up Mataro's gang when they picked a fight with her, though she was probably holding back a lot when she did.
* YouKilledMyFather: She's looking for the woman responsible. When she does, she's...[[UnstoppableRage not happy]].
* ZettaiRyouiki: Grade-A when Senketsu is activated.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Satsuki Kiryuin]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/41368fde2ff0cc76e3d37f5c82cc9c6c.png]]
->''"Fear is freedom! Subjugation is liberation! Contradiction is truth! Those are the facts of this world, and you will all surrender to them, you pigs in human clothing!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/RyokaYuzuki (Japanese), Creator/CarrieKeranen (English)
The StudentCouncilPresident of Honnouji Academy, and Ryuko's [[TheRival arch rival]]. Her goal: total WorldDomination through the superpower-endowing Goku Uniforms. Her sword, Bakuzan, is enough to withstand even the awe-inspiring might of Ryuko's Kamui, Senketsu. Not one to let herself get outdone by anyone, however, she ends up donning her own Kamui, Junketsu,[[note]]"Purity"[[/note]] to counter Ryuko's.
----
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Her sword is keener than the Scissor Blades and it's able to easily cut Senketsu.
* AbusiveParents: The first time we see her and her mother together in person on screen, Ragyo fondles her body with a disturbing level of intimacy for some reason. She also gets even more grabby in episode 16, when she bathes Satsuki in herbs to to cleanse her chakra gates and increase her affinity for her Kamui. While this may sound relatively innocuous, if your mind isn't dirty enough, bear in mind that Satsuki was ''naked'', making rather [[{{Squick}} suggestive]] [[TheImmodestOrgasm noises]], and the Root Chakra gate is located in the groin.
* TheAce: Very much so in the first half of the series. She's the president of an AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil that rules an entire school and has enough influence to take over other schools across the globe, is feared and admired by everyone in said school, masters the power of her Kamui before the protagonist is able to, and has a [[XanatosSpeedChess plan for almost]] [[XanatosGambit anything that might be an inconvenience for her.]] [[BrokenAce The second half of the series tears all of that down]].
* AintTooProudToBeg: By episode 22, she becomes humble enough to ask [[spoiler:Ryuko to join forces with her and defeat Ragyo.]]
* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Composed and focused almost at all times in carrying out her plans.
* [[AloofOlderBrother Aloof Older Sister]]: [[spoiler:Subverted. By the time she reunites with Ryuko following TheReveal, she already TookALevelInKindness.]]
* AntiHero: Of the GoodIsNotNice and PragmaticHero variety, everything she has done is to make her army stronger and complete the façade of allegiance, in order to defeat [[spoiler: her mother and free the world from the Life Fibers.]]
* AntiVillain: A combination of the [[NobleDemon Noble]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist Well-Intentioned]] variants. She's a complete and utter despot with [[TheSocialDarwinist disdain for the weak]], but only because she believes the world to be in complete disarray unless she's in control. She also shows respect and even [[PetTheDog kindness]] to those who prove their strength and resolve. [[spoiler:So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise when she later pulls a HeelFaceTurn.]]
* ArchEnemy: Out of everyone in the school, Satsuki is at the very top of Ryuko's hit list since she believes she knows what happened to her father, at least before the actual culprit entered the picture. Afterwards, the antagonism dies down somewhat between them and Satsuki straddles the line between this and being TheRival. [[spoiler:Later on, she becomes an ally and teams up with Ryuko in order to defeat their mother Ragyo.]]
* {{Badass}}: Able to go toe to toe with Ryuko/Senketsu, even ''before'' she acquired Junketsu, and is a credible enough threat to make Nui back down when necessary.
* BadassBack: She pulls this off [[CurbStompBattle very well]].
* BadassInCharge: The absolute ruler of Honnouji Academy.
* BadassLongcoat: Briefly dons one in episode 22.
* BadassNormal: Is able to put Ryuko, wearing Senketsu, in a pinch without a Goku Uniform or Kamui, and can blow away 500 men with [[{{Kiai}} just a shout]]. She doesn't have special abilities, and [[spoiler: isn't a Life Fiber hybrid like at least three other characters]], she's just ''Satsuki Kiryuin''.
* BigBad: Serves as the main antagonist for the first half of the series.
* BigGood: Despite appearing otherwise, she is in fact [[spoiler:plotting to stop Ragyo and has created Honnouji Academy to train students to be able to fight her mother and her Life Fibers.]]
* BigOlEyebrows: A highly unusual feature for a LadyOfWar, which she inherited from her mother. Shown to have had them back when she was a ''baby''. Ryuko even calls her a "caterpillar-eyebrowed bitch" to mock her at one point.
** Amusingly enough, the first drama CD reveals that she doesn't think that they're big, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint because they taper at the edges]].
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: Bakuzan has a very dark finish, seen during the rare times she's drawn and wreaked havoc with it. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it's not quite good enough; Ragyo is able to shatter it.]]
* BoringButPractical: In a fight which involved sentient alien school uniforms, shadow clones, optical camouflage, mini-mecha etc. she created an opening she needed to [[spoiler:decapitate Ragyo]] by blinding them with her sword's reflection, one of the oldest sword tricks in the book.
* BenevolentBoss: To the Elite Four, at least. The rest of the Academy? Not so much.
* BreakTheHaughty: Episode 18 has not been kind to her. Neither has any episode after that until episode 21. Though ultimately {{Subverted}} as her greatest asset, her will, is far from broken, no matter how harsh a physical beating she might get.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Thanks to some toe blades, she's able to [[spoiler:break out of her prison and oneshot COVERS even while completely naked.]] She is also able to fight evenly with [[spoiler:Nui despite being stripped of her Kamui.]]
* CallingYourAttacks: [[spoiler: How she's able to utilize Senketsu's transformation forms during episode 21. She even invents one for him on the spot. This is because she cannot communicate with Senketsu the way Ryuko can, thus has to call out her desired transformation. Ryuko points out that this method has a slight timing lag, thus is easier to stop.]]
* CameBackStrong: Because Bakuzan [[spoiler: is shattered, then reforged into two blades]], it gains the same ability to [[spoiler:destroy Life Fibers that Ryuko's Scissor Blades do. [[AvertedTrope Averted]] fifty-three seconds into the final episode, when they are once again destroyed by Ragyo.]]
* CastingGag: Physically she bears a striking resemblance to Arashi from ''Manga/{{X1999}}'', one of Ryoka Yuzuki's famous earlier roles.
* CatchAFallingStar: She catches [[spoiler:Ryuko as she is [[UpToEleven falling from space.]] It doesn't stop Ryuko's motion though, just changes the direction from vertical to horizontal. It takes the entire cast to safely slow Ryuko down.]]
* CharacterDevelopment: Initially was an arrogant SocialDarwinist who had no problems using people as pawns for her plans, and while her goals were later revealed to be noble, she acknowledges that treating people that way made her no different from Ragyo and [[spoiler: humbly asks Ryuko for her help in defeating their mother.]] Afterwards, she mellows out significantly sporting a far more relaxed expression and even smiles and laughs a lot more.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: There is no indication that there is [[BadassNormal anything abnormal]] about her fighting prowess and yet she can crush steel armor with mere strikes of her sheathed sword.
* ChildhoodFriends: She's been friends with Jakuzure since before kindergarten.
* CleavageWindow: While wearing Junketsu.
* CloseCallHaircut: In [[OriginalVideoAnimation episode 25]], [[spoiler:[[DragonTheirFeet Rei]] attempts to slit Satsuki's throat when she's defeated, but fails to kill her and cuts the right part of her hair.]] Satsuki later cuts the rest of her hair short, [[spoiler:as proof of having graduated from Ragyo's shadow.]]
* CombatStilettos: Multiple shots are dedicated to her striking her high heels on the ground whenever she makes a DynamicEntry. She's even delivers a few ultra-powered kicks during her fights with Ryuko.
* ConsummateLiar: Had [[spoiler:Ragyo]] completely fooled into thinking she was loyal.
* ContraltoOfDanger: She has a noticeably prominent and deep voice compared to the most of the women in the cast, especially when it comes to exercising her authority over others, although she has her share of action as well.
* CoolBigSis: By the end of the series, Satsuki is definitely trying to live up to this role for [[spoiler:her actual younger sister, Ryuko; the latter even calls her such eventually.]]
* CoolSword: Secret Sword Bakuzan, a katana so sharp that it can cut Kamui and send people flying with the sheer RazorWind it emits when swung.
* CrazyPrepared:
** Satsuki is not one to underestimate, despite it looking like everything she planned all led to episode 18. [[spoiler: Episode 19 shows that she did have a few plans in case she lost, such as rigging the stadium to blow, or got captured, where she reveals that some of her toenails have been replaced with the same metal the Bakuzan is made of.]]
** [[spoiler: She had Honnouji Academy in its entirety built as a hidden HumongousMecha, to fight the Primordial Life Fiber]].
* CurbstompBattle: Casually delivers one to Ryuko during their first fight to show just how more experienced she is with her Kamui. During [[WhamEpisode episode 18]], [[spoiler:Ragyo inflicts a brutal one on her, reducing Satsuki to a bloody, broken husk of her former self.]] In episode 21, [[spoiler: she is once again on the receiving end, this time against a Junketsu-wearing Ryuko, despite wearing Senketsu since she couldn't access his full strength (Ryuko, however, had all of Junketsu's power). But she has a plan.]]
* DaddysGirl: PlayedForDrama. [[spoiler:After his death, she takes up his plans in order to fight her mother and destroy the COVERS.]]
* DamselOutOfDistress: Episode 19 has her captured by [[spoiler:Ragyo]], but Satsuki later escapes using just her toenails as weapons.
* DarkActionGirl: Even her most martially skilled subordinates have an infallible respect for her fighting prowess.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Her [[spoiler:father was killed by her mother and her sister, Ryuko, was subjected to medical experimentation]], and she spent most of her life being [[spoiler: physically and [[RapeAsBackstory sexually abused]] by [[ParentalIncest her mother.]]]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: [[spoiler: She temporarily wears Senketsu in episode 21 in order to stop a brainwashed Ryuko.]]
** [[spoiler: Her entire plan when running the academy was to train an army to stand up to her mother's fashion empire and sinister plans.]]
* DeadLittleSister: One of her biggest reasons for [[spoiler: rebelling against her mother. She planned on avenging her death, their father's death, and stopping Ragyo's ultimate goal with the Life Fibers.]] Several minutes after revealing this, she, along with everyone else, discover that her sister is actually [[spoiler:Ryuko.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Can be this when not overtly stern.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: This is how she recruited Gamagoori and Sanageyama, with Inumuta being a borderline case.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Ever since she was 5 years old, she has been plotting [[spoiler: to destroy her mother Ragyo, the true BigBad, and eliminate the Life Fibers.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: She gradually softens. Satsuki starts out as a ruthless [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinist]], but later finds it in her to stop a humiliated Gamagoori from committing suicide. By episode 22, she even smiles now and then.
* {{Determinator}}: She holds strength of will and resolve in the highest of regards, and even though Junketsu puts an enormous strain on her and tries to devour her, she never lets it show in front of Ryuko or even her Elite Four. Even after [[spoiler:her lifelong planned revolution failed and she had been imprisoned on chains for an entire month, she ''still'' hasn't given up.]]
* DesperatelySeekingAPurposeInLife / VictoryIsBoring: [[spoiler: Episode 25 reveals that after Ragyo was defeated, Satsuki has no idea what to do anymore, and isn't able to move on. It's so bad that she even offers to let [[DeathSeeker Hououmaru take her life]] if it will help the girl move on, feeling that is her final purpose. Luckily, Ryuko's speech to Hououmaru helps her realize that she still has a purpose and she vows to make the world a better place for everyone.]]
* {{Deuteragonist}}: The series is mostly centered on her relationship with Ryuko, and later on arguably eclipses Ryuko herself as the series` primary heroine [[spoiler: until the latter's comeback from being brainwashed at the end of episode 21]]. The creators even describe her as the ''other'' main character of the show.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: Even with [[BigBad her mother]] backing her as Honnouji Academy's board chairwoman, Satsuki acts largely independently as the main antagonist, sending her subordinates after Ryuko and using her to further her own plans. [[spoiler: Episode 18 eventually reveals this agenda was getting the perfect opportunity to assassinate her mother and rebel against her cause.]]
* DualWielding: Starting in episode 21, she fights using [[spoiler:Gako and Koryu, the two blades that were made from Bakuzan's remains.]]
* EasilyForgiven: Subverted. Despite the fact that her actions were noble from the start, and risking her life to save Ryuko after the latter [[spoiler: was brainwashed]], Ryuko herself notes that doesn't excuse all of the things Satsuki's done before and it takes a heartfelt apology from her for Ryuko to forgive, and accept her as an ally [[spoiler: and sister.]]
** Invoked in the OVA, when [[spoiler:Rei creates Life Fiber clones of her and the Elite Four, which are near-identical copies of [[IHatePastMe the ruthless despots they once were]]]].
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Bakuzan, which can cut Life Fibers, is still a threat to Senketsu when combined with Satsuki's swordsmanship and Junketsu's advanced abilities.
* EnfantTerrible: Even in kindergarden, she was known for making profound EvilOverlord speeches.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Read the above quote. She says this while addressing the entire student body atop an ''impossibly'' massive school building.
* EvilOverlord: Has the tone of this, as she plots to take over the world. [[spoiler: This is revealed to be a ruse to trick Ragyo into thinking she was on their side.]]
* {{Expy}}:
** She could be considered a CompositeCharacter of [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Roy Mustang and Olivier Mira Armstrong]] born into a different universe, given the long list of similarities she has with the two of them.
*** Both: A superior of the hotheaded hero in what's effectively a military dictatorship? Check. Heavily disliked by the protagonist? Check. Has employed sheer tactical genius on several occasions? Check. Has a boisterous subordinate full of size, muscle, and valor? Check.[[note]]Bonus points for Roy's big guy also doubling as Olivier's at times due to being her kid brother, which accounts for a couple of her similarities as well.[[/note]] Has a group of immediate subordinates who believe in their cause no matter what? Check. [[spoiler:Said cause is actually to overthrow the dictatorship they purportedly serve in order to stop it from secretly conspiring to destroy everyone to feed some ungodly power? Check.[[note]]Although Satsuki has a leg up on both of them—she's closer to the central power by the start of her series and she learned of her world's evil conspiracy beforehand, while Roy and Olivier are essentially playing catchup, climbing through the ranks while gradually coming into the truth.[[/note]] Becomes a BigGood[=/=]SupportingLeader to the hero's side as a result? Check. The protagonist comes to respect and trust them as a friend/ally despite their disparate personalities? Check. Helps slow down the BigBad and set up their ultimate defeat at the hands of TheHero? Check.]]
*** Roy: Has fought the protagonist in front of their troops early on in the story? Check. Accused of murder by the protagonist because of one of their master plans? Check. [[spoiler:Is a candidate for use as a LivingBattery for the ungodly power at the head of the evil conspiracy? Check. Seeks to atone for atrocities they committed in support (real or fake) of the regime? Check. Is motivated by revenge for someone the regime had killed? Check. Embarks on a road to use their power for the benefit of society, complete with trusting a certain subordinate to take their life if they go down the wrong path? Check.[[note]]Though in this case it takes the ending for Roy to get enough power for this and for Satsuki to find the purpose.[[/note]]]]
*** Olivier: A SocialDarwinist {{Iron|Lady}} LadyOfWar who rules a military fortress which is imposing both in stature and in the discipline that runs it? Check. Respects strength and order above all else and strikes fear into damn near everyone who serves under her? Check. Favors the HitlerCam / SwordPlant image and makes bold commanding speeches on at least a semi-regular basis? Check. [[spoiler:Has a HiddenHeartOfGold and deeply cares about her troops underneath all that militant luster? Check. Has deceived a superior in the evil conspiracy into thinking said heel had seduced her into loyalty just to wait for the perfect opportunity to impale and destroy the heel? Check. Does said impaling while the heel in the midst of a power-crazed monologue and proceeds to answer back with a speech about the villain's evil and/or cowardice? Check. Is the [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]/[[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling Responsible Sibling]] in a hostile SiblingRivalry which turns out in the end to be a strong SiblingTeam as the two show themselves to be NotSoDifferent from one another? Check. Said SiblingTeam does major damage to an EldritchAbomination on the bad guys' side during the final battle? Check.]]
** Similar to how Ryuko is an expy to [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Simon]], Satsuki is one to Rossiu. Both are white-clad authority figures obsessed with order with a DarkAndTroubledPast (Rossiu's harsh village life, Satsuki's [[spoiler:ParentalAbandonment and RapeAsBackstory]]) who provide a {{law|ful neutral}}[[LawfulEvil ful]] {{foil}} to the ChaoticGood hero. Both are also willing to do [[ShootTheDog morally ambiguous things]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist for the greater good]], [[spoiler:but they eventually learn that what they did was in the end wrong, and try to atone for their mistakes]].
** Also one to [[Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt Stocking Anarchy]]. Both are [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana wielders]] with [[RavenHairIvorySkin pale skin, dark]] [[RapunzelHair long hair]], and a no-nonsense attitude that contrasts with the HotBlooded nature of the other main protagonist, [[spoiler:who happens to be their sister]], the key difference being that Satsuki is a noble AntiVillain [[spoiler:who turns out to have been GoodAllAlong and ends up in a loving relationship with her sister]], while Stocking is a sociopathic AntiHero [[spoiler:who turns about to have been EvilAllAlong and murders her sister in cold blood]].
* FemmeFatalons: Has artificial toenails on her big toes made of the same material as Bakuzan so she can [[spoiler:escape after being captured by her mother.]]
* FatalFlaw: Pride. As she eventually admits later in the series, her manipulations and ruthlessness that were meant to create allies strong enough to help her against [[spoiler:Ragyo]], tended to create more disarray because she was stubborn in insisting her way was the best way to go about it. [[spoiler: What's more, it didn't even work in the long run as she grossly underestimated Raygo and the Primordial Life Fibers who easily swatted Satsuki's (one-Star) forces down. As opposed to Nudist Beach who put up a fight despite have no Goku Uniforms to use. But this is kind of averted when it turns out that Satsuki's Elite Four are capable of doing more than the entire Nudist Beach forces combined. The two main Nudist Beach operatives grow increasingly ineffective as the series goes on while the Elite Four only get stronger.]]
* FirstNameBasis:
** Her childhood friendship with Jakuzure is referenced when Satsuki uses her first name when they're alone.
** She also uses this on her mother in episode 18, a sign of gross disrespect in Japan, which is exactly what Satsuki meant it to be.
** By episode 22, she finally calls [[spoiler: Ryuko solely by her first name, indicating her recognition of Ryuko as her little sister]].
* FreudianExcuse: It's implied that [[spoiler: her mother's sexual abuse]] is the reason why she's so messed up.
* FullFrontalAssault: During episode 20, she [[spoiler:escapes from her prison with just her toenails as weapons]] and cuts down a few [[spoiler:COVERS {{Mook}}s]] while naked.
* FullNameBasis: Like Ryuko does with her, Satsuki addresses Ryuko by her full name. Until episode 21.
* GodivaHair: And not just her breasts, it's long enough to cover her butt and even crotch at one point.
* GoingCommando: As a member of [[spoiler:Nudist Beach]]. She was also naked during [[spoiler:her escape from the school.]]
* GoodAllAlong: In episode 17, [[spoiler: she and all of Honnouji are actually good guys trying to stop the global take over and subjection of man by Life Fibers.]]
* GoodIsNotNice: Shows no mercy in attaining her goal [[spoiler: to kill Ragyo and free mankind from Life Fibers.]]
* HairDecorations: Has small wings in her hair when Junketsu is activated.
* HateSink: Invokes this InUniverse to make sure Ryuko's attention stays on her, going so far as to lie about her involvement with Isshin's death. She also tends to tell people it's fine when they insult or say they hate her since that's how she wants it.
* HazyFeelTurn: She always had her own agenda since the very beginning of the plot, it just took her seventeen episodes to get the perfect shot at [[spoiler: Ragyo's]] back.
* TheHeavy: She may not have as much power as [[BigBad her mother]] and [[spoiler:she is neither evil nor responsible for Isshin Matoi's murder]], but she was still the primary antagonist in the first half of the series.
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Even if her goals were noble, she apologizes to Ryuko when she realizes that treating people like pawns and manipulating Ryuko makes her no different than Ragyo.]]
* HeroicWillpower: Invoked when she wears Junketsu. If episode 20 is any indication, [[spoiler:Junketsu has been trying to MindRape her every time she activated it, or even every time she wore it.]] Despite this, she forced Junketsu to give her power and was able to fight Ryuko on equal terms.
* HimeCut: Appropriate for someone of such regal power.
* HitlerCam: Most if not all shots of her are angled upwards. Used to great effect in as she [[YourSizeMayVary towers]] over Ryuko in episode 2 when she goes to strike her.
* HobbesWasRight: Her justification for her social darwinist views in the first half.
* HolyBacklight: Every time she steps on top of the school, her mere existence can shoot out beams of light rays fiercer than the sun, and blinds all who are below her into submission. Her mother apparently [[InTheBlood can do the same]], but with a rainbow spectrum. Apparently, it is symbolic of her willpower: [[spoiler: In the OVA, when Satsuki is despondent after having accomplished her life's goal, she loses the ability to do this, and when she regains her determination, she gets it back.]]
* HotBlooded: When the situation calls for it, she proves that she can scream with the best of them.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** In middle school, she disparages two bullies who rely on their parents' positions and connections for their power. Gamagoori points out that she's doing exactly the same thing; she counters that unlike them, she truly ''owns'' her parents' power. It turns out that [[spoiler: she's only doing this so that she can eventually rebel against her mother]], making this something of a subversion.
** She spends a good three-quarters of the series lambasting Ryuko for having something as small-minded and self-centered as a revenge quest fueling her one-man war against her. Then she reveals to Ragyo that [[spoiler:she originally started her rebellion plans when her father revealed what was done to her little sister and requested her to carry on his quest to stop Ragyo just before he was chased off by her.]] When Ragyo points out how petty that motivation is, Satsuki without a modicum of irony or self-awareness asserts that great causes and champions are fueled by personal desires. Of course, her original statement was made in public before witnesses, and she had a cover to maintain at the time, so whether she really believed it is suspect at best.
* IcyBlueEyes: Always has a piercing stare that goes with her frown.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: She feels that her actions as an EvilOverlord were completely necessary to get her to a point where she could [[spoiler: kill her mother Ragyo.]] This is also her reasoning for not holding back when fighting [[spoiler:her fellow students brainwashed to serve Ragyo]] in episode 18. It's ultimately {{subverted}} when she admits her actions were no better than [[spoiler:her mother's]] in episode 22 and apologizes to Ryuko.
* IHaveTheHighGround: Specifically so she can look down on others from a more befitting height.
* ILied: In TheStinger of episode 12, Satsuki tells Ryuko she was the one who ordered Isshin's death. Late in the series, it's revealed she purposely lied to Ryuko to make sure she didn't try going after [[spoiler:Nui]] until Ryuko was stronger.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler: Against Ryuko in episode 21. She puts her body through excessive strain to wear Senketsu to let him fight, since they both want to bring her back to her senses.]]
* ImportantHaircut: Following [[spoiler:Ragyo's defeat]] in the epilogue, she cuts her HimeCut to a bob. Episode 25 reveals that this is to signify that she's graduated from [[spoiler:Ragyo's influence]] as well as Honnouji Academy, and to even out [[spoiler:her CloseCallHaircut in the same episode]].
* IronLady: Has a strong disposition and feared by most of the academy.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Her sword can cause [[RazorWind massive damage]] even if blocked, and can slice a Kamui ''without'' any Goku Uniform power boost. Subverted later on in Episode 18, however, as it is completely ineffective in killing [[spoiler: her mother, despite the fact that Satsuki first impaled her, and then cut her head off. To add to this, Ragyo easily breaks the blade with nothing but her ''fists''.]]
* {{Kiai}}: A single shout of hers is enough to blow away 500 men.
* KickTheDog: Subverted. The only reason why she antagonized [[spoiler:her little sister, Ryuko]], is to help her get stronger.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: [[spoiler:Subverted]]. She rams her sword straight into [[spoiler:Ragyo]] as retribution for all the crap she's done, [[spoiler:but unfortunately for her, [[NoSell Ragyo isn't fazed in the slightest]]]].
* KnightInSourArmor: While she believes that HumansAreBastards, she still [[spoiler: declares that she fights for the sake of human freedom when she confronts Ragyo.]]
* LadyOfWar: She has a composed and dignified demeanor when using Bakuzan, and is very calculating in battle. However, she breaks from standards with her monstrous physical strength.
* LargeHam: As a general example, before she starts her dramatic speeches, she always slams down her heel, gives a very intimidating stare, and looks down at the masses with a powerful wind blowing her long hair.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Embraces a social darwinist philosophy, looks down on others, and controls the student body through fear and violence. [[spoiler: When she finally makes her move, not only does she fail and wind up getting captured and tortured by Ragyo, she later ends up fighting a brainwashed Ryuko, who delivers a brutal CurbstompBattle to Satsuki while subjecting her to the same verbal abuse Satsuki had so frequently inflicted on the no-star students. What makes this especially ironic is that Ryuko is the long lost sister for whom Satsuki committed so many sins in order to avenge.]]
* LastNameBasis: She calls her subordinates by their last names. [[VillainousFriendship The one exemption is Jakuzure]] [[Heartwarming/KillLaKill when they share a tender moment]].
* {{Leitmotif}}: "鬼龍G@キLL",[[note]]''Kiryu ga Kill''[[/note]] an overbearing, militaristic piece.
* LightIsNotGood: Wears a bright white uniform. Runs several schools across the country like a fascist regime. [[spoiler: But she turns to LightIsGood after episode 22, after her HeelFaceTurn and getting to wear Junketsu again.]]
* LittleMissBadass: As a middle school student, she easily defeated both Sanageyama and Gamagoori in single combat.
* LivingBattery: [[spoiler:Ragyo originally planned on having Satsuki be the power source for the kamui Shinra-Koketsu, a role that eventually went to Rei.]] In episode 25, [[spoiler:Rei uses Satsuki as a means to power up Honnouji Academy's mecha form, and also kidnaps Mako as a spare battery.]]
* LongGame: She's been building her power at Honnouji Academy for years, and [[spoiler:has waited all this time to unleash the army she's built against her mother. Ragyo and the COVERS dismantle it within minutes.]]
* LongLostRelative: [[spoiler:She's eventually revealed to be Ryuko's long lost older sister.]]
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Considering how her parents [[spoiler:experimented on her and her little sister]], she very much qualifies.
* [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bitch]]: In-universe example. She takes full advantage of Ryuko's arrival at her academy, using her battles with the Student Council to make the final adjustments to their Goku Uniforms to stage a full invasion of Japan, while also purging the system of any dissenters for good measure. Ryuko later points this out.
* MightyGlacier: She isn't exactly slow, but her strength is mostly centered on her monstrous physical strength, and her tough defenses, something Ryuko comments on during their match at Osaka.
* [[DaddysLittleVillain Mommy's Little Villain]]: Extremely ambitious and ruthless, she also inherited her charisma and love for speeches from her mother. Subverted actually because [[spoiler:it's been all a ruse to fool Ragyo so Satsuki could kill her and save humanity from Life Fibers.]]
* MyKungFuIsStrongerThanYours: She may be miffed that Ryuko got to wear a Kamui before her, but she boasts being the first one to master its power.
* NamedWeapons: Bakuzan, which can mean [[{{Foreshadowing}} "to cut one's ties"]].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: "Kiryuin" contains the characters for "demon", "dragon", and "ex-empress", all three of which aptly describe her.
* NecessarilyEvil: Satsuki will execute anyone who opposes her and runs Honnouji Academy like a dictatorship in general. However, her interactions with the Elite Four imply that there is an AntiVillain hiding under the ruthless things she does. [[spoiler:She shows this to be true in episode 17 when she reveals she has been taking a SocialDarwinist stance so that her students will be strong enough to stand up against her mother, who is trying to destroy the world.]]
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: She destroys [[spoiler:Nudist Beach and Osaka on the pretext that any group which cannot defeat her Life Fiber-enhanced army would be useless against Ragyo and COVERS.]] As it turns out in episode 18, her much-vaunted One-Stars [[spoiler:are defeated without firing a shot, in less than a minute. The crippled remnants of Nudist Beach, meanwhile, remain combat-effective a whole month later, because of her mother's Absolute Submission being able to possess Life Fibers.]] Evidently, someone didn't think her plan all the way through.
* NobleDemon:
** Even though she views weaklings as the lowest form of scum that need to be ruled by the strong, such as herself, she is shown to admire and respect people with ambition (such as Inumuta and Jakuzure) and determination (such as Gamagoori and Sanageyama) and rewards them as she sees fit. She even goes as far as giving second chances, like allowing Sanageyama to have a rematch with Ryuko [[EyeScream after he sews his eyes shut]] or [[DrivenToSuicide stopping Gamagoori from committing seppuku after he loses to Ryuko]]. In fact, she goes out of her way to protect Mako from Nui while the former attempts a CooldownHug on a rampaging Ryuko, and compliments her when she succeeds.
** Later, after [[spoiler: Senketsu is destroyed by Nui]], Satsuki has the courtesy of not only sparing Ryuko when she's practically at her whim, but after collecting most of [[spoiler: Senketsu's remains]], Satsuki allows Ryuko to keep a single piece despite presumably knowing the risks of an empowered Ryuko once again, and the fact that she could simply take it as well for the sake of removing both a threat and amplifying her regime's power.
** Ryuko counts on this when she gives Satsuki her sword back in Osaka, knowing Satsuki isn't so petty that she'll break her promises as soon as she has an advantage.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Her less than ethical actions are met with no severe consequences during the first part of the series. On the other hand, [[spoiler:her rebellion against Ragyo gets her beaten to a pulp, held prisoner and molested for a month]].
* NotSoDifferent:
** For all her speeches about her ambitions, when you discover her base motivation, it is really no different than Ryuko's: [[spoiler:She wants revenge for her father's and sister's death. Bonus points for the former being the same person, and the latter being Ryuko herself.]] Also, just as Ryuko must rely on TrueCompanions like Mako and Senketsu, Satsuki admits to rely on the Elite Four as hers.
** For all the hatred she has for Ragyo and her actions, Satsuki's HeelRealization reveals that her ruthlessness and manipulation of others for the sake of her own revenge have effectively turned her into the same person as her mother.
* TheOjou: Is treated as royalty by the student body as well as the faculty.
* OneWomanArmy: She can blow away dozens if not hundreds of opponents with her [[KiAttacks willpower]] alone. And that's ''without'' Junketsu's power.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** It really shows just how much strain Junketsu puts on Satsuki in episode 16. Satsuki who up until this point was always confident, grim-faced and absolutely unwavering looks like a lost, hurt little girl for a moment after taking Junketsu off.
** Her demeanor as she begins her [[spoiler:rebellion against Ragyo]] is also notable. While her baseline emotional state is rather intense, she is still extremely composed and would at most show contempt for an opponent. The sheer depth of rage and hatred she shows [[spoiler:Ragyo]] is incredible.
** Shows probably her greatest loss of composure verging on genuine fear when [[spoiler: Senketsu is sheared apart by Ryuko.]]
** The ending, where she screams at the top of her lungs while running as fast as she can to [[spoiler:catch her free-falling sister, Ryuko.]]
* OrcusOnHisThrone: {{Subverted}}; she steps down from her perch to personally fight Ryuko as soon as episode 2, even holding a proper match the very next episode. After that, however, she retires to her throne and sics the rest of her {{Mooks}} on Ryuko with the promise of fighting her again once she takes them all down. That is, until Ryuko goes berserk and starts demolishing her school.
* PerpetualFrowner: Wears a stern expression at almost all times. Until episode 22, where her expression softens up quite a bit.
* PetTheDog:
** When Sanageyama decides to fight Ryuko, he tells Satsuki to invite him for tea after he wins. Even though she made no such promise, she still honors it after he beats Ryuko. By that point, however, Sanageyama can sadly no longer enjoy hot beverages.
** We get one of the first indications that Satsuki isn't as bad as she pretends to be during Gamagoori's flashback when she saves a helpless student from bullies and ruthlessly punishes said bullies.
** When Gamagoori loses to Ryuko during the Naturals Election, she [[InterruptedSuicide stops his attempt at suicide.]]
** After Nui destroys Senketsu, Satsuki forces her to leave Ryuko alive, then leaves Ryuko covered in a blanket and with one remaining piece of Senketsu.
* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: She says a variation of this so much it's practically her catchphrase. Most of the time it's more of a "If you think I'm wrong, then take my head" dare then actual sincerity, though she does mean it. [[spoiler: In episode 25, while at a loss of what to do with herself after Ragyo's defeat, Satsuki sincerely tells Rei to just kill her and be done with her [[AvengingTheVillain revenge]]. Luckily, Ryuko indirectly gives her a wake up call. By the end of the OVA, she is back to her old ways of using this.]]
* PlotArmor: While Ryuko had this during her first fight with Satsuki, the latter has had this for a longer period of time; predominantly the last quarter of the anime. From [[spoiler:episode 18 onward, it seems like the writers could have killed her off at any given moment.]] Below is a list of times she could have died:
** [[spoiler:Ragyo's [[CurbStompBattle brutal beatdown]], [[GroinAttack laser blasting her in the crotch]], and throwing her into a stone wall afterwords]] and she's still lives.
** After that, Satsuki [[spoiler:sets the stadium to explode, giving everyone else a chance to escape.]] Instead, Satsuki [[spoiler: was made held prisoner and [[FateWorseThanDeath was her evil mother's favorite source of free time.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Ragyo planned to use Satsuki as a power for the ultimate Kamui]], but instead of that she [[spoiler:helps herself out.]]
** Even when sane, Ryuko still could have [[spoiler:killed Satsuki with only one punch since the latter was down to only a trenchcoat, while the former was in full-blown Synch Mode]]. Satsuki's friends wound up taking [[spoiler:Ryuko's punches for her and said punches didn't even killed them.]]
** Finally, Satsuki [[spoiler:catches her sister, Ryuko, when the latter falls down from Earth's orbit.]]
* PresidentEvil: President is in her official title, she's the main antagonist, and based on how Honnouji Academy and Honnou Town is operated, it's basically a city-state under her iron fist.
* PrivilegedRival: Satsuki, most certainly and most definitively, against the lifestyles of Ryuko and Mako: the Elite Four easily slide a single step below her in opulence, but possibly a step above her in terms of rivalry - with Ryuko, in particular.
* PureIsNotGood: Her Kamui's name is Junketsu, which means "purity," and she talks about her actions being "utterly pure." Ryuko [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this:
-->'''Ryuko:''' Is there anything about you that's pure?
* PuttingOnTheReich: She runs the school in a way eerily similar to social Darwinist fascist dictatorships. Justified in that [[spoiler: she needs to raise an army in order to have hardened fighters stand up to her mother.]]
* RapunzelHair: Down past her waist.
* RapeAsBackstory: Satsuki is subjected to repeated sexual abuse by [[spoiler:her mother]], and it is heavily implied that it has been going on since childhood.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: As if being constantly on the end of CurbStompBattle[=s=] lately wasn't enough, she is subject to lengthy speeches about how she is nowhere near as strong as she thinks she is, basically saying she is all talk. The fact that she was unable to use Junketsu [[spoiler: or any Kamui]] to its full potential is constantly brought up as proof of how weak and pathetic she is. Luckily, her friends tend to be more pissed about these speeches than she is.
* RedHerring: Viewers thinking she was [[spoiler:Isshin's murderer]], particularly since she never denies it, were completely thrown off guard by episode 11. Not helping matters is that the silhouette of [[spoiler:the murderer]] looks more and more like her in Ryuko's flashbacks, though [[spoiler:the real killer]] looks closer to the silhouette in the first episode.
* RedOniBlueOni: The [[TheStoic cool]], [[WickedCultured cultured]] Blue Oni to Ryuko's Red Oni. Her Kamui even has blue highlights where Ryuko's has red. This being a WorldOfHam, however, she's prone to her own bouts of HotBlooded-ness.
* TheReveal: After seventeen episodes, it turns out [[spoiler:she has been preparing for thirteen years in order to fight her mother and destroy the Life Fibers.]]
* {{Revenge}}: Essentially her motivation for [[spoiler:starting a rebellion against her mother.]]
-->'''Satsuki:''' [[spoiler:Ragyo Kiryuin!]] You shall pay for taking the lives of [[spoiler:my father Soichiro, and my little sister who was never even given a name!]]
* ReverseMole: [[WhamEpisode Episodes 17 and 18]] reveal that she has always been planning to [[spoiler:defeat her mother and stop the world take-over of the Life Fibers.]]
* TheRival: To Ryuko; they're mortal enemies, but there's still a sense of grudging, mutual respect for each other's strength between them. [[spoiler:Until episode 22, when they befriend each other and acknowledge each other as [[LongLostRelative sisters]].]]
* SayMyName: Often exchanges this with Ryuko, be it FullNameBasis at first or FirstNameBasis in the last episodes.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections:
** Subverted; while she does have her mother's influence to thank for her position, she exploits and absorbs their power to use as her own rather than leech off of it.
** And then in [[spoiler:episode 17, it's revealed that she's been doing this simply to gather enough strength to outright declare open rebellion against her mother and REVOCS/COVERS]].
* ShamefulStrip: After [[spoiler:failing to rebel against her mother]] and being captured because of it, [[spoiler:Ragyo]] has hung Satsuki in a cage by her arms, naked. ''Then'' [[spoiler:Ragyo]] manages to make the scene even more disturbing by groping her and spanking her ass repeatedly.
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Unlike [[ReluctantFanserviceGirl Ryuko]], she immediately and fully embraces her Kamui's revealing form as a symbol of her mastery over its full power.
* ShearMenace: [[spoiler:After Bakuzan Gako and Koryu are destroyed by Ragyo, Ryuko lends Satsuki one of her Scissor Blades.]]
* SheathStrike: One delivered to the diaphragm is her favorite method of taking down opponents non-lethally.
* ShouldersOfDoom: Junketsu gives her massive shoulder spikes that serve as her outfit's eyes.
* ShutUpHannibal: She cranks a ''spectacular'' example of this against [[spoiler:Ragyo]] in episode 17.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: When in her transformed state, she looks like a giant white ''hannya'' mask, with the fins as horns.
* TheSocialDarwinist: She arranges the Student Council based on their strength and superiority over other students. She even holds a "[[PunnyName Naturals Election]]"[[note]]Move the "s" over and you get "natural selection"[[/note]] after rooting all undesirable students out of her system. This makes perfect sense when you consider that the academy [[spoiler:wasn't a school, but a training ground for an army. Weak people in an army are just cannon fodder, and discipline has to be stricter than you would expect for a mere high school.]]
* SoWhatDoWeDoNow: [[spoiler:With Ragyo dead, she's lost the purpose that has defined most of her life, as shown in the OVA: Sanageyama describes her as seeming empty, and she's lost her backlight. It takes some work for her to get over this.]]
* SpikesOfVillainy: Employed as a weapon; Junketsu's shoulder fins can become drill-shaped blades.
* StatuesqueStunner: Her exact height [[YourSizeMayVary varies from scene to scene]], but Satsuki's easily one of the tallest women in the show, and towers over Ryuko by at least a foot.
* [[SinkOrSwimMentor Sink-or-Swim]] StealthMentor: Was one to Ryuko and [[spoiler:Nudist Beach]] all along. All the fights and hardships she heaped on her opponents were aimed at making them strong enough to [[spoiler:help her in a fight against Ragyo]]. It's subverted, however, as [[spoiler:she overdid it with the damage she has done to Nudist Beach and actually weakened them which bit her in the ass later on.]]
* TheStarscream: [[GoodAllAlong Heroic Version]]
* TheStoic: Most of the time, unless she's fighting or making a speech.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: She shows quite a bit of skin while wearing an activated Junketsu.
* StudentCouncilPresident: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] [[UpToEleven to high holy hell and back]]. Not only is she in charge of the school, effectively outranking the principal, but has also dominated countless ''other'' schools across the country.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: She acts cool, distant and arrogant in public, staying in control of her emotions at all times, but allows herself to smile and relax a bit more among the select few she genuinely trusts and respects.
* SwipeYourBladeOff: She does this very fast after she [[spoiler:all but decapitates Ragyo]] in episode 18.
* SwordPlant: Her default position, spoofed by Mako (with an invisible sword) during her [[ChewbaccaDefense rant]] in episode 3.
* TearsOfJoy : Never actually happens, but referenced in one of the [[http://h0saki.tumblr.com/post/110180648615/mikiryuko-h0saki-i-think-rei-has-more-lines-in Drama CDs]].
-->'''Rei''': Nonsense. You will never win. That day will never come, no matter how much you cry or scream. You won’t escape your fate of becoming a sacrifice to the Life Fibers.\\
'''Satsuki''': I will not cry or scream. I will save my tears for the day I win.
* ThirdPersonPerson: Refers to herself by her full name quite a lot, usually when making a BadassBoast.
* ThongOfShielding: Again, absolutely literal. Junketsu's released form most closely resembles a sling bikini.
* [[TodayXTomorrowTheWorld Today Japan, Tomorrow the World]]: She has much of Japan in her grasp already. Once her takeover is complete, she can focus on conquering the rest of the world.
* TransformationSequence: Very much like Ryuko's.
* {{Ubermensch}}: She scoffs at society's petty standards of morality (and indecent exposure). [[spoiler:Initially as she admits she was wrong for following this philosophy.]]
* TheUglyGuysHotDaughter: [[spoiler:Subverted. Soichiro Kiryuin changed his appearance after leaving her behind]].
* TheUnchosenOne: Possibly. She exerts great effort in wearing Junketsu and uses the phrase "Life Fiber Override" when she transforms. [[spoiler: According to Ragyo, she is unfit to even wear a Kamui and thus only forces Junketsu to cooperate with her]]. While impressive, Ragyo points out that [[spoiler:her strength while wearing Junketsu pales in comparison to those who have bonded with Life Fibers such as herself and Ryuko.]] Likewise, [[spoiler:when she wears Senketsu, Satsuki can't synchronize with him the way Ryuko does and has to [[CallingYourAttacks call her attacks]] so that Senketsu will even know what to do. While that's initially not obvious to the viewers (Ryuko always called her attacks too, as that's just the kind of series this is), the BrainwashedAndCrazy Ryuko then points out that having to call an attack ''before'' using it instead of ''while'' using it delays her attacks long enough to render them ineffective]].
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Ragyo tends to do this a lot since Satsuki isn't as strong as Ryuko, which bites her in the ass a couple times.
* TheUnfavorite: After she's been captured, [[spoiler:Ragyo tries to convince her of this by saying that Soichiro didn't trust her to fulfill his goals which is why he secretly raised Ryuko and gave her Senketsu and the Rending Scissors. Satsuki just ignores her.]] Ragyo herself considers Satsuki this after she [[spoiler: betrays and stabs her in the back]] and after she discovers [[spoiler: Ryuko is her other daughter, who has bonded with Life Fibers]].
* TheUnfettered: She will do anything and, if need be, go through anyone in order to achieve her goals. As she bluntly puts it, even if she has to be naked, if it serves a purpose in achieving her goals, then she doesn't really give a damn.
* TookALevelInKindness: By the end of the series, she acts a lot nicer towards the people around her, [[spoiler:because she started seeing them as friends rather than soldiers.]]
* UsedToBeASweetKid: She discussed this with Soroi, musing that she used hold back her opinion on how bitter Soroi made her tea, but it grew on her since he made it. Soroi apologizes for not knowing she was just humoring him, with Satsuki claiming it's fine, and that she must have been a more kind-hearted girl back then.
* VaporWear: Played with. Like Ryuko, when Junketsu is foricbly removed, she is shown to be wearing a sensible bra and panties.
* VillainousFriendship: With Jakuzure, whom she's known since kindergarten.
-->'''Jakuzure:''' Just you watch, I'll catch up to her in no time!\\
'''Satsuki:''' Perhaps, but like this, you cannot get a higher eye level than mine. Can you, Nonon?\\
'''Jakuzure:''' Don't be silly.
* VillainousRescue: After Nui Harime destroys Senketsu and is about to deal the killing blow to Ryuko, she intervenes immediately before driving her off with a blatant death threat hanging over her head.
* VisionaryVillain: She's basically [[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar Raoh]] and [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Lordgenome]] in a school setting. To her, strength is the only virtue and the foundation of the school system she runs. Weakness is to be loathed, and weaklings to be pruned.
* WallRun: She once ''walked briskly'' up a building whilst wearing an activated Junketsu.
* WeakButSkilled: She's nowhere near as strong as Ragyo or a fully synced Ryuko, but what she lacks in strength she more than makes up for in tenacity and determination.
* WhenSheSmiles: Most of time, she seems stern ([[spoiler: which makes sense considering her motivations and past]]), but when she finally came to understand [[spoiler:her friendship with the Elite Four, and that she has her sister Ryuko with her against their mother]], we get to see a really heartwarming smile.
* WickedCultured: Seems fond of sipping tea, and has a butler. [[spoiler:Subverted after her HeelFaceTurn, when she drinks tea and eats croquettes with Nudist Beach.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: She's had her totalitarian mindset since kindergarten.
* WorldDomination: Her ultimate goal. [[spoiler:Or so she wants everyone to think.]]
* WreckedWeapon: [[spoiler:Bakuzan literally snaps in half when Ragyo [[BareHandedBladeBlock blocks it with her fist.]] Bakuzan's pieces were later remade into a dagger and a sword named Gako and Koryu respectively. Both weapons are destroyed by Ragyo again in episode 24.]]
* XanatosGambit: Being an Machiavellian tactical genius, she excels at executing these on a regular basis.
** Her plot in episode 7, in which she permits Ryuko to start her own club to fight the other club presidents, ends with her able to weed out dozens of weaklings and gain an excuse to rebuild and fortify her system with a "Naturals Election". Even if that failed, it still would have ended with Ryuko being either destroyed or integrated into the system, and the one to cause it would have proven to be a worthy addition to the Student Council's inner circle.
** Episode 12 reveals another one: by pitting the students of Honnouji Academy against each other during the Naturals Election, and later having Ryuko fight the Elite Four, she was able to assess any weaknesses in their Goku Uniforms. Even though Ryuko beat her inner circle, she now possesses an upgraded arsenal capable of taking over Japan.
** Pulls yet another in episode 15. Though her armies are forced to withdraw from the Kansai region thanks to Ryuko's efforts, she uses the duel as a distraction for Jakuzure to locate and destroy the hidden Nudist Beach command center. Her enemies are left in a significantly weaker position, and the respite is much more beneficial for her to regroup and rebuild.
** Episode 17 is the gambit of all her gambits. [[spoiler:Everything she did, the Naturals Election, upgrading her arsenal, the takeover of Japan, etc. was all for her [[HeelFaceTurn to rebel against Ragyo and to take down both COVERS and the Primordial Life Fiber]]. Ryuko and [[LaResistance Nudist Beach]] DidntSeeThatComing.]]
* XanatosSpeedChess: At several point in the story, she was forced to revise her plans in a hurry.
** In episode 12, after [[spoiler:Nui appeared and revealed that it was actually her who killed Ryuko's father.]] she confronted Ryuko and outright said that [[spoiler:it was actually her who sent Nui after Isshin, which was a lie to keep Ryuko from going after Nui.]]
** In episode 13, after [[spoiler:Nui destroys Senketsu]] she uses the opportunity in two different ways. [[spoiler: Firstly she hands out the pieces of Senketsu to her soldiers to give them a power up and gather data. Secondly she [[StealthMentor gives Ryuko an opportunity to train herself up by reclaiming the stolen pieces]].]]
** In episode 17, there is no indication that [[spoiler:she knew of the existence of the Primordial Life Fiber]], but when it was revealed to her she quickly adjusted her plans by [[spoiler:sending Iori and a Sewing Club Strike force to Kiryuin Manor to destroy the Primordial Life Fiber and COVERS]].
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Father and My Little Sister]]: Her primary motive for [[spoiler:wanting Ragyo dead. Though she was lied to about the latter.]]
* ZettaiRyouiki: Grade-A when wearing her Kamui, Junketsu.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Senketsu]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d373d3d74da4fa1e5baef2c1296cf948.png]]
[[caption-width-right:245:[[labelnote:Click here to see talking mode]]http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/unnamed_qq_screenshot20131028161449_6446.png[[/labelnote]]]]
->''"Don't leave! Put me on! Put me on! I don't want to go back to sleep!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/ToshihikoSeki (Japanese), Creator/DavidVincent (English)
After suffering a crushing defeat by the Student Council, Ryuko finds this living SailorFuku beneath her house. Named Senketsu[[note]]"Fresh Blood"[[/note]] by Ryuko, he is a garment known as a Kamui[[note]]"God Robe"[[/note]] that grants its wearer phenomenal abilities in exchange for their blood. He was made by Ryuko's father Isshin, though he doesn't remember much more than that.
----
* AdaptiveAbility: During the King of the Hill Final Battle, Senketsu demonstrates the ability to evolve to counteract each of the Elite Four's tricks: for Gamagoori's binds, he sprouts blades to shred them; for Inumuta's invisibility, he turns into a [[GiantEyeOfDoom massive eye]] so Ryuko can pull an AreaOfEffect attack to hit him; and for Jakuzure's flying tank, he turns into a [[DeathFromAbove jump jet]].
* AdaptiveArmor: Grants power to Satsuki, albeit stunted.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted. Senketsu is the ''only'' Kamui seen thus far who isn't as malevolent as they are believed to be, especially when compared to the likes of Junketsu, who is pretty much feral, and the Kamui that devoured Kinue.
* AlwaysWithYou: [[spoiler:Acknowledged ''multiple'' times and outright confirmed towards the end of the OVA, as Senketsu is able to come back and aid Ryuko momentarily just by ''willing'' him to be there despite his apparent death.]]
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: At the end of episode 15, he demonstrates the ability to merge his WolverineClaws into this when Ryuko drops her Scissor.
* BloodLust: He feeds on Ryuko's blood to keep himself awake. This thirst becomes more intense the more he's starved, driving him to force himself on Ryuko during their first encounter after he tastes her blood for the first time in years. After getting to know Ryuko, he tries to keep this bloodlust under control. [[spoiler: Episode 12 shows what happens if he's overfed blood with too much rage and he fails to keep control, and the results are [[BodyHorror not pretty]].]]
* BloodOath: Of a sort with Ryuko, seeing as they are TrueCompanions and he requires to drink her blood to activate.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Being a sapient outfit, he has an odd sense of insults and compliments, being very hurt when called ugly, and bursting into tears of joy when Ryuko says he's warm and comfortable.
* BodyHorror: During episode 12, when [[spoiler: Ryuko's UnstoppableRage at Nui completely overwhelms him]], he transforms into a screaming behemoth form of his original consumption transformation sequence. The monstrosity he and Ryuko become would look right in place with ''Film/TheThing1982'' or screaming beside [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion a berserking Unit-01.]]
* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu[=/=]HeroicRROD: He winds up [[spoiler:disintegrating shortly after the final battle with Ragyo]], when he'd already been overloaded with [[spoiler:Shinra Koketsu's Life Fibers and had to get Ryuko safely back to Earth in a HeroicSacrifice.]]
* BrutalHonesty: He lectures Ryuko on everything, from her impulsiveness to her BMI.
* ButtMonkey: A lot less than Ryuko, but is subject to this by those who don't realize he's alive, especially when put through the wash.
* ChainmailBikini: While Senketsu may not cover much, his protection still explicitly extends to the rest of Ryuko's skin. He is also skimpy for a good reason. [[spoiler:Since he's derived from a race of parasites, reducing the contact area with him minimizes the risk that he will mentally overwhelm the wearer.]]
* CustomUniform: Episode 16 revealed that Isshin made him specifically for Ryuko to use.
* DetectEvil: Senketsu somehow sensed, that Junketsu was donned by Satsuki and got something like "goosebumps".
* DeathOfAThousandCuts: Falls victim to this at the hands of Nui Harime when she plays a disguised WoundedGazelleGambit to corner Ryuko.
* DetachmentCombat: He's a two-piece uniform, so he splits to [[spoiler:avoid Nui's attack]] in episode 22.
* DisneyDeath: He at one points ends up sliced up into dozens of pieces, though Ryuko is able to put him back together.
* EleventhHourSuperpower: [[spoiler:Senketsu-Kisaragi]], where he gains the combined power of [[spoiler:every student's uniform before he and Ryuko leave to face Ragyo for the final time.]]
* EmbarrassingButEmpoweringOutfit: The kind of outfit he is when he's worn. Despite how {{Stripperiffic}} he makes Ryuko look, he acts as strength-enhancing armor and grants Ryuko even more abilities once she learns to accept his skimpy design.
* EmpathicWeapon: Usually only acts as strength-enhancing armor for Ryuko, but becomes a weapon himself when using Senketsu Senjin.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He refuses to let Maiko Ogure wear him, despite the latter having absolutely no shame, a vital requirement for working with him. He even [[VomitIndiscretionShot ejects Maiko's blood from his system when he's finally undone from her]].
* EvolvingWeapon: He's apparently evolving too fast, according to Aikuro.
* EyepatchOfPower: His right eye is covered with a scarred patch. [[spoiler: The eye underneath is either restored or uncovered when he's given enough Life Fibers to enter his super mode.]]
* FrillyUpgrade: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]; he becomes more jagged-looking when Ryuko finally embraces his skimpy design. This becomes more prominent in his Senketsu Senjin mode, covering his whole body in spikes.
* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:"Don't cry, Ryuko. Sailor uniforms are made to be grown out of. From now on, you're free to wear what you like. Clothes far cuter than I could ever be."]]
* GiantEyeOfDoom: In episode 10, he stretches his eye to expand ''the entire battle arena'' just so Ryuko can have a chance to hit Inumuta while he's invisible.
* HalfHumanHybrid: He is actually the same as [[spoiler:Ryuko]] but in clothing rather than human form. He is neither human, nor clothing but both at the same time. This is what allows him to overcome the [[spoiler:control Shinra Koketsu has over all the Life Fibers.]]
* HeroicBSOD:
** He gets a minor one when he learns the truth of Life Fibers origin and what the Life Fibers do to humans.
** He falls into it again when Ryuko declares she would never wear him again at the end of episode 19.
* HeroicSacrifice: During the finale, Senketsu ultimately [[spoiler:sacrifices himself to save Ryuko from burning up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere after the final battle.]]
* HonestAdvisor: A very [[BrutalHonesty blunt one]] at that.
-->'''Senketsu:''' Ryuko, I feel I should warn you. Your opponent is more powerful than you are.\\
'''Ryuko:''' [[SarcasmMode Gee, thanks for your concern]].
* HotBlooded: He's normally cool and collected in battle, but gets this way whenever he craves blood.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: As it turns out, the Life Fibers that he was created to fight against are [[StarfishAliens living beings, making him unwittingly this for the first fifteen episodes]].
* IAmNotAGun: A variation. He doesn't object to Nudist Beach's demand that he become their trump card against the Kiryuins, but Ryuko does. After all, Ryuko doesn't want him to fight his own kin, the sentient Life Fiber aliens.
* ImAHumanitarian: With the reveal that Life Fibers are actually aliens it turns out that Senketsu is a cannibal and has been eating his own kind through the entire series.
* InelegantBlubbering: He gets very emotional when it comes to family and friendships.
* InvisibleToNormals: {{Downplayed}}; he can clearly be seen by everyone, and a select few other than Ryuko know he's alive, but for some reason only Ryuko, and briefly Tsumugu, can hear his voice. Later on, another person becomes able to hear him: [[spoiler:Satsuki.]]
* JumpJetPack: Has thrusters to help propel Ryuko forward in battle.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: He can't remember anything about himself, except his function and the exact description of his creator.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Suck your blood". The lyrics refer to skimpy clothes, drinking blood, and "becoming one" to achieve greater power.
* LiterallyShatteredLives: He's cut into dozens of square sheets of cloth by [[spoiler:Nui, though the part that Ryuko holds on to at least is still completely sentient]].
* LuminescentBlush: When Mako cuddles him in episode 20.
* ManlyTears: Despite being generally a serious minded character (and ya know, an article of clothing), he is not afraid to shed these when genuinely moved by something.
* MeaningfulName: His name means "fresh blood", which he must drink from Ryuko to stay active. Ryuko named him for this very reason. His final form, Kisaragi, takes its name from the old word for February, which literally means "wear more clothes" or "change clothes for the season". Which is exactly what he's doing, with both meanings.
* MotorMouth: Not normally, but at the beginning of episode 16, he recounts the prior events of the series at an incredible speed.
* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: He starts cranking out new forms to fight the Elite Four during the King of the Hill Final Battle. Aikuro and Tsumugu imply that this isn't a good thing, and they're right. Eventually, both he and Ryuko lose their way and turn into a monster.
* NighInvulnerable: He turns his wearer's entire body as hard as steel, even the parts he doesn't cover.
* TheNotLoveInterest: Along with Mako, Ryuko's bond with Senketsu is one of the cores of the series.
* NotQuiteDead: In episode 14, it's revealed he still lives in the one fragment Ryuko has.
* OcularGushers: In episode 22, and even Ryuko lampshades how a piece of clothing is crying.
* TheOneGuy: He's important due to his relationship with Ryuko.
* OnlySaneMan: As he's mostly defined by his relationship with Ryuko, this makes one of the more normal characters in the series.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: He forms a symbiotic relationship with Ryuko where she lets him drinks her blood in exchange for power.
* ParentalSubstitute: Nags, lectures, and worries for Ryuko like a real parent would. [[spoiler: Made all the more tear- and heartwarming when he finally sacrifices himself, while telling Ryuko that she's "free to wear what she likes" and that every girl "grows out of her school uniform eventually".]]
* PowerAtAPrice: He needs a constant stream of blood to keep powering up the user; using his powers for too long will make the user faint. This stops being a problem when Ryuko starts to take pride in her body and stops being embarrassed by Senketsu's skimpiness; after that, a small blood sample is enough to keep him sustained.
* PowerCopying: He learns to take multiple forms simply by watching Gamagoori so the same with his uniform; by his reasoning, it's unthinkable a Kamui can't do anything a Three-Star uniform can.
* PowerGivesYouWings: When in Senketsu Shippu mode.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Inverted; he's the only good Kamui in the series.
* RedOniBlueOni: The calm and analytical blue oni to Ryuko's red oni.
* RocketBoots: When in Senketsu Shippu mode.
* SailorFuku: A walking, talking one, to be precise.
* SatelliteCharacter: He's pretty much defined by his UndyingLoyalty towards Ryuko. [[TropesAreNotBad This, however, is what makes him such a compelling character.]] Ryuko is the only one who can hear his voice, [[spoiler: and her father created him to be used primarily by her in the first place.]]
* ScarfOfAsskicking: All that's left of him after episode 13, until Ryuko puts him back together in episode 15.
* ShapeshifterBaggage: Several of his more advanced forms, namely his GiantEyeOfDoom, are ''much'' bigger than they should be.
* SharingABody: A variation; he fuses with Ryuko whenever she activates him.
* SmokeOut: His awakened form has vents that let off clouds of steam, which he can use to help Ryuko escape.
* SuperMode: [[spoiler:Senketsu-Kisaragi.]]
* SuperPowerMeltdown: The functional effect of [[spoiler: Senketsu losing control and attempting to consume Ryuko]]. So far he's only done it when [[HotBlooded her blood became so red-hot that he couldn't resist taking it any longer]].
* TheSymbiote: Whereas most Life Fiber uniforms seem to be parasites, Senketsu is firmly on the Mutual side of the spectrum. He and Ryuko care for each other deeply and both benefit from their relationship.
* TakingTheBullet:
** A non-fatal variant occurs in episode 5 when he does this for Ryuko against Tsumugu so he would target him and leave her alone.
** A nearly fatal example occurs in episode 21 when Senketsu takes a attack from [[spoiler:Nui meant to kill Mako, which misses him, and then again when Mako goes into Ryuko to disentangle her and Junketsu's Life Fibers, this time actually suffering damage]].
* ThisIsADrill: He turns his entire body into one as a surprise attack against [[spoiler: Ragyo]].
* TokenNonHuman: He's the only known SailorFuku to have the ability to talk.
* TomatoInTheMirror: While he's surprisingly blasé about finding out he's an alien, Senketsu is truly horrified discovering Life Fibers see humans as food, and nearly has a HeroicBSOD when he realizes he's been doing the same to Ryuko.
* TrueCompanions: With Ryuko.
* UndyingLoyalty: Despite his constant lectures, he is very devoted to Ryuko and genuinely cares about her well-being.
** In episode 4, when the Head of Trap Development puts him on to use against Ryuko, he stiffens up to keep his unwanted wearer from attacking. He then spits out the blood when he's taken off, earning him a thank you from Ryuko for not "cheating" on her.
** In episode 5, he leaps off of Ryuko to [[TakingTheBullet take the bullet for her against Tsumugu, and then threatens him into backing off. This act of loyalty causes Ryuko to see him as a friend and not just an outfit]].
** In episode 12, Senketsu [[GenreSavvy sees through Nui's ploy to exploit Ryuko's RoaringRampageOfRevenge against them by causing him to lose control and go into a blood rage due to Ryuko's intensified emotions almost immediately]], and repeatedly tries to dissuade Ryuko for her sake. The second that they are brought back to normal by Mako, Senketsu's thoughts are immediately on Ryuko's welfare.
** In episode 13, it's revealed that it wasn't Senketsu who took control of Ryuko but rather Ryuko overpowering and absorbing Senketsu's consciousness into herself when she had her HeroicRROD, causing Senketsu extreme agony which Ryuko described as him crying. Despite this, Senketsu not only shows no fear of this happening if Ryuko berserks again, [[TrueCompanions but he would rather aid Ryuko in realizing her desires even if he has to suffer along the way.]]
* WolverineClaws: Protrudes these for Ryuko's use when in Senketsu Senjin mode.
* YourSizeMayVary: When thrown by Mako in order to [[spoiler:break Ryuko free from Junketsu's control]], he becomes uncharacteristically large.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mako Mankanshoku]]
[[quoteright:245:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fb30907009975df0788809b281922513.png]]
->''"...And everybody knows that if you win at friendship, you win at life!"''
->Voiced by: Creator/AyaSuzaki (Japanese), Creator/ChristineMarieCabanos (English)
A second year No-Star student at Honnouji Academy who becomes Ryuko's best, and only, friend as soon as the two meet. She is a complete and utter airhead whose odd and overly-energetic antics never cease to baffle everyone around her. Nevertheless, she has a good heart and provides Ryuko with invaluable moral support.
----
* ActionSurvivor: She acts like she'd be better suited for a light-hearted slice-of-life comedy than a testosterone-packed action drama.
* AlliterativeName: '''Ma'''ko '''Ma'''nkanshoku. Perfect for a quirky best friend.
* AlmightyJanitor: Her [[spoiler: Two-Star Goku Uniform]] is by far the most powerful one seen in the series, and probably on par with the Elite Four's Three-Star uniforms.
* AmbiguousSituation: As Ryuko says, it's hard to tell if she's actually strong or weak. Sometimes she acts cowardly, sometimes brave, sometimes she can barely keep up with the physical feats of the combatants and sometimes she can impressively react to or survive against nigh-impossible odds. [[spoiler:Turns out to be a ChekhovsGun during the finale, where it's revealed that the duplicitous nature of Mako's skills means that she's amongst the weakest of the cast without a Goku uniform, but also amongst the ''strongest'' WITH one!]]
* AmbiguouslyBi: She openly admits to ogling and discussing Ryuko's chest alongside the rest of her family, she thinks Ryuko is sexy, and is in general very clingy around her. [[spoiler:In the final episode, she kisses Ryuko on the lips (possibly, it was during a [[ImagineSpot "Halleluiah" moment]]) and asks her on a date, which they go on in the episode's CreativeClosingCredits.]] However, she also comments on how she wants the first person to see her naked is the man she loves.
* AmbitionIsEvil: When Mako becomes the Fight Club President and moves her family up the social ladder, she becomes so determined to keep her family's lives comfortable that she fights Ryuko so she can become a Three-Star student.
* AmusingInjuries: She gets hit in the face with a flurry of tennis balls until it's literally ''covered'' in bumps.
* AsleepInClass: To the point where it is a RunningGag; not even ten seconds into class, and she starts snoring. Taken UpToEleven in episode 4, where after she and Ryuko crash through the wall of the classroom from a gondola, Mako gets out of the gondola, sits at her desk and immediately falls asleep.
* BadassNormal: She's only a No-Star student, yet she can face ''Satsuki herself'' without an ounce of fear. She even successfully snaps Ryuko out of her HeroicRROD despite facing the berserk Ryuko, Junketsu Satsuki and Nui Harime.
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim:
** In episode 12, when Ryuko merges with Senketsu into a rampaging monster, Mako gives her a good solid smack to her head that returns her body to normal. [[AngerBornOfWorry She then]] [[FunnyMoments smacks her]] [[HeartwarmingMoments some more]].
** Does so again in [[spoiler:episode 21 by donning Senketsu and entering Ryuko's mind somehow. She proceeds to help Ryuko escape being BrainwashedAndCrazy.]]
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She may be sweet and silly, but as episode 7 shows, she can be quite ruthless when someone gets in the way of something she wants, even if that someone is her best friend.
* BigEater: She eats even while class is still going, and considers being deployed to Osaka a chance to sample their local delicacies.
* BodySushi: One of her spotlight speeches involves this. It was probably relevant. Somehow.
* BoobsOfSteel: [[GagBoobs Huge rack]]? Check. Enough power to destroy the school's arena with one punch in her Goku Uniform? Check.
* BookDumb: Mikisugi is amazed she managed to get to high school. It's implied that she can't even read kanji. The fact that her "Hallelujah" speeches are ''full'' of kanji-based [[VisualPun visual puns]] make this even more hilarious.
* BrilliantButLazy: She doesn't normally show this, but when she wants something, she ''will'' pull out all the stops just to get it. Noted examples are when she catches [[AbnormalAmmo weaponized paper currency]] [[BulletCatch with her bare hands]] because she wanted to eat all the good food in Osaka and her successful tenure as the Fight Club president to give her family a better life.
* BulletCatch: During episode 14, Mako catches rapid-fire [[AbnormalAmmo weaponized paper currency]] without a Goku Uniform, because she ''really'' wants that money.
* ButtMonkey: Poor Mako has it hard when it comes to the Student Council.
* CallingTheOldManOut: In episode 7, Mako calls her family, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone as well as herself]], "the worst" for cheering her on in her fight to the death with Ryuko instead of trying to stop her. They immediately see the error of their ways.
* CaptainObvious: States that dying of blood loss means that somebody will die.
* CharacterTics: She likes to extend her hands above her head and cross her wrists when she's trying to attract attention.
* ChewbaccaDefense: Mako is the reigning queen of stunning opponents into absolute silence through InsaneTrollLogic. This even includes members of the Elite Four and Satsuki.
* ChivalrousPervert: With Ryuko, though not to the extent of the male members of her family.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She sings using a banana peel as a microphone, just to name one of the many, ''many'' odd things she does. Even among Honnouji, she is a ''very'' strange person.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: On her own, one would never suspect she attends a school that forces her to live in a slum and punishes misbehavior with death.
* CoolDownHug: Gives one to the mutated, rampaging Ryuko/Senketsu monster in episode 12, cooling her down. Literally; [[VisualPun her body is piping hot, and hugging her burns Mako's skin.]]
* CorruptTheCutie: During episode 7, her promotion as Fight Club President causes her to become blinded by greed, though she doesn't realize it as she does it to provide for her family.
* CovertPervert:
** When seeing Ryuko's {{Stripperific}} outfit, she can't help but stare despite her (poor) attempts at averting her eyes.
** Her reaction to learning that Ryuko's father founded Nudist Beach? Imagining said founder playing around with naked girls on a beach.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: She may be lacking between the ears but, as Iori states, once you add [[spoiler:a Goku Uniform]] to the equation, her combat abilities are off the charts.
* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: In episode 3, after Ryuko is beaten by Satsuki and has a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech "Reason You Suck" Speech]] delivered to her, Mako suggests that Ryuko strip down and prove that she's sexier than Satsuki. This gives Ryuko the idea and resolve to think of wearing Senketsu as a second skin instead of just a really embarrassingly skimpy outfit, which gives her a power boost.
* TheCutie: Her happy and carefree nature is utterly adorable.
* DamselInDistress: She often winds up in a bind with the Student Council one way or another, though Ryuko's always there to help her out.
* DarkActionGirl: Briefly becomes one in episode 7 once she gets a Two-Star Goku Uniform.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "People die when they're killed by blood loss!"
* DumbMuscle: When wearing a Goku Uniform, her physical stats are all [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale flickering Level 9999]], except her intelligence, which is a big fat zero.
* EmpoweredBadassNormal: Becomes one briefly in episode 7 when she gets promoted to a Two-Star student. [[spoiler:She later gets the uniform back in episode 22]].
* FaceMonsterTurn: [[spoiler:Is turned into a COVER right before the time skip. She gets better.]]
* FightingFromTheInside: Ryuko pretty much names this trope word-for-word after said fight. [[DownplayedTrope It's more like a case of]] ConflictingLoyalty than direct MindControl, though. Note that HeroicWillpower is still in full effect.
* FriendlessBackground: Mako says that before Ryuko transferred to Honnouji, the only friends she had were [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} the ones in her head]]. This is how she comes to relate to Ryuko after she first notices the equally-friendless Matoi talking to Senketsu while initially believing the Kamui to just be ordinary clothes.
* FunPersonified: Long story short, this girl is a walking CrowningMomentOfFunny. She always tries to lighten the mood and every time she opens her mouth, you can be sure that she will say something crazy, or funny, or (most often) both sooner than later.
* GagBoobs: The bustiest of the girls, hardly ever wears a bra, and tends to jump around and get turned upside-down a lot.
* GeniusDitz: She's geographically challenged (she thinks the three major cities of Japan's Kansai region are the three major islands around Japan) and is implied to be illiterate (she skips all the kanji while reading a newspaper headline), yet she can present [[ChewbaccaDefense outlandish defenses]] like no one's business.
* GenkiGirl: Whenever she's not [[{{Sleepyhead}} sleeping]].
* HamToHamCombat: She challenges Gamagoori to a cheering competition for their respective sides during the King of the Hill Final Battle.
* HamsterWheelPower: Uses her [[SuperStrength immense strength]] to single handedly power the Naked Sol's turbine engines.
* TheHeart: Mako may be the PluckyComicRelief, but she also embodies the spirit of the insane nature of the series and the theme of friendship with her devotion to Ryuko.
* HeelRealization: During her stint as the Fight Club President in episode 7, Mako finds that she and her family seem much happier having their own apartment outside the slums, and fights Ryuko after Satsuki promises her a Three-Star uniform if she wins. It's only until Ryuko stops putting up a fight that Mako sees just how corrupted with greed she and her family have become.
* HeroicWillpower:
** Rather than surrender to the power of her Two-Star Goku Uniform and kill Ryuko so she can continue to live wealthily in episode 7, Mako remains in enough control to hold back and overcome her own desires.
** In episode 25, despite being its alternate power source, as well as to prevent Satsuki, the main power source, from killing herself, Mako briefly takes control of Hououmaru's Giant Mech and gives an impassioned speech to Ryuko and the Elite Four, which gives them a HeroicSecondWind.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Ryuko. Although in her case, the "heterosexual" part is [[AmbiguouslyGay ambiguous]] to say the least.
* HitMeDammit: Boldly stands in front of a Takarada trooper and orders him to shoot her with [[AbnormalAmmo money]]. [[BulletCatch She catches every single bill]] [[ScrewTheWarWerePartying then heads off to buy]] [[BigEater every single Osakan food she can see.]]
* HollywoodToneDeaf: Her singing skills are abysmal, her enthusiasm is the opposite.
* ImagineSpot: Her "Halleluiah" moments, which involve her standing in a beam of light performing {{Visual Pun}}s while talking a mile a minute about [[InsaneTrollLogic something nonsensical]] that somehow winds up getting through anyways.
* InelegantBlubbering: Tears slide down her face in huge globs and form puddles at her feet when she cries.
* InkSuitActor: WordOfGod confirms that her hairstyle was modeled off Aya Suzaki's.
* InnocentFanserviceGirl: She doesn't have any problem being in the buff and is perfectly oblivious to the reactions of others.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Pretty much ''all'' of her logic qualifies as this.
* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: Firing a heavy machine gun mounted on a bus turned her on.
* InsigniaRipOffRitual: After a stint as a Two-Star student in episode 7, she decides that her friendship with Ryuko is more important than her social standing and rips off her uniform for Ryuko to destroy.
* InTheBlood: The more is shown about the Mankanshoku family, the more it's obvious that she isn't the only {{Cloudcuckoolander}} in the family; even the dog is crazy.
* IronButtMonkey: The sheer amount of punishment she endures would be nightmarish if it weren't so cartoonish.
* ItMakesSenseInContext: Some of the stuff she says actually makes sense. For example, she claims that Ryuko won a tennis match because she saved her from being executed by the Tennis Club, which was Ryuko's main concern.
* LargeHam: GenkiGirl that likes breaking into speeches that typically make sense only to her, and she gets very passionate about them.
* {{Leitmotif}}:
** The distinctive "Hallelujah" chorus from [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Handel) Handel's Messiah]] can be heard whenever she starts her [[SimpleMindedWisdom unusually]] [[ChewbaccaDefense inspirational speeches]].
** There is also her more traditional theme, "Light Your Heart Up", which is about [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship how much she enjoys being Ryuko's friend]].
* LetsGetDangerous: At the end of episode 22, [[spoiler: Mako gets her Two-Star Fight Club uniform back to defend the ''Naked Sun''.]]
* LimitedAnimation[=/=]OffModel: Like with Nui, this seems to be a character trait of hers. Her nose also has a habit of disappearing every now and again.
* MotorMouth: She is known to give long-winded rants almost OncePerEpisode, complete with quirky animaitons.
* MsExposition: She helps get Ryuko up to speed on the happenings at Honnouji Academy.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Her reaction when she nearly kills Ryuko just so she can be promoted to a Three-Star student.
* NaiveEverygirl: Her singular ''codifying'' character trait in the entire series. Whether it's interrupting a heated battle to deliver a [[MidBattleTeaBreak necessary speech about the importance of cross dressing]] or being the only person able to calm down a berserk Ryuko, Mako's naivety combined with her unflagging optimism is the show's continuing source of humor, as well as heart.
* NarrativeShapeshifting: She turns into various people and things during her crazy monologues, to better convey what she's talking about. Among the others, she turned into Ryuko, Satsuki, Tsumugu, and Ragyo.
* NiceGirl: She might be [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} completely bananas]], but she's also sweet, caring and loyal to her friends.
* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: She sings [[LyricalDissonance a cheerful road song about going on a drive to Hell]].
* NotHerself: Ryuko notes how Mako becomes less and less like her usual chipper self after becoming the Fight Club president. First she becomes increasingly formal and smug, and when she gets a Two-Star uniform, she is noticeably more brutal and doesn't even crack a smile.
* TheNotLoveInterest: To Ryuko along with Senketsu. When it comes to how Mako sees Ryuko, [[AmbiguouslyGay however...]]
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Towards Ryuko, frequently glomping and groping her. She also has no problems treating Gamgoori like a climbing frame.
* OcularGushers: When [[spoiler:Gamagoori]] shields her from a stab attack by Nui, then tells her about having no regrets before passing out, her eyes instantly gush out ridiculous streams of water that nearly make up a puddle.
* OddNameOut: Her name is written with kana, instead of kanji like the majority of the cast.
* OffscreenTeleportation: On No-Late Day, she manages to catch Gamagoori completely off-guard by popping up out of nowhere on the podium next to where he's standing. She does it again on Ryuko, [[spoiler:in her MentalWorld no less.]]
* OnlyFriend: She's the only student in the entire school who talks to Ryuko without trying to kill her or get under her skin.
* ParodySue: Mako covers a lot of the traits. Quirky, cheerful, energetic, buxom, an every-girl that manages to defuse the drama of a dangerous situation, the first and only friend of the protagonist, incredibly powerful and brilliant when she actually tries to be, and she has the odd friendship (later crush) and leniency of the ultra-strict disciplinary committee's chair. Sanageyama even {{lampshaded}} her eccentric behavior.
-->'''Sanageyama:''' That one has resolve, too. That, or she's an idiot.
* PluckyComicRelief: Often she'll interrupt very dramatic moments to lighten the atmosphere and (humorously) encourage Ryuko.
* PluckyGirl: She always comes out of any situation with a smile on her face, ''no matter what''. She's pushed to her limits when sharing a stand with the demoted Elite Four while cheering Ryuko on during the King of the Hill Final Battle, resorting in her cheering for ''herself'' so she won't crack under the pressure.
* ThePollyanna: She hardly ever seems aware she's in a school run by a fascist student body.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Her friendship with Ryuko is ultimately what [[spoiler: snaps the latter out of Junketsu's control and Ragyo's FakeMemories.]]
* ThePromise: Just before Ryuko heads off to her final battle, Mako makes Ryuko promise [[spoiler: to go on a date with her when she comes back.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: How she [[BulletCatch snatches]] [[AbnormalAmmo all the paper bills shot at her]], complete with "[[FistOfTheNorthStar ATATATATATA]]!!!"
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: With Ryuko. Although on her part, the attraction [[{{Nosebleed}} might not be entirely platonic]].
* SayMyName: There have been two instances wherein Ryuko's life has been in danger and Mako resorts to yelling her name [[OverlyLongGag over and over and over]].
* ScrewTheWarWerePartying: Satsuki and her lackeys are busy conquering Osaka (and Kobe and Kyoto) and things are going up in flames. Ryuko is going on a desperate trip to recover Senketsu's missing pieces. Aikuro has dropped his teacher guise and returned to being a Nudist Beach operative. And Mako? [[WhileRomeBurns She's on a culinary trip through the aforementioned burning Osaka]].
* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: When held upside-down, she complains that she forgot to bring her sexy panties, and that's just the ''first episode''. For someone who wears normal clothes, she also tends to show off a lot of {{Underboobs}}.
* SimpleMindedWisdom: Her ramblings can be profound when viewed at the right angle.
-->'''Mako:''' My life's traffic lights are always yellow!\\
'''Gamagoori:''' "In life, proceed with caution," eh?
* SkewedPriorities: She has several priorities when caught in a death trap, and her life is never one of them.
** Episode 1: She's less concerned about being fried alive in boiling oil and more concerned about how the oil will [[SexySoakedShirt make her clothes see-through]], and that she wasn't wearing her sexy panties that day.
** Episode 5: She's afraid that if the Biology Club slices her belly open, it would ruin the lunch she stashed in her clothes.
** Episode 12: She considers the burns she suffers from giving a CoolDownHug to Ryuko a free tan.
** Episode 16: When Mikisugi asks her if she has the resolve to join them in battle she says that she doesn't... [[ComicallyMissingThePoint have the resolve to get naked]], but will follow them because she is Ryuko's friend.
* {{Sleepyhead}}: Shockingly enough, for a GenkiGirl such as herself, she can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, even when cheering for Ryuko in the middle of a fight.
* StrikeMeDown: Tells [[spoiler:a brainwashed Ryuko inside her MentalWorld]] to kill her if the latter insists on [[spoiler:staying cooped up in her FakeMemories, which Ryuko does, but ultimately snaps out of her funk, with Mako relatively unharmed.]]
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Whenever she starts her motivational speech, everyone stops, no matter how heated the situation is except when Nui [[BigShutUp interrupts her]] and [[NightmareFace scares her]] into silence.
* TemporarilyAVillain: In episode 7, she gets promoted to a Two-Star Club President and fights Ryuko to become the school's fifth Three-Star student and maintain her family's new-found wealth and social status, thinking they'd be much happier than when they were poor. However, she resigns once she realizes that she'll kill her best friend if she keeps things up.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: The Girly Girl to Ryuko's Tomboy.
* {{Ubermensch}}: An unusually unphilosophical and unintelligent version, being less a result of being AboveGoodAndEvil than viewing the world through the lens of InsaneTrollLogic. Mako completely defies the expectations of her environment and refuses to be a part of Satsuki's fascistic organization. She does not care about the consequences of this ''at all'', and fearlessly defies Satsuki and the Elite Four to their faces.
* VictoriasSecretCompartment: Where she keeps her lunch box, though considering its size, it's more like {{hammerspace}}.
* VisualPun: Mako is ''the'' absolute master of making these, especially during her "Halleluiah" moments.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She accepts the job as Fight Club President to improve her standing in the school, and her family's social standing with it, no matter what. So when Ryuko's resignation threatens to send her family back to the slums, and since the reward for any club president to beat her is a Three-Star uniform, the most logical conclusion to her is to fall out with her friend.
* WhileRomeBurns: She actually goes on a sightseeing tour of Osaka as the city goes up in flames during Satsuki's invasion.
* WillfullyWeak: She ''greatly'' holds back while fighting Ryuko in a Two-Star Goku Uniform in episode 7, as she could easily punch a crater in the ground with her uniform's powers, but subconsciously fears killing Ryuko if she were to go all out.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: She punishes her younger brother by putting him through a number of wrestling holds.
[[/folder]]
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