Mecha Character Profile: Himeko Kurusugawa – Kannazuki no Miko

A kind and gentle girl who got sucked into the fateful battle between good and evil, Himeko Kurusugawa acts as the Priestess of the Sun, and alongside the Lunar Priestess, she must revive the Sword God Ame-no-Murakumo to battle the ancient Evil God Orochi. However, her reserved and passive nature put her at odds with even some of her loved ones, who all wanted her heart for their own.
I. Background:
– Himeko Kurusugawa is a very normal school girl at Ototachibana Academy. She was born into a happy family, but her parents passed away when she was 3. Afterwards, she came to live with her relatives, who wasn’t kind to her and abused her, which caused her to run away to the Ototachibana Boarding School. There, she attends school like a normal girl, and like many others, she also idolizes the queen of the school – Chikane Himemiya. She is also the impression Chikane is going out with the most popular boy at the school: Souma Oogami.

– Thanks to a coincidence, Himeko became friends with Chikane. And Chikane fell in love with Himeko’s voice, often spending time with her with just the two of them. Himeko is quite timid and shy when she is with Chikane, since she has an inferiority complex, but she is happy that she can spend time with Chikane.

– One day, the sky turned dark and mysterious energy was gathering in the sky. Then, the ground began to shake. Makoto Saotome – Himeko’s roommate – dragged her to run away. But Himeko then ran back to save Chikane’s birthday present that she prepared. Souma Oogami – who was chosen to be the 7th Neck of Orochi – arrived in the Take-no-Yamikazuchi to capture Himeko. Souma was unable to control himself and the mech dropped Himeko from its hand. Thankfully Chikane caught her. While Himako was unconscious, Chikane discovered the mark of the Solar Priestess on her chest and knew what kind of life await her. Afterwards, Souma regained control of himself thanks to his incredible willpower and chose to defeat the Orochi Necks instead of joining them, granting the girls a moment of peace.

– Afterwards, Kazuki – the head priest at the temple of the Priestess – explained to Himeko and Chikane that they are chosen priestesses to resurrect the Ame-no-Murakumo to fight against Orochi, and they must do it before he fully awaken. Everyday, Himeko dons the Miko garment and perform the ritual with Chikane. However, the ritual didn’t go as planned and progress was really slow, sometimes resulting in injuries to Himeko, which really worry Chikane.

– Not just that, the Orochi Necks also frequently attack Himeko and Chikane to stop them from resurrecting the Sword God. They always use their giant robots, so Himeko and Chikane have to rely on Souma to defend them. Due to that, Himeko is very appreciative of Souma always risking his life to protect her. Souma even told her he would lay down his life for her, which really impressed Himeko.

– Souma further showed his affection for her, asking her out on dates and bought her presents. This irritates Chikane since she also has feelings for Himeko, but because they are both girls, she has kept it hidden for a long time. But one day, when Himeko got home after a date with Souma, she found the mansion she was staying at with Chikane abandoned. While searching for Chikane, Himeko found her standing alone in a dark room. Wondering what’s wrong, she called out to her, only to get assaulted by Chikane – who somehow was under the influence of Orochi. Chikane then proceeded to assaulted Himeko, but Souma arrived just in time to save her. However, Chikane proved to be a formidable opponent, and fought Souma back. He had to summon his mecha – the Take-no-Yamikazuchi, but to his surprise, Chikane easily brought it under her control, and stole it from Souma. She vanished, leaving Souma and Himeko in tatters.

– Afterwards, Himeko had no choice but to perform the ritual on her own, at great risk to herself. After a painful ceremony, she was able to break the seal on Ame-no-Murakumo and resurrect the Sword God just in time to fight against Orochi. Before the fated battle, Himeko suddenly found Chikane back at the mansion, and they spent a normal evening just like the old days, before anything had ever happened. However, it was basically just an act, and later Chikane challenged her and Souma to come find her for their final showdown. Souma then resolved to come with Himeko and become the 2nd pilot for the Ame-no-Murakumo – which was originally intended for both Priestesses to board.

– They confronted each other in heated battle. In the meantime, Orochi successfully revived and became a giant robot as well. Souma was able to hold him off with the Ame-no-Murakumo and allowed Himeko to talk to Chikane in a pocket dimension. The two Priestesses have a sword duel where Chikane continuously press Himeko and taunted her to fight. However, Chikane refused to listen to her and continued to press her for answers. Eventually, Chikane told Himeko her actual intention. She was planning to die by Himeko’s hands to seal off Orochi, because to seal off the Evil God, one of the Priestesses must sacrifice her life to keep the seal active. And in the previous reincarnation, it was Chikane’s ancestor that killed Himeko’s, so in this lifetime, she is determined to keep Himeko alive. At that point, Himeko also confessed her love to Chikane, saying that Souma wasn’t what her heart truly desires, which shocked Chikane and stopped her in her tracks.

– After learning of everything, Himeko convinced Chikane to come back to the light with her, and she succeeded. Both the Priestesses along with Souma fought against Orochi and successfully defeated him. However, to completely seal him off in this lifetime, one of them still have to sacrifice their lives. Himeko and Chikane had a heartfelt talk and exchange promises to find each other again in the next life, and Chikane became the Miko in the Moon Shrine to seal off Orochi, waiting in solitude until she is reincarnated again.


II. Skills & Abilities:
–  Himeko is a cute girl with blonde hair. While she isn’t regarded as the most beautiful girl in the Academy, her appearance is very attractive. However, because she is quite shy and reserved, she doesn’t stand out. The only people who frequently noticed her is Chikane, Souma and her close friend – Makoto – who is a star athlete in the Academy. Surrounded by very talented and popular people, Himeko usually sticks out like a sore thumb, and usually gain the ire of others – including some girls who bully her. But Chikane and Makoto always protect her.

– In exchange, she is kind, gentle and very thoughtful, and carries an air of tranquility with her. It was her bell-like voice that attracted Chikane to her in the first place. And being with Himeko really calms her down and soothe her soul. Her pure innocence also attracts Souma – because she treats Chikane and Souma very well with zero ulterior motives, while others are only admiring them for their looks and abilities.

– However, Himeko is also courageous and tolerant when the situation calls for it. She can endure great pain and is very determined, especially when it comes to Chikane. She was able to complete the unsealing ritual for the Ame-no-Murakumo alone, while it usually requires both Priestess to complete else they’d be risking their lives.

– Himeko also carries the blessing of the Solar Priestess, able to increase the power of the force of Good. When Himeko was in the Take-no-Yamikazuchi’s control room along with Souma, she was able to bless them – turning the Take-no-Yamikazuchi golden and increased its power significantly, allowing it to defeat the opponent easily that it struggled against just before.
III. Gallery:

See Also: