| Katana | |
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| Publication information | |
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| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983) |
| Created by | Mike Barr (writer) Jim Aparo (artist) |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Tatsu Yamashiro |
| Team affiliations | Outsiders Birds of Prey |
| Abilities | Katana has no metahuman powers but is a superb martial artist and fully trained as a samurai warrior. DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company In Comic books and other stories with a long history first appearance refers to the first occurrence to feature a Fictional character. For the Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album see The Brave and the Bold (album. Mike Barr may refer to Mike Barr (basketball Mike Barr (football player Mike W James N "Jim" Aparo ( 1932 - July 19, 2005) was an American Comic book artist best known for his 1960's and 1970's work on various The Outsiders are fictional characters a DC Comics Superhero team Birds of Prey is a Comic book published by DC Comics that features the adventures of the superhero Oracle and her group of superheroines. is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. Her sword captures the soul of every being it kills and allows Katana to communicate with that soul |
Katana is a fictional character, a superhero published by DC Comics. A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company She first appeared in the The Brave and the Bold #200 (July 1983), and was created by Mike Barr and Jim Aparo. For the Tortoise and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album see The Brave and the Bold (album. Mike Barr may refer to Mike Barr (basketball Mike Barr (football player Mike W James N "Jim" Aparo ( 1932 - July 19, 2005) was an American Comic book artist best known for his 1960's and 1970's work on various
Contents |
Fictional character biography
Becoming Katana
Tatsu Yamashiro was an average Japanese girl, save for her proficiency in the martial arts. Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Two brothers, Maseo and Takeo Yamashiro, both proclaimed their love for her. While she liked both, she chose Maseo. This angered Takeo, who refused to attend the couple's wedding. By this time, he had joined the Yakuza, receiving a large dragon tattoo across his chest to mark himself as such. History Origins Despite their notoriety in modern Japan the precise origin of the Yakuza is still somewhat the subject of debate A tattoo is a permanent marking made by inserting ink into the layers of Skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons As a result, his family disowned him. After the deaths of Tatsu's parents, (cause unknown) she and Maseo started a family of their own, and she gave birth to twins, Yuki and Reiko. Meanwhile, Takeo rose in rank of the Yakuza, and one of his exotic tastes included ancient weapons. He was presented with a pair of matched swords by General Karnz, one of which Takeo favored due to its mystical properties, which would come to be known as the Soultaker.
One night, Takeo took both swords to the Yamashiro residence. Tossing the non-powered sword to his brother and demanding he duel for Tatsu, he quickly struck Maseo down. In the course of the fight, Takeo accidentally started a fire, and while distracted by his children, Maseo was slain with the Soultaker. Tatsu arose just in time to see her husband die, and engaged Takeo, gaining the upper hand and disarming him. When she attempted to go after her children, she heard her husband's voice telling her to turn back- coming from the sword. She listened, and watched as her house burned. Tatsu began training as a samurai under a master called Tadashi. After much time she graduated from his tutorship and left for America where she intended to use her talents to fight for justice. She took the codename Katana after the sword that she wielded. [1]
Becoming an Outsider
Eventually Tatsu journeyed to Markovia, a small Baltic state, where she had tracked down Karnz, and she was successful in killing him. The Outsiders are fictional characters a DC Comics Superhero team Baltic Seven Islandsgif|right|thumb|330px|A contemporary transnational Euroregion encompasses the islands of the Baltic countries After the fight she encountered a young girl who was named Halo. For the Halo series comics by Marvel Comics see Halo Graphic Novel and Halo Uprising. The two joined up to rescue Batman, who got captured by a blunder by Halo, and his employee Lucius Fox from their captor, Baron Bedlam. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Lucius Fox is a Fictional character appearing in Batman Comic books by DC Comics. Baron Bedlam is a Fictional character, a Supervillain in the DC Universe. Batman resigned his membership in the Justice League when they refused to help him in his pursuit of the Baron, and he decided instead to form the Outsiders, who were meant to be more pro-active against threats. The Outsiders are fictional characters a DC Comics Superhero team Katana and Halo became founding members of the team, alongside Black Lightning, Geo-Force and Metamorpho. Black Lightning ( Jefferson Pierce) was one of the first major African American Superheroes to appear in DC Comics. Geo-Force is the Superhero alias of Brion Markov, a Fictional character from DC Comics. Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason, also called The Element Man) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Universe. The team managed to end the Baron's tyranny in Markovia and moved to Gotham City, where they set up their headquarters (a former penthouse of Bruce Wayne, secretly the Batman). Gotham City is a Fictional City appearing in DC Comics, and is best known as the home of Batman. Tatsu became Halo's guardian and the two moved into the penthouse.
At the same time, Takeo was still at large and had followed Tatsu to Gotham City. Secretly he switched swords with her and left for Tokyo with the Outsiders on his tail. Takeo took the sword to his master, the godfather of the Yakuza, known only as the Oyabun. A crime boss is a person in charge of a Criminal organization. Performing a specific ritual, the Oyabun and Takeo managed to recall the souls that inhabited the sword, who proceeded to take corporeal form. Among them were legendary mercenaries and assassins, but also Maseo, who was now a slave to the Oyabun. Katana had to fight them all and after a long battle that took its toll, Katana was able to reclaim the Soultaker and kill Takeo, and she could finally put an end to some of her ghosts. By undoing the ritual however, her husband returned into the sword as well. At one point the Outsiders split from Batman's leadership and took up residence in Markovia where they were funded by the Markovian crown (Geo-Force is a prince of the royal family). They became the official agents of Markovia and moved to the city of Los Angeles where they made their headquarters in the Markovian embassy, while retaining another secret HQ just off the shore. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Although Tatsu had left her past behind, the Oyabun returned in her life and sent a tengu after, with which he captured her. are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. Her teammates in the Outsiders, namely Halo and Looker were able to save her using other tengu and the tengu leader, who aided them in battle. Looker (Emily "Lia" Briggs is a fictional character a Superhero in the DC Universe of Comic books The character's first appearance was [2]
Family debt
After a while, the team disbanded after various tragic events surrounding Geo-Force's parents and Markovia. Nonetheless the Outsiders were forced to defend Markovia against the Manhunters, but during the fight Halo was knocked into a coma, saving Katana's life. Bounded by giri-ninjo (a debt of honor even unto death), Tatsu left the team so she could tend to Halo's wounds. During that time however, she was approached by a family member of her husband, who wished her to accompany the Suicide Squad on a mission to destroy a large horde of weapons that was about to be sold to the Yakuza. The Suicide Squad is a name for two fictional organizations in DC Comics Universe. She declined on the basis of her giri-ninjo, although she was willing to help if the need was truly desperate. That family member was later killed, and she went after the killer, the Daichi-Doku's Oyabun (of which her relative was a member), who did not wish to see the weapons destroyed and tried to stop the Suicide Squad. During that adventure, she saved the life of Bronze Tiger and Manhunter (Mark Shaw), making them honor-bound to her by giri-ninjo. Bronze Tiger ( Ben Turner) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Universe. Manhunter is the name given to several different DC Comics Superheroes Antiheroes as well as the Manhunters, an entire race of Androids Mark Shaw then assisted her in taking down the Daichi-Doku's Oyabun. The Oyabun committed ritual suicide and Katana stood by as his 'second', ready to help with a blade strike so he could keep his honor.
Returning to the Outsiders
Eventually though the Outsiders re-form and return to Markovia. Instead of a peaceful reunion however, the team become trapped in a web of public relations that brands them outlaws. Although the charges would be dropped eventually the team was fractured. Halo dies from an assassin's blast but was reborn in a new body, which put an immense strain on Tatsu's relationship with Halo. Katana joins a team with Geo-Force and Technocrat, taking the lead. Technocrat is a Superhero in the DC Comics and a former member of the Outsiders During a lone mission, Tadashi, her old mentor sends Lady Shiva to claim Katana's Soultaker sword. Lady Shiva (real name Sandra Woosan, or more recently Sandra Wu-San) is a fictional Comic book character co-created by Dennis O'Neil Shiva confronts Katana, who had been battling a gang of drug dealers. Katana had slain many, but refuses to kill the youngest member, something Shiva insults her for. Shiva, being world-renowned as the world's greatest assassin and fighter, was able to kill Katana with her own sword. Katana returnes to life after a trial by combat within her sword, which includes confronting many of the souls of the people she had killed. Afterwards, she manages to find her old mentor and take his life. The two splinter teams would eventually reunite, to take on more supernatural threats focused around the new team member Faust. Katana and her friends suffer through the mental and physical tortures that Faust's father, Felix, puts them through. Halo eventually frees them by destroying several of Felix's items of power. Soon after, the group breaks apart. After disbanding, Tatsu has kept her association with her old allies among the Outsiders (such as Black Lightning, Geo-Force and Halo), and although they did not operate as an official team, were always seen alongside each other during major crises. Her close ties to Batman also saw her fighting by his side, several times, notably during the Imperiex crisis and the Day of Judgement incident when hell invades Earth. Imperiex is a Fictional character that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Day of Judgment was a DC Comics mini-series and crossover storyline during the autumn of 1999. The main battle against the villain, the rogue angel Asmodel, with the power of the Spectre, takes place in New York. Katana personally protects Madame Xanadu who is guarding the rest of Asmodel's power with a mystical shield. Madame Xanadu is a Fictional character, a mystic in the DC Comics universe. Katana's protection of Xanadu is assisted by Doctor Occult, Phantom Stranger and Alan Scott. Doctor Occult is a Fictional character, a magic user in the DC Comics universe. The Phantom Stranger is a Fictional character of unspecified Paranormal origins who battles mysterious and Occult forces in various titles published Alan Scott is a Fictional character, a Superhero from the DC Comics universe and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern Later, Katana assists Batman when he and Superman were declared outlaws. Superman is a fictional Comic book Superhero widely considered to be one of the most recognized of such characters and an American Cultural icon Katana was also called upon by Black Canary, together with other female mercenaries, in order to rescue Oracle from Senator Pullman. Black Canary is a Fictional character, a DC Comics superheroine. Birds of Prey is a Comic book published by DC Comics that features the adventures of the superhero Oracle and her group of superheroines. Barbara "Babs" Gordon is a Fictional character appearing in Comic books published by DC Comics and in related media created by Gardner Fox After Oracle was saved, Katana received a card, together with the promise of a favor if required. Katana later returns to assist Oracle in issue #108 alongside dozens of other agents.
New Outsiders
Most recently, she has joined a new team of Outsiders after assisting them in defeating an a more powerful Sabbac. Sabbac is the name of two Comic book Supervillains appearing in Fawcett Comics and/or DC Comics. It consists of all new members, with the exception of Metamorpho who rejoined the team after Shift's demise. Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason, also called The Element Man) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Universe. Metamorpho (real name Rex Mason, also called The Element Man) is a Fictional character, a Superhero in the DC Universe. In Outsiders #42, Katana dons a new costume, as she felt it innapropriate to wear a costume based on Japan's flag. The country had revoked her citizenship due to her membership with the controversial team. Later, Katana summons Sabbac to destroy Dr. Sivana's base with his Hellfire. Katana remains an active member of the Outsiders following the One Year Later continuity jump. One Year Later was a 2006 event running through the DC Universe. Initially, the team is led by Nightwing, but later leadership transfers to Batman. Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional Superhero that appears in Comic books published by DC Comics. Batman decides to 'test' Katana and the rest of the initial team, in order to design a better team. Katana is Batman's first official recruit.
The Soultaker
The Soultaker, along with its non-powered twin, was forged in the 14th century by Muramasa, whose swords were said to be cursed and make those who were evil commit evil acts. Muramasa Sengo (千子 村正 Sengo Muramasa) was a famous Swordsmith who founded the Muramasa school and lived during the Muromachi period (16th It sometimes takes the souls of those it kills, storing them inside the sword, where they can engage in limited communication with whoever wields it. These souls can be reincarnated by the means of a sacred ritual, under which they serve their summoner, even if it is against their will.
Suicide Squad
After the Outsiders had been cancelled, Katana went on a mission with the Suicide Squad. The Suicide Squad is a name for two fictional organizations in DC Comics Universe. The Suicide Squad is a name for two fictional organizations in DC Comics Universe. She left the squad after her mission ended, and did not return, even though fan response to her inclusion was heavy. Nine issues after her cameo though, the Suicide Squad title was cancelled.
Other media
- A character similar to Katana called Tsukuri appeared in Justice League in the episode "Fury" as an assistant to the villainness Aresia and later as a member of Grodd's Legion of Doom. Tsukuri is a Fictional character, a DC animated universe Supervillain that is one of the few original villains created for the Justice League Justice League is an American Animated television series about a team of Superheroes which ran from 2001 to 2004 on Cartoon Network Gorilla Grodd is a fictional Supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. It is generally believed that this is similar to how other villains in series like Aresia, Galatea, Hro Talak, and the Ultimen are loosely based on heroic counterparts Fury, Power Girl, Hawkman, and on several members of The Super Friends respectively. Galatea (or Tea, for short is a fictional Supervillain in the Animated series Justice League Unlimited. The Ultimen are a fictional Superhero group featured in the animated series Justice League Unlimited. Fury is the codename shared by three DC Comics Superheroes two of whom are mother and daughter and the third who is an altogether different character For other meanings of the term see Hawkman (disambiguation Hawkman is a Superhero in the DC Comics universe. Super Friends is an American Animated television series about a team of Superheroes which ran from 1973 to 1986 on ABC as part
References
External Links
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