Welcome back to our weekly Character Profile Series! This week, we take a look at Kairi, the straight-laced, bossy second-gen Japanese member of the Undead Darlings crew. Let’s examine her basic stats and talk about why they are what they are!
Basic Stats
Blood type: A-
Height: 5’7” (~174cm)
Weight: 47kg (~104 lbs.)
So we added both versions of measurements to height and weight, but to keep being weird we switched which one is in parentheses. Enjoy!
Why A-? It’s a semi-rare blood type that is associated with many traits pertinent to Kairi’s personality. Type A blood is also the second-most common blood type in Japan, and it looks better for a book-smart girl to have an “A” instead of an “O.” Going a bit further, her two key personality traits (based on Japanese blood-type culture): she takes charge and therefore, responsibility; she is reserved and often keeps her real emotions hidden to avoid potential arguments.
Why 5’7”? As a second-generation Japanese, Kairi is taller than many of her peers, which has caused many people to question the “Asians are short” stereotype. At least, that was the concept behind it. She has no hang-ups or triggers associated with her height, so it doesn’t really come up all that often.
What about 47kg? It’s roughly 104 pounds, which makes Kairi quite the skinny undead for her height. However, Kairi was raised in a traditional Japanese household with a healthy diet, so her slight frame is not that unusual. Well, the loss of weight due to her condition aside.
Character Relationships
Pearl: “I would describe her as ‘the normal one.’”
Jordan: “She fights authority and dislikes being given orders.”
Summer: “I admire her positive work ethic.”
Cici: “I have genuine concerns about her mental health.”
Emily: “What a fascinating case study…”
We made a basic character relationship chart for everyone in the game, written as the character, so that we could best assign roles in event scenes. Who would say what, who would chime in or be critical of the speaker, et cetera. Such a small effort yields characters who don’t have to voice their motivations or feelings; rather, they come out organically based on the conversation’s topics.
Fun Factoids
- Kairi writes her full name in Japanese as 藤咲・カイリ, so there’s that.
- Her family is quite wealthy, with humble beginnings. This has resulted in hard work and discipline to be instilled in Kairi as two of the most important facets required for a good, lucrative life. Her self-made parents feel they are all she needs in terms of education, so they hand-pick expensive tutors to come and prepare Kairi for a life following in her parents’ footsteps.
- She has a strange obsession with cleanliness and organization. It may border on obsessive-compulsive, except when her rituals and freshly organized items are tampered with, she doesn’t react how you might think…
- While Kairi herself is being home-schooled by the best tutors money can buy and remains under a strict studies-focused lifestyle, the same cannot be said for her extended family. Her father’s brother assisted with the family fortune, but he has chosen to spend it on his family to give them a fun, exciting life. Kairi has had no such thing, so her only experience with “fun” activities comes vicariously through her cousin, Takeru.
- When Reggie meets Kairi, she mentions having a pink pencil case that she calls Cynthia. She keeps it stowed in her inside-jacket pocket, never letting anyone else see what is kept inside. Could it be human fingers, which she stashes away like squirrels hide nuts for winter? That would be silly!
Undead Scars
Partially obscured by her customary “home-schoolgirl uniform,” her primary scar is on her neck. It may look like a really mondo hickey, but the truth is much more…scarring. Ugh, sorry. Neck bites are often associated with romance and intimacy, which is probably why vampires used to have a romantic allure. This implies that her bite has an intimate connotation; that it occurred when she was in a vulnerable state. But of course, it’s up to you—as Reggie—to find out the truth!
Gameplay with Kairi
Kairi is the first character with a Skill-focused build. However, her thin frame allows her to be quick as well, so she can still hold her own with sharp melee weapons like knives, swords, and certain throwing projectiles. No, not shuriken. That would be low-brow, silly.
Her offensive elemental Skills will be hugely beneficial until you get a more dedicated “magician”-type built up. Why she’s worth keeping is her penchant to buff the party and debuff her foes. While such Skills rarely carry any Skill Link potential, they can help tip the scales in a battle you may be under-leveled for otherwise.
Sub-events with Kairi are fairly common, so it’s good to switch her in every now and then as a third character. She is able to take on many roles, making her great for subsequent journeys through a dungeon with a party setup you don’t ordinarily use.
We’re so thankful that you would come here and read up on Kairi, everyone! Next week we will cover the fourth character you meet in the game, the tough and crass Summer Rath!
Thank you for another great character profile! I wasn’t sure if there would be one this week because of Thanksgiving, so this was a really nice surprise. I truly appreciate how dedicated you guys are about sharing all this info with us.
Not a problem. Web traffic slowed almost to a halt, but we want to be consistent with these releases regardless. It’s all data for people to refer to down the line, after all!
What an update indeed. Nice character profile on Kairi and by the looks on her profile, I can probably tell what her background story is. I think it is also fun to see her reactions to certain events as she is the “normal” one.
Can’t wait for next week to see what I would call “the main girl”.
Thank you! Summer’s your main girl, eh? Hopefully her backstory only makes you more interested, since her story and personal events are pretty entertaining!
For Summer is my main girl, yes. And I also mean that judging from the trailers and poster, she is the center girl, hence “main girl” as in main female protagonist, though I think Pearl might also fit the bill.
Also, does the game give any explanation about how magic works in their universe?
Hahaha, yeah, it’s a bit of a self-aware explanation, but it’s there.
I haven’t written the actual sub-event of the explanation, but it’s planned to be after the first battle. Something like:
Reggie: “Since when can zombies use magic? I mean, c’mon.”
Jordan: “Since when do crows wear hats and smoke pipes? Since when do ashtrays and eggs come to life?”
Reggie: “Fair enough. Those don’t exist, but here they are. I guess zombies using magic isn’t so weird, then.”
…The funny thing is, although the party itself dismisses it in a way similar to the above, as the game goes on you learn more about the cause behind this weird outbreak that goes way beyond zombies. Much of that is left up to the player to connect the dots, but there’s a more “formal” explanation that the group never really bothers to look into. They’ve got other things on their mind 😉
Oooooh. Very interesting.