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Kasumi
'Dead or Alive' character
Kasumi in Dead or Alive 5
First game	Dead or Alive (arcade) (1996)
Created by	Tomonobu Itagaki

Template:JapaneseText

Kasumi (Japanese: かすみ, also written as 霞, meaning "mist") is a player character and the lead protagonist in the Dead or Alive fighting game series by Team Ninja and Tecmo (Tecmo Koei). She is also portrayed by Devon Aoki as one of the main characters in the film DOA: Dead or Alive.

According to the games' canon, Kasumi, also known as "the Kunoichi of Destiny", is a teenage female ninja skilled in the Tenjin Mon (天神門) style of Mugen Tenshin (霧幻天神流) ninjutsu. Leaving her clan makes her an outcast, pursued by her younger half-sister Ayane. Kasumi has served as the main character of the Dead or Alive franchise since its premiere in 1996 and was the official protagonist in the first two main games in the series. There are also two Dead or Alive boss characters who are clones of her.

Kasumi is a symbol of the DOA franchise and is known to be the personal favourite of Team Ninja's founder and the series' creator Tomonobu Itagaki. She has been the subject of various merchandise and was used to promote the Xbox consoles in Japan. Kasumi has become a popular sex symbol in gaming and one of the iconic video game ninja characters, but also a major source of controversy involving sexualization and underage female characters in video games.

Appearances

In video games

Character design

Like the other female characters in the Dead or Alive franchise, Kasumi was designed with a buxom figure (her official measurements are 35-21-33). Asked if he was comfortable with "sexualizing" a 17-year-old female, Tomonobu Itagaki answered: "In Japan, that's okay. Maybe it's 20 in America." He also said: "I was 27 when I created Kasumi. I'm older now, but 17-year-old girls are still gorgeous. Still, I'm not the kind of creator that lets my own tastes overwhelm the game. I make games for the player, not just myself." Itagaki described Kasumi as "very soft". The Dead or Alive series contributed its character Ayane, rather than Kasumi, for a cameo appearance in 2004's Ninja Gaiden because Kasumi did not fit with the game's "very hard-edged" basis. Itagaki said: "DOA is based on a 'softer' concept, and she is rather symbolic of the game as a whole." He said that had the game featured Kasumi, it would have become less a "story of Hayabusa and ninjas" and more a story of Kasumi ("Kasumi-Den") and a "DOA action game". Itagaki described himself as "a fan of Kasumi", and her to be "of course" his favorite DOA character; he felt "responsible for her" and "very close to her." When hackers found a way to turn Kasumi nude in DOA2, Itagaki felt this "was an attack on her". Tecmo's lawyers sued the authors of the hack (software company West Side) for violating Kasumi's dignity, winning the case and two million yen (over $20,000) in damages.

Kasumi stands at 5'2" and weighs 106 lbs. She uses a wide range of costumes through the series: several female ninja outfits (her main color scheme was white and red in the original game, and later blue and white), feminine casual clothes to Japanese schoolgirl uniform (Itagaki's favorite) and beach bikinis. Her hair color has varied from blond to auburn to red. According to IGN, she had the best overall outfits among the cast of Dead or Alive Ultimate, the expanded compilation of the first two DOA games, in which "she looks great and her outfits are fantastic." One new costume in Dead or Alive: Dimensions was reportedly "upseting fans" when the game was announced in 2010.

In 2012, 16 years after her debut appearance, Kasumi as redesigned for her less cartoonish and more realistic and "grown up" appearance in DOA5. According to GamesRadar, "the manga influences on her facial features - while still apparent - have been scaled right back. And her boobs seem less ludicrously unmanageable." The game's art director Yuta Saito said about it: "From DOA4 we wanted to evolve the characters in a slightly realistic direction. The most difficult, and you don't have to ask, is Kasumi. Kasumi is the face of DOA and the eternal heroine. And for such a popular character like Kasumi, to change her form we really needed a lot of courage and it really was a big challenge. But if we didn't do that, we couldn't make DOA5 and we wouldn't be able to show you anything."

Dead or Alive series

Kasumi, the protagonist of the first two games in the series, is the respected heiress apparent of her clan, the Mugen Tenshin, along with her brother Hayate. According to the background story: she was destined to become the 18th Master of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, when Hayate was left in a comatose state following an attack by their renegade uncle Raidou. On a personal quest of revenge, Kasumi then fled in order to enter the Dead or Alive tournament and defeat Raidou, in doing so becoming an outlaw outcast to her clan.

Kasumi kills the rogue Raidou and avenges Hayate, winning the first DOA tournament. However, immediately after the Dead or Alive 1 World Combat Championship she is abducted by Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee (DOATEC)'s Super Human Development Project, who uses her genes to create a clone (called Kasumi Alpha) as part of its project to develop supersoldiers. Kasumi manages to escape, defeating her clone in the process, and attempts to return to her village; but like Raidou, she too is banished because a dishonored ninja cannot rejoin their clan. Now labeled a traitor, as leaving the village is punishable by death, Kasumi is constantly hunted by assassins. Despite this, she still wishes to see her brother Hayate (the current clan leader) and half-sister Ayane and so enters the third tournament to meet with them a final time.

She eventually manages to meet her brother. After trying to convince him to forget DOATEC and return to the Mugen Tenshin village with her, she is attacked by her half-sister Ayane, but is victorious. Kasumi follows Hayate to the DOATEC Tri-Tower to confront Helena Douglas, who has taken control of DOATEC. Kasumi fights past Helena and then heads to the laboratory to destroy her powerful clone, the Alpha-152. Kasumi fights to the best of her ability, but in the end Alpha-152 escapes in the chaos caused by a Mugen Tenshin attack. Upon spotting Helena entering the blazing helipad, Kasumi risks her life in an attempt to intervene, but is prevented from doing so by Ayane, who thus saves Kasumi's life as the building starts to explode seconds later.

Kasumi returns in Dead or Alive 5, where "unable to return to her village, she continues to live on the run with her life remaining a target." In it, Kasumi joins forces with Helena to find Alpha-152, refusing help from anyone, including her own brother. After defeating her clone, she is attacked and killed by Hayate and Ayane. However, it is revealed that she is merely one of the Alpha clones programmed into believing that she was the original and the real Kasumi has been in Japan the entire time with Ninja Gaiden's Muramasa at a hidden village. She receives a message from a falcon sent by Ryu Hayabusa, which says that her brother is in danger and she is needed in battle. Reaching the oil platform where her brother is, Kasumi discoveres a secret laboratory of Victor Donovan's new organization, MIST, and finds that he has created several Alpha clones to sell to the militaries of powerful countries. After Kasumi frees Hayate, Kasumi, aided by Hayate, Ayane and Ryu, manages to destroy Alpha-152 and the laboratory. Afterwards, Kasumi thanks Ayane and Hayate before taking her leave to find and defeat Donovan for good.

Kasumi clones

According to the series' storyline, DOATEC uses Kasumi's DNA to create many clones as part of its Project Alpha, which aims to create a perfect fighter. Kasumi Alpha (カスミα （アルファ）, Kasumi Arufa) was the first clone of Kasumi to debut in the games, appearing as Kasumi wearing a crimson ninja suit. Kasumi Alpha served as a boss character in Dead or Alive 2 and returned for Ultimate. She is defeated by an escaping Kasumi, and undergoes another phase of the project known as Project Alpha-2.

The character was later redesigned as a translucent, liquid-like form of Kasumi, Alpha-152 (アルファ・イチゴーニ, Arufa Ichi-gō-ni). In the games' plot, this is the ultimate stage of Alpha series human weapons, and she "detests all things and her goal is only to destroy." The final CGI ending of Dead or Alive 4 shows Alpha-152 fleeing the DOATEC's Tri-Tower after a brief fight with Kasumi. In terms of gameplay, although not designed as one by Itagaki, Alpha-152 is known for being a very challenging final boss (in several characters' story mode and in the time attack mode in DOA4, where she is not playable, as well as being the final boss in the story mode of DOA5) who is an especially difficult opponent for slower characters. Alpha-152 can be unlocked in Dimensions and returns in Dead or Alive 5, in which she can be unlocked again as a playable character. In the story mode of Dead or Alive 5, Alpha-152 takes on Kasumi's exact form and can also transform into Ayane, Hayate and Ryu during the final battle.

Other games

Kasumi features in the 2003 sports video game Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (DOAX), set on the fictional Zack Island. The premise depicts Kasumi invited to a fourth DOA tournament; upon arriving and discovering the invitation is a hoax, she and the game's other characters pass the time playing beach volleyball. Kasumi also appears in the sequel, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (2006), and in the portable version Dead or Alive Paradise (2010).

Kasumi makes a cameo appearance in 2009's Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (starring Ayane and Ryu Hayabusa), wearing a new outfit. She stars in the iPhone game The Girls of Dead or Alive: Blackjack (2009), in which she acts as a blackjack dealer. Kasumi also appears as an optionally playable "monster" in the games Monster Rancher 2 (1999) and Monster Rancher 4 (2003). Her blue ninja outfit is an unlockable costume for Arin in Super Swing Golf (2006) and Super Swing Golf: Season 2 (2007), and is an alternative costume of Mio Amakura in the Director's Cut version of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly for the Xbox (2004). In 2013, Kasumi joined the cast of the smart phone action card game Hyakuman-nin no Ninja Gaiden, where Hitomi from Dead or Alive and Rio from Rio: Rainbow Gate! also show up dressed in Kasumi's DOA costumes.

Dead or Alive: Code Chronos, a DOA series' prequel game which was supposed to center on Kasumi and Ayane, was canceled in 2010, following Itagaki's departure from Tecmo. In 2003, Itagaki also said that "the fact that we registered this trademark for Kasumi-Den should tell you that we have a big plan for it." A playable Kasumi was added to the 2012 action game Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, made available as a free downloadable content (DLC) for the Wii U, and included in the PS3 and X360 versions. In it, she is armed with a long sword and kunais and by default clad in a hooded black armor with a scarf, but the player can also choose between three of her costumes from DOA5. Kasumi also appears as a playable character in the upcoming Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. In it, Kasumi suddenly fall through a space-time distortion while pursuing Alpha-152 and arrives in another world, wearing her standard costume and armed witha short sword.

Gameplay

Kasumi's all-around game combined with her quickness makes her one of the best fighters for any level of player. Strong stunning attacks, great combinations, and her speed, she's got it all.

According to GameSpy's guide to Dead or Alive Ultimate by Andrew Alfonso, Kasumi's key moves in Dead or Alive 2 include her "famous" high kick and her cartwheel attack, which is "perfect" against low attackers. In this game, her tag team partner is Ryu Hayabusa. According to GameSpy's guide for Dead or Alive 3 by Anthony Chau, "beyond her dazzling beauty, Kasumi combines powerful kick attacks and great speed, with some of the best punch and kick combinations in the game", usually ending with a very powerful launching attack (to send an opponent flying into a wall or off the edge of the arena). This - in addition to her versatile throws, some very good new long-range moves and many stunning attacks - means that no player - scrub or master - can go wrong with Kasumi." Chau summed up, "all in all, Kasumi is a great character for any level of player; novices will certainly enjoy her easy mechanics, while master players will find some of the most evil combinations in the game with Kasumi." She is a good tag team partner for any fighter, but especially for Ryu, Bass, Helena and Ayane.

According to Prima Games' official guide for Dead or Alive 4 by Bryan Dawson, in this game Kasumi is "faster than ever" and her techniques have been modified considerably; she was ranked overall 8/10, while her clone Alpha-152 was ranked 10/10. According to GameSpot's guide to DOA4 by Matthew Rorie, Kasumi is "an interesting character for many reasons. While she doesn't rely on brute strength to get the job done, she has a dizzying array of quick strikes and more than a few teleportation moves to dazzle your opponents and pull them off guard, allowing you to sneak behind them and attack from the rear, or just confuse them mightily." In GameSpy's guide to DOA4, David McCutcheon wrote that "Kasumi is a very well-rounded character that is diverse in usefulness," adding that she "can be a pure powerhouse character outside of her looks that will certainly drive the point across even to the most defensive of fighters," and that novice players might especially appreciate her very accessible high combos.

In the Dead or Alive Xtreme beach volleyball series, Kasumi has excellent technique and jump abilities, but average speed and defense, and very low power. In Dead or Alive 5, Kasumi uses "beautiful yet varied attacks executed at a high speed that few can guard against." According to Shelby Reiches of Cheat Code Central, Kasumi's fighting style in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge "appears to fall somewhere between the more acrobatic Ayane and Ryu’s baseline swordsmanship" but she also "brings rampant teleportation and a focused, laser-like Ninpo to the table."

Other appearances

In film

Kasumi appeared in the 2006 action-comedy film DOA: Dead or Alive (loosely based on the game series) as one of its lead characters, and was played by Devon Aoki. Itagaki later expressed a preference for a Japanese actress, ideally Kumiko Gotoh "from the time right after she made her debut", but had no authority over the casting process. In an interview, Aoki said about Kasumi: "Yes, she's pretty badass and she's a princess. She's never been outside the palace walls. She's been very, very sheltered, because she's a princess and that's the way it is until the point where she actually decides to leave, she's basically been pretty sheltered but she's a capable fighter."

According to Kung Fu Tai Chi, DOA: Dead or Alive "focuses its pugilistic mayhem on the eye-candy surrounding the mythos of Princess Kasumi." In the movie, Kasumi escapes her clan and joins the tournament upon receiving an invitation. She fights against Leon and wins. Later, Kasumi pierces an acupuncture needle into the villain Victor Donovan, who then suffers paralysis and perishes in an explosion. In the end, she goes home with her brother despite being a runaway shinobi, but has to make a fighting stand against her clan with her new friends in order to be allowed to stay.

Promotion and merchandise

A wide range of merchandise items featuring Kasumi has been created, including scores of different figurines, statuettes and action figures of various types and scales. Examples include figures by Tecmo, Sega, Kaiyodo, Max Factory, Kotobukiya, and Takara, as well as one bundled with a special edition of Dead or Alive Paradise for the PlayStation Portable; another exclusive figure was added to the magazine Hobby Japan in 2010. A few Kasumi figures can be stripped down to their underwear or stripped topless.

Other items include an Xbox 360 face plate, a PSP protective cover, special "3D breasts" mousepad and a similar mug, trading cards, a Dead or Alive 5 arcade stick by Hori decorated with a graphic of Ayane and Kasumi (available in two versions for either the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360), and a live-size 160 cm long (Kasumi's height is supposed to be 158 cm) body pillow which was bundled by Microsoft with the 5,000-unit "Kasumi-chan Blue" limited edition batch of the Xbox consoles in Japan with a matching Xbox Controller. Kasumi and Hitomi were also used in the iPhone digital clock application Bijin Tokei and a Dead or Alive voice clock, which was bundled with a figure of either her or Ayane. In 2007, Side A: Love! Kasumi was released as one of the two DOA tenth anniversary picture books; Kasumi themed credit cards were also released as well. Dead or Alive 4 pre-orders in Japan included bonuses marketed as "the most beautiful slipcase in the world" and "the most beautiful poster in the world", the case having an almost-naked Kasumi on one side and Ayane in her standard fighting outfit on the other. Dead or Alive 5 pre-order bonuses included an exclusive Kasumi-themed iPhone case from the online retailer ShopTo.Net. Merchandise released for DOA5 include another Kasumi-themed 3D mousepad and body pillow cases. Kasumi was also featured on the covers of Dead or Alive 5 Postcard School Calendar 2013 and of 2005's comic anthology companion for Dead or Alive Ultimate. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate "Kasumi-chan Blue" limited edition was announced to include Kasumi-themed 3D mousepad, playing cards, life-size tapestry and bath poster; the game's collector's edition will also contain Kasumi 3D mousepad and playing cards. She is also one the four playable characters available from the start in the 2013 free game Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters, and free downloadable costumes for Kasumi were offered as pre-order bonuses for a full version of DOA5 Ultimate at Amazon. First-print copies of Tecmo Koei's Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate (Japanese version of Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate) will be bundled with DLC costume codes for Kasumi's special “Orochi” themed costume in DOA5U.

In 2010, an erotic gamebook Destiny Kunoichi Kasumi (運命のくノ一　かすみ) was published (in the Queen's Gate series, in the Queen's Blade franchise), for which in turn another Kasumi figure was released. She is also a subject of an unofficial (non-Tecmo) doujin erotic game, for which a CD featuring erotic vocal samples and 14 of the game's songs was also released separately. Kasumi's signature very high kick attack was a subject of a TV commercial for Dead or Alive 3.

Reception

Kasumi has been received well among gaming fans and professional critics for both her sex appeal and martial arts abilities. In 1998, Computer and Video Games featured her as its Star of the Month, commenting: "She's so sexy, and so deadly (and so a-lively)," while Sega Saturn Magazine featured her on a cover along with a caption stating "Drop dead gorgeous!" in capital letters. Talking about her popularity in Japan, Itagaki claimed in 2004: "It's almost like there are too many Kasumi covers. If you look at Japanese magazines, maybe 10% of them have Kasumi on their cover." In 2012, writing about the character's popularity among cosplayers, Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku stated: "Kasumi is one of the most iconic characters in Japanese gaming. Her ninja outfit in its various colors is instantly recognizable. She isn't merely in Dead or Alive; she is Dead or Alive."

Multiple publications often featured her as one of sex symbols of video games. In 2005, Kasumi won in G4 TV show Video Game Vixens in the category 'Dressed to Kill'. That same year, Chris Reiter of Gaming Target ranked her as the fourth best "PlayStation 2 babe", writing that "her bouncy big breasts, and her fascinating flip moves will awe you. Not to mention, she kicks high." In 2007, she won the G-Phoria award in the category 'Best Hottest Babe' after 55% of all votes were cast for her. In 2007-2009, Kasumi was also featured as GameDaily's 'Babe of the Week' in the articles "Babes We're Thankful For" ("this voluptuous vixen has a killer body and the moves to match"), "Girl Power", "Asian Beauties" and just "Kasumi". Also in 2007, GamePro ranked her third in their list of "top asses in gaming". In 2009, Kasumi was included among the 11 "hotties in the Xbox universe" by TeamXbox, while ScrewAttack jokingly chose her to a thumbnail image for their list of "greatest busts" in games, which was really about the gaming industry failures. That same year in Poland, she was listed as one of 21 "sexy ladies of computer games" by Fakt, while benchmark.pl included among the top sexiest female video game protagonists. In 2010, Joystick Division's James Hawkins ranked her as the sixth sexiest video game character, adding that "there is something really sexy about Kasumi that the other characters in the series seem to be missing." UGO featured her in their 2010 lists of top 50 "videogame hotties" and 30 best swimsuits in all works of fiction. UGO Team commented: "Kasumi is the flagship protagonist of the Dead or Alive series of games, and it's for good reason. Her huge breasts, flowing hair, and butt-bumpin' volleyball skills represent at least half of what the series is all about. It only helps that she's equally deadly when the fighting portion comes around." UGO also ranked her as ninth in its 2011 list of the "hottest" female fighters in video games. In 2011, Kasumi's breasts were ranked as the 14th finest by Ross Lincoln of GameFront and (together with Tina's) chosen as the seventh "most incredible chest" in video games by Rich Shivener of Joystick Division. Joystick Division's Hawkins also gave her a number nine spot on the list of the "greatest asses" in video game history that same year, while Nintendo World Report ranked Kasumi as the second top chesty heroine on Nintendo systems solely for her appearance in Dimensions for the Nintendo 3DS. In 2012, Kasumi was ranked as the 17th "hottest" female video game character by Gadget Review, while Interia.pl included Ayane, Christie and Kasumi ex-aequo among the "sexiest game heroines" of the year. Kasumi was voted at the second place in "Miss of Video Games 2012" by the Polish console magazine PSX Extreme. ZoominGames ranked her as the third top "game babe" in 2012, and as the number one top Asian female in gaming (for her sex appeal) in 2013.

Kasumi has been also repeatedly named as one of gaming's top female ninja characters. In 2007, Kasumi was featured by Rob Wright of Tom's Games as one of the 50 greatest female characters in video game history as well as on of "the video game vixens of today" for being "one of the most powerful - and sexy - ninjas in the world." Ranking her as tenth in the list of "video game hotties" in 2007, UGO called her "freakin' hot" and "the most attractive ninja you'll ever see." In 2008, GameDaily ranked her at number eight in their list of top "hottest game babes" due to their love of "female ninjas, especially ones with gigantic breasts," and commenting that "Kasumi remains the most recognizable Dead or Alive girl, and one of the most dangerous." In 2010, G4tv called her "the iconic female ninja". In 2011, she was ranked third on the list of "top ten ninjas in all of gaming" by Machinima.com. In 2012, Gelo Gonzales of FHM included Kasumi among the nine "sexiest ninja babes in games", commenting that "she’s about as pure as ninjas go" and comparing her to Bela Padilla. Chris Carle of IGN commented: "This sultry redhead is also a fan favorite, and it's not difficult to see why. In addition to being gifted as a fighter, she's been graced with one of the finest digital bodies ever. Also, she is a freaking ninja." Gavin Mackenzie of PLAY joked her breasts are two of the top ten best things one could expect to see in Dead or Alive 5 and wrote "these breasts explode the myth that ninjas like to go unnoticed, as they make it impossible not to notice Kasumi." Multiple books used her and Lara Croft as examples of the characters embodying "unique aesthetic for perfection" - a hyperreal, exaggerated 'hyperbody'.

Kasumi has also been positively received for her other traits. In 2000, WomanGamers appreciated her portrayal "as a woman of action and deeds" who is "willing to risk everything in order to search for her missing brother." The website questioned her visual allure "for which the series is both famous and infamous," but nevertheless rated her 8.14/10 as "a very pleasing character." According to Joystick Division's James Hawkins, "Kasumi is a deadly fighter when she has to be, and a caring, passionate person when she doesn't. In a game full of sexy, fatalistic fighters, separating from the pack is a truly impressive feat. And Kasumi has done just that." In 2004, TeamXbox ranked Kasumi as the third-top "Xbox babe", adding: "When we imagine our ideal Tecmo babe, Kasumi fits the bill perfectly. She has fought her way into the hearts and minds of millions of gamers." In 2008, The Age ranked her as the 36th top Xbox character of all time, while PC Games Hardware listed her as one of the most important female characters in games. GameDaily featured her in a 2009 article about gaming's "greatest patriots", adding that "it's hard to imagine a video game world without the lovely Kasumi." In 2011, Polish web portal Wirtualna Polska listed her as one of the 15 "girls that will kick your ass" and commented that even if she was made a strong female character just to appeal to "low tastes of some male players," she is still "a tough chick". "Kasumi Chan", pseudonym of professional gamer Margorie (Marjorie) Bartell, came from the character. The pseudonym of another professional gamer, Marie-Laurie "Kayane" Norindr, is a mix of Kasumi and Ayane.

The film adaptation version of the character was met with some negative reception. The scene of her leaving the clan was named the movie's "most ridiculous" scene by Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar, who included it in his 2009 list of the 16 "most awesomely bad videogame movie moments". "Transitioning from martial art fight scene to skydiving without blinking" was also chosen as the film Kasumi's defining moment by UGO, with a snicker comment how Aoki's portrayal is "keeping conservative in a world full of boob," and was ridiculed in a review by The Spoony Experiment. Featuring the video game version of Kasumi as their "Gamegirl of the Week", Polish web portal Gildia.pl called Aoki's role a "total setback". Complex also lamented Kasumi's appearance as "nowhere near as central to the movie as she is the game franchise, which of course we attribute to the intractable racism of the entertainment industry in this country."

Controversy

We are a Japanese developer, and we're making the female characters with our common sense and our creative sense. When you take that to countries outside of Japan, it tends to be very misinterpreted in some cases, people considering it sexist or derogatory, etc. For us, within our culture, we're showing women like that, and we're trying to make them look attractive. We can't help if other cultures in other countries around the globe think that it's a bad representation. Within our nationality and within our national borders, we obviously have morals that we create our female characters from, but within our Japanese sensibilities, we've made those characters the way they are and we're not going to stop doing that.

Negative reception of the game character involved accusations of sexual objectification and an underage controversy. Shawn Sines of GameFront used the images of Taki from Soulcalibur II and Kasumi from DOAX2 to illustrate the 2007 critical article about "the video game implementation of modeling female breasts." In 2010, David Houghton of GamesRadar listed "Kazumi" [sic], Lara Croft and Ivy Valentine as the female video game protagonists who are "all festering [sic] adolescent wank-fantasies." That same year, Jeff Marchiafava of Game Informer chose Kasumi as a character that Edward Cullen would like because she "is underage" (but illustrating it with a picture of Hitomi). Wirtualna Polska also ranked Kasumi from Dead or Alive 4 (but illustrating it with an image from DOAX2) as second only to Bayonetta among the "most unrealistic and sexist depictions of women in games". In addition, "She Kicks High" was included on the list of the most controversial video game commercials at number four in the list by Joystick Division, with Rich Shivener commenting: "In a way, Tecmo is making fun of itself for including excessive cleavage and the like in Dead or Alive games. At least they're honest - Kasumi totally does kick high, and her fellow femme fatales are flashy, too." In 2012, Kotaku's Harris O'Malley listed "Kasumi, Ayane or Ivy" as examples of objectified female characters in video games, Stephen Crane of Bitmob.com included Kasumi on the list of "the most iconic female game characters" that almost all "have been incredibly sexualized," and Josh Engen of Cheat Code Central used her to illustrate the "frustrating (and incorrect) preconception" of "Gamers Are Sexist".

The underage depiction of Kasumi, as well as a Dead or Alive: Dimensions' feature called Figure Mode "which lets players snap photos of the not-quite-legal bounciness from all angles", were linked to Nintendo's decision to not not sell the game in Sweden, allegedly due to the country's strict pornography laws. Hearing of the Nordic ban and that Dimensions was being sold in Australia with a PG classification, the Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor and the Australian Classification Board re-examined the game and banned it, even as Nintendo said that the game contained no material which could be considered child pornography. Upon re-submission the game was awarded the stronger, but not age-restricted, M classification and re-released shortly after. In addition, the game's cover art, featuring a high-kicking Kasumi, was slightly censored in the United States. There were reports indicating it was done to appease the ESRB, but Tecmo Koei spokesperson said "this whole thing is getting blown way out of proportion. The truth is that there were a few parties both internal and external who thought there might be some issue with the image," adding: "You have to pick your battles, and covering up that small bit of the image seemed to be harmless."

See also

• Mai Shiranui
• List of Dead or Alive characters

References

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76. Kasumi pillow - Show me the merchandise
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94. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Orochi DLC Costumes to Be Bundled with Musou Orochi 2 Ultimate in Japan, Shoryuken, August 30, 2013.
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97. "[New PVC Figure] The beautiful princess of Alabasta, Vivi Nefertari". SG Cafe!. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
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108. Stephen Johnson, G-Phoria Results are IN!, G4tv.com, August 8, 2007.
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110. Girl Power: These Chicks Will Kick Your Ass, GameDaily, 3/8/2009.
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External links

• Official website (DOA5)
• Official guide to Kasumi in DOA5 (Prima Games)
• Kasumi at The Dead or Alive Wiki (Wikia)

• Clone characters in video games
• Characters created by Tomonobu Itagaki
• Dead or Alive characters
• Female characters in video games
• Fictional female ninja
• Fictional Japanese people in video games
• Ninja characters in video games
• Fictional super soldiers
• Genetically engineered characters in video games
• Ninja Gaiden characters
• Princess characters in video games
• Video game bosses
• Video game characters in film
• Video game characters introduced in 1996
• Video game characters who can teleport
• Video game mascots
• Video game protagonists
• Woman soldier and warrior characters in video games