Kunimitsu (州光?) is a character in the Tekken fighting game series. She made her first appearance in the original Tekken as an unlockable character who acted as the sub-boss for Michelle Chang. It is unknown what happens to Kunimitsu after her last canonical appearance in Tekken 2.
Biography
Kunimitsu started out as a petty thief but later joined the Manji Clan in order to hone her skills. Renouncing her Japanese nationality in order to remain anonymous, she trained hard to learn the art of Manji Ninjutsu and improve her thieving abilities. While initially abiding by the rules of the clan, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, she later began to steal from the clan's funds for her own benefit. When Yoshimitsu, the head of the Manji Clan, discovered her thefts, the outraged leader banished her from the clan.
With few options remaining, Kunimitsu resorted to mending air conditioners to make a living. It was during this time that she heard of a valuable treasure, held by a young Native American woman, sought by Heihachi Mishima, the wealthy head of the Mishima Zaibatsu. Kunimitsu vowed to steal the treasure for herself, and entering the first King of Iron Fist Tournament provided the perfect opportunity to do so. However, upon confronting Michelle Chang, the pendant's owner, Kunimitsu was defeated in battle.
Humiliated, she retreated to her former home to stay with her grandfather. During this time, she learned from her grandfather that the sword held by Yoshimitsu (also called Yoshimitsu) was a priceless artifact, handed down through generations of Manji, and that, despite a lifetime of effort, he had been unsuccessful in forging a replica. Determined to steal the sword on behalf of her grandfather, Kunimitsu enters the second King of Iron Fist Tournament to face her former leader. When she confronts Yoshimitsu, Kunimitsu is once again defeated in battle.
Kunimitsu's fate after the second tournament is unknown - it has been speculated that she was killed either by Yoshimitsu during the second tournament or Ogre prior to the third tournament, although she may still be alive and has simply turned her back on the tournament after two unsuccessful attempts at earning the Iron Fist title.
Personality
Kunimitsu is a very enigmatic character, speaking few words and revealing little of her personality. However, it can be deduced from her actions when she part of the Manji Clan that she is a cold, selfish person with a greed for riches and valuables. Despite this, Kunimitsu does not seem to be completely heartless, as she seems to have a fondness for her grandfather who, in turn, was welcoming to her after she returned from her time spent with the Manji Clan.
Appearance
Kunimitsu is tall, at 173 cm (5′8″) the tallest female fighter in the series, and has an athletic physique. She has red hair, which she keeps tied into ponytails, and always keeps her face hidden behind her trademark masks. It is, however, still possible to see her face, which reveals her to have long red scratch or claw marks across her eyes. Kunimitsu always carries her signature kunai blade, although in the original Tekken she carried dual kunai or sickles, dependent upon which outfit she wore.
Outfits
Main Article: Kunimitsu/Outfits
In the majority of appearances, Kunimitsu wears full-body ninja suits with boots and gloves. This outfit was embellished in later games in the series with a tunic and obi. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 saw Kunimitsu receive a new outfit, which consists of a purple side-tie dress with floral decorations, white boots with black knee pads and matching gloves.
Story
Tekken
Version 1 (Manual): Kunimitsu is a former member of the Manji Party thieves guild. Kunimitsu was denounced from the group by its leader, Yoshimitsu, when [she] stole for her own personal interests, going against the Manji Party's principles. Even after her expulsion from the Manji Party, she perused working as a thief, indulging her fancies; she's an ill redeemable rogue.
It would appear that she has her sights set on the Native American treasure Heihachi has pillaged.
Note: She is referred to as a male in her bio.
Version 2: Kunimitsu was a member of the Manji crime syndicate. But when she stole for her own self-interest, she was expelled by the leader, Yoshimitsu. Even after that, she continued to steal without reforming. Her reason for entering the tournament is to plunder the treasure that Heihachi Mishima stole from the Native Americans.
Tekken 2
Tekken 2 Kunimitsu Ending
Version 1 (Manual 1): The sword in Yoshimitsu's keep, the katana Enchanted Yoshimitsu, severs the life force of its enemies; it seems that a commandment among the Manji Party dictates that the current leader of the group must kill the former leader with the sword when a change of leadership is at hand.
No matter how many times Kunimitsu's grandfather, a swordsmith, tried to forge a sword as precious as the katana the Enchanted Yoshimitsu, he was unsuccessful. Believing her frail grandfather desires to make a high-quality katana before his death, Kunimitsu decides to join the tournament in order to seize Yoshimitsu's blade.
Version 2 (Manual 2): Kunimitsu is known as the Devil Cat. She was a former member of the Manji Clan, ninja bandits led by Yoshimitsu. She lost her Japanese identity when she joined the group to maintain her anonymity. Upon joining, she was taught the skills of the stealth knife at the Manji Clan schools of "Jujutau". She stayed with the group for a few months until a series of petty thefts from the band's funds led to her dismissal. At a loose end, she decided to train as a mechanic mending air conditioners.
Kunimitsu entered the first King of Iron Fist Tournament with the intention of stealing a Native American treasure from the young brave, Michelle Chang. Kunimitsu was easily defeated. Feeling humiliated, she sought solace with her grandfather, a swordsmith with a reputation. He informed Kunimitsu that the sword used by Yoshimitsu (also called Yoshimitsu) was a relic of unimaginable value. She learned that it was handed down through the Manji Clan, and it had the power to sever an enemy both spiritually and mentally. The sword exchanges hands when a new leader is elected. The old leader is ritually sacrificed, and the sword's power is transferred to its new owner. Her grandfather has spent his entire existence trying to forge a copy of the sword. Kunimitsu enters The King of Iron Fist Tournament 2 to face and defeat Yoshimitsu, thus claiming his sword so that her grandfather could make a copy before his death.
Version 3: The sword of good fortune and light is the sword which, generation after generation, is succeeded in the Manji party when it is assumed the air of the partner is shut off (there is a rule that the leader of the next generation cuts the leader of the previous generation with this sword). Kunimitsu participates in the tournament in order to take the sword. Ending Description, "The Sword": Kunimitsu is in a forest, standing before a large stone, holding Yoshimitsu's sword. Kunimitsu looks at her face's reflection on the sword. She decides to test the sword by slicing the stone in two with it. Kunimitsu successfully does this and is shown as the sliced stone falls to the ground.
Other Appearances
Tekken Tag Tournament
Tekken Tag Tournament - Kunimitsu Ending
Kunimitsu appeared as a playable character in Tekken Tag Tournament.
Ending Description: Kunimitsu and Yoshimitsu are about to fight each other in a snow-covered forest amidst heavy snowfall. They lunge at each other and clash weapons, and, a few seconds after the impact, Yoshimitsu falls to the ground. Kunimitsu twirls her knife through the air triumphantly and then disappears. This ending takes place in Yoshimitsu's second Tekken Tag Tournament stage, which is called "Yoshimitsu-B".
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Kunimitsu returned in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, playable for the first time in over a decade since the original Tekken Tag Tournament. She is a downloadable character in the console versions of the game. In the console version's intro, she is seen teaming up with Raven in order to fight Nina and Anna.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Kunimitsu Arcade Ending
Ending Description: Yoshimitsu is riding a horse through a forest, unaware that Kunimitsu is stealthily following him. Kunimitsu then shoots darts at the horse. Alerted to her presence, Yoshimitsu quickly jumps off his horse and the two engage in battle. Yoshimitsu manages to knock Kunimitsu to the ground and points his sword at her. After deciding to spare her, he proceeds to sheathe his sword. After doing this, he realizes that Kunimitsu has stolen his sword and replaced it with a stick. As she runs away with it, Yoshimitsu remarks "You've greatly improved."
Tekken Revolution
Kunimitsu appears as an unlockable playable character in Tekken Revolution. She was included along with Devil Jin as part of the Summer Campaign event.
Character Relationships
- Yoshimitsu - He expelled Kunimitsu from the Manji Clan after she was found stealing from the clan's funds. Later, in Tekken 2, she targets his sword for the sake of her grandfather, to allow him to make a duplicate before his death.
- Michelle Chang - She pursued the pendant that Michelle possessed in Tekken.
- Raven - Her partner in the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 home version opening (non-canon).
Gameplay
Kunimitsu is considered to be the fastest and most agile playable character in the whole series, as her attacks have the highest amount of frames per second. Though lacking in strength and range, she can perform acrobatics to dodge, confuse, and evade her opponents.
Fighting Style
Kunimitsu fights using ninjutsu.
Moves
Trivia
General:
- Kunimitsu's English profile in Tekken mistakenly states that she is male. The fact she used Yoshimitsu's voice effects unaltered, in addition to the masculine-shaped build she had at the time made the mistake very convincing. This was changed from Tekken 2 onward, where she was given both female voice effects and a feminine build, but it seems likely that, in the first game, she was fully intended to be a male.
- Her name translates to (州 kuni) "state"; (光 mitsu) "shine".
- Kunimitsu is the tallest (human) female fighter in the series, at 173 cm (5′8″) tall. Ironically, her in-game character model makes her the shortest character in Tekken Tag Tournament, as well as one the shortest in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.
- Part of Kunimitsu's face can be seen for the first time in Tekken Tag Tournament, as the lower portion of Kunimitsu's face is not covered by the mask she wears when using her third costume.
- According to an art book that came with a special edition of Tekken 6, it is unknown whether there is a beautiful woman or a monster underneath the mask.
- A similar mask appears as an applicable item in Soul Calibur IV.
- Kunimitsu's mask is called the Kitsune mask. Though, in Soul Calibur III and IV, it is called "Fox Mask".
- In Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, Yoshimitsu can be customized with her mask, knife and clothes.
- All of her endings take place in a forest.
- Kunimitsu's appearance in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is the first time she has appeared in a Tekken game since Tekken Tag Tournament, which was over 11 years earlier.
- She is one of only two Tekken characters (the other being True Ogre) to have a flame attack.
- Kunimitsu's entire face was accidentally revealed by a customization glitch in 2012, which has since been corrected. However, pictures of her without her mask are still on the internet.
- It was shown that Kunimitsu has a large scar on her face, and may potentially be blind, as a picture of her face shows her eyes to be closed, but this could just be a result of the model being unfinished since her face was probably never meant to be seen in the first place.
- Michelle Chang is her sub-boss.
- She is also Michelle Chang's sub-boss.
- She has the same fighting stance as Yoshimitsu and Paul Phoenix.
- She has the same voice actor as Yoshimitsu.
- Despite having daggers in her hands, she does not attack with them.
- She is the only character who does not have a 10 hit combo.
- Yoshimitsu is her sub-boss.
- She is also Yoshimitsu's sub-boss.
- She has the same fighting stance as Yoshimitsu and Paul Phoenix.
- Her stage is Cambodian Wetlands, which has the same background music as the Angkor Wat stage in Tekken.
- She can be unlocked by beating the game once.
- Kunimitsu has an extra costume similar to Soul Calibur's Taki.
- Kunimitsu returns with a redesigned Kitsune mask that leaves her mouth uncovered, like her third costume mask from Tekken Tag Tournament. This new mask reveals her to have two scars on her face, possibly meaning she's disfigured under the mask.
- In a special win pose with Raven, Kunimitsu and Raven will both flip sideways, land vertically across from each other, put their hands together in front of their chest and slightly nod at one another (probably to solemnly show gratitude towards each other for achieving the victory).
- In another, they will make ninja hand symbols simultaneously. Raven will also do the same with Yoshimitsu.
- She has a special victory pose with Yoshimitsu, where he raises his sword and disappears as soon as she tries to slash him. She then aimlessly looks around for him.
Other:
- Kunimitsu is seen in the intro to Tekken: The Motion Picture, along with the other fighters that don't play a role in the movie.
- Kunimitsu makes a cameo appearance in Street Fighter X Tekken, where she is seen in the Mishima Estate stage background talking to Street Fighter character Sarai, who is Ibuki's classmate. Ibuki's Swap Costume is also based on Kunimitsu.