Katana
Katana is a female gargoyle originally from the Ishimura Clan of feudal Japan, and later a member of the Manhattan Clan. [1]
History
The hatchling who would be named Katana hatched in the year 1258, a few nights after Demona, Angelika, and Magni arrived in Ishimura and joined the clan. Over the next sixteen years, the hatchling grew into a rookling and became a favored protégé of the elderly Angelika, whom she regarded as a beloved grandmother. In 1274, Magni passed away, and during the Wind Ceremony, the rookling was tasked with releasing the butterflies.
Some time after Magni’s Wind Ceremony, Angelika tasked her protégé with sneaking up on Demona and cutting a lock of her red hair, much to both Demona’s amusement and chagrin. As Angelika had grown too old to do it herself, the rookling helped braid the lock of Demona’s hair with a lock of Angelika’s yellow hair, cut years earlier when it was still yellow, and placed it into a Gold Locket. Angelika then revealed to Demona that she had been raising the rookling to join Demona on her travels, to keep her company and help temper her worst impulses.
Shortly thereafter, Angelika fell and was not long for the world. The rookling interrupted Demona while she was training both gargoyle and human students in the ways of the sword and brought her to Angelika’s side shortly before the Hunter, Siobhan Canmore, and the ninjas of Hagane attacked, killing several humans and gargoyles. Demona was called away to confront the Hunter and tasked the rookling with protecting Angelika, a vow she swore to uphold with her life. However, during the battle, Angelika died, charging the rookling with delivering her final words to Demona—a task she was unable to fulfill, as Demona flew into a rage upon discovering Angelika’s death, having been forced by the Hunter (and, in her mind, humanity) to miss it.
As the sun rose, the rookling witnessed Demona and Sensei arguing. In the aftermath, the rookling approached Demona while she was burying the treasures and mementos they had gathered during their travels, attempting to summon her to Angelika’s Wind Ceremony. Demona refused to attend, choosing instead to depart from Ishimura, Japan, and Asia entirely. When the rookling attempted to join her, Demona swiftly and brutally rejected her, unwilling to endure the pain of watching another mortal daughter age and die. ("Forever Sound the Mystic Chords of Memory...")
The rookling was trained in Bushido and learned to wield a Japanese sword, a katana, from which she later derived her name in a Naming Ceremony: Katana. Several decades after her hatching, Brooklyn arrived in Ishimura on his TimeDancer travels (specifically between two extended stays in the far future), at which point the Brooklyn and Katana were the same age, biologically. [2][3] Katana joined Brooklyn in the TimeDance; she chose to join him, but it was a tough choice. ("A Little Crazy", "New Rules") [4]
Katana was with Brooklyn and Fu-Dog when they visited New York in 2198. By the time of their 1942 visit aboard the U.S.S. Nashville, Katana and Brooklyn became mates and were carrying their first egg that would become Nashville. When Katana arrived in New York with Brooklyn forty seconds after he was originally taken by the Phoenix in 1997, she was carrying her second egg that Brooklyn dubbed Egwardo. Katana joined the Manhattan Clan shorty after. ("Underwater", "Phoenix")
Through the following months, Katana acclimated to the Manhattan Clan and, alongside Brooklyn, worked on educating Nashville (but was reluctant to let him go on patrol) and acclimating Fu-Dog by making sure he learned to recognize the new gargoyles as "clan". When she learned that "Egwardo" was a joke name, she was not amused. ("Idyll Or Nightmare", "Tale Old as Time")
Alongside the rest of her new clan, she watched Goliath's Hearing with concern for both her leader and for Elisa Maza as, throughout all her travels across time, she never knew of a gargoyle and a human falling in love with each other. When Elisa revealed her love for Goliath to the world, Katana found it admirable and honest, but was unsure if it was wise – doubting many humans would accept it. She was pleased when Goliath was released, happy that the clan would be whole again. The following night, after Goliath' return to the clan, Katana and Brooklyn asked Broadway, Lexington, and Angela to join her and Brooklyn as rookery parents for Egwardo. The three gargoyles accepted and Angela asked Katana and Elisa to be her seconds at her and Broadway's upcoming Commitment Ceremony. Katana accepted. ("Your Witness", "New Rules", "Cold Comfort")
On August 8th, 1997, a new exhibit opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called Vikings in Japan, and Goliath led the Trio and Angela to protect the exhibit from Demona. Hudson was surprised that Katana didn't accompany them, figuring that the exhibit would interest her. But Katana brushed Hudson's curiosity off before leaving him to check on the clan's egg. ("A Prize Beyond Compare...")
On Halloween, 1997, at Brooklyn's persuasion, Katana reluctantly allowed Nashville to skip the Bleeker Street party the rest of the clan was attending in order to go Trick-Or-Treating; but she still sent Bronx and Fu-Dog to watch out for him. At the Halloween block party, she agreed with Careless Jones that Goliath and Elisa were a great couple, before dancing with her own mate. However, the Quarrymen chose this party to attack, hoping to provoke the gargoyles into "revealing their monstrous true colors". Nashville and his new friends managed to hold the Quarrymen at bay, but Katana stepped in to prevent John Castaway from killing her son. Following Castaway's arrest, Nashville apologized for not staying out of trouble, but he had to do something. Katana, however, was proud of her son and let him go continue Trick-or-Treating with his new friends... sending Bronx and Fu-Dog to, again, keep an eye on him. ("Trick-Or-Treat")
Katana participated in the clan's hunt to prevent Demona from uniting the Three New Keys to Power but, like her mate, had grown complacent to the point where even when Demona succeeded it combining the Three Keys and was turning humanity into her puppets, Katana pointed out to Brooklyn that this was not the status quo in 2198 - forcing him to remind her that didn't mean Demona's reign didn't last for decades or that they knew how to fix this. But while the rogue gargoyle was soon defeated, Katana was devastated when Egwardo was stolen. ("Unequivocal Success", "Queen of All She Surveys")
Egwardo which will hatch into their second child Tachi in 1998. [5][6][7] It is currently unclear whether or not Brooklyn and Katana will have a third biological child. [8]
Characteristics
Katana is a female gargoyle with pale blue skin, black hair, a beak, and some anatomical peculiarities common among the Ishimura Clan, such as paired horns, and a reduction in wing, finger and toe digits.
She wears a yellow kimono and wields one katana and one wakizashi on her back, and two fans on her belt.
She is very protective of her egg. She became somewhat defensive when Angela asked to hold it. She also wore a back-pack and took the egg with her at all times, including into battle throughout their journeys. She placed the egg into the rookery upon settling into 1997, Manhattan.
Katana was already known by that name when she first met Brooklyn. [9]
Appearances
- "Phoenix" (First Appearance, No Lines)
- "A Little Crazy"
- "Idyll or Nightmare"
- "Tale Old as Time"
- "Render Unto Caesar" (No Lines)
- "Underwater" (No Lines)
- "Your Witness" (No Lines)
- "New Rules"
- "Cold Comfort"
- "Questions" (No Lines)
- "Quo Vadis Cum Hoc?" (Mentioned Only)
- "Acquisitions" (No Lines)
- "Trick-Or-Treat"
- "Unequivocal Success"
- "Queen of All She Surveys"
- "Bronx" (No Lines)
- "A Prize Beyond Compare..."
- "Forever Sound the Mystic Chords of Memory..."
Production Background
By 1998, Greg Weisman posted that he had shared Katana's name "ages ago". [10][11]
