Character Profile: Kaede Kunikida

The twist in Japan's destiny began when Moe Fujimiya gave birth to twin daughters. This twin birth destabilized the stability that had kept the Aragami asleep so long. Realizing just what kinds of dangers were in store, Daitetsu Kunikida offered to adopt one of the twins and keep her under his protection. Thus the blue-haired twin became Kaede Kunikida.

Kaede seemed a very strange girl. She seemed so smart and so graceful for one so young (in stark contrast to Momiji's lackluster abilities and frequent clumsiness)...and she always seemed to have someone watching over her, protecting her. Yet, at the same time, she seemed a bit cold. She found it difficult to smile, and she was full of difficult questions, mostly about her destiny.

Her destiny kept coming back to haunt her. Kushinada? Human sacrifice? Why they so many people want her dead? Then, one night, for reasons unknown, Kaede went to a certain area in Tokyo that had a strong Aragami presence and bade her farewells, explaining that she was going out to meet her destiny.

Everyone thought that Kaede had died there...until Murakumo unveiled to Momiji the plot to revive Susano-oh, the god of the Aragami. And for the first time, Momiji looked into the face of the twin sister she had heard about here and there but never seen.

Eventually, Kaede explained her actions. She felt betrayed by a Japan that had turned its back on the nature that had given it such bountiful harvest, a Japan that paid back nature's kindness by polluting and tainting the water and land. As the Kushinada, she felt it was her duty to protect Japan...even from the humanity that sought her guidance. So, she planned to help revive Susano-oh and use his power to return Japan (and its people) into a pristine, verdant state where nature was again in control.

But she faced a great problem: her twin, Momiji, who demanded to know why Kaede would destroy the lives of the people, especially those that held her so dear. It seems fated that the twin Kushinadas will ultimately face off, with the fate of Japan in the balance.