Kikyo Mikage (Earth-101001)

Kikyo Mikage
Name	Kikyo Mikage
Affiliation and Relationships
Affiliation	Formerly Deacon Frost, A.I.M.
Marital Status	Single
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Eyes	Irises: Brown
Hair	Black
Unusual Features	Always wears traditional samurai clothing not matter the enviroment
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Mutant
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-101001
Place of Birth	Japan
Personal Information
Identity	No Dual
Citizenship	Japanese
Occupation	Mercenary
Education	Sword Training
Base of Operations	Japan
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Warren Ellis
First	Marvel Anime Season 2 2
First	Marvel Anime Season 2 2

History

Kikyo Mikage is a Mutant and a ronin mercenary who shares a rivalry with both Wolverine and Blade in their respective series, possessing a Regenerative Healing Factor like the former and is a master swordsman like the latter.

Although his origins are unknown, even to himself, he was taken in as a child under the sword master Tanba Yagyu, and would later train alongside Eric Brooks before he became known as the vampire hunter "Blade". Kikyo, who was equally skilled but arrogant, was only concerned with winning, a fault which his master called him out for. After two years of Yagyu's training, Eric decided to leave to continue his training with Noah van Helsing, but Kikyo refused to let him leave without one last duel to determine which of them was the strongest. However, he suffered a quick and humiliating defeat by Eric, and while Kikyo demanded for his rival to take his head, Eric said he already lost it. After training under Yagyu for another two years, Kikyo was sent packing as Yagyu claimed he had nothing more to teach him and that Kikyo needed to see the real world. Although he was reluctant, he accepted his master's wishes and was grateful that he took him in. He wasn't aware that Yagyu had been diagnosed with a lethal form of lung cancer.

Some point afterward, Kikyo had been hired as an assassin of Shingen Harada, the head of the Kuzuryu yakuza gang, who was affiliated with A.I.M.. In Tokyo, after Logan and Yukio discovered that his longtime friend Tesshin Asano had been killed and were set up in his murder, Kikyo appeared before them.

Possessing the same healing factor as Logan and using a sword hidden in his right arm similar to Wolverine's claws, Kikyo quickly proved to be a devastating opponent and would have killed his newfound rival if not for Logan's own healing factor. Logan later suspected that Kikyo was Asano's killer and swore revenge, but police intervention forced them both to withdrawal. Kikyo seemed impressed that Logan lasted against him, which made him determined to see which of them was the strongest.

Logan later returned to Shingen's hideout in another attempt to save Mariko, but only discovered Kikyo instead, who denied that he had any involvement in Asano's death. The two fought throughout Tokyo once more, only to be interrupted by Omega Red, who Logan had already fought earlier. Kikyo stood back and allowed the two to fight, but upon the Russian's defeat, he decided to depart from the scene, telling Logan there was no honor in fighting an exhausted opponent and would fight him again when he was well and rested.

Kikyo later followed Logan to Madripoor, confronting him once again just before he and Yukio could reach Hideki Kurohagi's palace, where Mariko was being held and who she was being forced to marry. Realizing what Logan was really after, Kikyo deducted that it would be an honorless fight if Logan's mind was on his goal and not the battle, and decided to put their fight on hold, even after Kurohagi ordered him to kill Logan anyway. Kurohagi then had a revitalized Vadhaka take over and fight Logan, Yukio, and Koh's resistance movement. When Min put herself in harm's way and was nearly gunned down by Shingen's men, Kikyo sliced their guns to pieces, declaring that only cowards use guns and are worse if they're used against children. He later aided Logan when Min was fatally struck by the animated statue, revealing another sword hidden in his left arm that he fought the beast with.

Following Vadhaka's defeat and angered by Min's death, Kikyo joined Logan and Yukio in their fight against Shingen's forces, stating that he has business with them as well, but reminded Logan of their impending duel after he was done saving Mariko. When Logan confronted Shingen, who derided Kikyo for not killing him, Kikyo reminded his client that he'd only fight Logan on equal terms. Shingen terminated his contract, stating he'd gladly finish the job himself.

When Logan and Shingen duel for the last time, Kurohagi attempted to shoot his distracted enemy with his special poison weapon again. Kikyo however took the hit and attempts to suck the poison out before it can kill him, refusing to let Kurohagi interfere. He watched Logan and Shingen duel alongside a mortally wounded Yukio, who finally got her chance to avenge her parents. After Shingen is killed and Yukio succumbed to her injuries, he helped Logan reach the catacombs where Kurohagi was hiding with Mariko. Kikyo held the closing door, allowing Logan to get through, ending his participation in the fight. After the battle, he and Logan faced off again in an empty field at night, fighting to determine which of them is the strongest.

Logan would remain in Madripoor to investigate AIM's activities. He later came across Blade and his partner, the vampire hunter Makoto, who were investigating their involvement with Deacon Frost and Existence. After the vampires were dealt with, Logan gave Blade some intel that there was related activity in Vietnam, and there was a mutant like him working for Existence.

Existence had been hunting down Sgt. Major Stan Davis, a former Marine who served in the Vietnam War and participated in an AIM super soldier experiment, not realizing it would turn him and his unit into Vampires. Before he requested that Blade kill him, they were ambushed by a group of vampire ninjas on behalf of Existence. Leading them was Kikyo, who was ordered by Frost to recruit Davis or kill him if he refused. He revealed to Eric that he joined Existence because they met his price, and more importantly, he found the job was worthy of his skills. He quickly took the opportunity to fight against his old rival, but it was when Davis tried to escape that Kikyo took off after him. Cornering him, Kikyo fended off against Blade before getting his throat cut by Davis. Taken off-guard by the sight of Kikyo's healing factor, Davis left himself wide open for attack and Kikyo thrust his sword straight into his heart, killing him. Eric derided him for killing a man and feeling nothing for it, comparing him to his ruthless contractor. Although Kikyo denied the claim, saying he did feel little, killing Blade would be a pleasure.

Dueling against Eric once more, Kikyo also demonstrated the two Deadly Sword Techniques that Eric had been using throughout his journey. It wasn't long before they both sensed they weren't alone, and to their surprise, it was their old master Yagyu. Eric quickly realized that he had become a vampire, much to Kikyo's disbelief. After hearing that Yagyu had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was tricked by Deacon Frost to become a vampire, Kikyo felt he was to blame for abandoning his master and took it upon himself to make it right, but was quickly beaten. Yagyu then dueled against Blade and fell victim to the mysterious Third Deadly Sword Technique. Freed of his vampirism and in his last moments, Yagyu claimed it was an honor to teach both of them before dissipating. Deacon Frost then appeared before Blade and taunted him about killing his own master, goading him to attack and quickly overpowering him. He had Blade taken to his research facility in Cambodia, and informed Kikyo that his contract was terminated. Kikyo then encountered Blade's partner Matoko, and since he was no longer in Frost's services, told Makoto about Blade's whereabouts. After her departure, looking upon the sword of his fallen master, he claimed that Frost made himself a new enemy.

After Makoto's death, Frost retreated to his headquarters in Armoroad, where he was confronted by the Vampire High Council, Blade, and eventually van Helsing. Kikyo arrived not long after, telling Eric that he'll be the one to kill him, but only after Frost was dealt with. They were quickly confronted by a seven-headed vampire hydra, who Kikyo decided to fight alone with both swords, allowing Eric to go after Frost. In the aftermath of the battle, after the creature had been slain and Frost had been killed, Blade emerged from the remains of the battle, in which Kikyo told his old rival that they both won this time. With those parting words, he left the scene of the battle.

Personality

Kikyo displays a stereotypical samurai personality. He's a very quiet, stoic and detached individual but is not one to hide his arrogant confidence in his abilities. In combat, he shows his more sadistic side as he's more concerned with winning above all else, and is eager to prove that he's the greatest swordsman of all.

While he is an assassin and seems to have no morals on the value of life, killing without feeling anything, Kikyo's actions are mostly driven by his desire to find a strong opponent to prove himself against as well as his own code of honor, making his own decisions based on what he believed to be right. He will turn on his contractors if he finds them overstepping their bounds, even if it means helping his rivals if they share the same enemy. He declined to fight against an exhausted Logan after he fought with Omega Red and refused to let a young girl be gunned down and fought against his contractors when she was killed. When Yagyu was turned into a vampire by Frost, he put his grudge against Blade aside in hopes to free his master, and turned against his former contractor after his master's death..

Attributes

Powers

• Regenerative Healing Factor: Kikyo has a strong healing factor, able to survive any damage, below decapitation, and fully restore the damage or lost anatomy within seconds with no lingering signs or affect to his performance.
• Retractable Adamantium Palm-Swords: Kikyo has a retractable Adamantium katana blade in each arm, extruding from his wrists. Each blade has a makeshift handle at the end, extending enough from Kikyo's wrist to properly grip them in his hand for battle.

Abilities

• Expert Swordsman: He is extremely skilled swordsman, equally proficient in single or double-handed form, backhanded-grip, and even wielding two blades at once, proving himself ambidextrous. He has near complete mastery of the Yagu Shinkage-ryu style of kenjutsu. From its teachers, he can channel chi into his blades to unleash powerful shockwaves or transparent wind blades from his sword swings, letting him to blast or slice respectively from a distance. He has also mastered two of the style's three principle techniques: "The First Blade: Residual Moon", which produces a tangible after-image capable of moving independently and "The Second Blade: Phantom Moon", in which he spins with his blade at his side, striking from all directions at high-speed, ultimately setting ablaze whatever the blade strikes from its intensity.

See Also

• 11 appearance(s) of Kikyo Mikage (Earth-101001)
• 4 image(s) of Kikyo Mikage (Earth-101001)
• 2 quotation(s) by or about Kikyo Mikage (Earth-101001)