| Kaori Kurenai 紅香織 Kurenai Kaori | |
|---|---|
| |
| Description | |
| Age | 14 |
| Birthday | November 30 |
| Zodiac | Sagittarius |
| Gender | Female |
| Eye Color | Brown (Kaori)
Red (Cure Fangoria) |
| Hair Color | Dark auburn (Kaori)
Black (Cure Fangoria) |
| Height | 165.1 cm (5'5") |
| Blood Type | A |
| Relatives | Wataru Kurenai (father)
Saki Kurenai (neé Rouyama) (mother) Taiga Nobori (uncle) |
| First Appearance | SPCT01 |
| Alter Ego | Cure Fangoria |
| Theme Color | Red and black (main), silver (sub) |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Fuyuka Ooura |
Kaori Kurenai is one of the two main Cures from Super Pretty Cure Time. She was created by Kalle as the alternate universe offspring of Saki Rouyama of Engine Sentai Go-onger and Wataru Kurenai of Kamen Rider Kiva. Her alter ego is Cure Fangoria (キュアファンゴリア Kyua Fangoria).
Personality[]
Kaori takes after both her parents in some ways; she is cheerful and optimistic like her mother, but also has tendencies towards being reclusive (and a bit strange, at times) like her father. She doesn't quite fit the yamato nadeshiko archetype like she's expected to, but she's still a fairly sweet and girly kind of person -- though as it turns out, she does have pet peeves and buttons that shouldn't be pushed, but she handles those with grace and wit if she needs to. She also has a mild fujoshi streak to her, secretly listing yaoi manga and fanfiction among her wide array of interests.
History[]
A Heroic Childhood[]
Some time in the past, Saki -- then still a young woman -- was minding her own business at the cake shop where she worked, and just happened to be serving an order to a shy, but sad-looking man -- Wataru, of course. Feeling the need to cheer him up, she sat down to talk with him about his troubles, and the company appeared to be just the thing he needed. Soon afterwards, the two became close friends, and that in turn bloomed into something more... and that, of course, is before they each discovered that the one they were dating just happened to be a hero!
Well, that didn't quite stop their relationship any. And despite protests and confusion from both parties' friends and family (Saki's sister Sanae was furious, and Wataru's family was initially bewildered that he would choose to love someone they perceived as a 'commoner') they went on to marry and have an adorable daughter, whom they named Kaori. The two of them told her very early on about their pasts to avoid any sort of confusion later on, should their enemies rise again for any reason; she became enamored with the idea of becoming a hero, but mainly kept it to herself in order to pursue her own everyday hobbies.
As time went on and as she grew older, Kaori started to show great proficiency in gymnastics, along with more traditionally feminine pursuits such as cooking with her mother and collecting perfume (she mentioned wanting to become a perfumer herself someday.) When asked about her skill at the sport, she simply replied, "I don't know... I guess it's in my blood?"
Dawn of the Neo-Fangires[]
One day when she was on her way home from practice, she stumbled across a series of glass bodies along the pavement, and ended up running into a monster menacing two teenage girls -- a Neo-Fangire, as it turned out, to her shock (she thought her Uncle Taiga had taken care of those guys already!) While trying to fight off the monster, a small black-bat thing landed in her face, which spooked her even more when it started talking. The bat, introducing itself as a 'fairy' of sorts named Barnabas, explained to her that with his power, she could become a heroine and save the creature's soul! With her life on the line and nothing to lose, Kaori let Barnabas bite her, and she suddenly transformed... not into a Kamen Rider like her father had told her about, but into a Pretty Cure!
Assuming the alias of Cure Fangoria, a frightened Kaori was able to fend off the monster with a strange array of black magic attacks, and captured its soul right before its body shattered to pieces. She immediately ran away from the scene with her new partner in tow, still shaken from the ordeal but inwardly excited that she could now fight like her parents once did.
When she told them about the encounter afterwards, Saki was delighted about her daughter becoming an awesome heroine like she once was... while Wataru looked very confused and worried for her safety, his fears about her being pulled into the Fangire conflict now realized. Nevertheless, Kaori has pledged to her family that she would look out for herself, but intends to fight against this new evil with all her heart for their sake.
Relationships[]
Kurenai Wataru -- Kaori is especially fond of her father; because he works from home, she is always around to bond with him while watching him work at his violin-making and playing. Unfortunately, Wataru's odd choices in violin varnish ingredients are a mild point of contention between them (mainly due to Kaori's perfumer aspirations, and the frankly bizarre components disagreeing with her sense of smell.) It was at Wataru's insistence that he and Saki divulge the truth of their pasts to Kaori early on, though he left out a... small detail concerning her lineage...
Kurenai Saki -- Despite the closeness Kaori has with Wataru, her mother is also a great influence in her life, inspiring her cheerful, calm attitude and outlook. She is unfalteringly supportive of Kaori's current destiny as a Cure, and even offers her daughter tips on how to fight more effectively.
Esumi Hibari -- Because Kaori's mother is very close with Hibari's parents, the two girls ended up growing up together and becoming good friends. Hibari's tomboyishness stands as a stark contrast to Kaori's own girlishness, though this doesn't deter their interactions any (in fact, Kaori herself likes to think that it's a good balance.)
Barnabas -- Being her fairy partner and the source of her transformation, the two maintain a solid relationship, even if his own snarky demeanor and jerk tendencies towards her father's partner tends to grate on her a little.
Nago Masahiro -- Kaori does not know much information about Masahiro or his family before they first meet, but his arrogance and closed-mindedness manages to make him one of the few people in her life that actually irks her somewhat. The fact that his sense of justice is slightly more extreme than the Cures' own frustrates her to an extent as well.
Tsubakikoji Yuiko -- As cofounders of their school's Perfumer Club, the two girls get along easily and run the club as smoothly as possible, even if Kaori finds Yuiko's 'serious business' attitude a tad overwhelming.
Cure Fangoria[]
"The dawn sleeps and whispers my name -- Cure Fangoria!"
"暁が眠る、名前は囁く -- キュアファンゴリア！"
"Akatsuki ga nemuru, namae wa sasayaku -- Kyua Fangoria!"
Cure Fangoria (キュアファンゴリア Kyua Fangoria) is Kaori's Pretty Cure alter-ego, and Cure Velocity's partner of sorts; she holds the power of darkness and shadows.
Transformation[]
Kaori calls out for Barnabas, announcing "Pretty Cure, let's go!" (プリキュア、いくぜ！ Purikyua, ikuze!) and thrusting her hand out. Barnabas bites her wrist, causing stained-glass marks to appear around the bitten area and under her eyes, which change from brown to red. The orb at the center of Fangoria's costume materializes, and what appears to be sonic waves are emitted from it, which perpetuate the change from Kaori's normal form into Cure Fangoria.
Attacks[]
Apart from incorporating improvised gymnastics and regular kicking / punching attacks, Fangoria can use other magic-powered offensive attacks:
- Fangoria Burst End (ファンゴリアバーストエンド Fangoria Baasuto Endo): Fangoria performs a flying punch with her right arm, her fist encased in darkness and fire.
- Fangoria Hell Crash (ファンゴリアヘルクラッシュ Fangoria Heru Kurasshu): A great burst of darkness is summoned from all around.
- Barnabas Bullet (バーナバスバレット Baanabasu Baretto): Fangoria summons Barnabas, who streamlines himself and flies at sonic speed straight into the enemy. This attack is similar to Engine BearRV's Bullet Crash.
- Pretty Cure Empress Moonbreaker (プリキュアエンペレスムーンブレイカ Purikyua Enperesu Muunbureika): Fangoria's main (so far) finishing move; when performed, day turns into night with a dark red moon and Fangoria leaps for an aerial kick powered by dark energy. When used on a Neo-Fangire, their body shatters, and their soul is consumed by Barnabas, who purifies it and transfers it to a safer place.
- Pretty Cure Speed Queen Shooter (プリキュアスピードクイーンシューター Purikyua Supiido Kuiin Shuutaa): A combined attack with Cure Velocity. Holding hands, Velocity calls out for the "power of speed", forming a red and yellow glowing orb on her free hand, while Fangoria calls out for the "power of darkness", forming a red and black glowing orb on her own free hand. The two then push the orbs back and, after calling out the name of the attack, release them as one big beam of light, which encase the enemy and can either destroy or purify the opponent.
At the moment, it is currently unknown whether Fangoria has access to Kiva's Arms Monsters or Castle Doran for further attacks; though Wataru has faith (or at least misplaced optimism) that she most likely won't need to fall back on them until she's ready.
Appearance[]
In everyday life, Kaori has somewhat pale skin, dark brown eyes and straight, very dark auburn hair that reaches her shoulders; she usually adorns it with simple ribbons or barrettes. Her clothing style is casual, yet feminine, though she mostly gravitates towards wearing large sweaters / shirts with short-shorts and tights underneath.
As Cure Fangoria, Kaori's eyes turn bright red, and her hair lengthens and becomes pure, shiny black, gaining a silver circlet with a red gem and a pair of horn-like attachments to each side of her head in the process. She also sports small, stained-glass markings underneath her eyes. Her uniform is mainly deep red, with black trimmings that appear torn at the edges and silver chain accents. In lieu of the usual arm protectors, she sports long black gloves, and her boots are black with silver armor around the knees and ankles. Her right leg also has a chained silver casing around the calf.
Etymology[]
Kurenai (紅): Kurenai translates to crimson; it originally referred to Kaori's father and his dual nature as the vampire-themed Kiva, though this has since extended to her as well.
Kaori (香織): Kaori roughly means fragrance weaving, a possible reference and / or extension to her mother's catchphrase 'Smile blooming!' It also tangentially refers to her love of perfume.
Cure Fangoria: Fangoria was originally the name of a horror entertainment magazine, which has been in distribution in the United States since 1979.
Gallery[]
Assorted[]
With Hibari[]
Trivia[]
- Cure Fangoria's introductory speech references the 'true name' of the Bat Fangire, the main antagonist in Kamen Rider Kiva ("The Dawn Sleeps, A Magnificent Story's Ending" [暁が眠る、素晴らしき物語の果て Akatsuki ga Nemuru, Subarashiki Monogatari no Hate].)
- Out of all the perfumes she owns, Kaori's preferred scent is Tokyomilk's Bittersweet (which has notes of cake flour, dark cacao bean, bronzed musk and osmanthus.) She claims it reminds her the most of her mother.
- Despite what her last name may indicate, she has no relation to Kurenai Houji. Coincidentally, Houji was created by Cure Shabon, who also happens to be the creator of Kaori's Pretty Cure partner Hibari.