Kiribayashi Azumi

Azumi first appears at the end of in Volume 1, Episode 4, when she challenges Shizuma in a K-Fight. She is rumored to have complete mastery of Kiribayashi Naginata-jitsu and is sometimes known as "Saintly Azumi" because she smiles sweetly during the entire battle, confusing her opponents. She is in love with Tatsuya, which leads to conflicts with Mitsurugi Ryoko. Ryoko and Azumi have a love/hate relationship; they are something like friends half the time, and fight over Tatsuya or the top fighter position the rest of the time. Surprisingly enough, though Ryoko is a close second, Azumi is actually my favorite character. She's got a lot of the same problems and goals as Ryoko concerning living the way of the samurai and honing herself and her fighting skills. She's really cute, too--not just her face, but her personality. She's the kind of person you'd want as a friend. She reminds me of Hitomi with a backbone.