Masako

General Information
Appearances: Bonus Boss/Party Member (Ari no Tsurugi). Bonus Boss (Ari no Tsurugi II)

Occupation: Witch, Field General of the Microverse, The Right Hand of The Red Queen.

Weapon: Broom/Magic

Party Role: Magical Damage and Support

Masako is the main antagonist in Ari no Tsurugi, and a minor antagonist in Ari no Tsurugi II; Izoku's story. She serves as the main general of the Microverse, and refers to herself as "the Red Queen's angel". She is mostly known to shrink the party and other residents around the Academy, and as a "generous patron" to the shrine. Her main weapon is her magic, which is some of the most powerful in game, though she also wields a broom. She appears to be in a love-hate relationship with the academy after each game, as she will kill you if you make her angry, yet offer you servitude if your nice, which is "a great honor".

Appearance
Masako has purple eyes, purple traditional witch-style clothing, and grey/black hair. Her leather boots are more often then not slightly stained with the blood of her unfortunate victims, and ripe from their constant use. Of note is that Masako either ages very well, has a longer then normal lifespan, or utilizes a Glamoir, because in the 12 years between games there is no noticable change in her appearance or any other sign of aging.

Skills
Inferno (Fire damage, single target)

Cold Snap (Ice damage, single target)

Indignation (Lightning damage, all targets)

Powerwell (MP drain, single target)

Discord (Inflict status ailments, single target)

Doom (Kills target, single target)

Magic Eye (Raises ally SPI, single target)

Mindbleed (Lowers enemy SPI, single target)

Float (Grants immunity to Earth damage, all targets)

Maelstrom (Damages and lowers enemy stats, all targets)

Limit Break: Growth Power (Heavy physical damage, single target)

In-Game Analysis
In both games Masako acts as an early bonus boss and an early hint to the difficulty of Queen Battles. Boasting higher HP and stronger attacks then a normal party is prepared for, Masako is truely a force to be reckoned with. Of greatest concern in battle against her is Discord, followed by Powerwell and Indignation. With Discords massive number of status ailments, an unlucky hit can effectivly eliminate a character, and at the early point she is fought at status recovery options can be few and far between. Powerwell is a problem if it drains your healer of much needed MP, and Indignation is simply powerful enough to destroy an unprepared party outright.

As a party member Masako has low ATT and AGI, average HP and DEF, and above average SPI and MP. In battle she is best suited for elemental damage and debuffing enemies. Her reliance upon elemental magic for damage and the semi-random nature of status ailments means Masako is at times inconsistant in over all usefulness. Also hurting her usefulness is her lack of a non-typed single damage ability that is not her Limit Break. If the enemy has a known weakness to an element or status ailment Masako shines. If not she can become of limited use. Thus in general Masako shines in random encounters and limps through boss battles.

Biography
Masako is the secret head of the forest Shrine and "Angel" of the Red Queen. Born in the Microverse, Masako was the right hand of the Red Queen and was almost as feared as the deity herself. Sometime during this period she became aware of the Shimazu pirates, and developed a particular dislike of their Captain and leader, Billy Shimazu. Later through an unknown method Masako was grown to "normal" size and founded the forest Shrine for the purpose of establishing a base of operations and obtaining followers for the Microverse. Her overall purpose was to obtain enough Macroforce from the inhabitants of the world and send it to the Microverse to grow the Red Queen.

During the events of AnT II, Masako obtained enough power to open a portal to the Microverse at the shrine and allow passage for her subordinate Sayuri to enter the main world at a reduced size. It was also during this time that Masako met and battled Izoku Kaga and his friends Hideo Midorikawa and Keisuke Oda and stole their size. However during the struggle an empty Macrocrystal shattered into several shards and were scattered around the area. Shortly after Sayuri arrived she captured one of Masakos previous victims named Ran Ayanami. As a joke to herself Masako made Ran into a Ohagi and gave her to the female students investigating the disappearances of people at the academy. The joke being how before being shrunken Ran had eaten the last of the previous victims by accident and would now be eaten herself. Not long after that she lost contact with Sayuri, but continued with the Red Queen's plan.

To be continued...

Personality
Masako is very cruel and sadistic, and takes great pleasure in torturing and killing her shrunken victims in a wide range of ways. She is quick to anger and hold a grudge, and feels utter superiority over others, particularly when she has the advantage in size. She has a personal grudge against the students Hitoshi and Izoku, as well as Captain Billy Shimazu of the Shimazu Pirates, due to their constant interference with her plans and general refusal to be squished.

While Masako seems irredeemable, it is possible to work with her so long as she feels she is in control, or if she is pursuing a higher grudge then you. However, it is important not to TRUST Masako too deeply, because if at all possible she will betray you for personal power. Furthermore, there are unconfirmed reports that Masako is a wild drunk, and a bit of a lightweight at that.