Ayase Ayatsuji

"Righteousness without results is just caprice."

- Ayase Ayatsuji

Ayase Ayatsuji is the daughter of Kaito Ayatsuji hailed as the Last Samurai and the late Ayako Ayatsuji. Differing from her father, she was a Blazer and training in the Ayatsuji Ittou-ryuu, but this came to an end after the brutal attack of the Sword Eater who put her father into a coma. Ayase became a third-year student in Hagun Academy and had the intent to enter the 62nd Seven Stars Sword Art Festival to win back the Ayatsuji Dojo from Kuraudo.

Appearance
"Even though there was no malice, following someone around for a week was definitely not normal. After all this, Ikki prepared himself to see what kind of snake would come out of the bush but… to his great surprise; it was a black-haired Yamato Nadeshiko"

- Ikki first meeting Ayase

Ayase is a beautiful seventeen-year-old young woman with jet-black hair that covers her forehead and right eye, dark brown eyes, a voluptuous womanly figure and to the point as being a Yamato Nadeshiko by Ikki, which Stella and Shizuki commented on even feeling threatened. Ayase is seen to be dressed in the school uniform of Hagun Academy but is also seen dressed in the training uniform of the Ayatsuji Dojo.

Personality
"I don't think like that. Righteousness without results is just caprice."

- Ayase's initial warped mindset talking to Ikki

Ayase is noted to be shy and anxious as proven in her first stalked Ikki around since she was too nervous around boys who were around her age, who wasn't her mentor or pupils from the Ayastuji Dojo, which has caused her to be unwilling to look one in the eye. As the daughter of the "Last Samurai", she had an interest and desire towards becoming a proper swordswoman, her nervousness seems to disappear when she trains as she was comfortable around Ikki who she was too anxious to look at.

Despite Ayase's shyness around boys, she is still just as interested in love and romance as any other girl of her age. She even gleefully admitted to Stella that she was jealous of her relationship with Ikki and wanted to fall in love too. She also enjoyed asking and teasing Stella about the details of her love life.

Despite her anxious demeanor, Ayase can also appear serious and enraged at times as first noted when Ikki had mentioned her slump was due to her imitating her father to the letter. It is noted one another occasion as she met Kuraudo who she harbored a deep hatred for again during her outing with Ikki and Stella. Due to the incident after losing her father and fellow pupils, Ayase develops a darker nature opposite to her father where she believed that anything goes as long as she wins as she initially tricked Ikki into using Ittou Shura hours before their match. But, deep down she regretted her actions toward her friend, although her regret over her actions ended up dulling her skills during their match, which Ikki noted was because she honestly didn't want to do such things to him.

History
Ayase is the daughter of Kaito and Ayako Ayatsuji, the latter has died at some point in her life. She was raised and trained under the tutelage of her father in the Ayatsuji Ittou-ryuu who was known as the Last Samurai and was capable of defeating Blazers in his prime. Even after being diagnosed with an illness that weakened him, he still continued to train his daughter who had been born as a Blazer.

Two years prior to the start of the series, the Ayatsuji Dojo was challenged by Kuraudo Kurashiki, the Sword Eater who had left almost all the students with injuries that left them unable to wield swords even if they all healed. Kaito had accepted the challenge which Ayase had protested before she agreed to be the judge and in the end, she watched as Kuraudo crush her father's ribs in their last clash and took their dojo as a prize. This event led to Ayase having an immense hatred towards Kuraudo. Following that incident, Ayase had continued to challenge Kuraudo time and time again, but to no avail, as she was easily toyed with every time, to the point where Kuraudo lost interest in her and no longer accepted her challenge.

Disciple, Encounter and Betrayal
Ayase is first seen, after being caught by Ikki Kurogane, in the hospital, after she injures herself, running away from Ikki who catches her stalking him. She explained that she only stalked Ikki to help her with her training, and Ikki gleefully agrees. She then goes to the forest with Ikki and friends, where Ikki accurately points out the reason for Ayase's slum, the difference of gender between her and her father which caused her movement to be flawed. He then offers to correct her stance to make use of the advantages of her body, greatly improving her reaction time.

Ayase is then seen on an outing with Stella and Ikki, initially enjoying themselves, before Kuraudo Kurashiki comes along, and tries, but fails, to cause a fight with Ikki. Ayase then receives a message on her student notebook, which informed her that her tenth opponent for the participation round was Ikki. Ayase, after not talking with the group for a while, then invites Ikki to the rooftops, before the day of the match, which he comes to alone. She then proceeds to make him activate his Ittou Shura and then reveals to him that she only invited him to the roof so she could trick him into using it, as she knows he can only activate it once a day.

Impossible Victory, Decisive Battle, and New Beginnings
Ayase is next seen fighting Ikki in her tenth selection match. Ayase is able to have the upper hand against him, thanks to her tactics on the top of the building, as well as setting up traps before the start of the match. Ayase is then slashed by Ikki's illusionary form of Intetsu, after being able to see through Ayase's traps. Ayase is then unable to get up, knowing that what she did, and was doing, was wrong, and gives up, giving Ikki the victory.

Ayase then tells Ikki of her tragic story, and Ikki agrees to help Ayase regain her cherished dojo from Kuraudo. Ayase then watches as Ikki fights and beats Kuraudo, giving the Ayatsuji Dojo back to her. After the duel, Ayase decides to tell the Selection Battle committee of her cheating, causing her to lose her right to enter the Seven Star Sword Art Festival. A week after the duel between Ikki and Kuraudo, Ayase sends a message to Ikki that her father has awoken, being extremely happy. Under Kaito's demand to thank Ikki, Ayase then calls Ikki only to be surprised by her own father suddenly telling Ikki to marry Ayase, as an embarrassed and angry Ayase assaults her father and ends the call after apologizing.

Siege, Reunion and Trap
Ayase is seen among one of the supporters for Ikki during his match against Touka Toudou, encouraging him.

Akatsuki Strikes
Ayase had come to Hagun Academy, while the participants of Hagun Academy training camp were away, to thank Yuuri for looking the other way during her match with Ikki. The conversation is then interrupted by members of the Akatsuki academy, one of which attacks Ayase, who had no way of defending herself. She was saved by Yuuri who planned on taking the attacker out but was unable to do so due to the person's ability, Total Reflect. Ayase and Yuuri are later found by Stella and Ikki knocked unconscious, along with a destroyed Hagun Academy.

The End of the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival
Ayase attends the awards ceremony and then the celebration party at Moroboshi's restaurant after Ikki won the tournament.

Abilities
Wound Manipulation: Ayase's ability as a Blazer, she is able to manipulate the concept of "Wounds", which lets her inflict wounds and makes those caused by her Hizume more severe. It doesn't work on just living beings, but also on objects and her surroundings as well.

Great Stamina: She is noted to have great stamina having gotten used to basic training and able to easily follow Ikki and Stella in their daily jog.

Master Swordsmanship: Having trained in the Ayatsuji Ittou-ryuu by her father, Ayase is a skilled swordswoman to where one mistake couldn't be found. Ikki states her slump was due to mimicking her father but was fixed and uses her feminine build, letting her become faster and improve her skill. After training and practice with Kuraudo, she improved her skills to where she could fight and defeat Ginji Ookuma, an escaped criminal Blazer.
 * Ten'i Muhou: The ultimate technique of the Ayatsuji Ittou-ryuu, which Ayase had used in her fight against Ginji.

Device


Hizume (緋爪, Scarlet Nail): Her Device, which take form as a red shirasaya that has a scarlet blade described as redder than sunset and more vivid than blood. In the anime, it is manifested by Ayase by saying the command: Turn scarlet and opening a rift from where the sword emerges.
 * Mark of the Wind: (風の爪痕, Kaze no Tsumeato) Ayase's Noble Art. She cuts through space using Hizume which effectively leaves behind a vacuum blade. These blades are activated when Ayase points down Hizume and taps on the handguard using her little finger. When triggered, it unleashes a sharp gust of wind that slices through the openings created by Hizume.

Trivia

 * The name Ayase means "brilliant fabric design, kimono design" (絢) (aya) and "swift current, rapids" (瀬) (se).
 * Ayase's surname Ayatsuji means "design" (綾) (aya) and "street, crossroad" (辻) (tsuji).
 * Ayase is described as a Yamato Nadeshiko, which in Japanese term describes an ideal woman.
 * All information about Ayase's powers remained secretive due to her lack of participation in official matches for the previous year.