Kurasame Susaya

Kurasame Susaya is a guest character from Final Fantasy Type-0. He is the commanding officer of Class Zero. His nickname is the "Ice Reaper". He wields a sword and is frequently accompanied by a Tonberry that carries an enormous knife and also wears the Class Zero uniform.

Kurasame is featured as the main protagonist of the manga Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story: The Reaper of the Icy Blade, the prequel story of his life nine years prior to the events of Final Fantasy Type-0.

Appearance
Kurasame is a man in his mid-twenties with gray-blue hair and blue eyes. He wears Dominion of Rubrum military gear, a long dark coat with golden outlines fastened with numerous red belts, a long cape, and a mask that covers the lower portion of his face.

Personality
Due to his cool demeanor students occasionally view him as a person hard to approach, but deep down he cares greatly for them. He is stern and doesn't tolerate disobedience. Kurasame sees himself in the cadets of Class Zero from his "young and foolish" days.

Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story: The Reaper of the Icy Blade
Kurasame is a cadet of Class Third, and later promoted to Class First. He is a friend of Kazusa and Emina. He is feared on the battlefield, from where he received his nickname, the "Ice Reaper". Kurasame belongs in a group known as the Four Champions of Rubrum, the four strongest soldiers in Rubrum's forces.

When one of their number betrays and attempts to murder the other three, they are defeated with grievous injuries. Though she was near death, Miwa, the female member in the group cast a healing spell to save Kurasame. To ensure he would remember what had occurred as the Vermilion Bird Crystal would erase his memories of his fallen comrades, Kurasame writes the incident down on the ground with his own blood while watching her die.

He stubbornly refused to get his wounded face treated, leaving a scar under his mask, and never fully recovered from the wounds he received from the traitor, resulting in his retirement from the battlefield. Kurasame was the only survivor among the four and it is said that the traitor's Cactuar still lurks within Akademeia.

Final Fantasy Agito
Kurasame can be found in what used to be Class Zero's classroom during the morning, afternoon and evening.

Final Fantasy Type-0
Kurasame is a commanding officer at Akademeia magic academy, and is in charge of instruction of Class Zero.

During Capital Liberation Kurasame contacts Ace once a COMM has been delivered to him by Izana Kunagiri, and introduces himself as the cadets' commanding officer for the mission, informing them of their objective: to destroy the imperials' crystal jammer on an imperial flagship. Once the cadets have done so, Kurasame contacts them again and informs them of a new crystal jammer on an imperial magitek armor, ordering the cadets to find and destroy it with an Eidolon.

After the cadets are officially enrolled to Akademeia, they meet Kurasame face to face. Him being made the class's permanent commanding officer comes as a surprise to the cadets, who were expecting Arecia Al-Rashia—their adoptive mother—in that role. As Nine protests Kurasame hurls him into the wall, intolerant of dissent. Cater and Ace step up to defend him, but Kurasame disarms them. He delivers orders from Arecia that the cadets are to move into the Akademeia dorms, and introduces two newcomers to the class: Machina Kunagiri and Rem Tokimiya.

As the class is sent to help in the war effort Kurasame briefs the cadets of their various missions and can even provide support by arriving to help himself, or by deploying his trusted Tonberry companion, if the cadets request support at the beginning of a mission. During free time between missions Kurasame gives lectures at the classroom.

When the cadets are sent to sabotage the imperial magitek armor program they get orders to cease fire due to a newly wrought armistice mid-mission. Kurasame travels to the imperial capital as Chancellor Khalia Chival VI's aide and bodyguard and negotiates for the cadets' safety. Afterward he explains the situation to them: the empire had proposed peace before the cadets' mission was underway, but they could not contact them in time to halt the mission. The cadets disagree with the treaty, especially Machina, positing that the empire has no right to ask for peace for being the initial aggressor. Kurasame dismisses the cadets who can visit the imperial capital before their next mission.

When the students in Class Zero are forced to escape under the accusation of murdering Queen Andoria, they are unable to make contact with anyone due to their COMMs not working. The commandant considers this a chance to weaken Arecia's political power, and intended to leave Class Zero in the wild and assign no rescue operation after the other Rubrum forces return to the dominion.

Kurasame sends an airship to rescue Class Zero from the Jubanla Region. The cadets are greeted by Kurasame on their return, who tells them there will likely be an investigation, and implies the cadets switched off their COMM so they could not be contacted. The cadets find the accusations ridiculous. The commandant is angered Kurasame sent help to Class Zero, and assigns him a mission requiring him to return to the battlefield in what is considered a suicide mission. Though the commandant states that good results would mean clearing Class Zero's name, it is suggested that Kurasame is aware the Akademeia officials regard both him and Class Zero as expendable. Regardless, he accepts the mission.

After the cadets return from the mission to reclaim Eibon, Kurasame explains the upcoming battle plan against the joint Militesi-Concordian forces. Class Zero is to be sent with the Vermilion Bird Primus l'Cie Lord Zhuyu to fight off the Concordian dragons with an airship fleet, while Kurasame will accompany the rest of Rubrum's legionaries, as well as Akademeia Agito Cadets and trainees, to the Militesi border for Lady Caetuna to summon a Verboten Eidolon. Two l'Cie taking part in Rubrum's military operations simultaneously is unheard of, and many see it as a sign of the dominion's, and thus the Vermilion Bird Crystal's, desperation, as by now all the other Crystals of Orience have been subjugated by the empire that has devised a machine to enslave them.

Kurasame is confronted by Nine and Cater, the former asking if Kurasame is being sent to the front lines as punishment for Class Zero's failings. Kurasame denies this and explains that while his body is frail, he can still use magic. He is bemused his cadets would worry over him, as even if he did die the Crystal would remove all memories of him from the living. Nine doubts they could forget someone as annoying as Kurasame, and the latter takes it as a compliment.

While visiting the Akademeia cemetery Kurasame is accosted by Ace and Deuce. Kurasame explains the Consortium of Eight, Rubrum's governing body, is pinning Queen Andoria's assassination on Class Zero. When the two question his battle-readiness Kurasame says that the day the cadets need to worry about him will be his last. Kurasame implores the cadets to do their best in the upcoming battle, as the cadets' deaths would reflect poorly on him as a commander.

Kurasame is deployed to the western front to support Lady Caetuna alongside Agito Cadets from Akademeia. The dominion forces are being beaten back by the more numerous imperials, and when Class Zero arrives as backup, Kurasame sends them to destroy the empire's crystal jammer. When the jammer is active, dominion forces are cut off from the Vermilion Bird Crystal, leaving Class Zero—who, thanks to Arecia, can wield magic independent of the Crystal—as the dominion's only functional unit.

After the cadets destroy the jammer Caetuna begins to summon Alexander, but the ritual to call forth a Verboten Eidolon takes time and energy. Kurasame and the cadets contribute their phantoma to complete summon. The students fall one by one, until Kurasame is the last one standing, alongside Caetuna. Alexander annihilates the imperial forces, securing victory for Rubrum, but at a heavy cost. As Caetuna crystallizes, Kurasame dies.

A memorial ground is built to honor those who perished in the war, including Kurasame, Caetuna, and the other students. Class Zero visits his grave and Rem laments over being unable to cry because she doesn't remember him.

Kazusa later creates a device which lets one relive the memories of the dead. Naghi Minatsuchi's intel group recovers Kurasame's eyeballs from the battlefield and Class Zero recovers his Knowing Tag. With the eyeballs Kazusa becomes able to display grainy visions Kurasame had once witnessed. When Emina brings him the Knowing Tag, the two reminiscence about Kurasame but cannot remember him even if they have a portrait of the three of them together. Kazusa comments that his body remembers him even if his mind does not.

In the alternate ending where Arecia removes the Crystals from Orience's history, Kurasame never died and still serves as Class Zero's instructor. It is implied he is popular among the female students, as a pair of girls gossips about him. Sice has a hidden affection for Kurasame and tries to give him a love confession letter. She accidentally gives the letter to Seven and Kurasame, thinking a flustered Sice has feelings for Seven, decides to leave the duo alone.

Gameplay


If the player accepts Support Personnel at the beginning of a mission, Kurasame can be randomly chosen to fight as a guest. If he cannot go, his Tonberry will be deployed instead. In the PlayStation Portable version, Kurasame is deployed if there are no people available for multiplayer. Unlike the normal multiplayer mode or the voice actors' "projections" in the "Support Personnel", Kurasame does not appear in shadow.

True to his nickname of "Ice Reaper", Kurasame uses ice attacks. He comes equipped with Boreal Blade, Glacies Tertia, Vol. I, and Mythril Ring. He uses Absolute Zero, Blizzaga MIS-II and Curaga.

If the mission is after Kurasame's death in the storyline, his Tonberry will be chosen instead in the "Support Personnel" function.

Creation and development
Kurasame Susaya was designed by Roberto Ferrari.

Voice
Kurasame is voiced by in the Japanese version. He shares his Japanese voice actor with Cloud Strife from the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
Kurasame appears with ice-elemental cards, as he is associated with the ice-element in Final Fantasy Type-0.

Triple Triad
Kurasame appears on a Triple Triad card in the version playable via Final Fantasy Portal App.

Rise of Mana
Kurasame appears alongside his Tonberry.

Gallery

 * Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story: The Reaper of the Icy Blade

Trivia

 * Kazusa comments on how "great" and "fascinating" Kurasame's body is.
 * Kurasame was wearing a light blue cape in the picture with Kazusa and Emina, suggesting that he was a member of Class First, the "Elite Class", when he was an Akademeia student.
 * Kurasame is the first and only protagonist who is a Mystic Knight.

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