Welcome back to Waifu Wednesday, Niche Gamer’s column where we talk about characters, their appeal, and a little on their history.

Today’s waifu is Katsuragi from the Senran Kagura franchise! She’s one of the oldest members of Hanzo National Academy’s Shinobi course (not counting the graduates) and is a third year at the academy.

Katsuragi was one of the first character’s designed by artist Yaegashi Nan due to his love of blonde-haired girls. She also has the largest chest out of all the students at Hanzo Academy (at least according to a GameFAQs thread from 2014, let us know if you find official measurements).

She has a rivalry with Ikaruga, the series class representative. In comparison Katsuragi is a flashy “gyaru” (gal) type character who flagrantly disregards uniform rules with her top pretty much entirely unbuttoned in most scenes.

Rather than fighting with conventional ninja weaponry, Katsuragi is something of a martial artist and fights enemies with kicks and leg strikes. Her dynamic fighting style makes her “creative” uniform adjustments even more noticeable.

The Senran Kagura series premiered in 2011 with the game Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows, a remake released shortly after for international audiences called Senran Kagura: Burst. In the years since it came out, the franchise grew in popularity for its unapologetic fanservice and character design, as well as an iconic quote from the series creator Kenichiro Takaki. Takaki left Marvelous and joined Cygames, citing increased restriction on fanservice in games.

The franchise survives today as the mobile RPG Senran Kagura: New Link. The last official game in the franchise was Neptunia × Senran Kagura: Ninja Wars which released in 2021.

Katsuragi was suggested as this week’s waifu by our reader @RNinjaStylish!