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This article, Karasuma, is the property of DeadlyMaelstrom. |
"Come then, if you think you have what it takes to kill me." |
Karasuma (烏丸, Karasūma), more commonly known by his nickname Kara (殻, Karā), is a mutant Saiyan and a prince of the Saiyan Dominion. He is the son of Princess Akemi and the grandson of King Vocado, making him second in the line of succession to the throne of the House of Vegeta.[1] He appears to be the latest of Universe 7's Legendary Super Saiyans, demonic warriors of immense power who are said to appear only once every 1,000 years. This status is the result of a rare genetic mutation diagnosed in his infancy, which causes his power to grow increasingly powerful with each passing second. Because of this "abnormality," Karasuma was classified as an abomination among his own people. He was subsequently shunned, ostracized, and feared by the other Saiyans throughout his entire childhood
Though he often fights alongside the Dragon Team as a supporting protagonist, Karasuma is widely considered an anti-hero by most part of the series due to his troubled upbringing, combined with a horrific betrayal and eight years of torture at the hands of his own people, left him psychologically scarred, bitter, and driven by an all-consuming obsession with exacting vengeance.
Appearance[]
Karasuma has pale skin, onyx-black eyes, and jet-black hair. His hair is kept in a distinct style, with center-parted bangs that extend down to his jawline. As a pure-blooded Saiyan, he was born with and retains his long, prehensile tail, which has brown fur.
When first introduced as a six-month-old child in Dragon Ball: The Return of Son Goku and Friends!, Karasuma had short, well-groomed hair. He wore a dark blue sleeveless jumpsuit, white gloves, and white boots, along with an amulet bearing the red Vegeta Royal Family Crest. Later, in Dragon Ball Super, as a young child, Karasuma grew in height and wore a tan shirt, a red belt, and dark blue pants with white boots. He also wore simple bandages around his wrists, likely from his rigorous training.
By late adolescence to early adulthood, Karasuma's hair grew longer with bangs hanging over his face and experienced a considerable growth spurt, matching Goku in height and developing a lean, well-built physique. Although considered handsome by most girls near his age, his facial expression appears stern and cold. His primary attire consists of a modernized, form-fitting black Saiyan battle armor (regardless of what size-increasing transformation he used, his clothing always remained intact and grew in size with him) with a dark purple, skin-tight undersuit, dark purple gloves, and black boots featuring a purple stripe at the toes. The armor itself was soon destroyed when he transforms into his Legendary Super Saiyan form.
When not wearing his Saiyan battle armor, Karasuma adopts a more casual, military-inspired attire that reflects his harsh service. He wears a red bandana tied around his right bicep, a white ribbed sleeveless tank shirt tucked into dark gray military BDU pants, and a brown leather belt with a gold buckle. He also wears military dog tags around his neck, violet fingerless gloves, and a brown leg knife holster for his military-issued combat Bowie Knife. His boots in this outfit are purple, featuring a distinct green toe cap and heel, with a black ring around the ankle.
Personality[]
"What the hell do you know about suffering? It's not like you had a genetic accident at birth that ended up defining who and what you are! What makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I still relive every moment of it every day, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to be labeled an abomination?!" |
As a child, Karasuma was remarkably happy and eager to please, despite the circumstances of his birth. He was extremely independent for his age and always ready to fight to protect his friends and family whenever necessary. He grew up hearing stories of Goku and asked the elder Saiyan to train him. When Goku agreed to take him on as an apprentice, Karasuma swelled with pride and honor.
However, his life was defined by his "abnormal" status pinned down by any standard of "good" or "evil" societal norms. Because of his genetic mutation and constantly rising power level diagnosed at birth, he was ruthlessly ostracized, shunned, and tormented by the other members of the Saiyan Dominion. His grandfather, King Vocado, viewed him as a threat, and the general populace saw him as a freak. This led to Karasuma feeling an intense loneliness, as he could not understand why he was hated for simply existing. This discrimination forced him inward, where he developed a deep, private solace in intellectual pursuits such as Saiyan history, philosophy, and learning to play musical instruments like the piano and guitar. Though he never expected acceptance from his own kind, while occasionally getting the chance to see that such things were, indeed, possible for someone like him, Karasuma was able to persevere due to the unconditional love and support he received from his mother, Akemi. His primary method of concealing this emotional hardship was to spend time with his friends and extended family outside New Vegeta, particularly the Son and Brief families. This is where he formed his most significant bond, a lifelong friendship with Pan, his mother's best friend's daughter whom he has known his entire life.
On his eleventh birthday (the mandatory age requirement for Saiyan military service), Karasuma enlisted in the Saiyan Army, seeing it as a chance to finally prove his worth. This faith, however, was utterly shattered. On a reconnaissance mission in the Unknown Regions, his own Saiyan comrades turned on him, captured him, and subjected him to eight years of brutal, cruel experimentation and agonizing torture. When he discovered that his own grandfather was the mastermind who gave the order, Karasuma's psyche broke. He became deeply bitter and disillusioned, his entire being consumed by a lifelong obsession with getting the justice he felt he deserved by any means necessary. This justice, in his mind, could only be achieved by killing his grandfather and anyone else who had wronged him.
As a young adult, Karasuma was a completely different person. He was largely anti-social, apathetic, and a total recluse, unmoved by and uninterested in the opinions or actions of others, choosing to keep to himself. This trauma and his subsequent rampage cemented him as an anti-hero. He is not motivated by good or evil, but by his own fractured code of vengeance. This coldness, however, was a mask for his deep psychological scarring and trauma. He found himself trapped between the "Kara" he used to be and the "Abnormal" monster everyone, including himself, feared he had become. This internal conflict defines his interactions. While often cold or clinically blunt, Karasuma is actually capable of deep, dry, and sarcastic humor, particularly around those he trusts. He is not truly apathetic; he is terrified of vulnerability. He is shown to be deeply mortified when his true feelings are exposed, such as the "proposal" incident or when his teasing of Pan backfires, often becoming adorably flustered or embarrassed. His "mean" streak upon his return was a defensive mechanism; his true nature is revealed in his profound, protective loyalty to those who accept him.
In his Legendary Super Saiyan form, Karasuma is considerably more hostile and dangerous than before. While he would normally hold back so as to test himself (unless severely provoked), he will not hesitate to inflict massive amounts of damage as possible to eliminate his opponents. As Karasuma further taps into his power, the angrier he gets, the more powerful he becomes at an alarming rate. He also appears to be unrestrained along with progressively becoming a more violent, blood-lusting, and amoral sadist, similar to the original film version of Broly, namely, causing indiscriminate death and destruction to anything in his path. For instance, after escaping captivity (albeit leaving a trail of bodies in the process) Karasuma destroyed several planets in the Unknown Regions while systematically hunting down those who "hurt him". At some point during his military service and subsequent training with Jenev, Karasuma learned to focus this immense power, eventually gaining full control over the Legendary Super Saiyan state and use its full power without going on a rampage after focusing that power into a complete state.
His bond with Jenev is one of pragmatism. Karasuma accepted the Titan's power as a tool to achieve his revenge against Vocado, but in their final confrontation, Karasuma's own Saiyan pride and willpower proved stronger, allowing him to suppress the entity. He is a vessel, not a puppet, now wielding Jenev's cosmic power on his own terms.
Relationship with Pan[]
The most significant and defining aspect of Karasuma's life is the bond he shares with Pan. He has known her his entire life, being three years older than her. As children, Pan was the only person, aside from his mother, who treated him like a person rather than a monster. He often showed his affection by poking her forehead with two fingers and saying, "Some other time, tayoshey," a Vegese term of endearment meaning "my heart" or "cherished one."
Karasuma and Pan on a date
After his return at age 19, Pan was the only person who could break through his cold, reclusive shell. She was his only bright light and his only tether to the boy he used to be. Their deep childhood friendship and shared history blossomed into a deep, loving, and passionate romance. He confided his trauma to her, and in her, he found the acceptance he had craved his entire life. This trust culminated in them having making love. For Karasuma, this was not merely a physical act; it was, as his quote implies, the one thing in his life that had finally gone right—a moment of peace, love, and humanity that his own people had always denied him.
While he is cold and detached with the rest of the world, Karasuma is capable of immense gentleness, tenderness, and vulnerability, but only with her. He is the only one who can make her laugh at his blunt "brain rot box" comments, and she is the only one who can reduce him to a flustered, blushing, comically flustered mess. Far from being perpetually cold, Karasuma displays a dry, dark, and playful sense of humor exclusively with Pan, such as teasing her specifically to provoke a reaction from her, which he clearly enjoys, and making blunt, deadpan jokes—a side he shows to no one else. His trust in her is implicit. Karasuma is willing to try "illogical" Earth customs that make him deeply uncomfortable, like formal dating or going to the movies, purely for her happiness. This trust extends to their physical relationship, where he proved willing to explore new experiences only because Pan asked, prioritizing her consent and comfort above all else. Conversely, Karasuma's protective instincts for her are absolute. He calmly endured all his life of being called an "abnormal" in cold silence, but flew into a ki-leaking, murderous rage, threatening to rip out his own people's tongues, the moment he heard them disrespecting her honor.