TV-Series
Description
Hatsumi Usuzumi is a third-year student at Eisui Girls' High School and serves as the team's vice-captain. She is a member of the group known as the Six Hermits of Kirishima. Standing at only 139 centimeters tall and having a childlike appearance, she is easily mistaken for being much younger than her actual age. Despite her small stature, she is a formidable player whose presence on the mahjong table is both distinctive and intimidating.
Hatsumi has short purple hair styled into pigtails and light brown or red eyes. As a shrine maiden from the volcanic island of Akusekijima, part of the Ryukyu Islands, her attire consists of a very short, open-sided red hakama and a white haori with enormous sleeves that reach down to her calves. Diamond-shaped holes are cut into these sleeves to allow her to play mahjong, but the heavy garment often slips from her narrow shoulders. Her most striking feature is the large, ceremonial Boze mask, a traditional shaman's headdress from her island, which she wears when entering and leaving the playing area, sometimes even breathing flames from it; this entrance often startles her opponents.
Personality-wise, Hatsumi is energetic and confident, but she also possesses a notable stubborn streak. This determination can become a double-edged sword, as she has difficulty abandoning her primary strategy even when it is being actively countered by an opponent. She cares deeply for the well-being of her team captain, Komaki Jindai, and is vocal about not wanting Komaki to overexert herself, preferring that the team win their matches as easily and safely as possible. Outside of mahjong, her favorite activity is swimming, a hobby that is reflected in the distinctive tan lines visible on her otherwise pale skin, indicating she often wears a bikini.
Hatsumi's role in the national tournament is as the vice-captain, and her primary motivation is to secure victory for her team while protecting her ace teammate from having to play under intense pressure. Her unique mahjong ability is tied directly to the cardinal directions and ancient spiritual beliefs. When she is seated in the North position, she can activate the Gates of Evil, also known as Kimon, which refers to the northeast direction from which misfortune is said to enter the human world. She begins by calling tiles of the East and North winds, which correspond to this demonic gate. After doing so, she will then draw the South and West tiles, representing the Back Gates of Evil, directly into her hand. This sequence allows her to consistently assemble the extremely rare and high-scoring yakuman hands known as Little Four Winds or Big Four Winds.
However, this power is not without its constraints. Her ability only activates when she is the North player, which gives her a limited number of opportunities per match. Furthermore, during the national tournament, she faces a significant challenge from Sae Usuzawa of Miyamori Girls' High School, whose own ability can visually block Hatsumi from forming her necessary tiles. This confrontation reveals Hatsumi's stubbornness; even when her teammates warn her about the opponent's power, she refuses to abandon her strategy and deliberately allows another player to win a hand just so she can reclaim the North seat and try again. She endures a difficult struggle before finally breaking through Sae's blockade to complete her yakuman hand in the final North round of the match.
Throughout the story, Hatsumi shows no significant development in terms of changing her playing style, but her role in the narrative serves to demonstrate the high stakes and intense counter-strategies present at the national level. Her relationship with her teammates, particularly her protective stance toward Komaki Jindai, remains consistent. After her team's elimination from the team competition, it is revealed that she and Komaki will continue to participate as individual competitors. When she is not competing or at the mahjong table, she enjoys relaxing with her teammates, though she is known to pout when she feels left out of their plans. Her signature ability and the dramatic, spiritual rituals she performs before playing make her one of the most memorable and uniquely styled players in the tournament.
Hatsumi has short purple hair styled into pigtails and light brown or red eyes. As a shrine maiden from the volcanic island of Akusekijima, part of the Ryukyu Islands, her attire consists of a very short, open-sided red hakama and a white haori with enormous sleeves that reach down to her calves. Diamond-shaped holes are cut into these sleeves to allow her to play mahjong, but the heavy garment often slips from her narrow shoulders. Her most striking feature is the large, ceremonial Boze mask, a traditional shaman's headdress from her island, which she wears when entering and leaving the playing area, sometimes even breathing flames from it; this entrance often startles her opponents.
Personality-wise, Hatsumi is energetic and confident, but she also possesses a notable stubborn streak. This determination can become a double-edged sword, as she has difficulty abandoning her primary strategy even when it is being actively countered by an opponent. She cares deeply for the well-being of her team captain, Komaki Jindai, and is vocal about not wanting Komaki to overexert herself, preferring that the team win their matches as easily and safely as possible. Outside of mahjong, her favorite activity is swimming, a hobby that is reflected in the distinctive tan lines visible on her otherwise pale skin, indicating she often wears a bikini.
Hatsumi's role in the national tournament is as the vice-captain, and her primary motivation is to secure victory for her team while protecting her ace teammate from having to play under intense pressure. Her unique mahjong ability is tied directly to the cardinal directions and ancient spiritual beliefs. When she is seated in the North position, she can activate the Gates of Evil, also known as Kimon, which refers to the northeast direction from which misfortune is said to enter the human world. She begins by calling tiles of the East and North winds, which correspond to this demonic gate. After doing so, she will then draw the South and West tiles, representing the Back Gates of Evil, directly into her hand. This sequence allows her to consistently assemble the extremely rare and high-scoring yakuman hands known as Little Four Winds or Big Four Winds.
However, this power is not without its constraints. Her ability only activates when she is the North player, which gives her a limited number of opportunities per match. Furthermore, during the national tournament, she faces a significant challenge from Sae Usuzawa of Miyamori Girls' High School, whose own ability can visually block Hatsumi from forming her necessary tiles. This confrontation reveals Hatsumi's stubbornness; even when her teammates warn her about the opponent's power, she refuses to abandon her strategy and deliberately allows another player to win a hand just so she can reclaim the North seat and try again. She endures a difficult struggle before finally breaking through Sae's blockade to complete her yakuman hand in the final North round of the match.
Throughout the story, Hatsumi shows no significant development in terms of changing her playing style, but her role in the narrative serves to demonstrate the high stakes and intense counter-strategies present at the national level. Her relationship with her teammates, particularly her protective stance toward Komaki Jindai, remains consistent. After her team's elimination from the team competition, it is revealed that she and Komaki will continue to participate as individual competitors. When she is not competing or at the mahjong table, she enjoys relaxing with her teammates, though she is known to pout when she feels left out of their plans. Her signature ability and the dramatic, spiritual rituals she performs before playing make her one of the most memorable and uniquely styled players in the tournament.