Akari Tsukumo, also known as Kari Tsukumo in some versions, is the 20-year-old older sister of the protagonist Yuma Tsukumo in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL. She lives with Yuma and their grandmother, Haru Tsukumo, as their parents are frequently away. Akari works as a determined and ambitious journalist, and she helps support the household financially. Her personality is forceful and aggressive, often acting in a self-centered manner, such as sending Yuma into dangerous situations to gather information for her stories. Despite these harsh traits, she genuinely cares for her brother and is deeply protective of him, having made a promise to her parents to look after Yuma. This protectiveness initially leads her to forbid Yuma from dueling, out of fear that he might disappear like their father did. Over time, she discovers his secret and becomes more accepting, shifting from opposition to reluctant support. Akari is highly skilled with computers and hacking, claims to hold a black belt in karate, and is an adept but reckless driver of both a car and a motorcycle. She has a romantic history with a gambler named Charlie McCoy (or McCay), and she displays a tsundere attitude toward him. Her role in the story is primarily that of a supportive, if overbearing, family member who provides comic relief and anchors Yuma to his home life.