OVA
Description
Karula, also known as Karura, is a former princess turned gladiator and warrior of exceptional strength. She is a member of the Giriyagina tribe, a race known for its immense power and near-mythical status, making her and her younger brother Derihourai two of the last of their kind.
Originally named Karurauatsururei, Karula was the princess of the nation of Na-Tunku before she was deposed by the Shakukoporu, a rival political faction that installed a puppet ruler in her place. Following her overthrow, she was enslaved but continued to resist. She was eventually found by soldiers from the village of Tuskuru adrift in a shipwreck, having single-handedly slaughtered a ship full of enemy soldiers with her bare hands to escape captivity.
Karula possesses a distinctly easygoing and assertive personality. She is highly fond of sake, almost constantly seen drinking it, and demonstrates a superhuman tolerance for alcohol. She enjoys teasing others, a trait she frequently directs at her comrade Touka, and engages in shameless flirtation. Despite her playful demeanor, she is also a formidable and serious warrior when the situation demands it. After being taken in by the protagonist Hakuoro, she decides to forgo her royal past and live a simpler, more normal life as Karula, a warrior in his service. She wears a thick metal collar around her neck, a remnant of her enslavement, which she continues to wear as a symbol of her vow to live a new life.
Her primary motivation becomes serving Hakuoro, to whom she swears an oath of everlasting devotion and fealty. This vow is the most sacred one her kind can make, effectively forming a contract with him. Her loyalty is further demonstrated during a slave revolt in her homeland, where she chooses to fight alongside Hakuoro and his allies. After the conflict, her brother Derihourai becomes the new emperor of her homeland, freeing her from her royal obligations.
Karula shares a close bond with several key characters. She befriends Hakuoro easily, appreciating that he does not treat her as a former slave or a political bargaining chip. She frequently teases him and becomes one of his most trusted and powerful allies. Her relationship with the swordswoman Touka begins with them as enemies, but after Touka defects to Hakuoro's side, the two become close comrades, with Karula delighting in teasing her relentlessly. In the later story, it is revealed that Karula was one of the primary caretakers who raised Kuon, the daughter of Hakuoro. She insists that Kuon call her big sister rather than mother, a preference that carries a veiled threat of her wrath if disobeyed. When she encounters the new protagonist Haku, she remarks that his name and demeanor remind her of Hakuoro, and she encourages him to take good care of Kuon.
Over the course of the narrative, Karula develops from a wandering former gladiator and princess into a devoted retainer and protector. After the events of the first story, she and Touka become traveling mercenaries. In the later story set in the capital of Yamato, she has matured further, using her skills not as a frontline warrior but as an innkeeper. She runs a popular establishment called the Hakurokaku Inn, which serves as a front for gathering intelligence on the Yamato government, with a secret tunnel leading from the inn to the palace sewers.
Karula's most notable ability is her immense physical strength, which is far beyond that of a normal person. This power allows her to wield a custom-made, massive broadsword that is impossibly heavy; it is said that even the powerful warrior Kurou can barely lift it off the ground. The sword is designed to never break, dull, or chip, and Karula wields it with one hand, smashing through enemy troops and even splitting boulders with ease. In fact, the sword is so heavy that it acts as a limiter on her body; when she chooses to fight without it, she becomes blindingly fast and even more dangerous. On the battlefield, she acts as a powerful shock troop, tearing through enemy lines and serving as an unstoppable force.
Originally named Karurauatsururei, Karula was the princess of the nation of Na-Tunku before she was deposed by the Shakukoporu, a rival political faction that installed a puppet ruler in her place. Following her overthrow, she was enslaved but continued to resist. She was eventually found by soldiers from the village of Tuskuru adrift in a shipwreck, having single-handedly slaughtered a ship full of enemy soldiers with her bare hands to escape captivity.
Karula possesses a distinctly easygoing and assertive personality. She is highly fond of sake, almost constantly seen drinking it, and demonstrates a superhuman tolerance for alcohol. She enjoys teasing others, a trait she frequently directs at her comrade Touka, and engages in shameless flirtation. Despite her playful demeanor, she is also a formidable and serious warrior when the situation demands it. After being taken in by the protagonist Hakuoro, she decides to forgo her royal past and live a simpler, more normal life as Karula, a warrior in his service. She wears a thick metal collar around her neck, a remnant of her enslavement, which she continues to wear as a symbol of her vow to live a new life.
Her primary motivation becomes serving Hakuoro, to whom she swears an oath of everlasting devotion and fealty. This vow is the most sacred one her kind can make, effectively forming a contract with him. Her loyalty is further demonstrated during a slave revolt in her homeland, where she chooses to fight alongside Hakuoro and his allies. After the conflict, her brother Derihourai becomes the new emperor of her homeland, freeing her from her royal obligations.
Karula shares a close bond with several key characters. She befriends Hakuoro easily, appreciating that he does not treat her as a former slave or a political bargaining chip. She frequently teases him and becomes one of his most trusted and powerful allies. Her relationship with the swordswoman Touka begins with them as enemies, but after Touka defects to Hakuoro's side, the two become close comrades, with Karula delighting in teasing her relentlessly. In the later story, it is revealed that Karula was one of the primary caretakers who raised Kuon, the daughter of Hakuoro. She insists that Kuon call her big sister rather than mother, a preference that carries a veiled threat of her wrath if disobeyed. When she encounters the new protagonist Haku, she remarks that his name and demeanor remind her of Hakuoro, and she encourages him to take good care of Kuon.
Over the course of the narrative, Karula develops from a wandering former gladiator and princess into a devoted retainer and protector. After the events of the first story, she and Touka become traveling mercenaries. In the later story set in the capital of Yamato, she has matured further, using her skills not as a frontline warrior but as an innkeeper. She runs a popular establishment called the Hakurokaku Inn, which serves as a front for gathering intelligence on the Yamato government, with a secret tunnel leading from the inn to the palace sewers.
Karula's most notable ability is her immense physical strength, which is far beyond that of a normal person. This power allows her to wield a custom-made, massive broadsword that is impossibly heavy; it is said that even the powerful warrior Kurou can barely lift it off the ground. The sword is designed to never break, dull, or chip, and Karula wields it with one hand, smashing through enemy troops and even splitting boulders with ease. In fact, the sword is so heavy that it acts as a limiter on her body; when she chooses to fight without it, she becomes blindingly fast and even more dangerous. On the battlefield, she acts as a powerful shock troop, tearing through enemy lines and serving as an unstoppable force.