Kanzashi Sarashiki (更識 簪, Sarashiki Kanzashi?) is a first-year student at the IS Academy in Class Four, younger sister of the Student Council President Tatenashi Sarashiki and another IS Representative Candidate of Japan along with Houki. She is the seventh and the last main heroine which appears in the story.
Appearance[]
Kanzashi looks very much like Tatenashi, she has blue hair and dark red eyes like her older sister. In oppose to Tatenashi, Kanzashi's hair is inwards and is slightly longer, and has more petite body compared to her. Her IS Academy uniform consists of the typical white and red blouse, but it is modified with two triangular hairpins on both sides of her head (right and left) and yellow leggings with larger hairpins on sides on her skirt and knee-long black boots. She also wears a pair of glasses.
Personality[]
Kanzashi is the polar opposite of Tatenashi; while her older sister is cheerful, talkative and very straight forward, Kanzashi is far more serious, reserved and somehow shy. She is also a hikikomori, spending most of her free time under a blanket in her room watching anime. She is a huge fan of anime and idolizes anime heroes. Kanzahi was initially very reluctant to team up with Ichika, due to company being forced to work on his IS instead of making her own, but she opened up to him after a large amount of persuasion.
Her withdrawn nature is largely thanks to an inferiority complex she feels towards her sister; due to Tatenashi being better than her at pretty much everything, Kanzashi is deeply insecure and often keeps her distance from her sister, a trait she shares with Houki Shinonono. Upon learning that Ichika helping her out and offering to team up with her was an order he got from Tatenashi, Kanzashi was shocked and got sent into a state of depression until Ichika snapped her out of it. After the fight with the Golem, Kanzashi learns that nobody is perfect and that everyone makes mistakes, finally gaining the courage to reconcile with her older sister.
While Kanzashi's personality is largely different from her older sister, they do share a similar sense of humor and cunning. This is shown during the Live Cosplay Changing Race when Kanzashi put in a highly revealing Princess Knight outfit among the outfits and got Laura to wear it, knowing she wouldn't want to race while wearing something so embarrassing. She also snuck into the second year bath under the guise of caring for her sister in order to keep tabs on her feelings for Ichika and to plan a way around it.
Originally, Kanzashi wasn't one to resort to violence without a good reason. Her older sister was surprised to hear that Kanzashi slapped Ichika, despite knowing she had a grudge against him. After she started spending more time with the other personal IS pilots, she began picking up on their habit of taking out their anger on Ichika whenever he's gets too close to another girl (although she far less savage compare to them), much to his misfortune.
Infinite Stratos & Abilities[]
Kanzashi is a representative candidate of Japan, therefore she possesses above-average knowledge and skills in piloting the IS. Even her genius older sister acknowledges that she has talent. However, she didn't get a personal IS because the lab where her IS was being designed delayed the construction to built Ichika's Byakushiki instead. By that reason, Kanzashi had to customize an Uchigane provided by the IS Academy, transforming it into Uchigane Nishiki, all by herself. It was eventually finished before the Tag Team Tournament in volume 7.
Despite being quite skilled in combat especialy long-range, Kamzachi mainly specializes in support, often being given such role by Chifuyu during missions and emergency. She is genius when comes out on computer technology, analitic and strategy.
History[]
Kanzashi comes from the great and prominent Sarashiki family. As a Sarashiki, she had to excel as much as she could in every aspect she could and even more. However, due to her sister, Tatenashi, being a "prodigy" in almost everything she did, Kanzashi developed and inferiority complex towards her, becoming a shy and gloomy person, secluded from everyone else, especially from her sister.
Between this and her entering the IS Academy, she was called to be a representative candidate of Japan, with an IS development company promising to give her a Personal IS. However, when Ichika entered the academy, the IS company started developing his IS, Byakushiki, instead, leaving Kanzashi without her Personal IS, forcing her to customize her own using an Uchigane from the IS Academy, which became Uchigane Nishiki in the future. From this point, she started holding a grudge against Ichika.
When Kanzashi entered the academy, she was seen as a bother by the other girls, since they thought her absence all that time was unjustified and without a punishment just because her sister was the Student Council President, making her even more lonely than she was (with the exception of the Nohotoke sisters, since they are childhood friends with the Sarashiki's). Sometime after that, the Tag Team Tournament was going to be held on the academy, so Ichika, as a favor to Tatenashi, decided to pair with Kanzashi. She refused at first, even though Ichika tried really hard, but eventually his kindness touched her heart and she decided to pair with him (although she didn't mean it 100% percent since she confused a daydream with the reality). She eventually fell in love with Ichika.
After finalizing the customization of the Uchigane Nishiki (thanks to Ichika's data, which was actually Tatenashi's Mysterious Lady's), Kanzashi and Ichika were going to have their first match against Houki and Tatenashi, but an unexpected event, the arrival of 5 unmanned Golem III IS, canceled the tournament. At first frightened of fighting, she found her resolve to fight and ultimately destroy the Golems after Tatenashi sacrificed herself to save her sister.
After the incident, she and Tatenashi were able to reconcile.
In Volume 8 and episode 10, it seems that she has officially joined Ichika's harem. While scared by them at first, they start getting along with each other recognize her as another rival.
Plot Synopsis[]
Kanzashi first appears trying to work on her IS, but with no success. She decides to call it a day and go back to her room to watch anime. With the up incoming Tag Team Tournament, Kanzashi is still trying to finish customizing her IS when Ichika comes into her class. Although she wanted to punch him (for indirectly preventing her from getting her Personal IS) she restrained herself. Ichika then asks Kanzashi to be his partner for the Tag Team Tournament (doing a favor for Tatenashi) which she coldly rejects.
Still trying to customize her IS with no success, she starts blaming Ichika for it. As Kanzashi leaves she meets Ichika outside, who keeps asking her to pair with him. Becoming more annoyed, Kanzashi asks Ichika why he wants to pair with her. Avoiding telling Kanzashi that Tatenashi asked him to do it, Ichika says he wants to see her IS which causes her to slap him. While watching some anime in her room, she questions herself why she slapped him.
Later, Kanzashi decides to try a test flight with the Uchigane Nishiki. During the test flight, her IS malfunctions mid-flight. But before she crashes, Ichika catches her. Despite getting hurt, Ichika is happy that Kanzashi is uninjured and doesn't blame her afterwards. After filling a report, the two go get something to eat. Eventually, Kanzashi accepts Ichika's request to pair with him, well in a confused state of mind.
The two started working on completing the Uchigane Nishiki with the help of the maintenance club. During which she fell in love with Ichika and wanted to bring him sweets. But as she arrives at room 1025, she sees Ichika and Tatenashi talking. Realizing that it was all her older sister's plan, Kanzashi runs back to her room to cry.
On the day of the Tag Team Tournament, 5 unmanned Golem III IS attack. When one of them finds a scared Kanzashi and reaches out for her, she calls out for Ichika to come to save her. Appearing in time to stop the IS, Ichika tells Kanzashi to summon her IS. While the unmanned IS starts gaining the advantage over the two along with Tatenashi and Houki, Kanzashi starts giving up but is encouraged by Tatenashi and Ichika to keep fighting and they manage to destroy the unmanned IS.
After the incident, Kanzashi finally fixes her relationship with Tatenashi. Later, she goes to confess to Ichika her feelings for him. Much to her embarrassment, she believes that Ichika only thinks that she meant she loves anime.
The other girls of Ichika's harem later question Kanzashi if she was in a relationship with Ichika. Being scared by them, she tells them that she isn't but does want to. Calming down, the other girls start being more nicer to Kanzashi, and they start getting along with each other.
Quotes[]
Trivia[]
- Kanzashi's name means "hairpin" (kanzashi, 簪). This is probably because of her weird-looking hairpins.
- She has a similar appearance to Yuto Sakurai from Kamen Rider Den-O.
- Ironically, the type of anime and manga that she likes is similar to Infinite Stratos. In the light novel, Kanzashi gives Ichika some manga she likes which involves robots (the IS), teenage love (Ichika's harem), and heroes (Ichika, who protects others).
- As revealed in volume 10, Kanzashi is allergic to cats.
- Kanzashi is the second girl to confess her love to Ichika, the first being Houki. Interestingly, Ichika didn't respond to either of their confessions due to different reasons (Houki's was too quiet, Kanzashi's was misunderstood).
- Both of them are quite similar as noted by Ichika: both have an older sister who are well known for being outstanding geniuses that love and support them, but they (Kanzashi and Houki) feel inferior to them (Tatenashi and Tabane respectively) and started to distance themselves from their sister as a result. Their older sisters also have similar personalities: cheerful, talkative, somewhat lecherous, and prideful.
- Her measurements are B76, W56, H81 (C Cup in Japan, B cup in America).