Character Info
[series]: Magic Knight Rayearth
[character]: Hououji Fuu
[character history / background]:
Fuu is one of the three female protagonists of the series along with Shidou Hikaru and Ryuuzaki Umi. While in a school field trip, little did Fuu know that her life would change forever. When she came to help Hikaru extend her time peeking through a telescope, her stare landed on Umi when her school came along. Once the three intertwined gazes, a bright flash of light blinded them momentarily and a voice calling for the trio was suddenly heard. It was an incredible twist of fate when all three landed on a foreign land named Cephiro with only one reason: to become Magic Knights and save it.
Prior to that, Hououji Fuu (which literally means Wind of Phoenix Temple) is an ordinary girl in a private school for the intellectually gifted. She is part of their Archery club and sees it as her main hobby, aside from cooking. Fuu lives with her family: her parents who's names were never mentioned and her sister, Kuu. It was an average life like any other, if not for that one fateful day in Tokyo Tower. Landing in an unknown world certainly wasn't in their school's list of places to visit.
Upon arriving in Cephiro, they were welcomed by a magician named Clef. He told them of the reason why they were summoned and who exactly summoned them. The one who did was actually Princess Emeraude, the pillar of Cephiro, who was under incarceration by High Priest Zagato. It was said that Cephiro is a world powered by one's will and belief and the strongest heart would govern it, thus Emeraude being its pillar. But now, she was under captive and Cephiro was crumbling due to the lack of her prayers. Hence, she summoned the Magic Knights from another world in order to save it.
Among the three, Fuu was the most calm when they abruptly came to Cephiro. She was even the one who initiated that they introduce themselves to each other. Although hesitant at first, she accepted the task of being a Magic Knight, though not as fast as Hikaru and not as late as Umi. Once she adjusted to the role, Fuu's bravery shone brighter.
Here is a more detailed background for Fuu.
[character abilities]:
Archery and Swordsmanship: During their stay in Cephiro, the girls have to face certain obstacles such as fighting monsters and the like. Before reaching the Fountain of Eterna to have their own weapons made with the Mineral of Escudo, Presea lent them her own creations. Fuu chose a bow and arrow which she greatly excels in using. While they were fighting a monster in the Forest of Silence, Fuu showcases her amazing aim and talent in archery. When they were given their swords, however, Fuu doesn't lag behind. Since Umi excels in fencing and Hikaru with her kendo training, she took it upon herself to adapt, most especially since her sword is the longest. Even with the new armament she's not that used to, Fuu is still a force to be reckoned with.
Magic: Fuu's magic is mostly wind-based, as suggested in her name. Her spells include Winds of Healing (Iyashi no Kaze) which is the first she ever executed. She covers her target with soothing winds in order to heal them. Emerald Typhoon (Midori no Shippu) which is her first and most used attack spell. This basically sends out strong gusts of wind toward the enemy. Winds of Abdonishment (Imashime no Kaze) which she used to immobilize Hikaru and Umi when they were in a trance. And Winds of Protection (Mamori no Kaze) which she uses as a shield to protect herself and her comrades.
Mashin: Cephiro is protected by Mashins who are also known as Rune-Gods. There are three of them, each representing a particular element - Celes of the Sea, Windam of the Winds and Rayearth of Fire. As anticipated, Fuu's Mashin is Windam who happened to be a giant elegant bird with four wings. Upon reviving it, Fuu can don Windam as some sort of battle machine whenever she needs help.
[character personality]:
In every magical girl series especially consisting of triads, every girl differs in personality. One would be the smart one, the cheery one and the tough one. Or the smart one, the clumsy one and the boyish one. Or the flirtatious one, the smart one and the sporty one. They might all have a variety of personalities but there would always be one thing in common: there always has to be a smart one. Fuu is often considered as such among the trio. Why with those glasses, one would deem she's the smartest of the three. As that may be true because of her education, there's more to Fuu than her stereotypical specs and her brains.
Fuu has a strange sense of humor. This mostly comes from her stating the obvious frequently, which irritates Umi more often than not. During these times, it would appear that Fuu seems dense as she's usually prone to doing this. However, it would be her booksmarts talking. Since her smarts is mostly on books and not considered as streetsmarts, Fuu possesses an odd approach on humor.
This gives way for her quirky attitude and somewhat odd demeanor on situations. Usually, she's mostly calm and cool even under certain things that would normally freak out a person. When they arrived in Cephiro, Fuu was the most calm and she didn't look as if she was in grave peril. She also blurts out wise advices unconsciously, mostly as a tease, but this shows her profound knowledge of various things. This knowledge ranges from mathematics, to first aid, to RPGs. There are particular things that you wouldn't think she knows but she does.
Fuu's actions are often based from her reason. As opposed to Hikaru and Umi's impulsiveness, Fuu stands out as the voice of reason in the group. Before charging to certain dangerous situations, Fuu would think it over first. She possesses a calculating, sometimes even cunning, approach on particular occasions that warranted her thorough contemplation. Although this is so, Fuu is susceptible to her emotions which makes friendship and bonds easy for her. When greatly provoked, Fuu won't hesitate throwing all her smarts in the air just so she can do what she needs to do.
Anger and frustration are a no no for Fuu. You would rarely see her get mad with the exception of you hurting someone close to her (i.e. her family and friends). Other than that, Fuu takes things lightly, much like the cool morning breeze, and you would often see her smiling. Even with this attitude, however, Fuu manifests her courage in her own way. She loves herself, and she deems it important for her to take care of herself so that others won't hurt when something bad happens to her. Her bravery and love unfolds when she starts to think of putting herself on the line just for the sake of the people she cherishes the most. One would think she's being selfish, albeit on the contrary, she's one of the most selfless characters out there.
Behind that smiling facade, that intellectual upbringing, and that collected atmosphere is a fearless girl who would throw away her doubts for the sake of her precious people. Usually a gentle gust, sometimes a potent hurricane, Fuu is much like the element she wields. Smart one, yes. Different colors of the wind, better.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: manga; post-series