Reika Kuze
| ||
| "I don't want to see anymore..." | ||
| Japanese | 久世零華 くぜ れいか | |
| Alias | Reika Yukishiro (雪代 零華) | |
| Family | Kuze Family (by adoption) Unnamed father, mother, younger brother | |
| Occupation | Tattooed Priestess | |
| Cause of Death | Sacrificed in Impalement Ritual | |
| Date of Death | Unknown (late Edo period) | |
| Encounter | Abyss of the Horizon | |
| Games | Fatal Frame III | |
| Other Appearances | Zero Shisei no Koe Comic Anthology | |
| Notes | Tattooed Diary | |
| Themed Menu Item | Rei and Reika's cheesecake and butterfly beach set[1] | |
| Japanese Voice Actor | Junko Minagawa | |
| English Voice Actor | Kimberly Brooks | |
Reika Kuze is the main antagonist of Fatal Frame III. She was the last Tattooed Priestess before the Unleashing occurred. Her birth name was Reika Yukishiro, and later changed to Kuze after she was adopted into the Kuze family.
Past
Reika grew up in a village near the Kuze Shrine, the same village where Kaname was brought up after Kyouka Kuze smuggled him out of the shrine. It was here that the two met and fell in love.
Kaname left the village at some point to study, leaving Reika one of the Echo Stone Earrings his mother had given him. While he was gone, an unspecified disaster occurred (believed to be an avalanche, many of which occurred during the later years of the Edo period in the eastern Tohoku area[2]). Reika's whole family was killed, leaving her the only survivor. With no way to contact Kaname and poor future prospects as a young woman without a family or a husband, Reika agreed to serve as a Tattooed Priestess, hoping that she could help people who had experienced pain and loss like her. She went to live at the Kuze Shrine and adopted their surname. During this time she wore ritual attire of blue and white, differing slightly from the standard Miko dress of the Handmaidens.
Fatal Frame III
During the Piercing of the Soul, Reika's body was etched with tattoos to represent the pain of the living and the dead by Engravers. The tattoos were transformed into dreams, through which Reika heard the voices of all the worshippers who had come to offer their pain.[3]
Once Reika had become a priestess, she spent her days confined in the Hanging Prison, while the Handmaidens sang the Handmaiden's Song to appease the pain of the tattoos.[4] She was cared for by Amane Kuze, and took comfort in talking to Amane about her life outside the shrine, including her relationship with Kaname. Amane recognized the Echo Stone Earring, and guessed that Reika's friend was her own half-brother.[5]
In preparation for the Rite of Commandment, Reika etched her grief into the Mirror of Loss in order to rid herself of any lingering worldly attachments.[6] Much of her pain had to do with Kaname, and her regret that she could not see him one more time.[7]
Once the tattoos covered her body, Reika was required to break the Mirror of Loss and cast her love away. At some point after receiving the tattoos, Reika wrote about a dream she had of Kaname. She hoped to dream of him in her eternal sleep. At last, she was impaled in the Chamber of Thorns.
However, by carrying her dream of Kaname into the Rift, Reika formed a connection with him, which caused him to dream about the Kuze Shrine over and over again.[8] While giving an account of his dreams to Dr. Kunihiko Asou, Kaname heard Reika's voice from the Echo Stone Earring, and immediately set out for the shrine.[9] Amane recognized him and agreed to help him see Reika one last time.[10] Kaname made his way to the Chamber of Thorns, where Reika was impaled and sleeping. He woke her and she smiled, happy to have seen him once more.
However, Yashuu Kuze found out what Amane had done and, determined to preserve the Commandment, followed Kaname into the shrine and murdered him in front of Reika. Reika was so distraught that she allowed the tattoos to enter her eyes, causing The Unleashing.
Reika then began to wander the Manor, and everywhere she wandered was engulfed in the Rift. Despite the efforts of Yashuu Kuze to contain the Rift by making sacrifices and sealing the Manor into a dream, Reika's pain continued to spread and spill into the dreams of those who had lost loved ones.
Many years later, Rei Kurosawa, a victim of the Tattooed Curse, defeated Reika, and then cast both Reika and Kaname off in a boat together, letting them cross the ocean to the Other Side.
Misc. Info
- Reika's name is written with the 零 (zero) kanji.
See Also
- For quotes by Reika, see Quotes: Reika Kuze.
- For other members of the Kuze family, see Kuze Family.
- For more information on the Manor of Sleep curse, see Tattoo Curse.
- For other shrine maidens, see Shrine Maiden.
- For other rituals in Fatal Frame III, see Fatal Frame III Rituals.
- For other antagonist ghosts in the Fatal Frame Series, see Antagonist Ghosts.
- For images related to Reika, see Images of Reika Kuze.
References
- ↑ KOEI TECMO Cafe and Dining Zero Series Collaboration
- ↑ Yuu's Notes 4, Zero Shisei no Koe Complete Official Capture Book
- ↑ Tattooed Diary 2, Fatal Frame III
- ↑ Fatal Frame III Spirit List, entry #13
- ↑ Blue Diary 1, Fatal Frame III
- ↑ Commandment Tome, Fatal Frame III
- ↑ Tattooed Diary 2, Fatal Frame III
- ↑ Old Tape "Ototsuki", Fatal Frame III.
- ↑ The "Other World", Fatal Frame III.
- ↑ Blue Diary 2, Fatal Frame III.