Suisei Koutari

Shadow Priestess Character Suisei Koutari "Most of the photos people say are paranormal are created by and able to be explained by science." Kanji/Kana 鴻足水聖（こうたり すいせい） Alias — Occupation Professor Status Alive Cause of Death — First Appearance Chapter 1

Suisei Koutari is a character in Fatal Frame: Shadow Priestess. He is an associate professor at Fujisawa University, teaching a seminar on modern architecture. He catches one of his students, Sara Washizuki, falling asleep during his lecture. As punishment, he tells her she must turn in a paper on a historical building that isn't mentioned on the internet. When Tousei Ryuuzaki, a supernatural photographer, comes looking for Sara, Professor Koutari tells him she is in the library.

The next day, Professor Koutari spots Sara looking at Tousei's photos of Karasawa Elementary. He says that the supposedly supernatural images can all be explained by ordinary photographic techniques, but he is interested in the building itself, and overriding Sara's protests, he proposes an overnight class trip to study it. He puts Narumi Amanuma and Tooru Nue in charge of organising the trip, and tells them to meet with Sara that weekend and find somewhere for the class to stay.

On the morning of the trip, he explains that their destination is close to Mount Kegare. When the group arrives, they find Tousei Ryuuzaki already there. Professor Koutari recognises him from before, and upon learning that the spirit photos Sara brought to class were taken by Tousei, asks him whether his fake photos are popular enough to earn him a living. Tousei responds good-naturedly, and Professor Koutari gives him permission to follow the class and do research as long as he doesn't cause any trouble.

On the first evening, class member Kumi Suzumori vanishes from the inn. However, Professor Koutari does not appear to be unduly concerned, and assures the class that Kumi has the sort of unpredictable personality that might lead her to go wandering off without telling anyone. Sara's Grandmother suggests that Kumi might be found at Karasawa Elementary, so Professor Koutari decides to take the group there the next day as planned.

While exploring the school, they meet the urban exploration group Moebius. Both groups head in the direction of the swimming pool, but almost immediately, a girl is spirited away, and as a sudden darkness falls, many dead spirits begin to emerge from the water. Everyone scatters, and Professor Koutari, Jun, Midori, Narumi and Tooru are separated from the others. When they try to leave the school they find it has become a labyrinth, and they always end up back in the place where they started. They start looking for Sara and Tousei, but they find Kumi first.

Professor Koutari is pleased to see her, but before long Kumi starts acting strangely. It is revealed that she and Professor Koutari used to be involved, and she asks him to call her by her first name again. He coldly reminds her that he ended the relationship, at which point Kumi produces a knife and cuts her own throat, saying she should have died. Her mutilated spirit advances on the group, possesses Tooru and chases Professor Koutari down the halls, begging him to call her cute again. He and Midori reach a dead end, but are rescued by Mozu and Tsugumi, who create a barrier against the spirit.

Professor Koutari begins to regain his composure; he admits that in his youth he was interested in Japanese traditions and folklore, and says that part of being a scholar is accepting what you see before you. Midori angrily retorts that if he hadn't been fooling around with a student, they might not be in this situation in the first place. She sets off to find Sara, and Professor Koutari follows, at a loss for words.

Almost immediately they are attacked by many ghostly arms emerging from the walls. They defend themselves with holy water that Mozu and Tsugumi gave them. Koutari grabs Midori's hand to pull her along, and she angrily accuses him of trying to seduce her, but in spite of their bickering, the two continue to hold hands as they make their escape. They take refuge in the Principal's Office, and Mozu and Tsugumi seal the door with paper talismans.

Professor Koutari finds a blueprint of the school, and upon studying it, discovers a hidden passageway leading from the Principal's Office to Classroom 3-2. They follow it, and are reunited with the rest of the group. Using the blueprint Professor Koutari found, they are able to identify the Photography Club Room and decide to go there next.

Sara is separated from the group as they make their way through the school. Professor Koutari leads the way to the photography club room, but he and Midori keep stopping to argue. As they walk, both fall under the malevolent influence of Kumi Suzumori, whose spirit is not yet cleansed.

Kumi tries to convince each that the other is the necromancer, hoping they will turn on one another. The necromancer raises a spiritual barrier to prevent anyone from interfering in the confrontation. Midori draws a knife on Professor Koutari and pretends to stab him, allowing the blade to draw blood from her own hand. When Kumi begins to gloat over Koutari's defeat, Midori takes it as proof that everything she said was a lie. She offers Professor Koutari the knife and confesses that she is falling in love with him. In spite of Kumi's urging, Koutari cannot bring himself to stab Midori. In her rage, Kumi becomes visible at last, and Midori drives her away with a single blow. Koutari gently binds up Midori's bleeding hand.

The group moves on, continuing to search for Sara and the others, when they hear a strange scratching noise from inside the biology room. Inside, they find jars containing some preserved body parts from a dead cat. Professor Koutari and Tousei realise the jars constitute a riddle: when the jars are arranged in the correct order, the names of the body parts form a word puzzle, to which the solution is, "Under the sculpture."

Beniko immediately guesses that the sculpture might be in the art classroom, whereas Professor Koutari thinks it more likely refers to a statue at the front of the school building. Reiji Hotei suggests they split up to check both locations more quickly, and although nearly everyone else opposes the idea, Beniko offers to go with him, and Professor Koutari reluctantly agrees.