Kaguya is incredibly playful, and a trickster at heart. She was born into the religious royal family of Ho-Oh as princess, and was rather infamous for her catty attitude.
Due to the circumstances of her birth, her father disallowed anybody from even seeing her – which sparked interest from suitors. Kaguya’s response was to give a seemingly impossible request to those who attempted to court her, which only drove up interest – she was regarded as a hidden, mysterious beauty.
In reality, Kaguya was anything but graceful and mysterious – she was a nightmare to deal with inside the palace, constantly causing trouble.
But the times were turbulent, and as a result, war cut Kaguya’s life short. At least, until recently. Her revival nearly 100 years later was taken by surprise, and Kaguya stayed under the care of the Kimono sisters in order to train to take up her new role as Ho-Oh.
Though she was isolated from the outside world, she was quite curious and retained her mischievous nature. She’d become very close with two regular visitors to the theatre, and wouldn’t trade their company for anything else.
Upon turning 18, Kaguya went into the mountains to train to harness her divine power – and came back as a force to be reckoned with. Along with Haru and Basil, the three managed to re-fulfill the age-old prophecy of the Twin Gods and the hero.
…But deep down, she’s still Kaguya – and it would seem the floors in Bell Tower have gotten very slippery lately.
Appearance
Kaguya is 4’11” (149cm), but she often wears sandals with large platforms to appear taller. She’s relatively lanky, though depending on how many robes she’s wearing, her body type might not be visible. She has long platinum blonde hair with her bangs in a hime-cut style, and dark brown eyes.
She has a large wardrobe of elaborate robes, dresses, and other clothing at her disposal due to her royal status, but often opts to wear a white hakamashita and red hakama.
The playful blessed princess
| Nicknames | Princess |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 18 (2029) 23 (Postgame) |
| Birthday | September 24th |
| Occupation | Guardian of Johto |
| Ethnicity | Johtoan |
| Birthplace | Ecruteak city |
| Orientation | Unsure |
| S/O | Basil & Haru |
| Legend affiliation | Ho-Oh |
| Theme |
Personality
Kaguya is catty in not only the aspect that she’s occasionally bitter or rude, but in the full sense that at her core, she’s rather cat-like. She’s mischievous and always seems to be looking to stir up something for her own amusement – though her reasons for such tend to be more naive and not sinister.
She’s not open to strangers at all, given how she’s been sheltered all her life. She’ll refuse to talk to them, or simply subject them to her newest trick she’s come up with.
It takes her some time to warm up, but once she does, she’s a bit… clingy. When someone she likes comes to visit, she won’t part from their side until they leave. She’s very affectionate towards those she’s warmed up to, as well.
Ever since her ‘ascension’, she’s gotten a bit of a superiority complex, but still remains silly and playful.
Story
This section is old and outdated. It currently only goes up to the in-universe year of 2027 and is due for an update!
Early life (0-12)
For Kaguya, her story began even before her birth. The king and queen of Johto’s religious royal family had attempted to conceive for years, but all attempts had failed, and they had become increasingly desperate. They had tried everything they could, save for one final option. On a cold spring night, the queen wandered her way to Bell Tower tower, where she begged Ho-Oh to grant her wish. And, with a glint of light, a feather was dropped into the queen’s hands.
Kaguya was born on the day of the harvest moon, and she was celebrated not only with the enthusiasm of a new princess, but with the joy of her being from divine origins as well. She was named Kaguya, after a divine princess gifted to a couple from decades past.
Show more – Warnings for bad parenting and mention of murder
Though, her celebration was a tad short-lived. As Kaguya grew up, anyone in the palace would notice she was… difficult, to say the least. She enjoyed being rowdy and causing trouble wherever she could, and seemed to be rather fond of pulling pranks on whatever poor governor was visiting. Her parents had hoped she would grow out of it, but she never really did. Because of her bad attitude and royal status, she never really had any friends at all. The only people she did communicate with were her attendants and teachers, all of which she loathed.
Still, she never paid much mind to her loneliness, and continued to be a harmless terror in the palace, as she found it entertaining.
While originally treating her as a blessing from Ho-Oh, Kaguya’s parents thought of her more as a curse, and began trying to have another child – a child who would behave and act as they were told. When Ho-Oh found out, she was offended that they would brush off the gift she had given as they did. Originally, Ho-Oh had planned to kill Kaguya as revenge for their ungratefulness, but she soon realized Kaguya was greatly affected as well.
While looming, Ho-Oh witnessed the princess sobbing, and asked her what was wrong in a hushed voice. While Kaguya would normally bat anyone trying to pry into her feelings away, the comforting sound of Ho-Oh’s voice made her open up.
She had also found out about her parents wanting to ‘replace’ her, and was berated for being the way she was. She was told she’d never amount to anything.
Ho-Oh heard her cries, and decided against killing her. Instead, Ho-Oh whispered into Kaguya’s ear once more. She told her of an idea that would surely get her parent’s attention, a game she’d find fun – and Kaguya gained a plan.
The impossible requests (13-15)
Kaguya’s impish nature had been mostly hidden from the public – it was only passed in rumors. So, when Kaguya turned 13, other high ranking officials were quick to jump at the chance to offer their son’s hands in marriage. Her father proposed it to her like it was excellent news, but Kaguya was disgusted. Her mother begged her to not act out – and to her surprise, she genuinely promised. But inside her mind, Kaguya had a wide smile – for Ho-Oh had given her an excellent idea for the occasion.
Show more – Warnings for arranged marriage
It wasn’t the suitors themselves who came to visit; rather, it was their fathers. The sons at Kaguya’s age were simply pawns in the game of power, after all, so the fathers wanted to do the talking. Concealed behind a screen, 5 men who wished that Kaguya take their son’s hand in marriage sat before her. The first one began to speak, and Kaguya’s father was pleased at her compliance. But not long after his first sentence, Kaguya hushed him, and spoke when she wasn’t supposed to;
“If you wish your son to take my hand, you must complete my request. The first one of you to do so will see me marry your son.”
Her father was shocked, but did not interrupt. After all, a competition would make it easier to eliminate suitors from the pool, in his mind.
One of the men asked Kaguya what kind of requests she had for them, bowing as he spoke. That was the moment when Kaguya’s devilish smile went from her mind to her face, and she spoke once more.
“For the 5 of you, here are my 5 impossible requests.”
“The carved gemstone that shines the colour of the grass, used in Hoenn to summon the dragon god.”
“The shining pink feather of Lugia.”
“A scale from the god that looms deep under the earth.”
“The crown of the old Unovan king.”
“The flute that plays an otherworldly noise.”
“That is my word.”
The men were stunned, but not as much as her father was horrified. This had to be another one of her jokes, right? Surely, the men wouldn’t take this seriously, he had thought to himself. But after a period of silence, one of the men started running out of the palace, proclaiming he would fulfill his request first and that the other could eat his dust. With that, the other men scrambled after him, all trying to make a headstart on their requests. Kaguya’s father was struck with disbelief and didn’t know how to react – while Kaguya was trying her best to restrain her laughter. Soon, her mother spoke up, harshly scolding her for what she’d done, manipulating those people like that; but her father interrupted – saying that if those men were so eager to complete their quests, one of them must have the right son for Kaguya.
Kaguya didn’t care though – and while she was berated by her parents a bit more for what she did, she couldn’t help having a huge grin on her face. Her trick had worked, and now those poor men would be hopelessly running around – and her parents were certainly entranced in her ability to control them like that. She was also happy that, presumably, since the requests were impossible, that she would never be married off without her say. Kaguya went to sleep that night with a smile on her face.
When morning came, Kaguya was rudely awoken by one of her attendants, who proclaimed that one of the men had brought her the requested item – the pink feather of Lugia. Kaguya was groggy and had a hard time processing what had just been said, but she was rushed to get ready to see him as soon as possible. She couldn’t believe it – it was impossible. Throughout her studies of the divine, Kaguya knew that there was no way the man had a feather she requested… something must be amiss. She calmed herself and was prepared to see the man, still obscured by the screen’s view.
Like the attendant had said – the man held what appeared to be the feather of Lugia, in a light shade of pink. Her father was overjoyed, and asked for Kaguya’s opinion and her official permission to take his son’s hand. But Kaguya knew better than to trust him – the first thing she requested was for someone to light a match under the feather. When the man asked why, Kaguya told him:
A real feather of lugia would not combust, as she had read so in her studies. Her parents studied the same books, and were forced to admit her word was true. The man tried to bargain, but eventually, a match was lit under the feather – and it exploded into flame. It was a simple pidgey feather painted in an extra-combustible pigment. Kaguya quickly and harshly threw him out of her chamber.
Again, it was hard for her to hold back a giggle, but the look on her parent’s faces had stopped her from laughing. They didn’t look shocked or horrified like they previously did – they only looked enraged. But before they could berate Kaguya, a palace guard came forward. When Kaguya’s father requested the meaning of his presence, he stated that word of Kaguya’s requests had spread, and she had a line of parents of possible husbands waiting to see her. The look of rage on her father’s face quickly turned to joy, and Kaguya let out a groan – knowing she’d be stuck here all day.
To each of the men who met with her, Kaguya gave them an impossible request. Some cheated to try and get the best of her, but Kaguya always undid their lies. She found it was the richer men who would try and cheat more, as all 5 of the original high-society requestees brought her fake artifacts. But alas, they were all replicas, and Kaguya used her knowledge of divines to unfoil their plot time after time.
It was a game to Kaguya, and she thought it hilarious that these people believed they could outsmart her. Aside her reign of requests, Kaguya continued her mischief inside the palace – but her infamy just left people in awe of her presence instead of annoyed at her pranks. While her parents were still distant and harsh, Kaguya felt like she was having the time of her life. But alas, it was not to last.
The fire and initial death (15)
Word of the mysterious princess nobody was allowed to see who gave cryptic riddles and impossible quests spread far and wide. It was the gossip of the year, and everyone wanted to know what kind of antics the princess had gotten others to do for her. But that word spread far beyond her reach, and fell into hands it shouldn’t have belonged in.
Show more – Warnings for war and implied suicide
When war broke out between Johto and Kanto, the royal family thought of themselves as relatively protected. They were only a religious royal family, after all, and held no real political power outside of Ecruteak. But to an offshoot platoon of the Kanto army, they were the perfect target. They had heard of Kaguya and her enigmatic nature, and wanted to give her parents their own impossible request – they had planned to kidnap the princess and put her on ransom for the city.
As the war progressed, different groups slowly came to surround Ecruteak, hidden in the shadows, citizens oblivious. Only one of the groups was an ally, watching and waiting for the others to pounce. To the north was a group of criminals from Kalos, looming like vultures to pick up what they could find; and to the east was the Kanto platoon, slowly moving forward.
When the platoon invaded, they were kept at bay for some time – but eventually, Ecruteak’s pokemon and human defenders became overwhelmed. Word spread in the castle quickly, and Kaguya was to be put in a ‘safe spot’ with her parents and other important officials. During the commotion, Kaguya had received word to the army’s motivation to capture her – and she ran to her room before anybody could catch her, and barricaded herself in.
From her experiences, Kaguya felt almost certain that her parents would choose the city over her life. She was upset, and with the army closing in, she didn’t know how to react or what to do – except light a match. She was hesitant, but she felt it was her fate either way.
‘If they want the city, I’ll give it to them,’ she thought to herself, before setting her room ablaze, barricaded inside.
The fire quickly spread to other parts of the palace, thanks to it being mostly wood. The fall winds carried the fire from the palace to the trees, and from the trees to the city. Soon, the army found themselves in an unfamiliar city completely ablaze.
While much of Ecruteak burned to the ground that night, the army retreated. They didn’t take the city, and they couldn’t take Kaguya with her.
Revival (15-16, 2026)
And as it always goes, Kaguya woke up – though it wasn’t particularly pleasant. The ground beneath her was cold hard stone, and she had been awoken by the bright shining of a flashlight directly in her face. She went to shield her eyes, and heard scuffling from people above her. She could hear someone climbing down a ladder, and soon the flashlight’s glow was disrupted by the shape of a woman coming towards Kaguya in the darkness. She looked back at whoever was holding the flashlight, before reaching out her hand to assist Kaguya in getting up.
Kaguya felt disoriented, like waking up from a nap that went on to long. Still, she instinctively grabbed the hand given to her, and was led up the ladder in a dreamlike trance. The people were talking, but the words just went past her. They eventually got into what Kaguya assumed was a weird car and drove somewhere – while in the vehicle, Kaguya lost consciousness again.
When Kaguya woke up again, she had more of her wits together. Before moving much, she looked around to see where she was. The room was of a familiar style, but some objects looked strange, and she couldn’t recognize them. Kaguya eventually turned around to see a different woman looking at her, and screamed while scampering out of the bed she was in. The woman kept telling Kaguya to calm down, but Kaguya had just realized her circumstances – she had just blacked out after setting a fire, and now here she was, surrounded by strange people in a strange place. She demanded to know where she was, and the woman watching her wouldn’t give her a direct answer. Suddenly the door to the room slid open, and a woman who looked similar to the first walked in.
She referred to Kaguya by name, and in response, Kaguya demanded to know how he knew who she was. The two women were eventually able to get Kaguya calm enough that they were able to explain: it had been nearly a century since Kaguya’s death, and she been revived with Ho-Oh’s power. The two women were sisters, and descendants of the old palace’s entertainers. The sisters, along with their 3 other siblings, would care for Kaguya and assist her in training to take Ho-Oh’s role.
This, of course, was all very overwhelming, and it took Kaguya a couple of days for it to fully sink in. But when it did… her reaction wasn’t expected by the sisters at all. She began using her newfound status as a way to get out of trouble frequently, and her pranks continued in this new household.
While she was slowly becoming a formidable legend, Kaguya was still quite lonely. The world was new, and she wasn’t allowed outside on the sister’s estate for obvious reasons. She’d play behind a screen at the sister’s dance performances, but that was the closest to outside interaction Kaguya got. She would lie awake at night, hoping that someday she’d be able to find someone she could just talk to.
Haru and Basil (16)
On a foggy evening, the sisters were closing up shop in the theatre for the night when Kaguya heard crashing and screaming from the hallway. Poking her head out the door ever so slightly, she saw a thug with a big R on his shirt threatening the sisters in hopes of getting money. Kaguya knew she could use her powers to do something, but she was frozen. Suddenly, the would-be thief doubled over, holding his head in pain – before a girl around Kaguya’s age disarmed him.
She only watched, but the girl apparently used her pokemon to defeat the hooligan. She scared him off after that, and the sisters gave the girl their thanks; they offered things in return, but the girl declined every offer. Kaguya was intrigued, especially at the savior being someone her age; but she accidentally made eye contact and got scared off back into the hallway,
Kaguya wanted to talk to her, somehow, even if she wasn’t allowed to go outside. She had never been this lonely before and this was the perfect chance – and she missed it.
There was a festival a few days later, and Kaguya was playing behind a screen with the sisters to celebrate. She was able to spot the girl again there, but was unable to get her attention – she could only hope it wouldn’t be the last time she saw her.
After the festival was over, the girl stopped over at the dance theatre to speak to one of the sisters. Kaguya saw it as her chance, and bolted in and introduced herself. The girl seemed surprised and a bit awkwardly shocked, but she introduced herself as Haru – she would be staying at the theatre’s estate while in town.
Kaguya never really learned how to socialize, so she did so the only way she knew how – pranks. But, she was quick to notice that she just couldn’t prank Haru, no matter how hard she tried. So, she talked to her about it instead. Over Haru’s stay, Kaguya became more and more interested in Haru, and Haru seemed to open up to Kaguya. The two became fast friends, and when Haru finally had to leave, Kaguya was left saddened – but still tried to keep in touch via phone.
Haru would visit again in between her travels, Kaguya would spend all the time she could with her, and would stay up late on phone calls when she left.
One day, during a call, Haru had mentioned she was bringing a new friend over. Kaguya wasn’t too excited over the idea of a ‘new friend’, and set up a trap for them. When Haru eventually came back, the friend Haru had brought fell for it – and Kaguya got a good laugh, despite being scolded by Haru. The friend’s name was Basil, and they lived all the way in Cianwood, but had been traveling with Haru. Kaguya was jealous, and wasn’t very receptive to any of Basil’s attempts at conversation.
But after she’d ignored them, she began to realize Basil and her shared a lot of interests, particularly in music. She slowly but surely warmed up to them, and soon she was just about as attached as she was to Haru towards Basil – but still retained a bit of a catty and playful edge.
Present day
Kaguya is happy she’s at the point she’s at! It seems her best friends are always just a call away, and she’s taken more warmly to training recently, too. Her skills as Ho-Oh have developed fast, and she’s already a powerful force to be reckoned with. The Kimono sisters have also begun to let Kaguya outside, as long as she’s masked; she’s met Basil’s parents and can visit Basil and Haru whenever she wants by just flying over.
She’s begun taking music a bit more seriously, and collabs with Basil regularly – even if that just means Basil getting instrument samples from her.
Kaguya also realized her feelings for her friends weren’t strictly platonic at times, and eventually confessed to the two in fear of internalizing it forever. The two understood what she meant, and the trio are now ‘kind of sort of dating’, as Kaguya would put it. It seems they fulfilled their own sort of impossible request in the end – Kaguya’s trust and care.
The future is bright, but Kaguya’s wings shine brighter.
Skills
Emissary of Ho-oh:
- Wish granting:
- Self-explanatory. Kaguya is able to grant wishes of those deemed ‘pure’ enough, which is… something Kaguya probably shouldn’t be allowed to judge
- Grants hope to those who see her when she’s like, a bird.
- Guardian of Johto:
- Kaguya’s job is to protect the Johto region from harm, and symbolize hope for the region’s people. She hasn’t had to do any of the former, but inspired people across the world when she participated in the League with Haru.
- Conditional immortality:
- Since Kaguya is physically under 21 (pre-postgame), she’ll continue to physically age up until that point; afterwards, she won’t continue to age, and as such cannot die from old age.
PRANKZ:
- Not only is Kaguya a serial prankster, she’s very good at it. Would it count as a skill? Kaguya thinks it does. While she’s mostly harmless, she might occasionally accidentally break something, and ends up feeling guilty about it when it does happen.
- While her specialty is practical jokes, she has a whole arsenal of trickery up her sleeve. And she has very big sleeves.
- When you least expect it, she IS hiding behind the corner waiting for you to fall for something. The only person free from Kaguya’s pranks is Haru – Kaguya quickly learned she couldn’t get Haru to fall for ANYTHING.
Music:
- Kaguya is very talented with traditional Johtohan instruments. I mean, she was pretty much always in a palace from ages 0 to 15, she had to occupy herself SOMEHOW. She was also professionally trained, but she was a nightmare for the teachers and preferred to practice on her own.
- She often plays obscured by a screen in the dance theatre.
Relationships
Haru – Legendary retainer
Haru was Kaguya’s first true friend – and Kaguya adores her. Her impish demeanor completely melts away, and she’s very doting when around Haru.
Basil – Legendary counterpart
More than just music partners and legendary counterparts, Kaguya and Basil are very much in love – even if they communicate like a manzai-style comedy duo. Kaguya is rather clingy towards Basil, but Basil thinks it’s cute.
The Kimono Sisters – Former caretakers
Despite her tendency to make the sisters victims of whatever new prank she’s brewed up, Kaguya is deeply grateful for all the sisters have done – she feels almost like a little sister to them.
Diego & Yuuto – Fathers in law…?
Kaguya doesn’t quite trust either of them, and acts hissier than usual around them – though avoids causing any more direct problems, as to not upset Basil or Haru.
Emmy – Acquaintance
Kaguya was able to successfully defeat Emmy with help from Basil and Haru, and though Emmy had attempted to make a deeper connection, Kaguya got intimidated for the arbitrary reason of ‘she’s too tall’ and never followed up.
Trivia
- She has a massive sweet tooth. If you bring candy or sweets into her vicinity, she WILL eat it.
- She doesn’t have access to a lot of modern technology, save for a TV with public access and an older phone gifted to her by Haru. She enjoys getting mad at game shows.
- She watched a historical documentary about herself once and thought ‘it was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen’.
- Most of what she knows about modern pop culture is from Basil.
- Have fun trying to get her up before 11am!
- She HATES hot weather, and the modern electric fan is probably her favorite invention.
- *points to kaguya* i diagnose you with cat
