Kate (Shadows House)

Kate Shadow (ケイトシャドー Keito Shadō) is one of the two main protagonists of , a manga series created by duo So-ma-to and serialized in . At the beginning of the series, Kate is one of the newest members of the Shadows family, a clan of faceless beings that live as nobles and rule over Soot Island, though she remains locked up within her small bedroom in the Children's Building until her Debut alongside her Living Doll servant Emilico. She serves as the leader of a rebellion in the Children's Building that seeks to overthrow the established order of the Shadows House.
== Physical Appearance ==
Like all Shadows, Kate's appearance matches that of her Living Doll servant, who also serves as her Face due to her body being completely black; Kate's nose is, however, slightly longer to an extent that is extremely difficult to notice. She has long wavy hair that extends down her back, which is tied into two short ponytails at her crown held in place with rose-shaped barrettes. The members of the Shadows family typically wear outfits with a heavy emphasis on one colour, and Kate tends to wear a red ensemble to match her flower accessories. Said outfit consists of a red dress, a red vest with a large bow and puffed sleeves, and red shoes with bows on them. Her socks and the various frills and accents on her clothing are white.
== Personality ==
Upon her introduction in Chapter 1, Kate is initially shown to be a distant and quiet girl who rarely speaks, instead preferring to keep to herself while reading. Upon first engaging with her Living Doll, Kate tended to be curt and would often get quite angry at Emilico whenever her she clumsily made mistakes, such as oversleeping or accidentally using one of Kate's treasured dolls as a cloth. Despite this, she was not openly hostile to Emilico and would often help her experience whatever she could while working as her servant, such as giving Emilico a proper bread roll as opposed to the low-quality ones the Living Dolls were fed, and allowing Emilico to try on her outfit or wear make-up. In addition to being an avid reader, it is later revealed that Kate also has a fascination with machinery.
One of Kate's biggest character flaws is her difficulty interacting with others. Kate is not a sociable girl and thus often has a hard time properly making conversation with others, instead usually taking a more commanding tone with people. As she worked with Emilico and met with several other Shadows, the walls that Kate subconsciously put up around herself began to fade somewhat, though she still admits that Emilico and their friends, namely the other members of her Debutante Class (John, Louise, and Shirley) as well as their Living Dolls (Shaun, Lou, and Rum), are, for the most part, much more skilled at interactions than she. 
Though she lacks the ability to express emotion herself due to not having a face, Kate's mannerisms show that she is a fairly stoic individual. Outside of her private interactions with Emilico, there are few people who are able to get Kate to express emotions on a consistent basis. One such person is her self-proclaimed (and unofficial) fiancé, John, who often manages to shock Kate or cause her strife due to his apparent lack of common sense and "act first" tendencies. Though rare, Kate has also shown that she can become incredibly angry when provoked, to the extent that her immense quantity of soot will cause soot icicles to form on the ceilings above her.
Though it is a non-canon, the one-off crossover with So-ma-to's previous work Kuro (aptly titled Shadows House × Kuro) shows Kate unnecessarily going out of her way to introduce herself to those who inhabit the room next to her, a cat named Kuro and his "Living Doll" Coco, potentially suggesting that she is truly polite and courteous, and this "noble" identity is not entirely one she puts on simply to act as a "proper" member of the Shadows Family.
== Fanon Appearances ==
=== Jake's Super Smash Bros. ===
Kate appears as a playable character in Jake's Super Smash Bros., being one of the special guest characters who do not hail from a Nintendo or video game franchise. Kate is primarily a lightweight ranged fighter who can make use of the soot she generates and can manipulate. Kate's soot is notably considered a physical projectile despite its appearance being similar to energy-based ones, and thus it can not be absorbed. This soot is used for many of her attacks, including her neutral and down special moves.
Though she does not appear in her moveset, Emilico appears as part of all of Kate's victory animations. Additionally, Emilico's "standard" Living Doll uniform, which she wears in private while attending lessons or when on standby and not working as Kate's maid, appears as one of Kate's special alternate costumes. Emilico's hand-made doll, Rolly, also appears both as part of her taunt and in her side special move.
== Gallery ==
Kate Mirror - Shadows House.png
Kate Shadows House.png
Category:FemalesCategory:Characters