Kushi

> *"You won't lose your way with us around!"*
>
>

**Kushi** is an apprentice Protector and considered to be the tamer of **Altun**, a Roc, although she argues that they are friends.

## Synopsis

*Kushi is a young orphan raised by the monks of Lhan. Her parents left her with the monks as they tried to scale Mt. Sumeru, but never returned.*

*From a young age, it was clear that Kushi had a way with animals. While foraging with the monks one day, a Roc swooped down and grabbed Kushi. The monks feared she would be eaten, but the Roc gently lowered her to the ground at her command, and they’ve been friends ever since. She named the Roc Altun, and thinks of him as her brother.*

*With Altun at her side, she trains every day and patrols the skies over Lhan. As her way of paying the monks back for all they’ve done for her, Kushi hopes to join The Protectors, a group of warriors tasked with guarding Lhan and the sacred mountain, Mt. Sumeru.*

## General Information

Kushi (with Altun) was the 4th Incarnation to be revealed at $250,000 during the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

Due to the difficulty of animating her character (essentially three character sets in one) and implementing her gameplay, she was scrapped at one point during game development. However, due to an extension, she was re-included into the final product, although without any Supers due to the strenuous amount of work involved.

## Character Basis

*K(h)ushi* is a Sanskrit word for "pleasure" or "happiness" while *altun* is Turkish for "gold". The pair were inspired by Ashol-Pan, a young female Kazakh falconer (possibly the youngest) who hunts with golden eagles.

The roc was an enormous bird of prey from Middle Eastern folklore, large enough to prey on elephants.

### Color Palettes

1. Default
2. Nana & Popo from *Ice Climber*
3. Princess Jasmine & Rajah from Disney's *Aladdin*
4. ???

## Story

Led by Ajna's screams as she is falling from the crashing Fortress Vimana, Altun catches her in mid-air and brings her to the ground, where Kushi is waiting.

## In Game

### Abilities

 **Attack + Up** | **Standing Mode:** Kushi jumps into the air, grabbing onto Altun's talons to enter Riding Mode. In this state, some grounded attacks will miss her, but she cannot block.
 **Attack + Down** | **Standing Mode:** Kushi commands Altun to strike a single target for massive damage.
**Riding Mode:** Kushi lets go of Altun's talons, returning to Standing Mode. In this state, she can block as per normal, though she blocks more damage if Altun is perched upon her arm.

### Sidequest

Zebei and Kushi share the same sidequest. To activate this, you **must** talk to Kushi- talking to Zebei does not start the quest.

After talking to Kushi a piece of the sacred bell, now broken, appears in the middle of what used to be the monastery. This will prompt the player to look for a monk in Tai Krung city. The monk is located outside of Mara's Den, near the entrance where The Baz is guarding. There will be a light flashing. Talking to the monk will tell the player to next look for a turtle in Lhan. Getting access to the area requires you to have "Nature's Retribution" to enter and exit. After defeating the turtle and retrieving the carapace, go back to the same monk to get the sacred bell fixed. Doing so will return the player to the monastery, the sacred bell whole and in place again.

## Quotes

### Party Switch

* *"Here we come!"*
* *"We'll watch over you."*
* *"You go high Altun! I go low."*

### In Battle

* *"Dive!"* (Up Attack)
* *"From the sky!"* (Up Attack)
* *"Ally-oop."* (Up Attack)
* *"Gonna take me for a ride?"* (Up Attack)
* *"Combine!"* (Up Attack)
* *"Back on terra-firma."* (Down Attack)
* *"Down I go."* (Down Attack)
* *"Grounded."* (Down Attack)
* *"Let em' have it"* (Down Attack)
* *"Go! Altun!"* (Down Attack)
* *"Show em' the talons!"* (Down Attack)
* *"Feeding time!"* (Down Attack)

## Gallery

Kushi's InfoscreenKushi & Altun's initial designs during the Indiegogo campaign

## References

1. ↑ GDC Plays indivisible with Mike Z and Mariel Cartwright - 22:21