Kaki Arakawa

**Kaki Arakawa** (粗皮 火気, *Arakawa Kaki*) is a hero-in-training, and a first-year student at U.A. High School.

She is known to the Japanese public as the star student who garnered the interest of the No. 12 Pro Hero, Iori Kumiko. In reality, the spirit possessing Iori, known as **Ghost** (魔残 (ゴースト), *Gōsuto*; lit. "Daemonic Remnant"), specifically selected Kaki for her powerful **Infernus** (焦熱地獄 (インフナス), *Infanasu*; lit. "Burning Hell") Quirk. As such, under the guise of training a prospective new hero, Kaki is being groomed by Ghost to be their ninth vessel.

## History

Kaki Arakawa is the daughter of the Pro Heroes, the late "Shockwave", and "Wildfire". Growing up with both of her parents being Pro Heroes meant that Kaki was self-sufficient from a young age. While she loved her parents, she was already disillusioned with the idea of "heroes" - what good were parents who played "hero" for the entire country but were never around when she needed them? In spite of this, Kaki still loved her parents, and treasured the little time she did get to spend with them in between their jobs. Kaki's Quirk, when it manifested, was seen as ideal for hero work; a powerful combination of her mother and father's individually formidable Quirks. As such, family on both sides expected Kaki to take up the mantle of a hero much like her parents - indeed, so did her parents, though they were quieter about the the idea when Kaki made it clear she didn't have an interest in pursuing a hero's path - but the pressure from her extended family continued to mount.

Distancing herself from every relative except her parents, Kaki intentionally isolated herself from everyone, and sought only the company of her mother and father when during their rare off-times. It came as a great tragedy when, at age 11, Kaki lost both of her parents in the line of active duty. Her grief caused her Quirk to go haywire, and she burnt her house to ashes, vanishing. Originally, Kaki was thought to have died of self-immolation; indeed, the authorities wrote it off as a grief-induced suicide by Quirk. The young girl, however, had simply fled to the streets, unable to properly cope with the demise of the parents she had clung to more than anything. With her Quirk, she was able to keep herself warm on cold nights, as well as tend to basic needs such as heating water and food, and while not comfortable, subsisted for three years entirely alone. Kaki's opinion on heroes and life would form here: the life of a hero led to nothing but death and misery, and it had taken her parents from the world. Truly believing she had nothing left, Kaki continued to simply exist.

Around the age of 14, close to her 15th birthday, a hero had discovered her hiding place. It was the No. 12 Hero, Iori Kumiko, who took the young girl to the police. Discovering that she was indeed Kaki Arakawa, the presumed dead daughter of the late Arakawa heroes, the officer offered Kaki a chance to turn her life around: U.A. had a special relief programme for children like her, who had lost their families to hero duty. She would be admitted to the school's hero course, similarly to students who were recommended, and allowed to attend, as well as being given access to the dormitories and basic amenities. Kaki, initially reluctant, agreed, if only because she had nowhere else to go and no alternative to take.

Admitted into U.A., Kaki put the bare minimum effort into every single task. She did not care for her studies, and had no interest in truly becoming a great hero. U.A., to her, was merely show she received her three meals a day, and a hot shower. It was only three months into her first year, when she encountered Iori Kumiko for the second time. The woman had initially claimed she was looking for a a protégé, and thus was at U.A. for scouting purposes. Kaki, disinterested at first, told Iori she had picked the worst candidate, a girl who had no intention of even passing, much less beginning a lucrative career as a hero. To Kaki's surprise, Iori stated this was what made her ideal: the woman truthfully explained herself, her Quirk, and her century-long situation to Kaki, and explained that if Kaki lacked a purpose, lacked a reason for existing, then Iori could give her one. Iori had chosen Kaki Arakawa to be her next host, valuing her powerful Quirk. For Kaki, it would be her chance to erase the grief and pain from the loss of her parents that she could never get over, and it could give her life direction. Kaki, unable to see a reason to refuse, and following this woman was better than simply existing day by day, agreed. Moving in with Iori under the guise of an adoption and long-term internship at her agency, Kaki began her journey towards being moulded into the woman's next vessel.

## Abilities

### Quirk

**Infernus** (焦熱地獄 (インフナス), *Infanasu*; lit. "Burning Hell") is the name of Kaki's Quirk. It is a combination Quirk, stemming from her late parents; "Pressure Emission" and "Flame Body" respectively. Infernus allows Kaki to emit copious amounts of flame from anywhere on her body, be it limbs, hair, or her entire being. These flames are possessed of immense heat, and typically appear to be white in their hue, though she has been seen producing weaker flames of cherry red. While Infernus could be compared to the Quirk of Endeavor, Hellflame, Kaki lacks the ability to shape and manipulate her flames properly; she is only capable of emission, though being able to emit them from anywhere on her body gives her incredible range.

Infernus also comes with a natural heat resistance, which sets it apart from typical flame Quirks, and makes it fall more in line with a Quirk like Electrification, giving Kaki very limited control over her respective element, massive force, and a powerful resistance to their typical effects. Her resistance to heat, and not simple flames, comes from one half of her Quirk, mother's Flame Body.

This Quirk, for better or for worse, is why Iori Kumiko - or more accurately, the soul of Ghost who resides within her - has chosen Kaki as her next host.