"Watch this!"
Name: Kaoru KatagiriAge: 22
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5'4 / 163 cm
Weight: 127 lbs. / 58 kg
Hometown: Tokyo, Japan
Alignment: Face
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Appearance:
Ring Gear
Casual
Swimwear
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History:
Spoilered for long
From the moment she was born, Kaoru struggled under the weight of high expectations. Her father, Kensuke Katagiri, was a renowned judoka who had represented Japan in the Olympic Games and became an icon of national pride in his heyday, and he made it quite clear that he wanted his children to carry on his legacy. When his only child turned out to be a girl, that threw a wrench in his plans. The Katagiri family was a staunchly traditional one, and one that believed that women should only serve in domestic roles. But despite her father’s best efforts, the young Kaoru was captivated by his exploits and wanted to follow in his footsteps nonetheless. Accepting that she was his only chance to ensure the Katagiri legacy lived on, he decided to encourage her, enrolling her in classes to hone her martial arts skills.
What came as a further shakeup to the family came when Kaoru entered high school. Although she had excelled in judo, it didn’t call to her quite as much as western freestyle wrestling, a sport she had developed an interest in and wanted to seek out. She joined her school’s club, and quickly rose to the top of the competition, applying both her lifelong athletic talents and her background in judo to develop a keen knowledge of counters, the application of force, and the manipulation of her opponents’ momentum. She placed high in both intramural and extramural competitions, and she was sure that her family would be proud of her. But, to her surprise, Kaoru’s father was disappointed that she had chosen a different style - let alone a foreign style; if she was afraid of her own country’s traditions, how could she possibly stand as a strong, patriotic national hero that the people of Japan could believe in?
Some might have been discouraged by such a reception…but if anything, Kaoru was even further emboldened. If she couldn’t impress her father with her success, she would take that success even further until it made him change his mind. Sooner or later, she thought, he’d see that she could be a champion no matter what sport it was in. If she was successful enough, it could transcend even national pride.
To that end, Kaoru focused even further on her training, dedicated to shaping herself into the greatest wrestler she could be. She won even more accolades, emerging victorious in several tournaments, and attracting more and more media attention as a second-generation athlete. Eventually, her fame had grown so great that she was selected to represent Japan in womens’ freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
To Kaoru’s family, this was a big deal. Not only was a Katagiri in the Olympics once again, she would be competing on her home turf, standing up for her country right at home. Even if her father didn’t approve of everything she was doing, he was still proud of Kaoru for making it this far - and he wanted to encourage her to win it all. If Kaoru managed to take home the gold, he thought, it would bring everything full circle, and achieve his dreams of cementing a legacy in combat sports.
When Kaoru began training for the Olympics, though, she would meet one person who would change the course of her life forever, even if she didn’t know it at the time - Kristin Krueger.
From practically the first moment they met, it was clear that the fiery Canadian wasn’t going to let herself come up second to Kaoru. She wanted to prove herself as the best, and Kaoru was just another obstacle in her way - an obstacle that she would have to eliminate. That put even more pressure on Kaoru to succeed. As her father was quick to remind her, she couldn’t let a foreigner overcome her on her native soil - and a victory over her would only cement her family’s status as a national icon. Determined to succeed, but even more determined to make her father proud, Kaoru set her mind on one goal - she couldn’t let Kristin surpass her.
The two quickly became rivals. Their personalities clashed both on the mats and off of them, with the two going rough on each other during sparring a few times and getting into some heated arguments, on more than one occasion devolving into hair-pulling and face-scratching. Kristin wasn’t going to come in second place to anyone, and Kaoru knew she needed to win for her own self-respect and for her family’s admiration.
As time went on, though, the two girls began to realize they could see something of themselves in each other. Both of them were every bit as driven and determined, and both of them had a passion for wrestling that they used to fuel themselves to great heights. Even if there could only be one winner between the two of them, either way, it would be someone who put everything into their training and strove for success - in other words, someone who deserved to win. Kaoru realized that her rivalry with Kristin didn’t come from a place of personal animosity; just the fact that they were both after the same goal - and both wanted it just as much.
When the Games finally came, however, Kristin and Kaoru would be matched up against each other. Whether by a stroke of luck, or the Olympic Committee realizing that the rivalry between the two was good for business, they would be facing each other - and both of them made it readily clear that whatever happened, they were going to win.
It was a pitched and intense match, with both girls doing everything in their power to win. It called on every bit of strength they had in them and pushed them to heights they had never risen to before. The action went back and forth from the moment the bell rang, and right up until the end, it looked as though either one of them could just as easily claim victory. Ultimately, it would come down to who would succumb to exhaustion first just as much as who was more skilled. And even if she had fought as hard as she could, and let her desperation motivate her, Kaoru just couldn’t keep up - right at the end of the match, Kristin was able to secure a pinfall over her.
The match had gotten plenty of attention, both before and after the bout. Kristin’s win was heralded as a come-from-behind underdog victory over a second-generation talent. But in Japan, the reception was a different one. The media blasted Kaoru as a disappointment who let her family name down; some even argued that if she’d gone into judo instead, she would’ve won. As someone who had strived her entire life to live up to her father’s legacy and make him proud, the reaction was especially crushing for Kaoru, and she fell into a deep depression.
It got so bad that even Kristin began to feel guilty about her victory. While she was still proud of her success, she saw the impact it was having on Kaoru, and she couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Approaching her in private, she apologized for letting things between them get out of hand and expressed that she wanted to make amends. In the hopes of cheering the Japanese girl up, Kristin offered to have Kaoru show her around Tokyo - she hadn’t had the chance to really explore the city like she’d wanted, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
As they did, Kristin and Kaoru began to grow closer to one another as people. They came to see each other not just as rivals, but as human beings, growing to appreciate all the hard work and dedication they put into their craft. In fact, Kaoru began to realize that she had feelings for Kristin that went deeper than rivalry…or even friendship. The last month had taught her that she admired Kristin for her determination, her courage, her talents, her boobs, and her willpower. And, as the two of them sat together atop the Tokyo Dome City Ferris Wheel, Kristin finally admitted that she, too, had feelings for Kaoru. It seemed like another stroke of fate that things had landed them here…but this time, Kaoru was ready to embrace it. And she said yes.
Unfortunately, this was news that didn’t go over well with her family. Traditional as they were, Kaoru’s family did not approve of her dating another woman - let alone a foreign woman. After she had already embarrassed them with her loss at the Olympics, this was the last straw. Kaoru’s father publicly disowned her and kicked her out of the house, forcing her to move in with Kristin.
Being rejected by her own family was devastating to Kaoru. But Kristin had decided to settle down in Tokyo, getting an apartment in the city to be closer to Kaoru, and the couple began living together. Kristin assured her girlfriend that her family had only ever used her as a means to an end to cement their own glory, and that she was worth so much more than that. In the end, the experience only made the two of them grow even closer…and that, in turn, led to the two of them deciding to take things to the next level.
Wanting to take the next step forward in their career, and looking to work together rather than as opponents, Kristin and Kaoru decided to enter the world of professional wrestling together, forming a tag team known as Double K. They quickly became rising stars in the indies, thanks to their name value and their proven expertise. And soon, that attention reached the desk of LAW, which offered the two girls a contract to bring their talents back into the public eye. Once again, they were going to go big - and both of them were ready for it.
What came as a further shakeup to the family came when Kaoru entered high school. Although she had excelled in judo, it didn’t call to her quite as much as western freestyle wrestling, a sport she had developed an interest in and wanted to seek out. She joined her school’s club, and quickly rose to the top of the competition, applying both her lifelong athletic talents and her background in judo to develop a keen knowledge of counters, the application of force, and the manipulation of her opponents’ momentum. She placed high in both intramural and extramural competitions, and she was sure that her family would be proud of her. But, to her surprise, Kaoru’s father was disappointed that she had chosen a different style - let alone a foreign style; if she was afraid of her own country’s traditions, how could she possibly stand as a strong, patriotic national hero that the people of Japan could believe in?
Some might have been discouraged by such a reception…but if anything, Kaoru was even further emboldened. If she couldn’t impress her father with her success, she would take that success even further until it made him change his mind. Sooner or later, she thought, he’d see that she could be a champion no matter what sport it was in. If she was successful enough, it could transcend even national pride.
To that end, Kaoru focused even further on her training, dedicated to shaping herself into the greatest wrestler she could be. She won even more accolades, emerging victorious in several tournaments, and attracting more and more media attention as a second-generation athlete. Eventually, her fame had grown so great that she was selected to represent Japan in womens’ freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
To Kaoru’s family, this was a big deal. Not only was a Katagiri in the Olympics once again, she would be competing on her home turf, standing up for her country right at home. Even if her father didn’t approve of everything she was doing, he was still proud of Kaoru for making it this far - and he wanted to encourage her to win it all. If Kaoru managed to take home the gold, he thought, it would bring everything full circle, and achieve his dreams of cementing a legacy in combat sports.
When Kaoru began training for the Olympics, though, she would meet one person who would change the course of her life forever, even if she didn’t know it at the time - Kristin Krueger.
From practically the first moment they met, it was clear that the fiery Canadian wasn’t going to let herself come up second to Kaoru. She wanted to prove herself as the best, and Kaoru was just another obstacle in her way - an obstacle that she would have to eliminate. That put even more pressure on Kaoru to succeed. As her father was quick to remind her, she couldn’t let a foreigner overcome her on her native soil - and a victory over her would only cement her family’s status as a national icon. Determined to succeed, but even more determined to make her father proud, Kaoru set her mind on one goal - she couldn’t let Kristin surpass her.
The two quickly became rivals. Their personalities clashed both on the mats and off of them, with the two going rough on each other during sparring a few times and getting into some heated arguments, on more than one occasion devolving into hair-pulling and face-scratching. Kristin wasn’t going to come in second place to anyone, and Kaoru knew she needed to win for her own self-respect and for her family’s admiration.
As time went on, though, the two girls began to realize they could see something of themselves in each other. Both of them were every bit as driven and determined, and both of them had a passion for wrestling that they used to fuel themselves to great heights. Even if there could only be one winner between the two of them, either way, it would be someone who put everything into their training and strove for success - in other words, someone who deserved to win. Kaoru realized that her rivalry with Kristin didn’t come from a place of personal animosity; just the fact that they were both after the same goal - and both wanted it just as much.
When the Games finally came, however, Kristin and Kaoru would be matched up against each other. Whether by a stroke of luck, or the Olympic Committee realizing that the rivalry between the two was good for business, they would be facing each other - and both of them made it readily clear that whatever happened, they were going to win.
It was a pitched and intense match, with both girls doing everything in their power to win. It called on every bit of strength they had in them and pushed them to heights they had never risen to before. The action went back and forth from the moment the bell rang, and right up until the end, it looked as though either one of them could just as easily claim victory. Ultimately, it would come down to who would succumb to exhaustion first just as much as who was more skilled. And even if she had fought as hard as she could, and let her desperation motivate her, Kaoru just couldn’t keep up - right at the end of the match, Kristin was able to secure a pinfall over her.
The match had gotten plenty of attention, both before and after the bout. Kristin’s win was heralded as a come-from-behind underdog victory over a second-generation talent. But in Japan, the reception was a different one. The media blasted Kaoru as a disappointment who let her family name down; some even argued that if she’d gone into judo instead, she would’ve won. As someone who had strived her entire life to live up to her father’s legacy and make him proud, the reaction was especially crushing for Kaoru, and she fell into a deep depression.
It got so bad that even Kristin began to feel guilty about her victory. While she was still proud of her success, she saw the impact it was having on Kaoru, and she couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Approaching her in private, she apologized for letting things between them get out of hand and expressed that she wanted to make amends. In the hopes of cheering the Japanese girl up, Kristin offered to have Kaoru show her around Tokyo - she hadn’t had the chance to really explore the city like she’d wanted, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
As they did, Kristin and Kaoru began to grow closer to one another as people. They came to see each other not just as rivals, but as human beings, growing to appreciate all the hard work and dedication they put into their craft. In fact, Kaoru began to realize that she had feelings for Kristin that went deeper than rivalry…or even friendship. The last month had taught her that she admired Kristin for her determination, her courage, her talents, her boobs, and her willpower. And, as the two of them sat together atop the Tokyo Dome City Ferris Wheel, Kristin finally admitted that she, too, had feelings for Kaoru. It seemed like another stroke of fate that things had landed them here…but this time, Kaoru was ready to embrace it. And she said yes.
Unfortunately, this was news that didn’t go over well with her family. Traditional as they were, Kaoru’s family did not approve of her dating another woman - let alone a foreign woman. After she had already embarrassed them with her loss at the Olympics, this was the last straw. Kaoru’s father publicly disowned her and kicked her out of the house, forcing her to move in with Kristin.
Being rejected by her own family was devastating to Kaoru. But Kristin had decided to settle down in Tokyo, getting an apartment in the city to be closer to Kaoru, and the couple began living together. Kristin assured her girlfriend that her family had only ever used her as a means to an end to cement their own glory, and that she was worth so much more than that. In the end, the experience only made the two of them grow even closer…and that, in turn, led to the two of them deciding to take things to the next level.
Wanting to take the next step forward in their career, and looking to work together rather than as opponents, Kristin and Kaoru decided to enter the world of professional wrestling together, forming a tag team known as Double K. They quickly became rising stars in the indies, thanks to their name value and their proven expertise. And soon, that attention reached the desk of LAW, which offered the two girls a contract to bring their talents back into the public eye. Once again, they were going to go big - and both of them were ready for it.
Trivia:
- She and Kristin have a black cat named Opal. Kaoru is the one who’s more attached to her, while Kristin regards her as an annoyance but loves her anyway.
- Kaoru’s interests are surprisingly girly for an Olympic wrestler, and she enjoys collecting plushies and following fashion.
- She’s an absolutely terrible cook and Kristin does all the cooking in the house. Kaoru is, however, horrified by the existence of poutine, no matter how much Kristin gets her to try it.
- Kaoru is bisexual and has had a few brief relationships with men in the past. She always knew she was attracted to women, but Kristin was the first time she actually expressed that attraction to someone.
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Fighting Style: Kaoru’s fighting style takes inspiration from her time in Olympic wrestling, focusing on slams, takedowns, and controlling her opponents’ momentum. However, having trained in judo in her youth, she draws on the style and works some judo throws into her grappling techniques. Since coming to pro wrestling, she’s begun to train more in submission holds as a means of broadening her style as well, being more flexible than her girlfriend, who prefers to stick to what works.
Favored Match Types: Kaoru has no particularly strong preferences for matches. While she has the most experience in standard matches and has little exposure to anything lewd or hardcore, she’s trying to step outside of her comfort zone and has warmed up to the idea, and she can be a little more willing to experiment than Kristin. Ideally, she prefers to compete as part of a team, but is okay with singles matches as well; if she’s on her own, she tends to have Kristin in her corner.
Signature Moves:
Daki Wakare
Achilles Lock
Ura-Gatame
Kesa-Gatame
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Relationships with Other Characters:
- Kristin Krueger is Kaoru’s girlfriend and tag team partner, and in spite of the rocky start to their relationship, the two have grown very close. She admires Kristin for her dedication, and is grateful for all she’s done to her; she has no hesitations about standing up for her in times of need. She’s not afraid to tease her playfully, though.