Akiza Izinski

Akiza Izinski, known as Aki Izayoi in the Japanese version, is a character from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, and one out of 5 of the mysterious Signers. She is known widely under the alias Black Rose, known as Black Rose Witch in the Japanese version.

Akiza possesses a "special power" which sets her apart from the rest of humanity, and even the rest of the Signers. This power enables the effects of Akiza's cards to become a reality, which can cause serious harm to others. Although its exact name and limits are currently unknown, it is now known that her psychic dueling power is linked directly to the violent nature of her mind. Mainly this is the reason why it continues to exist and grow over the years. However it appears it can decrease as well as a result of some change, mainly coming from her violent mind.

Over the years as her powers constantly grew, but she didn't have any control over them whatsoever. After the second duel between her and Yusei Fudo, she gains control over her psychic powers because she wanted to protect her father from the serious harm that would have occurred from her inability to control her psychic powers (which were extremely dangerous, due to her inability to control them).

Akiza originally despised her Mark of the Dragon, believing it to be the cause of her unwanted power and even noted it as a "wretched mark." She later changed her opinion after her second duel with Yusei, who believed it to have brought the other Signers together as friends.

Design
Akiza has dark, violet hair with two long, elbow-length bangs. She rolls her hair with a device similar to a hair curler behind her bangs, which helps her restrain her powers. When she duels under the alias of the "Black Rose", she splits her two large bangs into about six smaller ones. Akiza also makes use of a white masquerade, phantom-like mask and a long, tattered black cloak to hide her true identity while Dueling as the "Black Rose". She has unusually shaped brown eyes which resemble a cat's eyes. Her wardrobe appears to have Victorian influences, but also bears resemblance to uniforms that were worn by female military generals during the 1980's. Akiza wears a low-cut red corset with short, white puffy sleeves and a high collar. (In the dub version, her cleavage is covered.) She also sports a sleeveless magenta trench coat that flares behind her which is shorter and pleated in the front. She wears a emerald crested, golden cross-shaped medallion, as well as a pair of dark, elbow-length gloves with a pair of gold bracelets above them. Her stockings are the same color as her gloves with which are connected to her skirt and she wears red high heels with them. Akiza's Duel Disk has pink, purple, and red trim.

Early life
When Akiza was young she was raised in New Domino City. Having been neglected by her overworking father throughout her childhood, the overbearing sorrow that swelled in her heart caused Akiza's powers and birthmark to manifest during her first duel, injuring Hideo in the process. Since then, people started fearing her powers and refused to duel her.

Akiza eventually gained entrance to a Duel Academy. Her parents hoped some one there could teach her to control her powers. It was not to be as Akiza caused many accidents and hurt many of her fellow classmates. Akiza became feared in the Academy and did not have any friends. She then runs away back to her family only to find that they are living happy without her. As a response, Aki used her powers to destroy her family's home and decides to continue living without them.

Akiza gained entrance in the dueling underground and quickly made a name for herself. Her powers kept growing unchecked and hurt many on the battlefield. She eventually decided she could not handle the guilt anymore and created the "Black Rose" persona to deal with the rejection and terrorize the duelists. Misty Lola's brother was believed to have been killed by the Black Rose.

Akiza was eventually found by Sayer, the leader of the Arcadia Movement, an organization of Psychic Duelists who claims to have powers similar to Akiza's; he takes her in, proclaiming her to be the "future" of all psychic duelists. Sayar hoped to use her to destroy Goodwin and create an army of Psychic duelists.

Fortune Cup
Leo and Dexter later decide to challenge the Black Rose to a Duel. It is during this encounter that Akiza first sees Yusei Fudo and his own Mark of the Dragon. She expresses surprise to the fact that another individual also possesses such a birthmark, and after a brief confrontation, Akiza uses her mighty powers to disappear in a powerful explosion telling Yusei to leave her alone.

Akiza is invited to participate in the Fortune Cup, and faces Gill Randsborg in the first round. Here she proved her Psychic Duelist powers when she cuts Randsborg on the cheek with the effect of her Trap Card, "Doppelganger". She wins the Duel using her signature monster, "Black Rose Dragon". After Randsborg is severely scorched due to her signer dragon's attack, Akiza is completely exposed as the feared "Black Rose", thanks to Lazar and Rex Goodwins's plot to unmask her. They also had the intention to expose Akiza as a Signer; however, even though she used her powers during the Duel, Zigzix's D-Sensor received no reading.

Prior to Akiza's next Duel, she confesses to Divine into being reluctant to duel again, since she knows someone is going get hurt. Divine assures her that any damage she inflicts is necessary to the Arcadia Movement's success; consequently, he also takes the mask Akiza had been using to Duel as the "Black Rose", claiming that she no longer needs to hide her beautiful face from the world.

Akiza's next opponent in the Fortune Cup, and second round in the Fortune Cup, is the Duel Profiler, Commander Koda, a mysterious man who attempts to confuse and manipulate Akiza with tragic insights from her dark past. Goodwin and Lazar hope that this strategy will finally confirm Akiza as a Signer by angering her and triggering her special power. After being pushed to her psychological limits, Akiza loses control and becomes even more unstable than usual. The pin-like object she uses to hold her hair, and powers, in place falls off, leaving Akiza's long bangs trailing over her face, and an intense pink aura forms around her. Her birthmark as well activates, and Zigzax's D-Sensor finally gets a powerful reading. Ultimately, she claims victory and moves on to the tournament finals against Yusei Fudo.

Before the Duel, the audience screams angrily at Akiza and demands that Yusei defeats her, despite their original dislike of him at the start of the tournament. Several of the spectators closest to the Duel flee after Akiza's ferocious attack on Yusei becomes a reality. After her first crippling attack against Yusei, he angrily exclaims that Akiza enjoys inflicting pain on others. With a mildly insane smile, Akiza gasps for breath and realizes that this was the hidden emotion that had been lying dormant within her; she replies that she is the "Black Rose", a fearful lady who delights in inflicting pain. However, she seems to accept this as her fate after the audience insults her again, screaming for her slaughter. However, Yusei isn't perturbed, and knows that the hidden emotion that he is looking for still remains locked deep inside of Akiza.

As the Duel between the two proceeds, Akiza Summons her "Black Rose Dragon" and Yusei Summons his "Stardust Dragon". With the two Dragons pitted against each other, both Akiza and Yusei's dragon birthmarks glow, along with those of Luna and Jack. After being pressured by Yusei, Akiza reveals that she created an entirely new personality - one that loved destruction - that of the "Black Rose". She continues to add that she no longer needs to think, and that Divine will do all her thinking for her - all she needs to do is live and feel. Akiza's hair curler topples off, which is said to hold her psychic powers in check, and Akiza starts to attack Yusei fiercely.

Ultimately, Yusei claims victory. Akiza's mask breaks in half and she begins to cry begging for his help. Before Yusei can say anything, Divine intervenes and gently guides Akiza out of the arena, leaving the enraged spectators screaming their obscenities to Akiza. She's then back to the Arcadia Headquarters mobile and placed in a tank to help her recover from the duel. When Jack and Yusei battle it out her birthmark glows and she is transported to a different dimension where she witnesses Satellite be destroyed by a spider mark. Divine takes Akiza back the Arcadia building to finish recovering from the duel between her and Yusei.

Special episode
In the anime tour special episode, Aki sits with Rua and Ruca (Leo and Luna) in the Duel Stadium, as they watch Yusei and Jack in a Duel King Title Match. Here, she is friendly to Rua and Ruca, as well as being more supportive of Yusei.

Dark Signers
After the Fortune Cup, Akiza's powers began to weaken.

Akiza's birthmark starts to throb as Yusei duels Kiryu, although she is not present. She knows that this is related to the vision they witnessed during the Fortune Cup. After Yusei nearly loses, her birthmark stops glowing, causing her to worry about Yusei.

After a practice Duel, Sayer speaks with Akiza, telling her that only he can help her and Yusei will not come and save her.

While Sayar tests Leo to see if he possess Psychic Dueling powers, after abducting him and his companions, Akiza explains to Luna that Sayar wants to determine if Leo possesses any sort of ability like her. After the Duel ends with Sayer's victory, Akiza assures Luna that her brother isn't in danger as the Duel was just a test. She tells Luna that the Arcadia Movement will be her new home, as Akiza doesn't wish for Luna to become feared and abandoned by others because of her powers.

While Akiza is searching for Sayer, Misty Lola engages in a Shadow Duel with her. During the Duel, Misty accuses Akiza of killing her brother and seeks revenge. Misty manages to Summon her Earthbound Immortal, who she says sent her to kill the servent of Black Rose Dragon. Meanwhile Carly finishes her Duel with Sayer, sending him fall the entire length of the Arcadia Movement building with Akiza looking in horror. Misty postpones the Duel as the building collapses. A piece of debris hits Akiza, knocking her out.

Jack Atlas saves Akiza and takes her to Domino Hospital. Akiza is left in a coma. Her parents visit her and feel guilt for how they treated her. Jack tells them that Yusei may be able to save their daughter. Yusei is able to wake her up, but with Sayer gone Akiza convinces herself that she doesn't have a "place". She refuses Yusei's help and plans to rid everyone of their "place". Yusei duels her, believing it to be the only way to reach out to her. As the duel progresses, Akiza's powers go beyond her control. As Akiza's father stands in front of Yusei to protect him, Akiza manages to gain control of her powers and protect her father from getting hit. Akiza comes to forgive her parents and tells Yusei to end the Duel.

After the Duel, she becomes friends with Yusei and decides to help the Signers. She is shown by Mina, Sayer's true intentions; to kidnap children with Psychic Dueling powers and use them to create an army.

Akiza along with the other Signers are invited by Rex Goodwin to his house to learn more about the Signers and Dark Signers. Goodwin tells them that the Crimson Dragon influenced the events in the Signers's lives so that they would all meet one day and if it weren't for her powers, she would have never met Yusei and the other Signers. He tells the Signers that they are people chosen by the Dragon God and reincarnations of the original Signers.

The Signers along with Leo and Mina take a helicopter piloted by Trudge to Satellite to face the Dark Signers. In Satellite they meet up with Martha. Seeing Akiza there, Martha notices that Yusei was able to open her closed heart. Rudger interrupts them during dinner, imposing a Duel. Akiza accompanies Yusei as he duels Rudger. She notices some boys at the scene of the Duel and worries that they will be sacrificed to Summon an Earthbound Immortal. She warns Martha and Trudge about this, prompting them to help save the boys.

After Yusei and Rudger's Shadow Duel, Akiza and the Signers are confronted by the Dark Signers. The four Signers split up, each going to one of the four Old Momentum safety switches. Knowing that Misty is the one she must defeat, Akiza travels to the Lizard tower by car accompanied by Mina.

Deck
Akiza runs a Black Rose Deck, centering around the Summoning of her powerful Synchro Monster and namesake, "Black Rose Dragon". She also utilizes several Plant-Type monsters and the Field Spell, "Black Garden". Another noticeable trait is that most of the effects of her more powerful cards involve removing Plant-Type monsters from play in order to access their effects. In her Duel against the Duel Profiler, Kodo Kinomiya, Akiza reveals an alternate strategy which inflicts Effect Damage to the opponent using "Rose Flame" and "Curse of Rose". In her first Duel against Yusei, she used "Wall of Ivy" and "Cursed Ivy" to generate several "Ivy Tokens" to his field. She later destroyed all four of these Tokens in one turn with "Rose Tentacles", inflicting major damage to Yusei's Life Points. Akiza also uses several support cards to maximize her "Black Rose Dragon's" efficiency, like "Dark Tuning", "Synchro Back", and Thorn of Hatred".