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 also widely known as the 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, or in the case of Misty's brother, death. 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 of 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.

Akiza's power allows her to materialize Duel Monsters and the effects of her Spell and Trap Cards into reality. This causes internal and external injuries to her opponents.

Akiza despises her Mark of the Dragon, believing it to be the cause of her unwanted power and even noted it as a "wretched mark."

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 lot like a cat's. 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. She also sports a sleeveless magenta trench coat that flares behind her which is shorter and pleated in the front. She wears a emerald incrested, golden cross-shaped medallion. She wears 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
In her youth, Akiza caused accidents while dueling, often with the same results in people getting injured. Her parents neglected her, after her psychic powers awakened and were unaware how they could accept her.

Akiza later attended a Duel Academy as a young teenager, where she inadvertently caused more accidents due to the instability of her powers.

One such incident occured after Akiza had challenged a young man to a Duel. Unknown to her, the man was Misty's brother. By the end of the Duel, Akiza killed him.

Because of these incidents, she became separated from most people and took on the alias of the "Black Rose", Akiza is later found by Divine, 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.

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 dragon birthmark. 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 Sir Randsborg in the first round. Here she prove her powers real when she cuts Randsborg on the cheek with the effect of her trap,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 Devine 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, Kodo Kinomiya, 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, and Akiza begins to cry. Before Yusei can say anything, Divine intervenes and gently guides Akiza out of the arena, leaving the enraged spectators screaming their abuse to Akiza.

During Yusei and Jack's Duel, when both of them are transported to an alternate dimension by the Crimson Dragon, Akiza and Luna are also transported with them, and closely watches the Duel while floating in transparent spheres of light.

Special episode
In the anime tour special episode, Aki sits with Leo and Luna in the Duel Stadium, as they watch Yusei and Jack in a Duel King Title Match. Here she is friendly to Luna and Leo.

Dark Signers
Before Yusei's confrontation with Kyosuke Kiryu, a dark signer, his birthmark begins to react inside of the B.A.D area. This triggers Akiza, Luna, and Jack's dragon birthmarks, as well. Akiza senses that Yusei is responsible for the reaction and she knows that it is related to the vision they witnessed during the Fortune Cup with the Crimson Dragon. After Yusei almost takes a hit by Earthbound God - Ccapac Apu, her birthmark stops glowing.

However after the final Fortune Cup duel against Yusei it seems that she has begin to change just like Yusei said, that's because her power has began to weakened. After her latest practice Divine encounters Akiza on the elevator then tells her that nobody but he can help her. He also tells her that Yusei will not come and "save" her. After hearing his words, Akiza contemplates about Yusei.

Afterward, Leo, Luna, Yanagi, and Tanner agree to go to the Arcadia Movement in an attempt to convince Akiza to help them in their battle against the Dark Signers. However, they are tricked by Divine; it is later revealed that he has other plans for Leo and Luna, as he wants her to be a member of the organization. Akiza later explains to Luna that Divine wants to test Leo in order to determine if he possesses any sort of ability like her. If he does, then they might still be dormant and in any chance they might be awakened when he comes to face some sort of difficulty.

After the duel ends with Divine's victory, Akiza talks to Luna stating that his brother isn't in danger as the duel was just a test. She also clarifies to her that the Arcadia Movement will be her new home, as Akiza doesn't wish for Luna to walk through the same path she did, the path of being feared and abandoned by others because of her powers.

While Akiza is searching for Divine, Misty, a famous model, and one of the Dark Signers, engages Akiza in a Duel. They both are able to Summon their most powerful monsters; Although Akiza was able to Summon "Black Rose Dragon" on her first turn, Misty is able to counter it by using her Reptiless Gorgon. During the Duel, Misty tells Akiza that the boy she had killed before was her brother and she is now seeking revenge.

At the end of the Duel, Akiza is left injured and immediately taken to the hospital. Akiza's parents become anxious over her being rushed to hospital, while unconscious. They admit that they regret neglecting her and now they hope Yusei can save her.

Akiza has closed her heart after the events of Misty's duel, and has no intention of getting out of her delusion. While trying to help, Yusei gets her angry and the two duel, summoning their two dragons.

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 versatile Field Spell, "Black Garden". 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 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 "Wicked Reborn" and "Synchro Back".