Satsuki Kiryūin

"Fear is freedom! Subjugation is liberation! Contradiction is truth! Those are the facts of this world! And you will all surrender to them, you pigs in human clothing!"

- Satsuki addressing the students of Honnōji Academy

Satsuki Kiryūin (鬼龍院 皐月) is one of the main characters in Kill la Kill. She is the president of Honnōji Academy's Student Council, and rules over the surrounding land. She has absolute authority over the academy, and is regarded with reverence by many of its residents. She was the main antagonist for the first half of the series, becoming a deuteragonist in episode 17, as her abusive mother—Ragyō Kiryūin—takes the role of main antagonist at this point.

Appearance
Satsuki is a tall slim woman with an angular face similar to her mothers with long dark blue hair and blue eyes. She has rather thick eyebrows and a rather large bust. At the end of the series she cuts her formerly long hair to shoulder length in page boy style.

History
Satsuki was the first born child to Ragyō and Sōchirō Kiryūin, and soon became the first failed test subject of being fused with Life Fibers. However, after Sōichirō learned the truth about Ragyō, he knew that he would be punished if he betrayed her. He secretly taught a 5-year-old Satsuki about her mother and the secrets of Life Fibers. He then revealed that Junketsu will be her "wedding dress" before he took an infant Ryūko with him into hiding.

Personality
Prideful to say the least, Satsuki is extremely intelligent, calculating, patient, while simultaneously unwavering and iron-fisted. Unlike Ryūko, she had no shame in wearing the Kamui Junketsu in its most revealing form; she claims that her actions in donning Junketsu are, like the Kamui's name implies? "utterly pure". She describes people as "pigs in human clothing," and justifies that the weak and foolish must be ruled. Due to her steadfast convictions, she also possess a natural charisma and ability to lead others. In spite of her pride, Satsuki is shown to be pragmatic and determined, willing to cast aside pride and using whatever means necessary in order to secure victory, even if it threatens her life. When fighting Ragyō, Satsuki noted that her willingness to fight her mother and the Life Fibers was due to revenge, noting that great causes are born from personal desires.

In spite of her behavior at school, Satsuki is not heartless. While very harsh and not very willing to tolerate failures, she comes to cares a great deal for the Elite Four; and is as protective of them as they are to her, though not always outwardly so. Also, as a child, she would always drink Soroi's tea in order to protect his feelings; despite disliking its bitterness for a long time, she eventually found it delicious. When she reminisces about this to Soroi, Satsuki herself notes that she must have been a kind-hearted girl if she'd gone that far to protect her butler's feelings. Satsuki genuinely loved her father and sister, enough to avenge them by attacking the mother who disposed of them. Likewise, despite a bitter, almost hatred-fueled rivalry with Ryūko for most of the series, she noticeably softens up to her when she learns that Ryūko is the sister she'd long believed to be dead.

By Episode 22, Satsuki realizes the errors of her ways, stating that she cannot hope to win against Ragyō by employing her methods—especially by trying to manipulate her own sister. Satsuki finally sees that the world's beauty comes not from being "cut from the same cloth", but from the innumerable, unexplainable things that the world overflows with. She asks Ryūko to help her fight to protect that beautiful world; upon saying her part, Satsuki bows to Ryūko—a shocking sign of sincerity.

After this, Satsuki becomes a bit more open and relatable to others. She shows this when the gang has a celebratory dinner of Sukuyo Mankanshoku's signature croquettes, when she agrees with Mako about their being delicious; and when Nonon and Uzu have an argument involving disrespect (Nonon) and lack of tact (Uzu), telling Ira that hearing them bicker "makes it feel that I've truly come home". She also refers to Mikisugi as Mikisugi-san (lit. "Mr. Mikisugi"), to his shock, when she places him in charge of the S.S. Naked Sol. Satsuki displays that she is still dead-set on accomplishing the mission at hand. For example, in Episode 23, she follows Ryūko's plan, distracting Ragyō while allowing Ryūko to reach the Life Fiber core unhindered. Later, in Episode 24, she tells the Elite Four to destroy the transmitter while she and Ryūko fight Ragyō.

In Episode 24, as Ryūko falls back to Earth, Satsuki screams at her to hang in there, and catches her with the help of essentially every other character, holding on to her as the force from Ryūko's descent propels them all backward into the school. Once the dust settles, she gives Ryūko a warm welcome home.

During the credits, Satsuki is shown joining Ryūko and Mako on their "date", showing that she is really a kind individual who has come to care greatly for her little sister. She also shows a somewhat shy side as she blushes when Mako and Ryūko take a picture of the three of them together.

Powers and Abilities

 * Natural Capabilities
 * Physical Prowess - Satsuki is accepted as the most powerful fighter of the Academy with almost superhuman physical strength, speed, endurance and reflexes. Her middle-school self was able to emit a fighting spirit capable of downing 500 men, and she was able to incapacitate Ira Gamagōri despite his superior size, age and with him wearing steel armor. Even when stark naked, and with her hands restrained, she still had enough skill and power to kill multiple COVERS using nothing more than her two altered toenails.
 * High Intelligence - She is also highly intelligent and manipulative as seen by her plan to take down her mother and the various people she deceived and manipulated in the process. Likewise she demonstrated a strong sense of patience and willpower, to endure the capture and torture at the hands of her mother, while slowly planning an escape route and having the forethought to alter two of her toenails using the same material as her sword Bakuzan.


 * False Toenails
 * Satsuki also has two toenails made of the same material as the Bakuzan, which she can use just as effectively.

Former Powers and Abilities

 * Kamui Junketsu (神衣純潔)
 * Life Fiber Override (人衣圧倒)
 * After her first clash with Ryūko, Satsuki donned the Kamui Junketsu and was able to force the blood-thirsty uniform to bow to her will. Her utter lack of shame at her appearance also allowed her to immediately attain Junketsu's Life Fiber Override and true form. Under Junketsu's power, Satsuki is granted incredible power, and even the smallest of attacks are capable of causing exceptional devastation. She is also capable of altering her Kamui's shape, as seen when she altered one of her shoulder guards into a drill to attack Ryūko. However, due to her inability to overcome the human race's resistance to the Life Fibers, she is unable to fully synchronize with her Junketsu, thus being shy of it's full power and capabilities, while exerting greater pressure and fatigue on her body.


 * After Ryūko rips off Junketsu and being freed of Ragyō's mind control, Satsuki has Junketsu modified, such that it is infused with the blood of Ryūko and Mako, as well as the fibers of Senketsu, to tailor it to her needs. As a result, Junketsu now gains access to Senketsu's alternate forms while placing much less stress on her body.


 * Kamui Senketsu (神衣鮮血)
 * Life Fiber Synchronize (人衣一体) – After Ryūko is brainwashed by Ragyo and forced to don Junketsu, Satsuki wears Senketsu to combat Ryūko. She states that even though Senketsu may dislike her, only she and him can stop Ryūko. While transformed, Satsuki is shown to be able to use all of Senketsu's alternate forms such as Senketsu Senjin and Senketsu Shippu, although not at their full power.
 * Ryūko has stated that Satsuki and Senketsu are not truly synchronized, and Satsuki is merely commanding Senketsu to do as she says. Despite this, Senketsu acknowledges that Satsuki and its heart are one with the desire to bring Ryūko back to her senses. Senketsu is eventually shredded apart by Ryūko, but reforms itself in time to protect Mako.
 * Secret Sword Bakuzan (秘剣縛斬) Satsuki is a master swordsman who wields the Bakuzan, a black-bladed katana in a white sheath with an edge that is claimed to be keener than Ryūko's Scissor Blade. Its strength is so great that one slash is enough to damage a transformed Kamui. While durable enough to clash with Ryūko's Scissor Blade on their multiple battles, the Bakuzan was eventually broken when clashing against Ragyo's fist.
 * Bakuzan Gako and Bakuzan Kōryu
 * Master Swordsman - Bakuzan was a special sword capable of severing Life Fibers, that was noted by Satsuki to have a sharper edge than that of a Scissor blade. It was eventually broken in half in the battle against Ragyo. The shards are eventually reforged into Bakuzan Gako and Bakuzan Kōryu, a long blade and short blade respectively, which are given to Nonon Jakuzure and Ira Gamagōri respectively. Bakuzan Kōryu is then passed onto Uzu Sanageyama, as Gamagōri claims that he is more proficient with blades. Both blades are returned to her by Sanageyama and Jakuzure. Now holding two blades, their effect is the same as the twin Scissor Blades, being capable of damaging Life Fibers beyond their regenerative powers. Satsuki's skill with these blades is extensive and adaptable, as she has gone toe-to-toe against various other sword wielding opponents.

Ryūko Matoi
Satsuki appears moderately surprised when Ryūko brings up the latter's father's death; and with the Scissor Blade that Ryūko claims is the other half of the full weapon and demands to find the owner of that other half. Satsuki discloses little other than the speculation that there might have been involvement on her behalf. It should be noted however that Satsuki has shown no real desire to do Ryūko serious harm, even when she is left broken and defeated at her feet she is shown to have covered her with a blanket and left at least one piece of Senketsu with her. Satsuki seems to regard her as a useful tool to help her achieve her goals; any other emotions towards her have yet to be seen. It is revealed in episode 18 that Ryūko is actually Satsuki's younger sister. In episode 22, she and Ryūko make up at last and agree to fight together to defeat Ragyō. At the end of the series, they finally develop a close sisterly relationship.

Junketsu
While Satsuki has never been seen communicating with Junketsu, her initial encounter with him and the fact that she has to override him in order to transform show that, unlike Ryūko with Senketsu, she has to actually bend Junketsu to her will through sheer willpower. In episode 16, Junketsu starts getting agitated after being worn by Satsuki in Override mode for a too long, prompting Shirō Iori to administer a Life Fiber inhibitor, allowing Satsuki to transform him to his normal state. This left her extremely tired.

Despite Satsuki's battle potential with Junketsu, Ragyō reveals that the Kamui has not completely yielded to Satsuki—it has still denied her its full power. Satsuki does not appear to be fond of Junketsu herself, but deems it necessary if she wants to defeat Ragyō. When Junketsu's torn remains try to creep away, Satsuki pins it down with the reforged Bakuzan blades, telling it to stay put. She later has Iori fuse into Junketsu a mixture of her own blood, Ryūko's blood, and a small amount of Senketsu's Life Fibers. In Episode 24, along with the other students and their Goku uniforms, Satsuki willingly sacrifices Junketsu to allow Ryūko and Senketsu to reach Ragyō.

Nui Harime
During Nui's first appearance, Satsuki is extremely cautious around her, as she seems to have some knowledge of her power. However, she still maintains her strong and impassive front when addressing her. As Nui is Ragyō's "third daughter", it's possible that Satsuki has known her since Sōichirō's disappearance. During the battle aboard the Naked Sol, Satsuki quickly deciphers Nui's doubts about the brainwashed Ryūko's allegiance; she states that if Ryūko truly is with Ragyō, body and soul, she'd be wielding both Scissor Blades. This shows that to Satsuki, Nui Harime is sometimes easy to read.

Ragyō Kiryūin
Ragyō Kiryūin is Satsuki's mother. It is revealed in Episode 16 that Ragyo and Satsuki have a less than pleasant relationship. Ragyō sees her daughter as little more than an heir to COVERS and is revealed to have been sexually abusing her daughter for some time now. In episode 18, Ragyō notes how, despite her daughter's impressive achievements of wearing a Kamui and double-crossing her, she was ultimately a disappointment due to being unable to draw out Junketsu's full power, eventually defeating her and taking the Kamui for herself. However, Junketsu is recovered by Satsuki in episode 22.

Nonon Jakuzure
Nonon first met Satsuki in kindergarten. Although Nonon didn't think much of Satsuki at first, Nonon became awestruck with Satsuki after Satsuki's sudden personality shift from happy and bubbly to serious and stone cold (due to Satsuki's father, Sōichirō Kiryūin, telling Satsuki the awful truth about Life Fibers and Satsuki's mother, Ragyō Kiryūin). From then on Nonon has pledged her undying loyalty and friendship to Satsuki. While it's apparent that Satsuki respects Nonon, it's unclear whether Satsuki shares the same level of closeness to Nonon, as Satsuki seems to regard all of her compatriots equally.

Mitsuzō Soroi
Soroi has served as Satsuki's personal butler ever since her childhood, and as such they developed a strong bond. While professional obligations are very clearly established, Satsuki shows great respect and consideration for Soroi, even pretending to like his tea (which in fact she finds way too bitter) so as not to offend him.

Senketsu
When Ryūko falls victim to Ragyō's brainwashing and is worn by Junketsu, Satsuki wears Senketsu in an attempt to stop them. She asks for Senketsu to lend her his power, despite of any feelings of hatred he might feel for her. Later, in the last episode, Satsuki reassures Senketsu, saying she shares his worries about Ryūko, but reminds him of the girl's tenacity.

Memorable quotes
"Ask not the sparrow how the eagle soars!"

- Upon donning Junketsu for the first time.

"Kiryūin Ragyō. You killed my father Sōichirō, and the little sister whom you never named. You shall atone for those sins!"

- When challenging Ragyō Kiryūin.

Trivia

 * Satsuki's "facts of this world" are heavily inspired by George Orwell's most famous novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, where the slogans "WAR IS PEACE", "FREEDOM IS SLAVERY", and "IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" were mottoes of the ruling party, but also held a hidden meaning about the world in the novel. Satsuki's "facts of this world", together with Ira's execution of the Ultima Uniform thief, were intentionally chosen to introduce her as a ruthless dictator.