Attitude: (10/10) Kasumi's quest for her missing brother is fueled by the belief that if she doesn't find him, he is probably lost forever. Thus, Kasumi has an attitude that in many ways is akin to a knight seeking the Holy Grail. Armed with a grim determination to find her brother, Kasumi is willing to risk everything to achieve her goal, including being declared a rogue ninja by her clan, confronting the clan's ultimate warrior who is a super ninja, and perhaps the necessity of even battling the demons of hell.

Intelligence: (8/10) Clues to Kasumi's intelligence are somewhat lacking from the DOA2 plot line. However she is a highly skilled martial artist and achieving such a status means Kasumi must have a high degree of intelligence.

Stance: (9/10) Kasumi strikes a powerful martial arts stance at the start of a fight. Her lightening-quick and fluid strikes prove she has a true mastery of the martial arts.

Voice: (9/10) Kasumi, like all of the DOA2 characters, has a Japanese voice actress. Kasumi's voice actress portrays her with a soft voice that has an air of determination. This voice characterization fits Kasumi's character well.

Scripts: (7/10) Because DOA2 is fighting game, it lacks a real script. The overall plot for the characters in the game is very muddled and unclear. This problem is one of the greatest failings of the game. However, Kasumi's quest for her brother is one of the game's clearer plot lines. Kasumi's spoken lines and voice timber portray the determination she has for finding her brother and the sorrow she feels in having to the hurt the other people she confronts in her quest.

Marketing: (5/10) Kasumi is a major character in the DOA series and appears on the front cover of the game booklet. A shot of Kasumi in a swimsuit appears on the inside of the game cd cover. There are also several shots of her posing in swimsuits contained in a bonus section file in the cd. Kasumi is probably displayed throughout the promotional material for the game more than any other character.

The game's jiggle wiggle peek-a-boo factor makes it obvious that this game is marketed toward male gamers. This factor would have caused me to rate this game a three or a two in regards to the game's marketing efforts toward women or it's portrayal of women. However, the popularity of the DOA characters with Japanese females, coupled with the fact that these ladies are not portrayed as damsels in distress but instead are shown to be dangerous opponents with their own agendas, raised the score to a five.

Articles on WomenGamers.Com solely reflect the experiences and perspectives of the author(s). Feel free to agree or disagree in the accompanying forum thread.