Kyôka

"If it is to fulfill Tartaros' greatest wish, then my life is of little consequence."

- Kyôka to Mard Geer Tartaros

Kyôka (キョウカ Kyōka) was one of the villains of Fairy Tail. She was an Etherious of the Dark Guild Tartaros, and a member of the Nine Demon Gates.

She is voiced by Ai Kayano in the Japanese version of the anime and Janelle Lutz in the English version.

Appearance
Kyôka has a very distinct appearance, most notably due to her half-human/half-aviary characteristics. She seems to be of average height and weight, yet possesses an exceptionally large chest and a curvaceous hourglass figure. Covering her form is a skin tight suit that her emphasizes her chest and that reveals her thighs and partially reveals her buttocks. Her shoulders and arms are concealed by a long, striped jacket with flaring sleeves, a four-way split tail back and a tall and gaping collar that completely conceals Kyôka's neck. Said sleeves cover most of Kyôka's hands, which take the form of sharp and scaly talons, whilst a thick pair of bands wrap around the woman's thighs, stopping where a similar set of bird-like feet begin. Kyôka's head is adorned with an intricate helmet, this covering almost the entirety of her face save for her eyes and mouth. From the sides of the helmet, two long wing like pieces of hair protrude, curving out around her face. Kyôka's hair falls from the back of the helmet as well, this passing through her hood to fall to her lower back, being wrapped tightly into a thick band. Finishing the helmet is a large gem of sorts, which sits directly over Kyôka's forehead.

Kyôka changes her clothes following the destruction of Plutogrim, with them becoming much more revealing. She retains the chin guard of her mask and now lets her hair flow freely, with the top jutting out in various directions and two strands framing her face. She wears a dark cloth on her upper body that partially covers her chest and wraps around her back and detached sleeves with three bulb-like adornments. Kyôka also dons a dark thong and studded belt around her waist, as well as detached dark pants that begin mid-thigh and end where her aviary feet begin.

In her Etherious form, she gains a mask similar to her own with long structures on the side resembling horns. Her hair is replaced by a large tuft of feathers with a long ponytail that reaches down her body and ends in another tuft. She wears pauldrons made of feathers and revealing black armor that covers her arms and wraps around her torso, revealing most of her stomach and breasts. Her legs are covered by black boots that begin mid-thigh where they are lined with feathers.

Personality
Kyôka is determined and tenacious. She will go to great lengths to make sure her guild's objectives are met. Like many Dark Mages, she has a very sadistic side to her. When Erza repeatedly exclaims that she doesn't know where Jellal is, Kyôka continues to torture her, determined to find Jellal's location while enjoying the sight of agony inflicted at the same time. She also acts before thinking. Just by hearing that Crawford Seam has become the new key to unlocking Face, she stabs him without hesitation. She later admits that she was too hasty in her decision when it is revealed that Crawford could have activated Face remotely had she not killed him.

Kyôka holds deep devotion to Zeref as the Black Wizard himself was the one who gave birth to the Demons through the Books of Zeref and she will do what it takes to bring the world her creator wished it to be into a reality. When Erza derided Kyôka for her choice to sacrifice herself to activate Face and giving up on the path she walked with her comrades she was greatly angered, telling Erza to be silent.

Kyôka holds great confidence in her abilities, proclaiming to Erza that she cannot be defeated. As Erza fought her despite Kyôka's use of her Sensation Curse, she became increasingly angered that a human would stand up to an Etherious, showing a sense of superiority like the other members of her race.

Sun Village arc
Upon her Guild Master's order, Kyôka looks for reinforcements to aid Tartaros in the battle to come and, as such, travels to headquarters of Succubus Eye. She uses her Curse on the Mages she finds, however none of them are able to withstand her "enhancement" and are turned into small black pieces of paper. Later, Kyôka comes face-to-face with Minerva Orland and explains the situation to the fresh Dark Mage, as well as wondering, aloud, whether she can withstand her "enhancement".

Tartaros arc
Returning from the Succubus Eye headquarters, Kyôka greets Silver, whom she sees in front of their own headquarters, and notes that the man is in his human form as opposed to his Demon form. She then asks if Jackal and Tempester are at the base, to which she is met with a negative reply; in response, she notes that that can only mean that their "operation" has begun. Then, with the rest of the Nine Demon Gates standing behind her, Kyôka begins to walk on, stating that they will show the humans the power of the Underworld and the terror that they, Tartaros, can bring. The Nine Demon Gates then slightly bicker among themselves, as Ezel asks Kyôka for a permission to go, dissatisfied that Jackal and Tempester are already in action. Kyôka tells him not to rush, reminding him of his assignment. She, however, then proclaims that hell has just begun, with everything being for the sake of their master: Zeref.

Still at their headquarters, Kyôka greets the regenerating Tempester, who has returned, albeit in pieces. When her fellow apologizes for being a burden, Kyôka states that his formalities are unnecessary; when calling Tempester by his name, the man tells her that he forgets his name whenever he gets a new body, making it meaningless. Kyôka then proceeds to tell Tempester that his regeneration will take longer than the normal one day due to the birthing of their newest comrade and Demon-in-arms: Minerva. Just then, Franmalth appears behind Kyôka and states that he hopes that she doesn't turn out to be a failure like Doriate, leaving Kyôka unamused. A moment later, when Tempester mentions Fairy Tail, Kyôka repeats the name inquisitively, which sends Minerva spiraling into a rage. Taking notice of this, Kyôka tells Franmalth that Fairy Tail destroyed the other two-thirds of the Balam Alliance. Laughing, Kyôka questions, aloud, as to whether or not the guild will stand against them.

After the revelation of Crawford Seam's betrayal, Kyôka commemorates the former Chairman via Communcations Lacrima for sedating Mirajane and Erza, and commands him to return to the Guild at once.

Having obtained both Erza and Mirajane from Crawford, Kyôka heads to a prison cell within the Tartaros headquarters, where Erza has been stripped naked and chained up. Waiting for the Requip Mage to come to, Kyôka greets her and welcomes her to their hideout, explaining to the surprised woman how the Chairman betrayed and captured her. When Erza inquires as to where Mirajane is, Kyôka informs her that she has taken Mirajane to be modified into her subordinate, and, when Erza screams for her to stop whatever she is doing, harshly grabs Erza's face, interrupting her and demanding to know where Jellal is.

Telling Erza that she knows the two of them are intimately involved with one another, Kyôka begins to hit and slash at Erza's body, causing her to cry out in intense pain: the Tartaros woman explains that her Curse has the ability to heighten a person's senses, and demonstrates Erza's new pain sensitivity by slashing her over and over as Erza fervently denies knowing Jellal's location. Growing more impatient, Kyôka grabs Erza by her hair and explains that in order for her guild to obtain Face, they need to kill off the three Council members linked to it; having found and killed off two already, they only need to find and kill Jellal to have the device in their grasp. Seeing Erza's scared expression at this revelation, Kyôka ponders if she has gone too far, but then offers Erza a deal: if she reveals Jellal's location, Kyôka will set Mirajane free. This plan proves to fail though, as Erza still denies knowing Jellal's whereabouts, causing Kyôka to vow to have more fun with the redhead until she gets what she wants.

In the midst of continuing her torture, Kyôka suddenly hears Natsu when the Fire Dragon Slayer smashes into the side of their guild building. Heading out to inspect the scene, Kyôka instructs Yakdoriga to keep watch over Erza but not to touch her as she wishes to maintain the fun of torturing her. With the nuisance dealt with, Kyôka speaks with Seilah alone in a room where the latter asks about finding those who have the seal on Face. Kyôka reveals to her that she did so thanks to the Chairman's Super Archive and now the only remaining seal is Jellal's. Noting that Face would be useful to them, Kyôka is asked where Jellal is, to which she states that Erza will reveal his location soon enough, adding that though Seilah could get the information with her abilities, such would not be an interesting means of action nor does she want Fairy Tail to interfere with their plans. With their plans in motion, Kyôka tells Seilah that she will now take care of her for the first occasion in some time.

Returning later to the holding cell, Kyôka gives the command for Yakdoriga to begin electrocuting Erza. Telling the Demon servant to stop, Kyôka approaches Erza and asks once again where Jellal is but is instead asked in turn to return Mirajane. Disappointed, Kyôka tells Yakdoriga to being again, doubling Erza's sensitivity to pain. Kyôka halts Erza's torture and heads towards Franmalth and Crawford's whereabouts. Drawing closer to the large ex-councilor, the Demon elongates one of her sharp claws and stabs the man through his back, asking if it is now safe to assume the seal on Face has been broken. Just then, Cube begins to shake furiously, leading Kyôka to declare Face's awakening.

Due to Cube's seismic reaction, Kyôka and Franmalth maintain their balance while discussing Faces whereabouts. After Kyôka demands Franmalth to activate the Pulse Bomb, the latter tells Kyôka that remote control is impossible and Face must be activated manually. Accepting the inconvenience, Kyôka demands arrangements for someone to be sent to activate it.

Soon, Cube arrives in the air over Fairy Tail's headquarters, from where Kyôka watches the Lacrima orb given by Seilah destroy the guild building in a massive explosion. Commending Seilah on a job well done, Kyôka states that soon, Face will deal defeat to humanity and the world will become the way Zeref wished it to be. Suddenly, Franmalth notices a large magical reaction approaching and upon inquiring, Kyôka sees the Exceed of Fairy Tail coming towards them. Noticing that they are putting out a lot of Magic, Kyôka sees that they have cards with them which protected the Fairy Tail Mages. Kyôka immediately orders barriers be put up and a gravitational field be initiated in the undercube and battle stations be taken up so as to prevent them from entering the Cube. Once the Mages break through though, Kyôka leaves to find Erza, considering whether or not to use her as a hostage. However, upon arriving at the torture site she left her at, Kyôka is surprised to see a hole in the wall from which Natsu and Lisanna grab onto her. Shocked that they broke free, Kyôka asks how they did it and upon learning how, asks where Erza is, whereupon Erza enters the room with an unconscious Yakdoriga.

Kyôka is quickly shackled by the group of three before being questioned as to the whereabouts of Elfman and Mirajane; Kyôka replies that she doesn't know anyone named Elfman, but that Mirajane is in the lab on the third layer, but adds that it could be too late to save her. With Natsu and Lisanna gone, Kyôka is further pressed for answers, firstly regarding the vibrations, which she replies were a reaction to Face's unsealing, though when asked she states that they found another way to unseal it and that Jellal is alive. Still answering questions, Kyôka states that their need for Face is to "return to Zeref's place"; Kyôka quickly breaks free of her chains, as they affect users of Magic and not Curses. Motioning to attack Erza, Kyôka is quickly kicked away and tells Erza that their belief in Zeref is only natural as they were spawned from his books. However, as all her attacks are parried, Kyôka is quickly speared into the floor of the dungeon by Erza, who requips into a new armor. The strength of the impact sends Kyôka through the stone that composes Cube, tearing a large hole in their mobile fortress, leaving her utterly bewildered.

After being attacked, Kyôka extends her claws, grabs Erza and unleashes an assault of her own. As the two engage in battle, Kyôka creepily acknowledges that she is beginning to become fonder of Erza. Taking their fight underground, Kyôka uses her claws to repeatedly slash at and block Erza, with the redhead noting her strength. The two continue clashing as Cube shakes yet again, prompting Kyôka to claim that the era of Mages is coming to an end. However, Kyôka soon realizes that Erza's Magic hasn't vanished and decides to retreat, having Minerva confront the Fairy Tail Mage instead. Unable to believe that the Face plan has failed, she runs towards the HQ with the intention to wake their master up.

Arriving before the Underworld King, Mard Geer, Kyôka reports of the destruction of Face, and the defeats of Franmalth and Ezel. She is then shocked to learn of Seilah's defeat and the loss of Hell's Core, and urges Mard to consider reviving their master. The Underworld King responds that it is impossible for E.N.D. to be revived as long as Magic persists in the world, and encourages Kyôka to look at the bigger picture. Asking Kyôka what they are, the female Demon replies that they are Etherious, Demons from the Book of Zeref, and that their goal is to revive E.N.D. and reunite with Zeref himself. Mard then asks her what humans are, and after she replies that they are mere insects, the Underworld King laughs at her response. Several thorny vines appear around Kyôka and restrain her before Mard, the King commenting on the attention she had been giving Erza earlier. Kyôka attempts to defend her actions, only for the vines to tighten and tear into her body, her headpiece shattering from the pressure. Mard explains that it is punishment for disgusting him, and Kyôka thanks him for his consideration. She then watches as Mard addresses the invading Fairy Tail Mages, before the Underworld King activates a Curse that transforms the land, and entrapping the enemy Mages. Kyôka shows concern that their own soldiers will be caught as well, but is surprised upon sensing that a Fairy Tail Mage has avoided the Curse. An injured Kyôka is later seen surprised as she witnesses Plutogrim being cut up by the Celestial Spirit King. Still in shock, she later wonders what is it that caused the destruction of Plutogrim.

Reuniting with Seilah after Plutogrim's downfall, the two make their way towards to control room in order to utilize Seilah's Curse to make the Chairman of the Magic Council activate the firing sequence for Face. Whilst they are there, the two are approached by Erza, Minerva and the Exceed of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, with Seilah quickly trapping them with her Macro. Telling Seilah to leave Erza for her, Kyôka boasts about their plans almost being realized; however, she is interrupted when Mirajane suddenly flies into the room and smashes Seilah upside the head, causing the Demon to lose control of Erza and her comrades. Seeing Seilah fall, Kyôka rushes to her side and compliments her on her work, as she managed to succeed in getting Face to activate. With Seilah acknowledging her as the last standing Demon Gate, Kyôka vows to defeat their enemies and return them to their master Zeref, and, absorbing Seilah's powers for her own use, turns to face Erza in battle once more.

As Erza vows to stop Face before it fires, the two women begin to clash, swapping blows evenly until Erza manages to push past Kyôka's defenses and slash her through the side. Standing, Kyôka compliments Erza on her abilities, though is interrupted when a strange noise suddenly cuts through the sky. Still as the noise grows closer, both women look to the sky in shock as they realize Acnologia is making his way towards the destroyed Cube. With her fight against Erza being interrupted, Kyôka questions what is going on after Erza mentions Acnologia, and looks up to see the Dragon of the Apocalypse flying overhead before it is swiftly attacked by Igneel, who has also appeared. Shocked at the sight, the Demon questions what is going on, and calls out Mard Geer's name.

Soon after, Kyôka is telepathically contacted by the Underworld King, who tells her that she must use an Organic Link to fuse with the Face controls and speed up Face's activation; this is turn will cause the Mages and Dragons to lose their abilities sooner, and grant them the edge in battle when E.N.D. revives. Kyôka questions the demands, as to link to Face will in turn forfeit her life; though, upon Mard's insistence, she agrees to sacrifice herself for her guild and Zeref. Leaping up to the giant Lacrima, Kyôka proceeds to merge with it, successfully becoming one with the device and triggering her Etherious mode. As she tells Erza below not to underestimate her, the Demon leaps back into battle, swiping Erza as she speeds past her and crushing through the woman's armor simultaneously.

Kyôka strengthens herself with her Enhancement as she fights Erza, stating that she does not regret sacrificing her life to revive E.N.D. and return Tartaros to Zeref. When Erza criticizes her choice, Kyôka tells her to be silent, using her Sensation Curse to wreck the bodies of those around her in pain. Kyôka destroys the rest of Erza's armor with her talons and steals her senses. Kyôka mocks Erza, stating that she will become Mard Geer's puppet and that her soul and body shall be torn away. However, to her shock, Erza stands and punches Kyôka, proclaiming that the pain she feels cannot compare to losing the light of her friends.

Kyôka is dumbfounded as Erza rises and faces her despite having all her senses blocked and her pain stimulation maximized. She is left with no time to react as Erza brutally kicks her, leaving her to wonder how the Mage is able to locate and attack her. Erza then punches Kyôka, which infuriates her; she slashes Erza with a powerful blow which makes her scream from pain. She then mocks her opponent for her insolence against a superior being, and slashes her one time after another to reiterate her point. Erza, however, dodges one of the slashes and kicks Kyôka on the chin, which amazes the Demon, as she wonders whether her opponent can feel pain or fear. As she falls on the ground, she admits her defeat, although her opponent also falls mere moments later. However, Kyôka doesn't get to see Face's activation, as Minerva teleports herself to Kyôka and stabs her through the chest with Erza's sword, killing her. However, as Kyôka breathes her last breath, a smile is formed on her lips, as the timer reaches zero and Face is finally activated. However, the Dragons began attacking the several Faces, leaving none in-tact. Meaning Kyôka sacrificed herself for nothing.

Alvarez Empire arc
Kyôka's entity, summoned by Neinhart's Historia of the Dead, joins his other two creations, Ikaruga and Azuma, in order to secure Erza's utter defeated. Inflicting more damage onto her, the trio surrounds Erza, consistently attacking her, Kyôka slashing her with her claws. Standing before their wounded foe, Kyôka tells Azuma to tie her up, leaving Erza at her mercy. Amplifying her sense of pain by ten, she malevolently whips Erza, grievously damaging her. Threatening to raise her sensitivity level even more, Erza responds by reminding them of their defeat at her hands. Wanting to shut her up, Kyôka sends a flurry of attacks at her, but is completely terrified once Erza sends a horrific glare. Ordering them to leave her at once, Kyôka, alongside Azuma and Ikaruga, dissipates completely.

Curse and Abilities
Sensation Curse: As a member of Tartaros, Kyôka is stated to use a power considered superior to Magic known as a Curse. Her Curse is designed to alter a person's sensation, making it extremely effective for torture. This was shown as she was able to heighten Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage Erza Scarlet's sense of pain, making her scream in agony with every hit. Additionally, while shown only in her Etherious Form, Kyôka is capable of indiscriminately spreading her Curse to everyone around her within a considerable range through torrents of energy that were powerful enough to destroy even stone pillars. Once affected, the target feels severe pain even by a breath of air. Furthermore, this Curse also allows Kyôka to rob a target of their five senses.

Enhancement: Kyôka's Curse allows her to make people stronger; however, those who cannot withstand her Curse are killed and turned into a black paper doll-like form. Its effects are powerful enough to decimate most of Succubus Eye. However, Minerva Orland, who was the strongest Mage of Sabertooth, the former strongest Guild in Fiore, could withstand its effects, impressing Kyôka enough for her to be recruited into Tartaros. Kyôka can also use this Curse on herself to strengthen herself every second without limit, greatly increasing the damage of her physical attacks.

Absorption Curse: Kyôka is able to use the same Curse as her guildmate Franmalth, employing it to absorb Seilah's Curse Power for herself in preparation for her battle with Erza.

Organic Link Magic: Kyôka is shown to be capable of using this form of Magic that allows her to fuse with Face's activation console through the control room's main Lacrima in order to speed up the Magic Pulse Bomb's detonation countdown although linking the Lacrima's enormous Magic Power with her Curse Power may risk her life to the point of death.

Demon Physiognomy: Contrasting her otherwise human looks, Kyôka's limbs are demonic in both appearance and abilities, granting her assets which are not human.
 * Whip Talons: Kyôka possesses very long, sharp claws which she can extend far enough to carry Erza Scarlet high into the air and attack her from a considerable distance. She can utilize her claws in various ways, such as piercing an opponent's body or use as a whip. They are also durable enough to parry Erza's sword slash while she is in her Armadura Fairy.

Etherious Form: Like other Etherious, Kyôka is able to transform into her true, more powerful form: her Etherious Form.
 * Enhanced Strength: Kyôka gains great physical strength in this form, as she was able to break Erza's Armadura Fairy bare-handed.
 * Enhanced Speed: Kyôka becomes much faster in this form, able to propel herself from a giant Lacrima and slash Erza with her claws before she could react.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Kyôka has displayed considerable skill in unarmed combat, employing it as the main part of her fighting style. She is able to use her claws to attack opponents with a series of fast slashes and defend against armed attacks.

Enhanced Strength: Kyôka has been shown to possess considerable physical strength, throwing Erza Scarlet with enough force to shatter the ground, sending debris in various directions. Her attacks with her claws are strong enough to fight evenly with and parry Erza's sword slashes, gaining her praise from the S-Class Mage herself.

Immense Durability: Kyôka appears to be incredibly resistant to damage as she was able to take a blow from Erza Scarlet, that was powerful enough to pierce Tartaros' guild through and through, and still continue fighting without any notable damage.