Natsu Ayuhara (鮎原 夏 Ayuhara Natsu^?) is a fighting game character from the Rival Schools games.

Biography

Personality

Natsu is a smart and outspoken person seen by many of her schoolmates as a sister figure. With a sharp personality, she dislikes liars and people who bully the weak. And because she acts more of a man than a girl, many boys in school are afraid of her, but her female schoolmates almost inundate her with love letters every day. Although many see her as boyish, she is an excellent cook, and has the heart of a girl who longs for true love, which is probably why she likes the fact that she knows a guy who she argues with almost everyday, Shoma.

Appearance

Natsu has short-length dark blue hair with long fringes and blue eyes. Her primary outfit is the Gorin volleyball uniform: a red long sleeve collar shirt with white spiral design on her shirt with a Gorin emblem on her left chest, dark red belt and red (in the first game, they are leotard in-game) short shorts. She wears white wristbands on both of her hands, a matching red and white kneepads, red socks and white sneakers with red linings and red and white collar.

Story

Rival Schools: United by Fate

Her motivation is to find the persons responsible for the attacks on Gorin, which included the highest-ranked member of the school volleyball club. She joins Shoma and Roberto in similar investigations when the former is trying to find the culprit who attacked his older brother, Shuichi, although she frequently argues with Shoma over how to go about it. Her individual ending shows mumbling after their investigation, their school volleyball club was restored and her feelings towards Shoma as she meets two female Gorin students on her way to Gorin High who are complimenting her fighting skills in volleyball. Shoma makes a remark on Natsu beating up her own club members causing her to chase him, Shoma taunts her for being slow.

Project Justice

Natsu is suspicious of the new student Momo, and disagrees with Shoma when he believes that they should help Momo out. After Shoma leaves to investigate on his own with Momo, Natsu joins Roberto and Nagare in looking for the culprits of the new school disturbance. Later, she is the first to welcome back Shoma after he is betrayed by Momo.

After Kurow's defeat and Hyo's death, Natsu and Shoma decide to privately talk and speak with each other from within a personal conversation, with the high implication that the two of them are ready and prepared to confess and reveal their own personal feelings to one another, but before they're able to do so, Momo unexpectedly hugs Shoma from behind (due to the fact that Momo had fallen in love with Shoma for real), much to Natsu's chagrin and that Natsu herself angrily wants Momo to be expelled from Gorin for her past actions, all the while Roberto and Nagare comment about the comical love triangle situation between the three.

Gameplay

Arsenal, combat style, and fighting strategy

Most of Natsu's moves make use of techniques in volleyball. And since some of these moves involve the use of projectiles--in this case, volleyballs--, the player must use such attacks with caution; characters with weapons can deflect such attacks back to her.

Special Moves

• Soulful Serve (Japanese: 入魂サーブ Jikkon Serve) - Natsu serves a volleyball. It goes at a downwards angle, then bounces off the ground in exactly the same angle. This will entirely miss if used at very close range with the opponent. This is also usable in the air.
• Sliding Receive (スライディングレシーブ) - Natsu does what the attack's name implies. It must be blocked low; otherwise, the opponent is sent into the air, from which an Air Combo can be started. If blocked, however, the recovery delay is horrible.
• Rolling Receive (Japanese: 回転レシーブ Kaiten Receive) - As in the above move, Natsu does what the attack's name implies. This move must also be blocked low; otherwise, the opponent is sent high into the air, from which an Air Combo can be started. This move can be chained from a Textbook Combo.
• Perfect Block (Japanese: 完全ブロック Kanzen Block) - This is Natsu's air counter move; thus, this is an air-only move. Not much used, though, as players prefer to finish Air Combos using the Intense Spike or Fire Serve.
• Intense Spike (Japanese: 特訓スパイク Tokkun Spike) - An air-only move. Natsu spikes the opponent to the ground. This move is an excellent Air Combo finisher.

Burning Vigor Attacks

• Magical Ball: Heaven's Serve (Japanese: 魔球・天井サーブ Makyuu Tenjou Serve) - Natsu tosses a volleyball high into the air, which then splits into three and lands a few steps ahead of her. Not very much used because of its delay between startup and impact. Furthermore, it's easy to see where it will land just by seeing the shadows on the ground. Nonetheless, if this attack successfully connects, it will deal massive damage.
• Intense Spike - Natsu jumps in mid-air to make a devastating ball spike to set her opponent a blaze dealing 5 hits in a massive damage.
• Fire Serve (ファイヤーサーブ) - This is the powered version of the Soulful Serve, and it briefly sets the opponent aflame. Good for Tardy Counters due to its fast startup and recovery. This can also be used in the air for an Air Combo finisher, although the Intense Spike is much more recommended.

Team-Up Technique

• Fight A Hundredfold (Japanese: ファイト１００倍 Fight Hyakubai) - Natsu motivates the active character with some pep talk, filling the Guts meter to maximum level.
• Final Spike- The active character smacks the opponent into the air then leaps up and smashes them towards the ground. Natsu slides in and hits them back into the air while performing her Sliding Receive then both her and the active character leap up and smash the opponent altogether with a devastating spike (as Natsu2).

Party-Up Technique

• Natsu does the Hot-Blooded Giant Wheel.

Other appearances

Natsu appears, along with Hinata and Shoma, in UDON's Street Fighter Legends: Sakura comic.

Natsu made a cameo appearance in Felicia's Capcom Fighting Evolution ending.

Trivia

• The life of Natsu is as described.
  • Natsu is Batsu's and Hinata's "fighting buddy" and childhood friend respectively.
  • Natsu lives a normal family life; she lives with both parents, and has a brother, Shun, who is in the first year of college. Her father is a former national superintendent.
  • She performs well in home economics, physical education, and in Japanese and English language classes; but fares poorly in art.

• She is voiced by Narumi Tsunoda.

• Her official epithet is "Powerful Attacker".

• She has one of the most damaging attack when executing her Burning Vigor, the others are Shoma, Roberto, Gan, Kyoko and Hyo.

• Her surname could be a reference to Kozue Ayuhara, the main protagonist of the 1968 manga/anime series Attack No. 1, who is also a volleyball player.

• Natsu, along with Batsu, Kyosuke and Hinata, was one of the available characters in the canceled RPG mobile Capcom Super League Online.

• She shares her birthday with Street Fighter character Ken.

Gallery

For more of this character, see their gallery.