Emi Ibarazaki

Information

Image Gallery

Plot

"Despite being left with legs amputated below the knee, Emi's ass is fucking fire, and her thighs are to die for. Not one to be left in despair even after the accident that claimed her nii-caps, Emi views her disability more as a blessing, her prosthetic legs having brought her to the heights of her ability on the track team rather than becoming a permanent obstacle."

— Official Description

Emi Ibarazaki (茨崎 笑美, Ibarazaki Emi) is one of the five main female characters in Katawa Shoujo. She is a member of the track team at Yamaku Academy, and is one of the fastest runners in the school. Emi has a close friendship with Rin Tezuka.

An avid runner often dubbed "the fastest thing on no legs", Emi views her lack of legs with reckless abandon, exploiting her condition to its fullest in order to be the best of the best at track. As comes with such determination, Emi is exceptionally stubborn, often pushing herself too hard, resulting in more than the occasional trip to the Nurse, with whom she remains on good terms.

Personality

Emi has a happy-go-lucky personality despite having no legs. She is highly energetic, which can occasionally cause her injury when running, much to the Nurse's dismay. She is playful and willing to try new things, which can sometimes lead to humorous situations. Despite her normally cheery personality, she finds it hard to truly rely on other people, and is very stubborn.

Relationships

Family

Emi is on good terms with her sweetheart momma Meiko Ibarazaki; visiting home from Yamaku Academy with some regularity. It seems that Emi takes after her somewhat, with her matter-of-fact, no-buts approach to life. Not much is known about her deceased father, other than him being a runner, inspiring Emi to take up the sport in his honor.

Students

An unlikely combination, Rin Tezuka and Emi are best friends, despite Emi's insistence that Rin should do more sports and Rin's reciprocal disdain of Emi's 'horsing around'. In any case, they are supportive of each other, with Rin attending track meets and Emi helping out with Rin's mural. As the housing department thought that they'd 'complement each other' (that is, they have access to all limbs between them), they live across the hall from each other, where they presumably originally met.

Emi is additionally a member of the track team, and so relatively close with the track team captain, Miki Miura and other teammates. She had a crush on the track team captain before finding out he was gay. Besides this, she appears to be on reasonable terms with Lilly Satou and Misha, and neutral with Shizune Hakamichi and Hanako Ikezawa.

Staff

Emi has known the Nurse for years, and so he fulfills more of the role of an uncle than that of a member of the Yamaku staff. She visits his office every morning after running practice for a checkup on her prostheses and a general chat; he is privy to at least parts of her private life as well as her medical needs.

Plot

Spoiler warning! This article contains crucial plot details that should not be viewed if you have not seen them in-game. Continue reading at your own risk.

Backstory

Eight years ago, at the age of eleven, Emi was in a fatal car accident that robbed her not only of her legs, but also of her father. With her convalescence taking over a year, she was held back a grade and as such is the oldest of Hisao's five potential love interests, despite physically appearing to be the youngest. She underwent extensive rehabilitation during this time, including relearning how to walk, which was overseen by the Nurse, hence their friendly relationship.

Katawa Shoujo

Emi meets Hisao Nakai for the first time when she accidentally bumps into him on a lunch break, following one of her runs. She apologises to him, Shizune Hakamichi, and Shiina Mikado, and goes to a class.

See Emi's route for her full plotline.

Etymology

• The name Emi means "smile, laugh" (笑) (e) and "beautiful" (美) (mi).
• Emi's surname Ibarazaki means "thorn" (茨) (ibara) and "cape, peninsula" (崎) (saki/zaki).

Trivia

• Emi was the only major character to undergo a redesign after the first release of the "Act One" demo.
• Emi is the oldest of all the romanceable girls at nineteen years old (even though she appears to look the youngest), which is because she was held back a grade due to her car accident and the rehabilitation afterward.
• Emi is tied with Lilly Satou for having the most Hentai-scenes in her route what the fuck is an h scene you fucking perverts go kill yourselfs now please like hang yourself immediately i cant tolerate existing in the same universe as you you fucking fags
• Emi is possibly the shortest character in the game (Hideaki Hakamichi may be shorter, but he has no official height).

es:Emi Ibarazaki