Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Katana

This is the 24th entry that I've posted in the series featuring "red carpet" takes on superheroes in costume with masks to promote the pro-social & pro-health practice of mask wearing during a pandemic.

Tatsu Yamashiro is a Japanese immigrant to the United States who fights evil and injustice as the sword-wielding Katana. Once, Tatsu was a happily married wife and mother in Japan, until her husband's Yakuza-involved brother killed him with an enchanted sword called the Soultaker, which ended up possessing the soul of her husband, Maseo. Her family killed, Tatsu trained under a samurai master, and took her skills to the United States. She ended up joining a group called The Outsiders, created by Batman as a more proactive team than the Justice League. Katana has been on many teams, including the Justice League, the Birds of Prey, and the Suicide Squad. Her martial arts skills along with her Soultaker sword (which can capture the souls of those she slays with it) make her a formidable member of any team she's been a part of, though the Outsiders is the one she is affiliated with the most.

For this look, Katana has had many costume designs throughout the years. Many of the costumes have incorporated elements of the Japanese national and military flags, so I chose to reflect some of those here. I also really have enjoyed including armor pieces with dresses in this series, and this design was another great opportunity. For her facial features, I used Karen Fukuhara as my inspiration, who played the character in the movie, Suicide Squad, but with a mask that covered the upper half of her face. I'm also really glad to be able to post this illustration during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the United States.

Thank you for taking the time to experience this piece.
"Masks Are Fashion, Masks Are Heroic - Katana" by Kevenn T. Smith
Pencil, Ink, Photoshop
©2021 Kevenn T. Smith
Katana ©DC Comics