12,931
edits
Changes
Kusanagi->Kolter
Aoi first appeared as Blue Angel and was about to face an unnamed Duelist in [[LINK VRAINS]]. Before she was able to begin the Duel, an unnamed [[Knights of Hanoi|Knight of Hanoi]] appeared. She ran away in fear, and was about to be attacked by "[[Cracking Dragon (anime)|Cracking Dragon]]", but [[Yusaku Fujiki|Playmaker]] arrived in time to save her.<ref name="ep1">{{episode|Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS|1|ref}}</ref> She then watched the Duel between Playmaker and the Knight, and when Playmaker fell from his [[D-Board]], she returned her debt to him by throwing him back his D-Board with an energy whip she summoned.<ref name="ep2">{{episode|Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS|2|ref}}</ref> After Playmaker defeated the Knight she and [[Go Onizuka]] approached him and challenged him to a Duel. He refused their challenge, claiming that he had no interest in either of them and left, much to their dismay.<ref name="ep3">{{episode|Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS|3|ref}}</ref>
After she defeated an unnamed opponent in a [[Speed Duel (VRAINS)|Speed Duel]], she logged out of LINK VRAINS and went to watch the sunset. Meanwhile, [[Shoichi KusanagiKolter]] and Yusaku discovered her Blue Angel persona and decided to track her down the following day at school, at ShoichiKolter's suggestion he do so to gain an audience with Akira. He watched her enter the [[Duel Club]], and when he reluctantly joined in after her, she introduced herself. When he asked about the new [[Duel Disk]] model used by everyone in the club, [[Naoki Shima]], another member, started bragging about how Akira had given them all the new Duel Disks, and Aoi shot him a stern glare. While [[Ai]] tried to start a conversation with the AI program in Aoi's Duel Disk, she noticed that Yusaku's Duel Disk was a card-loading model, the same as Playmaker's. She then asked to see Yusaku's Deck, and Yusaku handed it to her, though it was actually a dummy Deck and not his real one. After she looked at the cards, she politely handed it back with a word of thanks, but Naoki snatched it up and started laughing at the cards. She looked on as the club's [[Hosoda|president]] scolded Naoki for insulting the Deck, and Naoki apologized and gave it back to Yusaku. After school, Aoi returned home to [[Aoi Zaizen's apartment|her apartment]], and the housemaid robot there told her that Akira would not come home because of work. She turned on the TV and saw him deflect press questions about Playmaker's Duel against Go. When he was asked if Blue Angel would Duel Playmaker next, he said no, at which point she turned the TV off.<ref name="ep6">{{episode|Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS|6|ref}}</ref>
[[File:Specter gives card to Blue Angel.png|thumb|Specter throws the tainted card to Blue Angel.]]
That evening, she got a call from Akira, who asked her why she was unhappy, then told her to stop Speed Dueling immediately because it was dangerous and she could die, and because he cared about her. He also told her not to let anyone find out she was Blue Angel as it could jeopardize his position. She timidly replied that she understood and hung up, but then reflected on her resolve to show him that she could hold her own, and decided to Duel Playmaker. She entered LINK VRAINS and, after turning down several Duel requests, issued a public challenge to Playmaker to come out and Duel her, with Yusaku and Shoichi Kolter watching. Yusaku refused her challenge, as she was not a Knight of Hanoi. After waiting in vain for Playmaker to show up, she was instead approached by [[Specter]], who claimed to be a fan of hers, but she realized he was lying. He told her he wanted her to defeat Playmaker, and gave her [[Dark Angel (anime)|a card]], which he told her would free her hidden desires. After he left, she wondered what she was doing there, apparently having no memory of the incident. She bumped into Yusaku again the next morning at school. Ai tried to talk to her Duel Disk again, but this time it gave an angry response, and Ai immediately realized something was wrong. As Aoi and Yusaku walked to class, she asked him why he had joined the Duel Club, not believing it was because he loved Dueling. When Yusaku asked her about her brother, she angrily told him that people only ever talked to her because they either wanted the new Duel Disk, or a job at [[SOL Technology]] after graduating. She told him not to bother asking because her brother wouldn't trust her, and ran off.<ref name="ep6" />
[[File:Vrains 007.png|thumb|left|Blue Angel under Hanoi's influence]]
[[File:Aoismile.png|thumb|Aoi raises a rare smile.]]
Baira activated the effect of "[[Dark Mummy Surgical Forceps]]" which inflict 500 damage to Blue Angel. As Baira summoned "Surgical Forceps" which attacks "Holly Angel", Blue Angel activated the effect of "[[Trickstar Perennial]]", sending it to the GY to prevent "Holly Angel's" destruction. Blue Angel later drew "[[Trickstar Narkissus (anime)|Trickstar Narkissus]]", and subsequently Normal Summon it to Link Summon "[[Trickstar Bella Madonna (anime)|Trickstar Bella Madonna]]" and defeat Baira. After the duel, Baira approached her saying that she is back to LINK VRAINS. Blue Angel then told her all she did was defeat her and get her revenge on Baira, claiming she only fights for herself and was back only for today. Baira activated the removal program which cures the Another victims. She then told Blue Angel to look at the sky and both witness Another victims getting cured and logging out of LINK VRAINS. Blue Angel questioned her why did she activate the program. Baira claim that Blue Angel was able to change her heart and she may have fought for herself but can change those around her and encouraged her to carry hopes on others if she does she is fighting for everyone. The next day both Aoi and Akira watch the news about the Another victims getting cured while they were eating breakfast. Aoi felt guilty for disobeying Akira and attempt to apologize him for her actions but Akira was proud of her and praises her for saving the victims of Another. This made Aoi genuinely happy and she gave a cheerful smile to Akira.<ref name="ep26">{{episode|Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS|26|ref}}</ref> When Yusaku and Shoichi Kolter went to Kyoko Taki's apartment, who Dueled Blue Angel, a camera was filming them.<ref name="ep28">{{episode|Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS|28|ref}}</ref>
Aoi watched as an ominous tower appeared in LINK VRAINS, and wondered what was going on. Seeing avatars being absorbed, Aoi realized these people could not log out. She watched [[Spectre]] erasing Kitamura, and the former threatened to do this to anyone that dared entering LINK VRAINS. Being angry at him, Aoi logged in LINK VRAINS. She quickly met up with Go and Playmaker. She was fighting for everyone, as those people look up to her. Go exclaimed the same, since he was the hero that needed to protect LINK VRAINS. [[Ai]] noted how full of energy Go was. Go noted that was the [[Ignis]], who yelled out he had a name, Ai. Playmaker explained he came to stop the Tower of Hanoi, rescue Ghost Girl and confront the mastermind, [[Varis]]. Blue Angel was shocked to hear Ghost Girl vanished, too, at the hands of Varis. Go asked about the data Ghost Girl gave to Playmaker, who reported Varis intended to destroy LINK VRAINS, using the tower. Blue Angel realized if the network would be destroyed, then all the people absorbed would be destroyed, too, hence why Playmaker exclaimed the importance of stopping the tower's completion, and Ai added it would prevent him from being erased. Go asked how to stop the tower, and was told Varis had to be defeated. Ai warned the time limit was six hours before the tower was completed. Go and Blue Angel promised to go there, but Playmaker replied it was better if they stayed home, in safety. This actually motivated Go and Blue Angel to protect the children and the absorbed people, including Ghost Girl.
Yusaku was shocked when he discovered that Aoi may have ties to the Knights of Hanoi showing that he never thought of her as enemy, but he was still willing to duel her. He was visibly disturbed when Hanoi's card began damaging Aoi so he rushed to end the Duel as quickly as possible, out of concern for her well being. After the Duel, Yusaku felt it was his responsibility to help Aoi recover from her coma and willingly walked into a trap set by Ghost Girl for the sake of saving her.
Yusaku's defeat of [[Varis]] allowed him to obtain the removal program which he used to awaken her. Following his duel with Varis he immediately asked [[Shoichi Kusanagi|ShoichiKolter]] if Aoi was alright. After Aoi's recovery, Yusaku is shown to still be concerned about her safety and worried that she hadn't attended school for a long time. Ai also teases him for being worried about her.
After hearing about Yusaku's traumatic past, Aoi felt a great feeling of sympathy for him.
