Not every major character in Suicide Squad is a super villain. There are a few good guys participating, one of those being Tatsu Yamashiro, a.k.a. Katana. Like in the comics, the movie’s version of the character is not only a talented fighter, but she also wields the mystical sword, Soultaker. In case the name isn’t a big enough clue, the sword is able to steal the soul of any person it kills and trap it within the blade. That means there’s a lot of souls floating around in there, but Katana will be chatting with a specific one frequently during the movie.
Earlier this month before Warner Bros’ presentation at CinemaCon, Katana’s actress, Karen Fukuhara, told Comicbook.com that like her comic book counterpart, Tatsu will be talking with her deceased husband, Maseo, thought the movie. She said:
She has her husband's soul in her sword and I got to talk to Maseo throughout the film and yes, of course that's the in the film, but you'll have to wait and see how much of the plays into the movie.
Before anyone unfamiliar with the Suicide Squad lore gets any wrong ideas, don’t worry. It’s practically guaranteed Tatsu did not kill her husband in the DC Extended Universe. In the comics, Maseo was killed by his brother, Takeo, a Yakuza member who also loved Tatsu. Take did the deed using Soultaker, so even though Maseo is long-deceased, his soul lingers within it, allowing Tatsu to continue speaking with him while she’s fighting crime. Presumably the DCEU’s Katana has a similar background, although they may simplify it so that other criminals were responsible rather than Takeo. Either way, she’ll be talking with him throughout the story, though whether that will have a significant impact on the plot remains to be seen. Although Katana was previously seen on Arrow (played by Rila Fukushima), her sword didn’t have any mystical properties, so this will be the first time Soultaker’s true power will be seen in live action.
Unlike the other members of the Suicide Squad, Katana won’t be an incarcerated criminal who’s been forced into the group. Instead, she’s loyal to Amanda Waller and Rick Flag, meaning that she won’t have to worry about having one of those micro bombs injected into her. That also means it’s her job to keep the villains in check and make sure they don’t endanger the mission. Fortunately, as we saw in the last trailer, she doesn't tolerate any bull, demonstrated best by when she held Soultaker up to Boomerang’s throat. Beyond that, she’s trying to complete the task assigned by Amanda Waller just like everyone else.
Suicide Squad hits theaters on August 5.
