Asashimo

Overview

Asashimo is a character in Kantai Collection who represents the sixteenth ship of the Imperial Japanese Navy's Yuugumo-class destroyers. Introduced during the Winter 2015 event, she is depicted as a spirited, energetic, and tomboyish destroyer who fought courageously through the fierce naval campaigns of the late Pacific War. Combining formidable anti-submarine capabilities with a deeply loyal nature, she stands out as a reliable combatant in the fleet.

Appearance

Asashimo features long, two-tone hair tied in a ponytail—silver-grey on the outside and purple on the inside—with a prominent hair tuft on top, hair covering her right eye, greyish-green eyes, and sharp teeth. She wears the Yuugumo-class school uniform consisting of a white shirt under a purple halterneck dress, a teal-blue bowtie, opaque pantyhose, and lace-up boots. Her rigging includes a funnel-and-mast backpack and quad torpedo tubes strapped to her thighs. Her Kai form adds a white headband and a single black thigh-high sock on her left leg over her pantyhose, while her Kai Ni form removes the headband and adopts garter-style stockings. She also possesses seasonal outfits such as a festival happi coat with chest wrappings and a summer yukata.

Personality

Asashimo has a bold, confident, and energetic personality with a rough, tomboyish tone, referring to herself using the pronoun 'atai'. Although she comes across as a tough delinquent who acts boastfully and sometimes threatens physical discipline toward the Admiral, she is genuinely warm-hearted and fiercely loyal to her comrades. She prepares treats for seasonal events and shows great affection for her fleet mates. While she acts as a firm older sister figure within her class, she often finds herself unable to resist the pushy enthusiasm of her younger sister Kiyoshimo.

Abilities

Asashimo boasts exceptionally high anti-submarine warfare (ASW) attributes, functioning as a premier anti-submarine specialist among destroyers. Starting with sonar equipment, she can quickly perform opening anti-submarine attacks at earlier levels when equipped with adequate anti-submarine gear. Upon reaching her Kai Ni form, her firepower, torpedo, and anti-aircraft capabilities receive significant boosts, and she gains the ability to equip medium ship armor and Special Amphibious Tanks, though her base ASW stat drops slightly compared to her Kai form.

Background

Completed at Maizuru Naval Yard in 1943, Asashimo served in demanding naval operations during the late stages of World War II, including Operation Ta, Operation Rei, Operation Hoku, and Operation Ten-Gou. Throughout these missions, she repeatedly engaged in hazardous rescue attempts for damaged sister ships under intense enemy air raids. During the Battle of Bou no Misaki in April 1945, engine trouble caused her to fall behind the main fleet, leading to her being targeted by dozens of aircraft and becoming the final Yuugumo-class destroyer to be sunk. She was introduced to the game as a rare drop and received her Kai Ni upgrade in October 2019.

Relationships

As the sixteenth Yuugumo-class ship, Asashimo shares a special relationship with her younger sister, the nineteenth ship Kiyoshimo, whom she protects attentively despite often being flustered by her bold demeanor. She maintains strong operational connections with Kasumi and Hatsushimo of the 21st Destroyer Division, as well as light cruiser Ooyodo and heavy cruiser Ashigara from Operation Rei. Having engaged in real-life rescue attempts for comrades during severe combat, she harbors deep protective feelings toward her squadron mates.

Trivia

The single black thigh-high sock worn on her left leg in her Kai artwork pays homage to the flagship Yamato, commemorating her participation in Operation Ten-Gou. She was also the first Yuugumo-class destroyer in the game to be given two distinct seasonal casual outfits: a festival happi coat and a summer yukata. Additionally, her name is frequently confused with the destroyer Asagiri due to the close similarity of their kanji characters.