Harusame

Overview

Harusame is the fifth ship of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers in the web browser game Kantai Collection. Serving as a key member of the 2nd Destroyer Division and later the 27th Destroyer Division, she is a fleet girl who takes great pride in undertaking supply transport and fleet escort missions. While many of her sister ships possess lively and active personalities, Harusame is characterized by her gentle, polite, and reserved demeanor, making her a comforting presence within the naval base.

Appearance

Harusame has long pink hair styled into a left-side ponytail with a cyan gradient at the ends, bound by a black ribbon, and crimson eyes. She wears a unique white beret, a black serafuku with a red neckerchief, a black skirt, black gloves, black socks, and brown loafers. Her equipment includes a back-mounted funnel fitted with a propeller, thigh-strapped quadruple torpedo mounts, and a handheld canister resembling a mess tin. Upon her upgrade, she adds a hair clip matching Yuudachi's to her right side and carries a drum canister chained to her back.

Personality

Distinctly soft-spoken and courteous compared to her upbeat sisters, Harusame possesses a quiet and slightly timid nature. Despite her shy impression, she exhibits high dedication and seriousness toward assigned escort and supply operations. Unlike her sister ships, who address the player as Admiral, she uniquely calls the player Commander. Extremely caring toward her sisters, she frequently checks on their well-being and is an accomplished cook who enjoys serving meals, particularly dishes centered around her namesake cellophane noodles.

Abilities

As a destroyer, Harusame exhibits high operational speed and short attack range. Initially equipped with a 12.7cm twin gun mount and a Vickers 40mm twin machine gun, her upgrades provide specialized gear including the 12.7cm twin gun mount Model B Kai 2 and transport drum canisters. She excels in logistics, supply transport, and fleet protection. Furthermore, her advanced refits grant her exceptional anti-submarine warfare capabilities, enabling her to execute preemptive anti-submarine strikes against enemy underwater targets.

Background

Constructed at Maizuru Naval Yard, Harusame was assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Division alongside Murasame, Yuudachi, and Samidare. She participated extensively in supply transport runs and escort duties throughout the Solomon Islands campaign. During the Third Battle of Solomon, she charged enemy forces together with Yuudachi before safely withdrawing. In 1943, she suffered severe damage when a submarine torpedo severed her bow, but survived through emergency repairs assisted by the repair ship Akashi. After being refitted and reassigned to the 27th Destroyer Division, she was sunk by an air raid during the Kon Operation in June 1944.

Relationships

Harusame maintains close emotional bonds with her 2nd Destroyer Division teammates Murasame, Yuudachi, and Samidare, with her upgraded hair accessory honoring Yuudachi's memory. Following her unit's reorganization, she fought alongside Shigure and Shiratsuyu in the 27th Destroyer Division. She relies closely on the repair ship Akashi, who restored her damaged bow. Additionally, the Abyssal vessel Destroyer Princess shares an identical hairstyle gradient and overall visual design with Harusame, reflecting their shared historical fate.

Trivia

Although her name originally refers to gentle spring rain, it is homonymous with Japanese cellophane noodles, leading to her culinary characterization centered around noodle recipes. Her name was passed down to the modern Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Murasame-class destroyer JS Harusame (DD-102). During the real-life ship's anti-piracy deployment off the coast of Somalia, illustrations of the Kantai Collection character were officially displayed inside the vessel.