Victorious

Overview

Victorious is a shipgirl in Kantai Collection, representing the second ship of the British Royal Navy's Illustrious-class aircraft carriers. Introduced as the second Royal Navy carrier following Ark Royal, she serves as an armored aircraft carrier built for high survivability. She combines an open, approachable demeanor with a dignified presence, interacting with the Admiral in a straightforward and confident manner. Her characterization incorporates her historical background of being temporarily assigned to support the United States Navy in the Pacific Theater.

Appearance

Victorious is a tall shipgirl with long blonde hair, greenish-blue eyes, and a tiara-style hairband. Her uniform features a light blue-green cropped jacket over a white dress shirt adorned with a red rose at the chest, paired with a corset, white underskirt, black pantyhose, black gloves, and footwear with rudder motifs. A flight deck-style skirt accent covers her waist. Her rigging includes a large compound bow shaped like an aircraft carrier flight deck held in her left hand and a quiver mimicking a ship funnel on her right hip. She also possesses seasonal forms with short hair, a camouflage yukata, and a festival happi coat with twintails.

Personality

Victorious is straightforward and serious, yet remains friendly and approachable without being overly rigid. She speaks directly, referring to herself as "watashi" and addressing the Admiral as "omae." While appreciative of military equipment, she holds a pragmatic perspective and questions the continued use of outdated aircraft. She is an avid tea enthusiast who enjoys Earl Grey on a daily basis. Open-minded and curious, she readily embraces Japanese seasonal festivals and traditional street foods. However, she strongly dislikes being called by her historical wartime alias.

Abilities

Victorious operates as an armored aircraft carrier, offering high defensive performance. In her base form, her range is short and her aircraft capacity is relatively compact. She can equip sonars and rotorcraft, which provide utility during specific seasonal operations such as Sanma events. Upon her level 45 remodeling, she gains the ability to launch jet aircraft without requiring special items, while her range increases to medium. She receives stat bonuses when equipped with specific British and American naval aircraft and possesses high maximum Luck as well as access to specialized British anti-air cut-in capabilities.

Background

Victorious was added to Kantai Collection on August 31, 2021, as the final reward for clearing the Summer 2021 Event, "Reinforcement Transport Operation! The Battle of the Mediterranean." Her historical counterpart was an Illustrious-class carrier that was temporarily loaned to the United States Navy in 1943 during a shortage of American carriers in the Pacific Theater, operating under the temporary designation "USS Robin." This historical deployment is subtly integrated into her character voice lines, design details, and equipment compatibility.

Relationships

Victorious shares a close friendship with fellow Royal Navy carrier Ark Royal, though she maintains a pragmatic stance toward Ark Royal's intense devotion to outdated biplanes. Having fought alongside Saratoga in the Pacific, she affectionately addresses her as "Sara," though she resists being called by the callsign "Robin" in return. She maintains warm, peaceful interactions with Bismarck despite their historical conflict, and gets along well with other British shipgirls such as Warspite.

Trivia

The greenish-blue tone of her jacket is widely interpreted as a thematic nod to "robin egg blue," referencing her temporary identity as USS Robin. Her name "Victorious" is an English adjective meaning triumphant or victorious. The short hairstyle version presented in real-world promotional events marked one of the most drastic hairstyle changes for a shipgirl, which fans noted mirrored the hairstyle of her voice actress Yamada Misuzu at the time.