Aki Izayoi

Akiza Izinski, known as Aki Izayoi in the Japanese version, is a character from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, and was one of the Signers. She is also called the Black Rose, or Black Rose Witch in the Japanese version.

Childhood
Akiza was raised in New Domino City. Her father, Hideo was unable to spend as much time with her as he would have liked, due to his work as senator.[3]

Some known stories of her past include the time Akiza fell asleep waiting for her father to come home for her birthday. When he got home, Hideo carried her off to bed and left a present next to her. The next day, Akiza opened the Lord of the Storm present and thanked her father. She wanted to duel Hideo but was unable to as promised, due to the fact he had to leave for work and wouldn't return for a month. This caused Akiza to storm off crying that she hated him.[3]

Hideo eventually managed to make time for a Duel. After being interrupted by his cellphone, Hideo had to cancel the Duel and leave. Akiza got upset and continued the Duel in a fury, causing her powers and mark to manifest and appear for the first time. Hideo becomes injured in the process. Confused and scared, Akiza approaches her father asking for help, but is called a monster and told to stay back, causing her to cry. He tries to apologize, but Akiza is already stung by these words.[3] Akiza became distanced from other children, due to her abilities. She once Summoned a "Gigaplant" using her powers and set it on a group of other children. Hideo slapped her, as punishment. Akiza believed to have deserved this, because she is a "monster" (in the dub, the slapping never happened).[3]

Teenage Hood
Akiza gained entrance to a Duel Academy. Her parents hoped some one there could teach her to control her powers.[3]

At the age of about 13, on May 15, Akiza harmed one of the boys at the Academy during a Duel, as she attacked him with "Violet Witch". (In the English anime he was Koda)[1] More incidents followed, causing Akiza to become feared in the Academy and not have any friends.[1]

She ran back home one day, only to find her parents living happily without her. As a response, Akiza used her powers to destroy her family's home and decided to continue living without them.[3]

Akiza gained entrance in the dueling underground and quickly made a name for herself. Her powers kept growing unchecked and hurt many on the battlefield. She eventually decided she could not handle the guilt anymore and created the "Black Rose" persona to deal with the rejection and terrorize the duelists.[1] Akiza was eventually found by Sayer, the leader of the Arcadia Movement, an organization of Psychic Duelists that claims to have powers similar to Akiza's;[1] he takes her in, proclaiming her to be the "future" of all psychic duelists. Sayer hoped to use her to destroy Goodwin and create an army of Psychic duelists.[4]

Akiza meets another Psychic Duelist, Toby Tredwell at Duel Academy. Toby idolized Akiza and asked what he should do to be like her. She told him that he should listen to Sayer. Sayer however kills Toby while testing him and left his body at the Daimon Area(in the English version he is sent away to another location). Unbeknownst to Akiza, people came to believe he had been killed by damage caused by the Black Rose's powers, while watching her dueling.

Yamata no Orochi Arc
Akiza's mark starts to throb as Yusei duels Kalin, although she is not present at the duel. She knows that this is related to the vision they witnessed during the Fortune Cup. After Yusei nearly loses, her mark stops glowing, causing her to worry about Yusei.[13]

After a practice Duel, Sayer speaks with Akiza, telling her that only he can help her and Yusei will not come and save her.[12]

While Sayer tests Leo to see if he possess Psychic Dueling powers, after abducting him and his companions, Akiza explains to Luna that Sayer wants to determine if Leo possesses any sort of ability like her. After the Duel ends with Sayer's victory, Akiza assures Luna that her brother isn't in danger as the Duel was just a test. She tells Luna that the Arcadia Movement will be her new home, as Akiza doesn't wish for Luna to become feared and abandoned by others because of her powers.[12][14]

While Akiza is searching for Sayer, Misty Tredwell engages in a Duel. During a Duel, Honey D. Paul accuses Akiza of being responsible for the death of her brother and reveals that a Tailed Beast destroyed the Arcadia Movement. Misty manages to Summon her Chimeratech Over Dragon, who she says sent her to rival the servant of the "Black Rose Dragon".

Meanwhile Carly finishes her Duel with Sayer, sending him falling the entire length of the Arcadia Movement building with Akiza looking in horror. Misty postpones the Duel as the building collapses. A piece of debris hits Akiza, knocking her out.[15]

Jack Atlas saves Akiza and takes her to Domino Hospital. Akiza is left in a coma. Her parents visit her and feel guilty for how they treated her. Jack tells them that Yusei may be able to save their daughter. Yusei is able to wake her up, but with Sayer gone Akiza convinces herself that she doesn't have a "place". She refuses Yusei's help and plans to rid everyone of their "place". Yusei duels her, believing it to be the only way to reach out to her. As the duel progresses, Akiza's powers go beyond her control. As Akiza's father stands in front of Yusei to protect him, Akiza manages to gain control of her powers and protect her father from getting hit. Akiza comes to forgive her parents and tells Yusei to end the Duel.[3][16]

After the Duel, she becomes friends with Yusei and decides to help the Signers. She is shown by Mina the Arcadia Movement acts involving kidnapped children and experiments upon them. It's then that she suspects that the organization itself might have actually be involved with the death of Misty´s little brother. Finally Mina reveals to her Sayer´s true motives involving the choosing of some selected psychic individuals with heightened abilities and the planned use of them as soldiers, as one of them is actually Akiza herself.[4]

After that Akiza along with the other Signers are invited by Rex Goodwin to his house to learn more about the Signers and Dark Signers. Goodwin tells them that the Crimson Dragon influenced the events in the Signers's lives so that they would all meet one day and if it weren't for her powers, she would have never met Yusei and the other Signers. He tells the Signers that they are people chosen by the Crimson Dragon and are the reincarnations of the original Signers.[4]

The Signers along with Leo and Mina take a helicopter piloted by Trudge to Satellite to face the Dark Signers. In Satellite they meet up with Martha. Seeing Akiza there, Martha notices that Yusei was able to open her closed heart. Roman interrupts them during dinner, imposing a Duel. Akiza accompanies Yusei as he duels Roman. She notices some boys at the scene of the Duel and worries that they will be sacrificed to Summon an Earthbound Immortal. She warns Martha and Trudge about this, prompting them to help save the boys.[17]

After Yusei and Roman's Shadow Duel, Akiza and the Signers are confronted by the Dark Signers. The four Signers split up, each going to one of the four control units of the Original Ener-D Reactor. Knowing that Misty is the one she must defeat, Akiza travels to the Lizard tower by car accompanied by Mina. Akiza and Mina arrive where the Tower is situated, in an old and abandoned carnival. As the two of them split up and go inside to look for the female Dark Signer. Misty guides her into a House of Mirrors, where they commence their rematch.[5][18]

Akiza is unable to see Misty directly and faces her reflection as they duel. Through the Duel, Misty, who believes A Flying Shadow was responsible for her brother Toby's death, tells Akiza what she believes to be the story of how her brother died and how the news of the event, caused Misty to be hospitalized, leading her to be reborn as a Jinjuriki.

Tormented by the truth, Akiza loses the will to continue the Duel. However Sayer appears to save her from landing on a shard of shattered glass. He proceeds to deviously manipulate her into awakening her powers as the Black Rose once again. Now more confident and destructive Akiza doesn't even flinch, as she takes damage from Misty's attacks. The Black Rose Summons "Black Rose Dragon", who shatters every mirror in the vicinity. With all of the mirrors gone, the two of them now confront each other face-to-face.[5]

Akiza continues to Duel under the influence of Sayer, until Yusei tricks Sayer into telling the truth of what happened to Toby. This causes Misty to have Yamata Dragon devour Sayer, avenging her brother's death and relinquishing Sayer's influence from Akiza. Before Misty could surrender, Honey D. Paul joins the Duel and the Eight Headed Serpent takes control of her. While this occurs, Akiza who still appears to be in some kind of trance, finally snaps out of it as she hears Yusei calling out for her. Thus with the Orochi having gained possession of Misty the Duel continues. Thus at the end Akiza emerges victorious, causing Misty to stay alive and sleepy, knowing she's at peace. Ccarayhua's captive souls are set free and Misty's locket is left behind. Akiza picks it up and feels sorry for Misty.[6]

Appearence
Akiza is a teenager of average height. She has fair skin, brown eyes, and dark burgundy hair. Her hair is mostly chin-length with the addition of long, elbow-length bangs that frame both sides of her face. She rolls her front bangs with a device similar to a hair curler on top of her head, which helps her restrain her powers, while a bit hangs down on each side. Akiza in the original (left) and in the dub (right).