Character

Asirpa

アシㇼパ Beloved child of the Ainu

Asirpa (アシㇼパ) is a young girl from the Ainu tribe and the deuteragonist of Golden Kamuy. Asirpa is a small Ainu girl with a petite frame as evidenced by her thin legs not covered by thick layers of cloth. She has long dark hair and blue eyes with tints of green. Asirpa wears a typical white Ainu coat complete with swirling motif at the edges of the cloth over a purple band. The tunic itself covers several layers of thick cloth in order to protect from the cold. She also wear dark pants and deerskin boots named Yukker. Asirpa also wears fur to cover herself in the wild. Moreover, Asirpa wears a number of accessories, most notably a dark headband with swirling motif called a "matanpushi", matching "tekunpe" hand coverings, and two "ninkari" earrings. In warmer weather, she can be seen wearing a "rekutunpe" necklace. Asirpa also carries with her many items, most notably her long bow and quiver, but also several knives in carved sheathes. When Asirpa is introduced, she seems to be a cold and unforgiving young girl. However, as she warms up to Sugimoto, she exposes a more jovial side. As a hunter, Asirpa is aware of the cruelty of nature and this is mature for a child. She is aware that in the wilderness, weakness leads to death and thus is very pragmatic about survival. She often acts serious when on a hunt or when discussing her goal of finding the treasure and may seem cold. On the other side, Asirpa is a spirited and jolly girl obsessed with eating and is enthusiastic if there's a prey to catch. She is generally friendly and acts polite with elders, but is more familiar with younger people or Japanese. Asirpa mostly respects her culture and preaches the Ainu way of life. She has a deep respect for nature and considers animals as gods, therefore always honoring her prey and everything she uses as gifts from the Kamuy. She will never eat the meat from an man-killing animal. However, Asirpa dismisses other customs such as tattooing her mouth and doesn't believe in divination. Stubborn and sometimes domineering, Asirpa isn't intimidated by adults or danger; she notably can pressure Sugimoto into eating disgusting body parts with a severe look. Makanakkuru mentions that she was already rather stubborn as a young child, but also was saddened by her father's death, to the point she never smiled and depended on Retar for emotional support. However, Asirpa has developed a good friendship with Sugimoto, which Makanakkuru notes has given Asirpa back her smile.