Momo Karuizawa

Momo Karuizawa (軽井沢 もも Karuizawa Momo) is a fighting game character from the Rival Schools games. She was first introduced in Project Justice, the second game in the series.

Personality
She may still look like a kid, but she actually has a naughty and impish personality. On top of that, she's cruel and atrocious. Her dislike of big girls is shown when Natsu shows her mistrust towards Momo which leads to the argument with Shoma.

Appearance
Momo has long blue green hair tied in two long ponytails adorned in two pink hairbands, two fringes at the right side and a single fringe at the center of her head. She has matching blue green eyes and a pink blush on both of her cheeks.

Her primary outfit is an altered version of a tennis uniform, wearing a white and pink sleeveless shirt and skirt combo dress, a matching white wristbands with pink linings, white and pink stockings and white and pink sneakers. Like Shoma who keeps his baseball bat on his back, she has holsters where she keeps her pink tennis racket (which has three white ball designs) on her back along with two yellow tennis balls.

In the Gorin ending, her hairbands are replaced with two pink small bows while wearing her Gorin summer school uniform.

Story
Momo pretends to have been bullied by "Batsu" and Shoma offers his help, unaware of the girl's evil scheme. Natsu, on her part, immediately develops a mistrust on Momo for some reason she can't explain. This causes an argument between Natsu and Shoma, who, after a fight, decided to separate ways: Shoma on a misadventure to help Momo and Natsu, Roberto and Nagare to eventually find Shoma's whereabouts. Momo also orders a brainwashed Daigo to fight off the aforementioned trio before going with Shoma in her charade. Although she was spotted by Edge when she orders their boss.

Shoma is eventually betrayed by Momo after the two defeat the Pacific High team of Boman, Roy, Tiffany, and their Taiyo High companions Ran and the Chairperson. The quintet was finally able to knock some sense back into Shoma, who realized that Momo used him all along to create discord among the schools in Aoharu City.

Upon heading to a mountain area, Momo reveals to Shoma her true nature, and that she is actually part of the Darkside Student Congress headed by Kurow and his older sister, Yurika Kirishima. After Kurow's defeat to the reunited Gorin team even other local schools, he betrays Momo before being suffered a bloody defeat at the hands of Hyo.

After the events, Momo hugs Shoma (her originally faked infatuation with him having developed into a real crush), much to Natsu's chagrin, creating a tense love triangle among the three. Shoma is chased by Momo and Natsu while Roberto and Nagare are talking about the love triangle.

Gameplay
Momo, despite her small size, is one of the strongest characters in Project Justice. Being the smallest, some attacks from opponents will need more timing and precision for them to connect. Most of Momo's moves make use of her tennis racket.

Because she wields a weapon, she is able to deflect simple projectile attacks back to her opponent.

Her Team-Up assist is one of the four most damaging Team-Up techniques in the game, tied with Gan's, Wild Daigo's, and Shoma's in terms of damage rating.

Special Attacks

 * Whale Serve (ほえーる・サーブ) - Momo serves a tennis ball. While it travels diagonally downwards, it bounces back up perpendicular to the ground, which can catch novice players unaware. It will entirely miss at close range. The Serve and Volley can follow after this.


 * Serve and Volley (サーブ・あんど・ボレー) - This is done immediately after the Whale Serve. Momo dashes after the ball and swings her racquet. If blocked, however, the opponent has ample time for a Tardy Counter.


 * Spin Smash (スピン・スマッシュ) - To be more technically correct, Momo actually does two to three rolling smash strikes while in the air. The two-hit version has her landing on her feet, while the three-hit version has her landing face-first on the ground, making her vulnerable if blocked, or if it misses.


 * Rocket Racquet (ロケット・ラケット) - Momo does a jumping attack with her racquet. It has fast startup deals high damage, and is a decent anti-air move. If blocked, however, she is completely vulnerable while landing back to the ground.


 * Giant Swing (ジャイアント・スイング) - Momo's unblockable special throw maneuver. She grabs on one of the opponent's legs, spins the opponent around, then finally throws the latter some good distance away. This is the same move used by many other characters including Wolf Hawkfield.


 * Flapping Racquet (Japanese: バタバタ・ラケット Batabata Racquet) - This is an air-only move. Momo whacks her opponent repeatedly for up to six times, which can be accomplished by repeatedly pressing the punch button for this attack's button combination. A good Air Combo finisher, but not very damaging.

Burning Vigor Attacks

 * Spoiled Brat's Attack (Japanese: だだっこあたっく Dadakko Attack) - Said to be a ground version of the Flapping Racquet, but looks more like a powered version of the Serve and Volley. Momo dashes towards the opponent, whacks the latter repeatedly, and lands face-first into the ground. Because of the recovery delay, this is best reserved as a Textbook Combo finisher. To add to the humor behind the attack's name, each successful hit scored visually shows what Momo is crying out during the attack: バカ! (Baka!), which literally means 'idiot'.


 * Momo Crush (もも・クラッシュ) - On the ground, this is a powered version of the Rocket Racquet and the Spin Smash. Momo sends the opponent skyward, then follows with multiple downward Spin Smashes in quick succession. If done in the air, the Rocket Racquet is entirely omitted; Momo immediately does the Spin Smashes. The higher the altitude, the more Spin Smahes Momo does. Either way, this move has very fast startup, but the recovery delay is something of concern, since she lands to the ground, rolling and disoriented.

Team-Up Technique

 * Human Wall (Japanese: 人間壁打ち Ningen Kabeuchi) - The active character grabs the opponent's ankles, effectively immobilizing the latter. Momo then makes a practice target out of the opponent by repeatedly lobbing a tennis ball aimed towards the opponent. As a final strike, Momo does a forward rolling smash that effectively disengages the opponent from the active character's grasp. This assist has very high priority compared to other Team-Up techniques.

Party-Up Technique

 * Momo does the Hot-Blooded Giant Wheel.

Trivia

 * The following details on Momo's life is as described.
 * Because Momo lives alone in the Gorin dorm, her family life remains undisclosed to this day.
 * Momo sometimes models for a maker of children's clothes (although it seems that she doesn't know she models children's clothes).
 * Momo loves art, but her performance in this subject remains undisclosed to this day. She fares poorly in home economics.


 * She is voiced by Rei Sakuma.


 * Momo has appeared as a card in the SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters games.


 * The heart shaped design below Momo's tennis racket is based on the brand, Yonex.