Shiko-Chan

Mahou no Hime Shiko-Chan (A.K.A. Cherry O'Hara; Cherry's Girls) is an open source character created by SimonKirby and released via MSN Groups and Public Domain Superheroes. Loosely based on early 70s Magical girl (Cutie Honey, Majokko Megu-chan etc), Shiko-Chan presents the story of a superhuman princess and her team of majokko warriors.

Synopsis
Born a princess of the "Radiant Kingdom," Yomeno Shiko was spirited away to the planet Earth following a war with the Shadow Realm. Raised by human relatives, the Oharas, she now lives the life of a simple Shibuya schoolgirl, unaware of her royal lineage.

Her carefree lifestyle is shattered at the age of 16, when demons from the Shadow Realm finally track her down. Several Oni attack her one evening on the way home from Juku (cram school), leaving her for dead after a vicious struggle.

Despite her terrible wounds, Shiko-chan miraculously survives as her immortal blood takes over. Awakening at the very moment of death, Shiko transforms into a Mahou-Hime (Magical Princess), and sets off in pursuit of the shadow demons. Armed with supernatural strength and all "the powers of the Radiant Kingdom," she destroys her opponents without mercy, cutting them down with blasts of "pure energy."

Following the battle, Shiko swears to protect her adopted world from "evil in all its forms".

Recurring enemies
Shiko's main antagonists are the demonic entities of the Shadow Realm, most commonly referred to as Kumori. Dark, secretive creatures constantly lurking at the periphery of human vision, they seem to be composed of pure evil and exist only to wreak havok on the Mortal World. Particularly active at night, they feed on the fear and terror of their victims, gradually draining their life force over a period of days. The process is quite torturous; very few human beings can survive an encounter with a Kumori and those who do are reduced to withered husks. In accordance with Japanese mythology, The Dark Ones hunt in packs of four, displaying all the characteristics of opportunistic predators. As no Earthly weapon is known to cause them harm, they are generally assumed to be vulnerable to supernatural attacks.

Powers and weaponry
Due to her extra-dimensional origins, Shiko is considerably stronger than the average mortal, capable of surviving near-lethal injuries and recover from attacks which would otherwise cripple her. Her superhuman reflexes and agility give her a deadly edge over her opponents, even those well-versed in the martial arts. Although she can be a savage and relentless fighter, she nonetheless follows a code of honour, only unleashing the full force of her powers against the Kumori and other demons (which she has no hesitation whatsoever in killing).

Shiko's primary defense is the light-staff she carries on her person at all times. Being telescopic in construction, it can be folded down into a 12-inch tube and hidden in a schoolbag or satchel. Extended to its full five feet, it is a formidable weapon through which she can focus her "radiant" (ie photonic) energies. Virtually indestructible once activated, the staff can slice through reinforced steel with virtually no resistance, and is the only thing capable of killing a Kumori on this plane of existence (NB: while Shiko can fire bolts of light directly from her hands, such attacks tend to be far less effective, lacking the Staff's refining properties).

Personality
Due to her upbringing (originally raised in the country by elderly step-parents), Shiko is quite mistrusting of strangers and suffers from a mild form of Enochlophobia (fear of crowds). Rejected by her schoolmates from an early age, she has grown up a quiet, brooding loner who avoids social contact as much as possible. Subsequently, she has made very few friends outside of her adopted family (although once she has formed a bond with an individual, she tends to be extremely loyal and protective towards that person).