Kozue Kaoru (薫梢) is the twin sister of Miki Kaoru, a duelist and a Student Council member at Ohtori Academy.
History
Anime
Kozue is first seen in the episode The Sunlit Garden: Prelude. In the episode, most of Kozue's backstory is also revealed. Kozue once loved playing the piano with Miki Kaoru (Kozue's twin brother) and the two were extremely close. Kozue was a talented pianist, but together, she and her brother shone. Their parents wanted them both to be successful in music, even going so far as to schedule a tour for the twin prodigies.
Unfortunately, Miki fell ill before their tour began, which forced Kozue to continue the show alone. Nervous and uncomfortable without Miki, she refused to perform, and gave up piano soon after, distancing herself from her brother with whom she was constantly compared. Kozue's relationship with her parents was never the same after that.
With her brother in the student council and already in high school though he is of middle school age, it's clear Kozue lives in Miki's shadow, a fate she quite dislikes. However she still deeply cares for and loves Miki, and reveals in the Black Rose saga that she purposefully dates men she knows he will disapprove of because she enjoys having him worry about her. It is Miki's growing infatuation with Anthy Himemiya that makes her become a Black Rose duelist, as she says she can feel him "slowly fading away" towards Anthy. She is extremely protective of Miki, going as far as to push a music teacher she feels is a threat to him down the stairs.
Sexuality
Kozue's sexuality is a large aspect of her character, as she uses her attractiveness to achieve her goals. She is implied to be sexually active with multiple men, including Touga Kiryuu, and she brags to the other girls about her prowess saying she "doesn't change boyfriends", she "just adds on more". In Miki's third and final duel, Kozue makes sexual advances towards Anthy Himemiya, and in the Sega Saturn game, she is shown having a sexual relationship with Sanjouin Chigusa. It is debatable as to whether Kozue inhabits incestuous feelings for Miki depending on the adaptation. In the manga, she is critical of his relationships with other girls and fills a similar role as Nanami Kiryuu to Touga. In the anime, she appears to want to kiss him after becoming possessed by the black rose ring. However, her feelings for him usually seem to be of care and sibling love. In the new epilogue manga "After the Revolution", her feelings are confirmed to be incestuous, which becomes a large conflict in their chapter due to Miki's initial disgust.
Trivia
- The name Kozue means "Treetop; Tree Branches" (梢) in Japanese.
- Kozue's surname Kaoru means "fragrance, fragrant" (薫).
| Characters |
|---|
| Main Characters: | Utena Tenjou • Anthy Himemiya |
|---|---|
| Ohtori Academy: | Akio Ohtori • Prince Dios • Mr. Ohtori |
| Ohtori Academy Student Council: | Touga Kiryuu • Kyouichi Saionji • Juri Arisugawa • Miki Kaoru • Nanami Kiryuu • Ruka Tsuchiya |
| Ohtori Academy Students: | Yuko Ohse • Aiko Wakiya • Suzuki • Yamada • Tanaka • Sanjouin Chigusa • Tatsuya Kazami • Mari Hozumi |
| Black Rose Duelists: | Kanae Ohtori • Keiko Sonoda • Kozue Kaoru • Mitsuru Tsuwabuki • Wakaba Shinohara • Shiori Takatsuki • Souji Mikage |
| Others: | Chu-Chu • Mamiya Chida • Tokiko Chida • Kaido • Aunt Yurika • Mrs. Ohtori • Wakaouji Aoi |