Orca

Orca
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General information
Name meaning	An orca is a kind of aquatic mammal
Alias
Gender	female
Age	four years
Status
Chakra	"Vishuddha", the Throat
Elemental power	Water
First appearance	Chapter Two, page fifty-seven
Affiliations
Allies	Chakra Heroes
Rivals	Kozel
Enemies	Jackal, Zodiac Demons
Relatives	Wasgo (brother)
Other
Voiced by	lifanonline

Orca (オルカ), Orka in the Polish and Slovakian translation, and Kosatka in the Russian one, is a black and white, quiet and disgruntled she-wolf, member of the Chakra Heroes, and Wasgo's younger sister. She does not like jokes and rarely laughs, but deep inside she cares for her friends and feels responsible for them.

Physical appearance

Orca's appearance.

Orca's body is short and compact. Among the girls in her group, she is the shortest. She has an oval, slender head with no tufts and a short, thick muzzle. Her fur is very short and adherent and it does not stick out very much, she only has some small mane on her chest and shoulders. Her markings remind those of an orca, an animal she takes her name from. Her overall body colour is black, with very defined white markings scattered in it. She has a white oval right behind each eye, and white eartips. Her jaw and cheeks are white, as well as her throat, chest and underbelly. She has a white marking on her shoulders and three white spots aligned along her spine. Orca's paws are also white, with a small black spot on each of them. Her tail is thin and short, black on its upper side and white on the lower one.

Orca's eyes are narrow and sharp, and she has small round irises. She has the genetic condition of "odd eyes": her left eye is blue while her right eye is green.

Personality

Orca losing her temper.

Orca smiling

Orca is the wayward member of the group. She is quiet, introverted, disgruntled, mistrustful, irritable, sometimes even aggressive, but also wise, intelligent and patient, since she does manage to stand Cheetah's jokes and pranks without killing him.

Orca is much of a loner, preferring to spend time on her own rather than in the group. However, she does not act childish or like a spoiled kid, nay, she is very mature, probably the most mature of the team. Despite being a girl, she does not really behave like one, rather, she is much of a tomboy, who likes fighting physically rather than using her powers from a distance, and who speaks her mind without thinking about it twice.

This personality she has may appear negative, but actually, deep inside, Orca loves her friends and would do anything to get them out of trouble, as she shows multiple times in the comic. She acts like an older "sister" for Cheetah, who is also her love interest. The clashing of their personality is their strongest bond.

History

Before the events of the comic

Puppy Orca and her brother Wasgo.

Orca's past is rather obscure. Her parents abandoned her when she was very young, and she only had to count on herself and on her older brother, Wasgo. The two grew up with an incredible determination and will to survive. No one had helped them, and they did not trust anybody. Although Wasgo was the leader of the two, Orca was very independent and aggressive herself. The two ended up controlling the territory that once belonged to their parents. Whoever dared to cross it would have been chased away, as the two siblings did not want to ally to anyone who would then abandon them, just like their parents did.

As of Chapter One

Orca does not make any appearance in Chapter One. However, the following events take place in the one-year gap between Chapters One and Two. Eventually, however, Led and C.Y. crossed into their land, searching for reinforcements. Orca and Wasgo immediately attacked them, warning them to leave, but C.Y. caught a glimpse of Orca's thoughts with her powers, and she deduced that she was not evil after all. Seeing that she did not want to leave their territory, Wasgo attacked C.Y. and wounded her. C.Y. fell off a ridge and she got stuck in a cave. Sorry for what her brother had just done, Orca recognized that the wolf was actually benevolent. Orca tried to retrieve C.Y. in the cave, and, after finding her, she and Led spent the night next to her. Wasgo, however, did not trust the newcomers, and stayed outside.

During the night, C.Y. kept telling that she knew Orca was good. She was sorry that her heart had dried out so much, because of past sufferings. C.Y. then said that she would leave her territory the following day, and thanked her for her help. But Orca, who was sincerely grateful for those words, told her that she would follow her in her journey: she wanted to test herself out, and she did not want a dry heart anymore. The next day, the small group set off to leave, and Orca said goodbye to her brother. Despite not understanding her reasons completely, he did not try to stop her, because he also wanted the best for his little sister, so he had no regret to see her go away.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. If you haven't read the comic yet, better skip this section.

As of Chapter Two

Orca is first seen standing on a rock with the Chakra Heroes in the beginning of Chapter Two. At C.Y.'s signal of attack, she soaks Dagger's fur so that Cheetah can use his powers on her. This is the only time we see Orca in battle.

After Red's pack leaves and Inabe starts talking about the Destiny Sword, Orca is continuously teased by Cheetah, up to snarling at him so that he lets her listen to the conversation. When C.Y. accepts Inabe's proposal to search the Sword for him, Orca speaks her doubts and suspicions towards Inabe, but is soon quieted by Cheetah, who keeps annoying her.

Orca gets mad at Cheetah.

During the Heroes' conversation at the Chakra Headquarters, Orca reminds her friends that they are looking for the deepest of depths, a very deep place where the Sword could be hidden. When Led suggests to search in an underwater cave, Orca offers herself to dive underwater, since she can manage without breathing for a while. Led kindly declines her offer and suggests to start searching on Konohana Island.

Orca is seen again in Shiranui's shrine inside a cave on Konohana Island, yet again being picked on by Cheetah, who boasts his discovery of the cave. Orca tells him to stop, but a laugh is suddenly heard.

As of Chapter Three

After Jackal and his Zodiac Demons’s appearance on the scene Orca tries to calm Cheetah down as the feline wolf insults the leader of the new-arrived group.

After the Sword lands inKetek’s hands she spills some of her water on the ground, thus creating a puddle in which the Demon slips and Orca is able to take the Sword from him. Before she starts running, she addresses Ketek and tells him that she is the only one allowed to tease Cheetah. Then she runs towards a gorge, and even though four Demons (Kobura, Tiikeri, Diviak and Zec) stand in her way she manages to jump across quite effortlessly. As she lands on the other side, she realizes that the Demons are smiling. As she pauses to take in the information, a white paw smashes into her side. The paw belongs to a wolf that looks like a sheep. As Orca regains consciousness, Kozel, the sheep wolf, is about to throw her down the gorge.

Cheetah finds Orca.

Orca is later seen lying in the Misty Tunnel. When Cheetah finds her, she sees him step on a sulfur vent, and, in order to save him, she shoves him away, but gets hit by a powerful flame. While the rest of the Heroes arrive,

Orca moved by Cheetah's words.

Orca reassures Cheetah by saying that she is okay, and that, thanks to her water powers, the fire only hit partially. Orca, however, is exhausted and cannot walk. She refuses Motyl's healing, and tells the rest of the group to go ahead, because the Demons have the Sword. After some arguing, Cheetah decides to stay with her.

We meet Orca again later, while Cheetah asks her how her injuries are doing. Orca answers that she is okay, and Cheetah replies that he is glad, because he was really afraid he might lose her. After a pause, Orca tells Cheetah just how much he means

to her, and she smiles for the first time in the comic. Cheetah, however, does not seem to get it, and changes subject. The conversation is interrupted by the growls of the Heroes coming from farther ahead. Orca tells Cheetah to go and help them, but he refuses. The two argue, but Orca decides not to discuss further, because the Heroes need them now. She comes up with a plan and asks Cheetah whether he can back her up. As this one agrees, the scene changes again.

Orca is seen again later riding on Cheetah's back as the two throw chaos in the underground forest. In an attempt to distract the Zodiac Demons, the two join their powers and create fog, which allows the Heroes to retreat. Once outside of Konohana Island, the Heroes have to swim back to the shore, so Led takes Orca on his own back, being he a better swimmer than Cheetah. After C.Y. is run over by a giant wave, Led attemps to go retrieve her, forgetting Orca was on his back. As Hielo lets him notice that, Orca apologizes to Led.

As of Chapter Four

Orca after pinning Kobura down.

Orca is seen with the other Chakra Heroes at the beginning of Chapter Four. She is eyed by C.Y., who notices that her wounds have healed. Orca then publicly thanks Motyl for helping her. As the winged Heroine is tackled by Kobura, Orca recognizes him as a Zodiac Demon and drags him off Motyl, menacingly asking him what he is doing there. Kobura answers that he left the Zodiac Demons, and Orca disbelievingly asks why. Later on, as Kobura comments on Hielo's rude behaviour, Orca silences him, telling Kobura that he doesn't know Hielo well enough to judge him. She is seen again later as C.Y. tells the story of how the Chakra Heroes came to be.

Relationships

With Cheetah

Cheetah and Orca share a complex love-hate relationship. Being two exact opposites, Cheetah always cheerful and sometimes rash, Orca constantly serious, and way more attentive and mature, their characters tend to clash, putting them on opposite sides. They are often seen picking on one another, and while Orca tends to be the dominant of the two, she is often overwhelmed by Cheetah's annoying jokes and just leaves him be.

Cheetah teases Orca.

Despite her harsh reactions, Orca is actually very patient toward Cheetah, and even if she will never admit it, she secretly likes his company.

Overall, their relationship is a positive characteristic in the story, and is mostly meant to be of a comic relief, with respect to C.Y. and Led's more serious relationship.

Cheetah's deep interest towards Orca was born after his lighting accidentally struck her at the end of a battle. That one episode "inspired" Cheetah to pick on her more and more often. Interestingly enough, under her layer of annoyance and hate, Orca seems to sincerely enjoy being the center of Cheetah's attention, and she is sometimes seen playing pranks on him herself.

Quotes

"One minute I feel like I'm talking to a wall, and the other... I feel like no one could understand me better than you do."

—Orca to Cheetah

Powers and abilities

Orca activating her powers.

As her name suggests, Orca's abilities are related to ther marine world. Not only can she breathe underwater, thanks to her Vishuddha Chakra, but also, she is a water-bender, meaning that she can control the element water at will. Orca's bites spill water, and when she runs with her powers active, she can leave a wet and slippery trail behind her.

Orca uses water as a propeller.

Moreover, she can control the ocean waves, and she can draw water from a pond into the solid land. Sometimes when she walks, Orca releases water from her paws. During battles, she can use this ability and exploit the propulsion of water to jump higher.

Orca can also use water as a shield: if she is to be hit by a flame blast, she can cover herself in a veil of water and receive minimal damage from the fire, thanks to the water

Orca joining forces with Cheetah.

stopping it for her. 

Lastly, Orca can join the force of her powers with that of Cheetah: she can create blobs of water which then Cheetah zaps wiith his lightnings. These electrified balls explode as they hit the ground, creating steam or fog, useful to escape battles. They can cause injuries if thrown against enemies.

Techniques

The techniques the Heroes used are unnamed in the comic. However, they do have a name to be distinguished.

Pouring Fang: Orca bites the opponent and water spills from her mouth. Mostly an assist move for Cheetah's techniques.

Water Magnet: Orca drives water from ponds into solid land, to create more ponds. Often used to stop enemies' escape, as they end up slipping.

Tsunami: Orca's most powerful technique. She summons all the water she can and throws it at her enemies.

Trivia

• The word "Orca" is translated the same way in at least ten languages.
• The scientific name of Orca's "odd eyes" condition is called heterochromia, and it is very common among canines, especially domesticated ones.
• Orca's recurrent number is two: she has eyes of two different colours, as well as a two-toned coat, and she has two sides of her character, one serious and quiet, the other caring and responsible.