Aka: Tatsu Yamashiro
Played by: Karen Fukuhara
Speciality: Swordplay
Katana serves as Rick Flag’s bodyguard. “She has morals and codes,” says Karen Fukuhara. “She can also slice through hundreds of people without taking a breath.” Her look contains hints of her past: her blade’s called Soultaker, and the Japanese characters on her sash translate as, “I weep thinking of him.”
Origins: First appearing in the DCU in 1983 as a creation of Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo, she was content to live with her husband and family until her brother-in-law, who had competed for her affections, killed him in a duel with the mysterious, mystical sword known as the Soultaker. Fleeing after her family is also killed, she trained with a master called Tadashi and then travelled to the US in order to fight for justice using the Katana name. She’s often been found as a member of a team called The Outsiders, assembled by Batman during a disagreement with the Justice League. But she has also crossed paths with the Suicide Squad, and is part of the team in the movie.
Read our exhaustive Suicide Squad guide here.