Houki Shinonono

"I know not the way to triumph over others. I know the way to triumph over myself. I want to protect the one who is important to me."

- Houki Shinonono during kendo practice Houki Shinonono is one of the main heroines of the light novel and anime series Infinite Stratos. She is a first year student at the IS academy and has been friends with Ichika Orimura since they were kids though at the beginning of the story, they have not seen each other for six years. She pilots the Akatsubaki, given to her by her older sister Tabane, the creator of the IS.

She is voiced by Yoko Hikasa in the Japanese version of the anime and Monica Rial in the English version, the former of whom also voices Rias Gremory and Seraphim.

Appearance
Houki's appearance is a young teenage girl of average height with long black hair and a green base ribbon with black stripes tied around her hair as a ponytail, and parted at her forehead, she has dark blue eyes, and usually wears her IS Academy uniform with high stockings that creates a Zettai Ryouiki. She is also seen wearing a kendo uniform.

At first her IS training uniform matched the standard one that all other female students used but after gaining Akatsubaki she changes to one that is dominantly white with a black neckline and black edges on the legs. After the battle with the Silver Gospel, Houki replaces her green ribbon with a red-and-white one that Ichika bought for her birthday.

In the light novel, it states that she is very well-endowed, as she was once complaining about the size of her breasts being too big, only to think to herself that maybe Ichika likes that. Tabane also comments on her growth in that area before getting hit on the head with a bokken.

Personality
Having been raised in a shrine, Houki possesses a stern, disciplined personality. As such, she had a hard time socializing with other kids so she had virtually no friends except for Ichika who thought of her as a cute girl and helped her out by chasing boys away whenever she was being mocked. Even as a child, she had trouble expressing her feelings for Ichika; shortly after they first met, she asked him to use her first name, but then justified it by saying there were three other Shinononos (her father, her mother and her sister). Since her place of residence is a kendo dojo, she has been interested in kendo since she was young. After being forced to move away from Ichika, Houki continued practicing kendo, as it was the only connection she had left to him.

As a result of the separation, Houki has a serious emotional problem. Although she has been training in kendo which emphasizes obtaining self-control as with most other forms of martial arts, she is somewhat emotionally unstable, often resorting to be controlled by her own will rather than controlling it herself, especially when she gains a new power. She has an admiration for Ichika who shows a steadfast sense of what's right and wrong, regardless of his strength, which goes through a drastic change.

Ichika says she's vile at times; this is because she is too prideful to agree with others or admit when she's wrong. Ichika even notes that this is what leads her to make mistakes and have that kind of behaviour, as a result. She usually comes to regret her actions afterwards when someone points out what she has done. She usually wants to be punished for her mistakes and feels worse when she isn't. Ichika was quick to forgive her, but she did accept his kindness because she thought that she shouldn't be forgiven that easily. She does want to change these tendencies, but still hasn't managed to make any changes regardless. Houki also has a habit of constantly frowning, as noted by Ichika, and in some translations she even says she was born with a grumpy face. Often, however, Houki can be cheered up if Ichika is to compliment her.

Despite her rather short temper, Houki is actually a pretty kind girl. Although she initially acts strict towards Ichika upon their initial reunion, to the point of not allowing him to use her first name, it's largely out of a desire for him to see her as a woman, and she soon drops the facade and treats him much nicer, though she still isn't above hitting him when he makes her really angry or is about to do something reckless. She's also shown to get along well with Charlotte, Laura, Kanzashi, Tatenashi, Rin and Cecilia, considering them friends despite their rivalry for Ichika's affection and often watching their backs in combat.

Houki has very little confidence in her looks and being feminine, likely a result of being bullied in her past for being a tomboy. She always feels uncomfortable when she has to wear revealing and/or feminine clothes like dresses or kimonos (a fact she's well aware of). She also becomes quite shy when Ichika looks at her or compliments her. She also likes seeing Ichika in suits, to the point in an instant she finds it troublesome just trying to look at him directly.

History
Prior to the start of the main series, she was a childhood friend of Ichika. Her place of residence is home to a kendo dojo and she has been interested in kendo since she was young. Houki even competes in kendo competitions at a national level and was the winner of the national tournament that was hosted one year before the story of Infinite Stratos began. Her older sister, Tabane, is the creator of the IS yet Houki hates her because six years ago, Ichika agreed to become her boyfriend if she could win the national kendo tournament of their grade. However, the day of the tournament was also the day the IS were introduced to the world. Because of their links to Tabane, Houki's family was placed under government protection and Houki was forced to withdraw from the kendo tournament. Since that incident, Houki has hated her sister for moving her away from the boy she loves and abandoning their family.

2nd Shift, Armaments and Abilities
She is particularly skilled in the art of Kendo, having won the national tournament a year prior to the story. Her fighting style is decidedly offensive, as in the past she has always won her competitions with pure power, and she had issues defending against  during the Grade Level Tournament.

Akatsubaki (紅椿?, lit. Red Camellia), is a 4th-Gen personal IS specially designed for Houki Shinonono by her older sister and IS creator Tabane Shinonono, built from the experiment data resulting from modification of Byakushiki its Armaments include,

1. Foot Blade

2. Twin Katanas

3. Amatsuki Right Katana

4. Karaware Left Katana The One Off Ability:
 * 1) 2 blade bits that detach from the wings of Akatsubaki for aerial combat after the activation of the Fold-Out Armor

1. Kenran Buto Energy Recovery

2 Thousand Pierces Crossbow