Katana () is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in 1983, Katana is a samurai warrior whose skill with a sword allows her to fight for justice as a superheroine. Her tragic backstory includes the death of her husband, Maseo, whose soul becomes trapped in her blade, the Soultaker. Katana has been part of various DC Comics superhero teams, including the Justice League and Birds of Prey, but is most commonly associated with the Outsiders, a team of heroes hand-picked by Batman to act as his personal black ops team, handling riskier missions. In the 2010s, DC began to feature the character much more extensively in media adaptations of its comic books, including a recurring role in the animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold and a starring role in the series Beware the Batman. The character was adapted for live action in 2014, portrayed by Rila Fukushima in the Arrowverse series Arrow and Karen Fukuhara in the DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad. Katana has also been featured in direct-to-video animated films and a number of DC Comics video games. Publication history Katana first appeared in The Brave and the Bold #200 (cover-dated July 1983) and was created by writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jim Aparo. She is frequently a member of "team" publications such as Batman and the Outsiders, Birds of Prey (during the New 52 era), or even Suicide Squad (during the DC Rebirth era). In February 2013, Katana received her own series written by Ann Nocenti and with art by Alex Sanchez. This book is considered by DC as part of the "Fourth Wave" of New 52 titles. Katana lasted for ten issues. The final issue was released on December 11, 2013. Fictional character biography Becoming Katana is an average Japanese girl, save for her proficiency in the martial arts, a trait encouraged by her parents. Two brothers—Maseo and Takeo Yamashiro—both proclaim their love for her. While she likes both, she chooses Maseo as her husband. Enraged, Takeo refuses to attend the couple's wedding. Maseo disowns his brother, who joined the Yakuza and took their mark of a dragon tattoo across his chest. Tatsu and Maseo, mourning the deaths of Tatsu's parents, start a family of their own. Tatsu gives birth to twins, Yuki and Reiko. Meanwhile, Takeo rises through the Yakuza's ranks and indulges his "exotic