Painwheel

Story

Carol was a normal schoolgirl who lived with her parents in Maplecrest. She went to school with Filia, whom she holds a grudge against, although it is not clear why. Unfortunately, Carol gets kidnapped by Valentine as she is found to be compatible with the Skullgirl blood. She is taken to Lab Zero, where she is infected with synthetic Buer Drive and Gae Bolga parasites and fused with Skullgirl blood. The procedure took a toll turning the once innocent and charming Carol into the monster known as Painwheel. 

After going on missions for Lab Zero, she requests to leave, and Valentine grants her wish. Painwheel returned home to Maplecrest in hopes that her parents will somehow recognize her and accept her, but her hopes are dashed when her parents are terrified instead. Despondent, she returns to her masters.

Personality

Once a sweet little girl, Painwheel is a ball of anger and pain. She uses this anger to fight, and her rage and hate for Valentine and Lab Zero spur her on. She is ruthless and destructive, but deep down, it seems like the gentle Carol is still alive, begging to be saved. 

Playstyle

Painwheel is a character who is meant to be played airborne. Thanks to Buer Drive, she is able to fly around the screen. She doesn’t have the best ground game as her dashes are slow, but she can more than hold her own in the air. She also has an armor mechanic that allows her to absorb damage and then punish with a counterattack immediately. Most players will get hit by this, and she can easily take advantage. Furthermore, she also has a projectile which are spikes that paralyze the opponent and create an opening to attack. Finally, she has a hatred install. This is a mode in which she increases her strength dramatically due to the power of hatred. In this state, her attacks, projectiles, and airspeed are much faster.

Appearance

Painwheel goes for something of a feral look and is dressed in a tattered white cloth that looks very much like clothing reserved for serfs. She has manacles on her wrists and ankles and sports about six nails on her shoulders and another four on her thighs. It seems this is to add to her pain. She also wears a mask that looks hastily patched together with two red holes for her eyes. She also has an attachment, the Buer Drive, which is a spine-like cord that enables Painwheel to use the rotors on her back. This means she can fly around while fighting. Painwheel moves around barefoot and has veins around her body which suggest the presence of the Gae Bolga Matrix.