Ku

⚠️ Spoilers Ahead!

Ku contains spoilers for content in both Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps! Continue at your own risk.

Ku
Profile
Type:	Owl
Gender:	Female
Status:	Alive
Relations
Family:	Kuro (mother) Three Unnamed Hatchlings (siblings) Naru Gumo Ori (Adopted Sibling)
Enemies:	Shriek
Other
Found in:	Ori and the Blind Forest (Definitive Edition) Ori and the Will of the Wisps

“	'"It's clear now why she hunts us, Kuro is just protecting her child!"'	„
	—Sein to Ori after escaping Kuro

Ku is the only remaining offspring of Kuro. An owl hatched in Swallow's Nest shortly after the death of her mother, and the revival of Nibel's Spirit Tree, she grew up living a tranquil life with Ori, Naru and Gumo as her family. After one fateful flight took her and Ori far away from home to a new forest, Niwen, she landed in the Silent Woods, where an encounter with Shriek nearly left her for dead. Thanks to Ori however, she would survive and settle in Niwen alongside her family.

Biography

Before Hatching

Prior to her hatching, Ku's egg was discovered by Ori and Sein in her mother, Kuro's nest, where they realized that Kuro's actions are solely done so as to protect her last, unborn child, as Ku's previously hatched siblings had all perished during a Light Ceremony held by the Spirit Tree to call Ori home, after the latter was lost during the Great Storm.

Eventually a great forest fire began after the Element of Warmth was restored at Mt. Horu, threatening the safety of the unborn Ku. Kuro sacrificed herself to return Sein to the Spirit Tree and restore balance of Nibel however, thus saving Ku's egg from burning. She was later relocated to Naru's cave in Swallow's Nest, where she eventually hatched.

Early Life

After hatching and being given her name, Ku lived a mostly idyllic and peaceful life with Ori, Naru and Gumo in Swallow's Nest. As she grew older she learned how to walk and glide, and after observing the flight of other birds and feeling the sky's call, she attempted to take flight with her family's encouragement.

However, a birth defect left her right wing lacking many of its feathers, leaving her unable to fly as a result, greatly dishearting the young owlet. Whilst she slept beside the lake one night, Ori retrieved her mother's feather, and with the aid of Gumo, attached the feather to Ku's wing, enabling the young owlet to truly take flight.

Flight to Niwen

With her wing patched up and Ori on her back, Ku took her first true flight. After flying much of the breadth of the forest of Nibel, the duo winged it across the ocean, making their way towards the forest of Niwen. However as they made their way towards this new land, a storm caused Kuro's feather to become detached from her wing, costing her the ability to fly, as well as causing Ori to fall from Ku's back, seperating the pair. Ku would fall far east in Niwen, ultimately landing in the Silent Woods, domain of the vengeful owl, Shriek.

Left on Death's Doorstep

Ku would ultimately reunite with Ori in the Silent Woods, after the former came looking for her. Overjoyed at seeing one another, their reunion was cut short by the passing of Shriek who forced the pair to hide in order to avoid her. Once the danger had passed, Ku and Ori ventured further into the woods seeking her mothers feather so as to return home, avoiding and watching Shriek as she moved about the woods, investigating any sources of noise and hunting prey.

The two eventually found the feather far into the woods, but as they made to retrieve it, Shriek discovered the pair and landed. Attacking Ori, she knocked them into a pit, prompting Ku to stand up for her friend and peck at her wing. Knocked away by Shriek to the edge of a cliff, Ku was quickly crushed by the stone-winged owl and cast over the edge. Ku was quickly found by Ori, in a near-death state, and transported back to Kwolok's Hollow by the Moki.

Due to the intervention of the Voice of the Forest, Ku was ultimately kept from death, but otherwise left comatose, with limited time left. Whilst Ori ventured out to seek the Wisps and revive Ku, and the rest of Niwen, the Moki kept watch over her, as the flowers around her that signified her and Niwen's remaining time faded away. Later on, Naru and Gumo would also come across her as her life slipped away, mourning her.

Revival

Just as the end neared however, Ori embraced Seir, the Golden Light, to begin their growth as the next spirit tree. Their light together revived Ku, and fully healed her wing. Alongside Naru and Gumo, she ventured to the hill where Ori embraced the light, and mourned her friend before the sprout of a new spirit tree grew from the ground. Ku, Naru and Gumo ultimately settled in Niwen, tending to Ori's tree whilst she grew up, eventually reaching adulthood and becoming capable of taking flight on her own.

Gallery

Ori finds Kuro's Egg

Kuro's Egg in Flashback

Almost in the Fire

Ku

Flying to the New World

Ku in E32019 Trailer

Ku being held by Naru after her birth

Ku learning how to walk

Ku's first attempt at flight

Ori and Ku cuddling

Concept art for Ku and Naru

Silent Woods

Trivia

• Ku was originally meant to permanently die after her encounter with Shriek in the middle of the story. This didn't sit right for play testers who grew to like Ku, and after story changes, Ku's condition was changed to that of a coma, but it still kept the story forward. In the end, bringing Ku back to life avoided undermining Kuro’s sacrifice in Blind Forest and struck a bittersweet balance.
• In the Portuguese translation of the game, Ku was renamed to "Kun". This is likely because the word "Ku" sounds very similar to a Portuguese swearing word.