Blue eyes, shorter and more pale than average Irezumi does not cut an intimidating figure for the most part. Upon closer inspection of her face what appears to be blue lipstick and a wide smile are really tattooes received at the age of 13. Blue waves also mark her hands and arms up to her elbows.

Her dark brown hair hangs to her shoulders and is more wavy than average and is a source of self-consciousness. When she smiles wide enough it becomes obvious that one of her upper teeth are missing, knocked out in a sledding accident as a child.

While not overweight her height and stocky body as well as a couple of extra pounds give her that impression at times. She covers this up with a loose, long sleeved white haori over baggy black pants.
Walking around the Earth Kingdom Irezumi enjoys going barefoot some of the time but has been known to wear a pair of flimsy straw sandals known for breaking her grandmother had made for her.

Most of the time her head is adorned with a blue and white wrapping which houses a metal plate for protection.

Irezumi was born in one of the less populated parts of the North Pole and raised by her grandmother. All Irezumi knows of her mother is that she was rebellious and gave birth earlier in life than her family wanted and was judged unfit to raise a child or even remain living in their small village. Despite the scandal Irezumi was named for her mother and raised to be independent as she was, just not as headstrong and nontraditional.

She assumed that her father was the local historian due to how protective and awkward the man was around her. Also because of how he would shyly smile and pat her on the head and remark about how she reminded him of her mother.

At 13 she received the first of her tattoos and through her pain discovered a passion for continuing the family tradition of administering ceremonial tattoos. Irezumi apprenticed under her grandmother in both this and healing via water bending when it was discovered she had the ability.
Though she loved her village when her grandmother passed away she saw nothing keeping her there and set out for the Earth Kingdom.

In Ba Sing Se Irezumi tried to spark a trend toward tattooing of traditional Northern Water Tribe markings in the upper ring among wealthy women. The trend never fully caught on and Irezumi felt regret marking sacred symbols on outsiders who considered her work as "exotic" or "quaint". She vowed to only mark those she deemed worthy which more and more turned out to be criminals and rebels who praised her work without condescension.

Even though she was held in esteem of the criminal class in the lower ring Irezumi was forced to develop her self-defense skills since as a bender she was only taught to heal because of her grandmother's adherence to Northern Water Tribe tradition. She found a martial arts instructor in a local gang leader and assassin Dadao Daito and was given a large weapon resembling an over-sized meat cleaver. She compensated for the weapon's awkward weight and size by utilizing a barbed steel whip to entangle her opponents.
Her fighting skills have been described as "adequate" but her mentor suggested focusing more on her artistic talent.

She has decided to turn to hunting bounties to supplement her meager income.

Irezumi sometimes carries herself like a much older woman due to her regrets about leaving the North Pole and demeaning her culture and art. She has bouts of homesickness usually at night when she is not otherwise busy. This leads to periodic bouts of insomnia.

Mostly she regrets leaving her village and coming to the Earth Kingdom forcing her to kill. Other times she comes off as a little naive due to her unfamiliarity with things outside of her small village.

In her more playful moments and when she is positive no one is looking Irezumi will play with and sometimes talk with two figurines crafted from iron by a smith in Ba Sing Se she is too embarrassed to face again despite finding him cute. One of the figurines is a replica of herself which she projects herself onto when playing with it. The other is a vague representation of a person known to take on many different roles.
She calls these dolls Zumi and The Cipher and sometimes uses them as a form of self-therapy when she feels troubled.

She does not warm to people fast but once she does she will silently support them in any endeavor. She also has a tendency to unfavorably compare the Earth Kingdom with her old home.
Currently, she is examining her morality in regards to killing or turning in people to the authorities in order to get by.

She takes no real interest in the war or the return of the Avatar as they don't affect her home village or her personally or the most part. She is more angered by the Fire Nation's attempts to destroy other cultures than the killing.

Irezumi tries to keep her spirits up by focusing on the small, but positive aspects of life in general and the Earth Kingdom in particular. Her natural optimism is at odds with her regret which causes lapses in confidence and certainty. Therefore, she enjoys the presence of her friend Dadao who never seems to doubt.
More than anything she enjoys discussing graphic art and tattoos in particular.