Mass Effect Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Mass Effect Wiki

“I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way.”

Kasumi Goto is the galaxy's most enigmatic thief and has enemies everywhere, but only a few could put a name to her face. She is a master of stealth and infiltration.

Mass Effect: Foundation[]

Kasumi and her partner Keiji Okuda shared a very intimate relationship during their time together, often kissing or showing other forms of affection for each other. Kasumi, nicknamed "Little Bird" by Keiji, surprised him by decorating their Illium apartment in a romantic atmosphere, staying cloaked until Keiji found her by feeling the air. She rewarded him with a kiss and pushed him over to the bed strewn with petals, discussing Keiji's recent acquittal. Kasumi revealed her worry and covert presence at the trial, and she reiterated her desire to stay by his side.

Flashy infiltration

Kasumi felt it was time to start anew and for Keiji to leave the "boring" Alliance, so Keiji shared with her his plan to steal from Donovan Hock on Bekenstein. She has never been to Bekenstein before, and easily persuaded she started to perform some of her tricks on Keiji in bed.

Less than a day later above Bekenstein, Kasumi led Keiji around the bowels of a ship looking for a good jump point out: an empty escape pod chute. She had the pod "repaired" back at Illium to account for any bookkeeping discrepancies. Keiji was beginning to have doubts on the heist, but Kasumi was confident on doing it. Arriving at the jump point, they kissed again before skydiving, using flight suits Kasumi tested on an earlier job at Sur'Kesh. Kasumi found the freefall vista beautiful, perfectly timing their chute release for a safe but stylish landing on their intended location. Keiji commented on his girlfriend's flashy stunt, who indicated that the show was meant for him before locking lips again against the skyline.

Kasumi cloaked and scouted ahead inside the building, counting six professional guards on patrol. She surmised that the expense of hiring the guards must mean that their objective is still inside, so she set about to distracting them while Keiji went on ahead.

Kasumi hitting people where they least expect it

The master thief extensively used her cloaking, martial skills, and a decoy program given to her by Keiji to thrash heavily-armored individuals unable to see where she's coming from. By the time they recovered, Kasumi was bidding them farewell as "she" (her decoy) locked a secure door between her and the guards. The real Kasumi and Keiji exchanged status updates, but hearing Keiji's abrupt scream made her panic and race toward his last known location.

The guards noticed her true whereabouts and resumed pursuit. Two of the guards caught up with her, only to be beaten with their own batons. Kasumi unlocked a door at the end of a hall at the third floor, only to see Keiji lying in a pool of his blood. She cradled the dying man in her arms and swore not to leave him, but guards were pounding behind the resealed door. Keiji beseeched his Little Bird to survive, and to retrieve his stolen graybox so they could be together again. Kasumi tearfully complied and left his body behind, activating her cloak and vowing to make good on her word.


Mass Effect 2[]

For her gameplay attributes in Mass Effect 2, see Squad Members Guide (Mass Effect 2)#Kasumi Goto.

Kasumi is an expert on sabotage, infiltration, extraction, property acquisition, stealth and agile combat. Cerberus tried to contact Kasumi Goto to get her to join Commander Shepard's mission. She noticed this and contacted Cerberus instead after trailing them. When that's done, Cerberus sends Shepard an e-mail containing meet-up instructions.

Rendezvous with Kasumi Goto

From: Illusive Man


Shepard,

At great cost and effort, we have tracked down the master thief Kasumi Goto and convinced her to work with you. Very few people have ever heard of her, and fewer can claim to have seen her in person. She is unequaled at stealth and infiltration, and her skills will prove invaluable in your mission.

Travel to the Zakera Ward on the Citadel. There you will find a special ad terminal that differs from the usual. Input the password "Silence is golden" to begin the rendezvous.


Kasumi and her "personal" belongings aboard the Normandy

At the end of the rendezvous, Kasumi agrees to work for Shepard provided the Commander helps her by recovering Keiji Okuda's graybox from Donovan Hock.

The Master Thief settles aboard the Normandy's port observation deck, surrounding herself with storied personal (and stolen) effects: two paintings, some books, a human bust, and a rose. If those items are explored, she tells Shepard about some of her adventures as a thief including her meeting with Keiji, a heist on Illium, and a rescue mission aboard a slaver ship.

Kasumi rivals Yeoman Chambers for the most insight on the different crew members, likely due to her expertise for observing, given her occupation as a thief. Indeed, she is the only person on the ship who will notice a change in Samara if Morinth steals her identity onboard the Normandy, though she says she would never spread that suspicion around.

Kasumi appears to have a crush on Jacob Taylor, asking Shepard if he likes "Japanese girls with a penchant for kleptomania". Jacob, however, doesn't notice or respond to this.

Known members of Kasumi's family include a grandmother who used to make her ramen.

Loyalty[]

“I’m looking for my old partner’s graybox. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I’m planning to get it back.”
Main article: Kasumi: Stealing Memory

Kasumi requests Shepard's aid in a heist on the planet Bekenstein to infiltrate the vault of a weapons dealer and smuggler named Donovan Hock. She reveals that Hock killed her former partner, Keiji Okuda, and is trying to hack into Keji's "graybox", a complex neural implant that stores and encodes personal memories as well as all the top secret information he ever laid eyes on. One of these secrets apparently implicates the Alliance and could lead to galactic war if revealed. To retrieve the graybox, the Commander and Kasumi infiltrate a gala attended by many prominent underworld figures and end up having to battle a small army of Eclipse mercs running security for Hock.


Mass Effect 3[]

“I’d rather spend whatever time I have left with Keiji.”

Six months after getting out of Shepard's suicide mission alive, Kasumi reappears on the Citadel, giving an anonymous tip to the salarian Spectre Jondum Bau about hanar operatives being aware of an Alliance black ops raid into batarian space. Bau has been attempting to catch Kasumi for years, though he admits to having great respect for her abilities, and Kasumi (who is loitering nearby under cloak) expresses similar sentiments.

A cloaking system so strong it persists even after the wearer's apparent demise

Kasumi surreptitiously assists Bau and Shepard as they track down the hanar responsible. While Shepard is running around the Citadel chasing leads, Kasumi inquires about the Normandy crew. Shepard brings up Garrus, if he's alive, or EDI and Joker, if not. Kasumi then asks about Jacob, if he is also alive. She pointedly refers to her ardor for Jacob, claiming his presence on the crew would've caused her to rejoin too.

It is later revealed that the culprit has been indoctrinated by Reaper technology and is attempting to disable the hanar homeworld of Kahje's automated defenses. Kasumi stops the virus, but the console is booby-trapped, and she appears to be killed when it explodes.

If Shepard helped Kasumi secure Keiji's graybox earlier, she will admit that the Alliance black ops raid Bau was investigating is the dangerous secret that was hidden within the graybox. It was carried out on batarians who had come across Reaper technology. Due to the potential for an escalated Alliance-batarian conflict, Keiji warned that the Alliance could be thrown into war if the secret got out.

The best way to a thief's heart is the promise of unlimited loot

Kasumi will reveal herself after the console's explosion, describing it as a perfect way to fake her death and escape Bau's pursuit. Though she refuses to become involved in the war, Shepard convinces her to lend her assistance to the Crucible project, enticing her with the thought of acquiring expensive equipment no one will miss. Ever the kleptomaniac, Kasumi agrees.

If Keiji's graybox was never retrieved, Kasumi will not discuss its contents as she doesn't know about them, instead complaining that Shepard refused to help her six months ago, and claiming that she still has personal business to conclude. After the explosion, she will also not reveal herself or join the war effort.

Kasumi and Keiji reunited

During the final battle for Earth, Kasumi can be contacted via hologram. She reports that the Crucible is good to go, not knowing what it'll do but assured that whatever it is it's going to be big. She tells Shepard that if the Commander survives, she will buy drinks.

If Shepard chooses to merge organic and synthetic life, if Kasumi was convinced to keep Keiji's memories, and if Shepard gathered enough of the galaxy's forces for the fight, Kasumi will be seen holding hands with what appears to be a hologram of Keiji. If Shepard decides to either destroy or control the Reapers instead, Kasumi will be seen holding Keiji's graybox.

Mass Effect 3: Citadel[]

For her gameplay attributes in Mass Effect 3, see Squad Members Guide (Mass Effect 3)#Kasumi Goto.

Kasumi's presence is dependent on her pledging support for Shepard's cause after the investigation against a hanar diplomat.

Kasumi's motley crew getting ready to rob Silver Coast Casino

A suspicious device found by Shepard in the Silver Coast Casino is revealed to be part of Kasumi's plot to rob the casino. Her scheme is revealed when she arrives with a gang she is presently briefing on the casino's security. She defends her actions to Shepard, saying that the casino-goers will not miss a few credits, and that the money can be put to better use aiding the war effort and refugees. Shepard has the option to tell her to call off her plan or allow her to continue the heist.

Kasumi can also assist Shepard in the Armax Arsenal Arena provided her ally license has been bought.

Kasumi is one of the optional invites to Shepard's big party. Unlike all other guests she doesn't stick in one place for long, preferring to stalk out Shepard's apartment under Tactical Cloak or specifically decloaking to interject in conversations.

At the party's first phase, she decloaks beside Samantha Traynor, intrigued by the idea of stealing the Normandy when the comm specialist voices her concerns. Kasumi is gone as abruptly as she appeared, unnerving Samantha. If Jacob is around, Kasumi also decloaks momentarily by the bar doing crunches on the floor.

At the party's second phase, if Jack and Miranda are by the bar at the poker den, Kasumi drops by to inject her two cents: if Shepard encourages their friendship, Kasumi vows to record Jack and Miranda venting their sexual frustrations, convinced that there's a market for it. If Shepard encourages the biotics' rivalry, Kasumi doesn't get Jack's repeated mentions of whooping Miranda's ass but states that she'll just go "somewhere dirty" with it.

If Tali is around the poker den "acting" out the differences between the SSV Normandy and the SR-2 Kasumi pops in to announce that she may have already recorded the quarian doing her moves. The recording may have had six million extranet hits already and a fansite, she says, and Tali shoots back that Kasumi better hope she doesn't find her.

If James and Liara are at the balcony arguing whether biotics trump physical conditioning or vice-versa, Kasumi drops by to goad James to do sit-ups. If Jacob is around he warningly looks at the thief, and Kasumi defensively states she's "just looking".

Kasumi's modeling aspirations

Throughout the party's second phase Kasumi decloaks around many other unexpected places. Outside the apartment's door she can be heard commenting that security needs to be beefed up. In one of the beds upstairs she wonders just how many bedrooms does the unit have. In one of the shelves near the upper floor's couches she examines the figures displayed there and comments that twenty years hence the items could be worth a fortune. In the balcony she decloaks to inspect the abstract angular sculpture, deeming it "classy and expensive." In the kitchen downstairs she decloaks by the refrigerator complaining about dairy products, and in the nearby restroom she decloaks to declare the area "occupied".

At the third phase of the party, if Shepard encouraged loud music and dancing, Kasumi can be found looking through Shepard's drawers by the exercise room. If "Shep" talks to her, she responds that she goes through everyone's drawers. When asked why she doesn't mingle and have fun like a normal person, she inquires why would she even do that. She's having a great time anyway (by her very strange standards), and compliments Shepard on their underwear. If Shepard is female, Kasumi found them girlier than expected as she expected them to have a camo pattern. If Shepard is male, she declares the question of whether Shepard wears boxers or briefs finally answered, and remarks that the undies are clean.

If James was challenged earlier into proving physical superiority, he's doing push-ups in front of Liara, straining as he does, while Jacob, if present, seems to have no trouble at all with the exercise. It is later revealed that Kasumi has been sitting on top of James all along. She topples with him when the marine collapses from exhaustion, and disappears just as quickly as she appeared afterward.

If Shepard kept the party more mellow in the second phase, at the third phase Kasumi will join James, Liara, and Javik (if he's around) at the card table for a game, surprising James when she uncloaks. She's amused by Javik's ideas about what competition was like in his cycle, and noticing Liara's focus on winning, she suggests working together in the future should the asari ever wish for another line of work. James asks why he isn't fit for such activities, and Kasumi informs him that she wants more subtle individuals as partners.

Kasumi poses uncloaked at the group photo later when Shepard calls everyone to the living room.

The morning after the party, Kasumi lounges by the apartment's balcony, claiming to have had a great time the previous evening and saying she mistook real milk for soy milk. She claims not to be lactose intolerant, she just doesn't "put up with lactose's stupid drama."

Trivia[]

  • Kasumi is only available through the Kasumi - Stolen Memory DLC pack or in Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
  • Using a hack, it is possible to make Kasumi selectable when choosing squadmates before downloading her; however, she only appeared in the last mission, and a "placeholder" model was used. Selecting her at any other time causes Shepard to have only one squadmate.
    • Shepard comments in a conversation with Jacob that the next Normandy would benefit from a lounge. Obtaining Kasumi's DLC adds a lounge bar to the ship.
  • The Japanese word kasumi (霞) means "haze" or "mist". There is also a homophone of this, meaning "dimness (of sight)", although it is written as 翳み. However, this doesn't mean that Kasumi's name is written like that in Japanese.
    • Gotō (後藤) is a common Japanese surname; however, there are numerous Japanese family names with the same or similar pronunciation but different kanji.
    • The Japanese word gōtō (強盗), which is pronounced somewhat similarly, also means 'robber' or 'robbery'.
  • It is shown in The Art of the Mass Effect Universe that concept art for Kasumi veered into a Middle Eastern direction, before settling on a medieval thief look.
  • According to a Mass Effect 2 character document used during development, Kasumi was first conceptualized as a "Spacejacker", a 25-year-old ship thief/hacker who crosses paths with Shepard when they're trying to steal the same thing. She also intends to steal the Normandy SR-2, referred to as "Leviathan" during this phase.[1]
    • Prototype concepts for the Master Thief involve her operating in the Terminus Systems going where nobody else can.

See also[]

References[]

Advertisement