Mikaela Kadono

The story begins with Mikaela moving to the city of Good Harbor. She’s unhappy, it’s not the first move she’s made in her life, and this one leaves her far from her friends. 

Starting over for a kid can be difficult and affect things like behavior, mood and self-confidence. The first couple of times Mikaela moved, it caused her stress. By the third move, in the beginning of The Rise of The Legends, she copes with her insecurity by expressing self-confidence, at least on the outside. 

We also learn that Mikaela has a background in karate, which also helped with her self-confidence. She studied it both as a tool to help with her insecurities and because she became interested in her father’s Japanese heritage. Her mom’s English and Irish ancestry was interesting to her as well, but her Japanese background felt unique growing up in a culture more reflective of its European origins.

Mikaela’s father’s family immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. After the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the US Government forced the family to move from their homes into an internment camp for Japanese Americans for the duration of the Second World War. Over the years, as the family integrated back into American society, they lost many of their Japanese traditions. Generations later, Mikaela rediscovered that part of her heritage.

Mikaela chose her bedroom in the new house because of the kanji over the closet door. Kanji are Chinese characters used in the writing of Japanese. This is one clue that someone, or something, used Emily Brandt, Gordon Ambrose and others to make sure that Mikaela and her fellow Legends find all the clues.