Born in Tokyo in 1970, Kiyomi is the daughter of Yoshi and Kimoto Arakida; Yoshi was a very influential Noh actor, while Kimoto was a teacher of arts. When Kiyomi was four years old her mother fell victim to an insidious wasting disease which finally claimed her life the following year, leaving Yoshi, Kiyomi and Kiyomi's elder sister Tasumi (four years her senior) to continue alone
Over the next seventeen years Kiyomi displayed an increasing aptitude for the Noh art and began to rise through the hierarchy of the Noh theatre at which Yoshi performed. She slowly gained a reputation first in amateur/youth groups and then in the eyes of the Japanese public after her first public performance at the age of only sixteen (earlier than was customary). After this her reputation and fame grew throughout Japan.
When Kiyomi was thirteen a fairly major earthquake hit Tokyo and left Kiyomi buried under a vast pile of fallen rubble for several before finally being pulled out of the darkness by a rescue team. This traumatic experience left a permanent mark on her psyche and led to an abiding terror of dark enclosed spaces which continues to plague her even now.
Last year (when Kiyomi was 21) Yoshi brought his suspicions regarding a new apprentice in the Noh company to the fore by confronting the youth in the act of transferring drugs and illicit material from his room at the theatre. When confronted by Yoshi the youth panicked and drew a knife, stabbing him. Yoshi fell, mortally wounded. Hearing the commotion Kiyomi emerged from a rehearsal of a performance in which she played the part of a fearsome dragon just in time to see her father fall. Enraged and blinded by grief she felt something happening to herself as she charged the youth, tearing him to shreds as she unknowingly became the dragon for the first time. The following day the papers were full of the appearance of this vengeful dragon, and the true identity of the youth - he had been the youngest son of a Yakuza clan chief who was now seeking revenge for his sons death!
One of Tasumi's contacts at the University gave her warning of this, and the sisters were able to flee their home and go into hiding in the friends home. Unfortunately, the Yakuza tracked them down and they were forced to flee along the backstreets of Tokyo. Attempting to evade their pursuers the sisters turned down a blind alley and as the Yakuza enforcers closed in it seemed the end was near until, suddenly, the superhuman Scaredycat appeared and disposed of the enforcers with ridiculous ease before taking Kiyomi and Tasumi to safety. Almost exhausting their savings the sisters managed to get false papers and passage on a ship to America, again thanks to someone Tasumi knew.
Eventually they reached New York, with almost no money left. They survived the first few weeks in a succession of youth hostels until Tasumi managed to get a teaching post at Columbia University to support them. They then moved into a converted loft apartment in a fairly reputable part of Manhattan Island. Later Kiyomi was able to find a small Noh theatre which gladly welcomed someone of her talent with no questions asked (the head of the theatre company was a great fan of her and her father, and agreed to keep her identity a secret from the other members of the troupe).
Over the next few months as things seemed to quieten down and no more was seen of the Yakuza, Kiyomi began to experiment with her powers, trying to repeat her transformation into a dragon (of the wingless oriental variety), and once she had done this learning how to control the change and her other powers (flight, great strength, claws, flaming breath, immunity to fire), practising at an old recycling plant in New Jersey.
Eventually, after gaining enough confidence with her abilities, Kiyomi decided that she should use her powers to aid others by fighting crime and protecting the people of the city. To this end she began flying over the more dangerous areas of the city by night, preventing thefts, muggings and other crimes, and gaining a small reputation as The Dragon.
About a month ago she was approached by a man calling himself Peacemaker who asked for her help in defeating a supervillain known as Inferno. Kiyomi agreed and they confronted Inferno (who had flame powers and so could barely affect The Dragon), overpowered him and took him into custody. This was the first real public appearance of The Dragon and since then she and Peacemaker have continued to work together in protecting the innocents of the city...
The Dragon and her sister Tasumi in Champions terms.