Mass Effect depicts a future setting where humanity is united under the Systems Alliance, and the Alliance is taking its first tentative steps in joining the larger galactic community. Meanwhile, the Council is in dire need of elite agents who can get any job done, and these are the mighty Spectres. Many Spectres are powerful biotics or super-soldiers, but stealth is useful for the Spectres' job, too.

Some jobs call for a lot of firepower or a fully-loaded rifle, and that's where soldiers like Garrus Vakarian and Ashley Williams cone in. But other jobs call for subtlety and precision, and the master thief known as Kasumi Goto could make a great case for herself as a Spectre candidate. She's got skills that few other humans (or anyone) can offer.

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The Skills & Thievery Of Kasumi Goto

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Kasumi Goto first appeared in Mass Effect 2, when Commander Shepard was recruiting elite agents for the team to take on the insidious Collectors and save humanity. Shepard needed more than soldiers; the Commander also required individuals with unique skills to fill in the gaps, and the Illusive Man wisely chose Kasumi Goto for the job. And it didn't take Shepard long to see why.

To begin with, Kasumi is a detail-oriented and thorough person. Although she gets a thrill out of thievery and can think on her feet, she is not reckless, nor does she ever get sloppy or leave things to chance if she can help it. Kasumi is the type to carefully note a building's or area's defenses and guard patrols, figure out a plan and execute it step by step. Kasumi has many tools and skills for carrying out these heists; for example, she is highly skilled at hacking computers and personal devices, so she can shut down security alarms and cameras, view building schematics, review guard patrol schedules, learn important names and dates for a mission, and more. Kasumi is also cunning and acrobatic, able to leap, roll and run to evade guards, dodge security cameras, and perform feats of parkour to enter and escape just about any area. She is very physically able, and she can complement those skills with firepower. Kasumi isn't a heavy gunner, but she can wield pistols and submachine guns in case a firefight starts, and she can toss flashbang grenades as well. Ideally, no job involves violence, but Kasumi can handle an exchange of small-arms fire if it comes to that.

As for her experience, Kasumi has been busy ever since she got into the trade. She has stolen from military compounds, private art collections, museums and far more, and early on, she used to leave a red rose in place of whatever was stolen. During Mass Effect 2, Kasumi helped Commander Shepard visit Donovan Hock's house party to break into the underground art vault and retrieve Keiji Okuda's stolen graybox (a data storage device implanted in the user's brain). Kasumi did it all: she used her suit's invisibility field, snuck a few firearms along, obtained a DNA sample to fool a thumbprint reader, and fought with Shepard when Mr. Hock's Eclipse mercenary guards started shooting. Kasumi even leaped onto Mr. Hock's Mantis-class flying gunship and disabled its energy shields so Shepard could finish it off.

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Kasumi Goto As A Spectre

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The Council has many enemies and must deal with just as many rogue elements across the galaxy, especially in regions such as the Skyllian Verge and especially the Terminus Sytems. Soldier-oriented Spectres such as Nihlus can handle jobs that require brute firepower, but not all missions require such a solution. In fact, for some jobs, an open firefight means something has gone wrong. If Kasumi Goto were accepted as a Spectre, then she could use her stealth, hacking skills and data-gathering abilities to give the Council an edge on criminal elements across the galaxy. After all, the Spectre Tela Vasir already made use of the Shadow Broker's intel to do the Council's dirty work, and Kasumi could perform a similar role. Anytime a major smuggling ring or other criminal outfit pops up in or near Council space, then the Council could send Kasumi Goto, their newest Spectre, to take them down from the inside, or at least expose their operations for all to see. This could minimize collateral damage and prevent the criminals from taking hostages or threatening a nuclear retaliation (literally or otherwise).

Councilor Tevos once explained that the Council likes to monitor developing situations across the galaxy. Kasumi has all the skills to be a capable spy and infiltrator, whether or not she actually steals anything. For example, she can break into a crime gang's HQ, obtain copies of their plans and documents, and then slip back out. Kasumi could also assassinate crime lords or terrorists this way, and she can sabotage vehicles, computer mainframes and more to cripple a crime gang's or a terrorist organization's operations to buy time for the Council (or local law enforcement agents) to finish them off. Up-front assaults may cost a lot of money and manpower, and they give the enemy a chance to either escape or wreak havoc in the meantime. But Kasumi can end a problem before it begins, and the neater a job turns out, the better things are for the Council. She is a knife in a world of big guns, and that actually works to her advantage.

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