Kasumi has become a symbol of the Dead or Alive franchise and is the personal favorite of Team Ninja's founder and the series' creator, Tomonobu Itagaki.

Due to differences in cultural norms, she has attracted some controversy in the West involving eroticism and the use of underage female characters in video games.

[5] Kasumi and the other ninja characters are "like superheroes" compared to the more realistic fighters, regarded as a "fantasy element" by Dead or Alive 6 art director and scenario writer Yutaka Saito.

She wears many types of costumes through the series, including female ninja outfits, feminine casual clothes, Japanese schoolgirl uniforms,[9][10] and bikinis.

[14] Tecmo's lawyers sued software company West Side, the authors of the hack, for violating copyright, and won the case[21] and damages of two million yen (over US$20,000).

[22] Kasumi's nude model can be also accessed using a GameShark cheat device in the Dreamcast version of DOA2,[23] and one fan-made mod for DOA5 modified her training suit to remove most of the clothing.

"[26] Producer Yasuke Hayashi said the process of remodeling Kasumi has sparked most disputes in the development team, especially since she is "a character that is not so much out on the table, with hidden feelings, and it's been difficult to express such a 'hidden look'.

"[26] Kasumi's main costume has been different for the first time in Dead or Alive 6 (described as an armored "full-body skin-tight catsuit with combat heels"[28]), but her iconic blue outfit still does appear in the game.

[29] Kasumi was introduced in the 1996 fighting video game Dead or Alive by Koei Tecmo, and alongside her brother Hayate is one of heirs apparent of their ninja clan.

[35] Dead or Alive: Code Chronos, a DOA series' prequel game which was to star Kasumi and Ayane in the leading roles.

Kasumi appears as a playable character in the 2012 action game Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, which was made available as free DLC for the Wii U,[36] and was included in the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions.

In it, she is armed with a long sword and kunai throwing knives and by default wears hooded black armor with a cape-like blue scarf;[37] the player can also select three of her costumes from DOA5.

Kasumi appeared as a lead character in the 2006 action-comedy film DOA: Dead or Alive, which is loosely based on the game series.

In it, she was played by Devon Aoki, an American actress of mixed ethnicity who has previously portrayed the ninja Miho in the film Sin City.

"[54] According to Kung Fu Tai Chi, DOA: Dead or Alive "focuses its pugilistic mayhem on the eye-candy surrounding the mythos of Princess Kasumi".

[58] Kasumi has been featured in a wide range of merchandise, including figurines, statuettes and action figures that have been released by Tecmo,[59] Sega,[60] Kaiyodo,[61] Max Factory,[62] Kotobukiya,[63][64][65] Takara,[66] wall scrolls,[67] and others.

[72] Other items include an Xbox 360 face plate,[73] a PSP protective cover,[69] swimwear for women,[74] "3D breasts" gel-filled mousepads[75][76] and a "3D" mug,[77] trading cards,[78] and a "squishy pillow".

"[99] The staff of Wirtualna Polska meanwhile stated she has "become almost a legend, becoming one of the most iconic heroines not only in games, but also in pop culture in general", noting the large amount of merchandise and memorability regarding the character.

"[102] Princess Weekees of The Mary Sue stated that while "her conception was filled with ecchi ideas", she enjoyed how Kasumi evolved as a character during the course of the series.

Calling her a sex symbol, she appreciated that the character's redesign in Dead or Alive 6 was her favorite, "providing full coverage, but the tight design of it still looks sexy".

[108] Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 on the other hand criticized her as an "insufferable Mary Sue," particularly in Dimensions and cited her as an example of poor writing in the series.

[110][111] The book Data Made Flesh cited her as an example of how video game characters tend to lean towards a "hyperreal" depiction that aimed to create "a unique aesthetic for perfection".

[112] Matt Cundy of GamesRadar+ meanwhile praised how she was changed aesthetically for Dead or Alive 5, citing how the "manga influences" in her face were present but reduced, and particularly noted her breasts were shown as more manageable compared to previous incarnations.

[118] Also in 2007, Doujin company C-Cube released a unofficial "breast stimulation" erotic soundtrack CD using the character's likeness in Akihabara stores.

[119] Kasumi's popularity also led to a large amount of poor quality bootleg figurines in Japan, to the extent shop owners would post comparison pictures to help shoppers identify them.