Zabu Kurita
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Zabu Kurita (2757 – 2838) was the younger son of Coordinator Minoru Kurita and reigned briefly during the incapacity of his brother Jinjiro Kurita before being deposed by his own generals. His reign was the second shortest of all the Coordinators.
Biography
Zabu was ten years younger than his brother Jinjiro but was also high in his confidence. As Jinjiro was well aware of his own instabilities, he relied heavily upon Zabu who proved to be a shrewd administrator, if weak and soft in comparison to the ruthless Coordinator. This placed him in conflict with the generals of the DCMS and dependent upon Jinjiro's favor for protection.
From around 2835, Zabu was effectively the ruler of the Combine due to Jinjiro's condition[1] but it was not until February 2837 that Jinjiro slipped into permanent psychosis. For the next fourteen months, Zabu ruled as Coordinator, but without his brother as a shield, he was unable to maintain the confidence of the DCMS. On June 23, 2838, after a proposed 4% budget cut on military spending was announced, General Frederick Kozoma entered the Coordinator's quarters with a concealed sword. On learning of the degree of support for his death among the generals, rather than fight for his life, the elderly Zabu ended his own life with dignity, fearlessly inviting the shocked Kozoma to act as his second.
Family
Without question, Zabu's close relationship with his elder brother was an important one and they made an excellent team pairing Jinjiro's military genius to Zabu's wise administration. It is ironic that despite being deposed, Jinjiro outlived his younger brother by almost three years.
Zabu was considered liberal for his times, particularly earning the ire of his generals for taking seriously the advice of women, unlike his brother. Also unlike Jinjiro, Zabu had children: his sons Yoguchi Kurita and Miyogi Kurita would both rule as Coordinator, leading to a generation of conflict between Zabu's grandchildren; and Zabu's daughter Roweena Kurita would also be an important leader within the Combine.