For writing "Ibuki", Zubkavich was nominated for a Joe Shuster Award. He said that, compared to Sakura, "Ibuki's a more complex character, more flawed. She's a great ninja but she isn't even sure this is what she wants out of life. (...) Sakura's never-give-up attitude may be more of a classic anime archetype, but I feel Ibuki's a character more people can empathize with." He added, "Ibuki’s personality has been limited to game endings and oh-so brief lines of dialogue from her victory quotes, so expanding upon those with this focused story is an honour and a challenge." In a poll by Omar Dogan on his DeviantArt website, most of voters wanted to see Ibuki "wearing something cute", and precisely something in the Harajuku-style Lolita fashion. Dogan's own favourite part of the story was "the part where Ibuki and Oro battle."