Character page for the PS2 game Shinobi.
Spoilers are unmarked!
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Oboro Clan
Hotsuma
Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese), Jordan Rosa (English)
The newly appointed leader of the Oboro clan, and wielder of the sword Akujiki, after besting and slaying his opponent, his brother Moritsune, in a duel. Although, he holds a heavy heart and has distant himself from the clan.
- Badass Armfold: His idle stance has him crossing his arms.
- Evil Weapon: The sword Akujiki feeds off the lifeforce of those it kills, and if not given fresh blood for too long, feeds off the wielder instead.
- Eyes Out of Sight: His visor obscures his eyes and only in certain cutscenes and angles do they get shown. He's only shown fully unmasked in the prologue scene.
- Face Death with Dignity: Hotsuma is aware that Akujiki's power will either force him to kill others to stay alive or die sealing it away. He chooses the latter, but not without slaying Hiruko first.Hotsuma: "I am prepared to face my fate."
- The Hero: Hotsuma sets the story by avenging the deaths of the Oboro Clan and slaying their malicious enemy Hiruko Ubusuna.
- The Hero Dies: Hotsuma stays behind in a collapsing Golden Palace after killing Hiruko to seal Akujiki away for good.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: Hotsuma wears mostly dark clothing, but his scarf is designed to make him this so the player doesn't lose track of him during the action.
- It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: He was appointed as the new leader of the Oboro and wielder of Akujiki, but was not happy with the circumstances that lead to it and the responsibilities that come with it.
- Last of His Kind: He's the last remaining Oboro, and the clan ends with his death at the Golden Palace.
- Scarf of Asskicking: His scarf is 30 feet long and freely flies in the air as he moves around, and it looks awesome!
- Secret Character: He's an unlockable playable character in the sequel Nightshade (2003) if the memory card has a completed Shinobi save file.
- You Are Already Dead: The whole TATE sequence. Attack the enemy enough times until they freeze, go to the next one, and when all the enemies are frozen, Hotsuma will pose or sheath his sword, with all the enemies exploding simultaneously.
Moritsune
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese), Casey Robertsan (English)
The brother of Hotsuma, and Ageha's lover. He was slain in a fated duel with Hotsuma... until he was revived by Hiruko 4 years later as a Hellspawn vessel for Aomizuchi.
- Always with You: He promises to Hotsuma before being executed that he'll always be with him, and once again after having Aomizuchi exorcised from him.
- Came Back Wrong: Ageha worked with Hiruko to revive Moritsune, but Hiruko instead uses him as a vessel for Aomizuchi.
- Cool Big Bro: Was this for Hotsuma, as he and Ageha looked up to him.
- Dark Reprise: The theme "Dark Dragon" during his boss fight as Aomizuchi, is a slower version of his previous boss theme ''Moritsune".
- Demonic Possession: His corpse is reanimated as a vessel for Aomizuchi by Hiruko.
- Dying as Yourself: Aomizuchi is exorcised from him and it gave him some time to have one last talk with Hotsuma before being absorbed by Akujiki.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He saved Ageha from getting cursed by Akujiki when she accidentally touches the sword as a child, but as a result gets cursed by it for the rest of his life.
- Lightning Bruiser: Moritsune when unlocked as playable character is faster and stronger than Hotsuma, but his yin meter drains more quickly causing him to need to kill more enemies to keep his health from being drained.
- Not Blood Siblings: He's not directly related to Hotsuma, but nonetheless still regard each other as brothers.
- Plot-Triggering Death: His death at the hands of Hotsuma is what caused the chain reaction of Ageha breaking Hiruko's seal in hopes of reviving him, and subsequently the massacre of the Oboro clan, and even Ageha and Hotsuma's own deaths.
- Secret Character: He's an unlockable playable character after the player collects 30 Oboro coins.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Zig-zagged, he was always a good person, selfless and an older brother figure to his friends, but after being revived as a Hellspawn, he becomes a cold, merciless killer. But once he regains consciousness, he gives Hotsuma reassurance and encourages him to avenge the Oboro before being absorbed by Akujiki.
Ageha
Voiced by: Satsuki Tsuzumi (Japanese), Irene Trapp (English)
A childhood friend of Hotsuma and Moritsune, whom she's in love with. After Moritsune's loss and death at the hands of Hotsuma, she became resentful of the Oboro clan and defected.
- Action Girl: A ninja as skilled as Hotsuma and Moritsune. Though the reveal of her being The Mole would make her more of a Dark Action Girl.
- Deadly Hug: When she embraces Moritsune after Hiruko revives him, he stabs her in the chest and she dies immediately, as she was already injured after her fight with Hotsuma.
- It's Personal: She became resentful of the Oboro clan after Moritsune was killed, and released Hiruko's seal just so she could have him back.
- Love Makes You Evil: Ageha betrayed the Oboro Clan and broke the seal to release Hiruko, hoping that he would resurrect Moritsune, a childhood friend who saved her from having her soul absorbed by the Akujiki when they were children.
- The Mole: She broke Hiruko's seal as revenge against the Oboro for taking Moritsune away from her.
- Together in Death: Moritsune, after regaining consciousness, allows himself and Ageha to be absorbed into Akujiki together, fulfilling her wish posthumously.
- Two Guys and a Girl: She, Hotsuma, and Moritsune were the closest to each other during childhood.
Ubusuna Clan
Kagari Ubusuna
Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma (Japanese), Theresa Lubeley (English)
A descendent of Hiruko and the Shrine Maiden guarding Kumano Shrine, where he is sealed in. Since she carries his blood, she is targeted by the Hellspawn lords to revive the demon statue Yatsurao.
- Apocalypse Maiden: Because she carries the Ubusuna blood, her mere existence will allow evil to unleash into the world if Hiruko gets his hands on her. She asks Hotsuma to kill her for the greater good, but he refuses.
- Damsel in Distress: About half of the game is about rescuing her from the Hellspawn lords as Hiruko needs her to revive Yatsurao.
- Hime Cut: Her hair is neatly trimmed with bangs and side tails that frame her face, which accentuates her demure and meek personality.
- Sole Survivor: She's the only character in the entire game to live to the end.
- Shoot the Hostage: Subverted, Kagari pleads Hotsuma to kill her so Hiruko won't use her to revive Yatsurao and endanger the world, but Hotsuma refuses, as his target is Hiruko.
- Miko: She's a Shrine Maiden protecting Hiruko's tomb.
Hiruko Ubusuna
Voiced by: Old: Kan Tokumaru (Japanese), Roger Jackson Young (English) Young: Wataru Takagi (Japanese), Erin Clark (English)
An Evil Sorcerer sealed by the Oboro clan 60 years prior to the story. After being unsealed, he seeks Akujiki so he can use it for himself to Take Over the World, and by doing that, he manipulates Hotsuma into killing his zombified Oboro clan members to power it up.
- Anime Hair: When he restores his youth with Yatsurao's essence, his hair sticks out horizontally like an unfolded paper fan.
- Big Bad: He's the main threat of the game, being an Evil Sorcerer who seeks nothing but world domination.
- Calling Your Attacks: Given that he's a powerful sorcerer, he announces what magic spell he's using during his boss fight.
- Evil Sorcerer: Hiruko's a powerful Onmyouji that is ruthless in his plans of world domination.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Golden Palace that is erected after an earthquake is where Hiruko resides in, it's also the Final Dungeon.
- Fountain of Youth: After Hotsuma destroys Yatsurao, Hiruko absorbs its essence to become younger and more powerful. When he's defeated, he regresses back to his old self before dying.
- Genocide from the Inside: Hiruko resurrects the remaining members of the Oboro Clan to fight Hotsuma throughout the game after initially killing them so Hotsuma can collect their souls for his later usage. Hotsuma essentially has to kill off his clan members after they've already died.
- Hate Sink: He really has no redeeming qualities, an Evil Sorcerer who seeks nothing but personal gain and world domination, and by accomplishing that he massacres the whole Oboro clan (including the teenage Shirogane and Akagane), converts them into Hellspawn so Hotsuma can kill them and fuel Akujiki into a super weapon that Hiruko can use for himself.
- Kick the Dog: His reward for Ageha after she unleashes him from his slumber? Have the zombified Moritsune murder her while she's fatally wounded. He gleefully taunts her as she dies.Hiruko: Foolish woman! This is your reward for releasing me, I'm allowing you to die at the hands of the man you love!
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Gameplay example with the fight with Hiruko. Hotsuma's attacks will only remove a sliver of Hiruko's health, so he can only reliably be killed with "TATE" attack. If Hiruko didn't summon minion to allow Hotsuma to do a "TATE" then he may well have been impossible.
