Nurugai (ヌルガイ Nurugai?) is the last remaining member of the Sanka Mountain People. She later becomes one of the few criminals sent to Kotaku to acquire the Elixir of Life for the shogun. Her assigned Asaemon was Yamada Asaemon Tensa.
Appearance
Nurugai has quite an androgynous appearance, with her Asaemon having only figured out that she was a girl after undressing. She has dark tanned skin and long, black, messy hair that reaches down past her shoulders when left untied; although she usually ties the hair up above her head. Later in the chapters, Nurugai's hair becomes smoother. Her body is also noticeably muscular.
She is seen wearing very scrappy clothes, her top lacking sleeves, and bandages wrapped around both of her wrists. She also wears black pants that end somewhere halfway down her calves, also lacking any footwear.
Gallery
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Personality
Nurugai looks down on samurai, viewing them as stupid. Her disdain for them stems from the fact that they were partially responsible for killing her people. At that time, she was generous enough to guide them to the foothill (not knowing that their mission was to executer her people). However, after being influenced by Tensa and Shion, her opinion of them may have change and views that not all samurai are bad.
Nurugai held a strong guilt for the responsibility of her village's extermination. She believed the reason why she is on a dangerous mission is because she was receiving divine punishment for her actions. She originally came to the conclusion that she wanted to die for her sin but was convinced by Tensa to live on and return home.
Nurugai showed that she has no shame in exposing her naked body to others. Despite not always expressing it, Nurugai can sometimes bring out her feminine side. After being charmed by Tensa's chivalry, Nurugai vowed to make him her groom.
History
Nurugai was raised with the Sanka Mountain People in a village where she had lived with her grandfather. Nurugai and her grandfather were in a friendly, familial relationship where she would learn off her grandfather's wisdom.
Her village however were considered rebels against the current shogunate, refusing to submit to Tokugawa. Because of this, samurai were sent to locate the hillside tribes they defined as Emishis. One day, Nurugai crossed paths with a party of lost men, encouraging Nurugai to offer her help by seeking rest in the security of her village. Nurugai recognized her mistake when she realised that these men were samurai under the order of Tokugawa, who began a mass killing of her village that would leave her as the sole survivor.
The samurai later imprisoned Nurugai in order to reveal the location of other Sanka settlements; promising to execute her once they had gotten what they needed. During her captivity, Nurugai met Yamada Asaemon Tensa who invited her to partake in the search for the elixir to avoid execution.
Relationships
Yamada Asaemon Tensa
Plot
Island Arc
After coming to Edo, Nurugai is grouped together with death row criminals and was told the details of the mission. She asked if the Elixir of Life doesn't come to exist on the island but the questioned was ignored. They were then told to massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island. After the massacres ends, Nurugai survives and leaves for the island with Yamada Asaemon Tensa.
Nurugai and Tensa fighting off the large tentacle creature.
After making land, the two stumble upon a monster, however Tensa manages to slay it. He decides to take Nurugai to the shogun's ship so she can return back to the mainland, believing that she is innocent. While talking down to him, Nurugai felt that it would be pointless to return since she didn't acquire the elixir. Tensa assured her that he would talk to his superiors but Nurugai doubted that would work. After the fog clears, Tensa finds the ship but later turns out to be wreckage from the boats that were departing. Nurugai then notices two shadows through the fog. Tensa draws his sword but Nurugai warns him not to. A large tentacle then suddenly attacks them, but they manage to dodge it in time. They are then surrounded by more large tentacles. Tensa suggests that they find a boat to escape. While running, Nurugai thinks back as to how she led her grandfather and her people to their demise. The two stop and find the blooming corpse of Yamada Asaemon Kisho who causes Nurugai to envision her dead grandfather. She gives up on trying to survive and believes that she is receiving divine punishment for her crimes. Tensa refuses to allow her to be killed by the creature and tells her that he couldn't accept her resolve and asked her whether or not if she wanted to make the choose to live or die. Remembering the peaceful times she had with her grandfather, Nurugai tells him that she wanted to live and return home. Tensa gives Nurugai a sword and tells her to fight alongside him until they can get to Kisho's boat.
The two managed to escape from the beast and landed back on the island, later washing off the blood. As Nurugai begins to undress, Tensa notices that her body is quite feminine for a male, which she corrects him, saying that she was female by exposing herself to him. Tensa becomes shocked and shrugs off her statement of making him her groom. After cleaning and dressing themselves, Tensa suggest finding an escape route and find his fellow Asaemon for help.
Lord Tensen Arc
While wandering aimlessly on the beach, Nurugai and Tensa are unable to find a current away from the island. They then run into a mysterious woman who transforms into a man and starts to attack them. Tensa is injured but fights back and tells Nurugai to run, however, he catches up to them. The man is then beheaded by a sword thrown by Yamada Asaemon Shion. As they are given an opportunity to run to safety, Nurugai notices that despite him being blind Shion was maneuvering well in the forest. After relocating to a save area, Tensa introduces his master Shion to Nurugai who scolds him for his sloppy swordplay against his opponent. Shion reveals to them that while he was prepared to leave he found an optimal current that could lead them away from the island. He then draws his sword towards Nurugai and asked for an explanation as to why Tensa was protecting her. At first Shion could not accept Tensa's actions in protecting her because she was innocent but he is later convince by Tensa to not carry out the execution. Nurugai greets Shion by calling him sensei but Shion says that calling him sensei was not necessary since he did not teach her anything. They are then shocked that despite his blindness that he was able to tell that Nurugai was female.
Shion forcing himself to flee with Nurugai.
Before they could go to the current, they take into account of the immortal being that attacked them and try to come up with an plan. However, it instantly shows up behind Tensa and Nurugai as a female and prepares to attack. Shion pushes them out of the way but has his throat slashed by her. Tensa engages in battle against the female but is hit by a devastating blow. Nurugai runs towards him in horror but is stopped by Shion. After Shion senses Tensa's desperate plead for them to escape, Shion grabs Nurugai and runs off. Nurugai begs him to stop but he explains that he was honoring Tensa's last wish and he will avenge him.
In the forest, Nurugai tries to attack Shion but is easily intercepted with his perceptive powers. Nurugai pleads for Shion's to teach her swordsmanship and his surrounds, explaining that she doesn't want to see the people she cares for to die. Shion refuses but explains to Nurugai that his perceptive powers comes from sensing waves within everything around him and tells her that it would be difficult for her to learn. Although he objected, Nurugai receives lessons from him while fighting the Sōshin and wonders if he is either doing this on purpose or if he is absent-minded. The two then continue to move forward.
The two arrive in Hōrai and lend their aid to Sagiri, Yuzuriha and Senta in facing off against the monstrous Lord Tensen. Nurugai removes the blooming flowers from Senta's head and assures Sagiri's worries about Shion. The three then watch in amazement as Shion fights on par with the monster. However, they are shocked by flowers emerging from Shion's scratched body. Sagiri makes the decision to join him after seeing him loose blood from removing the flowers but Nurugai recommends not to because of her condition. Despite this, Sagiri says that she could not stand by as Shion risk his life. Her words encourages Nurugai to join her but Yuzuriha decides to not help them since she does not have enough energy. Thinking about the time she was with her grandfather and Shion, Nurugai embraces Yuzuriha and Sagiri as way to restore their strength. She and Sagiri then wrap themselves in bandages and have Yuzuriha coat them in her fluid to prevent them from being infected by the monsters stingers. After relaying their plan to Shion, the monster comes up to Nurugai and attacks. However, she manages to dodge and cut its stingers. She then sees it extend its hand towards her, but Sagiri comes in and intercepts it, as well as protect her from the rest of its oncoming attacks. After Sagiri cuts every one of its vines, Shion gets behind the monster and kills it with his sword. Once the battle was over, Nurugai and the rest comes to Senta and watches as a dies in peace in Yuzuriha's arms. Nurugai then listens to Sagiri's resolve to have every criminal and executioner cooperate to return home safely.
The remaining survivors of the mission gathered together.
The group enters Hōrai and settles in a building. Yuzuriha and Nurugai take the time to change outfits and listen to Shion's review of Tao and how they can defeat Lord Tensen. Nurugai then changes the topics about finding the Elixir of Life. Yuzuriha points out that from what she learned from Mu Dan the elixir does not benefit humans. Sagiri interjects saying that according to Gabimaru, his village chief is immortal because of the elixir, but Yuzuriha explains the possibilities of the chief using an illusion to fool his villagers. Later, she sleeps with Yuzuriha during the night.
The remaining survivors of the vanguard party join forces to complete the mission and escape the island.
The next day, the group heads to the gate to see if the others have made it to Hōrai. After arriving at the gate, they are met by Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Gabimaru unconscious, Mei, Tōma, and a Dōshi. The remaining survivors then relocate to a cave to hide from Lord Tensen. Nurugai, Shion, Tamiya, and Tōma are then asked by Gabimaru to assist him in his training. After Tamiya and Tōma made their attacks, Nurugai joins in as well. Gabimaru sees her attack coming and grabs and swings her to knock Tamiya, Tōma, and Shion back. Nurugai becomes impress with Gabimaru's skills and finds that he is strong enough to fight Lord Tensen but the ninja says that he is far from ready. The group later gather together and are warned by Mei that someone or another group has arrived on the island. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. Although Sagiri vouched for his cooperation, Shion denies this after explaining the full story of the Silver Serpent's group execution and how he does not cooperate with criminals or allow any Asaemon to work with them as well. Moving on, Shion presents his strategy of finding the Tan elixir and an escape route by separating everyone into two teams and using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat each member of Lord Tensen. However, Yuzuriha suggests finding a way off the island and go into hiding. Shion takes her recommendation into account and gives everyone the option of working separately or working together in completing the mission. Unanimously, everyone decides to follow Shion into the came and work together. Nurugai then punches Shion thinking that he wanted to leave her after giving everyone the two choices.
Palace Invasion Arc
Using the information Mei provided, the group strategies on how to escape the island by using the ships located within the palace and learns that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. The group then sits in on Gabimaru and Yuzuriha's lessons on espionage using Tao. Later, Nurugai, Tamiya and Fuchi are seen exhausted from the training. After being put in the Escape-Route Team, Nurugai prepares to ask Shion a question but is told by the Asaemon that he has not forgotten.
Abilities and Powers
Nurugai was capable enough of surviving the massacre of multiple strong death row criminals. Her muscular build suggests that Nurugai underwent extensive training.
Physical Abilities
Nurugai is very agile and has fast reflexes, shown as she avoided a direct attack from Zhu Jin, who himself complimented on her quick movement. Even Sagiri was amazed by how nimble Nurugai was when she managed to evade and cut Mu Dan's stingers easily.
Swordsmanship
With a sword at hand, Nurugai displayed enough skill to help Tensa slash away at the giant monsters tentacles and escape.
Weapons
Nurugai wields a sword given to her by Tensa.
Quotes
- "More like my grandpa's wisdom. He was always telling me to economize in everything I do."
- "But now I know. This IS Divine Punishment. Punishment for getting gramps killed... For getting them all killed..."
- "Of course I don't! I wanna go back to the mountains!"
Trivia
- Nurugai ranked 10th place in the manga 1st Character Popularity Poll with 241 votes.