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===Enemies=== |
===Enemies=== |
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====Lord Tensen==== |
====Lord Tensen==== |
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| − | Yuzuriha had her first encounter with Lord Tensen at the open entrance gate to Hōrai where [[Mu Dan]] confronted her party with the intentions of toying with them. Yuzuriha sensed that he was dangerous but had no other choice but to fight back against the Tensen since escape from him was unfortunately impossible. Though she and her allies managed to persevere and defeat Mu Dan in the end, Yuzuriha came to understand how powerful and terrifying Lord Tensen was, having trembled with fear at the thought of fighting Mu Dan in his Kishikai state after exhausting herself in their first fight, and told Gantetsusai that he was foolish to underestimate Lord Tensen upon calling Shion a coward for wanting to remain on high alert while the survivors were hiding from them. Rather than risk going into enemy territory and face more of their members in order to retrieve the elixir, Yuzuriha |
+ | Yuzuriha had her first encounter with Lord Tensen at the open entrance gate to Hōrai where [[Mu Dan]] confronted her party with the intentions of toying with them. Yuzuriha sensed that he was dangerous but had no other choice but to fight back against the Tensen since escape from him was unfortunately impossible. Though she and her allies managed to persevere and defeat Mu Dan in the end, Yuzuriha came to understand how powerful and terrifying Lord Tensen was, having trembled with fear at the thought of fighting Mu Dan in his Kishikai state after exhausting herself in their first fight, and told Gantetsusai that he was foolish to underestimate Lord Tensen upon calling Shion a coward for wanting to remain on high alert while the survivors were hiding from them. Rather than risk going into enemy territory and face more of their members in order to retrieve the elixir, Yuzuriha came up with the option of trying to find a way off the island and go into hiding. However, after deciding to work with the survivors to complete the mission, Yuzuriha was willing to raid Hōrai and fight back against Lord Tensen, even if it meant losing her life in the process. |
==History== |
==History== |
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Revision as of 08:06, 22 July 2021
| “ | I don't have a story. Getting to live and return home's reason enough. I don't wanna die while I'm still young! That's all! | ” |
—Yuzuriha (Chapter 8) | ||
Yuzuriha (杠 Yuzuriha?), also known as Yuzuriha of Keishu (
After managing to escape the island, Yuzuriha assumed her new identity as Sumire (スミレ?) in order to hide from the law and start her new life.
Appearance
Yuzuriha is a young woman with dark locks of hair tied together in a bun with a hair pin. After her battle with Ran, it was revealed that Yuzuriha has multiple scars all over her body that she received from her past and hid them using a layer of mucus to act as her skin.
Initially, she wore the standard attire for a kunoichi, which was a sleeveless dark garment, a white obi wrapped around her waist, and dark pants that had openings around her thighs. Her blouse was noticeably kept slightly opened, showing off most of her cleavage. She had arm straps holding kunai on both her arms and wore a bandage on her right wrist and a bracer on her left. She also carried around bamboo bottles of potions on her waist to perform her ninjutsu, along with a wakizashi with two ropes wrapped around its scabbard.
After entering Hōrai and trying on different outfits, Yuzuriha changed into a green cheongsam with yellow peony flower patterns and an opening in the chest area. She later changes into a new cheongsam after her previous one was ruined by Ran.
After a year passed since she escaped the island, Yuzuriha has her hair fall back into a ponytail, instead of having it pinned, and wears a floral pattern kimono along with a dark kimono jacket.
Gallery
Other
Personality
Yuzuriha is friendly and cheerful around others with a typical teenage girl personality. She is shown to be carefree and prefers to do things at her own pace. During one night, while everyone in her group was contributing to a certain workload, Yuzuriha sarcastically remarked that she was managing workflow while laying on a hammock.[3] Because of her reputation as a criminal, Yuzuriha has no problems when it comes to killing or who she has to sacrifice to achieve a goal.[4]
Yuzuriha happily refusing to help Gabimaru.
Underneath her friendly attitude, Yuzuriha's true nature is that of a complete narcissist, only focusing on her own well-being and shows little concern for others. This attitude stemmed from her past vow to her little sister to live only for the both of them. During Gabimaru's fight against Rokurōta, she watched from the sidelines and refused to aid or go search for him after he left for Hōrai.[5][6] Another example was when she dodged one of Mu Dan's projectiles knowing that it would hit Senta behind her, despite the fact the latter protected her from the Kiyōshi[7] As explained by Senta, Yuzuriha remains true to herself while having the freedom to lie to others and can see when people are lying to themselves. Yuzuriha held her life in very high regards to the point were she expressed her frustration when Mu Dan tried to kill her with a devastating attack.[8] She can also be easily persuaded and is willing to help others if there is any benefit.[9]
Though selfish, Yuzuriha can show compassion to others. As Senta was dying, she consoled him and had him die in peace by making him forget about his duties as an Asaemon and gave him the last bit of freedom he had to think about what he wanted to imagine as his last memory.
Upon her life threatening battle with Ran, Yuzuriha's selfish attitude changed. Instead of abandoning him, Yuzuriha chose to grab and retreat with a badly injured Gabimaru despite her past warning to him that she was only looking after herself.[10] She was also willing fight alongside him despite her grievous injuries. With her remaining Tao left, Yuzuriha ultimately was willing to risk her life to fulfill her task in killing Ran.
Yuzuriha trying to seduce Gabimaru.
As a kunoichi, Yuzuriha uses her charms to get what she wants. She managed to set up Makiya to be bait for the insects on the island so she can do research and successfully seduced Genji into protecting her. She also attempted to seduce Gabimaru into teaming up with her. When her seduction methods failed against Gabimaru, she tried to act vulnerable and innocent, only for that method to fail as well.[11] Other than this, Yuzuriha also follows shinobi principles, such as knowing the difference between a person's suffering.
She is shown to be a terrible liar after trying to make up her backstory.
Relationships
Family
Saya
Saya was Yuzuriha's late younger sister who died from an incurable illness. After her death, Yuzuriha was driven to live her life for both herself and for her sister, even if it meant keeping people at arms length.
Vanguard Party
The vanguard party refers to the group of assigned death row criminals who have been tasked with competing with one another to retrieve the Elixir of Life for the shogun from Kotaku in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes. To monitor their actions, each criminals were assigned Yamada Asaemon executioners.
To see that her journey goes smoothly, Yuzuriha opted to form alliances with a few of the criminals but with the intentions of using them for her own benefit. After events involving Lord Tensen led up to the surviving criminals and executioners meeting up in Hōrai, Yuzuriha realized that the only way she and the others could all leave the island alive is through cooperation. Upon their alliance, Yuzuriha shared her knowledge of how Tao works, and when the time came to raid Hōrai, she contributed in the life risking battles and cooperate well with the others.
Yamada Asaemon Senta
Yuzuriha fighting Mu Dan together with Senta.
Yamada Asaemon Senta was the Asaemon that was put in charge of watching over Yuzuriha on the mission. While together, Yuzuriha had Senta cooperate with her, despite the Asaemon's only task was being her monitor, and took charge, as she demanded that Senta not give out as much information they gathered to Gabimaru and Sagiri then they already did. While only looking after herself, Yuzuriha took some consideration into Senta's safety due to the requirements of the mission in that she had to keep her Asaemon alive until she had made it back home with the Elixir of Life. After Gabimaru and Sagiri ran into trouble with Rokurōta, Yuzuriha had Senta pinned to a tree to prevent him from being involved and had him run off with her before they were caught in the forest fire set by Gabimaru. Following their battle with Mu Dan, Yuzuriha worked well fighting with Senta as an ally but could care less about his well-being, as she had him take a hit from one of the Tensen's Tao attacks despite the fact that he protected her from the Kiyōshi earlier. After Senta was Arborified by Mu Dan, Yuzuriha did what she could to help by using a medicine she had on her to stop the bleeding, however, seeing as how he was too far gone, Yuzuriha decided to better make use of what was left of the medicine on Shion and herself. From the moment they left for Kotaku, Yuzuriha became aware that Senta did not care much for his role as an executioner or the mission and took pity on him during his last moments by telling Senta that he no longer had to worry about his duties, while also offering him the last bit of freedom he had to think about whatever he found pleasant.
Gabimaru
Yuzuriha fighting alongside Gabimaru.
Yuzuriha's first encounter with Gabimaru was during the gathering of the death row criminals for the shogun's mission where she was placed right next to him. Yuzuriha recognized Gabimaru based on the descriptions about him as a famous shinobi but felt disappointed with his capture. After reuniting with him on the island, Yuzuriha sought out his strength and proposed to form an alliance that would benefit them both, to which he agreed to. However, she had no intentions of fighting alongside him and did not care for his well-being after he chose to head out to Hōrai alone.
The two reunited once again after the surviving criminals and executioners chose to work together to fight against Lord Tensen. Yuzuriha coordinated well with him in infiltrating the palace and performed exceptional teamwork against their battle with Ran. Despite returning to being allies, Yuzuriha made it clear to Gabimaru before the infiltration mission that she was only looking after herself and she was not willing to risk her life to fight at his side. Gabimaru in turn accepted this and understood where she was coming from since he also had to keep himself alive in order to see his wife again. In spite of this, Yuzuriha chose to go back on her word by trying to flee with a badly injured Gabimaru in her arms after Ran overpowered them in his Kishikai, seeing as how she could not bring herself to leave him behind to die. After learning the error in her ways from Gabimaru's determination, Yuzuriha made the decision to fight alongside him to defeat the Tensen even if it meant losing her life in the process, highlighting her newfound attitude of seeing Gabimaru as a true ally. After Ran's defeat, Yuzuriha cared enough to warn Gabimaru about the risk of injecting his body with Flower Tao and was impressed with how he accepted it.
During the voyage back to Japan, Yuzuriha's relationship with Gabimaru has been shown to have blossomed into a friendship to where she can poke fun of him and enjoy a comedic conversation. After a year passed, Yuzuriha accompanied Sagiri to see Gabimaru once again and was surprised to see that he was well at ease with his new life.
Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
Yuzuriha getting close with Sagiri.
Yuzuriha is very fond of Sagiri and is more friendly towards her than any of her other allies of the vanguard. She was already on good terms with Sagiri ever since she allied with Gabimaru and started calling her "Sagi-rin" (さぎりん) — "-rin" being a much friendly and "cuter" way of using the honorific "-chan" (which is usually used by teenage girls). She was grateful to Sagiri for being concern for her well-being after she demanded Mu Dan to free her from his clutches, despite the fact that she was prepared to leave her behind after sensing how dangerous the Tensen was, and wanted to make sure that she could escape enemy territory along with her. After fighting together to defeat Mu Dan, the two have gotten very close, which shows on Yuzuriha's part as she would often try to invade Sagiri's personal space. Sagiri in turn views Yuzuriha as an ally she has come to trust and respect and was happy to see her alive after her life threatening battle against Ran.
Additional Landing Party
As a condemned criminal, Yuzuriha became targeted by the shinobi and Yamada Asaemons of the additional landing party who were under orders by Yamada Asaemon Shugen to eliminate all surviving criminals from the vanguard. However, following the chaos brought on by Zhu Jin assimilating themselves with the Banko, the surviving members temporarily set aside their orders and cooperated with the criminals in order to eliminate the threat and reach Rien who had set a course to Edo.
Enemies
Lord Tensen
Yuzuriha had her first encounter with Lord Tensen at the open entrance gate to Hōrai where Mu Dan confronted her party with the intentions of toying with them. Yuzuriha sensed that he was dangerous but had no other choice but to fight back against the Tensen since escape from him was unfortunately impossible. Though she and her allies managed to persevere and defeat Mu Dan in the end, Yuzuriha came to understand how powerful and terrifying Lord Tensen was, having trembled with fear at the thought of fighting Mu Dan in his Kishikai state after exhausting herself in their first fight, and told Gantetsusai that he was foolish to underestimate Lord Tensen upon calling Shion a coward for wanting to remain on high alert while the survivors were hiding from them. Rather than risk going into enemy territory and face more of their members in order to retrieve the elixir, Yuzuriha came up with the option of trying to find a way off the island and go into hiding. However, after deciding to work with the survivors to complete the mission, Yuzuriha was willing to raid Hōrai and fight back against Lord Tensen, even if it meant losing her life in the process.
History
Past
Yuzuriha grew up living in a shinobi village with her little sister, Saya, who was suffering from an incurable disease. After Saya had died from her illness, Yuzuriha swore to live her life for the both of them and started her career as a kunoichi. Sometime ago, Yuzuriha raided the Sagiwa Castle and defeated the retainers defending it.
At some point, Yuzuriha was caught and sentenced to death but was given a chance by Yamada Asaemon Senta to be pardon for her crimes if she were to accept a mission directly from the shogun that required her to embark on a journey to a mysterious island that is said to hold the Elixir of Life and acquire it for the shogun, to which she agreed to.
Island Arc
- Main article: Island Arc
After accepting the request, Yuzuriha was taken to Edo where the shogun was present and gathered together with a crowd of pthers criminals who also desired the pardon. Among the criminals was the infamous Gabimaru the Hollow, who Yuzuriha is placed next to and recognizes right away. She then expresses her disappointment that a big shot shinobi like him would get captured. After they were given their instructions, the criminals were ordered to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island. Towards the end, Yuzuriha became one of the few that survived and left with her Yamada Asaemon Senta as her assigned monitor.
Yuzuriha sees Makiya's blooming corpse.
After landing on the island, Yuzuriha made a pact with one of the criminals she is competing with, Moro Makiya, and uses him as bait for the human-faced insects on the island in order to learn about their behavior, which ultimately leads to his death. She also managed to charm his Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Genji, in to traveling with her and provide protection. Not long after, Yuzuriha noticed Gabimaru fighting a horde of monsters and decided to help him in his predicament. She then tries to persuade him into teaming up with her, explaining that she can provide him with information she gathered. At first, Gabimaru refused due to not trusting her but changed his mind and agreed to teaming up. The group then decides to seek shelter after Gabimaru's Asaemon monitor, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, fell unconscious.
After Sagiri had woken up, Gabimaru tells the group that he did not find anything resembling the drawing of the Elixir of Life they were given. Yuzuriha then asked why he was qualified to determine if the elixir exists and if he knew anything about it. Gabimaru says that he did not know anything, but causes the kunoichi to become suspicious. She then hears his report about the bloomed samurai he found in the forest and becomes disgusted with Gabimaru after he feed them kikatsugan that he made using what he could find on the island, only to be reassured that he did not use those plants specifically. She then listens to Senta and Sagiri's findings based on the statues and monsters and were recommended to investigate further on the monsters before they can proceed.
Yuzuriha watches as Gabimaru fights Rokurōta.
The next day, Yuzuriha watches from the sidelines (while also having Senta pinned to a tree) as Gabimaru engages the out of control giant Rokurōta, one of the ten criminals that were qualified on the mission, in battle. Gabimaru asked for the kunoichi's support but is turned after Yuzuriha reminds him of their deal in that she provides him with information while he handles fighting. Senta tells Yuzuriha that he wishes to heal Genji's injuries caused by Rokurōta but is told by her that it was out of the question and suggest that they stay and observe the outcome of the battle. In the middle of the fight, Yuzuriha and Senta are disturbed by Rokurōta's loud rumbling stomach and is later impressed with how Sagiri is handling Rokurōta. After she detects that Gabimaru plans to burn down the forest in order to suffocate Rokurōta with the smoke, Yuzuriha sets Senta free and runs with him to a safer location. Once the battle was over, the group are shocked to come across an abandoned village and theories that it is the place where the Sennin reside.
Lord Tensen Arc
- Main article: Lord Tensen Arc
Gabimaru notices someone is watching them and chases after them, discovering that it was a little girl. He then dodges an attack coming from a tree monster and leaves the rest to them while continuing his pursuit towards the girl, causing Yuzuriha to become annoyed. Sagiri also decides to leave to watch over Gabimaru. Not wanting Senta to see her abilities, Yuzuriha knocks over his glasses and decides to test out her ninjutsu on the monster. Yuzuriha meets back with Gabimaru and Sagiri who have captured the little girl. The group becomes shocked to hear the tree monster speak, asking them to not harm the girl. He then offers to tell them about the elixir and guide them to the village. Yuzuriha doesn't trust the tree monster but it persuades her by mentioning the bath in the village.
Yuzuriha enjoying the bath.
After they arrive to the village, Yuzuriha takes a bath with Sagiri who keeps watch while Senta is with Gabimaru. The two then join them on discussing the island and the elixir. The tree monster reveals that the island's name is Kotaku and the elixir, also known as Tan, can be found at the center of the island called Hōrai and shows them its powers by having his hand regenerate. However, he warns them of Lord Tensen, immortal beings that will not allow them to leave the island. Feeling threaten, Gabimaru and Yuzuriha point their weapons towards him but assures them that he was only warning them. Gabimaru then points his weapon at Mei to see if she has regenerative abilities as well but is scolded by Yuzuriha and Sagiri.
Yuzuriha and her allies travel to Hōrai.
Later, the group sleeps for the night at Hōko's house. They are then informed that Gabimaru has left for Hōrai. Sagiri suggests going after him, however, Yuzuriha refuses. After Hōko offers to guide them though the thick mist since Mei left for Gabimaru, Yuzuriha excitedly tells Sagiri that she was willing to search for him. While traveling to Hōrai, Yuzuriha asked Hōko who is Lord Tensen. He explains that Lord Tensen are seven immortal beings and also tells them about the Arborified humans. She then listens to Senta's observations of the religious attributes of the island and how the island's creator is planning something. Hearing this, Yuzuriha believes they won't stand a chance and that Gabimaru and Mei are already dead. However, Sagiri tells Yuzuriha that she believes that they are still alive. She then listens to Hōko's explanation of Lord Tensen's power known as Tao but becomes confused.
Yuzuriha restrained by Mu Dan.
After traveling for a day, the group reaches the Hōrai gate and enter. Once they enter, the group suddenly sees Hōko's head separated from his body and a mysterious man who is impressed by how far they traveled through the island. Yuzuriha senses that he was dangerous and attempts to flee. However, she is caught by the man who is revealed to be one of Lord Tensen. The Tensen, Mu Dan, reveals to Hōko that his religion was a lie and presents his modified humans. He also reveals that the Elixir of Life doesn't exist and orders them to surrender seeing as how their journey has ended. After substituting her body with an Arborified tree, Yuzuriha attacks Mu Dan and presumably kills him. She then walks towards Sagiri to thank her for trying to protect her earlier and tells her that even though the elixir doesn't exist they should focus on staying alive and run. Mu Dan regenerates from his wounds and becomes impressed with her skills. She is then approached by Mu Dan's Kiyōshi who attempt to kill her by detonating. She manages to survive, which causes Mu Dan to notice that she can perceive Tao, though Yuzuriha didn't know what he was referring to since she knew it as "ki". Seeing as how she had potential, Mu Dan tells Yuzuriha that he will help teach her how to wield Tao properly in their fight.
Yuzuriha attacks Mu Dan with her ninjutsu but is unable to leave any lasting damage as he quickly regenerates. Senta assists her but are unable to land a blow as he effortlessly dodges their attacks blinded. He grabs Yuzuriha by the leg and swings her towards Senta, explaining that through Tao he can sense whatever is around him. Mu Dan mentions to her that she possesses the same attribute as he does and was impressed by how far she came to achieving hōjutsu, though she didn't understand what he was talking about. After learning from Hōko that Lord Tensen's weakness is their tanden located at the navel, Sagiri steps in to attack Mu Dan but is ineffective. However, after getting close to Mu Dan, Sagiri unleashes her Tao and cuts Mu Dan's face. Yuzuriha and Senta then notices that Mu Dan's cut from Sagiri was not healing.
Yuzuriha, Senta, and Sagiri fighting Mu Dan.
Yuzuriha hears Sagiri talk about her experience with Tao and believes that she is also able to use it as well. She determines that a certain amount of Tao is needed to defeat Mu Dan but wonders why his wound wasn't healing. After Senta explains that teamwork would be the effective way of fighting the Tensen, Mu Dan seemingly vanishes and attempts to attack Sagiri. However, Yuzuriha sees through his technique and restrains him with her mucus strings. He commands the Kyoshi to attack her but is protected by Senta. He then uses his mouth tear out his hand from her grasp and sends out a Tao projectile towards her. Yuzuriha jumps out of the way and has Senta receive the attack, thanking him in gratitude. He avoids Sagiri's attacks but Yuzuriha and Senta immobilizes him by cutting his right leg, causing him to receive multiple attacks from each of them. Mu Dan escapes from the range of their attacks by using the Tao in the air to float and forms large Tao projectiles to have them rain down on the three. Yuzuriha informs Sagiri that Mu Dan is trying to avoid only her attacks, believing that her type of Tao is his weakness and thinks that it is possible to kill him. She then steps out into the open and releases a few of her mucus strings to try to pin him down. Mu Dan directs his attacks towards Yuzuriha to try to have her free him, however, refusing to give up, Yuzuriha pulls him down. Senta comes in to hold him down and have Sagiri cut straight through his abdomen, killing Mu Dan. Yuzuriha then rejoices in their victory.
Yuzuriha and Sagiri watches as Mu Dan transforms into his Kishikai form.
After the fight, Yuzuriha hears Sagiri becoming upset that the Elixir of Life doesn't exist and comments that they should move on and try to find another way to complete the mission. She then look towards the giant golden heads in the area and wonders if the superiors will accept them instead of the elixir. Shortly after, she warns the two about Mu Dan's corpse blooming. A stinger from Mu Dan's corpse then targets Yuzuriha but the kunoichi is pushed out of the way by Senta. The two then watch as Senta starts to bloom flowers from the top of his head and see Mu Dan transforming into a monster, causing Yuzuriha to look towards Sagiri in horror. The monster attacks the two with stingers but are protected by Yamada Asaemon Shion accompanied by Nurugai and takes their place in fighting the monster.
Yuzuriha consoling Senta during his last moments.
While Shion fights the monstrous Mu Dan, Yuzuriha gives Senta medicine to help him heal. The three then watch in amazement by Shion handling himself well with Mu Dan but are shocked after witnessing flowers emerges from his wounds. While Sagiri and Nurugai decide to help Shion, Yuzuriha makes the decision to sit and rest, seeing as how she has little strength. Nurugai tries to restore both Yuzuriha and Sagiri's strength by hugging them, however, she still refuses to join the fight but helps coat them with her fluid to prevent them from being infected by the stingers. She then becomes amazed by how the three can fight on par with the monster and helps carry Senta who explains to Shion that the monster’s weakness lies within its ovule since its body is flower-based. The fight finally comes to an end with Shion slaying the monster’s ovule. Sagiri goes to help Senta and asks for Yuzuriha to provide more medicine. However, Yuzuriha refuses seeing as how Senta has no chance at recovering. She then comes by his side and helps him relieve his pain during his final moments. After burying his body, Yuzuriha listens to Sagiri's resolve to have both criminals and executioners return home.
The group enters Hōrai and settles in a building. Yuzuriha and Nurugai uses the time to happily change into some new clothes while Shion reviews what they know about Tao. Once the Elixir of Life was brought up, Yuzuriha tells them that according to Mu Dan, the elixir they were looking for would be of no use. Sagiri then mentions Gabimaru's village chief as prove that the elixir does exist, but Yuzuriha talks about the possibility that the chief used an illusion, known as genjutsu, to fool everyone he knew into thinking that he was immortal. With that thought in mind, Yuzuriha also talks about the possibility of Gabimaru's wife not existing, which causes Sagiri to become frighten at the thought as Yuzuriha goes on to explain her theory. She later falls asleep with Nurugai.
The remaining survivors of the mission gathered together.
The next day, Sagiri suggests going outside the gate and check to see of Gabimaru and others have arrived. Yuzuriha refuses since she thinks it would be best to escape the island since the elixir does not exist. However, Sagiri sees that Yuzuriha's true intentions is to use the Asaemon as her alibi when she returns to the shogun. Sagiri tries to convince her that she plans on having everyone, including her, return home safely and then questions whether Gabimaru managed to reach the gate before them. Yuzuriha tells her that she found evidence that Gabimaru was at the front gate and agrees to travel back. After stepping outside, the group becomes captivated with the clear setting of Hōrai. After reaching the gate, the group are met by Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, Tamiya Gantetsusai, an unconscious Gabimaru, Mei, Tōma, and one of the Dōshi they forced to accompany them. Once they gathered together, Yuzuriha draws everyone's attention towards Gabimaru's bad condition and suggest that they treat him. After waking up and showing signs that he was not himself, Sagiri reveals that Gabimaru has lost his memories because of losing to much Tao. The group then watches as Sagiri restores Gabimaru's Tao by force.
Wanting to escape enemy territory, the group relocates to a cave. Yuzuriha and Nurugai judges Gantetsusai after underestimating the strength of Lord Tensen and tells their experience with fighting one of them. After confirming that Gabimaru has regained his memories and reviewing his experience with fighting Lord Tensen, Yuzuriha thinks it would be a good idea to escape the island and try reasoning with the shogun. Gabimaru states that in order to be with his wife he needed the full protection given by the pardon and survival wasn't enough. After hearing his reason, Yuzuriha explains her earlier theory of his wife being an illusion. Gabimaru tells them that he knows that Yui is real based on his senses and goes further after Yuzuriha doubts him, causing her to find it odd that a ninja like him can talk about their weaknesses. Shion comments that these feelings give prove that Gabimaru's wife may exist since his Tao was starting to grow from emotions.
While the men and Nurugai help Gabimaru with his training at another location, Yuzuriha and Sagiri look after Mei who is feeling ill. Fuchi steps in and agrees to make her medicine but demands that she tells him everything about Lord Tensen and herself. Yuzuriha doesn't think it would be possible for him to know anything from her due to Mei's limited vocabulary, but is informed by Fuchi that he is able to translate her words. After hearing her out, Fuchi explains to them that a Hōshi created both the island, the monsters, and Lord Tensen in his quest to research the secrets to immortality and that Lord Tensen is continuing with his work by practicing the Inner and Outer ways of Tan, which is through meditation and a potion that grants long life. Hearing this, Yuzuriha and Sagiri become shock to hear that the elixir truly exists. She then asks why Lord Tensen is trying to go far with the elixir if their prototype is working well. Mei answers that they are possibly following the will of their creator, Xu Fu.
After receiving an explanation about Xu Fu, Yuzuriha finds it hard to believe that the Hōshi created Kotaku. She then sees Mei fall back exhausted and her turned into a branch. She explains that her body is imperfect and needs help healing. Yuzuriha suggests that they use the same method Sagiri used to heal Gabimaru, however, Mei says that it won't work since she has very little Tao circulating in her. Hōko then offers his Tao for Mei to extract. She accepts and reverts back to her child body after absorbing Hōko's Tao. The four then reunite with the others to discuss their next plan of action, however, Mei senses strong Tao that has landed on the island and was either coming from one person or from a group.
The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island.
Shion and Fuchi believes that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. Sagiri states that Shugen is a kind-hearted person and will provide help for them, however, Yuzuriha refers back to a story that made him infamous, which was the execution of the Silver Serpent yakuza group. Shion explains the story fully and reveals that Shugen not only executed the yakuza group but also their families as well since they were connected to criminals. This gives proof that Shugen will not think about providing help to the group since he despises criminals. The group then moves on to hear Shion's plan of divide everyone into two teams, one finding Tan and the other finding an escape route off the island. He also explains his strategy of using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat each member of Lord Tensen. Yuzuriha gives her opinion on the matter and suggests finding a way off the island and go into hiding. Shion takes Yuzuriha's suggestion into consideration and gives everyone the option of either going their own way or follow him into the cave discuss their next plan together. Unanimously, everyone decides to follow Shion into the cave and work together.
Hōrai Arc
- Main article: Hōrai Arc
With the information Mei provided, the group strategies on using the ships located within Hōrai to escape the island and learns that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. Shion then pulls Yuzuriha and Gabimaru over to have them instruct the group in terms of espionage using Tao. Yuzuriha teaches her lesson on how mask one's presence through Tao while Gabimaru teaches the group on how Tao is use physical. After the lessons were over, Yuzuriha is placed in the Elixir Retrieval Team along with Sagiri and Gabimaru but complains. Gantetsusai suggests that they should have Mei depart alone without having to wait for the Elixir Team since she wishes to leave the island. Gabimaru asks her whether she wanted that decision (which Yuzuriha thought that he was directing the question towards herself). After hearing Mei confess that she wishes to see Xu Fu and Rien before leaving, Gabimaru promises to have her see the two again.
The Elixir Retrieval Team encounters Ran.
After the group plans out their strategy, the Elixir Retrieval Team infiltrates the palace and signals the Escape Route Securing Team that it was safe to enter. They then sense the layout of the castle and takes out the Dōshi guards. The team manages to enter the castle but are met by Ran who waited for their arrival after being informed by Aza Chōbei. Ran tries to convince Mei to return back to their side, revealing that they have finally completed the Elixir of Life. However, Mei refuses and explains that she came to say goodbye. Though he is disappointed, Ran says that the Rite of Just Consumption will have to continue, which is to capture all of the humans and serve them as sacrifices for the grandmaster. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them.
Yuzuriha and Gabimaru vs. Ran.
Since she has the elemental advantage, Yuzuriha is told by Gabimaru to fight alongside him while Sagiri and Mei search for the elixir, much to her annoyance. However, Ran tells them that they are in the Dō'in Temple and has rearrange the palace before they arrived. While Gabimaru fights Ran, Yuzuriha sees an opening to attack and throws her Tao imbued kunai. However, Ran deflects the weapon with his body, explaining that his body is covered in a strong Tao cloak. After getting a good idea of the situation, Yuzuriha is told by Gabimaru that it was time to start their strategy. Gabimaru uses his strategy of redirecting Ran's Tao and gives Yuzuriha an opening to attack. She manages to bisect Ran and comes in to finish him off. However, Gabimaru warns her to stop as Ran is about to enter his Kishikai state.
Yuzuriha and Gabimaru become overwhelmed by Ran's immense strength and are badly injured. Seeing as how Ran has them overpowered, Yuzuriha grabs Gabimaru tries to retreat, however, Ran instantly catches up to them from behind and attacks with a downward chop. Gabimaru catches his attack but is unable to hold back the force behind it, causing his left shoulder to be split down and is thrown aside. Yuzuriha then sees Gabimaru standing back up after injecting himself with Flower Tao from one of Mu Dan's plant stingers he had on hand. She becomes shocked as Gabimaru was willing to lose his humanity if it meant returning back to someone who may or may not exist. Gabimaru explains his reasons and convinces Yuzuriha to fight alongside him despite her severe injury.
Yuzuriha kills Ran.
Knowing that his Kishikai can only last for about half an hour, Gabimaru first throws a burst of fire towards Ran as to overstimulate him, robbing his sense of judgment and timing. The two then buy enough time for his Kishikai to end by attacking him with various ninjutsu techniques. Ran's Kishikai mode finally comes to an end and gives them an opening to attack. Gabimaru holds off Ran from recovering his lost Tao and gives Yuzuriha the opportunity to destroy his tanden. Ran tells him that with her deep wound she was not willing to sacrifice her remaining life with a Tao-enhanced attack. Yuzuriha agrees but also says that she cannot allow him to live and came to fulfill the task she was given. Ran defends himself by forming spikes from the ground before Yuzuriha gets close to him. Gabimaru helps lift Yuzuriha up in the air to avoid the spikes. She then jumps down with enough momentum and destroys Ran's tanden, killing the Tensen once and for all.
After the battle ends, Yuzuriha sits down fully exhausted and warns Gabimaru about the Arborification eventually taking over his body. She then tells him to go on ahead without her. Before leaving, Gabimaru thanks Yuzuriha once again for saving his life when they met the second time. Once she is left alone, Yuzuriha unbuttons her dress to undo the layer of mucus acting as her skin to reveal many scars and thinks back to her late younger sister, apologizing to her for not being able to live for the both of them. She then falls unconscious with a smile on her face, having thought about something beautiful.
Yuzuriha attacked by Isuzu.
After regaining enough health to continue on, Yuzuriha spots Iwagakure shinobi and an army of Dōshi spreading throughout the palace. She then goes to the Retan Temple and saves Sagiri and Mei from an attack from two Dōshi. After the two become delighted to see her again, Yuzuriha hears Sagiri suggestion in trying to negotiate with the Iwa shinobi since they were employed by the shogun but tells her that it was not up for discussion since they are out to kill the criminals and that their main objective should be on getting the Elixir of Life at the floodgates. Yamada Asaemon Isuzu then enters the room with relief seeing that Sagiri is okay but becomes displeased seeing her with Yuzuriha. Upon reading Yuzuriha's criminal record, Isuzu tries to persuade Sagiri into seeing that Yuzuriha is their enemy and that she should come join her side. Yuzuriha tries fight back against Isuzu but feels too weakened from her battle with Ran. Fortunately, she is protected by Sagiri who tries to beg Isuzu into rethinking attacking Yuzuriha.
Yuzuriha giving out the signal to perform a coordinated attack on the Banko's tandens.
Their confrontation soon comes to an end after witnessing Hōrai being overtaken by the Banko after fusing with Zhu Jin. After fighting off the monsters trying to attack them, Yuzuriha climbs up and sees that the giant flower monster is blocking the entrance to the floodgates. With the situation having gotten worse, Yuzuriha tries her hand at reasoning with Isuzu into cooperating but sees Gantetsusai holding the dead body of Fuchi with complete disapproval of working together with Isuzu. Yuzuriha found Fuchi's death to be bad timing and tries to stop Gantetsusai from lashing out his anger on Isuzu. She then becomes annoyed with the situation of Isuzu preparing to commit seppuku after declaring her faith in Shugen in putting an end to the conflict. Thankfully, Yamada Asaemon Jikka arrives, along with the other survivors, to support the idea of teamwork in order to have everyone make it out alive. Though Yuzuriha could tell that Jikka was not all talk she found it hard to tell what his intentions were. After being informed that the Zhu Jin-fused Banko can only be taken down is if they destroy its five elemental tandens simultaneously, the group separate into duos in accordance to the Tao Restoration cycle and search for the tandens scattered around the place, with Yuzuriha being in charge of signaling the synchronize attack at Mei's side. After giving out the signal a few times by blowing a conch shell, the team eventually manages to sync their attacks all at once and bring down the flower monster. However, because morning had already come, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko remained alive and was forced to be taken down by Aza Chōbei.
Departure Arc
- Main article: Departure Arc
Yuzuriha shocked after Gui Fa's warning.
With the Zhu Jin-fused Banko defeated, Yuzuriha and Mei run outside of the temple, with the kunoichi's nose irritated by the smell of the decaying remains, and encounter Gui Fa in a child body while holding the Basin. Yuzuriha notices that the Tensen is not upset over the death of their allies but is told by them that the Basin is meant to hold the plant ovules of the deceased Tensens until a millennium has passed for their resurrection. She then replies that she was okay with overlooking the future and wishes to proceed to the floodgates. However, Yuzuriha is warned by Gui Fa that Rien's goal to depart to Japan can not be stopped and shows her and Mei what they discovered in Rien's laboratory through a Tao illusion, such as the body found. The illusion is then broken by the sound of Rien's ship departing from the floodgates, making Yuzuriha realize that Gui Fa was stalling for time. She then becomes shocked after Gui Fa reveals that the body they found in the laboratory is actually Rien, the Arborified wife of Xu Fu who has been using a Tao puppet to complete her goal of turning every human in Japan into Tan in order to revive her deceased husband, which will happen in no less than two hours. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Yuzuriha tells Mei that they need to hurry to floodgates. Before leaving, Yuzuriha is warned by Gui Fa that, based on the I Ching they found in Rien's laboratory, only two men and one woman will survive in the upcoming future if the remaining survivors choose to go after Rien, much to her surprise.
Yuzuriha and Mei then regroups with everyone at the entrance to the floodgates. The group enters and unfortunately finds that all the ships have been burned, much to Yuzuriha's disappointment. Nurugai points out that there is still one ship intact but is informed by Shion that the wreckage is prevent the ship from moving along the currents. As she still continues to contemplate Gui Fa's warning, Yuzuriha glances at Mei preparing to use her power and yells out to her to not try it since it will cost her her life and reminds her about her desire to see Rien and Xu Fu again. Despite her concern, Mei transforms into her Kishikai and clears a path for the survivors to get on the ship and sail away from the island.
Yuzuriha and the survivors confront Rien.
As they sail off towards Rien's direction, Yuzuriha warns everyone about the fact that the real Rien is using a Tao puppet to control her ship while also subduing the flames from destroying it and believes that the only way they can defeat her is if they try to make her exert too much of her Tao in the same way she and Gabimaru fought Ran. Shortly after, the survivors reach Rien's burning ship after Gantetsusai managed to get onboard earlier to slow it down by damaging it. Though Gabimaru was the one to initially take on the task of fighting against Rien, the survivors decide to join in as well to better their chances at survival. Yuzuriha makes the first attack using crafted armor puppets from her ninjutsu and manages to pierce Rien's temple, followed by the other survivors dealing more damage to the Tensen and finishing her off with Sagiri and Shion's combined attack. However, Rien reveals that the events was a Tao illusion created by her, which knocked out Yuzuriha and her allies in the real world. Shortly after, Yuzuriha opens her eyes slightly while being carried away by Isuzu after Rien, who has entered her Kishikai, dismantles the exterior of her ship. Yuzuriha is then boarded back onto the survivors' ship with the help of Shion and Nurugai and regains consciousness shortly after Rien's defeat.
With Rien defeated, Yuzuriha and the remaining survivors make their way back towards Edo. Despite being reminded that only one criminal can return with the Elixir of Life to earn the pardon, Yuzuriha tells Sagiri, who has becomes depressed with the situation, that a peaceful resolution was never possible and asks if an executioner such as herself as grown attached to criminals. Sagiri answers yes and asks if it was wrong of her to feel this way. Yuzuriha replies no and states that she is not a villain compared to everyone else, which leads to a comedic discussion. After Yuzuriha and Gantetsusai poke fun of Gabimaru and his wife being villains, Yuzuriha, along with the others, become shock to see Gabimaru react in laughter to this silly joke. The group then wish to hear more about Yui while they make it back home, which Gabimaru agrees to.
Yuzuriha saying her goodbye to Sagiri.
Later, Yuzuriha and Gabimaru decide on Gantetsusai to be the one to receive the pardon while they go their separate ways on boats. Jikka agrees to help by making up a false report to the shogun that the two were confirmed dead, set an arrangement for Gabimaru and his wife, and make sure Yuzuriha's village does not go looking for her. He also suggests that they change their names and abandon their formers lives, which Yuzuriha connected to the I Ching she was warned about by Gui Fa. After Shion and Nurugai depart, Yuzuriha takes her boat and sails off while waving goodbye to Sagiri.
Epilogue
After a year passed, Yuzuriha accompanies Sagiri as she goes to visit Gabimaru and Yui. Yuzuriha then spots Yui outside her house and greets her upon meeting her for the first time. The three then enter the house and see that Gabimaru is surprisingly resting, to which Yuzuriha compares him to be a house cat after noticing his bedside manner, and decide to chat amongst each other without him.
Abilities and Powers
Yuzuriha is a very capable kunoichi with a criminal record that caused her to be considered too dangerous to be kept alive and was put on death row. She was able to start a raid on Sagiwa Castle and managed to take down every single retainer.[12] She was also strong enough to survive a massacre full of death row criminals while her hands were restrained. After her arrival on Kotaku, Yuzuriha became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have managed to survive the ordeals the island had to offer and reached Hōrai where Lord Tensen currently resides.[13] It should be noted that among the criminals sent on the mission, Yuzuriha was the only one who was aware of the life energy known as Tao, or "ki", and had a full conscious use of it, which not even Gabimaru, an elite ninja with a higher reputation than her, had no knowledge of. She was capable enough to fight against Mu Dan, a Tensen with a powerful mastery of Tao, and help defeat him with the combined efforts of Sagiri and Senta and acted as a key essential to killing Ran.
Physical Abilities
Yuzuriha is quite agile, being able to quickly pin Gabimaru down[14] and dodge a Tao projectile from Mu Dan at close range.[15] She has good sense of timing to attack her enemies when they give her an opening to exploit, shown as she quickly launched a surprise attack on Mu Dan after taking his eyes off her[16] and managed to cut Ran in half after lowering down his Tao defense.[17]
She also possesses great endurance, being able to survive multiple senjutsu attacks and remained standing later on.
Ninjutsu
Yuzuriha's body fluid ninjutsu.
As a kunoichi, Yuzuriha is capable of using ninjutsu. By drinking one of her potions, Yuzuriha is able to secrete large amounts of body fluid and manipulate it to form strings of mucus that she can use to attack her opponents by slashing or binding. The cutting power of her strings are strong enough to cut her opponents in half[18] and shred their body to pieces.[19] The properties of the body fluid that she generates depends on which potion she takes (i.e. poison).[20] The fluid is very resilient and can act as a sort of armor to prevent injuries from oncoming attacks. Yuzuriha also has the fluid act as a layer of skin to hide her scars. Even without taking the potion, Yuzuriha can still use this ninjutsu but will not secrete a large amount of body fluid needed for battle.
Ninja Arts
- Ninpō: Kawarimi (忍法 忍法 変わり身? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Body Replacement): Once her opponent drops their guard, Yuzuriha instantly switches herself with another object of the same size. This is called Ninpo: Substitution in the Viz Manga.
Ninpō: Nenshi
- Ninpō: Nenshi (忍法粘糸? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Sticky String): Yuzuriha creates various strings from her body fluid and have them ensnare her opponent. This is called Ninpo: Slime String in the Viz Manga.
- Ninpō: Mitsurō (忍法蜜牢? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Honey Prison): After ensnaring her opponent with her strings of bodily fluids, Yuzuriha releases a corrosive poison. This is called Ninpo: Nectar Prison in the Viz Manga.
- Ninpō: Senzankō (忍法線斬行? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Line Cutting): Yuzuriha uses thick lines of strings to wrap around her opponent and shred them. This is called Ninpo: Grim Garote in the Viz Manga.
- Ninpō: Senzanben (忍法線斬鞭? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Line Cutting Whip): Yuzuriha creates a whip using her body fluid. This is called Ninpo: Whiplash Slice in the Viz Manga.
- Ninpō: Mawashi Doku (忍法
廻 し 毒 ? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Rotating Venom): Yuzuriha creates a lasso out of her body fluid. This is called Ninpo: Toxic Twirl in the Viz Manga. - Ninpō: Mizu Tachiki (忍法
水 裁 切 り? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Water Court Cutter): Yuzuriha manipulates her body fluid strings at will. This is called Ninpo: Fluid Rend in the Viz Manga. - Ninpō: Shi Chō (忍法
死 蝶 ? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Death Butterfly): Yuzuriha manipulates her body fluid to form it into the shape of a butterfly. This is called Ninpo: Butterfly Fatale in the Viz Manga. - Ninpō: Koroshi Ame (忍法
殺 し飴 ? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Killing Candy): Yuzuriha has her body fluid strings on her fingers and pulls them by her teeth. This is called Ninpo: Killer Confection in the Viz Manga.
Yuzuriha combining Gyōkō and Ayatsuri Nebaito to use Oku no Itte: Akaame Zonae.
- Ninpō: Gyōkō (忍法
凝 申 ? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Congealing Armor): Yuzuriha uses her body fluid to create weapons such as spears and hollow armor for combat.- Oku no Itte: Akaame Zonae (
奥 一 手 赤 飴 備 ? Literal meaning: Single Back Move: Red Candy Preparation): Yuzuriha combines Gyōkō with Ayatsuri Nebaito to control her hollow soldiers' movements and attacks her opponent from a distance.
- Oku no Itte: Akaame Zonae (
- Ninpō: Ayatsuri Nebaito (忍法 操り粘糸? Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Manipulating Sticky Thread): Yuzuriha creates mucus threads.
- Oku no Itte: Akaame Zonae (
奥 一 手 赤 飴 備 ? Literal meaning: Single Back Move: Red Candy Preparation): Yuzuriha combines Ayatsuri Nebaito and Gyōkō to control her hollow soldiers' movements and attacks her opponent from a distance.
- Oku no Itte: Akaame Zonae (
Tao
- Further information: Tao
Yuzuriha's Tao.
Yuzuriha possesses Earth-attribute Tao, which is called "Ki" from where she originated. She is a proficient user and has enough knowledge of its properties to be chosen as a teacher to instruct the surviving members of the vanguard party. Using Tao, Yuzuriha is able to sense the presence of others, read the intentions behind her opponent’s attacks, and suppress her Tao to mask her presence. She can also use Tao in conjunction with her ninjutsu and her weapons.
Weapons
Yuzuriha's main weapon are kunai. She also carried around a wakizashi but soon discarded it after she changed her attire.
Quotes
- (To Sagiri) "Top priority is our lives. Long as you're alive, you can figure out the rest later. So first, we figure out how to survive. That's my mantra!"[21]
- (To Mu Dan) "Anyone who messes with me and my life is dead meat! God or not, I'll tear you apart!!"[22]
- (To a dying Senta) "The mission? All that honor-bound duty crap? Don't need it anymore. You can rest now. Your whole life, you've been lying to yourself, yeah? It's the end of the road, so be honest now...Go ahead and think about whatever you want. Your family? A pet cat, maybe? Or a lover you left behind? Picture yourself pressed against her. And pass on within that beautiful vision."[23]
- (To Ran) "I tend to look out for number one. And if I die, what's the point? But...Letting you live? Nope. That'd stress me out to death anyway. So I gotta do what I came here to do. Cuz being alive means more than just breathing."[24]
Creation and Conception
Early concept art of Yuzuriha and Senta were included in Jigokuraku Kaitai Shinsho.
Trivia
- "Yuzuriha" (杠) can be translated as "lever" or "pole".
- According to Jigokuraku Kaitai Shinsho, Yuzuriha's name derives from a flower that is poisonous if eaten, while her new identity as "Sumire" translates to violet.
- Yuzuriha rankings in the Popularity Polls:
- In the first popularity poll, Yuzuriha ranked 4th place with 2040 votes.
- In the second popularity poll, Yuzuriha ranked 3rd place with 2340 votes.
- In the Jigokuraku Fashion Review of Volume 2, Yuzuriha's attire received 3 out of 3 stars.
References
- ↑ Jigokuraku Kaitai Shinsho, page 14
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 16, page 5
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 10, page 3
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 8, page 10
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 13, page 7-8
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 26, page 12
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 39, page 7-8
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 39, page 16
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 26, page 13
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 67, page 13-15
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 8, page 8
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 2, page 29
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 37, page 3
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 8, page 7-8
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 39, page 8
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 37, page 12-13
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 65, page 13-14
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 65, page 14
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 38, page 5
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 42, page 3
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 37, page 15
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 39, page 16
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 43, page 12
- ↑ Jigokuraku Chapter 70, page 4-5