Rikimaru
| Rikimaru | |
|---|---|
| Tenchu character | |
Rikimaru in Tenchu: Shadow Assassins
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| First game | Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1998) |
| Voiced by (English) | Paul Lucas (Stealth Assassins) Rino Romano (Birth of the Stealth Assassins) Daniel Dae Kim (Wrath of Heaven) Liam O'Brien (Shadow Assassins) |
| Voiced by (Japanese) |
Toru Okawa (Stealth Assassins) Tomohiro Tsuboi (Time of the Assassins) Rikiya Koyama (Shadow Assassins) |
| Motion capture | Sho Kosugi (Stealth Assassins) |
| Portrayed by | Wataru Mori (Tenchu Butai) |
Rikimaru (力丸) is a fictional character in the Tenchu video game series. He is featured in every game in the series, including as a player character in most of them. The character's critical reception was mostly positive as one of the more realistic ninja characters in video gaming and one of the earliest stealth game heroes.
Rikimaru was originally motion capture-portrayed by Sho Kosugi, a Japanese actor made famous by starring in a series of American ninja films in the early 1980s, whose son Kane Kosugi portrayed Rikimaru's nemesis Onikage. Rikimaru's characteristics include unusually white hair and a scar over his right eye yet maintaining the stereotypical hoodless ninja outfit including his long sleeved fishnet top under a vest, with baggy trousers and traditional ninja boots, while carrying a legendary sword named Izayoi granted to him by his master and mentor, Shiunsai. Compared to his female partner Ayame, Rikimaru's design did not change much through the series, with exception of the first sequel which featured the younger version of him and with no scar.
Rikimaru is the current head of the Azuma Shinobi ninja clan and the series' primary protagonist. His master and predecessor as head of the clan was Shiunsai, who was killed by another member of the clan, Tatsumaru. Dedicated, honourable and withdrawn, Rikimaru is prepared to sacrifice his own life without hesitation, something he does at the end of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins only to reappear in Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. His ability to retain his composure and sense of destiny allows him to undertake missions others would consider suicidal. He lacks speed in combat when compared to Ayame, but has greater strength and a greater control over his temper than his female companion. His primary rival in the series is Onikage, whom he fights in almost every game and usually defeats, only to have him coming back again due to his resurrection abilities and intense desire to defeat Rikimaru.
Years before the events of the games, Shiunsai received an order to assassinate a particular samurai. Together with several fellow ninja, he infiltrated the home of the samurai and killed him. As he and the other ninja were preparing to leave, the dead samurai's wife and servant discovered the ninja. The others quickly dispatched the wife and servant, but as they moved to silence the baby clutched in the dead wife's arms, Shiunsai stopped them from killing the baby boy. Taking pity on the boy, Shiunsai brought the baby home with him and raised it as if it were his own flesh and blood. Shiunsai was already raising Tatsumaru to become a ninja and he decided that the new baby would follow the same path. After the baby had grown into a young boy and started his training as a ninja, it became apparent that he was something of a weakling.
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Wikipedia