Rikimaru

General Characteristics

Rikimaru looks like your "basic" Ninja, except for the fact that he has white hair and doesn't cover it with a hood. He has a built body but not one that looks too bulky and he wears very dark clothes. He has a cowl covering his mouth and face and a scar over his right eye. His main weapons is a sword called the

Izayoi

, and he uses all the back up weapons you'd expect a Ninja to use-

Shiruken

,

Calthrops

, Smoke Bombs,

Blowguns

, etc.

Originally Tenchu only had two playable characters: Rikimaru and

Ayame

. Since Ayame was the female that wore less armor and carried swifter weapons, Rikimaru played as the stronger but slower character. Ever since

Tenchu 2

the games have had three playable characters and the third character usually are the slowest and hardest to control. Making Rikimaru the balance between speed and strength.

General Story

A ninja named

Shiunsai

received an order to murder a Samurai but there was a crying baby at the site of the assassination. Shiunsai took pity on the boy and took him in to raise him to be a Ninja. His name, which meant strength, was given to him with hopes that he would grow to be a powerful adult and it must of worked because he became the strongest boy in the village. Once he passed his ninja training he was given the name Rikimaru.

Rikiamru became the leader of the Azuma Ninja in Tenchu 2(which is a prequel) when the newly promoted leader,

Tatsumaru

, was seemingly brain washed by the the enemies after he got amnesia during battle. While he was with the enemies he killed Master Shiunsai, who was a father figure to all three Ninja in the Azuma clan (Rikimaru, Tatsumaru and Ayame), and gave Rikimaru the scar over his right eye. Rikimaru had a much more naive attitude in Tenchu 2 than in the other games and it is believed that these events made him much colder.

The main advisories of Rikimaru are considered to be

Onikage

, Lord

Mei-Oh

and their demon army. Even though they have only appeared in the first game(except for Onikage which has appeared in pretty much every Tenchu in which Rikimaru appears. Making him Rikimaru's constant nemesis) the return of Mei-Oh is always being foreshadowed and hinted at.

The Azuma clan serves

Lord Gohda

who is portrayed as a very noble leader. Rikimaru seeks only to serve a worthy master. The Azuma have a strict code of honor, and believe they are delivering "divine justice." They never harm the innocent, nor would they ever serve a Lord that they deem unworthy. Rikimaru has always spoken from a morale high ground before he slays his targets(which could be rival assassins, murderers, slave owners/sellers, and many more deplorable scum.)