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Tenchu

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Tenchu (天誅) is the title of a popular stealth-based video game series wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja. The title is a Japanese term whose literal English translation is heaven's punishment, with 天 (ten) meaning heaven and 誅 (chu) meaning death penalty. (It is notable that a rough translation of this phrase, "Wrath of Heaven" is the title of the first Playstation 2 entry in the series.) It is known for its sword-fighting, stealth gameplay, and the eerie settings of Feudal Japan. It is one of the first ninja games to incorporate stealth, a very crucial aspect of Ninjutsu that is often ignored in popular media. However, aside from featuring traditional martial arts battles, the game incorporates elements of fantasy and Japanese mythology. So far, the series has had three (one being a standalone expansion) games for the PlayStation, one game for the Nintendo DS, two games for the PlayStation 2, one game for the Xbox, one game for the Xbox 360, and one game for the PlayStation Portable.

Story

The series takes place in feudal Japan. The original story revolves around two ninja: Rikimaru (力丸) and Ayame (彩女). Rikimaru is a tall, silver-haired ninja with a single ninjato named Izayoi and a scar over his right eye. He is stronger than Ayame but relatively slower. Ayame is a kunoichi, or female ninja, wearing standard ninja clothes with her midriff exposed. She carries a pair of kodachi. She is faster and has more combos than Rikimaru, but is the weaker of the two. Both have been members of the Azuma ninja clan since childhood.

The two ninja serve the heroic Lord Gohda, and work for him as his secret spies to root out corruption and gather intelligence in his province. However, the evil demonic sorcerer Lord Mei-Oh seeks to destroy Lord Gohda, and using his lackey Onikage, wreaks havoc throughout Lord Gohda's province. Although Meioh was killed in the first game, Onikage appeared in all subsequent games (except Fatal Shadows) as the archenemy of the two ninja, especially Rikimaru. Another major character who shows up frequently is Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter who is often the damsel in distress.

The storyline has been continuously expanded with the release of the newer Tenchu series.

Other than the playable characters above, a third ninja, who is also part of the story, will be made playable if you finish all of the missions (only in Tenchu 2 and Tenchu 3). Tenchu 2 has Tatsumaru, a ninja who prefers unarmed combat though he is the original bearer of Izayoi. He is like an older brother to Rikimaru and Ayame, being much younger than their mentor but still a very powerful fighter. Tenchu 3's third character is Tesshu, a doctor by day and hired assassin by night. Like Tatsumaru, he uses unarmed combat, but his primary weapon is a set of needles used for throwing and stabbing.

Characters

Main Characters

  • Rikimaru - The current head of the Azuma clan of ninja, under the service of Lord Gohda. He wields the sword Izayoi, which is passed from generation to generation of leader of the Azuma clan. 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 would sacrifice his own life without hesistation, something he does at the end of Stealth Assassins only to reappear in Wrath of Heaven/Return from Darkness. However, he is not to be underestimated and shows no mercy to his opponents, something he is constantly reminded of each time he thinks about the scar left over his eye by Tatsumaru. His ability to retain his composure and sense of destiny allows him to undertake missions others would consider suicidal.
  • Ayame The only other surviving member of the Azuma clan, also under the service of Lord Gohda. She was the last student chosen by the previous leader of the clan, Shiunsai, who discovered that she was talented and adept at learning whatever she was taught (unlike Rikimaru) but never had the patience to master it. She is tough and kills with a cold-hearted efficiency and without hesitation. However, she has been known to show a softer side to Princess Kiku, the daughter of Lord Gohda, whom Ayame loves like a sister. Ayame's caustic tongue is as infamously sharp as her blades. She is bold and quick, yet silent and cunning.

Other Main Characters

  • Tatsumaru (Birth of the Stealth Assassins, Wrath of Heaven/Return From Darkness) A former member of the Azuma clan, whom Rikimaru looked up to and Ayame loved. He was the original wielder of Izayoi, and leader of the Azuma clan until he lost his memory and became an enemy of the Azuma. After killing most of the clan, including Master Shiunsai, he eventually killed himself after fighting Ayame during an attack on Gohda Castle as punishment for his crimes after regaining his memory. However, he would be resurrected years later and enslaved by Tenrai and became one of his Lords of Darkness. But Tatsumaru managed to break free of Tenrai's influence and aided Rikimaru and Ayame in defeating him, at the cost of his own life.
  • Tesshu (Wrath of Heaven/Return from Darkness, Tenchu 360) - A doctor by day and an assassin by night. He is not a trained ninja and not under the employ of Lord Gohda, like Rikimaru and Ayame. Tesshu works as a mercenary for a underground vigilante organization known as Muzen that murders only if it serves justice.
  • Rin (Fatal Shadows) - A young kunoichi whose hidden village was ravaged. When she comes across Ayame, who had come to the village in search of the missing Rikimaru, she initially believes Ayame is the murderer of her kin. Rin wields a sword called Natsume, but prefers to fight in unarmed combat, like Tesshu and Tatsumaru. She seeks to avenge her slain kin.

Reoccurring and Supporting Characters

  • Lord Gohda - The lord whom the Azuma clan serves without fail.
  • Princess Kiku - Lord Gohda's daughter. Her mother, Lady Kei, was murdered when Kiku was a child. She is like a younger sister to Ayame.
  • Zennosuke - Leader of an underground assassin group present in Wrath of Heaven that seeks justice on those who have had "wrongs" done to them. He could also be considered to be Tesshu's boss, and Tesshu takes his assignment and receives payment from him. He makes a cameo appearance in Fatal Shadows.

Enemies

  • Onikage - A mysterious Ninja who serves Meioh, the King of Hell. He has fought against Rikimaru several times, and he considers Rikimaru to be his ultimate rival, despite him being human, while Onikage is demonic in nature. Onikage seems to have some sort of past connection with the Azuma Clan, though this connection is currently unknown. He first crossed paths with Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru during the Burning Dawn incident, under the title of "Suzaku, the Red Sparrow". He seemed to have some sort of strange romance with Yukihotaru, the Princess of the Fireflies, but later killed her, stating "I have no love for weakness. Only Power". Whether this is some sort of twisted love, or even love at all, is unknown. He was later recruited by Tenrai to retrieve Shichishito, the sword of Meioh, his shadow faced off against Rikimaru's shadow, followed by a battle between the real warriors. He failed to retrieve the sword, but was counting on the possibility that Rikimaru would use steel from the Demon Blade to repair his own sword, the Izayoi. After facing Rikimaru again in the depths of Tenrai's fortress, he shows a side totally unlike himself, by addressing Meioh. "Master Meioh........ It was a true honor to serve you..... please forgive my failure....". He then proceeds to throw himself into a chasm, and apparently explodes. It is likely that he will return in the next Tenchu installment, as explained by a cutscene after the credits, where he has apparently found a way to bring Meioh back to the Human world. Onikage attacks with a vast array of kicking attacks, including a spinning combo kick, a jumping heel drop, a diving drop-kick, close-range knees, and a vicious heel-grind/flip kick throw. Onikage's move impressive technique is a special grab move where he siphons the player's blood screaming "I LOVE IT!". This move drains quite a bit of the enemy's health and also restores his own.
  • Meioh - Powerful wizard and boss of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. He is the first to employ the services of Onikage.
  • The Burning Dawn
  • Tenrai - Powerful wizard and boss of Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, he even possesses a set of candles representing each of the other boss enemies throughout the game. As his candles snuff themselves out, he is aware of the movements of Rikimaru and Ayame.
  • Tajima - A drunk bodyguard armed with a katana and a pistol, encountered in Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. Nothing at all can be learned about him beecause he dies after his first encounter with Rikimaru or Ayame. While many of his attacks are wild and unfocused, his most impressive move launches the player character into the air with his sword and fires several shots at the them while they are up in the air.
  • Kagura and Ganda - Two later-game enemies in Wrath of Heaven who sometimes work as a pair, depending on which character (Rikimaru or Ayame) the player is using. Despite their pairing, they are extremely different is appearance. Ganda is a gigantic, albeit unhuman monster possessing several dangerous wrestling-style moves, whereas Kagura is about Ayame's size, and fights via throwing magical talismans and utilizing teleportation. In Rikimaru's encounter, with both of them, Ganda is invulnerable, and a rather dangerous obstacle while Rikimaru must defeat Kagura first to eliminate Ganda's magical protection... where Tatsumaru appears and finishes off the raging Ganda with a single slice. Ayame must fight either of these enemies in separate locations during the same mission. Ganda's triple-backbreaker throw is identical to a move used by Clark Steel from the King of Fighters fighting game series, and Kagura bears more than a passing resemblance to Chizuru Kagura, from the same series.
  • Dr. Kimaira - The psychotic doctor in charge of a fortress Rikimaru and Ayame are forced to visit. He attacks mainly using his powerful machine "Mahime", which he can use to perform a chopping attack, a throw-move, a mobile spin-attack, or a long-range gatling gun move. Dr. Kimaira is a fairly easy to defeat as he typically falls into a repeated pattern while fighting.
  • Nasu (WoH) - A villain encountered early on into Wrath of Heaven, he has no affiliation at all with Tenrai. He is a fat man with a large hat who hangs out with Echigoya, a non-fighting enemy and target of the first mission in Wrath of Heaven. Nasu attacks like a basic enemy, sometimes utilizing "feigning defeat/surrender" moves. If playing dead, he will use a tackle-style attack, if surrendering, he will place a random item on the ground, and try to "spin attack" the player when they get near.
  • Nasu (FS) - An entirely different enemy, sharing the same name as one in the previous title. This Nasu is a large bald blind man who uses Iaido-style sword techniques. His attacks are blindingly fast, and a few are unblockable grappling moves which resemble his regular attack pattern. He possess another attack which knocks away the player's guard and proceeds to slash them twice rather viciously.
  • Hamada - Another minor enemy in Wrath of Heaven, he is a traitor to lord Goda who's assassination is ordered among the game's first missions. Hamada pretty much resembles a basic "guard" enemy, only with his own personalized face. Rikimaru carries out the kill without even having to battle this man, although Hamada puts up more of a fight when confronted by Ayame.
  • Jyuzou- Supreme leader of the Kuroya assassin group, the main enemies present in Tenchu: Fatal Shadows. He carries a large parasol with a long blade concealed inside of it. He is the one who ordered the attack on Rin's village, Hagakure. This is the same village which he was once destined to become the leader. Jyuzou is an extremely difficult opponent, as landing a decent attack on him is very trying. He possess a lunging grappling move, and a deadly "flash" attack which autoguards anything during the moves duration (and even right after it).
  • Futaba - Member of the Kuroya, and also a member of Rin's community. She betrayed the village and sold them and their secrets out to the Kuroya, leading to the extermination. She ambushed Rin during a mission to deliver a letter to Zennosuke. She attacks mainly from a distance by throwing knives in various ways. If Rin gets too close to her, she will use a short-range spin attack to knock her away. Rin gets to kill the traitor herself after the battle.
  • Shinogi - A spikey-haired Kuroya member who seems to be able to attack using three swords at one time. He ambushes Ayame during a mission to find Princess Kiku... he lures Ayame near by ringing Kiku's bell. Shinogi uses some very brutal attacks, including a rushing ten-slice frenzy, and well as even kicking up pieces of the floorboards to stun Ayame.
  • Hitoha - Futaba's twin brother who joins her in her attack on Rin. He fights using magical gauntlets that allow him to execute incredibly damaging physical attacks. Interestingly enough, if Futaba should fall in battle before him, he will descend into a sort of "overdrive" mode, becoming stronger and gaining more attack moves. In normal mode, Hitoha uses a rushing punch, a flying kick, a few combos, and a tremendous knockdown blow. While in overdrive, Hitoha gains a ground fire wave, a jumping area-bomb attack, and a vicious grappling move. When defeated, his last thoughts are of his sister, and Tesshu steps in for a cameo and ends Hitoha's life... although it seems to have no effect for a few moments.
  • Ranzou - A tall, lanky member of the Kuroya who dresses in all black clothing who delights himself in torturing people. At the moment when Ayame finds him, he is torturing Rin's master, Lady Ogin. Ranzou states specifically that he enjoys torturing women, and seems glad that Ayame had found him. At first, he draws two large katanas from the holders on his back, but he then attaches them together forming a weapon similar to that wielded by Star Wars villain Darth Maul. Ranzou attacks extremely fast with slices from all directions using his blade, as well as using a sadistic, "impalement"-style close range move, similar to Darth Maul's killing of Jedi Qui-Gon Jin.. He also possesses an interesting special attack called Shadowbind which utilizes a blackhole opening up under the player, effectively stunning them, making them completely vulnerable to his next move.
  • Shou - A short-haired, effeminate, narcissistic member of the Kuroya who disguises himself as a musician. His musical specialty is the shamisen, only his is equipped with a machine-gun style weapon inside of it (see anachronism). The only other attack used by Shou are a spread knife-throw, and a close ranged throat slash. He is Jyuzou's personal favorite of the assassins, as Jyuzou silently honors Shou's final request following his defeat at the hand of Rin, just before swiftly ending his misery.
  • Tatsukichi - A geisha who is in love with Jyozou. He sends her to her death to fight Rin as distraction, so he can escape. Although she is a boss, she is not even on par with that of a regular enemy. Her only attack is the cowardly thrust of a poisoned knife... and cringing in fear.
  • Kumagorou - A large bear kept by the Kuroya and used as a sort of "death trap" to ninjas who should get in their way. Both Ayame and Rin were tossed into a pit with it. He attacks with claw swipes, charging headbutts, and a biting hold move. Occasionally, he will jump up and slam the ground, stunning the player with a sort of earthquake style attack, though it does no damage.
  • The Jinnai Brothers - Ukyo and Sakyo, leaders of a particular organization whose dissolvement is sought by Tesshu's superior, Zennosuke. Described by Tesshu as "Ukyo sets the trap, but Sakyo does the killing", this double-boss showdown serves as the final encounter for the "Tesshu sidequest" in Wrath of Heaven. Both enemies are very tall men who use Iaido-style blade techniques. They both use typical guard enemy attacks, a large unblockable "wind-slice", and another unbockable rushing "flash" attack similar to Jyuzou in the next title. Whereas Ukyo's dash attack is a simple double slash attack, Sakyo's is an instant death "no questions asked" move... effectively bringing the fight to an end if it lands.
  • Mifuyu (RfD)- The 20-year old daughter of the samurai Kanbe Tadokoro and was trained by her father in the art of sword fighting. She holds a high code of honour. Unbeknownst to her, her father was involved in a rebellion against Lord Gohda. When she learned that her father was a threat to Lord Gohda, she became quite confused and killed her father in order to protect the family name. She is the boss character for the new Samurai Mansion mission in Tenchu: Return from Darkness.
  • Kanbe Tadokoro (RfD) - Mifuyu's father and one of Lord Gohda's vassals. He leads a rebellion against Lord Gohda and is killed by his daughter Mifuyu in order to preserve the honour of the Tadokoro clan.
  • Jonosuke Yuge (RfD) - Kanbe Tadokoro's vassal. Jinnai Sakyo convinced him to lead an attack on Gohda castle.
  • Mr. D CEO - The boss of a hidden mission where Rikimaru arrives in present day via a time portal created after the defeat of Lord Meioh. This enemy's mere existence may not be canon, as this entire event may not have taken place. Whatever the fact, Mr. D is indeed a powerful enemy. He is armed with a katana in one hand, and a futuristic bionic-arm cannon for the other. He fired energy blasts from his arm, as well as using a shocking grasp attack. His strongest attack is a rushing combination attack ending with a finishing move not seen anywhere else in his move selection.

Name meanings

  • Ayame (彩女) = "colourful girl", Ayame is also a homophone for "iris" and a typical name for girls. Furthermore, on the other hand, her name implies the word "殺める ayame-ru" = "kill", appropriate considering her profession is an assassin.
  • Rikimaru (力丸) = "Force" " 丸 maru": the original form is "麻呂,麿 maro" in archaic Japanese, used for the ending of one's name.
  • Tatsumaru (龍丸) = "Dragon" "丸 maru":the original form is "麻呂,麿 maro" in archaic Japanese, used for the ending of one's name.
  • Izayoi (十六夜) = "16th Night" or "16th Night's Moon" of the lunar calendar. Izayoi is the nominal form of "いざよう izayo-u" = "hesitate to move". 16th Night's Moon appears later hours in night than Full Moon (15th night's moon), as though it is hesitating to appear (hence the name, Izayoi).
  • Gouda Matsunoshin (aka Lord Gohda) (郷田　松之信) = Village Rice Field, Faith of Pinetree. "之信 noshin" is used for the ending of one's name.
  • Kiku-hime (菊姫) = "Chrysanthemum-princess" "菊" = Kiku, the girl's name. "姫" = Hime, which is Kiku's title (Princess) Only her parents call her "Kiku". Subjects cannot. (exception:Ayame. She is personally close to her. They are like sisters. )
  • Seikiya Naotada (関谷　直忠) = Gateway Valley, Honesty Loyalty
  • Onikage (鬼陰) = "Shade of Demon" 影=Shadow, 陰=Shade. 陰: This character is used for "陰陽 onmyo" = "yin and yang" in Chinese Philosophy. Kage, which means shadow, also refers ninja. This "Kage" is usually rendered by "影". 陰 is used because this character much express his gloom and dark disposition.
  • Mei-oh (冥王) = "Lord of Darkness" or "Lord of Underworld". 冥王星 is the Japanese name for Pluto. (cf.冥王星 = Pluto, 星 = star)
  • Tajima Eigorou (田島　英五朗) = Rice Field Island, Excel fifth cheerful boy. 郎 means "male" used for naming boy. 朗 is also used because it's pronounced same as 郎 and these looks similar. 朗 originary means "serene" or "cheerful".
  • Ganda (巌陀) 巌 = Rock, Severe 陀: this is the transliteration from Sanskrit "dah" to Chinese character mostly used in terms of Buddhism.
  • Kagura (神楽) = "hymn and dance to the accompaniment in ceremony at Shinto shrine". Kagura are typical known as ceremonial Shinto shrine dances.
  • Dr. Kimaira (機舞羅) = Machine, Dance, silk: these are phonetic equivalent characters to "キマイラ kimaira" = "Chimaira", which is Greek for "chimera"
  • Tenrai (天来) = "coming from the heavens" or "coming from Heaven" (天 = the heavens, Heaven)
  • Fujioka Tesshu (藤岡 鉄舟) = Wisteria Hill, Iron Boat
  • Rin (凛) = "Cold" in one meaning, but this word frequently means "strong-minded" or "stubborn", which is used for describing, in many cases, women.
  • Jinnai Ukyo (陣内　右京) = Within Ranks, Right (west) half of the Capital

Gameplay

The game is played in a third-person perspective. There are numerous items to help the ninja on his/her mission, but unlockable items can be acquired if the player gets a "Grand Master" rating at the end of the level by being as stealthy as possible. Items and controls vary from game to game, but the gameplay is essentially the same throughout. Stealth is a very important element in the game, where players have to duck, crouch, and hide behind walls to avoid detection. Enemies can be killed with one hit by using Stealth Kills, and a player can avoid detection by looking at his/her Ki meter. The larger the number, the closer the player is to an enemy. If a player is spotted, the Ki meter will turn red, the enemy will alert everyone in the area, and the player is forced to fight hand-to-hand or hide somewhere until the enemies give up their search and resume their patrol routes.

Games

Tenchu: Beta (Jap) (1997)

Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen (Jap) (1998)

Tenchu: Stealth Assassins (1998)

Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen (1999)

Tenchu 2: Birth Of The Stealth Assassins (2000)

  • Platform: PlayStation
  • Developer: Acquire
  • Publisher: Activision

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven (2003)/Tenchu: Return from Darkness (2004)

Tenchu: Fatal Shadows (2005)

Tenchu: Time of the Assassins (2005)

Tenchu: Dark Secret (2006) [2]

Tenchu Senran (2006)

Activision purchased the rights to this game from Sony Music Entertainment, who originally published the game in Japan. However, Activision sold the rights to the Japanese game publisher From Software in 2004. From Software's rights agreement does not include games previously published by Activision. From Software licensed distribution of Fatal Shadows to Sega.

There was an additional Japan-exclusive release for Tenchu on the PlayStation. 100 of the best competing levels designed with the level editor of Tenchu: Shinobi Gaisen (an expanded version of Tenchu 1 re-released in Japan) were put together to form a stand-alone, non-story based expansion set called Tenchu: Shinobi Hyakusen. The engine and game fundamentals remained unchanged. Shinobi Hyakusen is still famous for the hardest level settings among Tenchu fans, especially because of the tight time limits and the overall lack of the items, excluding the caltrops and the throwing stars. No North American or European versions were released.

Trivia

  • For the versions released in the UK, the shuriken or throwing stars were replaced by kunai or throwing knives. This is because shuriken are illegal in the UK.
  • The Tenchu BETA version is available only in Japanese and is different from the released version. The bosses have different weapons, levels 4 & 5 are absent (Cross the Checkpoint & The Corrupt Minister), the story is a little more in-depth and the graphics are different. This version is very rare and sought after.
  • Tenchu Shinobi Gaisen is the Japanese version of Tenchu Stealth Assassins but has a level editor built into the menu (rather than using the debug hack in the western versions)
  • Tenchu - Ayame's Tale, was also released for The Sony Ericsson mobile phone series.

Official

Non-official

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