Ayane (Ninja Gaiden)

Ayane (Kanji: 綾音 'Ayane', Hiragana: あやね) is a character from the Ninja Gaiden game series. Though only making small appearances in Ninja Gaiden (Xbox), she is a playable character in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. She also appears as a DLC character in Senran Kagura: Estival Versus.

Personality
Ayane is rather quiet, slightly distant and appears to admire Ryu Hayabusa, whom she refers to as "Master Ryu" out of respect for both him and his rank. Most of the time she is cold and has an arrogant attitude, especially to those she views as "beneath" her. However, in extreme situations, this hard outer shell is broken, exposing her soft, vulnerable, and emotional side. Sometimes she is also cynical and sharp. Ayane is very intelligent and quick on her feet

History
As a result of being conceived when Ayame (wife of Shiden, leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan) was raped by Raidou, Ayane spent much of her childhood an outcast and unwanted by the majority of her clan. Taking pity on Ayane, Genra, the leader of the Hajin Mon sect adopted her, becoming Ayane's foster father. With permission of the Mugen Tenshin clan's Master and Head Ninja Shiden, Genra inducted Ayane into the black ops branch of the clan known as Hajin Mon, training her in Hajin Mon style Ninjutsu in order to assist him in his duties. Unlike the main Tenjin Mon sect that deals with direct combat, the Hajin Mon specializes in behind the scenes support role and training mage ninja in ninpo abilities.

At age 14, Ayane, for circumstances still unknown, came under the employment of Murai, a rogue ninja and former member of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma
As Murai's agent, Ayane is tasked with gathering information and spying for her Master. When Ryu Hayabusa enters the domain of Murai's Ninja Fortress, Ayane becomes Murai's messenger, relaying messages to Ryu via Kunai scrolls. Noticing the nearby Hayabusa village ablaze, Ayane rushes in to inform her Master Murai, finding him and in mid conversation with Master Ryu, to her surprise. As Ryu heads off to rescue his clan, Ayane is sent by Murai to investigate the carnage. In the Hayabusa Village, Ayane encounters Samurai warriors and spots their leader Doku. However, she is overwhelmed and only escapes within an inch of her life. Ryu later finds her on the top floor of an armory, where she could only warn him about a "Samurai clad in dark armor" before losing consciousness.

Months later, Ayane is sent to Tairon, shadowing Ryu as he searches for the Dark Dragon Blade on his quest for vengeance. Under orders by Murai to manipulate Ryu Hayabusa into going on a massacring spree, Ayane works as Ryu's secret agent, relaying various intel to Ryu via Kunai Scrolls. When they meet, Ryu mockingly asserts Ayane as "running errands for Murai", after which he asks Ayane to take care of Rachel still recovering from the Hydracubus. As events unfold, Ayane watches from behind the scenes. Switching sides in the end, she only observes as Ryu Hayabusa cuts down her former Master.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Shortly after Genshin's assault on the Hayabusa Clan, Ayane is summoned to an injured Jo Hayabusa's bedside, where she is tasked by him with a mission to retrieve the Eye of the Dragon for his son Ryu, fearing that Ryu would die trying to save the world without it. Following in the wake of Ryu's path of destruction, Ayane finds herself in the Aqua capital, dispatching remnants of the Black Spider clan and various fiends left in the city. Ayane soon encounters Obaba, who by some unknown means, had been resurrected and had acquired the Eye of the Dragon. After a fierce battle, Ayane defeats Obaba and retrieves the Eye of the Dragon. Back at the Hayabusa village, Ayane arrives just as Ryu had returned from the Amazon. On top of a rooftop, the two have a brief discussion before Ayane delivers the Eye of the Dragon. Ayane is amazed as she witnesses the True Dragon Sword being formed from the reunion between the Dragon Sword and the Eye of the Dragon.

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
When Ryu arrives at the Rub' al Khali desert with Mizuki McCloud, Ayane is sent by Hayate to give the Jinran-Maru to Ryu to use as a weapon, since his Dragon Sword was inside of him due to Grip of Murder inflicted on him by the Regent of the Mask. Ayane asks Ryu to bring it back in one piece because it was only a loaner, and tells him to let someone in his village look at his arm soon before she leaves.

Later in Paris, Ayane was "taking it easy" on her vacation. However, LOA terrorists shortly arrived in the area, as was hinted to Ayane by her cell phone which received a text saying "5 seconds." While Ayane was being given a massage, a terrorist came in her room causing the masseuse to flee in fear. Ayane nonchalantly stood up, wrapped in only a towel, and was then held at gunpoint, though she showed no concern. The terrorist then attempted to pull down Ayane's towel with his gun, and Ayane killed him in an instant. More terrorists then barged into the room, and Ayane, after putting on her ninja clothing, proceeded to kill all of them. Ayane then leapt out of the building where more terrorists appear. She continued, through the rest of the city, killing them. It appears that Irene has contact to Ayane through use of an earpiece, where the two sometimes exchanged words. After making her way to the French capital building, a battle between Ayane and three LOA alchemists ensued, with Ayane soundly defeating. However, it appears that some missiles had been launched and were heading towards Ayane. Before they impacted, Ayane, in panic, calls for Irene, who managed to destroy the missiles. Ayane is fairly annoyed after learning that Irene had the missiles destruction code all along and was about to depart. However, Irene asked that she continue to help find out who these people really are. Irene stated that Ayane was the only one she could count on, especially since Ryu is not in the best of condition; being cursed with the Grip of Murder. Ayane obliges and tells Irene that she can use her for a little longer.

Ayane is then called to infiltrate a carrier owned by LOA, known as the Black Narwhal. She kills her way through, and onto the carrier, where she fights off mutated creatures, likely created by LOA. After defeating them, the carrier begins to submerge, and Irene calls Ayane to back out. However, she appears to stands there, doing nothing even when Irene urges her to get away. Irene, looking at her GPS tracker, thinks that Ayane is going down with the carrier, runs out and looks at the submerging carrier with extreme concern. Ayane then appears behind Irene and the flashback shows that she takes out her earpiece and throws it down inside the carrier as it goes down. Ayane then asks if Irene actually cares about the well being of the ninjas, or just want to keep them in check - the earpiece is also a GPS transmitter, thus showing Ayane's location. Irene states that the CIA feels that Ayane and Ryu are not enemies, nor allies, but ninjas, and are too dangerous to let alone. Ayane then replies nonchalantly that Irene and the CIA will then have to just "keep chasing the rest of us" which Irene replies  "Sorry, Ryu is the only one I'm after." Ayane becomes annoyed and bursts out, "Seriously, what's with you and Ryu?!" in which Irene replies "I know him better than you do, kid."

General

 * Agility: Ayane is the fastest out of all the playable characters in the modern Ninja Gaiden games. While her attacks are slightly weak, she makes up for this by hitting many times in a short amount of time, striking with the speed and ferocity that earns her nickname: The Female Tengu.
 * Strength: Her strength level is exceptional for a female human of her age and her exceptional fitness level is a result of intense training in order to prove herself to her clan.
 * Stealth: A trait of the Hajin Mon to provide background support, Ayane is a master infiltrator, spying without being detected while delivering messages via kunai scrolls.
 * Acrobatics: Like most ninja, Ayane is able to easily move between platforms, jump off of and briefly run on walls.
 * Hand to Hand: Trained by Genra, Ayane is a master of a martial arts style known as Hajin Mon Ninjustu. She, unfortunately, had to put him out of his misery with this style in Dead or Alive 3.
 * Ninja Sense: A Ninja ability that allows her to sense where she needs to go.
 * Ki Manipulation: Hajin Mon emphasizes in this ability, so like Ryu, Ayane has the ability to focus ki with her mind. She uses this ability to perform the art of the Raging Mountain God, which depletes her ki energy until it's replenished.
 * Spiritual Regeneration: Ayane's ability to heal herself with her spiritual lifeforce, until it is depleted.
 * Heal Ally: Ayane's ability to heal an ally who is on the verge of death. However, she reprimands her ally for getting into that predicament in the first place.

Techniques

 * Reverse Wind: A technique originally used by Ryu Hayabusa, Ayane is able to quickly perform a ninja dash.
 * Shadowless Footsteps: Basic ninja wall running ability, but Ayane performs it in a spinning fashion to gain more momentum and altitude.
 * Counter Attack: A technique Ryu learnt during the Dark Dragon Blade Incident, he passes it on to Ayane, who uses it to launch an attack from a defensive position right before an enemy attacks.
 * Lightwing Izuna: Ayane's variation of Ryu's Izuna Drop, where she stands on top of her opponent right side up in mid air as she stomps down hard, slamming them into the ground.
 * Gacho Gengi: One of Ayane's throws in the Dead or Alive games. Ayane use this throw as one of her Obliteration Techniques.

Ninpo

 * Art of the Raging Mountain God: Is a secret and most dangerous Hajin Mon ninpo spell that imbues the user with all the power of nature and creation, releasing it in an explosion as the user slams the ground. This attack is known to harm users who are not properly trained in its use, but Ayane has become an expert at using it in her teens, making her a prodigy.
 * Ultimate Ninpo: Merging Ayane's ninpo with an ally's own or magic, their combined might creates a powerful ninpo attack.

Weapons & Equipment

 * Fuma Kodachi: A short pair of blades handed down in the Tenjin Mon school, they are light and sharp, allowing the user to wield them quickly. Ayane has mastered the use of these blades through her Hajin Mon training.
 * Flash Kunai: Ayane's ranged weapon, they are kunai with explosives set to go off.
 * Kunai Scrolls: Ayane uses kunai with scrolls attached to them to relay information to Ryu from behind the scenes.