Hecuba

"Now my dear babies... Consume that human over there at once!" - Hecuba faces Samanosuke

Hecuba (ヘキュバ) is a high-class Genma and boss character that appears in Onimusha: Warlords and Onimusha: Blade Warriors. She is believed to be the mother of all Sharks and the gatekeeper of the Gate to Hell.

Onimusha Warlords

While nothing is known about her history prior to the events of Onimusha: Warlords, she is believed to be the mother of the Sharks, with them spawning exclusively from her rather than the standard process of Genma birth or being created by a Genma scientist such as Guildenstern or Rosencrantz.

During the 1560 Genma attack on Inabayama Castle and kidnapping of Princess Yuki, Hecuba plots with Tokichiro Kinoshita alongside Stylado to kidnap Yumemaru following his rescue at the hands of Hidemitsu Samanosuke Akechi and Kaede manage to rescue Yumemaru following the first defeat of Marcellus. She first appears as a human woman known as Nui, a servant of Princess Hatsu, begging for help and informing them that Princess Yuki is being kept underground before fainting. Samanosuke leaves to investigate while Kaede remained to watch over Nui and Yumemaru, but he is soon intercepted by Tokichiro Kinoshita and caught in a trap that incapacitates him, leading to him being sent to an isolated cavern.

At the same time, Stylado, disguised as Samanosuke, finds Nui alongside Kaede and Yumemaru, but when an unsuspecting Kaede asks what he found, Nui suddenly grabs Yumemaru, Stylado landing a heavy punch into Kaede's stomach and knocking her unconscious before she can do anything. With nobody to save him, Yumemaru is taken by Nui into the room locked behind the Evil Seal while Stylado leaves to find and kill Samanosuke. After Kaede defeats the Volchiman following her failed attempt to rescue Princess Yuki from the western prison, Samanosuke awakens within the cave and defeats Stylado, finding the Evil Plate and using it to unlock the seal.

Upon entering the room, Nui drops Yumemaru to the ground and begins to transform, revealing her true form as Hecuba and causing the appearance of the Gate to Hell. Hecuba then takes Yumemaru and enters through the Gate into the Demon World, closing the gate behind her to prevent Samanosuke from giving chase as a force field is erected to protect the it. Once told by the Oni clan to obtain the Great Bow and Arrow in order to break the seal, Samanosuke makes his way to the east are of the castle and finds the Great Bow within the storehouse, though soon finds himself surrounded by Sharks, though they initially do not attack him.

Having expected him to arrive there, Hecuba flies towards the storehouse and confronts Samanosuke, revealing the Genma's plan to sacrifice Yumemaru in front of Yuki in order to peak her sorrow and strengthen her blood, granting Nobunaga Oda even more power once he drinks it as a part of the Dark Ceremony. Enraged at this plan, Samanosuke vows to kill her, and Hecuba orders the Sharks to attack. Having obtain the the Armor of the Oni God in the form of the Panda Costume prior to finding the Great Bow, Hecuba's attacks initially prove unable to break through, eventually using the full strength of her stinger to pierce through and break the costume's defenses.

This only proves to be her undoing as the costume transforms into the Great Armor, further magnifying the combat abilities of Samanosuke as he uses the magic of Enryuu to defeat her, ignoring her desperate please for mercy and sending her tumbling into the water. As this happens, the building begins to explode as Kaede arrives, informing Samanosuke that she had ignited multiple barrels of gunpowder and encouraging him to escape. Still alive after Samanosuke's attack, Hecuba emerges as Samanosuke attempts to escape and gives chase, but she is suddenly pinned to the ground by a large piece of burning debris, burning her body and leaving her unable to escape the explosion. The Sharks likely die alongside her as they are never seen again outside of the Dark Realm or Ogre Tower after Hecuba's death, and are never featured in another game in the series.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

While Hecuba does not make a physical appearance in Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny, she is briefly featured in the opening illustration, watching the resurrection of Nobunaga Oda at the hands of Guildenstern alongside Osric, a Three-Eyes, a Gyaran and a Barabazuu.

Onimusha Blade Warriors

While her appearance is likely non-canon, Hecuba returns as a boss character in Onimusha: Blade Warriors during story mode in an attempt to aid the return of Nobunaga. She only appears as a boss for Jūbei Yagyū, Ekei Ankokuji, Oyu, Kotaro Fuma, Magoichi Saiga, Kojirō Sasaki and Megaman.EXE. Like Osric, she is not an unlockable character, only ever appearing as a boss.

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

While making no physical appearance, a portrait of Hecuba can be found in the Boulogne Zoo Research Center alongside a number of other portraits featuring Fortinbras, Osric, Ginghamphatts, a Volchiman, a Rai-Gozales, Reynaldo and a Long Arm Demon. It is possible that these portraits were hung there by Guildenstern in order to commemorate the loss of those depicted.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

While Hecuba herself does not make an appearance, a Genma of identical appearance known as the Dark Wasp appears as a boss during Stage 6 of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams.

Power and Abilities

Hecuba is one of the rare intelligent Genma, more powerful than the common breed of Genma. She has the ability to shape shift from her true form to a human one. This allowed her to come face to face with Samanosuke and Kaede without arousing suspicion. In her true form she has rapid flight power, strong enough to blow floorboards up from the floor and fly at great speeds. She possesses two scythe like arms similar to that of a praying mantis. She uses these to attack Samanosuke with swift and powerful swipes. Hecuba has a wasp-like abdomen with a large stinger she will use to attack Samanosuke with. She also has the power to summon smaller insect Genma.

Quotes

Onimusha: Warlords

- "H-help..." Hecuba appears to Samanosuke, Kaede and Yumemaru in her human guise of Nui.

- "My name is Nui. I serve Princess Hatsu. Princess Yuki is underground..." - 'Nui' tells the group where Yuki is.

- "So you have made it this far..." - Hecuba to Samanosuke after she kidnaps Yumemaru.

- "Beyond this gate lies the Demon World! It's over! You will never be able to save Yumemaru!" - Hecuba takes Yumemaru into the Demon world.

- "I knew you would come! You are so impressive for a mere human! But you are too late. Our dark ceremony is starting. Yumemaru will be sacrificed in front of Princess Yuki." - Hecuba tells Samanosuke about the Dark Ceremony

- "Princess Yuki cherishes Yumemaru. If he is sacrificed in front of her, her sorrow will peak. Making her blood most delicious and strongest, granting out lord Nobunaga more power when he drinks it..." - Hecuba elaborates on the Dark Ceremony

- "Now my dear babies... consume that human over there at once!" - Hecuba commands her Shark's to attack Samanosuke

- "Die!" - Hecuba attacks

- "How's this?"

Onimusha: Blade Warriors

- "Ah the perfect prey has arrived. Just in time to celebrate Lord Nobunaga's return. You go no further!" - Hecuba challenges the player

Trivia

• Despite claiming to be a servant of Princess Hatsu, there is no known princess of that name historically.
  • While it is possible that she is referring to Ohatsu, this would also be impossible as Ohatsu was not born until 1570, ten years after Hecuba's death.
• In the American version of Onimusha: Warlords, the scene where Hecuba transforms into her true self is partially cut out, due to it appearing too graphic, as her abdomen emerges from between her legs. The scene was restored in the 2018 remaster.
• The uncensored scene can still be viewed on Western copies of the game, but one must first change the voices to Japanese in the options menu.
• While she uses the name Nui in-game while in her disguise, she is instead known as Takoko in the Onimusha: Warlords Manhua.
  • Her true name is never actually said in the Manhua, instead continuing to refer to her as Takoko even after her true form is revealed. An English fan translation of this manhua adds this name in order to avoid confusion.
• In the cutscene where Hecuba transforms into her true form, her skin is pale and white, while her lips are black. But in gameplay, she is fair skinned, and her lips are normal colored.
  • Also, her human form is shown wearing a lilac gown but, in her transformation, cutscene it has changed to pink.
• Hecuba is the only boss in Onimusha: Warlords that Samanosuke fights but does not kill directly. She is technically killed by Kaede who blows up the building which results in Hecuba's death.
  • Hecuba is not only the only high-class Genma that Kaede successfully kills, but also the only high-class Genma in the entire series that is killed by someone incapable of absorbing souls.
  • Hecuba is also one of the few Genma bosses to not fight alone.
  • Besides Fortinbras, Hecuba is the only high-class Genma in Onimusha: Warlords who's soul cannot be absorbed when defeated.
• Her name is referenced in the Shakespeare Novel Hamlet.^[1]
• In Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, the Dark Wasp boss is almost identical to Hecuba, although in a more desiccated state.

Gallery

Hecuba/Gallery

Articles & References