Kaede

Kaede (かえで) is a female ninja and a secondary protagonist in Onimusha: Warlords, acting as a companion to Hidemitsu Samanosuke Akechi. Kaede will throw herself into the heat of battle no matter what the risk to life and limb.

History

Early life

Much of Kaede's past is unknown, though it is known that she learned many of her skills from the Shaolin School of Ninjutsu, but when Samanosuke turned twenty, his uncle, Mitsuhide Akechi, pressured him to see the world. As he traveled over Japan and the Far East, he came across a female ninja named Kaede, who was a member of the Iga ninja clan. Originally, she was sent to assassinate Samanosuke for reasons unknown, but she was moved by his righteous and free way of life after he taught her the complexity of life itself. Realising that killing someone she held no grudge against was wrong, Kaede decided to join him on his travels as his loyal partner and confidante for the next four years, during which the two would grow from friends to lovers. At some point during this time, Samanosuke would gift her a small keepsake, and she begins wearing it on her waist.

Onimusha: Warlords

Kaede returns to Japan alongside Samanosuke once his overseas travels were at an end, though she was not present alongside him during the 1560 Battle of Okehazama, likely instead learning of Nobunaga Oda's victory and subsequent death from him after the fact. Once Samanosuke received a letter of distress from his cousin, Princess Yuki, Samanosuke rushed back to the Inabayama Castle only to find her missing, Kaede arriving soon after to offer her aid in finding and rescuing her. The two soon split up to begin their search, with Kaede taking the western path while Samanosuke searched north, immediately finding Yuki only to be defeated by the GenmaOsricand gaining the Oni Gauntlet from the Oni clan.

While Samanosuke manages to encounter and defeat Osric after obtaining Raizan and encounter Guildenstern for the first time, Kaede manages to reach and infiltrate the Castle Keep, effortlessly defeating the Zombie Warriors that attempt to stop her. However, her keepsake that she had previously received from Samanosuke suddenly breaks on its own, causing Kaede to immediately suspect that he is in danger, but she is immediately grabbed by a tentacle that bursts out of the floor, dragging her by the leg into an abyss that seemed to resemble Hell itself. Upon landing at the bottom, she finds herself surrounded by Zombie Warriors, and after attempting to fend them off, she uses a Soul Absorber to kill them all in a single strike, taking the chance to leap back out of the pit and escape back to the Keep.

She continues her search through the keep and runs into Yumemaru, the boy soon fleeing from her as she gives chase, and they both soon run into Samanosuke after the latter had just met Tokichiro Kinoshita. He attempts to question why Tokichiro was after Yumemaru, but outside of learning the boy's name, he is unable to answer, soon fleeing from the two after being asked why he is here. Samanosuke asks Kaede to go after him while he continues his search for Yuki, and after giving chase, Kaede catches up to Samanosuke on the second floor after learning of Yumemaru's identity and past, the boy having grew up on a farm before his parents were killed as a result of war and soon being adopted by Yuki as a younger brother. Realising that he's here in an attempt to save Yuki, the two begin to question why Tokichiro wants to capture him, but they are interrupted as a number of gates trap them, forcing them to navigate through a number of traps to progress. After navigating a large shogi board, the final trap causes Samanosuke to be trapped within a small room, him having thrown Kaede out before the stone gate closed. Once the room begins flooding with water and threatening to drown him, Kaede finds a sliding panel puzzle and attempts to solve it, managing to do so before Samanosuke drowns and freeing him. Once the two find a pull lever to disarm the traps, the two split up to search for more clues.

Once Samanosuke reaches the roof and defeats Marcellus, he acquires Arashi from him and gains Shippuu, using it to break through the wind Mozun and free Yumemaru, bringing him back to a save room on the ground floor of the Keep after reuniting with Kaede. The two wait for him to wake up, Samanosuke promising to save Yuki when he begs them to do so, and Kaede listens as Samanosuke attempts and succeeds to teach Yumemaru the pointlessness of war before they are interrupted by the arrival of Nui, a servent of Princess Hatsu. She faints after telling them that Princess Yuki is being held underground, and Samanosuke asks Kaede to watch over the two while he investigates. While Samanosuke searches the underground section, he falls into a trap after meeting Tokichiro for a third time, causing him to be absorbed into the ground. At the same time, an imposter of Samanosuke appears before Kaede, but when she asks what he found, Nui suddenly grabs Yumemaru, and the imposter knocks her unconscious before she can react.

Kaede later wakes up to find Nui and Yumemaru gone and begins searching for them, soon being given the key to the western prison by a dying Saito soldier. Using the key to reach the prison, Kaede manages to find the Sacred Knife, quickly realising that it is likely another weapon created by the Oni clan much like the Gauntlet and weapons that Samanosuke had acquired, and she continues to a prison cell where she Princess Yuki, though she initially doesn't realise who the prisoner is. Regardless, she attempts to pick the lock to the cell door before Yuki recognizes her, telling of Samanosuke's letters to her and wishing she had been able to join him on his travels. Yuki begs her to flee the castle alongside Samanosuke, but Kaede refuses, promising to save her, but Guildenstern appears behind the Princess and grabs her, dragging her away to the Demon World as Kaede is suddenly attacked by a Volchiman. Despite the Volchiman's ability to render itself invisible, Kaede manages to outmatch and defeat it, quickly rushing off in an attempt to find the real Samanosuke and inform him of what happened.

After Samanosuke awakens in a cave and defeats Stylado, he finds Nui with Yumemaru and witnesses her reveal her true form as the Genma Hecuba, watching as she causes the arrival of the Gate to Hell and takes Yumemaru into the Demon World. Following the commotion and noticing the gate rise from outside the castle, Kaede reunites with Samanosuke as a stone object erects a magic barrier to protect the gate, and they agree to split up in order to find a way to break through. After Samanosuke reaches the eastern warehouse and acquires the Great Bow before being trapped inside, Kaede arrives at the east area to continue her own search before being ambushed by a group of Sharks. As she fights through them as well as other Genma, she eventually finds and acquires the Great Arrow before finding her own way to the warehouse, witnessing a trapped Samanosuke surrounded by more Sharks. She is quick to notice the impending arrival of Hecuba and attempts to warn him before noticing multiple barrels of gunpowder, and she begins spreading it throughout the building while Samanosuke does battle with Hecuba.

Once Hecuba is defeated, Kaede ignites the gunpowder and warns Samanosuke to escape as the building begins to explode. Still not dead, Hecuba re-emerges from the water and attempts to give chase, but she is pinned to the ground as she is crushed by some of the burning debris, incinerating her and leaving her unable to escape the explosion, resulting in her death. While Samanosuke and Kaede manage to escape in time, Kaede is left injured after giving Samanosuke the Great Arrow, and he brings her back to the safe room in order for her to rest while he breaks through the barrier and enters the Demon World. After some time, Kaede manages to recover enough to follow Samanosuke into the Demon World, arriving as he manages to defeat the Demon King Fortinbras and aiding him in freeing both Yuki and Yumemaru from their bindings.

They attempt to escape the Demon World as it crumbles, but Fortinbras manages to wake up and grip Samanosuke, attempting to crush him to death. Knowing that they cannot save him, Samanosuke orders the three to escape without him, and Kaede sorrowfully leads Yuki and Yumemaru to safety. As a result, the three survive the destruction of the Demon World, though while Samanosuke disappears following the death of Fortinbras, they all hold the belief that he had somehow survived the encounter just as they did. Following the defeat of the Genma, Kaede spent around 7-8 years desparately searching for Samanosuke, but she would never manage to find him. In 1568, she enters the service of Mitsuhide Akechi, acting as his agent for the foreseeable future while continuing her own fight against the Genma.

Onimusha: Blade Warriors

Following the defeat of Nobunaga Oda at the hands of Jūbei Yagyū in 1573, Kaede continues her work under Mitsuhide as she fights pockets of Genma throughout her travels. Upon reaching the Mist Valley in Omi province, she hears the sound of somebody else fighting the Genma and rushing to find out who. After fighting through an imposter of herself, she catches up to the individual to find out that it is Samanosuke, having confirmed her belief that he is indeed still alive. The two share a tearful reunion, and after fighting off more Genma, he decides to stop hiding from her after having learned to control his Onimusha power, soon getting back in contact with Mitsuhide and acting as an agent for him alongside Kaede. From this point on, the two begin working alongside each other once again.

The two learn that Nobunaga had been once again resurrected and is continuing his conquest using the Genma, deciding to do what they can to stop him. However, they soon learn that Nobunaga's power had seen significant growth in a short span of time, concerned at whether or not they would be able to defeat him alone. At some point, Kaede finds herself fighting Genma in the Mist Valley once again and attracts the attention of Keijiro Maeda, the warrior approaching her and revealing himself to be an adult Yumemaru. After learning from her that Samanosuke is also still alive, he vows to aid the two against the Genma in an attempt to repay them for what they did at Inabayama.

At the same time, Kaede realises that Samanosuke is being investigated by another ninja, Kotarō Fūma, and confronts him in the Bamboo Forest. While she remains suspicious, not wanting to risk putting Samanosuke in danger, Kotaro reveals that he is working for Jubei Yagyu, telling her that he also holds Oni power. After the two fight off Genma together, Kaede asks to meet with Jubei to confirm Kotaro's claims before getting Samanosuke involved, and Kotaro agrees to arrange a meeting between them. This meeting takes place in the Foggy Forest, and while she still remains uncertain about Jubei and asks for proof of his claims, the two are forced to fight together against a number of approaching Genma. Following this fight, Kaede recognizes Jubei's Oni power and realises that their claims are true, agreeing to speak with Samanosuke about arranging a meeting between them before parting.

Kaede meets with Samanosuke in the Town of Imasho and reports her findings to Jubei, and Samanosuke asks her to arrange a meeting between them, hoping to form an alliance against Nobunaga. Kaede later tracks Jubei and informs him of Samanosuke's desire to meet, and Jubei shares the same hope that it will lead to Nobunaga's downfall. This meeting successfully occurs in the Silver Grass Plain, and both warriors agree to an alliance against Nobunaga and the Genma. While the two confront and defeat Nobunaga, Kaede likely remains alongside other warriors such as Keijiro and Kotaro as they fight off pockets of Genma, soon parting ways upon Nobunaga's defeat and reuniting with Samanosuke once again.

Death

Following the events of Onimusha: Blade Warriors, Kaede remains by Samanosuke's side as Nobunaga is revived once again, continuing their fight against the Genma. At this point, the Genma begin to hunt him specifically, recognizing him as their greatest threat after having failed to track down Jubei Yagyu. At some point before 1582, the two are tracked down and found by Tokichiro, now named Hideyoshi Hashiba, and the Genma warrior Gargant, and the latter would engage Samanosuke in single combat. While the two are locked in battle, Hideyoshi sees an opportunity to kill him and aims his rifle, hoping to shoot Samanosuke dead. However, seeing Hideyoshi with a rifle in hand, Kaede rushes forward to protect Samanosuke as Hideyoshi fires, the bullet instead piercing her chest. While Samanosuke survives as a result, the shot results in Kaede's death, and while Samanosuke manages to survive the encounter and escape, he is left mourning her death and vows to avenge her, partially blaming Gargant for his loss.

This eventually culminates in a final encounter in 1582 when Samanosuke intercepts a Genma Tank bound for Honnoji Temple, intending to reinforce Nobunaga with additional Genma troops in preperation for an incoming rebellion at the hands of Mitsuhide Akechi. Upon successfully reaching the control room, Samanosuke and Gargant do battle once again, with Samanosuke soon cutting down Gargant's pod and causing it to fall into the brain of the Genma Tank, destroying it entirely. Both Samanosuke and Gargant survive the blast and prepare for one final battle, and once Samanosuke absorbs the souls of the many Genma caught in the explosion, he transforms into his Oni form and immediately overpowers Gargant, piercing his torso and finally killing him, avenging the death of Kaede.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

While Kaede does not make a physical appearance, Samanosuke, now named Tenkai Nankobo, continues to remember her throughout his life, though no longer finds himself able to shed any more tears at her loss after so many years of mourning. Once he, alongside Hideyasu Yuki, Akane Yagyū, Roberto Frois and Ohatsu, reach Kyoto and make one final assault against Hideyoshi Toyotomi in an attempt to prevent the resurrection of the Creator God Fortinbras, he personally dedicates this final act to the fallen Kaede, hoping to finally stop the Genma once and for all in her name.

Onimusha: Soul

Kaede appears in Onimusha: Soul.

Trivia

• Kaede's death was thought to have been caused by the character in the opening movie to Onimusha 3, supposedly Gargant, although Gargant was not specifically named in a 2004 interview by Keiji Inafune. It's later written in the 2006 manga tie-in, Twilight of Desire, that was she was killed by Hideyoshi.

Gallery

Kaede/Gallery

Articles & References