Luis Frois

Luís Fróis (ルイス・フロイス Ruisu Furoisu) is a a character that acts as both a secondary antagonist and supporting character in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams. He is a Portuguese missionary and well-respected scientist in Spain who came to Japan multiple times throughout his life. He would eventually become the unwilling host for the GenmaRosencrantz during his time researching the Dark Stone in Kyushu.

Historical Background

Born in Lisbon 1532, Luis was educated in the court of King João III of Portugal where he would begin working for the Royal Secretary's Office at an early age. He would begin studying at Saint Paul's College in Goa, Portuguese India after joining the Jesuits in 1548, with one teacher reportedly describing him as tough and good natured, though not religious. After completing his theological studies in 1561, Luis became a priest and confessor, and he became highly praise for his writing and language talents. His missionary work would begin in 1562 after he was sent to Japan alongside Giovanni Battista de Monte, and he would eventually arrive in Kyoto in 1583 where he met the current shōgun, Yoshiteru Ashikaga.

In 1569, Luis would befriend Nobunaga Oda and would remain in his personal residence at Gifu where he would write books, soon winning Nobunaga's trust and gaining his permission to proselytize in the Kinai region where he would gain a large number of followers. During this time, Luis would portray Nobunaga favorably in his writings during this time. He would later become active in Kyushu until 1580, when he would act as an interpreter for Alessandro Valignano during the latter's visit to Japan. After being ordered by the Superior General to cease missionary work and devote himself to recording Jesuit activity in Japan, Luis would begin travelling the country and spreading his knowledge, this record eventually being called "The History of Japan".

While Hideyoshi Toyotomi initially continued Nobunaga's more welcoming policy towards Jesuits, he would eventually issue an edict to expel all missionaries on July 24th 1567 due to attacks on Buddhism and Shintoism as well as the slave trade of Japanese people. As a result, Luis left the Kinai region and settled in Nagasaki. He would accompany Valignano again after the latter returned to Japan in 1590, and the two would meet with Hideyoshi at Jurakudai. The two would travel to Macau in 1592, though Luis eventually returned to Nagasaki in 1595 where he would spend the rest of his days before his death on 8th July 1597.

Story

Backstory

Having travelled across Japan for many years as a Christian Missionary, Luis Frois would eventually find himself in Kyushu where he came across a young boy named Roberto who had survived the destruction of his village at the hands of Hideyoshi Toyotomi's forces. Realizing that he had been orphaned as a result, he chose to adopt the boy as a son and cared for him as his own. This act would not be an isolated incident as he would do the same to 26 other orphaned children over time, and he would become known for his kindness as a result. Being a Christian Missionary, Luis would teach his children his Christian beliefs throughout their lives. Following the construction of the Toyokuni Research Facilities in both Sakai and Shimabara, Luis would house his children within the Shimabara facility.

At around the same time, Luis would enter the service of Hideyoshi Toyotomi and would make multiple trips to Sawayama Castle with Roberto, causing the young boy to grow familiar with many of the hidden passages throughout the castle. be ordered by Hideyoshi to begin studying the Dark Stone that had been unearthed in Shimabara. While Luis' curiosity as a scientist would be piqued by this object as he began his studies, he would slowly lose his autonomy as Rosencrantz, a member of the Genma Triumvirate that had been freed from the Underworld by Mitsunari Ishida, would begin to possess him due to being rendered too weak to physically manifest, now requiring a host body until his power could be restored. Luis would eventually learn that his research was intended to use Genma Science for war, but his discovery would come too late as Rosencrantz' possession had already grown too powerful to resist.

Under Rosencrantz' influence, Luis would slowly morph into a monster, beginning to conduct gruesome experiments on his children at around 1588 which would result in the death of 26 of his adopted sons. Deeply horrified at his own actions and knowing that Roberto was next, Luis would manage to wrestle one last ounce of control of himself and implant Roberto with a set of Exorcising Prayer Beads and carry him outside the Shimabara Facility, believing the Beads to be the only thing capable of destroying the Dark Stones. He would leave a pendant in Roberto's hand that acts as a key to enter the Toyokuni Research Facility in the hopes that Roberto would successfully use it to destroy the Dark Stones and one day kill him in order to atone for his unwilling actions. This proves to be Luis' final act before Rosencrantz secures complete control over his body, though the Genma would not learn of Luis' actions.

Due to Hideyoshi's 1567 ban on Christianity, Luis' lost children would be deemed in violation of his edict, officially labelling their deaths as executions instead of casualties of Rosencrantz' experiments. They would henceforth become known to Christians as the 26 Martyrs and be buried at Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki. At the same time, Hideyoshi would force all Christians to leave Japan with the exception of Luis, knowing that he was already possessed by Rosencrantz at this point. From this point on, Rosencrantz would continue his experiments as well as his research on the Dark Stone, taking on Luis' identity in order to remain undetected to all outside of Hideyoshi and the rest of the Triumvirate, with Claudius now inhabiting a willing Mitsunari and Ophelia keeping herself hidden for now. He would begin aiding Claudius and Ophelia in putting together their plan to resurrect the Creator God Fortinbras using Genma Insects. While he would not take any action himself at this time, he would be present alongside Claudius and Ophelia after the death of Hidetsugu Toyotomi at the hands of Tenkai Nankobo, with Ophelia now having taken the form of Lady Yodo after the latter is sacrificed to create the Genma Mother Tree.

Onimusha: Night of Genesis

In 1596, Luis, still possessed by Rosencrantz, would join Hideyoshi, Claudius and Hideyasu Yuki at Fushimi Castle for a small gathering where he would witness Hideyasu's decision to oppose Hideyoshi for his usage of the Genma, as well as his victory over Kiyomasa Kato despite the latter eating Genma Insects to inflate his strength. Before Hideyasu is able to attack Hideyoshi again, however, an earthquake rocks the castle as the Omen Star is finally released from the Underworld, slowly filling the country with dark essence. While Rosencrantz is pleased with this development, Luis notices Hideyasu's Oni power explode as a result of his rage, and while Hideyasu is forced to flee, Luis begins to hope that he will aid in the battle against the Genma. He is later seen a year later where he witnesses the activation of the Dark Stone in Sakai alongside Claudius and Ophelia.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

After the appearance of the Omen Star in 1596, Rosencrantz begins using Luis' position in Hideyoshi's court to begin overseeing the gathering of Genma Trees in order to transport them to Kyoto for the upcoming Diago Blossoming Festival. Throughout this time, Rosencrantz would also hunt for Roberto upon learning of his ability to kill Genma with his bare hands, becoming obsessed with discovering where his power comes from. At some point in 1598, Roberto, now seeking revenge against Luis due to believing him to be responsible for the deaths of the 26 Martyrs, allows himself to be captured and is imprisoned in the dungeons of Sawayama Castle. Rosencrantz is left elated as a result, though is unaware that Roberto is simply biding his time for the chance to break out and kill Luis. This chance comes once Hideyasu, now named Soki, and Tenkai Nankobo infiltrate the dungeon with the intent of freeing him, though Roberto remains unwilling to co-operate with them and escapes alone once they attract the attention of Sakon Shima.

While Ohatsu helps Soki escape following Sakon's defeat, Rosencrantz arrives at the top of Sawayama Castle to report his success in the preparations for the Diago Blossoming Festival, though expresses his frustration at constantly being called Luis Frois. Upon learning of the Black Oni's impending arrival, Rosencrantz expresses excitement at the prospect of killing him, though also reports that Ophelia is remaining in Kyoto to keep watch over Hideyoshi. He and Claudius remain to meet Soki upon his arrival, though they are all shocked as Roberto bursts into the room through a secret passage, forcing Claudius to activate a trap to drop them to the room below while they escape to Kyoto. Rosencrantz initially proves unwilling to lose the chance to experiment on Roberto, but concedes when Claudius assures that they will meet again in Kyoto.

Claudius is proven correct as Soki, Tenkai, Roberto and Akane Yagyu all arrive in Kyoto in an attempt to burn the Genma Mother Tree, though Akane and Roberto are quick to rush towards their objects of revenge, with Akane attacking her uncle Munenori Yagyū and Roberto rushing towards a gleeful Rosencrantz. The Genma scientist manages to lead him away from the rest of his allies and successfully captures him, with Hideyoshi forcing Soki and Ohatsu to flee to Mt. Hiei while Tenkai is swallowed in Hideyoshi's attack and seemingly killed. At some point after they reach Enryaku Temple and rescue Akane from Munenori at Azuchi Castle, the Oni are informed by Minokichi of a westerner being taken to a hospital known as the San Espana and suspect the involvement of Luis, deciding to go there in order to rescue Roberto. In reality, Rosencrantz had taken the captured Roberto to the San Espana and begun experimenting on his body in an attempt to find the source of his power, leaving him in a near-death state.

This experimentation is interrupted when the Oni arrive to confront him, demanding that Rosencrantz release the westerner. Despite his trickery, the group manage to defeat Rosencrantz and prepare to escape with Roberto, but they soon find themselves surrounded by Genma due a trap that Rosencrantz had prepared. However, as the group fight the Genma off, Rosencrantz' weakened state allows Luis to regain temporary control of himself, beggin Hideyasu to take Roberto and escape before Rosencrantz regains control. While confused at this shift in personality, the group heed Luis' desperate pleas and escape with Roberto, doing so before Rosencrantz inevitably regains full control over Luis. Soon after, Robert successfully leads the Oni to the Sakai Facility and learns the truth of the Genma's ultimate plan, including the forced possession of Luis by Rosencrantz. While he is left somewhat relieved that Luis was not to blame for the 26 Martyrs, he still remains committed to kill him in order to alleviate his guilt.

Regardless of this failure, Rosencrantz remains hopeful to continue his experiments in the future, standing alongside Claudius as they witness the Oni use the San Felipe to sail from Sakai to Kyushu, acknowledging that they are aware of the Shimabara Facility. While they both seem to be aware that Fortinbras himself had a plan for the Black Oni and prepare to confront the party in Shimabara, Rosencrantz is left disappointed when Claudius tells him to abandon Sakon after his failure to stop them, wishing that he had a chance to make him a subject of research. As planned, the two both confront the Oni at the Shimabara Facility, though Rosencrantz stands back as Claudius chooses to face them alone. As a result, he fails to stop Sakon from forcing Claudius from Mitsunari's body and is unable to prevent the Oni from destroying the Dark Stone and defeating Claudius after the latter proves capable of physically manifesting due to the close proximity of the Omen Star. Upon his defeat, Claudius' gargantuan body falls back down into the chamber and explodes, causing Rosencrantz to get caught in the blast. While both he and Luis perish as a result, Rosencrantz' death gives Luis one final opportunity to regain control of himself, praising Roberto's actions in destroying the Dark Stones and defeating Rosencrantz.

Stats

Luis Frois (Stage 10)

Gallery