Matsu'o Tsurayaba
Encyclopedia
Matsu'o Tsurayaba is a comic book
fictional character
associated with the Hand
, and part of the Marvel Comics
universe
. A member of the Hand
, Tsurayaba's first appearance came in Uncanny X-Men
#255 and was directly involved with the "body swap incident" between Betsy Braddock
and Kwannon
just after Betsy's emergence from the Siege Perilous
.
Soon after, the X-Man Psylocke
emerged from the Siege Perilous. Betsy Braddock washed up, naked and amnesiac, on a beach of an island belonging to the Hand. Matsu'o recognized the woman as Psylocke and devised a plan to use her telepathic
abilities to restore his lover's mind. His idea was to transplant the mind of Kwannon into the body of Psylocke. Kwannon possessed a natural empathic ability that would ensure her mind would survive contact with a high-level telepath's like Psylocke, but her body was still too weak for such a transfer. Matsu'o contacted the villain Spiral
, who agreed to help.
Spiral, true to her penchant for deception and treachery, did more than just switch the two minds. She twisted the DNA of both women so that both bodies were genetically the same, each bearing characteristics of the other. She also spliced the minds of both women, planting pieces of each in both bodies. After the transfer was complete, both the Asian
body of Kwannon and the Caucasian
body of Psylocke possessed parts of the psyches of both women, though it was later revealed that more of Betsy's mind existed within Kwannon's body and more of Kwannon's resided within Psylocke's. The process also halved Psylocke's telepathy between them.
Seeing that both women seemed to be in both bodies, Matsu'o was more interested in the body that looked the most like his lost love, and left the other body, who would later become Revanche, in the hands of her old employer Nyorin.
Matsu'o aided Psylocke, now Asian, in her recovery, training her in various martial arts and making her into the Mandarin's
finest assassin. Ironically, a warrior is exactly what Elizabeth Braddock had always dreamed of becoming, and Matsu'o, along with Spiral and the Hand, unwittingly gave Betsy Braddock her innermost desire.
Matsu'o later allied with Fenris
to revive Omega Red
.
Later, when Revanche attacked Psylocke, claiming to be the true Elizabeth Braddock, the two women, accompanied by Beast
and Gambit
, went to Japan to discover the truth. Though they found planted evidence in the form of a false diary written by Lord Nyoirin, Matsu'o refused to reveal the truth. Revanche, having nowhere else to go, decided to remain with the X-Men and aided them on several missions.
Later still, Revanche contracted the Legacy Virus
. Her telepathic powers slowly increased to the point that she could cut through the confusion in her own mind and remember who she truly was; the real Kwannon, as Psylocke was the real Betsy Braddock. Near death, she confronted Matsu'o, who finally admitted the truth and begged for forgiveness. Sensing her imminent death, she asked Matsu'o (affectionately called Matta) to kill her before she burned herself out. He did, plunging a blade into her heart, and buried her. With Kwannon's death, Psylocke's full telepathic potential was returned to her. Sensing Revanche's death, Psylocke went to find Matsu'o, who explained everything. Revanche also left a portion of her psionic energies within Matsu'o, who used it at her behest, removing Kwannon's fractured memories and personality traits from Betsy Braddock's mind, and restoring those of Betsy's that were possessed by Kwannon. Matsu'o wished to commit suicide to join his lover, but was stopped by Psylocke, who convinced him to honor her memory by becoming the man she would have wanted.
Matsu'o's resolve to become a better person would not last, however. His enmity with Wolverine
led him to initiate an attack on his lover, Mariko Yashida
. In particular, Matsu'o collaborated with another of Logan's love interests, Silver Fox
, the leader of HYDRA
. After distracting Wolverine they sent an assassin to poison Mariko. The assassination was a success, but Matsu'o underestimated Wolverine's true berserker rage. In a mad fit of revenge, Logan entered Tsurayaba's penthouse, and sliced off his arm. Logan then promised him that every year on Mariko's death, he would carve a little more off the Hand boss. Matsu'o is now missing his arm, right ear, nose, and gall bladder.
Recently, Psylocke
, having returned from her stint with the Exiles
, went to Japan to bury her former body. Having come to Japan, however, she was ambushed by the Hand, who destroyed her body and told her to take up any dispute with Matsu'o. Enraged, Psylocke tracks Matsu'o down, only to be horrified to find him terribly disfigured - the result of Wolverine's yearly revenge. Matsu'o, now missing both hands and other body parts, desires an honorable death and wants Psylocke to grant him that honor - since he cannot himself hold a blade to perform Seppuku
. Before Psylocke can oblige, Wolverine emerges from the shadows and says that Matsu'o's punishment is not over yet. The two X-Men engage in a brutal fight that ends in a standstill. Wolverine finally relents, however, allowing Psylocke to kill Matsu'o. She generates a telepathic illusion of Kwannon in Matsu'o's mind, then kills him quickly with her psychic blade.
Matsu'o Tsurayaba's strength has been augmented with cybernetic implants. On occasion, he has worn an armored battlesuit of unrevealed capabilities.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
associated with the Hand
Hand (comics)
The Hand is a fictional supervillainous organization in the Marvel Comics universe.The Hand is an order of evil mystical ninja who are heavily involved in organized crime and mercenary activities such as assassination plots. The Hand covets power above all other objectives. They are primarily based...
, and part of the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. A member of the Hand
Hand (comics)
The Hand is a fictional supervillainous organization in the Marvel Comics universe.The Hand is an order of evil mystical ninja who are heavily involved in organized crime and mercenary activities such as assassination plots. The Hand covets power above all other objectives. They are primarily based...
, Tsurayaba's first appearance came in Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men
Uncanny X-Men, first published as The X-Men, is the flagship Marvel Comics comic book series for the X-Men franchise. It is the mainstream continuity featuring the adventures of the eponymous group of mutant superheroes...
#255 and was directly involved with the "body swap incident" between Betsy Braddock
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
and Kwannon
Revanche
Revanche was a short-lived Marvel Comics character, associated with the X-Men. She was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and first appeared in X-Men -Fictional character biography:...
just after Betsy's emergence from the Siege Perilous
Siege Perilous (comics)
Siege Perilous is the name of two fictional devices appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. The first appeared in books starring Captain Britain, and the second in books featuring the X-Men...
.
Fictional character biography
Matsu'o Tsurayaba was a Hand assassin working in Japan. His love, another assassin by the name of Kwannon, worked for an opposing crime boss named Nyorin. Though they knew their respective employers would eventually clash, the two remained lovers, and vowed to fight honorably to the death should they have to. Fatefully, they did. Matsu'o was ordered by the Hand to kill Nyorin, and during his fight with Kwannon, she slipped, and fell from the cliffs they were on to the ocean below. Matsu'o brought her broken body to the labs of the Hand. They were able to keep her body alive, but her mind was shattered beyond repair.Soon after, the X-Man Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
emerged from the Siege Perilous. Betsy Braddock washed up, naked and amnesiac, on a beach of an island belonging to the Hand. Matsu'o recognized the woman as Psylocke and devised a plan to use her telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
abilities to restore his lover's mind. His idea was to transplant the mind of Kwannon into the body of Psylocke. Kwannon possessed a natural empathic ability that would ensure her mind would survive contact with a high-level telepath's like Psylocke, but her body was still too weak for such a transfer. Matsu'o contacted the villain Spiral
Spiral (comics)
Spiral is a fictional character, a supervillainess in the Marvel Comics universe. She first appeared in the Longshot miniseries by Ann Nocenti and Art Adams.-Fictional character biography:...
, who agreed to help.
Spiral, true to her penchant for deception and treachery, did more than just switch the two minds. She twisted the DNA of both women so that both bodies were genetically the same, each bearing characteristics of the other. She also spliced the minds of both women, planting pieces of each in both bodies. After the transfer was complete, both the Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
body of Kwannon and the Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
body of Psylocke possessed parts of the psyches of both women, though it was later revealed that more of Betsy's mind existed within Kwannon's body and more of Kwannon's resided within Psylocke's. The process also halved Psylocke's telepathy between them.
Seeing that both women seemed to be in both bodies, Matsu'o was more interested in the body that looked the most like his lost love, and left the other body, who would later become Revanche, in the hands of her old employer Nyorin.
Matsu'o aided Psylocke, now Asian, in her recovery, training her in various martial arts and making her into the Mandarin's
Mandarin (comics)
The Mandarin is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and the archenemy of Iron Man.In 2009, Mandarin was ranked as IGN's 81st Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
finest assassin. Ironically, a warrior is exactly what Elizabeth Braddock had always dreamed of becoming, and Matsu'o, along with Spiral and the Hand, unwittingly gave Betsy Braddock her innermost desire.
Matsu'o later allied with Fenris
Fenris (comics)
Fenris are two fictional characters from the Marvel Comics universe, namely German twins Andrea and Andreas von Strucker. They are the children of supervillain Baron Wolfgang von Strucker of HYDRA and the half-brother of Werner von Strucker. Andrea is female, Andreas is male...
to revive Omega Red
Omega Red
Omega Red is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #4 , and was created by Jim Lee...
.
Later, when Revanche attacked Psylocke, claiming to be the true Elizabeth Braddock, the two women, accompanied by Beast
Beast (comics)
Beast , Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy, is a comic book character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the mutant team of superheroes known as the X-Men...
and Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
, went to Japan to discover the truth. Though they found planted evidence in the form of a false diary written by Lord Nyoirin, Matsu'o refused to reveal the truth. Revanche, having nowhere else to go, decided to remain with the X-Men and aided them on several missions.
Later still, Revanche contracted the Legacy Virus
Legacy Virus
In the fictional Marvel Universe, the Legacy Virus was a devastating plague that ripped through the mutant population, killing hundreds and mutating so that it affected baseline humans as well....
. Her telepathic powers slowly increased to the point that she could cut through the confusion in her own mind and remember who she truly was; the real Kwannon, as Psylocke was the real Betsy Braddock. Near death, she confronted Matsu'o, who finally admitted the truth and begged for forgiveness. Sensing her imminent death, she asked Matsu'o (affectionately called Matta) to kill her before she burned herself out. He did, plunging a blade into her heart, and buried her. With Kwannon's death, Psylocke's full telepathic potential was returned to her. Sensing Revanche's death, Psylocke went to find Matsu'o, who explained everything. Revanche also left a portion of her psionic energies within Matsu'o, who used it at her behest, removing Kwannon's fractured memories and personality traits from Betsy Braddock's mind, and restoring those of Betsy's that were possessed by Kwannon. Matsu'o wished to commit suicide to join his lover, but was stopped by Psylocke, who convinced him to honor her memory by becoming the man she would have wanted.
Matsu'o's resolve to become a better person would not last, however. His enmity with Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
led him to initiate an attack on his lover, Mariko Yashida
Mariko Yashida
is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #118 .-Fictional character biography:...
. In particular, Matsu'o collaborated with another of Logan's love interests, Silver Fox
Silver Fox
Silver Fox is a fictional character, a human in the Marvel Comics universe.- Fictional character biography :Silver Fox is a lover of Wolverine who first appeared in Wolverine vol.2 #10, where she is killed by Sabretooth...
, the leader of HYDRA
HYDRA
HYDRA is a fictional terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe.Despite the name's capitalization per Marvel's official spelling, the name is not an acronym but rather a reference to the mythical Lernaean Hydra...
. After distracting Wolverine they sent an assassin to poison Mariko. The assassination was a success, but Matsu'o underestimated Wolverine's true berserker rage. In a mad fit of revenge, Logan entered Tsurayaba's penthouse, and sliced off his arm. Logan then promised him that every year on Mariko's death, he would carve a little more off the Hand boss. Matsu'o is now missing his arm, right ear, nose, and gall bladder.
Recently, Psylocke
Psylocke
Psylocke is a fictional character depicted in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably those comics featuring the superhero team the X-Men. The character has also appeared in licensed adaptations. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, she first appeared in the UK...
, having returned from her stint with the Exiles
Exiles (comics)
Exiles, in comics, may refer to:*Exiles , one of two series published in 1993 and 1995 by Malibu Comics*Exiles , a series published by Marvel Comics starting in 2001*Exiles , Marvel Comics villains...
, went to Japan to bury her former body. Having come to Japan, however, she was ambushed by the Hand, who destroyed her body and told her to take up any dispute with Matsu'o. Enraged, Psylocke tracks Matsu'o down, only to be horrified to find him terribly disfigured - the result of Wolverine's yearly revenge. Matsu'o, now missing both hands and other body parts, desires an honorable death and wants Psylocke to grant him that honor - since he cannot himself hold a blade to perform Seppuku
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
. Before Psylocke can oblige, Wolverine emerges from the shadows and says that Matsu'o's punishment is not over yet. The two X-Men engage in a brutal fight that ends in a standstill. Wolverine finally relents, however, allowing Psylocke to kill Matsu'o. She generates a telepathic illusion of Kwannon in Matsu'o's mind, then kills him quickly with her psychic blade.
Powers and abilities
Matsu'o Tsurayaba is trained in various martial arts disciplines. He once wore a prosthetic right hand with retractable finger blades.Matsu'o Tsurayaba's strength has been augmented with cybernetic implants. On occasion, he has worn an armored battlesuit of unrevealed capabilities.
External links
- Matsu'o Tsurayaba at Marvel.com