Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins
Encyclopedia
Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins is a stealth game developed by Acquire and published
by Activision
in North America and Europe and Acquire in Japan for the PlayStation in 2000.
to the game Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
and depicts the series' heroes Rikimaru and Ayame as teens, being taught by their elderly master named Shiunsai as well as another Azuma ninja
named Tatsumaru. The game reveals how Rikumaru got the famous scar over his right eye (not depicted in the game's cover).
The Azuma Ninja have served the House of Gohda for countless generations. Now three young ninja, Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru, must protect Lord Gohda Matsunoshin against a coup d'état
attempt and a mysterious ninja group calling themselves the Burning Dawn.
After the three ninja are accepted into the Azuma clan, they are called to Gohda castle, which is under attack by Lord Gohda's uncle, Motohide. After a bloody battle, which includes the death of Lady Kei, Lord Gohda's wife, and the kidnapping of Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter, Rikimaru stops Motohide from killing Lord Gohda, but can't stop Motohide from escaping. It turns out that Motohide was working for a rival Lord, Lord Toda. Toda kills Motohide, only to be killed himself and decapitated by Lady Kagami, the leader of Lord Toda's ninja. She is leading a group of rebel ninja group calling themselves the Burning Dawn, consisting of Suzaku, Genbu, Seiryu, and Byakko, the four Lords of the Burning Dawn, and led by Lady Kagami. To make matters worse, the recently made leader of the Azuma Ninja, Tatsumaru, has gone missing. It is later revealed that Tatsumaru has lost his memory and is now part of the Burning Dawn. Rikimaru and Ayame now have to save Lord Gohda, and stop a ninja uprising intended to plunge the country back into the civil war.
The Burning Dawn has its origins when Lord Ghoda's uncle Motohide allied himself with a warlord
called Toda Yoshisada in order take control over his kingdom. Toda launched an attack against Ghoda castle which resulted in the death of Lord Ghoda's wife Lady Kei and the kidnapping of his daughter Princess Kiku. Motohide is later betrayed and killed by Toda, only to be betrayed and killed himself by his chief assassin Lady Kagami, the founder of the Burning Dawn. Over an unknown period of time following the death of Lord Toda, the burning dawn partake in a series of underground criminal activities such as kidnapping, theft, forced labor, smuggling and murder. This in turn attracts the attention of Lord Ghoda and the Azuma Ninja, who make efforts to end the illegal activities of the organization.
The end finally arrives when the Burning Dawns hierarchy and its flag ship 'Fire Demon' are destroyed by the combined efforts of Rikimaru and Ayame, as well as naval elements of the Ghoda army.
There is a polish unofficial translation for the PlayStation
to find the best created mission. Due to this acclaim the Mission Editor was later brought back and revamped for the PSP installment, Tenchu: Time of the Assassins
.
.
.
Leader of the Burning Dawn, and also Lord Toda's head ninja, Kagami dreams of a world where the ninja don't have to live in the shadows. To do this, she has plots to bring down the reign of the samurai. She develops a strong romantic relationship with Tatsumaru. She was mortally wounded by Rikimaru, who used Tatsumaru's sword Izayoi, and died at the explosion of her ship, the Fire Demon, holding Tatsumaru's body near her.
The Four Lords of the Burning Dawn are Genbu "the Green Titan", Byakko "the White Tiger", Suzaku "the Red Sparrow" and Seiryu "the Blue Dragon", representing the Four Guardians of Chinese and Japanese mythology.
One of the Four Lords of the Burning Dawn, Suzaku is later revealed to be Onikage, who appears in Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. Throughout the game he confronts Rikimaru and constantly challenges and mocks him (even though Rikimaru always wins in their battles), often comparing himself to the young ninja. He also initially wore a mask, but is later revealed to be wearing a blindfold over them, making it seem he was blind. He is eventually revealed to be Onikage in the secret ending after Tatsumaru's storyline. He seemed to have some sort of strange romance with Yukihotaru, the Princess of the Fireflies, but later killed her, stating, "I have no love for weakness, only power." He is brutal and heartless, even killing his lover off much to the shock of her and Rikimaru.
The leader of the Azuma Ninja, Master Shiunsai raised and taught Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru to be ninja. He revealed that he killed Tatsumaru's father before he fought Tatsumaru at the attack at the ninja village. Before this, he had chosen Tatsumaru to his successor before Tatsumaru disappeared and later reappeared to kill him.
Lord Matsunoshin Gohda
The current leader of the House of Gohda. Gohda's family has relied upon the Azuma Ninja for years, and he trusts them with his life. He forms a special bond with Rikimaru, treating him more like a friend and confident then just a mere ninja, and even covers up the fact that Rikimaru wounded him unintentionally (though it was himself who leaped in to absorb the attack). He is shown to be just and honourable, but his actions to protect his traitorous uncle results in the death of his wife and kidnapping of his daughter and subsequent destruction of his castle. As a result, at one point of the game he wants to lead a suicidal charge into battle against Lord Toda who was now posed to attack his now weakened territory, but is convinced by Rikimaru and others to allow his Azuma Ninja to stop Toda and live on.
Many of the voice talents in the game also voice characters in the Metal Gear Solid
series, including Debi Mae West, Paul Eiding, Greg Eagles, Quinton Flynn
, Earl Boen
, Michael Gough, and Doug Stone
. The game featured the voice of Mary Kay Bergman
, who committed suicide
on November 11, 1999, and was released nearly a year after her death.
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
in North America and Europe and Acquire in Japan for the PlayStation in 2000.
Plot
The game is intended as a prequelPrequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the game Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins
Tenchu: Stealth Assassins is a stealth game developed by Acquire and published by Sony Music Entertainment inc. in Japan and Activision in North America and Europe for the PlayStation in 1998....
and depicts the series' heroes Rikimaru and Ayame as teens, being taught by their elderly master named Shiunsai as well as another Azuma ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
named Tatsumaru. The game reveals how Rikumaru got the famous scar over his right eye (not depicted in the game's cover).
The Azuma Ninja have served the House of Gohda for countless generations. Now three young ninja, Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru, must protect Lord Gohda Matsunoshin against a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
attempt and a mysterious ninja group calling themselves the Burning Dawn.
After the three ninja are accepted into the Azuma clan, they are called to Gohda castle, which is under attack by Lord Gohda's uncle, Motohide. After a bloody battle, which includes the death of Lady Kei, Lord Gohda's wife, and the kidnapping of Princess Kiku, Lord Gohda's daughter, Rikimaru stops Motohide from killing Lord Gohda, but can't stop Motohide from escaping. It turns out that Motohide was working for a rival Lord, Lord Toda. Toda kills Motohide, only to be killed himself and decapitated by Lady Kagami, the leader of Lord Toda's ninja. She is leading a group of rebel ninja group calling themselves the Burning Dawn, consisting of Suzaku, Genbu, Seiryu, and Byakko, the four Lords of the Burning Dawn, and led by Lady Kagami. To make matters worse, the recently made leader of the Azuma Ninja, Tatsumaru, has gone missing. It is later revealed that Tatsumaru has lost his memory and is now part of the Burning Dawn. Rikimaru and Ayame now have to save Lord Gohda, and stop a ninja uprising intended to plunge the country back into the civil war.
The Burning Dawn has its origins when Lord Ghoda's uncle Motohide allied himself with a warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
called Toda Yoshisada in order take control over his kingdom. Toda launched an attack against Ghoda castle which resulted in the death of Lord Ghoda's wife Lady Kei and the kidnapping of his daughter Princess Kiku. Motohide is later betrayed and killed by Toda, only to be betrayed and killed himself by his chief assassin Lady Kagami, the founder of the Burning Dawn. Over an unknown period of time following the death of Lord Toda, the burning dawn partake in a series of underground criminal activities such as kidnapping, theft, forced labor, smuggling and murder. This in turn attracts the attention of Lord Ghoda and the Azuma Ninja, who make efforts to end the illegal activities of the organization.
The end finally arrives when the Burning Dawns hierarchy and its flag ship 'Fire Demon' are destroyed by the combined efforts of Rikimaru and Ayame, as well as naval elements of the Ghoda army.
There is a polish unofficial translation for the PlayStation
Gameplay
One of the game's most acclaimed features was the Mission Editor. It gave the player the opportunity to create their own mission, including level layout, deciding which characters to put in, and mission objective. It spawned a tournament in North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to find the best created mission. Due to this acclaim the Mission Editor was later brought back and revamped for the PSP installment, Tenchu: Time of the Assassins
Tenchu: Time of the Assassins
Tenchu: Time of the Assassins is a stealth game in the Tenchu series. developed by K2 LLC and published by From Software in Japan and Sega in Europe for the PlayStation Portable in 2005....
.
Rikimaru
An extremely skilled and hard working ninja, Rikimaru has worked since childhood to become a shadow warrior. Rikimaru had emulated Tatsumaru as a role model and was much like an older brother to him. Initially Rikimaru was a weak child, but due to his discipline he became strong, but at his young age in this game he is too overconfident for his own good at times. It becomes clear during the game that he is a born leader and later overcomes his weaknesses of character through the tragic life lessons of a ninja in the game. His weapon is a ninjatōNinjato
The , also known as or , is the most common name for the sword that the ninja are portrayed to have carried by ninja in television and movies. Historically, there is no physical evidence for the existance of this weapon. In reality, the katana was probably the ninja's weapon of choice...
.
Ayame
The youngest of the Azuma Ninja, Ayame is wild and rebellious. As the story progresses, she develops a strong bond with princess Kiku, and we find out that she has loved Tatsumaru since a child romantically, causing further conflict between both their fates. As the game progresses, Ayame is forced to become much more mature and independent while dealing with the pain and tragedies she experiences. She is partial comic relief in the game and has a comical rivalry with antagonist Genbu the Wise. For weapons, Ayame wields dual tantōTanto
A is one of the traditional Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. The tantō dates to the Heian period, when it was mainly used as a weapon but evolved in design over the years to become more ornate...
.
Tatsumaru
The oldest of Azuma Shiunsai's students, Tatsumaru is chosen to succeed Master Shiunsai, a prominent member in the Azuma clan. Though he is older than both Rikimaru and Ayame, he has trained with both for years. After defeating Seiryu "The Blue Dragon", Tatsumaru fought a great fight against Lady Kagami, ending with both of them falling into the sea. Kagami woke up first when the two were washed ashore, but she did not kill Tatsumaru and instead saved him. Tatsumaru lost his memory of his former life and fell in love with Lady Kagami, convinced that he is Seiryu, and thus became one of the four lords of the Burning Dawn, replacing the real Blue Dragon whom he killed. After brutally killing Master Shiunsai in the attack at the ninja village, he regains his lost memory. Rikimaru, upon seeing his master's body, attacked Tatsumaru, but hesitated to kill his former friend. Tatsumaru took this opportunity to scar Rikimaru's eye and flee with Lady Kagami. Knowing that his crimes are unforgivable, he understands that he deserves death, but his love for Kagami and belief in her cause makes him remain by her side, even though he disagrees with her methods. Tatsumaru then followed Lady Kagami on her final assault on Gohda's castle. Although Tatsumaru has a sword, he mostly uses unarmed attacks. His final battle with Ayame resulted in his death, when he committed suicide by impaling himself his own blade Izayoi, the ninjatō passed down only to the Master of the Azuma Ninja clan.Burning Dawn
Lady KagamiLeader of the Burning Dawn, and also Lord Toda's head ninja, Kagami dreams of a world where the ninja don't have to live in the shadows. To do this, she has plots to bring down the reign of the samurai. She develops a strong romantic relationship with Tatsumaru. She was mortally wounded by Rikimaru, who used Tatsumaru's sword Izayoi, and died at the explosion of her ship, the Fire Demon, holding Tatsumaru's body near her.
The Four Lords of the Burning Dawn are Genbu "the Green Titan", Byakko "the White Tiger", Suzaku "the Red Sparrow" and Seiryu "the Blue Dragon", representing the Four Guardians of Chinese and Japanese mythology.
- Byakko - a midget who guards the entrance to the Burning Dawn's hideout. He has a pet tiger called Kotaro. Byakko is killed by Rikimaru and the tiger by Ayame.
- Genbu - a big man with a small brain and a child's innocence. Kagami gave him his nickname "the wise". He is killed by Ayame, who is visibly saddened by his death (one of the very few times she shows any sympathy for an enemy).
- Seiryu - carries a kusarigamaKusarigamaThe is a traditional Japanese weapon that consists of a kama on a metal chain with a heavy iron weight at the end. The kusarigama is said to have developed during the Muromachi period...
. He is killed by Tatsumaru on the roof of Goda castle. - Suzaku - he is actually Onikage in disguise. He is killed by Rikimaru, only to be later revived by Lord Mei-Oh.
One of the Four Lords of the Burning Dawn, Suzaku is later revealed to be Onikage, who appears in Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. Throughout the game he confronts Rikimaru and constantly challenges and mocks him (even though Rikimaru always wins in their battles), often comparing himself to the young ninja. He also initially wore a mask, but is later revealed to be wearing a blindfold over them, making it seem he was blind. He is eventually revealed to be Onikage in the secret ending after Tatsumaru's storyline. He seemed to have some sort of strange romance with Yukihotaru, the Princess of the Fireflies, but later killed her, stating, "I have no love for weakness, only power." He is brutal and heartless, even killing his lover off much to the shock of her and Rikimaru.
Other characters
Shiunsai AzumaThe leader of the Azuma Ninja, Master Shiunsai raised and taught Rikimaru, Ayame, and Tatsumaru to be ninja. He revealed that he killed Tatsumaru's father before he fought Tatsumaru at the attack at the ninja village. Before this, he had chosen Tatsumaru to his successor before Tatsumaru disappeared and later reappeared to kill him.
Lord Matsunoshin Gohda
The current leader of the House of Gohda. Gohda's family has relied upon the Azuma Ninja for years, and he trusts them with his life. He forms a special bond with Rikimaru, treating him more like a friend and confident then just a mere ninja, and even covers up the fact that Rikimaru wounded him unintentionally (though it was himself who leaped in to absorb the attack). He is shown to be just and honourable, but his actions to protect his traitorous uncle results in the death of his wife and kidnapping of his daughter and subsequent destruction of his castle. As a result, at one point of the game he wants to lead a suicidal charge into battle against Lord Toda who was now posed to attack his now weakened territory, but is convinced by Rikimaru and others to allow his Azuma Ninja to stop Toda and live on.
Cast
| Character | Voice actor (Japanese) | Voice actor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Rikimaru | Tomohiro Tsuboi Tomohiro Tsuboi is a male Japanese voice actor. He is part of 81 Produce, previously Mausu Promotion.-TV animation:*Buso Renkin *D.Grayman *Fortune Arterial *Gakuen Heaven... |
Rino Romano Rino Romano Rino Romano is a Canadian voice actor who has portrayed Batman in the animated series The Batman, Spider-Man in Spider-Man Unlimited, and Tuxedo Mask in the English dub of the anime Sailor Moon... |
| Ayame | Masako Inui | Debi Mae West Debi Mae West Debi Mae West is an American voice actress. In 2008, she won a Spike Video Game Award for voicing Meryl Silverburgh in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.- Film roles :* Boyz Up Unauthorized - Unknown* Superman - Billy... |
| Tatsumaru | Kenji Hamada Kenji Hamada is a male Japanese voice actor from Fukuoka, Japan who is an affiliate of Mausu Promotion.-Voice roles:*07-Ghost as Hyuuga*Agatha Christie no Meitantei Poirot to Marple as Inspector Craddock... |
David Moore David Moore David Moore may refer to:* David Moore , English botanist, see Banksia victoriae* David Moore , politician in Electoral district of Sandridge, Victoria, Australia... |
| Azuma Shiunsai | Masaaki Tsukada Masaaki Tsukada is a Japanese voice actor working for Mouse Promotion. His wife, Masako Nozawa, is also a voice actress.-Voice roles:Major roles are in bold.* Black Lagoon as Chief Watsup* Bleach as Shikeguni Yamamoto-Genryūsai* Crusher Joe as Barney... |
Paul Eiding Paul Eiding Paul Eiding is an American voice actor, voice instructor, and actor, perhaps best known as the voice actor behind Perceptor in the original Transformers cartoon, Roy Campbell in the Metal Gear series, the narrator in Diablo, Judicator Aldaris in StarCraft, and Max Tennyson in Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien... |
| Lady Kagami | Atsuko Tanaka Atsuko Tanaka is a Japanese voice actress who works for Ezaki Productions. Her deep and sultry voice is often used to portray villainesses and mature female characters.-TV anime:*Angel Links *Black Cat *Berserk *Cowboy Bebop... |
Mary Kay Bergman Mary Kay Bergman Mary Kay Bergman was an American voice actress and animation voice over teacher, who was the lead female voice actress on South Park from the show's 1997 debut until her death and was best known as the official voice of Snow White for the Walt Disney Company starting in 1989 with the Snow White... |
| Suzaku | Nakao Egawa | Greg Eagles Greg Eagles Greg Eagles is an American voice actor whose talents have been used for numerous TV shows and video games... |
| Genbu | Mitsuaki Hoshino Mitsuaki Hoshino is a Japanese actor and voice actor who works for Arts Vision. He is married to Yūko Kobayashi.-Anime:*Black Jack: The Movie *D.Gray-man *Gallery Fake *Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex... |
|
| Byakko | Tomoki Yanagi | |
| Lord Gohda | Yousuke Akimoto | Michael Gough Michael Gough Michael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,... |
| Princess Kiku | Ikue Ohtani | |
| Narration | Rokuro Naya Rokuro Naya is a Japanese voice actor. He is the brother of voice actor Gorō Naya. A lifetime resident of Tokyo, he is affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Anime:*Aquarius Camus in Saint Seiya*Sensui Shinobu in Yu Yu Hakusho*Enchou in Crayon Shin-chan... |
Earl Boen Earl Boen Earl Boen is an American actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series... |
Many of the voice talents in the game also voice characters in the Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid
is a videogame by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake...
series, including Debi Mae West, Paul Eiding, Greg Eagles, Quinton Flynn
Quinton Flynn
Quinton Joseph Flynn , is an American voice actor, actor and writer....
, Earl Boen
Earl Boen
Earl Boen is an American actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series...
, Michael Gough, and Doug Stone
Doug Stone (voice actor)
Douglas David Stone is a voice actor who is most notable for his representation of the character Psycho Mantis from the popular video game Metal Gear Solid, as well as the voice of Matt Trakker and several other characters in M.A.S.K., and Dragonborg in Beetleborgs Metallix...
. The game featured the voice of Mary Kay Bergman
Mary Kay Bergman
Mary Kay Bergman was an American voice actress and animation voice over teacher, who was the lead female voice actress on South Park from the show's 1997 debut until her death and was best known as the official voice of Snow White for the Walt Disney Company starting in 1989 with the Snow White...
, who committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
on November 11, 1999, and was released nearly a year after her death.