Hibana

緋花Hibana
The Oboro's Scarlet Heiress
Biographical Information
Origin	Oboro Village, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Gender	Female
Character Info
Occupation	Shinobi agent
Affiliation	Oboro Clan Shinobi Agency (deserted)
Appearance
Voice	JPN: Atsuko Tanaka EN: Kristi Swensson
Appearance	Kunoichi/Nightshade (2003) Project X Zone 2 (2016

“	So begins my life as a rogue Shinobi... today's not my day.	„
	~ Hibana to herself.

Hibana (in Japanese: 緋花 meaning Scarlet Flower) is a government-employed kunoichi tasked with eliminating the members of the Nakatomi Conglomerate. She is the main protagonist of the 2003 videogame Nightshade.

The Nakatomi Conglomerate unwittingly unleashed Hellspawn upon a futuristic Tokyo. To stop them, Hibana captured the shards of Akujiki, the sword weilded by Hotsuma. Hibana, though not technically a official Shinobi, was born to the main family of the Oboro Clan linage though she was put up for adoption as a child at an early age. She is a jaded ninja who was abandoned by Jimushi and now works for the the Japanese government, who modeled her outfit after the warrior Hotsuma who was the last leader of the Oboro Clan.

Appearance

Hibana, unmasked

Hibana is a slender young woman in her early twenties with raven black hair and brown chestnut eyes. In her shinobi outfit, modeled after Hotsuma and given a color scheme reminiscent of Joe Musashi, she is clad in a white black and crimson shinobi suit. She carries three swords with her, the Utsushiyo, a replica of Akujiki, and the Futaba blades, given to her by her old master Jimushi.

Her bonus costumes show a more casual side of her, as she has a black leather shorts with red designs wearing a black bustier with red floral patterns, and one outfit with jeans, a brown jacket, and a guitar, hinting she has musical talent.

History

Hibana was born into the household of the Oboro Clan's ruling family, alongside her relatives Hotsuma and Moritsune. But because she was a girl, she was not permitted to vie for leadership of the clan; because of this, at a tender age before she could understand the situation, she was sent to be raised by the Mukuro Clan, a branch of the Oboro. Feeling abandoned and heartbroken, Hibana channeled her sadness and feelings of abandonment into her training, and became a prodigy in the Oboro Ryu Shinobi Arts.

The Oboro elders would come to notice this, and she would meet Jimushi, an Oboro Ninja who worked for the Shinobi Agency. Jimushi accepted Hibana, and for the first time, she had felt close to someone.

But one day Jimushi left the Agency, disillusioned with the government, and leaving Hibana alone. Feeling abandoned and betrayed; once by the Oboro, and again by Jimushi, Hibana became jaded and cynical, carrying out her missions with little care for anyone or anything.

After a year since Hotsuma's triumph over Hiruko Ubusuna, the government ordered Kagari Ubusuna of Kumano Shrine to seal Akujiki away, so that it may never fall into the wrong hands. Breaking the cursed blade into nine shards, Kagari spread them throughout Tokyo in key locations to create the Ariake Seal; a Yang powered force field to keep the Hellspawn menace at bay.

However, the Nakatomi Conglomerate desired the Akujiki blade, and hired mercenaries to retrieve the sword. Thirteen days later, Hibana is assigned to recover Akujiki after slaying a Lord classed Hellspawn created from Akujiki's power. Soon she would discover the Nakatomi Mercs, and is shocked to see that her former master Jimushi is their leader. Vowing to kill Jimushi as she retrieves Akujiki, she battles across Tokyo facing Hellspawn, Nakatomi ninja, and the cyborg shinobi Kurohagane, a shinobi created by Nakatomi.

After recovering data in a Nakatomi facility, she discovered that Nakatomi was using data of the Oboro Clan, including Hibana's own data. Hibana is then attacked by a Hellspawn, and fights her way out of the facility, where a rebuilt Kurohagane is waiting for her. After defeating the mechanical ninja, she is shocked when Jimushi betrays Nakatomi and makes off with Akujiki. Jimushi challenges her at the docks at Shinogawa.

Master against Pupil.

Upon meeting, the two Ninja engage in a master-pupil grudge match. After defeating her former mentor, he reveals that he can entrust Akujiki to her, while trying to reach out to her, reminding her of the Shinobi's true way. He tries to tell Hibana that he didn't abandon her, but that the shinobi have lost sight of what makes them who they are, and that he couldn't stay because of that. But Hibana, refusing to listen, walks away. Jimushi attempts to give his Akujiki shards to Hibana on the condition she not surrender it to the government only for the two to be attacked by Kurohagane, rebuilt.

Hibana cries as Jimushi passes away.

Jimushi takes a shot meant for Hibana, and the android makes off with the Akujiki shards. Hibana spends time with Jimushi. Proud of his student's growth, Jimushi drew his final breath, leaving the weeping Hibana to mourn her beloved master in the falling rain.

In pursuit of Kurohagane she is attacked by Hisui, the Shinobi of Water. Driven mad with grief and rage over Jimushi's death, she attempts to kill Hibana in anger. However, Hibana's prowess proves to be too much for Hisui and she is defeated. Hibana saves Hisui from falling into the sea to her death, and feeling guilty, gives her new a purpose; to hate her and when ready, kill her. Hisui happily agrees.

Hibana vs. Kurohagane with the fully restored Akujiki.

Making her way to the Golden Palace, she battles through hordes of Hellspawn blocking her path. As she makes her way to the castle keep, she finds herself under attack by the last remaining Akujiki Hellspawn Lord. After killing the demon, she is attacked by the lurking Kurohagane, who absorbs Akujiki into himself. The blade whole once again, Kurohagane exercises Akujiki's will, revealing that Akujiki can only truly be controlled by soulless creatures such as the Hellspawn and Cyborg Shinobi like himself. Refusing to surrender her soul for Akujiki, Hibana is forced to face off against Kurohagane, now taking on a demonic visage of the Oboro Leader Hotsuma with a fully restored Akujiki.

Hibana delivers the final death blow to Kurohagane.

After a grueling battle, Hibana defeats the Akujiki powered Kurohagane, and with one final slash Akujiki's hold is broken and Kurohagane is shut down. Soon after, government forces appear. Initially not willing to give Akujiki to them, she acquiesces and gives them the sword as her handler instructs. However she's quick to notice the Nakatomi crest on the container, and overhears a soldier give an order to capture Kurohagane.

With her mission complete, and Akujiki in hand, Hibana abandons the Shinobi Agency, and marches onward to her own destiny.

After making a good amount of distance from the site, she removes her helmet and smiles, as it is revealed she stole Akujiki by switching the blade with Utsushiyo. Declaring that she is now a renegade shinobi, she says her catch phrase "Today's not my day." before tossing her helmet away, and with Akujiki now under her full control, she marches off to an uncertain future.

Personality

As a shinobi she coldly carries her missions out to perfection. She doesn't hold any passion for them though, as events of her past led to her having a cynical outlook on life. Because of her sex, the Oboro put her up for adoption into the Mukuro household, a branch family of the Oboro, leaving her neglected and brokenhearted. But rather than let it get to her, she used her bitterness as drive to prove that even she, a kunoichi could be something magnificent. This became apparent to the Oboro elders, who entrusted her to Jimushi. As she spent time with Jimushi she felt happy, but when he suddenly left, her old emotional wounds reopened, and she became surly and tired of being hurt.

Despite her gruff attitude towards shinobi work, she retains a sense of humor, and is keen on wisecracking from time to time.

Project X Zone 2

Hibana makes an appearance in Project X Zone 2. She is a solo unit who can be assigned to any of the pair units. While Hibana is formally introduced during the game's prologue, she is actually the final solo unit to officially join the team. She joins the party during the events of Chapter 23, "The Shade of the Night".

Crosspedia

A female ninja and member of the Shinobi Agency.

Although she is of the Oboro clan bloodline, being a girl meant she was unable to vie for the leadership of the clan. Instead, she was sent to be raised by the Mukuro Clan, a branch of the Oboro. She then encountered Jimushi from the Shinobi Agency who taught her the way of the ninja. Finally feeling a sense of acceptance, she grew close to Jimushi, but then one day he suddenly vanished.

Having been abandoned twice, once by the Oboro and again by Jimushi, Hibana has lost all interest in life. She now merely follows orders, generally with a surly and uncaring attitude. Her mantra is "Today's just not my day".

She fights using two swords. The larger one, Utsushiyo (現世；Transient World), is a prototype weapon created by analyzing the accursed Akujiki and then copying its powers. The smaller blades, Futaba (二羽 Two Wings), were given to her by Jimushi when she went out on her first mission for him.

Gallery

Trivia

• Her outfit's color scheme is a tribute to the original Shinobi, Joe Musashi.
• Hibana's voice actor in the Japanese dub, Atsuko Tanaka, also shares her voice with Trish from Devil May Cry and Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell and Bayonetta From Bayonetta.
• She makes an appearance in Project X Zone 2 as a support character. Her theme is a remixed version of Hisui's boss theme.
• The name of the family that adopted her is revealed to be the 躯家 Mukuro family, a branch house of he Oboro family.