Ayane

Ayane (綾音 Ayane) is a video game character from the Dead or Alive video game series. Starting as a training dummy in the Sega Saturn port of the original Dead or Alive Ayane became a playable character in the Playstation port. While being a recurring character in the DOA franchise Ayane also appears in the Ninja Gaiden series helping Ryu Hayabusa with hints and clues as well as becoming a playable character in certain special editions.

A ninja from the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan Ayane practices the Hajin Mon style of Mugen Tenshin ninjutsu. She was born after Raidou raped Ayame, though she was raised and trained by Genra. She has a deep hatred for her birth father; Raidou, her half-sister Kasumi, and DOATEC; however she has a strong connection with Hayate. According to series canon she won the third tournament by defeating Omega.

History
Ayane was conceived when her mother; Ayame, was raped by Raidou. Unaware of the circumstances of her birth, she and Kasumi - the "princess" of the Mugen Tenshin village - played together as childhood friends. Due to the village’s dislike towards Ayane - the “cursed” child - she was outcast, raised not by her mother but by Genra, the Mugen Tenshin Clan’s shadow ninja. When Genra proposed that Ayane assist him in his duties before the clan’s Masters, Ayane met Hayate for the first time and became immured.

It was during a village festival that Ayane learned the truth of her conception. She was taken to a private room where her mother shamefully admitted everything to her; that she was an heir to the clan’s head family and half sister to Kasumi. Driven by her mother’s shame and her own anger at being outcast, Ayane would devote herself to honing her Hajin Mon abilities beyond any others in the clan to prove that even she - the lowly “cursed” child - could become something great.

Ninja Gaiden
At 14 years old, Ayane had become highly skilled in the ninja arts and had come to be an important asset for the Master Ninja Murai of the Shadow Ninja Clan as an information courier. During her trips between clans she became acquainted with Ryu Hayabusa of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan.

It was during one of these trips that she noticed something amiss and discovered the Hayabusa Village under attack. Running to the Shadow Clan to inform Murai, she encountered Ryu, who was also paying a visit to the Master Ninja. Informing the two of the attack resulted in Ryu rushing to his village and being slain by the Greater Fiend, Doku. After being restored by the clan’s animal spirit, Ryu embarked on a quest of vengeance for his clan and Ayane embarked to support him by providing Ryu with information, hints and items whenever possible.

Dead or Alive
When Raidou, Ayane’s biological father, returned to the village in search of the Torn Sky Blast, Ayane confronted him but was quickly defeated. After Raidou's rampage Hayate was left grievously injured, inciting Kasumi to leave the clan on a quest for vengeance. Marked as a runaway Shinobi, Ayane was ordered to track down and kill Kasumi in order to secure their clan’s secrecy.

Dead or Alive 2
Having tracked Kasumi to the second DOA tournament, Ayane enters as a combatant in the hopes of confronting her half sister in battle. Though she doesn’t manage to kill Kasumi, she does encounter an amnesiac but apparently healthy Hayate, and assists in his gradual regaining of memory. Also, during the tournament Ayane is confronted by Helena over the assassination of her mother. Ayane neither confirms nor denies the accusation, choosing to simply taunt the woman instead.

Dead or Alive 3
Following the disappearance of her Master and foster parent, Genra, Ayane learns that he was taken by DOATEC and converted into a monster known as Omega, and that the latest DOA tournament would act as a proving ground for Omega’s abilities.Now the most powerful practitioner of Mugen Tenshin Hajin Mon Ayane accompanied Hayate - now the 18th leader of the Mugen Tenshin style - and Ryu Hayabusa in defeating Genra in the tournament. After many battles, which included matches against both Hayate and Kasumi, Ayane emerged to defeat the monster Omega in hand to hand combat, giving him a funeral pyre she kept his weapon; a double blade energy sword, as a memento of her foster father.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Ayane was invited to the fourth DOA tournament on Zack Island. However, upon arrival, the tournament was discovered to be a hoax and Ayane was stuck for two weeks in the island resort. To pass the time she teamed up with other DOA girls and participated in volleyball contests, games and shopping.

Dead or Alive 4
The fourth DOA tournament served as an opportunity for vengeance by the Mugen Tenshin clan who had suffered at the hands of DOATEC’s experiments. Ayane once again accompanied Hayate and Ryu in embarking on DOATEC’s destruction. During the battle Ayane acted to delay Kasumi in stopping Hayate from attacking DOATEC and engages Christie in combat in order to allow Ryu to go after his targets. Ayane was also primarily responsible for the destruction of the DOATEC Tritower, conjuring a powerful ninpo spell that resulted in the destruction of the complex’s middle floors.

Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 2
Though for what purpose exactly is unknown Ayane follows Kasumi to the resurrected Zack Island and participates in the holiday activities. It is unclear whether she followed Kasumi in order to attempt another assassination, whether they were friends now, or if she to wished to see Hayate (following the rumour that he was staying on the island).

Personality
Most probably due to how she was treated as a child, Ayane possesses a detached, cynical outlook on life and is driven by a desire to prove herself better than those that condemned her. As a result, she is determined, strong and secretive but she isn’t entirely cold. She does form working relationships with those around her and follows the ninja code of her clan loyally. She does have a tendency to talk down on people, possibly again due to her experiences growing up. It should be noted that she despises anything or anyone reminding her of the past.

Her rivalry with Kasumi is driven by a deep jealousy due to her one-time only friend being the “princess” of the clan and her being the outcast “poisoned child”. However, this envy may have abated now that their circumstances have changed; with Ayane now the Hajin Mon Master of the Mugen Tenshin clan and Kasumi the runaway Shinobi desperate for attention.

Kasumi
Ayane and Kasumi are half-sisters; sharing the same biological mother. As children they were close friends, however after learning the circumstances of her birth, Ayane became jealous of Kasumi because Ayane was treated like a demon child in the village while Kasumi was treated like a princess. Ayane was able to express her deep hatred toward Kasumi when she was sent to kill her for leaving the village. She also tries to keep Kasumi away from Hayate as well. Ayane may have managed to reconcile her feelings of hatred towards Kasumi somewhat as demonstrated when she stops Kasumi from entering the burning DOATEC building seconds before it explodes.

Hayate
The connection between Ayane and Hayate is strong, albeit somewhat ambiguous. When Ayane was a child, Hayate was perhaps the only person who did not treat her as a social pariah, as a 'demon child'. This, combined with the man's skill, resolve, and position in the clan, led Ayane to admire Hayate greatly. Ayane's exact feelings for Hayate are a matter of debate. Her respect for him is obvious, and the friendship/filial bond the two share is apparent; however, whether or not Ayane secretly loves Hayate, as some believe, is uncertain. Regardless of their exact relationship, the two remain at each other's side, looking out for and protecting each other's backs.

Raidou
Raidou is Ayane's biological father due to his raping Ayane’s biological mother, Ayame. Ayane shows deep hatred towards Raidou as he was the cause of her birth, however Ayane failed to get revenge on Raidou as Kasumi defeated and killed him in the first tournament in vengeance for Hayate who Raidou had grievously injured.

Genra
Since no one cared for the rape-child Ayane, Genra took Ayane in as if she was his own. As Master of the style Genra trained Ayane in the Hajin Mon style of Mugen Tenshin ninjutsu. As a result Genra was both her father figure and Master in ninjutsu. After his capture and transformation into Omega Ayane felt obligated to end her foster father’s suffering and embarked to defeat him; besting Kasumi, Hayate and Ryu Hayabusa in the process. He was cremated in a funeral pyre preceded over by Ayane where she wept for the only person who cared enough to take her in.

Ryu Hayabusa
Ryu and Ayane have worked together on two separate occasions; five if counting the Tengu affair in the second DOA tournament, the Omega affair and the Mugen Tenshin clan’s attack on DOATEC. She regards Ryu with respect and has formed a working relationship with the super ninja.

DOA
Throughout the DOA series Ayane has been amongst the fastest characters in terms of move execution. While as fast as Kasumi, Ayane’s attacks do twice as much damage. However, although she is powerful, Ayane is a very hard character to master. This is mostly due to how her moves require practice to execute flawlessly and efficiently. One wrong move could leave her wide open to attack. As such, she is definitely not suited for beginners. Before using Ayane it is recommended to practice with Kasumi first as she is a more balanced character while still pertaining the same speedy attack style. When she is mastered, however, Ayane’s spinning attacks can be a great asset in a duel, making her difficult to predict and be countered by the opponent. A deadly character in the right hands.

NG
Equipped with a pair of Fuma Kodachi, explosive kunai and the Art of the Raging Mountain God technique Ayane is a fast and deadly opponent.

Musical Themes
The below themes are played during matches against Ayane:
 * Aya - Dead or Alive
 * TehuTehu - Dead or Alive 2
 * Prismatic Butterfly - Dead or Alive 3
 * Shade - Dead or Alive 4

Dead or Alive: Code Chronos
The announced game Dead or Alive: Code Chronos was said to feature both Ayane and Kasumi; acting as a prequel to the Dead or Alive (series) series and detailing the history between the two sisters as they grew up within their clan. However due to Tomonobu Itagaki leaving Tecmo it is unclear whether Code Chronos will be produced.

DOA: Dead or Alive
In the film DOA: Dead or Alive - loosely based on the video game series - Ayane is portrayed by Natassia Malthe and therefore appears much older than in the video game, not to mention possessing a complete change in ethnicity. In this movie Ayane is Hayate’s lover but still half-sister to Kasumi. She is assigned the task of killing Kasumi for abandoning the village and as a result follows her to the Dead or Alive Tournament where during the contest she finds Hayate - who was previously thought dead - alive. At the end of the movie she saves Hayate from a potentially lethal fall. Her character was portrayed similarly to her video game self in the sense that they are both somewhat focused on their objective and avoid personal interaction.

Outfit Usages
Ayane's signature purple butterfly dress is an unlockable costume in Super Swing Golf Season 2. The same dress also appears in Fatal Frame II: Director's Cut as an alternate costume for Mayu, one of the game’s two protagonists.

Trivia

 * Literally translated the kanji in Ayane's name translates as "Design Sound".
 * The reason why Ayane, Kasumi and Kokoro do not have listed ages (16, 17 and 17 respectively) in the western versions of the DOA games is because they are under 18 years old. Tecmo decided to give them undefined ages to avoid the risk of a moral backlash from western audiences.
 * Ayane appears as a combatant in the fan-made CG movie series Dead Fantasy where cast members of the DOA franchise fight cast members from the Final Fantasy franchise. She fights with the dual-blade energy sword that belonged to Genra and utilizes her Hajinmon style and ninpo to battle the Final Fantasy cast.
 * Tomonobu Itagaki ensured that those players selecting the Ninja Dog difficulty in Ninja Gaiden Black would be subjected to gentle mockery by the game; players on this difficulty setting would receive pink ribbons as accessories and Ayane herself would treat Ryu as an inferior.
 * Ayane's favorite color is dark purple.
 * In Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 one of Ayane's alternate costumes is that of Sun Shang Xing from the Dynasty Warriors franchise.

Endings
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