Momiji

Momiji is Ryu Hayabusa's apprentice and the Dragon Shrine Maiden of the Hayabusa clan.

Momiji debuted in the 2008 title, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, though she made her Dead or Alive debut in the 2013 title, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate.

She is the keeper of the Dragons Eye, a sacred jewel that is said to hold the spirit of a mighty dragon. In times of great danger, it is her duty to ensure that the jewel makes its way to Hayabusa, as it enhances the power of his Dragon Sword.

Appearance
Momiji is a young Japanese lady with amber eyes and long black hair tied in a ponytail. She is mostly seen in an outfit with a white top with red ribboned edges and red kunoichi styled pants.

Personality
Momiji is a very gentle and caring young woman who is seen by the Hayabusa Village children as an older sister figure, whom they look up to.

Like her mentor, Ryu Hayabusa, Momiji has a strong will and refuses to accept any vulnerabilities and trains extensively to become one of the deadliest warriors in the Hayabusa Village.

Etymology
Momiji (紅葉) in Japanese means "autumn leaves".

Ryu Hayabusa
Momiji is the last of the Hayabusa clan's shrine maidens and Hayabusa's apprentice. After saving her from falling at hands of the Black Spider clan, Hayabusa taught her how to fight, in order to survived herself as the last maiden of their clan.

A prodigy in the ninja arts, Momiji has grown to be an exceptional kunoichi in her own right. Enamored with his convictions, Momiji shares Hayabusa's perceptions of virtue and justice, only resorting to deadly violence against her clan's enemies. She looks up to her master with pride as both a mentor and an undying ally, and Hayabusa is equally proud of his disciple and sister-in-arms, having her accompany him on missions.

It is also implied that she trained and participated in the fifth annual Dead or Alive Tournament at Hayabusa's request.

Rachel
Rachel seems to have a friendly relationship for Momiji and she forms working partnerships with her very often as she helps her out on her journey.

Ayane
Momiji has a friendly relationship with Ayane, the two help each other and formed a working partnership since they first met in the Ninja Gaiden storyline. Momiji calls Ayane's name during a tag-match.

Gameplay

 * See also: Momiji's Command Lists

Despite borrowing a few moves from the other ninja characters, Momiji's play style is quite different and distinctive, particularly for her ability to double-jump and perform airborne attacks. Her move set is less diverse than the other ninja, but she compensates by balancing speed, power and ease of use, making her well-suited to beginners and deadly in the hands of experts.

She also uses ninpo during several of her attacks and is the only character capable of a mid-air power blow, performed while she is double-jumping.

Dead or Alive series

 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade (playable, 2013)
 * Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (playable, 2015)
 * Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 (playable, 2016)

Ninja Gaiden series
Momiji made her debut in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, and later in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. In Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Momiji is a playable character in the Ninja Trials and Chapter Challenge modes.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce
Momiji makes a guest appearance in PlayStation 3 version of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce. She is an NPC that offers three different quests to the player. If the player manages to complete all of the challenges she gives them, they earn the right to wield her Heavenly Dragon Naginata in battle. Its attack pattern is similar to the Polearm move-set that appears in the game but with its own unique special attacks taken straight from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.

Warriors Orochi 3
Momiji also appears in Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper, the WiiU port of Warriors Orochi 3. She is added with fellow new character Shennong, as well as along side the characters from the Japan-only PSP port of the game, Seimei Abe and Rachel. Her special stage is the Hayabusa Village merged with Wan Castle. She also appears in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate, an updated version of Warriors Orochi 3 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Dead Fantasy
Momiji appears alongside Hayabusa in the fan-made CG series Dead Fantasy created by Monty Oum.

She and Ryu debut in Dead Fantasy V and her main opponent is both Kairi and her nobody, Naminé, from the Kingdom Hearts series.

With Oum's death, the series' future is uncertain.

Fighter quotes

 * Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate/Dead or Alive 5 Last Round

Music themes
The following are the music themes used for Momiji throughout the series.

Gallery

 * See: Momiji gallery

Trivia

 * Despite being a ninjutsu practioner like all the shinobi in the series, Momiji also uses principles of aiki-jūjutsu as well, making her the only shinobi in the series to use a different fighting style.
 * Even though she was added to Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, it is unknown whether she participated in the tournament or not. Her profile on the official game website, however, states that she does enter in order to test all that she has learned.
 * Several of Momiji's techniques, such as double jumping and air-charged attacks, come directly from her gameplay in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. The air-power blow is taken from her ultimate technique and her prayer beads can be used in combat.
 * Momiji's English voice actor is also the current English voice of Tina Armstrong.
 * Momiji is the first Ninja Gaiden character to appear in the Dead or Alive Xtreme sub-series.