Ayame

Ayame (Kanji: 菖蒲, Rōmaji: Ayame) is the wife of the former Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan leader Shiden, who first appeared in Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate. She is also the birth mother of Hayate, Kasumi, and Ayane.

History
A native of the Mugen Tenshin Village, Ayame met and fell in love with Shiden, and together they had two children; Hayate and Kasumi.

While Shiden was away, his older brother, Raidou raped Ayame. This resulted in the pregnancy and birth of Ayane. While Hayate and Kasumi were treated as their heirs, Ayane was kept from the truth of her birth and was secluded from the clan due to Ayame's shame. When Ayane was older, Ayame revealed to her that she was her mother. This resulted in Ayane's jealousy towards Kasumi.

Dead or Alive 3
When Ayane was upset, Ayame comforted her daughter. Ayame then told Ayane that the blood in Ayame's veins flowed in Ayane, Kasumi, and Hayate and their family bonds were stronger than any shinobi code. Ayame asked her daughter to save Kasumi rather than be her enemy. After that, Ayane stopped calling Ayame My Lady and began to call her Mother.

Appearance
Ayame is a slim, pale-skinned woman with a round face with soft features, and large, round eyes, just like her daughters Kasumi and Ayane. Her eyes are dark brown (green in Dimensions), as is her hair, which is worn loose and long with a short front-fringe; it's possible her son Hayate inherited his hair color from her. Although Ayame is shown to be young when her children are very young - about ten years old - after six years, or maybe more pass, Ayame appears not to have aged and still looks as young as she did years before however unlike her husband. Her normal attire seems to be a kimono, as she is seen wearing one in all of her appearances.

Personality
Although briefly seen, Ayame is a loving mother toward Hayate and Kasumi; she happily watches them play together as children, and when Kasumi runs away from the clan after Raidou harmed Hayate, Ayame becomes distressed with her daughter's disappearance straight away, possibly because she knows why Kasumi left and was putting herself in danger, and that the clan will now have to kill Kasumi for risking their safety, which would be terrible for any good mother to face.

She did not feel the same towards Ayane as she couldn't mentally cope with raising a child conceived through rape and Ayane would have constantly reminded Ayame of that traumatic event. She could have also been pressured to give up Ayane, who was of a "cursed" birth, to keep honor of the head family or to keep Shiden happy, as he may not have wanted to raise his dishonourable brother's child. However, the way Ayane was conceived would make many women not want to raise the child herself. Despite this, she surely loves Ayane just as she does her other children.

Etymology
Ayame's name in kanji (菖蒲), means "Iris." It is also the name that is given to a type of Japanese iris, which acts as a character symbol for her daughter, Ayane in the Ninja Gaiden series. This seems rather odd and slightly ironic, as Ayane was the child she couldn't bear to keep.

Shiden
Ayame is shown to have great love for her husband. He grew furious after finding out about Raidou raping her. They are shown to care very much for each other and appear to have a good husband/wife relationship.

Hayate
It appears that Hayate has a good relationship with his mother. As a child, she watched him play with his younger sister, Kasumi. It is very much implied she asked Hayate to always look after his sister as he held her hand tightly when at the festival. Though they are rarely seen together, it is obvious that they love and honor one another greatly.

Kasumi
Ayame is shown to be very loving to Kasumi, as shown when she sadly said her name after finding out that her child left. She even asked Ayane to help Kasumi rather than be her enemy, showing her love for her children.

Ayane
Ayane never showed anger toward her mother, most likely because she understood why her mother gave her away. Despite what happened, Ayame loves her as much as her other children. In Dead or Alive: Dimensions, they shared a tender moment and Ayame told her not to call her "My Lady". After the discussion, for the first time in her life, Ayane called Ayame "Mother".

Raidou
Raidou is Ayame's brother-in-law. While Shiden was away, he raped her. This resulted in Ayane's birth. During the opening movie of Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate, Ayame has a flashback of Raidou raping her. The flashback showed Ayame angrily looking up to Raidou, so it's possible that she stood up to him.

Dead or Alive Series

 * Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (Non-Playable, 2004 - 2005)
 * Dead or Alive: Dimensions (Non-Playable, 2011)