Hayate

Hayate (疾風, Hayate) is the Japanese eighteenth leader of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan from the Dead or Alive series. Although he was first mentioned in Dead or Alive, his official appearance was in Dead or Alive 2 as Ein; the amnesiac Karate master from Germany. He regained his memory during the second game and appeared as himself in Dead or Alive 3. He is Kasumi's older brother, and Ayane's older half-brother. He is also friends with Ryu Hayabusa.

History
Hayate is the only and eldest son of Shiden and Ayame, the leaders of the Mugen Tenshin clan and was born to be the next leader of the clan. He had a happy childhood, training in the art of the clan Tenjin Mon-styled ninjutsu with his younger sister Kasumi, who loved him dearly.

After Genra requested to the clan leaders for Ayane - the village's "cursed child" - to help him in his duties, Hayate treated the girl with kindness which most of the clan didn't give her. The two formed a strong bond, although Hayate didn't know that Ayane was actacully his half-sister, conceived when his uncle, the rogue ninja Raidou raped Ayame when the boy was only seven years old. During his early life, he is also became good friends with Ryu Hayabusa.

Years later, Raidou attacked the Mugen Tenshin village in an attempt to steal the Torn Sky Blast ninpō attack. Ayane attacked Raidou to defend Hayate but was defeated. Hayate ran to her side but when Raidou called him a "weaking" for hiding behind a woman, Hayate attacked him in rage. He used the Torn Sky Blast to fight Raidou but was overcome by the ninja's superior fighting skill and the Torn Sky Blast stolen from him in the process. As both of their ninpō attacks collided, the resulting explosion threw Hayate into a tree, cracking his spine and sending him into a coma.

Kasumi dutifully looked after him but she soon departed the village in order to seek revenge against Raidou for harming Hayate. Despite her loving actions for her brother, leaving the village put the clan in danger of being discovered, so she was branded as a Runaway Shinobi. Ayane sent after her half-sister to kill her.

Dead or Alive
By the time of the events of the first Dead or Alive Tournament, Hayate had been captured by the DOATEC and made to undergo various experiments as part of Project Epsilon. One the scientists working on the project Lisa, released Hayate. Whether she did this out of contempt for the company's increasingly shady experiments or because she grew attached to him is unknown.

Dead or Alive 2
After the first tournament, Hayate was found in the of  by Hitomi, whose family took him in. Suffering from amnesia, he could not remember his past or even his name and ended up going by the name of "Ein".

He studied karate under Hitomi's father, and soon mastered it. After that, he joined the second tournament to find answers to his lost past. Encountering many who knew him; including Ayane, Kasumi, Ryu and Helena Douglas, he was eventually bested by Ryu in the tournament. Soon after, he regained his memory and returned home.

Dead or Alive 3
As the new head of the Mugen Tenshin Clan, Hayate joined the third tournament to help Ayane and Ryu defeat DOATEC's new superhuman creation; Omega, who was once Ayane's foster father and ninja master, Genra. Although he felt it was his duty to defeat Omega as leader of the clan, Hayate was bested by Ayane, who then proceeded to the final round and killed her foster father, citing that it was a personal affair.

Dead or Alive 4
During the fourth tournament, the Mugen Tenshin clan set out to defeat DOATEC. Hayate combines his strength with Ayane and Ryu to destroy DOATEC and stop the ALPHA-152 prototype. Part-way through the tournament he encountered Kasumi, who tried to convince him to simply return to the Mugen Tenshin Village. However Ayane intervened, calling Kasumi a traitor and asking Hayate to meet her at Tritower Heliport. He leaves Ayane and Kasumi to battle. Meanwhile, Hitomi was looking for Hayate (or rather Ein) to help her rebuild her father's dojo. Hayate agreed to go with Hitomi if she could defeat him in combat.

At the Tritower Heliport he encountered La Mariposa, where she revealed that he and the other ninjas had been manipulated by her to come and destroy DOATEC. While in the burning Tritowers, he encounters Bayman who has a similar interest to him of wanting Victor Donovan dead. They battle and the result was ambiguous.

In the end, Hayate and his ninja comrades destroyed the Tritower complex and escaped the building as it burnt to the ground. As he escapes, Hayate fights DOATEC's soldiers and even destroys the DOATEC zeppelin with a ninpo-powered arrow.

Personality
Hayate has a powerful sense of duty when it comes to his role as the leader of his clan. He is so devoted to the clan's rules and traditions that he would hunt down his own runaway sister, with much reluctance.

An honorable soul, Hayate was close with both Kasumi and Ayane throughout their childhoods, and thus does not attempt to kill or capture Kasumi over the course of the tournaments. He has also grown to develope a special bond with Ayane, having always played the role of a caring friend and senior, even though she is an illegitimate member of the family.

Etymology
The kanji used to spell Hayate's name (疾風) means "Hurricane". The name Hayate means "smooth as the wind".

Kasumi
Kasumi is Hayate's younger sister. Hayate was a very protective brother to Kasumi, so they had a close sibling relationship. After Hayate was injured by Raidou, Kasumi sought revenge on Raidou for what he did to Hayate, seeking to restore her brother's honor.

They have a very close and strong bond, even as Hayate becomes the leader of the Mugen Tenshin clan and Kasumi becomes a runaway ninja. Hayate will never harm Kasumi himself, but he will not speak to her over the shame that he chooses the clan over Kasumi.

Ayane
The connection between Ayane and Hayate is strong. Hayate is Ayane's half-brother, although he is unaware of this as Ayane's heritage was kept secret. When she was a child, Hayate was one of the few people who did not see Ayane as a "demon child". His kindness towards her, combined with his strength and resolve, led Ayane to admire Hayate greatly.

They remain at each other's side and look out and protect one another as partners-in-arms. It suspected that Ayane has grown to love him more then a brother, but it is unclear however whether Hayate shares the same attraction that Ayane feels for him.

Ryu Hayabusa
It is unclear exactly when the two met but Hayate and Ryu have always been the best of friends, serving as an example of the close relations the two clans had with one another. Before his abduction by DOATEC, Hayate had Ryu promise to look over Kasumi; thusly when Kasumi was to appear in the Dead or Alive Tournaments, he agreed to participate as well. Ryu and Hayate also share similar techniques, probably due to them practicing together as kids.

Hitomi
Hitomi’s family took Hayate in during his amnesiac episode in Germany. During his stay Hayate, known as Ein at the time, learnt karate in the family dojo alongside Hitomi; in the process becoming somewhat of a prodigy for the dojo. It is unclear what Hitomi’s intentions are for Hayate - and it is also unclear whether she actually knows his real name - but when the family dojo came under financial troubles she sought out "Ein" for help. Hayate doesn't correct her when she calls him "Ein."

Gameplay
Hayate's fighting skill focus on power rather then withstanding. He can best be described as a merger between the styles of Hitomi and Kasumi, and has been lauded as the best fighter to use in Dead or Alive 4 for his high-end speed and power balance and ease of use.

Many of his attacks have extremely fast start-up and inflict decent amounts of damage. Despite all this it should be noted that one move in particular, "Raijin", is known as the hardest command throw in the game in terms of execution. It should also be noted that "Raijin" is not the most powerful throw in the game, despite its complexity, but can be very damaging.

Musical Themes

 * Reincarnate - Dead or Alive 3
 * The Wind Is Howling - Dead or Alive 4

DOA: Dead or Alive
Hayate is portrayed by Collin Chou in DOA: Dead or Alive. In the movie, he is captured by DOATEC after winning that year's DOA competition rather than being captured by DOATEC in his home village. Also, he is meant to test Donovan's newest invention rather than being tested on Project Epsilon. He is also the reason for Kasumi's entrance in the tournament like in the first game. Donovan states that Hayate is stronger then Kasumi and that he has a "perfect blend of skill, timing and strength". Hayate and Ayane are also shown as lovers rather than half-siblings. The fighting style he used was.

Trivia

 * Hayate appears in the fan-made CG movie series Dead Fantasy, first in the fifth episode. Although he did not fight, he sent his clan to defeat Final Fantasy's Tifa Lockhart. After Tifa's defeat, he awaits for Helena to pick her up and take her to DOATEC. His and Hitomi's links with Helena are suspicious and still unexplained.
 * Hayate is the only ninja character to not to win a tournament.
 * Throughout the series, Hayate's main tag partner has been Ayane.
 * He also has tag moves with Brad, Christie, Hitomi, Kokoro and Ryu.