Character Relationship Map: Ninja Scroll

Characters

• Kagero (played by Emi Shinohara) — protagonist

  Sole survivor of the Mochizuki Kōga ninja team. Her body is naturally infused with lethal toxins that kill anyone who kisses or sleeps with her. Allies with Jubei to stop the Devils.

• Dakuan (played by Takeshi Aono) — supporting

  A Tokugawa spy who orchestrates the mission to eliminate the Devils. Blackmails Jubei with a poisoned shuriken and provides strategic intelligence throughout the conflict.

• Tessai (played by Ryuuzaburou Ootomo) — supporting

  One of the nine Devils with superhuman strength and a massive hammer. Massacres the Mochizuki Kōga team and attempts to assault Kagero before being killed by Jubei.

• Shijima (played by Akimasa Omori) — supporting

  A Devil with water manipulation abilities. Captures Kagero at Kashima Harbor and is subsequently killed by Jubei during the rescue attempt.

• Benisato (played by Gara Takashima) — supporting

  A Devil disguised as a young boy, skilled in wind and illusion techniques. Genma's right-hand man, killed by Shijima for failing to capture Kagero.

• Zakuro (played by Masako Katsuki) — supporting

  A Devil with flower manipulation powers and seductive abilities. Has unrequited feelings for Yurimaru and battles Jubei on the burning ship, leading to its destruction.

• Yurimaru (played by Toshihiko Seki) — supporting

  A Devil wielding a double-bladed sword with exceptional speed and agility. Nearly kills Jubei in the final battle but is defeated by a gunpowder-rigged rat trap.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Yurimaru → Zakuro (Romantic Unrequited Love) — Zakuro's rejected affection turns into a lethal personal conflict.

  Zakuro has unrequited feelings for Yurimaru, and she rigs a gunpowder-filled rat as a trap for him after he rejects her advances.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Dakuan → Zakuro (Conflict Mission Opponent) — Zakuro confronts the mission's surviving operatives at its climax.

  Zakuro is one of the Devils opposing the operation arranged by Dakuan and fights aboard the burning ship.

• Dakuan → Yurimaru (Conflict Mission Opponent) — Yurimaru remains an active obstacle to Dakuan's operation.

  Dakuan's objective is to eliminate the Devils, while Yurimaru is a Devil who attacks the mercenary during the mission's final escape.

• Dakuan → Benisato (Conflict Mission Opponent) — Benisato is an operative of the enemy group targeted by Dakuan.

  Dakuan's mission targets the Devils, and Benisato is one of the Devils pursuing the investigators.

• Dakuan → Shijima (Conflict Mission Opponent) — Shijima's actions directly obstruct Dakuan's mission.

  Dakuan organizes the operation against the Devils, and Shijima is one of the Devils who obstructs it by capturing Kagero.

• Dakuan → Tessai (Conflict Mission Opponent) — Their opposing factional roles place them on opposite sides of the mission.

  Dakuan orchestrates a mission to eliminate the Devils, while Tessai is identified as one of those Devils.

• Benisato → Yurimaru (Alliance Faction Member) — Their shared faction links them within the Devil hierarchy.

  The plot places Benisato and Yurimaru among the Devils serving the same hostile campaign.

• Benisato → Shijima (Alliance Faction Member) — They belong to the same supernatural enemy faction.

  Benisato and Shijima are both described as Devils involved in pursuing the mission's investigators.

• Tessai → Shijima (Alliance Faction Member) — Their connection is based on their common Devil affiliation.

  Tessai and Shijima are both identified as Devils operating against the investigators and the mission to stop the gold shipment.

• Tessai → Benisato (Alliance Faction Member) — They share membership in the central Devil faction.

  The plot identifies Tessai and Benisato as members of the Devils, the supernatural group carrying out the killings and pursuing the gold.

• Kagero → Zakuro (Conflict Factional Enemy) — Zakuro represents the hostile Devil faction threatening Kagero's mission.

  Zakuro is one of the Devils opposing the mission supported by Kagero. She later battles the mercenary and Dakuan aboard the burning ship.

• Kagero → Yurimaru (Conflict Factional Enemy) — Their opposition is established through the Devils' campaign against Kagero's group.

  Yurimaru belongs to the Devils opposing the mission that Kagero joins. He later attacks the mercenary during the escape from the harbor operation.

• Kagero → Benisato (Conflict Enemy) — Benisato is part of the Devil faction pursuing Kagero and her ally.

  Benisato attacks the mercenary, while Kagero helps him survive the encounter. Benisato is subsequently killed after failing to capture Kagero.

• Kagero → Shijima (Conflict Captive And Captor) — Shijima becomes a direct threat during Kagero's capture.

  Shijima captures Kagero at Kashima Harbor, and the mercenary kills Shijima while rescuing her.

• Kagero → Dakuan (Alliance Mission Ally) — Kagero joins Dakuan's mission to eliminate the Devils.

  Kagero agrees to work alongside the mercenary and Dakuan after the Devils attack her team.

Story Analysis

A wandering mercenary and a poisoned kunoichi confront a supernatural conspiracy surrounding stolen gold, political betrayal, and human sacrifice.

Plot Progression

1. Gold Beneath The Storm — A secret gold shipment is wrecked near a village, and the Devils kill witnesses to conceal its origin. Kagero survives the destruction of her ninja team.
2. A Poisoned Bargain — The mercenary kills Tessai while rescuing Kagero. Dakuan then forces the mercenary into a mission against the Devils with a poisoned shuriken.
3. Plague At Shimoda — The group investigates Shimoda and discovers that poisoned water created the appearance of a plague. Attacks by the Devils reveal that the gold is moving toward Kashima Harbor.
4. The Harbor's Deadly Choice — At evacuated Kashima, Shijima captures Kagero but is killed during her rescue. Dakuan reveals the intimate cure for the mercenary's poison, creating a painful moral choice.
5. Fire Over The Sea — Yurimaru is killed by Zakuro's trap, while Kagero cures the mercenary with a final kiss and dies. The departing ship burns, and molten gold destroys the Devil leader.