Both were very important to him, and both were lost.
Rikimaru had bonds with two other ninja: Shiunsai and Tatsumaru. He believed that he was already good enough to defeat any opponent and his misplaced self-confidence would eventually earn him many painful experiences once he finally left his village, but those experiences would also be the source of great mental and spiritual growth. Rikimaru's personality was different before the events of Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins. After the baby had grown into a young boy and started his training as a ninja, it became apparent that he was something of a weakling. Shiunsai was already raising Tatsumaru to become a ninja and he decided that the new baby would follow the same path. Taking pity on the boy, Shiunsai brought the baby home with him and raised it as if it were his own flesh and blood. The others quickly dispatched the wife and servant, but as they moved to silence the baby clutched in the dead wife's arms, Shiunsai stopped them from killing the baby boy. As he and the other ninja were preparing to leave, the dead samurai's wife and servant discovered the ninja. Together with several fellow ninja, he infiltrated the home of the samurai and killed him. Years before the events of the games, Shiunsai received an order to assassinate a particular samurai.
His primary rival in the series is Onikage, whom he fights in almost every game and usually defeats, only to have him coming back again due to his resurrection abilities and intense desire to defeat Rikimaru. He lacks speed in combat when compared to Ayame, but has greater strength and a greater control over his temper than his female companion. His ability to retain his composure and sense of destiny allows him to undertake missions others would consider suicidal. Dedicated, honourable and withdrawn, Rikimaru is prepared to sacrifice his own life without hesitation, something he does at the end of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins only to reappear in Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven. His master and predecessor as head of the clan was Shiunsai, who was killed by another member of the clan, Tatsumaru.
Rikimaru is the current head of the Azuma Shinobi Ninja Clan and the series' primary protagonist.
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