| “ | Two of you... the Veiled Edge? So you actually exist. Rumor is a Veiled Edge will sacrifice their partner for duty. So which of you will do the deed? | „ |
| ~ Manabe with the Blade Twins at his mercy. |
Akikatsu Manabe, also known as the Blue Demon, is a major antagonist of the 2024 video game Rise of the Rōnin. He is a deputy minister of the Edo shogunate and head of its spy ring, answering directly to chief minister Naosuke Ii, to whom he gives his undying loyalty. Depending on the player's actions, Manabe can become a potential ally in the later parts of the game.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Akikatsu Manabe was raised to serve his elder brother, who was intended to succeed their father as daimyo of their clans domain. In order to better serve his brother, Manabe trained in the arts of ninjustu; however, Manabe's brother unexpectedly died, making him his father's new heir. At some point, Manabe came into contact with Naosuke Ii, a minister in the Edo shogunate, who offered him the opportunity to make use of his skills in ninjutsu. From that day onward, Manabe pledged his undying loyalty to Ii. As a ninja, he became known as the Blue Demon, a title in contrast with Naosuke Ii's, who became known as the Red Demon.
Rise of the Rōnin[]
The Blade Twins first encounter Manabe in 1853, during their assassination attempt on Matthew Perry. Before the Veiled Edges can land the final blow against the Commodore, the Blue Demon intervenes, overwhelming the Blade Twins. If the player manages to defeat the Blue Demon, Perry fires at the Blade Twins with a rifle before they can finish the ninja off, distracting them and giving Manabe the chance to recover and incapacitate the two assassins. Remarking that the Veiled Edges are rumored to sacrifice their partner for duty, Manabe takes Perry's revolver and dares one of the Blade Twins to do so, at which point the player must decide which of the Blade Twins to play as for the rest of the game. The unchosen Blade Twin charges at the Blue Demon to give their partner a chance to escape, with the ninja severing their left arm in the process before shooting at the protagonist, who is grazed by the bullet as they escape; removing his mask, Manabe remarks that a lone Veiled Edge is "truly a pitiful sight".
The protagonist encounters Manabe again in 1858, following the failed attempt by the Choshu clan to rescue Shoin Yoshida from his imprisonment. As the protagonist attempts to escort Shoin's sister and Genzui Kusaka's wife, Fumi Sugi, to the safety of the Sakura Inn, the two are ambushed by shogunate ninja. Before the protagonist can prevent Fumi from being kidnapped, the Blue Demon appears and holds them down. He demands that the protagonist not interfere with Naosuke Ii's political purge, threatening to kill Fumi if they do not comply, and to relay this information to their allies before knocking them unconscious.
Following Shoin's execution in Edo in 1859, Ii's trusted spy, Taka Murayama, goes against him by helping Fumi escape from her imprisonment, feeling that her lord has gone too far with his political purges and now disgraces himself with his actions. In retaliation for her betrayal, Manabe ambushes Taka and cuts her down. As she lies dying before him, he demands to know why she would betray their lord, having believed that they both saw things the way he did; when Taka explains her motivation, Manabe dismisses it and instead vows that he will continue to serve his master loyally as she once did before she dies. The Blue Demon then leads an attack on the Satsuma Clan Edo Estate in order to prevent their planned uprising against the shogunate, where he once again fights against the protagonist. Unlike their first encounter on the Black Ship six years prior, the protagonist emerges victorious and learns the Blue Demon's name from Princess Atsuko. When Toshimichi Okubo reveals to Atsuko that her father has died of illness, Manabe takes the distraction as an opportunity to escape. Returning to Ii, Manabe apologizes to his master for his failure, saying that he did not anticipate Atsuko's stubbornness. The chief minister notes that the Blue Demon has been taking matters into his own hands, possibly referencing Taka's death, but commends him for his work before relieving him of his duties.
In March 1860, during the Choshu clans attack on Naosuke Ii, Manabe suddenly appears to protect his lord despite having being dismissed, declaring that as a man, he has the right to choose where he will die. Despite Manabe's intervention, the protagonist defeats both him and Ii, cutting down the former, who laments that his fate is to die at the hands of a lone Veiled Edge, unable to help those he swore to protect before falling unconscious. If the player chooses to spare Naosuke Ii's life, Manabe regains consciousness and helps his master escape; however, Ii is later assassinated by the Demonclaw Samurai.
If the player spared Ii's life, the protagonist will encounter Manabe again in 1868 while fighting a group of bandits extorting merchants while claiming to be expultionists. As the protagonist fights the bandits, Manabe unexpectedly appears and assists them. When the bandits have been dealt with, Manabe explains that he has been enjoying his retirement and occasionally slaughtering scum in his spare time since Ii's death, and is grateful to the protagonist for sparing his lord's life eight years prior. Realizing that the protagonist now wishes to be of use to the country his lord wished to protect, Manabe begrudgingly offers his assistance towards their endeavor.
Trivia[]
- In real life, Manabe Akikatsu was not a ninja and was invested solely is political matters, though he was still Ii Naosuke's right hand man.
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