Fuma Sukuna (Japanese: 風魔スクナ; died 1725) was the leader of a guild of shinobi working for the Shimazu clan in the early 18th century. He was a former mentor to the samurai and Templar Shimazu Saito, having trained her in swordsmanship.
After accompanying his former student to Macau in 1725, Sukuna and his followers eventually abandoned Saito, branding her a traitor to the Shimazu clan, and engaged in a civil war against her faction of mixed-blood ninja. As the leader of the Japanese ninja in Macau, Sukuna secured an alliance with the merchant Lee Huiyin and enlisted the help of the British Assassin Edward Kenway to eliminate Saito, though the Assassin ended up partnering with her instead.
Following his victory in the war against Saito's faction, Sukuna joined forces with Lee and the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins led by Xiao Han to find the lost Khmer city of Angkor, which was rumored to house a Piece of Eden. Sukuna and his men accompanied the Assassins and Jeong, the admiral of Lee's fleet, to the Philippines, where they searched for clues to Ankgor's location.
Sukuna later recruited a group of Japanese mercenaries led by Nagamasa and sent them to hunt down Saito. In return, he promised them a place in the Shimazu clan, despite their mixed heritage. However, infuriated by their mistreatment at the hands of the clan, the mercenaries ultimately sided with Saito and helped her lead Sukuna and his ninja into an ambush, during which they were all killed, with Sukuna himself perishing at Saito's hands.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Not much is known about Sukuna's background other than the fact that he had been serving the Shimazu clan for a long time. When Shimazu Saito, the illegitimate daughter of the late head of the clan, was brought to Japan to be trained in the clan's ways,[1] Sukuna acted as one of her mentors, teaching her how to fight.[2] However, he was often cruel during their training, punishing the young girl over the smallest mistakes and trying to mold her into a living weapon for the clan.[1]
Shimazu clan civil war[]
In 1725, Sukuna and his followers were sent to Macau alongside Saito and her faction of mixed-blood ninja to pursue a lead to the location of the lost city of Angkor, an alleged Precursor site. However, Sukuna and his men grew increasingly frustrated with having to follow Saito's lead due to her mixed heritage, and eventually abandoned her to form their own faction, branding Saito and those loyal to her as traitors to the Shimazu clan.[3]
Sukuna persuading Lee to withdraw during the standoff
In time, the conflict between Sukuna's Japanese shinobi and Saito's mixed-blood ninja escalated into a civil war.[4] Realizing they needed a powerful ally in Macau, Sukuna sent one of his men to secure a partnership with the affluential businesswoman Lee Huiyin, who accepted despite the ninja's previous attacks against her company.[5]
At one point, Sukuna and his ninja accompanied Lee to the market, where they broke up a fight between the Assassin Edward Kenway and Lee's rival Sun, the latter of whom had allied himself with Saito. As Lee and Sun were about to clash, soldiers from the Dutch East India Company, which had allied with Edward, came to back up the Assassin. Realizing that no good would come out of a three-way standoff, Sukuna convinced Lee to retreat by claiming he had a plan to deal with their enemies.[4]
Seeking to eliminate Saito, who served as Sun's bodyguard aboard his floating gambling hall, Sukuna later approached Edward while he was alone. Aware of his affiliations, the shinobi leader enlisted Edward's help to assassinate Saito due to his skills as a Master Assassin. After Edward accepted, Sukuna told him where he could find Saito and promised that he and his ninja would be waiting aboard the ship to help the Assassin accomplish his mission.[4]
Attack on Sun's gambling ship[]
True to his word, once Edward had infiltrated Sun's gambling den and engaged Saito in combat, Sukuna and his ninja lent their aid by taking out many of the samurai's followers. With their enemies scattered and in disarray, one of the ninja suggested that they eliminate Saito, but Sukuna reminded him that they were under orders from Lee to assassinate Sun and secure a sea log in his possession. He then ordered his men to proceed to Sun's main ship, claiming that they would be able to deal with the traitors at a later time.[6]
Sukuna and his men facing Saito
As Sukuna and his men chased after Sun, who was attempting to flee with the sea log, they spotted three strange warriors also pursuing the merchant. Just then, Sukuna was caught by surprise when Edward arrived and killed two of his ninja, claiming that he had gone back on their agreement and allied with Saito. As the samurai joined Edward, she told him to recover the sea log from Sun while she dealt with Sukuna and his men.[1]
Sukuna dueled Saito and managed to disarm her before remarking that, although his former pupil's skills had improved since he had trained her, she was still no match for him. He then expressed remorse at having to kill her for her betrayal, only for Saito to point out that Sukuna and the other Shimazu clan members had always seen her as an outsider. After Saito declared that she would kill everyone who had looked down upon her to avenge her friends, Sukuna and his men prepared to fight her.[2]
However, at that moment, a firework flew over the ship, signaling Sukuna to retreat. After promising to kill Saito during their next meeting if she somehow survived the night's events, Sukuna and his men left the ship as it began to be bombarded with cannon fire by Jeong, an admiral working with Sukuna and Lee to wipe out Sun's fleet.[2]
Search in the Philippines[]
With Sun's death during the attack on his ship, Lee became Macau's most powerful merchant and began a search for Angkor's treasure, allying herself with the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins led by its Mentor, Xiao Han, who sought the same prize.[7] The sea log Xiao Han had recovered from Sun revealed that a clue to Angkor's location could be found in the Philippines, so Sukuna and his men accompanied the Chinese Assassins and Jeong as they sailed there to commence their search.[8]
Sukuna and the Assassins investigating the remains of Monkey Island's fort
After the Chinese Assassins' investigation in Manila revealed that a Piece of Eden – a crescent amulet – had been acquired by members of a native resistance against the Spanish colonists,[9] Sukuna's informants learned that the resistance had a stronghold on Monkey Island. Jeong subsequently sailed the group there, with Sukuna and his men laying waste to entire villages along the way.[8]
Eventually, the group reached Monkey Island's fort, though to their dismay they found it abandoned and in ruins. When Xiao Han questioned the validity of Sukuna's lead, the latter asked him if his clan had given him any reasons to doubt them. The Assassins then concluded that the rebels had already left Monkey Island and were on their way to Cebu, and left to rendezvous with Jeong. Sukuna and his men stayed behind to take care of the remaining matters on the island and expressed contempt for Xiao Han, though Sukuna remarked that they would have to tolerate the Assassin's arrogance for the duration of their partnership.[8]
Pursuing Saito[]
- "She was once the head of the Shimazu clan, who has mastered the entirety of the Shimazu ninja style. Common thugs like you had no hope of prevailing against her. The only thing I need from you is their whereabouts. I trust you know that much at least?"
- ―Sukuna to Nagamasa, regarding Saito, 1725.[src]-[m]
During this time, Sukuna personally enlisted the services of Nagamasa and his mercenaries, assigning them the task of finding and eliminating Saito, who had also traveled to the Philippines alongside the Zhang Wei Union. Sukuna trained Nagamasa and his men in swordsmanship to help them stand a better chance against Saito, and sent them to raid various villages in search of information. In addition to their regular payment, Sukuna also promised the mercenaries a place in the Shimazu clan, which had previously shunned them because of their mixed heritage.[10]
When Sukuna and his ninja arrived on an island near the Sultanate of Sulu, they were greeted by Nagamasa, who informed them that the members of the Zhang Wei Union, including Saito, were also on the island. Nagamasa then claimed he and his men had barely survived their encounter with Saito, to which Sukuna remarked that he never expected the mercenaries to stand a chance against Saito and that their only task was to learn her whereabouts so the shinobi could deal with her.[11]
Nagamasa and his men reporting to Sukuna
After Nagamasa revealed that Saito and her allies were hiding in the largest village on the island, Sukuna prepared to hunt them down. Before he left, Nagamasa decided to try and bargain for a larger pay, given that the enemies they were facing were no ordinary foes. Sukuna tossed the mercenary a koban, telling him to consider it a "down payment" and that he would receive the rest of his pay once their mission was completed successfully.[11]
Shortly after, Sukuna and his men managed to track the Fenghuang, the Zhang Wei Union's flagship, to a beach, where they observed from afar as the crew members loaded supplies onto the ship. They were soon joined by Nagamasa's mercenaries, as well as the Qing Empire's Rattan Shield Company, which had been sent by Madam Lee to aid them.[11]
Suspecting a trap, Sukuna agreed to let the Company attack the Fenghuang and watched as the soldiers fell into the Union's ambush, suffering heavy casualties. He then instructed Nagamasa and his men to lend their aid to the shieldmen, but the mercenary refused, remarking that it would be suicidal and pointless since Saito was not even present. In response, Sukuna merely told Nagamasa not to question his orders, which made the mercenary realize that he and his men were nothing more than cannon fodder in the Shimazu clan's eyes, and led them to join forces with Saito.[12]
Final showdown[]
Later, Sukuna's men informed him that Xialun Qing, the Zhang Wei Union's doctor, had been spotted alone in an empty field. Believing that taking a hostage could grant them a strategic advantage over their enemies, Sukuna led several ninja to the field to try and capture Qing. However, they were confronted by Saito, who had been hiding behind a rock.[13]
Sukuna and his men surrounded by Saito and Nagamasa's mercenaries
After Saito announced her intentions to avenge her friends slain in Macau, Sukuna mockingly asked how she intended to do that by herself. To this, Saito signaled Nagamasa and his men to emerge from their hiding spots and they quickly surrounded the ninja, leading Sukuna to realize he had fallen into a trap.[13]
Angered by the mercenaries' betrayal, Sukuna asked if this was their way of repaying the Shimazu clan's generosity. Nagamasa retorted that he and his men had been treated as nothing but mongrels, and declared his new allegiance to Saito, claiming he would rather fight alongside equals than serve any master. In response, Sukuna drew his sword and vowed that none of them would leave the island alive.[14]
Before the two factions could clash, however, Sukuna and his men witnessed the arrival of Saito's fellow Union members. Heavily outnumbered, the ninja realized they could not win the battle and decided to retreat and regroup with the Rattan Shield Company.[14]
Not long after, Sukuna and his men watched as the Company faced off against the Union members and Nagamasa's mercenaries. When the latter began retreating, the Company's captain furiously ordered Sukuna to chase after them, threatening to inform Madam Lee of his incompetence. However, Sukuna ignored him and maintained his strategy of waiting for the shieldmen to tire out the enemy.[14]
After the Union members ran out of ammunition, Sukuna finally decided to make his move and charged at them alongside his ninja. However, Saito ordered her allies to unleash their Greek fire flamethrowers, creating a wall of fire around them and the ninja. Separated from the Company soldiers and with no way of escape, Sukuna realized he had again been outsmarted, much to his shock and anger.[14]
Death[]
Sukuna killed by Saito
Despite being trapped and outnumbered, Sukuna refused to go down without a fight and ordered his ninja to engage the enemy. He then proceeded to duel Saito while taunting her that he had taught her everything she knew and that she could never defeat him. Eventually, Sukuna gained the upper hand after throwing shurikens at Saito, injuring her right arm and preventing her from picking up her sword.[15]
As the samurai fell to her knees, Sukuna again boasted about his superiority and claimed that, no matter how hard Saito tried to master the Shimazu clan's arts, her efforts would never amount to anything more than pale imitations. However, this sent Saito into a frenzy and she tackled Sukuna to the ground while shouting that he had no right to judge her worth. She then declared that she would forge her own path and take over the Shimazu clan, before taking out a kunai in an attempt to stab Sukuna.[15]
The shinobi leader blocked the attack with his hand and began to choke Saito while continuing to taunt her. However, he was ultimately overpowered and failed to stop Saito from plunging the kunai into his throat. After calling his former student a traitor, Sukuna drew his last breath and passed away.[15]
Personality and traits[]
Presenting himself as an honorable shinobi, Sukuna was in reality a ruthless warrior who would stop at nothing from achieving his goals. He had no tolerance for failure, which was reflected in his harsh training of Shimazu Saito,[1] and showed no qualms about killing innocents, going so far as to oversee the massacre of countless villagers during his search for Pieces of Eden in the Philippines.[8] He was also a skilled tactician and always looked for ways to gain an advantage over his enemies, although some of his tactics made him easily predictable to those who knew him well.[13]
Sukuna training Saito
Like many of his fellow clan members, Sukuna looked down upon Japanese people of mixed heritage, viewing them as inherently inferior due to their "impure" blood. Although he claimed to have once cared for his student Saito and be saddened by her "betrayal", Saito quickly pointed out that Sukuna and his clanmates had always treated her as an outsider.[2] During their final confrontation, Sukuna's true feelings towards Saito were revealed, calling her a "southern mongrel witch" and boasting that she could never defeat him.[15]
Similarly, while Sukuna promised Nagamasa and his men a place in the Shimazu clan in exchange for killing Saito, he likely had no intention of upholding his promise,[10] as he expected the mercenaries to perish during their mission. This could imply that Sukuna was a skilled manipulator, who feigned sympathy for those around him to gain their trust.[12]
That being said, Sukuna appeared to genuinely believe in his own twisted version of "honor" and could at times be loyal, even to people he had just met. He honored his promise to Edward Kenway to help him when the Assassin was facing Saito, and prioritized Madam Lee's orders to recover the sea log in Sun's possession over his personal desire to eliminate Saito and her followers.[6] He was also very knowledgeable about the Assassins and their similarities to the shinobi, which led him to seek an alliance with Edward in the first place.[4]
Skills and equipment[]
Sukuna throwing shurikens at Saito
Trained in the shinobi arts, Sukuna was a master of stealth, being able to tail Edward Kenway around Macau for a while until the Assassin noticed him,[4] and infiltrate Sun's gambling ship without being detected.[6] He was also a skilled freerunner who displayed incredible, almost supernatural speed, being able to vanish from sight within seconds.[14]
A master swordsman, Sukuna had personally trained Shimazu Saito, whose skills he claimed paled in comparison to his own.[2] During their final duel, he managed to defeat his former student by throwing shurikens at her, injuring her arm and preventing her from using her sword. However, his arrogance was ultimately his undoing, as Saito caught him off-guard while he boasted about his superiority, and impaled him with her kunai, killing him.[15]
In terms of equipment, Sukuna wore the standard attire of a shinobi, including black robes with some light armor on his forearms, ankles and right shoulder, a dark indigo scarf, and an oni mask with a crescent symbol on the forehead. He wielded a single katana, as well as shurikens.[15]
Behind the scenes[]
Fuma Sukuna is a character introduced in Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple, the 2023 webtoon sequel to the 2013 video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Sukuna appears in the first two seasons of the webtoon, written by ARC with the adaptation of the first season by SHYATAN and the adaptation of the first half of the second season by NOHT.
Etymology[]
Fuma Sukuna's surname implies that he is a descendant of the Fūma clan (風魔一党, Fūma-ittō), a shinobi clan founded by Fūma Kotarō which was active during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.[16] The surname Fuma itself is composed of two kanji: 風 (fū), meaning "wind," and 魔 (ma), meaning "demon," "evil spirit," or "magic."
Sukuna is a Japanese given name. The name is famously linked to Ryōmen-sukuna (両面宿儺), a legendary figure in Japanese folklore described as a demon or deity with two faces and four arms. In ancient texts like the Nihon Shoki, Sukuna is portrayed variably as a villainous figure opposing the Yamato court and as a local deity revered in certain regions.[17]
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 37
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 38
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 20
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 31
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 26
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 33
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 40
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 65
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 58
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 80
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 81
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 82
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 83
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 84
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 85
- ↑
Fūma Kotarō on Wikipedia
- ↑ 両面宿儺 on Wikipedia
