Ofuku

阿福

The series' secondary antagonist. Ofuku is Takechiyo's godmother and the leader of the faction backing his claim to the Shogunate. A cold and heartless woman who murdered her husband's mistress and illegitimate child, Ofuku's only redeeming quality is her devotion to her protégé, Takechiyo, whom she views as a surrogate son. She even risks her own life to save him after the Kunichiyo faction poisons his tea. Knowing that her own power will fall if Takechiyo does, Ofuku decides to personally intervene in the ninja war near the series' end to better ensure her faction's victory. Although she orders her samurai to kill Gennosuke Kouga in the final episode, Gennosuke spares her life, though more out of disgust for her greed and pettiness than any sense of mercy (to him, she wasn't even worth the effort). Ofuku is crushed by the Iga's apparent loss, and Hanzo the 4th decides not to immediately tell Ofuku how Gennosuke abdicated the Kouga's victory as punishment for her scheming.