Tsukuyo



Tsukuyo, also known as the Death God Courtesan (死神太夫, shinigami tayuu), is a highly skilled ninja, specializing in the usage of kunai, having trained under the infamous assassin and then-Leader of Hyakka, Jiraia. She is the current leader of the Hyakka, Yoshiwara's guardians (吉原自警団「百華」の頭), an all-female law enforcement squad formerly deployed by Housen.

Background

She was sold to Yoshiwara at a young age, where she became the apprentice of courtesan Kamekichi, with whom she would often get into fights for her arrogant attitude. She quickly grew to hate the city and the women in it because of how easily they'd given up on leading a normal life. This changed once she witnessed Hinowa's strength and her positive influence on the other courtesans that Tsukuyo demonstrated her desire to protect Hinowa and Yoshiwara. With that desire in mind, she approached Jiraia, who agreed to take her under his wing and teach her the ninja arts. It is then that Tsukuyo scarred her own face thus throwing away her life as a woman. Four years prior to meeting the Yorozuya, during a fire in Yoshiwara, Jiraia sacrificed himself to protect Tsukuyo, seemingly burning to death.

She later became the leader of Hyakka, where one of her jobs was to hunt down and kill prostitutes trying to escape. However, going against those orders, she would simply scar them to ensure they wouldn't lead such a life again and hide them as members of Hyakka.

Appearance Tsukuyo is an attractive blond woman of average height and a slender figure. She has a scar running horizontally on the left side of her forehead and another vertically on her left cheek. Her shoulder length hair is normally tied up at the back of her head, while her parted fringe is done up in a bundle, held by two miniature kunai, both with red thread at the end, on each side. The part of her hair that isn’t tied is left to run down her cheeks, reaching past her chin.

Tsukuyo’s preferred attire is a black kimono, without a right sleeve and exposing her right leg, decorated with autumn leaves, held by a red obi. On her right arm she sports a detached sleeve that goes from her wrist to her mid-biceps. She also wears fishnet stockings and black high-heel boots that reach just below the knee. She’s often seen smoking a kiseru, a trait she shares with fellow main character, Takasugi Shinsuke. This habit is shared by the characters, Doromizu Jirochou and Terada Tatsugorou.

During the events of the Dekoboko Arc, she, along with the majority of characters who appeared in this arc, switched genders due to a curse and was seen in her male form. In that form, she had slightly shorter hair and wore a black kimono around her shoulders, that, just like her original kimono, was decorated with autumn leaves.

Personality As someone who gave up everything that means to be a woman to protect Hinowa, Tsukuyo is dead serious at all times, even when making jokes or finding herself in a comedic situation. She is usually not very talkative and counteracts all kinds of provocations and threats with a relentless offensive physical reaction, especially when it takes a step towards Hinowa or her son Seita. An example of that is the very first scene she appeared in, where she mercilessly cut off a man's arm and eventually killed him for insulting and physically abusing a prostitute on her watch. As a consequence of that character trait, she doesn't hesitate for a moment to throw kunai at even her friends and allies, which has become a running gag in the Gintama series. Tsukuyo is generally a very tough and coldblooded woman, especially when it comes to protecting the prostitutes in Yoshiwara, particularly Hinowa. Gintoki is the only person she seems to be able to open up to. Tsukuyo claims that she has killed the woman inside of her a long time ago so that she could protect Yoshiwara. To ensure she could never go back to living as a woman, she scarred her own face at a very young age, leaving two clearly visible scars on her face for the rest of her life. Despite claiming to have entirely abandoned herself as a woman, however, she admits that being near Gintoki strongly weakens her resolve to do so. This could be due to her romantic feelings for Gintoki, which are very often implied and hinted by various characters.

A different side of Tsukuyo can be seen when she comes in contact with alcoholic substances. She has a very low alcohol tolerance, needing only a small amount to get drunk. As seen in Episode 203, a single whiskey bonbon contained enough to get her into an inebriated state. While drunk, she tends to display an extremely aggressive nature, mercilessly beating whoever is near her, namely Sakata Gintoki. She also tends to reveal the sadistic nature of her sexuality after consuming alcohol. However, after resting, she weirdly shows no visible signs of a hangover.

Despite living in Yoshiwara her whole life, Tsukuyo was also shown to be a very intellectual person, which is a vital requirement and typical for highly skilled ninja like herself. As seen in Lesson 417, she possesses extensive knowledge about the history of Japan and was therefore able to teach Seita.

Strength & Abilities

Tsukuyo was trained by the infamous assassin Jiraia, who  taught her a fighting style that is very similar to that of a ninja. She mastered the Iga arts and possesses lethal assassiantion skills, making her an is an extremely powerful combatant. Her talent to throw kunai is matched equally by her perfect aim, which allows her to throw several kunai in different directions without missing her targets. As seen during her fight against her own subordinates in Episode 144, she even handles kunai well enough to block other kunai thrown at her at an immense speed. During her fight against Abuto, she has also shown to be able to fight with kunai in close combat and also block direct attacks with them. Aside from her skill with kunai, she also has two tantamount attached to the back of her waist belt and is capable of fighting with those as well. Tsukuyo possesses incredible speed and reflexes, which allowed her to sneak up behind Abuto just moments after the kunai she threw at him reached him. She also reacts to her opponents' actions immediately, giving them no chance to find an opening.

Hand to hand combat: She is very proficient in hand to hand combat and knows where to land critical.

Mentor Jiraia: Tsukuyo asked Jiraia to take her under his wing and train her to be able to protect Hinowa and Yoshiwara at a very young age. Impressed by her determination to carry such heavy burdens on her small back as a child, he was drawn to her and became her master. Jiraia taught her everything he knew in absolute social isolations, until he supposedly died in a fire to protect Tsukuyo several years later. While being presumed deceased, Jiraia continued illegal drug deals in Yoshiwara and soon appeared before Tsukuyo's eyes again, attempting to kill the man she seemed to have romantic feelings for. Subsequently, he kidnapped Tsukuyo and tortured her, revealing he raised her so he could murder her in her prime. As, despite Jiraia raising her in social isolation, Tsukuyo unexpectedly found a home, allies and friends, Jiraia felt that Tsukuyo was driven away from his path. As a consequence, he forced Tsukuyo to watch as he attempted to kill everyone and everything she ever loved by burning Yoshiwara down. As Gintoki finally managed to find the two, Jiraia attempted to land a final blow on Gintoki to kill him off for good, causing Tsukuyo to finally kill Jiraia. In his last moments. Jiraia eventually revealed that the real point of raising Tsukuyo was planning his own painful death by making the student he loved and raised eventually becoming his enemy and killing him. Jiraia saw this as self-punishment for failing to protect his sister. He also revealed his fear of Tsukuyo being driven away from him, and therefore being yet another person he would've lost. As he took his last breaths, Tsukuyo carried him on her shoulders, showing her master the moon for the last time as he died in her arm. Friends & Allies Hinowa: Tsukuyo had known Hinowa since she was a child and always thought of her as a big sister. She served under Hinowa until she scarred her own face, which separated the two. Though even after she started serving Housen as the leader of the Hyakka, Tsukuyo secretly took orders from Hinowa and willingly betrayed Housen and her own subordinates for Hinowa's sake. Sarutobi Ayame: Also known as Sa-chan, Sarutobi sees Tsukuyo as a love rival standing between her and Sakata Gintoki. Sarutobi always complains about the character popularity ranking as Sarutobi is ranked 25th, and Tsukuyo is ranked 10th. Interestingly, she stopped Sarutobi from scoring a kiss with Gintoki in the movie. Seita: Tsukuyo considers Seita a son, just like many other prostitutes in Yoshiwara do. The only reason why the prostitutes of Yoshiwara and especially Hinowa endured the pain that came with being a caged prostitute was because they knew that Seita could, unlike them, live freely and become happy. Knowing that Seita leading a happy life is the only thing that gives Hinowa a reason to live, Tsukuyo guards Seita with her life and even went as far as to betray Housen and the Hyakka to protect him. Kagura: Kagura was the first one to nickname her "Tsukki". The two are not often seen interacting with each other, nontheless Tsukuyo treats her nicely. Love Interest

Sakata Gintoki: Although Tsukuyo claimed she gave up on her womanhood during to protect Yoshiwara, she stated that her resolve to do so weakens when she is with Gintoki (Episode 177/Lesson 255) with Jiraia hinting at her romantic feelings for him. It is also hinted by Hinowa and Seita, as Tsukuyo scribbles out statements from Hinowa's and Seita's New Year's cards, commenting in a way that revealed her anger about Gintoki's and Sa-chan's supposed marriage (Lesson 294). She reacted equally when Sa-chan tried to score a final kiss with Gintoki in Gintama The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya. During the Valentine's Day event, she blushed when she thought it was awkward to give Gintoki (& Shinpachi) chocolates for Valentine's Day. In the Host Club Arc, Tsukuyo stated that she claimed Gintoki first to entertain her. In the Courtesan of A Nation arc, her romantic interests in Gintoki were again hinted. The moment Gintoki was shot by Isaburo, Tsukuyo raged and killed several Naraku agents in her state of anger to rush to Gintoki's aid. She also learned about Gintoki's past at that point and seemed to relate to him losing his master just like she did. In Lesson 443, Hinowa casually suggests or jokes that it would be beneficial to learn how to cook a meal or two so Gintoki appreciates her, much to her frustration. During the events of the Love Potion Arc, Tsukuyo also stated that she likes being by Gintoki's side and seemed to be attracted to Gintoki even though the effect of the potion was already nullified. Story Tsukuyo was, like the majority of her fellow prostitutes, sold to the red-light district Yoshiwara as a child. Due to constantly showing resistance towards her senior courtesan Kamekichi and disobeying orders at that time, Tsukuyo was very often physically abused, tied up and locked in a dark room. At that point, Tsukuyo met the highest ranking courtesan Hinowa, who motivated Tsukuyo to free her own soul from its cage instead of just waiting for death. Tsukuyo and Hinowa soon bonded and considered each other sisters. This strong bond between them awakened Tsukuyo's desire to protect Hinowa with her life. To do so, she came in contact with the psychopathic and infamous assassin Jiraia, who agreed to take her under his wing and teach her everything he knew. Tsukuyo decided to abandon her womanhood entirely to become strong enough to protect Hinowa, and her determination lead her to disfigure her own face, just like her master did, resulting in Tsukuyo carrying two large scars on her face ever since. Being raised by a legendary ninja in complete social isolation since she was a child, Tsukuyo soon became a lethal assassin herself. After several years, Jiraia sacrificed himself for Tsukuyo in a huge fire that broke out in Yoshiwara. At some point after this incident, Tsukuyo, as Jiraia's successor, took over her master's position as the leader of a paramilitary force named "Hyakka" and served under Housen, being Yoshiwara's guardian ever since.

Yoshiwara in Flames Arc Immediately after Housen learned about Seita's appearance near Hinowa, he ordered Tsukuyo to assassinate him. After locating Seita and the other intruders, Tsukuyo feigned killing him and the Yorozuya members by using mostly fake kunai to fool her subordinates. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Hyakka, she then led them to an escape route, revealing that Hinowa ordered her to fake Seita's death to let him escape safely. However, before Seita and the Yorozuya could escape, Abuto, who was identified as a powerful Yato by Kagura, stood before them, demanding Tsukuyo to hand over Seita. The moment Abuto charged at the group, Tsukuyo immediately fought back, trying to buy Seita time so he can escape safely. However, as Tsukuyo fought Abuto, Ungyou joined in and attacked Gintoki, leaving the group no escape route. As Kagura tried to free Seita from Ungyou, Abuto's and Ungyou's leader Kamui appeared, hitting his sister Kagura with the intent to kill her. His attack caused the pipe, which was supposed to serve as an escape route, to finally collapse. Tsukuyo managed to save the Yorozuya from a deadly fall. Knowing that Seita was kidnapped by Kamui and would be used as a bargaining chip against Housen, Gintoki, Shinpachi, Kagura and Tsukuyo teamed up to save Seita and free Yoshiwara from Housen's terror once and for all. The Yorozuya members dressed like Hyakka members so Tsukuyo could get them into Housen's palace. However, their farce was quickly discovered. For the sake of Hinowa, Tsukuyo decided to hold back her own subordinates to buy the Yorozuya time. Gintoki asked Tsukuyo to lend him over her smoking pipe as he promised that he will return it if they all survive at the end.

While under her subordinates' attack, she refused to fight back, claiming she has no right to do so as she's become a traitor. As she was severely injured in the process, Tsukuyo closed her eyes and prepared for the final blow that would eventually kill her. However, her subordinates found themselves unable to attack her any further, as they were all prostitutes that Tsukuyo hid in the Hyakka to avoid having to assassinate them.

Tsukuyo and the Hyakka later assisted Gintoki in defeating the Night King to free Yoshiwara from his reign and to save Hinowa and her son. At one point, Gintoki pushed away Tsukuyo to protect her from kunai that got repelled back by Housen, making Gintoki unable to keep fighting. He was also willing to sacrifice himself during the fight, hoping Housen would spare Tsukuyo's and her subordinates' lives. However, as Housen made clear that he'd kill every single one of them, Yoshiwara's ceiling finally crashed, exposing Housen's skin to the sun, which eventually killed him.

Red Spider Arc Some time after that, the Yorozuya were called in to help deal with a strain of illegal drugs that have been going around Yoshiwara. She and Gintoki join the Red Spiders (Benigumoto), searching for a lead. They eventually made it to a shipping dock where they were easily discovered Benigumoto's leader and surrounded. There, she learns the person responsible for a major part of the crime in Yoshiwara is her master, Jiraia. He easily overwhelms Tsukuyo and Gintoki, appearing to kill the latter. She is then taken to an unknown tower in Yoshiwara and learns she was meant to abandon her sense of self and not rely on others so that she would become a copy of her master and ultimately die by his hand. To experience this pain, she was forced to watch the city burn down. This doesn't go as planned as the Yorozuya, Hattori Zenzou and the citizens of Yoshiwara prevent the fire from spreading and Sakata Gintoki arrives at the tower to save Tsukuyo and fight Jiraia. After the battle, Tsukuyo delivers the finishing blow and lears of Jiraia's past and true motives from Zenzou. Having heard the truth, she reconciles with her teacher as they watch the moon, before the Spider breaths his last breath. While making Hinowa think she's recovering from the stress caused by meeting her master, she was secretely going out and continuing her duties as a Hyakka. To help relieve her, Hinowa asks her to be the courtesan of a special guest, who turns out to be Gintoki. She gets drunk only after only a small amount of sake and begins to act violently towards her guest and threatens to kill her observers (Seita, Hinowa, Kagura and Shinpachi, unless they join her. She wakes up later that night to go on with her job, but not before lamenting on the paths her life could have taken and being reassured by Gintoki

Character Poll Arc She is later dragged in the fight over the 2nd popularity poll results by Shimura Tae, Sarutobi Ayame and Yagyuu Kyuubei who all disapprove of her higher ranking. She shows no interest in the ordeal and willingly offers her rank. After a short talk, the four of them join forces to take over the 1st position of the poll, although even then, Tsukuyo still shows disinterest in the poll and simply wishes for it to end as soon as possible. She's confronted by Sarutobi about her view but Sadaharu and Elizabeth interrupt their skirmish. At the end, she assists in throwing Shinpachi and Yamazaki Sagaru from the roof. Host Club Arc Arriving drunk to the Tagamagahara along with her Hyakka. She cause much trouble to the hosts along with other known female characters. Kintama Arc She was one of the many manipulated to hunt down Gintoki after Sakata Kintoki destroyed Tama and framed Gintoki as the killer. She was the first, along with Kyuubei and Sarutobi to stand against Kintoki. Courtesan of a Nation Arc She, along with the Yorozuya and Nobume, helped the famous courtesan Suzuran to be reunited with the man whom she promised to escape Yoshiwara when the next moon comes out. Dekoboko Arc Love Potion Arc Tsukuyo encounters a courtesan named Hotaru attempting to elope with a customer to find that Hotaru had been drugged with a special incense known as Aizen Kou. It causes one to become infatuated with the first person they see upon smelling it. Tsukuyo accidentally smells the incense and looks up to see a drunk Gintoki about to take a piss. Subsequently, Tsukuyo is affected by the love potion and becomes infatuated with him. Gintoki and Tsukuyo are sent to find the source of the drug because it is illegal in Yoshiwara and had been banned for its potency. Trivia She is loosely based on Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the moon god in Shinto and Japanese mythology. She speaks with a classic prostitute accent. She placed 10th in the Second Popularity Poll. Kagura and Sa-chan call her "Tsukki", a nickname Hinowa likes. Tsukuyo, whose name contains tsuki, meaning "Moon", is referred to as Yoshiwara's Moon, just as Hinowa is referred to as its Sun. As seen in Lesson 262, Tsukuyo offered commercial sexual services to Gintoki when was her suitor. Her alcohol tolerance is very poor, causing her to get drunk even after only eating a mere whiskey bonbon.