Aya

Aya (綾) is one of the proposed given names for Kenshin's older sister who is better known under her name as a nun, Sentō-In. She is Kagekatsu's mother and Masakage Nagao's first wife. According to legends and folklore, she lamented the Uesugi civil war for succession after Kenshin's death and refused to support either heir.

She first appeared in the Samurai Warriors series as a generic priestess bodyguard in the second installment. She appears as a unique NPC in Samurai Warriors 3. Her character model is available for edit characters by clearing Kenshin and Kanetsugu's stories. She gains her own moveset, weapon, and story entry in Sengoku Musou 3: Moushouden.

In Japanese ports of the series, she is known under the original name, Mistress Aya (綾御前, Aya Gozen). She placed twenty-third with fans in Gamecity's Sengoku Musou 3: Empires character popularity poll. In Koei-Tecmo's Facebook Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd poll, she placed seventh place. Fans voted her in twenty-eighth place for the Samurai Warriors 4 poll. Aya is also a downloadable soul in Toukiden: The Age of Demons.

Samurai Warriors
In Samurai Warriors 3, Aya is alongside her brother and son in the Uesugi army as a unique non-playable character. She participates in most of the Uesugi campaigns as a support unit and occasionally appears as a representative of her clan in other characters' scenarios. To uphold the morality of the army, she fights to inspire Kanetsugu and the men. She is the one who is responsible for selecting Kanetsugu to enter the Uesugi ranks, choosing him specifically for his virtuous nature. There is a mission to rescue her from the central garrison in Tetorigawa from a fire attack and an ambush led by Saizo Kani. She and Masanori may be saved by Takamaru early in the Murasame Mode.

Her story in the Sengoku Musou 3: Moushouden expansion has her mainly support her younger brother's campaigns, occasionally choosing to personally deal with his opponents herself to test their integrity. She joins her brother in his campaigns through Kantō, Kawanakajima, and Suruga-Sagami. By the end of the third battle, Kenshin's actions have brought peace to the Kantō region. However, Nobunaga threatens their truce by attempting to invade east. Since he is closest to the conqueror, Kenshin volunteers to face him and usher in the Uesugi's virtue to the west. Prior to their clash at Tedorigawa, Aya decides to enlist the young talent, Kanetsugu, and instructs him to believe in the Uesugi's principles during combat. She makes it her responsibility to keep both Kenshin and Kanetsugu safe in their campaign to destroy the Demon King.

Though successful in driving Nobunaga back, Kenshin dies soon after the conflict. His death sparks internal rebellion between his two adopted sons, Kagekatsu and Kagetora. Although Kagekatsu is Aya's biological son, she supports Kagetora and opposes her son and Kanetsugu. Through her actions, she believes she is testing Kanetsugu's resolve to carry on with Kenshin's will. During the battle, she protects Kagetora while waiting for their Hōjō reinforcements led by Kai and Kotarō. Surprisingly, the Takeda take note of the battle, seeking to send Yukimura and Kunoichi in Kagekatsu's support. In order to capitalize on the rebellion, Nobunaga and other Oda generals enter the conflict to cut down either heir. Once the secondary enemies fall, Kanetsugu spurs Kagekatsu's men to charge in Kenshin's name. To Aya, however, he declares himself to be insufficient to carry on Kenshin's drive to wage war, but he believes that love will one day realize justice the world needs. Feeling inept for straying from Kenshin's image, Kanetsugu believes he should die as repentance. Aya scolds him, for she is actually impressed by his new motivation to carry on Kenshin's sense of virtue through different means. She agrees to watch over his decisions for the Uesugi's new future.

Aya resumes her previous actions in Samurai Warriors 4 by supporting the Uesugi army in most of their campaigns. She is Kagekatsu and Kanetsugu's stern instructor for learning Kenshin's values and the babying foster mother for Kagetora. Prior to the Uesugi civil conflict, she voluntarily joins Kagetora's camp. The brothers instinctively understand that her gesture is for comfort of his impending defeat rather than support for Kagetora's cause. Aya's last appearance in Story Mode is at Hasedō.

Warriors Orochi
In Warriors Orochi 3, Aya joins her brother and Shingen's attack on Da Ji at Shizugatake. Once the coalition bests the two veteran generals in combat, Aya voluntarily joins the coalition. She reminds them that though the Uesugi and Takeda continue to refuse obedience to Da Ji, she acts as a representative of their changed opinion regarding their opponents. She later helps the attack at Fan Castle and investigates the ruckus at Luo Castle, eventually leading to Okuni's cooperation.

In one of the downloadable scenarios, "Warriors of Purity", Aya commands a team of white-hooded warriors in destroying evil. She considers her brother and Xu Huang her "Kenshins" and eventually considers herself a "Kenshin" because of her white hood. In another stage, "True Love", Aya helps the mystics Nuwa and Nezha see the good qualities of human love in all its forms.

Pokémon Conquest
Aya continues to support her younger brother in Pokémon Conquest. If the player chooses to approach Kenshin's kingdom of Illusio, she leads Kenshin's forces to attack one of the protagonist's castles. She demands to test the hero's love for their Pokémon and resolve to unify the land. Upon her defeat, Aya deems that they are worthy opponents for Kenshin and respectfully withdraws. Her last act in the game's main story is defending Illusio alongside her brother.

Nobunaga's Ambition
Nobunyaga no Yabou highlights her kitty counterpart during the ''Dokii! Himedarake no Neko Senki'' scenario. Aya-nyan worries that her younger brother's conflicts with the Uesugi governor and Mikeda may lead him to an early grave. Therefore she asks her husband to speak on Kagetora's behalf. Since her husband carries out her wish, a civil conflict within Echigo is avoided. Aya-nyan is later seen lamenting the civil conflict between her brother's sons. She believes Kagedora has lost sight of the Uesugi's integrity and chooses to leave him. The narrative remarks that her departure opened the gates for Kagekatsu's forces and Kagedora's forces soon fall.

Personality
Sophisticated, calm, and reserved, Aya places no importance on material gain. Instead, she finds abstract matters to hold utmost priority for her clan. She is aware that constantly waging war without morals will only lead to further conflicts for the world. Therefore, Aya stresses the importance of virtue to correct the world's flaws. Believing that justice, honor, and love should be kept at any cost, she will feel no hesitation for removing any obstacle that deters from these beliefs. If needed, she would accept the deaths of her brother or herself for the sake of restoring world order. Often choosing to act as support for the prominent male figures of her clan, Aya is stern on reminding them and the Uesugi generals to never forget their true purpose for fighting. She frequently uses the Buddhist four character idiom, Haja Kenshou (破邪顕正), in the Japanese script. It summarizes the objectives she wants her family to follow: "tear down depravity so justice can be realized".

Kenshin refers to her as a goddess and respectfully addresses her as "Elder sister". He remains faithful to her wishes and frets over her well being at all times. Aya dotes on her younger brother's eccentric traits, as well as his desire to wage "pure war", calling him "cute" or "adorable". She watches over him affectionately, occasionally known to lightly tease her younger brother. Even so, she prioritizes her strong belief for universal love before family ties, hiring Kanetsugu to spread her resolute beliefs when she isn't capable of doing it herself. She is content to watch over both men as an endearing presence for them. During the fourth title, she adopts a maternal role for both her sons.

If Kanetsugu fails to meet her expectations, however, Aya can become the stringent teacher to lecture him back in order. When Kanetsugu brashly jumps to conclusions that stray from the Uesugi's integrity, she chides him for foolishly lacking dignity (うるたえ者). Her darker traits are exaggerated for humorous effect in the spin-off titles, practically to the point in which she is Kanetsugu's dominatrix. She shares special conversations with Lianshi and Zhong Hui in her Warriors Orochi appearance, the latter being on the receiving end of her strict punishments due to his haughty attitude.

Character Symbolism
She is symbolized by the characters "virtuous" (淑) and "holy" (聖) for her Samurai Warriors appearance.

All of Aya's weapon types are known for being a cultural icon for their white feathers. Her Normal weapon is named after a white swan. Her Power weapon embodies a Japanese ibis while her Speed types embody a grey heron. In the case of the first two birds, they represent a removal from worldly desires and purity. The ibis is especially known for its rarity; a handful of those remaining are captured and raised to escape the clutches of extinction. A grey heron is known as a bird of winter in Japan, known to bravely face the frigid temperatures by puffing up its feathers. The bird is likely meant to tie in with Echigo, known for having freezing winters throughout Japan's history.

Her first Unique weapon is an alternate name for Tenrin Jyooh, a term used in Indian religions for an idealistic ruler. According to ancient Indian beliefs, the term means to bring order to the world by using military force. Within Buddhist texts, Tenrin Jyooh is usually called a saintly king who is destined to one day usher in a new age of prosperity for humanity. He is said to appear once humanity regains their lost virtue and is destined to rule for the 8,000 years of regained peace. When he is gone, the world is destined to once again plunge itself back to darkness. The ring mentioned within the term can either refer to the sun, a wheel-like weapon known as the chakram, or a mandara. It symbolizes Tenrin Jyooh's laws and his right to create and dictate them without question.

Kariteimo appears in the name for Aya's secondary Unique weapon. She is known as Hariti in Sanskrit and is known as a Yaksha goddess. Kariteimo is known to be one of Bishamonten's wives who gave birth to 500 -sometimes said as 1,000 or 10,000- people. She loved all of her children, but she killed several other children in order to properly feed hers. Shaka one day took away her youngest child, Purinyanka, causing her to forlornly leave to search for her boy. Realizing the suffering her actions had caused for other mothers, she converted to Buddhism. She is known as a goddess who blesses the safe deliveries of children, granting them prosperity and good fortune.

Her heirloom is a historical document for the Uesugi family history. It records their family history starting from the Kamakura period to the Edo period, including genealogy and details of the Yamauchi-Uesugi and Echigo-Nagao clans. It is within this record that many tales of Kenshin and his family are proposed yet remain disputed by modern historians for their accuracy. It is currently stored within the Yonezawa City Uesugi Museum.

During the Uesugi story in the fourth Samurai Warriors title, Aya gives Kagetora a snack called sasa-dango. It's a confectionery made by being wrapped and steamed in sasa bamboo leaves. Sasa-dango was known as a healthier counterpart to the sweeter dango variations from the capital during the game's setting, since it was often filled with the same ingredients for riceballs (onigiri). They could be wrapped in kinpira to aid preservation, giving it a sour or bitter taste. The origins for the snacks are unknown, but one myth suggests that it was first created by Kenshin or the Uesugi retainers as portable war rations that helped them brave the harsh winters of Echigo.

Voice Actors

 * Dorothy Fahn - Samurai Warriors 3 (English-uncredited)
 * Umeka Shōji - Samurai Warriors series, Warriors Orochi 3 (Japanese), Toukiden: The Age of Demons

Quotes

 * See also: Aya/Quotes


 * "You shall pay for your villainy!"
 * "For my darling Kenshin, you shall not pass this road."
 * "I cannot show you mercy on the battlefield, my lady. My apologies."
 * "What a noble youth you are. If we met on different terms, you'd might be a worthy apprentice for my Kenshin."
 * Aya and Yukimura; Sengoku Musou 3: Moushouden


 * "Oh, what an adorable girl-like figure you are. You're the spitting image of my darling Kenshin."
 * "... What?"
 * Aya and Ranmaru; Sengoku Musou 3: Empires


 * "Mitsunari, please kneel."
 * "I can't understand why I should obey. Why should I ever grovel before someone like you? Care to explain your pig-headed and nonsensical reasoning for-(slap) Guh!"
 * "Oh, how rude of me... You were being so lovable that my hand just slipped across your cheek. Now, let me say it properly this time. Kneel, Mitsunari. From now on, I will be here to educate you."
 * Aya and Mitsunari; Sengoku Musou 3: Empires


 * "Here comes a real thorn in my side. I just have to avoid making eye contact... Ow! You hit me?! You lowly vagabond! I am the chosen one. Do not presume you can touch me!"
 * "You have such lovely eyes, Zhong Hui. You should look at people when they're talking to you."
 * Zhong Hui and Aya; Warriors Orochi 3

Ground Moveset

 * undefined: Sends an orb forward.
 * , undefined: Slams the ground with a sudden wave of energy.
 * ,, undefined: Slaps her foes twice.
 * ,, , undefined: Summons a blue shockwave.
 * ,, , , undefined: Sends out a water wave upwards.
 * ,, , , , undefined: Summons a few orbs that circle around her.
 * ,, , , , , undefined: Thrusts her staff forward to create a small whirlwind.
 * ,, , , , , , undefined: Raises her staff up, summoning shards of ice from above.
 * ,, , , , , , , undefined: Sends out several shockwaves that burst out in different directions.
 * ,, , , , , , , , , , : A series of swipes from her staff followed by a short barrage of energy orbs with a bolt of lightning at the end.


 * Dashing : Sends three orbs forward.
 * , undefined: Aya throws an orb that explodes on the ground.
 * She summons lightning, and moves her hand to summon flower petals that throws her foe upwards.
 * (Ultimate/Kaiden): Same as before, and she erects her staff on the ground and summons beams from above.
 * Spirit Cancel: Shields herself and dashes forward.
 * R1: Inspires allies around her, doubling their defense for 30 seconds while gaining some Musou in return.
 * R1: Inspires allies around her, doubling their defense for 30 seconds while gaining some Musou in return.

Mounted Attacks

 * , undefined:
 * ,, undefined: Throws down an orb which explodes.
 * ,, , undefined: Raises her staff to summon a water wave.
 * ,, , , , , , : Swings her staff back and forth eight times.


 * Warriors Orochi 3
 * R1: Conjures a shield of light that keeps user from flinching and heals injuries for a short amount of time.
 * , R1 (Ultimate only): Enchants staff with electricity and stabs it on the ground, causing lightning bolts to appear next to Aya.

Samurai Warriors 4
Mighty strike is the same as Deadlock Attack. Keeps relatively same moveset as the previous entry with the following changes.


 * Finisher changes to her throwing a miniature blizzard towards her foes.
 * Rage Attack/Musou Gokui effect:

Hyper Moveset

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Fighting Style
Aya has long-ranged attacks. Her moveset is a good crowd clearer. Her Musou opens enemies' guard and throw them upward. Her Musou Kaiden has good reach and can throw enemies further away from her.

Weapons

 * See also: Aya/Weapons

Rare Weapon Acquisition

 * Stage: Battle of Tetorigawa

Historical Information
Sentō-In was Nagao Tamekage's second eldest daughter. She was said to either come from the same mother as Kenshin or was his older half-sister. Though better known under her Buddhist name, it was said that her given name was Ayahime or Okame no Kata.

She was engaged to Nagao Masakage sometime during 1537, and they had two sons and two daughters together. Their eldest son died at the young age of 10 so their second eldest son, Kagekatsu, was adopted into the Uesugi family under Kenshin. Their daughters are also said to have been adopted into the Uesugi and supposedly became the wives of their loyal vassals. Sentō-In moved to Kasugayama Castle with her son in 1564. She was fabled to have recognized Naoe Kanetsugu's talents and recommended him to serve Kagekatsu. It was rumored that Kanetsugu tried his best to care for her in gratitude.

When the civil dispute between Kagekatsu and Kagetora took place after Kenshin's death, Sentō-In tried to protect Kagetora's heir after the death of her eldest daughter (Kagetora's wife). Although she was with Kagetora, she returned to Kikuhime and Osen no Kata's care. She died at Yonezawa Castle and was enshrined at Risen-ji. She was given the Buddhist name, Sentō-In. As for why she was named as such, the reasons are still debated even to this day.

Gallery
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