Ibuki

Ibuki (息吹) is one of the main characters in Toukiden. He can fight beside the protagonist during hunts in the single player main story.

Players who participated in Famitsu's Toukiden questionnaire ranked him as their eighth favorite character.

Role in Game
Ibuki is a native of Nakatsu Kuni and a veteran mononofu. During his early youth, he was a cocksure recruit beside his lover, Kanade. The lovers were mononofu and fought within "Oomagadoki" together. In one battle during the war, his party was nearly annihilated by a Takeikusa. Ibuki was traumatized by the defeat when Kanade lost her life in battle. He wears her hair comb as a necklace to remember her.

Believing that he shouldn't have any expectations for himself, Ibuki wandered the land aimlessly and offered his services to whoever he thought needed them. He escorts new recruits within Utakata Village on missions when the village isn't in immediate danger. Ibuki was overseeing Hatsuho before the main story and is introduced to the protagonist by Yamato. The spearman attends to whatever assignments are given to him.

At the end of chapter 3, Ibuki smugly remarks that their jobs have been too easy until a frantic woman runs into the mononofu headquarters pleading for help. A group of mononofu recruits were sent away to deal with a demon and reported for urgent reinforcements. Her lover was in the group, and she fears for his safety. Her desperation grabs Ibuki's full attention, and he drops his usual sarcasm immediately to fulfill the request. Ibuki promises that he will do everything in his power to save her lover. However, the protagonist's party arrive too late, and Ibuki tells the woman about their failure. In her sorrow, she blames them for leaving her lover to die and storms out.

Ibuki feels deflated by the incident since it closely mirrored his own loss eight years prior. When the ancient sleeping disease hits Hatsuho, Ibuki is mystified that he hasn't fallen victim to it since he misses Kanade so much. He reasons that it must be because he treasures nothing and wallows in self-guilt. Losing his will to fight, Ibuki drinks and contemplates leaving Utakata Village. As someone who can relate to his loss, Fugaku shares with him his greatest personal failure and roughly encourages Ibuki to conquer his slump. When he is left alone to reflect on his thoughts, Ibuki is approached by the same woman from the previous chapter. Apologizing for her hurtful outburst, she warmly thanks him for making the effort to care for her distress.

Realizing that his actions weren't meaningless, Ibuki regains the will to fight. The current disaster the village is experiencing is another Takeikusa attack. Ouka and a group of recruits were patrolling when it emerged; Ouka seeks to sacrifice herself to guard their retreat. Before the protagonist dispatches to provide assistance, Ibuki volunteers himself to be in the rescue party. After the demon is defeated, Ibuki proudly overlooks the mononofu recruits being reunited with their loved ones and bashfully thanks the protagonist for caring for him. His stronger bond with him/her unlocks the ability to share the Izumo no Okuni soul within him.

Personality
Ever since his personal trauma, Ibuki has been a pessimist who believes that it is futile to hope since despair is inevitable. Afraid of experiencing the same loss again, he passes himself off as a frivolous and sarcastic playboy with superficial values. Yet, even with his lazy front, Ibuki fights with masterful skill and dedication. His past loss drives him to never leave a comrade behind, always making it his personal agenda to save anyone from dying. After he overcomes his grief, Ibuki gains a new conviction in himself to keep living as a proud and trustworthy man who would make Kanade proud.

His beliefs tend to coincide with Ouka; he frequently takes it upon himself to rescue her from her self-destructive habits. He picks on Hatsuho and Fugaku, sharing reproachful yet respectful banter with the latter.

Requests
The protagonist can complete his chain of personal requests to greatly boost their affinity ratings with him. His requests are clearly labeled with his name in each posting. They must be completed in consecutive order.

Once his affinity is at maximum level with the protagonist, he will give him/her the recipe to create a replica of his weapon. His weapon is the strongest spear he/she can use. Higher affinity additionally increases the chances of him appearing within the village's bathing area.