Ayane

Ayane is Kasumi's half sister and a ninja assassin who is destined to live in the shadow of Kasumi. An expert of Ninjitsu, her deadly fighting style has given her the nickname "Female Tengu." She joins in the Dead or Alive World Combat Championship as an assassin in pursuit of Kasumi. Raidou is her biological father. She is also a rival of Helena. Ayane was conceived when her mother Ayame was forced upon by Raidou, Ayane is the half-sister and cousin of both Hayate and Kasumi. Although mistreated in her youth, Ayane has worked hard to become one of the most powerful shinobi of her clan.

As a result of being conceived she has been an outcast for majority of her childhood. Ayane was not raised by her mother but was taken in by Genra, the leader of the clan's Hajinmon sect out of pity and wasn't told who her true family was.

Unaware of the circumstances of her birth, Ayane and Kasumi became best friends while they were children, although neither of them knew that they were half-sisters. When Genra proposed that Ayane assisted him in his duties before the clan’s masters, Ayane met Hayate and the two started to form a close bond. From a young age, Ayane was trained to become a shinobi of the shadows, helping the clan from afar.

Later, Ayane learned the truth of her conception when Ayame admitted that she was her biological daughter and the half-sibiling cousin to both Hayate and Kasumi. Driven by her own anger at being cast out, Ayane devoted herself to honing her Hajinmon abilities beyond any other shinobi in the clan to prove that even she, the lowly "cursed child," could become something great. Ayane was consumed with bitterness and jealousy over the fact that Kasumi was treated like a princess while she was treated as an outcast, so their friendship withered even into their adolescence until adulthood.

Personality: Mostly due to the way she was treated as a child, Ayane possesses a detached, cynical outlook on life and is completely driven by the desire to prove to herself and others that she is better than those that condemned her. As a result, she turned into a determined, strong, and deadly young woman, earning her the nickname "Female Tengu." She also has a tendency to talk down to people – mostly to Kasumi – and act antagonistically. It should be noted that she despises anyone or anything reminding her of the past. Due to her cynical outlook, she at times can be deeply sarcastic, such as when greeting Leifang during the Tamabata festival with barbed remarks, as well as snidely telling a defeated opponent they should watch their opponent when fighting. Similarly, she is not used to people treating her kindly or wanting to be her friend, as can be implied by her interactions with Luna, Misaki and Honoka.

However, despite her cruel behavior, she isn’t entirely cold and heartless. She does form working relationships with those around her and even loving and emotional relationships, such as her admiration for Hayate and her father-daughter relationship with Genra. However, these relationships are so important and meaningful to her that they seem to be her only emotional support and her reason for living. For example, after losing Genra and Hayate becoming angry with her, she tried to commit suicide. This quick decision to take her life at the thought of losing Hayate's love might be a sign of a more emotionally unstable side to Ayane.

Like most of the other shinobi in the series, she is devoted to what she believes in and follows the code of her clan with all her heart, willing to take on any task for her village, even if it means she could die doing so.

Appearance: Ayane is of petite height. Her face is oval-shaped, and her eyes are red. Also, despite being listed as having a higher bust measurement than many others, her in-game breast size seems visually to be among the smallest of the female cast.

Ayane's most iconic costume is a dark purple, strapless dress with a pink butterfly printed on the skirt complete with matching pull-on sleeves, stockings, heeled boots, and a giant red or orange obi bow tied around her hips.

Fighting Style: Throughout the Dead or Alive series, Ayane has been amongst the fastest characters in terms of move execution; her lack of the ability to teleport in battle compared to the other three shinobi is countered with her speed. While as fast as Kasumi, Ayane’s attacks often do more damage and, most significantly, she has a whole set of moves to use while her back is turned, which heightens her unpredictability and extends her combo potential. She also possesses great range and can play both up close to pester and pressure slower foes or she can play more defensively at longer ranges as many of her attacks possess good enough reach to keep out foes who struggle to move in. She also has a spinning stance that can be used to evade highs and move in while also attacking with launching mids or quick rapid low kicks, and she can also cancel specific moves to feint a reaction from her opponent, but this is also very risky and must be used mindfully, as misuse leaves her wide open for punishment.

Although she is powerful and has relatively simple commands, Ayane can be hard to master due to how her moves require practice and care to execute safely and effectively. Her back-facing stance, although it can make her more unpredictable, can also leave her extremely vulnerable if not used with caution. Many of her more powerful moves have quite long recovery time frames, which makes her unsafe on block and can leave her vulnerable to counterattacks. As such, she is definitely not suited for beginners.

Before using Ayane, it is recommended to practice with Kasumi first, as she is a more balanced character while still retaining the same speedy, combo-based attack style. When she is mastered, however, Ayane’s spinning attacks can be a great asset in a duel, making her difficult to predict and be countered by the opponent. She can "juggle" enemies to great effect and her quick speed can make her excellent at intercepting opponents, especially slower ones. She is a deadly character in the right hands.

Dead or Alive 6 further refines her by giving her more attacks with enhanced damage and properties from delaying the timing briefly, and she makes more use of her ninpo abilities with new attacks, including a backturned ninpo stab attack that crumple stuns unwary opponents, as well as a new mid kick launcher to give her more options from her spinning stance.