People of The Sengoku Period in Popular Culture - Izumo No Okuni

Izumo No Okuni

Unlike her role in history, Izumo no Okuni's appearances in fiction often portray her as a fictional besshikime (別式女?), a capable fighter skilled with weapons and magic.

• She is a playable character in Koei's Samurai Warriors series as a fighter using a parasol. As the game portrays her having a flirty personality, she is the cause of competition between Maeda Keiji and Ishikawa Goemon.
• In Samurai Warriors 2, she is a special character who is unlocked by clearing the Sugoroku game. She additionally appears in the spin-off series Warriors Orochi as a member of the Sengoku force, where she had developed a closeness with Ling Tong and a friendship with Xiao Qiao. The three join the Wu forces in Warriors Orochi 2. Her dream stage has her enlist the help of Meng Huo and Goemon Ishikawa to assist her in collecting donations for her Izumo shrine. Okuni appears in Samurai Warriors 3, with the same hairstyle as before, with slight enhancements.
• In the manga and anime Samurai Deeper Kyo, she is initially a foil for the main character, Mibu Kyoshiro, but later becomes a spy for Oda Nobunaga.
• Okuni is a playable character in the Capcom's video game Onimusha Tactics. She fights with a spear and can use healing magic. She is also mentioned as a close friend to Jubei Yagyu in Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, where she is described as being a great dancer and fighter. According to the game's comic tie-in "Night of Genesis", she is also a long-standing friend of Tenkai Nankobo.
• Okuni also appears as a character in the NHK's drama Musashi; however, in this series she remains a performer and does not have any fighting skills.
• Okuni makes a small appearance as a little girl in Ōkami singing about the Water Dragon.
• The courtesan and geisha Kiku from James Clavell's novel Shōgun is based on Okuni.