Obaba (御婆 Obaba?), also known as Yoba (妖婆 Yōba?) or Kumo Obaba, is the sorceress and matriarch of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. Over one hundred years old, she is a powerful user of witchcraft and seeks to restore her clan's glory following the death of Genshin.[1]
She is a major antagonist of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and appears in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Ninja Gaiden 3 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge as a minor antagonist. She appears as a supporting character in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
Description[]
- A sorceress who leads the Black Spider Ninja Clan in spite of her advanced age of more than a hundred. Aided by the Dark Dragon- stones, she is a wizened old woman capable of using all manners of fearsome magic and incantations.[2]
- The matriarch of the Black Spider Clan, and it's oldest and most reputable member. She is the one who gave the Tamashi Kunai to Kumori, aiming to deceive the Demon Lord and seize his soul to revive her clan.[1]
History[]
After the previous head of the Black Spider Ninja Clan died due to old age, Obaba assumed command of the clan.[3] She would eventually be succeeded by the Ninja Overlord, Genshin as of recent history and became its elder instead.
Plot[]
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword[]
After Ryu finishes training with Momiji in the Forest of Shadows, The Black Spider Clan appears, and on Obaba's orders, kidnaps the shrine maiden and raids the Hayabusa Village. She tortures Momiji in hopes of getting information about the Eye of the Dragon, but soon discovers that Momiji infused it into her soul, meaning Obaba cannot kill her. It is later revealed that she is working for Ishtaros, the Greater Fiend of Creation. She schemes to make Ryu Hayabusa collect the eight Dark Dragon Stones, crystals released after the Dark Dragon was slain. She gives Momiji to Ishtaros, and in exchange, she is given more power than she had ever imagined, and her body is warped into a spider-like Fiend. She confronts Ryu and fights with her newly bestowed powers, but is no match for the Super Ninja of the Dragon Lineage, and is soundly defeated. As her body withers away and she meets her death, she tells Hayabusa that he will never defeat Ishtaros, and with an evil grin, she dies.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2[]
After Genshin mounts another assault on the Hayabusa Village, Obaba, resurrected by the power of the Four Greater Fiends, steals the Eye of the Dragon, gaining untold power. She soon meets the Mugen Tenshin kunoichi of the Hajinmon faction, Ayane, who is shocked to discover that the Eye is in Obaba's spider-like abdomen and fights her. Obaba loses, and Ayane retrieves the Eye. As Obaba dies again, she catches a glimpse of the Tenjin Princess, Kasumi standing on the tower of a church before dying as Kasumi vanishes in a whirlwind of sakura petals.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge[]
Upon Ryu's return from the Black Spider Ninja Graveyard, the Dragon Ninja, assisted by his student Momiji, goes forth to the Sacred Hermitage in Aokigahara. There they are attacked by the Black Spider Ninja clan, led by the mysteriously resurrected Obaba, whose Fiend form has now grown to monstrous size, able to literally hold Ryu and Momiji in one massive hand in an effort to crush them to death. Momiji casts a barrier over herself when Obaba tries to crush her, leaving Ryu to battles hordes of Jigumo Ninja that Obaba continously resurrects, while attacking the energy cores on the Spider Witch's body, destroying Obaba's arms, and finally attacking her forehead. Before the final blow is struck, Obaba knocks Momiji off, making her fall to her doom, but in the end, Obaba is dealt a mortal blow by Genshin's Blade of the Archfiend, and Ryu manages to rescue Momiji before she hit the ground. With her consciousness destroyed, Obaba's corporeal form crumbles into a flock of demonic crows.
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound[]
Obaba resurrected again and retains leadership of the Black Spider Clan. This time she has a notably more human appearance but with clawed nails and black eyes with yellow irises. While discussing the clan's weakened state with two other members titled Henchman and Accountant, their headquarters are attacked by Fiends led by Rhyvashi. After Kumori fends off the attackers, Rhyvashi proposes an alliance and invites them to the seal of the Demon Lord, Jagäzk. However Obaba, having learned from the last few times of allying with Fiends, instead instructs Kumori to use the Tamashi Kunai to seal the Demon Lord into her body so they can take control of his forces, which Kumori accepts.
Later, Muramasa reveals that in his youth he and Obaba teamed up to seal Jagäzk away using the Energy Crystals. If Kumori stays behind in hell in order to prevent Jagäzk from escaping, her partner Kenji Mozu of the Hayabusa Clan will return the kunai to Obaba. Obaba muses that Kumori failed her mission but also that Black Spider Ninjas are no strangers to hell and that Kumori will probably escape.
Powers & Abilities[]
Obaba is a supremely powerful sorceress, possessing various dark magics and is able to turn into a powerful Fiend form. Because she is descended from the Fiends bloodlines like the rest of the Black Spider Ninja clan, she is extremely long lived, being over one hundred years old by the main events of the series. She was also shown to be able to absorb the Eye of the Dragon into her body and draw upon its power, but was defeated before she could finish assimilating it into her being.
Obaba's most dangerous dark magic is "Soul Resurrection", which allows her to revive deceased members of the Black Spider Ninja clan, recently or otherwise, seemingly indefinitely. This power is also perhaps how she repeatedly returns from the dead, though this remains unconfirmed.
Etymology[]
- The name Obaba means "honorable" (御) (o) and "hag, old woman" (婆) (baba).
Trivia[]
- Obaba secretly favors Kumori.[1]
- Obaba's remark about Muramasa in the past in her diary implies she found him attractive.[4]
- Obaba was a unpopular choice in becoming head of the Black Spider Clan. It was speculated by Hanjuro that had Genshin been present, she would of not succeeded.[3]
Gallery[]
References[]
[]
| Characters | Kenji Mozu • Kumori • Muramasa • Jô Hayabusa • CIA Agent • Masked Agent • Ryu Hayabusa • Shrine Maiden • Kumo Obaba • Accountant • Henchman |
|---|---|
| Bosses | Ryu Hayabusa • Gurthka • Rhyvashi • Demon Eels • Obsidrae • Deikrag • Rhyvashi • Ship Defense System • Bio Flamethrower • Bio Titan • Bio Amalgam • Jagäzk |
| Items | Talismans • Secret Arts • Tamashi Kunai • Energy Crystals • Golden Scarab • Crystal Skull • Secret Ops |
| Miscellaneous | Enemies • Walkthrough • Achievements/Trophies |