The Raven Clan (鴉一門, Karasu Ichimon) are a ninja clan who are direct descendants of the Dark Dragon and a branch of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan. Due to their connection to the Dark Dragon, they are persecuted, so they have hid themselves from the public eye and handle underground jobs. While they are not tainted or corrupted by evil like the Black Spider Ninja Clan, they are still considered heretics among the ninja. The Raven Clan have incorporated modern and contemporary techniques and technology to their arsenal. While the Raven Clan are descendants of the Dark Dragon, due to their predicament, they harbor a resentment towards the Dark Dragon.[1] The clan acts behind the scenes and is known only to the Hayabusa Clan and Murai of the Shadow Clan.
History[]
The Raven Clan was founded centuries ago by descendants of the Dark Dragon, the fallen Divine Dragon that had been corrupted by the Evil Deities millennia ago.
While the Hayabusa Clan, the descendants of the Dragon Lineage who defeated their ancestor, protected the peace and are respected, the Raven Clan, despite having the divine beast's blood like the Hayabusa, are condemned as heretics by most other shinobi groups due to the Dark Dragon's vile deeds, and thus hold resentment towards the Dark Dragon for their standing in the Ninja World.
However, in contrast to the Hayabusa, they have decided to take a fundamentally different approach, adopting advanced technology and science into their arsenal.
The Raven Ninjas continues to uphold their own vigil against supernatural evils as shadows, yet secretly yearns for the day they can finally be free of the Dark Dragon's taint and step out of the shadows of their disgraced ancestry.
When the Dark Dragon fell to evil and had its fate severed from the Divine Dragons, the Raven Clan became pawns of powerful figures who used them to perform assassinations and other illicit acts in war. Even today they continue to "peck out the trash" and have made it their creed to take missions that ensure society continues evolving. The clan embraces new ways of thinking and other traditions, and, thanks to their specialization in technology, has equipped its members with highly advanced gear and developed a unit structure similar to modern military bodies.
Unlike the Hayabusa, the Raven takes on illegal missions that the Hayabusa would never touch, ranging from abduction, assassination, and other illicit activites to maintain the clan.
Plot[]
Ninja Gaiden 4[]
To fulfill the clan's long-standing destiny, Yakumo , along with his companions Umi and Misaki, heads towards the Dark Dragon's Priestess Seori to kill her, who is a key to defeating the Dark Dragon. However, upon meeting her, Seori offers an alliance. Learning the truth about the Dark Dragon, Yakumo accepts the alliance and resolves to break the seal of the Dark Dragon to free his ancestor.
It was soon discovered that it was all a trap set up by Misaki, who was truly the Fiend Achilles. After Hayabusa's final test for Yakumo, he passes along Jewel of the Dark Dragon, the last of the relics of Seori, to Yakumo, stating that the time has come for the blood of the Dragon's to amend. As bearer of the Dark Dragon's bloodline, was the only one who could purify the corrupted god beast, and put in end to its cursed existence.
Bloodbind Ninjutsu[]
BloodBind Ninjutsu (血楔忍術 Kessetsu Ninjutsu; Bloodbonding Shinobi Craft) is a secret ninjutsu taught in the Raven Clan that manipulates magic normally unusable to humans by utilizing blood as a medium. The wielder of Bloodbind Ninjutsu uses blood, be it their own or another's, to transform their weaponry.
This art can only be used by members of the Raven Clan, and while its use appears simple, requires exceptional talent and years of training to utilize effectively in actual combat. Very few of the current generation of Raven ninjas have the skill to use it to its full potential, putting the art itself in jeopardy.
The Ninjutsu of the Raven Clan can be separated into two forms; The traditional Raven Form (鴉の形Karasu no Kata; Raven Form), and the BloodRaven (鵺の形Nue no Kata; the Nue Form), which enables users of the form to bind their blood or the blood of enemies to their weapons for more lethal attacks.
The Raven Clan actively collects cursed blades to utilize with Bloodbind Ninjutsu. Takeminakata, wielded by Yakumo, has been passed down through the clan for generations.