TV-Series
Description
Ookurikara is a sword warrior who manifests in human form with tanned skin and a dragon tattoo coiling around his left arm. He is an uchigatana believed to have been made by the swordsmith Hiromitsu of the Sōshū tradition, and he was at first classified as a tachi before the game reclassified him as an uchigatana. The blade was given to the Date clan, presented to Date Tadamune, the son of Date Masamune, by the second Tokugawa shogun, and it was handed down within the Date family from that time onward. His name comes from the carved figure of the Kurikara dragon on the blade, a dragon king regarded as an incarnation of the deity Fudō Myōō.
Within the citadel, Ookurikara is a solitary presence. He states plainly that he has no intention of growing close to others, prefers to act and fight on his own, and answers with few and blunt words. He dislikes festive gatherings and dismisses the atmosphere of easy camaraderie around him. Even so, his cold way of speaking does not mean disdain for those around him; he respects his fellow sword warriors and continues to fight beside them when the situation demands it. His main motivation is battle itself. He considers himself a blade whose purpose is to be used in combat, and he insists that the choice of where he dies belongs to him alone rather than to anyone else.
Because of the Date clan connection, he shares a long history with Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, Taikogane Sadamune, and Tsurumaru Kuninaga. In Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, the emergence of Taikogane Sadamune leads to a reunion among these old acquaintances, and Ookurikara's exchanges with them reveal the shared past beneath his withdrawn manner. He also joins sorties to Edo alongside swords tied to the Date and Hosokawa families, fighting to keep historical figures safe from the forces that seek to alter history. In the gentle daily-life framing of the series, his moments often involve being drawn, against his stated preference, into the communal routines and celebrations of the citadel.
His development is understated. In his later kiwame form, he confronts the fact that the familiar story of his past, that he was carried into battle by Date Masamune, is not accurate; by the time the blade reached the Date household, no major wars remained for Masamune to fight. This realization leads him to understand that a sword's strength does not exist in isolation but depends on the master who wields it, and he gradually accepts fighting together with his present master instead of insisting on absolute solitude. That quiet movement from strict independence toward a grudging recognition of connection shapes the character as he appears throughout the Hanamaru series.
As a blade, he is notable for high stamina, strong defense, and considerable striking force, while his speed and agility are comparatively lower. In his strengthened form, he gains the ability to shield allies during ranged combat, and he carries himself with a quiet, self-reliant competence that makes him dependable in battle even when he keeps his distance from those around him.
Within the citadel, Ookurikara is a solitary presence. He states plainly that he has no intention of growing close to others, prefers to act and fight on his own, and answers with few and blunt words. He dislikes festive gatherings and dismisses the atmosphere of easy camaraderie around him. Even so, his cold way of speaking does not mean disdain for those around him; he respects his fellow sword warriors and continues to fight beside them when the situation demands it. His main motivation is battle itself. He considers himself a blade whose purpose is to be used in combat, and he insists that the choice of where he dies belongs to him alone rather than to anyone else.
Because of the Date clan connection, he shares a long history with Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, Taikogane Sadamune, and Tsurumaru Kuninaga. In Zoku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru, the emergence of Taikogane Sadamune leads to a reunion among these old acquaintances, and Ookurikara's exchanges with them reveal the shared past beneath his withdrawn manner. He also joins sorties to Edo alongside swords tied to the Date and Hosokawa families, fighting to keep historical figures safe from the forces that seek to alter history. In the gentle daily-life framing of the series, his moments often involve being drawn, against his stated preference, into the communal routines and celebrations of the citadel.
His development is understated. In his later kiwame form, he confronts the fact that the familiar story of his past, that he was carried into battle by Date Masamune, is not accurate; by the time the blade reached the Date household, no major wars remained for Masamune to fight. This realization leads him to understand that a sword's strength does not exist in isolation but depends on the master who wields it, and he gradually accepts fighting together with his present master instead of insisting on absolute solitude. That quiet movement from strict independence toward a grudging recognition of connection shapes the character as he appears throughout the Hanamaru series.
As a blade, he is notable for high stamina, strong defense, and considerable striking force, while his speed and agility are comparatively lower. In his strengthened form, he gains the ability to shield allies during ranged combat, and he carries himself with a quiet, self-reliant competence that makes him dependable in battle even when he keeps his distance from those around him.