Ochou appears in Episode 1 as the daughter of Echigo-ya's manager in the Kawara district. Her involvement begins when she delivers a letter from the escaped convict Katame to her father, demanding reparations for his imprisonment. While returning home, Katame and his fellow escapees, Mamushi and Yota, abduct her. The convicts take Ochou hostage, retreating to a temple where they threaten to kill her if authorities intervene. She is ultimately rescued when the blind swordsman Ichi and the young investigator Sabu confront and eliminate the three convicts.