Ayabe Ukon is a character from the 1973 Japanese film Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in the Land of Demons, which is the fifth entry in the film series based on the Lone Wolf and Cub manga. Within the narrative, Ukon is a samurai and a chamberlain serving the Kuroda clan from the Chikuzen province.

Ukon is the first of five messengers who challenge the masterless assassin Ogami Itto. Each of the five warriors possesses one-fifth of the total payment for an assassination job and one-fifth of the information regarding the mission's target and reasons. As the first messenger, Ukon Ayabe approaches Ogami Itto to initiate this unusual contract. He explains the terms, stating that each warrior will test Ogami's abilities in combat, and each defeated opponent will pay one hundred gold pieces while revealing additional details about the assignment. The sign of the contract is a specific gesture.

His primary motivation appears to be carrying out his duty as a retainer of the Kuroda clan. He is part of a larger conspiracy involving a plan to disguise a daimyo's illegitimate daughter as a male heir, a plot that, if discovered, would lead to the dissolution of the clan. The five messengers, including Ukon, are tasked with hiring Ogami Itto to intercept a letter that would expose this scheme.

Ukon's key relationship is with his lord, the Kuroda clan, and he acts in concert with the four other messengers who follow him: Sazare Kanbei, Shinnoji Senzo, Tsukude Sozaemon, and Mawatari Hachiro. His role is to be the first point of contact and the first test for the protagonist. The information available does not describe Ukon's personality, his specific fighting abilities, his personal development over the course of the story, or his background beyond his clan affiliation and rank.

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