Hida Atarasi

Hida Atarasi, son of the Kami Hida and Hida Masiko, was chosen by Shinsei as one of the first set of the Seven Thunders. Hida's faith in Shinsei and his Day of Thunder was shown in that not only would he send someone to protect the future of the Empire, he sent forward his own future as well. He was slain fighting against Fu Leng, though he rose again as an Akutenshi.
== Hida's Son ==
As Hida's son, he was an expert warrior. He would often fight alongside his father, the two towering over other men. Defenders of the Empire
== Hida Atarasi's Life ==
He helped to form some of the techniques for the Hida Berserker School of the Crab Clan, including the kata Hida's Avalanche. He spent much of his life in combat, fighting against Fu Leng and his demons from the onset of the War Against Fu Leng. He was a bastion of strength to his allies, and an unstoppable fury to his enemies. It came as little suprise when he was chosen as the Crab Thunder. He knew, though, from the start of the war that he was destined to die. He felt fortunate, however, to know that at the end, his death would have meaning. 
== The Thunders and Fu Leng ==
Atarasi led the Thunders through the Shadowlands, as he knew the terrain better than any. Through the journey he formed some bond with Shosuro, some form of understanding between the two. While fighting through Fu Leng's keep, Atarasi's strength was a great assest, as he used large statues to block paths behind the Thunders, stopping the minions that followed, rather than wasting precious seconds killing them. Near the end, he was bound against a wall by chains summoned by Fu Leng's own magic, which he tore through to stop Fu Leng's escape. Once the final scroll was sealed, he gave them to Shosuro, as she was the only Thunder that knew the way out. Drawing what he knew would be his final breath, he turned to the First Oni, and roared his defiance; 
== Atarasi's Undeath ==
The Crab Thunder took the heads of his fallen comrades, then stayed to fight to death. After Shosuro had escaped and Atarasi had perished fighting against the First Oni, the Taint began to dominate his body. He rose from the dead as a Lost, once the first son of Hida, Enemies of the Empire, p. 53 he was now the the first Akutenshi of Fu Leng. His divine heritage combined with the immense power that Jigoku had bestowed upon him, and created a monster from a hero. Bearers of Jade, pp. 123, 133 He stalked through the Shadowlands, slaughtering all those who fell into his path, raising their bodies to serve him as Hyakuhei. Enemies of the Empire, pp. 53, 65
== Family ==
When Atarasi left the Crab lands he had a pregnant wife, and his twin sons were
born the very day his mother killed herself. They grew up with their uncle Osano-Wo, then disappeared into the Shadowlands some time during the troll wars, the first humans Atarasi recruited as a Lost. Bearers of Jade, p. 120
== The End of Atarasi ==
In the year 210, Hida took up his tetsubo and marched off to find and destroy the Tainted abomination that his son had become. Legend of the Five Rings: Third Edition, p. 11 They fought for some time, and the sheer energies that the divine father wielded against his infernal son scarred the land. Finally, Hida struck the killing blow, and defeated Atarasi. The final blow had shattered the barriers between the Spirit Realms, and sent Atarasi's soul screaming into Gaki-do. Before Hida succumbed to the wounds taken during the fight, Fortunes & Winds, p. 38 he prayed to his mother, Amaterasu to save the soul of his son. The Lady Sun blessed the ground upon which they had fought, creating the region in the Shadowlands known as Amaterasu's Furnace, a place that had forever since remained pure and free of the Taint. Fortunes & Winds, p. 38
== Legends ==
According to the accounts of Iuchi Karasu, he witnessed the fight between Hida and Atarasi, though whether this was a result of his torture at the hands of Moto Tsume, or perhaps some trick of the semi-sentient Shadowlands itself was unknown. It remained possible as well that Hida and Atarasi still fight, and the legends of Hida's victory might simply be that, legends told by the Crab Clan to show that the strength of purity could always overcome that of corruption, and that even if your own son carried the curse of the Taint, you must not shy away from your duty. Bearers of Jade, p. 123
== See also ==
* Hida Atarasi/Meta
== External Links ==
* Hida Atarasi (Dawn of the Empire)
Category:Characters with Pictures
Category:Crab Clan Members
Category:Lost