Murakami

Murakami (Kanji: 村上) is one of the leaders of the Hand. Being the most secretive leader of their organization, Murakami lived in the shadows, pulling strings behind Nobu Yoshioka's actions. Eventually, Murakami was brought into the fight since the Iron Fist had returned to New York City, which had then promoted Alexandra Reid to then reunite all of the leaders of the Hand. However, Murakami had soon lost his own faith within Reid's leadership due to Sowande's death until Elektra betrayed and murdered her as she took over the Hand. Following Elektra as his new leader, Murakami stood against the Defenders during a final fight, which ended with him being badly injured and ultimately buried underneath Midland Circle alongside Madame Gao.
==Biography==
===Early Life===
====Forming the Hand====
Murakami settled within K'un-Lun and learned how to use Chi for healing. However, Murakami perverted the teachings of his masters with four others, including Alexandra Reid, Sowande, Madame Gao and Bakuto, to gain their immortality and were banished. At first, Murakami did not want to leave since he did not want to be with Reid, but she convinced him to and together they formed the Hand, using the bones of Dragons to maintain their long lives. While Murakami established his faction of the Hand in Asia, he then sent his own second-in-command, Nobu Yoshioka, to operate in New York City under his orders. Yoshioka's mission was to take a city block, giving access to dragon remains located under the city.Daredevil: 1.09: Speak of the Devil
===Excavation of Midland Circle===
====Alexandra Reid's Visit====
Having gone on another hunt in Shikoku, almost being killed by the bear that he managed to slaughter, Murakami returned to New York City where he prepared to dissect his kill, taking time to chose the perfect blade for the job. While Murakami was working, Alexandra Reid appeared in the room, with Murakami noting that it was foolish to sneak up on a man while he was holding a knife. As Murakami described the killing, Reid noted that he no longer had the Resurrection Elixir to bring him back if he was killed during a hunt.
Murakami noted that all the members of the Hand should be worried, although Reid insisted that they were finally close to completing their plans, explaining that the Iron Fist had finally returned to New York City from K'un-Lun. Murakami, however, pointed out that Reid had been unsuccessful during her attempt to capture Iron Fist, blaming it on Reid's unwillingness to get her own hands dirty. Reid noted that she never asked for or wanted Murakami's advice, leading to him then noting that Reid now finally had the Black Sky under her own control, which Reid had desired for thousands of years.
Reid informed Murakami that the Iron Fist was not alone in his fight, so Murakami had questioned if the Chaste had truly been destroyed. Reid, however, explained that it was not the Chaste, but that Iron Fist had built a team of remarkable people around him. When Reid noted that there were only three, Murakami was amused by the thought of them struggling against only three, despite Reid insisting that they were all exceptional. Reid explained that Madame Gao and Sowande were ready to fight and Bakuto was on his way, leading to Murakami then agreeing to fight and reunite all five fingers of the Hand.
====Ambush at the Royal Dragon====
Having learned the Defenders had been successfully tracked down to the Royal Dragon having escaped from Alexandra Reid's clutches, Murakami was called upon to assist her in capturing them. Choosing to go alone, without any soldiers to back him up, Murakami made his way through New York City to join the fight. Making his way silently onto the roof, Murakami then armed himself with his s and waited for the right moment to attack, watching closely as Reid spoke with the entire team in her own attempt to get them to surrender before their fight.
|Murakami joins the fight against the Defenders
Murakami then leaped through the glass roof and landed on a table, much to the surprise of the Defenders who were engaged in a fight against Elektra. Murakami then fought against both Danny Rand and Matt Murdock, proving himself to be a challenge for both the skilled warriors. Before long, however, Murakami was knocked off his feet and took cover when he saw the incoming arrival of Sowande and Madame Gao's soldiers, who opened fire on the Defenders, only stopping when Gao killed one man and claimed they could not risk killing Rand in the crossfire while Murakami joined his allies.
While leaving Sowande to fight Luke Cage outside the restaurant, Murakami chose to attack Jessica Jones, kicking her to the floor before he went to investigate what had happened to Elektra, who had last been seen fighting against Murdock. Stepping outside, Murakami discovered to his horror that Black Sky was not fighting Murdock, but was instead sharing an intimate moment with him. When Murakami demanded to know what she was doing, the Black Sky turned and struck him, sending Murakami flying backwards with great force into a wall and knocking him unconscious.
When Murakami awoke, he found that the Black Sky had vanished, and the Defenders had gotten away with the help of Stick. Just as Murakami got to his feet and popped his dislocated shoulder back into place, he was joined by Gao who demanded to know what had happened to the Defenders and the Black Sky, to which Murakami claimed that she should ask Reid who had been watching the fight unfold from her car across the street. Considering what he had witnessed, Murakami suspected that Elektra was protecting her kill for herself, or did not wish for Murdock to be harmed.
Returning to their headquarters, Murakami found Reid speaking with the Black Sky, warning her that if she was to continue failing the orders of the Hand, then Reid would be forced to kill her. Stepping into the room, Murakami informed Reid that he had learned Sowande had been taken hostage following his fight with Cage. Reid, however, remained unconcerned, noting that over the years the leaders of the Hand had survived simpler situations, noting Bakuto would arrive soon. When Murakami attempted to discuss Elektra's recent actions, Reid simply dismissed him and then walked away.
====Ambush on Trish Walker====
Seeking to regain Sowande by targeting the friends and allies of all the Defenders so they would be forced to hand Sowande back on in exchange, Murakami was sent to kidnap Trish Walker during her meeting about Trish Talk; however, once he arrived, he discovered that Jessica Jones was already attempting to take Walker to safety. Managing to get the drop on the pair, Murakami knocked Jones aside with a strong kick, with Jones getting back to her feet and complaining that the attack had hurt her.
With Murakami ready and Jones now angry, the two dueled each other, with Murakami gaining the advantage by using his speed and well training fighting ability to avoid all of Jones' powerful but slow strikes before locking her leg between his arms and throwing her to the floor. With Jones seemingly helpless to avoid his attacks, Murakami then pulled a dagger out from his jacket, ready to plunge the blade into Jones while Walker watched on in horror. Moments before Murakami could execute the Defender, however, a Billy Club flew through the air and knocked the dagger out of his hand.
|Murakami fights Jessica Jones and Daredevil
Spinning around, Murakami discovered Daredevil had been the one who knocked the dagger out from his hands, back wearing his suit. Taking a chance at killing two of the Defenders, Murakami tried to fend both; however, he was then overpowered by the combination of Daredevil's speed and agility combined with Jones' remarkable strength. Before long Murakami was beaten down and was then knocked over the railing by Jones. Swiftly, he vanished from the area undetected while Jones then took Walker to the 29th Precinct Police Station for her own protection from Murakami.
====Questioning Alexandra====
Murakami eventually regrouped with all of the other key members of the Hand, who attempted to discuss the next steps with their plans, however, Murakami interrupted them to note that the Iron Fist had gained the newest ally in his fight, Daredevil. Surprised with this new development, Madame Gao questioned if Murakami was sure due to Daredevil's long absence from New York City, but Murakami insisted it was true, noting seeing him with his own eyes.
Less concerned over the threat, Bakuto noted that while Daredevil was a formidable fighter, so were the four of them, but Murakami explained that he was not concerned by his fighting but his relationship with Elektra, with Gao noting that they had fought side by side against Nobu Yoshioka before his death. Murakami noted that Elektra had loved Daredevil, claiming this was the reason she had attacked him. Alexandra Reid questioned if he believed Elektra had failed them, to which Murakami claimed this was not the case, and explained that he believed that Reid herself had failed them.
Murakami explained Reid's decision of using the last of their supply of Resurrection Elixir, she had endangered all of their lives to bring back a warrior who was not what they were promised, claiming Reid was making decisions for her and not the others. Bakuto noted that they were stronger together as Gao noted that with Sowande missing they were already weakened as a unit. While Reid insisted that they would survive, Murakami pointed out that Elektra had already tried to kill him during the Ambush at the Royal Dragon, which would bring the number of leaders of the Hand down to just three.
Reid claimed this was a good reminder that they were expendable, including her as Bakuto noted. Frustrated, Murakami claimed that Reid appeared to have forgotten the very reason why the Hand had been formed in the first place, to which Reid claimed it was so they could continue living. Gao, however, noted that while Reid feared her death, they just wanted to return home to K'un-Lun. Murakami then suggested to the leaders that they hunt Rand without the Black Sky, or Reid's leadership, unnerving her as Murakami appeared to get the support of both Gao and Bakuto.
====One Lost Finger====
Murakami joined the others when Sowande's severed head had been delivered to their headquarters, seemingly by Stick. Murakami then listened as Alexandra Reid expressed her regret at his death, while Murakami claimed this is what mortality looked like, while the others claimed that this was a preventable loss by searching for Sowande. Reid noted that all their time together had rarely been peaceful, and their mourning Sowande's death was also false, which Bakuto had objected to.
As Sowande's head was removed from the room Reid pointed out they had all survived assassination attempts from one another, claiming that it was time for them to show unity. Murakami took offense to this statement, telling Reid that they were already unified until she had used the last of the Resurrection Elixir to bring them the Black Sky. When asked where she was, Reid refused to confess where the Black Sky was, noting that she was less afraid that the three of them would try and kill her, but that she would kill them if she sensed their disloyalty to either the Hand or Reid herself.
Seeking to calm the situation, Madame Gao insisted that not of them meant Reid any disloyalty, claiming that all their goals were the same. However, Murakami told Gao that he was no longer sure of this, so Gao insisted that they must honor Sowande by continuing to fight for life itself. As Murakami listened, Gao insisted that Reid had gotten them this far and they should continue to follow her until they had the Iron Fist and they had returned to K'un-Lun. With this, Reid left the room. However, Murakami later encountered Gao coming out of Reid's room, telling Murakami that he was right all along.
====Threatening Leadership====
Tracking Alexandra Reid down to a restaurant where she was still enjoying her dinner in peace, Murakami greeted her with a bottle of extremely rare champagne which he claimed to have gained from a search at the bottom of the . Telling Reid he had come to make amends for their disagreements in the wake of Sowande's death and other issues, Murakami asked if he could join her, which she accepted.
Murakami asked Reid if she recalled the day they had all decided to leave K'un-Lun, reminding her that he had not originally wanted to leave, as Reid claimed he had wanted to use their own powers with Chi only for good. Murakami revealed to her that in fact, he had simply not wished to leave with her, which did not surprise Reid who claimed that Murakami's greatest strength was his singular focus. As he opened the bottle, Reid asked Murakami to apologize, asking if he had spoken with Madame Gao, which Murakami confirmed before Reid claimed they were meant to fight this War together.
As he offered her the champagne, Murakami told Reid that he had come to ensure that Reid's last meal was an enjoyable one, revealing his intention to kill her. Reid told Murakami that he was foolish to have come alone to face her. They briefly discussed if Murakami was a lone wolf, to which Murakami claimed he was the one who hunted the wolf. Before their fight could begin, they were interrupted by the arrival of the Black Sky, dragging Danny Rand behind her having defeated the Defenders and killed Stick. Reid then told Murakami that if he knew her at all, he would know she always won.
====Murder of Alexandra Reid====
In the wake of Danny Rand's successful capture, at last, Murakami had then gathered together all of the other leaders of the Hand and together they then watched while the tied up Rand was spoken to personally by Alexandra Reid. As Murakami listened, Reid had then explained the Hand's ultimate goal was simply to finally return to K'un-Lun, even claiming that they were not so different compared with Rand himself, which he furiously denied before being taken away by Reid's soldiers.
While Reid addressed the others, Murakami still expressed his own great disappointment at Reid's leadership, claiming that little had gone to plan under her leadership. Although Madame Gao defended Reid by noting that they finally had the Iron Fist, Murakami claimed that it was not worth the risk to their lives in the wake of Sowande's death, while Gao noted that they must look to the future from this point onwards. Bakuto noted their sole focus now must be reclaiming the Resurrection Elixir as soon as possible while Gao noted that the Defenders would likely come and must not be underestimated.
Murakami then witnessed Reid demanded they do not underestimate her before ordering Elektra to hunt down and murder Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, along with Daredevil. Murakami had listened as Reid reminded them of all they had achieved under her leadership, noting she had been the one to wipe out the Chaste and captured the Iron Fist. However, just as Reid was continuing her speech, Elektra then returned back into the room and plunged her Twin Sai through Reid's back. Murakami watched in utter horror as Elektra claimed to be the leader of the Hand before slicing off Reid's head, killing her.
Having watched Reid's corpse being taken away, Murakami listened as Bakuto told Elektra that this was not how they did business, to which Elektra simply informed him that this had now changed. When Murakami and Bakuto had vowed to do what needed to be done to protect the Hand, threatening to destroy Elektra, she noted that this was the first challenge they had to face without their Elixir to return them from death. Gao argued that Reid's death must be explained to their partners, explaining that her relationships with Wilson Fisk and other partners provided them with their invisibility and power.
Elektra showed little interest in this, calling them living underground in hiding the complete opposite of having power. Murakami watched as Bakuto noted that Elektra knew nothing of power while claiming that since her death of Nobu Yoshioka's hands she did not even exist until Reid had given her back her self. Elektra, however, just told the others that she did not care anything for the Hand, and had instead claimed she now only cared about gaining the Dragon bones hidden under New York City so that she and all the others could live forever, promising that nothing, not even death, would stand in her way.
Murakami and the others later watched on monitors as Elektra took the captured Rand underneath Midland Circle in the pit the Hand had been digging. As they watched, Murakami had expressed his deep distrust for Elektra, claiming they should all destroy her before she laid waste to everything they had been building. Gao, however, noted that they were now closer than they had ever been before, with the Iron Fist now being led towards the mysterious doorway from K'un-Lun, claiming Elektra not being one of them no longer mattered, as she had the power to finally bring them all a new beginning.
====Showdown with Defenders====
Murakami and all of his surviving allies then stood as the first line of defense as the Defenders had soon arrived inside Midland Circle with their only intention being to save Danny Rand from them. As Jessica Jones insisted that they would not leave without Rand, the remaining leaders of the Hand still simply refused to allow them to go on further while Murakami simply remained stood silently watching them, leading to a standoff as both teams prepared all of their own weapons for their battle, with Murakami then confidently drawing his s ready for the fight.
The clash began as Madame Gao launched a pile of concrete blocks at the Defenders as Murakami and Bakuto joined forced and together attacked Daredevil, who used his Billy Club to block and counter their moves. Despite being two of the Hand's greatest warriors, both Bakuto and Murakami both struggled to fight of Daredevil, who used both his strong strikes and remarkable speed to avoid their deadly strikes and kept knocking them back, all while Gao fought against the other two Defenders alone. Murakami and Bakuto's teamwork, however, still allowed them to gain an advantage over Daredevil.
Before long, Murakami was forced to turn his attention away from the Daredevil and fought against Luke Cage in order to assist Gao. While Murakami's fighting skills allowed him to strike Cage multiple times, the incredibly strong Cage was still able to land a powerful blow that launched Murakami backwards across the hood of a car, all while Murakami's attempt to hit him with a concrete block failed to do any damage to Cage. Murakami had struggled in his fight against Cage, proving to be no match for such strength as Cage picked him up and dragged him over the car roof, dragging his tonfa behind him.
Before long, Daredevil and the Defenders were assisted in their fight by the arrival of Colleen Wing, leaving the Hand leaders overpowered and outnumbered. Having seen that they were now at a considerable disadvantage, Murakami had proceeded to swiftly free himself from Cage's strong grasp before calling out to Bakuto as he then sliced through a gas pipe, which Bakuto then ignited by grinding his sword over the ground and causing sparks to hit the gas. As the flames had separated all the Hand leaders from the Defenders, they then made their hasty retreat from the losing fight against the Defenders.
====Destruction of Midland Circle====
The Hand's plan, however, was successful and Iron Fist was used to open the cave underneath New York City where the Dragon bones had been discovered. As the Hand began overlooking the ancient bones and making plans to remove them in order to create more of their Resurrection Elixir, Murakami found Madame Gao speaking with the Iron Fist, distracting him before Murakami came behind him and took him back into custody and kill him with his knife before Elektra ordered him to wait, seeing the elevator containing the Defenders was coming down.
While the elevator came down onto their level, Murakami continued holding his blade to Rand's throat while Jessica Jones appeared to arrive alone, insisting that all she had wanted was to talk. Murakami stood by while Jones spoke with Elektra, claiming to not care about their grand schemes, however, she eventually revealed that this was all a deception as the other Defenders appeared out of nowhere and attacked the Hand soldiers. Rand then used the distraction to his advantage as he threw Murakami away from him and knocked Gao over before knocking Murakami unconscious with a final punch.
While the Defenders took out many of the Hand soldiers, Murakami got back onto his feet and stood by Elektra and Gao in a standoff against the Defenders, while Bakuto was still upstairs, currently still dueling furiously against Colleen Wing. Murakami listened as the Defenders discussed how Alexandra Reid was dead and what their next move would be before Gao stepped up to take them on. Gao and Rand stood against each other and charged up their Chi, before Rand used the Iron Fist to defeat her attack, with the resulting great shockwave throwing Murakami and Elektra backwards.
As the fight then broke out once again, Murakami came back into conflict with Luke Cage, furiously standing against him and refusing to allow him to leave. However, once again Cage was able to easily overpower Murakami as he disarmed him and used his incredible strength to bend Murakami's in half with ease before launching Murakami through a wooden post. Although Murakami and many of the Hand soldiers had found themselves being overpowered by the Defenders' combined strength and teamwork, Elektra fought them singlehandedly before eventually being subdued herself.
While most of the Defenders got back onto the elevator and made their escape, Daredevil chose to stay behind and challenge Elektra and, during their battle, Elektra had damaged to elevator's controls, stopping it from going any higher. Murakami then used this to his advantage as he had caught up with the elevator and climbed inside, fighting both Cage and Rand while Jones went to fix all the controls. However, it had not taken long for Murakami to be overpowered by Cage and Rand as he was soon thrown from the elevator, which had resulted in him falling several falls back down to the ground.
The fall back down to the Dragon bones cave resulted in Murakami impaling himself on a steel pipe, causing fatal injuries. While he lay wounded and now completely unable to move, Murakami was soon joined by Madame Gao as he questioned what was happening, to which Gao informed Murakami that this was the end for them before looking upwards, knowing their fate was out of their hands now. The pair then looked up in horror as bombs left behind by the Defenders had detonated, which resulted in Midland Circle exploding and then collapsing above them, as the entire building buried them alive.
==Personality==
Murakami was perhaps best known for his overconfidence. Whatever seclusion he had from society, Murakami had proven to be a thrill-seeker as evidenced by hunting game such as the rare but dangerous Moon Bear, which Murakami had personally slain as a trophy despite coming close to being killed by the animal. This trait at times would prove to be his greatest disadvantage during the Hand's war against the Defenders, such as when he unsuccessfully attempted to defeat both Jessica Jones and Daredevil on his own.
Out of all leaders of the Hand, Murakami was also the most defiant. He often questioned and even berated the leadership of Alexandra Reid outright, especially as the organization was in serious jeopardy when Sowande was killed by Stick. He had openly expressed the idea of usurping the position of Reid as leader of the Five Fingers and had even attempted to take over by openly challenging Reid to a battle to the death, something the latter had mocked him for because he believed he could accomplish this on his own.
==Powers and Abilities==
===Powers===
*Mystically Enhanced Physiology: Due to the usage of the The Substance synthesized from the bones of the Dragon, Murakami's physical attributes are enhanced and enable him to live for more than four hundred years.
**Enhanced Strength: Murakami has displayed a degree of enhanced strength, shown in his ability to hold his own against and even overwhelm Jessica Jones in a fight. He was also able to briefly hold his own against Luke Cage, although he was eventually overwhelmed.
**Enhanced Durability: Murakami's physiology has been modified so that it can cope with damage more than normal people.
**Longevity: Through the use of the Resurrection Elixir created from Dragon bones, Murakami, along with the other leaders of the Hand, has had his lifespan extended by centuries. He could even have been alive for millennia, as the Hand was believed to be responsible for the destruction of Pompeii in 79 AD.
===Abilities===
*Master Martial Artist: As one of the leaders of the Hand, Murakami is a master martial artist. During the conflict against the Defenders, he proved to be a persistent foe. He was capable of fighting both Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, with him nearly defeating and killing the former. Murakami was capable of fighting both Daredevil and Iron Fist simultaneously, both who are master martial artists in their own right.
*Staff Mastery: Murakami is highly skilled in using a staff. During the Ambush at the Royal Dragon, Murakami wielded a tonfa alongside his arm and utilizes it in combat against Daredevil and Iron Fist.
*Knife Mastery: Murakami is highly skilled in using a knife. He was able to use his knife in an attempt to kill Jessica Jones before Daredevil interfered, and Murakami used it to fight them both at the same time.
*Master Spy: Murakami is a master of stealth.
*Bilingualism: Murakami is fluent in his native Japanese, and understands English; however, he chooses to speak Japanese even around those speaking English, resulting in bilingual conversations.
==Equipment==
===Weapons===
*s: During the Ambush at the Royal Dragon, Murakami wielded a tonfa alongside his arm and utilizes it in combat against Daredevil and Iron Fist.
*: Murakami used this knife in an attempt to kill Jessica Jones before Daredevil interfered and Murakami used the knife to fight them both at the same time.
==Facilities==
*Midland Circle: Arriving to New York City from Japan, Murakami gathered with fellow Hand leaders at the Midland Circle owned by Alexandra Reid. As well as Madame Gao and Bakuto, they discussed their current confrontation with the Defenders. Together, they confronted Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, and Colleen Wing upon their arrival at the building. The Defenders managed to defeat the Hand in the final showdown and destroyed the Midland Circle, burying Murakami under the ruins of the building.
==Relationships==
===Allies===
*Hand
**Alexandra Reid †
**Madame Gao
**Bakuto †
**Sowande †
**Elektra
**Nobu Yoshioka † - Former Subordinate
===Enemies===
*Order of the Crane Mother - Former Allies
*Chaste
**Stick †
*Defenders
**Matt Murdock/Daredevil
**Jessica Jones
**Luke Cage
**Danny Rand/Iron Fist
*Trish Walker - Target
*Colleen Wing
==Appearances==
In chronological order:
* (mentioned)
*
*
*
*
*
==Trivia==
*Murakami's name contains kanji for "village" (村) and "superior" (上).
==Behind the Scenes==
*Akihiro Haga was a stunt double for Yutaka Takeuchi in the role of Murakami.
==References==
Category:Characters
Category:The Defenders Characters
Category:Humans
Category:Males
Category:Black Hair
Category:Brown Eyes
Category:Villains
Category:Order of the Crane Mother Members
Category:Hand Leaders
Category:Multilingual Characters
Category:Enhanced Individuals
Category:Resurrection Elixir Users
Category:Resurrected Characters