Rin

* Manga
* Anime

**Rin** (鱗) is a major character of Mermaid Saga, appearing in the story “The Village of the Fighting Fish”.

## Biography

She is the eldest daughter of Toba Island’s headman. Due to her father’s illness, she took over his leadership and was viewed by the islanders as a fine young chief, whose duty involves leading the men to raid any boat sailing through their waters, while the women and children stay, and seize only 10% of cargo as a toll without killing anyone, for they are all about moderation. She heard that the hostile pirates of Sakagami Island who comparatively take everything from a boat and slaughter the crew, are searching for a mermaid whose flesh can grant eternal youth and immortality by eating it and hoped to find one herself to heal her father.

Her brother Tokkichi and sister Sayori found Yuta’s body washed up on shore and some mermaid scales are found floating among the waves. Later, all three are shocked to see Yuta rise from his grave, and while introducing himself to her father, she learns that he was approached by Isago, the wife of the leader of the Sakagami pirates, who hired him in hunting a mermaid. The following day, she finds Yuta leaving on a boat trying to return to the spot where a mermaid is likely to be found but stops him, then learns that he actually ate mermaid flesh already and is trying to find a mermaid in hope of finding a way to revert his immortality and age like a normal human. She gets him to reveal the mermaid location, and offers to lend him a boat in exchange for working for her until the waters are safe for him to travel back to the spot.

Eventually over the next few days, Rin became fond of him, and one day Yuta agreed he would stay in Toba Island if he becomes a mortal again, something that would be convenient to her father who tells Yuta that he would like him to marry her later during a stormy night while Rin watches her siblings sleeping. She thereupon hears a commotion in her father’s hut and finds her father stabbed by Isago, who suggests they go find the mermaid to save him, which angers Rin who slashes Isago and goes with Yuta on a boat despite the storm, just as Isago wanted and the Sakagami pirates follow them. Just as they find a mermaid and Yuta dives in to grab it, Rin is cornered and captured by the Sakagami pirates who throw harpoons at the mermaid together with Yuta.

While being held a prisoner on Sakagami Island, she couldn’t help herself crying despite believing Yuta will come back, and was about to be raped by a pirate who is however stopped by Isago still alive much to her surprise, then she learns from her that she’s been pregnant for 3 years with a child of her former husband who was killed by the Sakagami pirates and needs mermaid flesh to nourish her unborn child. Thereafter, she’s brought to the Sakagami pirate leader as entertainment for the celebrating feast, and is being battered by the leader for resisting his advances on her until Yuta shows up again, much to her delight. She fights the Sakagami pirates together with Yuta and witnesses them dying and transforming into lost souls upon eating mermaid flesh, then together with her male comrades who came to her rescue, sees Isago climbing towards a cliff and diving into the ocean before the deformed Sakagami pirate leader being stabbed by Yuta could get to her.

Her father fortunately could recover without the need of mermaid flesh, but much to her sorrow, Yuta cannot stay with her while still being immortal. While taking him on a boat, she tearfully hugs him.

## Trivia

* Rin shares her name with a character from InuYasha, Rumiko Takahashi's fourth major manga series.
* Her seiyū provided the voice of Sango from InuYasha.