Aiko

**Aiko** is the fourth character of *Shadow Tactics* and the protagonist of the DLC, *Aiko's Choice*. She uses her hairpin as a blade. She has the ability to climb and swim, just like Hayato or Yuki for example, but her key ability is disguising. She can also roam the ranks of any non-samurai enemy, though the samurai will be able to see through her disguise, remove it and set the place on alert. Aiko can take bodies, but she is not strong enough to carry bodies, and will instead have to drag them.

## Personality

Aiko is a charming and collected woman, who always rationalize and assess every situation before taking action; she rarely, if ever, acts on impulse. Under the rigid training at the Hana Gakuen, the secret school of the Sakura Clan, and her former master, Chiyo, Aiko was forced to control her emotions at a very young age during her training; according to her, if a woman does not surround herself with walls, she dies, and must feel everything in secret in order to avoid showing any signs of weakeness.

A disciplined kunoichi, a skilled spy, and a master of disguise, Aiko has mastered the ways of deception to allure and manipulate her foes. She acts with patience and always wait for the right opportunity to strike, with whatever items she may have at hand. Aiko's weapon of choice, a simple hairpin, was given to her by her master, to follow the creed of the Sakura Clan: "Elegance in all things".

Initially, Hayato founds himself at odds with Aiko due to her unorthodox methods, often mocking her disguises. Over the course of the game, they learn to respect each other and work together.

At the end of the main story, it's revealed that Aiko and Mugen were in a relationship, and that she's carrying his child. This relationship is further explored in the *Aiko's Choice* DLC.

## Abilities

* Sneezing powder: Aiko can lob a vial with powder that explodes on impact, that causes enemies within the radius of it to sneeze, greatly reducing their viewcones for a few seconds, which will gradually return back to normal. This doesn't deal any damage nor distracts enemies, and works even on Samurai.
* Disguise & Distract: once Aiko acquires a disguise (either lying around or after beating a civilian carrying it), Aiko can put up a disguise that allows her to infiltrate enemy lines, being able to move around and even run without being detected; Samurai, however, will see right through her disguise and attack if they spot her. Using a disguise also unlocks a distract ability that allows Aiko to talk to an enemy, which will draw their attention and viewcone towards her indefinitely, until she cancels the ability. Certain actions will cause Aiko to break out of disguise, such as crouching and climbing, but she is able to put out torches, bang gongs, activate items, or poison tea. Moreover, she is able to use her melee attack, sneezing powder and even the pistol without breaking the disguise; however, if she is seen by other enemies while doing so, it will break her disguise.
* Matchlock Pistol: a small firearm with mid-long with a large noise radius around the user that instantly kill any kind of enemy, except for Samurai, who will damaged and fall on their knees for a few seconds, allowing executions. This pistol and Takuma's rifle are the only abilities capable of damaging enemies aside from Mugen's melee attack.