Nui No Kata

**Nui No Kata** (縫の方, *Nui no kata*) also known as **Oku** by her former husband, Daigo Kagemitsu, was the former Lady of Ishikawa and the mother of Hyakkimaru and Tahomaru who renounced her status when she joined Dororo's search for Hyakkimaru, choosing her son's well being over her role as a lord's wife. She died along with Jukai and Tahomaru when the building went burnt down.

## Appearance

Nui is a tall and beautiful woman who bears a strong resemblance to her eldest son, Hyakkimaru with long black hair, brown eyes and thin eyebrows that is identical to her son.

She wears a pink kimono with a yellow strap and a green flower-patterned robe which makes its big enough to hide Dororo inside herself. When she leaves, she wore a white robe and a white ribbon tied up her hair and red torso.

## Personality

Unlike her now ex-husband and youngest son who are cruel and obsessed for power and attempting to kill Hyakkimaru, Nui is, overall, a kind, selfless, passionate, compassionate and loving woman who loves idea for benevolence for solutions such as wisdom, salvation, happiness and peace, but she deeply despises the idea of using violence for solutions such as war, torture, enslavement, hostage captive, and cruelty.

Since the day she lost Hyakkimaru when her husband abandoned him, Nui is extremely miserable that she has been praying constantly in regret, hoping to be forgiven by the gods and for her eldest son's safety everyday. Although she loves her family, Nui is traumatized by the loss of her eldest son and feels guilty for not being able to save him when he was abandoned. Her non-stop prayer led her other son, Tahomaru believe that she does not love him, or care about him even she admitted that she has no love for him due to her treasuring Hyakkimaru for the rest of her life.

After Hyakkimaru's abandoned, Nui suffered so much pain when her husband, Kagemitsu Daigo abused her mentally for her still feeling attachments for Hyakkimaru.

She is also suicidal and doesn't care about her own life. She is willing to risk her life for the sake of her son, Hyakkimaru.

She has a deepest love and a great loyalty for her eldest son, Hyakkimaru, and considers him to be her only true family. She smiles and always loves her son for forever. she also does not care of him being deformed. Her love for Hyakkimaru is so strong and cannot be broken even if anyone tries to such as being abused mentally by Kagemitsu. In 16 years, she was searching Hyakkimaru but forced to return to her land even shed her tears to call out for her son. She showned shocked face when seeing her son. She has motherly affections to Hyakkimaru by addressing him as "my son" or "my child" (坊や, Bōya). She has no problem exposing the truth to his son about Kagemitsu who was responsible for abandoning him. Her sufferings has caused her son, Hyakkimaru to kill Kagemitsu. She learns and understand Hyakkimaru is not in his condition and would become a "demon". She viewed Hyakkimaru to be her greatest gift. Due to Dororo helping Nui to have faith in her as she is the only person who can restore Hyakkimaru's humanity with her compassion even if she cost her life.

After learning that Hyakkimaru is still alive, Nui felt relieved and attempted to confront her husband to not kill him. Failing to do so, Nui sacrificed herself for Hyakkimaru's sake.

In Episode 22, like her eldest son, Nui has no problem of betraying her husband and her second son and land by escaping with Dororo to meet up with her beloved son, Hyakkimaru and divorced her marriage connection with Kagemitsu for his cruelty actions towards her which he caused a curse with the Daigo Clan. She is fully aware that her former husband, Kagemitsu, will not hesitate and swore to kill her for her betrayal.

She seems to love being a villager more than being a ladyship which gave her a miserable life. Like other mothers, she gets used to washing the villagers' clothing and tended to the villagers' wounds.

After her escape with Dororo, She doesn't seem to care about her now former husband, Kagemitsu and her second son, Tahomaru anymore due to her unbreakable love for her eldest son, Hyakkimaru.

## Plot

### **Episode 1**

Sixteen years ago, while Nui no Kata was giving birth to Hyakkimaru, her husband, Kagemistu Daigo (before she divorced her marriage ties with him at Episode 22), forged a pact with 48 (12 in the 2019 anime) demons in the Hall of Hell. After the contract was complete, a bolt of lightning struck at the newborn baby. Many parts of the baby were taken by the demons after the lightning struck, leaving only a crippled, helpless body. Under the Goddess of Mercy's protection, no one died during the incident.

Despite their newborn's horrific appearance, Nui loved him regardless. However soon the child was ripped away from her hands by her husband and set adrift on the river to be abandoned. Since that day, Nui had been praying for forgiveness and her newborn's safety.

### **Episode 3**

Flashing back into a year after the incident, Nui gave birth to her second son, Tahomaru. Five years later, when Tahomaru was a child, she did not pay much attention due to her constant prayer to the headless statue which made the child suspicious.

### **Episode 5**

Nui approaches Daigo after learning about the drought and compares it to the tragic events that have occurred on their lands in the past. She believes that the state of their domain would not last long and will crumble any day.

### **Episode 6**

Nui overhears the conversation between Tahomaru and Daigo, which involves her son desperately wanting to participate in the war. She kindly advises Tahomaru, however ending up hearing her son's true feelings about her lack of care towards him.

### **Episode 11**

She finally learned that her eldest son, Hyakkimaru was still alive and felt so relieved of his survival.

### **Episode 12**

After seeing her abandoned son for the first time after sixteen years, Nui confronts Daigo to not kill him but was powerless to do anything and left at the mansion while the war is going on.

She then took a steed and arrived at the scene when Tahomaru was defeated by Hyakkimaru. She exposed the truth of Kagemitsu Daigo's land and plead her son for forgiveness. Nui consequently stabbed herself with a dagger and offered herself as a sacrifice to the demons. The last banmon wall collapsed right after her sacrifice, which resulted in Daigo and his troops to retreat.

### **Episode 13**

Nui survived but breathing hardly after stabbing herself.

### **Episode 22**

Nui freed Dororo and escaped quietly from Daigo's troops without anyone notices. She joined Dororo in a boat but crashed into the village with the help of Biwamaru. 16 years ago after Hyakkimaru was abandoned, she was searching for her son and showing her tears and crying for Hyakkimaru but forced to return her land. Hearing Daigo's troops are coming, she escaped the village with Dororo without getting spotted on reaching to Hyakkimaru.

## Relationship

### Her Family

Nui used to love and respect her family until she becomes miserable after her eldest son, Hyakkimaru was ripped from her hands by Kagemitsu's orders and she was mistreated by her now former husband, Kagemitsu Daigo and her youngest son, Tahomaru claimed that she doesn't love or care about him which is true in Episode 22 and she thinks that she doesn't care of Tahomaru was not true but later revealed to be a lie as she admitted it that she never cared Tahomaru from very beginning even when he was born and a child. The only family member she deeply loves is none other than her eldest son, Hyakkimaru. In Episode 22, she doesn't have any trace of love for Kagemitsu and Tahomaru anymore and betrayed them and her land even divorced her marriage ties with Kagemitsu when she escaped the castle with Dororo the girl who has a harsh journey with Hyakkimaru and was captured by Daigo's men as an attempted hostage. With her betrayal, Kagemitsu will recognize Nui as an enemy and a traitor to his family and swear to kill her if he sees her.

### Kagemitsu Daigo

Despite they once married, Nui was abused and disrespected by her abusive ex-husband, Kagemitsu because their eldest son was still alive when Kagemitsu abandoned him. Like her eldest son, Hyakkimaru, she is meant nothing to Kagemitsu. As she told Hyakkimaru the entire truth and committed suicide, Kagemitsu doesn't hesitate until the Banmon collapse as a result of her sacrifice. In Episode 22 and for his cruelty toward her, She has divorced her marriage ties and betrayed her husband by escaping with Dororo which Daigo attempted to use the child as hostage against Hyakkimaru. Due to her betrayal to side with Dororo, she became enemies with her former husband. She is aware that her former husband will not hesitate to kill her for her betrayal.

### Hyakkimaru

> "*Hyakkimaru. My son. Finally, I can hold you. I never should have let you go. I should've just held you like this. How I love you, how I love your so dearly. You have a child who is waiting for you. One who will stay by your side.*"
> ― Nui's final words to Hyakkimaru before she dies
>
>

Nui has a deepest love for her beloved eldest son, Hyakkimaru and considered him as her only true family. During his birth, no matter what his appearance may be, she always loves him. When Kagemitsu abandoned Hyakkimaru, Nui became so miserable and guilt, when she couldn't protect him and leaving herself suffered the same pain as Hyakkimaru does when Kagemitsu abused her. She worshipped the goddess of mercy for Hyakkimaru's safety. After learning her son is alive, she felt relieved. After seeing her son, Nui addressed him as "Son" (坊や, Bōya) in returned Hyakkimaru hold a great love for his mother by addressing her as mama (おかあちゃん, Okaa-chan). After Hyakkimaru defeated Tahomaru, Nui revealed the entire truth of Kagemitsu's true nature of his abandonment and stabbed herself for her forgiveness and love to her son causing Hyakkimaru to be horrified. Her suffering has caused Hyakkimaru to resent his father as he vowed to kill Kagemitsu for abandoned him and abused Nui. In Episode 22, in her tragic past, she has shown her tears and crying out for Hyakkimaru on her search for him until she was forced to return home. Before Hyakkimaru was abandoned, Nui shocked to see him deformed but still smiled and being happy for him. She wants to see him one more time. With the help of Dororo, Nui is the only one who can tell him that she saved the child and really cared for him if they see him to prevent her child to become a "demon". Hyakkimaru is always being Nui's most precious gift to her life and the one thing she treasured from her marriage with Kagemitsu before she divorced it. Before she dies, Nui hugs Hyakkimaru and apologized that she couldn't save him and always loves him.

### Tahomaru

Despite being mother and son, Nui has ignored every attentions Tahomaru given her due to her focusing her attention for Hyakkimaru. This led Tahomaru to be suspicious about her secret about his brother. She shows little to no care for him but wasn't cruel to him. Tahomaru believed that she has no love for him and doesn't care about him. After she stabbed herself for her love and forgiveness to Hyakkimaru, Tahomaru became horrified. When she woke up, Tahomaru doesn't seem to care about her and focus on his missions. When Nui viewed Hyakkimaru to her greatest gift for her life, it assumed that Nui admitted that she never actually love Tahomaru from the beginning at all due to her always treasuring Hyakkimaru as Tahomaru's thought that she doesn't care for him. Unbeknownst to Tahomaru, Nui has betrayed Kagemitsu and the land including Tahomaru himself which made her a traitor and an enemy to the land of Daigo. After realizing her betrayal, Tahomaru angrily questioned why does she still care for Hyakkimaru and betraying him and Kagemitsu. Before they died, Nui apologized to Tahomaru of ignored him from past.

### Dororo

For appreciation being with her son, Nui No Kata helped Dororo and hid the child from the troops and escaped quietly into a boat. Dororo called her "mama" as she reminded her of her own mother and heard her tragic past of searching for Hyakkimaru 16 years ago. Dororo learns the mother's deepest love for her son Hyakkimaru despite being born deformed. Dororo helped Nui to have faith in herself to manage to get Hyakkimaru to gain control of himself and tell him that she loves him. She is the only one who can stop him from turning into a "demon" due to being his mother. When a villager asked Dororo if the woman with the child is Kagemitsu's wife, she replied that Nui is not the lord's wife anymore meaning that she had divorced her marriage connections with Kagemitsu.

## Abilities and Powers

**Leadership**: As a former lady of Ishikawa, Nui once had authority those under her. But She abandoned this leadership and position for her betrayal against her land and divorced her ties with her husband when she escaped with Dororo and sided with Hyakkimaru at Episode 22.

**Endurance:** Despite not being a sword combatant, Nui has endurance allowing her to survive even when she stabbed herself with the Tanto Knife. She even survived from the boat crash.

**Deception:** Nui is highly talented in the art of deceiving and lies. Her lies to Daigo's guards has helped herself and Dororo to escape the domain quietly without anyone notices. She admitted the truth of never loved Tahomaru from the start as she was lying for the whole time.

**Willpower:** According to Dororo, Nui is the only one who can prevent her son from becoming a dangerous "demon" shown her compassion and love for him and telling that she saved Dororo.