Azai – Mark of the Ninja
As head of the Hisomu Clan, Azai wants his clan to prosper without having to rely on Sumi, flowers whose petals are used to create the cursed Mark (and which have effectively died out when the game begins). To that end, he provides the protagonist with the final Mark in order plunder technology from Hessian Services. This eventually led to a war between the Hisomu and Hessian, ending with the latter’s defeat. But because the Mark causes its wielder to descend into madness, the protagonist suffers hallucinations and is torn between killing Azai or himself to end his rampage. Choosing to kill Azai causes the Marked Ninja to become a true tyrant on top of effectively destroying the clan. Granted, committing seppuku isn’t the nicest end for our hero after everything he’s been through but it’s hard to fault Azai’s “bigger picture” approach.
