A Netflix Japanese thriller, House of Ninjas is a gripping story revolving around the last of the Shinobi families, the Tawaras. The Tawara patriarch, Souichi Tawara, decided to leave their original identity as ninjas behind and lead a normal life, but the reemergence of their rival clan, the Fumas, became a reason for the Tawaras to change their decision. To protect their country from an evil entity like the Fuma leader, Yosuke, the Tawaras took up their responsibility as Shinobis and fought against their enemies. Let’s talk about this cast of interesting characters in the series and learn about their journey.
Souichi
Played by Yosuke Eguchi, Souichi Tawara is the family patriarch of the Tawaras. Souichi and his family had suffered a tragic loss six years ago when, in a fight against the Fumas, he lost his elder son, Gaku. Ever since, Souichi decided to retire from their old profession as Shinobis and wanted to live a normal life. Souichi ran a brewery which was their family business, and refrain from working as a Shinobi once again, but the government’s secret organization, BNM, put pressure on Souichi so that he could once again assume his role as a Shinobi to put an end to their rivals, the Fumas.
Yoko
Played by Tae Kimura, Yoko Tawara was the wife of Souichi Tawara, but she was more than just a housewife. Although she had to retire from being a Shinobi and had to comply with her husband’s demands, she was a clever woman who utilized her Shinobi techniques in her daily life. Sometimes, she shoplifted items from a grocery store without getting caught. Souichi had no idea that his wife was still in practice and was secretly meeting with the BNM leader, Hamashi, to investigate the tragic incident that took place on the cruise ship. Yoko was also traumatized because of the loss she had to endure six years ago and struggled to move on from this pain, but when she learned that her son, Gaku, was associated with their rival clan, it left her more devastated than she’d already been.
Haru
After Gaku’s death, Haru Tawara (played by Kento Kaku) became the eldest child of the Tawara family. Both Haru and his sister, Nagi, were trained in Shinobi skills, but as instructed by their father, they were unable to use their skills to their benefit. However, neither Haru nor Nagi were obedient to their parents, because we saw both of them utilizing their Shinobi skills in order to survive in this world. So many times, Haru had taken up his role as a Shinobi to protect innocent people from evil, just like how he rescued his lady love, Karen Ito, from a dangerous killer at a pub. Although Haru put on a mask and was almost unrecognizable, Karen recognized him by his eyes only. Haru was pretty sure that he had lost his elder brother in the fight six years ago, but Nagi believed Gaku was still alive. Initially hesitant to accept that, Haru tried to move on, but it came as an ultimate shock to him when he learned that Gaku was thriving as the next Fuma leader. It broke Haru’s heart when he found out that in order to bring the Fuma clan down, he would have to confront his own brother to defeat him.
Gaku
Six years ago, when the Shinobis from Hatori Clan (the actual identity of the Tawaras) got into a fight with their rivals, the Fumas, Gaku (played by Kengo Kora) was stabbed by a Fuma member and pushed off the ship into an ocean. His dead body wasn’t found, so everyone in his family thought that Gaku was probably dead. But despite falling into the water and suffering a great injury, he managed to survive. He had lost one of his legs, but he came back with a new mission in his life. As he was rescued by Ayame, one of the members of the Fuma, he had been brainwashed by Yosuke, who told him that the Shinobis were the actual evil people who were the ultimate obstacle to their mission to liberate Japan. Gaku began to despise his own family and the Shinobis and became associated with the Fuma clan, but he was never grateful to Yosuke and, rather, secretly planned to take over the leadership of the clan.
Yosuke
Tsujioke Yosuke (portrayed by Takayuki Yamada) was the main antagonist in House of Ninjas. The 19th leader of the Fuma clan, Tsujioke Yosuke, was also the founder of the cult named Gentenkai, which was responsible for harvesting the yellow flowers, a poisonous plant that could be harvested for a toxin powder that could take numerous human lives. Six years ago, when Yosuke, a mere soldier from the Fuma clan, stabbed Gaku, he was captured by Haru, who was about to take his life, but Yosuke begged for his life, and Haru eventually let him go. Haru never forgave himself for that, while on the other hand, Yosuke, who felt humiliated at that time, decided to become strong enough to strike back at the Tawaras. That’s why he chose to use Gaku as his weapon to kill the Tawaras, but unfortunately, he became unsuccessful in his attempt once again.
Karen Ito
Karen Ito (played by Riho Yoshioka) was an investigative journalist who also had a tragic past involving the deaths of her parents. That’s why, when Haru and she stumbled upon each other and started going out together, they connected to each other’s plight and became soulmates. However, Karen Ito had been investigating the cruise ship incident that claimed a lot of people’s lives. She found out about Yosuke’s Gentenkai cult as well as the Solar Eclipse mission planned by the Fumas. But in her pursuit, she had also come across the government’s secret organization, BNM, which posed a threat to Japan’s national security. So they quickly appointed Haru to get rid of Ito, but Haru decided to hide her in their Shinobi house instead of complying with the BNM’s commands.
Ayame
Ayame was another lead member of the Fuma clan and a subordinate of Yosuke. Ayame and Gaku were close, so, pretending to be Gaku, Ayame started stalking Nagi (Gaku’s sister) and asked her to steal the Vision of Calamity Scroll from their house. However, soon it was revealed that Ayame was the stalker Nagi had been talking to for all this time. Ayame was a crucial part of the story, as she was one of the major antagonists of the show. As Yosuke was out of the picture, she might be the emerging leader of the Fuma clan, but as Gaku was also a potential candidate for the Fuma leadership, in the upcoming season we might get to see a face-off between him and Ayame, which would bring a whole new dimension to the story.
