Ushiwakamaru
Ushiwakamaru is a Rider-class Servant appearing in Fate/Grand Order and other entries in the Fate franchise. She is the female-presenting hero based on the child name of the renowned Japanese historical general Minamoto no Yoshitsune. While maintaining a deeply loyal and earnest demeanor as a samurai, her sheer natural brilliance in warfare leaves her somewhat detached from ordinary human fear and common sense.
Overview
Ushiwakamaru is a Rider-class Servant appearing in Fate/Grand Order and other entries in the Fate franchise. She is the female-presenting hero based on the child name of the renowned Japanese historical general Minamoto no Yoshitsune. While maintaining a deeply loyal and earnest demeanor as a samurai, her sheer natural brilliance in warfare leaves her somewhat detached from ordinary human fear and common sense.
Appearance
Manifested in the form of her youth when she descended Mount Kurama, Ushiwakamaru has long black hair styled into a side ponytail with parted bangs and sidelocks, accompanied by blue eyes. She wears a traditional tate eboshi hat with feather hair ornaments. Her outfit features an unusually revealing design consisting of minimal chest armor plates, a hanging front cloth, split shoulder sode armor, asymmetrical white and purple sleeves, gloves, and kusazuri skirts, trimmed with pom-poms and feathers. In alternative Ascensions or special outfits, she wears a black leotard-like undershirt beneath her armor components to cover her torso.
Personality
She possesses a polite, upright samurai spirit, acting with complete devotion toward the Master she serves. Her affection is dog-like, though her extreme eagerness to please often results in alarming behavior, such as presenting severed enemy heads as trophies. She harbor a deeply fanatical love for her older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo, entirely failing to comprehend why he sought her death due to her complete inability to grasp others' fear of her innate combat talent. Despite her incredible jumping ability, she ironically claims a fear of heights, and she becomes wildly uncontrollable when consuming alcohol.
Abilities
Trained in the tengu art of war, she exhibits top-tier agility, speed, and stealth capabilities, alongside skills in tactics, magic resistance, and commanding charisma. In combat, she strikes with acrobatic agility using her sword, Usumidori. Her Noble Phantasm, Shana-ou Ryuuri-tan, manifests her legendary feats as various specialized techniques. These include Dannoura Hassou Tobi for rapid multi-directional strikes via lightning-fast bounds, Jizaitengan Rikutou Kanpa for tactical mass teleportation, Benkei Fudou Ricchi which projects Benkei's body as an impenetrable shield, and Hoemaru Kumokoroshi to disperse magical threats and deal sonic damage.
Background
Entrusted to Kurama Temple under the name Shana-ou in her childhood, she studied military strategy under the Onmyoji Kiichi Hogen (also said to be the Kurama Tengu). Though her peerless tactics brought decisive victories over the Taira clan, her lack of fear and sheer martial genius alienated her from her brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, ultimately leading to her tragic downfall alongside her loyal retainer Musashibou Benkei. In Fate/Grand Order, she is summoned to protect the city of Uruk, aligning with Chaldea's forces during the ancient conflict.
Relationships
She holds an unyielding, one-sided devotion toward her older brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo. Musashibou Benkei serves as her faithful subordinate from her mortal life, holding her total trust to the point of being invoked in her Noble Phantasm. Kiichi Hogen is the master who taught her martial arts during her time on the mountain. Toward her Master in Chaldea, she shows fierce loyalty and actively seeks praise and affection.
Trivia
Because of her unique level-up dialogue line and visual elements evoking a raccoon dog, fans frequently refer to her by the affectionate nickname "Ponpoko Rider." Due to the widespread familiarity of her childhood exploits in Japanese folklore, she is also categorized with fairy-tale-related attributes in certain gameplay contexts.
