John Fite
Akō promotional key art: a rōnin with a drawn katana faces a household defender braced with a yari across a lantern-lit wooden gateway at night, above the title AKŌ and 赤穂.

Akō 赤穂

Historical tactical & conspiracy RPG · In development · Genroku 14–16 (1701–1703)

Two households. A city of uncertain loyalties. One winter night in Honjo.

Build Ōishi’s conspiracy from a fallen domain, or defend Kira’s household against a threat that may come tonight, next winter, or never. Akō’s two planned campaigns carry the same crisis from the Pine Corridor to its legal aftermath, with tactics, trade, investigation, and the choice to walk away.

The simulation foundation is implemented and tested. Playable scenes and the full campaigns are in development; there is no demo or download yet. Images on this page are promotional illustrations.

Built so far The full-game plan The cast & roster Language & history

Before the drums of the Twelfth Month

Promotional epigraph in period-style Japanese

元禄十四年三月十四日、松之大廊下ニテ刃傷有之候。
追而沙汰可有之候得共、いまだ何事も無之候——
只、極月の雪ばかり降り積もり候。

On the fourteenth day of the Third Month of Genroku 14, a blade was drawn in the Great Pine Corridor. Further word is to follow, yet for now there is nothing—only the snow of the Twelfth Month, falling and piling deep.

For nearly three centuries, theater turned the Akō vendetta of 1701–1703 into a clean morality play of saintly avengers and a stage villain. The surviving letters, house diaries, and shogunal legal records tell a harder story: uncertain intelligence, dwindling silver, defections driven by the legal terror of conspiracy, and two households trying to read each other through rumors in a city of a million people.

The planned campaign begins long before the gate is struck. Cover work, household loyalties, money, and the evidence you choose to trust determine who reaches that winter night—and whether the confrontation happens there at all.

One threshold, two campaigns

Promotional key art from both sides of the compound gate.

From the lane outside the gate: a rōnin in dark winter layers holds a katana low while facing a lantern-lit household defender armed with a yari. View full size
Outside the gate: the Akō league after months of cover, surveillance, and attrition. Promotional key art.
From inside the wooden gateway looking out into the dark lane: an older household retainer braces a yari in both hands against the rōnin approaching from the street. View full size
Inside the threshold: a household retainer braces with a yari to defend the compound. Promotional key art.

Development update ·

The rules foundation is built

Milestone 1 is complete and approved. These systems already run in automated simulations; their playable scenes and interface are the next layer of work.

Three AP, a moving clock
Speed determines when a fighter acts. Movement, attacks, and delayed actions consume a compact three-action-point turn; facing, elevation, and room geometry constrain the choices.
Read the dark
Light, sound, paper-screen silhouettes, watchwords, and out-of-contact cells determine what each side knows. Opponent AI acts on its faction’s observations.
Break the guard
Stances and Guard Break open targeted lethal or nonlethal actions. Ceiling clearance, timber barriers, carried burdens, and restraint have working combat rules.
Contain the fire
A toppled lamp creates darkness and a three-tick smoldering countdown. Either side can douse it; an uncontrolled fire threatens both households’ objectives.

Character creation, skill challenges, money and pawn deadlines, deduction links, study progress, and save/restore also have implemented rules. Full encounters, campaign balance, and human playtesting are still ahead.

Planned for the full game

The raid is only one possible reckoning

The current design covers two eight-mission campaigns, eighteen tactical maps, and twenty-one side quests. These are the authored plans being built into a playable game.

  1. A household fallsThe Pine Corridor, the loss of Akō, and the choice of whose story to follow.
  2. A city keeps accountsCover trades, surveillance, allies, debts, and evidence that changes the confrontation.
  3. The law has the last wordA raid, an ambush, a petition, or a departure—then the inquiry and its consequences.
Choose your place in the story
A sixteen-character main cast, minor retainers, and custom characters are planned, with distinct skills and five-slot identity loadouts.
Conspiracy or counter-intelligence
Keep the league solvent and its cover intact, or cross-check paper trails, manage exhausted guards, and hold Kira’s uneasy household together.
Prepare a different confrontation
Trade, debate, heists, escorts, investigations, and skirmishes shape readiness and the final battlefield. Legal restoration and walking away are designed as consequential paths.
A verdict after the fighting
A playable tribunal, twelve campaign endings, and character epilogues carry choices beyond the night of the raid. Collapse can bring an ending before that night arrives.
Return with both ledgers
Planned New Game+ and Twin Ledgers modes revisit the crisis from both sides, with earned intelligence, carryover heirlooms, and optional campaign modifiers.
The historian in the margin
A planned Historian’s Cut adds source commentary to decisions, while the codex keeps documentary evidence and dramatic invention visible.

Playable Cast & Faction Roster · Three-Tier System

Choose your witness on either side of the gate

Every campaign begins by selecting your faction and avatar across three tiers: Tier 1 Major Leads with historically grounded 49-point attribute spreads, three tagged percentile skills, and five-slot identity loadouts; Tier 2 Minor Historical Retainers & Household Women who pair an attested or traditional participant’s identity with full RPG point-buy freedom; or Tier 3 Custom (“The Unrecorded Retainer”) built from scratch.

System Reference · Unified Mathematical Framework

How the 49-Point Attribute, Skill & Loadout System Works

Every character in Akō—whether a Tier 1 historical lead, a Tier 2 customizable participant, or a Tier 3 original retainer—obeys the same deterministic ruleset. Health never bloats across chapters: an unparried blade in Act V is as lethal as in Act I.

1 · Seven Primary Attributes (49-Point Budget)

All characters start at baseline 5 across seven attributes (35 pts) plus 14 allocatable points (49 total, range 3–10, maximum two 10s at creation; elderly veterans like 76-year-old Horibe Yahei trade physical points for resolve):

  • BOD Body (3–10): Melee damage bonus floor((BOD-5)/2), grapple break DC 40 + BOD×5%, and carry limit 8 + BOD×2.
  • GRA Grace (3–10): Action-clock speed SPD = 8 + GRA, blade finesse, and base stride (3 tiles; 4 tiles at GRA 8+).
  • VIG Vigor (3–10): Max health HP = 10 + VIG×2 (16–30 HP), wound survival save VIG×8%, and weekly recovery.
  • SIG Sight (3–10): Night/dim line-of-sight 3 + floor(SIG/2) tiles, archery floor, and spotting disguises or snow tracks.
  • LRN Learning (3–10): Starting skill points 25 + LRN×2 SP, chapter SP growth 8 + LRN, and bonus deduction links (LRN 8+).
  • BRG Bearing (3–10): Max Guard poise GRD = 6 + BRG (9–16 GRD) and autonomous delegated cell size 2 + floor(BRG/3).
  • RES Resolve (3–10): Social Composure COMP = 10 + RES×2, morale check base RES×9%, and loyalty-attrition resistance.

2 · Derived Combat Pools, 14 Skills & 5-Slot Loadouts

  • HP · SPD · GRD · COMP Derived Pools: SPD ticks toward 100 CT to grant a compact 3-AP turn. Attacks deplete Guard (GRD) before touching HP; reducing a target to 0 GRD triggers Guard Break, opening targeted lethal or nonlethal calls (Head, Forearm Disarm, Leg Pin, or Grapple → Bind). Composure (COMP) functions as social HP in debates, bargaining, and the Act V tribunal.
  • 14 Percentile Skills (0–100%) Formula Base: Each skill (Sword, Polearms, Bow, Matchlock, Grappling, Stealth, Infiltration, Etiquette, Deception, Intimidation, Commerce, Law, Medicine, Streetwise) starts at (2 × Primary Attr) + (1 × Secondary Attr) (9%–30% untrained).
  • * Tagged Skills (Pick 3) Specialization: Tagging three skills grants an immediate +15% flat bonus and doubles training efficiency (1 SP = +2% up to 75%; signature masters cap at 80% at start). Tier 1 leads also include +15 Free SP (or a full point-buy respec toggle) so you can tailor any historical lead.
  • Dual-Mode Checks Resolution: Dialogue and investigation use deterministic threshold gates ([Law 60], [Commerce 45]) with companion assist (+10%), while combat and stealth roll d100 <= Modified Skill % adjusted by facing, light, and shōji concealment.
  • 5-Slot Identity Loadout Build Architecture: Every character equips 1. Primary Ryūha (martial school/weapon style) · 2. Cover Kit (daytime trade or household role) · 3. Tactical Reaction (0-AP interrupt) · 4. Personal Ethos (story & morale passive) · 5. Footwork (movement & terrain rule).

Faction I · The Displaced Domain

The Akō League 赤穂浪士

After Asano Naganori’s death and the confiscation of Akō Castle in the Third Month of Genroku 14 (1701), over three hundred retainers and their families are cast onto the roads. Where you stand in the former domain determines whether you begin at the castle treasury in Harima, in a radical fencing hall in Edo, managing the legal and kin shield between Yamashina and Toyooka, or behind the counter of a Honjo cover shop directly across from Kira’s gate.

Tier 1 · Major & Elder Historical Leads (13 Playable Archetypes)

Woodblock-style portrait of Ōishi Kuranosuke Yoshikata.

Tier 1 · The Brains / Grand Strategist

Ōishi Kuranosuke Yoshikata 大石内蔵助良雄

Age 44 · Chief Councilor (Karō), 1,500 koku · Starts: Akō Castle

BOD 5 · GRA 5 · VIG 6 · SIG 7 · LRN 9 · BRG 10 · RES 7 | HP 22 · SPD 13 · GRD 16
Tagged: Etiquette 75* · Deception 70* · Law 70* | Loadout: Tōgun-ryū · Lord of the Floating World · The Chief’s Burden

History & Role: Oversaw the peaceful surrender of Akō Castle, the 60% hansatsu note redemption, the ~700-ryō conspiracy ledger, and the fifteen-month petition to restore Asano Daigaku. Divorced his pregnant wife Riku to shield her family from collective punishment (enza), feigned drunken dissipation in Gion to lull Uesugi spies, culled the league at Maruyama from ~120 to 47, and commanded the Front Gate on 12.14. In battle, a battlefield conductor whose whistle signals grant bonus AP and Guard poise.

Woodblock-style portrait of Fuwa Kazuemon Masatane.

Tier 1 · The Heavy Basher / Shock Breacher

Fuwa Kazuemon Masatane 不破数右衛門正種

Age 33 · Former Construction Magistrate, 100 koku (Banished) · Starts: Edo Outcast

BOD 10 · GRA 7 · VIG 9 · SIG 5 · LRN 5 · BRG 5 · RES 8 | HP 28 · SPD 15 · GRD 11
Tagged: Sword 75* · Intimidation 70* · Grappling 68* | Loadout: Saw-Edge Cleave · Partition Crash · Blood-Warm Counter

History & Role: Banished by Asano Naganori years before 1701 for violent misconduct, Fuwa lived as a destitute rōnin in Edo until he begged Ōishi at Sengaku-ji to let him rejoin his former comrades. On 12.14 he fought the most ferocious indoor close-quarters battle of the raid, cutting down multiple defenders until his blade was notched like a saw. Charges straight through fusuma partitions and thrives when surrounded.

Woodblock-style portrait of Horibe Yasubei Taketsune.

Tier 1 · The Celebrity Duelist / Agitator

Horibe Yasubei Taketsune 堀部安兵衛武庸

Age 32 · Umag廻 (Edo Radical Leader), 200 koku · Starts: Edo Mansion

BOD 7 · GRA 10 · VIG 7 · SIG 7 · LRN 5 · BRG 5 · RES 8 | HP 24 · SPD 18 · GRD 11
Tagged: Sword 80* · Intimidation 62* · Streetwise 60* | Loadout: Horiuchi Dojo Flash · Iai Riposte · Hero of Takadanobaba

History & Role: An overnight Edo celebrity after the 1694 Takadanobaba duel, adopted into the Horibe house for his peerless swordsmanship. Close friend of Confucian scholar Hosoi Kōtaku and leader of the Edo radicals demanding an immediate strike without waiting for Ōishi. Highest single-target lethality and turn speed in the league—paired with passive recognition Heat because every informant in Edo knows his face.

Woodblock-style portrait of Kayano Wasuke Tsunenari.

Tier 1 · The Long-Distance Sniper / Marksman

Kayano Wasuke Tsunenari 萱野和助常成

Age 36 · Bow Officer (Yumi-dōshin), 15 koku 5 fuchi · Starts: Akō Castle

BOD 6 · GRA 8 · VIG 6 · SIG 10 · LRN 6 · BRG 6 · RES 7 | HP 22 · SPD 16 · GRD 12
Tagged: Bow 78* · Stealth 62* · Polearms 55* | Loadout: Heki-ryū Archery & Hankyū · Eaves Overwatch · Ridge-Tile Perch

History & Role: Official Akō archery officer who served in the perimeter bow teams on 12.14 that pinned Kira’s retainers inside their quarters and intercepted messengers along the walls. Perches on compound roofs with a full yumi or indoor hankyū half-bow, shoots out oil lanterns at eight tiles to plunge rooms into darkness, and suppresses two doorway targets at once.

Woodblock-style portrait of Hazama Jūjirō Mitsuoki.

Tier 1 · The Reach Precision Striker

Hazama Jūjirō Mitsuoki 間十次郎光興

Age 25 · Spear Specialist (Ichiban-yari), 100-koku family · Starts: Edo Mansion

BOD 7 · GRA 8 · VIG 7 · SIG 8 · LRN 6 · BRG 6 · RES 7 | HP 24 · SPD 16 · GRD 12
Tagged: Polearms 76* · Stealth 58* · Infiltration 55* | Loadout: Hōzōin-ryū Cross-Spear · Shōji Screen Thread · First Spear

History & Role: Young Hōzōin-ryū spearman who discovered Kira Yoshihisa crouched inside the rear charcoal shed (sumigoya) on 12.14 and delivered the decisive first spear thrust (ichiban-yari). Excels at two-tile corridor control and threading lethal spear thrusts through closed shōji paper screens using acoustic and silhouette cues.

Woodblock-style portrait of Ōtaka Gengo Tadao.

Tier 1 · The Charismatic Face / Chameleon

Ōtaka Gengo Tadao 大高源吾忠雄

Age 30 · Wardrobe Master (Kinju), 20 koku 5 fuchi · Starts: Akō Castle

BOD 5 · GRA 7 · VIG 6 · SIG 7 · LRN 9 · BRG 9 · RES 6 | HP 22 · SPD 15 · GRD 15
Tagged: Etiquette 76* · Deception 70* · Polearms 58* | Loadout: Haikai Poet “Shiyō” · Polite Deflection · Friend of Kikaku

History & Role: Celebrated haikai poet under the pen name Shiyō (子葉) and friend of Bashō’s pupil Takarai Kikaku. Entered Edo disguised as Kyoto merchant Wakisaka Shinbei and penetrated the tea and poetry circles around Kira to confirm the 12.14 year-end tea gathering. Walks into aristocratic salons where rough swordsmen are barred, making him the natural lead for the Deep Cover / Quiet Knife path.

Woodblock-style portrait of Sugino Jūheiji Tsugifusa.

Tier 1 · The Stealth Rogue / Night Burglar

Sugino Jūheiji Tsugifusa 杉野十平次次房

Age 26 · Treasury Clerk (Fudasashi), 8 ryō 3 fuchi · Starts: Edo Mansion

BOD 8 · GRA 9 · VIG 7 · SIG 8 · LRN 6 · BRG 4 · RES 7 | HP 24 · SPD 17 · GRD 10
Tagged: Stealth 74* · Infiltration 72* · Grappling 62* | Loadout: Silent Takedown & Breach Mallet · Suriashi & Roof Cat

History & Role: Poured his personal family savings into the Edo cell’s operations, leased the crucial Honjo staging safehouses beside Kira’s compound, scouted the walls at night, and swung the wooden mallet (kakeya) that smashed open the Rear Gate on 12.14. Completes solo nonlethal Grapple → Mouth-Cover → Bind takedowns in a single turn and ignores creaking nightingale-floor penalties.

Woodblock-style portrait of Maebara Isuke Munefusa.

Tier 1 · The Spymaster / Cover Shopkeeper

Maebara Isuke Munefusa 前原伊助宗房

Age 38 · Granary Magistrate (Kura-bugyō), 10 koku 3 fuchi · Starts: Edo Honjo

BOD 5 · GRA 6 · VIG 6 · SIG 9 · LRN 8 · BRG 7 · RES 8 | HP 22 · SPD 14 · GRD 13
Tagged: Commerce 74* · Streetwise 68* · Deception 66* | Loadout: Proprietor of Misakiya · Eyes Across the Street · Humble Bow

History & Role: Opened the Misakiya (美作屋) sundry and cloth shop in Honjo Aioi-chō directly across from Kira’s gate alongside Kanzaki Yogorō. Sold daily goods to Kira’s household servants, tracked every delivery cart and guard rotation, and mapped the compound from merchant gossip. Turns customer deliveries into floorplan intelligence—or faces the temptation to stay a Honjo shopkeeper and protect his neighbors.

Woodblock-style portrait of Terasaka Kichiemon Nobuyuki.

Tier 1 · The Ghost Courier / Ashigaru Survivor

Terasaka Kichiemon Nobuyuki 寺坂吉右衛門信行

Age 37 · Ashigaru Foot-Soldier, 3 ryō 2 fuchi · Starts: Akō Castle

BOD 7 · GRA 8 · VIG 9 · SIG 8 · LRN 6 · BRG 3 · RES 8 | HP 28 · SPD 16 · GRD 9
Tagged: Stealth 68* · Streetwise 66* · Medicine 58* | Loadout: Ashigaru Spear & Matchlock · Beneath Notice · The 47th Man

History & Role: The sole non-samurai (ashigaru) among the 47, serving under Yoshida Chūzaemon. Answered the roll call at Kira’s gate on 12.14, vanished before the surrender at Sengaku-ji to carry word to Hiroshima and Yozeiin, and lived to age 83. Because high-ranking samurai look right past a working-class porter, Terasaka slips through service doors and runs orders between out-of-contact cells.

Woodblock-style portrait of Okajima Yasoemon Tsuneshige.

Tier 1 · The Quartermaster / Forensic Fixer

Okajima Yasoemon Tsuneshige 岡島八十右衛門常樹

Age 36 · Note Magistrate (Satsugashira), 20 koku 5 fuchi · Starts: Akō Castle

BOD 6 · GRA 6 · VIG 7 · SIG 7 · LRN 9 · BRG 6 · RES 8 | HP 24 · SPD 14 · GRD 12
Tagged: Commerce 76* · Law 68* · Medicine 60* | Loadout: Abacus & Disarming Wakizashi · Pawn-Broker Liaison · Brother’s Shame

History & Role: Younger brother of Akō’s corrupt second councilor Ōno Kurobei. Executed the 60% hansatsu note redemption, confronted his elder brother before Ōno fled by night abandoning his infant granddaughter, sheltered the child, and joined the Edo plotters. Weaponizes the three-metal currency exchange and redeems comrades’ pawned heirlooms at a 40% discount.

Woodblock-style portrait of Yoshida Chūzaemon Kanesuke.

Tier 1 · The Deputy Commander / Tactician

Yoshida Chūzaemon Kanesuke 吉田忠左衛門兼亮

Age 61 · Ashigaru-gashira & Military Scholar, 200 koku · Starts: Akō Castle

BOD 6 · GRA 5 · VIG 6 · SIG 7 · LRN 8 · BRG 8 · RES 9 | HP 22 · SPD 13 · GRD 14
Tagged: Law 72* · Polearms 60* · Etiquette 60* | Loadout: Rear-Gate Command · Military Treatise · Formal Self-Denunciation

History & Role: Ōishi’s trusted deputy and Edo field commander; scholar of military science who led the Rear-Gate detachment alongside fifteen-year-old Ōishi Chikara and walked to Chief Inspector Sengoku Hisanao on the morning of 12.15 to present the formal self-denunciation (jishu). Keeps autonomous cells disciplined under fire and anchors legal arguments in the Act V tribunal.

Woodblock-style portrait of Horibe Yahei Kanamaru.

Tier 1 · The Elder Iron Anchor

Horibe Yahei Kanamaru 堀部弥兵衛金丸

Age 76 · Retired Edo Liaison (Edo Rusui), 300 koku · Starts: Edo Mansion

BOD 5 · GRA 4 · VIG 6 · SIG 6 · LRN 8 · BRG 9 · RES 10 | HP 22 · SPD 12 · GRD 15
Tagged: Intimidation 65* · Polearms 62* · Etiquette 62* | Loadout: Doorway Yari Brace · Unshakeable Pillar · Elder’s Rebuke

History & Role: The oldest participant in the raid at seventy-six years old, adoptive father of Horibe Yasubei, and unshakeable pillar of the Edo faction. Slower on the action clock (`SPD 12`), but boasts the highest Composure (`30`) and frontal Guard poise in the league—nearly impossible to Guard-Break in a narrow corridor or doorway.

Woodblock-style portrait of Ōishi Riku.

Tier 1 · The Household Steward & Legal Shield

Ōishi Riku (Kōrin-in) 大石りく(香林院)

Age 33 · Wife of Ōishi Kuranosuke & Daughter of Toyooka Chief Karō · Starts: Akō / Yamashina

BOD 4 · GRA 6 · VIG 6 · SIG 7 · LRN 9 · BRG 9 · RES 8 | HP 22 · SPD 14 · GRD 15
Tagged: Etiquette 76* · Law 72* · Commerce 68* | Loadout: Women’s Naginata & Kaiken · Toyooka Kin Network · Shield Against Enza

History & Role: Daughter of Toyooka Domain’s chief councilor Ishizuka Gengobei. Oversaw the evacuation from Akō to Yamashina, and in the spring of 1702—while pregnant with her youngest son Daizaburō—accepted a legal divorce (rien) from Kuranosuke so their younger children would be shielded from the shogunate’s collective punishment statute (enza). Lived to see the 1709 amnesty and moved to Hiroshima in 1713 when Daizaburō was restored to his father’s exact 1,500-koku stipend. Commands correspondence, dowry logistics with Lady Yōzen-in, and the Legal Restoration / Survivor campaign paths.

Tier 2 · Minor Historical Retainers & Women of the League (Full 49-Point Player Point-Buy)

Woodblock-style portrait of Takebayashi Tadashichi Takashige.

Tier 2 · Customizable Historical Retainer

Takebayashi Tadashichi Takashige 武林唯七隆重

Age 31 · Umag廻, 15 koku 3 fuchi · Full 49-Pt Attribute & 40-SP Creator

Baseline: 35 Pts + 14 Allocatable (49 Total) · Pick Any 3 Tagged Skills (+15%) & Custom Ryūha
Suggested Builds: Ming Physician-Swordsman (Medicine / Sword) · Charcoal-Shed Vanguard

History & Build Hook: Grandson of a Ming Chinese physician and emigrant (Meng Erkan / Watanabe) who settled in Hiroshima. Entered the rear charcoal shed alongside Hazama Jūjirō on 12.14 and struck the fatal sword blow to Kira Yoshihisa. Ideal for players who want an attested hero of the final room with complete freedom to build a physician-swordsman or heavy vanguard.

Woodblock-style portrait of Katsuta Shinzaemon Taketaka.

Tier 2 · Customizable Historical Retainer

Katsuta Shinzaemon Taketaka 勝田新左衛門武尭

Age 23 · Junior Page (Chūkoshō), 15 koku 3 fuchi · Full 49-Pt Attribute & 40-SP Creator

Baseline: 35 Pts + 14 Allocatable (49 Total) · Pick Any 3 Tagged Skills (+15%) & Cover Trade
Suggested Builds: Honjo Street Peddler (Streetwise / Stealth) · Torn Family Loyalist

History & Build Hook: Young Edo-based retainer who survived during the preparation months by peddling radishes and melons through the streets of Honjo. His father-in-law famously hid his raid summons letter in a desperate attempt to save his life—making Katsuta the ultimate point-buy canvas for testing the tension between domestic survival and the blood oath.

Woodblock-style portrait of Mimura Jirōzaemon Kanetsune.

Tier 2 · Customizable Historical Retainer

Mimura Jirōzaemon Kanetsune 三村次郎左衛門包常

Age 36 · Kitchen & Sake Officer (Daidokoro-bugyō), 7 koku 2 fuchi · Full Point-Buy

Baseline: 35 Pts + 14 Allocatable (49 Total) · Pick Any 3 Tagged Skills (+15%) & Cover Trade
Suggested Builds: Sake Purveyor Infiltrator (Commerce / Deception) · Rear-Gate Mallet Breacher

History & Build Hook: Low-ranking kitchen and sake-cellar bailiff on a meager seven-koku stipend who spoke out fiercely at Akō Castle when higher-ranked councilors hesitated, and helped smash open Kira’s Rear Gate with the heavy wooden mallet on 12.14. Can be built as a food-and-sake delivery infiltrator or a working-class shock brawler.

Woodblock-style portrait of Horibe Hori.

Tier 2 · Customizable Dojo Daughter & Courier

Horibe Hori (Myōkai-ni Tradition) 堀部ほり(妙海尼伝承)

Age 17 · Daughter of Horibe Yahei & Betrothed of Yasubei · Full 49-Pt Point-Buy

Default: BOD 5 · GRA 8 · VIG 6 · SIG 8 · LRN 7 · BRG 7 · RES 8 | HP 22 · SPD 16 · GRD 13 (or Full Point-Buy)
Suggested Builds: Dojo Naginata & Courier (Stealth 68* / Deception 68* / Polearms 66*) · Keeper of Memory

History & Build Hook: Attested daughter of veteran Horibe Yahei and bride of celebrity swordsman Horibe Yasubei in Edo; later 18th-century tradition (Red/Gold Ink) also links her name to the nun Myōkai-ni who tended the Sengaku-ji graves into her nineties. Trained in the household naginata, Hori slips past Edo ward checkpoints that scrutinize masterless men, carries encrypted funds from Lady Yōzen-in’s Akasaka residence, and coordinates with Honjo carpenter’s daughter Otsuya.

Faction II · The Besieged Household

The Kira & Uesugi Household 吉良・上杉家

Inside the bloodied Gofukubashi residence—and later across the Sumida River in the walled Honjo compound—Kira Yoshihisa’s retainers, noblewomen, and seconded Yonezawa guards face a war of nerves. Reports from Kyoto claim Ōishi is face-down drunk in Gion, Uesugi elders want to slash the guard budget, and every new merchant in Honjo might be an Akō scout.

Tier 1 · Major Historical Leads (7 Counter-Intelligence, Court & Siege Archetypes)

Woodblock-style portrait of Kobayashi Heihachirō Hisamichi.

Tier 1 · The Master Tactician / Disguised Elder

Kobayashi Heihachirō Hisamichi 小林平八郎央通

Age 54 · Senior Kira Karō, 150 koku · Starts: Kira Gofukubashi

BOD 6 · GRA 7 · VIG 6 · SIG 8 · LRN 8 · BRG 8 · RES 6 | HP 22 · SPD 15 · GRD 14
Tagged: Law 72* · Deception 68* · Sword 64* | Loadout: Kōke Guard-Counter · Silk Beneath Linen · Master of the Floorplan

History & Role: Senior household councilor transferred from the Uesugi house with Kira’s wife Tomiko; oversaw the relocation to Honjo. In the contemporary Ōkōchi-bunsho, when cornered in the dark on 12.14 he claimed to be a low-ranking servant until a rōnin felt his silk undergarment (kinu no shita-gi), then died fighting near the inner quarters. Directs the defense budget and uses darkness to bait attackers into lethal counter-strikes.

Woodblock-style portrait of Shimizu Ichigaku Yoshihisa.

Tier 1 · The Relentless Basher / Dual-Blade Bodyguard

Shimizu Ichigaku Yoshihisa 清水一学義久

Age 39 · Personal Bodyguard (Kinju) · Starts: Kira Gofukubashi

BOD 9 · GRA 9 · VIG 9 · SIG 6 · LRN 4 · BRG 5 · RES 7 | HP 28 · SPD 17 · GRD 11
Tagged: Sword 78* · Grappling 66* · Intimidation 64* | Loadout: Twin-Blade Kitchen Defense (Nitō-ryū) · Bridge-Post Stand · Brazier Shove

History & Role: Kira’s close personal bodyguard stationed by the kitchen and firewood/charcoal shed, who fought fiercely to the death on 12.14 and was immortalized in kōdan tradition as a fearless dual-sword (nitō-ryū) fighter. Built to hold a one-tile kitchen bridge against four attackers at once, suffering zero indoor ceiling penalty with paired blades and shoving enemies into hot braziers.

Woodblock-style portrait of Yamayoshi Shinpachi Morizane.

Tier 1 · The Indomitable Survivor / Loyalist

Yamayoshi Shinpachi Morizane 山吉新八盛侍

Age 30 · Seconded Uesugi Yonezawa Retainer · Starts: Kira Gofukubashi

BOD 7 · GRA 7 · VIG 10 · SIG 6 · LRN 5 · BRG 6 · RES 8 | HP 30 · SPD 15 · GRD 12
Tagged: Sword 66* · Medicine 58* · Etiquette 55* | Loadout: Yonezawa Escort Blade · Take the Blow · Twelve Wounds & Still Breathing

History & Role: Yonezawa samurai seconded to young Kira Yoshichika before 1701. Fought with extraordinary courage on 12.14, suffered over a dozen sword wounds, fell unconscious in the snow, survived, and loyally accompanied the disgraced teenager into mountain exile in Shinano until 1706. Boasts the highest HP (`30`) in the game and automatically survives his first fatal Vigor wound save.

Woodblock-style portrait of Sōda Magobei Sadatsugu.

Tier 1 · The Counter-Spy / Forensic Detective

Sōda Magobei Sadatsugu 左右田孫兵衛貞次

Age 45 · Fiscal & Investigative Karō, 100 koku · Starts: Kira Gofukubashi

BOD 4 · GRA 5 · VIG 6 · SIG 10 · LRN 10 · BRG 7 · RES 7 | HP 22 · SPD 13 · GRD 13
Tagged: Commerce 76* · Infiltration 72* · Law 70* | Loadout: Constable’s Jitte · Forensic Ledger · Safe-Room Architect

History & Role: Managed Kira’s strained household accounts and Uesugi subsidies, survived 12.14, compiled the official post-raid inventory and depositions for the shogunate inspectors, and voluntarily followed Yoshichika into exile. Plays the Kira campaign as a pure counter-intelligence deduction thriller: auditing Honjo purveyors, tracing leaked tea letters, and uncovering rōnin safehouses before winter.

Woodblock-style portrait of Torii Riemon Masatsugu.

Tier 1 · The Night-Watch Sniper & Tracker

Torii Riemon Masatsugu 鳥居利右衛門正次

Age 35 · Household Officer (Yōnin) · Starts: Kira Honjo

BOD 6 · GRA 8 · VIG 7 · SIG 10 · LRN 6 · BRG 5 · RES 7 | HP 24 · SPD 16 · GRD 11
Tagged: Bow 76* · Stealth 68* · Streetwise 64* | Loadout: Veranda Hankyū & Trap Kit · Silhouette Shot · Hound of the Canals

History & Role: Household officer who fought and died defending the rear quarters and charcoal-shed perimeter on 12.14 (Ōkuma Yaichiemon Kenbunsho). Prowls the Honjo canals after curfew tailing suspicious couriers, strings bamboo clapper tripwires across courtyards, tracks footprint trails in the snow, and fires automatic interrupt arrows at backlit silhouettes.

Woodblock-style portrait of Kira Yoshichika.

Tier 1 · The Tragic Young Heir (Polearm Vanguard)

Kira Yoshichika 吉良義周

Age 16 · Adopted Head of the Kira House, 4,200 koku · Starts: Kira Gofukubashi

BOD 6 · GRA 8 · VIG 6 · SIG 7 · LRN 7 · BRG 8 · RES 7 | HP 22 · SPD 16 · GRD 14
Tagged: Etiquette 72* · Polearms 68* · Law 56* | Loadout: Great Hall Naginata Sweep · Son of Two Houses · Refuse Disgrace

History & Role: Biological second son of Uesugi Tsunanori, adopted into the Kira house and made head of the family at sixteen when his grandfather retired. On 12.14 the teenager personally stepped into the main hall with a naginata halberd, suffered two deep sword cuts to the face and forehead, fainted from blood loss, and was later stripped of his domain for “unseemly conduct,” dying in exile at twenty-one. Fight well enough—or save enough of your household—to alter how the shogunate judges your name.

Woodblock-style portrait of Lady Kira Tomiko.

Tier 1 · The Matriarch of Two Houses / Patroness

Lady Kira Tomiko (Bairei-in) 吉良富子(梅嶺院)

Age 57 · Wife of Kira Yoshihisa & Mother of Uesugi Tsunanori · Starts: Gofukubashi / Sakurada

BOD 4 · GRA 5 · VIG 6 · SIG 8 · LRN 9 · BRG 10 · RES 7 | HP 22 · SPD 13 · GRD 16
Tagged: Etiquette 78* · Law 70* · Commerce 68* | Loadout: Court Cypress Fan · Uesugi Purse-Strings · Sanctuary at Sakurada

History & Role: Sister of Uesugi Tsunakatsu, wife of Kira Yoshihisa, biological mother of Yonezawa lord Uesugi Tsunanori (150,000 koku), and grandmother of young Yoshichika. Brought senior councilor Kobayashi Heihachirō from Yonezawa into the Kira house, and relocated to the fortified Uesugi residence in late 1701 when Kira was forced across the river to Honjo. Commands the Uesugi security subsidy, lobbies against Chizaka/Irobe budget cuts, and controls when Kira sleeps safely at Sakurada versus returning to Honjo.

Tier 2 · Minor Historical Defenders & Inner Household (Full 49-Point Player Point-Buy)

Woodblock-style portrait of Sudō Yoichiemon.

Tier 2 · Customizable Household Guard

Sudō Yoichiemon 須藤与一右衛門

Age 34 · Night-Watch & Inner Guard Leader · Full 49-Pt Attribute & 40-SP Creator

Baseline: 35 Pts + 14 Allocatable (49 Total) · Pick Any 3 Tagged Skills (+15%) & Custom Ryūha
Suggested Builds: Night-Watch Captain (Polearms / Sight) · Curfew Interrogator

History & Build Hook: Attested Kira household inner-guard officer killed defending the rear quarters on 12.14 and inscribed on the Honjo memorial. Because almost no personal biography survives before the night of the raid, Sudō gives Kira-side players a completely open samurai captain to build from the ground up.

Woodblock-style portrait of Saitō Kunai.

Tier 2 · Customizable Senior Retainer

Saitō Kunai 斎藤宮内

Age 48 · Senior Kira Counselor (Karō), 150 koku · Full 49-Pt Attribute & 40-SP Creator

Baseline: 35 Pts + 14 Allocatable (49 Total) · Pick Any 3 Tagged Skills (+15%) & Cover Kit
Suggested Builds: Court Diplomat (Etiquette / Law) · Redeemed Elder Swordsman

History & Build Hook: Senior Kira counselor who survived the night of 12.14 without wounds and faced harsh questioning during the post-raid inquiry for failing to die beside his master. Inhabit Saitō to rewrite his fate—either building a shrewd political negotiator who prevents the raid altogether, or standing in the front hall when the shutters splinter.

Woodblock-style portrait of Kasahara Chōtarō.

Tier 2 · Customizable Perimeter Defender

Kasahara Chōtarō 笠原長太郎

Age 24 · Young Perimeter Guard · Full 49-Pt Attribute & 40-SP Creator

Baseline: 35 Pts + 14 Allocatable (49 Total) · Pick Any 3 Tagged Skills (+15%) & Custom Ryūha
Suggested Builds: Barrack Spearman (Polearms / Vigor) · Rooftop Runner (Stealth / Bow)

History & Build Hook: Young household retainer recorded among the dead in the Ōkuma Yaichiemon Kenbunsho after the desperate fighting along the perimeter barracks (nagaya). A blank-slate young defender whose attributes, martial school, and Honjo duties are entirely yours to author.

Woodblock-style portrait of Onui of the Inner Quarters.

Tier 2 · Customizable Chief Lady-in-Waiting & Tea Steward

Onui of the Inner Quarters お縫(奥女中頭)

Age 28 · Senior Lady-in-Waiting (Oku-jochūgashira) at Honjo · Full 49-Pt Point-Buy

Default: BOD 5 · GRA 8 · VIG 6 · SIG 9 · LRN 7 · BRG 7 · RES 7 | HP 22 · SPD 16 · GRD 13 (or Full Point-Buy)
Suggested Builds: Tea-Room Counter-Spy (Etiquette 68* / Infiltration 66*) · Inner Corridor Protector (Kaiken / Naginata)

History & Build Hook: Contemporary accounts record that the women of Kira’s inner quarters (oku-jochū) were sheltered inside the mansion during the 12.14 attack while the rōnin called out that no women would be harmed. As senior lady-in-waiting and tea steward (Blue-Ink named template), Onui inspects Honjo purveyors at the service door, spots forged tea invitations before 12.14, and when the whistles blow in the dark, extinguishes the inner lamps, conceals the house seals, and guides the maids and young Yoshichika through the West Garden escape route.

Tier 3 · The Unrecorded Retainer (Full Custom Character): Prefer to author an original witness? Create a displaced Asano samurai, an unlisted shadow courier, or a seconded Yonezawa guard from scratch—choosing name, portrait, age, background tag, 49 attribute points, 3 tagged skills, and 5-slot identity loadout.

Promotional woodblock-style illustration of two ledgers, folded letters, coins, and an Edo street plan beside a paper lamp. View full size
The long preparation: money, cover, and evidence. AI-generated promotional illustration, not gameplay or a historical reconstruction.

A city to live in, not just a gate to breach

Cover work, neighborhood ties, household politics, and the price of staying hidden give the planned campaign its quieter pressures. A useful acquaintance can matter as much as a strong sword arm.

Planned · Optional

The Scholar’s Lantern

Learn a little Japanese and the world behind the incident as you go.

Terakoya mode is designed around a hundred-card curriculum: kana, thirty core kanji, and Genroku history and culture. Labels can gradually move from English and romanization toward Japanese, with English help close at hand.

A two-hundred-word reference vocabulary, twelve grammar particles, and six cultural pillars connect language to law, religion, philosophy, class, art, and historical sources. Study checks belong in quiet hub moments; combat stays uninterrupted.

Study-state rules and the curriculum data are in place. The player-facing learning interface is still planned.

Wide promotional key art showing a rōnin and two silhouettes in a dark Edo lane confronting a household defender inside a lantern-lit timber gate.
Honjo, winter of Genroku 15 (1703). Promotional concept artwork, not gameplay.

Planned · Four-Ink Codex

Keep the record and the legend in view

Letters, legal rulings, inherited stories, and the game’s own inventions do different work. The planned Four-Ink Codex marks which kind of claim you are reading.

Black · Attested
What the documentary record supports.
Red · Disputed
Where scholarly interpretations differ.
Gold · Inherited tradition
Stories carried by later theater and memory.
Blue · Game design
Invented encounters and counterfactual paths.

Follow the project on itch.io as the tested foundation becomes a playable campaign.

The soundtrack

Listen to the Akō soundtrack on Flow Music.

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