Mizuki Rashojin

Mizuki Rashojin (羅将神 ミヅキ, Rashōjin Mizuki), with Rashōjin translating roughly but most recognizably as "The Marauding Deity" (a nickname/title), is the final boss in Samurai Shodown II. She is also the first and only boss of the series to have assistance from a pet.

Story
Mizuki was a 1000 year old demonic monster who was given birth by Ambrosia. She would terrorize the land with disasters sporadically and viciously. She appeared once, about thirty years before the game begins, but was defeated by Nicotine and Kuroko. Her weakened soul escaped her concealment yet lacked the strength to materialize itself with a body. She possessed the body of Bizuki twenty years later and waited for her chance to strike, gathering power for herself in the process.

She was awakened by Amakusa's powers and soon invoked Ambrosia's mortal resurrection. To aid her work, she also hired a band of henchmen which includes Earthquake, Genan, and Genjuro (though he eventually betrays her due to lack of interest). Haohmaru and Nakoruru, whom had successfully survived the trip to Hell, stop her plans from succeeding. Upon her defeat, Mizuki and Ambrosia were sealed in the Makai (demon world). Bizuki, though ashamed of her powerlessness to control Mizuki, continues to live in the mortal realm as Kyoshiro's assistant.

In the RPG, Mizuki was a rural Japanese child abandoned by her family due to severe poverty. Bitter with hatred and consumed with revenge, she made a pact with the evil god Ambrosia roughly a thousand years before the series begins, turning herself into a demon. Since this acquisition of demonic power, she proceeds to cause worldwide disasters and calamities around the globe. However, roughly 800 years after her pact, she was challenged by a priestess named Bizuki. Despite her best efforts to purify the entity, Bizuki was possessed by Mizuki and sent into hibernation. When the party faces and defeats Mizuki, only Bizuki's soul is saved; her body disintegrates due to the passage of time.

Personality
Mizuki is a vengeful spirit that hates humanity. She preys on the weak and claims all of her acts of cruelty in Ambrosia's name. She thinks very highly of herself, often laughing at her enemies for attempting to even stop her.

Powers

 * Claws - Mizuki's nails have been transformed into sharp claws.
 * Translocation - Mizuki can dash herself forward at incredible speeds.
 * Teleportaion - Mizuki can warp through the ground, appearing in another location moments later.
 * Transformation Magic - Mizuki can command her demon companion to spit a magical ball of energy. When it hits her opponent, it changes them into a defenseless animal.
 * Hell Drop - Mizuki can summon a demon to drag them into a dimensional portal; they'll smash from above moments later.
 * Boomerang Projectile - Mizuki can launch a projectile that will fly back towards her after a short distance, hitting her enemies that attempt to jump over it.
 * Levitation - Mizuki can grab her opponents and levitate them to a high height, dropping them afterward for damage.
 * Seals - Mizuki has an array of seals to her disposal. She can reverse controller motions, prevent her enemy's powers for a time, and prevent her opponent from attacking for a time.
 * Multiple Attacks - Mizuki can slap her opponents multiple times at once.
 * Energy Attacks - Mizuki can put energy in her weapon.

Fighting Style
Mizuki has a wide arsenal of attacks to choose from. In some ways, she is similar to Nicotine in that they can both shoot upper and lower angled projectiles and also reverse their foes movements. Like her predecessor, Amakusa, she also possesses the ability of teleportaion and a multi-hitting slap attack. She can also command a demon pet to disabling her opponents attacks for a time. Her desperation attack is a unique projectile that will boomerang back to her if her opponent jumps over it. She is also quick on her feet, easily able to close distances between her foe in quick dashes with little trouble. She loses some of these powers with her playable appearance in Samurai Shodown V Special; her special moves are also made a shorter range to balance herself with other characters. She gains more access to different sealing abilities but can only execute these spells at a close range.

In the game he premiered, Maju -whose name is Haon in the RPG- is by Mizuki's side. Like Poppy, he can be commanded by the player to bash into and maul opponents. He can also fire an electric ball that can turn foes into animals -the most common result being a pig- rendering the player's opponents unable to input special commands and defenseless against Mizuki for one attack before reverting to normal (alternatively, transformed opponents can also wait a few seconds before the effects wear off). Appearance-wise, he is an alternative color palette of Poppy when he is idle, but morphs into a giant demonic creature when he is commanded, making him able to catch most opponents who try to jump over his attacks. Though instances are rare, he can be injured and his attacks can be interrupted. Players must also keep an eye on which direction he is facing whilst commanded, as he may attack in the opposite direction of their opponent. In Samurai Shodown V Special, he is summoned in his demonic form by Mizuki via teleportation and is not visible by the player until then.

Music

 * The Final Battle - Samurai Shodown II
 * Evil Deity - Samurai Shodown II
 * Lunatic - Samurai Shodown II
 * Great Evil Spirit - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden
 * Dark Cloud - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidō Retsuden
 * Ma no Ongaku - Nakoruru ADV

Voice Actors

 * Harumi Ikoma - Samurai Shodown II
 * Rica Matsumoto - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
 * Miki Tsuchiya - Nakoruru ~Ano hito kara no okurimono~
 * Shizuka Itō - Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Tsumugi Ōsawa - Samurai Shodown VI
 * Michie Tomizawa - Samurai Shodown II Dengeki drama CD

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown II
 * Samurai Shodown IV - cameo in Kyoshiro's ending
 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
 * Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuden
 * Nakoruru: Ano Hito kara no Okurimono
 * KOF: Maximum Impact 2 - bonus stage cameo

Anime Appearances

 * Samurai Spirits 2: Asura-Zanmaden (OVA)