Characters of the Dead or Alive series

Portrayed by: Natassia Malthe
Voiced by (English): Gina DeVettori (DOA2: Hardcore),[1] Janice Kawaye (Ninja Gaiden series,[2][3][4] DOA6), Janna Levenstein (DOAX2, DOA Paradise),[5] Wendee Lee (Dimensions),[6] Brittney Harvey (DOA5)[7]
Voiced by (Japanese): Wakana Yamazaki[8][9][10][11]

Ayane was originally introduced as an unnamed training dummy in the Sega Saturn version of Dead or Alive,[12] before she became a player character in the 1998 PlayStation port,[13] in which she is an opponent character in the practice and tournament modes (Ayane was later included in the Dead or Alive ++ arcade edition) as well as an unlockable secret character. In the original DOA, Ayane has had neither a written background nor in-game plot-line (according to the later canon, Ayane was sent to secretly follow Kasumi).[14]

In Dead or Alive 2 (1999), Ayane joins in the Dead or Alive World Combat Championship as an assassin in pursuit of her half-sister Kasumi, a runaway shinobi who has left the Mugen Tenshin behind and been branded a "traitor" to their clan. Ayane encounters and rescues an amnesiac Hayate, who goes by the name "Ein". When confronting Helena, Ayane is accused of murdering Helena's mother Maria, but the assassin is later revealed to be Christie.

In Dead or Alive 3 (2001), her former teacher and beloved foster parent, Genra, has disappeared. Ayane, now the most powerful member and de facto leader of Hajin Mon, learns that Genra has been turned into a puppet by the DOATEC and its sinister Omega Project and realises that fate commands her to put Genra out of his misery.[15] Achieving this, she emerges as the official winner of the third DOA championship. The introductory sequence to Dead or Alive Ultimate, accompanied by Aerosmith's "Dream On", was the first to hint at the origins of Ayane and Kasumi's enmity. Itagaki confirmed Ayane as the game's main protagonist.[16]

In Dead or Alive 4 (2005), Ayane has pledged her life to her half-brother and Mugen Tenshin clan leader Hayate, in his cause to destroy the DOATEC for the suffering the company has caused the ninja clans. Ayane has a threefold stake in this plot: she wants revenge for Hayate being brainwashed in their attempt to realize Project Epsilon, and for the manipulation and death of Genra. At the end of the game, Ayane uses her ninpo ("ninja arts") spell to help blow up the DOATEC Tri-Tower.[17]

She returns as a playable character in Dead or Alive 5,[18][19] set two years after the events of Dead or Alive 4. Ayane follows Kasumi upon Hayate's orders, and later discovers that she is in fact really an Alpha clone. Ayane and Hayate learn from Helena that Victor Donovan and his new organization, MIST, plan to sell his Alpha clones as super soldiers to various countries around the world. They infiltrate the oil rig platform where Helena believes MIST's secret laboratory is hidden. After Ayane and Hayate kill Kasumi's clone, they breach into the lab, but Hayate is captured by Rig and Ayane is forced to flee. After Ryu summons the real Kasumi to battle and Hayate is rescued, they destroy the laboratory and Alpha-152.

Ayane is again a playable character in Dead or Alive 6. After witnessing Honoka utilize fight-copying abilities similar to that of Raidou, she keeps tabs on her, and eventually fights her in person to gauge her abilities. She eventually tries to capture Honoka to put her into protective custody, but instead ends up fighting Marie Rose, Honoka's bodyguard who recently became a friend of her. Because to this, Honoka ends up being captured by MIST while they were all distracted. Ayane eventually ends up working together with Marie Rose in a rescue attempt, but ends up being captured herself by MIST's head researcher, NiCO, who desires to revive Raidou. This causes a reveal that Honoka is actually Ayane's older half-sister. Ayane ends up sending Hayate and Kasumi a distress signal before being brainwashed by NiCO to fight against Kasumi, however, she is later brought back to her senses and fights alongside her family to destroy Raidou once and for all.

Besides the main DOA series, Ayane appears as one of the player characters in the beach volleyball spin-off games Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (2003), Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (2006) and Dead or Alive Paradise (2010), pursuing Kasumi. Dead or Alive: Cronus, the series' prequel project which was intended to tell the story of Kasumi's and Ayane's childhoods and explore "the innocence and cruelty of children,"[20] was officially cancelled in 2010 after Itagaki left Team Ninja and Tecmo.[21] Ayane was confirmed as one of the nine playable female characters in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3,[22] when she was sent by the Mugen Tenshin clan to New Zack Island in a "mission" to find a certain "runaway ninja" and to bring back proof.

In Ninja Gaiden (2004), a younger Ayane (aged 14; she is 16-year-old in the DOA series) plays a minor role as a non-player character, serving Murai and the Shadow Clan as a stealthy infiltrator and courier assisting Ryu Hayabusa during his bloody vengeance. In the 2005 Ninja Gaiden Black edition, Ayane stars in the "Ninja Dog" easy mode, where she treats the disgraced Ryu as her pet and leaves him various items through the game.[23][24][note 1]

In Ninja Gaiden II (2008), Ayane appears only in a cutscene[26] near the end of the game to give the Eye of the Dragon jewel to Ryu, turning his Dragon Sword into the more powerful True Dragon Sword. Ninja Gaiden Σ 2, the enhanced port of NGII for the PlayStation 3, features Ayane as a single player mode's playable character in one level, which shows how she obtained the Eye of the Dragon and defeated the remnants of the Black Spider Clan.[27][28] She is also available as one of three new alternative player characters for the game in a cooperative multiplayer mode,[29][30] and appears in the game's prologue digital comic, The Vampire War.

In the original edition of Ninja Gaiden 3 (2012), Ayane only appears in one cutscene,[31] in which she loans Hayate's sword, The Jinran-Maru (which translated from Japanese to English means Rapid Storm) to Ryu.[32] Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, an expanded version of the game, features Ayane as a playable character with her own new missions: a campaign involving the returning Black Spider Clan,[33] as well as being available to fight alongside Ryu—like in Σ 2—in an online cooperative multiplayer mode.[34] A new Chapter Challenge mode allows the player to attempt any part of the game using Ayane.[35][36]

Ayane makes a brief cameo appearance in the comic book tie-in prequel of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (2008). She is featured in Zen Pinball: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, a 2009 pinball game for the PlayStation Network,[37] and in the 2013 smart phone action card game Hyakuman-nin no Ninja Gaiden ("Ninja Gaiden 1,000,000 People").[38]

Ayane made her debut in Koei's Dynasty Warriors franchise in 2009 with a non-player character guest appearance in Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, where her Fuma Kodachi swords are available as the player's optional weapons. In 2011, Ayane's Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 costume parts were made available as exclusive DLC for Dynasty Warriors Online during the game's first anniversary promotion campaign.[39]

Ayane appears as a player character in the series' 2011 spin-off game Warriors Orochi 3 in her design and primary costume, as well as playstyle, from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.[40] In this game, set after DOA4, Ayane enters another world, named Orochi,[41] as she stars in the Siege of Hasedō-themed stage and joins Yoshitsune Minamoto's party to find a way back home, then follows Sima Zhao's army and helps them to locate and rescue the prisoners at Xuchang. Ayane returns—together with Ryu—as a playable character in 2012's Shin Sangoku Musou VS (which was abortively planned to be released in English as Dynasty Warriors Vs. or Dynasty Warriors 3DS),[42] as a free downloadable content (DLC) character, once again wearing her Sigma 2 costume.[43] In the 2017 crossover title Warriors All-Stars (Musou Stars), Ayane is playable by default, where she instead representing the Ninja Gaiden series to accompany the said series' original protagonist Ryu Hayabusa, rather than representing her original game series debut Dead or Alive, unlike Kasumi, Marie Rose and Honoka.[44]

Ayane's classic dress outfit is included in the 2004 Director's Cut version of the survival horror game Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly as an alternate costume for Mayu, one of this game's two protagonist sisters (the other one, Mio, may wear Kasumi's costume).[45][46] It is also an unlockable costume for the character Kooh in 2007's Super Swing Golf: Season 2.[47][48] In 2017, it was further added for players' avatars in Phantasy Star Online 2.[49]

Ayane herself is featured as a bonus playable character in her own side-mission in Koei Tecmo's 2014 survival horror game Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water, where she has been requested to find a missing girl named Tsumugi Katashina.[50] In 2015, a cartoonish version of Ayane was added to Marvelous Entertainment's fighting game Senran Kagura: Estival Versus for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita as a playable paid DLC crossover character, along with bonus costumes for additional price.[51][52] Ayane was also featured in Honey Parade Games' Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link in 2018.[53]

Natassia Malthe as Ayane in DOA: Dead or Alive

In the live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive, Ayane is a ninja assassin and Kasumi's former servant who is dedicated to seeking out and killing her, as Kasumi is considered an outcast to the clan. Ayane first confronts Kasumi before she flees the temple, then several times on the island. She has romantic feelings towards Hayate (she is not his half-sister in the movie, and neither she is Kasumi's),[54] and initially believes him to be dead. Ayane fails to kill Kasumi but finds Hayate and aids him against DOATEC. During the film's finale, she saves him from a potentially fatal fall.[55][56]

Ayane was portrayed by actress Natassia Malthe, a Norwegian of Malaysian descent, who was much older than Ayane is portrayed in the games. Malthe's Ayane uses a Japanese long sword and also wields two longs swords in the various promotional images in and out of character.[57] Malthe said she has undergone "weeks of martial arts training in China" for the film.[58] Tomonobu Itagaki later said he "wanted to have Japanese actresses portray Kasumi and Ayane" but the film's director Corey Yuen "believed strongly in his casting choices." Itagaki said he would have chosen Aya Ueto to play Ayane.[59] The film's producer Mark A. Altman said that he "was such a fan" of Malthe being "threatening and enigmatic as Ayane" that he cast her in Dead and Deader.[60]

Portrayed by: Kevin Nash
Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[61] Joe J. Thomas (Dimensions),[6] Patrick Seitz (DOA5–present)[62]
Voiced by (Japanese): Daisuke Gōri (DOA–DOA4), Kenta Miyake (Dimensions–present)[10]

Bass Armstrong (バース・アームストロング, Bāsu Āmusutorongu) is a semi-retired professional wrestling champion and Tina's overprotective father. He is also the widower of Alicia Armstrong, who died of a disease when Tina was only six years old, forcing Bass to take care of her by himself. He disapproves of Tina's aspirations of being a model (DOA2), a Hollywood actress (DOA3) and a rock star (DOA4). Consequently, Bass enters the DOA tournaments to put an end to her fame-seeking, only to fail at each attempt. In the fourth tournament, it is revealed that he intends to win so he would have enough money to enter the "Hyper Battle Grand Prix", which he then loses after seeing Tina's picture on a billboard and crashes into it after losing control of his bike. Like Tina in the English versions of the game, he, too, speaks with a Southern accent. In DOA5, two years after the fourth tournament, Bass is a worker at an oil rig, DiG, and has befriended Rig. He decides to reenter the ring after the next tournament is announced, mainly after hearing that Tina will participate. He enters under the alias "Mr. Strong" so that his daughter would not recognize her; unfortunately for him, she does anyway. After defeating Tina in the quarterfinals, he is eliminated by Jann Lee in the semifinals. Some time after the fifth tournament, DiG was somehow destroyed and Rig was homeless because DiG was like a home to him; Bass offers to stay with him. As DOA6 tournament is about to start, he and Tina return to their wrestling career, with Rig hired to sponsor them. Bass is then introduced by his daughter's new MMA friend and their biggest fan, Mila, who eventually becomes his opponent and defeats him at the round of 16. When several groups and individuals such as the Mugen Tenshin, Hayabusa Ninjas, and the mercenary Bayman, are trying to come after Rig, Bass becomes worried about his best friend's situation and sudden disappearance, unaware that MIST brainwashed Rig into serving them.

In the live-action adaptation, Bass is played by professional wrestler Kevin Nash. In the movie, he tries to persuade Tina to return to wrestling. Bass' character is far more lighthearted in the movie, even applauding Tina when she beats him.

Portrayed by: Derek Boyer
Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[63] Zach Hanks (Dimensions),[6] Matthew Mercer (DOA5–present)[64]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hisao Egawa (DOA), Banjō Ginga (DOA2-present)[10]

Bayman (バイマン, Baiman) is a Russian and a former Spetsnaz who specializes in the sambo fighting style. He first joins the DOA tournament to assassinate Fame Douglas, and later joins the DOA3 tournament to retaliate against Donovan for the attempt on his life by a sniper. Bayman was born and raised as an orphan in the Soviet Union. He aspired to join the military and became one of the Soviet Army's highly trained commandos. But before he saw any action, the Soviet Union collapsed. Realizing the new regime would have no use for him, Bayman slipped through the cracks of the reformation and took up the life of a mercenary, putting his skills to good use in all manner of lethal assignments. He found particular pleasure in assassinations, especially challenging or high-profile assignments. His dream assignment came to him when he entered into the first Dead or Alive World Tournament under orders from Victor Donovan to assassinate its organizer, the renowned Fame Douglas, founder and chairman of DOATEC. With his task completed, Bayman fled, now branded an outlaw. After surviving a failed attack on his life by an unknown sniper who was sent by Donovan, Bayman decides to retaliate against his former client Donovan and shows up at the third tournament in vengeance. Bayman later enters the fourth tournament, still seeking revenge on Donovan. He meets Hayate who also shares a vendetta against Donovan. Bayman fights Christie to settle a score of the enmity that aroused between the two of them. At the end of the tournament, Bayman is held in captivity within the DOATEC Tritower and is being interrogated and drugged. During the chaos that erupts due to Ayane and Hayate's intervention, he frees himself from the drug by stabbing his own hand with a pen, while his interrogators flee and are killed in the process with Ayane's spell effects. In the fifth tournament, it is revealed that Bayman has survived the incident. He is no longer an assassin, but again works as a mercenary. After his men appears to be massacred at the hands of a Kasumi clone called Phase 4, but was spared, Bayman goes to Helena for answers, and decides to look into this on his own. He helps Hayate and Ayane find their target, first being a Kasumi clone, then take them to MIST secret hideout within the offshore, and departs. He later return to the sixth tournament, where he is presumably the one who rescued Lisa Hamilton off-screen, and one of the few people who found out Rig's situation as MIST's brainwashed pawn. Knowing that Rig was also Bass' best friend, he reveals Rig's current situation to Bass, but Bass does not believe him.

Portrayed by: Fang Hue
Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[65] Paul Nakauchi (Dimensions)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Takeshi Aono (DOA–DOA4), Chikao Ōtsuka (Dimensions–DOA5)[10]

Gen Fu (ゲン・フー, Gen Fū) is a humble book store owner and an old martial arts master who specializes in the xinyi liuhe quan fighting style, a powerful and dangerous martial art involving the use of the hands and upper body. The xinyi liuhe quan master became well known for possessing the iron fist, a legendary attack known for its awesome destructive power. He lived out his days in solitude and peaceful tranquility, looking after his young granddaughter, Mei Lin. At some point during the years, he took on Eliot as an apprentice; why he chose Eliot is a mystery, even to the boy himself. He fights in the DOA tournaments to obtain money to cure his sick granddaughter. In the second tournament, he wants to defeat Gohyakumine Bankotsubo because the nose of a tengu can cure any disease. However, after the events of DOA2, he still needed money for the operation (the nose was only a temporary cure), so he joins again in DOA3. His task fulfilled at the end, he no longer joins the DOA tournaments, though he still remains a playable character in later games. In DOA4, he is revealed to be Eliot's teacher, and is the final boss for the latter's story mode. He is only seen at the end of Eliot's chapter in DOA5's story mode, and he is ready to teach Eliot a more advanced kung-fu prior to DOA6.

Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[66] Darren Criss (Dimensions),[6] Kaiji Tang (DOA5–present)[67][68]
Voiced by (Japanese): Toshio Furukawa (DOA–DOA4), Nobutoshi Canna (Dimensions–present)[10]

Jann Lee (ジャン・リー, Jan Rī) is a young martial arts expert who joins the Tournaments to show his superior Jeet Kune Do fighting abilities. Jann Lee has never seen the faces of his parents; they died when he was very young and left him an orphan, alone to fend for himself. He lived in poverty, having to wander the streets for food, and faced many hardships. In order to protect himself, Jann Lee learned Jeet Kune Do by watching various martial arts films; especially from Bruce Lee. At first he fought to replace the feelings of loss from when his parents died, but eventually Jann Lee fought purely for the sake of fighting. Eventually, he got skilled enough to get a job as a bouncer at a high-class club. He is met at the first tournament by Leifang, a girl he had saved some six years prior from a gang's attack. In the time since she had become an accomplished martial artist, vowing to prove herself not helpless by defeating Jann Lee in the DOA World Combat Championship. Not satisfied, Jann Lee enters later DOA tournaments to prove his fighting skills and looking to test himself against worthy opponents. Although he loses to Leifang in the fourth tournament, he manages to defeat her in the next one. He later claims the title of winner of the fifth DOA tournament after defeating Hitomi. Although he wins, he is still unsatisfied, and he sets his sights on his new rival: Rig. On the sixth tournament before his final match against Diego starts, Jann Lee finds and defeats Rig; however, he realizes that Rig was not himself, unaware that the latter being brainwashed by MIST. Though Jann Lee was almost bored of being the long-standing champion of DOA, he finally considered Diego, who defeated Jann Lee in an unofficial Round 2, as a worthy rival.

His name, as well as his overall appearance and mannerisms, pays homage to legendary martial artist Bruce Lee (the name "Jann Lee" is directly inspired by Bruce Lee's birth name Lee Jun-Fan (李振藩)). GamesRadar featured him on their article "Kickass Bruce Lee Clones," citing his similarities with Bruce Lee and with one of his shouts featured in famous quotes.[69]

Portrayed by: Ying Wang
Voiced by (English): uncredited actress (DOA2: Hardcore),[70] Zinnia Su (DOAX2–Dimensions),[6] Cassandra Morris (DOA5–present)
Voiced by (Japanese): Yumi Tōma[10]

Leifang is a college student[71] born into a wealthy family. She was officially aged nineteen prior to the two-year timeline skip in Dead or Alive 5. Leifang is depicted in the games as a personable woman of justice and bearing an independent spirit, and hopes that by honing her own martial arts skills, she can inspire others to do the same. Her youth and general life inexperience sometimes causes her to act impulsively.

In the storyline of the original game, she was saved from a gang of street fighters by martial artist Jann Lee.[72] Rather than being thankful, she instead becomes obsessed over defeating Jann Lee in battle, as she is bitter over his intervention because she believes she was capable at the time of saving herself.[73] However, she loses to him in subsequent DOA tournaments except that of Dead or Alive 4. She has a close friend in karate master Hitomi, and since Dead or Alive 2 she has formed a friendly rivalry with wrestler Tina Armstrong, who believes that the meaning of power comes from physical strength.

In the early sketches for the original Dead or Alive, Leifang's name was Long Lihua (龍麗華) and her fighting style was Chinese kung fu (中国拳法). Leifang is 163 cm high, weights 50 kg, and her measurements are B87/W55/H86.[74] Leifang's Japanese voice actress has always been Yumi Tōma, who also voiced a similarly genki Chinese girl fighter Ling Xiaoyu in the Bandai Namco's Tekken series.

Voiced by (English): Michael McConnohie (Dimensions)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Koji Yada (DOA, DOAU), Tetsu Inada (Dimensions–present)[10]

Raidou (雷道, Raidō) is Ayane and Honoka's biological father, Kasumi and Hayate's uncle, Shiden's older brother, Burai's eldest son, Ayame's brother-in-law, and the main antagonist of the first and sixth Dead or Alive games. A power-hungry shinobi, Raidou sought to master all of the Mugen Tenshin clan's techniques. During his youth, his father trained him and Shiden in the most advanced skills of the Tenjinmon of Mugen Tenshin ninjutsu. As he grew older, his anger and rage became more unstable as Shiden was constantly getting stronger than him, physically, mentally, and spiritually. He also had a lustful eye for Ayame but she was in love with Shiden, which infuriated Raidou further. When Burai refused to let him lead the clan, Raidou became insane with rage and left the village, determined to become the most powerful ninja in history. At some point after his departure, he was involved with an unknown woman in some way, which lead to the conception and birth of Honoka. When he returned to the village while Shiden was away, Raidou raped Ayame (Hayate and Kasumi's mother), who became pregnant with Ayane. As a result, Raidou was banished from his village. Years later, he returned to gain the clan's signature technique, the Torn Sky Blast, and confronts Hayate after easily defeating Ayane. Hayate uses the Torn Sky Blast to attack Raidou, but Raidou counters with his own version of the technique (despite only seeing it once) and defeats Hayate after a brief struggle, knocking him into a coma. Raidou was killed by Kasumi in the first DOA tournament out of revenge for what he did to Hayate, thus deeming her the tournament's winner. He is playable in all console versions of the original Dead or Alive once unlocked. He also appears in DOA Dimensions as an unlockable character. He is later returned in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round (canonically in Dead or Alive 6) as an undead cyber ninja, becoming MIST's secret agent after Donovan retrieved his corpse and orders MIST's newly recruited scientist NICO to remove some of his memories, except his insatiable lust for power, death and revenge. His resurrection requires the powers from his two illegitimate daughters, Ayane and Honoka; this was actually his plan from the beginning of his death all along. Even after being resurrected, he is destroyed by a combined effort of Kasumi, Hayate and Ayane, leaving no trace of him left behind. While he no longer participates in the DOA tournaments, he still remains a playable character in later installments.

Cheat Code Central ranked him #5 of their "worst video game dads" list in 2012, calling him "a blight on virtual humanity" and adding that "we can all agree the DOA universe is better off without this power-hungry monster".[75]

Portrayed by: Jaime Pressly
Voiced by (English): uncredited actress (DOA2: Hardcore),[76] Kate Higgins (DOAX2–present)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Mami Koyama (DOA), Yūko Nagashima (DOA2–present)[10]

Tina Armstrong is the only child of famous professional wrestler Bass Armstrong, who raised her alone after her mother's death. He wanted Tina to follow him into the wrestling industry, and trains her for such at a young age. Though she is already an expert grappler by her teenage years, she dreams of expanding her horizons beyond the wrestling scene. In the original Dead or Alive game, Tina joins the Dead or Alive fighting tournament as a vehicle for becoming discovered by Hollywood. Bass opposes this decision as he does not want her to quit wrestling, and enters the competition himself to prevent her achieving her goals. Tina reaches the final match against Kasumi, which she ends up forfeiting, but nonetheless collects the cash prize after Kasumi refuses it. In Dead or Alive 2, Tina aspires to become a supermodel, for which she reverts her hair to blonde and dresses in skimpy outfits.[77] She ends up having to fight her own father in the competition, and emerges victorious. She gets her wish and begins modeling on a television show.

In Dead or Alive 3, Tina has decided that she wants to switch from modeling to acting, she competes in the third tournament in the name of self-promotion, and defeats Bass in combat a second time when he again unsuccessfully attempts to intervene in her interests. She goes on to star in an action war film after the tournament concludes. She joins the fourth competition in Dead or Alive 4 now wanting to become a rock star, over which she and Bass quarrel before she officially defeats him for a third time. After the tournament's conclusion, she goes on to shoot a garish music video. She then departs to New Zack Island in Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 to finally escape the clutches of her overbearing father.

In Dead or Alive 5, Tina has quit competitive fighting since achieving success in the entertainment world, but she is lured out of retirement and recruited into the fifth tournament by Zack (owner of Zack Island in the Dead or Alive Xtreme games). Tina then takes out Virtua Fighter character Sarah Bryant as her reaction to Zack confusing her with Sarah. When Tina publicly announces her plans of returning to competition, Bass attempts to stop her once again, this time by posing as a tournament contestant named "Mr. Strong". After he eliminates her in the quarterfinals, he reveals his identity and Tina convinces him in turn to join her as a father-daughter tandem, but further reveals that she now wants to transition into politics, announcing a gubernatorial campaign. In Dead or Alive 6, she is already making plans for her gubernational campaign as governor, but then ultimately has to quit her goal upon realizing from Zack that she's too young to run for office. She then worked with her dad as a father-daughter tandem, also briefly having a spar with Honoka, and introducing Mila to Lisa Hamilton.

It was revealed during the fourth anniversary for Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation that Tina was added on January 28, 2022, as part of the celebration of the overall franchise's 25th anniversary.[78]

Portrayed by: Brian J. White
Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[79] Dennis Rodman (DOAX), Khary Payton (DOAX2–Dimensions),[6][80] Keith Silverstein (DOA5–present)[81]
Voiced by (Japanese): Bin Shimada[10]

Zack (ザック, Zakku) is an eccentric DJ who specializes in the muay thai boxing style. After hearing about the tournament, Zack enters to increase his popularity and make a name for himself, and apparently succeeds in that endeavor to an extent. Zack enters the next tournament to please his fans and gain more money, in which he once again succeeds and then returns to his life of leisure. After exhausting all his financial reserves, Zack enters the third tournament to earn more money so that he can enjoy a Las Vegas vacation. However, it is revealed he did not actually win the tournament, but Ayane, who defeated Omega (Genra). Due to Ayane's departure after the tournament, Zack claims the title by default. Shortly afterwards, Zack goes to Las Vegas and using his earnings, bets it all in various casinos. He wins enough money to buy Zack Island, an extravagant private beach resort. He then invites all the women of DOA under the false pretense of another tournament, who take the bait and arrive on the island where Zack, accompanied by his girlfriend Niki, convinces them to stay for a brief two-week vacation. Unfortunately, the Zack Island has sunk to the bottom of the ocean. In the fourth tournament, Zack's sights are already set on his next conquest: the DOATEC Tritower, three enormous pillars stretching up to the sky. Unfortunately, the tower catches on fire (as a result of the Mugen Tenshin attack) as Zack is climbing it, but he manages to escape the flames, saving Helena's life in the process. He is then made the winner of the fourth tournament due to his bravery (Helena was the original winner). After finding the treasure of an undead Egyptian pharaoh in DOA4, Zack and Niki use their newfound wealth to form an unexplained contract with extraterrestrials who use a tractor beam to raise Zack Island (now called "New Zack Island") from the ocean floor, allowing Zack and Niki to once again restore it into an island paradise for the ladies of Dead or Alive to come play in. After proposing to Niki, Zack appear to be engulfed in a fiery explosion after a series of flaming meteorites once again destroys the island. However, it is later revealed that he was saved by the ambiguous alien abduction ray in a Deus Ex Machina fashion. Before the fifth tournament, Zack joins Helena as her assistant in the newly reformed DOATEC. He made the official international announcement for the next tournaments and had a new arenas built for them. He personally invited Hitomi, Tina, and Jann Lee to participate in the tournament, although he understands the situations of Diego's mother as the main reason why Diego unable to join in at first. When Kokoro felt conflicted upon learning her connection to her half-sister Helena, Zack helped her out and managed to get her to reconcile with Helena.

Zack's appearance is based on former NBA star Dennis Rodman. In the film DOA: Dead or Alive, Zack is portrayed by Brian J. White, retaining his natural personality. He also seems to have some interest in Tina, as in the games; in his last appearance of the film, Zack fights Tina and is defeated by her.

Portrayed by: Collin Chou
Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[82] Yuri Lowenthal (Dimensions–present)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hikaru Midorikawa[10]

Hayate (ハヤテ) is the oldest child and only son of Shiden and Ayame, the leaders of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, and was born to be the next leader of the clan. When Genra requested to Shiden for Ayane, the village's "cursed child"-, to help him in his duties, Hayate treated the girl with kindness, which most of the clan did not give her. The two formed a strong bond, although Hayate did not know that Ayane was actually his half-sister, conceived when his uncle, the rogue ninja Raidou, raped Ayame when Hayate was only seven years old. Years later, Raidou attacked the Mugen Tenshin Village in an attempt to steal the clan's ninja technique, the Torn Sky Blast. Ayane attacked Raidou to defend Hayate and out of revenge for her birth, but was defeated. Hayate ran to her side, but when Raidou called him a "weakling" for hiding behind a woman, Hayate attacked him in rage, using the Torn Sky Blast to fight Raidou who stole it from him. As both of their attacks collided, the resulting explosion threw Hayate into a tree, cracking his spine and sending him into a coma. During the first Dead or Alive Tournament, Hayate was captured by DOATEC and was made to undergo various experiments as part of "Project Epsilon". After Project Epsilon was deemed a failure, Hayate was abandoned and was later found in the Black Forest of Germany by Hitomi, whose family took him in. Suffering from amnesia, he was named Ein (アイン, Ain, German for "One") and studied karate under Hitomi's father, later mastering it and became an instructor. He later joins the second Dead or Alive tournament to seek out his forgotten past, encountering many who knew him, including Ayane, Kasumi, Ryu, and Helena; he is eventually bested by Ryu in the tournament, while also recovering his memories through a combat against Kasumi per Ryu's request. However, he and Ryu learn that Ayane's foster father and ninja master, Genra betrays Mugen Tenshin and align with a company who cloned Kasumi, DOATEC. Soon after discovering Kasumi became a nukenin, Hayate and Ayane returned to his home village. In Dead or Alive 3, Hayate was assigned as the new leader of the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, becoming the 18th leader, succeeding his father. He joins the third tournament to help Ayane and Ryu defeat Omega-empowered Genra. Although he feels it was his duty to defeat Omega Genra as leader of the clan, Hayate is bested by Ayane, who then proceeds to the final round and prepare settle score with her foster father on her own, citing that it was a personal affair. Despite a minor setback when both Christie and Genra set up a trap to lure Ryu into after the former when she kidnapped Irene, Ryu is able to arrive on time to aid Hayate to weaken Genra, allowing Ayane to kill her traitorous foster father. He later returns in Dead or Alive 4 with Hayabusa and Ayane to defeat DOATEC and its latest creation, Alpha-152. He crosses paths with La Mariposa, who reveals that she manipulated them into attacking the Tritower. He appears as the final boss in Hitomi's story mode (as Ein), where he offers to help the latter rebuild her father's dojo if she could beat him in a fight. In the fifth tournament, he and Ayane are asked by Zack to follow Kasumi and assist Helena in her attempt to investigate the newly formed MIST. He encounters a Kasumi clone and kill her. After being freed by Lisa from Rig's trap, he helps the real Kasumi, Hayabusa and Ayane defeat the remaining clones. In the sixth tournament, Hayate is given by Lisa a prototype anti-Epsilon bracelet to prevent the effect from freezing his body, before going to rescue both Honoka and Ayane from being used by MIST to resurrect their father, Raidou. Hayate along with Kasumi and Ayane would later track down the resurrected Raidou who again calls him out for having women accompanying him in a fight. Hayate calls him out for being a traitor and using his abilities for evil purposes. With their combined efforts, the trio destroyed Raidou for good, leaving no trace of him behind.

In the live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive, Hayate is captured by DOATEC after winning that year's DOA competition rather than being captured by DOATEC in his home village. He is meant to test Donovan's newest invention rather than being tested on Project Epsilon and is the reason for Kasumi's entrance in the tournament, much like the first game. Donovan states that Hayate is stronger than Kasumi and that he has a "perfect blend of skill, timing and strength." Hayate and Ayane are also shown as lovers rather than half-siblings. The fighting style he used was eagle claw.

While have yet physically appearing in a modern-era Ninja Gaiden game, he is mentioned in Ninja Gaiden 3. Overhearing Hayabusa was cursed by the Regent of the Mask (a brainwashed Theodore Higgins) into having sword merge with his right arm and slowly hurt him, Hayate sent Ayane to lend his signature sword, Jinrai-Maru to be used by their friend throughout the third entry of modern-era Ninja Gaiden game's chapters.

Portrayed by: Sarah Carter
Voiced by (English): uncredited actress (DOA2: Hardcore),[83] Karen Strassman (DOAX2–DOA Paradise, DOA5–present),[80] Julianne Buescher (Dimensions)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yuka Koyama[10]

Helena Douglas is the illegitimate daughter of Fame Douglas and his mistress, a French soprano named Maria. Seemingly distant from her father, Helena was hardly affected by his assassination after the first Dead or Alive, and instead followed in her mother's footsteps by becoming a successful opera singer in her own right. However, she herself is targeted in an attempted hit during one of her performances, but Maria spots the assassin's sniper rifle at the last second and intentionally takes the fatal bullet intended for her daughter, leaving Helena alone and seeking vengeance.

She officially debuts in Dead or Alive 2 (1999), where, while searching for the killer, she discovers that her parents' deaths and the attempt on her own life are connected to the Dead or Alive (DOA) World Combat Championship, and enters the tournament to discover the truth. Although never explained in the series, Helena appears to have learned or known information pertaining to the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee (DOATEC), especially after encountering an amnesiac contestant named Ein. Helena implicates Ayane as her mother's assassin, an accusation Ayane neither confirms nor denies, which causes a fight to break out between them.

Helena returns for Dead or Alive 3 (2001), and is captured by antagonist Victor Donovan and imprisoned.[84] Although Helena insists that she has no ties to DOATEC, Donovan declares that her freedom and the revelation of the truth behind DOATEC—her father having been the head of the organization prior to his death—hinges on her winning the third tournament. In the meantime, Donovan assigns Christie to keep an eye on her, with orders to kill her if necessary. However, when confronted by Helena, Christie admits that she is an assassin sent to terminate her, but the attempt fails.

Helena takes over as new chairperson of DOATEC in 2005's Dead or Alive 4, in which she is the main protagonist. She hires the assassin Bayman to take out Donovan, a job he declines. When the DOATEC Tritower comes under attack by the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan, Helena meets La Mariposa, who admits she tricked the clan into attacking in order to stop Donovan. She later discovers that she and Kokoro are blood-related, as her mother Miyako had been one of Fame Douglas' mistresses. Helena is later approached by Kasumi who tells her to stop the war between DOATEC and the Mugen Tenshin. Helena refuses, stating that they'll stop at nothing until DOATEC is destroyed, and she is willing do anything to stop Donovan and Alpha-152. Helena attempts to kill Kasumi with a pistol but she is saved by Hayabusa. Helena learns the truth about Christie’s involvement of Maria’s death and they meet in battle again, the result of which is unknown, save for the fact that they both survive. Helena elects to go down with DOATEC by activating the building's self-destruct mechanism. Once the self-destruct is activated, she reflects on her childhood and the deaths of both Maria and another of her father's past lovers, Anna. As Ayane, Hayate, and Ryu Hayabusa are detonating the DOATEC headquarters, Helena elects to give up her life in the flames of the wreckage before Zack arrives in a helicopter to rescue her.

In Dead or Alive 5 (2012), Helena eventually hires Zack while proclaim him to the winner of fourth tournament. With Zack's help,[85] she becomes the leader of the newly reformed DOATEC and announces the revival of the Dead or Alive tournaments,[86] then enlists Hayate and Ayane to help Kasumi on the latter's mission of destroying an army of evil clones of herself, though Helena was unaware that the Kasumi she saw was actually a clone, until the real Kasumi joins the fray in the final battle.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate introduced Helena's loyal maid servant Marie Rose, whom Helena send her to keep an eye on a young scholar fighter who was introduced in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round named Honoka in Dead or Alive 6, realizing that MIST will kidnap her upon witnessing a familiar phenomenal power within Honoka in the day when the said young fighter was disqualified in the fifth tournament’s Asian qualifier match. As Hayate met Rig shortly at the night after the fifth tournament ended in the same time Helena set self-destruct DiG where MIST been hiding, but not in another way it seems, Helena realize something tragically happened to Rig, not even Rig aware what happened after his “home” was destroyed and begin to live at Bass Armstrong’s apartment in New York. Although Lisa manage to survive the explosion at MIST’s first hideout on DiG, Helena tried to object Lisa from keeping herself take a risk to end Donovan’s terror, but realize the latter has a point on not wasting time to let a madman like Donovan get away from his crimes. When Kokoro found out her connection with their late-biological father Fame, Helena got into an argument with her half-sister over their illegitimate family, until Zack manage to calm down the situation, much to Helena’s relieve. As Marie, Bayman and the ninjas finally found MIST’s second hideout in the same time after Honoka and Ayane’s biological evil father Raidou was revived as an undead cyber nukenin, Helena confronts the young scientist who led a resurrection project behind Raidou’s revival, NiCO, who also revived Helena’s late-mother Maria off-screen. Upon realizing what NiCO’s plan is, Helena disapproves of bringing their lost parents back to life, citing that one needs to move on and vowing that NiCO will someday learn to move on from her pain as Helena has.

Helena is playable in the spinoff games Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (2003), Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (2006) and Dead or Alive Paradise (2010), still pursuing Christie. She returned as one of nine player characters in the 2016 release Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 after being voted onto the roster in a Japanese fan poll.[87]

Helena is a main character in the 2006 live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive, played by Sarah Carter. Helena's role of tournament hostess remains intact, but her backstory is ignored and she is given an upbeat personality that contrasts to her aloof in-game disposition; she appears in one scene wearing roller skates, and a line of dialogue has her commenting about wanting to visit Paris. Throughout the movie, Helena is treated as a necessary annoyance by tournament organizer Donovan (Eric Roberts), who has gained control of DOATEC after the death of Helena's father. She additionally gains a noncanonical love interest in Donovan's technical assistant, Weatherby.[88]

Helena has received mostly positive critical and public reception. Hilary Goldstein of IGN enthused in 2004, "We love Helena because she's the default ass-kicker. Plus, her home arena, the burning Opera House, is among the coolest in DOA Ultimate. Helena is also the only girl [in the series] that has classic beauty to her. The others play on that Asian school girl vibe men love, but Helena has more class (and bosom, sure) going for her ... the lack of slut outfits makes her the best dressed".[89] IGN also included her in their "Videogame Babe of the Day" series.[90] Official Dreamcast Magazine commented that Helena proved the stereotype of the "fat opera chick" to be "wildly inaccurate".[77] In 2013, Gavok of 4thletter.net ranked Helena's story mode ending in Dead or Alive 4 as the 5th "Best Fighting Game Ending", commenting on how he dig the hell out of the ending. Gavok called the ending "awesome" and stated "One of the best cinematics I can remember. Everything about this ending is top-of-the-line".[91] In 2014, Brazilian site GameHall's "Portal PlayGame" ranked Helena as the eleventh-most sexy female video character, deeming her the "most beautiful" overall in the series.[92] Helena was voted the DOA series' tenth-most popular character in a fan poll conducted by Koei Tecmo in 2014,[93] but while she was one of the characters voted by fans to qualify for Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, she finished last (ninth) with the fewest percentage of votes.[94]

Engadget's Ludwig Kietzmann questioned "the practices of Helena Douglas, a supposedly French CEO who dresses for sultry cabaret and literally beats up her employees".[95] Helena was named one of the top seven "hottest girls" in video game film adaptations by Spanish magazine Marca Player in 2009.[96] Her fight scene with Christie placed eleventh in the 2012 "best cinematic girl-on-girl fights" online poll conducted by JoBlo.com.[97] In 2019, Watchmojo ranked her 9th "Best Dead or Alive character" calling her "elegant, graceful, and a whole lot of class".[98]

Portrayed by: Silvio Simac
Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[99] Richard Epcar (Dimensions–present)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Koji Totani (DOA2–DOA4), Jōji Nakata (Dimensions–present)[10]

Leon (レオン, Reon) is an Italian mercenary who, like Bayman, specializes in the combat sambo style of close-quarters combat. While he was on the Silk Road, he met Lauren, a young thief, and fell in love with her. The two were in a loving relationship until Lauren's sudden, tragic death in the desert. As Lauren died in Leon's arms, her final words were: "The man I love is the strongest man in the world." To prove this claim, Leon enters the second DOA tournament, where he fights Zack, who he seemed to have recognized from the past (though Zack does not seem to remember or actually know him), and Gen Fu. He loses in the second tournament, but returns in the third tournament where he encounters Jann Lee. After the events of the third tournament, he returns to the desert oasis where he had buried Lauren, and sees the mirage of his lover who gives him a desert flower before disappearing, indicating that he has fulfilled her expectations. He no longer participates in the DOA tournaments, though he remains a playable character in later installments.

Silvio Simac's portrayal in the live action film has been praised by fans of the games who stated that he portrayed Leon exactly as they wanted.

Voiced by (English): uncredited actor (DOA2: Hardcore),[100] Joel Swetow (Dimensions)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Osamu Saka[10]

Gohyakumine Bankotsubo (五百峯万骨坊, Gohyakumine Bankotsubō) is a tengu, a mythological creature from Japanese folklore. First appearing in DOA2 as the main antagonist, he escaped to the human world from the Tengu world after murdering his leader, Kuramasan Maouson. He wants chaos to reign over the human world, but is stopped by Hayabusa. With his death, it not only brings a good news to the Tengu civilization, but also caught the attention of the said world's princess Nyotengu. He later appears as an unlockable character in DOA Ultimate, DOA4, and DOA Dimensions. It is later revealed in Dimensions that Genra allowed him to escape to the human world.

Portrayed by: Song Lin
Voiced by (English): Grant George (Dimensions–present)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yukimasa Kishino (DOA3–DOA4), Unshō Ishizuka (Dimensions–DOA6)[10]

Brad Wong (ブラッド・ウォン, Buraddo Uon) is a drunken wanderer who specializes in the Zuì Quán fighting style. He embarks on a journey in search of a riddle from his old master Chen, who told him to "bring the legendary drink called Genra." After three years of wandering on his journey, he finds himself in the DOA fighting tournament. After his search for the legendary wine apparently ends after DOA4, he accompanies Eliot, much to Eliot's annoyance.

Portrayed by: Holly Valance
Voiced by (English): April Stewart (DOAX2–Dimensions),[6] Laura Bailey (DOA5)
Voiced by (Japanese): Kotono Mitsuishi[10]

In the Dead or Alive series, Christie is a cold and heartless professional assassin who relishes her occupation for the act of killing rather than the financial reward. She employs any means necessary to attain her mission objectives, including using her looks, charm, and sex appeal to lure her intended victims, though on occasion she will flirt with her male targets in lieu of killing them.

Before the events of Dead or Alive 2 (1999), in which Christie is not playable, she is ordered by Donovan to assassinate Helena Douglas, who had inherited DOATEC after her father's death, in turn serving as a roadblock to Donovan's attempted takeover of the tournament. Christie attempts to kill Helena with a sniper rifle but Helena's mother Maria intentionally takes the fatal bullet instead. Christie manages to escape and succeeds in later posing as Helena's personal assistant.

Christie is player-controllable for the first time in Dead or Alive 3. Her objective therein is to prevent Helena from winning the third Dead or Alive tournament, and in the process prevent her from uncovering more of Donovan's plans. When she does confront Helena, she is stopped by Bayman, who is seeking revenge on Donovan for having ordered a hit on him. Christie commands a clone of Kasumi to defeat Helena, a task that fails. Christie kidnaps CIA agent Irene Lew to lure the ninja Ryu Hayabusa away from his friends Hayate and Ayane.

In Dead or Alive 4, Christie serves as Donovan's bodyguard, but they are unable to prevent the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan (Hayate, Ayane) and Ryu from destroying DOATEC's Tritower headquarters. As the tower is engulfed in flames, Christie finds Helena inside and reveals that she killed Maria. After an inconclusive fight, Christie flees the tower, while Helena is rescued from the building and becomes the new leader of the Dead or Alive tournaments. At the end of the game, Christie is shown stripping at a club, assassinating a man by seducing him and piercing a needle through his spinal cord. Christie goes on to continue her work as an assassin for hire, a role she resumes in Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (2006).

In Dead or Alive 5 (2012), she again serves under Donovan, this time for his new organization MIST. She visits a DOATEC oil platform and confronts worker Rig, insinuating that she knows about his past. She increases security on the rig at Donovan's command when he learns that the Mugen Tenshin plan on infiltrating it. However, she is defeated in battle by Bayman, and then Kasumi. The ninja clan ultimately destroys the rig, and Christie's whereabouts are unknown afterward.

Christie is a protagonistic character[88] in the 2006 live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive, and was played by Australian actress and model Holly Valance. She was given a surname (Allen), while her hair is a normal blonde instead of the white from the games. Christie is depicted as more approachable and social than her in-game counterpart but retains her role of master thief and assassin, working with a noncanonical character named Max (Matthew Marsden) to steal Donovan's $100 million fortune hidden in a vault on the tournament grounds.[88]

Portrayed by: Hung Lin
Voiced by (English): Hynden Walch (DOAX2–DOA Paradise), Eden Riegel (DOA Paradise–present)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yui Horie[10]

Hitomi was born in Germany to a German father and Japanese mother. She was trained in karate by her father, a martial artist and dojo owner. She is energetic and cheerful, with a longtime commitment to her martial arts studies. Despite her Japanese name, Hitomi identifies more as Western, as her role in the series focuses more on her upbringing with her father while her relationship with her mother is unexplored. Due to this, her name is typically written in Katakana instead of Kanji.

After the events of the original Dead or Alive, Hitomi encounters an amnesiac named "Ein", who had been abandoned by the executive committee of the first tournament. She takes him into her home, and together they practice karate until he departs to enter the second tournament to find out about his past. He gradually regains his memories of being ninja clan leader Hayate, which enables him to return home to his village.

In Dead or Alive 3 (2001), the eighteen-year-old[90] Hitomi (making her playable debut in the series) enters the third DOA tournament simply to prove her skills and independence. While working as a waitress for the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee (DOATEC), she reunites with Ein and meets ninjutsu specialist Ayane, and during this time, Ein reveals the truth about himself to Hitomi. She additionally meets fellow contestant Jann Lee, sharing a keen passion for martial arts, the two shared martial arts philosophies and demonstrated their own martial arts skills, she later chastises him for being too hard on opponents after he brutally defeats Leifang. After Hitomi finishes third, she is allowed to quit the dojo and she transitions into life as an independent adult.

Hitomi is a secret playable character in the 2004 release Dead or Alive Ultimate,[101] but does not appear in the game's story mode.[102] In Dead or Alive 4 (2005), she enters the DOA tournament once more, this time in hopes of winning the cash prize after her father is stricken with an illness that puts a financial strain on the dojo despite his eventual recovery. She defeats Leifang and again faces Jann Lee after he "rescues" her from a T-rex. In the DOATEC Tritower, Hitomi encounters Hayate and pleads for him to return to her father's dojo, admitting that she does not know what to do without his guidance, but Hayate refuses, because he is no longer "Ein", while the fourth tournament is not a competition but a war. In Dead or Alive 5 (2012), Hitomi reunites with Leifang and they train together before going their separate ways. Hitomi defeats Mila in the quarterfinals and Eliot in the semifinals. Before the finals, Hitomi encounters Hayate once again, declaring that she needs to win one more fight and she will be champion. However, she is defeated by Jann Lee in the finals, making her the tournament runner-up.

In Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, Hitomi is invited to Zack Island for the fourth DOA tournament, which turns out to be a ruse concocted by Zack (the island's owner) in order to lure the girls of DOA into a two-week tropical vacation. In the sequel Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, Hitomi returns to the island to participate in the fifth tournament after being deceived again into a false invitation from Zack. In Dead or Alive Xtreme 3,[103] Hitomi returns to New Zack Island after the fifth tournament to get distracted itself and have some fun before returning to her training for the next tournament.

Hitomi has a cameo in the 2006 live-action film DOA: Dead or Alive, played by Hung Lin. In the movie, a character resembling Hitomi is seen wearing her in-game outfit of a pink headband and a denim jacket, but she had no dialogue while her personality was given to Dead or Alive 4 protagonist Helena Douglas. Hitomi also appeared in the Ninja Gaiden series' smartphone action card game Hyakuman-nin no Ninja Gaiden (in a ninja version with a sword) in 2013[104] and her card was included in Sega's Samurai & Dragons game that same year.[105]

Voiced by (English): Andrew Kishino (Dimensions)[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Osamu Saka[10]

Genra (幻羅) was Ayane's foster father and the leader of Mugen Tenshin's Hajin Mon ninja. He was the one who sent Ayane after Kasumi after the latter left the clan in order to avenge Hayate. In Dead or Alive 3, he was the main antagonist, used as a test subject by DOATEC for Project Omega, transforming him into the superhuman Omega (オメガ). As Omega, he appears as a hulking figure fully clad in dark samurai armor, and wields a tokkosho sword. Unlike most matches in the Dead or Alive series, his battles are fought at an obscure camera angle. In Dead or Alive: Dimensions, Genra is featured as a boss character and as an unlockable character, and the stage's camera where he is the final boss in the third game no longer obscure. In the game's Chronicle Mode, it is revealed that he willingly gave himself over to DOATEC, particularly his accomplish, Victor Donovan to become stronger, revealing his cruel and power-hungry personality. It is also revealed that he allowed Bankotsubo, the Tengu, to pass through human world. He was finally defeated and killed by Ayane (with aid from Hayabusa and Hayate, as revealed in Dimensions), who later ritually cremates him, taking his tokkosho. His appearances in the games are portrayed with his face obscured, usually with a wooden mask.

Voiced by (English): Masasa Moyo (DOAX2–Dimensions),[6][80] Wendee Lee (DOA5–present)
Voiced by (Japanese): Maaya Sakamoto[10]

Lisa Hamilton (リサ・ハミルトン, Risa Hamiruton) is a young African-American woman who first appears in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, being hired by Zack as Zack Island's holiday representative. Prior to her appearance, she was once the lead scientist at DOATEC, being involved in the Epsilon Project. However she released Hayate. She then left DOATEC for a job as a stockbroker, though she still remains affiliated to DOATEC as its lead scientist for Project Alpha. Lisa is very sociable, getting along with everyone, including Ayane and Christie. She also seems to be a bit of a workaholic, evident by her multiple jobs, and the fact that she is almost always seen doing some form of work. Her multiple careers and job-changing is a trait she shares with Tina, her best friend from her high school days. In Dead or Alive 4, she appears as a masked luchadora named La Mariposa (ラ・マリポーサ, Ra Maripōsa, Spanish for "butterfly"), entering the tournament to match her wrestling skills against Tina's. She also confronts Hayate, revealing to him that she had manipulated him into destroying DOATEC. Also, in a cutscene involving her talking to Helena, she has shown to have some form of resentment with the company, specifically with Donovan's motives. She finally teams up with Tina to defeat a rival wrestling team at the end of her story mode, revealing her true identity in the process. In Dead or Alive 5, it is revealed that she is an operative for Donovan's new organization, MIST In the game's true ending, after she frees Hayate and the Mugen Tenshin ninja and Hayabusa destroy the lab, she is trapped under some debris and her scream can be heard in the following explosion. Thankfully, she survived manage to get out of MIST's oil rig hideout as of Dead or Alive 6, and was “replaced” by NiCO. Before sixth tournament, Lisa also prepared prototype anti-Epsilon brace to prevent the Epsilon freezing Hayate's body for a limited time during his encounter with one of the MIST agents.

Lisa has received positive reception among critics. IGN called her "a wondergirl in every sense of the word. She moves like a wound up junkie in a bar fight, so you can use this to your advantage in being highly unpredictable in battle".[106] In 2006, IGN featured Lisa in their "Videogame Babe of the Day" series, calling her a beauty who "may be one of the only virtual women ever who would look good even with taped-up nerd glasses on".[107] and in Dead or Alive Paradise.[108] GameDaily included her among the "Top 25 Hottest Game Babes", saying "Watching Lisa... err... La Mariposa flying around the wrestling ring makes us want to take up lucha libre, if for nothing else than to let her give us "personal" instruction. It sure beats high school wrestling".[109] GameDaily also included her in the "Babe of the Week: All-American Girls" list, calling her a smoking hot lady with many talents and acknowledging her multiple occupations.[110] GameDaily later included her among "chicks that will kick your ass" along with Kasumi and Tina Armstrong.[111] In 2011, Aubrey Sitterson of UGO Networks rank her 16th on the "Fighting Games' Finest Female Fighters", giving praise to her luchadora persona.[112] In 2014, Brazilian site GameHall's "Portal PlayGame" mentioned her in their "Top 100 hottest characters in games".[113] In 2015, Artemis of NoobFeed placed her 7th in "The Top 10 Luchadores in Video Games", saying "With various aerial moves that show off her skills as a luchador as well as her cunning and wit, she's not to be underestimated". Artemis also stated "Her fighting style does truly reflect that of the “Butterfly” – which is what La Mariposa means – and she uses this to her advantage".[114] Rachel Anders of LevelSkip included her in "The Top 10 Sexiest Women in Dead or Alive", ranking her 8th. In 2019, Watchmojo mentioned her in their "Top 10 Dead Or Alive Characters" list.[98] Kakuchopurei ranked her 8th "best Dead or Alive waifu", calling her "a great example of a strong lass climbing out from the dredges of a fanservice game to a mothership fighting title, showing the world she can Lucha Libre while looking fabulous".[115]

Voiced by (English): Rolland Lopez (Dimensions),[6] David Vincent (DOA5–present)[116]
Voiced by (Japanese): Junko Minagawa[10]

Eliot (エリオット, Eriotto) is a high school boy from Britain and the sole apprentice to Gen Fu. He joins the fourth DOA tournament, very determined to prove to himself that he is worthy of being the successor. He is also revealed to be uncertain of why Gen Fu would choose him as his successor, seen while talking to Brad Wong. He later faces Gen Fu at the end of his story mode, and defeats him, proving his worth. He decides to enter the fifth tournament, and Brad follows him. He is eliminated in the semifinals after losing to Hitomi, and he is now ready to learn xinyi liuhe quan, as taught by Gen Fu. His principle outfits are usually traditional kung fu uniforms, though he also wears modern Western fashions. His fighting style is xing yi quan, until he obtain the xinyi liuhe quan as of DOA6.

Voiced by (English): Kathryn Feller (DOAX2–Dimensions),[6][80] Heather Hogan-Watson (DOA5–present)[117]
Voiced by (Japanese): Ayako Kawasumi[10]

Kokoro (こころ, "heart") is a Japanese girl that uses the bajiquan fighting style. Her mother, Miyako, was a DOATEC official and one of Fame Douglas' many mistresses, and after Kokoro's birth, Miyako and her child moved to the country. Kokoro began training to be a geisha, but her heart was actually in both training to be a geisha and martial arts. She asked her mother if she could participate in the 4th Dead or Alive tournament, and she hesitantly accepted, but also says a statement indicating she could possibly meet someone of significance ("blood is thicker than water"). After several rounds of the tournament, Kokoro meets the DOATEC heiress Helena, who, unbeknownst to Kokoro, is her half-sister, up until she learned in their connections in the sixth tournament from MIST scientist NiCO, and eventually get warmed up from the conflict of this revelation thanks to Zack, reconciling with her sister. Kokoro's CG ending shows her returning home to pursue her geisha training once again, doing things like fan dancing and playing the shamisen and taiko drum. After she and her mother move to Tokyo for her mother's business, Kokoro sees Helena's announcement for the next tournament, in which she loses to Eliot in the quarterfinals. Kokoro is one of the original nine qualified characters in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3.[22]

Voiced by: Lyssa Browne

Nicole (ニコール, Nikōru) (codenamed "SPARTAN-458") is the result of the collaboration between Tecmo's Team Ninja and Microsoft's Bungie.[118] Team Ninja originally asked Bungie for permission to use the Master Chief, which Bungie claimed would be impossible due to storyline restrictions.[118] But the staff at Bungie were intrigued with the idea and wanted to try something similar. As a result, Bungie developed the concept of a Spartan not entirely connected to the Halo storyline who could conveniently and somewhat plausibly be fit into the Dead or Alive universe. This concept evolved into the character of Nicole. Nearly all of the resources for her design came straight from Halo 2 game data. The data was modified to work in the Dead or Alive game engine as a female combatant, but kept to the traditional Spartan design; a feminine figure would have been implausible for such a heavily armored, cybernetically enhanced individual.[118] According to Nicole's fictional backstory, she is born in the Martian city of Legaspi in 2531. This, however, seems unlikely as the SPARTAN-II program used children of the age of 6 and born in 2511 (however it is possible as it is believed that there was a second class of Spartan-IIs). Members of the UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) kidnap her at the age of six and enroll her in the SPARTAN-II Project, an initiative designed to develop the "Spartan" series of supersoldiers;[119] this is the same program that the Master Chief, and other Spartans from the Halo series undergo. Bungie explained Nicole's presence in the Dead or Alive setting of the 21st century in an article that revealed the character's background. The studio stated that the character, who has never appeared in any other Halo fiction, is sent to the 21st century when a partially stable "bubble" in the space-time continuum opens near Nassau Station, where she and her unit are preparing for a secret mission.[120] This "bubble" is created when Apocalypso, an ONI stealth vehicle, interacts with real-space, as a result of an unusual slipspace incident. This incident traps Nicole in the 21st century. While waiting for the bubble to collapse, which she hopes will enable her to return to the future, she battles any member of the DOA cast to arrive at the station, protecting its classified information.[121] To keep the space-time continuum stable, she avoids lethal force in executing her current task.

Nicole's fighting style is very quick and powerful, a variation of standard military close quarters combat. Her move list contains moves of other characters in the game; her fighting style is a hybrid of Leon and Bayman's movesets to create a blend of striking combos and throws.[122] Her style meant to incapacitate an armed opponent in a matter of seconds and take advantage of her enhanced strength, as well as to exploit any environmental advantages.[123] She is described as having great speed despite her large size.[124] Many of her moves allude to the Halo universe, with names such as "The Great Journey" and "The Grunt Punt"; the former is a powerful move that sends an opponent down stairs or off a ledge.[125] Also in Nicole's repertoire are several technologies from Halo, including active camouflage, represented by her taunt and rendering her nearly invisible, and the plasma grenade, represented by a command throw.[126] She speaks English and Japanese. Previews of Dead or Alive 4 showed a Spartan among the game's characters; this attracted attention and curiosity regarding whether such a character would appear fully functional in the final version of the game.[127] The character's moves, all of which were homages to the Halo series, and the inclusion of a Halo-based level were positively described in pre-release reviews.[127] Bungie returned the favor, and in the release of Halo 3 there is an armor type called Hayabusa, for which its design is based on Ryu Hayabusa's appearance.

Voiced by (English): Ali Hillis[80]
Voiced by (Japanese): Marina Inoue

Rio (リオ), full name Rio Rollins Tachibana (リオ・ロリンズ・タチバナ, Rio Rorinzu Tachibana), is a character from Tecmo's Rio series of pachinko games, which also received a 2011 anime series, Rio: Rainbow Gate!, as well as the Rakushou! Pachi-Slot Sengen series of video games. She appears as a playable character in Dead or Alive Paradise. She is a casino dealer who works at the famed Howard Resort, and her ability to grant good fortune to everyone around her has given her the nickname of "The Goddess of Victory".

Voiced by (English): Lloyd Sherr[6]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yukitoshi Hori[10]

Shiden (紫電) is Kasumi and Hayate's father, Ayame's husband, Raidou's younger brother, the biological uncle of Ayane and Honoka, Burai's younger son, and the former leader of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan. When he was a member of the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clan, he and Raidou were trained by their father in the most advanced skills of the Tenjinmon of Mugen Tenshin ninjutsu. Over the years, he became a physically, mentally, and spiritually stronger ninja than Raidou and eventually became the clan's 17th leader, succeeding their father Burai who was the 16th leader. This led to Raidou's departure from village out of jealously and rage. Shiden was furious at Raidou for raping his wife while he was away, and denounced him as his brother. The result of the rape led to the birth of his niece, Ayane. Years later, when Raidou returned and attacked the villagers, Shiden was bitter at Radiou for crippling his son Hayate which led to Hayate's comatic state. Shiden made the decision to have is daughter Kasumi take Hayate's place as heir to the head of the clan. Shiden kept the truth about Hayate's attacker a secret from Kasumi, worried that she would succumb to her emotions and seek Raidou out, but the attempt was in vain as Kasumi would learn the truth and left the village. After Hayate recovered from his coma, Shiden was filled with joy, and his position of leadership was ceded to Hayate in DOA3. Shiden was mentioned in the first Dead or Alive and later made his first physical appearance in Dead or Alive Ultimate. He later appears as a boss and playable character in Dead or Alive: Dimensions.

Voiced by (English): Kira Buckland[128][129]
Voiced by (Japanese): Ai Nonaka

Honoka (ほのか) is an 18-year-old Japanese fighter capable of instantly learning any fighting move that she sees. She is daughter of Raidou, the biological niece of Shiden and Ayame, the cousin of Hayate and Kasumi and the cousin and half-sister of Ayane. She made her debut in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round.[130] She appears to have a similar aura and mimicry fighting style as Raidou, which led her connection with the Mugen Tenshin clan, including Raidou's daughter, Ayane, is remained unknown, until Dead or Alive 6 finally confirms it as Ayane's older half-sister. Honoka did participate the 5th tournament's Asian qualification, with her past opponent was a male fighter known as Thomas Blake, until Raidou's demonic energy in her bloodline suddenly haywire into knocking both of her and her opponent, causing her being disqualified, and Honoka herself do not recall what was going on. Unfortunately, Honoka's life ended up in danger under MIST's eyes and ears, due to having a same energy as both Raidou and Ayane; her life is under protection of both ninjas and DOATEC to make sure she will never fall into the wrong hands such as MIST's. Unfortunately, both of she and Ayane end up being captured by MIST for Raidou's resurrection as an undead cyber demon ninja, draining most of their energies. Unlike her younger half-sister Ayane, Honoka is still completely weakened by their powers being used for Raidou's resurrection, with Hayate saving her life and giving her into Ryu Hayabusa and DOATEC's care before he, Ayane and Kasumi set off to hunt the resurrected Raidou.

Honoka was designed by Natsuko Kawakami.[131] She is playable in DOAX3, appearing on the cover due to her popularity.[22][132]

Yukitora Keiji as Marie Rose from Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate in 2016

Voiced by (English): Christine Marie Cabanos[133]
Voiced by (Japanese): Mai Aizawa

Marie Rose (マリー・ローズ, Marī Rōzu) is an 18-year-old Swedish maid and the ward of Helena Douglas, who uses the Russian fighting style systema. She debuted in the Arcade Edition of DOA5 Ultimate and is a DLC character in the retail version of the game.[134] When the sixth tournament was announced, Marie was tasked to guard Honoka, realizing MIST will come after her, including the Mugen Tenshin Ninja Ayane, to forcefully resurrecting their illegitimate father, Raidou as an undead ninja cyborg.

Marie was designed by Natsuko Kawakami.[131] She is playable in DOAX3,[22] appearing on the covers due to her popularity.[132]

Voiced by (English): Amber Connor (DOA6)[135]
Voiced by (Japanese): Ryoko Shiraishi

Mila (ミラ, Mira) is an up-and-coming mixed martial arts Spanish champion who has scored spectacular victories all over the world. She spends her days training at the gym in between shifts at her part-time job, honing her skills as a lightning fast, orthodox striker with a strong follow-up ground game. She also feels intense admiration for a certain fighter, and she has entered the fifth Dead or Alive Tournament to follow her dream of taking on her idol in the ring.[136] Some days after an exhibition match with Tina, she loses in the quarterfinals to Hitomi, as Tina also lost as well, by her own father, Bass (as Mr. Strong). In the sixth tournament however, she finally won against Bass at the round of 16. Mila is one of the few people aside Zack who worried about Diego's situation with his ill-mother.

During a vote for the release of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3, Mila was voted at 12th rank and amongst unqualified girls at the initial release of the game. Later, according to weekly Famitsu magazine on the final poll result of Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation 4th anniversary on November 18, 2021, Mila is one of the top three remaining mainline fighters alongside Tina and NiCO to be first qualify to appear in the said gacha game, with Mila is ranked at the 3rd, behind both NiCO (1st rank) and Tina (2nd rank).[137][138]

Voiced by (English): Kate Higgins[139]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yūko Minaguchi,[140] Shino Kakinuma (Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden)[139]

Momiji was raised to be Hayabusa ninja clan's Dragon Shrine Maiden like her older sister Kureha who was Ryu's childhood friend.[141] She is both a shinobi (ninja) and a miko (shamanistic shrine maiden)[142] who was tasked with keeping the ancient relics passed down the Hayabusa village from the ancient Dragon Lineage and carrying out the Shrine Maiden's rites and rituals to purify the world of evil forces. Among the relics that the maidens were tasked with guarding is the Eye of the Dragon, a jewel said to contain the souls of the ancient Dragons. Kureha was killed when the village was attacked in 2004's Ninja Gaiden and the devastated Momiji began training under Ryu as a precaution, becoming a skilled kunoichi along with her shrine maiden duties and abilities.[143] Since then she supports and follows her master whenever he comes around. Momiji is a very gentle and caring young woman who is seen as an older sister figure by all of the village's children,[144] including the boy Sanji. Like her mentor Ryu Hayabusa, Momiji trains extensively to become one of the deadliest warriors in the Hayabusa village.

In Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Momiji is normally playable only in the game's first chapter,[145] but it is possible to play her through the entire game after unlocking the special difficulty setting "The Way of Kunoichi",[146][147] which becomes accessible if the player manages to win the unfair boss fight at the end Momiji's chapter.[148] After her session of training with Ryu, Momiji stays behind to pick flowers for Kureha's grave where she is attacked by the Black Spider clan and eventually captured by the fiendish Red Dragon. She is interrogated by Black Spider's Obaba for the Eye of the Dragon but turns out she managed to fuse the jewel into her soul, preventing Obaba from killing her. The Fiends' leader Ishtaros plans to use the captive Momiji to lure Ryu and kill him. During the battle between Ryu and Ishtaros at the Gates of Hell, Ryu is overwhelmed by the Dark Dragonstones' power but the ghost of Kureha appears and draws out Momiji's soul. Together they release the Eye and imbue the Dragon Sword with its power, allowing it to become the True Dragon Sword that Ryu uses to defeat Ishtaros. Nicchae, the Greater Fiend of Destruction and Ishtaros's twin, appears and takes Momiji, Ishtaros' body and the eight Dark Dragonstones deeper into Hell in an attempt to reawaken the Vigoor Emperor. Nicchae's plan ends in failure as the Dark Dragon consumes the Emperor and Ishtaros before bursting forth to threaten the world once again. Ryu defeats the Dark Dragon with the True Dragon Sword, and Momiji is finally rescued. Afterwards, Momiji mourns Kureha alongside the children of the village and makes a vow at Kureha's grave to become stronger so she can defend herself and the village. She leaves Ryu a letter as she departs to train in her travels.

Momiji returns as a playable character in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.[149] While Ryu is away at Tokyo, the Hayabusa village is invaded once again by the Black Spider clan. As Jo battles Genshin, Momji rallies the Hayabusa ninjas to protect the rest of the villagers. Ryu later returns to the village and repels the invasion, killing almost all the invading Black Spider ninjas. Momiji soon realizes that Sanji has been taken captive, prompting her to go rescue him. As she travels to Tokyo, she encounters one of the Tengu Brothers and soundly defeats him. This leads her to Sanji, who is being held prisoner by both brothers. After her victorious battle, she reassures Sanji that she will always look out for him until he becomes a master ninja. As they return home, they are unknowingly saved by Muramasa, who kills a Black Spider ninja who is about to shoot an arrow at them. Momiji is also featured in the spin-off title ZEN Pinball: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.[150]

In Ninja Gaiden 3, after Sanji finds Ryu unconscious outside and brings him to Momiji, she watches over him and helps him recover. During his journey to find his father in the shrine, she assists him in dealing with the Grip of Murder curse while helping him defeat the Black Spider ninja clan. Whenever the curse almost takes complete control over Ryu, Momiji uses her power to protect his mind and help him regain his senses. As they get near to the shrine, they are attacked by Obaba, but they manage to defeat her. Near the end of the battle, Momiji is knocked unconscious by Obaba, but Ryu manages to save her and brings her to the shrine to be taken care of by his father. When Canna attacks Tokyo as the Goddess and Ryu begins to become overwhelmed by Fiends, Momiji and Jo arrive just in time to save him. She gives her master the Eye of the Dragon before he departs, leaving her and his father to fight off the surrounding foes.

Momiji became playable again in the NG3 update Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge.[151] She makes an appearance in the spin-off game Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z,[152] as an ally and love interest of Ryu, who is an antagonist in the game. She arrives to give the Eye of the Dragon to him, and then Ryu saves her from peril. Her card also appears in mobile game Ninja Gaiden Clans.

In the fighting games Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate and Dead or Alive 5 Last Round, Momiji joins the DOA tournament in order to put what she has learned to the test.[153] She is one of the nine playable female characters in the DOA sport spin-off title Dead or Alive Xtreme 3.[22] In September 2019, Momiji was added as a downloadable content character to Dead or Alive 6.[154]

Momiji makes playable appearances in the Wii U edition of Warriors Orochi 3 (Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper[155]), including in the game's duel mode,[156] and later in Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate. Previously she has made an unplayable guest appearance in the Warriors series in Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce for the PlayStation 3,[157] where she gives a series of quests to the player character who can earn the right to wield her "Heavenly Dragon" naginata in battle.

Voiced by (English): Erica Mendez[158]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yuka Saitō

Naotora Ii (井伊 直虎, Ii Naotora) is a guest character from Tecmo Koei's Samurai Warriors (Sengoku Musou) series. In Dead or Alive 5: Last Round, Naotora was sent into the present day due to one of Victor Donovan's MIST time travelling experiments. Naotora is the ruler of Japan's Warring States era Ii Clan; she has no choice but to fight for life under the Ii name and keep the motto of her family: "once on the battlefield, one must face the enemy head on" in mind. A determined Naotora sets out to emerge victorious from this strange new challenge.

Voiced by (English): Brina Palencia[159]
Voiced by (Japanese): Akemi Satō

Nyotengu (女天狗) is a female tengu from the mountains of Japan. Nyotengu practices tengu-do, a unique fighting style passed down for ages.[160] She is the princess of the tengu world who comes to the human world to seek out Ryu Hayabusa and test his strength for his reputation on ending Bankotsubo's life of crime. As Hayabusa proves his strength to her and spare her life as well, Nyotengu is finally satisfied. She made an unofficial guest star in the sixth tournament in an unofficial “half-time” battle.

Nyotengu is a DLC character in the retail version of DOA5 Ultimate,[161] and later included in Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. She is also playable in DOAX3.[22] She was furthermore added to DOA6 as a bonus character despite tight budget and schedule due to the designers' preference for her.[162]

A character known as “Ancient Nyotengu”, based on Dead or Alive’s Nyotengu appears as a DLC side boss in Nioh 2.

Voiced by (English): Tara Strong (Ninja Gaiden–Ninja Gaiden 2), Erin Fitzgerald (DOA5LR)
Voiced by (Japanese): Michie Tomizawa

In 2004's Ninja Gaiden, Rachel is a fiend hunter whom the game's protagonist Ryu Hayabusa meets in the Holy Vigoor Empire, where she is on a mission to destroy the fiends, as well as find her missing sister, Alma, who has become a Greater Fiend. Soon after they first meet, she is captured but soon saved by Ryu. After the battle, she stays with Ayane to recover from her ordeal. She later leaves to search for Alma and follows Doku's spirit through the torn fabric of space and time. She then fights Ishtaros and Nicchae. Despite her best efforts, she is defeated and held captive again. Doku plans to use Rachel as a sacrifice for Alma's awakening. After Ryu wins, Doku is about to kill Rachel, but Alma rush in to protect her sister, taking the fatal blow, and dies in Rachel's arms. Rachel helps Ryu escape the Underworld and witnesses the battle between him and Murai. The remake Ninja Gaiden Sigma tells some the events from her perspective[163] and shows how her actions affected the main plot.[164]

Rachel returns in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.[165] In her own chapter, after Ryu and the CIA agent Sonia left Manhattan, Marbus takes over with the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, resulting in a Fiend infestation. Rachel appears and braves through the hellish night slaying Fiends until she confronts Marbus atop a skyscraper. Rachel defeated Marbus, taking off his other horn and killing him.

Rachel made her first fighting game appearance in Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate and Dead or Alive 5 Last Round,[166] and returned to the series in Dead or Alive 6 as a post-release downloadable content character.[167] She also appears in the crowd-fighting games Musou Orochi 2 Special[168] and Warriors Orochi 3 (including in the game's duel mode),[156] and in the smart phone action card game Hyakuman-nin no Ninja Gaiden.[169] Her costume is available in Super Swing Golf Season 2[170][171] and a 1/6 scale PVC figure of Rachel was released by Kotobukiya in 2006.[170][172]

Voiced by (English): Kyle Hebert (DOA6)[173]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hiroki Tōchi

Rig (リグ, Rigu) is a natural born fighter. He has used his powerful instincts to master of the art of taekwondo. He has run the oil rig from a young age, and his colleagues simply call him "Rig". But even he does not know his real name or where he comes from. He learned taekwondo on the oil rig, which led him to create his own style, with plenty of moves he came up with himself.[174] Through playing story mode in Dead or Alive 5, it soon becomes apparent that Rig knows more about his identity than he lets on, but ended up twisted in Dead or Alive 6, as he is indeed never knew who he was and how he became evil at the end of 5th game is explained. Upon meeting MIST's undercover agent Christie, Rig was unaware that she was sent to implant him with a mind control device in his body, creating an evil persona known as Victor Donovan Jr.. Even after losing to Kasumi in a fight in the lab, in the 5th game's extra cutscene, the brainwashed Rig reveals to Donovan that Phase 4 is according to plan and ready to be mass-produced before recently being released from his brainwashed state and soon finding out the oil platform he live is somehow destroyed, with Rig being offered by his best friend Bass to live with him.

Before the sixth tournament starts, Rig overhears Mila and Zack's about the situation which a street fighter Diego is in, relating to his ill-mother, and manage to convince the latter to join the tournament for their sake. Rig also the one who handles the promotion of Armstrong wrestling family and Mila for the wrestling tournament. While in a middle of cheering the sixth tournament battles, Rig ended up being brainwashed by Christie twice. Rig's disappearance and why Mugen Tenshin and Hayabusa ninja clans are after him, cause Bass worries his situation.

Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro

A recently graduated student and a computer engineer. Due to carrying a laptop that has AZERTY input layout, she likely hails from either France (same as Helena) or Belgium. She also went to the same graduate school as Luna.

Voiced by: Asami Seto

A very strict Western European woman with a profession of disciplinary leadership from her time. It is said that she has been a previous owner of Venus Island before she was promoted to a higher rank, a life coach partly due to failing to set up the Venus Festival on time, while her previous owner title was succeeded by the current one who is a male. Her favorite food of Stollen and the Katakana spelling of her name implies she hailed specifically from a German-speaking country such as Germany (same as Hitomi) or Austria.

Voiced by: Kaede Hondo

A British girl who is described to be a soft and fluffy, big-breasted princess. She arrived at the island to meet with and be at the Owner's side, having fallen in love with him at first sight.

Voiced by: Naomi Ōzora

An Oni who came to the Venus Islands and placed the Owner under control. She is a rival of Nyotengu.

Voiced by: Maria Naganawa

An aspiring innkeeper whose parents owned a certain historical hot springs inn, she came to the island to get training on the job.

Voiced by: Shiori Mikami

She is an eccentric scholar specializing in cultural anthropology and folklore who wants to investigate the surrounding area within the Venus Islands. The only thing that is known about her besides her name is that she likes eating roasted sweet potatoes, presumably since her grandfather made it for her in her childhood life, and that she originally hailed from a "very cold, poverty-stricken country." She also went to the same graduate school as Amy, though they did not interact much.

Luna made a guest appearance in Azur Lane as part of the Vacation Lane collaboration’s second wave that took place between April 27 to May 11, 2023.[175]

Voiced by: Aoi Koga

A daughter of a noble British family and Fiona's childhood friend, who is a much more talented dancer than the latter, and also both flower botanist and a botanical artist.

Voiced by: Minami Tsuda

She is an exclusive supporter, who always supports the owner. She is a modern-day girl who will lightheartedly come into contact with the owner like a friend. But there is also a side to her that avoids exposing her skin. She also has an older sister named Nagisa who is extremely protective of her.

Misaki made a guest appearance in Azur Lane as part of the Vacation Lane collaboration.[176]

Voiced by: Eri Yukimura

An aspiring Casino Dealer who came to the Venus Islands in the hopes to be hired to the island's casino, participating in the Venus Festival to build up enough funding to ensure the casino is completed. She implies that the key influences to her career decision stemmed from both her father taking her to the casinos as a child and a man (heavily implied from the description to be Zack) telling her that casinos were where dreams come true.

Monica made a guest appearance in Azur Lane as part of the Vacation Lane collaboration.[176]

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida

A stage actress, who came to the Venus Islands to get her younger sister Misaki out, due to viewing the owner as a pervert. She respects Tina Armstrong, due to being a fellow actress with similar acting professions.

Nagisa made a guest appearance in Azur Lane as part of the Vacation Lane collaboration.[176]

Voiced by: Miyuri Shimabukuro

An old friend of Misaki since middle school, and a popular track-field athlete. She implies that Zack was a major factor in her going to the Venus Islands.

Voiced by: Marika Kōno

A local girl to the same South Pacific archipelago where the Venus Islands were located. She stumbled upon the island during one of her daily walks and met the Owner when she lost her radio and he returned it to her. She had a keen sense of smell to the extent that she could even detect a person's nature via a said sense of smell.

Voiced by: Azumi Waki

A beautiful, kind, and caring job-seeking nurse with a big sister attitude. She was originally seeking a nursery-based job after being fired for doing her job too well until she found one on Venus Island. Upon her arrival, she while introducing herself ends up witnessing the Owner pass out due to heat exhaustion. The Owner wakes up to a soothing introduction from the nurse. She was then invited by the enthusiastic Owner not just as a nurse, but also as a participant in Venus Festival.

Voiced by: Shino Shimoji

A beautiful, and mature Singaporean of Chinese descent bartender who specialized in making bar-based drinks, particularly cocktails. "Shandy" acted as her job name, with her eventually revealing that her birth name is in fact Fei (妃(フェイ)).

Voiced by: Hina Yōmiya

A mysterious silver-haired girl who acts as a cosplayer. She apparently either cosplays as, or actually is a kitsune.

Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi

Tamaki (たまき) is a model-turned fashion designer who arrives to the Venus Islands looking to unwind. After joining the Venus Festival, she helps the Boss by designing swimsuits for the other participants. Even if Tamaki likes to constantly tease people and often oversteps boundaries, she's shown to be a kind and reliable "older sister" to the other girls. In March 2020, Tamaki was added to Dead or Alive 6 as DLC where she is revealed to be an aikido fighter. She is the second character to make her fighting game debut from the Xtreme spin-off series after Lisa Hamilton. Tamaki has made guest appearances in Destiny Child,[177][178] Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link,[179] and Azur Lane.[175]

Voiced by: Maria Sashide

An extremely shy and withdrawn university student and aspiring mangaka, she went to the Venus Islands to observe and draw the environment, especially the "goddesses" (referring to the female participants in the Venus Islands).

Voiced by: Kaori Maeda

A gyaru who likes to take pictures, particularly selfie; and upload them to social medias with her phone.[180] She is also an immense fan of Tamaki.

Voiced by (English): D. C. Douglas[181]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hiroki Yasumoto[182]

Diego (ヂエゴ) is a Mexican-American street fighter who grew up in the back alleys of the New York City. Diego started entering street matches to win money to support his ill mother, and quickly became known as New York's “uncrowned street hero.” After declining to enter the sixth Dead or Alive tournament multiple times, Diego is finally convinced by Rig, as well as Diego's mother. Although he is officially a runner-up after being defeated by fifth tournament champion Jann Lee, Diego won an unofficial round 2, earning Jann Lee his respect as a worthy rival, just as both fighters becomes exhausted from the battle.

According to the DOA6 director and producer Yohei Shimbori, for Diego they "wanted an American fighter between the ages of 25 and 35 to whom the public could relate. This [American] audience is less fond of styles like kung fu, they prefer a street fighter."[183] According to designer Tom Lee, Diego was created specifically to give representation to the Hispanic community in America as well as appealing to American sensibilities.[184] Diego was ultimately created from three different ideas presented by Lee.[162]

Voiced by (English): Faye Mata[185]
Voiced by (Japanese): Sumire Uesaka[186]

NiCO (ニコ, Niko) is a Finnish scientist who works for MIST and a fighter who utilizes both silat and electro-technomancy, powered by the technological rings that allow her to use long-ranged electric and teleportation attacks. She was responsible for resurrecting Raidou as a cyborg, with two of his daughters, Honoka and Ayane, as the keys to this process. As NiCO had never been loyal to MIST, she allowed herself to be recruited just to use them and Raidou's resurrection as stepping stones for the sake of resurrecting her own father. She also appears to have an interest in resurrecting Helena's mother Maria; however, Helena disapproves of the young scientist's plan to resurrect her mother and NiCO's father.

Yohei Shimbori said she "was created for anime fans around the world. We made her cute but also very smart, she's a scientist, all that in order to make her cool." Shimbori said her fighting style was inspired by him watching the Indonesian film The Raid.[183] Previously he said NiCO has been created primarily for the Japanese and Asian markets, influenced by anime and light novels. She was at first supposed to be a Russian; her Japanese voice actor Sumire Uesaka was originally chosen for her Russian language skills.[187] He also said that he initially wanted her to look even younger than Marie does.[188] According to Weekly Famitsu Magazine on the final poll results of Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation 4th anniversary on November 18, 2021, NiCO is one of the top three remaining mainline fighters alongside Tina and Mila to be first qualify to return in the said gacha game, with NiCO is ranked at the 1st.[138]

Anne (アンネ) is a German woman and the former mistress of Fame Douglas. She was murdered at gun point by an unknown person. She is briefly seen in Dead or Alive 4 during Helena's ending.

Voiced by (English): Kari Wahlgren[189]
Voiced by (Japanese): Hōko Kuwashima

Ayame (菖蒲) is the mother of Kasumi, Hayate and Ayane, the wife of Shiden and the biological aunt of Honoka. She was raped by Raidou in the past, thus giving birth to Ayane. Feeling too ashamed to raised Ayane, Ayame gave her up for adoption. Years later, Ayame revealed to Ayane about the circumstances of her birth after feeling guilty, and Ayame apologized for not raising her. Ayame was saddened when she learned that Kasumi broke shinobi code and left the village. Ayame would later ask Ayane to save Kasumi rather than be her enemy as Ayame believes that their family bonds are stronger than the shinobi code. She first appeared in Dead or Alive Ultimate, she later appeared in Dead or Alive: Dimensions, and is mentioned in Dead or Alive 6.

Ayane's guardian is an old man who raised Ayane until she was fostered by Genra.

Voiced by: Bin Shimada

Chen (チェン) is Brad Wong's old drunken master and great teacher of Zui Quan. He sent Brad Wong on a journey to search for the legendary wine named Genra. He can be seen in Brad Wong's story mode in DOA3 and is later mentioned in DOA4 and DOA Dimensions.

Voiced by (English): Richard Epcar[189]
Voiced by (Japanese): Jōji Nakata

Fame Douglas (フェイム・ダグラス, Feimu Dagurasu) was the founder and chairman of DOATEC, and Helena's biological father. He was assassinated by Bayman (who was hired by Donovan) after arguing with Donovan in DOA, where it is thought that he was opposed to the human experimentation proposed by Donovan, which led to his assassination. His illegitimate daughter, Helena, stands to inherit his position as chairman of DOATEC, but in DOA3 Donovan makes attempts to stop this from happening by kidnapping her and forcing her to compete in the tournament for her freedom. She escapes her imprisonment and goes on to inherit Douglas' position as chairman of DOATEC in DOA4. He first appeared in DOA4 as a cameo in Helena's ending. He makes his first physical appearance in DOA Dimensions. He was mentioned in DOA5 and appeared as a cameo in DOA6.

Hitomi's father is a karate master and instructor who runs a successful dojo near the Black Forest in Germany. He taught his daughter everything she knows about karate has been training her since she was a child. After Hitomi rescues an amnesiac Ein after he was abandoned in the Black Forest, Hitomi's father took him as one of his students, and after training him in karate, he makes him another instructor at his karate school. When Hitomi showed interest in competing in the Dead or Alive tournament, he allowed her to participate. With his daughter ranking third place in the third tournament, he allows her to venture on her own. At sometime before DOA4, he became too ill to run the dojo, as a result, the dojo was in financial trouble. Hitomi entered the fourth tournament in order to help him in their time of need. He appears in DOA3 during Hitomi's ending and is mentioned in DOA4.

Voiced by (English): Kari Wahlgren (Ninja Gaiden II), Amanda Troop (Ninja Gaiden 3-present)[190]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yumi Tōma (anime), Mariko Suzuki (games)

Irene Lew (アイリーン・ルゥ, Airīn Ru) is Ryu Hayabusa's ally and love interest from the Ninja Gaiden series for the NES, though only mentioned in the first DOA game in Ryu's backstory. Irene makes her first physical appearance in DOA Dimensions, acting as a support character for Ryu and the Mugen Tenshin ninjas during their mission to take down DOATEC. Irene previously appeared in Ninja Gaiden II as the character Sonia, which is revealed to be her alias. She also uses this alias as the codename for the operation of taking down DOATEC in Dimensions.

Voiced by: Yuka Koyama

Lauren (ローレン, Rōren) is Leon's lost lover. Before the DOA tournaments, Lauren was a young thief, who met Leon in the Silk Road and fell in love with him. The two were in a loving relationship until Lauren's sudden, tragic death in the desert, shown in a flashback scene in DOA2. As Lauren died in Leon's arms, her final words were: "The man I love is the strongest man in the world." These words motivated Leon to enter the second and third DOA tournaments, by the end of which he returns to the desert oasis where he had buried Lauren, and sees the mirage of his lover who gives him a desert flower before disappearing, indicating that he has fulfilled her expectations. Prior to DOA Ultimate, her name was mistranslated as Rolande.

Maria (マリア, Maria) is Helena Douglas's mother, former mistress of Fame Douglas and a soprano opera singer. She was fatally shot and killed by Christie intended for her daughter, leaving Helena alone and seeking vengeance. DOA6 reveals that NiCO eventually reanimated her corpse, and showed it off to Helena when explaining her motives. Helena disapproved of it, citing that that one needs to move on, although it is implied from a POV shot from behind her canister that Maria was successfully revived regardless.

Voiced by: Yui Horie

Mei Lin (メイ・リン, Mei Rin) is Gen Fu's granddaughter. In the first DOA game, she suffered a terrible disease, resulting in Gen Fu entering three DOA tournaments to provide funds for her operation. In the fourth DOA tournament, she is fully recovered, hence Gen Fu no longer enters the tournament. She appears in Gen Fu's ending in DOA3 and can be seen at the end of Eliot's ending in DOA4.

Voiced by: Tomoko Fujino

Miyako (美夜子) is Kokoro's overprotective mother and a geisha residing in Kyoto. In her earlier years, Miyako fell in love with Fame Douglas, and the two of them had an affair which resulted in Kokoro's birth. Being the center of the seeding workings at DOATEC, Miyako feared for her daughter's safety. To protect her, Miyako returned to Japan and raised Kokoro as a single parent, never telling her daughter about her father or her heritage to DOATEC, and started to oversee Kokoro's training to become a geisha. However, when Kokoro became more interested in martial arts than her geisha training and decided to enter the fourth Dead or Alive tournament, Miyako reluctantly allows her to go while warning her that she will not be satisfied in finding out the truth. Her affair with Fame was revealed by Helena. In DOA5 it is revealed that she is the head of DOATEC Japan and is an operative for Donovan's new organization MIST, though Kokoro is unaware of this.

Voiced by: Takeshi Aono

Muramasa (村正) is a character from the Ninja Gaiden series. He made several appearances in DOA4 as the merchant who deals with Bass, Hitomi and Leifang at the Seaside Market. He also appears in DOA5 in which he is taking care of and watching over Kasumi throughout most of the game's story.

Voiced by (English): Kari Wahlgren (DOAX2)[80]
Voiced by (Japanese): Yuka Koyama

Niki (ニキ) is Zack's possible ex-girlfriend. They met in a casino after the Dead or Alive 3 tournament, when Zack won a large sum of money that allowed him to buy an island which he named after himself. He invited most of the girls he remembered from the last tournament to his island under the false pretense of holding another tournament. The women arrived and after finding out it was a hoax, they decided to nonetheless spend their vacation there, but Zack and Niki were eventually left alone on the island. However, a previously inactive volcano erupted, and Niki decided to escape using Zack's jet pack. Zack survived, but his island was completely destroyed. During DOA4, they are seen robbing an ancient tomb and escaping in a truck filled with gold. Niki is Zack's lucky charm (Lady Luck) and he takes her everywhere with him, going as far as naming a beach on his island's eastern shore after her. Niki joined the cast of DOAX2, but not in a player-controlled role and appearing only in cut scenes with Zack as before.

Portrayed by: Eric Roberts
Voiced by (English): Grant George (Dimensions)[189]
Voiced by (Japanese): Moriya Endo

Victor Donovan (ビクター・ドノバン, Bikutā Donoban) is the main antagonist of the Dead or Alive series. He is the leader of DOATEC's anti-Douglas faction and is head of the Development Department, a state-of-the-art military fortress where Projects Alpha and Omega were developed. In the first DOA game, Donovan employed the Russian assassin Bayman to kill DOATEC's founder and chairman, Fame Douglas. This attempt is thought to have been successful, as Douglas died shortly after the event. The nature of Donovan's rebellion is thought to be controversy over experiments to be carried out to create the ultimate human weapon. In DOA3 Donovan captures Helena, Fame Douglas' daughter, since she stands to inherit her father's position as chairman of DOATEC. He challenges Helena to win the third Dead or Alive tournament in order to gain her freedom and learn the truth behind the company, and also employs the assassin Christie to keep an eye on her. Meanwhile, Bayman seeks revenge after Donovan plotted his assassination to tie up any loose ends. Donovan is thought to be behind experiments such as Project Epsilon, to which Hayate was subjected; Project Alpha, the cloning of Kasumi; and Project Omega, the augmentation of Ayane's foster father Genra into the ultimate DOA fighter Omega. In Helena's ending of DOA4, Ryu is shown destroying a ship with a man who may or may not be Donovan. The same figure also appeared to have been assassinated by Christie in a gentlemen's club. In what appears to be the canon telling of Donovan's fate, DOA Dimensions shows the shadowy antagonist placing on his face the same mask that corrupted Genra. An aura of demonic energy then surrounds Donovan as he walks back into the shadows, laughing maniacally. In DOA5, which takes place two years after the fourth tournament, he sets up a new organization called MIST after DOATEC (now headed by Helena) disbanded its Military Division and Development Department, with Christie, Lisa, Miyako, NiCO and the brainwashed Rig as his operatives. At the post-end credits, he and Rig have a chat, confirming that the fourth stage of Project Alpha can begin as planned. DOA5LR (canonically DOA6) reveals that Victor recovered Raidou's corpse two years ago after the first tournament, and send it to NiCO for his revival as a cyber-nukenin demon.

In the 2006 movie adaption, Donovan was killed in the explosion of DOA Island after being paralyzed by an acupuncture dart thrown by Kasumi.