Masakage Tsugomori

Masakage Tsugomori appeared in 2015 TV series called Shuriken Sentai Ninninger. Masakage Tsugomori (晦 正影 Tsugomori Masakage, lit. "Dark Pure Shadow") is the Chief retainer of the Kibaoni Army Corps.

Masakage was among the three generals in the past that work under the leadership of Gengetsu Kibaoni. After his death, what remains from him was an eye cover, which was saved.

Masakage is the second general revived sometime after the event of Shinobi 12 by Kyuemon Izayoi, using the fear energies he gathered so far. His first act as commander was to create a competition for ninjas to lure in the Ninninger. He used it as a trap, capturing Yakumo, Fuuka, and Kasumi and used his newly created Yokai to challenge the remaining Ninninger with their companions as the prize. After the Youkai was defeated by the mecha, he confronted Kyuemon, revealing that he was aware that there was no page in their ranks by that name. He allowed him to live, warning him that should he try to work against the Kibaoni Army, he will destroy him.

Masakage oversaw Kyuemon's plot to use his third Izayoi Way Ninja, Puppet Ninja Kuroari, to recruit children into the Kibaoni Army Corps. Having Kuroari use his Parasite Technique to control the ninja master, Kiroku Ise, the manipulated Kiroku then set up a ninja school to find potential ninja initiates. However, Kiroku's apprentice instructor, Kikyo Kousaka, turned out to be an acquaintance of AkaNinger, introducing him to the school where he noticed suspicious behavior from Kiroku and his students, leading Ao, Momo and StarNinger to investigate Kiroku who convened with Masakage, who intended to use Kikyo's conflicting feelings against Takaharu. Engaging the three Ninningers to prevent them from getting through to Takaharu, Masakage was forced to retreat when StarNinger escaped. Ultimately, the plot was foiled when Kikyo's faith in Takaharu led to the truth being revealed as Kiroku was freed from the manipulation of Kuroari, who was subsequently defeated by the Ninningers. While observing that Kuroari had fallen, Kyuemon proclaimed that he had served his purpose as he gathered his first three ninja's Core Gears.

After seeing Kyuemon summon Karakuri Kyuubi, which is powered by the four ninja Core Gears, Masakage confronts him for this, but Kyuemon enters the battle inside his mech. Masakage then confronts Kyuemon for usurping the Personal Ninja Guards for his own personal gain after Mujina reveals being alive. After Kyuemon's apparent death at the hands of Gekiatsu Dai-Oh, Masakage takes his Yo Mallet and then summons the last of the Guards, Poison Arrow Ninja Suzumebachi. Then, Masakage asks his master's permission for incessant access to creating more Advanced Yokai. Gengetsu grants his request and tells his wife not to give Masakage too much trouble.

Interpreting Kyuemon to still be alive, Masakage tasks Advanced Yokai Oumukade to chase after him and take down the ninjas. He then believes Kyuemon to conspire against them after seeing him with Kinji. As Kinji left Kyuemon to catch up with his teammates, Masakage then confronts him. Charging at Kyuemon about his actions, he tells Masakage that he helped Kinji gain the Demon Sword so he would become a Yokai, and as that happens, he retreats. Maskage takes advantage of the opportunity by creating Advanced Yokai Oboroguruma on the Ninningers. While Oboroguruma proves to be powerful to handle at the ninjas, as he was chasing them, Masakage then gets caught in the chase as well. Ordering him to shrink to normal size, Maskage scolds Oboroguruma for nearly trying to accidentally crush him. Masakage then deals with the Ninnningers himself, and as AkaNinger Chozetsu tries to slay him, Masakage was able to withstand it and dominate the attack. But as Kinji broke free from his Yokai curse, granting him as Super StarNinger, Masakage was soon overpowered by him and the rest of the team. Kinji then finishes Masakage off with a lightning strike. Humiliated by his defeat, he enlarges Oboroguruma and enters/pilots him to crush the Ninningers. However, the Ninningers use Ha-Oh Gekiatsu Dai-Oh to take down Oboroguruma, and with Masakage still inside him trying to escape, he hilariously flies out of the explosion, yelling at his master to forgive him. In the aftermath of the defeat, Kyuemon finds Masakage under a pile of junk and gets him out. Masakage refuses to trust Kyuemon after everything he's done, so Kyuemon tells him that he can keep is stuff until he could trust him again.

Noticing Ariake's pregnancy with what's soon to be Mangetsu, Masakage is in dire straits to relieve her of this issue and summons Yokai Amikiri to deal with the Ninningers. After Mangetsu's birth, Maskage and Ariake go with him to encounter the Ninningers. As a giant Mangetsu was about to finish the Ninningers, two Gashadokuros were summoned to stop them instead. Masakage tells Mangetsu that he's far too important to lose, causing him to regretfully leave. As Mangetsu stomps on his mom for ruining his fun against the Ninningers, Masakage tells him to stop, but is soon beaten by him too. Ariake tells him that it's alright as he's just being wild as his father, to his intensity. Later, he seems impressed with Advanced Yokai Binbogami's scheme with Mangetsu.

As Mangetsu decides to do a ceremony to be able to unleash his father, Masakage observes from them with Ariake to indulge for the release of their master. As Mangetsu and Super Advanced Yokai Shuten-douji take down the Ninningers and seize their OtomoNin, Masakage tells Ariake about the prophecy, including Mangetsu being the chosen son that'll unleash his dad. Later, the place for the ceremony is taken down by other OtomoNin, to where Masakage and Ariake casually leave.

As Ariake tries to find Mangetsu, Masakage hesitates to tell her that Mangetsu was destroyed by the Ninningers. Later, after Ariake cries from the news told by Kyuemon and he gathers the massive amount of grief, Masakage notices it all going down to their base with Gengetsu being able to reawaken.

As Kyuemon told Masakage that he informed Ariake about the news, he gets furious at him for his tactics, but Gengetsu tells him to stand down. Gengetsu informs the two that Kyuemon was the chosen son born froma concubine. As they rise to the surface, Masakage apologizes to Kyuemon for insulting and discharging him. Kyuemon tells him it could be helped, and minutes later, he deploys Masakage to start causing mayhem. Masakage then alters the minds of the open public to where he was the reason of their accomplishments and dreams. He even gets through to Nagi, Kasumi, and Kinji. This caused them all to chase after Yakumo and Fuuka as they doubt their common belief of Masakage being their inspiration. Later, Masakage then casts the two to his realm. As he molds their minds and tells them that he replaces an inspiring person in their lives within their memories, especially in their case Takaharu, Yakumo and Fuuka reassure him that despite how an inspirational leader Takaharu is, he is still the annoying goofball they have to put up with. They then envision memories of Takaharu's bad moments with Masakage edited in there, to where Masakage tells them to stop the edit. They then break free of his spell. The Ninningers then fight him and as Yakumo was about to slay him, the attack reversed and Masakage was still fine from the finisher.

Telling them that he'll just still edit their memories, Yakumo uses one of his spells to mess with his mind. As it reveals, Masakage is actually really tiny, piloting a normal-sized version of himself as a karakuri. They then openly reveal him to his exposure. Vexed with being humiliated for the final time, Masakage exits his exposed body and as a last resort, turns giant. The Ninninger use Ha-Oh Shurikenjin to take him down, with Yakumo leading the final strike. As he is destroyed, Masakage assures them that even though he's now dead, Gengetsu will not be deterred from ruling the world with fear.

Tsugomori was one of five villains who were revived by Gillmarda to fight the Ninningers and Zyuohgers. He was engaged and destroyed by the two 6th Rangers StarNinger and Zyuoh The World.

Masakage is loyal to his master's wish and would comply to his command to gather the fear energy. While he seems to be playful (such as teasing Kyuemon with nicknames like Hachiemon, Jyuemon, or Kyubei), this is just a cover for his inner darkness and he is wise enough to discover that Kyuemon is just a new member of the team since in the past, only three generals were present and threatens to kill him if he tries to plot something that is against his master's will. Like Gabi, he disregards Kyuemon's suggestion to gather fear, instead focusing on destroying the Ninningers.

Unlike Gabi, he does not confront them directly, choosing to use deception and trickery. Most of his schemes involve weakening the team in some capacity before delivering a fatal blow, such as destroying their weapons or disabling or manipulating their OtomoNins. However, despite his cunning and calculative methods, he fails in his schemes due to either the incompetence of his subordinates or underestimating the Ninningers' growing level of skill, strategy and power.

Powers and Abilities

 * Dark Magic Knowledge: Masakage seems to demonstrate several dark magic abilities in the series. Among them are:
 * Joutan Kaiyou Kenjuri Inpuu, Giikishi Genji Genja (ジョウタンカイヨウケンジュリインプ, ウギイキシゲンジゲンジャ): By corrupting a Sealing Shuriken, Masakage can create a Yokai after it come in contact with an object.
 * Energy Dome: Masakage can create a dome that allow him to create a Yokai without having its signal detected by the Ninningers' Gama Gama Guns.
 * Teleportation: Masakage can teleport by engulfing himself with purple flames.

Arsenals

 * Khakkhara: In corresponding with his motif of a Buddhist priest, Masakage is armed with a khakkhara. The Khakkhara allows him to perform numerous tricks, including:
 * Way of the Supreme Fang - Skull (牙凌道 洒落頭 Garyōdō Sharekōbe): His signature attack that conjures a giant skull to attack his enemies.
 * Illusion Creation: Creating illusions of a figure, first used to create fake Ao, Shiro and MomoNinger to attack Aka, Ki and StarNinger.
 * Spirit Projection: Linking a portal that can contact Gengetsu Kibaoni's spirit.
 * Telekinesis: Lifting an object with his own will.
 * Plant Manipulation: Generating plant vines to capture targets.
 * Bomb Generation: Creates bomb on a target's spot.
 * Object Creation: Creates an object out of nothing for the infected Sealing Shuriken to infect with, resulting with the birth of the corresponding Yokai.