Horō

Horou (ホロウ) is one of the main characters for the single player narrative. She can fight beside the protagonist during hunts in the single player main story.

Role in Game
Horou originally comes from a technologically advanced civilization foreign to Nakatsu Kuni. Her world was peaceful until Izuchikanata descended upon it. The scientists in her realm either created or modified her body with the power to devour human souls. They believe that using the demon's powers against it would have been enough to deal the fatal blow. Horou hesitated to use this power due to her compassion for humanity, leading to Izuchikanata destroying her home. She pursued it through its portal, emerging in Nakatsu Kuni one thousand years before the main setting.

Sticking to her main mission, Horou realized her power alone would not be enough to defeat Izuchikanata. She therefore sought comrades to help her and befriended Obito and Chitose. The trio formed the "Slayer" organization to fight against the demons of the era. When the climatic battle with her target took place, Horou considered using her trump card but decided against it. She and her friends were overwhelmed, failing to slay Izuchikanata. Horou again pursued it.

Her hunt for the demon has spanned one thousand years. She has been to every era pictured within the game (Heian period, Warring States, Edo period, etc.) but, due to Izuchikanata's powerful miasma, there are none who can remember her or the demon's presence. With her every failure humanity is wiped out and the era of history joins the mesh-mash of worlds within the demon dimension, fragments of which are collected within Nakatsu Kuni. A few people have recorded Horou but not by name, dubbing her the "Jade Eyed Wanderer". Her foreign hair and eye color are her distinguishing traits within these records.

At the start of the main narrative, Horou has fallen into a ditch and has lost her memory. She wanders into Utakata Village to gain information, immediately identifying the the protagonist and the other residents her friends. Horou only remembers her name and how to fight. She spends a great deal of the story amnesic and questioning her purpose for fighting, content to fight for her love for good food. Her major contribution before her memories are restored is searching the Chaos caverns to retrieve Reki and the protagonist.

Once Kyokai is cornered Horou fully regains her memories. She elaborates her ordeal to Utakata residents, imploring that they find Izuchikanata at once. The Slayers try their hardest to search for it but fail to find it in time, resulting in the gradual decay of their mortal souls. Horou thinks their only option to end the millennial conflict is for her to devour the souls of Utakata. The protagonist tries to dissuade her before falling victim to Izuchikanata's miasma.

As Horou initiates the operation to consume human souls, her own tears stops her. She resolves that she doesn't have the heart to kill her friends, swearing to hunt the demon for all eternity if she must. Horou warmly wishes for the protagonist to remember her. This triggers her act of soul sharing and Obito restores the protagonist's memories. Using a time shard, Horou and the protagonist fight together to reclaim the souls/memories of their friends. They stand united in the final fight against Izuchikanata.

Since her mission is accomplished, Horou decides to stay at Utakata and live her days with Chitose.

Personality
Listless and lacking common etiquette, Horou surprises people with her bizarre behavior. She initially identifies procedures and locations as systematic diagnostics before adopting formal speech patterns familiar to the era. Utakata residents best know her for her eccentric wanderings and gluttony, always seeking to enjoy local cuisine. Since she can fluently speak the Tenko language, Hayatori latches onto her as his honored mentor.

Once she regains her memories, she prioritizes the hunt for Izuchikanata. Her past experiences with Obito and Chitose empower her to never again let it escape her. When Obito resides within the protagonist she believes the purpose of her journey was to reunite them, happy to know that all the lives lost until that point were not in vain.