Yamata-no-Orochi

Yamata-no-Orochi is a snake demon in TENKEN. Every 50 years a young woman is sacrificed to Orochi during the Tenken Festival. However, the actual nature of Orochi's existence is rather ambiguous.

Appearance
Yamata-no-Orochi is a multi-headed serpent with two tails. It is many times larger than a human and can rattle buildings by swinging its necks. Thanks to its astral form, Orochi's scales are a blotchy mix of black and grey.

Personality
Yamata-no-Orochi is an evil and predatory snake demon. It taunts and threatens Saki throughout her life and is driven by its desire to consume her. Its appetite is endless and has consumed one princess every fifty years for generations.

Plot
Ever since Saki was little, she has had dreams about snakes and being in love with a Master Orochi. As she grew older, Saki realized that this was the snake demon's attempt to manipulate her into sacrificing herself to him in the Tenken Festival. Fearing that future, Saki flees her home and develops an affinity for high places, as snakes cannot climb trees or ladders.

However, Orochi's voice continues to plague Saki at her new construction job and even attacks her through irradiated bamboo. His influence causes the scale-like wound on her back to worsen and nearly kills her coworkers. Backed into a corner, Saki resigns herself to her fate and willingly sacrifices herself to Orochi. However, Saki's boss, Manaka, attempts to stop her.

After fighting him off, Saki and Manaka experience a vision of Yamata-no-Orochi and the god Susano doing battle. The god proves victorious and slays the demon serpent. As TENKEN closes, it's implied that Yamata-no-Orochi did not actually exist and was instead a representation of Saki's obligation to examine long-abandoned nuclear weapons in a secret military bunker from a dirty war that occurred generations ago.