Niwa Hisahide

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Ensemble Dark Horse
Full Name	Niwa Hisahide
Alias	Niwa
Origin	Genshin Impact
Powers/Skills	Bladesmithing
Family	Kunikuzushi (Adoptive Brother) Kaedehara Kazuha (Distant Descendant)
Allies	Mikoshi Nagamasa Katsuragi
Enemies	The Fatui Il Dottore/Escher (Killer)
Goals	Maintain Tatarasuna Protect Kunikuzushi from the Fatui (Both Failed)
Why Do People Love The Character?	While the lore initially presented that Niwa was a cowardly traitor who disappeared in the incident "Tatarasuna Mystery", the actual story reveals a true historical event in a tragic retcon. Niwa Hisahide was actually murdered by Il Dottore, who then kidnap his adoptive brother into becoming Fatui Harbinger. His name, and legacy would be tarnished by the very same Doctor who murdered him. His tragic bromance with Kunikuzushi (Platonically), mirrors a fellow Inazuman dark horse, Kazuha's Friend. Clifford Chapin's Performance in English dub.
Type of Ensemble Dark Horse	Tragic Scapegoat

“	Niwa: ...Ugh... If you kill me, there's no one who can get inside the furnace... So, you're really going to destroy this place... is that it? Escher: Oh, but you're quite wrong. There is one other person. Hm, some may not see him as a person, but... you told him yourself: "You're not a puppet. You're a human... you're just missing a heart." Niwa: *Gasps in Shock* Whoever you're working for won't get away with this. They'll be found out. But... this makes no sense. What are you really trying to accomplish by all this? Why go to all this trouble? Escher: It's no trouble at all... Patience is a virtue which I have in abundance. This is all part of a carefully controlled experiment. If you must know, I am happy to divulge my true identity. I am a Fatui Harbinger. Call me "The Doctor." Niwa: ...The... Fatui? Who... What do you want...? Escher: Just to create a minor inconvenience for your nation. Niwa: That's it? THAT's why you... gave us your cursed technology... just to let loose the evil energy from the Crystal Marrow... Escher: Hehe, look how even the righteous soul is filled with venom when faced with its demise.	„
	~ Niwa Hisahide after being poisoned by Escher (Il Dottore), slowly to death, The Night-Bird Falls at the Curtain's Call.

Niwa Hisahide was a supporting character in Fantasy Open-World Role-Playing Video Game Genshin Impact. He was an armory officer working in Tatarasuna and an adoptive brother of Kunikuzushi, who would become a Fatui Harbinger named Scaramouche & The Wanderer after defecting Fatui. While initially presented as a cowardly traitor, the actual events in the story recontextualizes his actions in the true event as a scapegoat, in a tragic way.

He was voiced by Junta Terashima in Japanese dub, and Clifford Chapin in English dub.

What Makes Him an Ensemble Dark Horse?

• Niwa Hisahide's clan lineage, in the lore are actually connected with Kaedehara clan lineage with Niwa Yoshinori taking the family name Kaedehara as a father, therefore making him the distant ancestor of Kaedehara Kazuha.
  • His death marks at the beginning of the Niwa-Kaedehara clan's decline, into his distant descendant Kaedehara Kazuha becoming a Ronin who escaped Sakoku Decree from Raiden Shogun.
• While initially presented in the history as a cowardly traitor had disappeared during the incident "Tatarasuna Mystery", The Interlude Archon Quest, Inversion of Genesis reveals his actions with a tragic retcon, Niwa was actually murdered by Escher, who was Il Dottore in a disguise of a Fontaine mechanic. The Doctor then slanders his name, tainting the legacy of Tatarasuna, and later had Niwa's adoptive brother, Kunikuzushi kidnapped into being recruited as a 6th Fatui Harbinger, Scaramouche. Additionally, The Doctor also cut Niwa's heart into the device inside Kunikuzushi to fill him with hatred, and vengeance.
  • This also resulted the Yoriki, Katsuragi willing to take the blame & punishment, for the failure over the Tatarasuna incident with his life, taking Mikoshi Nagamasa's place for the capital punishment by requesting his own execution, hence the greatsword, once named Daitatara Nagamasa renamed after Katsuragi's execution.
• His last words were also his declaration of (Familial) love to his adopted brother, Kunikuzushi. In which, Il Dottore then manipulate Kunikuzushi by twisting Niwa's words into a declaration of hatred, to make it more tragic.
• Niwa Hisahide mirrors a friend of his distant descendant, Kaedehara Kazuha, a fellow Genshin's Dark Horse from Inazuma.
  • They're both positive influential figures to the playable characters, Niwa to Kunikuzushi and Kazuha's Friend to Kazuha respectively.
  • While Kazuha's Friend was an inspirational martyr to Kaedehara Kazuha, Niwa Hisahide was a good brother figure, who then tragically set up by Il Dottore as a scapegoat in "Tatarasuna Disappearance Mystery". 
• Clifford Chapin's Performance in English dub.

Trivia

• Niwa's Japanese VA, Junta Terashima later voices Ifa, who would become a playable character in version 5.6, replacing Showtaro Morikubo. 
• Niwa's English VA, Clifford Chapin had voiced Teapot Spirit, Chubby, and various Nobushi enemies in Genshin Impact.
  • He's also the current English VA of Billy Kid in Zenless Zone Zero, replacing Michael Schwalbe. 
  • He's also a spouse of Kristen McGuire, the English VA of Kachina. 

External Links

• Niwa Hisahide on Genshin Impact Wiki.