- Kirigakure Saizō
nihongo|Kirigakure Saizō|霧隠才蔵 is one of the Ten Heroes of Sanada and a legendary
ninja fromSengoku period of Japan. Next toSarutobi Sasuke , he is the most recognized of the Ten. As with Sasuke, Saizō is a fictional creation of theMeiji era popular literature, probably based onKirigakure Shikaemon .Saizō is said to be a master of Iga
ninjutsu .Sarutobi Sasuke , a Kōga ninja, is thus often portrayed as Saizō's arch-rival, and after they both converted to Sanada's cause, best friends and partners.The name Kirigakure literally means "Hidden Mist", as such Saizō is often associated with fog and, by extension, illusion magic. In contrast to
Sarutobi Sasuke , who is often rendered with an almost feral child appearance, Saizō usually appears as a calm, elegant, mature, handsome and sometimes feminine young man.In the
anime , Samurai Deeper Kyo, Sanada Yukimura is protected by the Ten Heroes of Sanada (based on the Ten Heroes themselves). Kirigakure Saizo is one of the more distinct members, along with Sarutobi Sasuke.
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