Amaterasu (Ōkami)

Amaterasu (アマテラス), also known as Ōkami Amaterasu (大神天照), is a fictional character from Capcom's Ōkami video game. She is a white wolf that actually is the goddess of the sun. Amaterasu has also appeared in Marvel vs. Capcom series.

Since appearing in Ōkami, Amaterasu has received mostly positive reception by both video game publications and fans. She has been listed among the best Capcom characters as well as one of the best video game protagonists.

Appearances
According to the character's backstory, Amaterasu originally existed in the Celestial Plains, ruling over the Celestials and the mortal world as a protector deity. Alongside Waka, she battled Orochi, the eight-headed serpent who attacked and wreaked havoc upon the Celestial Plain. Waka told Amaterasu that Orochi could only be defeated by the Chosen One, a human named Nagi. Hearing this, she dragged Orochi down to the human world to wait for Nagi's birth. Meanwhile, Waka and the remaining Celestials fled into the Ark of Yamato, where all except Waka perished to an ambush of demons led by Yami, the ruler of darkness.

With each passing year, Orochi dined on another maiden from Kamiki Village on the annual festival. Before every festival, Amaterasu appeared around the village in the form of a white wolf. The villagers assumed her to be Orochi's familiar, naming her Shiranui. Eventually, Nagi fought Orochi, and through his combined efforts with Shiranui, he was able to seal Orochi away. Shiranui, however, died from poisoned wounds inflicted during the battle. Taken back to the village, she was hailed as a hero, and a statue was built in her honor. However, after her death, her Celestial Brush powers had scattered, leaving her drastically weakened, with only her original ability, Sunrise. Furthermore, the peoples' faith in the gods had dwindled, leaving her even weaker.

The main story of the Ōkami begins one hundred years after Shiranui's death. When Nagi's descendant, Susano, removes the sword Tsukuyomi that had sealed Orochi away, Orochi wastes no time in taking over Nippon (Japan) once again. Sakuya, the wood sprite, revived Amaterasu within the statue of Shiranui, giving her the Reflector Divine Retribution. Together with Issun, a loudmouth Poncle found within Sakuya's robe, Amaterasu sets off to revive the Guardian Saplings scattered across Nippon and restore the lands to their original beauty and rid them from evil's hold.

Throughout her journey, Amaterasu is reunited with many of her powers, and regains people's faith in the form of Praise. Eventually, Amaterasu, with the help of Susano, manages to destroy Orochi. She then continues her journey through Nippon, regaining more of her brush techniques, and further restoring people's faith and the lands. Finally, she finds herself in Kamui at the Ark of Yamato. Boarding it with Waka, she finds herself fighting previously defeated bosses, including Orochi. Then, she finally faces off against her archenemy, Yami. With the aid of all the people she met in the form of prayers, her power is fully restored and she is able to vanquish him. She and Waka then return to the Celestial Plain to restore it, and finally bring peace and harmony back to the world.

Outside of Ōkami, Amaterasu appears as a playable character in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and on its updated version Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Reception
In 2010, readers of the Japanese magazine Famitsu voted Amaterasu into eight place in a poll for the best video game character of all time. IGN's Cam Shea said she "has a delightful duality. At once a powerful goddess, capable of making sweeping changes to the world, she's also in turn a wolf pup, digging into the earth in search of treasure." Complex listed Amaterasu on its list of "The 50 Most Badass Video Game Characters Of All Time" (ranked 32th), as well as "The 50 Greatest Heroines In Video Game History" (ranked 17th). Amaterasu is the fifth best PlayStation dog according to PlayStation Official Magazine, adding "[r]arely has a dog been as beautiful as the glorious work of art that is Okami Amaterasu"; and for Joystick Division she is "the most brilliant canine protagonist of any video game". In 2012, GamesRadar ranked her as the 49th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in games.

GameDaily listed her on its "Top 25 Capcom Characters of All Time", placing she on 15th, while ScrewAttack ranked Amaterasu seventh on its 2013 list of "top 10 Capcom Characters". She appeared on IGN list of characters they wanted in a possible Marvel vs. Capcom 3, where they commented Amaterasu "would add a nice dash of variety in addition to visual spectacle", adding she "is unique and violent enough to warrant more attention than is currently given". Her inclusion in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 were received positively both for fans and critics. She also was chose by Game Informer as one of the 20 Capcom characters they would like to see in a rumored crossover fighting game Namco Vs Capcom, his Namco side equivalent being Shadow from Dead to Rights.