9. Tomoe Gozen

As an onna-musha, Tomoe Gozen was one of the rare few female warriors to participate in offensive warfare if the stories are to be believed. Join us again for another tale set during the Genpai War. The same tale of family drama and betrayal – this time from the side of Minamoto no Yoshitaka and the warrior that would go on to inspire generations of samurais. In this choose-your-own-ending adventure, we’ll tell the story of Tomoe’s final stand and speculate over what happened to this deadly, decapitating difficult damsel after the stories all end. Oh, and if you should ever come across the ghost of Tomoe Gozen on horseback with a naginata in hand? Run. Definitely run.