Khunbish was the secondary antagonist of Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island. He was the faithful lieutenant of the Eagle.
Biography[]
Khunbish was the massive, feared, and loyal commander of the forces of the Eagle Tribe. After the Samurai Jin Sakai stormed the Eagle's stronghold at Fort Sakai, Khunbish personally faced Jin in a Standoff. Before the showdown could begin, Khunbish's men interrupt by throwing bombs to knock out Jin. Khunbish proceeded to deliver Jin to the Eagle. They forced Jin to drink the Eagle's sacred medicine, although he would later escape their grasp. While the Eagle went out searching for the Samurai, Khunbish took charge of operations in Fort Sakai. He tortured prisoners to weaken their will before forcing them to consume the sacred medicine.
Jin would return to his ancestral fort to liberate it from the Mongols' grasp, freeing the prisoners and killing many of Khunbish's forces with the assistance of Iki raiders. Jin eventually reached Khunbish himself, who informed Jin that the Eagle considered him worthy of becoming one of her shamans. He urged Jin to accept the Eagle's gift, else he would break him in the name of the Eagle. After Jin denounced the Eagle's gift as a curse, Khunbish engaged him in single combat.
As the duel went on, Khunbish repeatedly chatisied Jin for not accepting the Eagle's gift, to which an annoyed Jin eventually retorted that Khunbish was wasting "the air we breathe". Despite frequently switching weapons (Flaming sword and shield, dual-wielding sabers, halberd) and stances to confuse his foe, the Mongol Commander was defeated by Jin. Outmatched by the Samurai, Khunbish opted to cut his losses and run, leading Jin to label him a coward before chasing after him.
Khunbish fled up a watchtower, throwing a black powder bomb to slow Jin's pursuit, but found himself cornered on the balcony. In his final moments, Khunbish taunts the Ghost, asserting that his visions will grow worse and inevitably drive him to madness and death, but it could have been prevented if only he had accepted the Eagle's gift. Khunbish then made a last-ditch attempt to kill Jin, who swiftly cut him down and then threw his corpse off the tower. His body landed in front of several witnessing Mongols, who fled in horror at the sight of their dead commander.
His defeat and subsequent death marked the end of the Mongol occupation of Fort Sakai, as Jin and the Iki raiders occupied the Fort after the remaining Mongols fled in terror.
Trivia[]
- Depending on how the player approaches the main story quest of "The Eagle's Cry" in Tales of Iki, Jin can be overwhelmed and defeated by Mongol enemies before he ever reaches Fort Sakai. This then causes a short alternate cutscene to be played where Khunbish appears before an incapacitated Jin outside the fort and knocks him unconscious to bring to the Eagle.
- The name Khunbish means "Not a Human" in Mongolian. In Mongolia there is a tradition giving children, who are born to a couple whose previous children have died, taboo names with unpleasant qualities. It is believed that the unpleasant name will mislead and confuse evil spirits seeking to steal (kill) the child.
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