Ranmaru is a sort of "alien". He descended upon the earth 500 years before the plot from the meteor which splits the sky in half, along with the Host of Oboro. He controls Nobunaga, and, thinking he will gain ultimate power, Nobunaga follows all of the advice which Ranmaru gives him. However, Ranmaru was tricking Nobunaga into allowing Ranmaru to rule the Earth. Ranmaru is the one who foretold the prophecy (the "Yotoden") and gave the villages of Kasumi, Hyuga, and Hagakure-no-Sato the Swords of Sorcery in the first place. He opens the gate to the underworld, but is destroyed by the combined efforts of Ayame, Sakon, and Ryoma and their respective Swords of Sorcery.

In the year 1580, a man named Lord Nobunaga Oda sends hoards of unholy armies across Japan, slaying all who stand in their way. A young ninja escapes her villages' destruction with a short sword, one of the three mystical weapons that can end Oda's rule. During her quest, she is joined by two other ninjas who wield the other two weapons of legend, the sacred sword and spear. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

**Non-anime roles:** 
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- Amon in "Double Dragon" (Neo-Geo) (VG)
- Dhaos in "Tales of Phantasia" (VG)
- Diva in "Farland Story: Yottsu no Fuuin" (VG, Japanese)
- Dr. Baldhead in "Guilty Gear" (VG)
- Gray Fox in "Metal Gear Solid" (VG, Japanese)
- Hyo Imawano in "Rival Schools" (VG, Japanese)
- Jareth, the Goblin King in "Labyrinth" (Jim Henson movie, Japanese)
- Jimmy Lee in "Double Dragon" (Neo-Geo) (VG)
- Larva in "Kyuuketsuhime Miyu Seiyou Shinma-hen" (drama CD, Japanese)
- Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars" (original trilogy, Japanese)
- Memphis in "Magic School Lunar!" (VG, Japanese)
- Mr. X in "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" (VG, Japanese)
- Ootori Noboru in "La Vie En Rose" (Drama CD, Japanese)
- Ostracon in "Emerald Dragon" (Drama CD, Japanese)
- Rei in "Hokuto no Ken: Seikimatsu kyûseishu densetsu" (VG)
- Zato-One in "Guilty Gear X" (VG)
- Zato-One in "Guilty Gear" (VG, Japanese) 
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The year a comet races across the sky, splitting the heavens, from the depths of the Earth the dark god shall arise once again. Then, the dark evil lurking in the shadows shall come out of the depths of Hell and show itself in the present world. The emotions of the blade of the wind shall collect at the source of the blue light. And the three blades shall become one, vanquishing evil. 
The year is 1580, and the unholy armies of Lord Nobunaga Oda steadily spread across Japan. Narrowly escaping the slaughter of her clan, a young ninja steals into the shadows. She is Ayame, the last of the Kasumi clan, and the dagger she wields is one of three, mystical blades. She is joined by Sakon and Ryoma, renegade ninja and the possessors of the sacred sword and spear. Now, these shadow warriors must unite their weapons and skills to fulfill `The Prophesy of the Enchanted Swords` or die trying... 
This is a cut version of the earlier OVA. 
(Source: AniDB)

Ranmaru Mori