Stormguard

The Stormguard (also known as Oni) were cursed enemies first seen in Tomb Raider. They were an army of highly-skilled undead samurai who were sworn to serve and protect the Sun Queen of Yamatai, even after her soul was trapped in a decaying body. They served as the second and final antagonist faction in the game.

History
While the exact formation of the Stormguards is entirely unknown, it is possible that they were first formed during Himiko's first lifetime during 200AD.

Legend has it, the Sun Queen was able to conquer the lands of Yamatai thanks to her Stormguards, who were unmatched in combat. Using the Sun Queen's power over the sun and rain, she would raise up a mighty storm that the Stormguards would ride upon to destroy their enemy. Before the ceremony to transfer Himiko's soul into another, more suitable body, they were planning to cross the ocean to touch and conquer all lands.

They were lead by a general until he committed seppuku upon the death of the Sun Queen's bodily successor, Hoshi, who discovered the nature of the ceremony and killed herself with a dagger she stole from the general. Upon Lara's arrival, the Stormguard Stalker appeared to be the leader, as he was seen at the head of the Stormguards when preparing for battle, sending guards after Lara when she was detected, and he would howl an unearthly roar to signal a new wave of Stormguards to fight Lara.

Clad in medieval samurai armor, these soldiers were hostile to any and all outsiders, including Mathias, and the Solarii cultists. They were cursed along with their queen's soul and became undead lifeforms. Since their cursed state, they also began resorting to cannibalism. Whether this was a side effect of their condition or a sign of their inhuman levels of mental degradation is never clarified.

Despite the extremism they unleash on outsiders, they did not immediately attack James Whitman upon seeing him. This shows that to some degree, their personalities may be intact. Thus can allow them to appear civil enough to verbally engage an "outsider" to a limited extent. They only resorted to killing Whitman said the word "Joō (Japanese for 'Queen')", most likely because they immediately perceived him to be a threat to the Sun Queen and acted accordingly. It may also be possible that Whitman was not actually trespassing and was thus not attacked, as evident by how the Stormguard only killed Whitman after he came too close.

After Himiko's supposed final death when Lara destroyed her old body, it is possible that the Stormguards either committed mass seppuku for failure to protect their Queen, died automatically after being released from the curse, or continued to live before they were completely wiped out by Trinity during their cleanup operation of Yamatai.

Types

 * Swordsmen: Basic soldier equipped with katanas and heavy armour. They are mostly vulnerable to shotguns and will likely outrun you. Melee can be used against them, but it's not better than a shotgun.
 * Archers: Ranged support units. They aid the melee units through ranged attacks. They wear armor lighter than the melee fighters and have fire arrows. Melee is a good tactic, since they still have helmets.
 * Shield bearers: They are elite soldiers carrying a glaive and a round shield. Ranged attacks aren't useful against them because of their shields, so close combat is advised. Try to flank them with dodge kills, and finish them off.

Powers & Skills

 * Undead Physiology: They have been alive for centuries, due to the curse placed on them by the Sun Queen. This also explains their inhuman war cries which is oddly strange.
 * Enhanced Condition: They are faster, stronger and more durable than the average Solarii members. Possibly due to their ancestry, they are also taller than most Solarii members.
 * Ancient Weaponry: ​ Having been trained in older forms of weaponry, the Stormguard soldiers can expertly use weapons, such as bow and arrows or katanas.
 * War Expertise: These soldiers have been trained since birth in the arts of war, combat and swordsmanship.

Trivia

 * Overhearing conversations of the Solarii when traveling to and from the temple, they would comment on that the Stormguards would eat the survivors and possibly rape women to keep their numbers strong.
 * After capturing Lara, the Stormguard Stalker left her dangling in the roof by a beam in the food larder, showing what they did to survivors on the island, as she was surrounded by seemingly hundreds of bodies.
 * It is also mentioned in the documents found on the island that, "The Oni are killing my brothers, eating them, consuming their souls, the screaming, the blood".
 * Oni means Demon in Japanese(鬼).
 * If you disarm an Oni archer you will see normal men. They were normal, only their mind and soul mutated.
 * The souls of the ones who were killed by the Onis gone to the afterlife, just the soldier was fearful of them.