Tayuya

was the kunoichi of Orochimaru's Sound Four. She was foul-mouthed (a fact for which Jirobo berated her) and ill tempered, but very powerful. Her main (and only) weapon was her flute. With it, she could summon three powerful demons (also known as the Doki) and control them to fight for her. Tayuya was very intelligent and could think of excellent strategies and battle tactics. Out of the four members of the Sound Four, Tayuya is constantly ranked as the fans' favorite of the Sound Four, and is also used as a model for fanart which sometimes includes Hidan, another foul-mouthed character.

Personality
Tayuya was foulmouthed toward the Sound Four especially Jirobo (called him "fatty") as he criticized over it. She may be foul mouthed but she was loyal to Orochimaru. She didn't think much of Shikamaru Nara as a leader, but as a weak useless rat who ran away when she used her Doki to attack him. Unlike other Sound Four members, she had some perception of morals, scolding Shikamaru but on the inside, she actually had a liking to him.

Konoha Invasion arc
Tayuya had a small role during the Konoha Invasion, only having a little introduction stating that the Sound Four were sweaty, and it was nasty. Tayuya was only seen with the rest of the Sound Four forming a special barrier, keeping the Third Hokage from escaping. Once Orochimaru lost the use of his arms, Tayuya along with the other members of the Sound Four helped Orochimaru with his escape. Tayuya and Kidomaru were the only ones who didn't physically help Orochimaru get away.

Sasuke Retrieval arc
Tayuya was the only one who didn't convince Sasuke that he stood no chance against them. Tayuya convinced Sasuke to come with them asking Sasuke if he had goals in his life, like killing Itachi Uchiha. When Tayuya lost the Barrel that Sasuke was in, she chased after them only to find Kimimaro. Kimimaro appeared behind her telling her that he didn't kill her because he wanted her to hold Naruto and Shikamaru comparing them to "trash". Tayuya was fooled into letting Naruto getting past her, only to be almost caught by Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique. After a while, Temari arrives and uses Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance to blow the whole forest down, thus killing Tayuya.

Abilities
Tayuya was one of the two members of the Sound Four that actually used sound as a weapon (the other one being Kidomaru); her main weapon was a flute, and with it she could control her Doki. Tayuya was very intelligent and could think of excellent strategies. This was prominent enough for Shikamaru to recognize her as the closest thing yet of all his past opponents to his equal in making strategies. According to Shikamaru, she would probably also "be very good in shogi (Japanese chess)". Shikamaru also said that if he played chess against her it would be like playing without a rook or bishop. She could also perform genjutsu, what she called Demonic Flute: Dream Sound Chain. Her preference for sound-based, long-range combat with her flute made her vulnerable to close-range combat.

When in Level 2 cursed seal form, her hair grew longer, her skin turned dark brown, and she grew several horns on her head. She also gained immense strength, which allowed her to overcome even Shikamaru's various shadow jutsu. She was almost successful at defeating Shikamaru Nara, but Temari came to his aid. Temari killed Tayuya with Summoning: Quick Beheading Dance, uprooting most of the forest and crushing her under a tree.

Dub Edits
In the Japanese version, Orochimaru stated that Tayuya is the only member of the Sound Four that didn't have a trait that would slow the group down, and "doesn't want to give up attitude."

In the English version, Tayuya was less foul-mouthed. She considered herself and Sakon to be the strongest of the team, and Jirobo to be the weakest. However in the uncut release, she became more foul-mouthed when fighting Shikamaru.

Trivia

 * Tayuya's foul-mouthed personality and attitude is reminiscent of Hidan of the Akatsuki, who ironically also ended up fighting Shikamaru.
 * Tayuya scolded Shikamaru constantly during their battle, but it is noted that she secretly had a likeing for him.

Quotes

 * "I'll play you the melody of death!"
 * "You said this was your last hand, right? I'm afraid it's reverse checkmate, you damn rat!"
 * "What a sweet, but completely useless gesture!"
 * "Knowing what I am doing isn't the same as knowing how to stop me!"
 * "No one has survived the sound of my flute."
 * "He's an amazing piece of trash."

Other Media

 * Tayuya appears in 4 out of 5 of the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series and is playable in 3 out of 5 of the Naruto Ultimate Ninja series. Becoming a playable character in the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 and further on. She is also slated to appear as an assist character in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm.
 * Tayuya is a playable character in Naruto: The Broken Bond
 * Tayuya appears as a playable character in Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4.
 * Tayuya is the only one of the Sound Four Group to appear in various Naruto Shippuuden ending skits.