Nyssa al Ghul

"I am Nyssa. Daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Heir to the demon."

- Nyssa's usual first words to people she meets.

Nyssa al Ghul (Arabic: نيسا الغول), also known as Nyssa Raatko (Arabic: نيسا رعتكو‎) (born May 10, 1985), is a member of the League of Assassins. She is also the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, and the ex-lover and close friend of the late Sara Lance. She was the one who brought Sara to Nanda Parbat. By Ra's forced wedding, Nyssa becomes the wife of Oliver Queen.

Early life
Nyssa was born on May 10, 1985 to Ra's al Ghul and she was raised in the League of Assassins, becoming a proficient swordswoman by 8 years old. In 1993, Nyssa brought in Malcolm Merlyn to be trained as a league member. In their initial meeting, Nyssa named Malcolm "Al Sa-Her" (Arabic for "Magician") after he pulled a coin out of her ear in a magic trick. She presumably met Sara, who was on the brink of death after being swept away from the Amazo. She took Sara in and nursed her back to health. At some point after this, Nyssa fell in love with Sara. Nyssa was apparently in line to succeed Ra's al Ghul in the event the prophecy of someone surviving a battle against him didn't come true.

Looking for Sara.
In "Heir to the Demon", Nyssa arrived in Starling City to find Sara Lance. A scan of her passport declared her an active A.R.G.U.S. threat and agents attempting to detain her were met with brutal force at her hands. Following this she quickly left the airport.

Nyssa eventually found Sara, and kissed her much to Oliver's surprise when he was watching. She revealed she hadn't decided which she would do, also indicating that she knew Oliver was with them. Sara asked Oliver to let her handle Nyssa. The two walked away and discussed their former relationship. Nyssa expressed how hurt she was that Sara had just left her without saying goodbye. Sara responded to her with warmth and feeling, apologizing. She begged Nyssa to release her from the League just as Ra's al Ghul had done previously with Malcolm Merlyn, but Nyssa brushed this off as a horrible one-time mistake. After sharing another close moment, Sara told Nyssa she wouldn't go back, and to do what she had to. Sara stood waiting as Nyssa drew her dagger from her thigh. A surprise to her, Nyssa wouldn't kill her, leaving.

Later on, a member of the League kidnapped Sara's mother Dinah Lance, working with Nyssa. Oliver and Sara tried to stop them as they drove away, however Nyssa drove them back with a deadly stream of arrows. Nyssa called Sara, telling her that she had 24 hours to rejoin the League or Dinah would die.

It is revealed Nyssa tricked Sara into coming back to Starling by poisoning Laurel Lance with snake venom, and having witnessed the other League member kill himself earlier, Sara decided to take his poison vial and told Nyssa she would rejoin the League. Upon arriving with her father, Nyssa released Dinah. She was happy to see Sara back, only to be shocked to see Sara had taken the poison. This sent Nyssa into a despairing rage. When Sara's parents arrived she immediately and swiftly disarmed Quentin and was about to kill them before being blocked by The Arrow. The two engaged in archery and hand-to-hand combat where Nyssa disarmed and almost killed Oliver with her dagger. However Oliver managed to trap her in a chokehold. As this happened, Sara struggled towards them, begging Oliver to spare her former lover. Oliver hurried to Sara's side, saving her with the herbs taken from Lian Yu. Touched by Sara's would-be final act, Nyssa declared Sara free from the League. As the police arrived, Nyssa was nowhere to be found.

Sara later contacted her and agreed to join the League again if Nyssa would help save Starling City. Nyssa and a group of League members joined Oliver's team and armed themselves with arrows containing the cure. Oliver instructed Nyssa and her group that no one should be killed. They then confronted Slade in his office and beat all of his soldiers while he managed to escape. Nyssa and Sara managed to quickly take out Isabel Rochev who began to mock Oliver. Although technically acceding to Oliver's demand that there be no killings, Nyssa herself delivered the coup de grâce on a disarmed and neutralized Isabel Rochev, telling Oliver that "your reticence to do what is necessary is why your city burns". The group then went to the tunnel to engage   Slade's Mirakuru-infused thug army. The group used their archery and close combat skills to beat the soldiers. Nyssa personally made several shots during the melee in the tunnel which saved Oliver or Roy. When Slade's plan had been derailed, Nyssa swore to Sara her father to keep her safe. She then took a willing Sara away with her on a ship to rejoin the League.

Hunting Sara's Killer
Upon Sara's disappearance, Nyssa storms into the Arrowcave, aiming an arrow at Oliver. Oliver informed her of the death of Sara. Shocked with grief, she revealed that Malcolm Merlyn was still alive and that Sara had come to Starling City to trace a rumour that he was here. She visited Sara's grave where she meets Laurel, she swears a blood oath to avenge Sara's life using the Arabic Words "أقصم بحياتي", which mean I swear on my life, the rest of the oath is undistinguishable. She went to Sara's safehouse where she and Oliver found pictures and notes Sara had made while investigating Malcolm. Team Arrow and Nyssa found out Merlyn was hiding in a Buddhist temple. Infiltrating the temple she confronted the leader who was meditating (unaware it was Merlyn, as the leader had passed away years ago). Realizing it was Malcolm, she tried to kill him however he incapacitated her easily and fled the scene. Oliver managed to put a tracker on him. Nyssa was angry at Oliver that he did not attempt to kill him. After learning Oliver had talked to Malcolm and did not believe he killed Sara she became furious at him. Learning Thea was actually his daughter, she kidnapped Thea. Trying to lure Malcolm in, Oliver freed Thea and the two started a fight. Merlyn showed up and a wild melee started in which Malcolm managed to overpower Nyssa, and told her he did not kill Sara and suspected her own father Ra's al Ghul to be the killer. After a discussion Oliver refused to kill Malcolm, and told Nyssa he would not allow the League of Assassins to come near him. Angered by Oliver she shared her thought with Laurel and encouraged in her training to become stronger before leaving Starling City. She was later shown informing her father, who assured her Malcolm would face justice. She did appear to have doubts about Malcolm's guilt in Sara's death, especially when her father stated that Sara "was never truly one of us". Upon hearing of Oliver's decision to protect Malcolm, he declared war.

She later left to Starling city with a group of assassins and captured Oliver. She informed him that he had 48 hours to find Sara her killer or the League would start killing citizens. After this she was present when the deathline had passed and her father talked with Oliver. Oliver said he had killed Sara which made her react in disbelief. Oliver lied that he killed her because she begged him as she did not want to return to the League. He then challenged her father for a trial by combat which he accepted. She was present on the mountain where Oliver and her father would have the duel. She said she envied Oliver as he would see Sara soon (in death). Her father engaged Oliver in combat. Being unarmed Ra's easily dodged Oliver's sword strikes. He ultimately mortally stabbed him and threw him off the mountain.

Nyssa later confronted her father about that Oliver is still alive. Her father said he was aware and that Oliver did not killed Sara. Nyssa questions if he ever approved of her relationship with Sara. He said he knew their love would only end in heartbreak. Nyssa mentioned that even if Oliver did not kill Sara he still deserves to die for defying her father. Nyssa and a group of assassins went to Starling City as they looked for Malcolm Merlyn, they got contacted by Thea who offers them Malcolm Merlyn in return for safety. Nyssa agreed and Thea tells them where Malcolm is. Nyssa and her team find Malcolm as he is getting attacked by Laurel. He easily fended her off and took her baton, after which she pulled a gun on him. Her assassins quickly disarmed Laurel and surrounded Malcolm. Nyssa faced Malcolm in a duel while she used her scimitar and he used the baton of Laurel. After a short fight she managed to overpower him and knocked him out. Preparing to leave by helicopter Nyssa told Malcolm he would suffer for what he did. Malcolm replied that her father only wanted to punish him for the undertaking and the he never cared for Sara. Malcolm said her love for Sara made her unable to take the place of her father. Oliver Queen came to his rescue. Nyssa ordered her men to leave with Malcolm while she prepared to hold Oliver off. She fought Oliver however he managed to tie her up with a trick arrow and capture her. As the helicopter flew Malcolm away she mentioned to Oliver that Malcolm will never be seen again. Nyssa got locked up in a cage in the Arrowcave. She spend her time meditating as Oliver and his team discussed what to do. Oliver send the rest away as he asked her where Nanda Parbat is. Nyssa explained that every action of him had frustrated the vengeance for the death of Sara, and she tells him the location as she is certain he will die there. Laurel later brought her water and Nyssa said Malcolm will get tortured by her father, but Laurel does not seem please how the killer will be punished. Laurel said she hated Merlyn and that he was like a piece of Sara that still existed. However now he is gone she can not even remember the sound of Sara her laugh. Nyssa told her that the first time Sara was brought to her father she was the witness of a demonstration of his power, however she simply laughed as she was completely innocent. It was that moment Nyssa fell in love with her. A touched Laurel thanks her for sharing this. Thea later visited her at her cage as she explains she can not live with the guilt of what she did. Thea explained to Nyssa that she lied to her and that she was the one who killed Sara. Thea then opened the cagedoor and hands Nyssa her scimitar as she says she can have her revenge.

Nyssa took the scimitar but refused to kill Thea. A frustrated Thea explained how she killed Sara while being drugged. Nyssa said that the murder will be revenged with the death of Malcolm. Laurel and Roy came in and attacked Nyssa as they believed she had escaped. Nyssa knocked them both down but was shot with a anesthetic and passed out. Locked up in the cage she was suprised when Oliver returned and set her free. She demanded explanation as she refused to believe her father had let Malcolm go. Oliver told her to just go home.

When she arived at Nanda Parbat her father said coldly he was happy to see her again. She demanded to know why he had let Malcolm go. Her father explained it was a favor to Oliver as he would become his heir. Nyssa said it was because he did not approve her relationship with Sara. Her father explained how she was unfit to be his heir as she had allowed weakness to come into her life which had made her emotional in her judgement. Nyssa attempted to kill him with a swordstrike which he easily blocked. Nyssa said she would not watch her legacy being gived to an outsider and left.

Leaving the League
Nyssa later came back to Starling City and saved Laurel as the police station was under attack by Murmur. Killing multiple gunmen she then left the scene. Nyssa later talked to Laurel and told her Laurel reminded her of Sara. Nyssa asked Laurel if she would like to talk about her father as they both had some issues with their father. Laurel agreed and they went to dinner while Nyssa complimented her fighting skills and offered to train her as she would stay in Starling City for a while.

She met with Oliver in an alley as he asked for her help. She refused to betray her father which resulted in him bringing up Sara. She then gave Team Arrow the location of a building that the league has been using has been using as a staging ground. Nyssa then showed up and helped Laurel when she was cornered by her father.

Nyssa continued training Laurel. She made Laurel track a criminal. When Laurel and the criminal fought and he started to overpower her Nyssa swiftly intervened and took him out. Nyssa showed Laurel that the criminal was carrying two knives and the two then went to get a milkshake.

When drinking their milkshake Nyssa was suprised with the fries and the talked about how they enjoyed spending their time together. Nyssa mentioned she enjoyed the last few weeks and thanked Laurel for being kind to her after being subjected by her father. Laurel mentioned she had to tell Nyssa of how Oliver was now with the League. Nyssa mentioned that Laurel should not have hidden that from her and angrily left the restaurant.

Laurel met Nyssa at her hideout and told her she was sorry for not telling her hower she did not wanted to upset her while she seemed so happy these last two weeks. Nyssa told Laurel she should not keep secrets especially after her relationship with her father suffered because of her secrets. Nyssa told Laurel she should stay away from her as Oliver and the League will come for her now that he has become the heir.

Nyssa and Laurel went to John and Felicity and told them that Oliver was brainwashed and is no longer the person they knew him to be. John and Felicity mentioned they could not believe it and Nyssa told them she was damaging the memory they had of him. She told them she would not hide and she would face him and accept her destiney.

Nyssa went to the rooftop where Sara got killed. Oliver showed up and she asked him if he still remembered her or if his memory of her had been destroyed by her father. Oliver told her she had to come to Nanda Parbat. The two attempted to shoot each other, hower both managed to dodge and block the arrows. Nyssa and Oliver then fought each other using their bows and swords. After a short fight Oliver quickly disarmed her and knocked her down. Before he could kill her Laurel and John stopped him. As they told him to back off Oliver quickly escaped the scene by jumping of the roof.

At her hideout Nyssa nurtured her wounds and told Laurel she should not have intervened. Laurel mentioned she did not want to lose her as well after all the people she lost. Nyssa mentioned that the last few weeks she realized there was a life outside of the league however as daughter of the Demon that life would never be for her. Laurel mentioned that she did not recognized Oliver when he fought Nyssa. Nyssa mentioned he has changed, however Laurel mentioned that she could change as well.

John and Felicity visited them and told them Lyla had been captured to force them to surrender Nyssa. Furious John scolded Nyssa and the League for their lack of honor. Laurel tried to calm him down however he wanted Nyssa to surrender to the League. Nyssa told them she will give herself up however Laurel told them they would lose their soul if they would surrender her to get Lyla back. Nyssa, Laurel, John and Felicty met with Oliver and the Assassins. Oliver ordered Maseo to search them for weapons. Felicity refused to be touched and Oliver made Maseo back off. Oliver ordered Nyssa to be bound and then released Lyla. Maseo ordered Nyssa to kneel before Oliver however she refused. Lyla grabbed two guns hidden on Felicty and quickly shot two assassins. In the ensuing fight Nyssa took out two guards and managed to break her bonds after which she took a sword. She fought Maseo in single combat while Team Arrow quickly got overpowered by the Assassins. When Laurel got overwhelmed Maseo quickly subdued the distracted Nyssa and captured her. Nyssa then got dragged away by the assassins.

When brought before her father he told her about how she used to steal during meals but that he always found out. He then unlocked her sword and found the Omega virus. Ra's told her he would try to remember her as she was before she left the League. Nyssa mentioned that her whole life she had been afraid of him but she was not scared of him anymore. Ra's ordered Oliver to kill her but stopped him at the last second. He congratulated Oliver for overcoming her and said that her death would serve no purpose. Learning he wanted her to marry Oliver, Nyssa mentioned she would rather die. However Ra's said she had no choice in the matter.

Personality
In the heat of battle, Nyssa shows a cold demeanor and a cold blooded killer side. When not in the heat of battle, contrasting what people would expect from her being in the League of Assassin as well as Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, Nyssa shows a warm, kind, and caring side.

Her pain is evident in her first appearance, heartbroken that Sara had left her behind. She was more upset over this than any apparent betrayal of the league. She refuses to kill Sara, even when she is offered the opportunity to do so. She finds herself stricken with grief when she discovers that Sara had poisoned herself, rushing to her aid and crying. An ultimate act of "kindness" on her part was releasing Sara from the threat of the League of Assassins; touched by Sara's undying care for her as the woman begged the Arrow not to kill her; despite being on the verge of dying herself. Her "friendliness" is also show in her debut; giving a warm smile and a playful wink to a young boy waiting in line near her at the airport. Nyssa also seems to be very moral as she simply subdued the guards that tried to arrest her during her debut and didn't involve innocent people and simply made her way out after she subdued them.

Nyssa can be just as cold as any other member of the League of Assassins. She acts more so out of personal vendetta than loyalty to the League. She wouldn't kill Sara, but she resorted to kidnapping her former lover's mother in retaliation. She delivers an ultimatum, declaring that she would show Sara how it felt to have someone she loves taken from her if she does not return. This act of vengeance for Sara leaving her continues. She feels once again abandoned when Sara would rather die than return to the league, and to her. She declares that if this were to be the case, she would kill Sara's family. However, she quickly abandoned this when she realized Sara would rather die than return to the League and chose to free her rather than letting her die. This implied she still cares for Sara despite them no longer being lovers. Even when Sara agreed to return to the League of Assassins in exchange for them helping subdue Slade's army, she told Quentin Lance she would die before she lets Sara die.

After Sara got killed she became furious and was convinced Malcolm was the killer. In the process she even abducted Thea to draw Malcolm out. When Oliver did not believed Malcolm did it she quickly considered him an enemy as well, and was prepared to kill him. She had a deep hatred for Malcolm as she was convinced he had killed Sara despite him swearing on his daughter he was not responsible, it was later revealed she was partly correct as he had drugged Thea and had her kill Sara.

At first Nyssa did not like Laurel and mentioned she was not worthy to wear the jacket of Sara. She later changed her mind and mentioned Laurel reminded her of Sara and was friendly with her even after she considered Oliver an enemy. Nyssa later shared memories with Laurel about Sara and later even asked her to dinner and offered to train her.

Nyssa is shown to be knowledgeable of cultures and respectful even when she is on a vendetta. This was shown when she referred to "Jansen" with the honourific "sensei" before threatening to kill him over Malcolm's location.

Despite her intelligent and calculating personality, Nyssa is prone to allow herself to be emotionally blind, especially when it comes to Sara. She even tried to attack Ra's al Ghul in a fit of rage upon learning he denied her what she believes to be her heritage. According to Malcolm, Nyssa's ultimate dream was to succeed her father, which she lost all chances of doing when she chose a relationship with Sara. Nyssa believes this as well and believed Ra's making Oliver his successor was a way to punish Nyssa (however, this is untrue as Ra's' reasons for making Oliver his successor, is because he survived his blade, and because Nyssa has proven herself unfit to become the leader of the League as she has time and again proved that she allows her emotions to cloud her judgment). Nyssa is not without compassion or reason however. She did spare Thea for physically killing Sara since she was mind controlled by Malcolm to do so. She also put down the sword Thea gave her to subdue Roy and Laurel non-lethally rather than going for lethal methods.

Abilities

 * Peak of human physical condition: As a highly skilled assassin, Nyssa is shown to be in top physical condition with fast reflexes. Nyssa is also noticeably much faster than Oliver and Malcolm, despite the former being the same age as her.
 * League of Assassins training: It can be assumed that Nyssa has gone through the training all League members do. She likely possesses skills with a variety of other melee weapons such as swords, darts or the dagger that she keeps at her thigh.
 * Master hand-to-hand combatant/Martial artist: Nyssa has displayed that she is highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts, with a prowess that seems to rival Oliver's. She was able to easily beat five armed guards in a matter of seconds. She faced the Arrow head on in a close quarters battle in which she almost beat him. She proved herself an agile fighter, using her light weight and flexibility to her advantage. Despite being bested by both Oliver and Malcolm in the past she was able to defeat Malcolm in single combat. In every single one of her confrontations against Oliver, she was never able to defeat the latter.
 * Master archer: Nyssa demonstrated skills in archery that also rivaled Oliver's. She was able to fire multiple arrows in rapid succession from a moving car at an even faster moving target. She was able to face off against the Arrow in a duel of archers and nearly won; depriving the Arrow of his quiver with one of her arrows. She was able to quickly fire arrows while dodging his shots at her. Keeping up with the Arrow in this fashion had only been done by Malcolm Merlyn.
 * Master swordswoman: As a member of the League of Assassins, Nyssa is a master swordswoman. In, she used a sword against Oliver and Malcolm. Using her sword she was able to defeat and capture Malcolm. However, in , in her sword duel against Oliver, she was swiftly subdued by the latter.
 * Free running/Acrobatics: Nyssa is shown to be highly skilled in entering and leaving buildings. Like Sara she uses a scarf to quickly descend down from ceilings.
 * Toxicology: Nyssa displayed a familiarity with poisons, using a small amount to poison Laurel Lance in a ruse to bring Sara back, as well as knowing that Sara was poisoned immediately. She later used a dart to make Roy pass out.
 * Multilingualism: Nyssa is capable of fluently speaking English and Arabic.

Equipment

 * League of Assassins suit: Nyssa wears a protective suit of black robes, unique from the usual garb worn by League assassins. Her suit differs in that it features loose fitting garbs and a red shoulder pauldron.
 * Customized PSE Chaos AD Compound Bow: Nyssa wields a personal compound bow, similar to that of Malcolm Merlyn. It is possible that this bow is the signature bow to the League of Assassins.
 * Customized Hunting Arrows: Nyssa carries a number of black arrows with her at all times. These arrows feature a special red fletching and tip.
 * Trick arrows: In, shortly after her return to Starling City, Nyssa uses a bola arrow to save Laurel from a thug, who was about to use a second knife, after the former underestimated her opponent.
 * Quiver: Nyssa wears a black quiver to keep arrows on her back at all times.
 * Dagger: Nyssa carries a personalized dagger at her right thigh. It features a gold trim and a marked blade. She draws this dagger upon seeing Sara and during her battle against the Arrow.
 * Sword: Nyssa can proficiently wield a sword. It is unknown what type of sword it is.
 * Scarf: Nyssa uses a scarf to descend down a ceiling. She also used a scarf to block Malcolm's arrows.
 * Darts: Nyssa was shown using a dart to poison Roy Harper and make him pass out.

Season 2

 * (mentioned)

Trivia

 * In the DC comics, one of the daughters of Ra's al Ghul is actually named Nyssa Raatko. In, Nyssa's passport is under this name. Since Ra's al Ghul is actually a title, its possible that Nyssa al Ghul is an alias, being Nyssa Raatko the real name. In "This Is Your Sword" Ra's told Nyssa of her parentage and confirmed she was his illegitimate child, a Raatko.
 * Nyssa is the fourth character who uses a bow as her main weapon other than Oliver.
 * In the promo for "Heir to the Demon", Nyssa is shown in full costume battling Roy Harper, however this scene did not make it into the final episode.
 * Nyssa has a habit of introducing herself to characters who do not know who she is, like Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak; like when she said, "I am Nyssa. Daughter of Ra's al Ghul. Heir to the demon".
 * Her name in Arabic (نيسا الغول = Nyssa al Ghul) in English literally translates to "Woman Ghoul" or "The Ghoul's Woman" with Nyssa meaning "woman" and al Ghul meaning "(the) ghoul". Though because her father's name "Ra's al Ghul" in the DC comics translates to mean "The Demon's Head", Nyssa's name in the DC universe means "The Demon's Woman".
 * Nyssa's advice for Laurel to turn her hips because it's where the power comes from is the same advice Oliver gave Diggle in season 1.
 * Nyssa was able to defeat Malcolm at the time he was training Oliver to fight Ra's al Ghul. Despite this she got beaten by Oliver moments after this victory.