刺客

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 刺客 (しかく) is an assassin sent to attack secretly. It appears as an ambusher and as an identity revealed.
• Basic usage: An assassin waits for a protagonist; another's identity is disclosed near a story's end.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Assassin lying in wait and identity serving as a mystery
  • First 刺客が is the actor; in 刺客の正体, identity is the head noun. Both contexts are fictional.