Ochō was a female human residing on the planet Tao in the Outer Rim during the Imperial Era; she was also the daughter of a powerful crime boss. Her father was known as Yasaburō. In her youth, Ochō developed a strong connection with an orphaned Lepi slave named Lop, ultimately persuading her father to bring the Lepi girl into their family.
In response to what they perceived as the oppressive rule of the Galactic Empire, a significant portion of Tao's inhabitants rebelled. While Ochō's father, Yasaburō, supported this rebellion, Ochō chose to align herself with the Empire.
Originating from the resource-abundant planet Tao, situated within the Outer Rim Territories, Ochō was a female human. She was born into the clan and criminal organization headed by her father, Yasaburō, who held the title of "Boss."
One day, while at a market, Ochō and Yasaburō encountered Lop, a Lepi orphan and runaway slave, as she was attempting to steal some fruit to eat. Yasaburō inquired about Lop's parents, to which Lop replied that they were gone. As Lop's stomach growled with hunger, Ochō enthusiastically suggested that they adopt her into their family. Her father playfully scolded Ochō for loudly expressing sympathy for an escaped Imperial slave within earshot of Galactic Empire personnel. However, Ochō appealed to Yasaburō's strong moral compass to take the Lepi girl in. Insisting that she could tell Lop was a good kid, Ochō escorted her to play at the beach. At that point, Yasaburō agreed to adopt Lop and raise her as his own daughter. Lop's droid companion, TD-4, then freed the Lepi from her shock collar and captured a family photo of Lop, Ochō, and Yasaburō.
Seven years after Lop joined the Yasaburō clan, an explosion at Tao's Imperial base devastated a large portion of the local town, leaving behind a scene of flames and smoke. Ochō angrily confronted her father, expressing her indignation at his support for the attack. Yasaburō condemned the Empire for its treatment of their homeworld, its environment, its people, and its resources, asserting that the locals had to take action against the Empire to demonstrate their refusal to accept such treatment. Members of the clan urged the father and daughter to stop arguing and escape before Imperial stormtroopers arrived. Just then, Lop arrived at the commotion, and a clan member pleaded with her to mediate between Ochō and Yasaburō.
Ochō scolded her father, pointing out that the attack had injured people, including members of their own family. Lop begged her sister and father to stop fighting, but Yasaburō insisted that this was a matter for the head of the family and commanded Lop to remain silent. Ochō insisted on making her position clear as the next head of family, asserting that Yasaburō's "stubborn" opposition to development was "wrong." She argued that Tao needed the Empire to fuel its economic growth, to which her father retorted that Tao had thrived for a long time without assistance from the Galactic Republic. Yasaburō questioned why that should change now, and why they should "throw themselves at [the Empire's] feet" while it continued military buildup on Tao. He asked how Ochō would feel if the Empire turned their world into a war zone, saying that if she wanted to lead the family, she should want to drive the Empire out. Ochō angrily insisted that the Empire was the only hope for their planet to develop and progress, regardless of whether a war occurred. Her father dismissed the Empire's "support" for Tao as a euphemism for taking control. At that moment, Imperial stormtroopers approached the scene, and most of the gathered crowd fled. Yasaburō criticized the fleeing people as fools, expressing his belief in Tao residents' "duty" to protect the planet, a duty that had been passed down for generations.
As Lop drove in a landspeeder with Ochō, she suggested that her sister should consider how Father felt about the Empire and their homeworld. Ochō insisted that she had a responsibility as Yasaburō's heir to turn to the Empire for the sake of their future. As the pair approached an Imperial roadblock, Ochō affirmed that she knew how to take care of their household. The young women were stopped at the roadblock, where an Imperial officer greeted Ochō, saying he had been waiting for her. The officer revealed that Ochō had agreed to negotiate on her father's behalf to prevent the insurrection on Tao from occurring, but had failed to prevent violence. Lop, distraught, asked Ochō whether she had indeed tried to stop Yasaburō without even talking to him first. Ochō confirmed that, saying she couldn't "leave it up to" their father anymore and that he was "blinded" by his idealism.
The officer said that, since Ochō could not keep the Yasaburō clan under control, the Empire would have to make life even more difficult for them. Ochō apologized to the officer, taking full responsibility and insisting that she would either persuade or force her father to stop the violence. He invited Ochō to accompany him and his stormtroopers for the Empire's "redevelopment initiative" as an ally to the Empire, imploring her to help him end the bloodshed. Lop begged her sister not to go, saying it would break their father's heart. Nevertheless, Ochō bit her thumb, smeared her blood by her eyes as makeup, cut her hair, and joined the Empire. Lop held her sister's braid of hair as Ochō departed with the Imperial forces.
Yasaburō went to speak with Ochō, which resulted in a battle between them. Yasaburō lost his only working eye during the fight. Lop witnessed the conclusion of the battle and, after encouragement from her Adoptive Father, who stated that he did not want Ochō killed but rather redeemed and to join them, engaged in a duel with Ochō. Ochō was outraged that Lop was wielding the Family Sword, which she believed rightfully belonged to her as she was the successor to Yasaburō and was biologically related to him. TD-4 attempted to redeem her by showing the holorecording of them on the day she met Lop. Unfortunately, this only provoked Ochō further, causing her to destroy TD-4 in a single strike, leaving him heavily damaged, which fueled Lop's emotions in the fight. Toward the end of the fight, Lop began to connect to the Force, and she Force Pulled one of Yasaburō's blades, the other of which was destroyed in his duel with Ochō prior. She ended the duel with a dual-wielding strike across her torso, causing Ochō to fall back off the platform. However, Ochō landed on a ship that flew in front of Lop, still standing unfazed from the strike, with the X-shaped burns remaining on her torso as the ship flew off.
When Ochō first met Lop as a runaway slave and orphan, she displayed a great deal of compassion. Seven years later, Ochō came to believe that the Galactic Empire was essential for the development of her homeworld, Tao, and she opposed her father's support for the local rebellion against the Empire. Nevertheless, she held a deep love for her father and her homeworld.
However, after joining the Empire as a Lieutenant, this benevolence would vanish. Upon seeing Lop inherit the lightsaber, Ochō openly claimed that Lop was not a legitimate heir, citing her status as both adopted and an alien. It remains unclear whether this change was due to Imperial influence or if these feelings had always been hidden within her. She went so far as to attempt to kill her father and Lop, refusing to consider any merciful actions. Her statements about her father being "blinded by idealism" take on an ironic twist, as Ochō herself would become blinded by her Imperialism.
In the original Japanese, Ochō's name is お蝶 (Ochō), which translates to "butterfly." She was featured in "Lop & Ochō," a short film within the Star Wars: Visions series, written by Sayawaka and directed by Yuki Igarashi. The short, produced by Geno Studio, was released on Disney+ on September 22, 2021.