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* RedEyesTakeWarning: His right eye turns crimson when he gets serious, and it is a massive OhCrap moment for the people fighting him.
to:
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His right eye turns crimson when he gets serious, and it is a massive OhCrap moment for the people fighting him.heroes, as it reveals ''all'' the Mibu top brass have access to the same "powerup" as Kyo.
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Per TRS.
Bishonen is a Definition-Only fan-speak term used only for Japanese/East-Asian media. Examples or audience reactions are not allowed. Moving In Universe acknowledgements/relevance to Pretty Boy. Removing any ZCE or misuse.
Bishonen is a Definition-Only fan-speak term used only for Japanese/East-Asian media. Examples or audience reactions are not allowed. Moving In Universe acknowledgements/relevance to Pretty Boy. Removing any ZCE or misuse.Deleted line(s) 86 (click to see context) :
* [[{{Bishonen}} Biseinen]]: He's tall and lean with refined features, but has a more mature look than the {{Bishonen}} of the cast.
Deleted line(s) 193 (click to see context) :
* {{Bishonen}}: He's delicately-built and very pretty. [[spoiler:Though it turns out that SamusIsAGirl, so she's actually a {{Bifauxnen}}]]
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Peek A Bangs has been disambiguated
Deleted line(s) 144 (click to see context) :
* PeekABangs: Even before he started wearing the mask, his hair usually covered his left eye.
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* EliteFour: The Taishiro serve as this type of QuirkyMinibossSquad to the Former Crimson King.
** TheDragon: Fubuki. His water attacks even look like dragons!
** TheEvilGenius: Hishigi. [[MadScientist Complete with creepy genetic experiments]].
** TheBrute: Yuan is initially presented this way, being a BoisterousBruiser and the only Elder who fights hand-to-hand. He subverts it later when he proves himself tactically intelligent and then makes a HeelFaceTurn.
** TheDarkChick: Tokito is the young, immature loose-cannon type.
** TheDragon: Fubuki. His water attacks even look like dragons!
** TheEvilGenius: Hishigi. [[MadScientist Complete with creepy genetic experiments]].
** TheBrute: Yuan is initially presented this way, being a BoisterousBruiser and the only Elder who fights hand-to-hand. He subverts it later when he proves himself tactically intelligent and then makes a HeelFaceTurn.
** TheDarkChick: Tokito is the young, immature loose-cannon type.
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Bare Your Midriff is now a disambig
Deleted line(s) 367 (click to see context) :
* BareYourMidriff: She wears tiny shorts and a bandeau top, exposing everything from hipbones to bust.
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* MsFanservice: She wears tiny shorts and a bandeau top, exposing everything from hipbones to bust.
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Not considered a trope anymore as per TRS
Deleted line(s) 197 (click to see context) :
* CryCute: [[spoiler:After Tokito loses to Akira and claims that her life is worthless, Bontenmaru goes into his speech about the "animal trails" that people make for themselves in hard times. Tokito breaks down crying, because even after everything she's done to him, Bontenmaru is still trying to make her feel better]].
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
Changed line(s) 117 (click to see context) from:
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: UpToEleven. See RasputinianDeath below.
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* DyingMomentOfAwesome: UpToEleven. See RasputinianDeath below.
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Deleted line(s) 156 (click to see context) :
* SkunkStripe: There's a white streak in his black hair.
Changed line(s) 167 (click to see context) from:
* UncattyResemblance: Fubuki's black cat has a white left ear, which calls to mind the [[SkunkStripe white streak]] in Hishigi's black hair. In [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/early_hishigi_designs0.jpg early concept art of Hishigi]], the cat in question was seen at his feet.
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* UncattyResemblance: Fubuki's black cat has a white left ear, which calls to mind the [[SkunkStripe white streak]] streak in Hishigi's black hair. In [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/early_hishigi_designs0.jpg early concept art of Hishigi]], the cat in question was seen at his feet.
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Not So Different has been renamed, and it needs to be dewicked/moved
Deleted line(s) 380 (click to see context) :
* NotSoDifferent: She tries to pull this on ''[[TheStoic Hishigi]]'' in a flashback, saying that he's a coward like her and that's why he's avoiding his moral qualms about the Mibu Reconstruction Project. Hishigi has to [[VisibleSilence take a second]] before he says that they're nothing alike.
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Direct link.
Changed line(s) 9,10 (click to see context) from:
[[caption-width-right:350:The current lineup, from left to right: [[DeadlyGaze Hishigi]], [[TheNecromancer Fubuki]], [[EnfanteTerrible Tokito]], and [[YourSoulIsMine Yuan]]]]
to:
[[caption-width-right:350:The current lineup, from left to right: [[DeadlyGaze Hishigi]], [[TheNecromancer [[{{Necromancer}} Fubuki]], [[EnfanteTerrible Tokito]], and [[YourSoulIsMine Yuan]]]]
Changed line(s) 53 (click to see context) from:
* TheNecromancer: He can resurrect anything he has a piece of. Even ''swords''. [[spoiler:The reason he can't revive the Mibu is that they're all ArtificialHumans that dissolve into nothing when they die]].
to:
* TheNecromancer: {{Necromancer}}: He can resurrect anything he has a piece of. Even ''swords''. [[spoiler:The reason he can't revive the Mibu is that they're all ArtificialHumans that dissolve into nothing when they die]].
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Disambiguating; deleting and renaming wicks as appropriate. Moved to discussion
Changed line(s) 15 (click to see context) from:
** TheDragon: Fubuki. His water attacks even [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons look like dragons]]!
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** TheDragon: Fubuki. His water attacks even [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons look like dragons]]!dragons!
Deleted line(s) 48 (click to see context) :
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: Like Shinrei's, his attacks are dragon-themed.
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Dewicking Badass Gay per the badass cleanup thread decisions
Deleted line(s) 79 (click to see context) :
* BadassGay: Implied. The level of HoYay with Fubuki is truly impressive, and he has some suggestive dialogue with Kyo as well.
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Changed line(s) 197 (click to see context) from:
* {{Bishonen}}: He's delicately-built and very pretty. [[spoiler:Though it turns out that SamusIsAGirl, so she's actually a {{Bishoujo}}[=/=]{{Bifauxnen}}]]
to:
* {{Bishonen}}: He's delicately-built and very pretty. [[spoiler:Though it turns out that SamusIsAGirl, so she's actually a {{Bishoujo}}[=/=]{{Bifauxnen}}]]{{Bifauxnen}}]]
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Changed line(s) 245 (click to see context) from:
* ThemeNaming: [[CaptainObvious They're named after card suits]].
to:
* ThemeNaming: [[CaptainObvious They're named after card suits]].suits.
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Changed line(s) 319 (click to see context) from:
* LightEmUp: Anthony's Koryuuha appears as a BeamSpam not dissimilar to Manga/DragonBall ki attacks. It's not entirely clear if he's actually using light-based powers or if he's just moving too fast for the others to perceive before their subconscious powers are unlocked.
to:
* LightEmUp: Anthony's Koryuuha appears as a BeamSpam not dissimilar to Manga/DragonBall ''Franchise/DragonBall'' ki attacks. It's not entirely clear if he's actually using light-based powers or if he's just moving too fast for the others to perceive before their subconscious powers are unlocked.
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Has nothing to do with familiarity with in-universe fiction.
Changed line(s) 292 (click to see context) from:
* RelativeButton: Twice. The first is a GenreSavvy taunt; saying that Yuan's family will be following him into death provokes him into a reckless attack that almost gets him killed. The second time, the same villain suddenly becomes GenreBlind and [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims reveals that he killed Yuan's mother]] when he already has Yuan beaten. Cue HeroicSecondWind.
to:
* RelativeButton: Twice. The first is a GenreSavvy taunt; saying that Yuan's family will be following him into death provokes him into a reckless attack that almost gets him killed. The second time, the same villain suddenly becomes GenreBlind and [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims reveals that he killed Yuan's mother]] when he already has Yuan beaten. Cue HeroicSecondWind.
Deleted line(s) 360 (click to see context) :
* GenreSavvy: Anri knows damn well that [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoMainCharacters Yukimura]] is going to overuse the DangerousForbiddenTechnique that Anri explicitly told him not to use more than five times in a day. So he teaches Yukimura an incomplete form of the Sekireigan instead -- a form that can still hurt him if he exceeds the limit, but won't kill him.
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* HypercompetentSidekick: Subverted; Fubuki certainly ''appears'' to be a more serious threat than [[ObfuscatingStupidity The Former Crimson King]]... but don't let the king's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} facade fool you.
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* ChessmasterSidekick: He's not exactly a ''sidekick'', but he's outright stated to be Fubuki's superior tactically.
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Changed line(s) 14,15 (click to see context) from:
* FiveBadBand: The current Taishiro appear to form one along with the Former Crimson King.
** BigBad: The Former Crimson King
** BigBad: The Former Crimson King
to:
* FiveBadBand: EliteFour: The current Taishiro appear serve as this type of QuirkyMinibossSquad to form one along with the Former Crimson King.
** BigBad: The Former Crimson KingKing.
** BigBad: The Former Crimson King
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Changed line(s) 1,4 (click to see context) from:
A character subpage for Akimine Kamijyo's manga series ''[[Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo Samurai Deeper Kyo]]''. For the SDK character index, go [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyo here]].
[[AC:The Taishiro (Four Elders) and Imperial Guards]]
[[AC:The Taishiro (Four Elders) and Imperial Guards]]
to:
[[AC:The
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dead wick
Deleted line(s) 41 (click to see context) :
* BadassLonghair: Though an omake jokes that it's actually a wig, making Fubuki BaldOfAwesome instead.
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The [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoCrimsonKing Crimson King]]'s strongest subjects. The Elders have the most direct power over the clan in general, as the King has removed himself from the public. Even their Imperial Guards are stronger than the [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoGoyosei Goyosei]] in combat, and the Elders themselves are among the most formidable warriors in the entire series.
to:
The [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoCrimsonKing Former Crimson King]]'s strongest subjects. The Elders have the most direct power authority over the clan in general, as the King has removed himself from the public. Even their Imperial Guards are stronger than the [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoGoyosei Goyosei]] in combat, and the Elders themselves are among the most formidable warriors in the entire series.
Changed line(s) 46 (click to see context) from:
* CulturedBadass: He used to perform on the water stage at festivals in better times -- the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu school was developed as a dance as much as a fighting style.
to:
* CulturedBadass: He used to perform on the water stage at festivals in better times -- times, and the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu school was developed as he created is a dance as much as a fighting style.
Changed line(s) 49 (click to see context) from:
* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:The Mibu Battle Dolls suffer from a genetic defect that is essentially guaranteed to kill every single one of them]]. Fubuki believes that the Former Crimson King is the only person capable of saving them, and that they will all die if Kyo succeeds in defeating him.
to:
* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:The Mibu Battle Dolls suffer from a genetic defect that is essentially guaranteed to kill every single one of them]]. Fubuki believes that the Former Crimson King is the only person capable of saving them, his people, and that they will all die if Kyo succeeds in defeating him.the King.
Changed line(s) 54 (click to see context) from:
* MightyGlacier: He's not slow except by comparison -- he's the only one of the current Taishiro who doesn't fall into the LightningBruiser category, preferring to block and retaliate instead of dodging.
to:
* MightyGlacier: He's not slow except by comparison -- he's comparison, but he is the only one of the current Taishiro who doesn't fall into the LightningBruiser category, preferring category. Fubuki tends to block and retaliate instead of dodging.avoiding attacks, and rarely tries to outmaneuver opponents because his strength means he doesn't really need to.
Changed line(s) 60 (click to see context) from:
* PitifulWorms: When Shinrei confronts him near the end of the manga about the fact that he killed Taihaku, Fubuki refers to his subordinates as insects in the palm of his hand and says he will not hesitate to crush those who try to escape his control.
to:
* PitifulWorms: When Shinrei confronts him near the end of the manga about the fact that he killed Taihaku, Fubuki refers to his subordinates as insects bugs in the palm of his hand and says he will not hesitate to crush those who try to escape his control.
Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
* BodyHorror[=/=]FacialHorror: Try not to think about how bad his condition must have gotten before he honestly thought being ''[[EyesDoNotBelongThere infested with parasitic eyes]]'' was better. The eyes themselves are bad enough; the way the skin around them looks, it's obvious they've done some serious damage to his body. The horror gets even worse as he dies -- he has to drag himself to Fubuki because he is literally ''falling apart''.
to:
* BodyHorror[=/=]FacialHorror: Try not to think about how bad his condition must have gotten before he honestly thought being ''[[EyesDoNotBelongThere infested with parasitic eyes]]'' was better. The eyes themselves are bad enough; the way the skin around them looks, it's obvious they've done some serious damage to his body. The horror gets even worse as he dies -- after the Eyes are destroyed, Hishigi loses all chance of survival, and he has to [[TheDyingWalk drag himself to Fubuki Fubuki]] because he is literally ''falling apart''.
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* BrokenBird: See DespairEventHorizon.
to:
* BrokenBird: See DespairEventHorizon. Flashbacks show that Hishigi has never been socially inclined, but he's obviously retreated even further from everyone except Fubuki since he contracted the disease.
Changed line(s) 97 (click to see context) from:
* TheComicallySerious: A contrast to {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Shihodo in flashbacks, and HotBlooded [[DeadpanSnarker snarker]] Yuan in the current timeline.
to:
* TheComicallySerious: A contrast to {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Shihodo [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Shihodo]] in flashbacks, and HotBlooded [[DeadpanSnarker snarker]] Yuan to [[HotBlooded Yuan]] and [[HairTriggerTemper Tokito]] in the current timeline.events of the manga.
Changed line(s) 99 (click to see context) from:
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He's been trying to save the Mibu from the Death Disease for decades, and watched hundreds of people die as he was helpless to save them. By the time he contracted the disease himself, he was so broken that he tried to provoke Fubuki, his best friend, into killing him so it would finally be over.
to:
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He's been trying to save the Mibu from the Death Disease for decades, and watched hundreds thousands of people die as he was helpless his ceaseless efforts failed to save them. By the time he contracted the disease himself, he was so broken that he tried to provoke Fubuki, his best friend, into [[MercyKill killing him so it would finally be over.over]].
Changed line(s) 119 (click to see context) from:
* DrivenToSuicide: He was very close in a flashback, before Fubuki told him that he wasn't allowed to die [[HoYay until Fubuki said he could]].
to:
* DrivenToSuicide: He was is very close in a flashback, before Fubuki told tells him that he wasn't isn't allowed to die [[HoYay until Fubuki said says he could]].can]].
Changed line(s) 124 (click to see context) from:
* EvilutionaryBiologist: [[spoiler:He claims that he's given up on saving the flawed Mibu, and now focuses his experiments on attempting to create an improved species without the current clan's inherent defects. In reality, he never gave up, and kept trying to find a cure until the very end]].
to:
* EvilutionaryBiologist: It turns out that he created the "rare breed" genetic experiments (including [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoJuyushi Sasuke]]). [[spoiler:He claims that he's given up on saving the flawed Mibu, and now focuses his experiments on attempting to create an improved species without the current clan's inherent defects. In reality, he never gave up, and kept trying to find a cure until the very end]].
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Changed line(s) 219 (click to see context) from:
** The fight with Akira starts this way too, with Tokito pretending that Hokuto Shichisei is a single blade and feigning a poor technique that makes Akira think his left side is unguarded. When Akira goes for it, Tokito splits the blade into its true form and stabs him.
to:
** The fight with Akira starts this way too, with Tokito pretending that [[BifurcatedWeapon Hokuto Shichisei Shichisei]] is a single blade and feigning a poor technique that makes Akira think his left side is unguarded. When Akira goes for it, Tokito splits the blade into its true form and stabs him.
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* ParentalSubstitute: Kyo probably never knew his parents, but Muramasa removed him from the toxic influence of the Mibu and has been guiding him since he was very young. He's one of very few people who can make Kyo at all emotional, to the point that Kyo can't even talk about the fact that Muramasa has died.
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* BerserkButton: Muramasa. Any mention of Muramasa, any comparison of Tokito to his father, or (god forbid) any implication that Tokito misses his DisappearedDad, and there ''will'' be an incredibly violent tantrum. [[DontYouDarePityMe Pity]] is another button.
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The [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoCrimsonKing Crimson King]]'s strongest subjects. The Elders have the most direct power over the clan in general, as the King has removed himself from the public. Even their Imperial Guards are stronger than the [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoGoyosei Goyosei]] in combat, and the Elders themselves are among the most formidable warriors in the entire series.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[foldercontrol]]
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Changed line(s) 177 (click to see context) from:
-->See [[spoiler:'''Akari''']]
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-->See [[spoiler:'''Akari''']][[spoiler:'''[[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoShiseiten Akari]]''']]
Changed line(s) 255 (click to see context) from:
* BadassFamily: Yuan himself is a LightningBruiser capable of such powerful physical attacks that the force of ''air'' moving from his kicks can cut like a blade. He's also the ''only'' character shown holding his own against Hishigi (for a while, anyway) before Kyo unlocks [[TookALevelInBadass another level]]. His mother was one of the Four Elders, and his father is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history (he was ''Muramasa's'' master). And then there's Yuan's "personal guard"... AKA eight of his siblings. Some of them are goofy; ''all'' of them are badass. [[CoolBigSis Anna]] even scares Yuan. Finally, his older brother Anri is the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", who developed the Sekireigan and taught it to Yukimura.
to:
* BadassFamily: Yuan himself is a LightningBruiser capable of such powerful physical attacks that the force of ''air'' moving from his kicks can cut like a blade. He's also the ''only'' character shown holding his own against Hishigi (for a while, anyway) before Kyo unlocks [[TookALevelInBadass another level]]. His mother mother, Ian, was one of the Four Elders, and his father father, [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoOthers Julian]], is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history (he was ''Muramasa's'' master). And then there's Yuan's "personal guard"... AKA eight of his siblings. Some of them are goofy; ''all'' of them are badass. [[CoolBigSis Anna]] even scares Yuan. Finally, his older brother Anri is the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", who developed the Sekireigan and taught it to Yukimura.
Changed line(s) 327 (click to see context) from:
Yuan's mother, who was part of the Taishiro before him. She was framed for treason and executed because she learned the Sendai Aka No Ou's true nature.
to:
Yuan's mother, who was part of the Taishiro before him. She was framed for treason and executed because she learned the [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoCrimsonKing Sendai Aka No Ou's Ou]]'s true nature.
Changed line(s) 338 (click to see context) from:
Kyo's mentor, Tokito's father [[spoiler:(actually her uncle, rather than "his" father)]], forger of the legendary Muramasa Demon Blades, and former leader of the Taishiro.
to:
Changed line(s) 356 (click to see context) from:
* GenreSavvy: Anri knows damn well that [[{{Determinator}} Yukimura]] is going to overuse the DangerousForbiddenTechnique that Anri explicitly told him not to use more than five times in a day. So he teaches Yukimura an incomplete form of the Sekireigan instead -- a form that can still hurt him if he exceeds the limit, but won't kill him.
to:
* GenreSavvy: Anri knows damn well that [[{{Determinator}} [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoMainCharacters Yukimura]] is going to overuse the DangerousForbiddenTechnique that Anri explicitly told him not to use more than five times in a day. So he teaches Yukimura an incomplete form of the Sekireigan instead -- a form that can still hurt him if he exceeds the limit, but won't kill him.
Changed line(s) 370 (click to see context) from:
* BirdsOfAFeather: She and [[PlatonicLifePartners Julian]] are two of the most [[BunnyEarsLawyer absurd]] characters in the series, they've been friends for centuries if not millennia, and he's the only one who understands her and laughs at her stupid jokes.
to:
* BirdsOfAFeather: She and [[PlatonicLifePartners [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyoOthers Julian]] are two of the most [[BunnyEarsLawyer absurd]] characters in the series, they've been friends for centuries if not millennia, and he's the only one who understands her and laughs at her stupid jokes.
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Added DiffLines:
A character subpage for Akimine Kamijyo's manga series ''[[Manga/SamuraiDeeperKyo Samurai Deeper Kyo]]''. For the SDK character index, go [[Characters/SamuraiDeeperKyo here]].
[[AC:The Taishiro (Four Elders) and Imperial Guards]]
[[folder:The Taishiro as a group]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2151.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The current lineup, from left to right: [[DeadlyGaze Hishigi]], [[TheNecromancer Fubuki]], [[EnfanteTerrible Tokito]], and [[YourSoulIsMine Yuan]]]]
* AdaptationalWimp: The "Four Elders" in the anime are nameless, faceless, literal RedShirts who get flattened by Nobunaga after he takes Kyo's body. In dramatic contrast, Hishigi ''alone'' is capable of effortlessly one-shotting Kyo and rendering him unconscious for an entire volume of the manga.
* AdaptedOut: Not one of these characters even exists in the anime. Related to AdaptationalWimp above; the former refers to the title of Taishiro, this refers to the actual characters.
* ElementalPowers: Yuan [[PlayingWithFire fights with fire]], while Fubuki is a master of [[MakingASplash water techniques]]; they actually taught these elements to Hotaru and Shinrei. Hishigi's abilities seem to be [[LightEmUp light-based]]. Tokito is seen PlayingWithFire at one point as well, but purely physical attacks are the usual approach.
* FiveBadBand: The current Taishiro appear to form one along with the Former Crimson King.
** BigBad: The Former Crimson King
** TheDragon: Fubuki. His water attacks even [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons look like dragons]]!
** TheEvilGenius: Hishigi. [[MadScientist Complete with creepy genetic experiments]].
** TheBrute: Yuan is initially presented this way, being a BoisterousBruiser and the only Elder who fights hand-to-hand. He subverts it later when he proves himself tactically intelligent and then makes a HeelFaceTurn.
** TheDarkChick: Tokito is the young, immature loose-cannon type.
* FourIsDeath: They're absolutely ''lethal'', more so than any other "team" in the series.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The current lineup fits this almost perfectly.
** Phlegmatic: Fubuki
** Sanguine: Yuan
** Choleric: Tokito
** Melancholic: Hishigi
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fubuki]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/18.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Featuring undead cat]]
The current leader of the Four Elders, Fubuki was once Muramasa's best friend, despite [[VitriolicBestBuds usually disagreeing and arguing with each other over everything]]. He is also the one who taught Shinrei the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu, and is shown to be a skilled Necromancer. Before Muramasa defected from the Mibu, Fubuki was a kind-hearted man who loved life. Now, he acts as the merciless will of the Sendai Aka no Ou, slaughtering everything he sees as a hindrance towards the Aka no Ou's plans for the Mibu. [[spoiler:He is also Tokito's real father]].
Fubuki is the only one of the current Taishiro whose imperial guard makes no appearance in the story.
->Voiced by: Creator/NobuoTobita (JP)
-----
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:After throwing himself onto Shinrei's sword, he says that his plan was always to die atoning for his and Hishigi's crimes]].
* BadassLonghair: Though an omake jokes that it's actually a wig, making Fubuki BaldOfAwesome instead.
* BloodyMurder: He can create powerful, [[HollywoodAcid corrosive]] "scarlet wyrms" by infusing the water with his own blood.
* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim[=/=][[ShooTheDog Shoo the Suicidally Loyal Friend]]: There are moments where it really seems like he's trying to get Hishigi to leave the Mibu, aggressively saying he doesn't care if he stays or not. Hishigi always reminds him that he vowed to follow Fubuki until the end... [[YouAreWorthHell even if that path leads nowhere but hell]].
* CombatPragmatist: Stabs Shinrei and Taihaku in the back, fills the battlefield with mist so Hotaru can't use his fire techniques, has zero qualms about joining Hishigi to subdue Yuan instead of fighting one-on-one, etc.
* CoolSword: He uses a katana with an ornate cross-shaped hilt, which is quite distinctive and was apparently custom-forged for him by Julian. Sadly, we never learn its name or much more about it.
* CulturedBadass: He used to perform on the water stage at festivals in better times -- the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu school was developed as a dance as much as a fighting style.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Like his protege, Shinrei, he can use the more powerful "scarlet" water dragons formed from his own blood mixed with water. Because Fubuki is a master, the technique is less dangerous to him than it is to the less-experienced Shinrei.
* DeadlyUpgrade: As the leader of the Taishiro, Fubuki possesses a one-time spell that greatly increases his power. It's a one-time spell because he needs to stab himself in the heart to activate it.
* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:The Mibu Battle Dolls suffer from a genetic defect that is essentially guaranteed to kill every single one of them]]. Fubuki believes that the Former Crimson King is the only person capable of saving them, and that they will all die if Kyo succeeds in defeating him.
* HeroicSacrifice: For Tokito, [[spoiler:when the Sendai Aka No Ou attempts to kill her]].
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: Like Shinrei's, his attacks are dragon-themed.
* KnightTemplar: His drive to save the Mibu has changed him from a kindhearted leader to a ruthless WellIntentionedExtremist, willing to kill his own allies if it will further the Crimson King's agenda.
* MakingASplash: A master of the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu, his skills make Shinrei's (already damn impressive) look absolutely tame by comparison.
* MightyGlacier: He's not slow except by comparison -- he's the only one of the current Taishiro who doesn't fall into the LightningBruiser category, preferring to block and retaliate instead of dodging.
* MundaneUtility: Most people use necromancy to make zombie minions, or bring back loved ones. Fubuki uses it to resurrect dead cats and fix swords. [[spoiler:He tried bringing back loved ones, but because the Mibu are ArtificialHumans, it didn't work]].
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: He believes that the Sendai Aka no Ou is the only person capable of saving the Mibu clan, and so all of his actions -- no matter how horrific the consequences may be -- are justified.
* TheNecromancer: He can resurrect anything he has a piece of. Even ''swords''. [[spoiler:The reason he can't revive the Mibu is that they're all ArtificialHumans that dissolve into nothing when they die]].
* OnlySaneMan: Implied in an omake that he's this among the Taishiro whenever there is a decision or plan to be made. Yuan is disrespectful and regularly goofs off, Tokito is impulsive and childish, and Hishigi is on Fubuki's side but completely apathetic about anything beyond protecting him.
* ParrotPetPosition: His black cat, most of the time.
* PitifulWorms: When Shinrei confronts him near the end of the manga about the fact that he killed Taihaku, Fubuki refers to his subordinates as insects in the palm of his hand and says he will not hesitate to crush those who try to escape his control.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When his Crimson Eyes activate, shit has officially gotten real.
* RedOniBlueOni: He has been each at different times.
** He's the red to Hishigi's blue in the current timeline. Fubuki isn't quite as "red" as some of the others, but compared to [[TheStoic Hishigi]], he's certainly more emotional and reactive.
** In flashbacks, Fubuki appears to be the serious, slightly snarky blue oni to Muramasa's friendly, energetic red.
* SelectiveObliviousness: Before stabbing himself in the heart to activate his DeadlyUpgrade, he thanks Hishigi for staying with him and says that he wishes for his friend to live. Hishigi has been a deteriorating terminal case for twenty years, and at this specific point in the fight, he's lying helpless in a pool of his own blood.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the Mibu clan.
* VillainousFriendship: With Hishigi. They have been close friends for centuries, and whether or not you believe there's [[HoYay more to it]], they clearly care deeply about each other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hishigi]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hishigi_4.jpg]]
One of the current Taishiro, thought to be the most powerful ever (considering Muramasa and Shihodo and the rest, this is ''frightening''). Hishigi wields a ''huge'' Main/{{BFS}} named Hakuya ("White Night") and, when all else fails, his [[DeadlyGaze Devil Eyes]]. Inarguably the most intelligent character in the series. He appears to be reserved and calm at first, but as pretty much the entire cast discovers, he should not be underestimated.
->Voiced by: Creator/ShigeruNakahara (JP)
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* AlmostDeadGuy: He has been for a ''very'' long time.
* AnArmAndALeg: The Devil Eyes have been holding the deteriorating left side of his body together. After they are destroyed, he starts literally falling apart, his left arm and leg disintegrating during his [[TheDyingWalk dying walk]] toward Fubuki.
* AntiVillain: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II]]. Hishigi has been actively dying for a few decades, and StoppedCaring about the Crimson King's goals a long time ago. The only reason he's an antagonist at all is his UndyingLoyalty to Fubuki.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: During his battle with Yuan, it appears that he's using the same vocal tic that Shinrei does, meaning he has analyzed the way Yuan moves and can match him to evade.
* BadassBookworm[=/=]GeniusBruiser: He's a little bit of each -- he certainly doesn't look like a harmless bookworm, but he's not especially physically imposing either. Extremely intelligent and described as a genius on a regular basis.
* BadassGay: Implied. The level of HoYay with Fubuki is truly impressive, and he has some suggestive dialogue with Kyo as well.
* BadassLongcoat: Black leather with no sleeves and three tails.
* BarrierWarrior: He uses them to trap and/or protect other people, rarely to defend himself.
* BeatStillMyHeart: He rips out ''his own'' heart and implants it into Fubuki's chest when Fubuki's heart is destroyed by a DeadlyUpgrade.
* BerserkButton: He never quite loses his cool, but TranquilFury ensues when Fubuki is threatened or their sacrifices for the clan are insulted.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: He is soft-spoken, reserved, and ''incredibly'' dangerous.
* {{BFS}}: Hakuya, the most visually impressive sword in the series.
** CoolSword: Julian designed and forged Hakuya for Hishigi because his strength ''shattered'' normal swords.
** OneHandedZweihander: Hakuya is huge even by previously established {{BFS}} standards in the series. The length of the hilt (not to mention the size of the blade) suggests it's a two-handed sword, but Hishigi's left hand rarely if ever touches it. Possibly because his left arm has deteriorated badly from the Death Disease.
* [[{{Bishonen}} Biseinen]]: He's tall and lean with refined features, but has a more mature look than the {{Bishonen}} of the cast.
* [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]: To Fubuki's red in the current timeline, and to Shihodo's in flashbacks.
* BodyHorror[=/=]FacialHorror: Try not to think about how bad his condition must have gotten before he honestly thought being ''[[EyesDoNotBelongThere infested with parasitic eyes]]'' was better. The eyes themselves are bad enough; the way the skin around them looks, it's obvious they've done some serious damage to his body. The horror gets even worse as he dies -- he has to drag himself to Fubuki because he is literally ''falling apart''.
* BrokenAce: He's reportedly the strongest Taishiro member ''ever''. He's also SecretlyDying, wracked with guilt due to his failure to save his friends and the horrors of the Reconstruction Project, and an [[BrokenBird incredibly miserable person]] in general.
* BrokenBird: See DespairEventHorizon.
* CastFromLifespan: Any time he uses the Devil Eyes. They're a devastating weapon, but they're also the only thing keeping the Death Disease from killing him. If he exhausts their power, he's dead.
* TheComicallySerious: A contrast to {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Shihodo in flashbacks, and HotBlooded [[DeadpanSnarker snarker]] Yuan in the current timeline.
* CoolMask: Black leather covering the left side of his face. Also acts as an EyepatchOfPower, as it both conceals the Devil Eyes and conserves their energy (they can't be turned off).
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He's been trying to save the Mibu from the Death Disease for decades, and watched hundreds of people die as he was helpless to save them. By the time he contracted the disease himself, he was so broken that he tried to provoke Fubuki, his best friend, into killing him so it would finally be over.
* DeadlyGaze: Subverted in that the Devil Eyes are not ''his'' eyes, and he can't see out of them. His right eye is [[RedEyesTakeWarning red when activated]], but otherwise normal.
* DeadpanSnarker: ''Exceptionally'' heavy on the deadpan. We only get one moment of snark in a flashback, and a couple of snarky comments aimed at Yuan in the current timeline.
** During his fight with Yuan, he indulges in a little bit of TrashTalk.
-->'''Hishigi''': I get the feeling you are taking it easy on me, Yuan. Or more likely, your swordsmanship is not as good as you think it is.\\
'''Yuan''': ''Ouch''.
** In the same fight:
-->'''Yuan''': I'm nice and angry now. Just plain ''steamed''.\\
'''Hishigi''': What a wonderful coincidence.
** And in a flashback, after Muramasa and Fubuki have started [[LikeAnOldMarriedCouple bickering]].
-->'''Shihodo''': Aren't you going to stop them, Hishigi?
-->'''Hishigi''': They ''do'' love to fight.
* DeathSeeker: A flashback reveals that after Fubuki refused to MercyKill him, Hishigi promised that he would die protecting his friend instead. In the events of the manga, he places himself between Fubuki and deadly attacks on a regular basis, and has no intention of surviving long enough for the Devil Eyes to take over his mind.
* DespairEventHorizon: He hit it hard after implanting the Devil Eyes, saying that he wished someone would just kill him and attempting to provoke Fubuki into doing so.
* DespairSpeech: When Fubuki comes to visit him shortly after his DespairEventHorizon.
-->'''Fubuki''': I would prefer that my friends survive, no matter what the state may be.
-->'''Hishigi''': "No matter the state"? You are cruel and egotistical, as always. I am not like Muramasa. [[spoiler:If a manmade creation shows signs of flaws, it means that it does not have the right to exist any longer]]. I have [[StoppedCaring grown tired and uncaring]] of my fate, and the fate of the clan. I cannot imagine the peace I would feel if someone would just kill me.
* {{Determinator}}: It's hard to stand out as one of these in SDK, but Hishigi's final battle shows that he is about as definitive as Determinators get.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: He collapses into Fubuki's arms seconds before disintegrating.
* TheDreaded: Yuan describes him as an "incredibly efficient executioner", and once says that the reason no one knows how he fights is that no one has ''ever'' fought him and survived. His arrival is usually an OhCrap moment for the protagonists.
* DrivenToSuicide: He was very close in a flashback, before Fubuki told him that he wasn't allowed to die [[HoYay until Fubuki said he could]].
* DyingAsYourself: He plans to. The Devil Eyes have been trying to take over his mind since he implanted them, and Hishigi has ''no'' intention of living like that. In the end, he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in Fubuki's arms]] after the Devil Eyes have been destroyed.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: UpToEleven. See RasputinianDeath below.
* TheDyingWalk: After the failure of his final attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]], his body starts to disintegrate. He still manages to drag himself to Fubuki's side in time to save his friend's life before dying in his arms.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Complete with black clothing. Just look at the picture.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: [[spoiler:He claims that he's given up on saving the flawed Mibu, and now focuses his experiments on attempting to create an improved species without the current clan's inherent defects. In reality, he never gave up, and kept trying to find a cure until the very end]].
* EyepatchOfPower: Something of an "entire left side of his body" patch of power. And holy shit, ''how''.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Several on the left side of his face under the mask, many more under the bandages on his torso.
* ForegoneConclusion: He starts talking about choosing where he will die almost immediately after his introduction. It's really only ''how'' that has any surprise to it.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: He used to be, according to flashbacks. It was the reason he [[BadassBookworm studied biology]].
* GoodScarsEvilScars: After the Devil Eyes die and fall out, he is covered in disfiguring scars from the damage they've done to his body over the years.
* GoOutWithASmile: His dying speech to Fubuki is delivered with the only smile we ever see on his face outside of flashbacks.
* HandicappedBadass: The Death Disease has pretty much destroyed the left side of his body. He's missing an eye, it's implied that his left arm doesn't work all that well, and he's ''still'' one of the most powerful characters in the entire story.
* HarmfulHealing: Subverted in that he ''knew'' his treatment (which isn't remotely healing, really just some [[LivingOnBorrowedTime borrowed time]]) would be a FateWorseThanDeath, and he did it to himself anyway. He implanted the Devil Eyes in the left side of his body to stop the Death Disease from killing him, which it probably would have done in a matter of months. This ''has'' apparently kept him alive for a few decades, but at a price: the Eyes are breaking down his body ''and'' trying to take over his mind.
* HellBentForLeather: His CoolMask and BadassLongcoat both appear to be black leather.
* HeroicSacrifice: The last twenty years or so have been both a moral and a physical one for Fubuki. Muramasa tried to convince Hishigi to leave with him, but he stayed. This meant giving up any semblance of a moral code, and knowing for a fact that he would die protecting Fubuki.
* IaijutsuPractitioner: You wouldn't think it, considering Hakuya's size and shape, but many of Hishigi's attacks are Iaijutsu-based; he attacks on the draw and immediately returns the sword to its sheath. It seems likely that he fights this way because the Death Disease has destroyed a substantial portion of the left side of his body.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: It's not that he ''can't'', exactly, but he ''won't'' because of his drive to protect Fubuki. He tries to get Fubuki to MercyKill him and set him free of it, calling his friend cruel for wanting to keep Hishigi alive "no matter the state". It also seems likely that if the Devil Eyes succeeded in taking over his mind, this state would be the result.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: He has the Death Disease, and everything that comes with it.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When Akari lives his memories, she finds out how much he cared about her and sees his regrets over the Reconstruction Project. Before the disease and resulting panic, he was a FriendToAllLivingThings.
* LightEmUp: His sword is called "White Night", and he uses light-themed attacks.
* LightIsNotGood: He's an AntiVillain, but calling him "good" would be a stretch.
* LightningBruiser: He's capable of moving at a pace that occasionally reaches FlashStep territory, and his {{BFS}} can create [[SwordBeam energy blades]] described as moving at lightspeed. That's generally accepted to be an exaggeration, but they're still ''very fast'' and so strong they can one-shot the main character. And even disregarding his supernatural abilities, his raw physical strength is ''far'' out of even Kyo's league before Kyo [[TookALevelInBadass takes another few levels in badass]]. Yuan is shocked when Kyo is able to knock him back.
** One of his early scenes shows him saving a low-level Mibu mook from Tokito's sadistic torment by intercepting Tokito's [[DeathDealer weaponized cards]] so fast that they appear to vanish in midair before hitting the target.
* LivingOnBorrowedTime: The Devil Eyes support his deteriorating body, but it's only a matter of time before they either run out of energy or start taking over his mind. He has every intention of dying before the latter occurs, by his own hand if he can't convince Fubuki to MercyKill him.
* MadDoctor: His nickname, but he's a subversion. He's closer to the MadScientist type, though not prone to the typical mad scientist's deranged behavior and disheveled appearance.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: A variation. Hishigi ''hates'' his "masters" (the Former Crimson King and any potential successors) and says he hopes they all die, but he fights for the clan because that is what Fubuki needs, and [[TrueCompanions Fubuki]] is the only reason [[DeathSeeker Hishigi]] is still alive.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He is [[InSeriesNickname known as]] "the executioner" and "the mad doctor".
* NoSell: Akari's "air vamp" attack has no effect on him.
* PeekABangs: Even before he started wearing the mask, his hair usually covered his left eye.
* PunchClockVillain: He is completely apathetic about fighting for the Aka no Ou; in fact, he flat out says he hopes the king ''dies''. In a flashback, after Fubuki refuses to kill him and demands that Hishigi stay with him, Hishigi responds with, "Your arrogance again... and yet it may be fitting to die as the 'villain'."
* RasputinianDeath: Let's go down the list here.
** He survives roughly twenty years of the [[IncurableCoughOfDeath Death Disease]] destroying his body and the Devil Eyes eating him alive.
** In his final battle, Hishigi shields Fubuki from Kyo's powered-up Suzaku, taking the full brunt of the attack with no chance to defend or block.
** The Devil Eyes that have been keeping him alive die and fall out because their energy is exhausted, which leaves him bleeding everywhere and barely mobile, not to mention the blood he's now coughing up.
** He somehow comes up with the strength to break out of Yuan's grip, leave his memories to Akari, and form barriers to protect Fubuki and the others before attempting to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]] in a massive explosion fueled by the last of his energy, which ''still does not kill him''.
** He drags his disintegrating body to Fubuki's side, rips out ''his own fucking heart'', and implants it into Fubuki's chest. Then, and ''only'' then, does he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight collapse into Fubuki's arms]], [[SorryThatImDying apologize for leaving him alone]], and die.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He unleashes a vicious one on the protagonists [[spoiler:after revealing that the Mibu are ArtificialHumans that are dying out]], triggered by their [[BerserkButton dismissal of Fubuki's sacrifices for the clan]]. It's easily the most he ever speaks at one time. He also gives one to Kyo [[spoiler:and the True Mibu in general]] while fighting him.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His right eye turns crimson when he gets serious, and it is a massive OhCrap moment for the people fighting him.
* TheResenter: He despises [[spoiler:the True Mibu for creating the Battle Dolls (himself included) in the first place. They are all essentially condemned to a hellish death from inherent defects that the True Mibu failed to correct, and in their desperate fear of this, the Battle Dolls have destroyed other beings and produced their own doomed ArtificialHumans]].
* SecretlyDying: He has the Death Disease, but it's not revealed until his final battle. The Devil Eyes have been keeping it in check.
* SkunkStripe: There's a white streak in his black hair.
* SorryThatImDying: Pre-story, when he finds out he has the Death Disease and hits his DespairEventHorizon, he apologizes to Fubuki for [[StoppedCaring giving up]]. And his last words are an apology to Fubuki for leaving him alone.
* TheStoic: Reserved and logical at all times. You can count the times his facial expression shifts from deadpan on one hand.
** NotSoStoic: It's very rare, and ''very bad'' for the person who provoked him.
* StoppedCaring: He knows he's dying and that he has no chance of curing the disease that is killing the Mibu clan. Even as he continues to fight for his one remaining friend, he expresses the fact that he has grown tired and uncaring of the cause he's fighting ''for''.
* SuicideByCop: Tries to provoke Fubuki into killing him in a flashback.
* SwordBeam: Many of his attacks with Hakuya take this form. At one point he fires off seven of them with a single swing.
* TakingYouWithMe: Attempts this with Kyo in order to save Fubuki. It doesn't kill either of them.
* TranquilFury: Even in his NotSoStoic moments when he is at his most dangerous, he speaks in a very calm manner. He shouts ''once'' in the entire series, naturally because Fubuki is in danger.
* TransferableMemory: He gives his memories to Akari before he dies, so that she can continue researching the Death Disease and hopefully save the Mibu where he failed.
* TroubledButCute: Very attractive. Also extremely mentally ''fucked''.
* UncattyResemblance: Fubuki's black cat has a white left ear, which calls to mind the [[SkunkStripe white streak]] in Hishigi's black hair. In [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/early_hishigi_designs0.jpg early concept art of Hishigi]], the cat in question was seen at his feet.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Fubuki.
* VillainousFriendship: See Fubuki's entry above.
* VisibleSilence: Find a speech bubble with Hishigi underneath. Chances are it only contains an ellipsis.
* WorthyOpponent: It's rare that Hishigi looks like he's enjoying himself, but he seems to value an opponent who can actually challenge him, and says that he would have liked to fight with Yuan a bit longer.
* YouAreWorthHell: His response every time Fubuki tries to tell him to leave the Mibu.
-->'''Hishigi''': I vowed to follow you to the end. Even if that road carries us both to hell.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hishigi's Imperial Guard -- Ashura]]
-->See [[spoiler:'''Akari''']]
* ManchurianAgent: Ashura is a SuperpoweredEvilSide that emerges when Hishigi activates [[spoiler:the Devil Eye on Akari's hand]].
* MeaningfulName: "Ashura" is a god of death in Japanese mythology.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Ashura is Akari's dormant SuperpoweredEvilSide]].
* WalkingSpoiler: Everything about Ashura is spoiler-heavy, on account of [[spoiler:being part of Akari]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tokito]]
One of the current members of the Four Elders, Tokito is the son of Muramasa and wielder of the last Muramasa sword set, Hokuto Shichisei. He views Muramasa's abandonment of the Mibu clan as an act of treachery and despises him for it, openly proclaiming his disdain for the former Elder on numerous occasions. Despite his child-like appearance he is incredibly strong and harbors a terribly cruel disposition towards his opponents.
It is later revealed that Tokito is in fact [[spoiler:not Muramasa's son, but Fubuki's ''daughter.'' She is ultimately defeated by Akira, which leads to her accompanying the heroes in their attempt to reach the Former Crimson King. During Fubuki's final moments, she is able to meet him one last time and acknowledge him as her father.]]
->Voiced by: Creator/YumiKakazu (JP)
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* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Tokito tells fortunes with Tarot cards and claims that people can never change their fates.
* BifurcatedWeapon: The Hokuto Shichisei appears to be a double-edged sword, but it splits into a DualWielding set of narrower blades.
* {{Bishonen}}: He's delicately-built and very pretty. [[spoiler:Though it turns out that SamusIsAGirl, so she's actually a {{Bishoujo}}[=/=]{{Bifauxnen}}]]
* BishonenLine: Tokito is very pretty to begin with, but [[spoiler:Akira's power boost forces her to release her full power. This causes her body to grow from that of a 14-year-old into her true form: a tall, stunning young woman with long hair and more mature features (though she's [[{{UsefulNotes/Pettanko}} flat enough]] that Akira still thinks she's a man until the post-fight [[TheReveal reveal)]]]].
* BullyingADragon: Even the fact that he antagonizes [[PersonOfMassDestruction Hishigi]] and [[LightningBruiser Yuan]] on a regular basis doesn't outdo his attempt to [[TooDumbToLive kill the Former Crimson King]].
* CryCute: [[spoiler:After Tokito loses to Akira and claims that her life is worthless, Bontenmaru goes into his speech about the "animal trails" that people make for themselves in hard times. Tokito breaks down crying, because even after everything she's done to him, Bontenmaru is still trying to make her feel better]].
* DeathDealer: When he's not swinging around his inherited Muramasa blade, he uses Tarot cards to slice and dice anyone unfortunate enough to cross him. The cards don't factor into his combat style when he's fighting seriously.
* DefeatMeansFriendship
* DespairEventHorizon: Subverted. After losing to Akira, Tokito ''acts'' as though hitting one, but gets over it after losing a hand of MiseryPoker and gaining some perspective.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Bontenmaru says he feels sorry for Tokito, making the astute observation that Tokito's constant vocal hatred for Muramasa stems from ''missing'' his DisappearedDad. Tokito ''does not take it well'' and responds by breaking Bon's arm.
* DualWielding: The Muramasa demonblade known as Hokuto Shichisei is actually formed by two swords (Tokai and Tohyou) that can merge into a single weapon.
* EnfanteTerrible: [[spoiler:Subverted; she's actually several decades older than her childish appearance suggests, and she can grow into her adult body to fight at full strength.]]
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: A waifish, delicate beauty with a sadistic streak a mile wide and [[LackOfEmpathy zero empathy for the suffering of others]].
* FakeMemories: [[spoiler:Tokito's memories of her real parents (Fubuki and Hitoki) were suppressed and replaced by the idea of Muramasa as her father and a mother she never knew. When the real memories try to surface, she suffers from headaches and disorientation]].
* GenerationXerox: Played with. Tokito ''looks'' like Muramasa did when he was young, and as a child was expected to live up to that shining example. When he proved to be nothing like Muramasa (vicious, angry, violent), people turned on him and started to assume that he would betray them. And in terms of personality, they couldn't be more different - Muramasa was a FriendToAllLivingThings, and Tokito is a sadistic {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler: And then there's the fact that she is a girl and not Muramasa's child at all. The looks come from her mother, Hitoki, who was Muramasa's sister]].
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:During her fight with Akira, she's forced to use her adult form to escape his "Heaven's Chill" attack and increase her power. She's ''pissed'' about it, because she hates her true appearance]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Vicious, remorseless, and sadistic. Tokito delights in hurting people and trying to [[BreakThemByTalking break their spirits]] with [[YouCantFightFate Tarot readings]] about their inevitable demises.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: It's ''very'' well buried, but does surface eventually.
** KidsAreCruel: Tokito is very young compared to the other Taishiro [[spoiler:even taking into account her chronological age]], and the only one who seems to hurt and kill people [[ForTheEvulz just because he can]].
** LackOfEmpathy: Upon finding that Fubuki has lost to Kyo, [[spoiler:and having recently regained the memory that Fubuki is her father]], Tokito actually ''laughs'' at him. Then Akira points out that Fubuki hasn't just lost a fight -- he's dying. Cut to Tokito crying and begging the Former Crimson King to save him.
* JustToyingWithThem:
** When he fights Bontenmaru, Tokito says that he will let Bon and company pass if Bontenmaru can catch him. Every time Bon misses, Tokito inflicts some kind of punishment and kicks up the speed another notch.
** The fight with Akira starts this way too, with Tokito pretending that Hokuto Shichisei is a single blade and feigning a poor technique that makes Akira think his left side is unguarded. When Akira goes for it, Tokito splits the blade into its true form and stabs him.
* KnightOfCerebus: The first of the Taishiro to make an appearance, Tokito immediately [[TheWorfEffect Worfs]] Bontenmaru and establishes that the Mibu elite are untouchably out of the protagonists' current league. And Tokito is the ''weakest'' Elder.
* LightningBruiser: Even before approaching top speed, Tokito is far too fast for Bontenmaru to even touch, and hits hard enough to rip out his teeth and punch holes in him.
* MeaningfulName: The sword Tokito uses is called Hokuto Shichisei, named for the constellation. In China, the same constellation is split into two (Tokai and Tohyou), referencing the fact that the blade's true form is a DualWielding set.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Tokito is small and waifish in physique, but is also capable of punching ''through'' [[TheBigGuy Bontenmaru]], whose biceps are bigger around than Tokito's waist.
* NeverMyFault: Even as Tokito denounces Muramasa and claims to hate him, he boasts about the power that Muramasa's blood affords him. When he loses to Akira, he throws a fit and claims he lost because his sword was too weak and he inherited weakness from his father. Akira points out that if this is true, Tokito has never done anything on his own.
* OneWingedAngel: Downplayed. [[spoiler:She can grow to her adult form to fight at full power.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: His mother is dead and his father abandoned him. Tokito is incredibly bitter about this and never shuts up about how much he hates Muramasa.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: Kind of. [[spoiler:Releasing her full power causes her entire body to age roughly ten years, with longer hair to match]].
* SelfImposedChallenge: An interesting variation. [[spoiler:Tokito uses the appearance (and by extension, power level) that she had at the age of fourteen because her adult body looks more like Muramasa, whom she hates because [[FakeMemories she thinks he was her father and that he abandoned her]]]].
* SmugSuper: Played with. Tokito is certainly very powerful, but is still definitely the weakest of the current Taishiro lineup. Despite this, he insults Yuan and Hishigi, randomly breaks things to show off how strong he is, and even briefly considers [[TooDumbToLive trying to kill]] [[BullyingADragon the Former Crimson King]] and take over the Mibu.
* SoreLoser: When it becomes clear that Akira has defeated him, Tokito tries to call the forbidden army troops to kill his weakened opponent. Thankfully, Benitora has massacred said troops by then.
* StalkerWithACrush: [[spoiler:She starts following Akira after he defeats her, similarly to how he followed Kyo as a child]].
* TheStarscream: For about a second, Tokito considers trying to kill the Former Crimson King, being convinced that the king is just a figurehead and Fubuki is actually leading them already. The king then crushes Tokito's idea of rebellion and reduces him to cowering on the floor in terror... just by ''looking'' at him.
* {{Tsundere}}: Toward Akira, and to a lesser extent Bontenmaru, after his defeat.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tokito's Imperial Guard -- Spade, Heart, Diamond, and Club]]
The four card-themed officers who serves under Tokito as elite troops and subordinates, with Spade being the strongest and closest to Tokito. They're first introduced when they attack Akira, Benitora and Bontenmaru in Tsukikage Castle. After Tokito's defeat, it's revealed that Spade is none other than Chinmei, who infiltrated as the Crimson King's agent in order to steal Hokuto Shichisei.
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* ActionGirl: Heart, who is unusually well built and muscled compared to other female characters.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Spade can defeat easily Bontenmaru, Benitora and Akira using his magic tricks and is always well dressed.
* FlatCharacter: Spade is the only one who has any impact on the plot, mostly because [[TheMole he's Chinmei]]. The other three seem to exist initially to establish that the Taishiro's guards are stronger than the Goyosei, and then they are quickly [[CurbstompBattle curbstomped]] to establish that Shinrei's subconscious powers have been released.
* {{Gonk}}: Club is a short, fat toad-like midget sitting on a peg leg.
* TheMole: Spade is Chinmei in disguise.
* OhCrap: Heart, Diamond, and Club when they realize that they have left Tokito's territory and wandered into Yuan's, which results in Anthony attacking them.
* PlayingCardMotifs: Naturally. The theme dovetails with Tokito's own TarotMotifs.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: They serve as this for Tokito, with Spade as TheDragon.
* ThemeNaming: [[CaptainObvious They're named after card suits]].
* WolfpackBoss: Club, Diamond and Heart seems to fight together to boost their chances. Spade is a loner.
* TheWorfEffect: Spade briefly inflicts this on Benitora, Bontenmaru and Akira, though he never gave them the chance to fight back. Diamond, Club and Heart started off inflicting it on Keikoku, Shinrei, Akira and Benitora -- only to be defeated first by Anthony and later by a powered-up Shinrei, neither of whom has to work hard to do so.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan]]
[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan5.jpg]]
Hotaru's mentor and something of a surrogate father figure since he found Hotaru and took him in when he was young. Yuan is one of the current Taishiro, having taken his mother's place after her death. It is revealed later that he and his entire family are essentially prisoners of the Taishiro and the Sendai Aka No Ou after Ian was executed under the pretense of treason.
->Voiced by: Creator/RyotaroOkiayu (JP)
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* AnimeHair: Not his ''hair'', technically. The tails of his blindfold appear to be hovering behind him at all times, though they're only [[ExpressiveAccessory expressive]] when he's comically aggravated.
* BadassFamily: Yuan himself is a LightningBruiser capable of such powerful physical attacks that the force of ''air'' moving from his kicks can cut like a blade. He's also the ''only'' character shown holding his own against Hishigi (for a while, anyway) before Kyo unlocks [[TookALevelInBadass another level]]. His mother was one of the Four Elders, and his father is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history (he was ''Muramasa's'' master). And then there's Yuan's "personal guard"... AKA eight of his siblings. Some of them are goofy; ''all'' of them are badass. [[CoolBigSis Anna]] even scares Yuan. Finally, his older brother Anri is the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", who developed the Sekireigan and taught it to Yukimura.
* BerserkButton: Threatening his family.
* BlindfoldedVision: His Shingan appears to be as good as or even better than normal sight.
* BlindWeaponmaster: ''Do not'' underestimate him because he can't see you. Sword or no sword.
* BoisterousBruiser: He's funny, enthusiastic, occasionally [[LargeHam hammy]], and ''incredibly'' strong.
* BookDumb: Particularly evident while trying to decipher [[EvilGenius Hishigi's]] notes. Like teacher, like student.
-->'''Hotaru''': Why do smart people use such difficult words?\\
'''Yuan''': Makes 'em sound smarter, I guess.
* TheBrute: His initial presentation; of the Taishiro, he relies most heavily on pure force and is the only one who fights hand-to-hand.
** TheBigGuy: After his HeelFaceTurn, he serves as one of these on the heroes' side (arguably replacing Bontenmaru, since Bon has been thoroughly [[TheWorfEffect Worfed]] by the stronger Mibu at that point).
* TheDogBitesBack: After his siblings are safe from the Taishiro and he is able to rebel without endangering them.
-->'''Yuan''': I've cast off the dog's collar, Tokito.
* DramaticWind: When his fight with Hishigi gets serious, his aura seems to create it.
* DisabilitySuperpower: He was born blind, and it is mentioned that his other senses are heightened because of this. His blindness has very little to do with his skill in combat, however. It's not specified if his "Shingan" ability actually allows him to see things or just perceive his surroundings on another level.
* EasilyForgiven: No one ever brings up the fact that he very nearly killed Okuni. Of course, they might not be aware of it -- at the time, she wouldn't have known his name and may not have even gotten a good look at him.
* ExpressiveAccessory: The "tails" of his blindfold stick up when he's yelling at Kyo for ruining his TrashTalk speech to Hishigi. It's not expressive when he's ''actually'' angry or in serious moments.
* EyepatchOfPower: Ian made the blindfold for him when his Crimson Eyes manifested in childhood, because Mibu who displayed the atavistic trait were disposed of if discovered. He is blind, but his [[ProphetEyes blank white eyes]] gain crimson irises (still no pupils) when he gets serious about a fight. The blindfold doesn't suppress his power, but it does hide it.
* ForcedIntoEvil: He's one of the Taishiro because he was forced into the position after his mother was executed as a traitor. If he hadn't agreed, his entire family would have been killed.
* HeelFaceTurn: After Hotaru defeats him, he takes the chance to fool [[AnimalEyeSpy Fubuki's cat]] with an illusion, giving his family time to hide so he can turn on the other Taishiro.
* HeroicSecondWind: He's TakenForGranite at one point and appears doomed, but he breaks free when his opponent reveals that he killed Ian. Yuan still doesn't ''win'', but at least he doesn't die.
* HurricaneKick: He spends the beginning of his fight with Hotaru using only his right foot, and much spinning ensues.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Oddly enough, he reveals this well ''after'' his defeat at Hotaru's hands. While fighting Hotaru, Yuan kept up the pretense that he had no skill at swordplay, even when it cost him the fight (he didn't start with a blade because he didn't think Hotaru had any chance of defeating him, but the fight later became so intense that he wouldn't have had a chance to grab his sword even if he'd wanted to). When Yuan has to go up against Hishigi (who is much stronger, and absolutely ''will'' kill him), the kid gloves come off and he picks up a katana, proclaiming himself to be a MasterSwordsman. Hotaru is not pleased that Yuan lied about fighting him at full strength.
* ILetYouWin: Hotaru ''did'' defeat him... but he wouldn't have if Yuan had used a blade.
* JustToyingWithThem: The beginning of his fight with Hotaru. Yuan starts off saying he can beat Hotaru [[WithMyHandsTied using only his right foot]]. And he almost does. When Hotaru finally forces him to use one of his hands, Yuan is supposed to "spin around three times and bark", stakes that Hotaru had previously declared and at which Yuan had laughed. His acquiescence takes the form of three ''vicious'' [[HurricaneKick spinning strikes]] (punch, elbow to the face, and kick), followed by...
** MakeMeWannaShout: Yuan deafening Hotaru and sending him ''flying across the room'' with one loud bark. This is still Yuan playing around, but it's a devastating attack -- by the end of all that, Hotaru's left arm is broken in several places and he can barely breathe because of broken ribs.
* KeepingTheEnemyClose: Yuan suspects that this is why he was blackmailed into becoming one of the Taishiro -- he's a ''very'' dangerous enemy left unchecked. He also thinks this is why Tokito is one of them despite being the son of the traitor Muramasa, [[spoiler:but it's probably because Tokito is Fubuki's daughter]].
* MasterSwordsman: At first, it appears that he's a hand-to-hand specialist, and he certainly is deadly enough without a weapon. Later, however, he reveals that his true talent and power are in his skill with a blade.
* NoSell: Yuan is described as impervious to fire. Hotaru's flames can't damage him, for this reason and because Yuan taught him all of those skills. Until Keikoku Kien... which Hotaru developed on his own, and which burns from ''within''.
* ParentalAbandonment: [[MissingMom Ian]] was killed for learning too much about the Sendai Aka No Ou, and [[DisappearedDad Julian]] left his family and has been working ever since to set up a way to avenge her.
* PlayingWithFire: Even more impressive than Hotaru, Yuan is able to effortlessly conjure even the black Demon's Breath flames without preparation.
* PromotionToParent: Shares the role with his sister, Anna.
* ProphetEyes: When he takes the blindfold off, it's revealed that his eyes are totally blank. Yuan is blind, but his "Shingan" ability allows him to perceive the world around him without any apparent difficulty and can also search beyond the range of normal vision.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Eight of his nine siblings are his personal guard, and he refers to his father as his "henchman". Julian does ''not'' approve of the label.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: He has the Crimson Eyes, which his mother hid because they marked him as powerful and dangerous.
* RelativeButton: Twice. The first is a GenreSavvy taunt; saying that Yuan's family will be following him into death provokes him into a reckless attack that almost gets him killed. The second time, the same villain suddenly becomes GenreBlind and [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims reveals that he killed Yuan's mother]] when he already has Yuan beaten. Cue HeroicSecondWind.
* SelfImposedChallenge: Fighting Hotaru using [[WithMyHandsTied only his right foot]]. He also primarily fights hand-to-hand, despite the fact that his greatest strength is in swordfighting.
* TakenForGranite: Temporarily, when he fights Hishigi and falls victim to the Devil Eyes.
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Zigzagged during his fight with Hishigi. Yuan starts [[TrashTalk talking shit]], and it looks like this is being played straight when Hishigi himself does not immediately attack. But then the ''other'' ongoing fight interrupts when [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Akari]] [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom whacks Kyo across the battlefield]] and he topples Yuan.
* ThisMeansWar: After Hishigi one-shots Kyo, Yuan says he wasn't too invested in who won before, but he's nice and angry now.
* TrashTalk: Some against Hotaru, more against Hishigi. He even [[TemptingFate asks if Hishigi only carries his sword for decoration]].
* TokenGoodTeammate: Ultimately he's this among the Taishiro, though you wouldn't guess so at first glance.
* TricksterMentor[=/=]StealthMentor: To Hotaru, big time.
* TheUnpronounceable: Subverted. His name is very simple, but Hotaru ''cannot pronounce it'' and calls him "Yunyun" instead. This is phenomenally irritating to Yuan, who insists that Yunyun is actually ''harder'' to say, and it makes him sound like a panda.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Subverted. He starts off as a very dangerous antagonist, but [[HeelFaceTurn he ends up an ally]] and is pretty friendly in general.
* WorthyOpponent: He seems to consider Hishigi this, calling him the strongest of the Taishiro and saying he always wanted to know how a real fight between them would go.
* WouldNotHitAGirl: He says he doesn't want to fight [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Akari]] partially because she's a girl, but also because he's conflicted about fighting someone with no control over her own actions. He did [[CurbStompBattle stomp]] Okuni earlier, so maybe it's just "would not hit a girl he knows".
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Mother]]: Yuan ''[[BerserkButton loses]]'' ''[[UnstoppableRage his shit]]'' when he finds out who killed Ian (he knew the Former Crimson King had ''ordered'' her assassination, but not who had actually done it). Subverted in that Yuan is not the one who ends up defeating the villain in question.
* YourEyesCanDeceiveYou: He claims that his Shingan is better than normal vision, and once tells Hishigi that he "can't fool these eyes". His blindness also protects him from Kubira's illusions and Akari's Devil Eye, but the dozens under Hishigi's bandages are strong enough to [[TakenForGranite petrify him]] (temporarily).
* YourSoulIsMine: He claims he can eat the souls of his enemies. Subverted because his Genshisho is actually an illusion that breaks the minds of his opponents.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan's Imperial Guard -- The "An" Family]]
Yuan's personal guard is comprised of his eight younger siblings: Anthony, Anna, Angelica, and the quintuplets (Marian, Lilian, Yulian, Kirian, and Erian). Anthony starts off hostile toward the protagonists, but after being defeated by Hotaru he lends them his aid. His powers revolve around light manipulation and acupuncture. The others are never seen fighting -- unless you count Anna throwing things.
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* BadassFamily: All of them can speak with their weapons and are implied to be stronger than the Goyosei in combat, though Anthony is the only one who demonstrates that. Their mother was one of the Four Elders, and their father is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history. The oldest brother is Anri, the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", and the second is Yuan.
* BeamSpam: Anthony's Koryuuha technique involves this.
* BigDamnHeroes: Anthony takes down three members of Tokito's guard right before they can defeat Shinrei, Hotaru, Benitora, and Akira. Admittedly he wasn't doing this with any intention of saving them -- he was just punishing Heart, Club, and Diamond for entering Yuan's territory. And he disables the protagonist group with his needles directly afterward.
* CoolBigSis: Anna
* DeathGlare: Angelica has one that can cow her siblings instantly.
* GratuitousEnglish: Their names are composed of kanji arranged to spell them out.
* LightEmUp: Anthony's Koryuuha appears as a BeamSpam not dissimilar to Manga/DragonBall ki attacks. It's not entirely clear if he's actually using light-based powers or if he's just moving too fast for the others to perceive before their subconscious powers are unlocked.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: There are ten of them overall, nine currently in Mibu territory.
* PromotionToParent: Anna and Yuan have been keeping the family together since Ian was killed and Julian left.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The spelling of the three male quintuplets' names varies a ''lot'' between translations. The above is the spelling as printed in the Tokyopop English volumes.
* SuperStrength: Anna's is PlayedForLaughs; she's seen ripping the head off of an enormous stone statue and dropping it on Yuan and Hotaru as punishment for scaring her.
* ThemeNaming: Every member of the family has "An" in his or her name, and their names are spelled out in kanji.
* TrainingFromHell: Anthony uses his needles to stab the heroes in their pressure points to awaken their true potential and give them a huge boost in power.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ian]]
Yuan's mother, who was part of the Taishiro before him. She was framed for treason and executed because she learned the Sendai Aka No Ou's true nature.
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* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Sort of justified by her being a Mibu, but she had ''ten kids'' and still looked really damn good.
* GenderBlenderName: Ian is a name typically given to males in Western naming convention.
* GratuitousEnglish: Her name, like the rest of her family.
* PosthumousCharacter: She died before the events of the series, but she remains an important part of the story.
* SheKnowsTooMuch: The Former Crimson King had her killed because she learned the Mibu's greatest secret.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Muramasa]]
Kyo's mentor, Tokito's father [[spoiler:(actually her uncle, rather than "his" father)]], forger of the legendary Muramasa Demon Blades, and former leader of the Taishiro.
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* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's very friendly, polite, and kind to everyone. But do ''not'' endanger anyone he cares about.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Implied, considering all of the animals that hang out in his house.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: For all those who remember Muramasa as a vicious swordsmith consumed with bloodlust.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Due to the Death Disease.
* MasterSwordsman: The first time he's seen in action, he immediately overwhelms Shinrei, who was in the process of handing Kyo his own ass. Muramasa is also a master sword ''maker''; he forged the legendary "Demon Blades", one of which is Kyo's Tenro.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: He dies, but of the Death Disease; Kyo's enemies have nothing to do with it.
* MistakenForGay: By Okuni, of all people, after hearing Bontenmaru talk about his relationship with Kyo.
* OlderThanHeLooks: As he confirms to Okuni, he's incredibly old despite looking like a Bishonen.
* OldMaster: He can use the four ultimate techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryuu school. Despite his age and deteriorating health, he's still one of only three people Kyo admits he can't handle.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Since he's enlightened, all animals can understand him and live alongside him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Muramasa's Imperial Guard -- Anri]]
The infamous "Tengu of Mount Kurama", and Yuan's older brother. Anri was Muramasa's personal guard, and left the Mibu with him. He developed the Sekireigan and taught the technique to Yukimura.
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* GenreSavvy: Anri knows damn well that [[{{Determinator}} Yukimura]] is going to overuse the DangerousForbiddenTechnique that Anri explicitly told him not to use more than five times in a day. So he teaches Yukimura an incomplete form of the Sekireigan instead -- a form that can still hurt him if he exceeds the limit, but won't kill him.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Following in his parents' footsteps. He has ''eleven'' children, with number twelve on the way.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: His wife is a mortal human.
* RedBaron: The Tengu of Mount Kurama.
* RetiredBadass: He hasn't done a whole lot of fighting since he left the Mibu, and it takes a significant level of pestering to get him to teach Yukimura the Sekireigan.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shihodo]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/122.png]]
The ''original'' leader of the Taishiro, and among the strongest members in history.
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* BareYourMidriff: She wears tiny shorts and a bandeau top, exposing everything from hipbones to bust.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's an odd one, but underestimating her is a ''huge'' mistake. Kyo, our favorite arrogant BloodKnight who has never admitted he's outmatched at this point, tells Sasuke that Shihodo is one of the few people he "just can't handle".
* BirdsOfAFeather: She and [[PlatonicLifePartners Julian]] are two of the most [[BunnyEarsLawyer absurd]] characters in the series, they've been friends for centuries if not millennia, and he's the only one who understands her and laughs at her stupid jokes.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's incredibly weird and ''shockingly'' powerful.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Her dialogue is peppered with weird euphemisms and esoteric figures of speech, she makes childishly vulgar jokes (usually about feces) constantly, and she might drop her [[ItMakesSenseInContext 10,000-pound hat]] on you if you try to get a straight answer out of her.
* CoolSword: Her Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (yes, that one), which she can use to summon clouds capable of "eating" and nullifying enemy attacks.
* DirtyCoward: By her own claim, though the accuracy of that assessment is debatable.
* HeartbrokenBadass: She was in love with the Former Crimson King before he became cold and cruel, and was unable to kill him as he'd asked because of her feelings. It's not entirely clear if they were ever involved romantically. Also applies after his death.
* ILetYouWin: She takes Byakko's attack without dodging. Kyo is not amused, as he knows she could have and that she's ''far'' stronger than she's been pretending during this fight. She says she's just getting old, but when he provokes her further, she wallops him and sends him flying into a stone wall hard enough to smash it.
* LoveHurts: See HeartbrokenBadass above.
* MyGreatestFailure: The Former Crimson King asked her to kill him if she saw him walking down the path of evil, which she couldn't bring herself to do because she loved him (and still does). It's why she hides in the labyrinth, overseeing her graveyard for the victims of the Mibu Reconstruction Project.
* NotSoDifferent: She tries to pull this on ''[[TheStoic Hishigi]]'' in a flashback, saying that he's a coward like her and that's why he's avoiding his moral qualms about the Mibu Reconstruction Project. Hishigi has to [[VisibleSilence take a second]] before he says that they're nothing alike.
* OddFriendship: The same flashback seems to indicate she was closer to Hishigi than she was to Muramasa or Fubuki. No, [[TheComicallySerious he didn't have much of a sense of humor then either]].
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Julian.
* Really700YearsOld: Several ''thousand''.
* RetiredBadass: For the above reason of heartbreak.
[[/folder]]
[[AC:The Taishiro (Four Elders) and Imperial Guards]]
[[folder:The Taishiro as a group]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2151.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The current lineup, from left to right: [[DeadlyGaze Hishigi]], [[TheNecromancer Fubuki]], [[EnfanteTerrible Tokito]], and [[YourSoulIsMine Yuan]]]]
* AdaptationalWimp: The "Four Elders" in the anime are nameless, faceless, literal RedShirts who get flattened by Nobunaga after he takes Kyo's body. In dramatic contrast, Hishigi ''alone'' is capable of effortlessly one-shotting Kyo and rendering him unconscious for an entire volume of the manga.
* AdaptedOut: Not one of these characters even exists in the anime. Related to AdaptationalWimp above; the former refers to the title of Taishiro, this refers to the actual characters.
* ElementalPowers: Yuan [[PlayingWithFire fights with fire]], while Fubuki is a master of [[MakingASplash water techniques]]; they actually taught these elements to Hotaru and Shinrei. Hishigi's abilities seem to be [[LightEmUp light-based]]. Tokito is seen PlayingWithFire at one point as well, but purely physical attacks are the usual approach.
* FiveBadBand: The current Taishiro appear to form one along with the Former Crimson King.
** BigBad: The Former Crimson King
** TheDragon: Fubuki. His water attacks even [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons look like dragons]]!
** TheEvilGenius: Hishigi. [[MadScientist Complete with creepy genetic experiments]].
** TheBrute: Yuan is initially presented this way, being a BoisterousBruiser and the only Elder who fights hand-to-hand. He subverts it later when he proves himself tactically intelligent and then makes a HeelFaceTurn.
** TheDarkChick: Tokito is the young, immature loose-cannon type.
* FourIsDeath: They're absolutely ''lethal'', more so than any other "team" in the series.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The current lineup fits this almost perfectly.
** Phlegmatic: Fubuki
** Sanguine: Yuan
** Choleric: Tokito
** Melancholic: Hishigi
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fubuki]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/18.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Featuring undead cat]]
The current leader of the Four Elders, Fubuki was once Muramasa's best friend, despite [[VitriolicBestBuds usually disagreeing and arguing with each other over everything]]. He is also the one who taught Shinrei the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu, and is shown to be a skilled Necromancer. Before Muramasa defected from the Mibu, Fubuki was a kind-hearted man who loved life. Now, he acts as the merciless will of the Sendai Aka no Ou, slaughtering everything he sees as a hindrance towards the Aka no Ou's plans for the Mibu. [[spoiler:He is also Tokito's real father]].
Fubuki is the only one of the current Taishiro whose imperial guard makes no appearance in the story.
->Voiced by: Creator/NobuoTobita (JP)
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* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:After throwing himself onto Shinrei's sword, he says that his plan was always to die atoning for his and Hishigi's crimes]].
* BadassLonghair: Though an omake jokes that it's actually a wig, making Fubuki BaldOfAwesome instead.
* BloodyMurder: He can create powerful, [[HollywoodAcid corrosive]] "scarlet wyrms" by infusing the water with his own blood.
* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim[=/=][[ShooTheDog Shoo the Suicidally Loyal Friend]]: There are moments where it really seems like he's trying to get Hishigi to leave the Mibu, aggressively saying he doesn't care if he stays or not. Hishigi always reminds him that he vowed to follow Fubuki until the end... [[YouAreWorthHell even if that path leads nowhere but hell]].
* CombatPragmatist: Stabs Shinrei and Taihaku in the back, fills the battlefield with mist so Hotaru can't use his fire techniques, has zero qualms about joining Hishigi to subdue Yuan instead of fighting one-on-one, etc.
* CoolSword: He uses a katana with an ornate cross-shaped hilt, which is quite distinctive and was apparently custom-forged for him by Julian. Sadly, we never learn its name or much more about it.
* CulturedBadass: He used to perform on the water stage at festivals in better times -- the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu school was developed as a dance as much as a fighting style.
* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Like his protege, Shinrei, he can use the more powerful "scarlet" water dragons formed from his own blood mixed with water. Because Fubuki is a master, the technique is less dangerous to him than it is to the less-experienced Shinrei.
* DeadlyUpgrade: As the leader of the Taishiro, Fubuki possesses a one-time spell that greatly increases his power. It's a one-time spell because he needs to stab himself in the heart to activate it.
* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:The Mibu Battle Dolls suffer from a genetic defect that is essentially guaranteed to kill every single one of them]]. Fubuki believes that the Former Crimson King is the only person capable of saving them, and that they will all die if Kyo succeeds in defeating him.
* HeroicSacrifice: For Tokito, [[spoiler:when the Sendai Aka No Ou attempts to kill her]].
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: Like Shinrei's, his attacks are dragon-themed.
* KnightTemplar: His drive to save the Mibu has changed him from a kindhearted leader to a ruthless WellIntentionedExtremist, willing to kill his own allies if it will further the Crimson King's agenda.
* MakingASplash: A master of the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu, his skills make Shinrei's (already damn impressive) look absolutely tame by comparison.
* MightyGlacier: He's not slow except by comparison -- he's the only one of the current Taishiro who doesn't fall into the LightningBruiser category, preferring to block and retaliate instead of dodging.
* MundaneUtility: Most people use necromancy to make zombie minions, or bring back loved ones. Fubuki uses it to resurrect dead cats and fix swords. [[spoiler:He tried bringing back loved ones, but because the Mibu are ArtificialHumans, it didn't work]].
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: He believes that the Sendai Aka no Ou is the only person capable of saving the Mibu clan, and so all of his actions -- no matter how horrific the consequences may be -- are justified.
* TheNecromancer: He can resurrect anything he has a piece of. Even ''swords''. [[spoiler:The reason he can't revive the Mibu is that they're all ArtificialHumans that dissolve into nothing when they die]].
* OnlySaneMan: Implied in an omake that he's this among the Taishiro whenever there is a decision or plan to be made. Yuan is disrespectful and regularly goofs off, Tokito is impulsive and childish, and Hishigi is on Fubuki's side but completely apathetic about anything beyond protecting him.
* ParrotPetPosition: His black cat, most of the time.
* PitifulWorms: When Shinrei confronts him near the end of the manga about the fact that he killed Taihaku, Fubuki refers to his subordinates as insects in the palm of his hand and says he will not hesitate to crush those who try to escape his control.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When his Crimson Eyes activate, shit has officially gotten real.
* RedOniBlueOni: He has been each at different times.
** He's the red to Hishigi's blue in the current timeline. Fubuki isn't quite as "red" as some of the others, but compared to [[TheStoic Hishigi]], he's certainly more emotional and reactive.
** In flashbacks, Fubuki appears to be the serious, slightly snarky blue oni to Muramasa's friendly, energetic red.
* SelectiveObliviousness: Before stabbing himself in the heart to activate his DeadlyUpgrade, he thanks Hishigi for staying with him and says that he wishes for his friend to live. Hishigi has been a deteriorating terminal case for twenty years, and at this specific point in the fight, he's lying helpless in a pool of his own blood.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the Mibu clan.
* VillainousFriendship: With Hishigi. They have been close friends for centuries, and whether or not you believe there's [[HoYay more to it]], they clearly care deeply about each other.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hishigi]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hishigi_4.jpg]]
One of the current Taishiro, thought to be the most powerful ever (considering Muramasa and Shihodo and the rest, this is ''frightening''). Hishigi wields a ''huge'' Main/{{BFS}} named Hakuya ("White Night") and, when all else fails, his [[DeadlyGaze Devil Eyes]]. Inarguably the most intelligent character in the series. He appears to be reserved and calm at first, but as pretty much the entire cast discovers, he should not be underestimated.
->Voiced by: Creator/ShigeruNakahara (JP)
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* AlmostDeadGuy: He has been for a ''very'' long time.
* AnArmAndALeg: The Devil Eyes have been holding the deteriorating left side of his body together. After they are destroyed, he starts literally falling apart, his left arm and leg disintegrating during his [[TheDyingWalk dying walk]] toward Fubuki.
* AntiVillain: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type II]]. Hishigi has been actively dying for a few decades, and StoppedCaring about the Crimson King's goals a long time ago. The only reason he's an antagonist at all is his UndyingLoyalty to Fubuki.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: During his battle with Yuan, it appears that he's using the same vocal tic that Shinrei does, meaning he has analyzed the way Yuan moves and can match him to evade.
* BadassBookworm[=/=]GeniusBruiser: He's a little bit of each -- he certainly doesn't look like a harmless bookworm, but he's not especially physically imposing either. Extremely intelligent and described as a genius on a regular basis.
* BadassGay: Implied. The level of HoYay with Fubuki is truly impressive, and he has some suggestive dialogue with Kyo as well.
* BadassLongcoat: Black leather with no sleeves and three tails.
* BarrierWarrior: He uses them to trap and/or protect other people, rarely to defend himself.
* BeatStillMyHeart: He rips out ''his own'' heart and implants it into Fubuki's chest when Fubuki's heart is destroyed by a DeadlyUpgrade.
* BerserkButton: He never quite loses his cool, but TranquilFury ensues when Fubuki is threatened or their sacrifices for the clan are insulted.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: He is soft-spoken, reserved, and ''incredibly'' dangerous.
* {{BFS}}: Hakuya, the most visually impressive sword in the series.
** CoolSword: Julian designed and forged Hakuya for Hishigi because his strength ''shattered'' normal swords.
** OneHandedZweihander: Hakuya is huge even by previously established {{BFS}} standards in the series. The length of the hilt (not to mention the size of the blade) suggests it's a two-handed sword, but Hishigi's left hand rarely if ever touches it. Possibly because his left arm has deteriorated badly from the Death Disease.
* [[{{Bishonen}} Biseinen]]: He's tall and lean with refined features, but has a more mature look than the {{Bishonen}} of the cast.
* [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]: To Fubuki's red in the current timeline, and to Shihodo's in flashbacks.
* BodyHorror[=/=]FacialHorror: Try not to think about how bad his condition must have gotten before he honestly thought being ''[[EyesDoNotBelongThere infested with parasitic eyes]]'' was better. The eyes themselves are bad enough; the way the skin around them looks, it's obvious they've done some serious damage to his body. The horror gets even worse as he dies -- he has to drag himself to Fubuki because he is literally ''falling apart''.
* BrokenAce: He's reportedly the strongest Taishiro member ''ever''. He's also SecretlyDying, wracked with guilt due to his failure to save his friends and the horrors of the Reconstruction Project, and an [[BrokenBird incredibly miserable person]] in general.
* BrokenBird: See DespairEventHorizon.
* CastFromLifespan: Any time he uses the Devil Eyes. They're a devastating weapon, but they're also the only thing keeping the Death Disease from killing him. If he exhausts their power, he's dead.
* TheComicallySerious: A contrast to {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Shihodo in flashbacks, and HotBlooded [[DeadpanSnarker snarker]] Yuan in the current timeline.
* CoolMask: Black leather covering the left side of his face. Also acts as an EyepatchOfPower, as it both conceals the Devil Eyes and conserves their energy (they can't be turned off).
* DarkAndTroubledPast: He's been trying to save the Mibu from the Death Disease for decades, and watched hundreds of people die as he was helpless to save them. By the time he contracted the disease himself, he was so broken that he tried to provoke Fubuki, his best friend, into killing him so it would finally be over.
* DeadlyGaze: Subverted in that the Devil Eyes are not ''his'' eyes, and he can't see out of them. His right eye is [[RedEyesTakeWarning red when activated]], but otherwise normal.
* DeadpanSnarker: ''Exceptionally'' heavy on the deadpan. We only get one moment of snark in a flashback, and a couple of snarky comments aimed at Yuan in the current timeline.
** During his fight with Yuan, he indulges in a little bit of TrashTalk.
-->'''Hishigi''': I get the feeling you are taking it easy on me, Yuan. Or more likely, your swordsmanship is not as good as you think it is.\\
'''Yuan''': ''Ouch''.
** In the same fight:
-->'''Yuan''': I'm nice and angry now. Just plain ''steamed''.\\
'''Hishigi''': What a wonderful coincidence.
** And in a flashback, after Muramasa and Fubuki have started [[LikeAnOldMarriedCouple bickering]].
-->'''Shihodo''': Aren't you going to stop them, Hishigi?
-->'''Hishigi''': They ''do'' love to fight.
* DeathSeeker: A flashback reveals that after Fubuki refused to MercyKill him, Hishigi promised that he would die protecting his friend instead. In the events of the manga, he places himself between Fubuki and deadly attacks on a regular basis, and has no intention of surviving long enough for the Devil Eyes to take over his mind.
* DespairEventHorizon: He hit it hard after implanting the Devil Eyes, saying that he wished someone would just kill him and attempting to provoke Fubuki into doing so.
* DespairSpeech: When Fubuki comes to visit him shortly after his DespairEventHorizon.
-->'''Fubuki''': I would prefer that my friends survive, no matter what the state may be.
-->'''Hishigi''': "No matter the state"? You are cruel and egotistical, as always. I am not like Muramasa. [[spoiler:If a manmade creation shows signs of flaws, it means that it does not have the right to exist any longer]]. I have [[StoppedCaring grown tired and uncaring]] of my fate, and the fate of the clan. I cannot imagine the peace I would feel if someone would just kill me.
* {{Determinator}}: It's hard to stand out as one of these in SDK, but Hishigi's final battle shows that he is about as definitive as Determinators get.
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: He collapses into Fubuki's arms seconds before disintegrating.
* TheDreaded: Yuan describes him as an "incredibly efficient executioner", and once says that the reason no one knows how he fights is that no one has ''ever'' fought him and survived. His arrival is usually an OhCrap moment for the protagonists.
* DrivenToSuicide: He was very close in a flashback, before Fubuki told him that he wasn't allowed to die [[HoYay until Fubuki said he could]].
* DyingAsYourself: He plans to. The Devil Eyes have been trying to take over his mind since he implanted them, and Hishigi has ''no'' intention of living like that. In the end, he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight dies in Fubuki's arms]] after the Devil Eyes have been destroyed.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: UpToEleven. See RasputinianDeath below.
* TheDyingWalk: After the failure of his final attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]], his body starts to disintegrate. He still manages to drag himself to Fubuki's side in time to save his friend's life before dying in his arms.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: Complete with black clothing. Just look at the picture.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: [[spoiler:He claims that he's given up on saving the flawed Mibu, and now focuses his experiments on attempting to create an improved species without the current clan's inherent defects. In reality, he never gave up, and kept trying to find a cure until the very end]].
* EyepatchOfPower: Something of an "entire left side of his body" patch of power. And holy shit, ''how''.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Several on the left side of his face under the mask, many more under the bandages on his torso.
* ForegoneConclusion: He starts talking about choosing where he will die almost immediately after his introduction. It's really only ''how'' that has any surprise to it.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: He used to be, according to flashbacks. It was the reason he [[BadassBookworm studied biology]].
* GoodScarsEvilScars: After the Devil Eyes die and fall out, he is covered in disfiguring scars from the damage they've done to his body over the years.
* GoOutWithASmile: His dying speech to Fubuki is delivered with the only smile we ever see on his face outside of flashbacks.
* HandicappedBadass: The Death Disease has pretty much destroyed the left side of his body. He's missing an eye, it's implied that his left arm doesn't work all that well, and he's ''still'' one of the most powerful characters in the entire story.
* HarmfulHealing: Subverted in that he ''knew'' his treatment (which isn't remotely healing, really just some [[LivingOnBorrowedTime borrowed time]]) would be a FateWorseThanDeath, and he did it to himself anyway. He implanted the Devil Eyes in the left side of his body to stop the Death Disease from killing him, which it probably would have done in a matter of months. This ''has'' apparently kept him alive for a few decades, but at a price: the Eyes are breaking down his body ''and'' trying to take over his mind.
* HellBentForLeather: His CoolMask and BadassLongcoat both appear to be black leather.
* HeroicSacrifice: The last twenty years or so have been both a moral and a physical one for Fubuki. Muramasa tried to convince Hishigi to leave with him, but he stayed. This meant giving up any semblance of a moral code, and knowing for a fact that he would die protecting Fubuki.
* IaijutsuPractitioner: You wouldn't think it, considering Hakuya's size and shape, but many of Hishigi's attacks are Iaijutsu-based; he attacks on the draw and immediately returns the sword to its sheath. It seems likely that he fights this way because the Death Disease has destroyed a substantial portion of the left side of his body.
* ICannotSelfTerminate: It's not that he ''can't'', exactly, but he ''won't'' because of his drive to protect Fubuki. He tries to get Fubuki to MercyKill him and set him free of it, calling his friend cruel for wanting to keep Hishigi alive "no matter the state". It also seems likely that if the Devil Eyes succeeded in taking over his mind, this state would be the result.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: He has the Death Disease, and everything that comes with it.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: When Akari lives his memories, she finds out how much he cared about her and sees his regrets over the Reconstruction Project. Before the disease and resulting panic, he was a FriendToAllLivingThings.
* LightEmUp: His sword is called "White Night", and he uses light-themed attacks.
* LightIsNotGood: He's an AntiVillain, but calling him "good" would be a stretch.
* LightningBruiser: He's capable of moving at a pace that occasionally reaches FlashStep territory, and his {{BFS}} can create [[SwordBeam energy blades]] described as moving at lightspeed. That's generally accepted to be an exaggeration, but they're still ''very fast'' and so strong they can one-shot the main character. And even disregarding his supernatural abilities, his raw physical strength is ''far'' out of even Kyo's league before Kyo [[TookALevelInBadass takes another few levels in badass]]. Yuan is shocked when Kyo is able to knock him back.
** One of his early scenes shows him saving a low-level Mibu mook from Tokito's sadistic torment by intercepting Tokito's [[DeathDealer weaponized cards]] so fast that they appear to vanish in midair before hitting the target.
* LivingOnBorrowedTime: The Devil Eyes support his deteriorating body, but it's only a matter of time before they either run out of energy or start taking over his mind. He has every intention of dying before the latter occurs, by his own hand if he can't convince Fubuki to MercyKill him.
* MadDoctor: His nickname, but he's a subversion. He's closer to the MadScientist type, though not prone to the typical mad scientist's deranged behavior and disheveled appearance.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: A variation. Hishigi ''hates'' his "masters" (the Former Crimson King and any potential successors) and says he hopes they all die, but he fights for the clan because that is what Fubuki needs, and [[TrueCompanions Fubuki]] is the only reason [[DeathSeeker Hishigi]] is still alive.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: He is [[InSeriesNickname known as]] "the executioner" and "the mad doctor".
* NoSell: Akari's "air vamp" attack has no effect on him.
* PeekABangs: Even before he started wearing the mask, his hair usually covered his left eye.
* PunchClockVillain: He is completely apathetic about fighting for the Aka no Ou; in fact, he flat out says he hopes the king ''dies''. In a flashback, after Fubuki refuses to kill him and demands that Hishigi stay with him, Hishigi responds with, "Your arrogance again... and yet it may be fitting to die as the 'villain'."
* RasputinianDeath: Let's go down the list here.
** He survives roughly twenty years of the [[IncurableCoughOfDeath Death Disease]] destroying his body and the Devil Eyes eating him alive.
** In his final battle, Hishigi shields Fubuki from Kyo's powered-up Suzaku, taking the full brunt of the attack with no chance to defend or block.
** The Devil Eyes that have been keeping him alive die and fall out because their energy is exhausted, which leaves him bleeding everywhere and barely mobile, not to mention the blood he's now coughing up.
** He somehow comes up with the strength to break out of Yuan's grip, leave his memories to Akari, and form barriers to protect Fubuki and the others before attempting to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]] in a massive explosion fueled by the last of his energy, which ''still does not kill him''.
** He drags his disintegrating body to Fubuki's side, rips out ''his own fucking heart'', and implants it into Fubuki's chest. Then, and ''only'' then, does he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight collapse into Fubuki's arms]], [[SorryThatImDying apologize for leaving him alone]], and die.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: He unleashes a vicious one on the protagonists [[spoiler:after revealing that the Mibu are ArtificialHumans that are dying out]], triggered by their [[BerserkButton dismissal of Fubuki's sacrifices for the clan]]. It's easily the most he ever speaks at one time. He also gives one to Kyo [[spoiler:and the True Mibu in general]] while fighting him.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: His right eye turns crimson when he gets serious, and it is a massive OhCrap moment for the people fighting him.
* TheResenter: He despises [[spoiler:the True Mibu for creating the Battle Dolls (himself included) in the first place. They are all essentially condemned to a hellish death from inherent defects that the True Mibu failed to correct, and in their desperate fear of this, the Battle Dolls have destroyed other beings and produced their own doomed ArtificialHumans]].
* SecretlyDying: He has the Death Disease, but it's not revealed until his final battle. The Devil Eyes have been keeping it in check.
* SkunkStripe: There's a white streak in his black hair.
* SorryThatImDying: Pre-story, when he finds out he has the Death Disease and hits his DespairEventHorizon, he apologizes to Fubuki for [[StoppedCaring giving up]]. And his last words are an apology to Fubuki for leaving him alone.
* TheStoic: Reserved and logical at all times. You can count the times his facial expression shifts from deadpan on one hand.
** NotSoStoic: It's very rare, and ''very bad'' for the person who provoked him.
* StoppedCaring: He knows he's dying and that he has no chance of curing the disease that is killing the Mibu clan. Even as he continues to fight for his one remaining friend, he expresses the fact that he has grown tired and uncaring of the cause he's fighting ''for''.
* SuicideByCop: Tries to provoke Fubuki into killing him in a flashback.
* SwordBeam: Many of his attacks with Hakuya take this form. At one point he fires off seven of them with a single swing.
* TakingYouWithMe: Attempts this with Kyo in order to save Fubuki. It doesn't kill either of them.
* TranquilFury: Even in his NotSoStoic moments when he is at his most dangerous, he speaks in a very calm manner. He shouts ''once'' in the entire series, naturally because Fubuki is in danger.
* TransferableMemory: He gives his memories to Akari before he dies, so that she can continue researching the Death Disease and hopefully save the Mibu where he failed.
* TroubledButCute: Very attractive. Also extremely mentally ''fucked''.
* UncattyResemblance: Fubuki's black cat has a white left ear, which calls to mind the [[SkunkStripe white streak]] in Hishigi's black hair. In [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/early_hishigi_designs0.jpg early concept art of Hishigi]], the cat in question was seen at his feet.
* UndyingLoyalty: To Fubuki.
* VillainousFriendship: See Fubuki's entry above.
* VisibleSilence: Find a speech bubble with Hishigi underneath. Chances are it only contains an ellipsis.
* WorthyOpponent: It's rare that Hishigi looks like he's enjoying himself, but he seems to value an opponent who can actually challenge him, and says that he would have liked to fight with Yuan a bit longer.
* YouAreWorthHell: His response every time Fubuki tries to tell him to leave the Mibu.
-->'''Hishigi''': I vowed to follow you to the end. Even if that road carries us both to hell.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hishigi's Imperial Guard -- Ashura]]
-->See [[spoiler:'''Akari''']]
* ManchurianAgent: Ashura is a SuperpoweredEvilSide that emerges when Hishigi activates [[spoiler:the Devil Eye on Akari's hand]].
* MeaningfulName: "Ashura" is a god of death in Japanese mythology.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Ashura is Akari's dormant SuperpoweredEvilSide]].
* WalkingSpoiler: Everything about Ashura is spoiler-heavy, on account of [[spoiler:being part of Akari]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tokito]]
One of the current members of the Four Elders, Tokito is the son of Muramasa and wielder of the last Muramasa sword set, Hokuto Shichisei. He views Muramasa's abandonment of the Mibu clan as an act of treachery and despises him for it, openly proclaiming his disdain for the former Elder on numerous occasions. Despite his child-like appearance he is incredibly strong and harbors a terribly cruel disposition towards his opponents.
It is later revealed that Tokito is in fact [[spoiler:not Muramasa's son, but Fubuki's ''daughter.'' She is ultimately defeated by Akira, which leads to her accompanying the heroes in their attempt to reach the Former Crimson King. During Fubuki's final moments, she is able to meet him one last time and acknowledge him as her father.]]
->Voiced by: Creator/YumiKakazu (JP)
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* BecauseDestinySaysSo: Tokito tells fortunes with Tarot cards and claims that people can never change their fates.
* BifurcatedWeapon: The Hokuto Shichisei appears to be a double-edged sword, but it splits into a DualWielding set of narrower blades.
* {{Bishonen}}: He's delicately-built and very pretty. [[spoiler:Though it turns out that SamusIsAGirl, so she's actually a {{Bishoujo}}[=/=]{{Bifauxnen}}]]
* BishonenLine: Tokito is very pretty to begin with, but [[spoiler:Akira's power boost forces her to release her full power. This causes her body to grow from that of a 14-year-old into her true form: a tall, stunning young woman with long hair and more mature features (though she's [[{{UsefulNotes/Pettanko}} flat enough]] that Akira still thinks she's a man until the post-fight [[TheReveal reveal)]]]].
* BullyingADragon: Even the fact that he antagonizes [[PersonOfMassDestruction Hishigi]] and [[LightningBruiser Yuan]] on a regular basis doesn't outdo his attempt to [[TooDumbToLive kill the Former Crimson King]].
* CryCute: [[spoiler:After Tokito loses to Akira and claims that her life is worthless, Bontenmaru goes into his speech about the "animal trails" that people make for themselves in hard times. Tokito breaks down crying, because even after everything she's done to him, Bontenmaru is still trying to make her feel better]].
* DeathDealer: When he's not swinging around his inherited Muramasa blade, he uses Tarot cards to slice and dice anyone unfortunate enough to cross him. The cards don't factor into his combat style when he's fighting seriously.
* DefeatMeansFriendship
* DespairEventHorizon: Subverted. After losing to Akira, Tokito ''acts'' as though hitting one, but gets over it after losing a hand of MiseryPoker and gaining some perspective.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Bontenmaru says he feels sorry for Tokito, making the astute observation that Tokito's constant vocal hatred for Muramasa stems from ''missing'' his DisappearedDad. Tokito ''does not take it well'' and responds by breaking Bon's arm.
* DualWielding: The Muramasa demonblade known as Hokuto Shichisei is actually formed by two swords (Tokai and Tohyou) that can merge into a single weapon.
* EnfanteTerrible: [[spoiler:Subverted; she's actually several decades older than her childish appearance suggests, and she can grow into her adult body to fight at full strength.]]
* FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon: A waifish, delicate beauty with a sadistic streak a mile wide and [[LackOfEmpathy zero empathy for the suffering of others]].
* FakeMemories: [[spoiler:Tokito's memories of her real parents (Fubuki and Hitoki) were suppressed and replaced by the idea of Muramasa as her father and a mother she never knew. When the real memories try to surface, she suffers from headaches and disorientation]].
* GenerationXerox: Played with. Tokito ''looks'' like Muramasa did when he was young, and as a child was expected to live up to that shining example. When he proved to be nothing like Muramasa (vicious, angry, violent), people turned on him and started to assume that he would betray them. And in terms of personality, they couldn't be more different - Muramasa was a FriendToAllLivingThings, and Tokito is a sadistic {{Jerkass}}. [[spoiler: And then there's the fact that she is a girl and not Muramasa's child at all. The looks come from her mother, Hitoki, who was Muramasa's sister]].
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:During her fight with Akira, she's forced to use her adult form to escape his "Heaven's Chill" attack and increase her power. She's ''pissed'' about it, because she hates her true appearance]].
* {{Jerkass}}: Vicious, remorseless, and sadistic. Tokito delights in hurting people and trying to [[BreakThemByTalking break their spirits]] with [[YouCantFightFate Tarot readings]] about their inevitable demises.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: It's ''very'' well buried, but does surface eventually.
** KidsAreCruel: Tokito is very young compared to the other Taishiro [[spoiler:even taking into account her chronological age]], and the only one who seems to hurt and kill people [[ForTheEvulz just because he can]].
** LackOfEmpathy: Upon finding that Fubuki has lost to Kyo, [[spoiler:and having recently regained the memory that Fubuki is her father]], Tokito actually ''laughs'' at him. Then Akira points out that Fubuki hasn't just lost a fight -- he's dying. Cut to Tokito crying and begging the Former Crimson King to save him.
* JustToyingWithThem:
** When he fights Bontenmaru, Tokito says that he will let Bon and company pass if Bontenmaru can catch him. Every time Bon misses, Tokito inflicts some kind of punishment and kicks up the speed another notch.
** The fight with Akira starts this way too, with Tokito pretending that Hokuto Shichisei is a single blade and feigning a poor technique that makes Akira think his left side is unguarded. When Akira goes for it, Tokito splits the blade into its true form and stabs him.
* KnightOfCerebus: The first of the Taishiro to make an appearance, Tokito immediately [[TheWorfEffect Worfs]] Bontenmaru and establishes that the Mibu elite are untouchably out of the protagonists' current league. And Tokito is the ''weakest'' Elder.
* LightningBruiser: Even before approaching top speed, Tokito is far too fast for Bontenmaru to even touch, and hits hard enough to rip out his teeth and punch holes in him.
* MeaningfulName: The sword Tokito uses is called Hokuto Shichisei, named for the constellation. In China, the same constellation is split into two (Tokai and Tohyou), referencing the fact that the blade's true form is a DualWielding set.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: Tokito is small and waifish in physique, but is also capable of punching ''through'' [[TheBigGuy Bontenmaru]], whose biceps are bigger around than Tokito's waist.
* NeverMyFault: Even as Tokito denounces Muramasa and claims to hate him, he boasts about the power that Muramasa's blood affords him. When he loses to Akira, he throws a fit and claims he lost because his sword was too weak and he inherited weakness from his father. Akira points out that if this is true, Tokito has never done anything on his own.
* OneWingedAngel: Downplayed. [[spoiler:She can grow to her adult form to fight at full power.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: His mother is dead and his father abandoned him. Tokito is incredibly bitter about this and never shuts up about how much he hates Muramasa.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: Kind of. [[spoiler:Releasing her full power causes her entire body to age roughly ten years, with longer hair to match]].
* SelfImposedChallenge: An interesting variation. [[spoiler:Tokito uses the appearance (and by extension, power level) that she had at the age of fourteen because her adult body looks more like Muramasa, whom she hates because [[FakeMemories she thinks he was her father and that he abandoned her]]]].
* SmugSuper: Played with. Tokito is certainly very powerful, but is still definitely the weakest of the current Taishiro lineup. Despite this, he insults Yuan and Hishigi, randomly breaks things to show off how strong he is, and even briefly considers [[TooDumbToLive trying to kill]] [[BullyingADragon the Former Crimson King]] and take over the Mibu.
* SoreLoser: When it becomes clear that Akira has defeated him, Tokito tries to call the forbidden army troops to kill his weakened opponent. Thankfully, Benitora has massacred said troops by then.
* StalkerWithACrush: [[spoiler:She starts following Akira after he defeats her, similarly to how he followed Kyo as a child]].
* TheStarscream: For about a second, Tokito considers trying to kill the Former Crimson King, being convinced that the king is just a figurehead and Fubuki is actually leading them already. The king then crushes Tokito's idea of rebellion and reduces him to cowering on the floor in terror... just by ''looking'' at him.
* {{Tsundere}}: Toward Akira, and to a lesser extent Bontenmaru, after his defeat.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Tokito's Imperial Guard -- Spade, Heart, Diamond, and Club]]
The four card-themed officers who serves under Tokito as elite troops and subordinates, with Spade being the strongest and closest to Tokito. They're first introduced when they attack Akira, Benitora and Bontenmaru in Tsukikage Castle. After Tokito's defeat, it's revealed that Spade is none other than Chinmei, who infiltrated as the Crimson King's agent in order to steal Hokuto Shichisei.
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* ActionGirl: Heart, who is unusually well built and muscled compared to other female characters.
* BadassInANiceSuit: Spade can defeat easily Bontenmaru, Benitora and Akira using his magic tricks and is always well dressed.
* FlatCharacter: Spade is the only one who has any impact on the plot, mostly because [[TheMole he's Chinmei]]. The other three seem to exist initially to establish that the Taishiro's guards are stronger than the Goyosei, and then they are quickly [[CurbstompBattle curbstomped]] to establish that Shinrei's subconscious powers have been released.
* {{Gonk}}: Club is a short, fat toad-like midget sitting on a peg leg.
* TheMole: Spade is Chinmei in disguise.
* OhCrap: Heart, Diamond, and Club when they realize that they have left Tokito's territory and wandered into Yuan's, which results in Anthony attacking them.
* PlayingCardMotifs: Naturally. The theme dovetails with Tokito's own TarotMotifs.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: They serve as this for Tokito, with Spade as TheDragon.
* ThemeNaming: [[CaptainObvious They're named after card suits]].
* WolfpackBoss: Club, Diamond and Heart seems to fight together to boost their chances. Spade is a loner.
* TheWorfEffect: Spade briefly inflicts this on Benitora, Bontenmaru and Akira, though he never gave them the chance to fight back. Diamond, Club and Heart started off inflicting it on Keikoku, Shinrei, Akira and Benitora -- only to be defeated first by Anthony and later by a powered-up Shinrei, neither of whom has to work hard to do so.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan]]
[[quoteright:320:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan5.jpg]]
Hotaru's mentor and something of a surrogate father figure since he found Hotaru and took him in when he was young. Yuan is one of the current Taishiro, having taken his mother's place after her death. It is revealed later that he and his entire family are essentially prisoners of the Taishiro and the Sendai Aka No Ou after Ian was executed under the pretense of treason.
->Voiced by: Creator/RyotaroOkiayu (JP)
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* AnimeHair: Not his ''hair'', technically. The tails of his blindfold appear to be hovering behind him at all times, though they're only [[ExpressiveAccessory expressive]] when he's comically aggravated.
* BadassFamily: Yuan himself is a LightningBruiser capable of such powerful physical attacks that the force of ''air'' moving from his kicks can cut like a blade. He's also the ''only'' character shown holding his own against Hishigi (for a while, anyway) before Kyo unlocks [[TookALevelInBadass another level]]. His mother was one of the Four Elders, and his father is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history (he was ''Muramasa's'' master). And then there's Yuan's "personal guard"... AKA eight of his siblings. Some of them are goofy; ''all'' of them are badass. [[CoolBigSis Anna]] even scares Yuan. Finally, his older brother Anri is the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", who developed the Sekireigan and taught it to Yukimura.
* BerserkButton: Threatening his family.
* BlindfoldedVision: His Shingan appears to be as good as or even better than normal sight.
* BlindWeaponmaster: ''Do not'' underestimate him because he can't see you. Sword or no sword.
* BoisterousBruiser: He's funny, enthusiastic, occasionally [[LargeHam hammy]], and ''incredibly'' strong.
* BookDumb: Particularly evident while trying to decipher [[EvilGenius Hishigi's]] notes. Like teacher, like student.
-->'''Hotaru''': Why do smart people use such difficult words?\\
'''Yuan''': Makes 'em sound smarter, I guess.
* TheBrute: His initial presentation; of the Taishiro, he relies most heavily on pure force and is the only one who fights hand-to-hand.
** TheBigGuy: After his HeelFaceTurn, he serves as one of these on the heroes' side (arguably replacing Bontenmaru, since Bon has been thoroughly [[TheWorfEffect Worfed]] by the stronger Mibu at that point).
* TheDogBitesBack: After his siblings are safe from the Taishiro and he is able to rebel without endangering them.
-->'''Yuan''': I've cast off the dog's collar, Tokito.
* DramaticWind: When his fight with Hishigi gets serious, his aura seems to create it.
* DisabilitySuperpower: He was born blind, and it is mentioned that his other senses are heightened because of this. His blindness has very little to do with his skill in combat, however. It's not specified if his "Shingan" ability actually allows him to see things or just perceive his surroundings on another level.
* EasilyForgiven: No one ever brings up the fact that he very nearly killed Okuni. Of course, they might not be aware of it -- at the time, she wouldn't have known his name and may not have even gotten a good look at him.
* ExpressiveAccessory: The "tails" of his blindfold stick up when he's yelling at Kyo for ruining his TrashTalk speech to Hishigi. It's not expressive when he's ''actually'' angry or in serious moments.
* EyepatchOfPower: Ian made the blindfold for him when his Crimson Eyes manifested in childhood, because Mibu who displayed the atavistic trait were disposed of if discovered. He is blind, but his [[ProphetEyes blank white eyes]] gain crimson irises (still no pupils) when he gets serious about a fight. The blindfold doesn't suppress his power, but it does hide it.
* ForcedIntoEvil: He's one of the Taishiro because he was forced into the position after his mother was executed as a traitor. If he hadn't agreed, his entire family would have been killed.
* HeelFaceTurn: After Hotaru defeats him, he takes the chance to fool [[AnimalEyeSpy Fubuki's cat]] with an illusion, giving his family time to hide so he can turn on the other Taishiro.
* HeroicSecondWind: He's TakenForGranite at one point and appears doomed, but he breaks free when his opponent reveals that he killed Ian. Yuan still doesn't ''win'', but at least he doesn't die.
* HurricaneKick: He spends the beginning of his fight with Hotaru using only his right foot, and much spinning ensues.
* IAmNotLeftHanded: Oddly enough, he reveals this well ''after'' his defeat at Hotaru's hands. While fighting Hotaru, Yuan kept up the pretense that he had no skill at swordplay, even when it cost him the fight (he didn't start with a blade because he didn't think Hotaru had any chance of defeating him, but the fight later became so intense that he wouldn't have had a chance to grab his sword even if he'd wanted to). When Yuan has to go up against Hishigi (who is much stronger, and absolutely ''will'' kill him), the kid gloves come off and he picks up a katana, proclaiming himself to be a MasterSwordsman. Hotaru is not pleased that Yuan lied about fighting him at full strength.
* ILetYouWin: Hotaru ''did'' defeat him... but he wouldn't have if Yuan had used a blade.
* JustToyingWithThem: The beginning of his fight with Hotaru. Yuan starts off saying he can beat Hotaru [[WithMyHandsTied using only his right foot]]. And he almost does. When Hotaru finally forces him to use one of his hands, Yuan is supposed to "spin around three times and bark", stakes that Hotaru had previously declared and at which Yuan had laughed. His acquiescence takes the form of three ''vicious'' [[HurricaneKick spinning strikes]] (punch, elbow to the face, and kick), followed by...
** MakeMeWannaShout: Yuan deafening Hotaru and sending him ''flying across the room'' with one loud bark. This is still Yuan playing around, but it's a devastating attack -- by the end of all that, Hotaru's left arm is broken in several places and he can barely breathe because of broken ribs.
* KeepingTheEnemyClose: Yuan suspects that this is why he was blackmailed into becoming one of the Taishiro -- he's a ''very'' dangerous enemy left unchecked. He also thinks this is why Tokito is one of them despite being the son of the traitor Muramasa, [[spoiler:but it's probably because Tokito is Fubuki's daughter]].
* MasterSwordsman: At first, it appears that he's a hand-to-hand specialist, and he certainly is deadly enough without a weapon. Later, however, he reveals that his true talent and power are in his skill with a blade.
* NoSell: Yuan is described as impervious to fire. Hotaru's flames can't damage him, for this reason and because Yuan taught him all of those skills. Until Keikoku Kien... which Hotaru developed on his own, and which burns from ''within''.
* ParentalAbandonment: [[MissingMom Ian]] was killed for learning too much about the Sendai Aka No Ou, and [[DisappearedDad Julian]] left his family and has been working ever since to set up a way to avenge her.
* PlayingWithFire: Even more impressive than Hotaru, Yuan is able to effortlessly conjure even the black Demon's Breath flames without preparation.
* PromotionToParent: Shares the role with his sister, Anna.
* ProphetEyes: When he takes the blindfold off, it's revealed that his eyes are totally blank. Yuan is blind, but his "Shingan" ability allows him to perceive the world around him without any apparent difficulty and can also search beyond the range of normal vision.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Eight of his nine siblings are his personal guard, and he refers to his father as his "henchman". Julian does ''not'' approve of the label.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: He has the Crimson Eyes, which his mother hid because they marked him as powerful and dangerous.
* RelativeButton: Twice. The first is a GenreSavvy taunt; saying that Yuan's family will be following him into death provokes him into a reckless attack that almost gets him killed. The second time, the same villain suddenly becomes GenreBlind and [[ReminiscingAboutYourVictims reveals that he killed Yuan's mother]] when he already has Yuan beaten. Cue HeroicSecondWind.
* SelfImposedChallenge: Fighting Hotaru using [[WithMyHandsTied only his right foot]]. He also primarily fights hand-to-hand, despite the fact that his greatest strength is in swordfighting.
* TakenForGranite: Temporarily, when he fights Hishigi and falls victim to the Devil Eyes.
* TalkingIsAFreeAction: Zigzagged during his fight with Hishigi. Yuan starts [[TrashTalk talking shit]], and it looks like this is being played straight when Hishigi himself does not immediately attack. But then the ''other'' ongoing fight interrupts when [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Akari]] [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom whacks Kyo across the battlefield]] and he topples Yuan.
* ThisMeansWar: After Hishigi one-shots Kyo, Yuan says he wasn't too invested in who won before, but he's nice and angry now.
* TrashTalk: Some against Hotaru, more against Hishigi. He even [[TemptingFate asks if Hishigi only carries his sword for decoration]].
* TokenGoodTeammate: Ultimately he's this among the Taishiro, though you wouldn't guess so at first glance.
* TricksterMentor[=/=]StealthMentor: To Hotaru, big time.
* TheUnpronounceable: Subverted. His name is very simple, but Hotaru ''cannot pronounce it'' and calls him "Yunyun" instead. This is phenomenally irritating to Yuan, who insists that Yunyun is actually ''harder'' to say, and it makes him sound like a panda.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Subverted. He starts off as a very dangerous antagonist, but [[HeelFaceTurn he ends up an ally]] and is pretty friendly in general.
* WorthyOpponent: He seems to consider Hishigi this, calling him the strongest of the Taishiro and saying he always wanted to know how a real fight between them would go.
* WouldNotHitAGirl: He says he doesn't want to fight [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Akari]] partially because she's a girl, but also because he's conflicted about fighting someone with no control over her own actions. He did [[CurbStompBattle stomp]] Okuni earlier, so maybe it's just "would not hit a girl he knows".
* [[YouKilledMyFather You Killed My Mother]]: Yuan ''[[BerserkButton loses]]'' ''[[UnstoppableRage his shit]]'' when he finds out who killed Ian (he knew the Former Crimson King had ''ordered'' her assassination, but not who had actually done it). Subverted in that Yuan is not the one who ends up defeating the villain in question.
* YourEyesCanDeceiveYou: He claims that his Shingan is better than normal vision, and once tells Hishigi that he "can't fool these eyes". His blindness also protects him from Kubira's illusions and Akari's Devil Eye, but the dozens under Hishigi's bandages are strong enough to [[TakenForGranite petrify him]] (temporarily).
* YourSoulIsMine: He claims he can eat the souls of his enemies. Subverted because his Genshisho is actually an illusion that breaks the minds of his opponents.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Yuan's Imperial Guard -- The "An" Family]]
Yuan's personal guard is comprised of his eight younger siblings: Anthony, Anna, Angelica, and the quintuplets (Marian, Lilian, Yulian, Kirian, and Erian). Anthony starts off hostile toward the protagonists, but after being defeated by Hotaru he lends them his aid. His powers revolve around light manipulation and acupuncture. The others are never seen fighting -- unless you count Anna throwing things.
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* BadassFamily: All of them can speak with their weapons and are implied to be stronger than the Goyosei in combat, though Anthony is the only one who demonstrates that. Their mother was one of the Four Elders, and their father is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history. The oldest brother is Anri, the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", and the second is Yuan.
* BeamSpam: Anthony's Koryuuha technique involves this.
* BigDamnHeroes: Anthony takes down three members of Tokito's guard right before they can defeat Shinrei, Hotaru, Benitora, and Akira. Admittedly he wasn't doing this with any intention of saving them -- he was just punishing Heart, Club, and Diamond for entering Yuan's territory. And he disables the protagonist group with his needles directly afterward.
* CoolBigSis: Anna
* DeathGlare: Angelica has one that can cow her siblings instantly.
* GratuitousEnglish: Their names are composed of kanji arranged to spell them out.
* LightEmUp: Anthony's Koryuuha appears as a BeamSpam not dissimilar to Manga/DragonBall ki attacks. It's not entirely clear if he's actually using light-based powers or if he's just moving too fast for the others to perceive before their subconscious powers are unlocked.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: There are ten of them overall, nine currently in Mibu territory.
* PromotionToParent: Anna and Yuan have been keeping the family together since Ian was killed and Julian left.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The spelling of the three male quintuplets' names varies a ''lot'' between translations. The above is the spelling as printed in the Tokyopop English volumes.
* SuperStrength: Anna's is PlayedForLaughs; she's seen ripping the head off of an enormous stone statue and dropping it on Yuan and Hotaru as punishment for scaring her.
* ThemeNaming: Every member of the family has "An" in his or her name, and their names are spelled out in kanji.
* TrainingFromHell: Anthony uses his needles to stab the heroes in their pressure points to awaken their true potential and give them a huge boost in power.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Ian]]
Yuan's mother, who was part of the Taishiro before him. She was framed for treason and executed because she learned the Sendai Aka No Ou's true nature.
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* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Sort of justified by her being a Mibu, but she had ''ten kids'' and still looked really damn good.
* GenderBlenderName: Ian is a name typically given to males in Western naming convention.
* GratuitousEnglish: Her name, like the rest of her family.
* PosthumousCharacter: She died before the events of the series, but she remains an important part of the story.
* SheKnowsTooMuch: The Former Crimson King had her killed because she learned the Mibu's greatest secret.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Muramasa]]
Kyo's mentor, Tokito's father [[spoiler:(actually her uncle, rather than "his" father)]], forger of the legendary Muramasa Demon Blades, and former leader of the Taishiro.
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* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's very friendly, polite, and kind to everyone. But do ''not'' endanger anyone he cares about.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Implied, considering all of the animals that hang out in his house.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: For all those who remember Muramasa as a vicious swordsmith consumed with bloodlust.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Due to the Death Disease.
* MasterSwordsman: The first time he's seen in action, he immediately overwhelms Shinrei, who was in the process of handing Kyo his own ass. Muramasa is also a master sword ''maker''; he forged the legendary "Demon Blades", one of which is Kyo's Tenro.
* MentorOccupationalHazard: He dies, but of the Death Disease; Kyo's enemies have nothing to do with it.
* MistakenForGay: By Okuni, of all people, after hearing Bontenmaru talk about his relationship with Kyo.
* OlderThanHeLooks: As he confirms to Okuni, he's incredibly old despite looking like a Bishonen.
* OldMaster: He can use the four ultimate techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryuu school. Despite his age and deteriorating health, he's still one of only three people Kyo admits he can't handle.
* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Since he's enlightened, all animals can understand him and live alongside him.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Muramasa's Imperial Guard -- Anri]]
The infamous "Tengu of Mount Kurama", and Yuan's older brother. Anri was Muramasa's personal guard, and left the Mibu with him. He developed the Sekireigan and taught the technique to Yukimura.
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* GenreSavvy: Anri knows damn well that [[{{Determinator}} Yukimura]] is going to overuse the DangerousForbiddenTechnique that Anri explicitly told him not to use more than five times in a day. So he teaches Yukimura an incomplete form of the Sekireigan instead -- a form that can still hurt him if he exceeds the limit, but won't kill him.
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Following in his parents' footsteps. He has ''eleven'' children, with number twelve on the way.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: His wife is a mortal human.
* RedBaron: The Tengu of Mount Kurama.
* RetiredBadass: He hasn't done a whole lot of fighting since he left the Mibu, and it takes a significant level of pestering to get him to teach Yukimura the Sekireigan.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Shihodo]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/122.png]]
The ''original'' leader of the Taishiro, and among the strongest members in history.
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* BareYourMidriff: She wears tiny shorts and a bandeau top, exposing everything from hipbones to bust.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She's an odd one, but underestimating her is a ''huge'' mistake. Kyo, our favorite arrogant BloodKnight who has never admitted he's outmatched at this point, tells Sasuke that Shihodo is one of the few people he "just can't handle".
* BirdsOfAFeather: She and [[PlatonicLifePartners Julian]] are two of the most [[BunnyEarsLawyer absurd]] characters in the series, they've been friends for centuries if not millennia, and he's the only one who understands her and laughs at her stupid jokes.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: She's incredibly weird and ''shockingly'' powerful.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Her dialogue is peppered with weird euphemisms and esoteric figures of speech, she makes childishly vulgar jokes (usually about feces) constantly, and she might drop her [[ItMakesSenseInContext 10,000-pound hat]] on you if you try to get a straight answer out of her.
* CoolSword: Her Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (yes, that one), which she can use to summon clouds capable of "eating" and nullifying enemy attacks.
* DirtyCoward: By her own claim, though the accuracy of that assessment is debatable.
* HeartbrokenBadass: She was in love with the Former Crimson King before he became cold and cruel, and was unable to kill him as he'd asked because of her feelings. It's not entirely clear if they were ever involved romantically. Also applies after his death.
* ILetYouWin: She takes Byakko's attack without dodging. Kyo is not amused, as he knows she could have and that she's ''far'' stronger than she's been pretending during this fight. She says she's just getting old, but when he provokes her further, she wallops him and sends him flying into a stone wall hard enough to smash it.
* LoveHurts: See HeartbrokenBadass above.
* MyGreatestFailure: The Former Crimson King asked her to kill him if she saw him walking down the path of evil, which she couldn't bring herself to do because she loved him (and still does). It's why she hides in the labyrinth, overseeing her graveyard for the victims of the Mibu Reconstruction Project.
* NotSoDifferent: She tries to pull this on ''[[TheStoic Hishigi]]'' in a flashback, saying that he's a coward like her and that's why he's avoiding his moral qualms about the Mibu Reconstruction Project. Hishigi has to [[VisibleSilence take a second]] before he says that they're nothing alike.
* OddFriendship: The same flashback seems to indicate she was closer to Hishigi than she was to Muramasa or Fubuki. No, [[TheComicallySerious he didn't have much of a sense of humor then either]].
* PlatonicLifePartners: With Julian.
* Really700YearsOld: Several ''thousand''.
* RetiredBadass: For the above reason of heartbreak.
[[/folder]]
