Line #320 Characters/TheLastSamurai


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6
7	Character sheet for ''Film/TheLastSamurai''.
8	----
9	[[foldercontrol]]
10
11	!!Katsumoto's Rebellion
12
13	[[folder:Nathan Algren]]
14	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/le_dernier_samoura_46139.jpg]]
15	%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
16	!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/TomCruise
17
18	Nathan Algren is a former US Army captain, and a bitter alcoholic traumatized by the atrocities he committed during the Great Sioux War. He is approached to train the newly created Imperial Japanese Army in order to suppress the samurai-headed rebellion of Moritsugu Katsumoto against the reforms of Japan's new Emperor. Taken prisoner by said rebellion after a disastrous battle, he starts learning the ways of the samurai and ends up embracing their cause.
19	----
20	* TheAlcoholic: He drinks ''a lot'' prior to his captivity and gets served sake during his captivity until Taka has this stopped, and he eventually overcomes his alcoholism.
21	* TheAtoner: Uses his assistance with the samurai to atone for the guilt he carries over his actions in the American military.
22	* BackToBackBadasses: With Katsumoto in the final battle.
23	* BadassBookworm: Algren is a highly capable fighter, but he's also an excellent tactician (implied to be a major reason behind Bagley recruiting him for the Japanese mission in the first place), an author and a CunningLinguist.
24	* BornLucky: Seriously, there should be multiple times where Algren should've died in the film, with him lampshading the fact that he should've died plenty of times ''before'' heading to Japan. At the end of the film, he was basically the ''only'' one out of all samurai who survive while the rest perishes against the Imperial Army, and with Katsumoto taking his own life out of defiance rather than dying of his gunshot wounds.
25	* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Once she warms up to him, Taka, a soft-spoken, elegant aristocrat, proves to be quite the grounding force for the haunted Algren. She helps him find peace, and it's implied at the end that they settle down together.
26	* CombatPragmatist: Appropriately enough for a Sioux war veteran, Algren fights with any weapons he has to hand - swords, broken spears, a table, even a ''[[{{EyeScream}} chopstick]]''. His informal combat techniques are pretty much the only reason the Samurai ever have trouble fighting him.
27	* TheCaptain: Was a Captain in the 7th Cavalry and is still addressed by his rank.
28	* DeathSeeker: Tries to get a recruit to shoot him early in the film (as a SecretTestOfCharacter) and participates in a plan at the end of the film that he directly compares to the [[UsefulNotes/GrecoPersianWars Battle of Thermopylae]], knowing full well how it turned out for them.
29	-->'''Katsumoto''': ''[about Algren]'' You do not fear death, but sometimes you wish for it.
30	* DefiantToTheEnd: While the film makes it clear of Algren's DeathSeeker tendencies and constant life-threatening events, it doesn't mean he'll go down without a fight.
31	* TheDeterminator: That's why Katsumoto admires him. Ujio, on the other hand, sees his refusal to accept defeat from his betters to be disrespectful. [[spoiler:[[CharacterDevelopment He comes around eventually]].]]
32	* DualWielding: In the final battle, he fights with a katana and wakizashi.
33	* ExperiencedProtagonist: He's already a trained and experienced US Army Captain who fought in the American Civil War and plenty of wars with the Native Americans before the start of the film.
34	* {{Expy}}: To Lieutenant John Dunbar from ''[[Film/DancesWithWolves Dances with Wolves]]''.
35	* GoingNative: He learns about the ways of the samurai during his captivity and ends up embracing them.
36	* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Goes into the final battle without either Hirotaro's helmet or ''menpō'' mask.
37	* ManlyTears: Sheds them when presenting Katsumoto's katana to the Emperor.
38	* MasterSwordsman: Even before he took up a katana, Algren was already capable of using a saber in the battle of the fog (it should be noted that the saber he wears is more for ''decorative'' purposes), and after learning the ways of the samurai, he was able to fight Ujio to a draw.
39	* MightyWhitey: Averted. Algren is the main character and learns the ways of the samurai, but he's never shown to be any better at being a samurai than the Japanese. The only advantage he has over the Japanese samurai is his knowledge of western war tactics, which comes in handy by the end of the film against the Imperial Japanese Army.
40	* MyGreatestSecondChance: He experiences immense regret and guilt over his past experience with the tribal Native Americans, but the opportunity arises to redeem this regret when faced with a similar situation with the tribal Japanese.
41	* NailedToTheWagon: Algren begins the movie suffering from acute alcoholism as a way of drowning out his guilt at his actions when he was part of the US Cavalry, but after his capture, Taka begins withholding sake from him in an effort to force him to sober up. After a brutal transition period where he is forced to confront the demons of his past, he winds up sober, even declining the offer of whiskey from Omura when he returns to the capital.
42	* NervesOfSteel: Shows this a ''lot'' in the film, but is also justified for his military career and along with the fact that he's a DeathSeeker who's NotAfraidToDie.
43	* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: While Algren is an entirely fictional character in the film, he's loosely based on Jules Brunet (A French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War) and Frederick Townsend Ward (An American mercenary who helped westernize the Chinese army by forming the Ever Victorious Army).
44	* NotAfraidToDie: A theme that comes up several times in the movie. Notably, when Ujio draws his blade and swings at Algren, stopping a hair's breadth from bisecting him, Algren doesn't so much as flinch.
45	* PapaWolf: To a degree with Taka's children. [[spoiler: During the ninja attack on the village, when Higen takes on one of the ninjas to distract him from Algren, the sight of the boy in danger motivates Algren to dispose of the one pinning him down and deal with the other. The look of fury as he drives his sword into the back of the ninja about to kill Higen and then twists the blade really drive the point home]].
46	* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: Algren is a Medal of Honor recepient for his actions during the Battle of Gettysburg.
47	* RedHerring: He is ''not'' the last samurai of which the title refers to, but Katsumoto and his men.
48	* {{Samurai}}: Eventually becomes one.
49	* ShellShockedVeteran: Suffers nightmares of his time in the 7th Cavalry. The reason why he became TheAtoner and TheAlcoholic.
50	-->'''Katsumoto''': You have nightmares.
51	-->'''Algren''': Every soldier has nightmares.
52	-->'''Katsumoto''': Only one who is ashamed of what he has done.
53	* TheSmartGuy: Uses his knowledge of western war tactics in the final battle.
54	* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: The way he kills [[spoiler: Colonel Bagley.]] A particularly grievous example as, even by the standard of swords, katanas make ''really'' bad throwing weapons.
55	* TookALevelInBadass: Contrast his duels at the start of his captivity with how he looks at the end of it. Undergoes some significant CharacterDevelopment at the same time.
56	* TraumaButton: Mentioning Native Americans has a tendency to set off his PTSD, anger and self-loathing about his part in the Indian War massacres.
57	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Subverted. Of the loyalist characters, he is the only one (initially at least) that seems to appreciate the danger that the samurai pose.
58	-->'''Bagley:''' They have no rifles; they're savages with bows and arrows!
59	-->'''Algren:''' Whose sole occupation for the last thousand years has been war.
60	* WarriorPoet: Aside from warfare, Algren is also a highly intelligent man who's knowledgeable on foreign culture, languages, and history.
61	* WesternSamurai: An American Army veteran who is hired by the emperor to train conscripts, but [[GoingNative goes native]] amongst the samurai he was supposed to help fight against. He later teaches himself to speak Japanese and studies the samurai's fighting techniques, and the samurai forge him his own sword.
62	[[/folder]]
63
64	[[folder:Moritsugu Katsumoto]]
65	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/53366850_786925674997372_5128661443616440320_n.jpg]]
66	%%[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
67	!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/KenWatanabe
68
69	A samurai who was once Emperor Meiji's most trusted teacher. He was displeased with Omura's bureaucratic reform policies, which led him into organizing a rebellion against said reforms.
70
71	He is based on real-life samurai Saigō Takamori.
72	----
73	* BackToBackBadasses: With Algren in the final battle.
74	* BaldOfAuthority: Katsumoto is the bald leader of the Samurai and also [[RankScalesWithAsskicking their strongest warrior]], who personally leads them into every battle.
75	* BornInTheWrongCentury: The GloryDays of the Samurai are long gone, Katsumuto is but the vestigial residue.
76	* CharacterTitle: According to [[invoked]]WordOfGod, ''The Last Samurai'' refers to him and his men.
77	* CoolHelmet: In his full samurai dress as shown during the fog battle. Pity he only wears it once.
78	* CulturedBadass: The noble and altruistic Katsumoto prays devotedly, writes poetry and engages in floral appreciation as hobbies, and has a good understanding of foreign language and customs. He is also arguably the best fighter in the movie.
79	* DeathSeeker: Labels himself as one.
80	* DefiantToTheEnd: In the final battle, he chooses to commit seppuku after sustaining heavy gunshot wounds to show his defiance against the modernization of Japan. This earns him the respect of the Imperial Japanese soldiers, who kowtow in reverence as he dies.
81	* DoomedMoralVictor: Does succeed posthumously in convincing the Emperor of the value of bushido.
82	* DreamingOfThingsToCome: At the beginning of the film, Katsumoto dreams of a white tiger in a misty forest, surrounded by samurai attackers but continuing to fight. When he then sees Algren during the battle, surrounded but continuing to fight, Katsumoto notices the spear Algren is fighting with has a banner with a white tiger attached to it and is reminded of the dream, motivating him to spare Algren's life.
83	* DualWielding: During the ninja attack and the final battle, Katsumoto wields his katana along with his wakizashi and is shown to handle multiple enemies with little effort on both occasions.
84	* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: In the final battle.
85	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: He's an {{expy}} of Saigō Takamori, leader of the Satsuma Rebellion, a revolt of ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29 to September 24, 1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. Historically, the reason why the Satsuma Rebellion was so dangerous was that it was an important manufacturing center for cannons. Paintings depicting the revolt show that Takamori's forces had plenty of guns while the well-uniformed Imperial forces mostly only had swords!
86	* HonorBeforeReason: He DoesNotLikeGuns since he considers them dishonorably for one thing. But in real life, most, if not all the samurai ended up using guns later on. He's also clinging to the past.
87	* TheLeader: To his son's village and the rest of the samurai.
88	* MasterSwordsman: Although he spends more time talking and praying than actually fighting, Katsumoto is no slouch with a sword ([[DualWielding or two]]). In both training and real combat he flattens anyone who goes up against him, and his level of skill with both one and two blades possibly makes him more skilled than Ujio, his second-in-command.
89	* MyMasterRightOrWrong: A reconstructed inversion of the trope; Katsumoto makes very clear that if the Emperor wanted him to set aside his rebellion, put aside his weapons, and even die (or not), he's only need to order it. It's not lost on him that Mutsuhito is kowtowing to his advisors, who are the real enemy in Katsumoto's view, so he doesn't see his actions as treasonous; if he was properly ordered to stand down it's indicated he truly would have done so, regardless of his personal feelings on the matter.
90	* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: Katsumoto is a fictional counterpart to Saigo Takamori, who led the Satsuma Rebellion, and is generally thought of as the "last true Samurai". Of course, the real Saigo wore a [[HollywoodHistory Western-style military uniform into battle and used artillery and guns]]...
91	* NotAfraidToDie: As was typical of all samurai.
92	* OnlyAFleshWound: In the final battle, he takes a bayonet to the side but it barely slows him down.
93	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: [[spoiler: Katsumoto barely holds back tears after Nobutada is gunned down during his escape.]]
94	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Shows himself to be a firm, but a kind leader to his people.
95	* {{Samurai}}: Naturally -- the head samurai of his region.
96	* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: Saves Algren [[spoiler: during the ninja attack by throwing his tantō at the ninja trying to overpower Algren]].
97	* UndyingLoyalty: To the Emperor.
98	* WarriorPoet: A samurai who is well-versed in both combat and Japanese philosophy, and takes the chance to have Algren teach him Western philosophy and history during their time together.
99	* WorthyOpponent: The reason which prompts him to spare Algren's life.
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Nobutada]]
103	[[quoteright:223:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nobutada_samurai.jpg]]
104	!!!'''Played by:''' Shin Koyamada
105
106	Katsumoto's son and the lord of the village in which the samurai are encamped. His father advises Nobutada to teach Algren in Japanese culture and language.
107	----
108	* AloofArcher: Composed, independent (within the boundaries of Bushido) and favors the bow. On the other hand, his attitude towards Algren is one of the friendlier among the samurai.
109	* BlingOfWar: Nobutada is shown wearing a gilded suit of armor during the fog battle that makes him stand out from the rest.
110	* CatchPhrase: "Jolly good."
111	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[spoiler:The scene where he gets his swords confiscated by the Imperial Guards and [[TraumaticHaircut loses]] his ponytail in public can be seen as ethnic persecution.]] InUniverse, this event isn't lost onto Algren.
112	* DualWielding: Draws both his katana and wakizashi and attempts to charge the guards during his HeroicSacrifice.
113	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Goes down in a lopsided battle to hold off Omura's men and buy time for his allies to escape.]]
114	-->''"Father, let me stay. My time has come"''.
115	* NotAfraidToDie: Meets death with dignity.
116	* {{Samurai}}: As Katsumoto's son, he owns the samurai village depicted in the movie.
117	* SamuraiPonytail: For most of the movie, anyways.
118	* TraumaticHaircut: When the government passes laws restricting the rights of the Samurai, he is subjected to a very undignified and humiliating public haircut by the Emperor's guards.
119	* YouShallNotPass: After being [[spoiler:mortally wounded]], holds off Omura's soldiers while the rest of the samurai make their escape.
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Taka]]
123	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_samurai_movie_poster_1.jpg]]
124	!!!'''Played by:''' Koyuki
125
126	Katsumoto's sister and the wife of Hirotaro. Much to her displeasure, Katsumoto orders her to house Algren and take care of him, right after he had killed her husband. Feelings develop between Algren and her nonetheless.
127	----
128	* ActionGirl: [[spoiler:Kills one of the ninjas during the attack on the village]].
129	* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Once she warms up to him, Taka, a soft-spoken, elegant aristocrat, proves to be quite the grounding force for the haunted Algren. She helps him find peace, and it's implied at the end that they settle down together.
130	* FlorenceNightingaleEffect: Algren falls for her after she nurses him through his "cold turkey" phase when he first arrives at the village.
131	%%* LoveInterest: Of Algren.
132	* NeutralFemale: Averted. [[spoiler: During the Ninja attack on the village, she mostly focuses on keeping her children down and out of harm's way, but doesn't pass up an opportunity to shank one of the ninjas through the gut.]]
133	* RevengeMyopia: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. At one point in the film, she confesses to Katsumoto of being incredibly uncomfortable with Algren living amongst them and even pleaded with him to kill the man in revenge for killing Hirotaro. Katsumoto calls her out on this hypocrisy since Hirotaro has also killed numerous other men, who also have loved ones as well, and Taka apologizes for this mindset.
134	* YamatoNadeshiko: A perfect example -- an elegant aristocrat who is at once softly spoken, but firm in her conviction. Her actress, Koyuki, is also an example of the Japanese aesthetic "ideal" in terms of classic female beauty.
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Ujio]]
138	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mv5bmtkzmtixmji5mf5bml5banbnxkftztywnte3mjm3_v1.jpg]]
139	!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/HiroyukiSanada
140
141	One of the most dedicated, loyal and fierce warriors under Katsumoto. He teaches Algren the art of samurai sword fighting, none too gently at first but eventually grows to respect him.
142	----
143	* TheBerserker: He ignores injuries and little inconveniences like having to leap off a dying horse or being shot in the back to just keep attacking the enemy.
144	* TheBigGuy: Far and away the best swordsman in the village, and he's often seen kicking the most ass in battle, going up against multiple opponents at one time. He's tough enough to take a bullet to the back and keep kicking, only falling in the final charge after being shot multiple times.
145	* CoolHelmet: Wears a stereotypical horned ''kabuto'' with his armor. His loss of it in the final battle doesn't diminish his badassery in the slightest.
146	* CulturedBadass: While mercilessly lethal in battle and an incredibly hard teacher in training, Ujio is shown to be a refined fellow, appreciating kabuki theater and at one point demonstrating the ''chado'' or tea ceremony to Higen in his off time.
147	* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:This is part of his character development.]]
148	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Ujio initially believes that Algren is the same as him, thinking that it is shameful to be captured by the enemy and that he should commit suicide to maintain his honor. Katsumoto has to repeatedly tell him that Americans are not the same as them and do not consider suicide to be honorable.
149	* DrillSergeantNasty: His method of teaching Algren appears to be dueling (and beating) him over and over again until Algren can defend against his strikes.
150	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: While initially hostile and dismissive of Algren, as the film progresses, Ujio develops a grudging respect for his warrior skill and determination.
151	* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: In the final battle, he wears a helmet during the cavalry charge, but loses it almost immediately.
152	* ICanStillFight: In the final battle, he gets shot and falls. Two younger samurai come to aid him, but he pushes them back, spits out some blood and stands up by himself.
153	* TheLancer: Of Katsumoto.
154	* MadeOfIron: The man is an indomitable fighter, shrugging off any wound he takes. [[spoiler: In the end, it takes a bullet to the back and ''four'' in the chest to finally take him out.]]
155	* MasterSwordsman: Is implied to be the second-best fighter in the village after Katsumoto, and appears to be the sword instructor for the samurai, being seen leading and supervising training and sparring sessions. Even Algren doesn't stand a chance against him, despite being an veteran soldier and a decent swordfighter himself. Algren eventually scrapes a draw against Ujio but that is only after an entire wintertime's worth of daily training and being curb-stomped in two earlier training rounds.
156	* NotAfraidToDie: In the final battle.
157	* OnlyAFleshWound: He gets severely injured in the final battle, but keeps fighting.
158	* {{Samurai}}: A classically gruff example.
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:The Silent Samurai ("Bob")]]
162	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_last_samurai_movie_poster.jpg]]
163	!!!'''Played by:''' Seizō Fukumoto
164
165	An elderly man assigned to follow Algren (who nicknames him "Bob") as he travels through the village.
166	----
167	* AffectionateNickname: Algren nicknames him "Bob".
168	* AscendedExtra: According to the director, Fukumoto had acted in many Samurai films, but had always been relegated to the role of an extra who dies in an early battle scene. Having a role that lasted throughout the film boosted his popularity as an actor.
169	* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: In the final battle.
170	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: TakingTheBullet for Algren.]]
171	* NotAfraidToDie: [[spoiler: Fearlessly charges forward to save Algren from a bullet, then [[TakingYouWithMe kills the man who shot him before dying]]]].
172	* OldSoldier: Noticeably older than all of the other samurai, and no less capable than them in battle.
173	* OnlyKnownByHisNickname: His real name is never revealed and he is only referred to by Algren's nickname of "Bob".
174	* {{Samurai}}: One of the older warriors depicted in the movie.
175	* TheVoiceless: He speaks only a single word in the entire movie, and never talks to Algren.
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:Hirotaro]]
179	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lastsamurai_9851.png]]
180	!!!'''Played by:''' ???
181
182	One of Katsumoto's best warriors and Taka's husband. He gets killed by Algren when trying to finish the latter off. After befriending the samurai and learning their ways, Algren eventually dons Hirotaro's armor (minus the ''menpō'' mask) for the final battle.
183	----
184	* DidntSeeThatComing: He really did '''not''' expect Algren [[DefiantToTheEnd impaling him in the neck after being knocked down]].
185	* HeroKiller: He kills numerous Imperial Japanese soldiers and Zebulon Gant during the Fog Battle.
186	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Algren impales him through his throat with a broken flag pole as he was about to deliver the Coup de Grâce.
187	* KarmicDeath: In this case, he always impales downed opponents (like Zebulon Gant), and ends up getting impaled through the throat by a downed Algren.
188	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: He does this to Zebulon Gant and was preparing to do the same to Algren, but ended up getting killed through Algren's [[DefiantToTheEnd defiance]] and [[CombatPragmatism pragmatism]].
189	* LawOfChromaticSuperiority: He was one of Katsumoto's best warriors and wears a red armor accordingly.
190	* LeaveHimToMe: He specifically asks for Algren's life to be spared so he can kill him himself.
191	* LeaveNoSurvivors: He ruthlessly kills wounded enemy soldiers, including Zebulon Gant.
192	* MalevolentMaskedMan: He's never seen without his traditional ''menpō'' (samurai battle mask), and [[LeaveNoSurvivors takes no prisoners]].
193	* PunchClockVillain: He's not really a villain, but when Hirotaro's not fighting alongside Katsumoto in the rebellion, he's implied to be a good father and husband in the village.
194	* {{Samurai}}: Wears a full suit of red armor and we never see his face, which is obscured by a full ''menpō'' mask.
195	* SmallRoleBigImpact: He may have little screentime in the film, but his death at the hands of Algren jumpstarts the latter's journey for atonement in Katsumoto's rebellion.
196	* ThwartedCoupDeGrace: He ends up speared in the neck by Algren, who dodged his blade.
197	[[/folder]]
198
199	!!Imperial Japanese Army
200
201	[[folder:Omura]]
202	[[quoteright:298:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thelastsamurai2003720p-42_3778.jpg]]
203	!!!'''Played by:''' Masato Harada
204
205	An industrialist and pro-reform politician who dislikes the old samurai and shogun-related ways and quickly imports westernization and modernization while making money for himself through his railroads. Coming from a merchant family that, like many, was repressed during the days of samurai rule and the cause for his extreme dislike for their nobility, he assumes a great deal of power during the Meiji Restoration and takes advantages of Emperor Meiji's youth to become his chief advisor, wielding power similar to that of the Shoguns. He's designed to evoke the historical figure of Okubo Toshimichi, a leading reformer of the Meiji Restoration.
206	----
207	* AttackAttackAttack: He's so confident in the superiority of his forces during the final battle that he brushes off the advice of his paid military advisor ''and'' forgets how the samurai destroyed the Emperor's army during the Battle in the Fog and orders a ZergRush style attack. It didn't go well for the poor soldiers who tried to carry out the orders.
208	* BeardOfEvil: The movie’s BigBad, and has a pretty dastardly beard.
209	* BigBad: The movie's lead villain.
210	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Lining the Omura family's pockets is his main goal, even if it means slaughtering many of his fellow countrymen.
211	* DirtyCoward: When Omura angrily protests the Emperor stripping his family of its wealth as a gift to the people, the Emperor offers him Katsumoto's sword to commit seppuku if the dishonor is too great. Omura doesn't even have the courage for that.
212	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He's completely unable to fathom Katsumoto's determination to die fighting the good fight, apparently having counted on Katsumoto to commit {{Seppuku}} and avoid the shame of defeat if the battle became unwinnable for Katsumoto.
213	%%* EvilChancellor
214	* FauxAffablyEvil: He comes across as modest and diplomatic when he first appears. Later scenes reveal him to be a Machiavellian tyrant willing to crush anyone or anything who stands in the way of his ambitions.
215	* GeneralFailure: While Omura is a businessman with no military education, he is still in command of the Imperial Army in the last battle. His lack of any military knowledge and smug overconfidence in Western weaponry leads to him ignoring all advice from Colonel Bagley and making several bad decisions that lead to significant needless losses.
216	* HiredGuns: Algren guesses Omura [[spoiler: was the one who sent the ninjas to kill Katsumoto]].
217	* HollywoodTactics: It turns out that ordering a human wave style attack on an enemy you couldn't see and not caring about what sort of battle plan the other side might have is a bad thing. Who knew?
218	* JerkassHasAPoint: Notwithstanding his greed and hunger for power, he is astute in recognizing Japan's need for modernization and industrialization in the context of the expansionism and imperialism of the western nations in the 19th century.
219	* ManipulativeBastard: Does this a lot to the Emperor in order to push Japan through modernization to line up his pockets.
220	* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: His character seems loosely based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ckubo_Toshimichi Okubo Toshimichi]], a preeminent Japanese statesman responsible for removing the samurai's privileged status in Japanese society who (for better or worse) is considered by many to be the founding father of modern Japan.
221	* NonActionBigBad: While he accompanies his troops in battle, he never gets involved in the action himself, and generally defers to Bagley when it comes to strategy. When he overrules Bagley in the final battle, his inexperience in the field sees it blow up in his face.
222	* {{Pride}}: He and Bagley are far too confident in their firearms and derisive of the Samurai's fighting abilities - after nearly 300 years of peace - early on in the film. Bagley appears to learn the error of his ways, suggesting sending in skirmishers rather than the main attack force at the start of the final battle with the samurai. Omura has definitely not learned a thing, overriding Bagley and sending his men to the slaughter rather than listening to his paid military adviser.
223	* RailroadBaron: He is a powerful one in Meiji Japan.
224	* SmugSnake: Significantly overestimates his own capabilities, and those of his men, and is shown to frequently disregard useful advice, even if it's the advice he paid for.
225	* SuitWithVestedInterests: Omura's interest in Japan's modernization has less to do with any interest in the country's well-being and more to do with the businesses that he owns. This also influences several disastrous tactical decisions he makes with the army.
226	* ThreatBackfire: Gets to do one when the American Ambassador Swanbeck complains that Omura isn't expediting the arms trade deal fast enough and implies the Americans might speak to some other Japanese official to get what they want. Omura retorts that ''he'' can easily negotiate a deal with the French or British to supply Japan's army instead, making Swanbeck back down.
227	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Is more dismissive of the samurai than any other character in the film. Even when ''Bagley'' starts realizing what a threat they are, Omura insists on a full attack.
228	* VillainousBreakdown: Omura starts losing his smug cool when the Samurai prove to be more of a threat than he thought, and when he finally snaps entirely in impotent rage when the Emperor disowns him.
229	* WeHaveReserves: Is not concerned at all with his Imperial soldiers dying in droves.
230	* WellIntentionedExtremist: He genuinely wants to modernize Japan in order to defend and advance the nation's interest on the world stage. However, he has [[TheUnfettered little regard for the suffering and bloodshed that has to occur to bring it about]]. Possibly subverted in that Omura is shown to have business interests that would likely flourish in a more trade-receptive Japan, so his motives for modernization are likely not entirely altruistic.
231	[[/folder]]
232
233	[[folder:Colonel Bagley]]
234	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap2011050217h56m54_8468.png]]
235	!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/TonyGoldwyn
236
237	Nathan Algren's commanding officer in the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventhCavalry 7th Cavalry Regiment]], who accompanies him to Japan to train the new Imperial Army. Algren dislikes Bagley for his role in the Washita River massacre of Native Americans during the Great Sioux War, a tragedy Algren cannot get over.
238	----
239	* AffablyEvil: Despite being a slaughterer of women and children (and incredibly racist), Bagley is actually rather polite and makes some effort to be friendly with Algren before he's ultimately (rightfully) rebuffed.
240	* ColonelBadass: An evil one.
241	* TheDragon: To Omura -- he's the hired Western muscle and commander.
242	* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
243	-->'''Bagley:''' Algren, what is it about your own people you hate so much?\
244	'''Bagley:''' Son of a bitch thinks he can win...
245	* {{Expy}}: Reviews have noticed Bagley bears a striking resemblance to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Armstrong_Custer George Armstrong Custer]] himself (who is [[ExpyCoexistence mentioned in the movie]]), sporting the same sort of hair-style and facial hair, having served in the 7th Cavalry, participating in the slaughter of Indians and being arrogant and racist.
246	* FriendlyEnemy: Bagley really has nothing against Algren and would rather they get along, but Algren hates his guts and sees him as nothing but a butcher of the innocent. When they part ways as "allies" for the final time, Bagley gives him his full pay and simply asks just what it is about his own people that Algren so despises.
247	* HollywoodTactics: Superior firepower and a larger force do ''not'' guarantee victory. To give him credit, [[TaughtByExperience he shows much more respect for the samurai the second time around]], and councils a cautious and tactically sensible approach when the samurai feign retreat, but the overconfident Omura overrules him.
248	* IDidWhatIHadToDo: "I did what I was ordered to do, and I have no remorse", in reference to slaughtering the women and children of a village that raided his and Algren's forces.
249	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Run through with a katana by Algren in the final battle.
250	* {{Jerkass}}: Bagley is a man of the times who believes in his own cultural and racial superiority and has no qualms about massacring "lesser" peoples, including women and children.
251	* KarmicDeath: Is killed by the same man he so traumatized, and with the same weapon he scoffs at nonetheless.
252	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: A man who considers Native Americans and Japanese to be subhuman species certainly qualifies.
253	%%* {{Pride}}
254	* SmugSnake: Is extremely dismissive of "lesser" cultures and individuals, the samurai in particular.
255	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Woefully underestimates the samurai, believing them to be no more than "savages, with bows and arrows." and that the army's guns will be enough to secure victory. He seems to have learned his lesson by the time of the rematch.
256	-->'''Bagley''': The rebels don't have a single rifle. They're savages with bows and arrows.\
257	'''Algren''': Whose ''sole'' occupation for the last one thousand years has been war.
258	* VillainousValor: Is clearly at least brave, placing himself in harm's way when the samurai charge his troops at the end of the movie. It is used to underline his boss Omura's [[DirtyCoward relative cowardice]], who remains on the hill and visibly panics at the prospect of the samurai getting anywhere near his position.
259	* WouldHurtAChild: He personally slaughtered Native American children during the Washita River Massacre, something we see in full detail during poor Algren's flashbacks.
260	[[/folder]]
261
262	[[folder:General Hasegawa]]
263
264	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bd22a6b1_fbbe_441b_ac57_ab87af6c7972.jpeg]]
265	[[caption-width-right:320:]]
266	!!!'''Played by:''' Togo Igawa
267	A old friend of Katsumoto and former samurai who now serves as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army, he accompanies Algren and Gant during the Fog Battle. Refusing to leave the battlefield, he ends up committing seppuku after being captured by Katsumoto.
268	----
269	* OffWithHisHead: How he's finished off.
270	* SacrificialLion: Ends up being the second named character to die, after Sergeant Gant.
271	* {{Samurai}}: He used to be one, which is how he knows Katsumoto so well.
272	* {{Seppuku}}: After being defeated in the Fog Battle, he commits this with some help from Katsumoto.
273
274	[[/folder]]
275
276	[[folder:Sergeant Zebulon Gant]]
277	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/003TLS_Billy_Connolly_006_4538.jpg]]
278	!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/BillyConnolly
279
280	An ex-US Army soldier who served with and is loyal to Algren, and talked him into coming to Japan. He, along with Algren, commands a unit of the nascent Imperial Japanese Army before confronting the samurai. He is later killed in their first battle by Hirotaro.
281	----
282	* BraveScot: Presumably of Scottish ancestry, and instead of withdrawing like the rest of the officers except for Algren, goes down fighting.
283	* DrillSergeantNasty: His method of instilling some sense of order into the new Japanese recruits is bellowing at them in a language they probably don't understand.
284	-->'''Gant''': ''[to the new recruits]'' Right, you little bastards! You will stand up straight or I will personally shit kick every Far Eastern buttock that appears before my eyes! ''[the recruits '''immediately''' come to attention]''
285	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:A samurai rams a spear through his chest and Hirotaro runs him through later on in the battle.]]
286	* LastStand: Like Algren, likely realizes that the first fight against the samurai is going to be a CurbStompBattle, and not in the way they were hoping. Yet when Algren orders him to withdraw with the rest of the noncombatants and advisers, Gant cheerfully responds, "No offense sir, but, [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight shove it up your ass.]]"
287	* LivingEmotionalCrutch: To Algren, to an extent. Tends to run interference for him when Algren is drunk or when other characters are unknowingly pressing Nathan's BerserkButton.
288	* ManlyFacialHair: A veteran of the US Army and a formidable soldier who has a pretty nice stache.
289	* MauveShirt: Technically those who get him aren't the villains of the story, but at this point, Algren (who is a witness) doesn't yet know about that.
290	* OldSoldier: He's an older man who should be retired, but is still a formidable and brave soldier.
291	* RetiredBadass: Has been retired for quite some time.
292	* {{Retirony}}: He could have well enjoyed his retirement from the army but opted to serve in Japan. He perishes in his first engagement against the samurai.
293	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Has a good laugh when he realizes the samurai still wear armor. He seems to take them seriously enough in battle, though.
294	* UndyingLoyalty: To Algren. He refuses a direct order to move to the backline to fight with his old comrade.
295	[[/folder]]
296
297	!!Other Characters
298
299	[[folder:Simon Graham]]
300	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vlcsnap2011050217h57m16_1340.png]]
301	!!!'''Played by:''' Creator/TimothySpall
302
303	A British interpreter for Algren and his non-English speaking soldiers. Initially portrayed as a typical practical-minded Englishman, he later comes to understand the Samurai cause. He is shown to have some resemblances also to the real-world Corfiote photographer Felice Beato.
304	----
305	* BrutalHonesty: Claims he lost his original job with a British trading mission because of his ''"unfortunate tendency to tell the truth in a country where no-one ever says what they mean"''.
306	* EarnYourHappyEnding: Effectively lampshaded in the epilogue; while Graham doesn't know Algren's fate for certain, he (correctly) believes that he's ''"may have found some small measure of peace, that we all seek, and few of us ever find"''.
307	* GentlemanAndAScholar: A scholar who makes his living translating the lives of Japanese who never quite tell the full truth.
308	* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: Graham states that he's long wanted to write a book about the Samurai for years, but their insular nature made it impossible. Algren leaves Graham the journals he wrote in captivity just before the final battle, stating his hope that perhaps they'll help with Graham's book.
309	* NightmareFetishist: "I've always had a dread fascination with scalping."
310	* OhCrap: When he realizes his interest in scalping has slammed down Algren's BerserkButton.
311	* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Downplayed, but shows shades of it. He seems to view the Japanese and the Native Americans more as objects of curiosity than actual cultures worthy of respect. He refers to Algren's fluency in Blackfoot as "the savage tongue" and even briefly slips in a jab at the Irish when speaking with Gant (a Scotsman - it's not clear from context whether Graham meant it as a remark against Gant and simply mistook his nationality, or whether it was simply him using a metaphor that a fellow member of the UK would relate to). Earlier versions of the script actually had this exchange briefly escalate into a racially-charged argument between the two, but this was ultimately cut from the final version.
312	* PluckyComicRelief: To an extent.
313	* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: Though he's more lively than the stereotypical British scholar, a typical trait of whom is generally not a fascination with execution and torture. That said, Algren's vivid description of the process of scalping does seem to scare him straight.
314	* RefugeInAudacity: Claiming Algren is [[spoiler: President of the United States to bluff his way past the Omura-paid guards guarding Katsumoto]].
315	* StockBritishPhrases: "Jolly good"
316	* TagalongReporter: Follows Algren into some really dangerous places.
317	[[/folder]]
318
319	[[folder:Emperor Mutsuhito (posthumous name Meiji)]]
320	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/53040_2693.gif]]
321	!!!'''Played by:''' Shichinosuke Nakamura
322
323	The 122nd Emperor of Japan, he presides over a time of change that witnesses the Empire of Japan rapidly transform from an isolationist feudal state to an industrialized world power, which included transferring power from the samurai Tokugawa Shogunate to him. That era would later be known as the UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration, named after Mutsuhito's posthumous name.
324	----
325	* AgeLift: Inverted, since his real-life counterpart is much older.
326	* TheEmperor: Technically he's the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, but he's the first to have real power over the country after centuries of shogun rule.
327	* TheGoodKing: Katsumoto believes him to be this until he realizes that the Emperor puts his trust in Omura. Truly becomes this after Algren brings him Katsumoto's sword and becomes far more assertive and resolute.
328	* GrewASpine: After being fearful of men like Omura, he finally stands up to him in the end and tops it off by seizing his assets.
329	* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Based on the historical Emperor Meiji.
330	* JustAKid: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. It's repeatedly shown throughout the movie that the responsibility of leading his people despite his young age makes the Emperor consistently seek answers from his elders of what is the right thing to do, making him susceptible to Omura's manipulations while Katsumoto pleads with him to find his own wisdom.
331	* LeaveBehindAPistol: Sword version.
332	-->'''Emperor''': ''[to a stuttering Omura]'' If your shame is too great, I offer you this sword.
333	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this reaction (though doesn't speak the trope aloud) when he sees what his attempts at 'modernizing' Japan have cost his people, prompting him to call off the trade agreement with the Americans.
334	-->'''Emperor Meiji''': I dreamed of a unified Japan. Of a country strong and independent and modern... Now we have railroads and cannon, Western clothing, but we cannot forget who we are or where we come from.
335	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / TheLastSamurai