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1[[foldercontrol]]
2
3!!Main Characters
4[[folder:Manji]]
5!!Manji
6-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/TomokazuSeki (Japanese, 2008), Creator/KenjiroTsuda (Japanese, 2019), Creator/KeithSilverstein (English), Creator/AndrewLove (English, 2019)
7[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/manji_anime.png]]
8The eponymous "immortal". Manji is a {{ronin}} who carries twelve concealed weapons besides his swords. He was healed from grievous wounds by a witch who infected him with ''kessen-satsu''--bloodworms blessed by Buddhist priests that allow him to recover from virtually any injury given enough time.
9----
10* NumberOneDime: The dagger Doa gives to Rin [[spoiler:is given to Manji ninety years later by a descendant of Rin's named Fuyu. Doa had told Rin that in her village girls would carve the hilt with something to represent someone they love, then give it to that person as a gift. Rin had carved the hilt with the manji symbol surrounded by flames, symbolizing herself and Manji.]]
11* AmusingInjuries: A lot of comedy in the series is based around Manji engaging in MajorInjuryUnderreaction
12* AnArmAndALeg: Sometimes he loses ''both arms and both legs''.
13%%* AnchoredShip: [[spoiler: With Rin.]]
14%%* AngerBornOfWorry: Toward Rin, a number of times.
15* AppendageAssimilation: His bloodworms don't discriminate when they're healing him - they'll bind together any flesh available, whether it originally belonged to him or not. From the Prison Arc onwards, he loses his limbs and uses others' countless time.
16* TheAtoner: For killing 100 innocent people, and accidentally leading to his little sister's death, Manji has vowed to kill 1000 evil people to square away the debt.
17* BadassInDistress: Spends volumes 16-21 locked up in a dungeon.
18* BelligerentSexualTension: Oodles with Rin. The most common scenario is he protects her or does something nice with her then quickly goes back to acting like a jackass to her.
19%%* BigBrotherInstinct
20* BloodKnight: The reason Manji wants his immortality removed? His inability to die brings with it a gradual loss of skill along with his fear of death.
21* BodyguardCrush: He very clearly carries a torch for Rin.
22%%* BoomHeadshot: Right in the first chapter.
23* ButNowIMustGo: [[spoiler:Due to the Shogunate exiling him from Edo he can't stay with Rin and they unfortunately go their separate ways. Joke's on the Shogunate though as due to his immortality Manji just ends up ''outliving'' the official order.]]
24* DeadpanSnarker: All over the place. Manji has a pretty dark sense of humor.
25* {{Determinator}}: Impaled from half a dozen cuts, doesn't matter. He'll drag his bloody body after you if you try to hurt Rin.
26* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler:After Rin finally accomplishes her mission of vengeance against Anotsu, Manji is banished from Edo and he and Rin never see each other again. He never seems to settle down with anyone else over the next several decades either.]]
27* EarCleaning: Rin starts doing this to him while he's sleeping because she wants to talk; after unhappily waking up, he lays his head in her lap and they talk. They're both embarrassed when Shira walks in.
28* EyeScream: His right eye is gone. He loses his good eye on one occasion and has to fight in the blind.
29* FailureKnight: He accidentally drove his sister, Machi, into madness by unknowingly killing her husband. Later he failed to stop her death at the hands of an enemy ronin. One of the main reasons he protects Rin and aids her in her quest is because of her resemblance to his sister, and because he wants to protect her unlike he was able to protect Machi.
30* {{Fingore}}: It's kinda meh compared to the other injuries.
31* ForcedToWatch: Shira puts Rin in a deadly position to get Manji as angry as possible so they can have a real showdown. [[spoiler: Manji doesn't hesitate, but runs immediately from the fight to try and save Rin. Tanpopo has to save them both in the end, but Manji returns to the fight soon after, and he is '''pissed'''.]]
32* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has the classic grizzled anti-hero scars: two running horizontally across his face, one across his nose and cheeks, the other across his forehead, and a final scar running vertically over his right eye.
33* GoodThingYouCanHeal: The fact that he can regenerate from nearly any injury
34* GotVolunteered: In the epilogue, [[spoiler:Yaobikuni insists he protect Fuyu, a descendant of Rin. Before he realizes the connection he is quite vocal about his disinterest, but afterward he accepts and even smiles when the girl holds onto his hand.]]
35* HealingFactor: Thanks to the bloodworms. They bind his wounds as soon as his flesh is cut. He can't regrow limbs, though: he has to reattach them.
36* HiddenDepths: Despite his KnightInSourArmor attitude and gruff demeanor Manji is surprisingly perceptive of others and has a complex philosophical side to him.
37* HoldingHands: With Rin sometimes.
38* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: He gets impaled in the ''head'' once. According to him, it actually hurts ''less'' than a stab to the chest or gut.
39* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He doesn't always show it, but he has quite an emotional depth to him and can be very empathetic and soft-hearted, particularly toward Rin.
40* KryptoniteFactor: A poison exists that can kill the ''kessen-chu'', slowing or stopping his regeneration.
41* MegaManning: In the first few volumes, where most of the stories are just "Manji versus the Itto-Ryu of the week," he usually adds their weapons to his arsenal afterwards. In the final volume he even does this with [[spoiler: Arashino's arm.]]
42* MultiMeleeMaster: In a world where every other character engages in ExoticWeaponSupremacy, Manji uses just about anything he can get his hands one from simple katanas, to knives, to kusarigama, to some really weird weapons with specialty uses. And he's fully capable of using them with ease even if he just got them.
43* MyGreatestFailure: First he killed his sister's husband in front of her... then he failed to protect her as she was cut down before him.
44* NominalHero: Though he clearly cares for Rin, he's still very much an amoral BloodKnight indifferent towards atrocities and not above teasing his teammates losing in a fight.
45* PiggybackCute: He carries Rin this way a few times.
46* RageBreakingPoint: He really loses his temper when Shira hires a pack of dumbass {{mooks}} to slow him down. His fury is so terrifying it drives them to drop to their knees and beg pathetically for their lives.
47-->'''Manji:''' What kinda bullshit ''kharma'' is dumping on me like this, over and ''over?'' I mean, ''come on!'' [...] '''[[BigShutUp SHADDUP!!]]''' That's it. I've had enough. I'm not taking it any more. You jerks are the ''last straw!!'' '''I'll kill you all!!'''
48* ReallyFondOfSleeping: He can fall asleep anywhere.
49* {{Ronin}}: He was a samurai in the service of the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatamoto hatamoto]]'' Horii Shigenobu, and killed a hundred innocent people on behalf of his lord before having a HeelRealization of Horii's corruption and murdering him for making him do it. He then killed his younger sister's husband in self-defense, which drove her into EmotionalRegression, then went into hiding with her which was when he met Yaobikuni.
50* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Masterful with them.
51* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Against major foes, even if they're already mortally wounded, Manji will still finish them by turning them into a whirlwind of body parts. He even does this to [[spoiler: Arashino]] despite having just ''split him down the middle.''
52* ScarsAreForever: When you get them before you become immortal, anyway.
53* SirSwearsALot: This guy turns swearing into fine art.
54* SleepCute: With Rin.
55* TragicKeepsake: It's easy to miss, but two of the swords he carries (the ones on the works page's image) are the ones that killed his sister. Gets another one in the ending in the form of [[spoiler: Anotsu's arm.]]
56* UndyingWarrior: As a {{Ronin}}, he wanders Shogunate Japan earning drinking money and hoping that if he kills 1,000 evil men, he'll finally die. [[spoiler:In the epilogue he's shown to still be around a century later after the UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration.]]
57* UnstoppableRage: Manji completely loses it when Shira tells him he raped and cut up Rin for fun.
58* VitriolicBestBuds: Well, more like EnemyMine than "best buds", but he (eventually) gets along with Magatsu better than any other member of the Itto-Ryu, largely over their shared grudge against Shira. They really can't stand each other (largely because they're a bit too much alike to be comfortable), but they can work together surprisingly well.
59* WalkingArmory: Twelve blades, all in his kimono.
60* WhoWantsToLiveForever: He's not too pleased that the bloodworms' presence in his body means he can't die: it removes his fear of death, which dulls his skills as a swordsman, and that still matters to him despite being a drunken washed-up {{Ronin}}. He means to rid himself of them by killing 1000 evil people. [[spoiler:He never succeeds and is still around in the Meiji Period.]]
61* XMarksTheHero: Although it's on his chest, not his face.
62* WorldsStrongestMan: Or at least the most resilient. [[spoiler:By the end of the series Manji has proven so impossible to kill or defeat the Shogunate just gave up and exiled him from Edo instead of bothering to hunt him down. And even the exile is meaningless as Manji ends up outlasting nearly anyone who could possibly remember him.]]
63* YoungerThanTheyLook: He seems like a considerably older man, but is only 26.
64* YouRemindMeOfX: He first sees Rin as his sister Machi.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Asano Rin]]
68!!Asano Rin
69-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/RinaSato (Japanese, 2008), Creator/AyaneSakura (Japanese, 2019) Creator/MelaLee (English), Creator/JulietSimmons (English, 2019)
70[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/asano_rin_anime.png]]
71The only child of a samurai and his wife, slain by Anotsu Kagehisa to avenge him humiliating Anotsu's master in the series' backstory. Rin applied to the Bakufu (the shogunate government) for permission to avenge her parents but was denied, and turned to hiring Manji as her yojimbo to kill Anotsu for her.
72----
73* ActionGirl: She may not be the best fighter, but she can make a good showing on a good day.
74* AdaptationalWimp: The live-action film ages her down to about ten (the TimeSkip between her parents' murder and her meeting Manji is left out) and [[CompressedAdaptation cuts enough of her material in compressing the 30-volume manga]] to make her almost entirely useless.
75* AnchoredShip: [[spoiler: With Manji.]]
76* BeautifulAllAlong: Tries this on Manji. He, uhh...bursts out laughing at her.
77* BelligerentSexualTension: With Manji.
78* BigSisterInstinct: Even though she didn't know Renzo very well, and despite the fact that their first encounter devolved into childish bickering, she's more than willing to degrade herself in front of a {{Jerkass}} samurai to stop him from hurting Renzo.
79* BraidsOfAction: Her hair is almost always in two braids.
80* BrokenBird: Can sometimes verge into this on bad days.
81* CallingYourAttacks: "Curtain of Death! Flight of the Golden Wasps!". People routinely point out how stupid and suicidal this is, though she does make it work a ''couple'' of times.
82* ClingyJealousGirl: When it comes to Manji...hooo boy, yep.
83* CoolBigSis: To Renzo.
84* CryIntoChest: She does this with Manji when finding him alive after fearing he’d been killed by kessen-satsu poison.
85* DeadpanSnarker: Hoo yeah.
86* {{Determinator}}: She will never quit. No matter what.
87* DontYouDarePityMe: Gives this a few times. Especially to Anotsu.
88* DudeShesLikeInAComa: [[spoiler: She kisses Manji while he's asleep.]]
89* EarCleaning: She starts doing this to Manji while he's sleeping because she wants to talk; after unhappily waking up, he lays his head in her lap and they talk. They're both embarrassed when Shira walks in.
90* EarnYourHappyEnding: Despite the absolute hell she suffers over the course of the series [[spoiler:she avenges her family and lives the rest of her life in peace, even having a family of her own that's still around in the Meiji Period.]]
91* FireForgedFriends: With Doa. When they first meet, Doa is ready to casually slaughter her. After their adventures together, Doa would walk through the gates of hell for her.
92* FireIsRed: Her usual kimono is red with flames.
93* GoThroughMe: During times when Manji is incapacitated and facing certain death, she always covers him with her own body, shielding him from his foes.
94* GrowlingGut: She wonders if she has bigger stomach than other girls.
95* HealingHerb: An antidote she keeps in her hair rings is just the cure for Manji's poison, likely saving his life.
96* TheHeart: Rin's kindness and goodness is utterly infectious, and can move even Manji and Anotsu.
97* HeroicBSOD: Absolutely shatters after Anotsu taunts her about how close she is to becoming like the Itto-Ryu in her quest for revenge.
98* HoldingHands: With Manji sometimes.
99* IdenticalGranddaughter: [[spoiler: According to [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/manjipedia/images/5/56/ManjixFuyu_Rin%27s_dagger.png/revision/latest?cb=20200109045029 official art included with the final volume]], Rin's descendant, Fuyu, is the spitting image of Rin when she's grown up.]]
100* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Subverted. Anotsu believes Rin is the purest person he's ever met with her desire for revenge. Manji, however, points out that Rin is tormented by doubt all the time. Still, Rin doesn't have a cruel bone in her body and finds the ''idea'' of revenge is far more appealing than the reality of it. You can count on Rin to be the moral voice whenever it's needed.
101* InelegantBlubbering: A few times, but most notably at the end of the series, [[spoiler:after she has said goodbye to Manji.]]
102* KidSamurai: Sort of; while she's not a proper samurai by virtue of being female, she otherwise starts off the series hitting most of the items on the list (young, naive, well-versed in formal martial arts but inexperienced in actual life-or-death combat).
103* KissingDiscretionShot: She plants one on [[spoiler:Manji after she rescues him from prison. He’s surprised, but doesn’t seem to really mind.]]
104* LastOfHerKind: She's the last member of the Mutenichi-Ryu School, and if she dies, the school's teachings die with her. [[spoiler:She survives and her family's teachings manage to be passed on.]]
105* LeavingYouToFindMyself: [[spoiler:The ultimate fate of her and Manji's relationship, in the final chapter. A descendant of hers finds Manji again in the DistantFinale.]]
106* LetsGetDangerous: Don't be [[spoiler:Anotsu, especially if you're patronizing.]] And don't ever, ever [[spoiler:lock Manji away from her.]]
107* MoralityPet: For Manji.
108* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: She beats the absolute shit out of [[spoiler:Anotsu Kagehisa and Ayame Burando.]]
109* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Anotsu definitely sees her this way.
110* NowLetMeCarryYou: She stops at nothing to rescue Manji from imprisonment.
111* PluckyGirl
112* {{Protectorate}}: Again, for Manji.
113* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Shira gets very tired of Rin trying to talk him out of raping and slicing up a prostitute, so he punches her in the face and sends her flying.
114* ReplacementGoldfish: Initially to Manji's dead sister, Machi.
115* SleepCute: With Manji, after she smacks him in the face for teasing her. They switch to each other's futons and hold hands as they fall asleep.
116* SweetTooth: She loves sweets.
117* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: To Anotsu. This is kind of problematic as she has like less than a zero percent chance against him in a fight. She also admits it'd piss her off if Anotsu died in an event that has nothing to do with her. [[spoiler: She ends up being the one to give him the final blow in a surprise attack.]]
118* TookALevelInBadass: Oh god yes. Think separating her from Manji makes her helpless? Think again.
119* TroubledBackstoryFlashback: We get this not long after being introduced to her.
120* {{Tsundere}}: Type B, as her violent side will usually only come out after Manji provokes her.
121* UnknownRival: Initially to Anotsu.
122* WhatTheHellHero: Whenever someone needs it, Rin will deliver a harsh critique of their actions. She even does this to the entire concept of the Bushi in general.
123* YouKilledMyFather: Her goal is to exact vengeance on the man who killed her parents.
124* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: She doesn't react well to Anotsu praising her.
125[[/folder]]
126
127!!Itto-Ryu
128!!!"The sword excuses all."
129
130[[folder:Anotsu Kagehisa]]
131-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/HirofumiNojima (Japanese, 2008), Creator/NozomuSasaki (Japanese, 2019), Ezra Weiz (English), Creator/AdamGibbs (English, 2019)
132[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anotsu_kagehisa_anime.png]]
133
134* AffablyEvil: He's pretty genteel and cares about his subordinates. He even spares a defenseless Rin's life after she tried to kill him, and says if she gives up her grudge he wouldn’t have his subordinates kill her.
135* AllForNothing: As shown in the DistantFinale [[spoiler:all that blood shed by Anotsu and his insistence of revitalizing kenjutsu for battle turned out to be useless as the Meiji Government passed the Sword Banning Act.]]
136* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Makie is this to him. [[spoiler: He actually confesses to a dying Makie that he never could become stronger than her. She whispers it's fine, because it means she has a reason to stay with him.]]
137* ArchEnemy: Rin's.
138* AuthorityEqualsAssKicking: With the obvious exception of Makie, Anotsu is the finest warrior in Itto-Ryu.
139* BadassBoast: Tons. Notably "I am Anotsu Kagehisa. Head of Itto-Ryu. Those who face me knowing that name take up arms against the thousand followers bound to me. You interfere with my grandfather's dream and block my path to the future. And so...feel the weight of my blade! Scatter like leaves in the wind!"
140* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:With Habaki, both being the ultimate antagonists of not only Rin and Manji, but each other as well.]]
141* BloodKnight: He typically holds this in check, but he has his moments.
142* BrokenPedestal: The grandfather he admired and did everything for ''was a colossal bastard'' who was so jealous of Kagehisa's talent he tried to have him killed.
143* CartwrightCurse: He...kind of has bad luck with the women he loves having healthy lives.
144* CharacterizationMarchesOn: It's difficult to picture the AntiVillain Anotsu of later chapters giving his men permission to commit rape like he did in his first appearance.
145* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Anotsu and Makie. The very second he saw her, his heart would never belong to anyone else.
146* CombatPragmatist: So long as victory is gained he really doesn't care about adhering to the rules others allow themselves to be limited by.
147* CoolSword: His sword of choice is a double-edged tsurugi that is very unfamiliar to swordsmen used to wielding or facing off against katanas.
148* DeadpanSnarker: has his moments of delightful sarcasm.
149* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: His lower-classed grandfather lost his bid to advance in his dojo thanks to the master favoring his own son. The master used the excuse that the elder Anotsu was too much of a CombatPragmatist, causing his grandson to start his crusade of eliminating traditional schools. What he fails to understand is that Japan's social system was specifically designed so that higher-classed people could never lose to their inferiors.
150* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Makie, his [[KissingCousins second cousin]] and a friend of his from childhood whom he's in love with.
151* EvenEvilHasStandards: See WouldNotHurtAChild.
152* ExoticWeaponSupremacy: Most of his weaponry are not native to Japan. It's a point of pride for him to wield them as proof his grandfather was right.
153* FaceDeathWithDignity: [[spoiler:Only pleading at the end to be ''remembered'' by Manji, the immortal man.]]
154* {{Fingore}}: His pinky finger gets cut off by Habaki Kagimura in their final duel. [[spoiler:It's still missing from his hand when Manji is using it ninety years later.]]
155* FreudianExcuse: His grandfather was cast out of the Mutenichi-Ryu Dojo, he became hateful and abusive. Under his harsh training, Anotsu grew disillusioned with putting concepts like "honor" and "good form" above victory at any cost.
156* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:When Rin rushes at him to finish everything, Anotsu peacefully smiles and closes his eyes to accept her judgment.]]
157* HonorBeforeReason: Despite his motto of "whatever works", Anotsu is unable, at times, to put aside his innate sense of honor.
158* {{Hypocrite}}: Espouses leaving behind old-fashioned ideas of samurai behavior and adherence to one's clan as well as tearing down the system, but the plot was kicked off by him enacting the vengeance his grandfather craved and he keeps being driven by the man's ideal of forgoing traditional kendo for foreign weapons. And the first chance he gets to become a legitimate sword school by the shogunate he takes it despite many members of the Itto-Ryu hating samurai.
159* ImprobableWeaponUser: Pushes for this as a way to overcome traditional kenjutsu.
160* KickTheDog: Gives his men permission to rape Rin's mother. On one hand, though, given what disgusting thugs all but Magatsu and Sabato were, he might have faced an uprising had he not.
161* KissingCousins: He and Makie are cousins.
162* MadeOfIron: [[spoiler: Even after losing his right arm at the shoulder, being run through by Rin's dagger and plunging into icy water which would have induced even more shock, he was still confirmed to be alive in the end, and was taken across the sea by the Chinese sailors, although whether he actually ''suvives'' is ambiguous.]]
163* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Sometimes, his mistakes come back to haunt him. [[spoiler: Realizing the sheer hell he's put Rin through makes him genuinely remorseful.]]
164* NotSoStoic: The few times Anotsu lets his emotions show...it's genuinely heartbreaking. Or exceptionally badass.
165* OneHandedZweihander: Anotsu can swing his axe one-handed by taking advantage of the weapon's momentum.
166* PetTheDog: A ton of these moments. Anotsu genuinely cares for a good portion of his men and seems to consider Abayama and Magatsu his real friends. He has curious moments with Rin and genuinely, deeply loves Makie.
167* SinsOfOurFathers: When bandits attacked Rin's great-grandfather, the master of the Mutenichi-Ryu Dojo, Anotsu's grandfather saved him. However, since he used a foreign sword and poor style, he was cast out of the Dojo. In retribution for the injustice done to his grandfather and the disgrace brought upon his family, Anotsu killed Rin's father along with every one of the Mutenichi-Ryu students. To this day, Anotsu despises this way of thinking, coldly declaring that to leave your own unfinished business for your children is a form of weakness and cowardice. [[spoiler: When he finally vows his children will one day return to fulfill his ideals, it's the final sign of how he has ''lost everything.'']]
168* TranquilFury: When he's genuinely ''furious'', he covers it with a gentle smile and soft voice.
169* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: He's actually alive at the end of the last volume, but he's badly wounded and the ship's going all the way to China so who knows if he made it.]]
170* UsedToBeASweetKid: Volume 3 shows him as a nice boy willing to stand up to his abusive grandfather to protect a young Makie.
171* VisionaryVillain: He destroys dojos to eliminate the distinctions and factions that divide samurai. His planned end result is to form a school of the sword where only the strongest techniques survive.
172* WouldNotHurtAChild: When he first appears he orders his men not to harm Rin because he considers harming a child savage (although it's a deliberate TakeThat to the style-obsessed Mutenichi-Ryu school, as he states that "assaulting children shows no ''class"'').
173* YouKilledMyFather: On the receiving end since he's the one responsible for the death of Rin's father and mother.
174[[/folder]]
175
176[[folder:Otono-Tachibana Makie]]
177-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/MamikoNoto (Japanese, 2008), Creator/HoukoKuwashima (Japanese, 2019), Creator/LauraBailey (English)
178
179[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/otonotachibana_makie_anime.png]]
180
181* ActionGirl: She's also probably the biggest badass in the series given that she's a better fighter than both TheHero and the BigBad. If you fight Makie and you make it out alive, the '''only reason''' is because she's shown mercy on you. Putting this in perspective, the second or third best fighter in the series backed up by a large amount of mooks and five elite warriors believes that all of them facing Makie at once is near certain death.
182* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Anotsu. He says the first time they met, he knew she would always walk ahead of him for the rest of their lives.
183* BlessedWithSuck: Ever since she was a child her talent as a warrior was near superhuman. However, it has brought her nothing but pain as it led to her brother's suicide, her father casting her and her mother out, and the man she loves loving her talent more than he does her.
184* BrokenAce: Culturally refined, ''very'' beautiful, considered the best warrior there is by everyone else, is such an emotionally messed up wreck it's a testament to either her resilience or her self-loathing that she keeps on going.
185* BrokenBird: For a period of time. One quote sums it up: "When a woman lets herself fall...she can't have dreams ever again."
186* BullyingADragon: The men who planned on raping her and returning her to her former whorehouse [[LudicrousGibs found out quite quickly how bad of an idea that was]].
187* ChildhoodFriendRomance: With Anotsu.
188* CurbstompBattle: If Makie is serious and doesn't plan to spare you, this is the only battle she's ever in. By the end of the series, she is ''utterly'' undefeated in straight up battles.
189* DespairEventHorizon: She hit it hard more than once.
190* DissonantSerenity: In battle, Makie wears a detached, aloof expression. It's both beautiful and terrifying.
191* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Cures her tuberculosis, walks way from the battle...[[spoiler: and get gunned down by bullets meant for Anotsu and Kagimura. However, it also becomes a DyingMomentOfAwesome when after being riddled with bullets, she ''still'' manages to kill all the gunners before she dies.]]
192* FreudianExcuse: She was a natural born samurai, at just ten-years-old she managed to defeat her fifteen-year-old brother who had been named heir to the Asano dojo. As a result of his disgrace, her brother was DrivenToSuicide, and his father cast both Makie and her mother out into the whorehouses.
193* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler:While there's never anything made official, Makie says it best to Anotsu: "Your karma. Your Wife...is right here."]]
194* HeroicBSOD: After her meeting with her father. How often is it you can fail at everything that can be failed at in the same day?
195* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Not currently but she used to work in a whorehouse. Makie came to respect her mother for also being one, since her mother spent her life providing comfort to others despite her harsh circumstances. Probably one of the finest defenses of this, Makie tells her friend who's going to work at a brothel that she will be giving others comfort and happiness while all warriors do is kill. "So live with pride, O-Hatsu. With pride."
196* ImportantHaircut: Shears her hair short to sever ties to her past.
197* KissingCousins: With Anotsu.
198* LadyOfWar: Makie's sheer grace and aloof demeanor in battle is both beautiful and eerie. Anotsu himself describes her skill as "what I can never be, dancing before me." Makie is so talented that she can even evade the blood her blades spill, without a drop landing upon her.
199* LonelyAtTheTop: Her talent, that makes her the finest warrior in all Japan by far, has brought her nothing but misery and isolation. As a child, she even asked Anotsu to get better than her one day. [[spoiler: When he confesses he never could, Makie is finally happy and at peace: him being weaker than her means she has a reason to remain at his side.]]
200* TheMasochismTango: It is utterly impressive how much pain she and Anotsu can inflict on one another. Anotsu's devotion to the sword pains Makie because she wants to be more than his warrior, and Makie's self-hatred, selling her body and refusal to truly embrace her talents tears Anotsu apart whenever he sees her. Even after that, there's still a lot between them.
201* MyGreatestFailure: Her father. [[spoiler: Makie fully intended to kill him, but his sheer dementia, sadness and regret left her initially incapable of it. When she remembered her mother, her rage made her rush back for his life...only to see he'd died of natural causes. She had literally managed to fail at ''every conceivable outcome'' of that encounter.]]
202* SilkHidingSteel: She's gentle and demure usually, but under that is the steel and fire.
203* TranquilFury: When she gets mad, you won't know it until she's sliced you into bloody chunks.
204* UnexplainedRecovery: Not her but her weapon. Manji clearly snaps one of it's blades during their first fight, but the next day it's in one piece again.
205* WhenSheSmiles: the times Makie gives a genuine smile...you can see why Anotsu loves her as much as he does.
206* WorldsBestWarrior: Makie is an unequaled prodigy with the blade on top of being a keen analyst who is good at thinking one step ahead of her opponents. The only reason why she isn't a HeroKiller is because she doesn't want to be one and the only time she struggled in a fight was when she was outnumbered by elite warriors and already practically dying from tuberculosis. Even then she was still recognized by the strongest opponent present to be at an advantage against them.
207[[/folder]]
208
209[[folder:Abayama Sosuke]]
210-> '''Voiced By''': Shinya Fukumatsu (Japanese, 2019)
211
212[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abayama_sosuke_anime.png]]
213
214* ApologeticAttacker: Openly mourns having to kill a younger opponent who won't back down.
215* CoolOldGuy: He's a fairly laid back old man who treats even his errand boy with a lot of respect.
216* DisappearedDad: Left his wife and son when his son was fourteen.
217* DirtyOldMan: Utterly averted. He's respectful and kind to women and absolutely panics in embarrassment when he accidentally sees a prostitute changing her clothes.
218* FirstNameBasis: With Anotsu. He is one of the only ones to address him as Kagehisa. Given their history, Abayama has the right.
219* HandicappedBadass: He's missing one arm, but he's fully capable of laying out a beatdown.
220* IAmNotLeftHanded: He has a pair of weighted chains where his arm used to be. They're his secret weapon, allowing him to crush skulls with ease and giving him superior range in a melee fight.
221* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As hard as he can be on his students, and ruthless as he can be when provoked, Abayama is a genuinely kind-hearted man who cares deeply for his students and views them as the future. His loyalty to Itto-Ryu is second to none and he is guilt-stricken over a prostitute Shira mutilates after a failed Itto-Ryu plan.
222* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Incredibly, although he is cut down in his final duel with Giichi and is given a long dying sequence where he flashes back to his first meeting with Anotsu, he shows up again in the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue. Giichi stumbles across him in a small hut, with his mind completely gone and looking twenty years older than he already did, being tended to by his granddaughter, but pretends he mistook him for someone else.]]
223* NotSoHarmless: Think that one armed old coot was nothing special? Guess again.
224* NumberTwo: Whenever Anotsu's gone, Abayama's the "acting head" of the Itto-Ryu. One member puts it best: He and Anotsu ''are'' the Itto-Ryu.
225* OldMaster: He's the second in command of the Itto-Ryu, you think he's anything but?
226* OldSoldier: Second eldest member of the Itto-Ryu and one of its finest warriors.
227* ParentalSubstitute: The closest thing Anotsu has ever had to a father, really.
228* TheStarscream. Unusual example. [[spoiler: He was this to Anotsu's grandfather, Anotsu Saburo, on behalf of Kagehisa himself. Saburo loathed Anotsu for his ambition when Anotsu was a child and told Abayama to kill him. Abayama killed Saburo instead and pledged himself to Kagehisa forever.]]
229* TheStrategist: His knack for strategic thinking helps the Itto-Ryu a ton.
230* UndyingLoyalty: To Anotsu.
231* WouldHurtAChild: If that child leaves him no alternatives? In his own words "Must you make this old fool kill a child?"
232* WouldNotHurtAChild: Not if he can help it...of course...see above.
233[[/folder]]
234
235[[folder:Magatsu Taito]]
236-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/KazuyaNakai (Japanese, 2008), Creator/TatsuhisaSuzuki (Japanese, 2019), Creator/DerekStephenPrince (English)
237
238[[quoteright:255:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magatsu_taito_anime.png]]
239
240* AnimeHair: Black, long, and so spiky it's in defiance of gravity. Lampshaded by Sori.
241* BigBrotherInstinct: Seeing a woman in danger makes him fiercely protective.
242* CombatPragmatist: Not above using hidden weapons and perils of the environment to his advantage.
243* CynicismCatalyst: His sister was cut in half by samurai after her errantly-thrown ball scared a Daimyo's horse, sparking Magatsu's hatred of the entire Samurai caste and his thirst for revenge. He hates the ''kogi'' and their "dogs", seeing them as all representative of the callous samurai class that butchered his sister.
244-->'''Magatsu:''' Kill the guy who did my ''crew?'' I'm not into that. We banded together to ''kill,'' or be ''killed.'' "Huh. So ''he lost?"'' That's all I feel. [...] What I ''can't forgive'' is when the ''killer's'' a ''government dog! Like,'' for instance, ''you!'' [...] ''I'm'' killing you for petty, ''private'' reasons. Hope that's OK.
245* EarnYourHappyEnding: One of only 6 of the main Itto-Ryu to survive the series, along with Isaku, Doa, Ozuhan [[spoiler:, possibly Anotsu, and Abayama Sosuke, although he's lost his mind]]. Gives up the sword and returns to farming like his family did, where he's surprised to find himself much happier.
246* EnemyMine: Has a few interesting teamups with Manji here and there. Usually when Shira is involved.
247* EvenEvilHasStandards: Didn't participate in the rape of Rin's mother, and tried to stop his cohorts from participating in it as well. He outright tried to stop the rape, but was forced to storm off in disgust when Araya made it clear pressing the issue might well mean his life.
248* FreudianExcuse: Hates samurai because, as a peasant, the daimyo's samurai cut his sister in two for scaring the daimyo's horse while playing with a ball.
249* InsistentTerminology: He's not a samurai, he's just a kenshi (swordsman). Admittedly ''very'' few of the Itto-ryu are from the samurai class, but Magatsu specifically became a kenshi to ''kill'' samurai in revenge for his sister's death.
250* MirrorCharacter: Of Manji; both of them lost their little sisters, Magatsu to a brutal samurai who executed her for a trivial slight, Manji to a gang of thugs who came looking for him after he killed one of them. Magatsu fights for revenge, Manji fights for atonement, but Manji sees shades of his younger self in Magatsu when he looks at him, and he doesn't like it.
251* MyGreatestFailure: O-Ren's death. Leaving her unguarded meant she fell prey to Shira who was after information on Magatsu. Magatsu is torn up by guilt for failing to be there when she needed him.
252* OnlyAFleshWound: He gets run through a ''lot,'' but it never seems to be anywhere vital.
253* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Pretty damn good with these. The earliest one he gave was to Araya when Araya was attempting to rape Rin's mother. He also gives a great one to Mitake out of disgust for the samurai class.
254* VitriolicBestBuds: He and Manji find themselves as this eventually. Well OK, so they're pretty far from "best buds" (Magatsu leads a group of Itto-Ryu in an attempt to kill Manji even after their EnemyMine against Shira, although he doesn't fight him himself), but they get along pretty well at times, even though they genuinely can't stand each other.
255* WhatTheHellHero: On the receiving end of this from a grieving prostitute after O-Ren's death. "She just wanted to be with you! Was that such a big dream, was that too much to ask?! What good are you Kenshi anyways... give a man a sword and all he can do is ruin someone's life!"
256* WorthyOpponent: Manji and Magatsu consider each other this even before their first EnemyMine. Despite his hatred of samurai he praises Manji's skills to his teammates.
257* WouldNotHitAGirl: Downplayed; he'll ''hit'' one, but he won't kill one due to his backstory. When Ryo slips out of the Itto-Ryu's attempt to trap the Rokki-dan in their ruined compound, Magatsu faces her himself but, despite easilly being able to kill her, settles for blocking her attacks and punching her in the stomach hard enough to make her throw up, then leaving her with a message for Habaki Kagimura.
258* YouAreInCommandNow: [[spoiler: Becomes the leader of the final remnants of Itto-Ryu, but has no interest in reviving it, preferring to live out his days in peace.]]
259[[/folder]]
260
261[[folder:Kuroi Sabato]]
262-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/MasashiEbara (Japanese, 2008), Eiji Hanawa (Japanese, 2019), Artt Butler (English)
263
264[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kuroi_sabato_anime.png]]
265
266* AbnormalLimbRotationRange: Is able to raise his arms in a perfect 90° angle behind him, which allows him to strike Manji before he can hit him from behind. [[spoiler:Somehow, neither the stuffed heads on his shoulders nor the armor he wears concealing them hinder him at all.]]
267* AffablyEvil: He comes off as quite cordial and romantic despite his psychopathy, and he does honor his word.
268%%* BaldOfEvil
269* DirtyOldMan: Called one by Manji since Rin is young enough to be Sabato's daughter.
270* LoveAtFirstSight: With Rin, who he met while killing her father.
271* ALoveToDismember: [[spoiler:He keeps the heads of his first wife and Rin's mother, stuffed and sewn to his shoulders because he wanted to capture the perfection of their beauty]]. He plans on adding Rin to the collection.
272* MalevolentMaskedMen
273* PetTheDog: In flashback it's shown he shielded Rin from seeing her mother's rape.
274* ShouldersOfDoom: He's got massive ones [[spoiler:and for good reason as it turns out his "pads" are really the heads of two stuffed women sewn onto his shoulders]].
275* StalkerWithACrush: He's been sending Rin love poems every day for ''two years''. The kicker is he didn't even know Rin's name.
276* StarterVillain: He is the first of the Itto-ryu to die, and dies in the same chapter he's introduced.
277* TokenMotivationalNemesis: The effect is somewhat softened by having him acting under Anotsu's orders, but you'd still think the man who killed Rin's father [[spoiler:and mother]] would last longer than a single chapter.
278* WarriorPoet: A rare villainous example, he composes and recites poetry not only in his spare time but also after killing people.
279* {{Yandere}}: When he thinks Rin has finally reciprocated her love for him, he plans on killing her then dying himself, then [[spoiler:having his body stuffed and Rin's stuffed head sewn onto his shoulder opposite her mother's]]. It's meant to be a tribute to his love and her perfection.
280* YouKilledMyFather: On the receiving end of this from Rin, since he was the one who dealt the deathblow even though Anotsu is the one who ordered the kill - therefore, while Anotsu was her final objective, she specifically wanted Sabato to be the first to go. [[spoiler:He also murdered Rin’s mother and sewed her stuffed head onto his shoulder]].
281[[/folder]]
282
283[[folder:Shizuma Eiku]]
284-> '''Voiced By''': Shunsuke Sakuya (Japanese)
285
286[[quoteright:190:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shsizuma_eiku_anime.png]]
287
288* AlasPoorVillain: Realizing how he'll never achieve his goals and how tired he's grown with living, he lets Manji cut him apart and kill him permanently rather than continue to fight.
289* HealingFactor: He has the bloodworms too so, just like Manji, he can heal from practically anything just shy of decapitation.
290* NotSoDifferentRemark: Manji says that they're the same kind of animal. Since they're both immortal {{Blood Knight}}s, this isn't too far off.
291* TheOlderImmortal: Downplayed since Manji hasn't even outlived his own natural lifespan yet at the point where they meet, and he's ''much'' younger than Yaobikuni, but he still represents what Manji could become given enough time, having been around since the Sengoku period.
292* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Two hundred to be precise.
293* TheStarscream: He respects Anotsu's vision but he thinks that Anotsu's mortality will mean he dies before he can make his dream a reality. For this reason, Eiku decides to supplant Anotsu and hijack the plan.
294* WeCanRuleTogether: Makes the offer to Manji.
295* WhoWantsToLiveForever: He's outlived his five wives and countless friends and has ultimately just grown very tired of living.
296[[/folder]]
297
298[[folder:Kawakami Araya]]
299-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/DaisukeNamikawa (Japanese, 2008), Masato Obara (Japanese, 2019), Creator/LiamOBrien (English)
300
301[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kawakami_araya_anime.png]]
302
303* AlasPoorVillain: Gets this quite well.
304* ApologeticAttacker: He does seem genuinely sorry he has to kill Rin, though he says after he's killed her and Manji he'll lie to Renzo that they up and left without even changing his expression.
305* BaitTheDog: When he's first seen he's making a sad little boy a unique mask to make up for giving away the one the boy really wanted to the kid's sister. Even when he reveals himself as a member of the Itto-Ryu to Manji immediately afterwards it seems like he'll be one of the {{Anti Villain}} ones... then we find out about his past deeds and suddenly this notion flies out the window.
306* BeneathTheMask: He knows how horrible of a person he is on the inside but he keeps up a pleasant facade of an affable, somewhat clueless man in a bid not to lose his son. For added symbolism, he is a mask maker.
307* CombatPragmatist: Has Manji turn his work studio into a fighting ring. One that favors Araya's fighting style. Manji is rather impressed by it.
308* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His son Renzo and his deceased wife.
309* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He simply couldn't fathom how Rin could just want an ''apology'' from him for all he's done and believes he has to kill her for it.
310* EvilParentsWantGoodKids: The reason he gave up his life of crime is so that his son wouldn’t follow the same path.
311* FriendlyEnemy: Always refers to Manji as his friend even when trying to kill him.
312* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: He actually got turned on by being in a room that stank of the blood and guts of a dead man before raping the man's wife.
313* MurderIsTheBestSolution: A young girl says she'll leave you alone and keep your secret safe so long as you apologize for raping her mother? She knows too much, kill her.
314* RetiredMonster: He's a member of the Itto-Ryu and was the man who led the rape of Rin's mother, and while he's not a good person, he's not too pleased with his past and determined to put it behind him to be a good father to his son. Of course he also plans on silencing anyone who knows the truth.
315[[/folder]]
316
317[[folder:Doa Yoshino]]
318* ActionGirl: She's a girl and she's with the Itto-Ryu. It says itself, really.
319* AttackAttackAttack: This appears to be Doa's life philosophy, considering that her tendency to jump into battle with little to no provocation has often landed her and Isaku in trouble.
320* FanGirl: She practically worships the ground Anotsu walks on.
321* FragileSpeedster: Doa can cover short distances in the blink of an eye and turn people into swiss cheese in moments with her dagger, but her slight frame and weight makes her unable to generate much force with her attacks. Slightly downplayed in that she wears some light, concealed armor to make up for her frailty.
322* HotBlooded: Brash, emotional and in a nigh constant state of belligerence.
323* HugeGuyTinyGirl: With Isaku. Her and Isaku's preferred fighting-style even revolves around this, with Isaku only moving to block attacks while Doa uses him as a human shield, obscuring her own attacks and running circles around him to take out their enemies.
324* LivingEmotionalCrutch: She completely falls apart without Isaku.
325* MoodSwinger: Can go from calm and chill to homicidal at the drop of a hat.
326* MurderIsTheBestSolution: She will leap to deadly violence at the drop of a hat...which makes her a little problematic to take on a ''stealth'' mission.
327* TheNapoleon: In contrast to Isaku's GentleGiant.
328* NoSocialSkills: Doa sees no problems with spending her mornings carving out gigantic window-holes in the walls of buildings that she's merely visiting so that she can sit in said hole and relax for a bit.
329* PsychoKnifeNut: Doa's weapon is a dagger fashioned from a spearhead and a jitte with sharpened prongs, and she's ''really'' eager to jump at any excuse to put them to use.
330* {{Tomboy}}: Making her and Rin a TomboyAndGirlyGirl duo when they team up.
331[[/folder]]
332
333[[folder:Isaku Yasonokami]]
334* AppropriatedAppellation: His Japanese name comes from "Isaac", the name his father gave him, but Doa could not pronounce it properly so he let her call him Isaku since they met.
335* TheBigGuy: As a half-gaijin, Isaku is ''massive,'' probably the second biggest character in the series after Arashino (a full-gaijin), and ''titanically'' strong.
336* ButNotTooForeign: His father is Portuguese, his mother is either Japanese or Ainu.
337* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first time we see Isaku (at the Itto-ryu meeting after [[spoiler: the shogunate turns on them]]) he's almost unrecognisable from his later appearances. He's ''much'' smaller and ganglier, wears his armoured apron even outside of combat but with only one gauntlet on his left arm, and rather than merely coming across as awkward he seems incredibly dim, possibly even mentally handicapped. By his next appearance he's a giant of a man and while he talks awkwardly he doesn't seem especially unintelligent, being the sensible one who keeps Doa out of trouble. Doa was slightly different during that first appearance as well (acting more mature and dressed more provocatively), but nothing like as much as Isaku.
338* GentleGiant: In contrast to Doa being TheNapoleon.
339* HealingFactor: Gets one due to a transplant from Manji, but due to the difference in size it's far weaker and soon wears out. It still allows him to survive getting torn in half and receiving some fatal injuries during a brawl in the prison.
340* UsefulNotes/JapaneseChristian: Born in Japan to a Portuguese father, and is explicitly Christian.
341* MightyGlacier: In battle, he plates himself with metal gauntlets and an armored apron and Doa fights around him like a walking shield.
342* RiddleForTheAges: The Isaku we see in flashbacks is a lot more intelligent and well-spoken than the rather slow-witted Isaku of the present. Clearly ''something'' happened on he and Doa's travels to make him that way, but we never find out what.
343[[/folder]]
344
345!!Mugai-Ryu
346[[folder:Hyakurin]]
347-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/MegumiToyoguchi (Japanese, 2008), Marika Hayashi (Japanese, 2019), Creator/KarenStrassman (English)
348
349[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hyakurin_anime.png]]
350
351* ActionGirl: One of Mugai-Ryu's three elites. Downplayed, however, in that she's more of an assassin than a warrior; she's good at ambushes and stealth attacks, but is explicitly stated to be a lousy swordswoman.
352* BloodOnTheseHands: The reason she bleaches her hair blonde is because when it's dark, she keeps seeing her son's blood in it.
353* BrokenBird: Big time.
354* BrutalHonesty: She won't hold back her opinion or the truth.
355* ChildByRape: [[spoiler:Her rapists turn out later to have impregnated her. She tries to get rid of the baby by smacking her abdomen with a rock, but Giichi persuades her to keep it.]]
356* ColdbloodedTorture: [[spoiler: Tipped off by Shira, the Itto-ryu capture her, break her arm, rape her, and even push nails into her legs until Giichi discovers where they are and saves her life]]
357* TheCombatPragmatist: She is not above using dishonorable means to win and has more than a few tricks up her sleeve.
358* CoolBigSis: Gives off this vibe to Rin.
359* DarkAndTroubledPast: Has a major one. [[spoiler: She was the wife of a samurai whose baby daughter was killed before she even named her just for being a girl. Her sickly son was judged too weak to be a samurai, so her husband chopped him in half (ironically, the sons from a previous marriage had the same ill lungs, implying that her ''husband'' had a hereditary condition). She snapped and killed her husband before being put on death row.]]
360* DontYouDarePityMe: Her usual reaction to people trying to keep her out of harm's way.
361* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: It is heavily implied that she and Giichi attempt to start a normal life together after the bloodshed is over]]
362* GoodIsNotNice: ''Very'' not nice.
363* GetAholdOfYourselfMan: Delivers this to Giichi multiple times.
364* HairTriggerTemper: Shinriji innocently sets it off quite a bit.
365* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Woman loves her drinks.
366* ImportantHaircut: Cuts it short every now and then and [[spoiler: leaves the tresses on Shinriji's grave in remembrance]]
367* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite her bullying of Shinriji, haranguing of Giichi, and teasing of Rin and Manji, she cares a great deal about all of them.
368* TheLadette: Enjoys smoking and drinking, makes inappropriate sexual comments, and is prone to violence.
369* ShipperOnDeck: Ships Rin and Manji.
370* SympatheticMurderBackstory: Kind of difficult not to applaud it.
371* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: She's pretty darn good at these. Usually directed at Giichi.
372* TheTease: She makes a lot of flirtatious comments towards Manji, and some towards Shinriji, but it's clear she's only doing it to mess with them.
373* WoundedGazelleGambit: Her first appearance has her killing a deputy of the Itto-ryu by pretending to be a HookerWithAHeartOfGold (with the real hooker actually BoundAndGagged in a closet after [[MuggedForDisguise Hyakurin stole her kimono and identity]]) being abused by her husband.
374[[/folder]]
375
376[[folder:Shinriji]]
377-> '''Voiced by''': Yuya Uchida (Japanese, 2008), Chikahiro Kobayashi (Japanese, 2019) Creator/KirkThornton (English)
378
379[[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shinriji_anime.png]]
380
381* AbortedDeclarationOfLove: He tries in his customary bumbling manner.
382* ButtMonkey: He's Hyakurin's go to punching bag when she needs to vent her frustrations.
383* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: He might not look like one, spending most of his time getting bullied by Hyakurin, but when in a nasty pinch he charges right into a whole group of Itto-Ryu kenshi and kills 4 of them in an instant.
384* DoggedNiceGuy: Has an incredibly obvious and almost childish crush on Hyakurin.
385* LetTheBullyWin: Every time he plays a game with her he ends up winning, even when he tries not to, resulting in Hyakurin [[SoreLoser having a fit]].
386* MissingMom: His mother died about a year before he joined Mugai-ryu. Hyakurin's blonde hair reminds him of her.
387[[/folder]]
388
389[[folder:Giichi]]
390-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/ToshiyukiMorikawa (Japanese, 2008), Hiroshi Shirokuma (Japanese, 2019), Creator/DavidVincent (English)
391
392[[quoteright:265:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giichi_anime.png]]
393
394* AgonyOfTheFeet: In the last volume, [[spoiler: Makie ''splits his left foot down the middle.'']]
395* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler: Against Makie, after she tricks him into attacking her and promptly cripples him. A furious Hyakurin tries to enter the fray and, knowing she doesn't have a chance, he resorts to begging Makie on his knees to leave them alive.]]
396* BadassBack: Kills a Itto-Ryu kenshi charging him from behind without even turning around. In mid-air. No big deal.
397* BewareTheQuietOnes: One of the deadliest fighters in the entire series, and with a body count to prove it.
398* BloodKnight: Not that you would know it by his [[TheQuietOne normal demeanor]], but he can't resist a challenge.
399* CanNotSpitItOut: So, you like a girl? Awesome. Guard her while she sleeps and be frustratingly overprotective, that always works. Save her life in a {{Roaring Rampage of Rescue}} and nurse her back to health? Eh, brush it off as nothing and act awkward. Make a deal with the devil for her freedom? No problem, keep it anonymous - heck, disappear completely so she'll never find out! She found you? Damn, better mope and insist you're not worth her time. She finally says she loves you? Don’t say a thing.…because let’s face it, you haven't the foggiest how to verbally respond to that.
400* CombatPragmatist: Like most of the Mugai-Ryu. Pretty [[StealthExpert sneaky]] to boot.
401* DentedIron: Facing some of the harshest fights in the series, Giichi slowly racks up an ever-increasing number of debilitating injuries. [[spoiler: By the end of the series he's lost his left ear and his right hand, as well as a broken left leg and mangled left foot that both leave him with a permanent limp.]]
402* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Despite the harsh life he led, up to being crippled, he's shown to be earning a decent living as a sandal maker and finally settling down to a normal life with Hyakurin.]]
403* FromNobodyToNightmare: A shipwright struggling to make ends meet turns deadly government assassin.
404* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Becomes a [[BeardOfSorrow disheveled]] [[DrowningMySorrows drunk]] with no will to live after the death of his young son, whom he had raised for ten years after his wife died, and his release from the Mugai-Ryu]]
405* HonorBeforeReason: Can let a sense of duty and debt override common sense.
406* IJustWantToBeNormal: Tries to get Hyakurin on board with the idea, and [[spoiler: eventually succeeds]].
407* ILied: Giichi usually has no use for honour, despite the occasional spot of HonorBeforeReason. On more than one occassion he traps Itto-ryu fighters in his guillotine and questions them by threatening to kill them unless they talk... then [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness once they invariably talk, he kills them]] because killing Itto-ryu is his job. He did keep his word when he held a young prostitute hostage to interrogate her Itto-ryu lover, though, letting them both walk free.
408* ImprobableWeaponUser: A circular hinged guillotine-like weapon on a long chain, with which he has flawless aim.
409* JustifiedCriminal: Has a pretty good reason to work for Habaki that doesn't include saving his own skin.
410* MenDontCry: The first time his eyes are ever shown in the series is briefly after Habaki tells him [[spoiler: his son, to whom he had been intensely devoted, has died]]. In that single panel it is obvious he is emotionally shattered, despite [[TheStoic showing no outward reaction]] other than a calm "I see."
411* NoodleIncident: Whatever he did to get into the ''Mugai-ryu.'' It's implied he turned to crime to [[spoiler:support his ill son]] but we never hear a single solid word about it, although he does clarify that he's never killed anyone before he started hunting the ''Itto-ryu.''
412* TheNoseKnows: He's able to identify one of the Itto-ryu who was part of the group [[spoiler:that killed Shinriji and captured, tortured and raped Hyakurin]] by smelling faint traces of [[spoiler:Hyakurin's hair bleach]] on him.
413* NotSoStoic: Convinced at one point that he has nothing to live for anymore, he breaks down into a drunk, emotional exposition to Hyakurin when she tracks him down after his sudden disappearance.
414* OffWithHisHead: His whole fighting style revolves around this.
415* PerpetualFrowner: A pretty impressive and likely incurable case of RBF syndrome.
416* PetTheDog: Is quite attached to Hyakurin and stubbornly attempts to protect her from injury or death (much to her chagrin). She mostly interprets his actions as {{Condescending Compassion}} until [[spoiler:he promises to be a father to the unborn child that resulted from her rape at the hands of the Itto-Ryu thugs]]. Then she finally seems to [[LoveEpiphany get it.]]
417* SinisterShades: All the time. Has a constant habit of semi-unconsciously pushing them up by the bridge.
418* SoftSpokenSadist: Not a side he's particularly proud of, but Giichi is utterly joyful underneath the stoicism when he's hunting and killing.
419* WorthLivingFor: Admits the only reason he keeps himself alive is for other people, and in the end decides [[spoiler: Hyakurin and the unborn child are]].
420* WreckedWeapon: Manji manages to break Giichi's signature weapon during their duel, despite being on the losing end for most of the encounter. Giichi proceeds to {{Rage Quit}} under a veil of indifference, grudgingly giving the win to Manji [[DisqualificationInducedVictory on the technicality that he broke his only weapon]]. He does accept Manji's paired sickles as a replacement for the rest of the series.
421[[/folder]]
422
423[[folder:Makoto]]
424[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/makoto_88.jpg]]
425 [[caption-width-right:350:Makoto]]
426
427* TheMole: He's been placed inside the Itto-Ryu for the express purpose of feeding information to the Mugai-Ryu.
428[[/folder]]
429
430[[folder:Shira]]
431-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/ShinichiroMiki (Japanese, 2008), Tooru Nara (Japanese, 2019), David Wishnov (English)
432
433[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shira_anime.png]]
434
435* AnatomyArsenal: After losing his right hand, he flays off some of the flesh and sharpens his bones into an improvised stabbing weapon.
436* AnimalMotifs: Shira is likened to a rabid dog many times.
437* ArchEnemy: Shira has been this to almost everyone, but Manji and Magatsu stand out.
438* AxeCrazy: The biggest in the series as the only reason he's involved is just to indulge in his many impulses.
439* BaitTheDog: His heartfelt speech to Rin aims to drive in how he [[spoiler: killed and ate her dog; helping Renzo seek revenge is aiming to force Renzo to be a sex toy for Shira's abusive benefit and his truly emotional pleading of Renzo to call off his revenge ends with a spiteful "never listen to men like me!"]], which thus ends up putting the poor boy in even worse a state than before.
440* BladeBelowTheShoulder: A really twisted example as after Shira lost his right hand to Manji, he decided to ''carve the flesh off his forearm and sharpen the bones into a stabbing weapon.'' He even says it hurts like hell whenever he uses it.
441* BloodKnight: Shira loves battle as much as the most hardcore members of the Itto-Ryu.
442* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Subverted. He admits that killing O-Ren would have been completely forgettable for him...except since he lost his hand, she was the last person he got to have fun with.
443* CardCarryingVillain: "As I was cutting her up, I came to a realization... Shira, my man, you are one cruel dude!"
444* TheCatCameBack: [[spoiler: On multiple occasions... more warped and depraved from the last time you see him.]]
445* ColdBloodedTorture: During fights he tends to “play” with his opponents, chopping off limbs rather than killing them straight off. Once they’re incapacitated, and if he has the time, he’ll slowly saw any remaining limbs off too for no reason other than pleasure. He loves torture so much, his reaction when he discovers Manji is immortal is absolute glee: he can torture him as long as he wants.
446* TheCombatPragmatist: Shira will use any trick to get an advantage in a fight. Anything.
447* DepravedBisexual: Shira is a sadistic monster who rapes (or at least tries to rape) almost every female opponents he comes across. He also sexually abuses Renzo once he got the boy as his helper.
448* DevilInPlainSight: It's a miracle that anyone on his team actually trusts him. For a brief period Rin apparently thought his cruel actions were done to teach her some kind of lesson, before realizing he's just a monster who loves hurting people. [[spoiler: Later on, this kind of gets him into trouble when every single faction is out for his head.]]
449* DevouredByTheHorde: [[spoiler: After being defeated by Manji, he is finally finished off when he is devoured by a horde of hungry dogs. In his final moments, he tells Renzo not to become a monster like him, but crushes his spirit further by telling him not to listen to men like him.]]
450* DiseaseBleach: The sheer pain from turning [[BodyHorror the bones of his severed arm into a stabbing weapon]] turned his hair white.
451* DoubleEntendre: While Rin is practicing her sword technique, he comes up behind her and grabs hold of her upper arm, saying, “Come on. Squeeze it.” Rightfully unnerved, she asks if he means the hilt and his reply is thus: “Yeah. Right. I mean the hilt."
452* EvilCounterpart: Becomes one to Manji. Both are {{Blood Knight}}s and after [[spoiler:he becomes immortal their wounds and scars even match one others.]]
453* FauxAffablyEvil: Can put up a rather effective front at being an actual human being.
454* HandicappedBadass: Losing a hand doesn’t slow this guy down. Shira even sharpens the bone and stabs his enemy with it.
455* HandsOnApproach: With Rin, after asking to see her sword arm. It's not cute, however, and it's a good thing he wasn't interested in doing anything worse to her, as he does with most women.
456* HateSink: There's nothing redeeming about the man, being a cruel, misogynistic, rapist serial killer.
457* HeManWomanHater: He's a misogynist who gets off on torturing women. He sums it up best himself: "I frigging hate women."
458* KarmicDeath: His character introduction has him kill and eat a dog Rin befriended. He meets his end [[spoiler: being eaten alive by dogs.]]
459* KickTheDog: Pretty much everything he does. One of his earliest displays of bastardry is killing a dog that Rin had befriended, then he cooks it, pretends it's boar, and feeds it to Rin before showing her the dog's head. All for a laugh.
460* KnightOfCerebus: The series is already dark and violent; it just gets ''worse'' when he's around.
461* LeanAndMean
462* LockedIntoStrangeness: His hair turns white after Manji takes off one of his hands.
463* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming
464* ManipulativeBastard: When he wants to be. Shira is very good at getting into somebody's head and making them dance on his strings. Usually, he's too much of a sadist to bother with subtlety.
465* MoreDespicableMinion: While [[spoiler:Habaki Kagimura]] is the leader of the Mugai-Ryu carrying out war with the Itto-Ryu, he is a noble man who loves both his family and his subordinates. But Shira is a DepravedBisexual and SerialKiller who is the vilest member of the Mugai-Ryu and far worse than his boss.
466* MurderersAreRapists: He gets off on this.
467* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He begins to see himself as this for Manji.
468* PostRapeTaunt: He asks Manji and Magatsu why they think they should be able to keep living after they "let" him rape and murder their women.
469* PsychoForHire: He's been killing people for money since he was sixteen years old, but it's obvious the money is just an excuse and his real passion is killing.
470* SadisticChoice: Very good at forcing this on people. What he does to a one armed Manji is a stroke of evil brilliance. [[spoiler: Try to save Rin and die with her underwater, or abandon her and come after Shira for revenge. Even if Shira loses that duel, he wins the satisfaction of having made Manji leave the person he loves most to death.]]
471* SirSwearsAlot: Can almost match Manji.
472* SanitySlippage: He was already pretty unhinged, but losing his hand and further defeats have really worn him down until he lives only to get back at Manji.
473* TokenEvilTeammate: While the Mugai-Ryu is comprised of morally dubious characters, Shira's by far the most depraved one of all.
474* WhiteHairBlackHeart: After the aforementioned DiseaseBleach.
475* WorthyOpponent: He wants Manji to be this to him, embracing what he can be and cast off the shackles of morality and restraint. Everyone really hates Shira way too much to view him this way, although Manji just can't help but admire Shira's persistance to a small degree.
476** Shira may be a horrifically sadistic monster, but he does admire guts. During the massacre on the Koshu Highway, he's genuinely impressed when the first ''Itto-ryu'' doesn't even whimper when Shira slices both of his legs off, and while he has a horrible ball of a time torturing the other one to make him scream, after slicing off his head he gives the man posthumous props for [[DefiantToTheEnd never begging for his life]].
477* WouldHitAGirl: His establishing character moment is murdering a HookerWithAHeartOfGold because she wouldn't give him information on Magatsu's whereabouts. Knowing Shira, he'd probably have done it even if she'd given him the info. He also manhandles Rin, throws her down, and punches her.
478* WouldHurtAChild: What, you think Shira'd have ''standards?''
479* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: The Shogunate trying to pull this on him ''backfires fucking horribly'' for the people trying to carry it out.]]
480[[/folder]]
481
482!!Kogi Officials
483[[folder:Habaki Kagimura]]
484-> '''Voiced by''': Creator/TakayukiSugo (Japanese, 2008), Creator/JojiNakata (Japanese, 2019) Creator/KirkThornton (English)
485
486[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/habaki_kagimura_anime.png]]
487
488* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Easily one of the most talented and powerful fighters in the entire series, and also a high-ranking member of the shogunate as the ''Shinbangashira.''
489* BadassBoast: '''Scatter on the snow field! ANOTSU KAGEHISA!!!!!'''
490* BenevolentBoss: Generally he's this to his top soldiers, especially his second in command Mitake, who worships him. [[spoiler: Even when Mitake takes full blame for Ryo's death, Habaki simply tells him to leave and save himself from the field with no further repercussion.]]
491* BigBadEnsemble: [[spoiler:With Anotsu Kagehisa when he orders the destruction of the Itto-Ryu and the two sides go into open conflict.]]
492* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Habaki is a ''monster'' of duty. In his mind, whatever serves the shogunate is good, whatever defies or threatens it is evil and must be destroyed at ''any'' cost. At one point Anotsu attempts to meet him half way by [[NotSoDifferentRemark pointing out how they're the same]], only for Habaki to dismiss him out of hand.
493-->'''Habaki:''' ...no. Only the judgement of the Shogun can determine who's good and evil. You people need only bow your heads in obedience.
494* BlindWeaponmaster: [[spoiler:Not for very long, but after being blinded, Anotsu feels him growing stronger than ever with all his regrets put into his sword.]]
495* TheChessmaster: Until Anotsu caught on, Habaki had the annihilation of Itto-Ryu practically assured without them ever even suspecting his involvement.
496* {{Determinator}}: The man is ''unbelievably'' determined. During his final duel with Anotsu, [[spoiler:he allows Anotsu to slice through his remaining eye on order to get the chance to disarm him, grab him by the throat, and attempt to choke him to death with his bare hands]].
497* TheDogBitesBack: Not towards the Shogun, but Ugen Hanabusa, whose stupid blundering leads to the death of Habaki's wife and child when he tries to hold them for leverage against Habaki. [[spoiler:And who later gets Ryo killed by having his soldiers open fire with their rifles on the two. When Anotsu prepares to kill Hanabusa, he desperately begs Habaki to help who responds "with my blindness, there is nothing I can do."]]
498* DisabilitySuperpower: [[spoiler:After losing his eye to Anotsu, Habaki ends up growing even more powerful without his sight.]]
499* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Habaki genuinely loves his wife and son, as well as his illegitimate daughter Ryo. He also truly respects and values his men. [[spoiler: When he's dying, he doesn't dwell on his failure, but rather whispers the names of the two women he loved and his children.]]
500* EyepatchOfPower: After the Demon's Lair arc.
501* EyeScream: Manji chucks a hairpin into his eye. [[spoiler:He loses the remaining one during the Winter War when Anotsu cuts through it during their duel.]]
502* GoodParents: He absolutely dotes on his young son Sakutaro, who is deeply ashamed he has no talent for the sword like his father. he also deeply loves his illegitimate daughter, a woodcutter and swordswoman named Ryo.
503* HeWhoFightsMonsters: He steadily descends further and further until he's far more violent and ruthless than the Itto-Ryu he so hates. How much more? Check the YMMV page...
504* HonorBeforeReason: A duel is absolutely ''sacred'' to him. [[spoiler:Even when blinded in battle and facing certain death, when Ryo jumps in to defend him from Anotsu, Habaki removes her from his way and apologizes to Anotsu for the interruption.]]
505* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler:Finally slain by Anotsu's sword impaling him.]]
506* KnightTemplar: As the series goes on, Habaki's obsession with the Itto-Ryu consumes him and he will do ''anything'' to annihilate them, and the deaths of innocent people are just a small price for him to pay.
507* MasterSwordsman: Despite ExoticWeaponSupremacy all over the place, Habaki needs nothing but a normal sword. Even after losing an eye he still dominates most fights he's in.
508* MenDontCry: After screaming his wife's name in grief when she kills herself, he forces himself to hold back tears. [[spoiler:When Ryo dies, he stands brokenly over her corpse, but isn't crying either. It is clear, though that both times, the man is absolutely shattered.]]
509* MyGreatestFailure: The breaching of the Shogun's palace and the utter chaos that followed. [[spoiler: That it leads to him being stripped of his rank and ordered to commit seppuku with only a month to get his affairs in order twists the knife.]]
510* PetTheDog: Anytime he interacts with his family and Ryo. He actually wanted Ryo to remain out of the war with Itto-Ryu and be adopted by Mitake's family but she threatened to kill herself should he not involve her.
511* SimpleYetAwesome: Unlike most, Habaki throws a wrench into the ExoticWeaponSupremacy of the series by relying on just a basic katana with no gimmicks or tricks and classic kenjutsu techniques. He's a monster regardless and the only reason Anotsu wins is because Manji interfered.
512* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: He begins seeing Anotsu as this when he starts projecting all his problems onto the man.
513* UndyingLoyalty: Every action he takes, no matter how cruel and awful, is for the 'greater good' of his country or the Shogun.
514* VillainousBSOD: [[spoiler: After Ryo's death, he has lost ''everything'' and marches to his final fight with Anotsu. Slaughtering his hated enemy is now his only reason to live.]]
515* WorthyOpponent: Despite their utter hatred of one another, he and Anotsu end up battling with politeness, good humor and even mutual admiration for one another's skills.
516* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Generally he's pretty good at avoiding this. When he has no more need for Giichi and Hyakurin, he simply releases them from his services to do as they please. On the other hand, he intends to pull this on Shira, but this is a 100 percent justified case with Shira being a psychopathic SerialKiller and rapist.
517[[/folder]]
518
519[[folder:Hanabusa Ugen]]
520* BodyguardBabes: Retains a cadre of gorgeous ''kunoichi'' to protect him. [[IgnoredEnamouredUnderling One of them has a crush on him.]]
521* BoringButPractical: Ugen is no swordsman, but [[spoiler:he's able to use the sheer power of money (fifty ryo no less) to contract twenty riflemen and rush to catch up with Habaki and the Itto-Ryu. Eventually ''he'' of all people is the one to finally kill the series' most-lethal warrior, the unbeatable Makie Otonotachibana, by catching her in a hail of hot lead, although she survives long enough to wipe out every man he brought with him and his entire cadre of kunoichi. Even Anotsu has to grudgingly tip his hat to Ugen for that.]]
522* DirtyCoward: Ugen is a dutiful public servant, but he's no warrior like Habaki Kagimura, and he knows it.
523* EarlyBirdCameo: Before he replaces Habaki as ''shinbangashira'' he's the kogi officer who comes to talk to [[spoiler:Shira in prison to make him an offer to hunt down Itto-Ryu again]].
524* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler:When Anotsu finds him tied to a tree (by Magatsu) after his men kill Makie, he cuts Ugen in half with one blow- tree and all.]]
525* HumiliationConga: Much of the series is this for him, most notably when [[spoiler:the Itto-Ryu raid Edo Castle under his watch, massacre hundreds of his men, take him hostage to get out alive (while taunting him about being too cowardly to make a HeroicSacrifice by ordering his men to ShootTheHostage) and then throw him into the moat, just to ''make a point.'']]
526* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: What he strives to be when he becomes ''shinbangashira,'' attempting to settle matters with the Itto-Ryu without violence. Unfortunately, he's living in an unreasonable world.
527* SmugSnake: He gets rather too full of himself after Habaki is disgraced, ordered to commit ''seppuku'', and he is promoted to replace him.
528[[/folder]]
529

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