* CompleteMonster:
** [[BigBad Akinari Kato]] is a tyrannical Daimyo who rules the lands of Aizu in a [[TheCaligula hedonistic hell]] where he [[SerialRapist has girls abducted]] to serve as [[SexSlave slaves]] and toys for his pleasure before allowing his pet psycho squad, The Seven Spears, to [[ColdBloodedTorture torture them to death]]. When his vassal, Mondo Hori, rebels to save his daughter from such a fate, Akinari has him and the Hori men tortured to death. Throughout the series, Akinari abuses, tortures and rapes those who fall into his clutches, and when he is so terrified by [[TheHero Jubei Yagyu's]] constantly hounding him, he makes himself feel better by abducting and violating the innocent daughter of a lord who had the bad fortune to host him for a night. When he finally gets a hold of the surviving Hori women, Akinari sentences them to death by crucifixion and orders it to be made as drawn out as humanly possible.
** [[DragonInChief Dohaku Ashina]], the ruler of the Ashina ninja and the [[TheManBehindTheMan secret ruler of Aizu who pulls Akinari's strings]], soon reveals himself to be the true villain. Dohaku is [[EvilOldFolks a 107-year-old immortal man]] and when Jubei begins his heroic actions in Aizu, Dohaku's response is to begin having random women [[OffWithHisHead beheaded]] and their [[DecapitationPresentation heads displayed]] as a deterrent. He then proceeds to have multiple women abducted for Akinari's harem or to be sacrificed in his dark rituals. Worse still, he raised his own beautiful young daughter as Akinari's concubine to get an heir from Akinaris bloodline, intending to do away with Akinari and Akinari's trueborn son. When Oyura ends up [[TakingTheBullet intercepting a blow Dohaku had meant for Jubei]], Dohaku [[VillainousBreakdown breaks down]], screaming furiously how all she was to him was something to produce a PuppetKing and refusing to save her life.
** [[TheDragon Uroshido Koshichiro]] is the leader of the Seven Spears and Akinari's right-hand-man. A talented MasterSwordsman who serves as an EvilCounterpart to Jubei with equal skill, but none of the honor, virtue or goodness, Koshichiro opens the series dragging the men of Hori before the Hori women and then promptly initiating a slaughter of the women just to hurt the men more. Koshichiro leads the Spears in their disposal of women Akinari is bored with and kidnaps newlywed couples to [[FrameUp frame Jubei's ally Princess Sen as a rapist]], forcing concubines to rape the men and giving the women to Akinari. While Koshichiro is seen as a WorthyOpponent by Jubei, Jubei makes it clear it is only because he [[BloodKnight deeply desires to face Koshichiro's skill against his own]] and makes it clear that he has nothing but hatred and contempt for the man himself.
* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments:
** When Otori and Oshina say they're jealous of Okei because Juubei's been really nice to her, he makes [[http://www.mangahere.co/manga/y_m/v05/c046/10.html one of the most hilarious faces imaginable]].
** Jubei and Takuan are trying to discuss their options for escape from Akinari's castle. The entire time, Oyura, under the influence of a powerful aphrodisiac, keeps crawling all over Jubei and begging him to have sex with her, while he just frowns in exasperation and tries to fend her off. Takuan seems more amused by Jubei's plight than anything else.
* MoralEventHorizon
** The Spears cross it when they break into the divorce temple to butcher the Hori women in front of the Hori men
** Akinari is a nasty bastard from the get go, but his rape of Otone is what seals the deal
** Dohaku's is either ordering innocent women killed as a message to Jubei, or his reaction to [[spoiler: Oyura's death at his own hand.]]
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Koshichiro tends to place a cherry blossom twig between his teeth before he starts killing. It's a symbol for death and life's fragility. The series never tells you this, though.