As Ganbare Goemon is a series with numerous characters across different media, this list will be limited to those who appear most often.
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Main Characters
Goemon
Voiced by (anime): Yasunori Matsumoto (JP), Vic Mignogna (EN)
Our hero, the eponymous Mystical Ninja. A bred-in-the-bone Edoite who fights evil with his family's kiseru. His hot temper often gets him into hot water.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: A prominent feature of his character.
- Dogged Nice Guy: Willing to risk everything to save Omitsu, who frequently seems unaware of his attraction to her.
- Dub Name Change: Renamed Kid Ying in Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
- Even the Guys Want Him: As much as he is loath to admit it...
- The Faceless: In Shin Sedai, an older Goemon sends his same-named disciple on a quest due to being injured with a broken arm. The "Head of the G Squad" is always seen with his face in the dark and he's never referred to by name.
- Facial Markings: The distinctive red marks around his eyes and mouth are reminiscent of kumadori, the stage makeup worn by kabuki actors.
- Gender Bender: Happens in the Jigoku-Hen manga — Naturally, Goemon turns out to be a hottie.
- Golden Super Mode: His Sudden Impact ability in ''Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon" has him, effectively, turning Super Saiyan.
- Grappling-Hook Pistol: The Chain Kiseru, which somehow attaches to blocks using the bowl end.
- The Hero: The protagonist of the series.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Ebisumaru, strangely enough.
- Hopeless Suitor: Omitsu seems to like him enough that they could be an item, but he's too shy and she's too easily distracted by... everything for him to have a real chance with her.
- Hot-Blooded: Easily annoyed and generally speaks through shouting.
- Improbable Weapon User: His kiseru (basically a fancy smoking pipe) and throwing koban. Legend of the Mystical Ninja has him wielding a Killer Yo-Yo if he collects enough cat dolls to power up his weapon.
- Jack of All Stats: Always has the most balanced stats and versatile moveset.
- Just Like Robin Hood: Naturally because he's based on Ishikawa Goemon
. - One-Man Army: While he generally always has a fair few number of allies backing him up, Goemon has proven to be capable of beating all of them, Impact included, in a fight and has regularly stormed across Japan and saved the day by himself. While Yae may be more rational than he is, he's the only one who gets things done.
- Only Sane Man: Pretty much forced into this role by being a fairly standard hero living in Cloud Cuckooland, though his hotbloodedness makes him less of one than Yae.
- Passing the Torch: Goemon hands down his name and legacy to the main character of the two New Age games after suffering an arm injury.
- Playing with Fire: A signture technique of his is turning coins into fiery projectiles.
- Pretty Boy: Parodied and very much an Informed Ability. Several characters go on and on about his charming good looks when, while not nearly as ugly as some of the characters, Goemon's pretty average looking. Due to the nature of the series, most of the characters who refer to him as a Bishōnen are Camp Gay men, most notably Ebisumaru.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The red to all of his companions. Unusual for an Only Sane Man.
- Super Mode: His "Sudden Impact" ability in Starring Goemon allows him to temporarily deal (but also take) double damage and move heavy objects. The form he takes when using it is a blatant expy of Super Saiyan.
- Verbal Tic: "Teyandei," among other words traditionally associated with Edokko.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ebisumaru. Goemon is frequently annoyed and weirded out by his man-crush on him, but seems to consider him his most trusted ally.
Ebisumaru
Voiced by (anime): Kenichi Ogata (JP), Chris Patton (EN)
Goemon's eccentric best friend who'd rather eat and loaf about than do battle. He likes to call himself "The Ninja of Justice."
- Ambiguously Bi: He loves the ladies, but his admiration for Goemon is rather questionable at times. He's definitely not so ambiguous in the manga, though...
- Author Avatar: For Etsunobu Ebisu. Look at him in costume.
- Big Eater: He's said to hold a record for eating 200 plates of dango at his favorite teahouse. In the pachisuro game, it's possible for him to devour up to 100 kan of dango, equivalent to 826.7 lbs (or 375 kg in metric).
- The Big Guy: Generally has more health than the others and sometimes also has more attack power.
- Butt-Monkey: The guy can almost never catch a break.
- Camp: Frequently skips instead of walking, attacks with streamers and ballet, and has a rather effeminate voice. Despite this, he's a known womanizer.
- Dub Name Change: Renamed Dr. Yang in Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: His original origin story? In Ganbare Goemon 2, he was a female ninja cursed into the body of an old fat man. At the end of the game, the curse is broken and she and Goemon are implied to have become a couple. This becomes Canon Discontinuity at the beginning of the next game, though. In the reboot series, though, his counterpart is a girl with a crush on Goemon's disciple Goemon.
- Eyes Always Shut:
- Expy: of Nezumi Kozō (the "Rat Brat"), the Player 2 character who appears in the MSX version of the first Ganbare Goemon.
- Fartillery: The "Poison Mist" attack in Goemon's Great Adventure.
- Fire-Breathing Diner: In the anime.
- Gonk: A light example, but compared to the other leads, Ebisumaru is quite weird looking.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Goemon, though the heterosexual part is iffy.
- Identical Grandson: Sister Bismaru. No one actually seems to realize the obvious connection.
- Improbable Weapon User: He has an entire arsenal of these, and gains more of them in every title.
- Incredible Shrinking Man: His "Mini-Ebisu" ability in Starring Goemon allows him to shrink down to enter small passageways, but cannot attack while using it.
- Kavorka Man: Ebisumaru is surprisingly popular with the ladies.
- The Lancer: Goemon's most frequent traveling companion.
- Mighty Glacier: Slow, a terrible jumper, and has awkward and strange skills, but has the highest damage output of the main four.
- Meaningful Name: Ebisumaru may have been named after (former) Konami director Etsunobu Ebisu.
- Pig Man: Ebisumaru is temporarily transformed into one during the Jigoku-Hen manga.
- Plucky Comic Relief: While the entire world is incredibly weird, Ebisumaru is the only one of the main four who isn't relatively normal.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Beautiful!: Once got himself and Goemon banned from a store trying to negotiate a discount by performing a "hypnotic dance" in nothing but his underwear, claiming that it only failed because the owner couldn't see his "inner beauty." Goemon makes no attempt to hide his exasperation.
- Strong Family Resemblance: His daughter Mao.
- Touch the Intangible: Starring Goemon gives him the Windup Camera, a special camera that can make intangible enemies tangible. It also serves to reveal the weak point of the boss of the dungeon that it's found in.
- Verbal Tic: "Honii" — it's actually the word formed when he uses the Solid Megaphone in Goemon's Great Adventure.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: His constant hitting on Goemon combined with Goemon's frequent annoyance at him makes it quite strange that they're virtually inseparable.
Yae
Voiced by (anime): Aya Hisakawa (JP), Jessica Boone (EN)
A member of a group of secret ninja agents who investigate strange happenings. She's like a big sister to Goemon and the others.
- Action Girl: The series' original.
- Ascended Extra: She is a supporting NPC in the original SNES game and later gets promoted to one of the four main recurring characters.
- BFG: Her Bazooka can be seen as this. It's as big as her head due to the graphics!
- Curtains Match the Window: Green on green.
- Hotter and Sexier: Yae's wardrobe has become more revealing in recent times, trading her practical shinobi shouzoku for a skirt short enough to flash her panties at certain angles.
- Jack of All Stats: Like Goemon, though her move-pool is generally much more specialized and situational than his is.
- The Lancer: A calm, rational law-enforcer in contrast to Goemon's Hot-Blooded thief.
- Ms. Fanservice: She's the series' main provider of Fanservice, though Omitsu and Princess Yuki have had their fleeting moments. Her fans in Japan even have a mantra of "Yae is in charge of the eroticism."
- Only Sane Man: Even more so than Goemon, whose hotbloodedness frequently gets in the way.
- Parrying Bullets: When you upgrade her sword for the first time in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, it can deflect bullets!
- Police Are Useless: Despite being one of the most rational and competent people in the series, Yae and the organization she works for are virtually useless unless aided by Goemon.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The tomboy to Omitsu's girly girl.
- Tsurime Eyes: Showcasing her confidence and rationality.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: In some games she gains the ability to turn into a mermaid, allowing you to swim underwater in deep bodies of water like rivers and oceans.
- Warp Whistle: In Starring Goemon, she obtains a magic flute that when played can summon a dragon capable of immediately taking you to almost any previously-visited location. Ebisumaru wanted to be its user, but was passed over by Goemon in favor of Yae.
Sasuke
Voiced by (anime): Chika Sakamoto (JP), Greg Ayres (EN)
Wise Man's creation, a steadfast mechanical ninja with a "useless" good/evil switch. He's fond of hot baths and green tea.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows: Sasuke's brows are arguably more stubborn-looking and a bit wider than Goemon's.
- The Comically Serious: While he's nowhere near as goofy as most of the supporting cast, Sasuke isn't rational enough to be an Only Sane Man alongside Goemon and Yae, frequently succumbing to the antics of those around him due to his gullibility.
- Defeat Means Friendship: His first meeting with Goemon was in the heat of battle when he thought that Iga was being attacked. After that, they've been lifelong friends.
- Enjo Kosai: Played for laughs in the Fever manga. Goemon and Ebisumaru get the idea to remodel Sasuke into becoming a kogal, whereupon he quickly adopts the stereotypical mannerisms.
- Fragile Speedster: He's both the fastest and the best jumper, but has the lowest health.
- An Ice Person: Starring Goemon gives him the Kunai of Severe Cold, which can freeze enemies solid and temporarily cool down hot floors.
- Jump Jet Pack: His "Flying" ability in Starring Goemon has him sport rocket thrusters on his back to jump high distances, although why Sasuke has to undergo training to be able to use it is anyone's guess.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: Suggested to be the second strongest member of the group after Goemon despite being about half his size.
- Put on a Bus: In Shin Sedai, Sasuke is for some reason absent and sends a new model of himself to help the new generation of heroes.
- Robot Buddy
- The Smart Guy: Being a robot, he has the most tech know how of the team.
- The Stoic: Justified by being a robot.
- Undying Loyalty: To both the Wise Man and Goemon.
- Verbal Tic: "De gozaru," in line with his archaic manner of speaking.
Supporting Cast
Goemon Impact
Voiced by (anime): Yasunori Matsumoto (JP), George Manley (EN)
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu (SFC, 1993)A giant robot with an affable personality and dreams of stardom. Originally thought to be made by Wiseman, he is actually an alien.
- Distaff Counterpart: Miss Impact, who is also meant to be his mate.
- Mechanical Lifeforms: Ganbare Goemon 4 retcons him as being an alien robot the whole time. This was promptly ignored by the rest of the series.
Omitsu
Voiced by (anime): Sakura Tange (JP), Kira Vincent-Davis (EN)
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (FC, 1986)Goemon's neighbor and sweetheart, a teahouse waitress with a reputation as a beauty idol. She provides support from the sidelines whenever she isn't getting kidnapped.
- Attention Whore: She became one in the manga as a means of poking fun at her lack of popularity.
As a result, she would never be able to shake off the negative portrayal even after the manga ended. - Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Her manga counterpart, so very much. Her Kawaiiko facade was already starting to slip during Legend of the Mystical Ninja, but by Ganbare Goemon 3 it had completely shattered. Her anti-fans believe that she's like this in every 'verse to facilitate Goemon pairing off with someone more "deserving."
- Blush Sticker
- Clingy Jealous Girl: In the TV anime and manga, though she's much more violent about it in the latter. Ironically, Omitsu lacks this behavior in the games — considering the way Goemon acts in the ending of Ganbare Goemon 3 and the entirety of Kuru Nara Koi, HE'S the overprotective one.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: In Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, she shows up at the Kyuushu Bridge just as Goemon and 'co are heading there... on a dumpling delivery service. Not only is this impressive as the trek from Oedo to Kyuushu is nearly the entire width of Japan, but it also means Omitsu fought off dangerous enemies while carrying food upright by herself! It even gets lampshaded by the gang, who notes she must be tougher than she looks.
- Curtains Match the Window: Brown on brown.
- Damsel in Distress: She gets kidnapped more than anyone else combined.
- Demoted to Extra: To the point where she's considered unnecessary (there's Yae after all), but can't be completely erased from canon due to the Grandfather Clause.
- Fangirl: Omitsu is crazy for Bishōnen, leading Japanese
Fan Dumb to label her as a "slut" because they assume that her squeeing means she couldn't possibly be faithful to Goemon. - Tomboy and Girly Girl: The girly girl to Yae's tomboy.
- Waif-Fu: Omitsu seems tougher than she looks, but for some reason never has the idea to rescue herself. It's a full-on running gag in the manga, with the explanation that using her strength undermines the "innocent maiden" image she tries (and fails) to cultivate.
Wise Man
Voiced by (anime): Junichi Sugawara (JP), Jim McClellan (EN)
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)A brilliant inventor from Iga and a close ally of the Goemon gang. Unfortunately, his perversions tend to cloud his judgement.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He does have an actual name, but no one ever calls him by it.
- Eyes Always Shut
- Robotic Spouse: Invoked as a throwaway gag during the opening of Ganbare Goemon 4, in which he tries to pass a cross-dressing Sasuke off as his wife. In the manga, he was given a (young) human wife instead.
Kurobei
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)A ninja cat who is both Princess Yuki's pet and bodyguard. He has the ability to turn into a plate-spinning ghost woman, for whatever reason.
- Verbal Tic: He says "nya," but never did it until recently.
The Feudal Lord
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)Edo Castle's happy-go-lucky ruler, who doesn't seem to do much ruling. Nevertheless, he cares deeply about his people.
Princess Yuki
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (FC, 1986)The beloved princess of Edo Castle. She has a calm and quiet demeanor, but don't rub her the wrong way...
- Ascended Extra: Her expanded role in the pachisuro game saved her from becoming Demoted to Extra.
- Blush Sticker
- Curtains Match the Window: Blue on blue.
- Damsel in Distress: At times she is essentially a substitute Omitsu, without the romantic ties to Goemon.
- Shy Blue-Haired Girl
Other Characters
Kabuki
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)A recurring villain notable for his habit of coming back from the dead. His burning desire for revenge is what motivates him.
- Goldfish Poop Gang: While he does always put up a pretty good fight, he's treated more or less as a joke.
- Hollywood Cyborg
- Unknown Rival: Considers Goemon to be his archrival. This sentiment is not mutual.
Plasma
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Neo Momoyama Bakufu no Odori (N64, 1997)A hooded, barely-clothed, vaguely draconic fortune teller with an obvious Verbal Tic. Come to his place for the hints, stay for the atmosphere.
- Catchphrase: "PURASUMAAAA!!!!"
Thaisamba
First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Neo Momoyama Bakufu no Odori (N64, 1997)An aquatic robot known as "The Charming Mermaid." He takes on a handful of different forms (a few of them gigantic), and speaks his own incomprehensible language.
