Main Characters
Young samurai from the Washiba clan that existed around Kurobe during Sengoku Jidai. When attacked by the aliens, somehow received a titular Kuromukuro from his liege, princess Yukihime, and fought them with it until defeated and then got frozen till the current time, when the aliens appeared again.
- The Ageless: Pledging oneself to an Efidolg geoframe involves an injection of nanomachines that confers to the pilot Regenerative Immortality and Healing Factor.
- Bodyguard Crush: Implied to have one on Yukihime.
- Child Soldier: From our point of view, albeit it was pretty much a norm to get one's start on a battlefield at 14-15 during Sengoku Jidai.
- Covered in Scars: Due to already being a seasoned veteran at his age.
- Expy: of Ryoma Nagare. Let's see, traditional approach to battle, similar appearance, is capable of fighting enemies without a mech, mecha requires more than 1 pilot, mecha have very unconventional designs, adept at modern technology despite living very traditional lives, wears hair in low end ponytail (Ryoma in Go/Shin vs Neo), stoic yet hotblooded. Even their backstories are similar yet also different, with Kennosuke being a Fish out of Temporal Water from the 16th century, having to adjust to the 21st century, while Ryoma may be a case of Born in the Wrong Century given how he despises modern martial arts and prefers the old ways. Hell, Kuromokuro's debut SRW was DD, an installment that has multiple Getter Robo installments, including the DD original, Getter Noir.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: A 16th century Samurai suddenly transported to the 21st one. Manages to adapt pretty well, though.
- Giving Radio to the Romans: Somehow got his hands on one of Efidolg's mechs and used it to fight them.
- Human Popsicle: Was like this in Kuromukuro until it was awoken in present day.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: Does a short work with the 3-meter-tall alien mecha with nothing but a blade,.. albeit an alien blade.
- Naked First Impression: He slides out of Kuromukuro's Horse, completely naked in front of poor Yukina.
- Replacement Goldfish: Yukina for Yukihime, at least partially.
- Sleeves Are for Wimps: Doesn't wear them with his school uniform shirt, or, actually, most of his clothes.
- Stage Fright: Surprisingly, he's not very good when in front of a crowd of people. When interviewed for the school festival, he just repeated the same phrase over and over again in an effort to deflect attention and get his answers over with.
- Supreme Chef: At least with the curry he's competing with Mika's dad, the main chef of the Institute's canteen.
- Tomato in the Mirror: The story of him being a Washiba clan retainer has been put into suspicion at least twice, as he's been accused of being an Efidolg turncoat with Fake Memories.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Curry.
- Undying Loyalty: To Yukihime, which severely complicates his relationship with Yukina and Muetta.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: A somewhat subdued example, but still frequent enough to count.
- Younger Than They Look: He's only 17, despite looking like mid-twenties.
An Ordinary High-School Student in the Tateyama International School and the daughter of the institute Director. Somewhat airheaded and Book Dumb, she's apparently more than she thinks herself.
- The Ageless: See above — as a consequence of pledging to the Kuromukuro, she's now functionally immortal and will remain biologically seventeen forever. Note that she didn't change a bit after the five-year Time Skip in the finale, while Sophie, who didn't pledge, has visibly aged.
- Book Dumb: The series even starts with one of the school's counselors complaining about her substandard grades to her mom. That said, when it comes to combat she offers quite competent and useful advice.
- Bully Magnet: She was bullied in elementary school over her father's ideas.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: Pretty mild example, but she's given to the very weird outbursts and interests at times.
- Disappeared Dad: Who went on to contact the aliens and wasn't heard of ever since.
- Hidden Depths: She shows a keen interest in Geology, and has used said knowledge to gain the upper hand fighting an enemy mech.
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: With Yukihime and Muetta. In Episode 20 it's been strongly implied that their body is actually one of a standard patterns of Efidolg's clone warriors.
- Ordinary High-School Student: Aside from being a female, a textbook example.
- Parental Abandonment: With a Disappeared Dad and married to the work mom she's essentially been raised up by her uncle.
- Took a Level in Badass: After a boot camp under Tom Borden she's at least became capable of sneaking around and holding her ground against Mirasa with the blade.
Kurobe Research Institute
The Director of the Institute and Yukina's mother, she's a competent (if sometimes overly emotional) administrator, but loathes the fact that she has to sacrifice the time with her daughters to her job.
- Absent-Minded Professor: Hiromi is clearly a brilliant technician and administrator, but she's terribly forgetful, and her leaving her phone behind is a Running Gag.
- Mama Bear: Even though she does tend to be absent ftom Yukina's life, due to being more or less married to the job, she still very much cares for her family. Case in point, when she hears that Yukina got abducted, she starts pulling every string she has to rescue her from the Efidolg ship, including calling NASA, and when that fails, trying to get a direct line to the UN Secretary General. When that fails, she goes behind Major Graham's back and begs Ken to save her, and even risks her career as Director by setting off a fake containment breach as well as putting a security lock on the GAUS units to cover Kuromukuro's launch.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Very much competent and understanding while handling things in her position.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Her work doesn't leave her with a lot of time to take care of her daughters, a responsibility she has her older brother handle.
Head of the UN Forces contingent of the Institute, an old-school British officer, who is serious about his job and eager to do the right thing.
- Officer and a Gentleman: Bonus points for actually being a Brit.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Always tries to do the right thing.
GAUS team commander, and a pilot of GAUS 1, a loud and obnoxious American who is nevertheless a good guy at heart, not to mention a fine soldier.
- The Ageless: Pledging oneself to an Efidolg geoframe involves an injection of nanomachines that confers to the pilot Regenerative Immortality and Healing Factor.
- Catchphrase: He sure loves talking about jamming stuff up people's asses.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: During Episode 12, where he was the instructor for the training camp the main characters took over the summer.
- Eagleland: He exemplifies Type 2, being a walking Cluster F-Bomb Jerkass Blood Knight, whom everyone else just barely tolerates only because he's quite good at what he does.
- Hidden Depths: He was on the debate team when he was in school, and claims to have done very well in it.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may be loud, obnoxious and mean at times but he's still a good guy at heart.
- Case in point, when Ryoto is forced to drop of his Training from Hell out due to a foot injury, Tom mentions that it was better that he dropped out early before he got seriously hurt.
- He foresaw that Kennosuke would argue that he has no need firearms, and thus brought his sword to the firing range, telling Ken to prove he doesn't need one, and accepts Ken's argument after he manages to throw his sword across the range and cut the target clean in half down the middle.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Believes in this enough that he was the most vocal of the four GAUS pilots about launching a mission to rescue Yukina from Efidolg.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: noticeably more foul-mouthed than the other characters; also crosses over into Battle Cry when he repeatedly informs opponents that he is about to shove this .50 millimeter up their ass.
GAUS 2 navigator, a JSDF Special Forces Captain and a self-appointed butler to his pilot, a French exchange student named Sophie Noelle.
- Acro Fatic: He, if not actually fat, is nevertheless quite pudgy. It doesn't stop him from being arguably the best hand-to-hand fighters in the series.
- Foreign Culture Fetish: Very much does this by serving as a butler to Sophie, despite being a fully Japanese man.
- Parental Substitute: He's essentially that for Sophie.
GAUS 1 navigator, a quiet and secretive Chinese girl that few know anything about.
- The Ageless: Pledging oneself to an Efidolg geoframe involves an injection of nanomachines that confers to the pilot Regenerative Immortality and Healing Factor.
- Anime Chinese Girl: Downplayed: She's Chinese and is an anime character, but possesses none of the stereotypical traits associated with the trope.
- Deadpan Snarker: Largely makes these at Tom's expense.
- The Stoic: She acts pretty emotionless and straight-laced most of the time. Like when she's calmly informing her superiors about GAUS 1 being flooded during the test to have it walk on water, whilst Tom is freaking out.
The Institute's Chief Engineer and the head of the excavation works.
An electronics expert tasked with studying the Kuromukuro and often thus involved in shenanigans about its pilot.
- Ambiguously Brown: He has that characteristic Mukokuseki look that doesn't make him look like an Italian (as his name suggests) at all.
- Cowardly Lion: Always tries to get out of danger, but tends to stick there for his friends.
A materials specialist studying the stuff Kuromukuro made of and applications thereof, thus frequently paired with Casiraghi.
- The Reliable One: Whenever the heroes need a helping hand among the personnel, that'd be her.
Chief biologist of the Institute, a stereotypical "mad German scientist", very competent in his field yet strangely obsessed with his subjects.
- Doting Parent: Well, when he remembers that he has a son… or when Kaya visits himself.
- Herr Doktor: He's a Mad Scientist and German.
- Like Father, Like Son: Once we learn of their relation, Kaya's obsessive streak doesn't seem that surprising anymore.
- Mad Scientist: A subdued, more or less friendly example.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Fits the stereotypical German look to a T.
- When You Coming Home, Dad?: Subverted — he's divorced, with his wife going on with her life, and his son, while keeping a cordial relationship with him, manages to stay alone quite well.
Two Bridge Bunnies in the situational room of the Institute, who report to Major Graham.
- Bridge Bunnies: Their primary roles.
- Empty Shell: Rita appears as this after the Efidolg are defeated, as the UN don't have the necessary technology to reverse the parasites' influence. She seems to start recovering after the 5 year time skip, when she mutters Beth's name out of the blue.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Rita pulls one to save Beth when the Efidolg invade the institute, resulting in her becoming one of their brainwashed victims.
Tateyama International School
Yukina's best friend at school, she's a cheerful and active girl who's an avid cosplayer and often drags her friends to various events and setting.
- Book Dumb: Proclaims herself as such, even. She doesn't mind it.
- Cosplay: Quite fond of taking part in it.
- Genki Girl: She's quite cheerful and active.
An exchange student from France, she's a child prodigy and already even a pilot of GAUS 2. Though Yukina's classmate, she initially looks down at her, but later starts to warm somewhat.
- Action Girl: A GAUS pilot at her age already, not to mention a crack shot and something of a genius in Judo.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Child prodigy or not, she is definitely slightly odd.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Starts off quite stoic and looks down on Yukina but warms up to her and Ken eventually.
- Foreign Exchange Student: A French one.
- Girls with Guns: Usually carries a small pistol hidden on her, being Wrong Genre Savvy as usual.
- Honor Before Reason: Due to her love of The Hagakure and being all about Japanese chivalry.
- Occidental Otaku: She's a great fan of Hagakure, the eighteenth-century moralistic tract often said to be the "Bible of Bushido". Which results in her getting greatly perplexed when Kennosuke (who is from the sixteenth century, and who was born at least 200 years before it was written) doesn't care for its values at all.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Easily the shortest of the cast, though she has a "growth spurt" in the finale, making her just about as tall as Yukina, who has her characteristics more or less frozen due to being forever seventeen now, and wasn't very tall to begin with.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: Seems to believe to live in a Jidaigeki, despite Kuromukuro being a bona-fide mecha series.
Yukina's classmate with a reputation of somewhat of a delinquent and a pretty poorly hidden crush on her, he sees himself as a cool and important knight of the class and a rival to Kennosuke, but is actually pretty ordinary.
- Determinator: He says he wants to be a pilot, but circumstances show that he hasn't got the chops for it. It's not stopping him from trying, though.
- Hidden Depths: The school festival shows that he's extremely good at leading team builds and oversight.
- Hopeless Suitor: His crush on Yukina doesn't even have a prayer, and it's clear she doesn't feel the same way.
- Martial Arts Headband: He wears a red headband at all times, but aside from his delinquency, he's a particularly tough guy.
- Unknown Rival: Treats himself like rival to Kennosuke, but Ken barely even acknowledges him.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: His antics wouldn't be out of place for the hero in a standard run-of-the-mill Shounen anime. Unfortunately for him, he just isn't the hero here.
Akagi's friend who constantly streams around everything he sees, carrying a camera on him all the time. While he may think of himself as of an Intrepid Reporter, he's actually closer to Paparazzi, and, indeed, has brought on his and his friends' asses way more adventures than they'd care, but he remains undaunted.
- But Not Too Foreign: Half-German, actually, on his father's side.
- Fearless Fool: You'd think he's incapable of feeling fear, as he excitedly goes into situations where death is an extremely likely scenario and doesn't even think of running when his line is seriously on the line.
- It Runs in the Family: After learning who his father is, it's not difficult to see where his obsessive streak comes from.
- Paparazzi: Constantly streams whatever he sees around him. Constantly.
- Parental Neglect: His mother is constantly off having fun with her next boyfriend, while his father is… Dr. Hausen.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Defied, despite his father being a posterboy of the trope. While he's half-German, he nevertheless has completely Asian features.
- Skewed Priorities: Doesn't really care what's happening as long as he gets to livestream it.
- Social Media Before Reason: His first and foremost action upon seeing the Efidolg almost destroy certain areas and the city is to stream it, much to Akagi's frustration.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Starts largely as an annoying jerk, but steadily grows into a good friend and a genuine member of the group.
Akagi and Kaya's somewhat more distant friend, Carlos is a resident Butt-Monkey of the class, being alternatively dragged about, abused, and ignored, which is almost always gets Played for Laughs.
- But Not Too Foreign: Half-Spanish.
- The Chew Toy: His whole point in the story seems to be failing amusingly.
- Phenotype Stereotype: Unlike Kayahara, more or less played straight, he's notably more swarthy than most of the cast and has a wavy brown hair.
Yukina's homeroom teacher and school's official counselor. She's only 23, and being barely older than her students, not to mention shy and impressionable, she always gets manipulated and dragged into their shenanigans.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Struggles to get this from her students.
- Sensei-chan: She's a bit immature and gets into her students' shenanigans quite a bit.
- Shrinking Violet: She's quite shy and impressionable, which aren't the best qualities for a teacher.
Efidolg
The leader of the current Efidolg force around the Earth, the Gezon-Reco Frontier Reform Squad, he's a cautious and indecisive officer who tends to bide his time rather than act aggressively. Is implied to hold some important secrets about the previous invasion attempt.
The first major opponent, whom Kennosuke and Yukina had to fight twice in Toyama's downtown and at Toyama International Airport. After being finally defeated thanks to the GAUS' help, he tried Taking You with Me, destroying half of the airport and nearly capping Akagi and Kaya (who dragged in to watch) by the blast. Piloted the "Yellow Crab" mecha.
Another knight who purposedly allowed himself to be defeated to sneak into the Institute to search for the McGuffin Efidolg are looking for. Failed a Spot Check due to being an arrogant Jerkass and got killed by Kennosuke for his troubles. Piloted the "Long Arm" mech that remained in the Institute's possession after his death.
We don't know much about him, except that he's apparently successfully retrieved the hinge stones from both the US and Russia, because they lacked anything to stop him.
The hotshot pilot operating the apparently sole aerial unit of the Gezon Reco, the "Blue Bird". Fought inconclusively with Kennosuke and Yukina aided by The Demon, and successfully retrieved Mirasa after the infiltration mission.
An ambitious if a bit incompetent knight in a bitter rivalry with Muetta, which she usually tries to hide. Piloted the "Spider" geoframe.
A knight inexplicably identical to both Yukihime and Yukina (with whom she at least differs in a hairstyle) down to the genetic level. It's actually unknown whether she is Yukihime, but at least Kennosuke thinks that she is. Her unit is designated "Medusa".
- Clone Angst: She resembles Yukihime because she's Yukihime's clone, which causes her some distress.
- Heel–Face Turn: Has a change of heart once her true nature as a brainwashed clone is revealed to her.
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: To Yukina and Yukihime.
Grongals/Geoframes
All
- Absurdly Sharp Blade: All except the GAUS units use glowing melee weapons which can effortlessly cut through solid metal.
- Giant Mecha: Each are roughly 30 metres tall.
Kurmukuro
The titular mech piloted by Kennosuke and Yukina.GAUS Units
Yellow Crab
Long Arm
Rockhead
Blue Bird
Spider
Medusa
- Combat Tentacles: Fights with four bladed arms extending out of its head.
Crow
The mysterious Demons mecha.- Combining Mecha: Can join up with the Kuromukuro to enable it to fly.
Headless
Drone mecha used by the Efidolg, named for their lack of a head.Others
A hulking mysterious man in an Efidolg armor and demonic mask that often helps Yukina and Kennosuke. He keeps himself shrouded in secrecy and only reveals that he's an enemy of Efidolg, but Kennosuke remembers him as a commander of the invasion force from 450 years ago. He also somehow wears Yukina's dad's watch and his hideout was shown to be full of other references to Dr. Shirahane, raising everyone's suspicions.
- Happily Married: He was on his native planet before Efidolg arrived, and he actually keeps a photo of his family with him.
- Mysterious Benefactor: To Yukina and Kennosuke, before he decides to contact the heroes directly.
- Not So Stoic: The first time he met Takehito, he was visibly bewildered by the man's reaction to him.
- Older Than They Look: It's difficult to judge aliens, but no one who's about 500 years old should realistically be that active and deadly in the fight. It turns out that when pledged to a Efidolg Georame, the injected nanomachines confers upon its user a functional immortality and Healing Factor.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Nobody even tries to remember his full name — they just call him "Zeru". His full name is Zeringer Mundef Bischrei.
- Rebel Leader: Was a commander of La Résistance on his native planet, who stole an Efidolg ship with his team to prevent the Efidolg conquest of the Earth.
- Rubber-Forehead Aliens: Yes, he's very tall and has purple skin, horns and clawed hands and feet, but he's still humanoid enough that nothing in his appearance cannot be imitated by a clever makeup artist.
- Super-Strength: He's able to remove the restraining collars put on him and Muetta by the UN agents with a single finger.
Hiromi's husband and Yukina and Koharu's Disappeared Dad, he was a historian studying the local Washiba clan and the circumstances of its eventual disappearance, and was laughed out of the scientific community for his ideas about the "demons" of the local legends actually being aliens. He then vowed to contact them and disappeared trying to do so.
- Disappeared Dad: He abandoned his family without much thinking to get something For Science!. He managed to contact and befriend Zeringer, but died in an accident while trying to return to civilisation.
- Mad Scientist: While he's been right about his ideas, he's also been quite obsessed about them.
Yukina's younger sister. She's a huge fan of historic dramas that often raise Kennosuke's interest only for him to slam them down as unrealistic five minutes later.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: To Yukina, who she enjoys teasing a lot.
- Cheerful Child: She's a cheerful and somewhat mischievous kid.
- Shipper on Deck: Actively ships her sister with Kennosuke.
Hiromi's older brother, he's a Buddhist priest in charge of a temple in the outskirts of Tateyama, where he basically raises his nieces while his sister is off at work.
- Big Fancy House: His temple, as his family basically lives on the premises.
- Cool Uncle: To Yukina and Koharu. Also becomes one for Ken.
- Nephewism: Been taking care of his nieces for the past few years due to his sister's work.
- Noble Profession: A Buddhist Priest.
- Parental Substitute: To his nieces.
Kennosuke's original liege (and implied crush), a heir to the Washiba clan which he served, who, according to his (admittedly hazy) memories, stole the Kuromukuro from Efidolg attacking forces and handed it down to Kennosuke to fight the invaders. She then fought with him as his navigator until their eventual defeat by The Demon and Kuromukuro's sealing away.
- Hime Cut: Yukihime had blunt bangs, cheek-length sidelocks, and long straight hair. The hairstyle is befitting of a Japanese noblewoman from the Sengoku period.
- Imported Alien Phlebotinum: She and her clan were the ones to steal the Efidolg mech that become Ken's Kuromukuro.
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: To everyone's (and especially Kennosuke's) confusion, she's absolutely identical to both Yukina and an Efidolg knight Muetta.
- Posthumous Character: She only features in Kennosuke's and Zeru's memories and Kuromukuro cockpit recording.