The characters for the manga and anime Natsume's Book of Friends.
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Main Characters
Natsume Takashi
Natsume Takashi
- Voiced by: Hiroshi Kamiya (Japanese, adult), Ayumi Fujimura (Japanese, young), Adam Gibbs (English, adult), Paige Guillory (English, young), Aldo Guzman (Latin American Spanish)
- Accidental Misnaming: When Madara is flustered or panicked, expect him to be called a variety of things: My prey! My servant! My snack! My meal! and so on.
- Abusive Parents: Some of his previous foster parents 'got drunk and hit him', and others 'forgot' to feed him. Natsume dismally blames himself for their behavior. They always started out nice.
- Action Survivor: At first, he is a normal human, save for the seeing Yokai thing, usually needing Nyanko-Sensei to pull him out of a problem. He promptly Took a Level in Badass.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Like his grandmother, has white hair and silver eyes in the manga.
- All-Loving Hero: He cares greatly for both human and youkai. In contrast to his grandmother Reiko and the exorcists like Matoba.
- Apologetic Attacker: Has his moments.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Was bullied when he was a child due to his ability.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Though it's not really an outright gender bend, Natsume just gets possessed by a Youkai who happens to be female, and who occasionally slips to the surface causing him to to exhibit feminine qualities (sometimes seemingly having longer hair). All of his friends start finding themselves disturbingly attracted to him.
- Badass Pacifist: He tries and very regularly succeeds at solving problems without the use of too much violence.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He’s one of the sweetest boys you’ll ever know. That’s why you shouldn’t get him mad.
- Big Brother Instinct: Although brief, he has this for the little fox youkai and Kai.
- Bishōnen: Nishimura and Kitamoto lampshade this about him in chapter 11. Not surprising though since looks almost exactly like his grandmother as noted by other youkai.
- Break the Cutie: The story of his childhood.
- Bystander Syndrome: While not being an outright jerk, Natsume had started the series with giving the cold shoulder to youkai who came to him with a problem (which is understandable considering the events that lead to his first meeting of the Fujiwaras). However, as he got a better understanding of youkai, that started to change.
- Cassandra Truth: This happened a lot during his childhood. It's deconstructed as it brought him nothing but pain and grief, since he would be bullied by other children, abused/neglected by foster families who didn't want to raise a Creepy Child, and treated as a delinquent whenever sprits wreaked havoc around him. By present day, he's a Socially Awkward Hero who was taught by experience that telling the truth will only get him into more trouble. However, his friends and current family are helping him open up about his problems.
- Chick Magnet:
- Proves to be this in episode 35 where he was one of the bazaar workers. He attracted a lot of female customers.
- When he first transferred to his current school, it's pointed out that he was a hot topic among the girls.
- In episode 5 of Shi, Yuriko mentions that the girls in his class thought of him as "cool and calm".
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Gradually develops into this. Though he used to help youkai reluctantly, Natsume will rush headlong toward Youkai, and all kinds of other danger if he knows someone is in trouble, knowing full well that his opponents are more often than not much stronger than him.
- Classical Anti-Hero: He's an ordinary human minus the ability to see youkai, and is filled with self-doubt and trust issues.
- Consummate Liar: Zig-Zagged. Natsume would usually have to lie in order to cover incidents created by youkai because years Cassandra Truth during his childhood taught him no human would believe him. However, thanks to the help of Fujiwaras and his friends, he has learned to open up to people and has even found others who he can talk about his problems. Because of this, in more recent chapters, people who are close to him can now tell if he is lying or hiding the truth (secret-keepers or not) though they don't always choose to voice it. For the most part
- Conveniently Seated: Natsume sits in a seat by the window between his friends, Kitamoto and Nishimura. This gives him a view to see if there is anything (or anyone) strange nearby. Inconveniently, it also allows to be more easily startled if something does pop up.
- Curtains Match the Window: Natsume is a blond with gold eyes. Somewhat averted in the manga, where the eyes are more green than silver.
- Cuteness Proximity: A mild example, but Nyanko-sensei calls him out on it once, saying he's far too nice to youkai he thought were cute.
- Death Glare: Parodied. Natsume's sometimes give this look with often Nishimura and Kitamoto unintentionally at the receiving end, usually after dealing with youkai. Played straight during the school festival in chapter 26 when he initially suspects they are possessed. However, in more recent chapters, they now assume he just not feeling well.
- Deadpan Snarker: Though only to Nyanko-sensei and Natori. It has died down the later but still tends to amp up the snark around whenever the situation calls for it.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: He frequently knocks out strong youkai with a punch, the most frequent victim being Madara. It's useless against humans though, since it's his Soul Power which does all the work, rather than his physical strength.
- Distressed Dude: Natsume has the bad habit of getting captured frequently. For instance, in episode 5 of season three, he gets captured by an ayakashi that's intent on cutting off his arm so that it can use it to retrieve its lost head. Natsume's friends are left frantically searching the house for him. He's also been kidnapped by Matoba two or three times. Nyanko-sensei usually bails him out when he doesn't get out himself.
- Dragged into Drag: In one of the drama CD's he's forced to play the part of a girl in one of Natori's dramas.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady:
- And so he tries to act manly and uses masculine speech, according to
Word of God. - The following exchange near the end of the second season highlights on it:Kai: ...Sorry for calling you a sprout, a chopping board, and a girly boy...
Natsume: Ah, w-well, i-it's okay...
Tanuma, Taki & Sensei: (suppressed snorts & laughter)
Natsume: ...Notamusing!
Trio: (guilty, somber, not meeting one another's eyes) ...Right! - When Natsume shows his friends his parents photo, they instantly compared him to his mother, not his father.
- And so he tries to act manly and uses masculine speech, according to
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Despite his young age, he has an incredible amount of spiritual power, but whenever he goes to exorcist gatherings with Matoba, he's forced to hide his identity and pretend to be a youkai servant. Because of this, most other exorcists are oblivious to his talents and treat him like a lackey.
- Fear of Thunder: According to Nyanko-sensei.
- Friendless Background: When he was a kid his frequent outbursts caused the other children to become frightened of him and bully him, and he never got close with anyone.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: In the anime, and a rare male example.
- Happily Adopted: By the Fujiwaras.
- The Hero: He's the main titular character of Natsume's Book of Friends.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: He considers himself an inconvenience to the people around him, and considers even simply asking for help with something to be a selfish indulgence.
- Identical Grandson: Natsume Takashi looks a lot like his grandmother Reiko, original owner of the Book of Friends. and since many (if not all, Hinoe certainly seems to express a preference) Youkai don't really care too much about gender, Natsume tends to get Youkai who are looking for his grandmother on his tail. It's taken to its logical conclusion when someone calls Natsume "Girly Man".
- I Didn't Tell You Because You'd Be Unhappy: This the main reason he hasn't told his foster parents or most of his friends about his ability.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: At first. He grows out of it later.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: All he ever wanted was someone to understand him. He briefly had a friend who he thought was like him, but she was really another youkai.
- I See Dead People: Depends if youkai count.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: He's a feminine-looking boy who resembles the female members of his family more (his mother and grandmother), and he has traits that one could consider feminine.
- Kid with the Leash: Often has to rein in Nyanko-sensei from enacting lethal retribution on individuals who are hostile (or even just annoying) to them.
- Last-Name Basis: Almost no one calls him by his birth name Takashi with the exception of his biological and current foster parents. In stark comparison, his grandmother is referred to by her first name by pretty much everyone.
- Loner-Turned-Friend: Thanks to Nishimura who had formally introduced him to Kitamoto.
- Magnetic Medium
- Morality Pet: Sort of one for Madara/Nyanko-sensei. The Inugami/Dog God is too proud, stubborn and pigheaded to ever admit it, but he threatened to tear Matoba apart for injuring the boy. Seeing Natsume escaped a fatal wound and pleading with him to stop, calmed him down.
- Mystical White Hair: In the manga, like his grandmother, though was often treated otherwise.
- Nice Guy: Genuinely is to both human and Youkai alike. Though, admittedly, it does take a little bit for him to completely warm up to Youkai due to his childhood experiences with being tormented by them and not being believed when he tries telling someone about their existence.
- Non-Uniform Uniform: A minor example, but he is the only student who doesn't use the school standard bag, instead opting for his green shoulder bag. note
- No Social Skills: His Friendless Background left him with few opportunities to learn to socialize.
- Orphan's Ordeal: A good bit of Natsume's difficulty with people (and his reluctance to tell the Fujiwaras about his abilities) stems from the fact that, up until then, he was passed around from relative to relative because nobody wanted to deal with the Creepy Child that kept telling "lies" about seeing ghosts and Youkai. Chapter 31 confirms that several of the parents he's lived with were physically or emotionally abusive, and even forget to feed him.
- Papa Wolf: He develops this for Tama. He refuses to hand him over when confronted by Isozuki and was willing to die to protect the little creature he cared for.
- Parental Abandonment: Natsume's parents are dead, and every single family he's lived with before the Fujiwara's looked forward to the day he left their family, since he could see spirits.
- Plot Magnet: Both because of his powers and because his connection to Reiko.
- Psychic Powers
- Power Incontinence: Due to how powerful he is, his spiritual power sometimes leaks out into inanimate things without him being aware of it. On two occasions, he has created vessels (a snow bunny and a mini clay cat respectively) which both got inhabited by powerful spirits. Another time, he re-animated a small man-made youkai from the scraps of special paper that got attached to his clothing.
- His power leaks also allows Tanuma and Taki to see youkai for a short while when he accidentally opened a door meant for the youkai guests at an inn.
- The Quiet One: What first impressions of him often are.
- The - Unreveal: It’s currently unknown, who his grandfather is.
- Rule of Empathy: He's driven to help humans and Youkai alike, even if they don't want or deserve his assistance, much to Madara's chagrin.
- Silent Scapegoat: Natsume often wound up as one in his adolescence, when Ayakashi started causing acts of vandalism around him; his options were either to let everyone believe he was some sort of delinquent, or let them believe he was some sort of crazy delinquent.
- Socially Awkward Hero: Justified. He was unable to make any friends as a child because of the discovery of his connection to spirits. He's slowly growing out of this, though.
- Soul Power: He has a lot of spiritual power, which is the reason behind all of the other supernatural tropes that apply to him, including his ability to punch youkai clear across a room.
- Stepford Smiler: He constantly smiles, though it doesn't take long for most people around him to realize that his smiles are sometimes fake and forced. It's lampshaded by Nishimura.Nishimura: It felt like that was the first time I saw the ever smiling transfer student smile. But when I looked at it another way, I thought to myself that his normal smiles must all be fake.
- Supernaturally Delicious and Nutritious: Youkai generally find him delicious due to his strong spiritual power.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Has considerably strong psychic powers. However, his eyes are green/grey in the manga.
- Took a Level in Badass: Was initially an aloof young man due to his All of the Other Reindeer childhood, first becomes an Action Survivor, then into a Badass Pacifist.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He gets annoyed with Madara a lot, but they are ultimately a team.
- When She Smiles: Gender-inverted. Nishimura discovered this when Natsume did gave a genuine smile.
- Weirdness Magnet: Comes with the territory of having a lot of spiritual power that attracts Youkai like honey to bee's.
Madara/Nyanko-sensei
Madara/Nyanko-Sensei
Click here to see Madara's true form.
- Voiced by: Kazuhiko Inoue (Japanese), Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese, human form), Christopher Wehkamp (English), Kara Edwards (English, human form), Noe Velazquez (Latin American Spanish)
- Accidental Misnaming: Nobody besides Natsume bothers to get Nyanko-sensei's name right.
- Giving us such gems as Nyan-Nyan Sensei, Nyankichi-kun, Nyangoro, Kitty, Cat-Dumpling, Tanuki, etc. Tanuma eschews trying to remember it altogether, and just calls him Ponta. It’s translated to Spot in the dub, which may be a Shout-Out to Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- In the manga, Natsume usually just referred to him as "cat" in the early chapters. His anime self is a little more respectful though. A little.
- The Alcoholic: Really likes to drink sake in his spare time.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: Downplayed but Nyanko-sensei seems to be really good with his fingers/paws in cat form. For example, he can hold chopsticks, hold teacups, read the economic section of the newspaper, etc (though he still relies on Natsume for opening cans and such).
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Gets frequently distracted in his cat-form, often mid-sentence.
- Baritone of Strength: Definitely a powerful youkai, and his voice is quite deep when he is in youkai form. However, in his Maneki Neko form (in which his powers are more restricted), his voice sounds a lot more nasal.
- Bathtub Bonding: He loves to bathe with Natsume, though Natsume does not. Sensei refuses to get the message, and eventually Natsume gives up on expecting to get any personal space from him.
- Berserk Button: Seen once when Natsume got shot defending Madara from an arrow by an exorcist.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He calls himself middle-aged and acts accordingly, and due to appearing as a very rotund-bodied cat, he looks nothing near capable of kicking butt. But get him angry and he turns into a very powerful youkai capable of tearing humans or other Youkai to shreds.
- Big Damn Heroes: His main role in this series.
- Big Eater: He's constantly thinking and talking about food. He can swallow a block of Y%C5%8Dkan'>yōkan
(a Japanese dessert usually served in slices) in one go and still have room for more, and once scams Nishimura and Kitamoto into ordering a restaurant's entire menu for him. - Bolt of Divine Retribution: Expect this to happen if you insult Madara's singing or make remarks about his weight.
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: His power rivals Japanese deities, and while he technically can defeat them, it's still not a fight he's eager to commence, because winning will leave him wrecked and cursed.
- Butt-Monkey: He’s typically victim to all sorts of abuse.
- Canis Major: His true form is a huge and powerful inugami.
- Cats Are Mean: He's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold, but he really cares for Natsume, even if he doesnt like showing it.
- Cats Are Snarkers: He usually appears as a cat and is definitely snarky.
- Creepy Good: Very much on Natsume's side when Matoba darkens the young man's door again. The exorcist tries to blackmail Natsume into helping him. This time however, Madara doesn't even get upset. He just smiles at Matoba throughout, with menacingly yellow glowing eyes, encouraging his retainer to go because "the more exorcists around, the more filling his meal would be".
- Deadpan Snarker: Many of his lines are sarcastic barbs directed at Natsume or other people.
- Death's Hourglass: The human-eating inugami knows when a person is about to die,
because they no longer "taste good". - The Dreaded: To low-level Youkai.
- Drowning My Sorrows: When he thinks Natsume has replaced him with a real cat that he was temporarily looking after. He gets so drunk and bad-tempered the other Youkai become terrified of him.
- Dub Name Change: Relatively minor example, but his name becomes Master Kitty-Cat in the dub, which is essentially just his Japanese name in English.
- Fat Bastard: He is overweight to where the ground trembles when he walks. He also spends much of his screentime eating meals or talking about food. At one point, he even scams Natsume's friends out of their money to eat a restaurant's whole menu.
- Fluffy Dry Cat: We get one picture of Natsume blow-drying Nyanko-sensei too long.
- Gods Need Prayer Badly: Inverted. As an Inugami/Dog God, he's extremely powerful, capable of existing independently without worship.
- Giant Flyer: His true form is huge and able to fly, despite lacking wings.
- Hypocritical Heartwarming: He will exclaim that he is the only one who is entitled to be rude to Natsume.
- I Am Big Boned: Very insistent that his cat form is not fat, merely very fluffy.
- I Am Not Weasel: Though in this case, a cat. What's more, he is sometimes not even recognized as a cat, with some calling him a pig or a tanuki.
- I Was Just Passing Through: He always comes up with an excuse whenever he's found doing a good deed. For example, he claims that he only protects Natsume to defend his own right to the Book of Friends and the chance to eat Natsume himself.
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: His relationship with Natsume is formed on this trope. In return for serving as his bodyguard, he gets the Book of Friends after Natsume dies.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Natsume keeps him on a leash, but he has asked on occasion to eat particularly grating humans.
- The Imp
- Informed Deformity: He appears as an extremely fat yet adorable cat most of the time, but In-Universe he's known as "Natsume's hideous cat".
- Intellectual Animal: Kind of, seeing as most Youkai tend to be at least sentient.
- Intrigued by Humanity: Often reads the newspapers to see how the economy is doing, and takes an instant shining to the arcades and video games.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: For all his claims to be a ruthless, cruel and uncaring monster who threatens to eat other youkai or humans on a whim, Madara is astonishingly benign compared to many other youkai that appear in the series. The jerk image stayed for a little while to begin with, but is completely shattered when Madara pulls a Ghibli-style rescue on a little girl who fell down a cliff. Wanting the Yuujinchou was definitely one of his most important motives, and even this is called into question when Madara tempted Natsume to drink mermaid blood. Natsume called him out on this, saying if he was immortal, Madara would never get the Yuujinchou, to which Madara lapses into silence.
- Just Eat Him: What he has threatened to do to Natsume if the Book of Friends gets any smaller, but his (seemingly rather half-hearted) attempts always fail. He even unintentionally tries to "sleep eat" Natsume on occasion, which yields similar results. He also often embellishes the deal he made with Natsume, such as saying that he's being given permission to eat Takashi when he dies to other rival youkai. When asked by Benio why he doesn't just eat Natsume and take the book by force, he reveals he's merely killing time and that human lives are terribly short. It would be a sad waste to end the fun prematurely, and he'd rather postpone it. He is also fond of suggesting this solution when dealing with hostile humans or Youkai, though Natsume's objections usually stop him from following through.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: He sometimes comes across as inattentive in his role as a bodyguard, routinely wandering off, getting swatted aside in his Sleep-Mode Size, or even refusing to help against adversaries he deems too weak to bother with. But when he doesn't hold back, he's a force to be reckoned with, often easily countering attacks that had seemingly disabled him previously.
- Light 'em Up: He can emit a bright light that repels other youkai. It's one of his main ways of protecting Natsume when necessary.
- Maneki Neko: His Shapeshifter Default Form.
- Mentor Mascot: Natsume even address him as "Sensei".
- Mysterious Past: He has apparently been around for a long time and knew Reiko well, but other than that almost nothing has been revealed about his past before meeting Natsume. He has not yet made an appearance in any of the flashbacks featuring Reiko, and it is unknown how he ended up getting sealed into a shrine like he was at the start of the series.
- Noble Demon: Madara continues to insist that he's really nasty and uncaring and only hangs around Natsume because the latter is his prey (or alternatively his servant). He's not really fooling anyone.
- Noodle Incident: It's not clear how he got sealed into a shrine to start with.
- Not So Above It All: Nyanko-sensei regularly brings up his truly awesome powers and the fact that he is "not a fortune cat, damn it!"—until Natsume starts petting him, or waves a toy in front of his face. Or he spots a grasshopper. Or a little girl has fallen down a cliff and needs rescuing.
- Not Your Problem: Tries to convince Takashi of this, but, well, doesn't always work.
- Now It's My Turn: Enemies sometimes get the drop on him in his Maneki Neko form and seemingly take him out of the picture, only for him to come back as Madara and kick their asses hard.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Knows far more about spells, all matters Youkai and half-bloods than he's willing to tell Natsume. He has been known to deliberately interrupt or distract Natsume from information that he doesn't want Natsume to know about.
- The One Thing I Don't Hate About You: He found Reiko to be deplorable for taking Youkai's names (even though he plans to take said names and build himself an army), yet he confesses to Natsume he saw her as a very attractive human.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: One of his excuses for why he protects Natsume is that he considers Natsume his prey.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In the Season 4 finale, Natsume is in a pensive mood after having visited his family's old home, and Nyanko-sensei doesn't complain for once that they'd missed out on visiting an udon restaurant.
- Papa Wolf: Quite literally, given his true form. Don't harm Natsume if you know what's good for you. He was prepared to attack Matoba for injuring Natsume with one of his exorcism arrows.
- Parents for a Day: Type 1 in some of the recent chapters and the OVA where he gets stuck taking care of lost kid(s). He's had Hinoue's help in one of the instances and disregarded Natori's and the dog circle youkai in another. Averted in the de-aged chapter where he pushes the responsibility of younger Natsume to Tanuma and Taki's care.
- Power Tattoo: In youkai form, he has a mark on his forehead that glows to fend off or exorcise youkai.
- Real Men Hate Affection: Doesn't always take well to Natsume smiling, hugging or embracing him in public. He is also not a fan of Taki constantly glomping him, though he appreciates that she thinks he's cute.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: When Natsume is almost fatally wounded by Matoba.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: In Sleep-Mode Size.
- Sarcastic Devotee: He usually insists he’s not the devotee and snarks on a very regular basis.
- Sizeshifter: Can change his size at will from barely fitting inside Natsume's bedroom, to being as large as a house.
- Sleep-Mode Size: He's been sealed inside a Maneki Neko for so long that it's effectively become his default form.
- Snarky Non-Human Sidekick: He's a powerful youkai disguised as a fat yet adorable cat, and he's a close associate of Natsume and a Deadpan Snarker.
- Sore Loser: He hates losing games.
- Spirit Advisor: Kind of.
- Talking Animal: This is what he appears to be in his Maneki Neko form.
- Team Pet: Sort of. He's not technically a pet.
- This Is My Human: He gets incensed whenever other youkai try to possess or take Natsume away from him. This even extends to other humans when exorcists get too friendly for his liking.
- Tsundere: He'll never admit that he has a soft spot for Natsume even though it's obvious to others; and when confronted with it, he vehemently denies any such feelings.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Natsume almost never go without arguing, but when push comes to shove, Madara will make sure Natsume is safe.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Can transform into a Maneki Neko, a Canis Major true form, a girlnote , an old man, and Natsume Takashi. He can also change his color, once disguising himself as a wild boar piglet while in his Maneki Neko form.
- Youkai: Obviously. (He appears to be an inugami or some manner of wolf spirit in his true form.)
- You Fool!: What he frequently calls Natsume, who goes out of his way to help human and youkai alike at his own expense.
- You Have No Idea Who You're Dealing With: What he frequently warns any foolish low-rank youkai who fail to recognize his true form and power. Even Japanese mythological gods/deities don't recognize him as anything other than an "overgrown beast".
Natsume Reiko
Natsume Reiko
- Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese), Alexis Tipton (English), Harumi Nishizawa (Latin American Spanish)
- Action Girl: You know you're one when you can defeat every single ayakashi you come across. Two bullies throw a rock at her and she manages to knock it back with a stick, without flinching or hesitation.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Like her grandson, has white hair and silver-green eyes in the manga.
- Batter Up!: Is usually seen wielding a baseball bat that is often wrapped by talisman.
- Bishie Sparkle: Not a stranger to it; see episode 2.
- Broken Bird: Became rather angry and violent thanks to the treatment she's received over the years.
- The Dreaded: She built up such a bad reputation among the Youkai, even though she has passed away. The appearance of Natsume alone freaks many of them out.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Hinoe's attraction to her is anything but subtle, though slightly subverted as Hinoe Does Not Like Men and most non-humans tend to disregard gender.
- First-Name Basis: How everyone addresses her, possibly to differentiate her from her grandson.
- Friendless Background: Even moreso than Natsume.
- Glory Seeker: Probably the reason why she takes the names of the youkai. In the manga, it is later shown that she started collecting names after meeting Souko, a human girl who challenged her to duels in order to learn her name. After that she challenged youkai to pass the time.
- Grin of Audacity: Especially when challenging a youkai.
- Guile Hero: In S6E7, it is shown that she once tricked a youkai into a challenge where the winner was the first one who could first pick the fruit off the top of a tall tree. While the youkai tried climbing up the tree, she simply knocked the fruit to the ground by throwing a tree branch.
- Hates Everyone Equally: Was said to hate both humans and ayakashi alike.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: A possible interpretation for why she compiled the book of friends together, as she was utterly alone and never made any lasting relationships with people.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She’s violent, but when she gets close to someone, you see she’s not a bad person.
- Orphan's Ordeal: She lost both of her parents and was raised by people, who weren’t related to her.
- Poke the Poodle: Although she was more than capable of defeating many youkai in physical combat, she took some of their names through nonviolent contests, like rock-paper-scissors and playground games.
- Posthumous Character: She has long passed away by the beginning of the series. Once Natsume has returned the name of a youkai, a flashback is usually shown about the circumstances surrounding when Reiko first took the name.
- Mystical White Hair: Only in the manga though, like her grandson, though was often treated otherwise.
- Shrouded in Myth: Natsume starts the series barely knowing anything about her at all. He gradually learns more about her, but almost all of the information comes from the various spirits that knew her, and most of them only knew her as "the girl with great power who acquired the names of many spirits".
- Soul Power: Had an immense amount of it, from all accounts.
- The Reveal: It’s later revealed, she had a daughter (Takashi’s mother) out of wedlock.
- Stepford Smiler: She is Type A.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: From what we've seen. Sometimes she comes off as aloof and mysterious, other times understanding and almost warm.
- Supernatural Gold Eyes: Has considerably strong psychic powers. However, her eyes are grey in the manga.
Humans
The Fujiwaras
Fujiwara Touko
Fujiwara Touko
- Voiced by: Miki Itō (Japanese), Jennifer AuBuchon (English)
- Good Parents: She shows genuine concern for Natsume despite not sharing any blood. She first visits him and offers to take him in despite the rumors about his reputation. She also scolded Natsume when he suddenly left the house for a day without giving her proper notice.
- Happily Married: To Shigeru, her husband.
- Hidden Depths: Notes in the special chapters that she had to fight for her and Shigeru's happiness before "peace quietly snuck on them".
- Housewife: Does the housework and cooking in the family.
- Muggle Foster Parents: She is unaware about Natsume's ability, though her kindness prevented him from crossing the Despair Event Horizon.
- Parental Substitute: Natsume's current foster mother.
Fujiwara Shigeru
Fujiwara Shigeru
- Voiced by: Eiji Itou (Japanese), Seth McGill (English)
- Good Parents:
- He's open-minded to Natsume's freedoms but scolds him if he crosses the line (like leaving the house all of a sudden without giving a warning).
- He was the one who suggested that they should adopt Natsume after seeing him at a relative's funeral.
- Happily Married: To Touko, his wife.
- Muggle Foster Parents: He is unaware of Natsume's ability, though it is possible that he might suspect something. His kindness has helped soften Natsume's outlook on life.
- Open-Minded Parent: One chapter has Natsume completely wreck a room due to an exorcism spell in order to get rid of youkai that cursed the house. When Shigeru stumbled upon this room, looking like a very familiar incident of the past, he lets it slide as he knew Natsume did not purposely try to wreck the house. In later scenes, we do see him being more supportive of Natsume and him being against putting too many limitations on Natsume's freedom.
- Parental Substitute: Natsume's current foster father.
Natsume's Classmates
Tanuma Kaname
Tanuma Kaname
- Voiced by: Kazuma Horie (Japanese), Tyson Rinehart (English), Emmanuel Bernal (Latin American Spanish)
- Affectionate Nickname: "Kaname-chan" by his aunt. Not necessarily an Embarrassing Nickname, but enough that Natsume's friends tease him about it.
- Action Survivor: Deconstructed in the Omibashira arc when Tanuma is forced to become this after Natsume is kidnapped to become a meal offering. Despite the strain from being near youkai, he does manage to disguise himself as one and sneak into the place. He tries to free the real Natsume by making a bluff but almost gets caught and attacked. Things begin to go downhill from there.
- Dressing as the Enemy: Desite being more vulnerable to spiritual influence and thus gets sick easily, he tried pretending to be a youkai so he can free Natsume after he was kidnapped as a meal offering. He is caught and nearly attacked.
- Missing Mom: While we have seen his father on two separate occasions, we have yet to see or hear any mentions about his mother. However, it’s implied he’s adopted since his dad’s a Buddhist monk.
- Nice Guy: Despite being a little silent, he’s generally very easy-going and friendly.
- Non-Action Guy: Due to his illness, he acts more of a more support role for Natsume.
- Parents for a Day: Platonically type 2 with Taki, they babysit a de-aged Natsume for a day.
- Psychic Powers: Can understand Nyanko-sensei, feel the youkai's presence and can sometimes see shadows, but can't exactly see their corporeal forms.
- Secret-Keeper: Became one when Natsume confirms Tanuma's suspicions about the shadows he sees though Natsume asks he keep it a secret.
- Synchronization: It's been remarked by Madara that Natsume has had a positive effect on Tanuma, enabling him over time to slowly sense Youkai better without succumbing to sickness.
Taki Tooru
Taki Tooru
- Voiced by: Rina Sato (Japanese), Megan Shipman (English)
- Agent Mulder: She has a belief in the supernatural like her grandfather, something her brother doesn’t share.
- Alliterative Name: Taki Tooru.
- Aloof Big Brother: Has one who she is distant due to him studying overseas and also because he shares his family’s dislike of the supernatural.
- Cuteness Proximity: Although her eye for cuteness is called into question when she has this reaction to Nyanko-sensei (who everyone else regards as the cat equivalent to a Gonk).
- Identical Grandson: According to the youkai that knew her grandfather and have confused her for him. However, this might somewhat exaggerated considering that youkai don't recognize gender.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: While Nyanko-sensei is not a cat, she treats him as one and loves him.
- Nice Girl: After breaking the curse, she’s shown as nothing but kind.
- Parental Abandonment: Downplayed but most of her family is out of the house: both her brother and father are overseas while her mom often comes late back from work, making Taki feel most closest to her grandfather who is dead.
- Parents for a Day: Platonically type 2 with Tanuma, they babysit a de-aged Natsume for a day.
- Secret-Keeper: Asked Natsume's help after hearing about his ability from a youkai. Along with Tanuma, she helps Natsume distract his other friends.
- The Quiet One: At first, but that was only because an evil youkai cursed her, so that the last thirteen people whose names she says will die. Natsume helps her break it. After that, she became more like the Genki Girl.
- The Smart Girl: She is very knowledgable of youkai folklore and its relations to the surrounding area, thanks to her grandfather's notes. Despite having the least spiritual aptitude out of the three, she is also the most component as deciphering writings and creating charms as seen in the hotel arc.
- The Smurfette Principle: In the manga, she's Natsume's only close human female friend since Sasada moves away.
- Unfazed Everyman: One of Natsume's friends who know his secret but doesn't have the ability. She still is quite knowledgeable about them and has encounters by herself, thanks material grandfather left behind. Chapter 64-65 actually explores on the idea if ordinary humans should have contact with the supernatural.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Taki participated in a school festival crossdressing cafe, and looks damn good too.
Kitamoto Atsushi
Kitamoto Atsushi
- Voiced by: Hisayoshi Suganuma (Japanese), Mike Haimoto (English)
- A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 51.2
- Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Occasionally plays the Straight Man to Nishimura, but not constantly.
- The Caretaker: Due to his father's illness and his mother working to compensate, he often takes care of his younger sister and father til his mother comes home.
- Childhood Friends: With Nishimura, or at least it seems that way.
- Missing Mom: While his mom didn't appear in Kitamoto's special focus chapters, it is mentioned that she is out working since their father is ill.
- Nice Guy: One of Natsume's first friends after moving with the Fujiwaras. Warns him about the violent seniors and tries to protect Natsume twice from some unseen youkai during his special bonus chapters.
- Those Two Guys: Along with Nishimura, though contrary to the trope, they have fairly important roles in the plot as one of the few (non-psychic) people who are close friends of Natsume. They also get more screentime than anyone other than Natsume and Nyanko-sensei and a fair bit of fleshing out in the manga.
Nishimura Satoru
Nishimura Satoru
- Voiced by: Ryōhei Kimura (Japanese), Matthew Elkins (English)
- A Day in the Limelight: Chapter 51.1
- Aloof Big Brother: Revealed to have one in his special focus chapter.
- Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Occasionally plays the funny man to Kitamoto, but not constantly.
- Childhood Friends: With Kitamoto.
- Chivalrous Pervert: In most series, he would not be considered this. In such a series as this, when he is the only one of Natsume's companions who has a crush on somebody and insists that they should have a cafe with bunny girls for the school festival, he comes off as one.
- Innocently Insensitive: One of the author's notes in volume 13 states that he gets into conflicts due to this.
- Keet: Almost nothing gets him down.
- The McCoy: Allegedly the most soft-hearted of Natsume's friends.
- Nice Guy: Natsume's first real friend, he and Kitamoto really do a lot for him. He took Natsume to fishing trip and bug catching (something Natsume never experienced during his childhood), and together with Kitamoto, they taught Natsume how to ride a bike.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Nishimura is more laidback and cheerful while his older brother is more studious and stoic.
- Those Two Guys: Along with Kitamoto.
- The Un-Favourite: His family is mainly preoccupied with his older brother's studies, going to the point where Nishimura makes his lunches himself.
Sasada Jun
Sasada Jun
- Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese), Marisa Duran (English)
- Adaptation Expansion: In the original manga (chapter 5), she moved away after the test of courage. In the anime she is still interacting with Natsume after the test of courage.
- Ascended Extra: Left after chapter 5 of the manga, but sticks around in the anime long enough to become part of Natsume's social circle.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Is heavily implied to have romantic feelings for Natsume in some of the drama CDs. Natsume, however, is completely unaware.
- Characterization Marches On: The first two seasons have her constantly try to get involved in Natsume's youkai dealings. She stops doing this from season 3 onward.
- Class Representative
- Dogged Nice Guy: Non-romantic example in Sasada Jun who's basically trying to get Natsume to spill the beans on the supernatural spirits thing.
- Played straight in some of the drama CDs where she's heavily implied to have a crush on him.
- Proper Tights with a Skirt: Her winter uniform.
- Secret-Keeper: Promises not to tell anyone about Natsume's ability to see youkai (although he refuses to admit he can, she's just convinced of it and is extremely nosy on her own).
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Is rather strict even to her own classmates, but actually rather sensitive on the inside.
Exorcists
Natori Shuuichi
Natori Shuuichi
- Voiced by: Akira Ishida (Japanese, adult), Fuyuka Ōura (Japanese, child), Aaron Roberts (English, adult), Macy Anne Johnson (English, child), Alfredo Gabriel Basurto (Latin American Spanish)
- Animated Tattoo: Natori has one which is also a Youkai.
- Big Brother Instinct: Downplayed but like Nyanko-sensei, he will like pull a Big Damn Heroes moment and pop up in the nick of time. Eventually deconstructed as he grows increasingly more concerned of Natsume's safety and involvement of youkai, especially knowing that Natsume's been hiding something dangerous from him. It gets to the point where he intercepts or investigates matters into Natsume's affairs behind his back. It does get reconstructed when Natsume does tell him the truth. While he still isn't always upfront, he allows Natsume to mostly handle it.
- Big Brother Mentor: Slowly becomes this to Natsume.
- Bishie Sparkle: Relentlessly mocked for it by Natsume and Nyanko-sensei.
- Bishōnen: Which helps him in his acting career.
- Big Damn Heroes: If it's not Nyanko-sensei bailing Natsume out of a tough spot, then it's probably Natori.
- Bond Creatures: Even though it does nothing, his lizard Youkai seems to love Natori very much and cannot be banished, ironic considering the man is an exorcist of Youkai. It moves around his body as it pleases, but for some unknown reason, never goes near the left leg.
- Chick Magnet: Yes, it's no surprise women love him with his good looks and charming personality. But being a famous actor and celebrity brings it to a whole other level.
- Consummate Liar: An re-occurring theme around him, though he has gotten considerably better.
- Cultured Badass: Despite being a suave part-time actor, he's quite a talented exorcist even without the backing up of a clan.
- Distinguishing Mark: Has a lizard shaped birthmark that moves across his body and can only be seen by other spiritually inclined people. It's actually an ayakashi living inside his skin.
- Even the Guys Want Him: In the manga, Natori's horde of squeeing fangirls includes Nishimura.◊
- Friendless Background: Like Natsume, did not have many friends growing up due to his sight.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: His father wishes to no longer be involved with youkai, and dislikes it when Natori spends time in the warehouse researching about them. To a lesser extent, Takuma wishes Natori to not be involved with exorcism.
- Guile Hero
- Hidden Depths: According to Nyanko-sensei, he has a deep-seated hatred for ayakashi, but keeps it under wraps for Natsume's sake. He is also very observant of Natsume.
- I See Them, Too: How he introduces himself to Natsume.
- Missing Mom: His mother died when Natori was young due to her frail body. Natori, as a child, used to feel responsible for her mother's death until a younger Hiiragi cleared up that misunderstanding.
- Mr. Fanservice: Well, he is a beautiful actor.
- No Social Skills: During his high school years, he had a lot of trouble talking to people and would unintentionally seem cold and arrogant to his classmates. As he continued to attended exorcist meetings where he feels he could be more honest, he slowly grows out of it.
- Paper Master: His family seems to specialize in this, as noted by Matoba.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Funnily enough, all he does is put on a hat and glasses to make sure no one recognizes him as an actor (though).
- Parental Substitute: For Natsume, mainly when it comes to ayakashi.
- Psychic Powers: Can see and exorcise the youkai, since he's an exorcist.
- Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Not quite, since glass can enhance one's ability to see Ayakashi.
- Secret Chaser: For a short while, he investigates the Book of Friends behind Natsume's back once he heard about its existence after chapter 62. He eventually becomes a Secret-Keeper at the end of Hadozaki chapter.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: In his second appearance where he has this look.
- Triple Shifter: Both an actor and an exorcist.
- Unknown Rival: Thought of Matoba as one when they were younger.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Downplayed but his relationship with his father and grandfather. They both seem to blame their family's misfortunes on Natori. Though he doesn't look too favourable at them either, he feels being a better exorcist he might be able to take their fears away. To a less of an extent, Takuma.
Matoba Seiji
Matoba Seiji
- Voiced by: Jun'ichi Suwabe (Japanese), Reagan Murdock (English)
- Adaptational Villainy: In the manga, he follows a more businesslike approach in that his actions benefits his clan in mind. He is otherwise mostly apathetic towards ayakshi, and views both them and humans as potential tools his clan may benefit from or can use. Whereas in the anime, he is harsher towards ayakashi and shows preference towards humans (or at least Natsume).
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Matoba clan are horrible. Their collective attitude towards Natsume, who was a guest among them, is to treat him with utter disdain and disrespect.
- Blackmail: He likes to exploit Natsume's weaknesses, like his concern for a youkai's well-being or desire to keep his foster parents in the dark about his ability to see youkai because it might distress them, to force Natsume to collaborate with him quite a few times. This seems to be a common practice for him as it was lampshaded by another exorcist in chapter 53.
- Blood Knight: Though he also leans on Spirited Competitor. He seems to enjoy the challenge of a tough youkai, sounding especially disappointed when Madara wasn't going to fight back after pressing his Berserk Button.
- Dissonant Serenity: He’s positive, but has a very negative aura around him.
- Enemy to All Living Things: His clan is notorious for their exorcise methods and contracts. Matoba himself makes it clear of his disdain for them. Youkai aren't particularly fond of him either except for some of his servants.
- Eyepatch of Power: It was due to an attack on his right eye, but he’s still an excellent hunter,
- Eye Scream: Above mentioned Eyepatch of Power also covers up a wound left from an ayakashi who attacked Matoba's right eye. He still has right eye and can see but cannot estimate distances well.
- Faux Affably Evil: He speaks in a polite tone, but his words ooze with evil intent.
- The Gadfly: Moreso as a teenager.
- Jerkass: He abuses the shiki under his care. He's also not very nice to humans, either, despite being an exorcist; he was initially going to leave the rampaging youkai to harm the nearby town, along with the unconscious exorcist to die. Later on when he 'invites' Natsume for tea, he acts condescendingly to him by talking about how wonderful the Fujiwaras were "for taking care of a seed so rotten that harmed other children".
- Knight of Cerebus: When he's around, things get absolutely serious.
- Lack of Empathy: He cares nothing for the pain he causes humans or Youkai.
- Manipulative Bastard: He manipulates others into helping the Matoba Clan. See also Blackmail above.
- He exposes an exorcist possessed by a spirit that hates the Matoba Clan and attacking them by conveniently leaving out exactly who was being attacked.
- Again in chapter 93, he stalls their escape when he and Natori get locked in by the saboteur so that Natsume could take care of the ordeal for him. He only gives the solution to get out later when Natori becomes more affected by the spell and even then, doesn’t plan to help unless Natori asks him to.
- No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Comes with the occupation and Matoba is almost a Death Seeker for antagonizing dangerous Youkai, with little regard for his own safety, let alone others. He really had no idea how close he was to getting mauled by Madara for accidentally harming Natsume.
- No Sense of Personal Space: Though more so in the anime.
- Nominal Hero: In the manga, he actions are done moreso for the benefit of the clan. While he believes ayakshi are tools, he shows no strong feelings and has no problem treating humans similarly if they can be used as such. He can also be very harsh and blunt when doing so.
- Pragmatic Hero: Saves Natori and Natsume from the sealed youkai by killing it, not to mention being the one who helped awaken it in the first place.
- Psychic Powers: Can see and exorcise youkai, since he's an exorcist.
- Secret-Keeper: Exploited once, since he knows Natsume doesn't want his foster parents to know about his powers and has used this to help him out with a favour.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: Rarely raises his voice and he’s very dangerous.
- Tactical Withdrawal: Does this twice: once when he found out a youkai was too powerful and incompetent to be controlled, another when he learns Natsume's companions would out-power the ones he had. He doesn't feel much of a lose the second time since he notes there are other ways of getting Natsume's help.
- Villain Takes an Interest: Like Natori, he wants to take Natsume under his wing and have him join his clan. Justified as the number of people with the ability to see youkai is diminishing rapidly and so clans are desperately looking for future heirs.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Constantly insists to Natsume that what the Matoba clan does to youkai is necessary for the good of humans, even if they end up hated by humans by themselves.
Nanase
Nanase
- Voiced by: Mika Doi (Japanese), Laurie Steele (English)
- Adaptation Expansion: Not majorly different but she appears slightly more in the anime than manga and was even given a back-story in season 4.
- All of the Other Reindeer: In her back-story, her upbringing as an exorcist made her be considered the oddball from her other classmates.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Despite being second-in-command of Matoba clan, we don't see her after chapter 26 until chapter 72. This is subverted in the anime as she appears twice in the 4th season (with her second appearance being her back story).
- Iron Lady: Is the secretary and second-in-command for the Matoba clan.
- Jerkass: Like Matoba, she uses youkai as bait to draw in powerful shiki and sees nothing wrong with it. The anime's back-story reveals that she does not mind exorcising youkai as she is taught it is the way to keep the world in balance.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Believes that hunting youkai is part of Karma and is needed to keep the earth in balance
Takuma Yousuke
- Voiced by: Kazuhiro Yamaji
- Benevolent Boss: Unlike most of the exorcists shown so far, he seems to care about his shiki very much, even spending time with them after they complete missions. He was very hesitant on exorcising them, even though it placed his family on risk. After he loses his sight, they still remained attached to him. One desperately tries to break into his house just so she can talk with him and becomes very sadden when she understand he can longer ever see her. Another doesn't mind waiting in the house as housekeeper and waiting till he dies instead to dissolve the contract.
- Big Brother Mentor: Though initially did not want Natori to go into exorcism, he had looked after Natori when he started out.
- Brought Down to Normal: He can no longer see ayakashi.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Believes kids should not be involved with ayakashi if they don't have to and chides Natori from visiting exorcists meetings. He doesn't like when his daughter getting involved on his behalf as well.
- Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Like Natori, he wears glasses to help seen ayakashi better. He was the one who taught Natori of them in the first place. .
- Retired Badass: He used to be an exorcist but he can no longer see by the time we see him in present day. Though we never see him in action, the kimono test put him on the same level as Natori, if not slightly behind.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Downplayed since Natori interests are also of his own initiative and since Takuma is not cold but because he prioritizes Natori's safety. However, the younger Natori feels the need to prove himself as an exorcist to Tanuma and took the Tri-horn ayakashi to gain both his and other exorcist's respect as well.
Others
Katsumi Shibata
Katsumi Shibata
- Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya
- Character Development: At first he appeared as a bully to Natsume in his childhood and, in the future, blackmails him into helping him. After learning Youkai are real he has a Heel Realization and feels regretful over his actions. Later on, he reconnects with Natsume and they become friends.
- Interspecies Romance: With Murasaki, who was a Youkai from an old wisteria tree. Unfortunately, that romance was quickly cut short due to Murasaki fading away and dying.
- Reformed Bully: It's shown that he used to bully Natsume when they were kids. Later, however, after learning Youkai really do exist. He apologized to Natsume and feels guilty about his actions. To be fair though, he did show signs of regret for bullying Natsume even before he learned Youkai actually exists.
Tamiko
Tamiko
- Voiced by: Sawa Ishige (Japanese), Dani Chambers (English)
- Cheerful Child: She’s fairly young, but easily excitable.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: She looks after Madara as they’re stuck in a hole.
Youkai
The Dog's Circle (Inu no Kai)
Tropes applied to the Dog's Circle
Tropes applied to the Dog's Circle
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason why they are loyal to Natsume is because he is willing to help youkai.
- Cloudcuckoolander: The whole group when they are together.
- Moral Guardians: They forbid Natsume drinking sake with them as he's underage.
- Odd Friendship: With Natsume.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The group consists of a powerful horse youkai, a youkai who hates men, those two idiots, a kappa and a drunk cat (who is actually an inugami).
- Serious Business: Shadow Tag
- True Companions: Natsume youkai companions. Though he usually finds them annoying.
- Undying Loyalty: Towards Natsume. Especially considering that none of them (except Misuzu) has their name binded to the Book Of Friends.
Hinoe
Hinoe
- Voiced by: Akemi Okamura (Japanese), Molly Searcy (English)
- Ambiguously Bi: She falls in love with Natsume, but she seemed to also held a torch for his late grandmother.
- Does Not Like Men: So far, Natsume's the only exception.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Eventually becomes attracted to Natsume over the course of the series.
- Lipstick Lesbian: A beautiful and well-dressed woman who may have feelings for Reiko.
- No Sense of Personal Space: Towards Natsume. Given the way she greeted him when she first mistook him for Reiko, she was probably like this around his grandmother as well.
- Smoking Is Glamorous
- Spirit Advisor: On occasion, especially when Nyanko-sensei isn't available for some reason.
- Stupid Sexy Flanders: Constantly around Natsume.
- Hinoe: Dammit, why do you have to be a man?
- Unrequited Love: Her attraction towards Reiko....presumably.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: Her reaction to Natsume in their first meeting says it all.
Misuzu
Misuzu
- Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda (Japanese), Chris Ryan (English)
- Cool Horse: The equine form that he took came from the horse offering that was given to the swamp's spirit in which he used to reside.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Is quite powerful and looks is rather intimidating but he is very much on Natsume's side.
- Does Not Know His Own Strength: Tends to overdo the simplest of tasks or instructions given to him.
- Happiness in Slavery: He wants to become Natsume's bodyguard in place of the "useless" Madara.
- Keep the Reward: Unlike the other youkai, he doesn't want his name back.
- Noble Demon: He’s a Yokai, but he’s regularly shown to be fair and reasonable with Natsume.
- Perpetual Smiler: So much that his mouth doesn't even move when he talks. In "The Strange Visitor", he reveals his identity to Natsume while in human form by putting on his usual expression.
- Powers via Possession: Before he became Lord of the Bell-crying Yatsuhara Swamp, he was just a nameless formless spirit that inhabited the waters, until farmers threw a horse into the lake as a harvest offering. Misuzu took on its form and gained a lot of power as result of the sacrifice.
- Purple Is Powerful: Next to Madara, he is probably one of Natsume's most powerful youkai friends
- Purple Is the New Black: His colour scheme is consistent of black and purple.
- Secret Test of Character: Puts Natsume through a rather dangerous test to see if he's worthy of him. He concludes he's not, but continues to watch over him regardless as he's "very interesting".
- Sore Loser: Like Madara, he also hates to lose games and wants to crush all 'lesser beings' beneath him, understandably, Natsume and the Youkai make him the referee of their games instead.
- Stalker without a Crush:
- He hangs around Natsume's place a lot, and pops up when you least expect him.
- As of Chapter 97 he's taken a special interest in Tanuma Kaname, appearing to him as a handsome tall man, telling Natsume to respectfully mind his own business. Subverted when it is revealed that Misuzu was actually trying to contact a youkai that'd possessed Tanuma.
Chuukyuu
Chuukyuu
- One-Eyed is Voiced by: Takashi Matsuyama (Japanese), Brian Mathis (English)Ox-Like is Voiced by: Hiroshi Shimozaki (Japanese), Greg Dulcie (English)
- Determinator: Willing to fulfill a youkai ridiculous demand to get cold medicine for Natsume. Too bad it doesn't work for humans.
- Fool for Love: A non-romantic example. They call themselves a fool for being entranced with a human (Natsume) even though they know that humans lives are short.
- No Name Given: Nobody ever called them by their names. Chuukyuu literally means 'midrank' and is indicative of their rank instead of their names.
- Those Two Guys: More so than Nishimura and Kitamoto, as they are never seen alone.
Other Youkai
Kogitsune (The Little Fox-child)
Kogitsune (The Little Fox-child)
- Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese), Kristen McGuire (English)
- Adorably Precocious Child: Has the appearance of a child and acts like one.
- Asian Fox Spirit: He's a young kitsune cub who appears as a young boy with fox traits, though ordinary people just see him as a regular fox. Contrary to the stereotype, however, he cannot transform (possibly because he is just too young) and is rather straightforward, not tricky in the least, nor particularly cunning.
- Cute Monster Girl: A rare male example though to be fair, it's not hard to mistake him for a girl.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: It’s common to think he’s a girl.
- Heartwarming Orphan: He’s a kind young boy who tries to spread joy to those around him.
- Missing Mom: Died before Natsume met her.
- No Name Given: Is only known as the little fox-child.
- Little Bit Beastly: Although ordinary people just see him as a regular fox.
- Mundane Object Amazement: Falls in love with a pretty hat and a cracked human watch.
- Precocious Crush: Maybe, but he probably just really, really, really admires and looks up to Natsume as a Big Brother Mentor. The rock god's "humans, ayakashi, and beasts have different times" speech to the fox child in season three about why he and Natsume shouldn't be together and his resulting angst seemed to imply something else though.
Hiiragi
Hiiragi
- Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese), Jill Harris (English)
- Bodyguard Babes: One of Natori's three female shiki.
- Cool Mask: So cool, she’s rarely seen without it.
- The Face: Appears more frequently compared to Natori's other shiki.
- Familiar: Specifically, one of Natori's three shiki.
- Not So Stoic: She's usually aloof, but in S6E10, she joins Natsume and Nyanko-sensei in a spontaneous team cheer.
- Secret-Keeper: Implied to know about the Book Of Friends, or more aware of Natsume’s possession compared to Sasago and Urihime. She also doesn't tell Natsume about Natori’s secret investigations about it but tries to get Natsume to open up to Natori about it so he doesn't find out on his own.
- The Stoic: Granted, her face is completely covered, but on top of that her voice is usually brusque and rarely emotional.
- Subordinate Excuse: Possibly her reason for becoming one of Natori's shiki.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: She rarely shows emotion, but she does care for her allies.
Sasago and Urihime
Sasago and Urihime
- Voiced by: Chieko Honda (Sasago, Seasons 1-4, Japanese), Ayako Kawasumi (Sasago, Season 6+, Japanese), Akari Higuchi (Urihime, Japanese), Jennifer Green (Sasago, English), Linda Leonard (Urihime, English)
- Action Girl: While this isn't an action based manga, the two prove to be able to hold their own in a fight.
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Urihime has long black hair and is rather calm, but distant.
- Berserk Button: Sasago does not take being called old very well. The pair also don't like anyone insulting or hurting their master.
- Bodyguard Babes: Natori’s first two bodyguards and both are female.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: They’re Natori’s bodyguards, but he proves to be able to do well in a fight.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The pair are ruthless, but they’re not bad so long as you’re an ally of Natori’s.
- Prehensile Hair: Urihime uses her hair for combat.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Sasago and Urihime respectively. The former is quick to get in a fight while the latter usually will follow orders and rarely raises her voice.
- Satellite Character: Are mostly just around as Natori’s Shiki bodyguards.
- The Stoic: Urihime. She barely raises her voice.
- Those Two Girls: Are Natori's two female Shiki and they're rarely not seen together.
- Would Hurt a Child: Urihime’s first scene has her strangling Natsume via her hair until Nyanko-Sensei stops her.
Minor Characters
Takashi Natsume’s Parents
- Good Parents: Takashi’s father, was seen to be a kind and loving father to Takashi.
- The Reveal: It’s later revealed, that Takashi’s mother is Reiko Natsume’s daughter. It’s also later revealed, that Takashi’s mother has never met her father.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Takashi inherited his blonde hair from his father, but his friends stated he looked a lot like his mother.
- The Un-Reveal: It’s currently unknown, how Takashi’s father died, if Takashi’s mother could see youkai or not, and who the father of Takashi’s mother is.
