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Other Mibu
Julian
The greatest blacksmith of the Mibu clan, Muramasa's mentor, Yuan's father, and Shihoudou's best friend.
- Anachronism Stew: He wears a leopard-print cowboy hat. No, seriously. Yuan likes to steal it
◊. - Birds of a Feather: He and Shihodo are ridiculous and have been friends for a very long time (Shihodo is several thousand years old and Julian at the very least several hundred). He's the only one who understands her incomprehensible smoke signals and laughs at her stupid jokes.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's a pervert and a bad lyricist, but he's the greatest sword-smith ever.
- Cloudcuckoolander: He writes and sings ridiculous songs, and talks to and about swords like they're people.
- Eccentric Mentor: He was Muramasa's.
- Gratuitous English: Like the other members of Yuan's family, his name is in kanji adjusted to read out as Julian.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Tries against Hishigi and Fubuki, jumping between them and Yuan in order to get close enough to break their swords. Julian fails to die, and Fubuki "resurrects" the shattered blades anyway.
- Large Ham: Julian is hugely dramatic, loudly proclaiming his status as the greatest swordsmith in history and even demanding that Yuan praise him for forging the swords that Hishigi and Fubuki are actively trying to kill them with.
- Let Them Die Happy: He stops Yuan from attacking Hishigi once he realizes that Hishigi is just trying to get to Fubuki before he dies. It's especially admirable on Julian's part because he has every right and every reason to hate Hishigi.Julian: It's the end. Let him go as he pleases.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Hishigi one-shots Kyo, Julian quits bragging about having forged Hakuya and regrets that he put such a powerful weapon in Hishigi's hands.
- Non-Action Guy: He's perfectly capable of slaughtering Mooks, but he's hopelessly outclassed by the major characters. At one point, Yuan starts imitating his father and says something along the lines of, "My wife was an Elder and she kicked my butt."
- Papa Wolf: He's not much of a fighter, but don't threaten his kids. Just don't.
- Pimped-Out Cape: It's fur-trimmed. And leopard-print.
- Retired Badass: He is the greatest smith in Mibu history, but seems to have stopped making weapons since his wife's death.
- Senseless Sacrifice: His gambit to break Hishigi's and Fubuki's swords, which results in a One-Handed Zweihänder through Julian's abdomen. It buys Yuan a chance to attack, but that chance is immediately nullified by Hishigi's Devil Eyes. And then Fubuki resurrects the blades, so the protagonists end up in an even worse position.
- Unexplained Recovery: Julian takes Hishigi's BFS through the gut in his attempt at a Heroic Sacrifice. Hakuya is easily six inches wide, and would have severed Julian's spine and damaged some pretty important internal organs stabbing him where it did. He survives and seems to suffer no ill effects in the long run — no one even mentions it after the fact.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Downplayed; only Angelica can really be called serious, but none of them are even close to dad's Cloudcuckoolander status, and Julian's antics drive Yuan up a wall on a regular basis.
Jaki and Maki
Two elite soldiers of the Mibu army sent to kill Tokugawa Ieyasu, they're stopped and fought by Benitora and Sasuke. In the anime they appear instead as part of the troops sent to attack Muramasa, but their role is identical.
- Bald of Evil: Both guys.
- BFS: Jaki wields a generic oversized machete, Maki wields a massive crescent-shaped blade with wooden hilts on both ends.
- Breath Weapon: Jaki's technique, Flamethrower, allows him to puke copious amounts of molten metal.
- Chrome Champion: Jaki's special ability appears to turn him to steel, making his skin so hard that even Hokurakushimon can't pierce him until Benitora unlocks its power.
- Dumb Muscle: Both of them compared to the other Mibu, but mostly Jaki. Maki instead is quite talkative and seems brighter by comparison, like when he tells Sasuke about his origins.
- Elite Mook: What they are, and what's worst, they're probably on the lowest level of Elite Mooks in the Mibu Army, and yet the two of them would have defeated the entire Iga Ninja army alone if Sasuke and Benitora hadn't figured out their weapons.
- Invisible Jerkass: Maki's power allows him to cancel his presence and appearence, so that he can slip unnoticed in the surroundings to attack.
- Oh, Crap!: Both of them, before their opponents turn the table on them.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Maki taunts Sasuke about being a failure from the forest, and both of them constantly boast about how powerful they are as members of the Mibu clan. In reality, they're small fry, and not even considered Mibu within the clan itself — they're "successful" experiments, but actually lower than Sasuke because he's one of the near-perfect "rare breed" that Hishigi has developed.
- Smug Snake: Maki, who constantly taunts both Mahiro and Sasuke and insults the name of the Sanada in front of the latter.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: Jaki seems this way until Benitora figures out the spear.
- Too Dumb to Live: Maki, if the guy you're fighting is about to fry your ass on a molecular level, you might want to stop demeaning the person he's devoted his life to.
- The Worf Effect: They establish themselves and the Mibu soldiers in general as strong enemies by stomping the Tokugawa forces, and then have the effect inflicted on them to show how powerful Muramasa's demonblades can be when wielded correctly.
Kitsunebi
The guardian of the Mibu Citadel outside the castle, he's the first opponent faced by Kyo inside the Mibu Land. He's also the one who reveals to Yuuya that Muramasa has died.
- Calling Your Attacks: "Bakujin'en" (Explosive Powder Feast) is his only technique shown.
- No Body Left Behind: He's completely wiped out by Kyo's new Mizuchi.
- Slasher Smile: Under his mask.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Just because he rules over one small civilian Mibu community, he thinks he can win against Kyo. The elite troops encountered after the Goyosei are probably more powerful than he is, and they're faceless automatons.
- Stuff Blowing Up: He constantly sheds a peculiar powder that surrounds the enemy, and then throws sharp needles at them. If the enemy parries, the resulting sparks will ignite the powder and cause an explosion; if they dodge, it will spread the powder over a larger area and make it harder to escape.
- Weak, but Skilled: His physical strength is pretty dismal compared to other Mibu, but his Bakujin'en technique shows his strategic ability and makes him formidable nonetheless.
- The Worf Effect: Hey, he was there to show that Kyo did master Muramasa's teachings.
Other recurring characters
Tokugawa Ieyasu
- Adaptational Villainy: Anime only, he's manipulated by Santera and eventually turns into a Ken'yo which Benitora has to kill.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: In the manga, played straight. Not so much in the anime.
- Big Damn Heroes: Leads a giant army along with the Sanada and Date forces to defeat the Crimson King's blood soldiers in the end.
- Fat Bastard: Subverted by the real Ieyasu, who's pretending to be Hanzo Hattori. Played straight in the anime.
- Manipulative Bastard: Mostly shown in his interactions with his son.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He's an asshole and is the first to admit it, but he's genuinely working to form a peaceful Japan.
Mahiro
- Animal Motif: Spiders. According to her, is because female spiders eat their mates, referencing to her crush on Kyo.
- Anime Hair: Her hair seems to be messy everywhere, as if strong winds are blowing.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: When Yuya thinks about her being beautiful, the very next thing she thinks of are her huge breasts.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: She gets better and better as the story goes on.
- Demoted to Extra: Her background is simplified in the anime: in the manga, Chinmei killed her sister, and it was revealed many chapters later in the story after her debut. In the anime, the culprit his her boss, a anime-only Spider Ken'yo disguised as a Iga ninja and everything is settled in the very episode she first appear in.
- Faux Action Girl: The only battle in which she accomplish something is the one against Chinmei. And by accomplish something we mean scratch his face after getting soundly beaten for about two chapters.
- Honey Trap: Her first attempt on Kyo's life, while taking Yuuya's appearence. Kyo doesn't buy it, apparently because Yuuya isn't that charming.
- It's Personal: Her vendetta against Kyo and later Chinmei, which ends up with her going all out against him to both avenge her sister and release Kyo from Chinmei's gravity spell.
- Large Ham: Early on, she's quite melodramatic.
- People Puppets: Uses her Kumo no Juubaku to paralyze and manipulate Yuuya to have her kill Kyo.
- Revenge Before Reason: She's pursuing revenge against Kyo for murdering her sister Mayumi, and refuses to consider the possibility that he didn't do it. She eventually finds out the truth.
- Scars Are Forever: The reddish-purple streaks on her arms.
- Spiders Are Scary: She can attack by throwing lots of poisonous spiders at once.
Sakuya
A powerful Seer whose talent for predicting the future is coveted by the Former Crimson King. Sakuya has won the loyalties of many people, including Sanada Yukimura and Mibu Kyoshiro.
Voiced by: Yukana (JP), Sonja Lingo (EN)
- Childhood Friend Romance: With Kyoshiro.
- Cordon Bleugh Chef: Played for laughs and subverted, the tea she offers to Yuya looks like bubbling green magma, but the taste is excellent.
- Cute Clumsy Girl: In the manga, she is highly uncoordinated, regularly tripping over her own feet and random objects.
- Damsel in Distress: During the Mibu arc, after being captured by the Former Crimson King.
- Freudian Trio: The Ego to Kyo's Id and Kyoshiro's Superego, pre-story. She took the role of mediator when their personalities clashed more violently than usual.
- Hime Cut: Her long hair is styled this way.
- Luke, I Am Your Father: She's Nozomu's sister by blood, and therefore Yuya's sister by adoption.
- Ms. Fanservice: She wears modest robes most of the time, but she does get a nude scene that shows off her beautiful figure. In-Universe, not only Kyoshiro, but also Kyo (and possibly Shinrei) fell for her.
- Nice Girl: An incredibly nice person to nearly everyone.
- Non-Action Guy: She's not a fighter at all, just a seer.
- Seers: She can see the future by reading the stars, but she cannot change it in any way.
- The Faceless: Mentioned and appeared in flashbacks very early on, but it's not until the final arc that we get to see what's under her bangs.
- The Heart: She was this before Yuya
- Red Herring: Some ambiguous flashbacks and sentences seemed to imply that she was in a relationship with Kyo in the past. It's eventually revealed that she has only ever loved Kyoshiro, and Kyo was never more than a friend to her.
Minor Antagonists
The Bantoji Brothers
- Adapted Out: They do not appear in the anime.
- Asshole Victim: They fully deserve what happens to them.
- Bash Brothers: Subverted, though the duo fights together, ultimately Banji despises his brother.
- Dumb Muscle: Banji is massive, doesn't look very bright and speaks with a stutter. Though he's not as dumb as he looks.
- Expy: They can call to mind the Toguro Brothers, as in both cases we have a duo of brother with the elder being tiny compared to the younger.
- Family-Unfriendly Death: Toji loses an arm and then is cut from shoulder to crotch in half. Banji is literally chopped to pieces with Mizuchi.
- Fragile Speedster: Toji is known as the "Wind" because he's so fast that he can backstab you when you think he's in front of you. He can't take a hit, though.
- Gonk: Oh my god, yes. Likely to make them even less sympathetic when they're killed by Kyo.
- Meaningful Name: The "To" in Toji stands for 10, while Ban in Banji means 10000.
- Oh, Crap!: Toji when Kyo avoids his sneak attack and Banji refuses to help him. Banji after realising the effects of Mizuchi on his body.
- Red Baron: Banji the Iron Hammer and Toji the Wind.
- Starter Villain: Manga only.
- Wolverine Claws: Toji's weapon of choice.
- The Worf Effect: They make Yuya useless in about two pages but are butchered without effort by Kyo.
- Would Hurt a Child: Banji nearly crushes a kid to teach the villagers a lesson.
- You Have Failed Me: Unlike the typical setting for this trope, is the dumb-looking brute Banji who pulls this on the smarter Toji when he loses to Kyo and begs for help. After his death he simply states that "Weaklings deserve death".
Jimon
- Ax-Crazy: He killed 108 people with Hienken just to perfect the move for his battle against Kyo.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: How he's Hoist by His Own Petard by Kyo.
- Iaijutsu Practitioner: Has a special move called Hienken which allows him to strike three times in a row.
- One-Winged Angel: Anime only, he turns into a spike-shooting serpent Ken'yo.
- Psycho for Hire: In the manga, he works for a local governor as a bodyguard and is a psychopath.
- Small Name, Big Ego: He's a small fry, and Kyo doesn't even remember him.
- Starter Villain: Very early antagonist, no real threat, only exists to show off Kyo's skill.
The Three Color Gang
A trio of assassins working for Genma Kido, who's an underling of the Lord (Nobunaga). Benitora used to be one of them.
- Affably Evil: Shirogarasu is incredibly polite and even apologize when one of his mooks tries to cut down a unique cherry tree.
- Adaptational Wimp: Genma Kido in the Anime is killed by Okuni before he can even transform.
- Animal Motif: Scorpions for Kurosasori, ravens for Shirogarasu, and tigers for Benitora.
- Bad Boss: Kurosasori kills his own underlings when they fail to hit Kyoshiro. Later Genma steps on Shirogarasu's body and mocks him for failing to kill Kyo.
- Bald of Evil: Kurosasori
- Beat Still, My Heart: How Genma meets his end in the Manga, thanks to Benitora.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game: Shirogarasu's illusionary technique is defeated by Kyo's own illusionary technique, Shin.
- Boisterous Weakling: Despite his size, Kurosasori is this, with needles being his only weapon and no real melee technique. He still insist on taking on who he think is Demon Eyes Kyo.
- Breath Weapon: Kurosasori's Amata Shigyoku secret attack involves spitting thousands of poisoned needles from his mouth.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: How Kurosasori is killed by Shirogarasu in the manga.
- Mix-and-Match Weapon: Shirogarasu's weapon, Kageromaru, is halfway between a sword and a tonfa.
- One-Winged Angel: In the manga, Genma can Hulk Out with his Dark Battle Aura. In the anime all three of them are Ken'yo and thus capable of transforming into monsters.
- Petal Power: Shirogarasu's main shtick. His secret attack, Ouka Mugen Kairo (Infinite Cherry Blossoms Corridor) traps the enemy into a storm of petals.
- Master Poisoner: Kurosasori has several tipes of poisons and use them in tandem with steel needles.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Kurosasori.
- Torso with a View: Benitora kills Genma with his Koyoku spear, combining this with Beat Still, My Heart.
- Universal Poison: Subverted by Kurosasori, who fights with four poisons: one that burns the victim, one that causes hallucinations, one that causes deadly spasms, and one that melts the victim entirely.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Shirogarasu plays with this trope. He's a polite and respectful opponent, but he is a villain in the employ of a worse villain, nonetheless.
Anime-exclusive
Migeira
Migeira belongs to a secret sect of monk warriors bent on preserving the timeline. His right arm is replaced with a fifth lost Muramasa called Hajao, which he has reforged into a five-barreled cannon.
- Arm Cannon: Hajao is a five-barreled cannon, formerly a Muramasa weapon which was changed into its current form through western alchemy. In the finale he first upgrades it after absorbing the other three Muramasa Hokurakushimon, Tenguko and Shibien, but later loses it entirely after entrusting the result to Kyo's Tenro.
- Expy: He looks a lot like Kakashi Hatake, from the ever-present mask to the silver hair and mismatched eyes.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Joins the heroes as they attack the Mibu Castle in Sekigahara and takes care of Saishi and later Shatora.
- Heel–Face Turn: He eventually sides with Kyo, the man he sought to destroy in fear he could cause a paradox.
- Knight Templar: He will defend time "as it should be", no matter what he has to kill or destroy in the process.
- Light 'em Up: Hajao mostly attacks by shooting light beams.
- Mask Power: Never seen with his lower face uncovered.
- Time Police: He belongs to an order of monks with this purpose. He also seems to know the future, as seen when he reveals to Okuni how she's supposed to become the founder of Kabuki.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He wants to prevent paradoxes and stabilize time, but that mission is dangerous to innocent people and disregards the reality of those who exist in the alternate timeline.
- White Hair, Black Heart: He starts out this way, albeit more of a Well-Intentioned Extremist than a pure villain. Eventually subverted when he turns out to be a good guy.
