Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Samurai Deeper Kyo Taishiro

Go To

Character Index | Main Characters | The Shiseiten (Four Emperors) | The Sanada Juyushi | Oda Nobunaga and the Jūnishinshō | The Goyosei (Five Stars) | The Taishiro (Four Elders) and Imperial Guards | The Aka no Ou (Crimson Kings) and Crimson Cross Knights | Other Characters

The Former Crimson King's strongest subjects. The Elders have the most direct authority over the clan in general, as the King has removed himself from the public. Even their Imperial Guards are stronger than the Goyosei in combat, and the Elders themselves are among the most formidable warriors in the entire series.

    open/close all folders 

    The Taishiro as a group 
https://mediaproxy.tvtropes.org/width/1000/https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2151.jpg
The current lineup, from left to right: Hishigi, Fubuki, Tokito, and Yuan

  • Adaptational Wimp: The "Four Elders" in the anime are nameless, faceless, literal Red Shirts who get flattened by Nobunaga after he takes Kyo's body. In dramatic contrast, Hishigi alone is capable of effortlessly one-shotting Kyo and rendering him unconscious for an entire volume of the manga.
  • Adapted Out: Not one of these characters even exists in the anime. Related to Adaptational Wimp above; the former refers to the title of Taishiro, this refers to the actual characters.
  • Elemental Powers: Yuan fights with fire, while Fubuki is a master of water techniques; they actually taught these elements to Hotaru and Shinrei. Hishigi's abilities seem to be light-based. Tokito is seen Playing with Fire at one point as well, but purely physical attacks are the usual approach.
  • Four Is Death: They're absolutely lethal, more so than any other "team" in the series.
  • Four-Temperament Ensemble: The current lineup fits this almost perfectly.
    • Phlegmatic: Fubuki
    • Sanguine: Yuan
    • Choleric: Tokito
    • Melancholic: Hishigi

    Fubuki 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/18.png
Featuring undead cat

The current leader of the Four Elders, Fubuki was once Muramasa's best friend, despite usually disagreeing and arguing with each other over everything. He is also the one who taught Shinrei the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu, and is shown to be a skilled Necromancer. Before Muramasa defected from the Mibu, Fubuki was a kind-hearted man who loved life. Now, he acts as the merciless will of the Sendai Aka no Ou, slaughtering everything he sees as a hindrance towards the Aka no Ou's plans for the Mibu. He is also Tokito's real father.

Fubuki is the only one of the current Taishiro whose imperial guard makes no appearance in the story.

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (JP)

  • The Atoner: After throwing himself onto Shinrei's sword, he says that his plan was always to die atoning for his and Hishigi's crimes.
  • Bloody Murder: He can create powerful, corrosive "scarlet wyrms" by infusing the water with his own blood.
  • Break His Heart to Save Him/Shoo the Suicidally Loyal Friend: There are moments where it really seems like he's trying to get Hishigi to leave the Mibu, aggressively saying he doesn't care if he stays or not. Hishigi always reminds him that he vowed to follow Fubuki until the end... even if that path leads nowhere but hell.
  • Combat Pragmatist: Stabs Shinrei and Taihaku in the back, fills the battlefield with mist so Hotaru can't use his fire techniques, has zero qualms about joining Hishigi to subdue Yuan instead of fighting one-on-one, etc.
  • Cool Sword: He uses a katana with an ornate cross-shaped hilt, which is quite distinctive and was apparently custom-forged for him by Julian. Sadly, we never learn its name or much more about it.
  • Cultured Badass: He used to perform on the water stage at festivals in better times, and the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu school he created is a dance as much as a fighting style.
  • Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Like his protege, Shinrei, he can use the more powerful "scarlet" water dragons formed from his own blood mixed with water. Because Fubuki is a master, the technique is less dangerous to him than it is to the less-experienced Shinrei.
  • Deadly Upgrade: As the leader of the Taishiro, Fubuki possesses a one-time spell that greatly increases his power. It's a one-time spell because he needs to stab himself in the heart to activate it.
  • Evil Versus Oblivion: The Mibu Battle Dolls suffer from a genetic defect that is essentially guaranteed to kill every single one of them. Fubuki believes that the Former Crimson King is the only person capable of saving his people, and that they will all die if Kyo succeeds in defeating the King.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: For Tokito, when the Sendai Aka No Ou attempts to kill her.
  • Hypercompetent Sidekick: Subverted; Fubuki certainly appears to be a more serious threat than The Former Crimson King... but don't let the king's Cloudcuckoolander facade fool you.
  • Knight Templar: His drive to save the Mibu has changed him from a kindhearted leader to a ruthless Well-Intentioned Extremist, willing to kill his own allies if it will further the Crimson King's agenda.
  • Making a Splash: A master of the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu, his skills make Shinrei's (already damn impressive) look absolutely tame by comparison.
  • Mighty Glacier: He's not slow except by comparison, but he is the only one of the current Taishiro who doesn't fall into the Lightning Bruiser category. Fubuki tends to block and retaliate instead of avoiding attacks, and rarely tries to outmaneuver opponents because his strength means he doesn't really need to.
  • Mundane Utility: Most people use necromancy to make zombie minions, or bring back loved ones. Fubuki uses it to resurrect dead cats and fix swords. He tried bringing back loved ones, but because the Mibu are Artificial Humans, it didn't work.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: He believes that the Sendai Aka no Ou is the only person capable of saving the Mibu clan, and so all of his actions — no matter how horrific the consequences may be — are justified.
  • Necromancer: He can resurrect anything he has a piece of. Even swords. The reason he can't revive the Mibu is that they're all Artificial Humans that dissolve into nothing when they die.
  • Only Sane Man: Implied in an omake that he's this among the Taishiro whenever there is a decision or plan to be made. Yuan is disrespectful and regularly goofs off, Tokito is impulsive and childish, and Hishigi is on Fubuki's side but completely apathetic about anything beyond protecting him.
  • Parrot Pet Position: His black cat, most of the time.
  • Pitiful Worms: When Shinrei confronts him near the end of the manga about the fact that he killed Taihaku, Fubuki refers to his subordinates as bugs in the palm of his hand and says he will not hesitate to crush those who try to escape his control.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: When his Crimson Eyes activate, shit has officially gotten real.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: He has been each at different times.
    • He's the red to Hishigi's blue in the current timeline. Fubuki isn't quite as "red" as some of the others, but compared to Hishigi, he's certainly more emotional and reactive.
    • In flashbacks, Fubuki appears to be the serious, slightly snarky blue oni to Muramasa's friendly, energetic red.
  • Selective Obliviousness: Before stabbing himself in the heart to activate his Deadly Upgrade, he thanks Hishigi for staying with him and says that he wishes for his friend to live. Hishigi has been a deteriorating terminal case for twenty years, and at this specific point in the fight, he's lying helpless in a pool of his own blood.
  • Undying Loyalty: To the Mibu clan.
  • Villainous Friendship: With Hishigi. They have been close friends for centuries, and whether or not you believe there's more to it, they clearly care deeply about each other.

    Hishigi 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hishigi_4.jpg

One of the current Taishiro, thought to be the most powerful ever (considering Muramasa and Shihodo and the rest, this is frightening). Hishigi wields a huge BFS named Hakuya ("White Night") and, when all else fails, his Devil Eyes. Inarguably the most intelligent character in the series. He appears to be reserved and calm at first, but as pretty much the entire cast discovers, he should not be underestimated.

Voiced by: Shigeru Nakahara (JP)

  • Almost Dead Guy: He has been for a very long time.
  • An Arm and a Leg: The Devil Eyes have been holding the deteriorating left side of his body together. After they are destroyed, he starts literally falling apart, his left arm and leg disintegrating during his dying walk toward Fubuki.
  • Anti-Villain: Type II. Hishigi has been actively dying for a few decades, and Stopped Caring about the Crimson King's goals a long time ago. The only reason he's an antagonist at all is his Undying Loyalty to Fubuki.
  • Awesomeness by Analysis: During his battle with Yuan, it appears that he's using the same vocal tic that Shinrei does, meaning he has analyzed the way Yuan moves and can match him to evade.
  • Badass Bookworm/Genius Bruiser: He's a little bit of each — he certainly doesn't look like a harmless bookworm, but he's not especially physically imposing either. Extremely intelligent and described as a genius on a regular basis.
  • Badass Longcoat: Black leather with no sleeves and three tails.
  • Barrier Warrior: He uses them to trap and/or protect other people, rarely to defend himself.
  • Beat Still, My Heart: He rips out his own heart and implants it into Fubuki's chest when Fubuki's heart is destroyed by a Deadly Upgrade.
  • Berserk Button: He never quite loses his cool, but Tranquil Fury ensues when Fubuki is threatened or their sacrifices for the clan are insulted.
  • Beware the Quiet Ones: He is soft-spoken, reserved, and incredibly dangerous.
  • BFS: Hakuya, the most visually impressive sword in the series.
    • Cool Sword: Julian designed and forged Hakuya for Hishigi because his strength shattered normal swords.
    • One-Handed Zweihänder: Hakuya is huge even by previously established BFS standards in the series. The length of the hilt (not to mention the size of the blade) suggests it's a two-handed sword, but Hishigi's left hand rarely if ever touches it. Possibly because his left arm has deteriorated badly from the Death Disease.
  • Blue Oni: To Fubuki's red in the current timeline, and to Shihodo's in flashbacks.
  • Body Horror/Facial Horror: Try not to think about how bad his condition must have gotten before he honestly thought being infested with parasitic eyes was better. The eyes themselves are bad enough; the way the skin around them looks, it's obvious they've done serious damage to his body. The horror gets even worse after the Eyes are destroyed, Hishigi loses all chance of survival, and he has to drag himself to Fubuki because he is literally falling apart.
  • Broken Ace: He's reportedly the strongest Taishiro member ever. He's also Secretly Dying, wracked with guilt due to his failure to save his friends and the horrors of the Reconstruction Project, and an incredibly miserable person in general.
  • Broken Bird: See Despair Event Horizon. Flashbacks show that Hishigi has never been socially inclined, but he's obviously retreated even further from everyone except Fubuki since he contracted the disease.
  • Cast from Lifespan: Any time he uses the Devil Eyes. They're a devastating weapon, but they're also the only thing keeping the Death Disease from killing him. If he exhausts their power, he's dead.
  • Chessmaster Sidekick: He's not exactly a sidekick, but he's outright stated to be Fubuki's superior tactically.
  • The Comically Serious: A contrast to Shihodo in flashbacks, and to Yuan and Tokito in the events of the manga.
  • Cool Mask: Black leather covering the left side of his face. Also acts as an Eyepatch of Power, as it both conceals the Devil Eyes and conserves their energy (they can't be turned off).
  • Dark and Troubled Past: He's been trying to save the Mibu from the Death Disease for decades, and watched thousands of people die as his ceaseless efforts failed to save them. By the time he contracted the disease himself, he was so broken that he tried to provoke Fubuki, his best friend, into killing him so it would finally be over.
  • Deadly Gaze: Subverted in that the Devil Eyes are not his eyes, and he can't see out of them. His right eye is red when activated, but otherwise normal.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Exceptionally heavy on the deadpan. We only get one moment of snark in a flashback, and a couple of snarky comments aimed at Yuan in the current timeline.
    • During his fight with Yuan, he indulges in a little bit of Trash Talk.
    Hishigi: I get the feeling you are taking it easy on me, Yuan. Or more likely, your swordsmanship is not as good as you think it is.
    Yuan: Ouch.
    • In the same fight:
    Yuan: I'm nice and angry now. Just plain steamed.
    Hishigi: What a wonderful coincidence.
    • And in a flashback, after Muramasa and Fubuki have started bickering.
    Shihodo: Aren't you going to stop them, Hishigi?
    Hishigi: They do love to fight.
  • Death Seeker: A flashback reveals that after Fubuki refused to Mercy Kill him, Hishigi promised that he would die protecting his friend instead. In the events of the manga, he places himself between Fubuki and deadly attacks on a regular basis, and has no intention of surviving long enough for the Devil Eyes to take over his mind.
  • Despair Event Horizon: He hit it hard after implanting the Devil Eyes, saying that he wished someone would just kill him and attempting to provoke Fubuki into doing so.
  • Despair Speech: When Fubuki comes to visit him shortly after his Despair Event Horizon.
    Fubuki: I would prefer that my friends survive, no matter what the state may be.
    Hishigi: "No matter the state"? You are cruel and egotistical, as always. I am not like Muramasa. If a manmade creation shows signs of flaws, it means that it does not have the right to exist any longer. I have grown tired and uncaring of my fate, and the fate of the clan. I cannot imagine the peace I would feel if someone would just kill me.
  • Determinator: It's hard to stand out as one of these in SDK, but Hishigi's final battle shows that he is about as definitive as Determinators get.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: He collapses into Fubuki's arms seconds before disintegrating.
  • The Dreaded: Yuan describes him as an "incredibly efficient executioner", and once says that the reason no one knows how he fights is that no one has ever fought him and survived. His arrival is usually an Oh, Crap! moment for the protagonists.
  • Driven to Suicide: He is very close in a flashback, before Fubuki tells him that he isn't allowed to die until Fubuki says he can.
  • Dying as Yourself: He plans to. The Devil Eyes have been trying to take over his mind since he implanted them, and Hishigi has no intention of living like that. In the end, he dies in Fubuki's arms after the Devil Eyes have been destroyed.
  • Dying Moment of Awesome: See Rasputinian Death below.
  • The Dying Walk: After the failure of his final attempt to take Kyo with him, his body starts to disintegrate. He still manages to drag himself to Fubuki's side in time to save his friend's life before dying in his arms.
  • Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Complete with black clothing. Just look at the picture.
  • Evilutionary Biologist: It turns out that he created the "rare breed" genetic experiments (including Sasuke). He claims that he's given up on saving the flawed Mibu, and now focuses his experiments on attempting to create an improved species without the current clan's inherent defects. In reality, he never gave up, and kept trying to find a cure until the very end.
  • Eyepatch of Power: Something of an "entire left side of his body" patch of power. And holy shit, how.
  • Eyes Do Not Belong There: Several on the left side of his face under the mask, many more under the bandages on his torso.
  • Foregone Conclusion: He starts talking about choosing where he will die almost immediately after his introduction. It's really only how that has any surprise to it.
  • Friend to All Living Things: He used to be, according to flashbacks. It was the reason he studied biology.
  • Good Scars, Evil Scars: After the Devil Eyes die and fall out, he is covered in disfiguring scars from the damage they've done to his body over the years.
  • Go Out with a Smile: His dying speech to Fubuki is delivered with the only smile we ever see on his face outside of flashbacks.
  • Handicapped Badass: The Death Disease has pretty much destroyed the left side of his body. He's missing an eye, it's implied that his left arm doesn't work all that well, and he's still one of the most powerful characters in the entire story.
  • Harmful Healing: Subverted in that he knew his treatment (which isn't remotely healing, really just some borrowed time) would be a Fate Worse than Death, and he did it to himself anyway. He implanted the Devil Eyes in the left side of his body to stop the Death Disease from killing him, which it probably would have done in a matter of months. This has apparently kept him alive for a few decades, but at a price: the Eyes are breaking down his body and trying to take over his mind.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: His Cool Mask and Badass Longcoat both appear to be black leather.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: The last twenty years or so have been both a moral and a physical one for Fubuki. Muramasa tried to convince Hishigi to leave with him, but he stayed. This meant giving up any semblance of a moral code, and knowing for a fact that he would die protecting Fubuki.
  • Iaijutsu Practitioner: You wouldn't think it, considering Hakuya's size and shape, but many of Hishigi's attacks are Iaijutsu-based; he attacks on the draw and immediately returns the sword to its sheath. It seems likely that he fights this way because the Death Disease has destroyed a substantial portion of the left side of his body.
  • I Cannot Self-Terminate: It's not that he can't, exactly, but he won't because of his drive to protect Fubuki. He tries to get Fubuki to Mercy Kill him and set him free of it, calling his friend cruel for wanting to keep Hishigi alive "no matter the state". It also seems likely that if the Devil Eyes succeeded in taking over his mind, this state would be the result.
  • Incurable Cough of Death: He has the Death Disease, and everything that comes with it.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: When Akari lives his memories, she finds out how much he cared about her and sees his regrets over the Reconstruction Project. Before the disease and resulting panic, he was a Friend to All Living Things.
  • Light 'em Up: His sword is called "White Night", and he uses light-themed attacks.
  • Light Is Not Good: He's an Anti-Villain, but calling him "good" would be a stretch.
  • Lightning Bruiser: He's capable of moving at a pace that occasionally reaches Flash Step territory, and his BFS can create energy blades described as moving at lightspeed. That's generally accepted to be an exaggeration, but they're still very fast and so strong they can one-shot the main character. And even disregarding his supernatural abilities, his raw physical strength is far out of even Kyo's league before Kyo takes another few levels in badass. Yuan is shocked when Kyo is able to knock him back.
    • One of his early scenes shows him saving a low-level Mibu mook from Tokito's sadistic torment by intercepting Tokito's weaponized cards so fast that they appear to vanish in midair before hitting the target.
  • Living on Borrowed Time: The Devil Eyes support his deteriorating body, but it's only a matter of time before they either run out of energy or start taking over his mind. He has every intention of dying before the latter occurs, by his own hand if he can't convince Fubuki to Mercy Kill him.
  • Mad Doctor: His nickname, but he's a subversion. He's closer to the Mad Scientist type, though not prone to the typical mad scientist's deranged behavior and disheveled appearance.
  • My Master, Right or Wrong: A variation. Hishigi hates his "masters" (the Former Crimson King and any potential successors) and says he hopes they all die, but he fights for the clan because that is what Fubuki needs, and Fubuki is the only reason Hishigi is still alive.
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: He is known as "the executioner" and "the mad doctor".
  • No-Sell: Akari's "air vamp" attack has no effect on him.
  • Punch-Clock Villain: He is completely apathetic about fighting for the Aka no Ou; in fact, he flat out says he hopes the king dies. In a flashback, after Fubuki refuses to kill him and demands that Hishigi stay with him, Hishigi responds with, "Your arrogance again... and yet it may be fitting to die as the 'villain'."
  • Rasputinian Death: Let's go down the list here.
    • He survives roughly twenty years of the Death Disease destroying his body and the Devil Eyes eating him alive.
    • In his final battle, Hishigi shields Fubuki from Kyo's powered-up Suzaku, taking the full brunt of the attack with no chance to defend or block.
    • The Devil Eyes that have been keeping him alive die and fall out because their energy is exhausted, which leaves him bleeding everywhere and barely mobile, not to mention the blood he's now coughing up.
    • He somehow comes up with the strength to break out of Yuan's grip, leave his memories to Akari, and form barriers to protect Fubuki and the others before attempting to take Kyo with him in a massive explosion fueled by the last of his energy, which still does not kill him.
    • He drags his disintegrating body to Fubuki's side, rips out his own fucking heart, and implants it into Fubuki's chest. Then, and only then, does he collapse into Fubuki's arms, apologize for leaving him alone, and die.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: He unleashes a vicious one on the protagonists after revealing that the Mibu are Artificial Humans that are dying out, triggered by their dismissal of Fubuki's sacrifices for the clan. It's easily the most he ever speaks at one time. He also gives one to Kyo and the True Mibu in general while fighting him.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: His right eye turns crimson when he gets serious, and it is a massive Oh, Crap! moment for the heroes, as it reveals all the Mibu top brass have access to the same "powerup" as Kyo.
  • The Resenter: He despises the True Mibu for creating the Battle Dolls (himself included) in the first place. They are all essentially condemned to a hellish death from inherent defects that the True Mibu failed to correct, and in their desperate fear of this, the Battle Dolls have destroyed other beings and produced their own doomed Artificial Humans.
  • Secretly Dying: He has the Death Disease, but it's not revealed until his final battle. The Devil Eyes have been keeping it in check.
  • Sorry That I'm Dying: Pre-story, when he finds out he has the Death Disease and hits his Despair Event Horizon, he apologizes to Fubuki for giving up. And his last words are an apology to Fubuki for leaving him alone.
  • The Stoic: Reserved and logical at all times. You can count the times his facial expression shifts from deadpan on one hand.
    • Not So Stoic: It's very rare, and very bad for the person who provoked him.
  • Stopped Caring: He knows he's dying and that he has no chance of curing the disease that is killing the Mibu clan. Even as he continues to fight for his one remaining friend, he expresses the fact that he has grown tired and uncaring of the cause he's fighting for.
  • Suicide by Cop: Tries to provoke Fubuki into killing him in a flashback.
  • Sword Beam: Many of his attacks with Hakuya take this form. At one point he fires off seven of them with a single swing.
  • Taking You with Me: Attempts this with Kyo in order to save Fubuki. It doesn't kill either of them.
  • Tranquil Fury: Even in his Not So Stoic moments when he is at his most dangerous, he speaks in a very calm manner. He shouts once in the entire series, naturally because Fubuki is in danger.
  • Transferable Memory: He gives his memories to Akari before he dies, so that she can continue researching the Death Disease and hopefully save the Mibu where he failed.
  • Troubled, but Cute: Very attractive. Also extremely mentally fucked.
  • Uncatty Resemblance: Fubuki's black cat has a white left ear, which calls to mind the white streak in Hishigi's black hair. In early concept art of Hishigi, the cat in question was seen at his feet.
  • Undying Loyalty: To Fubuki.
  • Villainous Friendship: See Fubuki's entry above.
  • Visible Silence: Find a speech bubble with Hishigi underneath. Chances are it only contains an ellipsis.
  • Worthy Opponent: It's rare that Hishigi looks like he's enjoying himself, but he seems to value an opponent who can actually challenge him, and says that he would have liked to fight with Yuan a bit longer.
  • You Are Worth Hell: His response every time Fubuki tries to tell him to leave the Mibu.
    Hishigi: I vowed to follow you to the end. Even if that road carries us both to hell.

    Hishigi's Imperial Guard — Ashura 
See Akari

    Tokito 

One of the current members of the Four Elders, Tokito is the son of Muramasa and wielder of the last Muramasa sword set, Hokuto Shichisei. He views Muramasa's abandonment of the Mibu clan as an act of treachery and despises him for it, openly proclaiming his disdain for the former Elder on numerous occasions. Despite his child-like appearance he is incredibly strong and harbors a terribly cruel disposition towards his opponents.

It is later revealed that Tokito is in fact not Muramasa's son, but Fubuki's daughter. She is ultimately defeated by Akira, which leads to her accompanying the heroes in their attempt to reach the Former Crimson King. During Fubuki's final moments, she is able to meet him one last time and acknowledge him as her father.

Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu (JP)

  • Because Destiny Says So: Tokito tells fortunes with Tarot cards and claims that people can never change their fates.
  • Berserk Button: Muramasa. Any mention of Muramasa, any comparison of Tokito to his father, or (god forbid) any implication that Tokito misses his Disappeared Dad, and there will be an incredibly violent tantrum. Pity is another button.
  • Bifurcated Weapon: The Hokuto Shichisei appears to be a double-edged sword, but it splits into a Dual Wielding set of narrower blades.
  • Bishōnen Line: Tokito is very pretty to begin with, but Akira's power boost forces her to release her full power. This causes her body to grow from that of a 14-year-old into her true form: a tall, stunning young woman with long hair and more mature features (though she's flat enough that Akira still thinks she's a man until the post-fight reveal).
  • Bullying a Dragon: Even the fact that he antagonizes Hishigi and Yuan on a regular basis doesn't outdo his attempt to kill the Former Crimson King.
  • Death Dealer: When he's not swinging around his inherited Muramasa blade, he uses Tarot cards to slice and dice anyone unfortunate enough to cross him. The cards don't factor into his combat style when he's fighting seriously.
  • Defeat Means Friendship
  • Despair Event Horizon: Subverted. After losing to Akira, Tokito acts as though hitting one, but gets over it after losing a hand of Misery Poker and gaining some perspective.
  • Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Bontenmaru says he feels sorry for Tokito, making the astute observation that Tokito's constant vocal hatred for Muramasa stems from missing his Disappeared Dad. Tokito does not take it well and responds by breaking Bon's arm.
  • Dual Wielding: The Muramasa demonblade known as Hokuto Shichisei is actually formed by two swords (Tokai and Tohyou) that can merge into a single weapon.
  • Enfante Terrible: Subverted; she's actually several decades older than her childish appearance suggests, and she can grow into her adult body to fight at full strength.
  • Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon: A waifish, delicate beauty with a sadistic streak a mile wide and zero empathy for the suffering of others.
  • Fake Memories: Tokito's memories of her real parents (Fubuki and Hitoki) were suppressed and replaced by the idea of Muramasa as her father and a mother she never knew. When the real memories try to surface, she suffers from headaches and disorientation.
  • Generation Xerox: Played with. Tokito looks like Muramasa did when he was young, and as a child was expected to live up to that shining example. When he proved to be nothing like Muramasa (vicious, angry, violent), people turned on him and started to assume that he would betray them. And in terms of personality, they couldn't be more different - Muramasa was a Friend to All Living Things, and Tokito is a sadistic Jerkass. And then there's the fact that she is a girl and not Muramasa's child at all. The looks come from her mother, Hitoki, who was Muramasa's sister.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: During her fight with Akira, she's forced to use her adult form to escape his "Heaven's Chill" attack and increase her power. She's pissed about it, because she hates her true appearance.
  • Jerkass: Vicious, remorseless, and sadistic. Tokito delights in hurting people and trying to break their spirits with Tarot readings about their inevitable demises.
    • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's very well buried, but does surface eventually.
    • Kids Are Cruel: Tokito is very young compared to the other Taishiro even taking into account her chronological age, and the only one who seems to hurt and kill people just because he can.
    • Lack of Empathy: Upon finding that Fubuki has lost to Kyo, and having recently regained the memory that Fubuki is her father, Tokito actually laughs at him. Then Akira points out that Fubuki hasn't just lost a fight — he's dying. Cut to Tokito crying and begging the Former Crimson King to save him.
  • Just Toying with Them:
    • When he fights Bontenmaru, Tokito says that he will let Bon and company pass if Bontenmaru can catch him. Every time Bon misses, Tokito inflicts some kind of punishment and kicks up the speed another notch.
    • The fight with Akira starts this way too, with Tokito pretending that Hokuto Shichisei is a single blade and feigning a poor technique that makes Akira think his left side is unguarded. When Akira goes for it, Tokito splits the blade into its true form and stabs him.
  • Knight of Cerebus: The first of the Taishiro to make an appearance, Tokito immediately Worfs Bontenmaru and establishes that the Mibu elite are untouchably out of the protagonists' current league. And Tokito is the weakest Elder.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Even before approaching top speed, Tokito is far too fast for Bontenmaru to even touch, and hits hard enough to rip out his teeth and punch holes in him.
  • Meaningful Name: The sword Tokito uses is called Hokuto Shichisei, named for the constellation. In China, the same constellation is split into two (Tokai and Tohyou), referencing the fact that the blade's true form is a Dual Wielding set.
  • Muscles Are Meaningless: Tokito is small and waifish in physique, but is also capable of punching through Bontenmaru, whose biceps are bigger around than Tokito's waist.
  • Never My Fault: Even as Tokito denounces Muramasa and claims to hate him, he boasts about the power that Muramasa's blood affords him. When he loses to Akira, he throws a fit and claims he lost because his sword was too weak and he inherited weakness from his father. Akira points out that if this is true, Tokito has never done anything on his own.
  • One-Winged Angel: Downplayed. She can grow to her adult form to fight at full power.
  • Parental Abandonment: His mother is dead and his father abandoned him. Tokito is incredibly bitter about this and never shuts up about how much he hates Muramasa.
  • Power Makes Your Hair Grow: Kind of. Releasing her full power causes her entire body to age roughly ten years, with longer hair to match.
  • Self-Imposed Challenge: An interesting variation. Tokito uses the appearance (and by extension, power level) that she had at the age of fourteen because her adult body looks more like Muramasa, whom she hates because she thinks he was her father and that he abandoned her.
  • Smug Super: Played with. Tokito is certainly very powerful, but is still definitely the weakest of the current Taishiro lineup. Despite this, he insults Yuan and Hishigi, randomly breaks things to show off how strong he is, and even briefly considers trying to kill the Former Crimson King and take over the Mibu.
  • Sore Loser: When it becomes clear that Akira has defeated him, Tokito tries to call the forbidden army troops to kill his weakened opponent. Thankfully, Benitora has massacred said troops by then.
  • Stalker with a Crush: She starts following Akira after he defeats her, similarly to how he followed Kyo as a child.
  • The Starscream: For about a second, Tokito considers trying to kill the Former Crimson King, being convinced that the king is just a figurehead and Fubuki is actually leading them already. The king then crushes Tokito's idea of rebellion and reduces him to cowering on the floor in terror... just by looking at him.
  • Tsundere: Toward Akira, and to a lesser extent Bontenmaru, after his defeat.

    Tokito's Imperial Guard — Spade, Heart, Diamond, and Club 
The four card-themed officers who serves under Tokito as elite troops and subordinates, with Spade being the strongest and closest to Tokito. They're first introduced when they attack Akira, Benitora and Bontenmaru in Tsukikage Castle. After Tokito's defeat, it's revealed that Spade is none other than Chinmei, who infiltrated as the Crimson King's agent in order to steal Hokuto Shichisei.
  • Action Girl: Heart, who is unusually well built and muscled compared to other female characters.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: Spade can defeat easily Bontenmaru, Benitora and Akira using his magic tricks and is always well dressed.
  • Flat Character: Spade is the only one who has any impact on the plot, mostly because he's Chinmei. The other three seem to exist initially to establish that the Taishiro's guards are stronger than the Goyosei, and then they are quickly curbstomped to establish that Shinrei's subconscious powers have been released.
  • Gonk: Club is a short, fat toad-like midget sitting on a peg leg.
  • The Mole: Spade is Chinmei in disguise.
  • Oh, Crap!: Heart, Diamond, and Club when they realize that they have left Tokito's territory and wandered into Yuan's, which results in Anthony attacking them.
  • Playing Card Motifs: Naturally. The theme dovetails with Tokito's own Tarot Motifs.
  • Quirky Miniboss Squad: They serve as this for Tokito, with Spade as The Dragon.
  • Theme Naming: They're named after card suits.
  • Wolfpack Boss: Club, Diamond and Heart seems to fight together to boost their chances. Spade is a loner.
  • The Worf Effect: Spade briefly inflicts this on Benitora, Bontenmaru and Akira, though he never gave them the chance to fight back. Diamond, Club and Heart started off inflicting it on Keikoku, Shinrei, Akira and Benitora — only to be defeated first by Anthony and later by a powered-up Shinrei, neither of whom has to work hard to do so.

    Yuan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuan5.jpg

Hotaru's mentor and something of a surrogate father figure since he found Hotaru and took him in when he was young. Yuan is one of the current Taishiro, having taken his mother's place after her death. It is revealed later that he and his entire family are essentially prisoners of the Taishiro and the Sendai Aka No Ou after Ian was executed under the pretense of treason.

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu (JP)

  • Anime Hair: Not his hair, technically. The tails of his blindfold appear to be hovering behind him at all times, though they're only expressive when he's comically aggravated.
  • Badass Family: Yuan himself is a Lightning Bruiser capable of such powerful physical attacks that the force of air moving from his kicks can cut like a blade. He's also the only character shown holding his own against Hishigi (for a while, anyway) before Kyo unlocks another level. His mother, Ian, was one of the Four Elders, and his father, Julian, is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history (he was Muramasa's master). And then there's Yuan's "personal guard"... AKA eight of his siblings. Some of them are goofy; all of them are badass. Anna even scares Yuan. Finally, his older brother Anri is the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", who developed the Sekireigan and taught it to Yukimura.
  • Berserk Button: Threatening his family.
  • Blindfolded Vision: His Shingan appears to be as good as or even better than normal sight.
  • Blind Weaponmaster: Do not underestimate him because he can't see you. Sword or no sword.
  • Boisterous Bruiser: He's funny, enthusiastic, occasionally hammy, and incredibly strong.
  • Book Dumb: Particularly evident while trying to decipher Hishigi's notes. Like teacher, like student.
    Hotaru: Why do smart people use such difficult words?
    Yuan: Makes 'em sound smarter, I guess.
  • The Brute: His initial presentation; of the Taishiro, he relies most heavily on pure force and is the only one who fights hand-to-hand.
    • The Big Guy: After his Heel–Face Turn, he serves as one of these on the heroes' side (arguably replacing Bontenmaru, since Bon has been thoroughly Worfed by the stronger Mibu at that point).
  • The Dog Bites Back: After his siblings are safe from the Taishiro and he is able to rebel without endangering them.
    Yuan: I've cast off the dog's collar, Tokito.
  • Dramatic Wind: When his fight with Hishigi gets serious, his aura seems to create it.
  • Disability Superpower: He was born blind, and it is mentioned that his other senses are heightened because of this. His blindness has very little to do with his skill in combat, however. It's not specified if his "Shingan" ability actually allows him to see things or just perceive his surroundings on another level.
  • Easily Forgiven: No one ever brings up the fact that he very nearly killed Okuni. Of course, they might not be aware of it — at the time, she wouldn't have known his name and may not have even gotten a good look at him.
  • Expressive Accessory: The "tails" of his blindfold stick up when he's yelling at Kyo for ruining his Trash Talk speech to Hishigi. It's not expressive when he's actually angry or in serious moments.
  • Eyepatch of Power: Ian made the blindfold for him when his Crimson Eyes manifested in childhood, because Mibu who displayed the atavistic trait were disposed of if discovered. He is blind, but his blank white eyes gain crimson irises (still no pupils) when he gets serious about a fight. The blindfold doesn't suppress his power, but it does hide it.
  • Forced into Evil: He's one of the Taishiro because he was forced into the position after his mother was executed as a traitor. If he hadn't agreed, his entire family would have been killed.
  • Heel–Face Turn: After Hotaru defeats him, he takes the chance to fool Fubuki's cat with an illusion, giving his family time to hide so he can turn on the other Taishiro.
  • Heroic Second Wind: He's Taken for Granite at one point and appears doomed, but he breaks free when his opponent reveals that he killed Ian. Yuan still doesn't win, but at least he doesn't die.
  • Hurricane Kick: He spends the beginning of his fight with Hotaru using only his right foot, and much spinning ensues.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: Oddly enough, he reveals this well after his defeat at Hotaru's hands. While fighting Hotaru, Yuan kept up the pretense that he had no skill at swordplay, even when it cost him the fight (he didn't start with a blade because he didn't think Hotaru had any chance of defeating him, but the fight later became so intense that he wouldn't have had a chance to grab his sword even if he'd wanted to). When Yuan has to go up against Hishigi (who is much stronger, and absolutely will kill him), the kid gloves come off and he picks up a katana, proclaiming himself to be a Master Swordsman. Hotaru is not pleased that Yuan lied about fighting him at full strength.
  • I Let You Win: Hotaru did defeat him... but he wouldn't have if Yuan had used a blade.
  • Just Toying with Them: The beginning of his fight with Hotaru. Yuan starts off saying he can beat Hotaru using only his right foot. And he almost does. When Hotaru finally forces him to use one of his hands, Yuan is supposed to "spin around three times and bark", stakes that Hotaru had previously declared and at which Yuan had laughed. His acquiescence takes the form of three vicious spinning strikes (punch, elbow to the face, and kick), followed by...
    • Make Me Wanna Shout: Yuan deafening Hotaru and sending him flying across the room with one loud bark. This is still Yuan playing around, but it's a devastating attack — by the end of all that, Hotaru's left arm is broken in several places and he can barely breathe because of broken ribs.
  • Keeping the Enemy Close: Yuan suspects that this is why he was blackmailed into becoming one of the Taishiro — he's a very dangerous enemy left unchecked. He also thinks this is why Tokito is one of them despite being the son of the traitor Muramasa, but it's probably because Tokito is Fubuki's daughter.
  • Master Swordsman: At first, it appears that he's a hand-to-hand specialist, and he certainly is deadly enough without a weapon. Later, however, he reveals that his true talent and power are in his skill with a blade.
  • No-Sell: Yuan is described as impervious to fire. Hotaru's flames can't damage him, for this reason and because Yuan taught him all of those skills. Until Keikoku Kien... which Hotaru developed on his own, and which burns from within.
  • Parental Abandonment: Ian was killed for learning too much about the Sendai Aka No Ou, and Julian left his family and has been working ever since to set up a way to avenge her.
  • Playing with Fire: Even more impressive than Hotaru, Yuan is able to effortlessly conjure even the black Demon's Breath flames without preparation.
  • Promotion to Parent: Shares the role with his sister, Anna.
  • Prophet Eyes: When he takes the blindfold off, it's revealed that his eyes are totally blank. Yuan is blind, but his "Shingan" ability allows him to perceive the world around him without any apparent difficulty and can also search beyond the range of normal vision.
  • Quirky Miniboss Squad: Eight of his nine siblings are his personal guard, and he refers to his father as his "henchman". Julian does not approve of the label.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: He has the Crimson Eyes, which his mother hid because they marked him as powerful and dangerous.
  • Relative Button: Twice. The first is a taunt; saying that Yuan's family will be following him into death provokes him into a reckless attack that almost gets him killed. The second time, the same villain suddenly becomes Genre Blind and reveals that he killed Yuan's mother when he already has Yuan beaten. Cue Heroic Second Wind.
  • Self-Imposed Challenge: Fighting Hotaru using only his right foot. He also primarily fights hand-to-hand, despite the fact that his greatest strength is in swordfighting.
  • Taken for Granite: Temporarily, when he fights Hishigi and falls victim to the Devil Eyes.
  • Talking Is a Free Action: Zigzagged during his fight with Hishigi. Yuan starts talking shit, and it looks like this is being played straight when Hishigi himself does not immediately attack. But then the other ongoing fight interrupts when Akari whacks Kyo across the battlefield and he topples Yuan.
  • This Means War!: After Hishigi one-shots Kyo, Yuan says he wasn't too invested in who won before, but he's nice and angry now.
  • Trash Talk: Some against Hotaru, more against Hishigi. He even asks if Hishigi only carries his sword for decoration.
  • Token Good Teammate: Ultimately he's this among the Taishiro, though you wouldn't guess so at first glance.
  • Trickster Mentor/Stealth Mentor: To Hotaru, big time.
  • The Unpronounceable: Subverted. His name is very simple, but Hotaru cannot pronounce it and calls him "Yunyun" instead. This is phenomenally irritating to Yuan, who insists that Yunyun is actually harder to say, and it makes him sound like a panda.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: Subverted. He starts off as a very dangerous antagonist, but he ends up an ally and is pretty friendly in general.
  • Worthy Opponent: He seems to consider Hishigi this, calling him the strongest of the Taishiro and saying he always wanted to know how a real fight between them would go.
  • Would Not Hit a Girl: He says he doesn't want to fight Akari partially because she's a girl, but also because he's conflicted about fighting someone with no control over her own actions. He did stomp Okuni earlier, so maybe it's just "would not hit a girl he knows".
  • You Killed My Mother: Yuan loses his shit when he finds out who killed Ian (he knew the Former Crimson King had ordered her assassination, but not who had actually done it). Subverted in that Yuan is not the one who ends up defeating the villain in question.
  • Your Eyes Can Deceive You: He claims that his Shingan is better than normal vision, and once tells Hishigi that he "can't fool these eyes". His blindness also protects him from Kubira's illusions and Akari's Devil Eye, but the dozens under Hishigi's bandages are strong enough to petrify him (temporarily).
  • Your Soul Is Mine!: He claims he can eat the souls of his enemies. Subverted because his Genshisho is actually an illusion that breaks the minds of his opponents.

    Yuan's Imperial Guard — The "An" Family 

Yuan's personal guard is comprised of his eight younger siblings: Anthony, Anna, Angelica, and the quintuplets (Marian, Lilian, Yulian, Kirian, and Erian). Anthony starts off hostile toward the protagonists, but after being defeated by Hotaru he lends them his aid. His powers revolve around light manipulation and acupuncture. The others are never seen fighting — unless you count Anna throwing things.


  • Badass Family: All of them can speak with their weapons and are implied to be stronger than the Goyosei in combat, though Anthony is the only one who demonstrates that. Their mother was one of the Four Elders, and their father is the greatest swordsmith in Mibu history. The oldest brother is Anri, the infamous "Tengu of Mt Kurama", and the second is Yuan.
  • Beam Spam: Anthony's Koryuuha technique involves this.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Anthony takes down three members of Tokito's guard right before they can defeat Shinrei, Hotaru, Benitora, and Akira. Admittedly he wasn't doing this with any intention of saving them — he was just punishing Heart, Club, and Diamond for entering Yuan's territory. And he disables the protagonist group with his needles directly afterward.
  • Cool Big Sis: Anna
  • Death Glare: Angelica has one that can cow her siblings instantly.
  • Gratuitous English: Their names are composed of kanji arranged to spell them out.
  • Light 'em Up: Anthony's Koryuuha appears as a Beam Spam not dissimilar to Dragon Ball ki attacks. It's not entirely clear if he's actually using light-based powers or if he's just moving too fast for the others to perceive before their subconscious powers are unlocked.
  • Massive Numbered Siblings: There are ten of them overall, nine currently in Mibu territory.
  • Promotion to Parent: Anna and Yuan have been keeping the family together since Ian was killed and Julian left.
  • Spell My Name With An S: The spelling of the three male quintuplets' names varies a lot between translations. The above is the spelling as printed in the Tokyopop English volumes.
  • Super-Strength: Anna's is Played for Laughs; she's seen ripping the head off of an enormous stone statue and dropping it on Yuan and Hotaru as punishment for scaring her.
  • Theme Naming: Every member of the family has "An" in his or her name, and their names are spelled out in kanji.
  • Training from Hell: Anthony uses his needles to stab the heroes in their pressure points to awaken their true potential and give them a huge boost in power.

    Ian 

Yuan's mother, who was part of the Taishiro before him. She was framed for treason and executed because she learned the Sendai Aka No Ou's true nature.


    Muramasa 

Kyo's mentor, Tokito's father (actually her uncle, rather than "his" father), forger of the legendary Muramasa Demon Blades, and former leader of the Taishiro.


  • Beware the Nice Ones: He's very friendly, polite, and kind to everyone. But do not endanger anyone he cares about.
  • Friend to All Living Things: Implied, considering all of the animals that hang out in his house.
  • Historical Hero Upgrade: For all those who remember Muramasa as a vicious swordsmith consumed with bloodlust.
  • Incurable Cough of Death: Due to the Death Disease.
  • Master Swordsman: The first time he's seen in action, he immediately overwhelms Shinrei, who was in the process of handing Kyo his own ass. Muramasa is also a master sword maker; he forged the legendary "Demon Blades", one of which is Kyo's Tenro.
  • Mentor Occupational Hazard: He dies, but of the Death Disease; Kyo's enemies have nothing to do with it.
  • Mistaken for Gay: By Okuni, of all people, after hearing Bontenmaru talk about his relationship with Kyo.
  • Older Than He Looks: As he confirms to Okuni, he's incredibly old despite looking like a Bishonen.
  • Old Master: He can use the four ultimate techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryuu school. Despite his age and deteriorating health, he's still one of only three people Kyo admits he can't handle.
  • Parental Substitute: Kyo probably never knew his parents, but Muramasa removed him from the toxic influence of the Mibu and has been guiding him since he was very young. He's one of very few people who can make Kyo at all emotional, to the point that Kyo can't even talk about the fact that Muramasa has died.
  • Speaks Fluent Animal: Since he's enlightened, all animals can understand him and live alongside him.

    Muramasa's Imperial Guard — Anri 

The infamous "Tengu of Mount Kurama", and Yuan's older brother. Anri was Muramasa's personal guard, and left the Mibu with him. He developed the Sekireigan and taught the technique to Yukimura.


  • Massive Numbered Siblings: Following in his parents' footsteps. He has eleven children, with number twelve on the way.
  • Mayfly–December Romance: His wife is a mortal human.
  • Red Baron: The Tengu of Mount Kurama.
  • Retired Badass: He hasn't done a whole lot of fighting since he left the Mibu, and it takes a significant level of pestering to get him to teach Yukimura the Sekireigan.

    Shihodo 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/122.png

The original leader of the Taishiro, and among the strongest members in history.


  • Beware the Silly Ones: She's an odd one, but underestimating her is a huge mistake. Kyo, our favorite arrogant Blood Knight who has never admitted he's outmatched at this point, tells Sasuke that Shihodo is one of the few people he "just can't handle".
  • Birds of a Feather: She and Julian are two of the most absurd characters in the series, they've been friends for centuries if not millennia, and he's the only one who understands her and laughs at her stupid jokes.
  • Bunny-Ears Lawyer: She's incredibly weird and shockingly powerful.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Her dialogue is peppered with weird euphemisms and esoteric figures of speech, she makes childishly vulgar jokes (usually about feces) constantly, and she might drop her 10,000-pound hat on you if you try to get a straight answer out of her.
  • Cool Sword: Her Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (yes, that one), which she can use to summon clouds capable of "eating" and nullifying enemy attacks.
  • Dirty Coward: By her own claim, though the accuracy of that assessment is debatable.
  • Heartbroken Badass: She was in love with the Former Crimson King before he became cold and cruel, and was unable to kill him as he'd asked because of her feelings. It's not entirely clear if they were ever involved romantically. Also applies after his death.
  • I Let You Win: She takes Byakko's attack without dodging. Kyo is not amused, as he knows she could have and that she's far stronger than she's been pretending during this fight. She says she's just getting old, but when he provokes her further, she wallops him and sends him flying into a stone wall hard enough to smash it.
  • Love Hurts: See Heartbroken Badass above.
  • Ms. Fanservice: She wears tiny shorts and a bandeau top, exposing everything from hipbones to bust.
  • My Greatest Failure: The Former Crimson King asked her to kill him if she saw him walking down the path of evil, which she couldn't bring herself to do because she loved him (and still does). It's why she hides in the labyrinth, overseeing her graveyard for the victims of the Mibu Reconstruction Project.
  • Odd Friendship: The same flashback seems to indicate she was closer to Hishigi than she was to Muramasa or Fubuki. No, he didn't have much of a sense of humor then either.
  • Platonic Life-Partners: With Julian.
  • Really 700 Years Old: Several thousand.
  • Retired Badass: For the above reason of heartbreak.

Top