Yamada Asaemon
The protaganist of the series. Officially the Shogun's sword tester and executioner, Asaemon sometimes moonlights as a law enforcement officer. Sakane Kasajiro looks up to him, and he in turn dispenses advice to Kasajiro when a case becomes particularly knotty. He also helps Kasajiro find a wife later in the series.
Tropes
- Armour-Piercing Question: A common skill used, often to make criminals or the condemned come to their Heel Realization.
- Celibate Hero: Asaemon refuses to marry and especially to father children. His reasoning being, "Can one who takes life create life?" He's determined to be the last member of his family line because he does not want to raise another executioner the way his father raised him. Asaemon does briefly marry the sister of one of the men he executed in order to prevent a riot that would have probably ended in his death, but divorces her immediately after while explaining his reasoning.
- Consummate Professional: Asaemon often does research on the condemned whom he's scheduled to execute. Sometimes, he does followups after the execution (by visiting someone who knew the executed person well).
- Historical Domain Character: Yamada Asaemon was apparently a real person (or a line of people with the same name). He (or another sword-tester/executioner like him) also appeared in Blade of the Immortal.
- Zero-Approval Gambit: Asaemon fully accepts and acknowledges that his position as an official executioner makes him into The Dreaded all across Edo, to the point that its citizens strive to have as little to do with him as possible, even going so far as to beg him not to attend during festivals. Asaemon believes that his ultimate role will be to be hated and vilified by history and actively hopes that he and his executions will one day be called evil and that society and true justice will surpass the need for such violent measures.
Sakane Kasajiro
One of Edo's best policemen, Kasajiro often uses a hook and rope to capture those he arrests. A lower-caste samurai, he looks up to Asaemon as a teacher and colleague.
Tropes
- Battle Couple: His wife later became a cop as well.
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: As newlyweds with Shinko
Shinko
Nicknamed Shinko the Kappa, she was initially a criminal.
Tropes
- Action Girl: After her marriage
- Berserk Button: Harm her husband, and she'll use her hair to choke you unconscious.
- Daddy's Little Villain: Subverted. She committed her crimes to try and save her father from execution, but he wants her to be safe.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: Oh boy. First, she and Kasajiro make love when the latter catches her, before he then arrests her. After her arrest, Asaemon adopted her and Kasajiro took her as his wife.
- Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Lost her virginity in her introduction story by doing this to Kasajiro, whom she had choked unconscious with her hair while both of them were underwater.
- Ms. Fanservice: Shinko is not at all shy about showing everything...
- Red Baron: "the Kappa"
- Slap-Slap-Kiss: As newlyweds with Kasajiro
