Characters introduced in Samurai Shodown III
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Rimururu
I'm not a child! You really shouldn't underestimate me!
Origin: Kamuikotan, the Ainu Lands, Ezo note
Voiced by:note
Nakoruru's adoptive little sister. She is also a priestess of the Ainu tribe and fights using an ice spirit named Konru, as well as her kodachi. At first, Nakoruru forbade her from fighting, but she managed to build up enough resolve to be acknowledged as capable enough by the time of the third game.
- An Ice Person: Wields a kodachi, but also uses her companion ice-spirit in combat. This primarily manifests as spears of ice that pierce the opponent, as well as large chunks of ice used for crushing attacks.
- Badass Native: Like her sister, she is a member of Hokkaidō's indigenous Ainu people
, and her debut costume in III is a very realistic depiction of traditional Ainu women's national dress. Her ice-based powers reflect the Ainu's close relationship with the natural world, as well as her native Hokkaidō's bitingly cold polar winters. - Big Brother Worship: Rimururu idolizes her sister and wants to be like her every way possible.
- Cheerful Child: Jolly, smiley and full of beans!
- Close-Range Combatant: She has probably the shortest range in the entire series due to her petite stature and short kodachi, which is why using Konru effectively is an absolute must when playing her.
- Downloadable Content: She was the very first DLC character to drop for 2019, and like many of the other characters, she sports an updated look (including a fur cape and longer hair) that still retains her classic silhouette.
- Inconsistent Spelling:
- In some games, her name is mistranslated as Rimnerel.
- Also, her ice spirit is sometimes called Konril.
- Just a Kid: And she doesn't like being treated as such — she lists her greatest dislike as being treated like a child.
- Kill the Cutie: Her age and cute looks don't save her in the slightest from the life-and-death brutality of combat.
- Little Miss Badass: An adorable teenage girl whose cheerful facade belies her deadly combat skills.
- Nature Spirit: Her companion spirit Konru manifests as a prism of ice which spins in the air just behind her, and all of her special moves are ice-based. Konru literally means "ice" in the Ainu language.
- Not Blood Siblings: She’s Nakoruru’s adopted sister, though their bond isn't any less strong.
- Plucky Girl: Despite the terrifying, bloody circumstances she finds herself confronted by, she maintains an admiral level of pluckiness.
- Promoted to Playable: Rimururu appeared in the first two games as part of Nakoruru's story, stages, and endings, but it wasn't until III that she finally appeared as a playable character.
- Snow Means Cold: Rimururu's stages are all set in the village of Kamuikotan on Ezo during the winter. In 2019, her stage is the same village location as her sister's, but it's set in the absolute depths of winter and is a snow-covered, icy variation — which is perfect for An Ice Person like her.
- Tomboy: Much more energetic than her sister and sports a short, choppy hairdo and baggy shorts.
Basara
Are you enjoying this fear and pain? Heh... Kagaribi, let's join in on the fun!
Origin: Tamba, Tamba Province, Japan
Voiced by: note
Fully titled Basara the Executioner (Kubikiri Basara). A restless spirit who was killed alongside his lover Kagaribi at the hands of the "demon" Zankuro Minazuki. He is brought back to the living world, remembering only his intense hate for "the demon". Convinced by an apparition of Kagaribi that he must "slay evil souls", he embarks on a vengeful killing spree. He is eventually sealed away in a stone pillar for eternity by Aku Amakusa.
- Ax-Crazy: He's a mindless, violently insane killer who doesn't discriminate among the victims he murders.
- Ball of Light Transformation: Basara can use his ghostly powers to transform into a ball of spirit flame and back into humanoid form.
- Blade on a Rope: Basara's weapon is a Fuuma Shuriken attached to a chain.
- Confusion Fu: One of the cornerstones of his play-style is to spawn shadow clones of himself to fake-out the opponent.
- Decoy Backstory: Basara is a yurei who in the first games he appeared (SSIII and SSIV), he went after Zankuro Minazuki to get revenge for his death and his lover Kagaribi. But in his SSV ending, it's revealed he went mad and killed Kagaribi and then was Driven to Suicide. This is reaffirmed in the next games where, in his endings, he made Time Travel to avoid the deaths and save Kagaribi and they disappeared from this reality (SSVI), and Kagaribi is revealed to be a Vengeful Ghost around him and after killing the Big Bad she's getting closer to forgive him and resting in peace (2019).
- Downloadable Content: He returns to the series in 2019 as part of the first season of DLC characters.
- Driven to Suicide: His ending in 2019 sees him trying to do this in order to be with Kagaribi. It doesn't work.
- Fuuma Shuriken: Wields a giant shuriken attached to a length of chain.
- Gorn: His fatality, where he drags the opponent into a hellish black pit before an enormous eruption of blood blasts their severed head back out.
- Highly-Visible Ninja: Although Basara's powers are explained mainly through his ghost abilities, they also resemble powers usually identified with ninja. This is complemented by Basara's weaponry and costuming which are also associated with ninja — respectively his shuriken weapon and baggy pants, for example.
- He Who Fights Monsters: His vengeful rampage has turned him into a bloodthirsty man-slayer.
- Hitodama Light: As a restless spirit, Basara can summon a hitodama called "Soul of Nue" that he uses as an attack, as well as to transform in and out of a hitodama himself.
- Implausible Deniability: In 2019, it's revealed that this is his reaction to the revelation that he killed Kagaribi in V. Basara denies the horrible truth, convinces himself that it's all Zankuro's fault and that his death will finally reunite him with Kagaribi.
- Kill the Ones You Love: In his previous life, Basara lived in peace with his lover, Kagaribi, until the monstrous demonic swordsman Zankuro appeared on the scene and began slaughtering everyone. He blames "the demon" for Kagaribi's demise but, in V, it is revealed that Basara himself killed her.
- Laughing Mad: Less so in earlier games, but exaggerated in the 2019 game, where half his dialogue consists of Yamazaki-esque cackling.
- Love Makes You Evil: All he wants is to be with his beloved Kagaribi again, so he kills people indiscriminately under the belief that he will be able to see her again."Tell me, Kagaribi... How many more must I hunt before you forgive me? Because I will not stop hunting until you do!"
- Meaningful Name: The title of "Kubikiri" means "Executioner" and/or "Beheader". His name is written as "Sal tree destroyer", but is pronounced as "unrestrained".
- My God, What Have I Done?: In a plot twist revealed in V, it was Basara who killed Kagaribi in a delirium caused by Zankuro fatally wounding him.
- Only One Name: First assumed to be his last name, but "Kubikiri" is a title for Basara. His real last name is unknown.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang: The way his giant shuriken works — it spins off its chain at some points but always returns.
- Shout-Out: Considered by many as the Japanese version of The Crow.
- Together in Death: Gone Horribly Wrong. He and Kagaribi both certainly died together, but he remains a Revenant Zombie and she a ghost surrounding the former.
- The Undead: The series’ resident zombie character.
- Undeathly Pallor: Depending on the game, Basara's skin can be pale or sickening rotting flesh color.
- Unknown Rival: For Zankuro.
- Unwitting Pawn: To Amakusa, who resurrected him for the purpose of harvesting souls in order to call forth Ambrosia. Basara is none too pleased when he finds out about this in IV.
- Vengeful Ghost: Wants nothing more than to see the one who killed him and his lover dead. After finding out it was he himself who killed Kagaribi, he turns on Zankuro. After he finds Zankuro dead, he turns on Amakusa, who is behind his resurrection. It's revealed in Basara's ending in 2019 that Kagaribi is this to him, holding a grudge against him for murdering her and forcing him into punishment by means of denying him death until she is appeased.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Fights topless, combined with baggy ninja trousers.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Aku Amakusa cruelly disposes of him in IV by trapping him inside a stone pillar, never to be released again.
- Youkai: A Yurei (幽霊), which are figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts.
Shizumaru Hisame
I hate fighting, but... I don't want to die just yet, either. So... I apologize.
Voiced by: note
An amnesiac boy who was deemed a "demon" by fearful villagers. Following a traumatic past, he trains and seeks advice from Haohmaru, who he views as a big brother figure. After learning about the great "demon" Zankuro Minazuki, he travels with Haohmaru to defeat him.
- Adorably Precocious Child: He's a polite, well-meaning young boy with a keen sense of responsibility and exhibits a plucky, serious attitude towards his mission to warn others about the "demon" within him.
- Ambiguously Related: His relation to Zankuro Minazuki, the boss of the third game. According to the developers of III, they are not related but, by contrast, the staff working on the later fifth game state that Shizumaru's real name is Jin / Yaiba Minazuki.note
- Amnesiac Dissonance: He can't remember his very early childhood, and was adopted by a monk in infancy.
- Apologetic Attacker: Some of his win-poses see him do a double-take, mutter an apology, and bow respectfully to his fallen opponent. Also, after performing his fatality in V Special, the poor boy will be horrified to see his rival dead and collapse in tears.
- Badass Adorable: Just look at him. Would you believe this little guy can keep up with seasoned samurai and ninja masters?
- Dark and Troubled Past: Because he was deemed to be a "demon" since childhood, he had to live and survive alone.
- Demonic Possession: His Super Special Move in 2019 confirms that he does have some sort of demonic power or entity within him, which drives him into a berserk frenzy complete with Black Eyes of Crazy.
- Downloadable Content: He returns to the series in 2019 as a surprise bonus amongst the first season of DLC characters.
- Kid Hero: One of the youngest characters, if not the youngest and in most of the games he appears in, he’s a tender 12 years old.
- Kid Samurai: Certainly in terms of his age, and his role as a “little brother” figure to some of the older samurai men in the cast.
- Kill the Cutie: Despite his tender years, he's spared none of the series' legendarily graphic brutality and is subject to the same horrific fatalities as all of the other characters, which can be uncomfortable, all things considered.
- Meaningful Name: "Hisame" translates as "Scarlet Rain", although the developers made a pun with "Rain of Blood". "Shizu" translates as "Quiet". If you take his alleged true name into account, "Jin / Yaiba" means "sword", while his surname "Minazuki" translates to "moonless sky on the 9th sign of the Chinese calendar". The latter in particular refers to the phenomenon of a crimson moon. Put them both together and you essentially get "sword of the blood-red moon", which not only ties into his theme regarding the color red but also denotes his latent thirst for violence.
- Parasol of Pain: He wields an oil-paper parasol with a bladed edge, which acts as his primary weapon. He can whap the opponent with the tip, send it spinning towards them in the manner of an arcing fireball attack, and deadliest of all, spin it round rapidly to suck the opponent in and deliver a horrific multi-hitting rotor-blade style attack. He also wields a wakizashi.
- Rain of Blood: His super in 2019 is amongst the most horrifically gory in the game. After hurling his parasol at the opponent, he lunges at them screaming and carves a huge gash up their middle, which sends a veritable shower of blood pouring all over the arena floor whilst he looks on horrified from beneath his blood-soaked parasol.
- Red Is Violent: In his main outfit and hair-highlights, the color red is predominant, and despite his tender look, he's as dangerous as anyone else in the roster.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: His "seppuku" animation in IV causes him to bow to his opponent and run like hell.
- Shout-Out: Visually to Himura Kenshin. Most westerners saw him as one to Ranma ½, having Ranma's hairstyle and female hair color as well as Ryouga's trademark weapon (an umbrella).
- Shrines and Temples: His stage in 2019 is set in the courtyard of the beautiful Tōshō-gū temple complex in Nikko, which has for centuries been a sacred site known for its architectural and decorative masterpieces.
- Shrinking Violet: A relatively rare male example, he's very sweet-natured, if a little melancholic.
- Sickly Green Glow: During his fatality in V Special, Shizumaru becomes engulfed in a terrifying green aura, accompanied by a glowing hallucination of Zankuro, hinting at their connection. The aura returns in 2019, only this time it also makes his eyes glow green.
- Superpowered Evil Side: He was rumored to be a 'demon' by his fellow villagers, and eventually he finds out that he does indeed have a demon bloodlust within him, similarly to Zankuro. This is alluded to in Shizumaru's fatality in V Special — as he prepares to finish off the opponent, a hallucination of Zankuro appears behind him. He misses the killing blow and blacks out from the mental stress, but the phantom Zankuro slices the opponent clean in half, leaving Shizumaru horrified when he regains consciousness. Eventually, he comes to accept his "demon" as a natural part of himself and makes peace with his past.
- They Call Him "Sword": The monk who adopted him in infancy named him 'Shizumaru' after the inscription on the sword found with him.
- Troubled, but Cute: Sweeter than the standard, but with a VERY Dark and Troubled Past.
Gaira Caffeine (Kafūin)
You no-hoper, f**k off!
Origin: Koka-in, Hida Province, Japan
Voiced by: note
Nicotine's enormous, slow-witted grandson. After an argument with Nicotine, Gaira ran off from Koka-in temple to train, and witnessed Zankuro's killing spree, but was too afraid to stop him. After Amakusa and Zankuro are defeated for good, Gaira eventually returns in peace to the temple.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: He's a giant monk of the Koka-in Temple in Hida, and fights with his huge fists and a Buddhist rosary.
- Dumb Muscle: An incredibly strong guy who sports a very impressive musculature for someone as young as 18 years old, but he's certainly not the smartest of the series’ characters.
- Gentle Giant: From III to IV, he represented the "giant" character of the series, until the appearance of Kusaregedo in V and the return of other large-sprite characters in VI.
- The Giant: He's 7'5" — enormous for a Japanese man in the 1700s and only really possible due to medical disorders of the pituitary gland.
- Improbable Weapon User: A huge Buddhist rosary which he smashes into the opponent with deadly force — characters like Mina and Nakoruru can only take two or three heavy hits.
- Ironic Name: Gaira translates as "lightweight body".
- Mighty Glacier: He's positively enormous and very slow with it.
- The Slacker: His blasé, carefree attitude contrasts strongly with the solemn nature of his profession, leading to several arguments with Nicotine over his behavior, and although he acts as though he doesn't care for the temple, in reality, he is hesitant to accept his responsibilities to the Buddhist faith at such a young age.
- Spell My Name With An S: As with his grandfather, his last name would usually be written as "Kafūin", but the pun on "caffeine" carried over with him too.
- Taken for Granite: His Fatality turns the enemy into stone. He then proceeds to shatter him/her.
- Transatlantic Equivalent: He's known as Kim Ung Che in Fighters Swords, the Korean version of the third game, made for the South Korean market. The name is a direct Korean translation of “Gaira”. Said counterpart appears as a separate character in VI with the look of III-IV Gaira, but with a white outfit instead of Gaira's blue, and they can actually be pitched against each other in a Mirror Match.
Zankuro Minazuki
Is there no one to challenge me in a world so large?!
Origin: Kyōto, Yamashiro Province, Japan
Voiced by: note
The third game's final boss. Trying his hardest to perfect his swordsmanship, he became a brutal killer, likened to a demon. He slaughtered people indiscriminately until he came across a girl named Shiori and couldn't bring himself to kill her (she is actually revealed to be his daughter). Realizing what kind of man he has become, he calls it quits and retires into his hermitage, swearing only to raise his sword to fight a Worthy Opponent. In later games, he's revived and killed a few times (once by a lightning bolt of all things), but is eventually Killed Off for Real by Sogetsu.
- Ambiguously Related: Shizumaru (birth name Jin/Yaiba Minazuki) is either his son, nephew, or simply shares his surname — it's never been clarified — though the fact that Zankuro appears as a looming, ghostly presence in Shizumaru's fatality is telling.
- Anti-Villain: He was once a cold-blooded killer but he has since retired and won't kill people indiscriminately — yet he's still the Big Bad.
- Badass Normal: Unlike Amakusa and Mizuki, Zankuro doesn't rely on sorcery or the dark powers of Ambrosia, being the first boss character to do so in the series. He wields a zanbatō which he uses to attack with amazing speed and strength. In his first boss appearance, he could easily defeat his foe in two to three strikes.
- BFS: His zanbatō (a giant katana) is absolutely massive, standing about as tall as he is when it's planted in the ground.
- Blood Knight: A brutal version — he was once a kind man who lived happily with his family. He eventually went blind with blood lust and started to slay others to compensate, unintentionally killing his wife in the process.
- Hijacked by Ganon: IV (subtitled AMAKUSA'S REVENGE for crying out loud) revolves around a new plan formulated by a re-reawakened Classic Villain, so you would think said classic villain would be the final boss. Nope, after defeating Aku Amakusa, the big stone obelisk in the background of the final stage explodes, Aku Amakusa gets sliced in half, and in walks, a newly resurrected Zankuro, who in the third game—it should be noted—was just a normal human who was killed by lightning!
- Large and in Charge: He's huge, standing 7'11", with gigantic arms and an intimidating stance.
- Meaningful Name: Minazuki translates as "Moonless sky on the ninth sign of the Chinese calendar". Zankuro as "Crimson beheader son".
- My God, What Have I Done?: Calls time on his killing spree after coming across a girl named Shiori, who he discovers (thankfully just in time) is his daughter. This causes him to rethink his approach and only fight worthy opponents.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His fearful reputation started when a Karō (high-ranking samurai) and his minions kidnapped his child, Kakunoshin. After Zankuro found out, they were soon all dead — even his son.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: What he becomes after his death in the third game... which Amakusa tries to release.
- SNK Boss: By IV, he had the greatest reach and base strength of all bosses, as well as great speed.
- Sword Beam: His fatality in V consists of a super-powered slash that fires a green wave of death at his foe, totally obliterating him/her except for the lower parts of their feet.
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: In III, where combos are restricted and doing them from behind is one of the few effective ways, he can't be combo-ed from behind, as he will magically block any second hit you might attempt to land on him, leading to some heavy retribution. From that same game, he has a True Final Boss form, where you must knock him down a third time, the cheating part being that even if you have not been knocked out before, you'll lose if he wins the round, and if you win by time out, you also lose the game. Finally in IV, his Desperation Attack is a one hit kill if it catches you in the air.
- True Final Boss: In III, as mentioned above.
