Samurai Shodown Characters Index
2D Games: Samurai Shodown | Samurai Shodown II | Samurai Shodown III | Samurai Shodown V | Samurai Shodown VI | Samurai Shodown (2019)
3D Games: Samurai Shodown 64 | Samurai Shodown: Warrior's Rage | Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny
Others
2D Games: Samurai Shodown | Samurai Shodown II | Samurai Shodown III | Samurai Shodown V | Samurai Shodown VI | Samurai Shodown (2019)
3D Games: Samurai Shodown 64 | Samurai Shodown: Warrior's Rage | Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny
Others
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Seishiro Kuki / Kunou Seishiro
Origin: Edo, Musashi Province, Japan
Voiced by:note
The new main character for the Distant Finale, he is the son of a legendary samurai known as Kuki. He was trained alongside his brother Tohma and his father's student Jushiro, but due to his natural talent and dedication, he was known to be almost peerless with a sword. One day his father was found dead, his sword, Blade of the Flaming Sun, seemingly stolen. Suspecting his brother Tohma, Seishiro takes up his father's Full Moon Blade and joins Jin-Emon Hanafusa's journey to Riten Kyo, where Tohma, along with the Razor Trio, are known to be attacking the government and terrorizing the inhabitants.
- Aloof Ally
- Aloof Big Brother: With Tohma.
- Anime Hair: A Samurai Shodown main-character tradition.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy
- Blue Is Heroic: The predominant color on Seishiro, not to mention his father's Ancestral Weapon that has a light-blue colored blade. His sandals also have blue cords.
- Cain and Abel: The Abel to Tohma's Cain.
- The Cameo: Only appears as a SNK Character Card in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2.
- The Captain: Of the Oniwabanshu, a position inherited from his father.
- Catchphrase: "Hmph."
- Counter-Attack: His fighting style is focused on telegraphed but precise slashes.
- Cruel Mercy: Spares Tohma in both of their endings. Knowing Tohma, this may be a Fate Worse than Death.
- The Denouement: Kunou Seishiro's story-mode is a continuation of Kuki's that climaxes in a fight with Haohmaru.
- Dual Wielding: As Kunou Seishiro, he carries his sword and Tohma's.
- Expy: Blue-themed heir of a clan with cold / moon / water motifs in search of his adoptive younger brother to kill him... are we talking about Seishiro or Sogetsu?
- Final Boss: For Tohma.
- Fire/Water Juxtaposition: The water to his brother's fire.
- Good Is Not Nice: He is extremely rude to almost every character in the game.
- Heavy Sleeper: Has the habit of falling asleep anywhere and at anytime he feels like it. Including other characters' monologues.
- Knight Templar
- Meaningful Name: His family name means "nine hollyhocks", and his name is pronounced as "stem" , but it's written as "blue ambitious wolf". As Kunou, he changes his family name to "nine emperors".
- Meaningful Rename: Kunō Tenshō-ryū (Nine Rulers Ascension Art) is the complete martial art learned from his father. Being complete with the two swords, he decided to rename himself "Kunou Seishiro", the Kunou part of the name referencing martial arts instead of his family name.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Based on the historical Oniwabanshu, but is more similar to the Shinsengumi.
- One Riot, One Ranger: Seishiro seems like this, going against the Razor Trio by himself (and especially against Tohma) without any help and without the It's Personal factor.
- Orange/Blue Contrast: The Blue to Tohma's Orange, representing the cool blue.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Oni to Tohma's Red.
- Rival Final Boss: Tohma.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: The Yin to Tohma's Yang.
- Shout-Out: His calm personality and moon-related moves are similar to The Last Blade's Moriya Minakata, but with blue instead red.
- Solar and Lunar: Exhibits a moon motif.
- Spectacular Spinning: Very fond of circular and round slashes.
- Speed Echoes: Can do this, followed by a quick attack.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome
- The Stoic
- Took a Level in Badass: Was already a badass but after the game's final battle, he takes the name Kunou Seishiro and becomes a
Game-Breaker separate selectable character. - You Killed My Father: Somewhat subverted, in terms of the fact that Seishiro seems more concerned about getting back his father's sword and proving his superiority, than avenging his father's actual murder.
Tohma Kuki
Voiced by:note
The older son of the legendary Kuki — Tohma, like Seishiro trained extensively throughout his life. Except unlike the fellow sparring partners under his father's tutelage, he became more interested in the power that comes with being the strongest. One night, believing it to be a source of great power, he takes the Blade of the Flaming Sun and kills his father. He then begins traveling, searching for worthy opponents and killing whoever crosses him along the way. During his travels he meets up with Mikoto, who travels with him and later the two join up with Oboro, forming the feared Razor Trio of Riten Kyo. As the most openly violent of the three, Tohma becomes known as its strongest and most feared warrior, as well as the main target of the Bafuku government's attempts to quell their reign of terror.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy
- Attack! Attack! Attack!: Unlike his brother's relaxed fight style, Tohma's centers on multi-hit, rushing slash combos.
- Blade Spam
- Blood Knight
- The Brute: Of the Razor Trio.
- Cain and Abel: The Cain to Seishiro's Abel.
- The Cameo: Only appears as a SNK Character Card in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters 2.
- Dark Is Evil: See Evil Wears Black below.
- The Dark Side
- Evil Orphan: Kuki's adopted son.
- Evil Wears Black: The usual outfit of Tohma consists of a black jacket with a black hakama and orange lines.
- Expy: An eviler take on Kazuki. He also resembles Genjuro, according to Haohmaru.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Even in his own ending, the duel between him and Seishiro always ends with Tohma defeated and his father's sword being taken back from him.
- Final Boss: For Seishiro, Jin-Emon, Haito, Garyo, Daruma, Samurai and Brute.
- Fire/Water Juxtaposition: The fire to Seishiro's water.
- Flash Step: In contrast to his brother's speed echoes.
- Hot-Blooded
- Identical Stranger: In-Universe. When he fights Tohma, Haohmaru says he reminds him of Genjuro.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
- I Was Only Pretending To Like You: Subtly implied to be interested in Mikoto's weapon, than her personally.
- Meaningful Name: "Horseback swordsman", similar to his father's name. He writes his family name as "nine oni".
- Moveset Clone: Averted. He's Seishiro's corresponding clone character, but is otherwise almost completely different.
- Oblivious to Love: Barely acknowledges or doesn't comprehend Mikoto's feelings for him.
- Orange/Blue Contrast: The Orange to Seishiro's Blue, representing the fiery orange.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning
- Red Is Violent: Not just the red eyes, Tohma also wields his father's red katana, and his sandals have red cords.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red to Seishiro's Blue.
- Rival Final Boss: Seishiro.
- Self-Made Orphan: Kills his father to prove his strength and take the sword.
- Shout-Out: Also contrasting to his brother, Tohma looks like an evil Awakening Kaede.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: The Yang to Seishiro's Yin.
- Social Darwinist: His belief that only the strong should survive and rule leads him to joining the Razor Trio and taking over Riten Kyo.
- Solar and Lunar: Has a sun motif compared to Seishiro's moon.
- This Cannot Be!: After the defeat by Seishiro and his "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Unknown Rival: Seishiro.
- War God: Recognized as a bushin by Oboro and Jigen Daishi.
- White Hair, Black Heart: So black as the outfit he wears.
Jin-Emon Hanafusa
Origin: Edo, Musashi Province, Japan
Weapon: Kasatsu Yuji Yari note , a yumonji yari
Voiced by:note
One of the most loyal servants to the Bafuku government and a life-long friend of the master swordsman Kuki. He has served as a samurai for many years, living to protect his master. He used to train under Kuki's tutelage and there met with the younger samurai such as the young hopeful Sakaki Jushiro and the two sons of Kuki, quiet Seishiro and fiery Tohma. All of whom helped him retain his youthful spirit, especially Jushiro who he became best of friends with. Things however have since gone bad, with Jushiro's apparent betrayal of the government and Kuki's death at the hands of his son. Being the most experienced samurai, he is naturally given the dangerous mission of retaking control of Riten Kyo and terminate all the rebellious factions there. Along with Seishiro, he heads out to complete his mission.
- Benevolent Boss: Unlike his partner, he is sympathetic to his lesser ranked peers that are stationed at Riten Kyo and tries his best to moralize them with the promise of returning home.
- Big "WHAT?!": He yells out a loud "NANJATO!?" when defeated.
- Boring, but Practical: Unlike every other character's colorful moveset, his own consists of thrusting, slashing or lifting up the enemy at most.
- The Cameo: He has an in-text cameo in the Feudal Japan game of Days of Memories series.
- Cannot Talk to Women: To a certain degree. Since he spent his whole life away from the opposite sex, Jin-Emon is very nervous around women.
- Casanova Wannabe: Or seems like it around Saya (hinted as being reciprocal in his ending).
- Expy: Takes on Jubei's role of an old-fashioned shogunate samurai.
- Failure Is the Only Option: In his ending duel against Jushiro.
- Height Angst: Stated in his bio. Probably a developers' joke, since he's the Long-Range Fighter.
- Heterosexual Life-Partner: With Kuki and Jushiro.
- Honor Before Reason: Steady loyal to his master and the traditions of samurai.
- Meaningful Name: Translates to something akin to "swift gate guardian of the flower cluster".
- Older Sidekick: Although, technically he is Seishiro's superior.
Hanzo Hattori (Warriors Rage)
Voiced by:note
A ninja working for the government, Hanzo is given the mission to seek and kill Jigen Taishi after they discovered his coup plans. His real identity is Hattori Shinzo, the eldest son of the previous Hattori Hanzo, although he isn't sure he's a worthy successor to the mantle.
- Collective Identity: No one is supposed to know he's not his father — even Oboro's fooled. Haohmaru is the only exception.
- Demonic Possession: Done by Amakusa in the first game, although it "kills" his original soul.
- Legacy Character
- Meaningful Name: Shinzo translates as "truly hidden".
- Professional Killer
- Promoted to Playable: Was originally seen in Samurai Shodown 1 and 2.
- Rescued from the Underworld: In Samurai Shodown 2, Hattori Hanzo goes to rescue Shinzo's soul to merge it back with his body, after it's stolen by Mizuki. He succeeds, but at the cost of his wife's life.
- Shadow Pin: One of the only new additions to his father's arsenal.
- Spinning Piledriver: Has an over-the-shoulder variant of the typical Izuna Drop.
- Stock Ninja Weaponry: In addition to the ninjato, he's got shurikens and smoke bombs.
- Teleport Spam
- Trick Bomb: Uses the usual ninja smoke bomb with more incendiary effects.
- Unknown Rival: Oboro was a rival of his father's, not him.
- Unnecessary Combat Roll: Can avoid some attacks with it.
- Wall Jump
- Wrestler in All of Us: Can do an ippon seoi nage and a neck-breaking hurricanrana.
Garyo the Whirlwind
Voiced by:note
Garyo aka “The Whirlwind”, is the stubborn but kind hearted leader of a gang of thieves that roam Riten Kyo. Despite being criminals, Garyo has inspired his followers not to commit terrible crimes and to respect life. Their base was hidden in the caves underneath the Razor Trio's castle but after being spotted by guards, they were all captured and imprisoned in the dungeons. After many weeks, Garyo managed to escape but could only get his most loyal partner, Chobisuke out, due to the rest already having been executed. He then vows revenge against those that killed his comrades.
- Boisterous Bruiser
- Covered in Scars
- Dumb Muscle
- A Father to His Men: A rugged and tough man who is confident in his leadership. Although he comes across as a villain to the common folk, he will protect people when he thinks it's necessary. Garyo treasures his gang and treats them as his family.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: Often fights with just one arm, but will use both if necessary.
- Immune to Flinching: One of his special attacks activates a super armor.
- It's Personal: He goes after Tohma's head, who had slaughtered most of his band as well as kidnapping "his bride" Mikoto.
- Meaningful Name: Literally "reclining dragon", but usually a title roughly akin to "genius amongst the masses". Its pronunciation can also mean "dragon drawing".
- Mighty Glacier
- One-Man Army
- Only One Name: Usually just known by his Red Baron, "The Whirlwind".
- Oral Fixation: Always carries a toothpick - he can use it as a projectile, too.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: His band of bandits
- Red Baron: "The Whirlwind", of course. Whirlwind is a title he earned.
- Sheath Strike: Doesn't even bother to unsheathe his knife, except in his ultimate special move.
- Tornado Move: The nickname isn't just for show.
- Unrequited Love: For Mikoto. In his ending, he defeats Tohma but hides from Mikoto. After seeing her genuine love for Tohma, he resigns his original intentions and leaves. To compensate for his decision, he steals Tohma's horse and a donkey for Chobisuke.
- Use Your Head: Can do rhino-like tackles.
- Verbal Tic: "Ou!"
- With My Hands Tied: Fights with an arm tucked inside his kimono.
- Yakuza: Based on the romantic bakuto depiction of their predecessors.
Jushiro Sakaki
Voiced by:note
A young, talented government samurai, he was sent to train under the legendary samurai Kuki, where he trained alongside Seishirou and Tohma. Both were distant towards others, so Jushiro mainly developed the best of friendships with Jin-Emon Hanafusa. Jushiro also met and fell in love with a female samurai named Karen, but both Karen and Jushiro were loyal samurai and Karen decided to put duties before personal happiness as was expected of her. When it was learned Oboro had designs on the princess, Karen offered to be the princess' Body Double in a trap. However, Oboro's power was more than expected and Karen along with the soldiers involved were slaughtered. Jushiro was the first to arrive at the site and when others found him alone, he became the prime suspect. Leaving the government, he went into hiding on Riten Kyo. Forming the "Atom Rebels", along with Rinka and Saya, he becomes marked for extermination by his former employers. He later modified his sword with parts of gun he picked up from Oboro's party which killed Karen.
- Blasting It Out of Their Hands: One of his special moves.
- Bullet Dancing: Thanks to his hidden machinegun.
- The Cameo: He has an in-text cameo in the Feudal Japan game of Days of Memories series.
- Combos: Most of his normal attacks can be followed by an extra shot.
- He Knows Too Much: As a traitor and former member of the secret Oniwabanshu, Jushiro must be assassinated.
- Iaijutsu Practitioner: A weird version. While he can quickly unsheathe his sword to slash, he uses it mostly for gun-related functions.
- Jade-Colored Glasses
- Loveable Rogue
- Meaningful Name: His name means "wandering musketeer", and his inherited surname is a reference to the sakaki tree
. His original surname means "snake", while his name was written as the more generic "fourteenth son" but pronounced as "southeast". - Meaningful Rename: Used to be Jushiro Tatsumi, but changed his family name to his deceased lover's to protect his identity and as a keepsake.
- The Mourning After
- Moveset Clone: Averted. He's the only main character in the game with no moveset clone.
- No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Very loosely based on Ryoma Sakamoto, an expert swordsman who famously carried a revolver and aimed to overthrow the shogunate.
- Rebel Leader: Of the Atom Rebels, even if it is basically just a small number of people.
- Rebellious Spirit
- Recoil Boost: He can stab with more force thanks to the gun recoil.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Against nearly everyone; Oboro for killing Karen, Tohma for killing his master and the Bafuku for sending Karen on the mission and thinking he was responsible for the massacre because he was the first on the scene.
- Spoiled Brat: His opinion about Seishiro (and certainly extended to Tohma).
- Swiss-Army Weapon: The handle of his sword is a pistol.
- Vigilante Man: He made his own vigilante group after becoming a deserter of Oniwabanshu.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Jin-Emon, due to political alliegances. Even so, they aren't really enemies.
Yaci Izanagi
Voiced by:note
Yaci, a former bodyguard, is one of the most dangerous thugs wandering around the streets of the prison island Riten Kyo, along with his friend Haito Kanakura. He enjoys making his opponents suffer and drains blood from his enemies in order to drink it. Yaci however began to change after meeting his beloved Namino, and because of him he vows to one day give up the life of crime, his blood drinking, and escape the island together. To achieve this goal he decides to move up the ranks among Riten Kyo's elite and become as powerful as the Razor Trio or the Bafuku government itself.
- Ambiguously Gay: Acts hostile towards all female characters, uses nail polish (though one should bear in mind purple is considered the color of death in Japan) and is in love with Namino — a male geisha.
- Ambition Is Evil: Wants to have power to leave Riten Kyo, whether it be turning into a samurai or a member of the Razor Trio.
- Agent Peacock
- Big Bad: Of the Shibito.
- Blood Sucker
- Bloody Murder: One of his attacks involves cutting himself to stun his enemy.
- Diabolical Mastermind: The boss of the Shibito gang.
- Evil Duo: With Haito, as the two most important members of the Shibito gang.
- Fragile Speedster
- Lean and Mean
- Love Redeems: Sort of — his deeds are driven by his love for Namino.
- Meaningful Name: His name translates to "night blood from the sixteen movings ", but it's pronounced as "evil-eyed Izanagi". Namino's translates to "beautiful".
- Persona Non Grata: His family worked as torturers for the shogunate, but went too far and killed somebody. Since then, they have been excommunicated on Riten Kyo.
- Poisoned Weapons: Carries a poisoned dagger on his back to throw it or to stun enemies.
- Psycho for Hire
- Slashed Throat: Another of his attacks.
- Smug Snake
- You Have Failed Me: His gang doesn't approve of his relation with Namino, so they want to kill him. However, he chooses to protect Namino at all costs instead of following them.
Rinka Yoshino
Voiced by:note
The proud daughter of the honorable and wealthy Yoshino family. Unexpected jealousy and betrayal among the Shogunate lead to the Yoshino bloodline's economic collapse as well as its members being sent to Riten Kyo, to slowly fade from history and society. However, Rinka returned from her secluded training and finding what was left of her family, decides to fight back, joining Jushiro and Saya, in the "Atom Rebels" anti-shogunate group.
- Adaptation Inspiration: Although she isn't playable in any other games, a M.U.G.E.N version of her exists on the net.
- BFS: Not really that big compared to most BFS's but literally much bigger than a 5'1" girl of her size could yield effectively in combat.
- Breakout Character: After only appearing in this game, Rinka comes back in the Edo version of Days of Memories series.
- Cherry Blossom Girl
- Clear Their Name: Rinka joined the "Atom Rebels" as a means to reestablish her family's honor and free the island.
- Iaijutsu Practitioner: Can do various counters from the draw.
- Meaningful Name: "Cold flower from Yoshino"
- Petal Power
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: A member of the anti-Bakufu Atom Rebels, although she leaves the cause in her ending.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Her blueish mouse friend named Tetsunosuke.
- Shoryuken
- Stance System: Most of her moveset comes from stance-started combos.
- Tsundere
- Waif-Fu
- You Killed My Father: Holds a grudge against the Shogunate.
Saya
Origin: Kingdom of Great Britain
Voiced by:note
Saya (real name 'Sasha') was born in England to a family that was working for one of the most important commercial trade corporations running goods between England and Japan. To achieve success, they had to make underworld contacts but due to their refusal to accept conditions laid down by a gang of thieves led by Oboro, an extermination unit was sent to wipe out Saya's family. Her family were killed but she was spared and raised by one of the assassins who took her back to Japan. She has been trained in the art of assassination but has lived with hatred toward Oboro's Razor Trio and the Bafuku government who she blames for doing nothing to avoid her parents' murder. She has since joined up with Jushiro's Atom Rebels to dethrone both the Bafuku and the Razor Trio in Riten Kyo.
- Bifurcated Weapon: Her kama can combine into some sort of boomerang.
- Breakout Character: After only appearing in this game, Saya comes back in the Edo version of Days of Memories series.
- Dude Magnet: Seems to have acquired a number of male admirers amongst the male cast.
- Captain Ersatz: Kasuga from the Sengoku Basara series has a very similar appearance to Saya, and is also a Ninja to boot.
- Expy: Saya plays similar to Shikyoh/Mukuro. She also shares a lot of similarities, personality and appearance-wise, with Lien Neville from the KOF: Maximum Impact series.
- Gorgeous Gaijin: One of the series' few white European women (along with Charlotte). Despite living in Japan since infancy, she was in fact born to an English mercantile family. She of course exhibits the usual traits (blonde hair, seductive attitude etc) and even more granularly, she shows some similarities in costuming and personality with her fellow English females in the fighting game genre, namely (Cammy, Ivy, Lara) as well as fellow Brit, Lien, noted above.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A blonde English girl with a sweet heart.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Tries to act vain and arrogant but is really a very kind person.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Near the end of the game's events, Jushiro wants her to leave the Atom Rebels so as not to lose any more important people in his life. Ironically, Saya ends up with Jin-Emon.
- Meaningful Name: Not to the extent of other characters: "Saya" is a loose translation of "Sasha", but it can also mean "scabbard". Her original English birth-name "Sasha" is a diminutive of "Alexandra", and means "Defender of Mankind" — pretty apt.
- Ms. Fanservice
- Ninja
- Parental Substitute: Benten no Touko, a ninja. She was the one who killed Saya's family under the Razor Trio's orders, but later adopts her out of guilt. When she fights Saya, seeking death at her hands, Saya spares her out of love for her as a mother-figure.
- Phenotype Stereotype: In-game, she is always noted to be different-looking to the mostly Japanese cast, as she is ethnically English with pale blonde hair and light eyes.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: A member of the anti-Bakufu Atom Rebels.
- Weapon Twirling: Most of her moves involve her spinning the kama.
Haito Kanakura
Voiced by:note
Haito is a former bodyguard gone rogue and one of the most feared criminals that live in Riten-Kyo. Son of a Japanese woman and a foreigner, he partnered up with Yaci Izanagi and terrorizes the local population. Haito has a terrible sickness, that causes him to have seizures, which he controls by drinking a special potion to sooth the pain and provide extreme abilities. Cold blooded and ruthless, he is in love with Saya but upon her rejection, he decides there is nothing left to live for and takes all his frustration out on the Razor Trio, who feels are unfit to rule.
- Bash Brothers: With Yaci.
- Blade Spam
- Blood from the Mouth: A side effect of the drugs he takes to manage his illness.
- Blood Lust: Haito is literally obsessed with blood and the color red.
- The Dragon: To Yaci.
- Evil Duo: He and Yaci are the two most important members of the Shibito gang.
- Expy: Story-wise, he's similar to Genjuro.
- Flash Step
- Functional Addict
- Japanese Delinquent: Apart of the obvious, he shows traits of actual yankii like the abnormal white hair (probably because of his Western heritage), some of his poses and the Kansai accent.
- Meaningful Name: "Ash person of the seven seatings".
- The Promised Land: In his ending, he's offered a better position by somebody (hinted to be Daruma). He doesn't think he deserves it and dies shortly after.
- Psycho for Hire
- Psycho Serum: The drugs increase his speed and strength, but take toll on his body. In his ending, he dies from their side effects.
- Razor Wind: His sword swings are so fast and strong that they create wind shockwaves.
- Red Is Violent
- Reverse Grip: He wields his sword with the blade facing backward.
- Soap Opera Disease: Coughs up blood during his bouts with it.
- The Dragon: To Yaci and the Shibito gang.
- White Hair, Black Heart
Ran Po
Weapon: Kazekodama note , a metal hammer
Voiced by:note
Ran Po, a short-tempered but mature-for-his-age orphan whose parents were victims of the violence that reigned over Riten Kyo. He was saved by the kind old man Daruma, who took Ran Po and another lost child, Minto, as his grandchildren. Ran Po and Minto get along very well and being the elder, he has taken it upon himself to protect Minto. Daruma, depressed by the current situation on Riten Kyo, orders his grandchildren to leave the island to find a more peaceful life. The problem with this however is that Minto has become lost and Ran Po must search the island so that the two can leave together.
- Animal Theme Naming: He and his aerial attacks are named after birds, and his ground attacks after various land animals.
- The Artful Dodger
- Blow You Away: Can float for a short time.
- Bully Hunter
- Inertia Is a Cruel Mistress: Gets carried away by his hammer whenever he swings it with too much force.
- Meaningful Name: Roughly translates to "revolting Houou".
- Missing Child: Turns out that Minto was only playing with some friends.
- The Promised Land: With the help of Daruma, both he and Minto fly away to Ryukyu (Okinawa).
- Take Up My Sword: The hammer once belonged to Cham Cham.
- Wild Child
Daruma
Origin: Unfixed
Voiced by:note
He is a carefree wanderer who was once a legendary duelist that single-handedly annihilated an infamous family. When he is in Ritenkyo, he acts as the surrogate parent of Ran Po and Minto. One day, as Daruma returns to Ritenkyo, he notices the deterioration of the town (violence, robbery and murder are everyday affairs) and resolves to assume his past identity to punish the root of the evil: the Three Blades of Dominion.
- The Alcoholic: Substitutes Haito's drugs for old-fashioned sake.
- Blade Spam
- The Casanova: Has at least two lovers.
- Cool Old Guy: Though it seems that his old age has affected his sword skills.
- Eyepatch of Power
- Flash Step
- Good Luck Charm: Ran Po and Minto carry little daruma dolls from him.
- Iaijutsu Practitioner: A master, in fact.
- King of the Homeless: Protects many children of Ritenkyo.
- Living Legend: His real identity, although the player doesn't know it.
- Meaningful Name: Literally "steep slope polished by the waterflow". Resembles a daruma doll via his short, round shape and his lack of pupils.
- Moveset Clone: Of Haito.
- Parental Substitute: Of Ran Po and Minto.
- Razor Wind
- Symbol Motif Clothing: Wears a daruma symbol on his hat.
- We Help the Helpless: Helps people to escape from Ritenkyo.
Mugenji
Weapon: Gokusaimaru note , an oversized nata (billhook)
Voiced by:note
Mugenji is a homicidal murderer, driven insane with his abnormal obsession with beauty and butterflies. As a child, he was ostracized by his village for his unruly appearance, and driven to live alone in fields of flowers. A blind girl named Ocho (whose name means butterfly) willingly befriends him. One day, Ocho excitedly tells him that she will visit a doctor to gain her sight. For dubious reasons — implied to be his fear of her seeing what he looks like — he strangles her to death. Believing that he will be reborn into a butterfly, Mugenji traverses the land, killing anyone in his path.
- Animal Motifs: Butterflies.
- Ax-Crazy
- Bloody Murder
- Butterfly of Death and Rebirth: The possible explanation as to why he is so obsessed with them.
- Creepy Crossdresser
- Forbidden Zone: Few people dare to go to the Tower of Prayer because it's one of Mugenji's most frequent venues.
- Flower Motifs: Obsessed with them.
- Good Is Bad And Bad Is Good: Believes this, though he does enjoy beautiful things and butterflies.
- Meaningful Name: Translates as "eternal substitution", and it's an extra kanji away from "mugen jigoku".
- Moveset Clone: Of Yaci and/or Yuda.
- Scary Black Man
- Slashed Throat
- Universal Poison: Can throw butterfly poison.
Tashon Mao
Origin: Qing Empire
Voiced by:note
Tashon Mao hails from China and travels to perfect his warriors skills. He enters Ritenkyo in a foreign skiff, mistaking it for the Japanese mainland. He chanced to see a fairy sprite (Nakoruru) in the forest and instantly becomes obsessed with her. Jealous of any strangers who may steal her away, he fights to ward off visitors and "protects" Nakoruru.
- Ambiguously Human: To the point people confuse him for a giant panda, though he barely resembles one.
- Animal Motifs: Pandas, although his moveset is named after various animals.
- Big Fun: He is a large comic relief character who isn't meant to be taken seriously.
- The Cameo: He has an in-text cameo in the Feudal Japan game of Days of Memories series.
- Immune to Flinching
- Joke Character
- Meaningful Name: "Dàxióngmāo" means "giant panda" in Chinese.
- Moveset Clone: Of Garyo.
- Power Fist
- Tornado Move
- Unrequited Love: With Nakoruru. In his ending, he overhears her talking to Haohmaru and learns that someone is already waiting for her affections (implied to be Galford). He decides to give up on her and leaves the forest, lamenting that he can never find another fairy like Nakoruru again. Moments after he says this, Rimururu crashes into him.
- Use Your Head
- With My Hands Tied
- You Shall Not Pass!: The self-designated guardian of Nakoruru and, by extension, the Holy Forest.
- Wolverine Claws: Can pop out some sort of claws from his fake arm.
Minto
Weapon: Momiji no Neko Tsuchi note , a hammer
Voiced by:note
She is an orphan raised in the streets of Ritenkyo and the younger adopted sister to Ran Po. Like her brother, Minto is a wild child who was raised without moral discipline and proper etiquette. Her natural curiosity lead her to befriend some of the orphans around Ritenkyo, one of whom is Mario. He is a sort of an inventor who created Minto's weapon as a present for her.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Downplayed — she is still a good adopted sister to Ran Po, they genuinely love each other and eventually she helps him to escape from the island.
- The Artful Dodger
- Blow You Away
- Bratty Half-Pint
- Child Prodigy: Not her but Mario, a boy who created her weapon.
- Cloudcuckoolander
- Hit Flash: Unlike everyone else's hit effects, a bunch of cute stars appear whenever she hits somebody.
- Inertia Is a Cruel Mistress
- Limited Wardrobe: Averted — she's the only character with various costume changes.
- Meaningful Name: Written as "Sleeping rabbit", pronounced "mint".
- Moveset Clone: Of her adoptive brother Ran Po.
- The Promised Land: With Ran Po in his/Daruma's ending.
Mikoto
Weapon: Yōtō Kokurin note , a nagayari.
Voiced by:note
She is Shiki and Shadow Asura's child, born at the end of Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage. Before she died, Shiki left her child with Nicotine Caffeine and his student, Haohmaru. As she grew over the years, Mikoto demonstrated inhuman abilities and skills. She adapts these powers into a powerful fighting style that corresponds with her dual personas, commonly dubbed as "Angel" and "Devil" respectively. This inner conflict occasionally materialized in the form of one white and black wing for each half. She uses her heavenly powers to conduct religious services and rituals in which she was revered as a religious symbol (shrine maiden).
- All Love Is Unrequited: Her feelings for Tohma are not reciprocated at all.
- BFS: Her weapon is a bit taller than herself.
- Balance Between Good and Evil: Mikoto has to deal with her "Angel" side and her "Devil" side.
- Evil Is Deathly Cold
- Evil Sorceress: Fills this role in the Razor Trio, although she's not completely evil.
- Final Boss: For Yaci, Rinka, Minto, Yuda, Tashon Mao and Mugenji.
- Ghostly Goals: Her "devil" persona are what remains of Yuga.
- Infinity +1 Sword: Kuki implies that her weapon is more powerful that Seioh and Kouoh together.
- It Was a Gift: Oboro gave her the nagayari, but it's powered by dark energy.
- Meaningful Name: Has various homonyms, like "life", "fate", or even "
divine pronouncement". - Miko: Mikoto is the priestess of Razor Trio.
- Moveset Clone: Averted. Technically she's Rinka's clone, but she shares almost no moves with her.
- Muggle Foster Parents: Haohmaru, Nicotine and Gaira.
- Precision-Guided Boomerang
- Rei Ayanami Expy: Just like her mother Shiki.
- Shoryuken: Taken from Rinka.
- Shrinking Violet
- Spell Blade: A stab of her nagayari can cause various magic properties.
- Stance System: Inherited from Rinka.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Her "Devil" persona, which later is known that is Yuga the Destroyer disguised.
Yuda
Weapon(s): Gurenjin note , a katana
Voiced by:note
He is the product of Asura merging with Shadow Asura. As a consequence of their fusion, Yuda retains no memory from either of the Asuras' previous lives. A somber individual, he carries out the orders given to him without question and acts as the heartless executioner to his victims. Yuda is assigned to a section of the Shogunate linked to the Three Blades of Ritenkyo. He is secretly promised the position of shogun if Oboro (Jigen Taishi) succeeds. If the plan fails, Yuda would be used as the political scapegoat to destroy evidence of Oboro's plot. His first mission is clearing out Ritenkyo.
- Casting a Shadow: Substitutes Yaci and Mugenji's projectiles / poison / blood attacks for some sort of dark energy.
- Composite Character: In-Universe. After defeating Yuga the Destroyer, Asura and Shadow Asura fused into one being, that is Yuda.
- Also in his gameplay, Yuda shares his fighting style with Yaci and Mugenji. This style is based on the use of reversals, stuns and a projectile which will drain an opponent's lifebar throughout the match.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Like the two Asuras he's made from, he's an Anti-Hero / Anti-Villain. Personality-wise, Yuda is more aloof and emotionless rather than outright good or evil. He's also quite Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
- Final Boss: For Mikoto and Oboro's Amazons.
- Loss of Identity: As a consequence of their fusion, Yuda retains no memory from either Asuras' previous lives. A somber individual, he carries out the orders given to him without question and acts as the heartless executioner to his victims.
- Meaningful Name: Translates as "falling into hell", but it's pronounced like "Judas". Also resembles "Yuga".
- Moveset Clone: Of Yaci and/or Mugenji.
- One-Winged Angel: A literal example.
Oboro
Voiced by:note
Though he has a kind demeanor, he was once a ninja that was revered as much as Hanzo Hattori. He was forced to leave the clan after Hanzo defeats him in a duel. Hateful during his alienation, he learns dark magic and gathers several "cursed weapons". He devotes himself to the will of the earthly Buddha Jigen Taishi -who "protects" Ritenkyo- and spends twenty years plotting the government's downfall. During this time, he creates the "Three Blades of Domination" -or the Razor Trio- and trains an army of skilled amazons. He wants to assume the will of his benefactor and establish a new nation for the martial deity. He also hopes to avenge his disgrace caused by Hanzo.
- Always Second Best: To Hanzo.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Of Warriors's Rage, with Jigen Taishi.
- Disney Villain Death
- Evil Genius: His role in the Razor Trio, although he's more of a Genius Bruiser.
- Evil Old Folks: Is he ever.
- Final Boss: For Haohmaru, Hattori Hanzo, Jushiro, Saya and Iga Ninja. However, he's the only non-generic NPC character that is not unlocked and playable upon defeat.
- The Heavy: Acts as one to Jigen Taishi, for whom he leads the Razor Trio and an army of amazons. Considering that Jigen Taishi was Dead All Along, he's more accurately a Dragon-in-Chief.
- Meaningful Name: Translates as "haze".
- Moveset Clone: Of Seishiro (sword) and Jin-Emon (spear)'s weapons.
- Ninja: Was one and in fact used to be part of Hanzo's clan before the latter defeated and exiled him.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Canonically killed by Haohmaru in a duel.
- SNK Boss: He has no body you can attack, since you fight his giant levitating weapons instead which he controls via telepathy. Those weapons are the only "character" in game which takes full advantage of 3D space flying here and there and attacking from various directions - while their own hitbox (which you should attack to damage Oboro) are almost nonexistent.
- Social Darwinist: Often repeats sayings like "Strong will live, while weak should die. Obey the law of nature!"
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Wants to revenge his loss to Hanzo.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Looks and behaves like an innocent old man at first.
Iga Ninja
Origin: Three Mountains of Dewa, Japan
Weapon: a Ninjatō
Voiced by:note
Hattori Hanzo's personal squad. They are devoted to successfully complete Hanzo's assassination mission even if it costs them their own lives.
- Hot Blooded Sideburns: As story mode character "Gyakuten Ippatsuō"
- Joke Character
- Meaningful Name: As "Gyakuten Ippatsuō", "King of reversed attempts / hair's breadth situations".
- Moveset Clone: A simplified clone of the second Hanzo Hattori.
- Ninja: They are members of Iga who serve in Hanzo Hattori's squad.
- Player Mooks
- Shout-Out: To Gyakuten Ippatsuman
- Unlikely Hero: Seems to help to the Razor Trio's downfall by pure error - he's not even in his own ninja clan.
Samurai
Weapon: a Suyari
Voiced by:note
Government agents relocated at a garrison by Ritenkyo's Prison Gates, the port where the government brings all criminals and outcasts into the island. They work hard for salaries and future perspectives, even if it means working on a hellhole they want to get out from.
- Generic Name: As story mode character Ichiro Suzuki.
- Joke Character
- Moveset Clone: A simplified clone of Jin-Emon.
- Only in It for the Money
- Player Mooks
- Punch-Clock Hero: As story mode character Ichiro Suzuki.
- Salaryman
Brute
Voiced by:note
Roving gangs of hoodlums at Ritenkyo with no particular allegiances other than their own selfish, short-term interests.
- Atrocious Alias: Wants to be named "Don Monsieur Mr. Hanaoka" (translated as "gentleman brute") in his ending.
- Moveset Clone: A simplified clone of Haohmaru.
- Joke Character
- Player Mooks
- Small Name, Big Ego
- Stupid Crooks
- Tattooed Crook: Sports an inu (dog) and three lines on an arm, common Edo-era marks for identifying criminals. Also has a koi on his back.
- Yakuza: A Take That!, in comparison to Garyo.
Oboro's Amazons
Voiced by:note
An army of shrine maidens lead by Oboro that live at Tengen Castle. They can turn into deadly killer squads at his whim.
- Amazon Brigade
- Blind Obedience
- Body Paint
- Moveset Clone: A simplified clone of Saya. Inverted in the storyline, because Touko no Benten, Saya's adoptive mother, used to be one of Oboro's amazons.
- No Name Given
- Player Mooks
- You Have Failed Me: In her ending, Oboro is the only Razor Trio member left, so they are treated as useless pawns in a fit of rage.
