History Characters / Moribito

* LadyOfWar: She's able to read the situation and assess the battle, uses a [[BladeOnAStick spear]] as her WeaponOfChoice, prefers to fight her opponents honorably (even if they don't), looks quite graceful while doing it. But she's always mindful to ''[[ThouShaltNotKill spare her opponents' lives]]'' in the anime.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: He acts courteous towards his surviving family members, but he secretly despises one of his nephews for being like Jiguro in personality and attempts to kill another for getting in the way of his ambition for eternal prestige.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He doesn't understand selflessness, compassion, or love, considering his deceased brother, Jiguro, a pathetic fool who chose a life of anguish over continuing that of prestige for young Balsa, who, in his words, was nothing more than "someone else's daughter."

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He doesn't understand selflessness, compassion, or love, considering his deceased brother, Jiguro, a pathetic fool who chose a life of anguish over continuing that of prestige for young Balsa, who, in his words, was nothing more than "someone else's daughter".

One of the current King's Spears and the treacherous younger brother of Jiguro.

** In the live-action series, she is played by Haruka Ayase as an adult and by Kaya Kiyohara and Naho Yokomizo as a young child.

* TimeShiftedActor: In the live-action series, he is portrayed by Masahiro Higashide as an adult and by Kirato Wakayama as a young boy.

* RelatedDifferentlyInTheAdaptation: In the live-action series, he's the third son of the Mikado by the Second Queen rather than by the Third Queen, making him full brothers with Chagum.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: He's alive and well in the live-action series, a major departure from the source material since Balsa becomes a wanted criminal trying to assassinate him.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Later in the novels, [[spoiler:Chagum embarks on a dangerous journey alone to stop the Talsh Empire of the Southern Continent from invading New Yogo, Kanbal and Lota.]]

* SignificantWardrobeShift: In episode 24, upon reaching 12 years of age, he changes the child-sized peasant kimono he had been wearing for new clothing more fit for the prince he is - in more than one way, as it includes a Yogo kimono over a Yakoo tunic (his empire's two peoples), with a Kanbal style sash (like Balsa's).

!!New Yogo Empire

[[folder:The Second Queen]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Tomoko Saitō (radio), Creator/EmiShinohara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/TaraPlatt (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Fumino Kimura

The mother of Chagum.
----
* TakeCareOfTheKids: When she suspects that her husband is trying to kill their son, [[WiseBeyondTheirYears Chagum]], she tasks [[LadyOfWar Balsa]], who happened to stop the most recent assassination attempt, to run away with him and keep him safe.
%%* YamatoNadeshiko:

%%[[folder:Torugaru]]
%%!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Akihiko Ishizumi (radio)
%%!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Spirit''
%%The first Mikado of New Yogo.
%%----
%%* FounderOfTheKingdom: Of the New Yogo Empire.
%%* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: [[spoiler:InUniverse.]]
%%* PuppetKing: [[spoiler:He was in truth this to Nanai.]]
%%* ShroudedInMyth:

!!!Star Readers
[[folder:Shuga]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yūsei Oda (radio), Creator/HirofumiNojima (anime)
!!!'''Voiced in English by:''' Steve Cannon (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Kento Hayashi

A young Star Reader, who seeks the truth about the water demon of the founding myth.

* {{Astrologer}}: He can predict events through the use of the stars.
%%* TheGoodChancellor: What he's meant to be to Chagum. The whole water demon thing is a complication.
* ManlyTears: In the anime, he cries upon believing that Chagum has been killed and he could do nothing to stop it. And later on when Sagum dies.
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: In the anime, Shuga never got to tell Sagum his brother was alive because he wanted to find proof. Sagum died just after he left to do so.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's the only Star Reader who suggests working with the Yakoo and is doing his best to help everyone come out alive.

%%[[folder:Kainan Nanai]]
%%!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoshi Sakō (radio)
%%!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Spirit''
%%The first Master Star Reader.

!!!Civilians
[[folder:Toya and Saya]]
!!!'''Toya voiced in Japanese by:''' Sota Murakami (radio), Creator/MayumiAsano (anime)
!!!'''Saya voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/RyoHirohashi (anime)
!!!'''Toya voiced in English by:''' Creator/YuriLowenthal (anime)
!!!'''Saya voiced in English by:''' Erika Lenhart (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Seishirō Kato (Toya), Riana Saijima (Saya)
!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Spirit''
A pair of orphans that are friends with Balsa and Tanda.

* TheAce: In the anime, Toya mentions Saya is pretty good at everything she sets her mind to.
* ArrangedMarriage: In the anime, Toya mentions that Saya is so impressive that she's getting marriage proposals. [[spoiler:It's PlayedForDrama when one of the families pressures Saya into agreeing to one of the proposals, leading to the AstralProjection incident. It's called off afterward.]]
* AstralProjection: In the anime, Saya drinks a wine steeped in a flower that sends her soul to Nayugu. She's stuck outside of her body until Tanda retrieves her.
%%* BigBrotherMentor: Toya to Chagum.
* DoYouWantToHaggle: Toya explains that being able to haggle is a skill Chagum needs and demonstrates.
* HeroicSacrifice: Toya was prepared to make one in episode 17 by setting fire to the watermill to warn Balsa off and then be tortured, but one of the emperor's men got them to drop it and told him to value his own life more.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: In the anime, Toya can't do anything if Saya isn't around for him. [[spoiler:Likewise, she has a crush on him, and being arranged into a marriage to someone else leaves her unable to return her soul to her body.]]
* MadeASlave: In the anime, some slavers tried to take Saya to enslave her, but Balsa saved them.
* NotBloodSiblings: Toya considers Saya his sister even though they aren't related by blood. They get married late in the novels.
%%* PromotionToParent: Toya to Saya.
* YoungEntrepreneur: Toya acts as an errand boy and then gets his own shop by episode 16.

!!Kingdom of Kanbal
!!!Royal Family
%%[[folder:Naguru]]
%%!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Masaya Kikawada

%%The king of Kanbal before Rogsam.

[[folder:Rogsam]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Shidō Nakamura II

The previous king of Kanbal and the younger brother of Naguru.

* CainAndAbel: Downplayed. He ordered Karuna to poison his brother, Naguru, for the throne of Kanbal.
* TheEvilPrince: He blackmailed Karuna into poisoning his brother, Naguru, for the throne of Kanbal.
%%* PosthumousCharacter:
* SparedByTheAdaptation: He's alive and well in the live-action series, a major departure from the source material since Balsa becomes a wanted criminal trying to assassinate him.
* TheUsurper: He blackmailed Karuna into poisoning his brother, Naguru, for the throne of Kanbal.

!!!Musa Clan
[[folder:Jiguro]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Yoshi Sakō (radio), Rintarō Nishi (anime)
!!!'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/KyleHebert (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Kōji Kikkawa

The foster father of Balsa and one of the past King's Spears.

%%* BadassAndChildDuo: To Balsa.
* BladeOnAStick: He was the best spear wielder of Kanbal.
* LongDeadBadass: He trained Balsa in her youth and defeated a dozen of fellow spear-wielders over the years, several at once. The only thing that killed him is an illness, a few years prior to the main story.
%%* OldMaster:
* ParentalSubstitute: He raised Balsa as his own since he left Kanbal with her for her safety.
%%* PosthumousCharacter:
* StayInTheKitchen: He initially refused to train Balsa, saying women lacked the muscles to fight. In truth, however, it's more because he didn't want her to live a life of bloodshed, and he eventually began to train her.
%%* WouldHitAGirl: To Balsa, when she showed her early skills with the blade.

[[folder:Kassa and Gina]]
!!!'''Kassa voiced in Japanese by:''' Creator/KenshoOno (radio)
!!!'''Gina voiced in Japanese by:''' Yume Miyamoto (radio)
!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Darkness''
The nephew and niece of Jiguro through his sister, Leena.

[[folder:Kaguro]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Norio Matsui (radio)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Ikkei Watanabe
!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Darkness''
The older brother of Jiguro and Yuguro and the father of Kahm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yuguro]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Daisuke Ryū (radio)
!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Darkness''
One of the current King's Spears and the treacherous younger brother of Jiguro.

* ConsummateLiar: He's known how to deceive people since his childhood.
* EmptyShell: He loses his mind after [[spoiler:the Giving Ceremony, which is a fitting end for him as it renders him no longer capable of deceiving and manipulating people.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He plans to overthrow the Mountain King and gain free access to ''luisha'' against tradition, which would enrich the poor people of Kanbal. He actually cares more about achieving eternal glory for himself than the lives of his people, including his family and followers.

[[folder:Kahm]]
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Kenji Furuya

The son of Kaguro.

!!!Yonsa Clan
[[folder:Karuna]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Akihiko Ishizumi (radio), Creator/KeijiFujiwara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/PatrickSeitz (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Yūsuke Kamiji
!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Spirit''
Balsa's father.
----
* TakeCareOfTheKids: He told his old friend, [[PapaWolf Jiguro]], to take care of his young daughter, Balsa.

* SparedByTheAdaptation: He's been already dead by the time the novel series begins. He's alive and well in the live-action series, which is a major departure from the source material as Balsa becomes a wanted criminal trying to assassinate him.

The main protagonist of the novel series.

* TheAtoner: She works as a bodyguard to save eight lives in exchange for the eight lives her mentor killed in her defense. On top of that, she has added the additional caveat [[MartialPacifist not to kill anyone]] in the course of her quest, after her lifelong friend, Tanda, pointed out that killing people to save people is an oxymoron.

* CombatPragmatist: In times of desperation, Balsa will start brawling and fight dirty and does '''whatever it takes''' to ensure Chagum's survival. She's fine if she has her spear with her, but if she loses that, you better prepare to have your eye socket [[ImprovisedWeapon crushed in by a rock]].
* CoolBigSis: To Chagum and some other children.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Her father who was Royal Physician at that time had his best friend Jiguro take his six-year-old daughter and escape their homeland, because [[spoiler:he was [[IHaveYourWife blackmailed]] by the Prince Rogsam, who really wanted to become the next king of Kanbal, into poisoning the King. If he hadn't had done that, Balsa would have been long dead.]]

* FailureKnight: She agrees to protect Prince Chagum despite the danger (and the attempted trickery) because she feels she has to atone for the eight lives her mentor killed in her defense; furthermore Chagum is also a ReplacementGoldfish for ''herself'', as he is in pretty much the same situation she was in as a child.

* HeroicVow: She has vowed to save eight lives in exchange for the eight lives her mentor killed in her defense. When her childhood friend and healer, Tanda, [[WhatTheHellHero called her out]] on how many lives she was taking in her efforts to accomplish that goal, she further swore [[ThouShaltNotKill never to kill]].
* LadyOfWar: She's able to read the situation and assess the battle, uses a [[BladeOnAStick spear]] as her WeaponOfChoice, prefers to fight her opponents honorably (even if they don't), looks quite graceful while doing it. But she's always mindful to ''[[ThouShaltNotKill spare her opponents' lives]]''. Inverted if she loses her spear, though, becoming quite the brawler [[CombatPragmatist and fighting dirty]]. She's not above smashing your face in with a [[ImprovisedWeapon rock]].
* LittleMissBadass: Even as a child, she was really good with spear.
* MamaBear: Don't even try to hurt children she's protecting.

* MartialPacifist: In fact, she's sworn an oath never to take a life [[spoiler:and has a near-HeroicBSOD on one occasion where she thought she'd violated it]].

* NaginatasAreFeminine: Zigzagged before ultimately being subverted. Balsa doesn't use a naginata, such as it is, but a short hewing spear, really, against mostly sword-wielding foes. Ultimately this trope is subverted in that it is heavily implied that all the warriors from Balsa's homeland use knives or spears due to limited resources making it difficult to forge swords.

* NoHuggingNoKissing: Her 'relationship' with Tanda. [[spoiler: Or so we thought.]]
* NotSoStoic: There are a few occasions when her stoic facade crumbles ''very'' quickly.
* OutdoorsyGal: As a child, she really liked climbing trees etc.

* RedemptionQuest: She works as a bodyguard to save eight lives in exchange for the eight lives her mentor killed in her defense. On top of that, she has added the additional caveat [[MartialPacifist not to kill anyone]] in the course of her quest, after her lifelong friend, Tanda, pointed out that killing people to save people is an oxymoron.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: When she was a teenager, her primary motivation was [[spoiler:desire for revenge and hate directed at Prince Rogsam for making her childhood living nightmare. She ''really'' wanted to kill him, but he died before she could do it.]]

* SlaveLiberation: In the anime, she spends all of the Second Queen's gold to liberate the slaves owned by the Blue Hand. This frees them and creates diversion from the manhunt.

* TechnicalPacifist: She is not above wrestling people into submission, knocking the wind out of them, simply pummeling them senseless with the blunt end of her spear, or [[CombatPragmatist smashing someone's face in with a rock]]. However, she has sworn an oath never to take a human life and never deals fatal wounds or fights to kill — in one case she's forced to do so, she goes into a HeroicBSOD after the battle (though she later learns her opponent survived).
* TheseHandsHaveKilled: She doesn't use the phrase directly, but her entire life so far has been about saving lives because she feels responsible for her foster father having had to kill eight men (his own best friends, who were all members of a king's PraetorianGuard, to boot) to keep her alive.
* ThouShaltNotKill: She refuses to take a life, no matter the circumstances.

** In the radio adaptation of ''Guardian of the Darkness'', she is voiced by Jun Karasawa as an adult and by Tamaki Oka as a child.
** In the live-action adaptation, she is portrayed by Haruka Ayase as an adult and by Kaya Kiyohara and Naho Yokomizo as a young child.

* WillTheyOrWontThey: With Tanda. [[spoiler:They do.]]
%%* WorthyOpponent: The Mikado's royal guard chasing her and the prince see her as this.

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: The people of Yogo love him, and for good reason. He's a good prince.
* AstralProjection: Chagum starts doing this as the egg gets close to hatching.
* AttendingYourOwnFuneral: In Episode 6, after faking his death.

* FamilyHonor: Chagum believes in this greatly, to the extent that he ends up making a bet to eat slugs if he loses what amounts to a wrestling match and disobeying Balsa to defend it in Episode 12.

* FriendToAllLivingThings: Whether a baby bird or a frog, he cares about them all. [[spoiler:This ends up saving his life as the very baby bird he and his brother took care of ended up saving the Water Spirit.]]
* ImportantHaircut: His long hair is cut short by Saya to help disguise him in Episode 6.
* MisterSeahorse: The egg of Nyunga Ro Im is inside of his stomach and waiting to hatch. [[spoiler:However, doing so has Rarunga chase and trying to kill him.]]

* NonActionGuy: He's a prince with no combat training who serves as the LivingMacGuffin in ''Guardian of the Spirit''. Balsa does give him a little training while he's in her care, though.
* RichInDollarsPoorInSense: He didn't even know that people had to spend money to own shelter, a fact that deeply shamed him considering how much Balsa spent to ensure they could get away.

* ScrewDestiny: [[spoiler:As the Guardian of the Water Spirit, Chagum will be pursued by the Egg Eater, which seeks to devour the egg of Nyunga Ron Im within him as it hatches by tearing him apart. Everyone seeks to avoid this fate. They succeed.]]
* SignificantWardrobeShift: In Episode 24, upon reaching 12 years of age, he changes the child-sized peasant kimono he had been wearing for new clothing more fit for the prince he is - in more than one way, as it includes a Yogo kimono over a Yakoo tunic (his empire's two peoples), with a Kanbal style sash (like Balsa's).
* SpareToTheThrone: He is the Mikado's second son, and Spare to the Throne. In the anime, he apparently received schooling because his older brother, Sagum, suffers from a SoapOperaDisease, and becomes the heir apparent after his brother succumbs to it halfway through the anime. In either case, he is remarkably calm (although clearly not too pleased) about it.
* TiredOfRunning: Chagum eventually states this in Episode 19, [[spoiler:having been forced to flee the life he had grown accustomed to twice and knowing he'll be pursed by the Egg Eater.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:During Episode 23 and onwards, Chagum becomes an EmpoweredBadassNormal, capable of leaping through trees with inhuman ease, resisting the cold, and [[WalkingOnWater running on water]] while in possession of the Water Spirit.]]

A magic weaver who knows Balsa and is awaiting her return.

* TheApprentice: To Torogai.
* AstralProjection: Tanda when seeking out Saya's soul in Episode 11. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to get back into his body and needs some outside help.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: He's known Balsa since they were young and hoping for this. [[spoiler:It comes to pass eventually.]]

* HouseHusband: He is a rather feminine healer-in-training, in contrast to his childhood friend, Balsa, a bodyguard-for-hire.
* IdenticalGrandson: Tanda resembles his grandfather according to the villagers of Toma.

* IWillWaitForYou: He has been waiting for Balsa to finish saving eight people so he can settle down and marry her...then he has to end up waiting a little longer! He indicates his impatience in a typically reserved, Tanda-like manner, but he can't bring himself to marry another, even though there seem to be eligible women who would be happy to settle down with him.

* TheMedic: He plays the role to Balsa.

* TimeShiftedActor: In the live-action adaptation, he is portrayed by Masahiro Higashide as an adult and by Kirato Wakayama as a young boy.
* TookALevelInBadass: Tanda is the first to land a blow on the Egg Eater because he noticed the flowers allowed them to interact with them.

* WhatTheHellHero: In the backstory, he called Balsa out over how many people she was killing and asking if saving eight lives could have any meaning if she killed so many more in the process. Balsa, as we see, took it [[ThouShaltNotKill very much to heart]].

* TheBeastMaster: She's tamed a wolf at least three times her size.

* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: Torogai is either the shortest or second shortest amongst all the characters.
* NeverMessWithGranny: In the 4th episode she dispatches two Hounds with ease. In episode 20, she gets them all to back down from harming the Yakoo.

* SelfDuplication: She can create Mud Dolls of herself or others.

A star reader in service to the royal family. He seeks the truth about the Water Demon and Prince.

* TheGoodChancellor: What he's meant to be to Chagum. The whole Water Demon thing is a complication.
* ManlyTears: He cries upon believing that Chagum has been killed and he could do nothing to stop it. And later on when Sagum dies.
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: Shuga never got to tell Sagum his brother was alive because he wanted to find proof. Sagum died just after he left to do so.

!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Sota Murakami (Toya, radio), Creator/MayumiAsano (Toya, anime), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Saya, anime)
!!!'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/YuriLowenthal (Toya, anime), Erika Lenhart (Saya, anime)

* TheAce: Toya mentions Saya is pretty good at everything she sets her mind to.
* ArrangedMarriage: In the anime, Toya mentions that Saya is so impressive that she's getting marriage proposals. [[spoiler:PlayedForDrama when one of the families pressures Saya into agreeing to a marriage, leading to the AstralProjection incident. It's called off afterwards.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: Toya was prepared to make one in Episode 17 by setting fire to the watermill to warn Balsa off and then be tortured, but one of the emperor's men got them to drop it and told him to value his own life more.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: In the anime, Toya can't do anything if Saya isn't around for him. [[spoiler:Likewise, she has a crush on him and being arranged into a marriage to someone else leaves her unable to return her soul to her body.]]
* MadeASlave: [[AvertedTrope Narrowly averted]]. In the past some, slavers tried to take Saya to do this, but Balsa saved them.
* NotBloodSiblings: Toya and Saya aren't related. While Toya sees himself as something of a father figure to her, [[spoiler:Saya has a crush on Toya.]]

* YoungEntrepreneur: Toya acts as an Errand Boy and then gets his own shop by Episode 16.

The younger brother of Naguru.

The foster father of Balsa.

* ParentalSubstitute: He raised Balsa as his own in her youth.

* StayInTheKitchen: He initially refused to train Balsa, saying women don't the muscles to fight. In truth, however, it's more because he didn't want her to live a life of bloodshed. Subverted when he began to train her after he saw her reenact one of his battles for an audience.
* WouldHitAGirl: To Balsa, when she showed her early skills with the blade.

[[folder:Yuguro]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Daisuke Ryū (radio)

One of the King's Spears and Jiguro's treacherous younger brother.
----
* EmptyShell: He loses his mind after [[spoiler:the Giving Ceremony]].
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He plans to overthrow the Mountain King and gain free access to ''luisha'' against tradition apparently for the poor people of Kanbal. In reality, he's nothing but a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who cares more about achieving eternal glory for himself than the lives of his people.

!!!Yonsa Clan
[[folder:Karuna]]
!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Akihiko Ishizumi (radio), Creator/KeijiFujiwara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced in English by:''' Creator/PatrickSeitz (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Yūsuke Kamiji
!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Spirit''
Balsa's father.
----
* TakeCareOfTheKids: He told his old friend, [[PapaWolf Jiguro]], to take care of his young daughter, Balsa.

%%

%%!!Herder People

%%[[/folder]]

The main protagonist of the series.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: In the anime, she receives some serious injuries during the series, but none of them leave visible scars. We can assume she ''must'' have a nasty one on her stomach, but her clothes are rather modest and only show her arms and face, which remain untarnished.

* ParentalSubstitute: She pulls double duty as guardian figure and {{bodyguard|Babes}} to [[ShelteredAristocrat Prince Chagum]], after being hired to protect him. At one point in the series, [[spoiler:she even gives him a knife, a symbolic tradition of coming of age in her home country]]. Earlier in the series, Tanda even points out that her vow to protect Chagum until he's safe means that for all intents and purposes she has become the boy's mother.

* SpareToTheThrone: He is the Mikado's second son, and Spare to the Throne. Unlike most examples, he did apparently receive schooling because his older brother, Sagum, suffers from a SoapOperaDisease, and becomes the heir apparent after his brother succumbs to it halfway through the series. In either case, he is remarkably calm (although clearly not-too-pleased) about it.
* TiredOfRunning: Chagum eventually states this in Episode 19, [[spoiler:having been forced to flee the life he had grown accustom to twice and knowing he'll be pursed by the Egg Eater.]]

* SparedByTheAdaptation: He's been already dead by the time the novel series begins. In the first season of the live-action series, however, he's still alive.

* PosthumousCharacter:

* FishOutOfWater: He has to flee the palace under the protection of [[Action Girl Balsa]] because his father is trying to kill him in the belief that he is possessed by the legendary water demon who once brought a terrible drought. Going from a life of luxury to being on the run is a bit of a harsh transition for him, though he adapts well later on.

* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: He plans to overthrow the Mountain King and gain free access to ''luisha'' apparently for the poor people of Kanbal. In reality, he's nothing but a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who cares more about achieving eternal glory for himself than the lives of his people.

%%[[folder:Yuguro]]
%%!!!'''Voiced in Japanese by:''' Daisuke Ryū (radio)
%%!!!'''Debut:''' ''Guardian of the Darkness''
%%One of the King's Spears and Jiguro's deceptive younger brother.
%%[[/folder]]

!!Balsa Yonsa
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Jun Karasawa (radio), Tamaki Oka (radio, young), Mabuki Andō (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/CindyRobinson (anime)

!!Chagum
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Shōtarō Ōkubo (radio), Naoto Adachi (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/MonaMarshall (anime)

!!Tanda
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Kenzō (radio), Creator/KoujiTsujitani (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/PeterDoyle

!!Torogai
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Misako Watanabe (radio), Ako Mayama (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/BarbaraGoodson (anime)

!!The Second Queen
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Tomoko Saitō (radio), Creator/EmiShinohara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/TaraPlatt (anime)

%%!!Torugaru
%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Akihiko Ishizumi (radio)

!!Shuga
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Yūsei Oda (radio), Creator/HirofumiNojima (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Steve Cannon (anime)

%%!!Kainan Nanai
%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Yoshi Sakō (radio)

!!Toya and Saya
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Sota Murakami (Toya, radio), Creator/MayumiAsano (Toya, anime), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Saya, anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/YuriLowenthal (Toya, anime), Erika Lenhart (Saya, anime)

%%!!Naguru

!!Rogsam

!!Jiguro
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Yoshi Sakō (radio), Rintarō Nishi (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/KyleHebert (anime)

%%!!Yuguro
%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Daisuke Ryū (radio)

%%One of the King's Spears and Jiguro's younger brother.

!!Karuna
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Akihiko Ishizumi (radio), Creator/KeijiFujiwara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Creator/PatrickSeitz (anime)

%%!!Yuka
%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Michiko Godai (radio)

%%!!Laloog
%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/GoroNaya (radio)

%%!!Toto
%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Kazuo Kumakura (radio)

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Jun Karawasa (radio), Tamaki Oka (radio, young), Mabuki Andou (anime)

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Tomoko Saito (radio), Emi Shinohara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Tara Platt (anime)

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Yūsei Oda (radio), Hirofumi Nojima (anime)

%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Yoshi Sako (radio)

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Sota Murakami (Toya, radio), Mayumi Asano (Toya, anime), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Saya, anime)

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Seishiro Kato (Toya), Riana Saijima (Saya)

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Shido Nakamura

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Yoshi Sako (radio), Rintarou Nishi (anime)

!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Koji Kikkawa

%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Daisuke Ryu (radio)

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Akihiko Ishizumi (radio), Keiji Fujiwara (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English):''' Patrick Seitz (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Yusuke Kamiji

%%!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Goro Naya (radio)

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Jun Karawasa, Tamaki Oka (child) (radio); Mabuki Andou (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):''' Creator/CindyRobinson (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Haruka Ayase, Kaya Kiyohara (girl), Naho Yokomizo (very young)

The main protagonist of the ''Moribito'' series.

* MissingMom: Her mother died when she was five, leaving her in her father's care.

* NervesOfSteel: Many examples, but the most prominent one is when she [[spoiler:almost single-handedly, really quickly and without hesitation amputates Tanda's hand to save his life.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: When she was a teenager, her primary motivation was [[spoiler:desire for revenge and hate directed at King Rogsam for making her childhood living nightmare. She ''really'' wanted to kill him, but he died before she could do it.]]
* SheKnowsTooMuch: For example during her travel back to Kanbal in ''Guardian of Darkness'' [[spoiler: Jiguro's brother Yuguro tries to have her killed because she knows the truth about his past, which he ''really'' doesn't want to be revealed...]]
* SlaveLiberation: She spends all of the Queen's gold to liberate the slaves owned by the Blue Hand. This frees them and creates diversion from the manhunt.

** In the live-action adaptation, she is portrayed by Haruka Ayase as an adult, by Kaya Kiyohara as a girl, and by Naho Yokomizo as a very young child.
* TomboyishPonytail: She wears her hair in a high ponytail.

* WorthyOpponent: The Emperor's royal guard chasing her and the prince see her as this.

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Shōtarō Ōkubo (radio); Naoto Adachi (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):''' Creator/MonaMarshall (anime)
!!!'''Portrayed by:''' Kai Kobayashi (season 1), Mizuki Itagaki (season 2-3)

The second prince of New Yogo Empire. He is being protected by Balsa.

* DemonicPossession: What everyone thinks originally, that he's possessed by a Water Demon that will cause a drought when it comes out, which is why he's being hunted. By the second-half, it cleared up.
* DistressedDude: For the most part of the ''Traveler of the Blue Road'', [[spoiler:Chagum is one. After being kidnapped by Talsh spy, he is taken to the Southern Continent by a pirate ship.]]
* ElementalEyeColours: Prince Chagum [[spoiler:carries the egg of a benevolent water spirit]]. In the anime, he also has a noble, innocent personality typical of blue eyes.
* FakingTheDead: In ''Traveler of the Blue Road'', [[spoiler:wanting to escape from the grasp of a Talsh Prince, Chagum fakes his own suicide. Later, he travels to Lota and Kanbal to forge an alliance between two kingdoms in order to stop Talsh from invading the rest of the Northern Continent.]]

* FishOutOfWater: He has to flee the palace under the protection of [[Action Girl Balsa]] because his father is trying to kill him out of belief that he is possessed by the legendary water demon who once brought a terrible drought. Going from a life of luxury to being on the run is a bit of a harsh transition for him, though he adapts well later on.

* MisterSeahorse: The Water Spirit Egg is inside of his stomach and waiting to hatch. [[spoiler:However, doing so will have the Egg Eater chase and kill him.]]

* NonActionGuy: He's a prince with no combat training who serves as the LivingMacGuffin in ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit''. Balsa does give him a little training while he's in her care, though.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Later in the novels, [[spoiler:Chagum embarks on a dangerous journey alone to stop the Talsh Empire of the Southern Continent form invading New Yogo, Kanbal and Lota.]]
* ScrewDestiny: [[spoiler:As the Guardian of the Water Spirit, Chagum will be pursued by the Egg Eater, which seeks to devour the Water Spirit within him as it hatches by tearing him apart. Everyone seeks to avoid this fate. They succeed.]]

* SpareToTheThrone: He is the Emperor's second son, and Spare to the Throne. Unlike most examples, he did apparently receive schooling because his older brother, Sagum, suffers from a SoapOperaDisease, and becomes the heir apparent after his brother succumbs to it halfway through the series. In either case, he is remarkably calm (although clearly not-too-pleased) about it.

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Kenzō (radio); Creator/KoujiTsujitani (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):''' Creator/PeterDoyle

A man who knows Balsa and is awaiting her return.

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Misako Watanabe (radio); Ako Mayama (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):''' Creator/BarbaraGoodson (anime)

A Yakoo magic-weaver who learns of the egg within Chagum and is familiar with Balsa and Tanda.

* TruthSeeker: She seeks out the truth of the water demon within the second prince and the Great Drought.

%%The founder and first mikado of the New Yogo Empire.

!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Yūsei Oda (radio); Hirofumi Nojima (anime)
%%!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):'''

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's the only star-reader who suggests working with the Yakoo and is doing his best to help everyone come out alive.
* TruthSeeker: He's the one who suggests seeking out and working with the magic-weavers to find out the mysteries of the Water Demon and keeps up the search for a solution.

[[folder:Toya & Saya]]
!!Toya & Saya
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Mayumi Asano (Toya), Creator/RyoHirohashi (Saya) (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):''' Creator/YuriLowenthal (Toya), Erika Lenhart (Saya) (anime)

A pair of orphans that are friends with Balsa and Tanda, they assist the pair occasionally.

* ArrangedMarriage: Toya mentions that Saya is so impressive that she's getting marriage proposals. [[spoiler:PlayedForDrama when one of the families actually pressures Saya into agreeing to a marriage, leading to the AstralProjection incident. It's called off afterwards.]]
* AstralProjection: Saya, after drinking a wine that was steeped in a flower that sent her soul to the SpiritWorld. She's stuck outside of her body until Tanda retrieves her.

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Toya can't do anything if Saya isn't around for him. [[spoiler:Likewise, she has a crush on him and being arranged into a marriage to someone else leaves her unable to return her soul to her body.]]
* MadeASlave: [[AvertedTrope Narrowly averted]]. In the past some slavers tried to take Saya to do this, but Balsa saved them.

%%The king of Kanbal and older brother of Rogsam.

* CainAndAbel: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. He blackmailed Karuna into poisoning his brother, Naguru, for the throne of Kanbal.

!!!King's Spears
[[folder:Jiguro Musa]]
!!Jiguro Musa
!!!'''Voiced by (Japanese dub):''' Rintarou Nishi (anime)
!!!'''Voiced by (English dub):''' Creator/KyleHebert (anime)

%%[[folder:Yuguro Musa]]
%%!!Yuguro Musa
%%The younger brother of Jiguro.

!!!Others
[[folder:Karuna Yonsa]]
!!Karuna Yonsa
The late father of Balsa and older brother of Yuka.

[[/folder]]

* BloodKnight: Not so apparent in the anime, but in the novels, it is stated that Balsa is painfully aware that her love for fighting and guilt are two of the reasons she probably will [[InHarmsWay never change]] [[ChallengeSeeker her current life style]]. Even more apparent in ''The Wanderer'' about her early teenage days.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: In the anime, receives some serious injuries during the series, but none of them leave visible scars. We can assume she ''must'' have a nasty one on her stomach, but her clothes are rather modest and only show her arms and face, which remain untarnished.

A star-seer in service to the royal family. He seeks the truth about the Water Demon and Prince.

* BadassAndChildDuo: With Chagum and later with [[spoiler:Asla]]. As a Child with Jiguro during her childhood.

---

* GuileHero: As above, she puts her intelligence to good use when outnumbered.

* GenuisBruiser: She is highly intelligent as well as [[ActionGirl a capable warrior]].

!Main Characters

!!!Voiced by: Mabuki Andou (Japanese), Creator/CindyRobinson (English)

* ActionGirl: Well, of course. She takes on four elite royal guards near the beginning with a weapon that falls apart. She slashes one clear across the face, knees another firmly in the groin, and steps into an attack by their leader--taking a sword to the gut--to knock him out cold. She finishes her rounds shortly after by charging the fourth, knocking him out with a rock.

* BladeOnAStick: Her WeaponOfChoice.
* BloodKnight[=/=]DeathSeeker: Not so apparent in the anime, but in the novels it is stated that Balsa is painfully aware that her love for fighting and guilt are two of the reasons she probably will [[InHarmsWay never change]] [[ChallengeSeeker her current life style]]. Even more apparent in ''The Wanderer'' about her early teenage days.
* CombatPragmatist: Without her spear.

* GeniusBruiser: Is highly intelligent as well as a capable warrior.
* LadyOfWar: Despite being quite the tomboy, Balsa is very graceful, elegant, and honorable in combat. However, she will drop all of that and start fighting dirty if that's what it takes to defend her charge.
* LittleMissBadass: Even as a child she was really good with spear.

* OutdoorsyGal: As a child she really liked climbing trees etc.

* TheStoic: Most of the time.
** NotSoStoic: There are a few occasions when her stoic facade crumbles ''very'' quickly.
* {{Tomboy}}: Even before her escape she was no example of ProperLady and after that learned some martial arts and such.
* TomboyishPonytail: Her usual hair style.

!!!Voiced by: Naoto Adachi (Japanese), Creator/MonaMarshall (English)

The second prince of New Yogo Empire, is being protected by Balsa.

* AwesomenessByAnalysis: He managed to spot how a rigged game work not even ten minutes after seeing it.

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: The people of Yogo love him, and for good reason. He's a good prince.

* YouCantFightFate: [[spoiler:As the Guardian of the Water Spirit, Chagum will be pursued by the Egg Eater, which seeks to devour the Water Spirit within him as it hatches by tearing him apart. Everyone seeks to avoid this fate. They succeed.]]

!!!Voiced by: Creator/KoujiTsujitani (Japanese), Creator/PeterDoyle (English)

* IWillWaitForYou: For Balsa.

** DoggedNiceGuy: To Balsa.

[[folder:Toya & Saya]]
!!Toya & Saya

A pair of orphans that are friends with Balsa and Tanda, they assist the pair occasionally.

* TheAce: Toya mentions Saya is pretty good at everything she sets her mind to.
* ArrangedMarriage: Toya mentions that Saya is so impressive that she's getting marriage proposals. [[spoiler:PlayedForDrama when one of the families actually pressures Saya into agreeing to a marriage, leading to the AstralProjection incident. It's called off afterwards.]]
* AstralProjection: Saya, after drinking a wine that was steeped in a flower that sent her soul to the SpiritWorld. She's stuck outside of her body until Tanda retrieves her.
* BigBrotherMentor: Toya to Chagum.
* DoYouWantToHaggle: Toya explains that being able to haggle is a skill Chagum needs and demonstrates.
* HeroicSacrifice: Toya was prepared to make one in Episode 17 by setting fire to the watermill to warn Balsa off and then be tortured, but one of the emperor's men got them to drop it and told him to value his own life more.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Toya can't do anything if Saya isn't around for him. [[spoiler:Likewise, she has a crush on him and being arranged into a marriage to someone else leaves her unable to return her soul to her body.]]
* MadeASlave: [[AvertedTrope Narrowly averted]]. In the past some slavers tried to take Saya to do this, but Balsa saved them.
* NotBloodSiblings: Toya and Saya aren't related. While Toya sees himself as something of a father figure to her, [[spoiler:Saya has a crush on Toya.]]
* PromotionToParent: Toya to Saya.
* YoungEntrepreneur: Toya acts as an Errand Boy and then gets his own shop by Episode 16.

!Balsa Yonsa

!Chagum

!Tanda

!Torogai

!Toya & Saya

!Shuga

* TruthSeeker: He's the one who suggest seeking out and working with the magic-weavers to find out the mysteries of the Water Demon and keeps up the search for a solution.