History Characters / SamuraiDeeperKyo

* ClippedWingAngel: Taking Crime Monster just reset her to her real adult age, causing her to succumb to the Death Disease. Lampshaded by Antera herself.
* CuteBruiser: She crushed a man's skull with her bare hand by accident when her companion called her an old woman.

* SweetTooth: According to a side comic, she developed SuperStrength in order to acquire more sweets (her father said she could have another strawberry sugar ball when she was strong enough to pick him up).

* TheMedic: Akari will only heal someone if they tell her a close personal secret.
** And this goes for each individual time as well.
** She's also willing to heal Yukimura in exchange for a kiss. He apparently complies... only to reveal that he swapped places with Kosuke, much to Akari's dismay.

* {{Bishonen}}: He has a light build and is arguably the prettiest of the male Shiseiten.

* BreastAttack: PlayedForLaughs when she hugs the corrosive Santera, whose spores destroy the buns Akari uses to [[FakeBoobs stuff her top]]. Akari throws a fit and complains that [[ACupAngst now she's flatter than Yuya]].

* UnsettlingGenderReveal: First as a FunnyBackgroundEvent when we see her taking a pee from behind with both her hands at crotch level. Later on it happens on a Mibu Elite who gropes her only to end up with a handful of steamed manjuu. He's very distressed by the fact that she's still hot.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: Subverted; Akari is occasionally viewed this way by other characters, but she is definitely a {{UsefulNotes/Transgender}} woman, not a crossdressing man.

* {{Bishonen}}

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Before his HeelFaceRevolvingDoor settles on "face", Bontenmaru snaps his left arm in several places, and then Kyo ''cuts it off''. Hotaru barely seems to notice and responds to losing an arm with "I fight with my right". He gets it reattached off-screen and forgets that it ever came off.

* BreastAttack: Played for laughs when she hugs the corrosive Santera, which destroys the buns she uses to [[FakeBoobs stuff her top]]. Akari throws a fit and complains that [[ACupAngst now she's flatter than Yuya]].

* {{Transsexual}}: No one makes much of a fuss about the contents of Akari's undergarments, and it is made very clear that she absolutely is a woman. Her identity and transition were apparently supported when she was a child, likely because shamanistic powers are stronger in females. Kyo does say that the Shiseiten do not allow women to join, which would imply that he does ''not'' accept her identity. However, considering he usually uses her chosen name and female pronouns for her, he may have just been making a typically obnoxious joke.

* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Averted. It's shown throughout the story that superiority is determined by the wielder's skill and individual strength rather than their elemental affinity.

::'''Tropes that apply to the Taishiro in general'''
* AdaptedOut: There are elders in the anime. However, not one of ''these'' elders exists - the anime elders are four nameless, faceless RedShirts who get flattened by Nobunaga. In dramatic contrast, Hishigi ''alone'' is capable of effortlessly one-shotting Kyo and rendering him unconscious for an entire volume of the manga.

** TheBrute: Yuan is initially presented this way, being a BoisterousBruiser and the only Elder who fights hand-to-hand. He subverts it later.

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

* HeelFaceTurn

* PlayingWithFire

Come to think of it, most of Kyo's tropes would fit Kyoshiro just fine.

* CloningBlues: After finding out that forest-dwellers like himself are Mibu genetic experiments, he struggles with self-worth and worries that Yukimura will see him as a monster. It gets even worse when he encounters the other "rare breed" children, who all look like him and have the Crimson Eyes.

* DyingAsYourself: He plans to. The Devil Eyes have been trying to take over his mind since he implanted them, and Hishigi has ''no'' intention of living like that.
* DyingMomentOfAwesome: UpToEleven.

* IaijutsuPractitioner: You wouldn't think it, considering Hakuya's size and shape, but many of Hishigi's attacks are Iaijutsu-based, with him attacking on the draw and immediately returning the sword to its sheath afterwards, possibly because of the limitations resulting from the Death Disease destroying a substantial portion of the left side of his body.

* BishonenLine: Tokito is very pretty to begin with, but [[spoiler:Akira's power boost forces her to release her full power. This causes her body to grow from that of a 14-year-old into her true form: a tall, stunning young woman with long hair and more mature features (though she's flat enough that Akira still thinks she's a man until the post-fight [[TheReveal reveal)]]]].

* TokenGoodTeammate: He's friendly compared to the other three and Kyo outside of battle, but his "[[TheBerseker beast mode]]" is decidedly ''not''.

* AffablyEvil

* DisneyVillainDeath: Subverted. He's already dying when he falls with the Crimson Tower. The fall doesn't kill him, but his body disintegrates when he hits the ground in Shihodo's graveyard.

* BadassGrandpa: He [[Really700YearsOld doesn't look it]], but he has to be hundreds of years old based on context. He's deeply distressed when he learns that this has become literal eleven times over due to his son Anri's kids.

* [[WackyParentSeriousChild Wacky Parent, Serious Horde of Children]]: Downplayed; his kids aren't stoic, but none of them are even close to dad's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} status, and he drives Yuan up a wall on a regular basis.

* MadDoctor: His nickname, but he's a subversion. He's closer to the MadScientist type, though not prone to the typical mad scientist behavior or deranged appearance.

* BadassGrandpa: He's deeply distressed when he learns that this has become literal eleven times over due to his son Anri's kids.

* BreakTheHaughty: Over the course of the story. He starts off smugly proclaiming [[AGodAmI Mibu divinity]], then gets beaten by Kyo, discovers he's been betrayed by Fubuki, gets his ass handed to him when he tries to ''fight'' Fubuki, finds out that [[spoiler:the Mibu are not gods but are in fact all ArtificalHumans with a fatal genetic defect]]... etc.

* CuteBruiser: One of the strongest characters in the series as well as one of the cutest.

* KidSamurai: Subverted in that Sasuke is a very experienced fighter.
** He's actually a ninja. He uses samurai based swords, but tends to attack in more speed based, stealthy ninja like ways.

* PowerLimiter: His previous swords, including the replica of Tenro he wielded before he gained the Shibien. Sasuke already had the Raikoken before he had the Shibien, but Shibien was the first sword Sasuke could use it with that wouldn't outright shatter from the technique's power.

** His ability to use them however is below that of Hotaru or Shinrei, making him more of a MasterOfNone.

* SummonMagic: One of his jutsu creates large illusionary demons who still has his force.

* TheBrute: Relies on brute strength, [[CampGay but that's all he has in similarities with this trope]]
** Then again subverted, his ''real'' trump card is his speed.

* GenerationXerox: Of Fubuki, not his father. Hishigi says at one point that Shinrei is "truly the image of Fubuki as a young man." It's likely that Shinrei is ''related'' to Fubuki (it's stated that Shinrei's family developed the Mumyo Saigyo Ryu school), but he is not Fubuki's son.

* SpontaneousWeaponCreation: His blades are made of crystallized water, and he can make them out of his own blood if required. At one point, after being stabbed, he forms water dragons out of the blood from that injury to attack his opponent. The blades of water are useful when Kyo breaks one of them, because Shinrei can simply reform it. However, their construction backfires when Shinrei fights Fubuki - his mentor and a true master of water - who takes all of the water on the battlefield out of Shinrei's control. [[OhCrap Including his swords]].

* TheWorfEffect: Despite his best efforts and stated talent, he's stomped by Fubuki and rarely wins a fight against anyone significant unless they are already disadvantaged. For instance, he defeats Hotaru at one point, but only because Hotaru is still ''very'' badly wounded from fighting Kyo. And it's stated that the only reason he almost defeats Kyo is that Kyo is ''also'' badly hurt from fighting Hotaru and Chinmei earlier.

* TheWorfEffect: Subverted. Taihaku is killed off rather quickly with minimal effort by Fubuki. The subversion is based in the fact that Taihaku had nearly died in battle a few minutes earlier. The exhibit of Fubuki's skill is that he kills Taihaku while standing right next to the heroes, and none of them notice until he drops dead with a sword in his back.

'''Spoilers - you have been warned'''

* ArtificialHumans: The forest "failures", the Mibu Reconstruction Project's experiments, and [[spoiler: all of the Mibu except for Kyo]].

* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: Nearly all of the Mibu are pretty. [[spoiler: The now-extinct (except for Kyo) True Mibu are described as even more inhumanly beautiful InUniverse]].

* EveryScarHasAStory: At one point, he goes into the history of some of his [[CoveredWithScars countless scars]]. It's PlayedForLaughs in an omake, when Kyoshiro complains that he understands ''some'' of the new scars on his body, but "isn't this one from when you hit your head on that pillar?"

** GrandTheftMe: ... Kyoshiro stealing Kyo's body. [[spoiler: It was all part of Kyoshiro's plan, of course.]]
* FriendlyRivalry: Used to have this with Kyoshiro before things went wrong. [[spoiler:By the end of the story, they seem to go back to it.]]

* MortalWoundReveal: He inflicts this on several of his enemies -- sometimes ''they'' don't even realize they've received a fatal wound until they fall to the ground in pieces. [[spoiler: And then Kyo himself gets one at the end. As everyone has started to run away to escape the falling Crimson Tower, they notice that Kyo is not moving. He's pouring blood from a deep wound in his side, shaking, can't stand -- and he's screaming for them to get out and give up on saving him. It takes a DeusExMachina courtesy of the Shodai Aka no Ou to get him out of that one]].

* SoreLoser: Kyoshiro defeated him and sealed his body. Kyo is incredibly furious at him for this humiliation and has sworn to kill him no matter what it takes. [[spoiler: After reviving Kyoshiro and re-obtaining his true body he considers the score settled.]]

A kind, perverted and bumbling medicine peddler that starts off as a bounty for Yuya who carries an oversized sword. Later turns out that he shares his body with Kyo and releases him every time he draws the sword. Well... until that stops working and Kyo takes over his body. As the story progresses you find out he's [[spoiler:the "Man with the Cross on his Back"]] and [[spoiler:a possible successor to the Crimson King]]. He remains absent for a good part of the plot, although his presence is mentioned constantly, and his backstory affects the plot in a very significant way.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: [[spoiler: When he grew up he was forced to serve the Former Crimson King as an assassin along with Chinmei, and killed thousands of people in this period]].
* FightingFromTheInside: Normally it's Kyoshiro trying to regain the control of his body. [[spoiler:The roles get inverted a couple of times, though. The most iconic one was during the battle against Nobunaga at the Hell's Gate]].

* FriendlyRivalry: Used to have this with Kyo before things went wrong. [[spoiler:By the end of the story, they seem to go back to it.]]

* HitmanWithAHeart: [[spoiler:When he served the Former Crimson King prior to the story, he exterminated any threats to the Mibu reign, but the conflict with his naturally gentle nature eventually drove him to flee from the clan]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:After killing Kyosaburo, he realized how the Former King had corrupted and controlled him, prompting him to leave the Mibu clan along with Sakuya.]]

* ThouShaltNotKill: Played with. He REALLY wants to do this as a penance for [[spoiler:the murders he committed as the Former Crimson King's assassin]]. However, when he sees there's no other way [[spoiler:he TRIES, but can't bring himself to do it.]]

* BenevolentBoss: He's this towards his Ten Braves, treating them all as his family. [[spoiler: Even Shindara.]]

* DarkAndTroubledPast: She was designated male and named Mitarai Tokichiro at birth, and when her powers manifested, she was seen as a freak and a monster. She became bitter and angry, lashing out at the world that rejected her help and eventually finding the Mibu Clan. Hishigi took her in [[spoiler:and eventually made her the head of his personal guard]], but later he implanted the Devil Eye in her hand and she ran away. She spent some time alone, killing anyone the Mibu sent after her, until Kyo found her and she joined the Shiseiten.

* CloningBlues: After finding out that forest-dwellers like himself are Mibu genetic experiments, he struggles with self-worth and worries that Yukimura will see him as a monster. [[spoiler:It gets even worse when he encounters the other "rare breed" children, who all look like him and have the Crimson Eyes]].

* YouAreNumberSix: [[spoiler:He's #15379 of the "rare breed" experiments]].

** Does this to Shatora [[spoiler:(AKA, Nozomu)]] in the manga.

* TheStarscream: Implied that he wanted to use [[spoiler: the knowledge of Nozomu's body]] to turn against the Mibu and conquer them too.

** In the Anime [[spoiler: he uses his black hole-like body to absorb the incoming falling star containing the Gate to the Underworld, saving everyone.]]

* [[spoiler: ReverseMole]]
* [[spoiler: SarutobiSasuke: The original, once the leader of the Sanada Ten, and young Sasuke's namesake]].

* ActuallyADoombot: Often employs this trick. [[spoiler: In fact, the real Kubira is the little doll he was holding up the entire time.]]

* SpotTheImposter: Subverted. He attempts to trick Kyo with two puppets disguised as Yuya, setting up a situation where no matter who Kyo picked, it would result in failure for him. [[spoiler: Unfortunately for Kubira, Kyo decides to [[TakeAThirdOption kill both of them.]]]]

'''Chinmei''' / [[spoiler: '''Mibu Kyojiro''']]

[[spoiler:In truth, Chinmei is Mibu Kyojiro, the second of the Red Cross Knights. He was the first Knight created by the Former Crimson King and serves as his special agent and assassin.]]

[[spoiler:In the far flung past, Chinmei was in love with a seer who, like Sakuya, had her heart synchronized with the Former Crimson King. At her request, Chinmei killed her with the hope that the Former Crimson King would die along with her. However, the Crimson King did ''not'' die and Chinmei's ability to resurrect her was taken away as punishment. While he presumably works for the Former Crimson King in hopes of one day being able to revive her in return for his service, the truth is that over the millennia he has gradually forgotten everything about her, due to TheFogOfAges that usually comes with being immortal, ultimately coming to wonder if she even existed at all. This caused him to sink into absolute madness where the only solace he could find was in indiscriminate carnage.]]

* AlmightyJanitor: Played with, he's actually much stronger than his initial rank as one of the Goyosei suggests. [[spoiler: He's the second Crimson Cross Knight]].

* TheMole: He's this for the king within the Goyosei [[spoiler: and is actually one of the four Red Cross Knights]]. He also masquerades as Spade, the leader of Tokito's Imperial Guard, in order to steal Tokito's Muramasa blade.

* PsychoForHire: Plays the act of a peace loving hippie, but it quickly becomes obvious that he's actually a vicious, sadistic killer. He even admits that killing is the only thing that makes him feel ''anything'', because TheFogOfAges has caused him to lose almost all of his memories and emotions.

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

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:For Tokito, when the Sendai Aka No Ou attempts to kill her]].

* TheNecromancer: He can resurrect anything he has a piece of. Even ''swords''. [[spoiler: The reason he can't revive the Mibu is that they're all ArtificialHumans that dissolve into nothing when they die]].

* SelectiveObliviousness: [[spoiler:Before stabbing himself in the heart to activate his DeadlyUpgrade, he thanks Hishigi for staying with him and says that he wishes for his friend to live. Hishigi has been a deteriorating terminal case for twenty years, and at this specific point in the fight, he's lying helpless in a pool of his own blood.]]

* AnArmAndALeg: [[spoiler: The Devil Eyes have been holding the deteriorating left side of his body together. After they are destroyed, he starts literally falling apart, his left arm and leg disintegrating during his [[TheDyingWalk dying walk]] toward Fubuki]].

* BeatStillMyHeart: [[spoiler:He rips out ''his own'' heart and implants it into Fubuki's chest when Fubuki's heart is destroyed by a DeadlyUpgrade]].

* BodyHorror[=/=]FacialHorror: Try not to think about how bad his condition must have gotten before he honestly thought being ''[[EyesDoNotBelongThere infested with parasitic eyes]]'' was better. The eyes themselves are bad enough; the way the skin around them looks, it's obvious they've done some serious damage to his body. [[spoiler:The horror gets even worse as he dies -- he has to drag himself to Fubuki because he is literally ''falling apart'']].

* [[spoiler:DiedInYourArmsTonight]]: [[spoiler:He collapses into Fubuki's arms seconds before disintegrating]].

* TheDyingWalk: [[spoiler:After the failure of his final attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]], his body starts to disintegrate. He still manages to drag himself to Fubuki's side in time to save his friend's life before dying in his arms]].

* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:His dying speech to Fubuki is delivered with the only smile we ever see on his face outside of flashbacks]].

** [[spoiler:He survives roughly twenty years of the [[IncurableCoughOfDeath Death Disease]] destroying his body and the Devil Eyes eating him alive.]]
** [[spoiler:In his final battle, Hishigi shields Fubuki from Kyo's powered-up Suzaku, taking the full brunt of the attack with no chance to defend or block.]]
** [[spoiler:The Devil Eyes that have been keeping him alive die and fall out because their energy is exhausted, which leaves him bleeding everywhere and barely mobile, not to mention the blood he's now coughing up.]]
** [[spoiler:He somehow comes up with the strength to break out of Yuan's grip, leave his memories to Akari, and form barriers to protect Fubuki and the others before attempting to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]] in a massive explosion fueled by the last of his energy, which ''still does not kill him''.]]
** [[spoiler:He drags his disintegrating body to Fubuki's side, rips out ''his own fucking heart'', and implants it into Fubuki's chest. Then, and ''only'' then, does he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight collapse into Fubuki's arms]], [[SorryThatImDying apologize for leaving him alone]], and die.]]

* TheResenter: He despises [[spoiler: the True Mibu for creating the Battle Dolls -- himself included -- in the first place. They are all essentially condemned to a hellish death from inherent defects that the True Mibu failed to correct, and in their desperate fear of this, the Battle Dolls have destroyed other beings and created defective lives as well]].

* SorryThatImDying: Pre-story, when he finds out he has the Death Disease and hits his DespairEventHorizon, he apologizes to Fubuki for [[StoppedCaring giving up]]. [[spoiler:And his last words are an apology to Fubuki for leaving him alone]].

* TransferableMemory: [[spoiler:He gives his memories to Akari before he dies, so that she can continue researching the Death Disease and hopefully save the Mibu where he failed]].

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

* {{Bishonen}}: [[spoiler:Though it turns out she's actually a {{Bishoujo}}[=/=]{{Bifauxnen}}]]

* [[spoiler:SamusIsAGirl]]

* StalkerWithACrush: [[spoiler: She starts following Akira after he defeats her, similarly to how he followed Kyo as a child]].

The four card-themed officers who serves under Tokito as elite troops and subordinates, with Spade being the strongest and closest to Tokito. They're first introduced when they attack Akira, Benitora and Bontenmaru in Tsukikage Castle. [[spoiler: After Tokito's defeat, it's revealed that Spade is none other than Chinmei, who infiltrated as the Crimson King's agent in order to steal Hokuto Shichisei.]]

* TheMole: [[spoiler: Spade is Chinmei in disguise.]]

* YourEyesCanDeceiveYou: He claims that his Shingan is better than normal vision, and once tells Hishigi that he "can't fool these eyes". His blindness also protects him from Kubira's illusions and Akari's Devil Eye, [[spoiler:but the dozens under Hishigi's bandages are strong enough to [[TakenForGranite petrify him]] (temporarily)]].

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

The First Crimson King is encountered by Kyo, as he is in fact Kyo's ancestor and the soul of Tenro, Kyo's BFS. The Shodai Aka no Ou merely wanted his people to live lives of comfort and happiness, but ultimately realized that their godlike power only served to lead to their self-destruction, as the fulfillment of all their desires left them with only one source of true stimulation... slaughter through battle, most especially of each other. [[spoiler: He grants Kyo the mark of the True Crimson King after Kyo overcomes his demon blood (the very thing that brought about the downfall of the rest of the True Mibu).]]

'''Sendai Aka no Ou (The Former Crimson King)''' / [[spoiler: Mibu Kyoichiro]]

In truth [[spoiler: The former Crimson King is initially presented as one of the last of the True Mibu (Kyo being the other). Kyoshiro and the other Red Cross Knights were created from his flesh and blood to serve as his own corps of secret assassins. However, all of this masks a still greater secret. In actuality, the former Crimson King is the first of the Red Cross Knights, Kyoichiro, and is himself a construct created by the true Mibu. However, when the true Mibu wiped themselves out, the former Crimson King hid his status as one of their battle puppets and ruled over the Mibu in their stead. Over time, he was overwhelmed by the depravity and violence he witnessed in the human world and came to the ultimate conclusion that everything must be destroyed in order for there to be true peace.]]

* AGodAmI: Played terrifyingly straight. He even has the power to create and destroy at will. Subverted at the end when it is revealed that [[spoiler: he too is one of the True Mibu's battle dolls, but he's ''forgotten''. He was the closest they ever got to replicating themselves, so his power rivals theirs]].

* BeatStillMyHeart: [[spoiler: That sealed room that had to be unlocked with the four Muramasa swords, the one hiding the secret that cost Kyosaburo, Nozomu and Ian their lives? It contains his still-beating heart, removed from his body years ago. It has the Crimson Cross carved into it, which reveals that he is the first Knight, Mibu Kyoichiro -- not one of the True Mibu as he claims.]]

* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler:Subverted. He's already dying when he falls with the Crimson Tower. The fall doesn't kill him, but his body disintegrates when he hits the ground in Shihodo's graveyard]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:It happens after TheReveal that he is Mibu Kyoichiro, and his own realization that he has lost himself in the hatred and destruction in which he has lived for ages. He recalls his heart into his broken body, causing the Crimson Tower to crumble as he dies]].
* NotSoOmniscientAfterAll: [[spoiler: Near the end he kidnaps Yuuya and believes that she's a seer of great power like Nozomu and Sakuya, even though she denies and there was no implication of such a thing in the first place.]]

* StepfordSmiler: When he first appears, the Crimson King's appearance is positively goofy. At times he makes it incredibly intimidating.
** [[spoiler: His smile hides the pain of millennia of torment.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Has one when Benitora and Sasuke show everyone his heart, revealing the truth. He screams that he has surpassed the True Mibu, and that they were monsters who deserved to die out.]]

* XanatosGambit: He thinks he has one set up when he pits Kyo and Kyoshiro against each other. [[spoiler: At this point, Kyoshiro is in Kyo's body and vice versa. No matter which one kills the other, there will be no True Mibu left, because Kyo is the last and either his soul or his body will be destroyed. They escape it when Kyoshiro reveals that his defection to the King's side was false, and he has always planned to give Kyo's body back to him]].

He was intended to be the Current Crimson King, but was deposed and imprisoned by the previous one for developing the Mumyou-Jinpuu-Ryu (a school designed to be capable of killing God -- AKA the Former Crimson King) and teaching it to the renegade, Muramasa. He befriended a young Kyoshiro and introduced him to Sakuya. [[spoiler: However, after many years had passed and Kyoshiro had fallen under the thrall of the Former Crimson King, he no longer resembled the kind boy that he once was. Kyosaburo made a last ditch attempt to find the ultimate secret that lay behind the doors in the palace, only to be stopped and killed by Kyoshiro acting on the Former's orders. His death ultimately broke Kyoshiro free from Kyoichiro's power and prompted Kyoshiro and Sakuya to leave the Mibu]]. Kyosaburo was the third of the Crimson Cross Knights.

--> See [[spoiler: '''Chinmei.''']]

'''Mibu''' [[spoiler: '''Kyoshiro''']]

--> See [[spoiler: Mibu Kyoshiro.]]

* ScarsAreForever: Said scars being... reddish-purple streaks on her arms.

* SweetTooth: According to a side comic this is the reason why she got SuperStrength.

* ChildEater: Claims that, to Berserkers, the sweetest treat is the meat of young girls, just like Antera. Oddly, the other three guys express different tastes.

* HeroicSacrifice: He became a Berserker and slave to the Mibu in order to save his daughter Anju [[spoiler: (AKA Antera)]].

* FlashStep: His technique simulates this, while it's actually an illusion that mesmerize the victim.

** TorsoWithAView: He took a few seconds to notice.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Has them naturally.

* PunnyName: "Me" translates to "eye" in Japanese, referencing the false Medusa Eyes on his arm.

* [[LukeIAmYourFather Luke I Am Your Brother]]: Shinrei is actually Hotaru's half brother. This is subverted by the fact that both of them know this, but each apparently believes that the other does not.

* TooDumbToLive: In the anime, she absorbs Yuya in her body, allowing Yuya to shoot her heart and kill her.

* [[spoiler: DeathEqualsRedemption]]: [[spoiler:As he's about to be absorbed by the Crimson King, he helps Kyoshiro to get out, telling him (while crying real tears for the first time in centuries) to protect Sakuya and not to end up like he did]].

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: After throwing himself onto Shinrei's sword, he says that his plan was always to die atoning for his and Hishigi's crimes]].

* BreakHisHeartToSaveHim[=/=][[ShooTheDog Shoo the Suicidally Loyal Friend]]: There are moments where it really seems like he's trying to get Hishigi to leave the Mibu, sometimes aggressively saying he doesn't care if he stays or not. Hishigi always reminds him that he vowed to follow Fubuki until the end... [[YouAreWorthHell even if that path leads nowhere but hell]].

* EvilVersusOblivion: [[spoiler:The Mibu Battle Dolls suffer from a genetic defect that is essentially guaranteed to kill every single one of them. Fubuki believes that the Former Crimson King is the only person capable of saving them, and that they will all die if Kyo succeeds in defeating him]].

* BeatStillMyHeart: [[spoiler: He rips out ''his own'' heart and implants it into Fubuki's chest when Fubuki's heart is destroyed by a DeadlyUpgrade]].

** There's also this moment:

* [[spoiler:DyingMomentOfAwesome]]: [[spoiler:UpToEleven.]]
* [[spoiler:TheDyingWalk]]: [[spoiler:After the failure of his final attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe take Kyo with him]], his body starts to disintegrate. He still manages to drag himself to Fubuki's side in time to save his friend's life before dying in his arms]].

* [[spoiler:GoOutWithASmile]]: [[spoiler:His dying speech to Fubuki is delivered with the only smile we ever see on his face outside of flashbacks]].

* [[spoiler:JerkWithAHeartOfGold]]

* [[spoiler:RasputinianDeath]]: [[spoiler:Let's go down the list here.]]

-->See [[spoiler: Akari]]

* [[spoiler:{{Bishoujo}}[=/=]{{Bifauxnen}}]]

* [[spoiler: SamusIsAGirl]]

* {{Bishonen}}: When he stops playing goofy.

* [[spoiler: DisneyVillainDeath]]: [[spoiler: Subverted. He's already dying when he falls with the Crimson Tower. The fall doesn't kill him, but his body disintegrates when he hits the ground in Shihodo's graveyard]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: It happens after TheReveal that he is Mibu Kyoichiro, and his own realization that he has lost himself in the hatred and destruction in which he has lived for ages. He recalls his heart into his broken body, causing the Crimson Tower to crumble as he dies]].

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Leads a giant army along with the Sanada and Date forces to defeat the Mibu in the end.]]

'''[[spoiler: Shiina]] Sakuya'''

* [[spoiler: DamselInDistress: During the last part of the story, after being captured by the Mibu soldiers.]]

* [[spoiler: LukeIAmYourFather]]: [[spoiler:She's Nozomu's sister by blood, and therefore Yuya's sister by adoption]].

* SmallNameBigEgo: Maki taunts Sasuke about being a failure from the forest, and both of them constantly boast about how powerful they are as members of the Mibu clan. In reality, they're small fry, and not even considered Mibu within the clan itself -- they're "successful" experiments, but actually ''lower'' than Sasuke [[spoiler: because he's one of the near-perfect "rare breed" that Hishigi has developed]].

* WeakButSkilled: His actual physical strength is pretty dismal compared to other Mibu, but his Bakujin'en technique shows his strategic ability and makes him formidable nonetheless.

* LetThemDieHappy: [[spoiler: He stops Yuan from attacking Hishigi once he realizes that Hishigi is just [[TheDyingWalk trying to get to Fubuki before he dies]]]]. It's especially admirable on Julian's part because he has every right and every reason to ''hate'' this person.

* ArmCannon: Hajao is a five-barreled cannon, formerly a Muramasa weapon which was changed into its current form through western alchemy. [[spoiler: In the finale he first upgrades it after absorbing the other three Muramasa Hokurakushimon, Tenguko and Shibien, but later loses it entirely after entrusting the result to Kyo's Tenro.]]

* EffeminateMisogynisticGuy: He behaves and talk like a woman, and tries to kill Yuya out of jealousy just because she was there. Unlike many other examples of this trope, he's a huge, muscular man.
* DepravedHomosexual: Averted in the anime adaptation, where he sounds just narcissistic.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: AND HOW. To the point that when he first encounter Sasuke, Mahiro and Benitora they don't even realize that he' a member of the Goyosei. Removed in the anime, where he's much more serious.

* DoNotCallMePaul: Yuan gave him the name "Keikoku" when he was a child, but he adopted the name "Hotaru" later in life. When he returns to Mibu territory, ''everyone'' he knew there insists on calling him Keikoku, and he corrects them incessantly. Yuan shows respect for Hotaru's personal growth by using his new name, but still calls him Keikoku out of habit.

* FlamingSword: Rarely. He usually directs his flames with his sword, almost never actually setting it ablaze to hack people with it.

* HappilyAdopted: Not formally, but he is considered to be a member of Yuan's family, and they all consider him their brother as well.

* IneffectualLoner: He was so wary of other people when he first joined up with Kyo and company that he wouldn't eat anything that other people gave him. Kyo used to think that the day Hotaru gave up being a loner would be the day he died.

* NiceShoes: He wears tengu geta (pictured -- wooden sandals with a single tall slat instead of the standard two), which require incredible balance to even walk in. He runs around and fights in them. Amusingly, he seems to have chosen this particular pair because they make him exactly as tall as his rival and half-brother, Shinrei.

* NoSenseOfDirection: A contender with [[OnePiece Rorona Zoro]] for being the most triumphant example of this trope. The final chapter has Hotaru getting lost and somehow wandering all the way to ''China''. The epilogue takes this even further, where it's implied that Hotaru ultimately ended up accidentally ''circumnavigating the entire planet'' before getting back to Japan. When he gets back, Yuya tries to tell him where Kyo is, even pointing the way, only for Hotaru to immediately head of ''in the opposite direction.''

* VitriolicBestBuds: With his half-brother Shinrei, at times to a [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious degree.]]

* BladeBelowTheShoulder: [[spoiler: As Ashura, she develops blades that turn whatever they cut into stone.]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: [[spoiler: As Ashura, when she attacks [[FightingYourFriend Kyo]].]]
* BreastAttack: Played for laughs when, as a result of hugging the corrosive Santera, she ends up with her fake breasts completely destroyed but reacts as if she lost her real boobs and complain that now she's flatter than Yuya.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: She was named Mitarai Tokichiro at birth, and when Tokichiro's powers manifested, "he" was seen as a freak and a monster. This caused the child to become bitter and angry, lashing out at the world that rejected her. When she went to the Mibu, Hishigi took her in [[spoiler: and eventually made her the head of his personal guard]], but later he implanted the Devil Eye in her hand and she ran away. She spent some time alone, killing anyone the Mibu sent after her, until Kyo found her and she joined the Shiseiten.

* HoistByHerOwnPetard: [[spoiler: Kyo restores her back to normal by reflecting the Medusa Eye's own gaze with his Tenro, causing it to be destroyed.]]

* [[spoiler:ManchurianAgent]]: [[spoiler:When Kyo and company finally confront Hishigi and Fubuki, Hishigi activates the Devil Eye in Akari's hand and it takes over her mind, causing her to attack Kyo and Yuan]].
* TheMedic: Akari will only heal someone, if they tell her a close personal secret.

* TheMole: Akari is secretly [[spoiler: Ashura, Hishigi's Imperial Guard, who was sent to spy on Kyo. Subverted by virtue of mind control.]]

* SuperpowerMeltdown: The Medusa Eye causes one, when [[spoiler: Hishigi activates it]].
* TransEqualsGay: Subverted. For the most part, Akari is attracted to men (primarily Kyo, but she flirts with Yukimura and mentions an attraction to Hishigi as well). However, she does have a moment with Yuya that suggests she may be bisexual.
* {{Transsexual}}: No one makes a very big deal about Akari being biologically male, since it's pretty obvious that she identifies as a woman. Her identity and transition were apparently supported when she was a child, likely because shamanistic powers are stronger in females. Kyo does say that the Shiseiten do not allow women to join, which would imply that he does ''not'' accept her identity. However, considering he usually uses her chosen name and female pronouns for her, he may have just been making a typically obnoxious joke.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: First as a FunnyBackgroundEvent when we see her taking a pee from behind with both her hands at crotch level. Later on it happens on a Mibu Elite who gropes her only to end up with a handful of steamed manjuu.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: She's dressed as a woman and wears FakeBoobs, but her [[spoiler: Ashura form]] shows that her body is still fairly masculine. Akari is definitely {{UsefulNotes/Transgender}}, but there are times when she is played more like this trope.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Pink, actually.

* YouAreNumberSix: [[spoiler: He's #15379 of the "rare breed" experiments]].

* AdaptationalBadass: He's the BigBad in the anime, and flattens the anime versions of the Four Elders. In the manga, he basically ends up a Mibu attack dog, and the Elders are way out of his league (Hishigi basically has to supervise him).
** This is subverted in that he actually seems to be more powerful in the manga. But Kyo is stronger too, so Nobunaga still loses.

** Does this to Shatora in the manga.

* WhenTreesAttack: In the Anime, Shatora revived him in a tree. As a result he can control the whole Sea of Trees to attack and even [[OneWingedAngel turns into a giant monster made of trees]] to kill Kyo.

* [[spoiler: HeroicSacrifice: In order to save Sasuke.]]

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: She regains her memories when she turns back into her adult form, but upon becoming a child again she loses them.

* BadassGay: Hey, is the same guy who once fought Kyo for hours at Sekigahara and nearly overpowered him in the forest before losing.

* BrutalHonesty: Mostly because he has NoSocialSkills and doesn't bother to sugarcoat anything.

* EyeScream: In one of Yuan's "soul-stealing" illusions, he stabs Hotaru in the eye with the pointy end of a toy propeller.

* FlamingSword: Rarely. He usually just shoots flames from the tip of his sword, almost never actually setting it ablaze to hack people with it.

* AnimalMotifs: Tigers in the anime, opposed to Shinrei's dragons.

A kind, perverted and bumbling medicine peddler that starts off as a bounty for Yuya who carries an oversized sword. Later turns out that he shares his body with Kyo and releases him every time he draws the sword. Well.. until that stops working and Kyo takes over his body. As the story progresses you find out he's [[spoiler:the "Man with the Cross on his Back"]] and [[spoiler: a possible successor to the Red King.]] He remains absent for a good part of the plot, although his presence is mentioned constantly, and his back story affects the plot in a very significant way.

* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: In order to stop forbidden army troopers from interfering in Akira's fight with Tokito, Benitora tears down a wall between them and traps himself with hundreds of undead, regenerating soldiers. ''He wins''.

* OddFriendship: With Benitora, of all people, once they're done endlessly antagonizing each other.

* SelfMadeOrphan: Important to his backstory - he killed his father and brother to clear the way for his own seizure of power.
** However his father at the very least wanted it to be this way. Because the rise of the Date clan was more important than his own life.

* TeamDad: Especially to Akira
* TokenGoodTeammate: He's friendly compared to the other three and Kyo.

* AnimalBattleAura: Tigers in the anime. In the manga, the aura of his Demon's Breath attack takes the shape of what's seriously implied to be Lucifer himself (in the form of a dark, feathered winged humanoid with a narrow face).

* {{Determinator}}: They're everywhere in this manga, but Hotaru is exceptional. He is incredibly tenacious, breaking out of Yuan's illusions through sheer willpower, and often continuing to fight even when hopelessly outmatched. Other characters are occasionally shocked that Hotaru can even ''move'' with the level of damage he's recently taken.
* DoNotCallMePaul: Yuan gave him the name "Keikoku" when he was a child, but he adopted the name "Hotaru" later in life. When he returns to Mibu territory, ''everyone'' he knew there insists on calling him Keikoku, and he corrects them incessantly. Yuan never stops.

* EasilyForgiven: When first introduced as Keikoku, he burned some of his own men to death for being unable to hurt Bontenmaru. No one ever brings this up later on.

* DeadlyUpgrade: More destructive than deadly. The first is his Inferno's Chill ability, which allows him to use his own life energy to generate temperatures below absolute zero. The second ''does'' nearly kill him; He uses his Inferno's Chill technique on ''himself'' to activate pressure points. This allows him to exceed the limits of his body to fight Tokito, but it also wrecks him, leaving permanent damage.

** See DentedIron above -- he knows from the start that his battle with Tokito will destroy him physically, and that this damage will most likely be permanent, but he doesn't hesitate for a moment.

* OddFriendship: With Benitora, of all people.

* LastOfHisKind: [[spoiler: Of the Mibu]]. [[ItsALongStory It's complicated]].

* [[SealedBadassInACan Sealed Badass]] [[SealedInsideAPersonShapedCan Inside a Person-Shaped Can]]: His soul is sealed inside Kyoshiro at the beginning. After Kyo surfaces semi-permanently, Kyoshiro becomes both the sealed badass and the can.

* UnstoppableRage: The direct result of someone touching Kyo's BerserkButton.

* [[spoiler:FakeDefector]]: [[spoiler:When he takes over Kyo's body, he feigns to be loyal to the Former Crimson King, and even that he agrees with his MightMakesRight philosophy. However, all was a ploy to push Kyo's buttons and make him achieve his true potential.]]

* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]: [[spoiler:During the final showdown against Kyo, he switches bodies in order to allow Kyo to win and is left dying for his trouble, revealing his true nature. Averted when Kyo saves him (though [[{{Tsundere}} the way Kyo talks]], he sounds like he's doing it out of pure spite)]].
* [[spoiler:HitmanWithAHeart]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: In a way yes, considering that he did kill thousands of people back when he was under the King's service, but at least he showed remorse and spent the remaining years atoning for this, which mitigates his villainy.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: After killing Kyosaburo he realized the error of his ways and left the Mibu clan along with Sakuya.]]

* PowerNullifier: [[spoiler: When he and Kyo fight near the end of the manga, he is able to cancel out Kyo's most powerful techniques with no apparent effort. It's revealed that Kyoshiro uses the rare "yin" or "passive" style of combat, which perfectly counters Kyo's active, aggressive attacks]].

* ThouShaltNotKill: Played with. He REALLY wants to do this as a penance for [[spoiler:the murders he committed as a Mibu]]. However, when he sees there's no other way [[spoiler:he TRIES, but can't bring himself to do it.]]