History Characters / Vagabond

* NeverBeHurtAgain: "I have to be able to survive by myself... Without anyone's help. I have to be strong. That's why I want to be your disciple... That's why I want to become a samurai...!!"
* ParentalAbandonment: In 'Vagabond' Jōtarō is an orphan (although how he was orphaned is not stated.) Who raised him is unknown and the innkeeper he worked for basically kicked him out and told him to leave and follow Musashi. On top of that, Musashi himself is not the most reliable ParentalSubstitute...
* ProneToTears: Poor Jōtarō! Under that smart-mouthed facade is one emotional kid. It's hard to blame him given how he keeps getting abandoned.

* AdaptationDeviation: The historic Kojirō was rumored to be fully or partially deaf in one ear, though nothing of the sort was suggested in the Eiji Yoshikawa novel. Vagabond is loosely inspired by history and the novel, but deviates heavily from both in that Kojirō is completely deaf and mute.
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel, Kojir&#333 is much darker than his happy-go-lucky ManChild counterpart. The original novel portrays him as cunning and sadistic, although courageous and not without nobility.

** Given the historical Musashi had two adopted sons (Mikinosuke and Iori) and the fictional Musashi has two followers in the novel and manga (Jōtarō and Iori) it is possible Jōtarō took some small inspiration from Mikinosuke.

* {{Foil}}: For Musashi. Though not violent or hot-tempered, Jōtarō's free-spirit and idealistic image of being a samurai resemble a young Takezō. Otsū even remarks on this when she and Jōtarō first meet.

* {{Foil}}: For Musashi. Though not violent or hot-tempered, Jōtarō's free-spirit and idealistic image of being a samurai resemble a young Takezo. Otsū even remarks on this when she and Jōtarō first meet.

* MyBelovedSmother: And how! Osugi dotes over Matahachi, refuses to believe him guilty of any wrong-doings to the point of delusion, projects all her wrath and disappointment onto Takezo/Musashi and Otsū, and is blind to her son's own repeatedly self-destructive cries for help.

** Given the historical Musashi had two adopted sons, Mikinosuke and Iori, and has two followers in the novel, Jōtarō and Iori, it is possible Jōtarō took some small inspiration from Mikinosuke.

** The historical Miyamoto Musashi did have amongst his many followers a man named Aoki Jōemon, who appears to be the basis for Jōtarō (whose family name in the novel is Aoki.) Beyond these basic details, however, Jōtarō's and Jōemon's characters and lives are not at all alike. For the most part Jōtarō appears to be a creation of the original novel's author, Eiji Yoshikawa, [[VeryLooselyBasedOnHistory inspired by Jōemon but not really a representation of him]], as is the case with with other characters like [[LooselyBasedOnHistory Musashi, Kojirō and Takuan.]]

** The historical Miyamoto Musashi did have amongst his many followers a man named Aoki Jōemon, who appears to be the basis for Jōtarō (whose family name in the novel is Aoki.) Beyond these basic details, however, Jōtarō's and Jōemon's characters and lives are not at all alike. For the most part Jōtarō appears to be a creation of the original novel's author, Eiji Yoshikawa, with possibly some small inspiration from the historical Musashi's first adopted son, Miyamoto Mikinosuke, thrown in.
* BrattyHalfPint: To an extent. Jōtarō is generally a loyal and good-hearted kid, but he does have a bit of a smart-mouth on him and no qualms about talking back to his elders.

* Foil: For Musashi. Though not violent or hot-tempered, Jōtarō's free-spirit and idealistic image of being a samurai resemble a young Takezo. Otsū even remarks on this when she and Jōtarō first meet.

** The historical Miyamoto Musashi did have amongst his many followers a man named Aoki Jōemon, who appears to be the basis for Jōtarō (whose family name in the novel is Aoki.) Jōemon was said to be a tall, hulking man nicknamed 'Tetsujin' (Iron Man) for his great strength, so he and Jōtarō share little in common beyond name and disciple-status. For the most part Jōtarō appears to be a creation of the original novel's author, Eiji Yoshikawa, with possibly some small inspiration from the historical Musashi's first adopted son, Miyamoto Mikinosuke, thrown in.

* ParentalAbandonment: In 'Vagabond' Jōtarō's an orphan, though how he was orphaned is not stated. Who raised him is unknown and the innkeeper he worked for basically kicked him out and told him to leave and follow Musashi. On top of that, Musashi himself is not the most reliable ParentalSubstitute...

* MyBelovedSmother

** The historical Miyamoto Musashi did have amongst his many followers a man named Aoki Jōemon, who appears to be the basis for Jōtarō (whose family name in the novel is Aoki.) Jōemon was said to be a tall, hulking man nicknamed 'Tetsujin' (Iron Man) for his great strength, so he and Jōtarō share little in common beyond name and disciple-status. For the most part Jōtarō appears to be a creation of the original novel's author, Eiji Yoshikawawith potentially some small inspiration from the historical Musashi's first adopted son, Mikinosuke, thrown in.

* ParentalAbandonment: In 'Vagabond' Jōtarō's an orphan, though how he was orphaned is not stated. The innkeeper he worked for told him to leave and follow Musashi, and Musashi himself is not the most reliable ParentalSubstitute...

* AdaptationDeviation: The real Miyamoto Musashi had amongst his many students a man named Aoki Jōemon, who appears to be the basis for Jōtarō, although as a hulking, powerful man nicknamed 'Tetsujin' (Iron Man) there are few other similarities. For the most part Jōtarō appears to be a creation of the original novel's author, Eiji Yoshikawa, with potentially some small inspiration from the historical Musashi's first adopted son, Mikinosuke, thrown in.
** His character is very faithful to the novel, although Inoue's Jōtarō is an orphan; Yoshikawa's is the son of disgraced samurai Aoki Tanzaemon (named only as 'Captain Aoki' in the manga, and with apparently no connection to Jōtarō.)
* BrattyHalf-Pint: Jōtarō Whilst a good-hearted and caring kid, Jōtarō still doesn't concern himself with manners too much. He's got abit of a smart-mouth and often talks back to his elders.

* ParentalAbandonment: In 'Vagabond' Jōtarō's an orphan, though how he was orphaned is not stated. The innkeeper he worked for told him to leave and follow Musashi, and Musashi himself is not the most reliable SubstituteParent...

* Prone toTears: Poor Jōtarō! Under that smart-mouthed facade is one emotional kid. It's hard to blame him given how he keeps getting abandoned.

* PronetoTears: Poor Jōtarō! Under that smart-mouthed facade is one emotional kid. It's hard to blame him given he's basically a constantly getting tossed aside and abandoned.

* KidSamurai: Given the novel was written in the 1940s, he might well be the first KidSamurai in fiction!
* KidSidekick: To Musashi's BigBrotherMentor. Also to Otsū
* PronetoTears: Poor Jōtarō! Under that smart-mouthed facade is one emotional kid.

[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2020_02_26_at_220341.png]]

** His character is very faithful to the novel, although Inoue's Jōtarō is an orphan; Yoshikawa's is the son of disgraced samurai Aoki Tanzaemon (named only as 'Captain Aoki' in the manga, and with apparently not connection to Jōtarō.)

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jotaro_7.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]

* StiffUperLip: His trademark attitude is smoking his pipe and ponder. He is introduced this way when Musashi first comes to the Yoshioka dojo and is killing many disciples. But this attitude becomes truly evident during the Battle of Ichijōji, when he is seriously wounded with half of his face cut and he rests under a tree, calmly smoking his trademark pipe while ravens flock to eat his flesh.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/389202_1.jpg]]

* CatchMeFightingDirty: it seems that the Chujō-ryū that Jisai teaches is plenty of techniques like this.

* TheSadist

An orphan raised at the temple in Miyamoto village, Otsū is a childhood friend to both Musashi (Takezō at the time) and Matahachi. She was originally betrothed to Matahachi, but then he broke it off after he decided to run away with Oko and not return to Miyamoto village. She instead fixates on Takezō/Musashi (it's implied that he was actually the one she was in love with all along) and leaves Miyamoto to go after him when he heads out to make his name as a swordsman.

[[folder: The Yagyū]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Book!Kojirō is much darker than his happy-go-lucky ManChild counterpart. The original novel portrays him as cunning and sadistic, although courageous and not without nobility.

* DieOrFly: Was on the receiving end of this by Itō Ittōsai, who only believed Kojirō could truly hone his skills as a swordsman through rigorous combat and extreme conditioning. As such, [[spoiler:Ittōsai left Kojirō to face hundreds of hungry, bitter villagers in the middle of a vast valley ''alone'' and waited to see if he'd make it. [[GoneHorriblyRight He came back, as one of the deadliest swordsmen in all of Japan.]]]]

* HappilyAdopted: Kojirō deeply loves and respects his ParentalSubstitute Kanemaki Jisai, to the point where he learns the definition of the word "invincible," his mental image is that of Jisai himself.

* MosesInTheBulrushes: Kojirō is introduced in this fashion. His father had him sent by boat from a besieged castle to be raised by his master, Kanemaki Jisai. His mother had been swept overboard and killed during the voyage and he would have suffered the same fate if Jisai hadn't saved him.

* WorthyOpponent: Rather tellingly about his attitude towards the sword, Kojirō views those who are unwilling to give their lives in a battle as unworthy of his time. The two people he holds deep respect towards are Musashi and [[ParentalSubstitute Kanemaki Jisai]]--the latter of whom Kojirō outright upholds as "[[ArcWords invincible]]."

The second genration master of the Yoshioka Kempo's school of swordfighting in Kyoto. While a superbly talented swordsman, he is also hedonistic and carefree, though he can and will be serious and take appropriate measures in times of crisis.

** He also expels Ueda Ryōhei, his ''de facto'' brother, for trying to protect him by arranging for Musashi's demise[[note]]although his will reveals that after his death, Ryōhei was to be readmitted ''and'' succeed him as headmaster[[/note]].

* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:Becomes one to Otsū and Musashi]].

A temple of spear wielding monks. Musashi seeks them out after leaving Kyoto to challenge their master.

* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler:his birthname is Shinnosuke Mitsuda, and he belonged to the Mitsuda samurai family, but he gets orphaned when a bandit rapes his mother and kills both of his parents, thus In'ei adopts him and]] renames him "Inshun" using the first character of his name.

A skilled spearman of the Hōzōin. He takes pride in his ability with the spear, but is otherwise reserved and deferential to In'ei and Inshun.

!!Myoei

!!Yagyū Sekishūsai

* ObfuscatingInsanity : A light example. He has become a bit absent-minded and [[CloudCuckoolander strange]] in his old age, but he's seemingly every bit as sharp as he was in his prime, still as dangerous as any young swordsman and certainly much wiser than the majority of the other characters. Observe how he defended himself from Musashi in his sleep and stared down the [[BloodKnight vicious]] swordsman Ito Ittōsai, deterring both without even having a sword on his person. [[spoiler:Later inverted on his deathbed, when his mind genuinely begins to slip]].

!!Yagyū HyoGon’nosuke

Sekishūsais favorite grandson and heir.

[[folder: Recurring Characters]]
!!Takuan Sōhō

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel he sentences Takezō to three years of imprisonment before christening him Miyamoto Musashi
* BadassPacifist: "He cut me down with his mind!!"
* BullyingADragon : A middle-aged Buddhist monk who mercilessly mocks, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech scolds]] and even challenges a violent young swordsman who practically leaves a path of corpses everywhere he goes. Most of his shenanigans are actually just an unorthodox approach to guidance, as he actively seeks to [[ToughLove help Musashi realize who he really is]], but that doesn't make it any less brazen. This is true to history, as Takuan Sōhō was respected by warlords and samurai for his frank, astute advice, but his acerbic honesty made him plenty of enemies as well.
* CoolOldGuy: Only 36, but definitely gives off this vibe.
* TricksterMentor: To Musashi.

!!Kanemaki Jisai

An old, retired swordsman who's washed up and raises Kojirō as his son after his parents die.
!!Tropes:

* OldMaster: Though he's rather washed up at the time the story begins, he is eventually treated this way by the villagers after he cuts down old man Fudo. He explicitly refuses to teach Kojirō, wanting him to have a peaceful life, not that it stops him.
* OverprotectiveDad: Refuses to teach Kojirō the sword time and again, fearing the day that Kojirō would be struck down in a meaningless battle.

!!Takezō Shinmen/Musashi Miyamoto

!!Inshun Hōzōin/Shinnosuke Mitsuda

* MeaningfulRename: his birthname is Shinnosuke Mitsuda, but after [[spoiler:he gets orphaned when a bandit rapes his mother and kills both of his parents]], In'ei adopts him and renames him "Inshun" using the first character of his name.

!!Sasaki Kojirō

!!Granny Hon'iden

!!Shinmen Munisai

!!Yoshioka Seijūrō

!!Yoshioka Denshichirō

!!Ueda Ryōhei

!!Hōzōin In'ei

!!Inshun

!!Shinmen Takezo/Miyamoto Musashi

!!Hon'iden Matahachi

Takezo's childhood friend who persuades him to leave Musashi village and join the war, thus setting of the events of the story. [[HeroWithAnFInGood A decent person deep down, Matahachi continually lets himself and others down due to his very weak moral fiber.]]

* CrazyJealousGuy: Despite the fact that Matahachi ReallyGetsAround, he finds himself constantly envious of Musashi and Otsu's relationship, and gets even more aggravated when he acknowledges that [[DirtyCoward his cowardice is the reason Otsu and Musashi grew closer in the first place]]. [[spoiler:This is defied by the time Musashi massacres the Yoshioka school; truly recognizing his own failures for the first time, Matahachi begs a sleeping Musashi to take Otsu with him throughout his travels.]]
* DirtyCoward: And it fuels his inferiority complex to Takezo.

* MilesGloriosus: [[spoiler: He borrows Sasaki Kojiro's identity for a while to live off his reputation. It gets complicated when Kojiro himself shows up, and gets ''even more so'' when Kojiro leaves Matahachi for no good reason at all.]]

!!Otsu

An orphan raised at the temple in Miyamoto village, Otsu is a childhood friend to both Musashi (Takezo at the time) and Matahachi. She was originally betrothed to Matahachi, but then he broke it off after he decided to run away with Oko and not return to Miyamoto village. She instead fixates on Takezo/Musashi (it's implied that he was actually the one she was in love with all along) and leaves Miyamoto to go after him when he heads out to make his name as a swordsman.

* AdaptationalBadass: Otsu in the original novel was pathetic and needy, with a very weak constitution, often to the point of getting physically ill over emotional matters. In the manga, she is much more self-sufficient and even takes lessons in self-defense from the Yagyu.
* ArrangedMarriage: Was originally betrothed to Matahachi, who in a moment of weakness ran off with another woman--essentially abandoning Otsu.
* InelegantBlubbering: When Matahachi confesses his infidelity to Otsu by way of a ''letter'', she goes ''livid'' to the point of crying and shrieking and biting herself in her anger and pain.
* InsistentTerminology: Continues to refer to Musashi as Takezo, long after he has officially changed his name.
* SilkHidingSteel: Otsu is more than capable of fending for herself in the rather less-than-safe byways of {{FeudalJapan}}, especially after she takes some pointers from the Yagyu on how to defend herself.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Otsu is fixated on Takezo and won't give anyone else a second glance.
* SpiritedYoungLady: Otsu's remarkable in the setting, as she very much manages to maintain the YamatoNadeshiko trope she's supposed to fulfill--and yet more often than not defies that trope by being ''very'' outwardly emotional, loud, outspoken, and at times appearing uncultured. Yet her determination, beauty, purity of heart and earnest behavior more than make up for it.

!!Sasaki Kojiro

* AdaptationDeviation: The historic Kojiro was rumored to be fully or partially deaf in one ear, though nothing of the sort was suggested in the Eiji Yoshikawa novel. Vagabond is loosely inspired by history and the novel, but deviates heavily from both in that Kojiro is completely deaf and mute.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Book!Kojiro is much darker than his happy-go-lucky ManChild counterpart. The original novel portrays him as cunning and sadistic, although courageous and not without nobility.
* AmbiguousDisorder: His deafness and muteness notwithstanding, Kojiro has a lot of trouble when it comes to interacting with others--that is, unless they're a pretty lady or a samurai. With the former, he'd mostly resort to taking them to his bed on the spot, and with the latter, he'd only give them the time of day if they proved themselves willing to give their lives in a fight against him. His ability to pick up on social cues outside of that is almost nonexistent.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: The only reason Kojiro's survived as long as he has is because of his incredible prowess with a katana. He's so good with it that his reputation alone was able to spread his name across Japan even before he was given the certificate which would formally establish his status as a samurai.
* CharacterFocus: The first arc featuring Kojiro took up about a third of the then-twenty volume series by the time it was done.

* DieOrFly: Was on the receiving end of this by Itto Ittosai, who only believed Kojiro could truly hone his skills as a swordsman through rigorous combat and extreme conditioning. As such, [[spoiler:Ittosai left Kojiro to face hundreds of hungry, bitter villagers in the middle of a vast valley ''alone'' and waited to see if he'd make it. [[GoneHorriblyRight He came back, as one of the deadliest swordsmen in all of Japan.]]]]
* DissonantSerenity: Several characters note how Kojiro's eyes almost never change emotion even in the face of certain death or extreme pain. Others note how when it does change emotion, said emotion is almost always ''excitement''. Granted, he does display pain when he suffers horrible wounds (as any warrior would), and the one time he really breaks down is when [[spoiler:Ittosai leaves him to fend for himself against dozens of sword-wielding villagers hungry for his blood]].

** To Miyamoto Musashi. Kojiro's a happy-go-lucky ManChild who can easily win the love of an ''entire village'' within a day; Musashi's mature, aloof, gruff, and doesn't tend to socialize at all (unless they happen to be particularly skilled swordsmen). Kojiro constantly goes after women without rest, while Musashi's fixated singularly on Otsu. Kojiro grew up loved by his father-figure and was treasured in his community, while Musashi grew up constantly being manhandled by his abusive father and ostracized by those who saw him as a "demon child." But both Kojiro and Musashi ''love'' using their swords in battle, are always restlessly searching for opponents to spar with all in the name of bettering their own skills, and are so deeply connected to the sword that the two of them can ''hold a conversation'' practically just by swinging sticks at each other in place of blades. Their passion for the sword is the one thing the two have in common.

* HappilyAdopted: Kojiro deeply loves and respects his ParentalSubstitute Kanemaki Jisai, to the point where he learns the definition of the word "invincible," his mental image is that of Jisai himself.

* IWantMyMommy: [[spoiler:When Ittosai leaves Kojiro behind to fend for himself in a DieOrFly sort of test against ''dozens'' of hungry, angry, violent villagers, Kojiro looms over all the corpses he's made and breaks down, calling out for Jisai as he sheds tears of pain and fear.]]

* MosesInTheBulrushes: Kojiro is introduced in this fashion. His father had him sent by boat from a besieged castle to be raised by his master, Kanemaki Jisai. His mother had been swept overboard and killed during the voyage and he would have suffered the same fate if Jisai hadn't saved him.
* NoSocialSkills: People are always impressed by Kojiro's swordsmanship, but outside of combat and [[ReallyGetsAround sex]], Kojiro's not really good at many other things like writing, etiquette, and empathy.

* TheRainMan: Kojiro can't hear nor speak, and it's implied he has a bit of an AmbiguousDisorder which prevents him from interacting with others properly. However, he compensates for all of that by way of his incredible swordsmanship--his lack of hearing forced him to become extra-perceptive to both his environment and his reflexes, enabling him to survive countless near-death scenarios by way of him simply being ''that'' observant.

* WhatBeautifulEyes: Random robbers have been struck by thoughts of how Kojiro's eyes look beautiful and too innocent for him to have killed anyone. There is a lot of focus on his eyes in general, as being deaf has led to him having very sensitive, perceptive eyesight.
* WorthyOpponent: Rather tellingly about his attitude towards the sword, Kojiro views those who are unwilling to give their lives in a battle as unworthy of his time. The two people he holds deep respect towards are Musashi and [[ParentalSubstitute Kanemaki Jisai]]--the latter of whom Kojiro outright upholds as "[[ArcWords invincible]]."

* SelectiveObliviousness: Refuses to acknowlegde that Matahachi was the one who betrayed Otsu.

* AbusiveParents: He was a piece of work. A large part of Takezo's initial motivation to become strong is fuelled by his desire to escape his father's shadow, as Munisai routinely shamed him out of fear that one day the boy would usurp his place as the so-called strongest warrior in all of Japan. Even after Munisai's death, the shame and fear Takezo felt under his grip drove him to seek strength well into his late teen years, to the point where he willingly participated in the Battle of Sekigahara to make a name for himself.
* CrazyPrepared: As young Takezo learns the hard way when he attempts to attack Munisai in his sleep, only for him to wake up immediately and pull a spear from under his covers. This is actually not as eccentric as it sounds, as it was not uncommon for samurai and lords to sleep with a ''makura yari'', or "pillow spear" within their reach in case of just such a threat.

!!Yoshioka Seijuro

* AdaptationalBadass: In the novel, he really is little more than a hedonistic pretty boy, who is actually inferior to Denshichiro in swordsmanship.

* BigBrotherInstinct: While he remains an AloofBigBrother, he still ultimately cares for Denshichiro. [[spoiler: He even tries to kill Musashi in a sneak attack to prevent him from fighting Denshichiro, having already known that Musashi would win... unfortunately for Seijuro, Musashi had surpassed ''him'' too.]]

!!Yoshioka Denshichiro

* AdaptationalBadass: In the novel, while he was considered the more competent of the two brothers, Denshichiro wasn't all that much better than Seijuro overall.

* CantCatchUp: As hard as he works he can never match Seijuro in swordsmanship. [[spoiler:And in the year leading up to their rematch he utterly fails to keep up with Musashi, who makes the most of the year and grows into one of the very best swordsmen in the land.]]

** He also expels Ueda Ryohei, his ''de facto'' brother, for trying to protect him by arranging for Musashi's demise[[note]]although his will reveals that after his death, Ryohei was to be readmitted ''and'' succeed him as headmaster[[/note]].

* SiblingYinYang: Very much so. Seijuro is a carefree pretty boy blessed with supreme talent and confidence, and Denshichiro is a stern, hulk of a man, who works hard trying to be as good as his brother.

!!Ueda Ryohei

A senior disciple of the Yoshioka School. He was raised by the Yoshiokas and is almost regarded as a brother to Seijuro and Denshichiro.

* SpiritAdvisor: [[spoiler:Becomes one to Otsu and Musashi]].
* TenMinuteRetirement: Is banished from the Yoshioka school by Denshichiro, but Den dies a day later with his will stipulating that Ueda is to be readmitted to the school and made headmaster.

[[folder: Hozoin Temple]]

!!Hozoin In'ei

[[folder: The Yagyu]]
!!Yagyu Sekishusai

* HeroicNeutral: The Yagyu clan have always kept out of the conflicts of the greater clans.

* ObfuscatingInsanity : A light example. He has become a bit absent-minded and [[CloudCuckoolander strange]] in his old age, but he's seemingly every bit as sharp as he was in his prime, still as dangerous as any young swordsman and certainly much wiser than the majority of the other characters. Observe how he defended himself from Musashi in his sleep and stared down the [[BloodKnight vicious]] swordsman Ito Ittosai, deterring both without even having a sword on his person. [[spoiler:Later inverted on his deathbed, when his mind genuinely begins to slip]].
* TheMagnificent: Other swordsmen consistently refer to him as "the ''invincible'' Sekishusai".

!!Yagyu Hyogonosuke

Sekishusais favorite grandson and heir.

!!Takuan Soho

* AdaptationalHeroism: In the novel he sentences Takezo to three years of imprisonment before christening him Miyamoto Musashi

* BullyingADragon : A middle-aged Buddhist monk who mercilessly mocks, [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech scolds]] and even challenges a violent young swordsman who practically leaves a path of corpses everywhere he goes. Most of his shenanigans are actually just an unorthodox approach to guidance, as he actively seeks to [[ToughLove help Musashi realize who he really is]], but that doesn't make it any less brazen. This is true to history, as Takuan Soho was respected by warlords and samurai for his frank, astute advice, but his acerbic honesty made him plenty of enemies as well.

An old, retired swordsman who's washed up and raises Kojiro as his son after his parents die.

* AintTooProudToBeg: He's so devoted to Kojiro that begging the villagers for food doesn't bother him.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Kojiro.
* OldMaster: Though he's rather washed up at the time the story begins, he is eventually treated this way by the villagers after he cuts down old man Fudo. He explicitly refuses to teach Kojiro, wanting him to have a peaceful life, not that it stops him.
* OverprotectiveDad: Refuses to teach Kojiro the sword time and again, fearing the day that Kojiro would be struck down in a meaningless battle.

* SilkHidingSteel: Otsu is more than capable of fending for herself in the rather less-than-safe byways of Japan, especially after she takes some pointers from the Yagyu on how to defend herself.