Line #347 Characters/CookingWithWildGame


1	Characters for the light novel series ''Cooking with Wild Game''.
2
3	[[foldercontrol]]
4	[[folder: The Fa House]]
5
6	[[AC: In General]]
7
8	* BackFromTheBrink: For all intents and purposes, the house was ''dead'' just a year before the start of the series. That's how unexpected it is for loners to survive Forest's Edge.
9	* BigFancyHouse: A remnant left from when there were a lot more people in the family.
10	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Unconventional but diligent, and better at what they do than anyone else.
11	%%* TheConsigliere
12	* CulturalRebel: This house switches the village's gender roles.
13	* TheFace: As the only house who regularly interact with foreigners, they play a role in basically all of the village's diplomatic interactions.
14	* HonorBeforeReason: Its members ignore Kamyua's increasingly obvious hints that the totos is a gift for them because they don't want to be "indebted". Also because they distrust him... for some reason.
15	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Consists of an orphaned hunt[[DeliberateValuesDissonance ress]], a crazy foreigner weakling, and a giant ostrich.
16	* SevenHeavenlyVirtues: Charity. The house was reborn when its leader gave a total stranger food and shelter. Eventually, it became [[UnclePennybags the village's economic pillar]], giving poor families training and employment.
17
18	! Tsurumi Asuta
19	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0180.jpg]]
20	[[caption-width-right:350:A moment where Asuta catches Ai Fa off guard.]]
21	The protagonist. He rushes into his father's burning restaurant to attempt to rescue the family paring knife, an ancient heirloom passed down for generations, and the one thing his father would mourn losing more than the restaurant itself. He wakes up in the jungle just next to the village of "Forest's Edge" with no idea how he got there, how to get back, or what's going on, until he's chased by a giba into a pit-trap set by Ai Fa.
22
23	* AboveTheInfluence: He tries to break free of Ai Fa's drunken hug in Volume 6; unfortunately, she is significantly stronger than him and not in the mood to care that there are people watching.
24	* AccidentalPervert: Highly justified. He sees Ai Fa naked while she's bathing in a river, but only because he's coming to her aid, after she cries out for help when she was set upon by a Moba, a giant snake, which she could not fight off by herself. He makes a point of narrating that he has never violated that particular taboo again. (Only a woman's husband can see her naked in the village of Forest Edge.)
25	** The second time it occurs was a direct result of a prank by Ludo Ruu who claimed to be showing him where to wash dishes, but in fact led him to where Ai Fa and other women were bathing.
26	* ActionSurvivor: Though weak, he is eventually accepted by the village because of his business ability and genuine desire to be useful. In particular, his observant nature is what allowed them to peacefully resolve the Suun issue.
27	* AccidentalProposal: He calls Lala Ruu "charming." Among the people of Forest Edge, this is universally considered an open declaration of pursuing a woman as a bridal candidate. Asuta was not aware of this at the time, and Ai Fa was clearly not pleased upon finding out either. Fortunately, the ladies of the Ruu clan let the slip pass and accepted his words as a genuine compliment, nothing more.
28	* AmazonChaser: While he ''started'' feeling drawn to Ai Fa after she threatened him with a knife for ruining her pit-trap, he notes "her attack strength doubled" when she removed her traditional BadassCape and he saw just how well-toned her muscles are.
29	* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: He is subjected to a non-sexual example after [[spoiler:being kidnapped and drugged by Pyschkurewuss]]. The person forcibly stripping him is also a slave, but it still makes him feel dehumanized and vulnerable. Which was probably the point.
30	%%* BerserkButton:
31	* BirdsOfAFeather: With Ai Fa, because they both know how it feels to be threatened by honourless brutes. He's as defiant to the Suun Clan as he was to the yakuza hurting his family.
32	* BladeEnthusiast: Over the course of the series, he amasses a collection of cooking knives that are both useful in his work and highly symbolic.
33	** His father's precious Santoku knife, an heirloom passed down through many generations of their family. It was the only Japanese thing that Asuta was able to bring with him, other than the clothes on his back.
34	** A vegetable-cutting knife sold by the Eastern merchant Shumiral.
35	** A meat knife of Southern make sold by Diel.
36	* CallToAgriculture: A non-farming example. He is very content living among the primeval tribesmen of Forest Edge, because he admires their courage, self-reliance, diligence, etc.
37	* ChekhovsSkill: His experience on the family farm butchering pigs helps immensely when he gets to work drawing and quartering a giba before preparing to cook it for Ai Fa.
38	* ChickMagnet: A justified example. Since he's- to the people of Forest Edge- a foreigner from a very distant land, and is gentle and kind to them, as opposed to the loud, rambunctious, and in some cases, destructive, testosterone-poisoned macho-men they're used to, not to mention great in the kitchen, he's a curiosity and highly desirable to the women of Forest Edge. [[ClingyJealousGirl Ai Fa really does not like it.]]
39	* ConstantlyCurious: Being an isekai protagonist, he is always asking questions- especially about ingredients, since he hasn't seen many of them before. One of the conditions his hostess sets is that he ask only her for information, and only in private, because otherwise people will be annoyed.
40	* DidNotThinkThisThrough: After his (smoky) first attempts at grilling giba, he is told very definitively to do his cooking experiments ''outside the house''.
41	* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: While he’s still a weakling by the standards of the people of Forest’s Edge, Asuta’s active lifestyle with them has resulted in him unwittingly building up some muscle, making him a good bit stronger than the average resident of Genos, as he accidentally finds out while trying to restrain Roy during his captivity.
42	* EndearinglyDorky: He is easily engrossed by cooking details and {{Squee}}s upon seeing the array of strange ingredients in the Ruu clan's pantry. Ai Fa actually likes to watch him while he's 'in the zone'.
43	* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: At Kamiya Yost's urging, he sets up a stall in Post Town selling giba dishes. Just the aroma of his cooking forces him to expand to two stalls and sell meals to all three of the local inns in order to meet the demand. His profits rival the entire income of the largest clans in Forests Edge.
44	* EyesNeverLie: Rimee's first thought about Asuta is that he doesn't look like a [[NobleSavage native]]... but he has the bright, alert eyes of one, even though he's lugging a heavy carcass around.
45	* FishOutOfWater: A major aspect of the story is him getting accustomed to the vastly different way of life in Forest Edge.
46	* GoodWithNumbers: Downplayed, but it comes up from time to time that the simple fact that Asuta had a modern education means he can do simple multiplication and division much faster than the average person, or even average businessman, in the new world.
47	* InTheBlood: He loved working in the restaurant just as much as his father, and has done so since childhood.
48	* IronicName: 'Asuta' can be read as 'becoming fat tomorrow' (his dad is a chef, after all), but he's slender.
49	* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: While the women, and most of the children, greatly appreciate his cooking skills, especially the revered elder Jiba Ruu, the men of Forest Edge hold him in contempt, not only for his lack of physical strength, but because they're all so testosterone-poisoned that they believe their food ''has to be bitter and hard to eat'' so they can show the world how tough they are by being able to eat it. In fact, Donda Ruu specifically calls the meal that was so delicious it gave Jiba Ruu TearsOfJoy rubbish, nearly shattering his plate to the ground, because it was actually tender and delicious.
50	* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: To everyone who sees them interact, particularly Rimee Ruu, they look like they've been married for years.
51	* LimitedWardrobe: Justified. The only clothing he has to his name is his chef's outfit. (Ai Fa later gives him a traditional male tribal vest belonging to her deceased father.) Needless to say, this only serves to draw the wrong kind of attention to himself.
52	* LoveAtFirstPunch: He falls for Ai Fa, hard, because she forcefully brought him into line with the customs of Forest Edge by threatening him with her hunting knife. He does not comprehend this. He just knows he's smitten with her, but doesn't understand why.
53	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The Feminine boy to Ai Fa's masculine girl. The elders of the Ruu clan lampshade it.
54	* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: He replies to Ai Fa's request that they sleep together by telling her why he feels that would be a bad idea... then enters her bed anyway. He just wanted to express his anxieties, not necessarily to act on them.
55	* MementoMacguffin: The Santoku knife Asuta carries is actually his father's, but [[TrappedInAnotherWorld they were separated]] before he could return it. At first it's the only tool Asuta uses to cook, but as he establishes bonds with Amusehorn merchants, he buys other knives. He still takes great care of the Santoku, hoping that he will return to Earth someday.
56	* MotorMouth: When talking about cooking, or his worries, or his worries ''about'' cooking.
57	* MundaneLuxury: He does his best with the few ingredients Forest Edge has, but when he learns that staple Earth ingredients like salt and vinegar also exist on Amusehorn, he {{Squee}}s with delight.
58	%%* NervesOfSteel:
59	* NormalFishInATinyPond: Where it concerns cooking, and only then. His skill is considered legendary among the people of Forest Edge because they've long ago foregone experimenting with learning how to cook, as dealing with the dangers of Forest Edge takes up most of their time and efforts.
60	* NumberOneDime: He keeps the first [[WeirdCurrency tusks]] he ever earned- the ones given to him by the Ruu clan for restoring Jiba's will to live- because of their emotional value.
61	* OneOfTheGuys: Women, in this case. For one thing, he can talk shop with them. For another, hunters' strength and curtness puts him on edge.
62	* PropertyOfLove: He refers to Ai Fa as "milady", and many of his culinary accomplishments are motivated by giving her the happiness she deserves.
63	* RedOniBlueOni: The red oni to Ai Fa. Having come from a world that was very politically correct, he doesn't understand that the people of Forest Edge can say very insulting things and yet have no threatening intent. Fortunately, Ai Fa is usually around to keep him from starting ''actual'' fights.
64	* SecurityCling: When the protagonists need to cross a primitive [[note]]vine-woven[[/note]] bridge, he takes comfort in clinging to Ai Fa's cape.
65	* SeriousBusiness: He considers cooking an ~art~ and begs strangers like Donda to give him another chance when his food fails to please them.
66	* SingleTargetSexuality: He ''literally'' only has eyes for Ai Fa. When Ludo Ruu tricks him into walking into the river area where Ai Fa and several other women are bathing together, he is unable to see or hear any of the others, even when they are screeching like banshees and throwing things in his direction.
67	* StepfordSmiler: He prefers not to think about the world he came from.
68	* SupremeChef: Even in his native Japan, his talents in the kitchen were highly praised.
69	* ThroughHisStomach: He wins Ai Fa's heart by showing her what "delicious" means through his cooking. Since she's a full-blown type-a Tsundere, and he's all but clueless concerning the norms of Forest Edge, he fails to pick up on this.
70	* ThinkNothingOfIt: Success aside, Asuta doesn't want to be perceived as a fully-trained chef in his own right because it distances him from his past as an apprentice on Earth. He dislikes any reminders that that time was months ago.
71	* TookALevelInBadass: After several volumes, he notes that the ceaseless labor of life in Forest's Edge has honed his body.
72	* TragicKeepsake: His father's paring knife is this to him.
73	* TrappedInAnotherWorld: He ran into his father's burning restaurant in Japan. Woke up in the jungle of Forest Edge with no idea how he got there, or how to get back.
74	* TranslatorMicrobes: He lampshades this when he first meets Ai Fa. Since Forest Edge has never heard of Japan, and Asuta hasn't even heard of the ''continent'' where he winds up, let alone the nearest country or village, he wonders how the heck he and the people of Forest Edge can perfectly understand each other when a common root language would have to be the most profound ContrivedCoincidence on record.
75	* WeakButSkilled: Compared to ''everyone'' in Forest Edge, he's a hopeless weakling, yet not only is he legendary in the kitchen, but his knowledge of anatomy was instrumental in driving off a Moba, in single combat, which is something not many people in Forest Edge can boast.
76	* YamatoNadeshiko: A rare male example. His courage and diligence means he adapts quickly to village life, although socially he is quite humble.
77
78	! Ai Fa
79	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0006_2.jpg]]
80	[[caption-width-right:350:A rare moment where she's not too ashamed to be happy.]]
81	The first inhabitant of Forest Edge that Asuta meets. She rescued him from the pit trap he fell into... to threaten him with her hunting knife for ruining the trap and letting the giba she was hunting get away. He's been head over heels for her ever since.
82
83	* AnimalMotifs: When in... altered... states of mind she acts rather like a cat, speaking in feline onomatopoeias and [[SentimentalDrunk rubbing her face over things she likes]]. Her hunting ability and "jaguar-like" grace contribute to this theme, as does the astrologer's statement that Ai is represented by the Cat Star.
84	* BathingBeauty: The author never misses an opportunity to show off Ai Fa bathing, whether it's being attacked by a Monta as she's bathing in a river, having Asuta walk in on her, or gracing the cover of volume 10, if she can be shown in a pool of water, she will be.
85	* BattleCouple: On occasion. Immediately after Asuta drove off the Moba that was trying to smother and eat her, she flawlessly takes out the giba that managed to sneak up [[RightBehindMe right behind Asuta.]]
86	* BeneathTheMask: She conceals it admirably well, but she is desperate for human contact. Hence the crying when Asuta says he will stay with her, [[spoiler:and the daily treks to the city while he is held prisoner]].
87	* BigEater: When she cooks, she eats two bowls of "stew" and Asuta had to choke down three, to fill his stomach due to the horrific taste. When Asuta cooks, and she learns what "delicious" means, she happily scarfs down ''five'' bowls of the same size before she's satisfied. She lets him do the cooking from that point on.
88	* BookDumb: Naturally, given her village's technology level. She is illiterate, but has a comprehensive memory of everything from politics to migration cycles.
89	* CassandraTruth: She does not believe Asuta's insistence that special wine has a higher alcohol content than the one she's used to, because she's only had fruit wine before and her society does not really have a concept of "alcohol content".
90	-->''You are annoying… I won’t get drunk from just this much wine.''
91	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: She somehow knows judo-like martial arts. She's thrown some quite muscular men- Diga Suun, Darum Ruu, and '''Dan Rutim.'''
92	* ClingyJealousGirl: She clearly ''does not'' like it when other girls get close to Asuta, or when he unknowingly flirts with them.
93	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Her mother died of illness, her father died hunting giba, she was nearly raped by the heir of the Suun clan, and she was exiled for the "crime" of fighting him off and literally throwing him out of her home, that he broke into, with the intention of raping her. Eesh. No wonder she's... shy.
94	* DefrostingIceQueen: She's very, very slowly warming up to Asuta. His skill in the kitchen helps.
95	* DomesticAbuse: She's very physically violent towards Asuta when angry, which is often.
96	%%* EmoTeen:
97	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: She is hopelessly smitten with Asuta, and loves watching him work in the kitchen, but he's the only one who fails to pick up on it... because she's too embarrassed to let him see it.
98	* FirstGirlWins: As lampshaded by Asuta himself. He muses that had he met any of the other women of Forest Edge in the jungle and been rescued by them from the giba trap, he could see himself falling for them, but it was Ai Fa who took him into her home, so he's hers and hers alone, no ifs, ands, or buts.
99	* GodivaHair: Barring any other form of SceneryCensor, Ai Fa's hair will conveniently cover her nipples when she's illustrated bathing.
100	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: She's golden haired blonde and is actually a very sweet and kind woman, [[{{Tsundere}} once you can get past her rough edges.]]
101	* HiddenHeartOfGold: She's very rough and tumble because she has to be, but anybody who can get past her rough edges will find that she's actually very sweet and kind.
102	* {{Hypocrite}}: Due to her [[AttemptedRape past]]. She likes physical contact, but prefers to be one initiating it. Things like surprise hugs are usually met with [[AmusingInjuries violence]].
103	* HypocriticalHeartwarming: Prone as she is towards violence when Asuta upsets her, if someone else dares to lay hands on him, there will be ... consequences.
104	* IcyBlueEyes: As fits a DefrostingIceQueen, her eyes are cold and hard as ice most of the time, but as she grows more and more fond of Asuta, or whenever she's genuinely happy, they thaw and become far more affectionate. When she's really battle-ready, on the other hand, Asuta notes that they burn with a blue fire, and he's ''really'' [[LoveAtFirstPunch drawn to her then.]]
105	* IJustWantToBeLoved: Inviting foreigners into Forest's Edge is frowned upon, but Ai Fa brought Asuta in anyway because a), [[SacredHospitality he would've died if she didn't]], and b), she was really, really lonely.
106	* INeedAFreakingDrink: While taking Asuta through her pantry and explaining every type of ingredient in it to him, she briefly pauses to gulp down some wine.
107	* InstantExpert: After about ten minutes of riding a totos, she is better than people who do it on a daily basis.
108	%%* InVinoVeritas:
109	* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: She self-enforces her ostracization, because the Suun might lash out at anyone who supports her. For this reason she tells Asuta that he should move to the Ruu Clan, even though she wants him to stay with her.
110	* LoopholeAbuse: She is vehemently against the idea of getting married [[note]]because village rules state that a woman must join her husband's house and leave her own family behind[[/note]], but not of sharing her life and bed with a man. [[spoiler: Ai Fa's chosen spouse doesn't ''have'' a family for her to be subsumed into, so it all works out in the end. Also if two people of different faiths marry, one or both of them must abandon kin and god. Since her chosen husband ''has'' no local god, it works out even more so.]]
111	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: The masculine girl to Asuta's feminine boy.
112	* MasochistsMeal: The first time she tastes standard "Chitto giba," it burns her mouth, makes her cry, and has her smack Asuta upside the head [[NeverMyFault for making her eat it,]] yet she insists on wanting more "as if someone put an evil spell on the ingredients." When Asuta prepares the dish again, as Shumimaru is visiting Forest Edge, and Asuta makes a milder version on her behalf... she secretly swaps out the bowl so Asuta gets the mild version instead, [[HypocriticalHumor and then gets mad at him when he figures it out.]]
113	* MistakenForBadass: An odd variant; she is genuinely badass, but [[EvilCannotComprehendGood Zattsu Suun]] believes her to be some manipulative seductress whose adoption of Asuta was all some big plan to make herself rich. The idea that her generosity was completely selfless, with no strings attached, never occurred to him.
114	%%* SandInMyEyes:
115	* SecurityCling: After she and Asuta are forcibly separated in Volume 6, she pulls him into a long hug after they reunite.
116	-->'''Ai Fa:''' You are not permitted to leave me.
117	* SheCleansUpNicely: Ai is always obviously beautiful, but when she wears aristocratic clothes for [[spoiler:the kidnapping negotiations]], she looks so regal and elegant that Asuta doesn't recognize her at first.
118	* ShoutOut: A lady warrior surnamed Fa? [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Hmm...]]
119	%%* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan
120	* SleepCute: She is gradually coaxing Asuta into being comfortable sleeping (platonically) with her. Both of them quite like it.
121	* SoleSurvivor: She's the last of the Fa clan.
122	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Asuta's "hamburger steak." While she always appreciates Asuta's cooking and lets him treat her as his guinea pig, she's ambivalent about everything he makes... except when she gets that giba hamburger steak, at which point she becomes putty in Asuta's hands.
123	* TragicKeepsake: Whatever remains of her father's belongings. The fact that she shares her father's vest with Asuta is a huge honor that he understands and gratefully accepts.
124	* {{Tsundere}}: A full-blown type-A.
125	* UnsuspectinglySoused: In volume 6, [[spoiler:the Suun drug her with meremere smoke so they can kidnap her]]. Then, to wake her up, [[spoiler:Tay poured wine into her mouth]]. Although the latter was successful, the alcohol and sedative's combined effects left her a bit woozy for the next few hours.
126	* WeakButSkilled: Compared to the testosterone poisoned macho-men of Forest Edge, but she's one of the village's best hunters, ''and defeated the Suun heir in single combat when he was trying to rape her.'' Literally throwing him out of her home in the process.
127	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: She remains unflinchingly honourable and respectful of the village, even though they seem to have forgotten she exists.
128	-->'''Celice:''' My house, which is the Fou house, didn’t have many men, and can’t hunt enough giba. But ever since the Fa house gifted us with these hides, this child finally has enough to eat...
129	* WhenSheSmiles: Just look at the page image. Small wonder Asuta loves to cook for her.
130	* WorfHadTheFlu: She made a phenomenal showing in the yearly "contest of might" where Asuta was catering the celebration. Unfortunately, an earlier dislocated shoulder injury kept her from giving her all, [[spoiler: which is the reason she lost to Dan Rutim.]]
131
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder: The Ruu Clan]]
135	The second most powerful clan in Forest's Edge.
136
137	[[AC: In General]]
138
139	* CategoryTraitor: To the people of Jagar. They are despised as cowardly traitors, despite the fact that they were driven out of their native fruit forest and forced at swordpoint to convert to the god of the Forest Edge.
140	* GossipyHens: It was an accepted fact ''long'' before any Ruu actually met Asuta that he was courting Ai Fa. Even though he had only known her for a week.
141	* HotBlooded: Boisterous and assertive, even the women.
142	* NobleBigot: Conservative to a disrespectful degree, but they prioritize the village's wellbeing above all else and participate in projects to make it more prosperous.
143	* NothingExcitingEverHappensHere: They are the only clan economically comfortable enough to care about the Suun jeopardizing the village's future, and most Ruu are looking for political justification to '''do''' something[[note]]war[[/note]] about it. Their boredom is shared by Ludo, who spends most of his time pranking people, and Vina, who spends most of her time hoping a reason to leave her backwater hometown will present itself.
144	* TheLostLenore: An unnamed Ruu woman was raped by Suun men prior to the story's beginning, and killed herself out of shame. Her clan wanted- and still want- justice, but "we don't fight for dead people." The village's survival was too high a priority at that time to allow inter-clan conflict.
145	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: They chose to share power after the events of Volume 6, because doing so will make them less prone to corruption in the future.
146	* TheStarscream: A rare heroic example. They don't attack the Suun because of the deaths an outright war would cause, but it's no secret they want them gone.
147
148	! Rimee Ruu:
149	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0210_0.jpg]]
150	[[caption-width-right:350:Look at that face!]]
151	The first of the Ruu clan introduced to the audience. A sweet young girl that's been Ai Fa's friend for years, and clearly does not take Ai Fa's exile well.
152
153	* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: How Ai Fa sees her. While Rimee is adorable, she has a habit of innocently poking at old wounds best left alone, like Ai Fa's exile.
154	* CheerfulChild: She is very happy and upbeat. Even more so when she actually gets to play with Ai Fa, whom she adores.
155	* ChildrenAreInnocent: Sweet, gentle, kind, well-behaved, and completely adorable.
156	%%* CrocodileTears:
157	* CuriousAsAMonkey: She just can't resist poking her head into the window of Ai Fa's home and her nose into Ai Fa's business.
158	* CutenessProximity: Bawls at the thought that the village won't be able to keep the totos they found.
159	* TheCutie: Oh, she is just so adorable.
160	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Even more so than Ai Fa. She's blonde and she's a very sweet child who will bend over backwards to make her friends and family happy.
161	* PleaseIWillDoAnything: As she's recruiting Asuta to cook for the Ruu clan's elder, Jiba Ruu, her great-grandmother.
162	* ShipperOnDeck: She ''really'' wants Ai Fa and Asuta to get married.
163	* WiseBeyondHerYears: While the rest of Forest Edge was being horribly xenophobic, expecting Asuta's very existence to bring disaster, she snuck up to Ai Fa's window and spied on them, scouting out his character. She was rewarded for her wisdom by being the first Ruu clansman to taste Asuta's cooking.
164	** Furthermore, it was her idea to have Asuta's cooking for Jiba Ruu, so the latter could find her happiness again. Rimee was 100% correct.
165
166	! Donda Ruu:
167	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0269.jpg]]
168	[[caption-width-right:350: Compare and contrast to the giba below. https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0022_7.jpg]]
169
170	The clan head of the Ruu clan and Rimee's father. While he's the most ''vocal'' about suspicions and disdain surrounding Asuta, he's not the most worrisome offender, by far.
171
172	* TheAlcoholic: He is well-known to quaff numerous bottles of Fruit-wine a day, and when he saw Rimee Ruu bringing the Fruit wine to the kitchen for Asuta's cooking, he tried to take it, thinking it was for himself.
173	* AnimalMotif: A boar. He takes the phrase "you are what you eat" a bit too literally. Not only does he ''look'' like a half-man, half-giba, which Asuta lampshades, but he's got a very boar-like personality, including a notorious HairTriggerTemper, and penchant for smashing things he doesn't like.
174	* BrutalHonesty: The man does not mince words, period. He tells you how weak and pathetic you are to your face, and if he doesn't like your cooking, he will smash the dish it's sitting on to the floor while verbally chewing you out about it.
175	* BureaucraticallyArrangedMarriage: Not for himself, but for his son and Ai Fa. He once tried to hook up Ai Fa with one of his grown sons, after Ai Fa beat the Suun clan head in open combat. While he was indeed concerned about Ai Fa's and his son's happiness, he did it primarily to boost his own clan's strength, and to rightly spite the Suun clan who wanted to exile her. It didn't work out because neither his son nor Ai Fa had any interest in each other.
176	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: He's enraged because the food Asuta prepared is "disgustingly sweet and soft as if rotten" yet fails to realize that Asuta was asked to prepare said meal for his ''grandmother'', an 85-year-old woman who had lost her teeth and needs food made very soft so she can eat it.
177	* GoodParents: Surprisingly enough. Whatever other flaws he may have, he is a good father to his many children, one of whom is Rimee Ruu.
178	* GracefulLoser: Despite his temper, he is fair and honorable. When he loses a bet with Asuta concerning catering a feast for the Rutim clan, he comes to Asuta and Ai Fa's guest room, has a pleasant chat and openly blesses him with a large giba tusk.
179	* HotBlooded: He is quick to anger and prone to loud outbursts when enraged. He also tends to smash things he doesn't like.
180	* KnightTemplar: He is very rigid in following clan laws and customs, but not as much as his eldest son, who makes him seem open-minded by comparison.
181	* MightMakesRight: He believes that physical strength is the greatest virtue a man has. As such, he's utterly disgusted by Asuta, who- being an average Japanese citizen- is pathetically weak even compared to middle-school aged children in Forest Edge.
182	* TestosteronePoisoning: He is so fixated on proving how "tough" he is, that he is enraged when he actually tastes good cooking because he completely believes food is supposed to be near-inedible, in both taste and texture.
183
184	! Jiba Ruu:
185	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0302_6.jpg]]
186	[[caption-width-right:350:Jiba Ruu is in the background, [[TearsOfJoy after having tasted Asuta's cooking.]]]]
187	The revered elder of the Ruu clan. It is for her sake that Rimee Ruu pleaded for Asuta to cook.
188
189	* DespairEventHorizon: She had been teetering on it for generations, due to the horrific taste of the "meals" in Forest Edge, the great loss of life learning about the jungle's dangers, and the sheer inability to go home, then passed it, on the loss of her teeth, wasting away and waiting to die... until she tasted Asuta's cooking, and it brought her back to her full vigor, shutting down her hot-headed grandson, hard, through sheer force of personality.
190	* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: She's ''tiny'' compared to her grandson, Donda Ruu. She's also quite short compared to the rest of the adult clans-members, and she's 85-years-old.
191	* NiceToTheWaiter: She had nothing but good things to say towards Asuta's meals and his efforts in preparing it.
192	* SoleSurvivor: She's the last of the people in Forest Edge to remember the fruit forest that was their previous home. All others are long dead.
193	* StealthInsult: Her response to Donda Ruu's angry tirade, calling Asuta's meal "mundt fodder" is nothing but this.
194	---> '''Jiba Ruu:''' "If this is the food of mundt, then mundt are more high-class than humans. It's alright for you to think that way."
195	* TearsOfJoy: Her immediate response to being served giba meat "hamburger," soft enough for her to chew without teeth, and tasty enough to ''utterly dwarf'' the sweet taste of fruit from her native fruit forest, that only she remembers, and sorely misses, but can't return to because it was burned to the ground, long, long ago.
196	* WomenAreWiser: By far the most mature and level-headed member of the Ruu clan.
197
198	! Reina Ruu:
199	One of the women who helps Asuta in the Ruu kitchen. Asuta is immediately struck by the fact that she doesn't just share the appearance of a friend of his from Japan, but her name.
200
201	* CordonBleughChef: To the people of Forest Edge. Unlike most of the women of the Ruu clan, who cook by rote (due to both the "peculiar" taste of the men, and the very real danger of illness or death in deviating from the recipe) she prefers to "experiment" in the kitchen. She ''almost'' came to the same realization that Asuta did, [[spoiler: that Poitan is actually a cereal and should be cooked like flour, not simply thrown into the stewpot]], all by herself. In fact, when she saw Asuta prepare poitan, she immediately recognized what he was doing.
202	* IdenticalStranger: She has a personality that's very, very much like Asuta's friend from Japan, and has the same name, but doesn't know anything about him or Japan.
203	* TheRival: Once she learns enough about cooking to prepare quality meals, she begins seeing herself as this to Asuta. He approves.
204	* TearsOfJoy: While she does indeed enjoy Asuta's cooking, and is proud of her role in helping him in the Ruu kitchen, what ''really'' makes her happy is Jiba Ruu's sudden enjoyment of the meal, and returning to her true vigor and force of personality. Something that hasn't happened in decades.
205
206	! Lala Ruu:
207	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0239.jpg]]
208	[[caption-width-right:350:Lala can be seen peeking between women in the back.]]
209	Also unique among the people of Forest Edge as she sports ''vermilion'' hair, and is completely taciturn.
210
211	* FieryRedhead: Proves to be this after her first encounter with Asuta.
212	* IndifferentBeauty: As can be seen in the page image, she's ''gorgeous'', and she apparently knows it, but simply does not care. Asuta's AccidentalProposal gets a tiny bit of amusement at most, but no more.
213	* TheStoic: All her lines are delivered in a matter-of-fact way, and show no emotion.
214
215	! Sheera Ruu
216
217	%%* BirdsOfAFeather:
218	* BornInTheWrongCentury: She is an enthusiastic (if physically frail) chef born into a tough hunter-gatherer society where no-one has the [[FantasticRacism freedom]] or spare resources to specialize in anything. Just having food to eat is enough of a blessing that no one cares about how it tastes.
219	-->''And obviously, her family didn’t realize the effort she had put in. No matter what she served up, her family would eat that all gratefully. This was a responsibility of the denizens of the Forest's Edge in the first place. The Forest's Edge did not permit anyone to be picky about the taste of the food.''
220	%%* ShrinkingViolet:
221
222	! Darmu Ruu
223	The clan's second eldest son, who unsuccessfully proposed to Ai Fa two years ago.
224
225	* IWasBeatenByAGirl: He did not take his loss in the contest of might to Ai Fa well.
226	* LovingBully: He publicly mocks Ai Fa and calls her "garbage", but his sister and Asuta believe he just doesn't know how to express his feelings towards her.
227	* NobleBigot: He offered to marry Ai Fa, partly to save her from being alone (and therefore unprotected from the Suun). The conditions of this marriage were that she give up life as a hunter and let the Fa name die out.
228	%%* WomanScorned: A male example;
229
230	! Vina Ruu
231	The clan's eldest daughter.
232
233	* IJustWantToBeFree: She wants '''badly''' to leave the village and see new places, since she's lived there her whole life.
234	* LoveMakesYouEvil: When not around Asuta or doing a job, she's perfectly respectful. When alone with him, though, she has this tendency to ignore the word 'no'.
235	* LovingAShadow: She doesn't seem to love Asuta so much as she loves the idea of travelling (he being exotic by Forest Edge's standards) and/or not being bothered by unwanted proposals anymore. Most of her advances on him are made while intoxicated.
236	* MistakenForProstitute: In Post Town, one of Kaimya's fellow "guardians" offered her copper plates for sex. Although she was seething at the suggestion, she very calmly, but firmly, turned him down.
237
238	* OldMaid: In Forest Edge, if you're over 20 and unmarried, it's widely considered that there's something wrong with you. She's introduced as a 20-year-old.
239
240	* SympatheticAdulterer: She openly says that she will try to wreck Asuta's (potential future) marriage with Ai Fa. However, she feels guilty about it and asks him not to marry her sister because she doesn't want to hurt her like that.
241	* WorkHardPlayHard: On the job, she's the paragon of integrity and responsibility. At a party, she crawls off into a corner and drinks fruit wine by the bottle.
242
243	[[/folder]]
244	[[folder: The Rutim Clan]]
245	A powerful sub-kin of the Ruu clan which winds up becoming the best friends of the Fa House.
246
247	! Dan Rutim
248	The leader of the Rutim Clan.
249
250	* BigFun: He's fairly overweight, and a very cheerful man, as long as he's not pissed off.
251	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Have we mentioned he can lift and throw a 60 kg giba, one handed?
252	* {{Expy}}: Asuta constantly compares him to an Arabian djinn.
253	* LoveItOrHateIt: In universe. He only has two modes. Either he loves you like a long lost brother, or he hates your guts. There's no in-between.
254	* StoutStrength: He's fat and can both lift and throw, one-handed, a 60 kg giba.
255	* SuperSenses: He has a near bloodhound sense of smell. [[spoiler: It proved handy when Diga Suun used melemele leaves to sedate the rest of his clansmen. He smelled it, covered his face with a cloth before Asuta was taken away, and then came to the rescue.]]
256	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Giba spare-ribs. The first time he tastes Asuta cook them, he not only eats all the meat, he tries to crack open the bone with his teeth to get at the marrow. He's loved them ever since.
257
258	[[/folder]]
259	[[folder: The Suun Clan]]
260	Physically the strongest clan in Forest Edge, as such, they get to prance around the place as if they own it, because they do. They are universally loathed, for many reasons.
261
262	! As a whole
263
264	* EmpathicEnvironment: The clans people and their living area '''look''' opulent and powerful from a distance, but up close and beneath the surface, it's all rotten and ready to collapse.
265	* HappilyAdopted: After the clan falls, it's decided that executing the innocent members of it ''en masse'' would be unjust, so they're split up and taken in by various other families. It takes a while for them to heal from Zattsu's abuse, but they eventually, happily, learn how to be people again.
266	* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: It doesn't take a war to bring them down. [[spoiler:Just one hearth-tender willing to ask the right questions.]]
267	* ReducedToRatburgers: There are no giba in their part of the forest [[spoiler:because Zattsu illegally plucks the fruit they would normally eat]], and they're too ashamed of their sins [[spoiler:and afraid to disobey Zattsu]] to ask other clans for help, so '''a lot''' of them have starved to death. The surviving Suun are weak and emaciated, dependent on carrion and the scavenged leavings of other clans. [[spoiler:And the aforementioned forbidden fruit, but most villagers would sooner die than dishonour themselves by eating that.]]
268
269	! Diga Suun
270	The second "human" Asuta encounters, and the first of the villagers he encounters in Forest Edge.
271
272	* AttemptedRape: He once broke into Ai Fa's home through the window so he could rape her, purely to make her his wife, for his own greed. He was openly shocked that she was both strong and skilled enough to both defeat him and ''literally throw him out.''
273	* BullyingADragon: He ''repeatedly'' antagonizes people way, way above his weight class, up to and including bringing his two brothers, Doddo Suun and Midda Suun on a several hour walk purely for the express purpose of trashing a Rutim Clan wedding that Asuta was hired to cater, when Dan Rutim, who can pick up and ''throw'' a 60 kg giba is the one officiating the ceremony.
274	* HateAtFirstSight: Asuta takes an immediate dislike to him upon their meeting, though Ai Fa keeps Asuta from acting on it.
275	* IfICantHaveYou: Since Ai Fa "rejected" him, he's been trying to provoke her into doing something that allows her to be executed.
276	* InadequateInheritor: Though not aware of it, even though he was the first born, he was never going to lead the clan.
277	* InsaneTrollLogic: He calls Ai Fa "a weirdo" because she didn't like the idea of him trying to rape her ''on the night her father died.''
278	* IWasBeatenByAGirl: He is humiliated that Ai Fa was able to beat him in single combat, when the odds were greatly and unfairly in his favor. In return, he had Ai Fa exiled and has been harassing her ever since, hoping to provoke her into some law-breaking he can use to have her executed.
279	* JapaneseDelinquents: The immediate impression Asuta gleans from their encounter. Asuta's instinct happens to be right. (The delinquents not Japanese part.)
280	* MaritalRapeLicense: As with all the men of the Suun clan, it's "preemptive" in nature. If a male Suun-clansman rapes a woman, she's going to be his wife, or the Suun clan gets to execute her as "an adulteress."
281	* MilesGloriosus: Simply because he's the heir of the Suun clan, he prances around like he's the mightiest warrior in Forest Edge, constantly provoking Ai Fa, but he dares not challenge her directly because he knows she can beat him.
282	* MuggingTheMonster: He figured Ai Fa would be easy prey for him when he broke into her home to rape her, especially since she was mourning her father, who died that very day. He never dreamed she'd take enough offense to literally throw him out of her home and into the nearest river.
283	* NeverMyFault: As is the case with all of the Suun clan males, if Ai Fa's testimony is correct, he honestly believes that if he desires a woman, she's the one that somehow "invited" him (despite the women of Forest Edge all dressing and acting in near identical manners), and if she somehow manages to fight him off, she's the one who shamed him. The fact that he tried to rape her first is something she should have taken ''as an honor,'' and should have been happy to "marry" him.
284	* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Ai Fa didn't just throw him out of her house, he landed in the nearest river when she did.
285	* SmugSnake: When he isn't being directly threatened, he prances around like he's untouchable. When he is being threatened, he shamelessly begs for mercy, then immediately goes right back to being smug and provocative the moment he thinks he's out of danger.
286	* WrongGenreSavvy: Until the start of Volume 7, he lived as if he believed he was in an NTR Hentai, where all he needed to do was pin Ai Fa down, rape her, and then she'd be so impressed with his sexual prowess that she'd fall madly in love with him... He had to have it spelled out for him, repeatedly, that the Suun clan's sub kin didn't share this mindset, and were none too pleased that he kept trying.
287
288	! Doddo Suun:
289	The second oldest of the Suun clan leader's children.
290
291	* AdaptedOut: He doesn't appear in the manga. Diga fills in when needed.
292	* TheAlcoholic: He makes Donda Ruu look stone-cold sober by comparison.
293	* AmnesiacDissonance: When sober, he claims to have no memory of what he does when he's drunk.
294	* HairTriggerTemper: When drinking, he defaults to violence at the slightest provocation, real or imagined, and he doesn't hesitate to unsheathe his blade, even in town.
295	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Him shouting the Suun clan name around is his go-to method of getting himself out of trouble.
296	* SmugSnake: Like his elder brother, Diga Suun, he prances around like he's untouchable.
297
298	! Mida Suun
299
300	The youngest child of Zuuro Suun.
301
302	* AmbiguousInnocence: Asuta describes him as being unable to tell right from wrong. He just does as he's told by someone he recognizes as an authority.
303	* AnimalMotif: He's often compared to an elephant.
304	* BigEater: He's known to eat enough to feed eight people, and he's still hungry. Also deconstructed as this seriously affects his health.
305	* FriendToAllChildren: He's shown getting along well with children. Playing with them by letting them jump on his belly.
306
307	! Zuuro Suun
308	The nominal leader of the Suun clan, though his father, Zattsu Suun is the one calling the shots.
309
310	* AnimalMotif: A bullfrog. Asuta constantly compares his appearance, mannerisms and posture to a frog in the narration.
311	* FatBastard: He's bloated, and a highly unpleasant individual.
312	* NeverMyFault: It's not the Suun clan's fault that they're criminals for breaking the law. It's the law's fault for existing that forces the Suun clan into crime.
313	* RulesLawyer: To InsaneTrollLogic levels. When challenged with irrefutable evidence of his clansmsen's crimes, he responds that the actions undertaken by the victims in self-defense should be equally punished without regards to the circumstances or situation. Even if those victims happen to be forced to look upon a naked woman against their will.
314	* TooImportantToWalk: He never stands or walks on his own. He always holds meetings seated.
315
316	! Yamiru Suun
317	The eldest daughter of the clan. Post Volume 6, she is adopted into the Lei house.
318
319	* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: In Volume 6, [[spoiler:she kidnaps Asuta and tells him that if he doesn't marry her, she'll kill him]]. Asuta is in the middle of refusing when TheCavalry arrive to save him.
320	* BeneathTheMask: She is far more confident in public than she is in private.
321	* BloodMagic: What she thinks she's doing as she's [[BloodBath bathing in giba blood]]. What she's really doing is making herself all stinky and putting her health at risk. She gets called out on it, to her chagrin.
322	* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: She talks casually about the physical abuse common in her family, and the fact that Mida is usually kept in chains.
323	* FemmeFatale: [[spoiler:Pre-CharacterDevelopment]], she is both incredibly beautiful and ObviouslyEvil.
324	-->''Her slightly dark eyes had a strong gleam in them.\
325	It was a cruel, cold, and merciless light as if belonging to a venomous snake.\
326	The smile on her face had a hint of poison too.''
327	* GuileHero: During her more heroic moments, [[spoiler:and post-adoption]]. Yamiru keeps a close watch on anything that could spark a war, even things as small as Diru's womanizing or Ai Fa adopting a foreigner. She knows it's all part of the bigger picture.
328	-->'''Vena:''' You are forcing him to marry for something like this…?\
329	'''Yamiru:''' Ahh, a war between the Suun and the Ruu clans is a serious matter though? If that really happens, the Forest's Edge settlement would be destroyed.
330	%%* IDidWhatIHadToDo:
331	%%* IJustWantToBeFree:
332	* IveComeTooFar: She refuses to change because she feels her clan is doomed anyway: [[spoiler:they have committed a capital crime]], so nothing she can do will make a difference.
333	%%* JustFollowingOrders:
334	%%* LaughingMad:
335	%%* TakingTheBullet:
336	* TookALevelInKindness: Once the immense burden of covering for her family's crimes is lifted off her shoulders, her threatening aura completely fades.
337	* TragicMonster: She may not listen to her conscience, but she still has one. The village's impending civil war is only averted because she tips off Asuta as to her clan's sins, and she submits peacefully to justice.
338	* XanatosGambit: She pulls a truly epic one in Volume 6. [[spoiler: When she has Asuta brought to her, and deliberately parades herself naked in front of him, so he'd be forced to marry her.]] Either she gains the clan a very business-savvy HeirInLaw, eliminating powerful competition, or the clan's sins are exposed, and the clan's corruption ends. [[spoiler: The last one happens, and she's grateful.]]
339
340	! Oura Suun
341	The clan head's (most recent) wife; daughter of Tay and mother of Yamiru.
342
343	* AwfulWeddedLife: She is clearly ''not'' happy to be married to the head of the Suun clan.
344
345	! Zattsu Suun
346	The true ruler of the Suun clan. Even on his deathbed, nobody dares defy him, with good reason.
347
348	* DefiantToTheEnd: Even being ill unto death does nothing to deter him from his villainy.
349	* TheDreaded: Even on his death bed, his clan and subjects fear him. This fear proves well founded in Volumes 6 and 7.
350	* InsaneTrollLogic: He's firmly convinced that the only way people will see the Suun clan as the bastions of nobility and courage is to act as dishonorably and despicably as possible.
351	* LikeFatherUnlikeSon: His father was the epitome of honor, strength, pride and courage. Zattsu inherited everything except honor.
352	* MoralMyopia: He's incensed that people despise the Suun clan until his dying breath. The fact that people hate the Suun clan for acting badly is irrelevant.
353	* NeverRecycleYourSchemes: He uses the same tactics in Volume 7 that he did ten years ago, and is shocked that the caravan he attacked was ready for him.
354	* VillainHasAPoint: The people of Forest Edge are ''the reason'' giba don't overwhelm Post Town and Genos City behind them. Yet the denizens of Forest Edge are treated with disdain precisely because they hunt giba, and eat them, by virtue of the fact they are expressly forbidden, by law, from either foraging in the forest or taking up farming. There have been deaths ''in the thousands'' among the people of Forest Edge just from the dangers of hunting alone. Unfortunately, whatever sympathy might have been well earned by pointing this out is lost the moment Zattsu took control of the Suun clan and set his clan upon flaunting the law and committing capital offenses, including banditry and murder.
355
356	! Tay Suun:
357	A solemn man who's usually escorting his brother Mida around.
358
359	* CloudCuckoolandersMinder: He tries to rein in Mida's antics and stop the boy from causing too much damage. He isn't always successful.
360	* KilledOffForReal: The first character to die on screen.
361	* LastRequest: He claims to want to eat Asuta's cooking one last time before letting himself be arrested. [[spoiler: It's a lie to get past Ai Fa.]]
362	* MadeOfIron: After using a strange herb, he is able to shrug off numerous sword slashes on his body.
363	* MouthOfSauron: When the Suun clan implodes, he becomes the voice for all the Suun clan's resentments.
364	* MyCountryRightOrWrong: He is utterly incapable of having his own will. He obeys the orders of the Suun clan leadership, no matter how despicable.
365	* ShameIfSomethingHappened: He is able to initially avoid arrest by saying that Ai Fa ''could'' defeat him, if she didn't mind risking Asuta in the process.
366	* TakingYouWithMe: He tries to do this to Asuta when cornered in Volume 7.
367
368	! Tsuvai Suun
369	A young girl notable for her intelligence and outspoken personality.
370
371	* AdorablyPrecociousChild: She will protect her people from financial exploitation!... if a grown-up escorts her to the local entrepreneur's house.
372	* BookDumb: She is a mathematical prodigy in a village that doesn't even have a '''school''', and she can calculate economic factors on a level that even a first-world student twice her age is hard put to match.
373	* CulturalRebel: Among the people of Forest's Edge, caring about things like wages or budgeting is considered a bit unsavoury. [[HonorBeforeReason (This is one reason why the village's death rate is so high.)]] Tsuvai is pretty much the only villager who's willing to call out an employer for shady behaviour.
374	* MrViceGuy: She is a touch obsessed with money, but only because her clan is desperately scrounging for survival. In a situation like that, you learn to make every coin count. After her adoption into the Rutim house, she channels this habit into making sure everyone gets equitably paid for their labor.
375	-->'''Tsuvai:''' But if you have the coins, then you can buy anything, right?\
376	'''Asuta:''' Really? I don’t think you could buy bonds and trust between people.
377	%%* PragmaticHero:
378	[[/folder]]
379
380	[[folder:Outsiders]]
381
382	! Reina
383	An Earth girl who was friends with Asuta and his father.
384
385	%%* ChildhoodFriend:
386
387	! Kamyua Yost
388	A gregarious "guardian" of travellers; his job is to keep the peace. For reasons he has not disclosed, he is deeply interested in Forest's Edge.
389
390	* ActingUnnatural: He never does anything ''wrong'', technically, but his attempts at persuasion are so obvious and persistent that everyone distrusts him anyway.
391	%%* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass:
392	%%* InexplicablyAwesome:
393	* TooGoodToBeTrue: He is so obnoxiously friendly that the protagonists are convinced he must have some personal angle of his own. (They haven't found it yet.)
394	* ShameIfSomethingHappened: He asks who would take control ''if'' the Suun clan lost their rank.
395	* {{Warhawk}}: He seems to be trying to manipulate Forest's Edge into overthrowing the Suun clan.
396
397	! Tara
398	A young girl who lives in the Post Station Town.
399
400	* BirdsOfAFeather: She and Rimee Ruu bond instantly over their love for Asuta's cooking.
401
402	! Shumiral Zi Sadumtino
403	Leader of the Silver Vase trading caravan.
404
405	* BlowGun: His weapon of choice when attacked on the road, as it can be shot easily from totos-back.
406	* LoveAtFirstSight: He was completely enthralled by Vina, even though they had only met briefly.
407	* NiceGuy: He's one of the few people open-minded about Forest's Edge from the beginning, and calmly protects Asuta from hecklers.
408	* StarsAreSouls: He explains to Asuta the Sym belief that each person is represented by a star in the sky, and warns him that a "malefic star" (unbeknownst to him, Zattsu Suun) is threatening Forest's Edge.
409	* TheStoic: In accordance with the Sym people's [[PlanetOfHats hat]].
410
411	! Milano Mas
412	An innkeeper who rents out stalls to shopkeepers.
413
414	%%* FreudianExcuse:
415	* NobleBigot: Although he deeply distrusts the people of Forest's Edge, he treats them with the same fairness as any other client.
416	* YouKilledMyFather: He vehemently insists that [[spoiler: Zattsu]] murdered his dearest friend, disguising it as an attack by a herd of giba on the ill-fated caravan. While some evidence was found, it wasn't enough to convict in court.
417
418	! Mikel of Turan
419	An ex-chef who used to work for Cyclaeus.
420
421	%%* DisabledSnarker:
422	* DebtDetester: The reason he agreed to meet with Asuta and warn him about Cyclaeus is that he owed Shumiral a favor.
423	* GameBreakingInjury: He was once a very talented chef, but he can never wield a kitchen knife again, as a direct result of Cyclaeus severing nerves in his hand.
424	* TradeYourPassionForGlory: He warns Asuta not to be lured by money into serving evil people.
425
426	! Diel
427	A merchant's daughter who Asuta befriends.
428
429	* LadyLooksLikeADude: Due to her short hair and masculine clothing, Asuta believes she's a boy at first.
430	* TookALevelInKindness: In her first scene, she heckles Asuta while he's working and vocally denigrates other races' intelligence. After he wins their 'bet', she realizes she was wrong and apologizes.
431	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Because she bragged about Asuta's cooking, Lefreya had him brought to the Cyclaeus mansion to "prove her wrong."
432
433	! Jeeda
434	A hunter from Masara who's the son of Goram Red-Beard.
435
436	* AnimalMotifs: He wears the pelt of the leopard he killed singlehandedly to prove himself a hunter.
437	* StealthExpert: There is hardly anywhere he cannot sneak in or out of, including the Cyclaeus estate.
438	[[/folder]]
439
440	[[folder:Cyclaeus' house]]
441
442	! Cyclaeus
443	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/102.png]]
444	[[caption-width-right:350:This is not over...]]The lead administrator of Post Station Town.
445
446	* AnimalMotif: He's compared to a Monta (a giant snake).
447	* AristocratsAreEvil: He's a noble in Genos, and he's a DevilInPlainSight.
448	* CorruptPolitician: Though there's no hard evidence, as of this writing, it is strongly suspected that all the Genos victims of the Suun clan's villainy were orchestrated by him for the "crime" of being political rivals.
449	* DevilInPlainSight: He's extremely odious and clearly as guilty as sin, but since there's no direct evidence of his involvement in the numerous crimes of which he's the primary suspect, nothing can be done... [[SmugSnake which he loves to lord over everyone.]]
450	* EvilRedhead: Asuta describes his hair as being tomato or chestnut colored, and he's a right evil sot.
451	* ExhaustedEyeBags: His blueish skin and bruise-like markings under his eyes show that he's clearly not sleeping well.
452	* {{Expy}}: When described in person and illustrated, he bears a striking resemblance to [[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine Emperor Palpatine]], aka Darth Sidious.
453	* IfICantHaveYou: If you're a talented chef in Genos, and fail to deliver meals he likes, or worse, refuse, for any reason, he will cut the nerves in your hand(s) so you can never work in a kitchen again.
454	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: He's a very difficult man to deal with. He even demanded Asuta keep his stall open when two dangerous Forest Edge felons were making death threats. Had Asuta refused, Cyclaeus would have forbidden Asuta from operating business in Post Town ever again.
455	* TheParanoiac: His home is surrounded by very high walls, his yard has vicious man-eating dogs released every night, to both protect against imaginary possible intruders, and to keep guests in their rooms, and he has slaves taste both his meals and those of his daughter for poison in every dish... And this is at the heart of Genos, where the drawbridges are closed at night, and even in the day, the guards won't let anyone enter '''or leave''' without a special pass. His pallor shows that even with all these precautions, he's clearly not sleeping well at night. He proves to be ProperlyParanoid when we learn about the crimes of his elder brother, Shileru.
456	* PerpetualSmiler: He's always smiling, but not in a good way. Eyewitnesses claim his smiles are just a mask to hide his true emotions.
457	* PlausibleDeniability: He's always got a handy excuse ready if he should ever be challenged on his shady practices.
458	* RedEyesTakeWarning: His eyes are described as bloodshot and filled with hatred, contempt, and disgust.
459	* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: He is guilty of many crimes, especially against chefs, but having authority second only to the lord and landlord of Genos, he makes any and all witnesses "disappear."
460	* SecretlyDying: As revealed by Michael in volume 11, his obsession with delicious meals and exotic spices has taken a massive toll on his body. Asuta speculates which organs are compromised. Rather than taking the proper medicine and curb his diet to more mundane and bland meals, Cyclaeus prefers to simply add medicinal herbs that he ''thinks'' might help, and forces his indentured chefs to work around them. Whatever relief he gets is entirely temporary, at best.
461	* SmugSnake: He knows he's the prime suspect for numerous crimes, and there's no hard evidence against him, so he loves to denounce and berate those who dare to suspect him, or even voice the fact that he's even suspect in the first place.
462	* VillainousGlutton: He is ''obsessed'' with eating delicious food. Every chef in Genos is at his beck and call. If he doesn't like the meal, that chef is driven out of the industry, if not the town. If a chef in Genos refuses to cook for him...
463
464	! Lefreya Turan
465	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/049.png]]
466	[[caption-width-right:350:You! Cook me a snack! NOW!]] A ten-year old girl who is Cyclaeus' daughter.
467
468	* TheCakeIsALie: She promised to release Asuta if he prepares a dish that "satisfies her." Asuta knows better than to trust those words, but cooks anyway [[GameBreakingInjury for fear of Cyclaeus' wrath.]]
469	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: When Moose was going to be arrested, she insisted that he alone is not guilty, and that she should be punished too.
470	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Chiffon infers that Cyclaeus arranged the kidnapping, but not the violence with which it was carried out.
471	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: She honestly can not understand why Asuta would rather go home to friends and family than be her exclusive chef and be paid a silver plate a day for his efforts.
472	* EvilVirtues: Though the bar is set pretty low, she certainly has more honor than her father, Cyclaeus.
473	* IdleRich: She is so wealthy she can toss around silver plates like most people toss pebbles out of their gardens, and is yet to be shown doing anything aside from lazing around in the Cyclaeus mansion. In her defense, this is the way Cyclaeus arranged it for her. She does not like it.
474	* FreudianExcuse: She has had no parental love or guidance to speak of.
475	* GildedCage: To add to the toxicity of her environment, she is given any and every luxury available, simply for the asking, but she can never, ever leave the house. In fact, she can't remember the last time she played in the yard, that's surrounded by a very, very high stone wall...
476	* MovingTheGoalPosts: First she promises to release Asuta if he serves her a meal that pleases her. When he does, she pays him a silver plate, then insists he'll be freed when Cyclaeus returns. Then when Cyclaeus shows up, she insists that he's not going anywhere until she's "satisfied." At that point, even Cyclaeus is fed up, and over-rides her, telling her to be silent, releasing Asuta with what may be the only sincere apology from him in his history.
477	* ParentalNeglect: Cyclaeus is physically present in her life, but completely ignores her whenever possible. She's almost constantly acting out to force him to pay attention to her.
478	* TheResenter: According to Dell, Lefreya is not only a SoreLoser, but resents the fact that Dell actually gets to leave the Cyclaeus mansion, while she's stuck there, bored out of her skull because her father, Cyclaeus , leaves her nothing to do, and ignores her whenever possible.
479	* SoreLoser: The reason she had Asuta "recruited" to cook for her is because she bet Dell that there's no way a "loser from Post Station Town" could outcook her head chef. One bite of Asuta's cooking, side by side with the best chefs in Genos, and she decided to hold him captive, indefinitely, out of spite, to cook for her whether he wants to or not.
480	* SpoiledBrat: Orders that Asuta be kidnapped and threatens to drive him out of business if he fails to please her.
481	%%* TinyTyrannicalGirl:
482	* TragicVillain: At no point in the narrative is she ''not'' a neglected, imprisoned child, but there's no way Asuta can save her- especially because she's bent on getting him trapped with her.
483
484	! Chiffon Chel
485	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/003_2.png]]
486	[[caption-width-right:350:Asuta-sama, my master is calling for you.]]A Mahildran slave charged with taking care of Asuta during his entrapment.
487
488	%%* BeautifulSlaveGirl:
489	* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Compared to the agony of being whipped, she calmly accepts having stuff thrown at her.
490	* CoveredInScars: Her back's been lashed, repeatedly, and she's not ashamed to show it...
491	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Golden-haired blonde, and a very sweet, sensitive woman, willing to risk grievous harm for Asuta's well-being.
492	* HappinessInSlavery: Clearly in the "slavery is the lesser evil" manner. Her life sucks as a slave, but as she's a war-captive, her fate would be worse otherwise.
493	* OnlyFriend: She's the only person in Cyclaeus' house who acts decent to Asuta, so he relies on her company.
494	* QuestionableConsent: She forcibly bathes Asuta, but only because her masters ordered her to. The experience is degrading for both of them.
495	* SecretlySelfish: She helps Asuta escape at [[ColdBloodedTorture great risk to herself]] but later confesses she wished he would stay so she wouldn't be alone anymore.
496	** She's also sorry to see him go because she won't get to taste-test his dishes any more...
497	* SexSlave: One of her duties.
498	* StepfordSmiler: Her life is relentlessly shitty in ways she can't change, so all she can really do is try not to think about it and accept whatever small bits of happiness come her way.
499
500	! Roy
501	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/042_7.png]]
502	[[caption-width-right:350:So many questions. You are so annoying.]]Pyschkurewuss' current chef.
503
504	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: He's an extremely skilled chef for his time and place, but compared to someone who was practically raised in a restaurant and has the recipes and experience of Earth chefs to draw on, he is clearly inferior. And he ''hates'' it.
505	-->''Roy’s face started to turn nasty. […] The next instant, Roy threw the ladle beside the pot at Chiffon Chel. The ladle hit her temple, and Chiffon Chel yelled weakly.\
506	“Don’t be retarded, lowly slave!”''
507	* AssholeVictim: Like Shela and Reina Ruu, he is limited by being born in a medieval world. Unlike them, however, he is a dick who feels entitled to physically and verbally abuse anyone 'beneath' him. So it's hard not to feel satisfied when Asuta outshines him.
508	%%* BreakTheHaughty:
509	* [[IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance Ignorant Of His Own Ignorance]]: Like a frog at a bottom of a well, looking up at the sky and thinking that's all there is to the world, he just can't bring himself to consider that there may be places and people who can do things differently or better than his own. Asuta's stint in his kitchen hits him like a rather rude wake-up call.
510	%%* InferioritySuperiorityComplex:
511	* JerkassRealization: In chapter 4 of volume 10, he realizes he's been a dick for throwing things at Chiffon Chel, and had no just cause to do so.
512	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: As Asuta describes him, he may be arrogant and harsh, but he's not an evil person, and in a different time and place, the two could have been great friends, sharing their love of cooking.
513	* PetTheDog: He saves Asuta when the latter's experimenting causes an oil combustion.
514	* SkewedPriorities: He cares more about proving his prowess as a chef than the fact that his employer is a dangerous criminal.
515	* TechnicianVsPerformer: A Technician. Part of his... inferiority?... to Asuta comes from Roy's belief in traditional and aristocratic dishes. He point-blank refuses to use "common" ingredients like the ones [[ItsPopularNowItSucks that 90% of the population eat]], or accept that foreign chefs might have invented good meals.
516	* WhoAreYou: He yells this out word for word upon realizing that Asuta, at 17, can not only outshine him, a ChildProdigy at 19, but outshines the top chefs of Genos, who have been in the art most of their lives.
517
518	! Moose
519	Lefreya's bodyguard and primary minion.
520	* CurbstompBattle: On the wrong end, and combined with LaserGuidedKarma. When he jumps onto the Cyclaeus dining table, smashing several dishes underfoot and lashes out at Ai Fa's party, she grabs him by the scruff of the neck and slams him to the ground hard enough to slam the breath out of him, on a padded carpet floor.
521	* MyMasterRightOrWrong: In a truly unhealthy manner. His response to "go recruit Asuta to be my chef" is to kidnap Asuta, and there's no crime he'd ignore to carry out Lefreya's wishes, including murder.
522	* TooDumbToLive: When Cyclaeus himself orders him arrested under Genos law (which Cyclaeus can manipulate), he goes feral and tries to attack Asuta, Ai Fa, and a visiting noble, thus all but guaranteeing that Cyclaeus has to come down on him harshly in order to save face and keep the rest of Genos from looking any deeper into his affairs... Even Lefreya calls him out on it.
523
524	! Sanjura
525	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sangjin.png]]
526	[[caption-width-right:350:Forgive me, Asuta.]]A random customer of Asuta's [[spoiler: who is actually the son of Cyclaeus.]]
527	* AntagonisticOffspring: He hates his father, and who can blame him.
528	* DeliberateInjuryGambit: He reveals that he deliberately stabbed his hand with a knife [[spoiler: to lure Asuta in by sympathy.]]
529	* FalseFriend: Though not by choice, he "befriends" Asuta [[spoiler: to make it easier to kidnap him.]]
530	* ForcedIntoEvil: He is forced to do the villainy of the Cyclaeus house, because if he refuses, the house will send someone worse to do the deed. [[spoiler: He even admits that Asuta's kidnapping would have been more violent if he did not participate.]]
531	* PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou: He's perfectly willing to face the death penalty for the wrongs he heaped upon Asuta.
532	* UndyingLoyalty: To Ifuria.
533	* WalkingSpoiler: The full details of this character would reveal a great deal about volume 10.
534
535	! Shileru
536	Cyclaeus' older brother and captain of the guard.
537	* CardCarryingVillain: Doesn't bother to hide his villainy.
538	* CombatPragmatist: Prepares an ambush at the conference between Forests's Edge, Post Station Town, and Genos. It still fails him.
539	* EvilGloating: He brags about killing the former captain of the guard, having the political rivals of the Suun house meet "accidents," and trying to sour relations between Forest's Edge and Post Station by sending thugs disguised as Forest Edge hunters to cause trouble in town, and a slew of other crimes.
540	* {{Expy}}: Corrupt guard, master swordsman, and is named Shileru? [[Manga/OnePiece Sound familiar?]]
541	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / CookingWithWildGame