Here is a list of characters from The Way of the Househusband.
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Kuroda Family
"Immortal" Tatsu Kuroda
Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese), Jonah Scott (English), Jose Arenas (Latin American Spanish)
Portrayed by: Hiroshi Tamaki
Tatsu is a former yakuza thug who has reformed into the loving House Husband that is seen today. He is Happily Married to a career woman named Miku.
- The Ace: He was one of the strongest members of the Yakuza. Tatsu once single-handedly decimated a rival gang with a lead pipe, which earned him the nickname "Immortal Tatsu".
- Affectionate Nickname: Tatsu is affectionately called Tatchan/Tacchan (translated as Tatty by the main scanlators, and Tacchan by the official translation) by his wife Miku.
- Ambiguous Disorder: Shows some symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to his past life as a Yakuza, however, it's often played for laughs as he demands a disproportionate punishment for a minor indiscretion.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Is usually seen wearing one with an apron over it.
- Badass Pacifist: After marrying Miku, Tatsu avoids conflicts as much as possible, although he can thrash someone if they cross the line. Tatsu himself invokes this, stating that he doesn't need to harm someone to protect Miku.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Tatsu's tendency to take every mundane task seriously qualifies him as this.
- Comically Serious: Most of the comedy is Tatsu doing everything while sporting his yakuza swagger.Tatsu: Hey! C'mon! Pull yourself together, PoliCure blue ranger!!
- Confusion Fu: When he runs into trouble nowadays, acting so much like his new househusband self catches his opponents so off-guard that they can barely touch him.
- Cool Shades: He sports these almost every single day to any place he goes. Even the gym.
- Creature of Habit: As a former Yakuza, he still follows discipline and routine as if it were gospel. He's conditioned to accept the harshest of punishments (i.e. cutting off a finger or outright death) for the most minor of wrongdoings.
- Creepy Good: Tatsu gave up his past as Yakuza but he still has the mannerisms and fashion sense of one, suggesting corporal punishment like yubitsume when he makes a mistake and burying a broken figure in the garden. He is also a bit too chatty about his past experiences.Yoga instructor: What does this pose remind you of?
Tatsu: It's the "after the boss smacks you around with the flat edge of the blade to teach you some manner" pose. - Dark and Troubled Past: Tatsu himself states he grew up in one of the most violent parts of the world. A brief flashback indicates that Miku and Tatsu met each other for the first time when the latter had just finished a bloody fight. In later chapters, Tatsu is shown to be very paranoid, implying he is dealing with PTSD.
- The Dreaded: Tatsu's mere presence is enough to deter most Yakuza members. He made an intimidating first impression on Miku's father and the latter is still apprehensive around him.
- Face of a Thug: Tatsu looks scary enough that every attempt of his to appear friendly makes normal civilians' blood run cold.
- Graceful Loser: Tatsu tries hard to win in a Volleyball match but loses. He exchanges jerseys with the rival captain and the two teams pose for a group photo.
- Happily Married: To Miku, they love each other despite their different lifestyles.
- Hidden Depths: Tatsu played a lot of golf while escorting his boss, and still has the skills. Thing is, because of where he got his experience, he didn't learn how to win a game, but how to play to keep the boss happy.
- House Husband: Tatsu takes care of house duties while Miku works as a designer. Tatsu takes his role very, very seriously.
- Made of Iron: Takes a two-by-four to the head, and responds by commenting how sturdy it is.
- One-Man Army: On top of the story of how he got his nickname, when his past does come back to haunt him, he manages to fend off his attackers literally without even trying.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Downplayed; Tatsu likes housekeeping and being a house husband but his approach is more like cleaning a crime scene or completing missions for the clan. His apron is the only thing that can pass as cute.
- Red Baron: Immortal Tatsu, a nickname he got after busting ten rival yakuza's heads with a pipe in their headquarters.
- Retired Badass: Tatsu himself. Most of the comedy is derived from him leaving the life but not the lifestyle of the Yakuza e.g. treating a roomba like a new recruit to the gang.
- Retired Monster: Tatsu again; his comments about his past life and his known exploits show he was involved in the messier work.
- Rugged Scar: One of his most notable features is the long, thin scar on his left eye. It adds to his scary yakuza look.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Tatsu's relationship with his wife Miku. He is a stone cold ex-criminal while she is career-oriented with a large otaku streak. Best shown when both go shopping together, with him being frugal and her being more willing to splurge money.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: From time to time, Tatsu's old life catches up to him in ways that are decidedly Played for Drama. When test-driving a car, he keeps hallucinating that random people such as a crossing guard and business man are assassins out to kill him. Eventually, Tatsu's forced to pull over and get out of the car entirely.
- Slasher Smile: Tatsu's smile always suggests he's about to brutally murder someone.
- Supreme Chef: He attends cooking classes and is known to excel in that field. He can prepare food ranging from simple Japanese dishes to refined Caneles. Miku's mother finds that very impressive about him.
- Tattooed Crook: Or ex-crook, as the case may be. Like any good Yakuza, Tatsu has elaborate tattoos all over his back and arms. He makes a concentrated effort to cover them up these days.
- When She Smiles: Most of his smiles are terrifying, especially in the exercise class chapter. But every now and then, he shows a much cuter smile whenever something goes right in domestic life.
Miku Kuroda
Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese), Laura Post (English), Mayra Arellano (Latin American Spanish)
Portrayed by: Haruna Kawaguchi
Miku is Tatsu's wife and a career woman working as a designer.
- Badass Adorable: While it is played for comedy, she once clotheslines Tatsu so hard it sends him flying several meters through the air.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She can be just as equally and unintentionally creepy as Tatsu, as shown in Chapter 27. Tatsu also mentions that Miku can sometimes be scary when she is being frustrated.
- Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Miku seems to make sure Tatsu acts at least somewhat normal. The only time Miku acts out is when she's around things related to PoliCure - and that time when she and Tatsu had nearly the same reaction to a cockroach in the apartment.
- Dope Slap: A variant. Whenever Tatsu embarrasses her in public or in front of her parents, she'll knock some sense back into him with a well-placed palm heel strike to the chin. Sometimes it's enough to draw blood or knock him tail over tea kettle.
- Fangirl: She's a huge fan of the in-universe anime PoliCure and fawns over the merchandise. She's also shown to be a fan of gaming, getting excited over new games and accessories while shopping and whining childishly when Tatsu tries to tell her it's too expensive.
- Genki Girl: Downplayed. Miku just seems energetic and a bit foolish at times for someone her age.
- Happily Married: Tatsu and Miku love each other despite their different lifestyles.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Miku's relationship with Tatsu. He is a stone cold ex-criminal while she is career-oriented with a large otaku streak. Best shown when both go shopping together, with him being frugal and her being more willing to splurge money.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Miku looks very much like a younger version of her mother.
Himawari Kuroda
Played by: Tamaki Shiratori
Tatsu and Miku's daughter, exclusive to the live-action drama.
- Canon Foreigner: She's exclusive to the live-action drama and to add a parent-child/family dynamic to the story.
Others
Masa
Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese), Andres Paul Ramacho (English), Eduardo Garza (Latin American Spanish)
Portrayed by:Jun Shinson
Tatsu's former underling, who still looks up to his aniki even after all these years.
- Character Development: While following Tatsu, he starts taking steps to get his life in order, such as getting out of bed early and cleaning his apartment.
- Dirty Coward: When Masa is being harassed by some rival thugs, he decides to hide behind Tatsu. Tatsu promptly yells at Masa to not drag other people into his own problems.
- Insane Troll Logic: Believes that the way of the Yakuza and that of the house husband are one and the same and decides to follow Tatsu. Given how many yakuza in the series are like Tatsu he might not be that off.
- Lazy Bum: Tatsu call him a legendary wasteman when he shows him how to relax.
- Men Can't Keep House: As the complete opposite of Tatsu he doesn't tidy up his apartment.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Tatsu manages to rope him into his domestic hobbies and pursuits, such as building an adorable chair as a DIY project, or growing herbs for cooking.
- Sidekick: Becomes this to Tatsu.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Picks a fight with a larger group of yakuza, refers to Tatsu as aniki (usually translated as bro), acts like the two are close, and assumes he'll immediately help him with the fight. Tatsu has no memory of who he is the second time they meet, indicating that he probably wasn't as important as he thinks he was.
Torajiro
Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese), Ben Prosky (English), René García (Latin American Spanish)
Portrayed by: Kenichi Takitō
A former Yakuza boss who is forced to retire from his life of crime because Tatsu dismantled his gang while he's in prison, and now runs a crepe food truck.
- Commonality Connection: He and Tatsu are both former Yakuza who shares a similar interest in food and cooking, especially confectionery. Thus, despite their unpleasant history (Tatsu had destroyed Tora's gang while the latter is in prison), they quickly settle their dispute with a Cooking Duel, and after a few more petty squabblings, the two end up becoming Vitriolic Best Buds.
- Real Men Wear Pink: Tora is a former Yakuza who is said to rival Tatsu in strength, but he's very passionate about sweets and other delicacies, and makes a living selling crepes. He also likes cute rabbits, if his stall's logo indicates anything.
- Red Baron: Bareknuckle Tora.
- The Rival: He's antagonistic towards Tatsu and frequently challenges him to various battles. Since his challenges are non-violent, Tatsu is usually willing to engage with him.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Tatsu would often fly into heated arguments and competitions over petty subjects, but given the nature of their battles, their fights are hardly fueled by genuine animosity. And the riverside sauna trip they went to in Chapter 70 shows that they quite enjoy each other's company despite their bickering. Tora's sister certainly sees Tatsu as his friend.
