Taikobou/Taikung/ Fukki
Taikoubou (Taikung in the Latin American dub) is the doushi chosen by Genshitenson to take on the Houshin Project due to his wit and sharp intelligence. Other than his brilliant mind, Taikoubou also has the ability to read other people's psyche and emotions. He uses this skill to his advantage when trying to convince people to change sides. His personality seems to be that of a slacker who would rather spend his time sleeping than training. Most of the time, he cheats his way into winning.
His ideology is to win battles without killing anyone, which turned out to be difficult to keep on more than one occasion. Underneath his unreliable-looking, foolish exterior, Taikobou is a very caring person who wants to protect his friends and allies and always tries to find the bloodless way out of things. He hates bitter medicine and loves peaches. His real name is Ryobou, and he was part of the Kyou nobility, back when the Yin dynasty was fighting for control with the Kyou and the Shuu. One day the emperor of the Yin died and, on Dakki's orders, the army ravaged his village and took away almost everybody in order to bury them alive in the freshly erected tomb. He escaped and was found by Genshitenson, who offered to be his teacher because Taikobou was born with the bones of a sennin. Wanting to stop Dakki, Taikobou accepted and has been living in the sennin world ever since.
Later in the story, it turns out that the real Ryobou was murdered when the village was razed, and that someone took over his body. Taikobou is actually one half of Fukki, one of the First Men. They were five aliens who ended up on the planet after their home was destroyed and all except one decided to merge with it. The last one, an alien called Jyoka, rejected the idea and wanted to recreate history to mirror the events of her home planet, and see where it would have gone if it had not been destroyed. The others imprisoned her, but that did not stop her from becoming the signpost of history and manipulating the events as to mirror the ones she experienced on her home planet. Whenever history deviated off course, Jyoka would wipe away all life and begin anew. Witnessing that, Fukki decided to stop her and contacted Genshitenson with an elaborate plan. He split his soul into two parts, Taikobou and Outenkun and began the first step in a series which had a single goal: stopping Jyoka for good and letting history follow its natural course.
- Amnesiac Hero: He doesn't know that he is half of Fukki's soul. He has had his memories wiped out by Genshitenson so that his actions would look genuine and not arise Jyoka's suspicions.
- Animal Motif: Taikobou's motif is the rabbit, in contrast to his nemesis Dakki, who is a literal fox.
- Asexuality: He has never shown romantic interest in anyone.
- Best Friend: Of Fugen Shinjin.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: He appears to be this, but it's just a guise.
- Celibate Hero: Possibly because in reality, he is an ancient alien.
- The Chessmaster: He is able to brilliantly manipulate almost everyone around him.
- Combat Pragmatist: Taikobou, to the point where even his friends have said they're embarrassed to be on his side.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Appears to be airheaded and his plots seem shortsighted, but they always turn out to have multiple layers. On top of that, even though Taikobou is rather ineffective in battle, when the need arises he can surprise his enemies considerably.
- Defeat Means Friendship - Taikoubou attempts this on various people with inconsistent results.
- Doomed Hometown: His whole village was captured and taken to be buried alive. Although it is revealed that it's not really his village, as the real Ryobou died during the attack. However, Fukki's entire home planet was destroyed, so the trope still applies.
- He's Just Hiding! - In-Universe, Fukki in the epilogue chapter. In fact, most of it consists of showing him playing hide-and-seek with everyone else who's looking for him. He's such a tease.
- He did this before, when his entire army and most of his friends were buried alive by Chou Kei, but he only intervenes after getting called out on it.
- Heroic BSoD: Taikobou goes through this after his disastrous attempt at taking Dakki down. Not only does he fail miserably and loses Suupuushan, but Dakki throws the remaining Kyou peasants into a poisonous snake pit in front of him. He takes this very hard, but eventually snaps out of it.
- Nice Hat: The one he wears makes him look like he has rabbit ears.
- Non-Action Guy - Taikoubou is borderline useless at direct combat, until he gets his upgrade.
- Not So Different: With Dakki, his archnemesis. They are both tricksters who pretend to be less dangerous than they actually are, they both want to stop Jyoka and they can be ruthless in achieving their goals.
- Not So Harmless: He might look like a fool who doesn't know what he's doing half of the time, but in reality he is very calculated, has no qualms about exploiting weaknesses and usually anticipates his opponent's next move with high accuracy. He is also one half of an ancient alien called Fukki, the mastermind behind the Houshin Project.
- Shut Up, Hannibal! - Taikoubou, as Fukki, replies to Jyoka's Motive Rant with a flat: "No, you're wrong idiot, die."
- Split-Personality Merge: This happens with Taikoubou and Ou Eki. They later merge together to become Fukki. Although Taikoubou is the main, dominating personality.
- Tomato in the Mirror - Taikoubou and Rival Ou Eki are revealed to be two halves of Fukki.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Peaches.
- Wrong Genre Savvy - Taikoubou flits this: he finds out, painfully, why it's not a good idea to challenge the Big Bad head-on without some serious Level Grinding, and he keeps trying to invoke Defeat Means Friendship on opponents that would otherwise happily slaughter him, but he plays Xanatos Speed Chess with the best of them, and some of his plots lean very, very heavily on the fact that he's in a Shōnen series.
Youzen
Known as the "Genius Doushi", Youzen is the disciple of Gyokutei Shinjin and the only shapeshifter in Konron. He was called upon by Genshitenson to aid Taikoubou. Unwilling to work for just anyone, Youzen first tested Taikoubou's ability to lead and gave him three trials, with the condition that if Taikobou failed them, he would pass the leadership on to Youzen. After Taikobou's success, Youzen agreed to follow him and became one of his most loyal supporters. Due to his upbringing and his exceptional good looks and talents, Youzen tends to be proud and cannot stand being upstaged.
It turns out that he is actually a youkai, the son of Tsuuten Kyoshu, and was traded away to Genshitenson many years ago. Initially, he rejects his past as a youkai because he is afraid of his demon self. But after meeting Taikoubou and co., he finally learned to accept his true form and his father.
- Bishounen: Easily one of the most good looking members of Taikobou's band.
- Chick Magnet: Women tend to find him very attractive.
- Cross Dresser - Early in the story, he copies Dakki, which Taikoubou can spot. For the next chapters, he somehow gets obsessed with "perfecting" his techniques.
- Facial Markings: A red dot on his forehead.
- Happily Adopted: Though Gyokutei is officially his teacher, he has been taking care of Youzen since he was a baby and the two share a very powerful bond.
- Heart Broken Badass: After his beloved father figure Gyokutei Shinjin dies from his injuries after carrying him through an acid rain, Youzen is reduced to tears.
- The Lancer: To Taikobou.
- Limited Wardrobe: Never changes his outfit, unlike other characters.
- Living Weapon: His flying dog Koutenko is not a riding beast as it may initially appear - it's actually a paopei.
- Missing Mom: We never find out anything about Youzen's mother.
- Muggle Foster Parents - Youzen's a youkai raised by Gyokutei Shinjin.
- Parental Substitute: Gyokutei Shinjin becomes this for him, and their bond is a very close one. Gyokutei is the person Youzen loves the most.
- Sidekick Ex Machina - Youzen. He's not shy about it.
- Tell Me About My Father - Youzen's real father is actually Tsuuten Kyoshu.
- The Three Trials: Youzen will only lend his help to Taikobou if he passes three trials.
- You Gotta Have Blue Hair
- You're Not My Father: Having heard that Tsuuten Kyoshu is his real father, Youzen sneaked into the Kingo Islands and indirectly told Tsuuten that he considered himself human. It is implied that this broke Tsuuten Kyoshu's heart, but he nevertheless remained stoic.
- He takes these words back later in the story.
Kou Tenka
The second son of Kou Hikou and his wife Kashi, Kou Tenka is a natural born doushi just like his father, and inherited his passion for fighting. From a very young age, Tenka began training to be a fighter with his father. One day, Doutoku Shinjin, one of the Twelve Sennins of Konron, visited him and offered him a place as his apprentice in Konron. Tenka accepted the offer because he wanted to surpass his father and returned only when he found out that his mother and aunt have died and that Kou Hikou had left the capital.
Tenka's laid-back manner and friendly personality hide his determination, stubbornness and incredible willpower. After his father dies, Tenka loses his purpose in life and experiences an existential crisis. The wound he acquires in battle with a youkai refuses to heal and slowly kills him - as a result, he decides to imbue the remaining of his short life with meaning and fights Chuuoh to restore his family's honor, but spares him in the end so that Ki Hatsu can execute him publicly and gain legitimacy as the new emperor. Immediately after he wins his battle with Chuuoh, a Yin soldier takes advantage of his wounded state and kills him.
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: Wears a white one in the manga and a green one in the anime.
- Determinator: When battling Ma Reisei of the Maka Yonshou, he gets grieviously injured and after bandaging his wounds, he comes back for a rematch - Taikobou remarks that he must be standing on willpower alone.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: In the manga, a soldier kills Kou Tenka by stabbing him from the back. He dies in Taikobou's arms and is houshined.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: He's had scar over the bridge of the nose ever since he was a young boy, though we never find out what caused it.
- Oral Fixation: In the manga, Kou Tenka is never seen without a cigarette. In the anime, it is replaced by a small stick.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the manga, he is killed by a random soldier after defeating Chuuoh. In the anime, he survives and returns to the girl at the inn.
- Strong Family Resemblance: To his mother Kashi, as noted by Kou Hikou.
- Verbal Tic: Adds "-sa" at the end of every sentence.
- Wound That Will Not Heal: Acquires a light cut on his abdomen that will not cease bleeding. As a result, he knows he is dying.
Nataku / Nazha
Officially, Nataku is the son of Li Sei, the commanding officer of one of the four imperial gates, and his wife Yinshi. In reality, he is something akin to a living weapon. His mother had been pregnant for three years and several months when Taiitsu Shinjin appeared in her dream and told her that although her baby had died, he could still turn the mass of flesh in her womb into a child. Nataku's unusual birth stirred suspicion and repulsion into his father, who did not consider him his child. In contrast, his mother adored him and seemed oblivious to his strange behavior and his cold personality.
Later in life, Nataku killed the son of a river god in self-defense, and sacrificed himself to protect Yinshi when the river god's father arrived seeking revenge. Heartbroken, Yinshi buried his core near the river, only to have it excavated and thrown into the water by Li Sei. Luckily, he was found and recreated by Taiitsu Shinjin, and returns to exact revenge on his father. It is at this point in his life when Nataku meets Taikobou, who convinces him to join his team.
Nataku is normally cold and emotionless, and seems to care only about getting stronger and defeating powerful opponents. Later in the series, as he acquires more and more experiences, he mellows out a bit and adds his allies and Tenshou to the list of people he cares about.
- Aloof Big Brother: He has this attitude towards Mokutaku and Kintaku, mostly because he only got to meet them when they were already teenagers.
- Back from the Dead: He is recreated by Taiitsu Shinjin after his disastrous encounter with the River God.
- Bare Your Midriff: His final outfit shows his abdomen.
- Big Brother Instinct: Towards Tenshou, sparked by the fact that the young boy lost his mother and later, his father and brother.
- The Comically Serious: Because he only has one, neutral facial expression, Nataku fits into this trope.
- Defrosting Ice King: He is cold and indifferent to his mother and the team at first, but grows to love and appreciate them with time.
- Dissonant Serenity: Justified by the fact that he is a living weapon and nothing really surprises him.
- Driven to Suicide: Killed himself before the start of the story in order to protect his mother from the fury of the River God. He got better.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: While he isn't bad per se, he is ruthlessly violent and initially the only person he cares about is his mother. This gets positively Freudian when it's revealed that he has especially murderous intentions towards his father.
- Facial Markings: Has two stripes reminiscent of bandaids under his eyes.
- Family Theme Naming: Kintaku, Mokutaku and Nataku.
- Fiery Red Head: Although he does tend to shoot first and ask questions never, Nataku is a subversion of this trope due to his utter lack of emotion.
- Freudian Excuse: With the way Li Sei has behaved towards him right from the start, is it any wonder that Nataku hates his guts?
- Oedipus Complex: Definitely. His main soft spot is his mommy, and he hates his father to the point where he makes it his life's mission to kill him.
- Organic Technology: Was originally created from a lump of flesh and a core developed by Taiitsu Shinjin. After he sacrifices himself to save his mother, he gets a new body made from lotus roots.
- The Quiet One: Never speaks unless absolutely necessary, and even then all he says are short, clipped sentences.
- The Nose Knows: Has a very keen and unusual sense of smell. He recognizes the scent of his mother immediately, and can somehow tell if someone is strong based only on how they smell.
- Scarf Of Asskicking: Wears a long, red one.
- Tyke-Bomb: Nataku, the living Paopei.
- The Unfavorite: He falls into this trope once we find out he has two previously unmentioned older brothers.
Bukichi
Taikoubou's self proclaimed disciple, Bukichi is a natural born doushi - this means that even though he never underwent training as a doushi, he was born with the special bone structure that enables him to be physically stronger: jump higher, run faster, see further, hear better etc. Basically, in any normal human function, he surpasses the average human ability. Bukichi is a very useful person to have by your side because he can do just about anything (excluding the use of paopeis),from running on water, talking to animals, seeing in the dark etc. Many of his skills have been acquired thanks to the countless side jobs he had before.
Originally a woodcutter from Seiki, Bukichi has a personal reason for joining Taikobou: his father went looking for work in Chouka and was thrown into Dakki's snake pit, leaving Bukichi alone with his ailing mother. Although many people blamed Taikobou (and in all fairness, they would not have been wrong), Bukichi admired Taikobou for continuing his fight against Dakki and had wanted to join him for years. His determination and obliviousness in the face of rejection finally gained him a place in Taikobou's heart and he became part of his group.
- An Axe to Grind: He is a woodcutter by profession and wields a large axe.
- Berserk Button: Do not harm Taikobou in his presence.
- Chick Magnet: During the elephant race in Seiki, Taikobou notices that Bukichi is surrounded by women.
- Determinator: Taikobou runs away from him, informs him that he cannot take an apprentice because he has not yet completed his training and tries repeatedly to get rid of him, but that does not stop Bukichi at all.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: One of the most pure-hearted characters in the series: he is a loving and dutiful son, law-abiding to the point of absurdity, kind-hearted and generous, loyal to his friends, optimistic and empathetic.
- Jack-of-All-Trades: He has acquired an impressive array of skills from the various part-time jobs he had over the years. Often overlaps with New Job as the Plot Demands.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Bukichi can talk to birds because he used to have a part-time job in a zoo. This comes in very handy during Taikobou's trip to the Northern provinces.
- Undying Loyalty: Admires Taikobou and thinks the world of him.
Rainshinshi
An orphan found and adopted by Ki Shou to be his 100th son, Raishinshi was taken away as a little boy (implicitly against his will) to be trained as a doushi by his sennin teacher, Unchuushi. After being tricked by his teacher into eating a special transformation fruit that turned his skin darker and gave him fangs and bat wings, Raishinshi felt too ashamed to return home in that freakish state and tried to compensate by making a name for himself, thus becoming the leader of a bandit group who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. After being recruited by Taikobou, Raishinshi proved himself to be a useful ally, being able to control the powers of wind and lightning. Raishinshi is the youngest of the group members, and probably the most hot tempered of them all.
He and his teacher have a tense relationship, because Unchuushi experimented on Raishinshi without his consent and kept him as a virtual prisoner in the sennin world. As a result, Raishinshi is always trying to get even and kill him.
- Ambiguously Brown: He was light-skinned as a normal human, but after being fed something by his sennin teacher, he becomes noticeably darker-skinned than the other characters.
- Demoted to Extra: Lampshaded when he shows up at the end of the war demanding to know why no one waited for him to get there; his mentor blankly asks: "Who are you?" (The anime never caught on to this.)
- Facial Markings: On his forehead.
- Growing Wings: Grows a pair of large, black wings after being tricked into eating a special fruit.
- Happily Adopted: Had a very good relationship with his adoptive father.
- Honor Before Reason: He swears that he will not use his wings while fighting Taikobou and keeps true to his vow, even if it looks like he will fall to his death.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: He often explodes in anger.
- Loveable Rogue: He is the leader of a bandit group who takes from the greedy rich and gives to the poor.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: Raishinshi has ninety-nine other siblings, the children of Ki Shou and his twenty-six wives.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Has one with Taikobou and seems to enjoy it immensely.
- Parental Abandonment: He was abandoned by his real parents. Luckily, he was found and adopted by Ki Shou.
- Pointy Ears: Gains them together with Cute Little Fangs as a result of his transformation.
- Rage Against the Mentor: Raishinshi hates Unchuushi because he was a merciless and harsh teacher who treated him like a guinea pig and tricked him into ingesting a special fruit that changed his biological makeup.
- Took a Level in Badass: As a result of Unchuushi's experiments. The first thing he does is to fry his teacher with his newly acquired powers.
Dakki / Dahi
The favorite wife of Emperor Chuuoh, Dakki appears to be a stunningly beautiful and innocent young woman who wants nothing more than to enjoy herself. In reality, she is an ancient fox spirit formerly affiliated with the Kingo Islands who took over the body of a woman brought before the Emperor, and used her supernatural skills to gain absolute power. Her backstory reveals that she has been doing that for hundreds of years in order to live in luxury, but lately her powers have increased considerably and her exploits have taken a decidedly vicious turn, as she began to drive the country to the brink of starvation and civil war for no apparent reason. She lives in Chouka, the capital of the empire, surrounded by her underlings, for which she throws lavish parties at the cost of the populace.
It turns out that she agreed to serve Jyoka in order to gain access to and take over her frozen body and merge with the planet, as the First People intended to. It succeeds, and she becomes something akin to a deity.
- 0% Approval Rating - Dakki keeps upping the ante with worse and worse atrocities, while getting a Karma Houdini in the manga.
- Her actions are taken Up to Eleven in the anime, thus earning her a Karmic Death.
- Asexual: Aromantic, anyway, or at least seems to be. Although she is a beautiful seductress whose skills and sultriness allowed her to bewitch the emperors of China for hundreds of years even before she had learned the spell of temptation, Dakki never shows romantic interest in anybody. She has been married possibly dozens of times, but never grew to have any feelings for her husbands or for anyone, for that matter. Her only bonds are with her sworn sisters and her adopted son.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence - The last volume implies that she has this in mind since Jyoka showed her the other precursors, merging with the Earth and giving it sentient life. Realizing how petty her conquest for power, beauty and immortality is compared with them, she wished to be like them, to merge with nature and become its protector divinity. But to do so, she will have to do it with Jyoka's body, making her into more of a Dragon with an Agenda. Despite Jyoka managing to re-assimilate her body after Dakki assimilated it to nature, Dakki gets what she wants.
- Beauty Is Bad: Nobody in the series can measure up to her in terms of this.
- Berserk Button: Leading to a Tranquil Fury followed by a Disproportionate Retribution. Threatening to hurt her beloved sisters will make her furious, as Taikobou finds out.
- She also displays Tranquil Fury when Hakuyuukou resists her Temptation spell, and frames him, personally chops him into pieces, and feeds him to his father.
- Betty and Veronica: She is Veronica to Empress Kyouhi's Betty for Emperor Chuuou.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Dakki acts like an innocent and fun-loving young woman in front of the Emperor and her minions.
- Big Bad: Seems to be this for most of the series - in reality, she is a Dragon with an Agenda for Jyoka.
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: The redhead of the trio, with Kibi being blonde and Kijin being brunette.
- Boobs-and-Butt Pose: Poses like this several times in the manga and in supplementary anime materials.
- Charm Person: The pheromones emitted by her paopei work like mind control on men, bending them to their will. Women are unaffected, and depending on how strong someone's will is, the influence can be resisted, as proven by Kou Hikou.
- Cool Big Sis: For Kibi and Kijin, even though Kibi is older than her.
- Dissonant Serenity: Is in turns cheerful and nonchalant about the gruesome executions she orders.
- The Ditz: She pretends to be one most of the time, but nobody aside from Chuuoh buys it. In reality, she is very clever, meticulous and calculated.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Dakki may be horrible beyond imagining, but she truly cares about her two sworn sisters Kibi and Kijin, and her feelings are shared by them. Threatening to hurt any of them is the only thing that makes her angry.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Kashi, one of the most beautiful women in the series, is awed by Dakki's stunning good looks.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Especially in the anime.
- Evil Redhead: Her hair is always red regardless of the body she inhabits.
- Facial Markings: She has three on her forehead, somewhat similar to a tiara. She has these markings in her fox form as well.
- Femme Fatale: A gorgeous, but deadly seductress.
- For the Evulz: She looks like this on the outside, but it turns out she's running her own Evil Plan.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Thanks to her powers, she goes from a simple concubine to a vicious, abusive and monstrous empress who ends up destroying the Yin dynasty and bringing the country to the brink of starvation and despair.
- God Save Us from the Queen!: Dakki's supernatural influence over the Emperor has allowed her to drive millions of people to starvation and subject others to gruesome deaths and tortures. She also enjoys driving people to commit suicide, tearing apart families and spitting on everything good and holy.
- Gold Digger: She seduced and became the concubine of various Chinese emperors because she loved living in luxury.
- Grand Theft Me: Dakki pulls one on one of Jyoka's spare bodies.
- Since she needs a new body from time to time, she steals the bodies of those compatible with her. That's how she ends up stealing the real So Dakki's body and using her identity.
- I Have Many Names: We never find out Dakki's real name. Throughout history, she has taken the names of the women she possessed: Bakki, Oushi, Dakki etc.
- I'm a Humanitarian: In one memorable scene, Dakki is shown gorging herself on human remains from the snake pit.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: She wears a new outfit almost every time we see her. Most of what she wears are actually paopei, even the hats!
- Karma Houdini: She never gets any comeuppance for the crimes she has committed. In the manga, anyway. The first anime has her soundly defeated.
- Manipulative Bitch: Toys around with everyone as if they were chess pieces.
- More Than Mind Control: Dakki has a paopei that gives off pheromones which cause anyone to breathe it to fall madly in love with her and bend to her every whim.
- Sadist: Immensely enjoys torturing people and even builds several torture instruments herself.
- Say It with Hearts: All her sentences end with hearts.
- She's Got Legs: And everything else.
- Parental Substitute: For Ou Eki. She even calls herself his mother.
- Rapunzel Hair: Her hair almost reaches the ground in her most recent incarnation.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Her eyes are blood red in both the manga and the anime.
- The Tease: She enjoys having men worship and desire her, but she never shows sexual interest in anyone outside Taikobou, perhaps.
- Themed Aliases: She uses short, clipped names ending in "i": Bakki, Oushi, Dakki.
- Underestimating Badassery: She didn't think that Taikobou, an unknown doushi at the time, would be a danger to her. Cue to Taikobou waltzing in the palace with Dakki's beloved sister as his hostage. Even if she thwarted his plans in the end, he did cause Kijin the great humiliation of reverting to her helpless original form and forced her to spend years in an isolated place to recover.
- Unlimited Wardrobe: In the manga. She wears something different almost every time we see her.
- Villainous Breakdown: Dakki in the anime goes from a Faux Affably Evil manipulator to a shrieking monstrosity once Shinhoukyou decides to detain her after her resurrection.
- Wicked Stepmother: She is this for the Emperor's sons, as she is trying to bring down the Yin dynasty.
- Would Harm A Child: In the manga, she is responsible for the deaths of countless children through starvation, executions and the raids she ordered. Under her orders, the Yin soldiers murder Ryobou, the young boy who was to become the shell for Fukki's Taikobou half.In the anime, she releases a blast that kills Yin Hon, the emperor's youngest son.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Is very fond of this, especially in front of the emperor.
Chou Koumei
A youkai of Kingo Islands and a wielder of the super paopei Kinkousen. He is also the older brother of Unshou, Keishou and Hekishou. A man with a pronounced flair for the dramatic, he forces Taikobou and his gang to fight him by kidnapping Suupuushan and Doukouson.
- A Glass of Chianti: Chou Komei is rarely seen without a glass of wine.
- Blood Knight: He planted the seeds of conflict between the opposing Sennin forces just so he could fight his enemies freely.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Endlessly, with the most significant instance being him running the ending credits once he believes he has defeated Taikobou.
- Co-Dragons: A millenia and a half before the story takes place, he and Dakki fulfilled that role for Tsuuten Kyoshu.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The result of him challenging Genshitenson was, as the narrator puts it, a glorious defeat.
- Hypocrite: He kidnapped and imprisoned Suupuushan into an hourglass slowly filling with sand. When Suupuushan asked him to let him go, Chou Komei said that if Taikobou doesn't make it in time to free him, then Suupuu will die, because that is the rule of battle. He then has the audacity to say that Suupuushan's fate is out of his hands, to which Suupuu angrily replies that it was him who put him there in the first place.
- Large Ham: He is incredibly dramatic and loves attention, beauty and luxury. He will go to great lengths to make sure his fights take place in the most dramatic and appropriate settings. He even brings his luxury liner to the human world so that Taikobou would fight him on it.
- Manly Tears: Displays them when he believes he has houshined Taikobou.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: Is always richly and imppecably dressed and prefers expensive furniture and fine wine.
- Spirited Competitor: He finds peace boring, and practically lives for challenges.
Genshitenson
The supreme master of Konron Mountain and one of the Three Great Sennins, Genshitensou is Taikobou and the Twelve Sennin's teacher. On top of being an incredibly old and powerful sennin, he is also very secretive and seemingly has a habit of manipulating people and events from the shadows. Later in the story, it is revealed that he was part of and supporting the secret plan to free the world from Jyoka's influence. Although he despairs over Taikobou's laziness, he seems to truly care about him and his other disciples.
- Badass Beard: Sports a long, silvery one.
- Badass in Charge: The undisputed and admired leader of Konron Mountain, the home of some of the most powerful sennins.
- Badass Grandpa: Possibly the oldest sennin on the planet.
- Badass Teacher: Do not let his appearance fool you, he is one of the most powerful beings alive.
- Eccentric Mentor: He certainly has a quirky and unusual way of dealing with Taikobou. His eccentricity is revealed to have been a cover, as it was very important not to alert Jyoka about the master plan cooked up by Fukki.
- Facial Markings: A prominent dot on his forehead.
Hakutsuru
The white crane Hakutsuru is one of Genshitenson's most trustworthy disciples. Hakutsuru is still in his animal form and still has a few more hundred years of training before he will be able to attain a human form. Hakutsuru is often called upon to act as a messenger between people that are far away.
- Funny Bird: He is a huge-eyed crane wearing human gloves, pants and shoes.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: A crane who wears gloves, shoes, a little hat and a pair of pants.
- Messenger: Fulfills this function for Genshitenson.
- Sphere Eyes: Has large, round eyes with large black irises.
- Talking Bird: He is perfectly capable of speech. Justified as he is training to achieve human form and already shows human characteristics.
Unchuushi
A sennin interested in science and paopei experiments and the master of Raishinshi. He approached Raishinshi's adoptive father Ki Shou when the boy was still young and received permission to take him to the sennin world. He proved to be a cruel and abusive master, trapping Raishinshi in the sennin world and subjecting him to very strict and exhausting trainings, ultimately tricking him into eating a fruit that changed his biological makeup. Once Raishinshi grew wings and received the ability to control lighting, he fried Unchuushi and ran away into the human world.
- For Science!: Doesn't seem to care about anything else.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Unchuushi realized a little too late that giving the power of flight and to summon lightning from the skies to a kid who hated him was not a bright idea.
- Lack of Empathy: Unchuushi put Raishinshi through some very harsh training when he was a young child and fed him a fruit that made him grow fangs and wings when the boy was merely eight years old. Raishinshi was understandably very angry and ashamed by his new, monstrous body, but Unchuushi did not seem to care at all.
- Laser-Guided Karma: As soon as Raishinshi realizes he is now stronger than Unchuushi, he strikes him with several powerful lightning bolts and flees the sennin world.
- Innocently Insensitive: He carelessly tells Raishinshi that his beloved father died of an illness. Raishinshi... doesn't take it well.
- Mad Scientist: Fits this trope well, as he has no qualms about human experimentation and seems devoid of sympathy for his victims.
- Obliviously Evil: Unchuushi is quite ethically corrupt, but he seems to be completely clueless that what he is doing is abusive. When Raishinshi is distraught at having the color of his skin changed, growing fangs and wings, Unchuushi hapily tells him to not be so upset because his experiment was a success and Raishinshi became much stronger as a result... completely ignoring the boy's obvious trauma and persistent wish to leave the sennin world in the first place.
- Token Evil Teammate: He is this for the sennin community of Konron Mountain. Taikobou mentions his reputation as a weirdo and his penchant for paopei experiments. Oddly enough, nobody bats an eye at his questionable antics. However, it is uncertain how much the other sennins know about his experiments.
- Training from Hell: He subjects Raishinshi to this and remains unmoved by the boy's tears.
Doukouson
A disciple of Kuryuson Daishoushi, one of the twelve great sennins, Doukouson lives in the caves of the Kyouryuu mountains and uses the paopei Doryuusou. He strongly resembles a mole, and his specialty is digging tunnels. Although unattractive and a bit of a pervert, Doukouson is a true gentleman at heart and will often risk his life to protect women. Doukouson is not very powerful by himself, but sometimes plays an instrumental role in some of Taikobou's schemes. Later in the story, he gets an admirer in Tou Sengyoku, who adores him regardless of his appearance. He initially doesn't like her, but by the end of the story she marries him anyway.
- Abhorrent Admirer: He sees Tou Sengyoku as this initially, but he mellows down with time.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: A benign example. He desperately wanted a pretty girl to get past his unsightly appearance and love him. When it happens, it's with a Fiery Redhead who annoys him and ignores his desire to stay away from her. They get better in the end, although it's still played for laughs.
- Casanova Wannabe: He goes skirt-chasing a lot and hatches schemes to divert the girls' gaze from his unattractiveness. It doesn't work. Ironically, he wasn't trying to impress the one girl who ends up falling for him.
- Chivalrous Pervert: He might be a shameless skirt-chaser, but he is always ready to help and protect women, even at the cost of his life.
- Foil: To Ryukan, Sengyoku's stalker. Compared to him, Doukouson is unattractive, relatively weak and a serial skirt-chaser. But while the handsome and powerful Ryukan is a frighteningly deluded stalker who will not take no for an answer, Doukouson is someone who firmly believes that women should be treated gently, and is willing to sacrifice himself to protect them.
- Gonk: He is very unattractive, and he is aware of that.
- Has a Type: He seems to like beautiful, dark-haired women who exude femininity. He gets something quite different by the end of the story...
- Mole Men: He looks very much like a mole, he lives in a system of caves and his paopei has the shape of a mole's claws.
- The Nose Knows: He has an enhanced sense of smell, which he uses mostly to find girls to flirt with. When he is introduced in the story, he keeps mentioning how he can smell Hekiun's scent around a certain area.
Ryuukitsu Koushu
The stunningly beautiful daughter of two sennins, Ryuukitsu Koushu has the distinction of having been born a sennin, rendering any training as a doushi unnecessary. The chances of conceiving a pure-blooded sennin like her are incredibly low, which makes her very special. Thanks to her blood purity, she is one of the most powerful sennins in the Konron Mountains, with strength to rival Dakki's, and she possesses abilities like being able to float without a paopei. On the downside, the polluted air of the human world is like poison to her, and she needs the pure atmosphere of the sennin world to be able to breathe properly. For this reason, she rarely leaves her home unless she has good reason to. She is adored by her younger half-brother Nentou Doujin, and loved by her two disciples Sekiun and Hekiun.
Ryuukitsu is called the Sennyo of Water because she wields a water paopei with defensive and offensive abilities. A thin layer of water always surrounds her, protecting her of any attacks. She is a kind-hearted, gentle and graceful woman and a pacifist who hates taking lives and will usually give her enemies a chance to surrender. After Taikobou and his friends save Hekiun, she gets involved in his quest out of gratitude and even remains for a while in the human world, in spite of the crippling pain she endured from breathing the impure air. During the sennin war, Ryukitsuu was the one who propelled the entire Konron Mountain forward using her immense energy resources.
- Action Girl: Don't be deceived by her demure and polite personality. She will floor most doushi and sennins within minutes, and has the power to move an entire mountain on her own.
- Beware the Nice Ones: She may be an angelically beautiful, unfailingly polite young woman with a strong an aversion to killing, but don't ignore her warnings or you will be in for a world of pain. Just ask Ryukan.
- Dude Magnet: Her beauty is renowed throughout the sennin world, and some people like Doukoson specifically seek her out to witness her stunning good looks for themselves.
- Elemental Rock–Paper–Scissors: Takes out Ryukan's fire paopei with extreme ease because her paopei is based on water.
- Foil: The Proper Lady Ryuukitsu Koushu (Light Feminine) is this for Dakki (Dark Feminine). Both are famous, long haired and very powerful beauties and both have sisterly bonds with two female apprentices. They fight on opposing sides and are the strongest women on their teams. Interestingly enough, they never come face to face.
- Ill Girl: Whenever she goes to the human world, she becomes this because she needs the pure air of the sennin world.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: She wears a long purple cape fringed with lace.
- Rapunzel Hair: Her lovely hair reaches below her feet.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: With her half-brother Nentou Doujin. She is the Sennyo of Water and has a calm and collected personality, while he is a Fiery Redhead who literally has fire as his paopei and is quite impulsive and hot-headed.
- Underestimating Badassery: Her reputation usually precedes her, but those who make the mistake of underestimating her because of her gender and her calm appearance will find themselves in quite a bit of pain. Her warnings are never in vain.
- World's Most Beautiful Woman: The doushi and sennin of Konron Mountain consider her to be this, just as the youkai of Kingo Islands consider Dakki to be the one who deserves that title.
Sekiun and Hekiun
Two beautiful sennin sisters, disciples of Ryuukitsu Koushu, Sekiun and her younger sister Hekiun are among the few women seen on the Konron Mountain. They do not seem to be particularly strong and are never shown using paopei, which implies that they still have some work to do in their training. They are very devoted to and deeply respect their teacher Ryuukitsu. Sekiun is the strongest of the two, both physically and mentally, and has to usually look out for her sister. The two usually hang around their teacher, and her delicate health is one of their main concerns.
During the great sennin war, Sekiun looks after the wounded of Konron and tries to keep her traumatized sister from crumbling.
- Damsel in Distress: The heroes rescue Hekiun from underneath a pile of earth and rocks.
- Family Theme Naming: Hekiun and Sekiun.
- Fangirl: Hekiun has a huge crush on the handsome Youzen. He's not interested.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Sekiun is responsible and keeps her head cool in a crisis, while Hekiun crumbles much more easily and is shown to be a bit flirty and flighty in comparison to her more serious sister.
- Stripperiffic: Hekiun dresses very scantily.
Kintaku
The oldest son of Li Sei and Yinshi and the older brother of Mokutaku and Nataku. He is a doushi studying under Monjyuu Kouhou Tenson, one of the twelve great sennins. He has a cheerful and upbeat personality, in contrast to his taciturn younger brother Nataku, whom he did not meet until they had both already grown up. He uses the paopei Tonryuutou, comprised of several round rings which can immobilize an opponent. He and his brother later join Taikobou in his quest to replace the Yin with the Shou dynasty.
- Eyes Always Shut: Combined with his perpetual smile, it gives him a very friendly appearance.
- Family Theme Naming: Kintaku, Mokutaku and Nataku.
- Gallows Humor: When Nataku acquires a strong lance paopei, Mokutaku asks Kintaku whether they should be worried, since they challenged him to a battle when they first met. Kintaku laughs and says that in the worst scenario, they will join the houshin list. Mokutaku is not amused.
- Perpetual Smiler: Is always seen with a smile on his face.
- Strong Family Resemblance: With his younger brother Nataku.
- Those Two Guys: Never seen without his brother Mokutaku.
Mokutaku
The brother of Kintaku and Mokutaku and the disciple of Fugen Shinjin. He wields the sword-type paopei Gokouken, which can also double as a boomerang. He and Kintaku did not meet Nataku until they were already teenagers. He ends up supporting the Shou dynasty together with his brothers.
- Facial Markings: Has lines underneath his eyes, similar to his brother Nataku.
- Family Theme Naming: Kintaku, Mokutaku and Nataku.
- Those Two Guys: With his brother Kintaku.
- Does Not Like Shoes: Goes around barefoot, even in battle.
- Only Sane Man: Between himself and his two brothers, he seems to be the most reasonable one. Kintaku is a cheerful Perpetual Smiler who doesn't seem to worry about anything while Nataku is an impulsive Perpetual Frowner who doesn't seem to care about anything.
- Rapunzel Hair: Has a great mane of hair which he wears unbound.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: He usually goes around shirtless.
Taiitsu Shinjin
One of the most eccentric of the twelve great sennin, Taiitsu is Konron's resident paopei expert and the closest thing they have to a scientist. He is fond of technology and likes to invent things (especially paopei) and is responsible for the creation (and upgrade) of Nataku. He is generally shown to be ethical in his experiments and proves to be extremely useful to his allies thanks to being the equivalent of a paopei blacksmith. He loves breaking the fourth wall, and always makes sure that he is facing the camera. He is terrified of heights, which can sometimes be troublesome as he is essentially living in a giant floating rock. In combat, he focuses exclusively on his defensive abilities and uses the paopei Kyuryu Shinkatou, a protective shell which can also be used for imprisoning opponents. Although Nataku despises him, Taiitsu regards him with a mixture of both fear and fondness, and is always worried that he might get attacked by him.
- Brainy Brunette: His brilliant mind can do wonders with technology.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Taiitsu is so camera-savvy he always poses facing the panel. Other characters lampshade this endlessly.
- Foil: To the Kingo-based Ryogaku and the Konron sennin Unchuushi. Compared to their unethical and cruel experimentations on their creations/disciples, Taiitsu looks like a reasonable saint.
- Nerd: He is obsessed with science, devotes all his time to experimenting with and creating paopeis and he doesn't seem to possess any fighting abilities, using only a defensive paopei in battle.
- Non-Action Guy: Taiitsu only seems to employ a protective paopei which he sometimes uses to trap people with.
- Techno Wizard: His paopei defy the laws of physics.
- Ultimate Blacksmith: He can easily create physics-defying paopei, which earned him a place among the great sennin.
- Why Did It Have To Be Heights?: Taiitsu Shinjin is afraid of heights. If living on a floating rock is not enough, he often finds himself in situations where he must confront his fear.
Seikyo Doutoku Shinjin
Kou Tenka's master, he emphasizes greatly on honor and spirit in his training. He is obsessed with sports and constantly wears a training outfit. His weapon of choice is the Bakuyanohouken II. During the great sennin war, he joins the fight against Bunchuu and is houshined.
- Cool Teacher: He has the appearance of a cheerful and highly energetic young man and fights with a laser sword. He and his student get along very well.
- Cool Sword: Tenka got his paopeis from him, so it stands to reason that he would have a cool laser sword.
- Dynamic Entry: He crashes through the wall of young Kou Tenka's room in the middle of the night and asks the boy if he wants to become his disciple.
- Foreshadowing: He mentions to Taikobou how he is worried about Tenka's recklesness and how it might cost him his life one day. Tenka does indeed die after a string of reckless actions.
- Heroic Sacrifice: With the rest of the Great Sennin in the fight against Bunchuu.
- Take Up My Sword: During the great sennin war, he asks Youzen to take his paopei to his student Kou Tenka.
Gyokutei Shinjin
Gyokutei is described as a serious and logical man. He is the master of Youzen and the one who raised him, and enjoys a very close bond with his disciple, who regards him as the most important person in his life. He wields the sword paopei Zensenken, which allows him great speed and accuracy. His serious exterior hides a gentle and warm personality, and he is able to get along well with Taikobou's team.
- Bishounen: A very handsome man.
- Body Horror: We are (mercifully) not shown the full extent of his injuries as a result of walking through an acid rain, but what we do see is gut wrenching. It is implied that the skin was burned off his skull, layer by layer.
- Determinator: Not even having flesh-burning acid rained on him will stop him from carrying Youzen to safety. The moment he decides to do it, determination is etched on every line on his face.
- Doting Parent: The manga makes it obvious that he absolutely adored Youzen, and he even sacrificed his life for him in the end.
- Fragile Speedster: His weapon is fast and accurate, but overall Gyokutei is not a very powerful sennin.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Carries Youzen to safety through an acid rain before dying as a result of his horrific injuries, a scene made more heartbreaking by him reminiscing how he would carry little Youzen through the rain so that he wouldn't catch a cold.
- Parental Substitute: Has been a wonderful one for Youzen.
- Rapunzel Hair: His hair is even longer than Dakki's. He loses most of it as a result of the acid rain he is forced to walk through to save his pupil.
- Scarf Of Asskicking: Has a brown one, together with a badass cape.
- Take Care of the Kids: Him entrusting Youzen to Taikobou before he dies is basically this, as he is Youzen's adoptive father.
Fugen Shinjin
Another member (and eventual leader) of the twelve great sennin, Fugen is Taikobou's kind-hearted best friend. They have the same age, and have been as close as brother since they met, with Fugen being the only person to give Taikobou an affectionate nickname. His influence over his friend can be seen through Taikobou's habit of fishing with a straight hook, as Fugen is a pacifist wishes to avoid causing pain and suffering to any living being. He is extremely well versed in physics and chemistry, and wields the paopei Taikyoku Fuin, which allows him to break down and recreate bonds between atoms.
- Affectionate Nickname - He has one for Taikoubou: "Bou-chan."
- Badass Pacifist: Fugen Shinjin hates conflicts and will always attempt to reason with his enemies before attacking. When he does attack, however, his enemies will instantly regret they didn't choose the peaceful way of resolving things.
- Best Friend: Of Taikobou.
- Captain Ersatz - Look no further than Fugen Shinjin: doesn't he look like Kaworu to you? Well, maybe with the sweetness and Technical Pacifist tendency cranked up to eleven.
- Friend to All Living Things: Fugen's philosophy dictates that one must avoid causing pain and suffering to anyone or anything. Unless forced.
- Heroic Sacrifice: During the great sennin war, he attempts a Taking You with Me on Bunchuu, but it fails.
- Holy Halo: He wears one above his head. Its purpose is never discussed, but it helps underline his almost saintly nature.
- Symbol Motif Clothing: Fugen's clothes make him look somewhat similar to an angel, reflecting his gentle and peaceful personality.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: One of the gentlest and purest characters in the series. He is killed during the great sennin war.
- Underestimating Badassery: Due to his peaceful ways and gentle manner, Fugen doesn't come across as a powerful sennin. Push him far enough though, and you will literally be obliterated.
- You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Teal, to be more precise.
Tou Sengyoku
A vivacious doushi living with her father in the Kingo Islands, Sengyoku is introduced in the story as a spy sent by Bunchuu to gather information about the leaders of the Shou and Taikobou's movements. She takes her job seriously at first, but falls head over heels in love with Doukouson (to everybody's surprise) and switches sides. Her ball-shaped paopei Gokouseki is the source of many humorous scenes in the manga, as it follows its target around and magically applies too much makeup on whoever it hits. Sengyoku also has a terrible fear of birds due to a trauma from the past.
- Abhorrent Admirer: She is this for Doukouson at first, but he mellows out by the end. She has one in the deluded and creepy Ryukan.
- Asskicking Equals Authority: She wins a duel against Taikobou and is therefore allowed to stay in Seiki and continue spying.
- Girlish Pigtails: She wears her otherwise normal hair in two braids which defy gravity.
- Loose Lips: As Taikobou notes, she is quite talkative for a spy.
- Love at First Sight: Falls for a guy who looks like an overgrown mole. She claims that personality is more important than physical attractiveness, but Doukouson isn't exactly Prince Charming in that department, either. Everybody is baffled by this development.
- Fiery Redhead: She fits the trope well, with her strong, energetic and determined personality.
- Missing Mom: Her mother died of illness when Sengyoku was young.
- No Accounting for Taste: Quite possibly the only person in the world who would fall in love at first sight with Doukouson.
- Selective Obliviousness: Doukouson does not react well to her sudden interest and behavior towards him, and doesn't really want to marry her. She completely ignores that.
- Stalker with a Crush: She is the unfortunate object of Ryukan, a fellow doushi's affections. He won't take no for an answer, and she is understandably frightened by his behavior.
- Stripperriffic: Her outfit is very skimpy.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Sengyoku is terrified of birds because her stalker used a bird-shaped paopei attack. Taikobou uses this to his advantage.
Ryushoku
A youkai sennin who met and befriended Sengyoku when she was still training in Kingo, Ryushoku is often confused with a spirit beast. He is a loyal servant of the Tou family and will do anything in its power to protect Sengyoku and destroy anyone who harms her in any way. It has a very powerful tail with which it can throw massive rocks at the enemy.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Ryushoku is very cute, gentle and serves a human family, but don't get on his bad side or he will end you.
- Berserk Button: Do not tease, bully, insult or harm Sengyoku or you will suffer.
- Best Friend: Of Sengyoku.
- Gentle Giant: A huge youkai with a compassionate heart.
- Non-Human Sidekick: For both Sengyoku and her father.
- Talking Animal: Like most youkai sennin.
- Undying Loyalty: To the Tou family, expecially to Sengyoku.
Younin
Younin was a successul artist and the official court painter of the Yin before Dakki commissioned a portrait of herself. Being under the spell of temptation and wishing to impress her, he drew what he considered his masterpiece: an abstract portrait of her. Unfortunately, Dakki was not pleased by this and ordered her cronies to gouge out his eyes. Luckily for him, Chou Komei found his portrait and was impressed by the artist's skill. Wanting to save his life, he made an offer to Younin: he would be implanted with sennin bones, receive the artificial paopei Kami no Miezaru Te and become one of his disciples. Younin accepted and joined Chou Komei's ranks. His paopei reads the opponent's mind and creates a paralyzing illusion that he is fighting people the opponent perceives as stronger than himself.
- Artificial Limbs: The paopei Kami no Miezaru Te serves as a set of prosthetic eyes for Younin.
- Eye Scream: Dakki had his eyes gouged out simply because she didn't like the portrait he painted of her.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Sacrifices himself for Youzen's sake.
- Master of Illusion: Younin claims that he is a shape-shifter just like Youzen and Kibi, but in reality, his paopei reads the opponent's memories and produces a perfect copy of someone the opponent believes is stronger than himself. While the opponent is trapped inside the illusion, believing he is gravely injured, Younin can easily finish him off. The impossible perfection of the copies and the fact that Younin changes into Gyuokutei Shinjin, someone he has never met, is what tips Youzen off that Younin is lying about his shape-shifting abilities.
A group of four youkai doushi brothers of dubious reputation sent by Kingo to aid Bunchuu in his fight against Taikobou. Unlike the Shisei, the Maka Yonshou are cruel and careless towards humankind; Bunchuu decries their lack of honor but cannot chase them back to the sennin world because they represent the will of Tsuuten Kyoshu, someone who he would rather have on the side of the Yin in the upcoming war. All four were originally part of a single bird-like creature by the name of Shou.
- Cool Mask: All of them have parts of their faces hidden.
- The Dreaded: Everybody who knows anything about them dreads seeing them involved in a large-scale conflict in the human world due to their power and their dirty tricks. Bunchuu wanted to chase them back to the sennin world, and they were on his side.
- Elite Mooks: They are devastatingly effective together, which is why the Kingo Islands use them as shock troops.
- Family Theme Naming: Their names begin with Ma Rei-: Ma Reisei, Ma Reikou, Ma Reikai and Ma Reijyu.
- Foil: To the Shisei of Kuryu Island. While both groups love a good fight and will intervene in the human world when called upon, the Shisei do their best to avoid hurting humans, while the Maka Yonshou play dirty, take hostages and couldn't care less about who they injure or kill.
- Hostage Situation: Their preferred modus operandi is to take hostages and then force their opponents into surrendering. At one point they take the entire city of Seiki hostage.
Ma Reisei
The masked, sword-wielding leader of the Maka Yonshou, Ma Reisei possesses the sword Seiunken, which allows him to slash his opponents more than once with one single motion. He is always calm and collected and shows very little emotion in general. He is interested in measuring his skill with a sword against other swordsmen from the sennin world, and challenges Kou Tenka to a duel when they first meet.
- Cool Mask: We never get to see his entire face. He wears two masks.
- The Leader: Goal-oriented, focused and controlled, Reisei is clearly in charge of the group, and his orders are obeyed without question.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Ends up with multiple laser daggers in his back the second time he faces off against Kou Tenka.
- Master Swordsman: He easily defeats Tenka in combat.
- The Stoic: His calm demeanor only serves to make him more sinister.
Ma Reikou
Ma Reikou wields the paopei Kongensan, which allows him to absorb, store and reflect any beams fired at it. An almost perfect paopei, its only flaw is that it cannot withstand continuous high-energy attacks.
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: Wears a large one which hides his eyes.
- Bare Your Midriff: He wears a small cape over his bare torso, which creates this effect.
- Improbable Weapon User: His Kongensan, a defensive and offensive paopei, looks like a giant umbrella.
- The Stoic: Doesn't speak much.
Ma Reikai
Ma Reikai possesses the guitar-shaped paopei Kurobiwa, which allows him to control the minds of his opponents.
- Combat Pragmatist: He tears off Raishinshi's wings to prevent him from flying.
- Im Probable Weapon User: An electrical guitar which, once strung, can control the minds of his opponents.
- Musical Assassin: His guitar will make you follow his every command.
- The Strategist: Shows shades of this, as he questions Ma Reisei's decision of letting Suupuushan escape to the sennin world (which ultimately proves to have disastrous consequences for him and his brothers, as Suupuushan brings Nataku and Youzen) and tears off Raishinshi's wings to prevent him from flying. He also correctly interprets Taikobou's stillness during Seiki's destruction by the Kakoten by pointing out that Taikobou hasn't given up but knows that he simply cannot do anything at the moment. His mind controlling weapon also requires this type of personality to be used efficiently, as Ma Reikai must carefully observe the abilities of his opponents in order to know how to use them to his advantage once they are under his control.
Ma Reijyu
The smallest and physically weakest member of the Maka Yonshou, Reijyu has one of the most effective paopei (Kakoten) which comprises of several small whale-shaped mechanical creatures which can grow to gigantic, city-eating size.
- Cool Mask: Wears an inexpressive round mask which completely covers his face.
- Glass Cannon: His Kakoten is incredibly powerful and very difficult to defeat - but Reijyu himself is very weak and tends to rely too much on his brothers' protection.
- Irony: He gets taken hostage by Kou Hikou, effectively neutralizing him.
- Jerkass: After Ma Reisei gets Taikobou to surrender in exchange for halting the Kakoten from destroying everything in its path, Reijyu intentionally continues to drive his paopei to cause damage.
- Little Bit Beastly: It's hard to figure out just what he is, as he has a human-shaped body but sports what appear to be two large animal ears. The fact that he is completely covered and masked helps conceal his nature.
If the Konron Mountains have the Twelve Great Sennin (Juunisen), the Kingo Islands have the equally-famous Juutenkun, a group of ten powerful youkai sennins under the direct command of Tsuuten Kyoshu. They all use a special, custom-designed dimensional space called Juuzetsujin, created by their dimensional paopei. They can even work together and combine their dimensions, although they prefer working in pairs with other Juutenkun who have complementary dimensions.
- The Dreaded: Their reputation precedes them. During the Great Sennin War, when the rest of the youkai sennin find out that the Juutenkun are fighting inside Kingo Island, they all hide.
- Foil: While the Twelve Great Sennin are kind, friendly and honorable, the Juutenkun are insufferably arrogant, sadistic and don't care very much about each other (or the rest of the youkai sennin).
- Pocket Dimension: What the Juuzetsujin actually is. Each of the Juutenkun has absolute control over their dimension, and they use that control to customize the space into their perfect trap.
- Smug Snake: They are all arrogant and overconfident, and in many cases, that leads to their demise.
You Tenkun
A floating, masked youkai sennin who teams up with fellow Juttenkun Kinkouseiba. His weapon consist of small but powerful charms which explode upon latching onto their target. Within Juuzetsujin, his charms expand in size and become enormous, and are capable of shooting lasers. Thanks to Kinkouseiba's light manipulation ability, their enemies can't see where the lasers are coming from.
- Cool Mask: He seems to be covered from head to toe, and wears one extra mask that covers half his face and curls around his cone-like cowl.
- Hand-Hiding Sleeves: His sleeves reach his feet, and we never get to see his hands.
Shinkohyou
The disciple of Taijo Rokun and the most powerful doushi in the entire sennin world. Although he easily surpasses most sennin, the 5000 years old Shinkohyou chooses to remain a doushi because he does not want to be bothered with taking a disciple, as all sennins are required to do. He rides the spirit beast Kokutenko and wields the most powerful paopei, Raikouben. He is an ambiguous character who doesn't seem to take any definitive sides, and he helps Taikobou as often as he helps Dakki (mostly because Dakki can give him access to a luxurious lifestyle in the capital). He has a strange sense of beauty and will interfere in events if he considers something to be against his beauty standards. He also dresses strangely, but does not stand to be criticized on that particular aspect. Probably because of his ancient age, Shinkohyou is always looking for interesting events, and will sometimes cause them himself if he thinks they fail to appear soon enough. He is aware of Jyoka's presence, but doesn't seem to know anything about Fukki's plan.
- Aloof Ally: He alternates being this to both Taikobou and Dakki. The reason? He wants to be entertained and will step in if he thinks things are moving too slowly or are too boring.
- Animal Motifs: Some elements of his design, like his eyes and his clawed gloves, are reminiscent of a cat.
- Berserk Button: Never insult his fashion sense.
- Facial Markings: Has several large dots under his eyes.
- Moral Myopia: When the two princes of Yin escape the capital and meet up with Taikobou, Shinkouhyou shows up and goes on a rant over how the princes should have fulfilled their duty as royals and remained in the capital to support their father and their people, and how the people will pay for their actions. He goes as far as to forbid Taikobou from taking them and is perfectly willing to use force. Leaving aside the fact that the two princes are defenselesss in Dakki's Deadly Decadent Court and will most certainly die if they return to Chouka, Shinkouhyou seemingly forgets that he himself lives in the palace as Dakki's guest, enjoying a luxurious lifestyle provided at the expense of the very people whom he rants about. So the princes aren't allowed to leave the people and must remain and face certain death for the sake of their title and the people's morale, but Shinkouhyou can go around enjoying luxury and aiding Dakki while she torments and starves the people at her whim.
- Not So Harmless: Shinkouhyou looks like a clown, but is one of the most powerful beings on the planet, as Taikoubou finds out.
- Shock and Awe - Taikoubou's first on the list is The Trickster Shinkohyou. Fitting his trickster type, Shinkohyou's Raikouben is styled as an ice cream with long ribbons. Taikoubou learned the hard way not to challenge someone that can wield a super paopei.
- The Trickster: He nudges the forces at play in one direction or the other, but doesn't seem to have an agenda. He just wants to be entertained.
Chuuoh
The Emperor of the Yin dynasty, Chuuoh was originally a well-liked leader who cared about his people's welfare and did his best to fulfill his role. All this changed when an evil fox spirit infiltrated the palace and bewitched him with the aid of her temptation spell, turning him into a puppet and urging him to spend his time indulging in parties and idleness. In the beginning of the story, Chuuoh seems to be in a trance most of the time, having only a few lucid moments, while his entire world unravels around him.
- Arranged Marriage: At least one of his wives, the sister of Kou Hikou, was this.
- The Alcoholic: Spends a lot of his time drinking and partying.
- Berserk Button: Harming or insulting Dakki is his trigger.
- Bishounen: He is an attractive man, and Dakki's magic preserves his good looks well beyond his age.
- Body Horror: Dakki morphs him into a monster in both the manga and the anime. The process is never shown directly, but is implied to have been painful and traumatic.
- The Caligula: Not by himself, but under Dakki's influence he is a tyrant who will sink to every depths imaginable.
- Chivalrous Pervert - He was this until Dakki got to him and turned him into a lust crazed tyrant. Somewhat arguable though, because he had shades of I Have You Now, My Pretty even before Dakki got her hands on him. So Go, Dakki's father, laments his ruthlessness when it comes to acquiring new women for his harem. After hearing that So Go has a very beautiful daughter, Chuuoh threatened to make his country suffer unless he brought her to become his concubine.
- Face Death with Dignity: Emperor Chuuou does this no less than three times after he becomes free of Daki's influence. When a desperate woman wants to exact revenge upon him for the pain his disastrous rule has caused her and her family by killing him, he calmly accepts this. However, when the knife wound does not kill him, he realizes that he cannot die easily, so he returns to his palace where he duels Kou Tenka. Chuuou is severely wounded in the battle and accepts his defeat with dignity, instructing Tenka to cut off his head and end the Yin dynasty. Tenka changes his mind and refuses to deal the final blow, leaving everything to Taikobou. Finally, Ki Hatsu arrives to execute Chuuou and the Emperor acts no different than the last two times he thought he will die.
- Fatal Flaw: Lust. His fondness for women made him particularly vulnerable to Dakki's temptation spell.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Was jealous of Ki Hakuyuukou because Dakki led him into believing that she was interested in him and that her interest was reciprocated.
- Puppet Emperor: A tragical example. He is completely powerless in the face of Dakki and ends up losing his family, his country and his life as a result.
- Simple Staff: Likes to train with these.
- Stockholm Syndrome: Arguably. After Dakki's temptation spell wears off, he claims that although nobody would believe him, he still loves her, and she is the last thing he thinks of before being executed by Ki Hatsu.
- Too Dumb to Live: Has some... questionable moments during the manga. He is willing to hop on onto Suupuushan, the spirit beast of his palace musician (without questioning how his simple palace musician ever got a spirit beast) in order to be taken to a nearby village, alone, just so he could attend a supposed feast with many beautiful women. Taikobou's laughable kidnapping plan would have nearly worked if it wasn't for Dakki. Additionally, when Bunchuu returns to Chouka and finds out that the evil fox spirit has returned, he calmly exposes her true nature to Chuuoh. On her part, a smiling but defiant Dakki simply denies this. Not only does Chuuoh believe Dakki over Bunchuu,the protector of the Yin for generations, but when Bunchuu becomes angry as a result and attacks them both, Chuuoh can clearly see Dakki stopping the Kinben's attack, proving that she was a sennyo. The temptation spell is very powerful, but it can only excuse so much.
Kyouhi
The legal wife of Emperor Chuuoh, mother of his two sons and daughter of the King of the East, Kyouhi is a great beauty and a kind hearted woman. Unfortunately, her life changed for the worse with Dakki's arrival, and she started sinking more and more into depression as she saw her husband and her country degenerating out of control. In spite of this, she remained true to her husband and her role of Empress until the end.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the novel, Kyouhi was far more active and courageous in standing up to Dakki than in any other adaptation: she publicly defied Dakki by not applauding at the end of the concubine's lewd dance, and later she verbally tore her to shreds during the monthly meeting of all concubines with the empress. The best part was that being a concubine of low rank, Dakki did not have the right to address the empress, so she just had to sit there and take it. Later, when Kyouhi was accused of treason and brutally tortured, she withstood that and maintained her innocence even after having her hands burned and an eye gouged out. In the manga, she becomes depressed after Dakki's arrival and laments her weakness to her young son. She ends up killing herself off-screen.
- Compared to the manga, Kyouhi gets an Adaptational Badass in the 1999 anime, as she actively tries to prevent Dakki's plan to have the Emperor seize Kou Hikou's wife and gives a sublime The Reason You Suck speech to her husband.
- 100% Adoration Rating: In the anime, Kou Hikou mentions that the people love Kyouhi very much and asks Chuuoh to take that into consideration before subjecting his wife to the humiliation of an imprisonment. Dakki being involved, it doesn't work.
- Betty and Veronica: She is the Betty to Dakki's Veronica. She loses because of Dakki's supernatural influence on Chuuoh.
- Doting Parent: Loves her sons dearly.
- Driven to Suicide: In the manga, her imprisonment is implied to have been what pushed her over the edge - if it was indeed suicide and not murder by one of Dakki's henchmen. In the anime, she is lured into a trap by Dakki and given a magic dagger which stuck to her hand, making it seem like she was plotting to kill the Emperor out of jealousy. This left her no choice but to commit suicide to clear her name.
- Everything's Better with Princesses: Subverted. Before marrying and becoming empress, she used to be the princess of the Eastern Kingdom. While she does very well in the beginning, building a happy marriage and giving birth to two heirs, Dakki's arrival strips her of her title and destroys everything.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: In the anime, she wears a purple dress in one of the flashbacks.
- The High Queen: Kind, gentle and dignified, Kyouhi was very beloved and respected by the people.
- Hair Decorations: Wears a flower petal hairband in the manga.
- Hand-Hiding Sleeves: Her long kimono sleeves qualify.
- Hot Consort: Before Dakki, her husband considered her the most beautiful woman in all of China.
- Humiliation Conga: Her happy marriage is ruined by Dakki and her legitimate title of Empress is taken away from her for no reason (and given to a horrible woman), leaving her depressed, increasingly isolated and fearing for her children's lives. Then, her father is murdered for speaking out against Chuuoh and Dakki's abuses, and she is considered a traitor by default and thrown into prison. Knowing that there would be no way out, she kills herself.
- Limited Wardrobe: She always wears the same kimono, earrings and hairband, even in flashbacks. In the anime, she wears the same dress in a flashback, only in a different color.
- Mama Bear: Like many humans in the palace, her position is fragile and she has limited powers over what she can do to protect her sons, but the impulse is clearly there, and it's what ultimately dooms her in the anime. When she hears that Dakki has sent her sisters to essentially kidnap her children, she rushes forward to beg her husband to leave them be, forgetting that she still held Dakki's magical knife in her hand. The Emperor is led to believe that she was trying to kill him, and Kyouhi has no way out but suicide.
- Proper Lady: In conduct and in character.
- Rapunzel Hair: If she let her hair down, it would probably reach her ankles.
- “The Reason You Suck” Speech: In the anime, she delivers a cutting one to her husband before committing suicide.
- Sudden Name Change: Halfway through the manga, her name changes to Kyoushi.
- Take Care of the Kids: In the anime, she asks Kou Hikou to take care of her sons right before she kills herself.
Yin Chao
The oldest son of Emperor Chuuoh and Empress Kyouhi, Yin Chao was told from a young age that he represents the future of the Yin dynasty and that he will surpass his father and become a great ruler. His once bright and promising future darkened with Dakki's arrival, as he witnessed his father turning into a tyrant, his mother falling into a deep depression and his country descending more and more into chaos and disgrace. This marked the young boy deeply, and his biggest wish was to grow up faster so that he could protect his mother and brother and restore his country to what it was before.
- Bishōnen: Just like his father.
- Break the Cutie: As a result of Dakki turning his father into a puppet emperor and driving his mother to kill herself, Yin Chao's life was thrown into turmoil.
- Fatal Flaw: His inability to accept that the Yin dynasty cannot continue ruling China because it has lost the people's trust. It's understandable, since he has grown up with the idea that he will be the next emperor and it's the only path in life he feels he can follow.
- Go Out with a Smile: He dies without any regrets, feeling that he has fought as hard as he could for the Yin.
- Missing Mom: His mother was unjustly imprisoned and committed suicide in her cell. He was very close to her, and her death had a profound impact on him.
- Noble Fugitive: He escapes from the capital together with his brother, and takes refuge in the sennin world.
- Parental Substitute: Kou Hikou seems to be this for him and his brother, to some extent.
- Put on a Bus: After he leaves with his brother to the sennin world. They come back a few years later.
- Sibling Team: With his brother Yin Hon, after they return from the sennin world.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Crown prince Yin Chao looks very much like his father, Chuuoh.
- Rightful King Returns: He attempts this, but it ends in tragedy as he is unable to accept the reality that his country does not want a Yin emperor anymore.
- Took a Level in Badass: Due to the training he received in the sennin world.
Yin Hon
The second prince of the Yin dynasty and Yin Chao's younger brother. In the manga, Yin Hon was very young when Dakki arrived, and thus does not remember anything about the life without the sennyo's influence, nor does he have the same sense of purpose that his sibling has. After the traumatic events following his escape from the capital, he takes refuge in the sennin world together with his brother. He is a pacifist and unlike Yin Chao, does not insist on seeing his dynasty remain in power. His biggest wish is to free his father from Dakki's evil grasp. He is accidentally killed by his own brother after shielding Taikobou with his own body.
In the anime, he clearly remembers the first time he saw Dakki, and hates her for destroying his family. He travels to the capital in order to help Taikobou defeat her, but is mortally wounded in an explosion caused by Dakki and dies together with his father.
- Cheerful Child: In contrast to his brother, whose trauma and responsibilities have made him somber and serious.
- Children Are Innocent: Especially in the manga, where he is naive and idealistic and does not think about the long term future.
- Child Soldier: Becomes this of his own accord, as a way to protect himself and to fight against Dakki.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He dies protecting Taikobou from his brother's paopei.
- It's Personal: His justified hatred of Dakki.
- Put on a Bus: After he leaves with his brother to the sennin world. They come back a few years later.
- Rapunzel Hair: Inherited from his mother.
- Strong Family Resemblance: He looks a lot like his mother, Kyouhi.
- Took a Level in Badass: Due to the training he received in the sennin world.
Bunchuu
Bunchuu is the strategist and minister of the Yin dynasty, and has been filling in these roles for the past three hundred years. His connections to the Yin run deep, as he has personal reasons to protect it: all emperors are descended from an old friend (whom he might have been in love with): the bright and vivacious Shuushi, to whom he promised that he would protect her young son and subsequent heirs. He has acted as a mentor towards every emperor and has been keeping them in line and making sure they fulfill their role under his guidance, regardless of their natural abilities.
Unfortunately, his loyalty prevents him from accepting the fact that the damage done by Dakki is irreparable this time, and his exceptional skills and strength prove to be an important obstacle in the path of Taikobou and company. Before Kou Hikou left the Yin, he had enjoyed a close friendship with Bunchuu, and it is his death that finally convinces Bunchuu that nothing can ever be the same again.
- The Ace: Shinkhoyou may hold the spot as the top Sennin, but Bunchu isn’t far behind. In the war between Kingo and Kunlun, Bunchu emerges after all of Kingo’s elites have been defeated, and proceeds to turn the tide of the conflict all on his own.
- Badass Cape: Wears a large black one which flares out into a resemblance of wings, and is visually compared to the wings of a bat at one point.
- Badass Normal: Bunchuu is an interesting example. He is extremely powerful and almost impossible to kill, but unlike the other sennins, he was not born with sennin bones. So everything that he has achieved, he has achieved without the advantage of a superior body.
- Badass Teacher: He is an extremely wise and powerful immortal who has trained and mentored almost every emperor of the Yin.
- Berserk Button: If you are the emperor of the Yin, do not cross him. He even notes that all the emperors he had mentored were afraid of him and never went against his will.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Although by that point, it's hard to imagine anything could kill him except himself.
- The Chessmaster: He has three hundred years' worth of experience and allies in running an empire, so it is expected.
- Cool Mask: Wears one over his left eye.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Dishes these out left, right, and center. No matter how much time passes, no matter how many levels of badass the heroes take, the moment Bunchu takes the field, he pretty much wrecks everyone on the opposing side, and his appearance is always an Oh, Crap! moment for the opposition.
- Death Glare: Likes to throw these to whoever annoys him.
- Determinator: He will defend the Yin regardless of the circumstances.
- The Dreaded: He is this for the enemies of Yin, and for the Yin emperors themselves. Chuuoh is terrified of him. While Bunchuu is not abusive, he makes sure that the emperors do not cross the line with him.
- Driven to Suicide: Once he realizes that the Yin dynasty, his reason for living, can no longer be rescued, his spirit is effectively broken. He still does not go down without a fight, though.
- Establishing Character Moment: He arrives in Chouka before his expected arrival, casually breaks protocol and visits his best friend first, strides into the palace and tries to break Dakki's spell on Chuuoh and attacks both of them when it does not work, giving Chuuoh some serious heart palpitations. Then he quickly proceeds to take down Dakki's torture devices and feed the starving populace.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Of the Tranquil Fury version.
- Heartbroken Badass: In the manga, two moments affect him the most: the deaths of Shuushi and Kou Hikou. In the anime, it's the deaths of Chuuoh and his son that break his heart and drive him to attack Dakki with all his might.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Hikou, his best friend.
- Hope Spot: His return to Chouka initiates one, as the emperor begins to feel more like himself and Bunchuu works hard to undo the damage caused by Dakki.
- Implacable Man: After a long, drawn out conflict between Kingo and Kunlun, where all the Juutenkun have finally been defeated, Bunchu emerges to fight himself. Confronted with the Twelve Elite Sennin of Kunlun combining their strength to fight him...he proceeds to waste nearly all of them on his own, with many of their strongest attacks barely even seeming to inconvenience him.
- Not So Different: From Dakki, which is lampshaded within the story. They both interfere in the human world, but whereas Dakki means to destroy the Yin dynasty by controlling the emperor, Bunchuu wishes to artificially preserve it by doing the same. They are both using their power, experience and allies to influence the fate of the Yin.
- The similarities run even deeper: both were interested in training and becoming more powerful and both ended up feeling empty and directionless: Bunchuu after Shuushi's marriage and Dakki after leaving the sennin world. They both found purpose in preserving something - the Yin dynasty for Bunchuu and the world for Dakki.
- The One That Got Away: Shuushi is this for him.
- Limited Wardrobe: He had different clothes as a young man, but the Bunchuu we see for the most of the manga wears the same clothes all the time.
- The Lost Lenore: Shuushi is this for Bunchuu. It is strongly implied that he was in love with her and her death affected him deeply and led to him becoming the Yin's strongest and most loyal protector.
- Man Behind the Man: The steady compass behind all Yin emperors for the past 300 years. When he arrives in the capital, every command of his is obeyed without discussion.
- Papa Wolf: Bunchuu regards the Yin dynasty as his child and will do anything to protect it.
- Perpetual Frowner: He is a very serious man, and rarely smiles.
- Pride: His biggest flaw, and what contributes to the end of the Yin dynasty. Bunchuu is so firm in his belief that he has everything under control and that he can set things right no matter how bad the situation has become that he completely underestimates Dakki and the damage she caused to the dynasty. When it becomes obvious that it is too late to save the Yin, he obstinately clings to his ideal, refusing to face the facts.
- Simple, yet Awesome: The Kinben, while one of the seven Super-Paopei, is ultimately just a whip. Admittedly, it’s a whip with a range of several miles that can shatter mountains with a single hit. But it doesn’t have any of the flashy special abilities of so many other Paopei.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the anime, he survives and heads off into the unknown after exacting revenge on Dakki.
- Stern Teacher: He is shown to have been this, and all emperors felt a mixture of fear and respect towards him. Although that teaching style fit his personality, Bunchuu also considered that a necessity, in order to prevent an emperor from getting out of hand.
- Third Eye: Has a third eye in the middle of his forehead, although he keeps it closed most of the time.
- Unlucky Childhood Friend: If his feelings are interpreted in a romantic way, he is this for Shuushi.
- Underestimating Badassery: Due to his past success in defeating her, Bunchuu is confident he can remove Dakki from Chouka. Even when it becomes obvious that she is much more powerful than before, he does not panic and remains convinced that he can banish her, choosing to focus on neutralizing Kou Hikou instead. It has disastrous consequences for him and for the dynasty.
- Undying Loyalty: For the Yin dynasty.
- Young and in Charge: He was made general of the Yin army at only sixteen.
- Whip It Good - Bunchuu has the Paopei Kinben, an Infinity Plus One Whip, which is one of the strongest paopei in the entire world.
Shuushi
A spirited and vivacious young warrior woman, Shuushi used to be Bunchuu's training partner back when they were both teenagers. Bunchuu believed that they would always be each other's eternal rival. Later, when he returned from his training in the Kingo Islands, he found out that Shuushi wanted to marry the emperor of the Yin, whose empress could not give him any children. Young Bunchuu was disappointed but he didn't show it, and he swore his allegiance to the Yin. After Shuushi gave birth to a son, Bunchuu expressed his desire to go to the Kingo Islands and become a sennin. Shuushi and the emperor agreed, and Shuushi made Bunchuu promise to teach her son everything he knew once he returned from his sennin training. Ten years later, the Yin was attacked by the Kyou and Shuushi lost her husband and was gravely injured in the attack. When Bunchuu heard of the news that the Yin was under attack, he immediately rushed back just in time to see Shuushi one last time and to promise her that he'll take care of her child and create a new, more powerful Yin dynasty.
- Badass Normal: At only twenty years old, she was made general of the Yin army.
- Career Versus Man: When she tells Bunchuu that she has decided to marry the emperor of the Yin, Bunchuu believes that she will never use a weapon again, but she corrects him immediately, telling him that becoming an empress means she can fight to protect the Yin alongside her husband. In the end, she dies on the battle field.
- Famous Ancestor: Averted. Only Bunchuu seems to talk about her.
- Friendly Rivalry: She had one with Bunchuu, but their paths split when she decided to marry the Emperor.
- Last Request: She asks Bunchuu to take care of her child and to strengthen the Yin. And by God, he does.
- The Lost Lenore: She is this for Bunchuu. She had a powerful influence on his life, and her death broke his heart. Bunchuu cares so much about the Yin because every emperor is Shuushi's descendant.
- Posthumous Character: Long dead before the start of the series.
- Rapunzel Hair: Her long pigtails reach almost to her heels.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She only appears in a few scenes, but her influence is the single driving force behind Bunchuu's desire to protect the Yin dynasty at all costs. Protecting Shuushi's child and her descendants becomes a new life goal for Bunchuu, who before then was feeling lost and directionless.
- Young and in Charge: General of the Yin army at twenty.
Chou Kei
Chou Kei is Bunchuu's loyal servant and one of the people who idolize and respect him the most. Young and naive at the start of the story, Chou Kei experiences a life crisis after Bunchuu's death and becomes determined to take revenge on Taikobou, stopping only when Taikobou takes him to the Houshindai to speak with Bunchuu's spirit. Afterwards, Chou Kei made surpassing Bunchuu his new goal, and trained very hard to be able to use the Kinben. He eventually marries a beautiful Kingo sennyo by the name of Kou Ran-Ei.
- Battle Couple: With his wife.
- Character Development: Goes from a blind worshipper of Bunchuu to a man actively working to better himself and be his own person instead of copying others.
- Cycle of Revenge: He wanted to start this after Bunchuu's death, but stopped going down that path once Taikobou took him to visit the Houshindai.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: He sports a new hairstyle and a Nice Hat when he returns from his training.
- Fourth Date Marriage: He married Kou Ran-Ei after training in the Kingo Islands for only three months.
- Happily Married: To a glamorous-looking Kingo doushi by the name of Kou Ran-Ei.
- Hero Worship: Absolutely worships Bunchuu, and he is so awed by the man's intelligence, character and strength that he is blind to his faults. He later learns to be his own person and grows into a pretty cool guy in his own right.
- Took a Level in Badass: By the end of the series, he surpasses Bunchuu in every single way.
Chou Kei Hou
A Kingo doushi and one of the soldiers originally guarding Seiryuukan pass under Bunchuu's orders. Chou Kei Hou was dismayed when Kou Hikou left the Yin and saw him as a traitor. He was sent together with his partner Fuurin to stop Kou Hikou and his family from joining the Shou dynasty. He has achieved fame in the human world thanks to his special paopei, which is capable of making people freeze in place. He is the leader of the duo.
- Clean Cut: What he gets from Kou Tenka after concentrating too much on Nataku.
- Elite Mook: A doushi placed by Bunchuu in Seiryuukan pass to strengthen the Yin dynasty's hold over it. He achieved fame thanks to his highly effective paopei, and would have defeated Taikobou and company if it weren't for Nataku.
- Logical Weakness: His paopei has two: he needs to know the victim's name and he must make himself heard by his target. The former is even lampshaded by Taikobou, when he gives him a stupid sounding name and dissolves into laughter when Chou Kei Hou shouts it aloud.
- Those Two Guys: With Fuurin.
- Undying Loyalty: To Bunchuu.
Fuurin
Chou Kei Hou's partner and a doushi of Kingo, he is ordered by Bunchuu to leave Seiryuukan pass, which he had been guarding, stop Kou Hikou and his family from joining the Shou dynasty. He has achieved fame in the human world thanks to his special paopei, which is capable of trapping people in small orbs. His paopei works best in combination with his partner's, as Chou Kei Hou makes enemies stop and allows Fuurin to capture them in his orbs.
- Elite Mook: A doushi placed by Bunchuu in Seiryuukan pass to strengthen the Yin dynasty's hold over it. He achieved fame thanks to his highly effective paopei, and would have defeated Taikobou and company if it weren't for Nataku.
- The Stoic: He prefers to let his partner Chou Kei Hou do the talking.
- Those Two Guys: With Chou Kei Hou.
- Undying Loyalty: To Bunchuu. He even apologizes to him when he knows he has seconds to live.
Tou Kyuukou
A loyal retainer of the Yin and father to Sengyoku, Kyuukou was sent by Bunchuu to deal with Taikobou and his companions. When his daughter falls for Doukouson, a doushi from Konron and ally of Taikobou, Kyuukou has no choice but to switch sides as well. He is always traveling with Ryushoku, a cute-looking but deadly youkai sennin.
- Doting Parent: He loves his daughter and would do anything for her, including betraying the Yin dynasty. He even takes his time to explain Sengyoku's story and personality to Doukouson, hoping that he will understand her better.
- Heel–Face Turn: Once his daughter joins Taikobou's side, he takes a few days to do some soul searching and finally relents.
- Honor Before Reason: At first, he blindly believes what he is told by Bunchuu and refuses to see reason, but once Sengyoku switches sides, he takes time to consider the situation and eventually joins his daughter in supporting the rebellion.
The Shisei are a group of four powerful Kingo doushi famous for helping Bunchuu banish Dakki and her sisters from the imperial palace of Chouka about half a century before the start of the story. Their most remarkable trait ist their absolute loyalty to Bunchuu, and upon being summoned, they leave their home island of Kuryu and join the fight against Taikobou.
Ouma
The leader of the Shisei and the wielder of an explosive paopei, Kaitenjyu.
- Bare Your Midriff: While otherwise covered from head to toe, his abdomen is bare.
- Blood Knight: Wants to invade Seiki partly because he believes it will help Bunchuu, but also because it will allow him to be destructive.
- Glory Seeker: Wants to kill Youzen in order to become even more famous.
- Having a Blast: His paopei comprises of several explosive orbs which he can control at will and which also give him the ability to fly.
- Honor Before Reason: Youzen offers to let him live if he stopped fighting, but Ouma refuses every time, even after he has lost an arm because he cannot stand the thought of disappointing Bunchuu.
- Military Maverick: He receives specific instructions from Bunchuu to kill Kou Hikou before he reaches Seiki, but decides to invade Seiki as well for good measure, believing that it's the right thing for Bunchuu and the Yin. Bunchuu is shocked when Shinkohyou tells him about that. Fortunately, Ouma is stopped by Youzen before he can cause too much damage.
- Undying Loyalty: Deeply devoted to Bunchuu, to the point where he reasons that killing Youzen would have as chief benefit making Bunchuu more famous, as his name is linked to the Shisei's. It's clear that Bunchuu is the person he respects the most.
Kouryuuken
The first member of the Shisei who faces Taikobou in battle, Kouryuuken wields Kongenjyu, a large, pearl-like orb capable of summoning and controlling water. He can create tidal waves and water barriers, make weapons out of water and drown his opponents by throwing a blob of salt water on their heads.
- Blood Knight: Outright states how much he enjoys fighting Taikobou, and praises his own paopei and its destructive power.
- Butt-Monkey: His fight with Taikobou is noted by all witnesses to be absolutely ridiculous, as he is humiliated by having his water converted into sake and being thrown into the lake of sake by Taikobou, whereupon he gets drunk because he has a low alcohol tolerance. It goes downhill for him from there.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: He says he is not a good drinker as Taikobou plunges with him in a sea of sake during their duel.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Wears his Rapunzel Hair unbound and his eyelashes are drawn as long as Dakki's, giving him a particularly effeminate appearance.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While morally ambiguous rather than evil, he cares about his fellow Shisei and rushes to Youshin's side once he has been injured by Kou Tenka, angrily stating that he will never forgive him for this.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Shouts at Youshin that he shouldn't harm normal people when his comrade accidentally comes close to hurting Kou Hikou's family. He admits that he did it as well, though.
- Facial Markings: Two dots on his forehead.
- Honor Before Reason: Taikobou offers to join forces in defeating Dakki, but Kouryuuken refuses, saying that Bunchuu's orders are more important to them.
- Licking the Blade: He licks his paopei in the beginning of his battle with Taikobou.
- Making a Splash: His paopei is a large orb which gives him the power to summon and control water.
Rikouha
The youngest-looking member of the team, Rikouha is always seen sitting on his floating orb paopei Bankoujyu. The paopei allow him to shoot laser beams at his opponents and to move out of the way of any upcoming attacks.
- Facial Markings: Has four dots on his forehead.
- Fragile Speedster: To be more precise, his paopei moves very fast and keeps him out of harm's way, but if you somehow manage to get behind him, he's defenseless. Nataku easily picks him up off his paopei as if he were a child.
- Pintsized Powerhouse: He is quite short, but can be deadly thanks to his paopei.
- Oh, Crap!: What he says when Nataku takes him by surprise and grabs him off his paopei.
- Samurai Ponytail: The way he cuts and wears his hair is reminiscent of this.
Youshin
The fourth member of the Shisei, he has an orb-like paopei embedded in his hand which allows him to control earth and to heal his allies.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Has an earth-based paopei.
- Elemental Rock–Paper–Scissors: His earth-based paopei does not fare well against Kou Tenka's fire-based Karyuuhou.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Although not evil per se, he is an antagonist, and he is dismayed when Kou Hikou's family gets caught in an attack caused by his earth paopei. He even apologizes by way of saying that his paopei is designed to be used against armies, and can be difficult to focus it on one target alone.
- Healing Hands: He can restore the energy of his allies, which makes him a prime target for Kou Tenka.
- The Quiet One: The least talkative and dramatic of the group.
Kou Kon
The father of Kou Hikou, Kou Hihyou, Kou Hihyuu and Koushi. He has a long history of working in the Yin dynasty's military and is currently the commanding officer at the Kaihaikan waypoint. He gets nearly killed when Kou Hikou leaves the service of the Yin, but is rescued by his grandson Kou Tenka and joins the rest of the Kou clan in supporting the Shou dynasty.
- Badass Grandpa: A literal example, as he is the grandfather of Kou Tenka and Tenshou. He is 70 years old and still plays an active role in supporting the Shou dynasty against the Yin and is present on the battlefield.
- Badass Mustache
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: Him wearing one appears to have inspired his son, daughter and grandson to use one as well.
- Big Ol' Eyebrows
- Face Death with Dignity: As a captive, he tells his son not to worry about him and continue down his path. Kou Hikou can't bring himself to sacrifice his father, and he is rescued by Kou Tenka.
- Parents in Distress: He is held captive by Dakki's underlings when Hikou attempts to leave the Yin, but he is subsequently freed.
Kou Hikou
A natural-born doushi, Kou Hikou is the general of the Yin army and head of the large Kou clan. He is married to one of China's most beautiful women and has four sons, three siblings and four sworn brothers. He is also Bunchuu's best and only friend, and the kind of man who inspires friendship and loyalty wherever he goes. In spite of his rough exterior and outward lack of manners, Kou Hikou is courageous, loyal, compassionate, devoted to his loved ones and has a phenomenal will, being able to resist Dakki's Temptation spell on his own. His soldiers worship him, his family looks up to him and he is the only other person other than Bunchuu whom the Emperor regards as a friend.
After Dakki's arrival, Hikou tried very hard to keep the dynasty on a steady path, and was increasingly worried about Dakki's excesses and unnerving behavior. However, after his wife and sister commit suicide because of Dakki and Chuuoh, Hikou realizes that the Yin dynasty cannot be saved anymore, and joined Taikoubou to create a new dynasty. This put him at odds with Bunchuu, and their struggle played an important role in the story.
- Badass Cape: Wears a white one, which makes him look even bigger than he already is.
- Badass Teacher: Towards Kou Tenka and Kou Tensho, at least. He was delighted that his sons showed fighting spirit and enjoyed training with them.
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: Wears a white one, and is probably the one who inspired his son Tenka to wear one as well.
- The Big Guy: He is very tall and well-built, and extremely effective in combat.
- Boisterous Bruiser: He will break your bones, and he won't be subtle about it.
- Doting Parent: Together with Kashi. They are probably the best parents in the series.
- A Father to His Men: Cares deeply about his soldiers, and tried to keep them away from Dakki's influence by moving their camp outside the palace.
- Fighting Your Friend: He leaves the Yin and supports a rival dynasty, which brings him face to face with Bunchuu on the battlefield.
- Happily Married: To Kashi. She becomes The Lost Lenore for him when she dies in the beginning of the story, and the mere sight of her face in an illusion is enough to stop him dead in his tracks, and the effect is so powerful that he spares the talking sword who created the illusion so it could try and kill him simply because he got to see her face again.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Bunchuu.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He is almost twice as tall as his wife.
- Parents in Distress: His father is held captive by Dakki's underlings when Hikou attempts to leave the Yin, but he is subsequently freed.
- The Patriarch: Although his father is still alive, Kou Hikou is the one in charge of the Kou clan.
- Foil: To Bunchuu. They both start out as loyal to the Yin, but while Hikou suffers through a personal tragedy and realizes that the Yin cannot be saved anymore, Bunchuu obstinately clings on to his idea that the Yin must prevail at any cost. They are also opposites in terms of personality: Bunchuu is cold, calculated and more diplomatic, with outbursts of Tranquil Fury, while Hikou is loud, informal, less refined and generally more hot-headed, but able to put the welfare of others above anything and see the big picture. Their differences are also underlined by their capes: Hikou has a white one while Bunchuu's is not only black, but it flares out in a manner resembling sinister wings, and is visually compared to a bat.
- Nice Guy: He is one of the most admired and well-liked characters. Most of those who come into contact with him appreciate his kindness, courage, unbreakable spirit, optimism, loyalty and sense of humour.
- Take Me Instead: When his father is held captive, Kou Hikou offers his life in exchange, because he cannot stand to lose another family member. Luckily, Kou Tenka enters the picture.
Kashi
The beloved wife of Kou Hikou and mother of his children, Kashi is a woman of renowed beauty. A minor character in the manga, her role is expanded upon in the anime, where she tries to negotiate with Dakki the release of Empress Kyouhi, all the while taking care of the two crown princes of the Yin. In both instances, she is forced to commit suicide because Chuuoh violates the rite between an emperor and his vassals, which state that he must not see the faces of his vassals' wives. He corners Kashi and, upon seeing her spectacular beauty, decides to keep her in his harem, forcing her to jump from the tower they were in.
- 100% Adoration Rating: She enjoys a happy marriage with Kou Hikou, her children love her, her sister-in-law Koushi adores her, her husband's honorary brothers all like her and Emperor Chuuoh is awed by her loyalty to her husband. Even Dakki's sister Kibi thinks that her death was a tragedy.
- Driven to Suicide: Kashi was deeply in love with her husband and chose death rather than being forced become the concubine of the emperor.
- Giant Waist Ribbon: Especially in the anime.
- Gory Discretion Shot: When Kashi jumps from the tower, we see her blood splatter on the ground.
- Graceful Ladies Like Purple: Kashi wears violet and purple clothing in both the anime and the manga incarnations.
- I Surrender, Suckers: When Chuuou is blackmailing Kashi, threatening to punish her husband if she refuses to join his harem, Kashi formally agrees to become his concubine... and promptly flings herself out the window.
- Limited Wardrobe: Always wears the same kimono, even in flashbacks.
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Kashi is a renowed beauty. Unfortunately, her stunning good looks are used by Dakki to tempt the Emperor into breaking an old custom and looking at her face. After gazing upon her beauty, the Emperor decides to keep Kashi for himself, which leads to her jumping to her death.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Kashi is the Girly Girl to Koushi's tomboy.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: She has long, dark hair with full bangs, is of medium height and wears something similar to a kimono. Lady-like and feminine, Kashi is very loyal to her husband and would rather die than be taken away from him by the Emperor. In the anime, she is shown to be very protective of the two Yin princes and willing to stand up to Dakki.
- Undying Loyalty: Towards her husband, whom she loves deeply. She would rather die than betray him, as proven later in the story.
Koushi
Kou Hikou's tomboyish younger sister and one of Emperor Chuuoh's many concubines, Koushi is locked away in the imperial harem, and is deeply worried about the state of affairs surrounding the palace. She has a close relationship with her sister-in-law Kashi, who visits her ever year and is her only contact to her family, as men are not allowed in the harem. After Kashi is forced to commit suicide because of Dakki and Chuuoh, Koushi has a mental breakdown and, unable to stand being used as a bargaining chip anymore, jumps to her death. Her death severs Kou Hikou's ties to the Yin dynasty, and he and his family leave the capital.
- Arranged Marriage: To Chuuoh, in order to tighten the bonds between her clan and the dynasty.
- Defiant to the End: In the anime, when she realizes that Dakki and Chuuoh plan to hold her as a hostage to keep her brother from retaliating against them for Kashi's death, she defiantly tells both of her would-be captors that things will not go down this way. And then commits suicide.
- Driven to Suicide: The anxious state in which she had been living as a virtual prisoner of Dakki reaches a climax when her sister-in-law is forced to commit suicide because of Chuuoh and Dakki. Distraught, Koushi breaks down and plunges to her death.
- Go Out with a Smile: In the anime.
- Hostage Situation: Koushi married the emperor to strengthen the ties between the Kou clan and the Yin, but after Dakki's arrival, she became a hostage and was constantly worried about the unfolding events.
- Gilded Cage: In the manga, she lives in the imperial palace, but is not allowed to see any men (including her brother) and is used as a hostage by Dakki to keep Kou Hikou in check. By the time she appears in the manga, this has taken a toll on her.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Kashi's Girly Girl.
Kou Tenroku and Kou Tenshaku
Kou Hikou's first and third sons and minor characters in the story. Unlike their brothers Tenka and Tenshou, Tenroku and Tenshaku are not natural born doushi and do not play an important role in the unfolding events. After their mother and aunt commit suicide, they leave the capital together with their family, and it is possible that they fought in the war against the Yin.
- Adapted Out: They were taken out of both anime adaptations because they do not play any role in the story.
- Missing Mom: Early in the story, they lose their mother Kashi when she commits suicide after falling in Dakki's trap. To make matters even worse, they also end up losing their father, as well.
- Nice Hat: Tenshaku is never seen without his.
- Normal People: Their father and brothers are natural born doushis and badasses, but they are normal humans who are mentioned only twice, in passing, and play no role in the story.
- Put on a Bus: They disappear from the story shortly after their introduction.
- Satellite Characters: Towards Kou Hikou, their father.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Tenshaku looks very much like his mother Kashi.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Although their ultimate fate is unknown, it is implied that they survived the war and worked under the new dynasty.
Kou Tensho
The youngest son of Kou Hikou and Kashi, Tensho was born with the bones of a doushi, just like his father and brother, but did not undergo any training in the sennin world. He looks up to his father and brother Tenka and wishes he could help them more. He takes part in several battles in the sennin world, and is always lucky enough to come out unharmed out of any confrontation. After his parents, older brother and aunt die, he develops a fear of abandonment which ends up being soothed by Nataku of all people, with whom Tensho develops a friendship. Hearing that Tensho lost his mother strikes a chord in the normally indifferent Nataku and he assumes a protective role towards the boy.
- Badass Adorable: A very cute and cheerful child who inherited his father's bravery and endurance.
- Broken Bird: Originally a Cheerful Child, he is traumatized by the loss of his parents, older brother and aunt and develops a fear of abandonment. Luckily, his unlikely friendship with Nataku proves beneficial in that respect.
- Child Soldier: Willingly helps his father and brother in battles, taking full advantage of his special genetic makeup.
- Missing Mom: Although the entire Kou clan was affected by Kashi's death, Tensho was shown to be among the hardest struck by the tragedy, as he is still a boy.
- Morality Pet: He is Nataku's only friend (at least in the traditional sense of the word), and they can sometimes be seen playing together in the background.
- Tagalong Kid: He joins some of the battles during the great sennin war, but otherwise stays in the background.
- Weapon of Choice: The spear is his specialty. He is still a young boy and physically overshadowed by his enemies, and the spear allows him enough distance to overcome this disadvantage.
Kou Hihyuu and Kou Hihyou
Kou Hikou's younger brothers and minor characters in the story. After their sister and sister-in-law die because of Chuuoh, they leave the service of the Yin dynasty together with their clan and join the Shou dynasty.
- Adapted Out: As with Tenroku and Tenshaku, they were taken out of both anime adaptations because they do not play any role in the story.
- Fat and Skinny: Hihyuu is short and thin while Hihyou is tall and bulky.
- Put on a Bus: They disappear from the story shortly after their introduction.
- Satellite Characters: Towards Kou Hikou, their brother.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Although their ultimate fate is unknown, it is implied that they survived the war and worked under the new dynasty.
Go Ken, Ryuu Kan, Shuu Ki and Kou Mei
Kou Hikou's four honorary brothers, they initially resided together with him and his family, until the tragic deaths of Kashi and Koushi. Having been grateful for the kind treatment given to them by both women despite the fact that they were not related by blood, the four are shocked and enraged when they receive the news of their deaths and urge Kou Hikou to do something. After Hikou confronts the emperor, they leave the capital together with the rest of the Kou clan and support the Shou dynasty. They are all great fighters and play an important role in commanding the human battles between the Shou and the Yin when Yin Chao returned from the sennin world.
- Blood Brothers: With Kou Hikou.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Shuu Ki could be mistaken for a woman.
- Facial Markings: Ryuu Kan has two tear-shaped markings underneath his eyes.
- Fish out of Water: Once they arrive in Seiki, they complain a lot about how spicy the food is.
- Gonk: Go Ken.
- The Quiet One: Shuu Ki is shown to be the calmest and most collected of the four.
- Nice Hat: Ryuu Kan has one.
- Undying Loyalty: For Kou Hikou, although we never find out the story behind how they became blood brothers.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Although their ultimate fate is unknown, it is implied that they survived the war and worked under the new dynasty.
Ou Kijin
Dakki's youngest sworn sister, she is a Jade pipa youkai. Kijin has the unflattering distinction of being the weakest and most impulsive of Dakki's sisters, and this gets her reverted back to her original shape more than once. She uses a poisonous paopei called Shiju Hagoromo, woven from the silk of poison moths by Tsuuten Kyoshu himself.
- Bare Your Midriff: Her outfits follow the same pattern and always show her waist.
- Boyish Short Hair: She grows it a bit longer later in the manga.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Her love and loyalty for Dakki and Kou Kibi are unquestionable.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Kijin seems to be more mature and level headed than Kibi, but in the end, Kijin's overconfidence and her well-intended, but poorly executed attempts to aid Dakki end up getting her sister blackmailed, as she and Kibi are Dakki's only known weak points.
- Hot-Blooded: Is quick to get angry, make threats and acts impulsively, with disastrous results.
- Licking the Blade: A manga example: during the first confrontation between Taikobou and Oukijin, the latter licks the blade of her dagger.
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain - For being a sister of Dakki, Ou Kijin has the misfortune of being defeated by Taikoubou first, and after resurrected, getting blown apart again, this time by Nataku. She recovers in the end, though somewhat pissed off.
- It's Personal: She holds a serious grudge against Taikobou, because the defeat she experienced at his hands humiliated her deeply.
- Poisoned Weapons - Kijin has an affinity for poisoned weapons.
Kou Kibi
Dakki's other sworn sister, she is a childish and cheerful youkai who loves to play games.
- Alien Hair: Her hair is tinted green at the ends (red in the anime) and resembles feathers. It is a clue to her true nature, as her youkai form is that of a three headed bird.
- Beware the Silly Ones: Hurt this ditzy and childish youkai and she will make you age backwards until you disappear from existence.
- Dissonant Serenity: Her default mode.
- The Ditz: She's an unintelligent airhead with the emotional maturity of a child, despite being 3,000 years old.
- Dumb Blonde: Despite being more than a thousand years old and ridiculously powerful, Kibi's intellect is equal to a nine year old's. Even her older sister Dakki jokingly remarks that she is stupid.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Her love and loyalty for Dakki and Ou Kijin are unquestionable, and she seems to genuinely love Suupuushan as well.
- Genki Girl: Albeit one who only looks like a girl and is pretty much a psychopath to boot.
- Imagination-Based Superpower: Her shapeshifting power is based on her imagination, allowing her to transform into or do anything she can imagine; including warping herself away from reality.
- Karma Houdini: She's happy to watch people being burned to death and she's the one who helped Dakki make hamburgers out of Ki Shou's son - she never got as much as a slap on the wrist for it.
- Moral Myopia: Ko Kibi giving up her hagoromo in exchange for Suupuu's safety and saying "Life cannot be restored." This is the gal who watched with a smile on her face as men burned alive, celebrated the thought of going to war and gleefully helped Dakki make hamburgers out of Ki Shou's son.
- Not So Harmless: She appears to be the least threatening of Dakki's sisters, but in reality, she is a terrifyingly powerful youkai, as Taikobou found out.
- Say It with Hearts: Appropriately for her, she says it with stars.
- Villainous Crush: She is obsessed with Suupuushan and carries a doll resembling him everywhere she goes. Before that, she was obsessed with Kokutenko.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: She and Youzen are the only ones with this ability.
Chintou
A high-ranking youkai working under Dakki and hopelessly caught in her spell, Chintou is tasked with enslaving some peasants to build a party pagoda that Dakki wanted. He eventually crosses paths with Taikobou, who does his best to protect the villagers and ends up defeating him and claiming his paopei, Karyuuhou.
- Jerkass: Like most youkai, he does not care about humans and orders his soldiers to murder any villager who resists enslavement.
- The Law of Diminishing Defensive Effort: In the manga, he does not use armor. He only wears a vest and a bandana. Justified because he is much stronger than a regular human, so he does not feel the need to encumber himself with armor. In the anime however, he wears normal clothes and a helmet.
- Mook Lieutenant: One of the higher-ranked minions under Dakki's orders.
- Starter Villain: The first of Dakki's underlings that Taikobou faces off against.
- This Was His True Form: When Taikobou defeats him, he reverts back to his true form, that of a praying mantis. Taikobou then promptly crushes him, sending his soul to the Houshindai.
- Villainous Crush: On Dakki. Most of it is artificially induced by her paopei.
Houhitsu and Houson
Nicknamed the Stone Brothers, Houhitsu and Houson were two ore youkais trapped under Dakki's control. Originally sent to kidnap the two crown prices of the Yin, they cross paths with Taikobou and are defeated thanks to his wit. At the request of the two princes, Taikobou spares the brothers, who return to living a quiet, normal life free from Dakki's spell.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: They're actually not bad people, but they become this under the influence of Dakki's spell.
- Evil All Along: They reach the princes before Kou Hiko's men and trick them into believing that they are their official escort. Once they reach Rintoukan, they reveal their murderous intentions.
- Rock Monster: They are both rock youkais. The fact that they are not human plays an important role, as this doesn't register with Taikobou initially, making him reluctant to attack them.
- Sibling Team: They always work together.
Kouhei, Koso and Ryono
Three weak and despicable youkai working under Dakki, they were sent by her to prevent Kou Hikou and his family from leaving the capital. They attempt to gain the upper hand on him by taking his father hostage, but are quickly dispatched by Hikou and his son Tenka.
- Big, Thin, Short Trio: Kousei is thin, Koso is big and Ryono is short.
- Establishing Character Moment: Kouhei's first action on-screen is to casually murder the Commander of Rintoukan Pass.
- Facial Markings: Koso has large circles around his eyes while Ryono has markings under his eyes.
- Mooks: They are all disposable underlings for Dakki, who sends them there specifically to die.
Ki Shou
The old and wise King of the West, Ki Shou is an intelligent and kind-hearted man famous for having fathered ninety-nine sons. He is also the adoptive father of Raishinshi. Initially loyal to the Yin, he suffers a shock when he is summoned to the capital and unjustly imprisoned by Dakki. His loyalties change irrevocably when his beloved son Hakuyuukou is executed while trying to bargain for his father's freedom, made into pies by Dakki and Kou Kibi and fed to him. After he is allowed to leave Chouka, a heartbroken Ki Shou accepts Taikobou's help and rebels against the Yin, creating the Shou dynasty.
- Doting Parent: Is shown to love his children, and they love him in return.
- I'm a Humanitarian: A horrifying example. His favorite son is framed by Dakki and executed, and she chops him to pieces, cooks him into hamburgers and feeds him to his father. Poor Ki Shou is so traumatized by this experience that he has serious trouble ingesting food afterwards and eventually dies because of it.
- I Was Quite a Looker: I guess we know where Hakuyuukou got his looks from.
- The Good King: A wise, just and kind ruler and one of the most beloved figures of authority in the series.
- Like Father, Like Son: From what we see of Ki Hakuyuukou, he inherited not only his father's good looks, but also his personality and fondness for music. Ki Hatsu's love of women is reminiscent of his father's (the man did father ninety-nine children), and he grows into his role as leader of the Shou quite well after a while.
- Heartbroken Badass: He never recovers from the horrible death of his favorite son.
- 100% Adoration Rating: Is loved for his kindness, level-headedness, wisdom and sense of justice. He wins over Taikobou and his allies through these qualities, and his death is one of the saddest moments in the series.
- Parental Favoritism: His favorite son is Ki Hakuyuukou.
- Parental Substitute: He adopts Raishinshi after finding him abandoned in the woods as a baby. They get separated after Ki Shou agrees to send Raishinshi to the sennin world, but in their time spent together they formed a strong bond. Raishinshi's main goal in life is to make Ki Shou proud.
- Really Gets Around: Ninety-nine sons and (possibly) an unknown number of daughters.
Ki Hakuyuukou
The oldest son of Ki Shou, Hakuyuukou is a very handsome and intelligent young man who shares many of his father's personality traits. When his father was arrested by the Emperor, he ruled over the western provinces for years before deciding to travel to the capital and bargain with Chuuoh for his father's freedom.
- Bishounen: His attractiveness is mentioned numerous times in the story. Chuuoh even gets jealous when Dakki comments that Hakuyuukou is cute.
- The Dutiful Son: Travels to Chouka to bargain for his father's freedom once he finds out Ki Shou has been taken prisoner.
- Freudian Trio: The charismatic and intelligent Hakuyuukou is the Ego, with his strict and rigid brother Ki Tan being the Superego and his womanizing, immature brother Ki Hatsu being the Id.
- Parental Favoritism: He is clearly Ki Shou's favorite son.
- Parents in Distress: His father was invited to the capital and then imprisoned by Dakki. Hakuyuukou travels to Chouka with the family treasures to try and exchange them for his father's freedom. He falls into Dakki's trap, is executed and cooked into hamburgers, after which he is fed to his own father. The shock and horror prove to be too much for Ki Shou, who cannot eat proper food anymore and wastes away rapidly after his release.
- The Wise Prince: He is an intelligent man, and ruled over his father's kingdom for years with success. It's his desire to see his father freed and returned to his rightful position that ultimately gets Hakuyuukou murdered.
Ki Hatsu
The second son of Ki Shou. Initially an immature womanizer who preferred parties to matters of state, Ki Hatsu's world was shattered when his father was imprisoned by Dakki and his older brother, Ki Shou's heir, was murdered by the sennyo, leading to Ki Shou rebelling against the Yin and creating a new dynasty. After Ki Shou's death, Ki Hatsu finally takes his role seriously and works to finish what his father started. He succeeds in replacing the Yin dynasty and becomes the new Emperor, after which he marries Yuukyo, Taikobou's descendant. Possibly as a result of the punishing lifestyle he led while trying to bring the country back from the brink of ruin, he dies two years after the birth of his son.
- Bishounen: Inherited his father's good looks.
- Casanova Wannabe: Is always chasing beautiful women around, much to their chagrin.
- Freudian Trio: The immature womanizer Ki Hatsu is the Id, while the charismatic and intelligent Hakuyuukou is the Ego, and the strict and rigid Ki Tan is the Superego.
- The Gambling Addict: As a result of his gambling habits, he amassed an enormous debt.
- Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: Is on the receiving end of one from Taikobou and his brother Ki Tan after his father's death. He is understandably anguished and wants time to mourn, but he is reminded that time is of the essence and that he must take on the role of leader before Seiki loses its momentum and the rebellion fails. He grudgingly pulls himself together.
- The Good King: What he eventually becomes. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to rule for long, as he dies fairy early after he becomes Emperor.
- Happily Married: To Yuukyo by the end of the story. They have a son together.
- Hidden Depths: He seems like a good-for-nothing, but Taikobou notices quite early that Hatsu's charisma wins him friends easily and that he possesses both sensitivity and cleverness. Taikobou helps him ease over time into the role of ruler, and by the end of the story Hatsu is working very hard to achieve his goal.
- Not So Different: From Chuuoh. They are both handsome womanizers and capable men who work hard for their goals... it's just that Chuuoh cannot fight Dakki's temptation spell, and it would be fair to say that Ki Hatsu would have suffered the same fate if he had been in Chuuoh's place.
- Rebel Prince: Unlike his dutiful brothers, Ki Hatsu spends his time partying with friends and chasing beautiful women around.
Ki Tan
The fourth son of Ki Shou, Ki Tan is a serious and solemn man. After his father was imprisoned and his older brother Hakuyuukou left for the capital to try and bargain for his freedom, Ki Tan is left in charge of the western kingdom.
- Always Second Best: He is a capable ruler, but lacks the respect and charisma that his father and brothers have. The manga hints that he feels uneasy being in charge.
- The Comically Serious: His stern and solemn personality leads to this effect, especially when confronted with Taikobou's antics.
- The Dutiful Son: With his father imprisoned and his older brother in Chouka, it falls on Ki Tan's shoulders to govern the western provinces.
- Freudian Trio: The strict and rigid Ki Tan is the Superego while the charismatic and intelligent Hakuyuukou is the Ego and the immature womanizer Ki Hatsu is the Id.
- Honor Before Reason: When Bukichi accidentally crashes into Ki Shou and injures him slightly, Ki Tan insists that the law be upheld and Bukichi executed, even though Ki Shou wanted to pardon the boy. It's an Establishing Character Moment for him, as it reveals Ki Tan to be someone who adheres too strongly to the rules and has no concept of nuance.
- Middle Child Syndrome: Not as handsome, charismatic or wise as his father or brothers. He makes up for it by clinging ferociously to rules and by employing his excellent organizational skills in building up the Shou army.
- Nice Hat: Wears a very tall, cylindrical hat.
- Paper Fan of Doom: Occasionally employs it on Taikobou.
- Perpetual Frowner: He rarely looks anything other than stern and serious.
- The Reliable One: In contrast to his older brother Ki Hatsu, Tan has a strong sense of duty and is very dependable. Unfortunately, he's not quite as qualified as his other siblings...
- Younger Than They Look: He is Ki Shou's fourth son, but looks much older than both his brothers.
Nan Kyukatsu
Nan Kyukatsu was the highest-ranking general of the Western provinces until the arrival of Kou Hikou, after which he was demoted second place. Ever since, this proud and boisterous man has been resentful and competitive towards Kou Hikou.
- Large and in Charge: He is a man of imposing stature, tall, broad-shouldered and muscled.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: His already irritable temper flares whenever he is around Kou Hikou, as he deeply resents not being the highest-ranking general anymore.
- Heartbroken Badass: He is deeply affected by the death of Ki Shou.
- No Shirt, Long Jacket: Wears his long coat unbuttoned, revealing his bare chest.
- The Rival: Ever since he was demoted to accommodate Kou Hikou, Kyukatsu has been obsessed with proving that he is better than him. In the end, it turns into a Friendly Rivalry, as the two men learn to respect each other.
Chou Hou
Commander of Rintoukan Pass and subordinate of Kou Hikou. He first appears during the initial meeting between Taikobou and Youzen, with Youzen giving Taikobou the task of convincing Chou Hou to let the refugees fleeing Chouka pass towards the western provinces. He allows the refugees to pass and disappears from the story until the time of Kou Hikou's rebellion, when he is murdered by one of Dakki's cronies.
- Back for the Dead: Comes back to the story only to be killed off almost immediately by one of Dakki's henchmen.
- Butt-Monkey: In his own words, "Why does everything have to happen at Rintoukan?!"
- Honor Before Reason: Averted. He knows Youzen is not Kou Hikou, but he wants to be able to let the starving refugees pass towards Seiki so he pretends that Youzen is Kou Hikou under a glamour spell cast by Taikobou. It works.
Li Sei
A former doushi and the officer in charge of Chintou Pass, Li Sei is a shady individual whom Taikobou meets early in the story. He had ambitions to become a sennin, but found the training too hard, so he gave up and returned to the human world, where he acquired a minor position as keeper of the Chintou Pass. He is married to the beautiful, but air-headed Yinshi and has three sons: Kintaku, Nataku and Mokutaku. When Taikobou stumbles upon him, Li Sei is being chased around by his son Nataku, who attempts to kill him. Although Li Sei claims to be innocent and tries to paint Nataku as psychotic at first, it is revealed that Nataku's hatred is a result of Li Sei's own calous behavior towards him. Because of the special circumstances of Nataku's conception and birth, Li Sei is plagued by suspicions regarding the boy's paternity, and resents his cold and strange attitude. After Nataku's death, Li Sei destroyed the small tomb that Yinshi had made for their son and threw his core into the water. After being revived by Taiitsu Shinjin, Nataku returned home to take revenge on his father.
Luckily, Taikobou arrives in the middle of the Li family crisis and is able to solve it. Afterwards, Li Sei is motivated enough to go to the sennin world and try to complete his training, but fails again and returns to his family.
- Abusive Parents: He absolutely hates Nataku and feels no guilt for desecrating his son's grave, earning him Nataku's hatred.
- Dirty Coward: Runs like hell from Nataku's wrath and tries to lie to Taikobou about why Nataku is so angry with him.
- Freudian Excuse: His complicated relationship with Nataku. He is never shown to be hostile towards his other two sons, and the story strongly implies that his hatred of Nataku stems from his belief that Nataku is not his son (he's not entirely wrong, but it is a complicated issue - Nataku certainly shares a resemblance with his brother Kintaku, for example, but is the product of a paopei experiment). Add to that the odd circumstances surrounding Nataku's birth and his strange behavior and one can understand Li Sei's aversion towards the boy. It does not, however, excuse his actions, and nobody in the story condones them.
- Happily Married: To Yinshi. In spite of his rotten character, he truly loves her and they appear to be very happy together.
- Jerkass: He steps firmly into this territory after he destroys the tomb his heartbroken wife had lovingly made for her son and throws his core into the water.
- Offing the Offspring: Although it is questionable whether Nataku is his son, Li Sei has tried to kill him several times: first by throwing his core into the water (he knows much more about the sennin world than he lets on, and he probably had an inkling that Nataku is his core) and then attempts to manipulate Taikobou into getting rid of Nataku.
Yinshi
The wife of Li Sei and mother to Nataku, Kintaku and Mokutaku, she is a gentle, if somewhat air-headed woman who lives with her husband in the Chintou Pass. During her pregnancy, the fetus she was carrying died and essentially became a tumor. One of the twelve great sennins, Taiitsu Shinjin, took this opportunity to offer her a deal in a dream: if she accepted Taiitsu's Raiju, the greatest paopiei of the sennins, the lifeless mass of flesh in her womb would become a living thing. Yinshi accepted and gave birth to a boy who was already equipped with paopei. They named the boy Nataku, and she and her husband had opposite attitudes to him: in spite of Nataku's cold behavior, Yinshi loved and doted upon him and was angry at her husband for his hateful behavior.
When Taikobou meets her, she is experiencing a family crisis caused by Nataku's attempts to kill Li Sei. After Taikobou sorts things out between Nataku and his family, Yinshi agrees to send Nataku to the sennin world with Taiitsu Shinjin. Aside Nataku, she also gave birth to two other sons, Mokutaku and Kintaku.
- Brainless Beauty: She's not very intelligent, and fails to correctly assess many situations.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: With shades of The Ditz. She seems oblivious to the seriousness of the situation her family is in. Her son is trying to kill her husband and she brushes it off as if it were nothing. She is also seemingly unaffected by Nataku's cold behavior towards her, although she is brought to tears when he calls her mother for the first time. Li Sei also has to pull her out of danger's way more than once.
- Doting Parent: Adores Nataku in spite of his cold and strange behavior, and is the only person whom Nataku truly loves.
- Happily Married: To Li Sei. He is an unsavory character, but to his credit, he loves her very much.
- Hostage Situation: She is taken hostage during the great sennin war, but is rescued and returned to the human world, much to Nataku's relief.
- Longest Pregnancy Ever: Her pregnancy lasted for three years and six months, because the baby had died and morphed into a lump of flesh.
- Morality Pet: She is the person Nataku loves, respects and obeys most.
- No Accounting for Taste: She married Li Sei, a dirty coward, liar and a failed doushi. They are quite happy together.
- Take Me Instead: She offered her own life in exchange for Nataku's when the dragon king appeared over Chintou pass to exact revenge for the death of his son.
So Go
The King of Kishuu, So Go is the father of So Zenchuu and of the real So Dakki (who had been possessed by the fox spirit). He originally wanted his daughter to marry for love and was distressed when Chuuoh threatened to attack his country unless Dakki became one of his concubines. Crestfallen, he took his daughter to the imperial palace, where unbeknownst to him, she was possessed by the evil fox sennyo Dakki. Afterwards, he was tortured by the horrible news of Dakki's deeds, believing her to have become a monster. He wanted to start a rebellion against her, but lacked the opportunity to do so.
He and his son eventually join the Shou dynasty at the start of the war.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: The only explanation for him not realizing that the red headed, scantily clad, differently-voiced woman who looked nothing like his daughter was not his daughter.
- Conflicting Loyalty: So Go likes the Yin and resents Dakki for ruining it. On the other hand, she is his daughter...
- Defector from Decadence: Left the Yin when the first opportunity arose.
- Doting Parent: He loves Dakki and wanted her to marry for love, resisted Chuuoh's threats bravely and only caved in when Dakki herself asked him to. Even when he arrives in front of the emperor and his daughter had already agreed to the marriage, he still attempts to convince Chuuoh to let Dakki go. Oddly enough, he never seemed to realize that his daughter had been possessed.
- Early-Bird Cameo: He first appears in Dakki's flashback in volume 6, but makes his proper appearance three volumes later.
So Zenchuu
The son of the King of Kishuu and Dakki's older brother, So Zenchuu plays a very small role in the story. Just like his father, he was dismayed at what he believed his sister was doing as empress and wished to rebel, but lacked the opportunity. When the Shuu rises in rebellion, he and his father take their troops and join the new dynasty. They are briefly stopped when the Kingo Mad Scientist Ryogaku infects them with a virus, but recover thanks to Taikobou and his team.
- Defector from Decadence: Left the Yin with his family when the first opportunity arose.
- Satellite Character: For his father. He doesn't do much on his own, and has very little screentime.
- Youthful Freckles: Just like his sister.
So Dakki
The real daughter of the King of Kishuu, Dakki was a sweet and gentle girl who sacrificed herself for the good of her kingdom when Chuuoh demanded that she become a part of his harem. Once in the palace however, Chuuoh took a sneak peek at her and saw that the rumors of her beauty had been greatly exaggerated and was willing to let her go back home. Taking advantage of a moment when Dakki and her father were alone, Kijin and Kibi, who had infiltrated the palace, separated them and allowed their sister, a vicious fox spirit, to possess Dakki's body. Strangely enough, despite the fact that she looked, sounded and acted nothing like the original Dakki, her father did not catch on to the fact that she had been replaced.
- Black Sheep: The fox spirit committed many atrocities under her name, turning her into the rotten apple of the So family.
- Butterfly of Doom: The unfounded rumors of her beauty and her trip to the capital, seemingly unimportant in the grand scheme of things, start a chain of events that leads to the ruin of the Yin.
- The Cutie: Was sweet and self-sacrificing before Dakki took over her body.
- The Fettered: Her father wanted her to marry out of love and even defied Chuuoh by refusing to send her to the palace to become one of his concubines, but So Dakki offered herself willingly, wishing to protect her people from the wrath of the Yin.
- Grand Theft Me: Is on the receiving end of this from the fox spirit who later took her name. It is implied that she was essentially murdered on the spot.
- Hair Decorations: Wore a large ribbon in her hair.
- Rapunzel Hair: Had long, dark hair.
- Youthful Freckles: Together with her clothing and hairstyle, they emphasize her youth and innocence.
Suukokuko
The younger brother of the King of the North and a doushi, he began governing the northern provinces when his brother was retained in the capital. Although his opinion of the current state of the Yin dynasty is negative and feels the need for a change, he cannot bring himself to rebel and cause his older brother's death. His spirit beast is a bird-like creature by the name of Shinyu.
- Bare Your Midriff: His shirt barely goes below his nipples.
- Danger Deadpan: Overlapping with Dull Surprise. Suukokuko reacts with this to the presence of Seiki troops outside his capital walls.Retainer (screaming): The Seiki troops are camped outside!!Suukokuko: Wow, that is bad.(a few seconds later)Suukokuko: Well, I guess we'll just have to exterminate them.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Averted. Kou Hikou defeats him in combat and tries to appeal to him by pointing out that he knows how it feels to have the enemy holding your beloved family members hostage. His appeal fails and Suukokuko accuses him of trying to force him to do what Kou Hikou couldn't. Only when Ki Shou arrives at the scene and makes a diplomatic appeal does Suukokuko see the error of his ways.
- Face Your Fears: It is implied that the reason why Suukokuko waited for seven years without investigating his brother's absence was that he feared he was already dead and did not want to come face to face with that and with the additional responsibility of becoming the King of North full time. His meeting with Ki Shou finally gives him the necessary resolve to send a spy to the capital to confirm his fears.
- Family Theme Naming: Suukoko and Suukokuko.
- Glass Cannon: He's very weak without his spirit beast.
- Reluctant Ruler: He is a doushi of Konron and isn't really interested in what is happening in the human world at large, but he cares about his brother and his people so he assumed the role of interim governor of the North in his brother's absence.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Has a completely opposite moral alignment in comparison to his older brother, the King of the North. While his older brother is cold, cowardly and arrogant, Suukokuko is a thoroughly decent human being who cares about the lives of his people. The only reason why he did not bring the North up in rebellion was because Dakki was holding his brother hostage.
Suupuushan / Supushang
Suupuushan is the riding beast given to Taikobou by Genshitenson. A naive, optimistic and kind-hearted character, he became a loyal companion to Taikobou once he discovered that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to him. Suupuushan is often noted by others to resemble a flying hippo.
- Badass Family: Both he and his parents can transform into powerful dragons.
- Beware the Nice Ones: In the manga, Suupuushan gets frustrated with Taikobou's reluctance to take advantage of Dakki's seemingly vulnerable state (she was taking a bath and did not have her paopei with her) so he picks up a large rock and attempts to sneak up behind her so he can kill her with it. It fails, and the scene is treated as being funny, but that doesn't change the fact that nice, reasonable Suupuushan was ready to bash Dakki's head in.
- Cool Horse - Suupuushan looks more like a flying hippo, but fulfills the same role. Later, after Suupuu's Heroic Sacrifice, he gets temporarily upgraded ''to a dragon''. Even later, Suupuu gets a permanent upgrade that allows him to transform indefinitely.
- Deadpan Snarker - Unfortunately, Suupuushan cannot do the Face Palm.
- Intellectual Animal: Like many riding beasts, he possesses an intellect similar to that of a human, and can often be more reasonable and practical than Taikobou.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: He wears gloves, shoes and a cape.
- Only Sane Riding Beast: A natural feeling stemming from being partnered with someone as odd, quirky and (sometimes) childish as Taikobou.
- Talking Animal: He is perfectly capable of speech.
- Undying Loyalty: By the end of the series, he shares a deep bond with Taikobou.
Kokutenko
Shinkohyou's riding beast and constant companion, Kokutenko is shaped like a giant cat. He is considered to be the most powerful riding beast that ever lived, and has the ability to stare into the distance and see and hear things that are very far away. On top of that, he is also very fast and highly intelligent, although he is yet to decipher the mystery that is his master.
- Cats Are Mean: Averted. Although not as caring as Suupuushan, he doesn't have a mean streak.
- Intellectual Animal: He is one of the most intelligent riding beasts.
- Mega Neko: He looks just like a giant cat.
- Talking Animal: He is Shinkohyou's main conversation partner.
Kokukirin
A giant insect riding beast belonging to Bunchuu. When not transporting Bunchuu across the land, he often relies messages to his allies. His defining feature is his impenetrable exoskeleton which makes him almost impervious to damage.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: He resembles an enormous insect.
- Giant Flyer: One of the largest riding beasts from the series.
- Messenger: Bunchuu's preferred method of communicating with his allies is sending Kokukirin to them to verbally relay his words.
- Undying Loyalty: To Bunchuu. This becomes evident when he dies after shielding Bunchuu from Ou Tenkun's acid rain.
- Talking Animal: Although he prefers to talk only when necessary.
Shinyu
The spirit beast and constant companion of Suukokuko, Shinyu has the ability to summon birds to attack opponents. Although he is too small to count as a proper riding beast, he is Suukokuko's greatest weapon.
- Noble Bird of Prey: Rests on Suukokuko's arm like a hawk and is very intelligent.
- Talking Animal: Is often seen exchanging words with Suukokuko.
- Thieving Magpie: He steals Taikobou's weapon with incredible ease.
Uen
Chou Kei's riding beast, an extremely fast bird implied to be able to walk both on land and on water. He acquires it after leaving to train in the Kingo Islands.
- Horse of a Different Color: While most riding beasts tend to fly, Uen comes closest to being this.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Highly reminiscent of a chocobo.
Hitou
Contrary to his appearance, Hitou is not a paopei - he is a sentient, shapeshifting being who prefers the shape of a large, black sword. He can also read his wielder's mind and show them illusions on its surface. He is won by Kou Hikou when he challenges an enemy youkai and after a rocky start, he agrees to help him.
- BFS: He's about as tall as Kou Hikou, who is huge to begin with.
- Empathic Weapon: He is quite loud and very proud, and eventually decides to help Kou Hikou.
- Master of Illusion: Initially, he attempts to manipulate Kou Hikou into losing his fighting spirit by showing him visions of his dead wife and sister. And then stabs Kikou in the back. Hikou survives, and oddly enough, he is implied to feel a measure of gratitude because he got to see images of his loved ones after so long.
Koutenkun
Koutenkun might look like a riding beast, but in reality he is one of Youzen's paopeis.
- Action Pet: Despite its fluffly appearance, Koutenkun can smash through almost anything.
- Hammerspace: Youzen somehow keeps him up his sleeve.
