Battle Arena Toshinden/Characters

Battle Arena Toshinden had a fairly diverse and interesting cast, some of which with quite complex personalities. For those of you who want to know a little more about the game's characters, here's the sheet. Please feel free to add to this list and to correct any mistakes.

Also, beware of spoilers!

Eiji Shinjo
"The main protagonist of the series. Eiji is a young Japanese swordsman/traveler who seeks to improve his swordfighting skills while searching for his missing older brother, Sho."


 * Anime Hair: And wow, they can stay like that even when he takes his helmet off!
 * Badass (Biker)
 * Character Development: First-game Eiji? A brash, self-centered jerk who only cares about getting stronger. Third-game Eiji? A genuinely heroic character who risks his life to save the world. The Anime of the Game has him as a Nice Guy from the beginning, though.
 * Chaste Hero: Avoided! He has a girlfriend.
 * Crowning Moment of Awesome: Just watch him taking apart Chaos in the anime, and try to tell me it isn't badass...
 * The Four Gods: The Byakko Sword.
 * The Hero
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * And, for that matter, Katanas Are Just Better
 * Hot-Blooded
 * Jerkass --> Jerk With a Heart of Gold
 * Martial Arts Headband
 * Nice Guy: In the anime.
 * Parental Substitute: He becomes this to Sho's son after Toshinden 3.
 * Playing With Fire
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted. He's got red eyes, but he's not a villain. Just a Jerkass at worst.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: With Kayin. He's the red oni.
 * Shotoclone

Kayin Amoh
"Eiji's best friend and rival. Kayin is a Scottish British bounty hunter who seeks to find the murderer of his adoptive father and eventually learns that it was who killed him."


 * The Atoner: He tries to be this for his adopted daughter Naru,.
 * Badass: And HOW!
 * Bishonen
 * Mr. Fanservice: Guess who was the most popular character with the female fans of the game?
 * Excalibur: The name of Kayin's Long Sword.
 * Extremity Extremist: Kayin's fighting style is mostly dependant on kicks.
 * Jerkass Woobie: Kayin can be moody, cynical, mean-spirited and not exactly a team player. He's also one of the most tragic figures in the series, with a legitimately bad past and genuine regret for the not-so-nice things he's done.
 * Knight in Sour Armor
 * My God, What Have I Done?:
 * Parental Abandonment: His father was killed when he was a teenager by a bounty hunter named Amoh and upon learning that his target had a son, Amoh took Kayin in to atone for his action.
 * Retcon: Started out as Scottish in the first game, but was later turned British by the second.
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: With Eiji, he's the blue oni.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Deconstructed. His thirst for revenge brought him nothing but grief.
 * Shock and Awe
 * Shotoclone
 * Tall Blond And Snarky

Ellis
"A cheerful kind-hearted Japanese girl who happens to be the main star of a traveling theater troupe. Ellis thought that she was the sole survivor of a car crash that killed her family, but in time, she learns that her father was still alive and thus, she participated in the tournament in order to find him."


 * Action Girl
 * Ass Kicks You
 * Badass Adorable: For someone of her size, she can deliver incredibly high amounts of damage due to her agility and her absurdly powerfull Spam Attack.
 * Chickification: Anime only. Granted, her opponent was Chaos, but still, you'd expect her to put up a little more of a fight... well, guess somebody had to be the Designated Victim...
 * Circus Brat: Thanks to horrific events in her past, her father sent her to be raised anonymously as a dancer in a Turkish traveling circus in order to keep her safe from the mysterious organization hunting them. As result, she became an extremely skilled Dance Battler, arguably one of the fastest playable characters in the game, capable of jumps and acrobacies that actually makes the viewers think she can fly.
 * Cute Little Fangs: She's often drawn with these, especially in Tsukasa Kotobuki's official art.
 * The Cutie
 * Dance Battler
 * Dual-Wielding: Fights with a pair of daggers.
 * Everything's Better With Sparkles
 * Fragile Speedster AND Lightning Bruiser: She's fast and her attacks are deceptively damaging, but she isn't much of a hit-taker.
 * Friend to All Children
 * Genki Girl
 * Giant Waist Ribbon
 * Knife Nut: Again, daggers.
 * Luke, I Am Your Father:
 * Leotard of Power
 * Moe Moe: She's so moe, it's almost obscene.
 * Plucky Girl: She even states she is one in her Catch Phrase.
 * Retcon: The first game has Ellis as Turkish...but then, she's confirmed to be Japanese after The Reveal.
 * She's Got Legs
 * ((You Gotta Have Green Hair))

Sofia
"A blonde Russian woman who works as a private detective. Sofia's main goal is to uncover her past and attempt to reclaim her lost memories."

"Sofia: It doesn't matter how bad your past might have been. Not having one is a lot more painful."
 * Action Girl
 * Amnesiac Dissonance
 * Armor-Piercing Slap
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: Lady Uranus takes control of her during the anime and forces her to fight Eiji.
 * Broken Bird: Don't let her outward appearence fool you. Sofia has a lot of emotional issues with not remembering her past.


 * Combat Stilettos
 * Everything's Better With Spinning
 * Fetish Fuel Station Attendant: Leather black bodysuit, stiletto heels, a whip, tall, blonde, extremely busty with a dominatrix personality and a tendency to slap her opponent after grabbing them, amnesiac, Russian... have we forgotten anything?
 * Ms. Fanservice: Is there any way to deny it?
 * Noblewoman's Laugh
 * Sensual Slavs: She's this Trope incarnate.
 * Sexy Backless Outfit
 * She's Got Legs
 * Shock and Awe
 * Whip It Good: Her weapon of choice, adding to the Fetish Fuel.
 * Yumi Touma: Usually voicing her in both anime and game.

Duke Balthermi Rambert
"A French knight who values honor from within his duels. Duke seeks to avenge a past loss against Eiji while proving his worth as a strong and valiant knight."


 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: He gets better.
 * BFS
 * Kaneto Shiozawa: His voice in the game.
 * Knight in Shining Armor: For all his flaws, Duke is a genuinely heroic person who cares for his people and wants to protect those who can't defend themselves.
 * Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: Duke is the only character who cannot attack a knocked-down opponent. He can only taunt them to drain their Overdrive gauge.
 * The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Since his past defeat at the hands of Eiji, Duke has been quite adamant, to say the least, to get a rematch with him.
 * The Rival: Would very much like to be Eiji's.

Rungo Iron
"An American miner whose tough strength is matched by his own big heart. After discovering a uranium deposit that belongs to the Himitsu Kessha, Rungo is shocked to learn that his wife Lila and son Christopher are kidnapped by the organization, thus he embarks on a mission to rescue his family from them."


 * Dishing Out Dirt
 * Drop the Hammer: Or, in his case, a HUGE stone club!
 * Everything's Better With Spinning
 * Genius Bruiser: Rungo isn't any bit as dumb as he looks. No sir.
 * Gentle Giant
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Odd Friendship: With Gaia.
 * Papa Wolf: He entered the tournament to find, save, and protect his wife and son first and foremost.

Mondo
"An emotionless Japanese ninja who does shady jobs for the highest client. Mondo is assigned to spy into the Himitsu Kessha's activities for a recent client, who later turns out to be a member of the."


 * Blade On a Stick


 * The Four Gods: The Seiryu Spear.
 * It's a Small World After All: He's an old acquaintance of Fo Fai.
 * Mysterious Mercenary Pursuer
 * Ninja
 * Playing With Fire
 * Professional Killer: Mondo and his clan, the Yaki, are known for doing jobs for clients who are able to pay them well for their services.

Fo Fai
"An elderly Chinese magician who doubles as a cold-hearted murderer. Fo heads into the tournament to kill people for both fun and bloodlust."


 * Ax Crazy: He's in the tournament to murder people for the hell of it. That's about it.
 * Badass Grandpa
 * Badass Mustache
 * Blood Knight
 * Fartillery: OUCH!
 * Friend to All Children: In the anime, it's revealed that he has a soft spot for kids.
 * Go Out with a Smile:.
 * Slasher Smile
 * Old Master: He becomes this to Cuiling and Bayhou.
 * Wolverine Claws
 * Wolverine Claws

Gaia
"A warrior monk who once served as an executive for the Himitsu Kessha. When he learned that, Gaia sought revenge and organized a Toshindaibukai tournament in hopes of starting a rebellion against the Himitsu Kessha, but this fails and Gaia, who is now branded a traitor and marked for death, goes into immediate hiding from the organization, seeking to gain enough strength so that he can fight and destroy his sworn enemies."


 * Badass
 * BFS: A zankatou that's almost as long as this guy is tall!
 * Breath Weapon: He can unleash a short-ranged fire blast from his own mouth.
 * Daisuke Gouri: His voice in the game.
 * Genius Bruiser
 * Heel Face Turn
 * Heroic Albino
 * Luke, I Am Your Father:.
 * Mighty Glacier
 * Noble Demon: Even when he was a villain, he was never the type to be petty or excessively cruel.
 * Odd Friendship: With Rungo.
 * SNK Boss: Slow, but hits like a battering ram, and his attacks come out in an instant!
 * Stoic Woobie:  You can't not feel sorry for the guy... but does he feel sorry for himself? No sir.

Sho Shinjo
"Eiji's missing older brother, who happens to be a well-renowned expert swordsman. Sho had once trained Eiji and Kayin in the way of swordfighting, but in due time, he felt that the pair could get stronger in their own way and thus, he disappeared from their lives, traveling the world as he sought to face many strong opponents. Within time, Sho had met and fell in love with a woman named and that the two of them would have a son named Subaru."


 * Aloof Big Brother: Were this series any more popular, he'd be the freaking poster boy for this trope!
 * Badass
 * Bishonen
 * Disappeared Dad: He does this to his son Subaru after leaving him in Eiji's care.
 * Katanas Are Just Better
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning
 * The Stoic: This guy is the most scarily apathetic human being in this series.
 * Super Speed: One of the fastest characters in the series.
 * True Final Boss: In a lot of games.
 * True Neutral: He's indifferent, not good, not evil, not anything. To be more accurate, Sho fights because he thinks the Toshinden is the tournament and doesn't get involved with other storylines.
 * World's Strongest Man

Tracy
"A New York City female cop who likes to fight against criminals with a reckless manner and attitude."


 * Action Girl
 * Ambiguously Brown: Her skin tone is quite a bit darker than a lot of other characters.
 * Badass
 * Bare Your Midriff
 * Boisterous Bruiser: There's nothing Tracy enjoys more than a good fight!
 * Dual-Wielding: Tracy fights with a pair of tonfa sticks.
 * Fair Cop
 * Fan Girl: Trivia states that she is a huge fan of Aerosmith, with at least five albums autographed by Steven Tyler and the band themselves, thanks to a backstage pass. Saying that, she dislikes the Rolling Stones.
 * Goggles Do Nothing
 * Hidden Depths: Behind her violence-happy exterior lies a genuinely kind woman with a strong sense of justice.
 * Shock and Awe
 * They Fight Crime: With Nagisa.

Chaos
"An executive of the Himitsu Kessha who seems to have lost his memories and gone psychotically insane."


 * Ax Crazy: Like you wouldn't believe!
 * Bald of Evil
 * Breath Weapon
 * Everything's Better With Spinning
 * The Four Gods: The Shield of Genbu.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia
 * Sinister Scythe
 * Slasher Smile
 * Vomit Indiscretion Shot

Lady Uranus
"The second-in-command of the Himitsu Kessha. Lady Uranus was the one behind the car crash accident that killed so that she could ascend to her new position in the organization. She has no remorse over her past actions and is determined to gain even more power for her personal ambition."


 * Ambition Is Evil
 * The Archer
 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Breath Weapon
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: In the anime, when Eiji tells her that he has destroyed her whole production of machine-men, Uranus' response is to laugh and tell him that it was only a part of the whole army, and the rest is in a secret place only she knew of. She also took the time to gather data on Eiji and Kayin's fight against Chaos, just in case they won (which they did) so that she could learn from her mistakes.
 * The Dragon: To the Master.
 * The Four Gods: The Suzaku Bow.
 * Light Is Not Good: Has an angelic appearence, and mostly wears white, but she's one of the nastiest villains in the series!
 * Manipulative Bitch: Very capable and willing to use people's feelings against them. Borders on magnificence with the way she's capable of controlling almost all aspects of her plans.
 * Playing With Fire
 * Psycho Ex-Girlfriend:
 * The Starscream: Wants to usurp the Master's place as the Himitsu Kessha's leader.

The Master
"The mysterious leader of the Himitsu Kessha. Not much is known about the Master and her history."


 * Big Bad: In the second game.
 * BFS: Multiple BFSs, which she summons out of thin air.
 * Psychic Powers
 * Viewer Gender Confusion: In the English version, she is referred to as he.

Vermilion
"A mysterious gun-wielding mercenary who kills for pleasure."


 * The Dragon: to Abel
 * Dragon Ascendant: becomes the Big Bad in the fourth game
 * Evil Redheads
 * Four Eyes, Zero Soul
 * Guns Akimbo
 * Laughably Evil: He may be a gun-crazy loony who wants to lay the world to waste, but at least he gets points for being fun in his own way!
 * Omnicidal Maniac
 * Psycho Electro: In the third game, one of his strongest attacks consists of tying electrical strings to his opponents' wrists and ankles and electrocute him/her.
 * Sharp-Dressed Man

Nagisa Iwashiro
"A Japanese police detective who works with Tracy in their investigation of the Soshiki."


 * By The Book Detective
 * Berserk Button: If you value your health and welfare, don't call him by his first name.
 * Interpol Special Agent: He works as a part-time member of the group.
 * They Fight Crime: With Tracy.

David
"A young English boy who finds himself being targeted by Abel and the Soshiki."


 * Badass Longcoat
 * Chainsaw Good
 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Evil Former Friend: Judgement
 * It Sucks to Be The Chosen One: Unlike the Toshinden fighters who are marked for death by the Soshiki, David has it even worse. Since the prophecy of Agon Teos states that the body of a purehearted person can hold his immense spiritual power, Abel and the Soshiki chooses David to be Agon Teos' reluctant human vessel and thus, they start to make his life a living hell for him in hopes of succeeding with their evil plan.
 * You Killed My Parents: His reason of why he fights the Soshiki.

Shizuku Fuji
"A Japanese geisha-like gambler who aids David in his fight against the Soshiki."


 * Hooker With a Heart of Gold: Or in this case, Gambler With A Heart of Gold.
 * Improbable Weapon User: Shizuku's weapon is a kiseru, a type of Japanese smoking pipe.
 * Knife Nut

Bayhou
"A humanoid-like monkey who lives in the deep mountains of China."


 * Everything's Better With Monkeys
 * Fartillery
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute
 * Wolverine Claws
 * Wolverine Claws

Cuiling
"A young Hong Kong Chinese girl who was raised from early childhood by a triad family to be an assassin for them."


 * Action Girl
 * The Apprentice: Cuiling's backstory states that she was trained by Fo Fai during the time between Toshinden 2 and 3 (given the fact that she's literally a female version of Fo in gameplay) and throughout the training itself, she had developed a grandfatherly-like affection towards Fo.
 * Breakout Character/ Ensemble Darkhorse: Cuiling must've became this since she appeared as a playable character in the Japanese-only Play Station game Toshinden Card Quest.
 * Femme Fatalons
 * Heel Realization: As a young orphan, Cuiling was raised by a triad family who taught her the concepts of assassination and how to not have any emotions when it came to doing her missions. However, a long-time member of the group (who had secretly opposed violence against innocent people) had softened her heart and explained to her that taking the life of an innocent person was wrong and that it would deeply affect those who are close to the person. Through this explanation and a couple of others, Cuiling had shed Tears of Remorse as she realized that she could never be a full-fledged assassin.
 * Hidden Depths
 * Reverse Mole: Despite being a member of the Soshiki, Cuiling was never actually a loyal member of the group. Her reason for joining the group was due to the fact that Abel had payed for her services from her triad family and although Cuiling served Abel well, she secretly sought to stop him after learning of his history and current plan, thus she teamed up with Eiji and the rest of the heroes.
 * Wolverine Claws
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair

Leon
"An American modern-day pirate who seeks revenge against Eiji for a past loss against him."


 * An Ice Person
 * Pirate
 * The Starscream: Leon seeks to overthrow Abel and take control over the Soshiki.

Ten Count
"An English aristocratic assassin who kills his victims through the use of his "Ten Count" method."


 * Captain Ersatz: Let's see...he wears a white tuxedo and gloves, uses a crotch-grab taunt, can do the Moonwalk, and can even bust out the Thriller dance as a secret move. It's damn obvious he was based off of Michael Jackson.
 * Everything's Better With Sparkles
 * Extremity Extremist: Much like Kayin, Ten Count's fighting style is also dependant on kicks as well.
 * Faux Affably Evil: While not being an assassin for the Soshiki, Ten Count is known for having a suave aristocratic personality.
 * Knife Nut
 * Sharp-Dressed Man

Zola
"An Austrian opera singer who doubles as an assassin for the Soshiki."


 * Captain Ersatz: Toshinden's version of Catwoman.
 * Sensual Spandex
 * Opera Singer
 * Shock and Awe
 * Whip It Good

Adam
"A cold and dangerous robot who serves the Soshiki in hopes of gaining a human body."


 * Arm Cannon
 * Everything's Better With Spinning
 * Killer Robot
 * More Dakka
 * Robosexual: Adam's backstory states that he had fallen in love with a human woman and was determined to gain a human body for his services to the Soshiki.

Toujin
"A retired Japanese assassin who is determined to save his terminally-ill wife."


 * Blade On a Stick
 * Freudian Excuse: He joins the Soshiki in hopes of finding a way to save his terminally-ill wife.
 * Playing With Fire
 * Sinister Schnoz

Balga
"A Norweigan knight who seeks to destroy Duke and the Rambert bloodline."


 * BFS
 * Blood Knight: His obsession to slay Duke and destroy the Rambert bloodline makes Balga fall into this state and join the Soshiki
 * Feuding Families: A century-long clash of pure hatred between the families of Balga and Duke

Atahua
"A Peruvian tribal boy who seeks to gain the inheritance of a long-forgotten ancient empire."


 * Blood Father: Tau
 * Improbable Weapon User: Atahua uses twin blowguns complete with tranqulizer darts.

Tau
"A Brazilian tribesman who works with his adoptive son Atahua in his respectable goal."


 * BFS
 * Blood Son: Atahua

Rachael
"An American mercenary who seeks to make her twin sister pay via a personal vendetta."


 * Amazonian Beauty
 * Dual-Wielding: Uses a pair of double-sided twin tonfas
 * Freudian Excuse: Rachael's reason for joining the Soshiki is to get revenge against her twin sister, who had a nice and peaceful childhood with loving parents while Rachael was abandoned by the same parents and forced to survive in a harsh world alone.
 * Of Corsets Sexy
 * Shock and Awe

Schultz
"A German assassin who serves Abel and the Soshiki."


 * Sinister Scythe
 * Super Speed: One of the fastest characters in the series.
 * One-Way Visor
 * Undying Loyalty: To Abel

Judgement
"A mysterious English killer who was once David's friend in childhood."


 * Captain Ersatz: Toshinden's version of Jason Voorhes
 * Chainsaw Good
 * Deal With the Devil

Miss Til
"A Malaysian fortune teller who serves Abel and the Soshiki."


 * Improbable Weapon User: She wields a flute through a staff-like fighting style
 * Knife Nut
 * Psychic Powers

Abel / Veil
"The megalomaniacal leader of the Soshiki. Abel seeks to bring a destructive fighting god named Agon Teos into the world and will destroy anyone who tries to get in the way of his plan."


 * Bare-Fisted Monk: The only character in all games never to use weapons of any kind.
 * Bare Your Midriff
 * Big Bad: In the third game.
 * Complete Monster: Very much implied to be one, if the backstory of the game is anything to go by. Let's make a resume: he ordered the death of David's family (or did the job himself), locked the poor kid in an orphanage where he was constantly abused, tried to sacrifice him to Agon Teos when he turned 15, and has sacrificed many pure-hearted warriors and martial artists to his god and to enhance his own underlings.
 * Large and In Charge
 * Power Fist
 * SNK Boss: His moves do incredible damage, and he isn't too slow himself. His special attacks are likewise incredibly damaging, and have little-to-no recovery time, making it hard to punish his mistakes. Watch out for his grab move, which sends you airborne and can be followed by pretty much everything this guy wants, including two of his desperation moves. And on that matter, all of his desperation moves are lethal and practically impossible to avoid, and they come out in an instant.
 * Sphere of Destruction: One of his most powerful attacks.

Ripper

 * Dual-Wielding: He uses two short hand blades.

Ronron

 * Improbable Weapon User: Arguably so -- as this character uses a stun gun.

Replicant

 * Expy: Of Sho.

Amoh ("The Storm")
=== Selene ===