Basilisk: The Kouga Ninja Scrolls/Characters

In Basilisk, each member of the Iga or Koga clans is represented by its ten best warriors (plus Princess Oboro). These ninja specializes in one superpowered technique, but if we talk generally, their abilities are all grouped in two specialities: the Koga ninjas have more stealthy and spy-related skills, the Iga use theirs to attack and finish their foes directly.

The twenty "chosen ones" are:

Kouga Danjou
The old leader of the Kouga clan, and grandfather of Gennosuke. He used to be in love with lady Ogen. Seems to be skilled at using poisoned needles.


 * Badass Grandpa
 * Big Ol Eyebrows
 * Combat Pragmatist:
 * I Was Quite a Looker: While not a super Bishonen, he was quite Tall Dark and Handsome in the past
 * Improbable Weapon User: Very large needles. Implied to be poisoned.
 * Together in Death: With Ogen.
 * Together in Death: With Ogen.
 * Together in Death: With Ogen.

Kouga Gennosuke
Danjo's heir and strongest member of the Kouga ninja. He's a peace-loving idealist who's genuinally in love with Oboro and wants to put an end to years of hate and rivalry. His special power is a "Do Jutsu" (Fierce Ability) in his eyes, that allows him to send an attacker's killing intent back at him.


 * Badass
 * Handicapped Badass: Even
 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Big Ol Eyebrows: A tract he takes from his grandpa.
 * The Dreaded: And with a good reason.
 * Karmic Death: Weaponized, as he inflicts one on his enemies using his Dojutsu.
 * Kosuke Toriumi
 * Love At First Sight: For Oboro.
 * Master Swordsman: Carries a katana with him,
 * Nice Guy: Is very peaceful and reasonable. Considering that he can kill you with a glare, that's a positive thing.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure
 * Star Crossed Lovers: He and Oboro.
 * Star Crossed Lovers: He and Oboro.
 * Star Crossed Lovers: He and Oboro.

Kazamachi Shougen
A hunchback spider-looking man, he's the first Kouga Ninja shown alongside Danjo. Can spit a web-like phlegm that's stronger than glue.


 * Animal Motifs: Spider, of course.
 * Gonk
 * Mundane Utility: In a flashback he's shown using his web spit to nail the fish he's catching to a rock.
 * Overly Long Tongue: Which he use to better direct his web spit.
 * Overly Long Tongue: Which he use to better direct his web spit.

Udono Jousuke
A fat, jolly ninja who's often seen near Gennosuke. Despite looking like a moron, he's very competent and quite smarter than he looks. His body is like a rubber balloon, making him able to squeeze through small openings.


 * Acrofatic - Lightning Bruiser: He's extremely fast and nimble despite his size.
 * Big Fun
 * Casanova Wannabe: He's often seeing wooing Akeginu.
 * Crouching Moron Hidden Badass: There's a reason why Gennosuke trust him.
 * Distracted By the Sexy: He tries to stop Gennosuke from accepting the invitation to the Iga village, but stops as soon as Akeginu politely asks him to come as well.
 * Fat Idiot: Subverted, he intentionally behaves as one to catch his opponents offguard.
 * Lovable Sex Maniac
 * Rubber Man: His body is like a rubber balloon.

Jimushi Juubei
One of the more mysterious and grotesque members, he's said to be an astromancer ad a seer.


 * Animal Motifs: Snakes.
 * The Grotesque
 * Meaningful Name: Jimushi means "Earth Insect".
 * Oh Crap:
 * Meaningful Name: Jimushi means "Earth Insect".
 * Oh Crap:
 * Oh Crap:

Kisaragi Saemon
Member of the Kouga Ninja he's a short and sneaky guy whose eyes are always shut. He's Okoi's older brother. His powers allow him to transform into anyone, simulate voices and even change his size.


 * Beware the Nice Ones: Despite his docile looks, this is the same dude who
 * Big Brother Instinct: Towards Okoi.
 * Eyes Always Shut: He opens them only when proving strong emotions.
 * Huge Girl Tiny Guy: He's the tiny guy to his sister's huge girl.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Can be very sly and sneaky. Specially seen when
 * Master of Disguise: He can turn into anyone at will by taking a model their face from a mud mask. It's stated that he can even change his height, but for some reasons he can't copy the nostril's hair.
 * Nice Guy: When off duty, he's rather reasonable and not a bad dude. Once he's your opponent, however, you're fucked..
 * Pet the Dog:
 * The Stoic
 * Yoji Ueda
 * Yoji Ueda

Muroga Hyouma
A good friend of Saemon and Danjo's advisor. He's Gennosuke's maternal uncle and he taught him everything he knows,. He appears to be blind and has an excellent hearing


 * Badass Long Hair
 * Handicapped Badass: The man has severe eyesight problems, though the exact source and effects vary per media. In any case, he's still not to be trifled with.
 * Parental Substitute: Helped raise Gennosuke after the death of his older sister aka Gennosuke's mom.
 * The Obi Wan: To Gennosuke.
 * The Strategist
 * Tall Dark and Handsome
 * Tall Dark and Handsome

Kasumi Gyoubu
A large and massive ninja of Kouga. Always seen around Hyoma and Saemon. He's very strong and can merge with the groud and any solid surface, allowing him to move around unseen.


 * Bald of Awesome
 * Big Damn Heroes: First when he saves Saemon from Yashamaru.
 * The Big Guy
 * Full Frontal Assault: Dude must strip to use his powers. Guess what happens.
 * Genius Bruiser: Large and massive but also quite smart.
 * Gonk: The fact that he must be nude to use his ninja skills doesn't help.
 * Leeroy Jenkins: At one point he decides to leave the main group despite Gennosuke's plans and directly go for the Iga ninja.
 * My God What Have I Done: In the anime, he's horrified when
 * My God What Have I Done: In the anime, he's horrified when

Okoi
One of the two Kunoichi of Kouga, she's Saemon's little sister. She's a large, well muscled girl that despite her body acts more like a tomboy, but she's ready to take advatage of her large breasts if needed.


 * Amazonian Beauty: Very tall. Very muscle-bound. Very beautiful.
 * Animal Motifs:
 * Badass in Distress: The Iga clan capture her and torture her.
 * Boobs of Steel: Amongst the Kouga Ninja she's the strongest female character and also the bustiest.
 * Dark Action Girl: Considering her powers...
 * Gag Lips: In the manga. Justified
 * Huge Girl Tiny Guy: She's far taller than her brother.
 * The Ladette
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Plucky Girl: She will never EVER give up on anything she wants or needs.
 * Sibling Yin Yang: Okoi is a tomboyish Boisterous Bruiser. Saemon is a calm Master of Disguise.
 * Stripperiffic: Again, justified as
 * Sibling Yin Yang: Okoi is a tomboyish Boisterous Bruiser. Saemon is a calm Master of Disguise.
 * Stripperiffic: Again, justified as

Kagerou
The other kunoichi of the Kouga clan. She's a feminine woman with black hair, madly in love with Gennosuke and jealous of Oboro. When she's aroused, her breath becomes a poisonous miasma.


 * Angst: Given her powers, this is pretty justified.
 * Blessed With Suck: Big time.
 * Bodyguard Crush: For Gennosuke.
 * Broken Bird: Poor woman has severe issues.
 * Clingy Jealous Girl: She hates Oboro and wish to kill her with her own hands. Far more accentuated in the anime, tho, where she reaches Yandere extremes.
 * Death By Sex: Weaponized, as she inflicts this on anyone who's fool enough to lay with her.
 * Poisonous Person
 * Risa Hayamizu
 * Tall Dark and Bishoujo
 * Sword Cane: Dagger-cane, but still...
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend
 * Sword Cane: Dagger-cane, but still...
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend

Iga-no-Ogen:
The old leader of the Iga clan, she used to be in love with Danjou. Her powers are unknown but she seems to have a tamed falcon as a pet.


 * Brutal Honesty: When informing Oboro that she's far too clumsy to be a ninja. (Though she's not as harsh in the anime.)
 * Friend to All Living Things: Seems to be her power.
 * Hisako Kyoda
 * I Was Quite a Looker: As a young woman, she was downright Tall Dark and Bishoujo.
 * Made of Iron:
 * Never Mess With Granny

Iga-no-Oboro
Ogen's granddaughter and Gennosuke's soon-to-be wife. She's a very sweet and clumsy person. She can't fight, but her eyes have the power of cancelling any ninja power or technique seen, which is considered as one of the most deadly powers in the whole series.


 * Anti Magic: Her "Piercing Eyes".
 * Break the Cutie: Oohh boy...
 * The Chick: Even more when she
 * Cursed With Awesome: How many of the other ninjas see her. Girl cannot fight at all and yet she has the potantially deadliest power.
 * Cute Clumsy Girl. Pointed out by her own grandmother too.
 * Overlaps with...
 * Moe
 * Nana Mizuki
 * What the Hell Hero:
 * Wide Eyed Idealist: At first.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko
 * What the Hell Hero:
 * Wide Eyed Idealist: At first.
 * Yamato Nadeshiko

Yashamaru
The first Iga ninja shown along with Ogen. He's a pretty boy who can use the hair of deceased women as deadly strings. He's Hotarubi's boyfriend.


 * Ensemble Darkhorse: God knows why he and Hotarubi are so popular.
 * Keet
 * Naoki Yanagi
 * Nice Guy: He's one of the few ninjas who doesn't really enjoy fighting and prefers to live peacefully with Hotarubi.
 * Razor Floss: Made from the hair of deceased women bathed in a special oil.
 * Traumatic Haircut: During the battle against Shogen, his long black hair gets hacked off.
 * Traumatic Haircut: During the battle against Shogen, his long black hair gets hacked off.

Yakushiji Tenzen
A very high-ranked Iga ninja serving Ogen, he's one of the strongest members, and surely one of the most evil characters in the manga, and that's saying something. . Has an unhealthy attraction for Oboro.


 * Big Bad: Surely he's the most suitable character for the job.
 * The Chessmaster:
 * Evil Chancellor: In the Iga clan.
 * Evil Mentor: To Koshiro.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Sanity Slippage
 * Show Hayami
 * Smug Snake: Would've been a Magnificent Bastard, if not for unnecesary sadism and his MASSIVE arrogance.
 * Stalker With a Crush: Towards Oboro.
 * Manipulative Bastard
 * Sanity Slippage
 * Show Hayami
 * Smug Snake: Would've been a Magnificent Bastard, if not for unnecesary sadism and his MASSIVE arrogance.
 * Stalker With a Crush: Towards Oboro.
 * Show Hayami
 * Smug Snake: Would've been a Magnificent Bastard, if not for unnecesary sadism and his MASSIVE arrogance.
 * Stalker With a Crush: Towards Oboro.

Azuki Rousai
An old shinobi who can stretch his limbs and neck like boneless tentacles. He's grumpy and easy to anger.


 * Animal Motifs: His elongated skull and his tentacle-like limbs can make you think of a squid.
 * Badass Grandpa: Shown to be strong enough to smash a stone wall to pieces with a kick.
 * Evil Old Folks
 * The Grotesque: That skull....
 * Mundane Utility: He and Nenki take advantage of their own gonkiness to try to scare the hiccup away from Oboro.
 * Rubber Man: Can stretch his limbs and neck. Josuke even calls him a "Rubber monster".
 * Rubber Man: Can stretch his limbs and neck. Josuke even calls him a "Rubber monster".

Mino Nenki
An odd-looking shinobi with very long and messy hair, huge eyebrows and long nose hairs. He can animate and control all the hairs of his body and can use a long staff.


 * Bifurcated Weapon: His staff can actually become an oversized nunchaku.
 * Big Ol Eyebrows: Gennosuke and Danjou's are nothing compared to this guy.
 * Boisterous Bruiser
 * Kenji Utsumi
 * Jerk With a Heart of Gold: He's genuinely affectionate to Oboro, and while everyone shuns her away and think she's useless, he only says she's Just a Kid.
 * Large Ham
 * Prehensile Hair: His main weapon. He can animate his hair, as well as his body and nostril hairs.
 * Expressive Hair: This, too.
 * Expressive Hair: This, too.

Chikuma Koshirou
A skilled warrior and shinobi, he's very protective towards Oboro and possibly in love with her. He obeys Tenzen's orders, but he's not as evil as him. Can fight with two kama sickles and use his breath to form a deadly Razor Wind attack. Halfway through the manga he's blinded by Gennosuke, who sent back his wind at him, but learns how to fight while blind.


 * Bodyguard Crush: On Oboro
 * Crazy Jealous Guy: And he is VERY jealous of Gennosuke.
 * Cool Mask: After losing his sight.
 * Disability Superpower: After being blinded he gains a better sense of hearing, allowing him to
 * Dual Wielding: Sickles. He can even throw them with deadly precision.
 * Even Evil Has Standards:
 * Eye Scream: Gennosuke's gaze force him to damage his own eyes with his Razor Wind.
 * Hidden Depths: He has a soft spot for kids and is an excellent woodcarver.
 * My Master Right or Wrong: His loyalty to Tenzen, his Evil Mentor.
 * Razor Vortex: How his power works: by whistling he can create a vortex that attracts and shreds the enemies to pieces.
 * Sinister Scythe: Two of them.
 * Wataru Hatano

Amayo Jingorou
A slug man from Iga who can melt his body with salt in order to lay ambushes and move faster. However too much salt reduce him to a pitiful squealing worm. Water can return him to normal. He's deeply afraid of the ocean for obvious reasons.


 * Animal Motifs: Slugs.
 * Blessed With Suck: His powers.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Gonk
 * Groin Attack:
 * Least Common Skin Tone: Green.
 * Orifice Invasion:
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes: He's scared shitless of the sea. Justified as, due to the salt in it, his body would melt upon prolonged contact.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes: He's scared shitless of the sea. Justified as, due to the salt in it, his body would melt upon prolonged contact.

Akeginu
Iga kunoichi, she's a beautiful woman who serves as Oboro's maid and actually cares for her plea. She can expel blood from her skin and use it in battle along with daggers and shortswords. She's in love with Koshiro.


 * Action Girl
 * Battle Butler: To Oboro.
 * Bloody Murder: Her powers.
 * Boobs of Steel: Amongst the Iga clan.
 * Break the Cutie:
 * Broken Bird
 * Full Frontal Assault: Justified by her powers.
 * Knife Nut: Wields a tanto dagger.
 * Misa Watanabe
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Tall Dark and Bishoujo

Hotarubi
Kunoichi from the Iga clan and Yashamaru's lover. She can summon and control insects and snakes to do her bidding. She's only sweet and gentle with Yashamaru, and tends to be violent and rude to anyone else.


 * Action Girl
 * Animal Motifs: Butterflies. Her name means Firefly.
 * Berserk Button: Don't even joke about Yashamaru cuckolding her.
 * Clingy Jealous Girl
 * Death Glare: Her default expression around anyone who's not Yashamaru.
 * Though even he gets one when he jokes about Oboro's cuteness.
 * Ensemble Darkhorse: Both she and Yashamaru fall under this trope, and they are the most popular Basilisk characters ever. Heck, not even Gennosuke and Oboro are that much loved!
 * Friend to All Living Things: She can use her powers to summon butterflies against her enemies, though she also has a pet snake and in the anime she can control many kinds of bugs.
 * Hand Seals: The only ninja to use them.
 * Hime Cut
 * Knife Nut: Uses daggers.
 * Miyuki Sawashiro
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Against the Kouga, when she finds out that Yashamaru was murdered.
 * Single Target Sexuality: Yashamaru.
 * When She Smiles: She looks a lot more sweet and adorable when she's not trying to fry someone with her Death Glare.
 * Womanin Black: Her Ninja outfit.
 * Womanin Black: Her Ninja outfit.

Other characters

 * Tokugawa Ieyasu: The elderly former Shogun, who appears to be suffering from some sort of throat cancer as evidenced by the bulbous growth beneath his chin. Although retired, he still possesses enough influence within the government to revoke the Hattori truce in order to resolve the succession dispute. Historically, Ieyasu is regarded as an effective but extremely heartless ruler: Basilisk maintains this image of him as he clearly views both Koga and Iga as expendable in the face of ensuring political stability and his family's grip on power, thus forcing them to fight to the death.


 * Hattori Hanzou the First (Masanari): The head of a prominent ninja family from Iga Province who would later become chief of the Shogun's intelligence. In the anime, he helped the people of Tsubagakure escape Nobunaga's attack. The peace treaty between Iga Tsubagakure and Kouga Manjidani was originally implemented by him.


 * Hattori Hanzou the Fourth (Masahiro): The third son of Hattori Hanzo and the current leader of the Shogun's intelligence. Although he dislikes the idea of turning Koga and Iga loose, his loyalty to Ieyasu compels him to nullify his father's anti-war pact for the sake of avoiding civil war among the other Shogunate retainers. He was among the audience that witnessed the duel between Yashamaru and Shogen at Sunpu Castle and would later witness the duel between  Although his demeanor can be considered cold and non-chalant, he was deeply moved by the second duel   He also recoves the battle scroll from Ieyasu and


 * Hattori Kyouhachirou: The nephew and adopted son of Hattori Hanzo the 4th (his birth father was Hattori Hanzo the 2nd). Kyohachiro was charged by Hanzo to monitor the duel between Koga and Iga and then report the results to him and Lord Ieyasu. His role is greatly expanded in the anime: in the manga he doesn't appear until the fourth volume (when he reports to his father that ), whereas the TV series has him appearing somewhat earlier and getting along more or less well with.


 * Nankoubou Tenkai: A Tendai Buddhist monk and political adviser for the Shogunate, he suggested to Ieyasu that since the Tokugawas are a military family, the succession dispute should be settled though some sort of organized duel between ninja instead of valued samurai. As the duel between the Koga and Iga rages on, Ieyasu sends him into the inner castle to keep the peace between Ofuku and Oeyu.


 * Yagyuu Munenori: A Kenjutsu instructor of the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school, of whom the Tokugawa Shogunate was a loyal patron. He was among the audience that witnessed Yashamaru and Kazamachi's duel at Sunpu and follows the war alongside Ieyasu. Because of their barely reined hostility to each other and the awesome power of their techniques, he views the ninjas of Kouga and Iga as being more akin to demons than humans.


 * Ofuku aka Lady Kasuga: The godmother of Takechiyo and leader of the faction supporting his claim to the Shogunate. A cold and heartless woman who, Ofuku's only redeeming grace is her devotion to her protege Takechiyo whom see considers a surrogate son, at one point even  , Ofuku attempts to personally intervene despite orders from Ieyasu to the contrary, taking the side of the Iga and forcing Oboro into many problems.


 * Princess Oeyo: The consort of Ieyasu's son, the current Shogun Hitetada. Although she gave birth to both Kunichiyo and Takechiyo, she favors Kunichiyo and leads the faction supporting his claim to the Shogunate. Oeyo is just as heartless and manipulative as Ofuku, her rival from long before the succession dispute, and is suggested in the anime that


 * Takechiyo: Ieyasu's eldest surviving grandson, represented by the Iga. His slow witted nature is the basis of the succession dispute. He will grow into


 * Kunichiyo: Ieyasu's second grandson, represented by the Kouga. Although the younger of the two brothers, Kunichiyo's intelligence and cleverness has caused many within the government to view him as more deserving of the Shogunate over his elder sibling. He will grow into