Katanagatari/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The characters of Katanagatari include:

Main Characters

Shichika Yasuri

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya

A young martial artist, and head of the Kyoutoryu style, living with his sister on a desolate island. At the start of the series he is approached by Togame, an underling of the shogunate, to help her find the Twelve Perfected Deviant Blades. He falls in love with her and agrees.

  • Anti-Hero: Starts out as a type V, having no qualms killing women and children if ordered, but thanks to Character Development he mellows down to a type III.
  • Ax Crazy: In the last episode, after Togame dies.
  • Badass: Absolutely.
  • Badass Long Hair: His ponytail is around ankle-length.
  • Bare-Fisted Monk: A man whose own body is a sword. In fact, he's utterly incompetent with a real sword.
  • Bodyguard Crush: Invoked. And proved true by the end.
  • Catch Phrase: At Togame's suggestion, "However, by that point you will have been torn to pieces".
  • Death Seeker: After Togame's death, though surprisingly he lives through the wounds received from The Dragon during his Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
  • Does Not Like Shoes
  • Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: After Togame dies, his normally black eyes turn grey and listless.
  • Heroic Comedic Sociopath: He gets better.
  • No Social Skills: Sees himself as a sword that is meant for cutting. He does become visibly more emotional over time though.
  • Oblivious to Love: Most of the subtext between him and Togame goes right over his head, much to her annoyance. Despite this he still insists he loves her.
  • Older Than They Look: It may come as a surprise that he's 24 (pretty old for a Shounen hero), mainly due to the simple art style and his naive personality.
  • One Head Taller: Than just about everyone else. But particularly Togame.
  • Self-Made Orphan: Killed his own father for unexplained reasons. Episode 7 implies it was to protect Nanami... not that she would need it.
  • Scars Are Forever: He retains some of the scars received in his final battle with Emonzaemon, particularly the one over his left eye.
  • Spanner in the Works: Spoiled Shikizaki's plan because he just didn't care about changing Japan.
  • Super Strength: Although it ain't as extreme as some other examples, and is at least partially justified by his rigorous training.
  • Tranquil Fury: During his Roaring Rampage of Revenge in episode twelve.
  • Undying Loyalty: He fights solely for Togame's sake, and is completely devoted to her.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Though he does put on a shirt for extreme cold weather, sword training, and a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
    • The funny part being that, while he is covering his chest, his FEET are still bare. As he carries Togame through a blizzard, while she whines about how cold it is. And then life-threatening Hilarity Ensues.
  • Willfully Weak: He's given orders by Togame to protect the swords, Togame, himself, and himself[1], which proves to make some of the fights more difficult. In the last episode, he is under no such restrictions, and shows exactly how powerful he is by destroying all twelve swords. How much the restriction to protect himself mattered is evident during his duel with Emonzaemon.

Togame (Princess Yousha)

Voiced by: Yukari Tamura

An agent of the shogunate who is trying to collect the Twelve Perfected Deviant Blades.

Nanami Yasuri

Voiced by: Mai Nakahara

Shichika's older sister who is frail in health but much stronger than she looks.

  • Awesomeness By Analysis: Her main ability, which is how she learns techniques.
  • Badass Adorable
  • Blessed with Suck: Her view on her overwhelming power, as the strain it puts on her already weak body forces her to live in constant agony.
  • Catch Phrase: "Is it good, or is it bad?" and other variations of it.
  • Cold-Blooded Torture: Poor Maniwani.
  • Death Seeker
  • Ill Girl: Due to her unnatural strength, although she can never die from it.
  • Lack of Empathy: She is not a particularly caring person when it comes to mooks.
  • Made of Iron: Despite her weak body, she is surprisingly resilient. The prime example would be her death. After taking a full-on Shichika Hachiretsu Kai, Akutou Bita (the Deviant Blade sustaining her life) was pulled out of her chest, leaving a gaping hole in it. She then gets up and starts using her full strength, damaging her body even further. She manages to fight with her little brother evenly for a short while after that, but dies when she is hit by Shichika's self-titled ultimate move a second time.
  • Mega Manning: Learns any move after seeing it once and masters it after seeing it twice. It actually weakens her, as her innate skills are superior.
  • Multicolored Hair: Has random pink blotches in it for some reason.
    • Pretty sure those pink blotches are just highlights. The artist(s) chose to use pink rather than a lighter green.
  • Older Than They Look: Yes, she's Shichika's older sister and pushing 30, but looks like a child.
  • Slasher Smile: Holy shit, run!
  • Stronger Sibling
  • Villain Protagonist
  • Willfully Weak: Despite being physically weak and ill, Nanami starts the series able to easily defeat her brother, who defeated the official Greatest Swordsman in Japan. Turns out, she can also copy any skill she sees, including super-strength, spontaneous claw growth, and walking on water. Then it turns out that she has inhuman resilience and can't die no matter how sick or poisoned she becomes. Then it turns out she's acquired one of the Deviant Blades, which cures her weakness and low energy. And then it turns out she uses others' skills so she can be weaker, as her instinctive combat skills are utterly perfect!
  • Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
  • Yamato Nadeshiko: With long black hair and a yukata she definitely looks the part, and with her sweet tone of voice she sounds the part. Even her method of fighting is more feminine than her brother's as she watches instead of trains. Subverted as she's actually a brutal Death Seeker that tortures without a thought.

Princess Hitei

Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu

A princess from Owari who is Togame's rival and also after the Deviant Blades. Might be a descendant of Kiki Shikizaki.

  • Arch Enemy: To Togame. Even though they had the exact same goal.
  • Blue Eyes: Her theme music is named after them too.
  • The Chessmaster
  • Jerkass
  • Last-Minute Hookup: Believe it or not, but this might have happened between her and Shichika.
  • Karma Houdini
  • Rapunzel Hair
  • Smug Snake: Has the personality, but the last episode makes her seem like a Magnificent Bastard.
    • However, she doesn’t lead Emonzaemon on and clearly establishes that she wouldn’t want him to sacrifice his life for her, admits that she liked Togame even when she ordered her death, and is ready to be killed by Shichika. Her actions were irreproachable, but her personality doesn’t help her.
  • Spanner in the Works: Just like Shichika, she makes Shikizaki's plan fail because she had no interest in ruling.

Emonzaemon Souda

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama

Princess Hitei's right hand man. A very calm and mysterious character, and former ninja. Apparently has a history with Houou Maniwa.


Wielders of the Deviant Blades

Ginkaku Uneri

A swordsman who lives in a vast desert in the country of Inaba. Second Deviant Blade user Shichika and Togame run into.

  • Anti-Villain
  • Badass
  • Deadly Upgrade: Covering Zantou Namakura in blood increases the speed of the Zerosen technique. After Ginkaku covered his sword with his own blood, his ultimate attack changed from 5 simultaneous slashes to ten.
  • The Fettered: He exaggerates this trope: The desert has invaded all his land. His castle is ruined; he is the only one left, when Shinizika ask him why he fights, he sincerely answers he doesn’t know. Even so, he’s willing to die defending his sword only because he must defend something.
  • Iaijutsu Practitioner: His Zerosen sword-draw was so fast that even Shichika couldn't see through it.
  • Master Swordsman
  • Split-Second Blade Spam: He can use his sword, Zantou Namakura, to strike five times a second.
  • The Stoic

Meisai Tsuruga

The head of the Sanzu shrine located in Izumo and the third Deviant Blade user.

Hakuhei Sabi

Known as the strongest swordsman in Japan and fourth Deviant Blade owner.

Kanara Azekura

A pirate who rules a small port town in Satsuma, he is the fifth opponent Shichika fights for the Deviant Blades.

  • Badass
  • The Big Guy
  • The Faceless: Save for one flashback scene of how he got the armor, Kanara is never seen outside Zukotou Yoroi.
  • Foe-Tossing Charge: With Zokutou Yoroi protecting him and the hidden blades in his armour adding to the damage caused by the attack, this is how he prefers to fight.
  • Graceful Loser: He does supply a boat for Togame and Shichika once they defeat him. Where that boat goes is another story.
  • Nigh Invulnerable: Yoroi, his Deviant Blade armour.
  • Power Armor

Konayuki Itezora

A small eleven-year-old girl who lives on Mount Odori. Sixth opponent Shichika fights for the Deviant Blades.

  • Badass Adorable: Isn't she just the cutest thing ever. She's also the first opponent to defeat Shichika.
  • Last of Her Kind: Her clan was wiped out by Nanami.
  • Stepford Smiler: Tries to act like a Cheerful Child, but when your family was just killed...
  • Super Strength: Though as a child, she's still considered weak by her clan's standards.
  • Unskilled but Strong: Her "amateur" skills were what allowed her to defeat Shichika, in that since she has no true skill as a warrior she's basically just flailing her weapon around and is difficult to predict.

Biyorigou

Deviant Blade number eight. Protector of a dried lake.

  • Badass Automaton
  • Deceptively-Human Robots: She seems fairly humanized at first glance, but she's never portrayed as anything but a particularly well-designed object, and is easily defeated once you figure out her limited range of programmed actions.
  • Steampunk: A robot? In 18th century Japan?
    • Justified Trope: Kiki Shikizaki was a Soothsayer who could see the future of technology, as Togame lampshades, it’s the only way he could have created swords that, in that era, appear to break physic laws, but could be perfectly possible in the future.

Zanki Kiguchi

A calm and serious shogi player who runs a dojo and wields the ninth Deviant Blade.

Rinne Higaki

A three hundred year old holy man and a close friend of the deceased Shikizaki Kiki. Owner of the tenth Deviant Blade.

  • Annoying Laugh
  • Badass Grandpa
  • Genre Savvy: Got rid of his deviant blade as soon as he he got it, knowing that no good can come of it.
  • Involuntary Shapeshifting: His appearance is a collection of his guests' regrets. For Shichika and Togame, he looks like Konayuki with Nanami's hair with the personality of Togame's dad.
    • The personality might be Hitei Hime's instead, as Togame might not want to openly admit and thus purposely came up with another person. At least to this troper, her father does not seem like this kind of person in the flashbacks.
  • Really Seven Hundred Years Old
  • Trickster Mentor: Loves screwing with people.

Kiki Shikizaki

A master blacksmith and soothsayer who created the Deviant Blades.


Maniwa Ninja Corps

Houou Maniwa

De facto head of the Maniwa Ninja Corps and leader of its Bird Squad.

Koumori Maniwa

A member of the Maniwa Ninja Corps and a wielder of one of the Deviant Blades.

Shirasagi Maniwa

A member of the Bird Squad who goes after Gikaku Uneri. Speaks backwards.

Kuizame Maniwa

Member of the Fish Squad, he fights for money and his own bloodlust, however respects his fellow members. He targets Meisai Tsuruga.

Kamakiri Maniwa

The leader of the Insect Squad, a serious highly experienced and feared warrior. One of the three ninjas sent to capture Nanami.

Chouchou Maniwa

A member of the Insect Squad and in a relationship with a fellow ninja Oshidori. One of the three ninjas sent to capture Nanami.

Mitsubachi Maniwa

A member of the Insect Squad, the most gentle, fair, and calm of its three members, preferring to avoid conflicts with his friends. One of the three ninjas sent to capture Nanami.

Pengin Maniwa

A member of the Bird Squad and a stuttering little child. Accompanies Houou personally throughout the series.

Kyouken Maniwa

A member of the Beast Squad who despises Togame for the deaths of her fellow ninja.

Kawauso Maniwa

The leader of the Beast Squad, he is invaluable to the Maniwa Corps as he can ascertain the locations of the Deviant Blades. He is willingly killed by Houou in order to maintain the alliance between the Maniwa Corps and Togame.

Umigame Maniwa

The leader of the Fish Squad, as his name suggests, he wears a turtle-like uniform, wields a rapier.

Oshidori Maniwa

A member of the Bird Squad, she is the object of Chouchou's affection.

Back to Katanagatari
  1. ↑ It Makes Sense in Context
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