History Characters / RurouniKenshinOniwabanshu

->Voiced by: Creator/AkioNojima (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/RyotaroOkiayu (JP, 2023 TV series); Tom Wyner (EN, mainly), Paul St. Peter (EN, episode 42), Dan Lorge (EN, episode 52)

->Voiced by: Creator/TaikiMatsuno (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/HiroyukiYoshino (JP, 2023 TV series); Derek Stephen Prince (EN)

* UndyingLoyalty: Played tragically (and triumphantly) straight to its logical conclusion.

->Voiced by: Creator/KazuhiroNakata (JP, 1996 TV series), Creator/TetsuInada (JP, 2023 TV series); Dean Wein (EN, mainly), Dan Lorge (EN, episode 42)

->Voiced by: Creator/AkioNojima (JP); Tom Wyner (EN, mainly), Paul St. Peter (EN, episode 42), Dan Lorge (EN, episode 52)

->Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (JP); Dean Wein (EN, mainly), Dan Lorge (EN, episode 42)

->Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (JP); Creator/BobPapenbrook (EN)

->Voiced by: Taiki Matsuno (JP); Derek Stephen Prince (EN)

* NotGoodWithPeople: In the flashback showing the group leaving Aoiya, he admits that he wouldn't know how to deal with the customers.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Downplayed in the anime. While he's still ultimately a decent guy, many of his AffablyEvil aspects from the manga are AdaptedOut of his fight with Sano, including him explaining how Aoshi recruited him. As such, he's portrayed as more of [[LargeHam a giant hammy]] [[TheBrute brute]].

* CoveredInScars: Has sword scars all over his body. Most of them are implied to be from Aoshi's Kaiten Kenbu attack, especially the three parallel scars on his abs.

* VitriolicBestBuddies: He seemingly has this dinamc going on with Beshimi. Even though he threaten him at one point, the two seemingly work together in missions.

[[center: [-[[Characters/RurouniKenshin Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMainCharacters Main Characters]] ([[Characters/RurouniKenshinHimuraKenshin Himura Kenshin]]) | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinRivalsAndVillains Rivals and Minor Villains]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheMeijiGovernment The Meiji Government]] | '''Oniwabanshu''' | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords The Ten Swords / Juppongatana]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheSixComrades The Six Comrades]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinAnimeOnlyCharacters Anime Only Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMangaOnlyCharacters Manga Only Characters]]]]-]

%%* FiveManBand

[[folder:Shinomori Aoshi]]
See Characters/RurouniKenshinMainCharacters
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tokyo's Oniwabanshu]]

The four members of Aoshi's squad serving Kanryu Takeda. They all follow Aoshi with loyal devotion. The members are Hannya the spy, Beshimi, Hyottoko and Shikijo. [[spoiler: After being defeated by our heroes, they all die performing a heroic sacrifice to save Aoshi from Kanryuu's gatling gun. Their heads are buried near a dark wood by Aoshi himself.]]

[[folder:Kyoto's Oniwabanshu]]

->Voiced by: Creator/AkioNojima (JP); Tom Wyner (EN)

* MalevolentMaskedMen: PlayedWith. He wears a chalk white oni mask at all times, and is easily the most physically scary of the Oniwaba Group; however he's also the most human and shows the greatest amount of sympathetic qualities amongst them.

->Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (JP); Dean Elliot (EN)

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: He tries to defeat Sano by blocking his hands in his grip and headbutting him into unconsciousness: eventually, Sano's grip break his hands and is put to sleep with a punch to the forehead.

* CompositeCharacter: He's combined with Inui Banjin of the Six Comrades for the live action movie. Banjin of the movie has several of Shikijo's affable traits and is the guard posted at Kanryu's mansion to fight Sanosuke.

* EvilCounterpart: Explicitly designed as such for Sanosuke according to Watsuki's notes, which helped the contrast between the Oniwabanshu and the Kenshin-gumi. Both Sanosuke and Shikijo are boisterous fighters who physically powerful. Both were defeated by someone that they come to admire (Kenshin and Aoshi respectively). The major difference is that Shikijo follows Aoshi due to Aoshi's strength and becomes obsessed with proving his strength. Whereas Sanosuke comes to follow Kenshin because of his ideals and the things he wants to protect.
* HardHead: Shikijo tries to smash Sano's skulls with headbutts. He also claims that after his first one, Sano will be unable to react immediatly, as his brain is still shaken. Possibly backfires when, after enduring a flurry of headbutts, Sano knocks him out cold with a single punch to the forehead.

A massive man capable of breathing fire. After Beshimi's failure Hyottoko takes the fight straight to the dojo.

* BerserkButton: Hyottoko lose his cool when Kenshin likens his fire-spitting technique to a circus trick.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When he hunts down Megumi after she flees to the house Sannosuke and Kenshin are in. He's quiet, sneaky, and get's easily beaten by Kenshin and Sano. Unlike the other Oniwaba members who can give the heroes a hard time before being beaten, Beshimi's thrown out with almost no effort.
* {{Gonk}}: He's really odd looking and mousy. However he's probably the most normally looking of the group bar Aoshi, and the author was surprised to find that he had fangirls.

[[center: [-[[Characters/RurouniKenshin Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinSupportingCharacters Supporting Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinRivalsAndVillains Rivals and Minor Villains]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheMeijiGovernment The Meiji Government]] | '''Oniwabanshu''' | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheTenSwords The Ten Swords / Juppongatana]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinTheSixComrades The Six Comrades]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinAnimeOnlyCharacters Anime Only Characters]] | [[Characters/RurouniKenshinMangaOnlyCharacters Manga Only Characters]]]]-]

** Averted for [[spoiler:Beshimi]] who's body is perforated by the bullets, likely because he wasn't as large as the previous two.

-->"If Himura the Batosai acted only on what was beneficial to him, he would be a high ranking official of the army at this time. Of course, people like you would never understand."

* HardHead: Shikijo tries to smash Sano's skulls with headbutts. He also claims that after his first one, Sano will be unable to react immediatly, as his brain is still shaken.

%%* TheNapoleon: Beshimi is very small.

%%* QuirkyMinibossSquad

* BreathWeapon: He has a large oil bag inside his belly, with the nozzle in his mouth. Add a pair of flintstone teeth and you have a fire-breathing apparatus.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome. [[spoiler:All of the group perform a HeroicSacrifice, but Beshimi is the one who lands an attack and contributes to Kanryu's defeat. In the final fight, he shot a dart into the bullet belt, jamming the weapon at a crucial point]].

* TheLoad: Physically the weakest of the group. He's got a CripplingOverspecialization like the rest of the group, but unlike the others who can use their specialized area to put up a fight, Beshimi cannot.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Shinomori_Aoshi_1957.jpg
->Voiced by: Creator/YoshitoYasuhara (JP), Terrence Stone (EN)

The genius young leader of the Oniwabanshū onmitsu. Known to his followers as the "Okashira", Aoshi's skills in combat, stealth and information gathering are without parallel, but having missed his chance to gain glory for the Oniwabanshū during the Bakumatsu, he led a group of his men in serving as enforcers for the wealthy industrialist and opium dealer Takeda Kanryū in the hopes of finding a new battlefield in the Meiji era.

When Kanryū made himself the enemy of the legendary Hitokiri Battōsai, Aoshi believed that his long-missed chance to prove the superiority of the Oniwabanshū had finally come. Unfortunately, Kanryū's wicked deception and greed [[spoiler: cost Aoshi's men their lives]] and the shame of being defeated and then rescued by Battōsai drove the Okashira to a new vow: he would defeat Battōsai at any cost in order to gain the title of "the strongest" and offer that title [[spoiler: at his comrades' graves]].
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* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: [[spoiler: In the live action films, he is [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge grieving]] his fallen comrades [[DeathByAdaptation for a decade]] instead of half or roughly a year.]]
* AdaptationalVillainy: He is much more [[KickTheDog menacing]], [[TheUnfettered cutthroat]] and [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge unstable]] in the live action films, desperately wanting to fight Kenshin. [[spoiler: Even after his HeelFaceTurn, he is portrayed as a standard rival with a strong TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou mentality contrasting his FriendlyRivalry[=/=]WorthyOpponent one in the manga/anime.]]
* AdaptationalWimp: His climactic fight with Kenshin was a brutal one with Kenshin himself being worn down by Aoshi's all out attack. In the Shin Kyoto Hen OVA, Aoshi fights a gravely wounded Kenshin (who has a sword sticking out of his shoulder) in a quick fight wherein Kenshin knocks him out with his sheath.
* AloofBigBrother: To Misao.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Although the rivalry doesn't get personal until later, he sees Kenshin as this: He believes Kenshin will allow him to prove the superiority of the Oniwabanshu during the Bakumatsu.
* [[spoiler:TheAtoner]]
* {{BFS}}: Averted when he returns in the Kyoto Arc. His sheathe actually has two openings and his second kodachi has no guard with the hilt resembling the end of a sheath. When it and his first kodachi (which has a normal guard and hilt) are sheathed, it gives the illusion that he's carrying a long tachi blade.
* BadassLongcoat: One of the ''iconic'' badass longcoats of anime; has inspired countless imitators.
* BareFistedMonk: While primarily a swordsman, he's also a Kenpo master and relied on it for his offense before getting two kodachi. WordOfGod says he creates his own martial arts style.
* BerserkButton: It is never wise to [[spoiler:desecrate the graves of his men]]. Four of Shishio's [[EliteMook Elite Mooks]] learned this [[TranquilFury the hard way]].
* BloodKnight: Becomes this after [[spoiler:Kanryuu kills the Oniwabanshu, who die protecting him. Kenshin is able to talk him out of it.]]
* BrokenAce: His abilities could have easily gained him a job as a government official, but he sought not to abandon his comrades. However, this ended up making them underlings for Kanryuu. Becomes even worse after Kanryuu [[spoiler: kills the Oniwabanshuu]].
* TheComicallySerious: During the Jinchuu arc, his scenes (at least when [[GenkiGirl Misao]] is present) usually put him in this role.
* CompositeCharacter[=/=]DecompositeCharacter: In the live action films, he has traits fused with Han'nya and Gein (who wears his manga outfit) while also appearing as a separate character (wearing his anime outfit).
* DeathSeeker: He becomes much more obsessed with defeating Kenshin after [[spoiler: Kanryuu kills his men]] and is willing to throw his life away for it
* DeceptiveDisciple: To Okina.
* DoppelgangerSpin: His Ryusui no Ugoki, which involves alternating his speed to make illusions of himself appear to psych-out his opponent.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler:Though it takes a second fight to do the trick.]]
* DefrostingIceQueen: After [[spoiler: his defeat at the hands of Kenshin in the Kyoto arc]], Aoshi starts becoming a little more sociable and friendly, even if he doesn't visibly show it often.
* DragonInChief: To Kanryu. This leads to some friction between them.
* DualWielding: When he starts wielding two kodachi.
* {{Expy}}: Based on Hijikata Toshizo in design.
* AFatherToHisMen: Cares quite a bit about his QuirkyMinibossSquad, and desires to give them the chance to become great that they never got in the Revolution. He would die for any of them. [[spoiler: When they die for him instead, he... doesn't take it well.]]
* {{Foil}}: A young, talented individual around Kenshin's age who mirrors Kenshin in prodigious ability and respect from his peers. However, they end up in opposite positions. While Kenshin received unwanted renown for being the Battousai, Aoshi desired glory from the Revolution he was unable to participate in. Both had DeathSeeker tendencies, but while Kenshin was trying to atone, Aoshi merely sought more fights, especially after [[spoiler: his underlings sacrifice themselves]].
* HeroicBSOD: Suffers this when [[spoiler: he witnesses his men being gunned down right in front of him, courtesy of Kanryuu]].
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: With Misao. She comes up to ''his waist''.
* TheLeader: Of the Oniwabanshu.
* MagneticHero: Well respected by the members of the Oniwabanshuu, he's attracted a number of strong individuals.
* MasterSwordsman: Of ''two'' kodachi. Subverted in his first appearance, where his kodachi was mostly a tool to parry sword blows while he worked his opponent over with his martial arts.
* MrFanservice
* [[spoiler:MyGodWhatHaveIDone]]
* {{Ninja}}
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: Runs one [[spoiler:before they die]].
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: To Kenshin.
* TheRival: One of Kenshin's two.
* RivalTurnedEvil: After the Kanryu estate. [[spoiler: He gets better]].
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The [[TheStoic stoic]] Savvy Guy to Misao's [[GenkiGirl genki]] Energetic Girl.
* SixthRanger: [[spoiler:To two different teams]].
* SixthRangerTraitor: [[spoiler:Aoshi eventually betrays his FiveManBand]].
* SkywardScream: Though it may be silent, Aoshi does this after [[spoiler: Kanryuu guns down his men]].
* ShoutOut: His coat is based on the one worn by [[ComicBook/XMen Remy Le Beau/Gambit]].
* TheStoic
* SwordAndFist: A master of both martial arts and swordsmanship, and he will use both in a fight to destroy an opponent.
* TallDarkAndHandsome
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: His Onmyo Hasshi which involves him throwing both kodachi in a straight line towards the opponent. The trick is that one of the kodachi is thrown directly behind the other so that his opponent is vulnerable should he parry the attack.
* TranquilFury: When he [[BerserkButton gets angry enough]], his blades express what his face doesn't.
* WorthyOpponent: To Kenshin.

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Makimachi_Misao_6287.jpg]]
-> Voiced by: Creator/TomoSakurai (JP), Creator/PhileceSampler (EN)
-> Portrayed by: Tao Tsuchiya (Live-Action)

A kunoichi who was raised by the Oniwabanshū. She appears in the story after Kenshin leaves Kaoru and his friends and goes to Kyoto alone. She goes on to play a major role in that arc, comes along again for the ''Jinchuu'' arc in the manga, and also comes along for the various other adventures in the TV series.
-----
* ActionGirl: A bit like Kaoru, she tries her best but she's a competent-at-best ninja who is being thrown up against absurdly overpowered freaks. She does manage to make some good showings for herself in each arc she appears in, though. And as noted below, she's much more obviously an Action Girl in the live-action films.
* ACupAngst: She's not all that happy about her lack of curves.
* AdaptationalBadass: While her action scenes are few and far between in the manga and anime, she manages to take down dozens of Shishio's men during the second live-action film.
* AlliterativeName: '''M'''isao '''M'''akimachi.
* AnimalMotifs: The weasel. (She is ''not'' amused by this association.)
%%* BadassAdorable
* BerserkButton: Do ''not'' mistake her for a little girl.
* BetaCouple: While [[spoiler: Aoshi]] isn't completely comfortable with the idea, in general their relationship provides a nice contrast to Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship in the sense that Misao is far more capable of expressing her feelings.
* BloodSplatteredInnocents: The moment when she witnesses [[spoiler: Aoshi almost murdering Okina in the ''Shin Kyoto Hen'' OVA leaves her splattered with the latter's blood. Much [[NightmareFuel creepiness]] and [[TearJerker sadness]] ensues.]]
* BoisterousBruiser: She has an exhuberant personality and a top-notch fighter to boot.
* {{Bokukko}}: She always uses "boku" when referring to herself.
* BreakoutCharacter: Really, you could make an argument for her being included on the main cast page; while she only really joins the cast during the second major arc of the story, she's a major character in Kyoto, and due to her popularity at the time found her way into the ''Jinchuu'' arc and also came along for several of the TV-exclusive adventures.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: She is introduced defeating four bandits and stealing their goods.
* GenkiGirl: Sure she's a bit of a {{Tsundere}} but often enough she's just excited and spends most of her time with a pleasant upbeat attitude.
* HairTriggerTemper: She gets angry at even the slightest provocation, but this is typically PlayedForLaughs.
%%* {{Kawaiiko}}
* KnifeNut: Her [[WeaponOfChoice preferred weapons]] are her throwing knives.
* LargeHam: She can be very loud and theatrical.
%%* {{Ninja}}
* OlderThanSheLooks: [[BerserkButton "LITTLE GIRL!!]] I'm a beautiful sixteen year old maiden, thank you very much!!" Doesn't help that, in the Epilogue, which is a 5-year later TimeSkip, she looks ''exactly'' the same at 21, to the point that a 15-year old Yahiko even looks older than her.
%%* PluckyGirl
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The [[GenkiGirl genki]] Energetic Girl to Aoshi's [[TheStoic stoic]] Savvy Guy.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Wears a Western dress once in the anime. Sano doesn't recognize her.
%%* ShortHairWithTail
* {{Shorttank}}: A tomboyish GenkiGirl who argues with Kenshin (and most other male characters, actually) and whose preferred fighting clothes are shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Even her "civilian" clothes involve shorts.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Heavily implied toward Aoshi. She's loved him (one way or another) since her early childhood and is still very focused on him even in the manga's final arc. Of the series's four female protagonists, Misao alone never expresses interest in Kenshin (though she admits that Enishi is "finer of face than she expected" in the Jinchuu arc).
%%* {{Tsundere}}: Type A.

[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Kashiwazaki_Nenji_3965.jpg]]
->Voiced by: Koichi Kitamura (JP), Michael [=McConnohie=] (EN)
->Portrayed by: Min Tanaka (Live Action)

An elder member of the Oniwabanshu, and during the Bakumatsu, he operated at the Kyoto Investigator in order to analyze the movements in the city's political world. After the Restoration, he raised Misao, who was handed over by Aoshi.
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* AdaptationalBadass: The live action films made him capable of using a katana and lasts longer in his fight with Aoshi. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, he became a [[TooCoolToLive little too badass]] for [[DeathByAdaptation his own good]].]]
* AlmightyJanitor: Was once considered capable of taking the spot of Okashira himself and even holds his own against Aoshi [[spoiler: though the Kodachi Nitou Ryuu eventually does him in.]]
%%* BadassBeard
* BadassBoast: "Once they called me the most horrific of the Oniwabanshu. Only a fool resists me."
* BadassGrandpa: He's an old man, but he's still the leader of Kyoto's unofficial guardians and has amassed quite a bit of skill in his life-time. This is especially notable in the live action films wherein his fight with Aoshi is less one-sided and Okina lands a number of hits that force Aoshi on the defensive.
%%* CoolOldGuy
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:It is heavily implied in the third film that he ultimately succumbed to his wounds from his fight with Aoshi]].
* {{Determinator}}: Demonstrated during his battle with Aoshi. Okina continues to adapt whenever Aoshi pulls out a new technique, first losing a tonfa and going on the defensive and lastly with a DeliberateInjuryGambit via having one of Aoshi's swords impale his palm so he could divert the attack and close the gap between them for an attack.
* DirtyOldMan: Mildly, and lampshaded by one of the maids at the inn (also a former Oniwabanshuu) when some young women come by to deliver a message from Aoshi.
* DualTonfas: His WeaponOfChoice is a pair of metal ''tonfa''.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Generally a friendly old man, but his wrath is terrifying to invoke. A mook who attacked him in his sleep got [[DisproportionateRetribution nails driven into his hands with candlewax]] dripped upon it, before being sent back to Shishio with a message. Keep in mind that [[TruthInTelevision this was the rumored favorite interrogation tactic]] of UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi, more specifically [[TortureTechnician the real-life Saito Hajime]].
%%* LetsGetDangerous
%%* {{Ninja}}
%%* ObfuscatingStupidity
%%* OldMaster
* RetiredBadass: A powerful ninja and at one point in his life he was a candidate for leadership of the Oniwaba group. He chose to pass the title to Aoshi, and he settled down after the war to run an inn with the remaining Oniwaba members.
%%* TheSpymaster
%%* TheStrategist
* TheWorfEffect: [[spoiler: Is almost killed by Aoshi to show that he has mastered the Kodachi Nitoryu.]]

->Portrayed by: Yuka Eda

Nicknamed Omasu, she's one of the maids at the Aoi Ya inn. With the wars over she and the other members of the Kyoto Oniwabanshu have settled into civilian life but should Kyoto be in danger again she's ready for action.
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* AllLoveIsUnrequited: After he saves them, she and Ochika fall head over heels for Hiko. Though for Omasu this seems temporary as Ochika keeps pining for him while she attends to other matters.
* {{Meganekko}}: When played by Yuka Eda in the live action movies. Omasu is bespectacled in this adaptation spends a lot more time being silently pensive. She is polite, dutiful and motherly to Misao.
* StraightMan: In the anime she often plays this to Misao's flights of fancy and Okina's eccentricity. When Ochika prays for Hiko to notice her, Omasu exasperatedly prays for Okina to stop chasing young women.

->Voiced by: Shizuka Okohyra (JP), Bridget Hoffman (EN)
->Portrayed by: Ayumi Beppu (Live-Action)

Nicknamed Ochika, she's one of the maids at the Aoi Ya inn. She is also a former Oniwabanshu member who settled down for a peaceful life, but as needed she's ready to lend a hand.
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* AdaptationalModesty: Her outfit in the films shows a lot less skin than in the original. While the same can be said for all the female Oniwabanshu, hers is the most notable.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Upon seeing him in action, she and Omasu both get a pretty big crush on Hiko, though he doesn't seem to notice them.
* LettingHerHairDown: Her hair is normally kept up, but when she's back in her old uniform she let's it hang down. She ends up looking quite younger and prettier.
* ShesGotLegs: The way her Ninja Outfit is cut shows off a lot more leg than Misao and Omasu.
* UndyingLoyalty: To the Oniwabanshu and the people of Kyoto. In Shin Kyoto Hen, she and Misao personally rush back to the burning Aoi Ya to rescue the infirm Okina.

* SixthRanger: [[spoiler:To two different [[FiveManBand Five Man]]/[[FiveBadBand Five Bad]] Bands]].
* SixthRangerTraitor: [[spoiler:Aoshi eventually betrays his FiveBadBand]].

%%* FiveBadBand

* GoodIsNotSoft: Generally a friendly old man, but his wrath is terrifying to invoke. A mook who attacked him in his sleep got [[DisproportionateRetribution nails driven into his hands with candlewax]] dripped upon it, before being sent back to Shishio with a message. Keep in mind that [[TruthInTelevision this was the rumored favorite interrogation tactic]] of TheShinsengumi, more specifically [[TortureTechnician the real-life Saito Hajime]].

* {{Determinator}}: Demonstrated during his battle with Aoshi. Okina continues to adapt whenever Aoshi pulls out a new technique, first losing a tonfa and going on the defensive and lastly with a DeliberateInjuryGambit via having one of Yoshi's swords impale his palm so he could divert the attack and close the gap between them for an attack.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When he hunts down Megumi after she flees to the house Sannosuke and Kenshin are in. He's quite, sneaky, and get's easily beaten by Kenshin and Sano. Unlike the other Oniwaba members who can give the heroes a hard time before being beaten, Beshimi's thrown out with almost no effort.