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Demon-Eyes Kyo
The title character, legendary slayer of a thousand men and widely known as the single deadliest samurai in the history of the world. At the beginning of the story, Kyo is suffering from the small problem of his soul being trapped in the body of his most hated enemy, who sealed away Kyo's real body in a hidden location (Mt Fuji, to be exact) after defeating him at Sekigahara four years ago. Over the course of the story, Kyo must contend with an increasingly outrageous succession of opponents, who range from crazed Samurai out to kill him for revenge or reputation to enemies who are more or less gods. Ultimately, Kyo must fight his way through the legions of the infamous Mibu Clan (to which he used to belong) in order to learn the secrets surrounding his origin... or rather, that's why everyone else is going. Kyo maintains that he couldn't care less about that; he just has some business to settle with the Crimson King. Kyo fights using the Mumyou-Jinpuu-Ryu school and wields the Muramasa "Demonblade" known as Tenro. By the end of the story, Kyo is without a doubt the most powerful character in the entire series.
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (JP), Dan Green (EN)
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Defied. Other characters assume that Kyo will take the Mibu throne after defeating the Former Crimson King, but he has zero interest. See A God I Am Not below. Kyo and the Shiseiten also aimed to be the strongest in the world, but only Bon actually wanted to rule anything; the others just wanted to fight, and moving up in the world would give them stronger people to fight.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The last few chapters and epilogue make it much more obvious that he cares about Yuya, and it's genuinely heartwarming.
- Ax-Crazy: Kyo is one hell of a bloodthirsty guy, especially in the first few arcs. He learns to control his killing intent, but it still shows up whenever a serious fight comes along.
- Berserk Button: Kyo is never friendly, but he's usually pretty reserved about it, especially in later volumes. Not so when these buttons are pressed.
- Kyoshiro. In particular, being called Kyoshiro or reminded of the fact that Kyoshiro defeated him at Sekigahara.
- Anyone who claims that he's not as strong as he used to be (or that emotion has made him weak) is just asking for a curb-stomping. This one shows up in a few comedic situations as well as more serious ones.
- BFS: Tenro, of course. It's nearly as tall as Kyo.
- Blood from the Mouth: He spits blood a few times when badly wounded. When Kyoshiro's body starts to succumb to the Death Disease, it becomes more common.
- Blood Knight: A proud case of the highest degree.
- Bodyguard Crush: He will never admit it, but considering the vast majority of his murderous rampages are triggered by someone threatening Yuya, it's pretty obvious.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Mooks seem to forget that Kyo killed over a thousand people at Sekigahara alone, and tend to confront him as though believing he will remember a specific thing he did that earned their undying hatred. This trope ensues.
- Covered with Scars: Kyo has been in a lot of fights, and many of his opponents got a few good hits in. His shirtless scenes are evidence.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Whenever he recovers another part of his lost power or takes another level in badass, this is bound to happen.
- Deadpan Snarker: Heavy on the snark.
- Death Glare: He has a chilling one that gets damn near literal on occasion.
- Determinator: He relentlessly attacks Shinrei and gives the fight everything he has despite being horribly injured (to the point that blood is pouring down his legs during the battle) from his fights with Hotaru and Chinmei
- Dull Surprise: Kyo starts off with two expressions: a Slasher Smile and a bored frown. It gets a bit better as the story proceeds, but emotion is not Kyo's forte.
- Enfante Terrible: He killed Nobunaga for the first time when he was six.
- Every Scar Has a Story: At one point, he goes into the history of some of his countless scars. It's Played for Laughs in an omake, when Kyoshiro complains that he understands the new battle scars on his body, but "isn't this one from when you hit your head on that pillar?"
- Failure-to-Save Murder: Mahiro believes that Kyo killed her sister, and is determined to kill him and avenge Mayumi's death. After they reach Mibu territory, it is revealed that Chinmei actually killed Mayumi, but Kyo never told Mahiro because he couldn't stop Chinmei and blames himself.
- Fighting from the Inside: Normally it's Kyoshiro trying to regain the control of his body. The roles get inverted a couple of times, though. The most iconic one was during the battle against Nobunaga at the Hell's Gate.
- The Four Gods: The Ultimate Techniques of the Mumyou-Jinpuu-Ryu are named after and shaped like these four, plus the hidden fifth.
- "Freaky Friday" Flip: Due to sharing a body with Mibu Kyoshiro. Kyo begins as more of a Superpowered Evil Side, but progresses to a full-on Freaky Friday as he gets more deeply characterized. Ultimately, this culminates in...
- Grand Theft Me: ... Kyoshiro stealing Kyo's body. Naturally, it was all part of Kyoshiro's plan to make Kyo achieve his full potential.
- Freudian Trio: The Id (not so much emotional, but definitely driven by instinct and impulse) to Kyoshiro's Superego and Sakuya's Ego before the events of the story. In the anime, Kyo is literally Kyoshiro's Id split from the rest of his soul and placed in an artificial body.
- Friendly Rivalry: Used to have this with Kyoshiro before things went wrong. By the end of the story, they seem to go back to it.
- A God I Am Not: Kyo does not give a single shit that he's a Physical God by the end of the story; he says the Crimson Throne is worthless and he doesn't want it.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Played with. Kyo is about as "anti" as a hero gets, so his multitude of scars aren't as jarring as they might be on a less ambiguously heroic character. But the scars on his face are understated, and none of it really detracts from his appearance. For the most part, they just emphasize that he is a massive badass.
- Heroic Second Wind: It happens a lot. One of the best examples is how he takes out the two most powerful members of the Taishiro without a scratch. Directly before this, one good hit from Hishigi had put Kyo down for an entire volume.
- Hypocrite: Kyo (a Jerkass Tsundere of the highest order who regularly insults his Love Interest and calls her "dog face") yells at Kyoshiro for disregarding Sakuya's feelings near the end.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: Only slightly more implausible than the rest of the cast, but still absurd by real-world standards. Fortunately, they're also incredibly awesome.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Kyoshiro tells Yuya that Kyo cares about her but is bad at expressing it because he is the emotional equivalent of a three-year-old. Kyo reacts like an offended child and starts threatening to attack Kyoshiro for daring to imply that he has feelings.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: According to other characters, he used to love Sakuya, but he seems to support her relationship with Kyoshiro and even yells at Kyoshiro for disregarding Sakuya's feelings. Not that Kyo has any right to give relationship advice.
- Jerkass: Kyo radiates jerkass energy from every corner of his being. And this is when he's being nice. He constantly insults the people he likes, referring to Yuya as an ugly dog and his "Servant #1". Benitora is Servant #2. Again, these are people he likes. People Kyo doesn't like tend to die once he's done insulting them.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: More apparent in the manga, but even there it's hard to find until near the end.
- Karma Houdini: Arguably yes. Kyo has been slaughtering people left and right without restraint since he was a little kid (he was already combat-experienced and able to kill Nobunaga when he was six years old), and has taken thousands of lives without a shiver of empathy or remorse. He treats nearly everyone around him like shit, and early on, he has the obnoxious tendency of molesting Yuya whenever he feels like it. Since he's the hero and apparently most of his victims were worse than he is (debatable), he escapes any real punishment. Even taking his Character Development into account, he probably should have faced some consequences for his actions... of course, considering he's a Physical God by the end of the manga, it's not like anyone could enforce punishment on him.
- Kick the Morality Pet: He throws Yuya into a rock the first time she tries to snap him out of his Demon God state. Leads to My God, What Have I Done?, and Kyo Fighting from the Inside to overcome his demon blood and come back to his senses.
- Killing Intent: At one point, it's so strong that Bontenmaru tells Yuya not to look at him because the rage alone could kill her.
- Last of His Kind: Of the Mibu. It's complicated.
- Loved Ones Montage: When he fights Kyoshiro near the end of the manga, though it's more about people he's fought and learned from than "loved ones".
- Meaningful Name: "Kyou" means madness or fury.
- Mortal Wound Reveal: He inflicts this on several of his enemies — sometimes they don't even realize they've received a fatal wound until they fall to the ground in pieces. And then Kyo himself gets one at the end. As everyone has started to run away to escape the falling Crimson Tower, they notice that Kyo is not moving. He's pouring blood from a deep wound in his side, shaking, can't stand — and he's screaming for them to get out and give up on saving him. It takes a Deus ex Machina courtesy of the Shodai Aka no Ou to get him out of that one.
- My God, What Have I Done?: The first time Yuya tries to snap him out of his Demon God state, he reacts by throwing her into a boulder. This leads to him stabbing himself to keep from hurting her, and then finally regaining his mind, apologizing, and healing her before going to finish his battle with the Former Crimson King.
- No Social Skills: Kyo is rude, violent, emotionally challenged (see I Resemble That Remark! above), doesn't even try to understand others, and has no interest in changing any of that.
- Odd Friendship: His camaraderie with Kyoshiro and Sakuya back when they first met in Edo. Gentle medicine man atoning for past crimes, Seer on the run from people who would use her power to hurt others, and... murderous Blood Knight?
- One-Man Army: How else did you think he single-handedly slew 1000 men at the Battle of Sekigahara? And that figure is probably multiplied by the end of the series.
- And he's also stated he was merely out for a walk when the battle was going on. He just happened to be near it, then started kicking ass.
- Perpetual Frowner: Lampshaded by Shihodo, who wonders if Kyo's inability to emote (beyond pride, bloodlust, and anger) is the reason he was incapable of expressing his affections to Sakuya.
- Physical God: By the end of the series, he's achieved his full potential as the last True Mibu in existence (and possibly the only one ever to overcome their demonic nature), and there really isn't anyone left who can stand up to him in battle and not be curb stomped.
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: He's a massive Jerkass, sometimes to the point of Designated Hero status. The antagonists vary; some of them are indeed polite and affable, though the low-ranked ones tend to be as obnoxious as Kyo or worse.
- The Quiet One: Ironically, given that he's the main character, Kyo is one of the least talkative characters in the series. He might have the occasional monologue or mid-fight banter, but those punctuate long stretches of silence, usually accompanied by other characters talking about the things he's doing. We also almost never see thought-bubbles from him, unlike most other characters.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: The Shiseiten are either this or his True Companions. Maybe both.
- Razor Wind: The central concept of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryuu school he employs.
- Red Baron: Everybody calls him "Demon-Eyes" Kyo.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Literal incarnation of this trope, although it is subverted later on.
- Sealed Badass in a Person-Shaped Can: His soul is sealed inside Kyoshiro at the beginning, and he only has control when Tenro is unsheathed. After Kyo surfaces semi-permanently, Kyoshiro becomes both the sealed badass and the can.
- Shaping Your Attacks: The four greater techniques of the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu school. Suzaku summons a giant phoenix that can revive from most counter attacks, Byakko sends out a tiger that attacks the enemy until he's hit, Genbu forms a Beehive Barrier around the user while attacking with energy serpents at the same time, and Seiryuu summons forth a giant dragon made of whirwinds to crush the enemy. The ultimate technique, Koryuu, appears as a golden laser beam from above but takes the form of a highly stylized dragon when shown in detail.
- Sharing a Body: Played straight in the manga. Subverted in the anime, where Kyo and Kyoshiro are a Literal Split Personality that has been imperfectly stitched back together.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: He definitely does not care about Yuya at all... and hilarity ensues.
- Sir Swears Alot: His speech is liberally seasoned with profanity, more so when he's talking trash.
- Smoking Is Cool: With a Japanese pipe.
- Sore Loser: Kyoshiro defeated him and sealed his body. Kyo is incredibly furious at him for this humiliation and has sworn to kill him no matter what it takes. After reviving Kyoshiro and re-obtaining his true body, he considers the score settled.
- Superpower Meltdown: When he gets possessed by Tenro and awakens a Superpowered Evil Side.
- Superpowered Evil Side:
- He seems to be Kyoshiro's before we get to know them and find out it's not that simple.
- Kyo gets one in the finale, and unlike Bontenmaru's silly antics in his beast mode, its Played for Drama.
- Tall, Dark, and Snarky: Especially in his real body.
- Time to Unlock More True Potential: When Muramasa passes down the Ultimate Techniques through an off-screen Training from Hell.
- Took a Level in Badass: On a regular basis since he doesn't have his real body.
- Trash Talk: He doesn't talk much, but most of what he does say is insulting. Especially during fights.
- Tsundere: God, yes. Heavy on the tsuntsun. He regularly calls his Love Interest dog-face and denies any kind of attraction or care for her for the vast majority of the manga, but when she's in danger? You do not want to be the one who put her there. The final chapter and epilogue also show him being more affectionate with her.
- Unstoppable Rage: The direct result of someone threatening Kyo's not-girlfriend.
Mibu Kyoshiro
A kind, perverted and bumbling medicine peddler that starts off as a bounty for Yuya who carries an oversized sword. Later turns out that he shares his body with Kyo and releases him every time he draws the sword. Well... until that stops working and Kyo takes over his body. As the story progresses you find out he's the "Man with the Cross on his Back", and a possible successor to the Crimson King. He remains absent for a good part of the plot, although his presence is mentioned constantly, and his backstory affects the plot in a very significant way.
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (JP), Dan Green (EN)
- The Atoner: He regrets his murderous past and has sworn to never kill again. It might explain why he chose to become a medicine peddler.
- Berserk Button: During the Refugee Arc, he becomes unusually stern when he reproach the village chief's daughter for wanting to run away from her current life. Later, when Jimon kills several unarmed civilians left and right, Kyoshiro is clearly showing Tranquil Fury before releasing Kyo, who actually points out how the usually scaredy cat Kyoshiro is angry.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He may be goofy and sweet, but Kyoshiro is incredibly dangerous when he needs to be.
- BFS: Tenro is Kyo's BFS, but Kyoshiro basically confiscated it when he defeated Kyo at Sekigahara. He rarely uses it, but awesomeness ensues when he does.
- Black Swords Are Better: His former katana, Shibien, started as normal but cut down so many people its blade became pitch black.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Turns out he's even stronger than Kyo was in his true body. Kyo, being the main character, eventually surpasses him, but Kyoshiro is probably second among characters who are still alive at the end.
- Dark and Troubled Past: When he grew up he was forced to serve the Former Crimson King as an assassin along with Chinmei, and killed thousands of people in this period.
- Digging Yourself Deeper: He tells Yuya that Kyo cares about her but can't express it because he's the emotional equivalent of a three-year-old. When Kyo reacts like an offended child, Kyoshiro corrects himself and says that Kyo is obviously the emotional equivalent of a four-year-old. It does not help his case.
- Fighting from the Inside: Normally it's Kyoshiro trying to regain the control of his body. The roles get inverted a couple of times, though. The most iconic one was during the battle against Nobunaga at the Hell's Gate.
- The Four Gods: He can use the Ultimate Techniques of the Mumyou-Jinpuu-Ryu as well, although in an imperfect form. Thus, he can't execute the Golden Wind.
- Fake Defector: When he takes over Kyo's body, he feigns loyalty to the Former Crimson King, and even claims that he agrees with the king's Might Makes Right philosophy. The protagonists later realize that it was all a ploy to push Kyo's buttons and make him achieve his true potential.
- Freudian Trio: The Superego to Kyo's Id and Sakuya's Ego before the story. He's more emotional than the average Superego, but far more logical and traditionally moral than Kyo.
- Friendly Rivalry: Used to have this with Kyo before things went wrong. By the end of the story, they seem to go back to it.
- A God I Am Not: He's one of the strongest Mibu in history and a potential successor to the Crimson King, but he left the clan before the events of the story. He instead chooses to live his life as a humble medicine peddler, healing people in atonement for the crimes he committed on the Former King's orders.
- Heroic Sacrifice: During the final showdown against Kyo, he inflicts a mortal wound and then switches bodies, intending to die in atonement for the sins he has committed. Subverted when Kyo saves him (though the way Kyo talks, he sounds like he's doing it out of pure spite).
- Hitman with a Heart: When he served the Former Crimson King prior to the story, he exterminated any threats to the Mibu reign, but the conflict with his gentle nature eventually drove him to flee from the clan.
- Implausible Fencing Powers: Only slightly less implausible than Kyo's.
- Karma Houdini: In a way yes, considering that he did kill thousands of people back when he was under the King's service, but at least he showed remorse and spent the remaining years atoning for this, which mitigates his villainy, while Kyo himself butchered even more people and is flippantly unrepentant.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: In the first part of the manga, though it was likely part of his Obfuscating Stupidity act.
- Meaningful Name: His former sword is named "Shibien", the "Purple Enclosure": it's a term of Chinese uranography referring to the enclosure surrounding the Imperial Palace of the Heavens (located around the North Pole), fittingly for his role as a Red Cross Knight, a servant of the heavenly Crimson King.
- Might Makes Right: Believes this, making him a Hypocrite. Until it's revealed that it was an act to provoke Kyo.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After killing Kyosaburo, he realized how the Former King had corrupted and controlled him, prompting him to leave the Mibu clan along with Sakuya.
- Nice Guy: Even when one knows his past, he's still a nicer fellow than Kyo, the supposed main hero.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: His goofy, occasionally-perverted persona is largely to make him seem harmless.
- Power Nullifier: When he and Kyo fight near the end of the manga, he is able to cancel out Kyo's most powerful techniques with no apparent effort. Kyoshiro is able to do this because he uses the rare "yin" or "passive" style of combat, which perfectly counters Kyo's active, aggressive attacks.
- Reluctant Warrior: After fleeing from the Mibu, he never wanted to kill again. He tries really hard to avoid fighting in the first few volumes.
- Red Baron: The "Demon God" Kyoshiro, first revealed by Okuni. The alternate reading is closer to "Ferocious Deity" (Kishin literally means Demon God but refers to a God who looks as scary and ferocious as a demon), fitting his status among the divine Mibu.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Turns out he has the Crimson Eyes as well, including the True Crimson Eyes.
- Samurai Ponytail: In flashbacks when his hair was longer, and when he takes Kyo's body, which has much longer hair than his.
- Technical Pacifist: In his backstory and later on in the series.
- Thou Shalt Not Kill: Played with. He REALLY wants to do this as a penance for the murders he committed as the Former Crimson King's assassin. However, when he sees there's no other way he TRIES, but can't bring himself to do it.
Most of Kyo's fighting-related tropes also fit Kyoshiro just fine.
Shiina Yuya
A sixteen-year-old bounty hunter who stumbles upon Mibu Kyoshiro at the beginning of the story. She's looking for the man with the cross-shaped scar on his back who killed her older brother. However, her attempts to turn Kyoshiro in for the reward wind up involving her with the deadly Mibu clan and opening the door on her brother's mysterious past...
Voiced by: Yui Horie (JP), Veronica Taylor (EN)
- Action Girl: In the beginning, she's a capable fighter. Chickification unfortunately sets in later, because Guns Are Worthless and Yuya doesn't have any special powers.
- A-Cup Angst: She isn't flat, she's actually well endowed by normal standards, but she is shown to have the smallest bust size in the series and she isn't happy about that.
- Adaptational Badass: She's still not on the level of the other fighters in the anime, but she does kill Saisei alone by shooting her heart from the inside.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Refreshingly subverted. At the beginning, when Kyo is at his most dickish, she is not remotely attracted to him. He's still a Tsundere by the time she starts having feelings for him, and he will never stop being a bad boy type, but that's not why she loves him.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Her relationship with Kyo has some truly heartwarming moments later in the manga, especially in the last few chapters and epilogue.
- Badass Normal: In the first few volumes, before guns become obsolete and Chickification ensues.
- Chickification: Less egregious than some cases; she never loses her abilities, but with the other characters constantly getting new weapons, employing secret moves and taking their skills to the next level, she gets left behind in terms of power.
- Damsel in Distress: She's frequently in danger and someone (usually Kyo) has to save her.
- Go-Go Enslavement: When she's captured by the Crimson King, he puts her in a skimpy, sheer robe with excessive cleavage showing.
- It's Personal: Finding the man who killed her older brother motivated her to become a bounty hunter.
- He Is Not My Boyfriend: She bristles whenever someone implies that she and Kyo are involved, especially early on when she honestly doesn't have feelings for him and he's constantly harassing her.
- Male Gaze: She's subjected to this almost constantly during the course of the story, even in some moments where things should be more serious.
- Morality Pet: Yuya is occasionally Kyo's morality pet. In the rare moments when he's not being just as awful to her as he is to everyone else.
- Too Dumb to Live: Wanders into Aokigahara alone and soon gets lost even after Benitora explicitly told her that compasses and magnets do not work in the forest. This is something that could get you killed in Real Life as well.
- Younger Than They Look: Can you believe she's only 16?
Benitora
AKA Tokugawa Hidetada or Kyo's "servant #2." He started out as a member of the Three-Color Gang but joined Kyo's side very early on in the manga. His childish personality hides a deeper side that is no less idealistic; he truly believes that he can protect everyone he cares about.
Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki (JP), Wayne Grayson (EN)
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The Shinkage Reverse Eight-Sun is almost as damaging to him as it is to the people he uses it on.
- Dogged Nice Guy: From early on he is this towards Yuya. Although, towards the end it becomes apparent that he's starting to develop a thing for Mahiro.
- Doppleganger Attack: Central to many of his moves; a rare non-Ninja example.
- Eyes Always Shut: They usually only open when he's really surprised. Though Yukimura has stated his eyes are just very squinty. According to what he says to Akari, they're the same even when he's sleeping.
- Historical Badass Upgrade: The real Hidetada did participate the aforementioned military campaigns. The manga however makes him a master of spear martial arts with magical powers and superhuman abilities on top of that.
- Historical Domain Character: He's Tokugawa Hidetada in disguise, running around Japan goofing off and (initially) working with a criminal mercenary gang.
- King Incognito: The son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and heir to the Tokugawa Shogunate... masquerading as a simple thug.
- Mercenary: In his first appearance, as part of the Three Color Gang.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: In order to stop forbidden army troopers from interfering in Akira's fight with Tokito, Benitora tears down a wall between them and traps himself alone with hundreds of undead, regenerating soldiers. He's a wreck and has about a half-dozen broken swords sticking out of his back by the time Yuan's family finds him, but he wins.
- Running Gag: Yuya MUST NOT find out he's the son of Ieyasu.
- Shipper on Deck: Does this for a number of ships actually, the most prominent being Akira/Tokito. Neither Akira or Tokito reacts kindly towards his "suggestions".
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: He's always looking for this from his father, Ieyasu Tokugawa, but it never seems to quite work out.
Sanada Yukimura
Kyo's Bishōnen mirror-image, despite having no previous connection to the Mibu and their shenanigans. Ultimately plans to conquer Japan by murdering Ieyasu Tokugawa and restoring the Sanada clan to power.
Voiced by: Megumi Ogata (JP), Christopher Kromer (EN)
- Ambiguously Bi: The first time he appears he's fondling a girl's breasts and his flashback chapter includes a girl who was important to him, but many of his interactions with other characters and the way he speaks of Hideyoshi makes him sounds like he could be into guys as well. He even flat out says he loves Kyo in one scene.
- Badass Bookworm: He and the Former Crimson King spend their entire fight trading and interpreting Confucius quotes.
- Badass Normal: He starts out as one of these, being an exceptionally skilled samurai on a similar level to Demon Eyes Kyo despite having no special powers.
- Empowered Badass Normal: After pestering Anri into teaching him the Sekireigan. The technique brings his speed to superhuman levels, even seeming to briefly stop time. However, Anri intentionally taught Yukimura an incomplete form of the Sekireigan, because human bodies do not have the Mibu resilience required to use it safely.
- Benevolent Boss: He's this towards his Ten Braves, treating them all as his family. Even Shindara, the former leader of the Ten and the first Sarutobi Sasuke.
- Blood Knight: Very jarring since he's otherwise an affable, cultured samurai with long term plans for the future of his country.
- Bridal Carry: In the anime, he catches and holds Sasuke in his arms this way.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Even his closest servants can't tell when he's serious or not, most of the time.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: The Sekireigan, or "Eye of the Wagtail". It enables the user to briefly stop time, but causes a Heroic RRoD if overused. It's stated that the true form of the technique could even kill a human if the limits are exceeded, which is why Anri taught Yukimura an incomplete version.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: To the point where his Body Double is a beautiful girl, and he easily disguises himself as a woman for the Shogun's tournament (Kyo isn't fooled, but everyone else is at first). Not to mention that he's voiced by one in the Japanese version.
- Dynamic Entry/Big Damn Heroes: He bursts onto the scene as the Crimson King is about to kill his men, Yuya, and Sakuya. He uses his Sekireigan to cut down THREE Suzakus simultaneously.
- Graceful Loser: An anime-only scene shows him reacting this way to his historical death. Subverted later on where he survived the siege of Osaka and is leading an army against Benitora.
- Heroic RRoD: When he predictably overuses the Dangerous Forbidden Technique (Sekireigan) that Anri explicitly told him not to use more than five times in a day. It damages his optic nerves and renders him incapable of standing for some time.
- Historical Beauty Update: Good god, how. Most pictures of the real Sanada Yukimura look something like this
◊. SDK Yukimura is so pretty that his Body Double is a beautiful and very voluptuous woman. He himself passes as female when he enters the Shogun's tournament, with only Kyo catching on right away. - Historical Hero Upgrade: Like many of the characters, he's based on a historical figure.
- Mexican Standoff: One of his fights with Kyo ends with the two of them holding blades against each other's throats. It's one of very few times anyone matches Kyo.
- Mr. Fanservice: He's very pretty, and quite flirty with both men and women.
- Multi-Melee Master: In the anime he's not only a Master Swordsman, but also skilled with a staff and bow when using the anime-only Muramasa Tenguko.
- Older Than They Look: He's 37, but you'd be forgiven for assuming he's in his 20s or even teens. His current appearance is almost identical to how he looked at 18 in a flashback. He also looks exactly the same in the final chapter, in which he's 40.
- Pass Fail: At the Shogun's tournament; not because he doesn't look the part, but because his brother is in the arena.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: He has one, the Sanada Ten.
- Say It with Hearts: A staple of his dialogue. Amusingly, his female Body Double does not do this, and a side comic has Sasuke telling other characters that that's how the Juyushi tell them apart!
- Shadow Archetype: He's this to Kyo. Their skills are said to be equal (and they are for a while), but their personalities couldn't be more different.
- The Unfettered: An interesting spin on this trope. He's set his goals and will purse them to the bitter end; however, said goals include making a better world for his friends and allies. In short, he's a subtle and manipulative Unfettered.
- Wig, Dress, Accent: He dresses in drag for the "Shogun's Tournament" arc to conceal his identity. Though making a fairly convincing (if flat) woman, he then proceeds to fail at passing because his brother's in the arena.
- Would Not Hit a Girl: Very protective of the women in the story. Kamijyo also once said while specifying Basara's gender that Yukimura would never have done that to a girl.
