As Kyo's Quirky Miniboss Squad, the Four Emperors have become legendary "gods of death". Despite their claims that they are only united by a mutual pursuit of strength, the Shiseiten are Fire-Forged True Companions and fiercely loyal to each other.
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The Shiseiten as a group
- Blood Knight: All of them. Naturally, they are very impressed with and drawn to Kyo.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Years following Kyo and fighting armies formed a strong bond between them, despite their differences and claims to the contrary.
- Four Is Death: They're one of several incredibly deadly four-person teams in the series.
- In Love with Your Carnage: In a platonic sense (or in Akari's case, not so platonic), about Kyo. He was a Blood Knight of the highest order and they were impressed with how effectively he could kill things, so they followed him for years.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: They were Kyo's before Sekigahara, when he still had his original body. Once they reunite in the story proper, they take up the mantle again.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: They're wildly different people - a blind former street urchin with ice powers, the head of a powerful Japanese family, the bastard son of a high-ranking Mibu official, and a transgender shaman - but they work startlingly well together.
- True Companions: It's clear that they are extremely important to each other, despite their claims that they aren't. Akira especially tries to deny that the Shiseiten are connected by anything except a mutual pursuit of strength, but it's an façade that only becomes more obvious when Bontenmaru is captured by Tokito.
Akira
One of Kyo's Four Emperors. Kyo found him as a child on the battlefield, the last survivor of a razed village. Kyo took a liking to Akira when the latter tried to threaten him; despite the fact that Akira was a young child with no powers who could be flattened in a split-second by Kyo or Bontenmaru, he showed no fear. Instead of killing him, Kyo took him in as an apprentice.
After Kyo's "death" at Sekigahara, Akira went on with his life, striving to achieve invincibility in battle. By the time Kyo returns in the body of Mibu Kyoshiro, Akira has drifted so far off that he's become an antagonist.
Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (JP), Michael Sinterniklaas (EN)
- An Ice Person: Many of his techniques involve the creation and manipulation of ice.
- The Baby of the Bunch: Of the Shiseiten, to his chagrin. He's 19, not much younger than Hotaru (22) or Akari (24), but he was only 15 when they split up, and they still treat him like a kid. It doesn't help his case that he is still immature and impulsive sometimes.
- Badass Normal: Having ice powers usually disqualifies characters from the "normal" classification, but he's a different type. Akira stands out from the rest of the cast because he is the only major character (aside from Yuya) who comes from common lineage and therefore does not have samurai blood. This becomes a major hurdle for him because it severely limits his ability to grow and improve, and he is unable to "speak" with his swords.
- Big Damn Heroes: Anime only, he joins the final battle in time to freeze Nobunaga and buy Kyo some time.
- Can't Catch Up: Sort of. He has no "Samurai Blood" and thus has to work twice as hard to get half as strong as those who do. Eventually, even that isn't enough when he reaches his body's limit. Because subconscious powers are linked to samurai blood, he falls behind a bit when Anthony uses his needles to help Hotaru, Benitora, and Shinrei unlock theirs.
- Child Soldier: A willing and enthusiastic one. Akira was happily slaughtering his way through entire battlefields at the tender age of 10.
- Covered with Scars: He started fighting in huge battles alongside Demon Eyes Kyo when he was a pre-teen. His entire body is riddled with scarring, but the most attention is drawn to the ones on his back.
- Cradling Your Kill: To Saisei.
- Deadly Upgrade: He has two.
- The first is more self-destructive than deadly: his Inferno's Chill ability allows him to use his own life energy to generate temperatures below absolute zero, destroying tissue on a molecular level so there is nothing left to regenerate.
- The second does nearly kill him. He uses his Inferno's Chill technique on himself to activate pressure points. This allows him to exceed the limits of his body to fight Tokito, but it also wrecks him, leaving permanent damage.
- Deadpan Snarker: Especially toward Benitora. It also gets him in trouble with Akari on a regular basis.
- Dented Iron: He ruins his body exceeding his natural limitations to fight Tokito. We get the lovely image of his muscles tearing apart and bones shattering under the strain. He says afterward that he will probably never be able to fight again.
- Determinator: To a degree that stands out even in this manga. He purposely blinded himself in order to achieve another level of perception.
- See Dented Iron above. He knows before the fight even starts that his battle with Tokito will destroy him physically, and that this damage will most likely be permanent, but he doesn't hesitate for a moment.
- Pretty much the entire point of his character that determination, skill, and spirit can overcome his genetic limits. And they do.
- Disability Superpower: Invoked. He disabled himself intentionally to gain his "eyes of the heart."
- Dual Wielding: With swords, one shorter than the other.
- Easily Forgiven: All of his earlier antagonistic interactions with the heroes are forgotten as soon as he fights with them in the Mibu land.
- Eye Scream: He encounters a representation of his 15-year-old self in his subconscious when he passes out once. There's blood running down his face from his damaged eyes.
- Fire-Forged Friends: With the Shiseiten, as shown in flashbacks. Also, Benitora.
- Gratuitous English: His Hell Ghost, Grand Cross and Heaven's Ghost attacks in original Japanese.
- Heroic BSoD: Briefly, after Anthony tells him he'll never be any stronger than he already is. Julian helps him get past it.
- Misery Poker: Tokito throws a fit after their battle, claiming to have had the worst life ever. Several other characters immediately top Tokito's sob story, but Akira wins with an entire panel detailing his horrific childhood.Bontenmaru: The most miserable person should be the one whose own mother repeatedly plotted to have him killed! Who'd that be? Oh, I guess that'd be me! Ain't that right, Akira?Akira: Yes, I suppose so. But consider my story. Until I met Kyo, I had nothing to eat or wear. I clothed myself in garments taken from men who died on the battlefield. I scrounged for food, eating items found on the roadside and wild grasses. Thanks to that, I can even stomach partially-rotten food today. I've nearly died three times. Once, I got caught stealing and was beaten to a pulp, but survived only because being arrested saved me from having to find a place to sleep. When I made camp in the wilderness, I would often have to sleep in trees to avoid wild dogs. Of course, if the bandits found you, they'd tie you up and sell you into slavery, so I did learn rather quickly how to feign being dead. Parents? What parents?! Why would I even care to find out who they were? I don't remember them, so it hardly matters. But who really cares about me, hmm?Bontenmaru: ... Damn! I don't know how I can compete with that.
Akira: And then there was that time I disguised myself as a dead body so well I was nearly cremated. - Odd Friendship: With Benitora of all people, once they're done endlessly antagonizing each other (though they continue to antagonize each other affectionately).
- Red Baron: He became widely known as the Twin-Headed Dragon while fighting alongside Kyo and after his disappearance.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue to Benitora's red. Also occasionally the red to Hotaru's blue.
- The Mole: He played this role by killing Ajira of the 12 God Shoguns and taking his place.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: With Tokito. He tries to act indifferently about it, but usually ends up failing miserably.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With the Shiseiten and Benitora.
Bontenmaru
Another one of Kyo's Four Emperors, real name Date Masamune, Bontenmaru is The Big Guy distilled. Huge and muscular, he fights with his bokken - and when the battle drags, he throws that away and wades into the enemy with his fists, tearing them limb from limb. He's not what you'd call "friendly" (he constantly fights with his friends, is a gleeful killer in a fight, and has one hell of an obnoxious ego), but he's a powerful ally and surprisingly loyal to his companions despite their disagreements.
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (JP)
- Adapted Out: All he gets in the anime is a mute cameo in the final episode, and that's that.
- Animal Battle Aura: The first time he met Kyo he threatened him with a giant beast-shaped aura.
- Badass Normal: Bontenmaru is the only one of the Shiseiten with no special powers. However, his ridiculous strength, speed, durability, and martial arts prowess makes him one of the strongest in the series.
- The Berserker: Bon usually seems like the most level-headed of the Shiseiten, but when he enters his berserker state, he's completely wild. Hotaru recalls that when the Shiseiten were together, Bontenmaru was like a wild animal who tore everything in his path apart when he let loose. The other Shiseiten (every one of whom is a Blood Knight and One-Man Army) would just get out of his way until he was done!
- Boisterous Bruiser: He has a lot of fun fighting.
- Dumb Muscle: His default plan of attack is "hit enemy until it stops moving"; strategy and tactics aren't really his thing.
- Eyepatch of Power: He lost his eye when he was very young, but it hasn't hindered him - in fact, as he explains to Sasuke, he's so used to people attacking his blind side that he's more aware there.
- Gentle Giant: Big, muscular body? Check. Superhuman strength and endurance? Check. Plays One-Man Army with nothing but a wooden sword and his bare hands? Check. Possesses a berserker mode? Bonus points. Has a soft spot for little girls (not like that!) and reads shojo manga? You bet he does.
- Good Is Dumb: Has his moments
- Healing Factor: After being heavily damaged, he can hibernate to regenerate himself in hours.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Bontenmaru is a pseudonym of Date Masamune. "Hero" is debateable (as it is for most figures around that time) but he's definitely historical.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Bon is 37, 9 years older than Kyo and over a decade older than the other Shiseiten; before they split up, both Akira and Hotaru were in their teens, and even Akari and Kyo were in their early twenties. He was something of a Parental Substitute for Akira when the latter was a kid, but in the events of the manga they're more like Vitriolic Best Buds, and Akira is still only 19.
- Large Ham: Endlessly. Let's just say that Norio Wakamoto was a flawless casting choice for the audio dramas.
- Made of Iron: Even moreso than the rest of the cast. His skin so tough it deflects blades.
- Megaton Punch: His "Star Beast Fist" during Berserker Mode is powerful enough to obliterate Haira's torso on the impact and quickly turn the remaining carcass to dust.
- Odd Name Out: He's the only member of the Shiseiten (including Kyo) whose name is longer than one kanji (Kyo and Akari are written in one kanji, Akira and Hotaru are writen in Katakana and Hiragana only, respectively), the only one without Elemental Powers, and most notably, the single real historical figure.
- Self-Made Orphan: Important to his backstory - he killed his father and brother to clear the way for his own seizure of power. His father actually ordered Masamune to kill him while he was held captive by an enemy, because the rise of the Date clan was more important than his own life.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Well, more superpowered worse side.
- Team Dad: He takes this role in the Shiseiten (especially for Akira), and arguably for Yuya.
- Token Good Teammate: He's friendly compared to the other three and Kyo outside of battle, but his "beast mode" is decidedly not.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: A side effect of his Berserker Mode has him behaving like a dog. To the point where Shihodo doesn't even realize he's human until he snaps out of it. Kyo can turn him back by telling him to shake hands.
- Unstoppable Rage: His entire "beast mode" bit.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: He wears hakama and a cloak, and that's it.
- Wooden Katanas Are Even Better: Carries around a bokken as his personal weapon, and is skilled enough to duel with people armed with incredibly sharp swords and still manages to get out with his sword in one piece. However, he seems to be at his top with his bare hands.
- The Worf Effect: Bon tends to suffer from this when he's confronted by stronger Mibu, especially Tokito.
Hotaru
The third member of the Shiseiten to be introduced, Hotaru is the lone Mibu of the group and the fire specialist. He's the epitome of a Cloudcuckoolander, but under the facade of his constant deadpan expression and ditzy behavior lies a powerful fighter who possesses one of the most versatile fighting styles in the whole storyline.
Hotaru reveals during his battle with Kyo that the Crimson King sent him after the "demon child", and he has been Keikoku of the Goyosei since before they met. He does pull a genuine Heel–Face Turn after Kyo defeats him in Mibu territory.
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (JP), Sebastian Arcelus (EN)
- Animal Battle Aura: The aura of his Demon's Breath attack takes the shape of a dark, feather-winged humanoid with a narrow face, implied to be Lucifer. In the anime, he gets a tiger motif and aura.
- Animal Motifs: Tigers, but only in the anime. A possibly deliberate contrast to Shinrei's dragons.
- An Arm and a Leg: His left arm undergoes some serious trauma in his first appearance — first Bontenmaru shatters it with his Kosoga, and then Kyo cuts it off with Suzaku. Saishi and Saisei reattach it later, and Hotaru forgets that he ever lost it.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Ooh, a caterpillar! Oooh, a whirligig! Ooooh, the floor looks different over here!
- Awesomeness by Analysis: It's revealed during his fight with Yuan that Hotaru can take any form he's seen and adapt it to his fighting style. Not bad for the resident Cloudcuckoolander.
- Big Brother Instinct: Toward Shinrei on occasion, after he stops outright hating his half brother. He throws himself in front of Shinrei twice to defend him from Kyo and later Fubuki (either of whom could easily kill Hotaru in retaliation, especially since he's already horribly injured in both scenes), and says that he wants to break Shinrei free from the "chains" of Mibu authority. Shinrei is technically older, but Hotaru has experienced much more of life and is arguably more mature despite his Cloudcuckoolander nature.
- Blood Upgrade: His Chikewai. Later on he learns the Honoo Chikewai, which greatly increases his own power but burns his life away, making it a Deadly Upgrade.
- Bloody Murder: Keikoku Kien brands Hono Chikewai markings made from Hotaru's blood onto an opponent's body, burning them from the inside out.
- Blue Oni: To Akira in the Shiseiten, and to Shinrei in the Goyosei. It's unusual in that Hotaru wears red and his element of choice is fire, and his corresponding red oni both wear blue and use ice and water, respectively.
- Brutal Honesty: He isn't malicious about it, but he has No Social Skills and doesn't bother to sugarcoat anything or let people down gently.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: All of Hotaru's dialogue is delivered calmly, even in the middle of deadly battles or when he's horribly injured.
- Cloudcuckoolander: The most ditzy example in the entire manga, only rivaled by Shihodo. The first time Sasuke, Mahiro, and Benitora encounter him, they don't believe he's one of the Goyosei. Removed in the anime, where he's much more serious.
- Defeat Means Friendship: After Kyo defeats him and reminds him that he used to actually enjoy himself with the Shiseiten, Hotaru settles firmly on the protagonists' side.
- Determinator: They're everywhere in this manga, but Hotaru is exceptional. He is incredibly tenacious, breaking out of Yuan's illusions through sheer willpower, and often continuing to fight even when hopelessly outmatched. More than once, other characters ask how Hotaru can even move with the level of damage he's recently taken.
- Do Not Call Me "Paul": Yuan gave him the name "Keikoku" when he was a child, but he adopted the name "Hotaru" later in life. When he returns to Mibu territory, everyone he knew there insists on calling him Keikoku, and he corrects them incessantly. Yuan shows respect for Hotaru's personal growth by using his new name, but still calls him Keikoku out of habit sometimes.
- Double Weapon: A katana with a straight, dagger-like blade protruding from the pommel.
- Easily Forgiven: When first introduced as Keikoku, he burns some of his own men to death for being unable to hurt Bontenmaru. No one ever brings this up later on.
- Elemental Rivalry: Invoked; Hotaru chose to learn fire skills because he wanted to be the opposite of everything Shinrei and their father stood for.
- Eye Scream: In one of Yuan's Genshisho illusions, he stabs Hotaru in the eye with the pointy end of a toy propeller.
- Facial Markings: When using his Chikewai (Blood Painting) and Honoo Chikewai (Flame Blood Painting) to give himself a boost in power.
- Flaming Sword: Rarely. He directs his flames with his sword, but almost never actually sets the blade on fire.
- Gory Discretion Shot: When the above-mentioned Eye Scream happens, the angle thankfully obscures the damage to his actual eye and only shows blood running down his face.
- Gratuitous English: Just like Akira, some of his high tier attacks are in English.
- Happily Adopted: Yuan's family has considered him their brother since Yuan picked him up, and he eventually returns the sentiment.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: He was one of the Goyosei before he left the Mibu and became one of Kyo's Shiseiten. After Kyo's disappearance at Sekigahara, he went back to the Mibu to rejoin the Goyosei, making him an antagonist by the next time they meet. And then he takes up the Shiseiten mantle again after Kyo defeats him, settling on "face".
- Heroic Bastard: Hotaru is the son of a concubine, disowned and despised by his Mibu father. He's justifiably bitter about all the years his father spent sending assassins after him.
- Heroic Willpower: Multiple times. Notably, he manages to drag himself to his feet after taking a direct hit from Kyo's Suzaku (though the damage from said attack does swiftly put him back down). His fight against his mentor, Yuan, shows this off most dramatically when Hotaru defies a mind-breaking illusion and turns it back on Yuan.
- Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Early childhood abuse was decidedly not hilarious, with the whole "biological father sending assassins after him" thing. Yuan picks him up when he's probably about six and clearly loves the kid, but was still seen whacking Keikoku's head against a wall because the little monster wouldn't stop waving a sword and yelling at him. It's Played for Laughs.
- Incendiary Exponent: Self-explanatory. The specific technique is called "Fire Wall" (in gratuitous English).
- Ineffectual Loner: He was so wary of other people when he first joined up with Kyo and company that he would go hungry rather than accept food from others. Kyo used to think that the day Hotaru gave up being a loner would be the day he died.
- Innocently Insensitive: He says what's on his mind, with no filter and very limited awareness of the impact his words may have.
- Major Injury Underreaction: Before his Heel–Face Revolving Door settles on "face", Bontenmaru snaps his left arm in several places, and then Kyo cuts it off. Hotaru barely seems to notice and responds to losing an arm with "I wasn't using that. I fight with my right". He gets it reattached off-screen and forgets that it ever came off.
- Meaningful Appearance: He wears tengu geta (pictured above: wooden sandals with a single tall slat instead of the standard two), which require incredible balance to even walk in. He runs around and fights in them. Amusingly, he seems to have chosen this particular pair because they make him exactly as tall as his rival and half-brother, Shinrei.
- No-Sell: Shinrei's rhythm-matching skill doesn't work on him, because Hotaru's style of fighting is so mercurial that it doesn't have a rhythm.
- No Sense of Direction: A contender with Rorona Zoro for being the most triumphant example of this trope. The final chapter has Hotaru getting lost and somehow wandering all the way to China. The epilogue takes this even further, where it's implied that Hotaru ultimately ended up accidentally circumnavigating the entire planet before getting back to Japan. When he gets back, Yuya tries to tell him where Kyo is, even pointing the way, only for Hotaru to immediately head off in the opposite direction.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: A LOT. Possibly.
- Playing with Fire: He combines flames of various temperatures with his swordsmanship. Ironically he almost never gets fired up under any circumstances, remaining cool-headed throughout the fight.
- Convection, Schmonvection: Even his Demon's Breath flames, the hottest he can conjure, seem to act more like a concussive energy than anything else.
- The Resenter: He haaates his half-brother, and intentionally molded himself into anti-Shinrei out of spite when he was young. It's one of the reasons he uses fire (because Shinrei and his house use water) and despises the Mibu in general (because Shinrei is devoted to them).
- Running Gag: Moving caterpillars out of the way of battle, forgetting something someone told him just minutes ago, being slow to respond, the list goes on.
- Smarter Than You Look: Even though his head is empty, which he even is aware of, Hotaru can say some pretty darn insightful and deep things. When this is commented upon by other characters, he often has already forgotten what he said and why. The details of two of his attacks are also clear evidence that he's far more intelligent than his odd behavior implies. See below:
- The first is Kaho Enbu, which he only uses once (in his fight against Bontenmaru in his first appearance). He sets a flame at his opponent's feet and then creates an airtight box around them, which kills the flame and suffocates the person. When the victim breaks the barrier, oxygen rushes in and causes an explosive backdraft as the dying ember flares up again.
- Keikoku Kien is a technique that brands the Hono Chikewai onto his opponent's body. Hono Chikewai is a double-edged sword even for Hotaru, as it powers him up exponentially but damages his body as his blood burns. For his opponents, Hotaru's blood is only a weapon, burning them from the inside out.
- Super-Empowering: He powers up Shinrei using Keikoku Kien. Shinrei is able to gain the benefits of Hono Chikewai from Hotaru's blood instead of being destroyed by it because he and Hotaru are half-brothers.
- Tiger Versus Dragon: Only in the anime, he has a tiger motif opposing Shinrei's dragons.
- The Unfavorite: Exaggerated. As the illegitimate son, Hotaru was a stain on his father's reputation. His mother was killed and her death reported as a suicide, and Hotaru has had assassins after him since he was a little kid. There's a dramatic contrast in flashbacks between young Shinrei (happy and innocent, world handed to him on a silver platter) and young Hotaru (angry, scarred, clawing and fighting just to survive).
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With his half-brother Shinrei (after Hotaru stops flat-out hating him), at times to a
hilarious degree. - You Are What You Hate: Despises the Mibu, despite the fact that he himself is at least half Mibu. Probably has something to do with his Mibu father, you know, sending assassins after him starting in infancy.
Akari
The last of the Four Heavenly Kings to be introduced, and also the most feared of the four (within the group anyways). Playing the role of a shamanic healer, Akari is there to heal any wounds the others may receive during battles, although it comes at the cost of her knowing one of their secrets. That rule however, doesn't apply to Kyo, as she is head-over-heels in love with him, going so far as to make a bet with him where if she ever lands a blow on his face, he will promise to marry her. When she is first introduced to the crew, no one quite understands why Akira, Bontenmaru, and Hotaru cower in her presence. Turns out she possesses monstrous strength, capable of wounding even Bontenmaru (although said strength is for the most part reserved for humorous situations), and can get really riled up when certain buttons are pushed.
Akari is a biological man (and still has her manparts), but presents and resolutely insists on being female, making her transgender by modern standards.
Voiced by: Kotono Mitsuishi (JP)
- Adapted Out: She never appears in the anime, which barely scratched the surface of the Mibu arc (which she was only introduced well into) when all the heroes were in desperate need of Healing Hands.
- Berserk Button: Don't call her by her birth name or refer to her as a man.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: As Ashura, she develops blades that turn whatever they cut into stone.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: As Ashura, when she attacks Kyo.
- Breast Attack: Played for Laughs when she hugs Santera, whose corrosive spores destroy the buns Akari uses to stuff her top. Akari throws a fit and complains that now she's flatter than Yuya.
- Close-Call Haircut: One of Santera's butterflies gets past Akari's barrier and singes her hair. She flips out about it.
- Cooldown Hug: Does this to a crazed Santera to stop her.
- Dark and Troubled Past: She was designated male and named Mitarai Tokichiro at birth, and when her powers manifested, she was seen as a freak and a monster. She became bitter and angry, lashing out at the world that rejected her help and eventually finding the Mibu Clan. Hishigi took her in and eventually made her the head of his personal guard, but later he implanted the Devil Eye in her hand and she ran away. She spent some time alone, killing anyone the Mibu sent after her, until Kyo found her and she joined the Shiseiten.
- Eyepatch of Power: Her glove is one for the Devil Eye on her hand.
- Fake Boobs: Turns out she's wearing large steamed buns to simulate breasts. She's not amused when this is found out.
- Fastball Special: During the Shiseiten's battle with the Mibu's regenerating soldiers, she launches Bon directly into the middle of the army when he calls her Tokichiro. Amusingly, Bon is The Big Guy, and Akari does not look nearly as strong as she is.
- Gratuitous English: All her attacks.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: Kyo restores her back to normal by reflecting the Medusa Eye's own gaze with his Tenro, causing it to be destroyed.
- How Dare You Die on Me!: She is very, very angry with Hishigi for trying to talk her out of saving him. She tells him that as long as someone will mourn his passing, he isn't allowed to choose death for himself.
- In Love with Your Carnage: Her feelings for Kyo subvert this. She was always impressed by his strength, but she fell for him because he never cared if she was a monster or not.
- Lady of War/Lady of Black Magic: Akari is an elegant and classy lady, but she will not hesitate to kick ass, and her vampiric energy draining is one of the more dangerous powers in the series.
- Magic Staff: She carries one and channels her shamanic powers through it.
- Manchurian Agent: When Kyo and company finally confront Hishigi and Fubuki, Hishigi activates the Devil Eye in Akari's hand and it takes over her mind, causing her to attack Kyo and Yuan.
- The Medic: Akari can accelerate healing by channeling her own energy into an injured person's body. Because of the way her power works, however, she can't heal herself.
- Minor Injury Overreaction: When one of Santera's corrosive butterflies burns her hair, Akari is not pleased.
- The Mole: Akari is secretly Ashura, Hishigi's Imperial Guard, who was sent to spy on Kyo. Subverted by virtue of mind control; Akari has no idea that Hishigi can use the Eye to control her.
- No Hero Discount: Akari will only heal her companions (other than Kyo) if they tell her a close personal secret. And it must be a new one, every single time. She does offer to heal Yukimura in exchange for a kiss instead of blackmail material, but her motives for doing so are entirely selfish. Incidentally, he complies... and then reveals post-kiss that he swapped places with Kosuke, to Akari's disappointment.
- Noodle Incident: She was the pivot of many dirty scandals in the past, none of which is elaborated upon.
- Save the Villain: She tries to save Hishigi after the Devil Eyes fail and he collapses. He's not really opposed to the whole death thing at this point, and tries to convince her to let him die.
- Silk Hiding Steel: She's beautiful, elegant, and one of the strongest and most deadly characters in the manga.
- Story-Breaker Power: Akari's original Medusa Eye, which has the power to instantly turn anyone who sees it into ash. Subverted by the fact that Akari refuses to employ it in battle because it is a weapon for indiscriminate murder.
- On top of that, having a power that can drain life energy itself, Akari is more on the hax side than the other three emperors.
- Superpower Meltdown: The Medusa Eye causes one, when Hishigi activates it.
- Super-Strength: Her physical strength is usually displayed in comedic situations, but she's capable of launching Bontenmaru across a room. As Ashura, she's strong enough to knock Kyo off his feet.
- Trans Equals Gay: Subverted. For the most part, Akari is attracted to men (primarily Kyo, but she flirts with Yukimura and mentions an attraction to Hishigi as well). However, she does have a few moments with Yuya that suggest she may be bisexual.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: First as a Funny Background Event when we see her taking a pee from behind with both her hands at crotch level. Later on it happens on a Mibu Elite who gropes her only to end up with a handful of steamed manjuu. He's very distressed by the fact that she's still hot.
- Vampiric Draining: Her "air vamp" attack drains life energy. Sometimes overlaps with Life Drain to heal herself (since shamanic healing abilities do not work on the caster), but the skill seems to be primarily offensive.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Subverted. Akari is occasionally viewed this way by other characters, but she is definitely a transgender woman, not a crossdressing man.
- You Are Number 6: She was "No. 13" when she was with the Mibu.
