A list of characters in the Shiren the Wanderer series. Currently under construction.
Main Characters
Shared Tropes
- But Now I Must Go: The main story of each game tends to end with the protagonist and Koppa parting ways with the people of the starting area and setting off. This ends up Played for Laughs in Shiren 5: after Shiren and Koppa say goodbye to everyone in Inori Village, the post-credits scene reveals that they find themselves right back at the village after getting lost for three days without food, leading into the postgame.
- The Drifter: All Wanderers are this by profession. This is also the in-universe reason for the Winds of Kron: if they linger too long on a floor, Kron will make them move, which automatically flings them back to the starting area.
Shiren
Shiren
- Voiced by: Shinichiro Ohta (Shiren the Wanderer: Princess Suzune and the Tower of Madoro)
- Badass Cape: Part of his iconic design is his blue-and-white patterned cape (striped in the first game and 2, and zebra-striped in 3, 4, and 5).
- Celibate Hero: At the start of Shiren 5, if Shiren asks Madam Ateska to read his fortune, she comments that he has "bad luck" or "major problems" with women. Whether it's because of his Wanderer lifestyle or a personal problem is unknown, but it may be Call-Backs to a number of women in his past adventuresnote . Humorously, one subplot in Shiren 6 can end up as another reference to this fortune: Shiren can play along with Hibiki's Boyfriend Bluff to her nemesis Tugai, but she ends up developing a crush on Tugai.
- Disappeared Dad: According to Shiren 3, his father disappeared thirteen years ago (when Shiren was only eight) to resolve a fight he could only face alone. Koppa then mentions that Gimensha died fighting in a dungeon.
- Easy Amnesia: In the Action Prologue of Shiren 6, Shiren knocks his head really hard in the final battle against Jakaku and loses his memory. This conveniently allows Koppa to double as Mr. Exposition on subsequent excursions of Serpentcoil Island.
- Featureless Protagonist: His debut game didn't define his character that deeply (he's a Wanderer in memory of his friend, and that's it), but the other games in the series do touch on his past. Shiren 3 especially averts this, since it doesn't let the player rename him and is revealed to be about his ancestry.
- Guest Fighter:
- In Crypt of the NecroDancer, he's a character skin.
- In Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics, he's a playable character (as Wanderer Type A).
- In RPG Maker MV, he's an available protagonist asset.
- Hat Damage: In Shiren 3, his hat ends up being cut in half by the Final Boss. He seems to have gotten a replacement at some point before the postgame.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: While his canon name is Shiren, you can give him whatever name you want. Shiren 3 is the sole exception, as his name there cannot be changed.
- Heroic Mime: In his debut game, this is to supplement his status as a Featureless Protagonist. Every game after that one downplays this; the series overall implies that Shiren does voice every choice the player makes, and one of the Status Effects explicitly mutes him to lock him out of reading scrolls.
- The one scene in Shiren 3 where he talks onscreen is actually a Double Subversion: a sorcerer that Shiren's party defeated earlier is revealed to have hijacked Shiren's body.
- Identical Grandson: In Shiren 3, he's revealed to be the spitting image of his ancestor from 1,000 years ago, who even had the same name as him!
- Kid Hero: His 10-year-old self is the protagonist of Shiren 2.
- Magnetic Hero: Shiren himself seems to be particularly blessed by Kron, the God of Travel, and as the eponymous protagonist of the series he gathers allies from various walks of life during his journeys.
- No Sense of Direction: If Koppa in the post-credits scene of Shiren 5 can be taken at his word, Shiren's apparently at fault for them getting lost for three days without food.Koppa: You're a wanderer, but you've got no sense of direction.
- Protagonist Title: He's the eponymous character of the series, so this is almost a given. The one exception is in Asuka Arrives!, where he isn't playable and is only mentioned.
- Semi-Divine: During the Final Battle of Shiren 3, he is able to wield the Sword of Totsuka, which Jofuku in a previous scene stated is impossible for humans. This may have been a result of Jofuku possessing his body for a time to, in his words, "augment the blood of Izana".
- Shipper on Deck: During the pirates' subplot in Shiren 6, Shiren and Koppa cross paths with Hibiki again at Small Harbor after she reunited with Mick and the Red Orcas headed home, and she tells them that she has yet to thank Tugai properly despite their many encounters since then. Talking to Koppa after that scene shows Koppa noticing the happy look on Shiren's face, implying that he supports Hibiki's newfound crush on Tugai.
- Tragic Keepsake: According to Koppa in the first game and the Japanese website for the original DS version of Shiren 5, Shiren's hat and cape previously belonged to Shiren's deceased friend. He also became a Wanderer in memory of them.
Koppa
Koppa
He is from a line of domesticated ferrets with the ability to speak. As years go by, his talking brethren have become increasingly rare. He is a long-time traveling companion of Shiren, and has also traveled with Asuka.- Exposition Fairy: To offset Shiren being a Heroic Mime. He even lampshades this in Shiren 5 when he calls himself the storytelling ferret.
- Funny Animal: He's a talking ferret.
- Rewrite: In the first game, Koppa mentions first meeting 18-year-old Shiren half a year before their adventure to the top of Table Mountain; in Shiren 2, Koppa befriended 10-year-old Shiren shortly before the latter's first adventurer as a Wanderer.
Asuka
Asuka
- Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa (Shiren the Wanderer: Princess Suzune and the Tower of Madoro)
She has her own adventure with Koppa in Asuka Arrives! (set one year after Shiren 2), and makes a reappearance in Shiren 3 (where she's 24).
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: In Shiren 3, she temporarily becomes the Player Character after Eagle's Fortress is cleared since Shiren has been turned into a Mamel by Eagle and is wandering Catfish's Nest. Once she turns him back to normal, he becomes the Player Character again.
- Badass in Distress: In the postgame Tournament Arc of Shiren 3, she let Soboro lock her up in the Gedoumaru and simply wanted to see Soboro's intentions. However, she's kidnapped via a portal under her feet just as Shiren and Koppa reach her. In the tournament finals, Curas, Ragoon, and the Tainted Insect reveal that they kidnapped Asuka and threaten her life as part of a ploy to kill Shiren. However, Sensei is nearby to rescue her, allowing Shiren to defeat the trio unimpeded.
- Big Damn Heroes: In Shiren 3, she's introduced rescuing an injured Koppa and Sensei when they're cornered by Eagle in his fortress. She uses a scroll to escape with Koppa, while Sensei jumps off the cliffside.
- Formal Characters Use Keigo: Her polite way of speaking reinforces her swordswoman lifestyle. This was lost when Atlus translated her dialogue in Shiren 3, but this is properly shown in Shiren 6 through Spike Chunsoft's in-house translation.
- Guest Fighter:
- In Crypt of the NecroDancer, she's a character skin.
- In Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics, she's an unlockable playable character (as Wanderer Type C).
- In RPG Maker MV, she's an available protagonist asset.
- Iconic Sequel Character: The protagonist of her spinoff game and second choice alongside Shiren himself in crossovers debuted in Shiren 2.
- Kid Hero: She's 14 years old in Shiren 2, and 15 in Asuka Arrives!
- Promoted to Playable: She debuts in Shiren 2 as a recruitable ally NPC, then gets her own spinoff game in Asuka Arrives! and becomes a major character in Shiren 3 who can even be played solo (temporarily for one stretch of the main story, then freely after the postgame arc). She even appears with Shiren in crossovers with other games.
- Protagonist Title: She's the protagonist of her spinoff game, which has her name in the subtitle and puts Shiren Out of Focus.
- Recruitment by Rescue:
- In her debut scene in Shiren 2, Shiren and Koppa find her disarmed and cornered by a group of Kengo, with her sword landing in front of Shiren. Shiren throws the sword back to her, who catches it, defeats the Kengo, and thanks the duo for the timely save. She then introduces herself as a Wanderer in training, and offers to join them on their adventure.
- It happens twice in Shiren 3. The first time is an inversion: Asuka rescues Koppa during the main story, becomes the Player Character until she rescues Shiren, then joins the pair as a permanent ally for the rest of the story. The second time is played straight: during the postgame Tournament Arc, she initially gets locked up in the Gedoumaru by Soboro, then a portal appears under her feet and warps her elsewhere. In the final match of the tournament, Sensei rescues her while Shiren defeats her kidnappers (Curas, Ragoon, and Tainted Insect, who reveal themselves to also be the tournament's masterminds), after which she becomes an available ally (or solo Player Character) for the rest of the postgame content.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Shiren 6 reveals that she is a diehard fan of Peach Buns and has traveled to Serpentcoil Island in pursuit of the Peach Club, a legendary item that can create Peach Buns. The revelation that Peach Buns are actually polymorphed monsters doesn't stop her from taking the Peach Club after the Heavenly Maiden rewards Shiren and Koppa with it when they save her from bandits.
Antagonists
Other Characters
Introduced in Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
Pekeji
A morbidly overweight and somewhat dimwitted guy who claims to be Shiren's little brother, he is one of the first party members you can unlock.- Badass in Distress: In the DS remake, Pekeji's interest in bungee-jumping can cause him to go missing in the Ravine of the Dead during the postgame, forcing Shiren to explore a difficult Bonus Dungeon to rescue him so that he can be recruited again.
- Fat Comic Relief: His map sprite is notably more round than those of other human characters.
- The Load: He starts off able to be killed really easily, and he will quit following you if he's not fed riceballs in time... However, if you keep bringing him on adventures, he'll eventually become quite powerful and will no longer need to be fed, ultimately defying this trope.
- Long-Lost Relative: He claims to be Shiren's little brother. According to him, he was rescued by someone who became his adopted mother. Before she died, she told him he had been adopted and gave him the pendant that was on him when she rescued him. The pendant showed two names: his own, and Shiren's. Shiren 3 implies otherwise, since Shiren's father Gimensha makes no mention of Pekeji when he entrusts his own wife and their child Shiren to Sensei before going missing.
- Magikarp Power: Starts out as the weakest of Shiren's potential allies in the game, but his strength grows with each subsequent adventure he joins.
- Stout Strength: The more adventures he goes on with Shiren, the more this trope comes into effect.
Oryu the Blinder
A woman with the power to blind people with a wave of her hand. Though she'll blind Shiren in their first two meetings, she'll join up with him once he saves her from a pair of angry villagers.- Nerf: In the original SFC version, despite not wielding a weapon her attacks are more damaging than those of sword-wielder Kechi; combined with her ability to also blind her target, she becomes a more useful ally than him and Pekeji. Later versions scale back her attack power to a more reasonable level.
- Recruitment by Rescue: Shiren can rescue her from a pair of men in Bamboo Village (which in the SFC version antagonizes the entire village if he doesn't bypass said men through non-damaging means; the rereleases remove the penalty), after which she offers to join him on his adventure; if he accepts, she gives him a "special thank-you kiss" by blinding him a third time, but she does stay true to her word and doesn't vanish on him after.
- The Trickster: Shiren's first two meetings with her end with him temporarily blinded (after he agrees to close his eyes for her, and after she tells him her "twin sister" was the culprit of that first time), and her blinding pranks on a pair of villagers in Bamboo Village (one of whom claims she used seduction on him) provoke them into eventually cornering her.
Kechi the Masseur
A blind sword-wielding masseur who can heal people by striking pressure points. After Shiren pays him 200 Gitan for his massage service, they cross paths again at Bamboo Village and Mountaintop Town, after which Kechi will join up with him.- Expy: Of the namesake character of the Zatoichi series, also a blind masseur who wields a Sword Cane. But Kechi isn't actually blind.
- Eyes Always Shut: In both his artworks and his map sprite. The only time he opens them is when he's hit. He actually exploits this to conceal the fact that he's not blind.
- Healing Hands: If Shiren asks for Kechi's massage, he might be fully healed and regain any lost Strength (functionally identical to a Chiropractic Jar), which becomes this trope.
- Miserable Massage: If Shiren asks for Kechi's massage, he might lose some Fullness, HP, and Strength, which becomes this trope; if Shiren had 10 HP and/or 1 Strength prior to the request, that outcome can actually kill him, ending the current adventure. There's even an in-game achievement for it!
- Obfuscating Disability: An event at Mountaintop Town reveals that Kechi has been faking his blindness the entire time; a woman who was taking a bath caught him peeking and drooling, and a kid caught him looking around before stealing his friend's lunch. After the villagers beat Kechi up, Koppa asks him why he did this trope; he admits that he was originally using it as a hook for his massage business, and then he realized that he could have a little fun with it. He swears to the villagers that he'll never do this trope again, and they accept his apology.
- Perverted Drooling: A woman who caught Kechi peeking on her in the bath claims he was doing this, which she uses as proof of him faking his blindness.
- Recruitment by Rescue: Downplayed because (1) Kechi saves himself after Koppa asks him why he got himself into trouble and (2) unlike Oryu's event Shiren doesn't have to attack villagers. Once Kechi saves himself he'll offer to join Shiren on his adventure.
- Sword Cane: He attacks enemies by unsheathing his sword. An event at Bamboo Village shows him winning a fight against a group of four opponents surrounding him.
Naoki the Wandering Chef
Gaibara the Legendary Potter
A potter of some renown who lives in Mountaintop Town.The Golden Condor
Introduced in Shiren the Wanderer 2: Oni Invasion! Shiren Castle!
Himakichi
A bored Kappa monster who has more time than he knows what to do with. He becomes interested in Shiren's fight against the Oni, and joins him to waste some time. He has the ability to toss items at enemies, including arrows and cannonballs.- It Amused Me: He helps Shiren to stave off his own boredom.
Sasumi
Known as the beauty of Napus Village.Riku
Sasumi's younger brother. He is a delicate child, but grows stronger after meeting Shiren. He can shoot a slingshot in a two-tile radius during battle.Kirara
Daughter of Boss Oni, she was rescued by Shiren when she was caught in a trap. She has a difficult time being straight with her words, but finally opens her heart after attending the festival at Napus Village. She develops a crush on Shiren, and later joins him as an ally. She has the ability to breathe fire, and is immune to fire damage.- Rescue Romance: Downplayed. She gets a crush on Shiren after he frees her from a trap.
MA-MO
An incarnation of Shuten Mountain's guardian deity, Mamori・Gami. Moved by Shiren's efforts to help Napus Village, Mamo decides to help him in the physical realm. They assume the appearance of a dresser that was inside the udon restaurant. Mamo cannot fight enemies, but has the ability to deposit/withdraw items.Boss Oni
- Final Boss: Of Shiren 2.
Introduced in Shiren the Wanderer (2008) / Shiren the Wanderer 3: The Sleeping Princess of the Karakuri Mansion
Sensei
Shiren's uncle, and the man who taught him the blade. Though he may seem like a lackadaisical ronin who only cares for good drink, he is a master swordsman that can be trusted in dire times.- Always Second Best: He felt that he could never measure up to Gimensha, his brother-in-law.
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: Being raised by his older sister after their mom's death implies that their dad wasn't part of their life.
- Face–Heel Revolving Door: At Tengu's Castle, Sensei is revealed to have allied with Jurouta and the Hyottoko Bandits after making his own escape from Eagle's Fortress, and they steal the Four Guardians' orbs from Shiren and Asuka so that they can access the Karakuri Mansion first. He rejoins Shiren and Asuka after they defeat Jurouta at the Karakuri Tower.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: The postgame arc reveals that most of his treasure was given to an orphanage at the capital. That said, he did lose the rest of it in gambling.
- His Name Really Is "Barkeep": In Japanese culture, calling someone 'sensei' is acknowledging them as your mentor, so you might think Shiren and Asuka are simply giving their due respect to him (and Koppa is following Shiren's lead). Jurouta calling him Sensei confirms that his name really is Sensei.
- I Wished You Were Dead: He blames himself for Gimensha's death, thinking that he may have secretly wished for it after resenting Gimensha for always being one step ahead. When he heard that Gimensha wouldn't be coming back, he broke away from his older sister and Shiren, and avoided them for over ten years.
- Mentor Archetype: He taught Shiren the blade. He's also implied to have taught Asuka.
- Missing Mom: His mom died when he was young, leaving him to be raised by his older sister when they were growing up.
- Mr. Exposition: During several scenes in the latter half of the main story, he explains Japanese Mythology to Shiren, Asuka, and Koppa.
- Suicide by Cop: After Shiren and Asuka defeat him at the Pond of the Dragon, Sensei tries to goad Shiren into a Single-Stroke Battle, but Asuka stops the fight, pointing out that Sensei wanted Shiren to kill him and may have contacted Asuka so that she'd help Shiren in his place. Sensei then admits that it's because he blames himself for Gimensha's death.
- Taking You with Me: In Yomotsu Hirasaka, he pulls this on Jofuku before the latter could pull it on Shiren and Asuka, fully expecting to die in the process. To the group's surprise, he somehow survives, and he theorizes that Jofuku's bodyhopping from Shiren to himself transferred enough power from Shiren's blood of Izana into his own body to outlive Jofuku.
- Rōnin: All Wanderers are this by profession.
- Walking the Earth: All Wanderers do this by profession.
Jurouta
Head of the Hyottoko Bandits, his gang also seeks the treasure of the Karakuri Mansion, and they don't take kindly to Shiren's group trying to beat them to the punch.- Disney Villain Death: In the Karakuri Tower, after Shiren and Asuka defeat Jurouta and his gang, he falls down a chasm into the darkness, saying that he's been beaten by the Karakuri Mansion in both mind and body.
- It Has Been an Honor: After clearing the name of Shiren's ancestor, Jurouta has one last chat with Sensei.Jurouta: Sensei, thanks... I wish I had met you under different circumstances.Sensei: Heh. Perhaps. But, all the same, we would have crossed blades first.Jurouta: Yeah, you're probably right. It woulda been... fun.
- Unwitting Pawn: The ancient book passed down in his clan contains an account of Kaguya's escape from the Tsukiyomi Shrine fire and the events that followed, yet a later flashback scene shows the governor's soldiers assuming Kaguya died in the fire. This implies Jofuku, who rescued Kaguya, wrote the falsified account, in turn making Jurouta yet another pawn to his scheme.
- Villain's Dying Grace: In the Treasury, after Shiren's group frees Jurouta from his cursed Marouta form, he tells them the truth that had been written in his own ancestor's book: the person who sold Kaguya out to the shogunate 1,000 years ago was not Shiren's ancestor as claimed by the Battle Spirits, but actually Keima, one of her own retainers who had caved to greed and jealousy. Jurouta then has one last chat with Sensei before he dies.
Kaguya
A mysterious individual that Shiren encounters during his journey to the Karakuri Mansion. Whether she is friend or foe is unknown...- The Cavalry: When Shiren's group finds themselves outmatched by Izanami due to her Yatano Mirror, Kaguya appears with the Sword of Totsuka alongside her retainers and engages Izanami in a Beam-O-War. When the smoke clears, the Mirror's been shattered, but Kaguya is weakened and her retainers fade away.
- Kaguya pulls off a second one after Shiren's group struggles against Izanami Complete, singing the Tamafuri to weaken Izanami and infuse the Sword of Totsuka with Izanami's soul, after which Shiren wields the Sword and attacks Izanami with a Sword Beam.
- Childhood Friends: With Shiren's ancestor and her retainers.
- Childhood Friend Romance: All but explicitly was in love with Shiren's ancestor ever since they were children.
- Childhood Marriage Promise: She made a promise with Shiren's ancestor when they were children that is heavily implied to be this.Kaguya: I'll always be with you, Shiren, even when I grow up... Forever...
- Disappeared Dad: According to Kaguya, the provincial governor wanted her father's fortune for himself, and her father was killed by the governor's soldiers to ensure her escape.
- Disappears into Light: After Kaguya returns Izanami's soul to her body with Shiren's help, she collapses. As she's dying, she says she's glad to have met Shiren and his friends, then says her last words before her soul scatters into light.Kaguya: I've been... in a very long dream. I'm sure he's been waiting for me, too... So, it's finally time for me to go... So I can join my... So I can join him... Farewell... descendant of Shiren...
- Heroic Willpower: After Izanami takes control of Kaguya's body and Jofuku (in Shiren's body) damages the moon by stabbing its reflection with the Sword of Totsuka, Kaguya fights off Izanami's control over her and pulls out the sword, to the surprise of everyone present.
- Implied Love Interest: Her relationship with Shiren's ancestor was heavy on the subtext, such that Taketori believed it was eternal love and another character was partly motivated by envy for them, but neither of them explicitly called it love.
- I Will Wait for You: Kaguya's apparently been waiting for Shiren for the past 1,000 years. It turns out that Taketori had rescued her from the Tsukiyomi Shrine fire, given her the Ochimizu, and put her into a 1,000-year slumber to lessen the injuries she had sustained from that fire; had she been uninjured, the slumber would've been unnecessary. She was actually waiting for Shiren's ancestor.
- The Lost Lenore: She turns out to have been this for Shiren's ancestor, and Jofuku invoked and exploited this for his Evil Plan.
- Peaceful in Death: In the ending, Kaguya's body is shown with a peaceful smile before the collapsing Karakuri Mansion buries it.
- Public Domain Character: In the Shiren setting, she was the basis for Nayotake no Kaguya-hime in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
- Robotic Reveal: In the Outer Shrine, the Kaguya that Shiren's group has been encountering up to that point reveals itself to be a mechanical creation of the Karakuri Mansion, possessing a copy of the real Kaguya's memories up until her 1,000-year slumber.
- Semi-Divine: According to Jofuku, humans are unable to touch the Sword of Totsuka, a sword forged by the gods. When Kaguya pulls out the sword from the reflection of the moon, Sensei points out that Kaguya drank the Ochimizu as Jofuku had.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: She was being hunted by the provincial governor, and Shiren's ancestor was the shogunate officer assigned to arrest her. The last time they saw each other was the night of the Tsukiyomi Shrine fire; she was heavily injured while waiting for him inside and was secretly rescued by Taketori.
The Four Guardians
Centipede, Eagle, Catfish, and Tengu are the Four Guardians of Hourai Mountain, having slain anyone seeking the treasure of the Karakuri Mansion because they claim it belongs to the mountain's inhabitants. They have been awaiting the Mansion's prophesized guests for centuries.- Noble Demon: He killed Eagle offscreen for losing to Shiren's group and has both Eagle's orb and his own to give should he lose, all to keep things fair.
- Killed Offscreen: When Shiren's group challenge Tengu, he reveals that he had slain Eagle himself for his deception.
- Sorting Algorithm of Evil: Though the four issue a challenge to Shiren's group together, their dungeons are only unlocked in a specific order (Centipede's Den, Eagle's Fortress, Catfish's Nest, and then Tengu's Castle).
Bamboo Harvester
An unassuming old man from 1,000 years ago who knew Shiren's ancestor and Kaguya. He introduces himself to Shiren's ancestor as Sanukino Miyako, but most people call him Old Man Taketori.- Adaptational Villainy: Taketori no Okina was a loving foster parent to Nayotake no Kaguya-hime; this Taketori was also kind to Kaguya, but as part of a long-spanning malevolent plan.
- Everybody Calls Him "Barkeep": An odd case. Other people call him Old Man Taketori; the game itself initially calls him Old Man, then switches to Bamboo Harvester after he gives his actual name to Shiren's ancestor.
- Human Disguise: He is revealed to be Jofuku's disguise from 1,000 years ago.
- Public Domain Character: In the Shiren setting, he was the basis for Taketori no Okina in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
Oboro
A ninja in service to the shogunate, she and her team of ninjas appear on her flying ship, the Koujinmaru, to look into the Karakuri Mansion for the sake of the country, having disguised herself as Tae and the Hourai Teahouse owner. She does not have a high opinion of Wanderers like Shiren's group.- Politically Incorrect Hero: She does not like Wanderers; in her eyes, they're wasting their strengths as vagrants when they could be working for the shogunate. She softens her view after Shiren, Asuka, and Koppa rescue her and her team from the Jellyfish Mage.
Shiren's Ancestor
When Shiren approaches the Karakuri Mansion, his mind is temporarily sent to 1,000 years in the past and put into the body of his ancestor, an officer of the shogunate from that era who was also named Shiren.- Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder: Since Gimensha and Shiren are his direct descendants, it's inevitable that Shiren's ancestor continued his bloodline of Izana with another woman, even if it was his only guarantee of Kaguya knowing his feelings for her 1,000 years later.
- And Now for Someone Completely Different: Downplayed. Shiren's inventory is put aside while the story shifts to his ancestor, and the latter's inventory is only relevant for the two dungeon locations in the past during his first time in the spotlight; his two other appearances can ignore combat entirely.
- Childhood Friends: With Kaguya and her retainers.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Heavily implied to have been in love with Kaguya ever since they were children.
- Heroic Mime: While Shiren's in his ancestor's body, Koppa's apparently in the body of a raccoon that was accompanying him and was also able to talk. According to the ancestor's childhood flashbacks with Kaguya, he was able to speak at least back then. In the post-credits scene, he talks onscreen to someone else and the raccoon is nowhere to be seen, implying that the latter was just an invention of the Karakuri Mansion to accommodate Koppa's presence.
- Implied Love Interest: His relationship with Kaguya was heavy on the subtext, such that Taketori believed it was eternal love and another character was partly motivated by envy for them, but neither of them explicitly called it love.
- Posthumous Character: He's most likely dead in Shiren's time, considering he was from 1,000 years ago.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: He was an officer of the shogunate and was tasked with apprehending Kaguya, who was labeled a criminal by the provincial governor. The last time they saw each other was the night of the Tsukiyomi Shrine fire; he believed she was trapped inside and tried to rescue her, but he was kept in place by the governor's soldiers and could only watch helplessly until morning.
- Wandering the Earth: In the post-credits scene of the main story, he has quit the shogunate. He mulls on the Key of Kudan in his hand that Taketori said would allow him to meet Kaguya again in 1,000 years as long as he passes it down his bloodline, and decides to go where the wind and his feet take him.
Battle Spirits
1,000 years ago, Yoshizou, Zanji, Tarobei, Jirobei, Gozou, and Keima were Kaguya's retainers, wary of Shiren's ancestor for being an officer of the shogunate tasked with arresting Kaguya. In the Exterior of the Karakuri Mansion, they appear a group of restless spirits seeking revenge on the entire bloodline of Shiren's ancestor to "avenge the treachery wrought upon our princess so long ago".- The Cavalry: When Shiren's group finds themselves outmatched by Izanami due to her Yatano Mirror, the retainers appear alongside Kaguya, shift into their Battle Spirit forms, and engage Izanami in a Beam-O-War. When the smoke clears, the Mirror's been shattered, but Kaguya is weakened and the Battle Spirits fade away.
- Childhood Friends: With Shiren's ancestor and Kaguya.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Each of them can be identified by the color of their scarves:
- Yoshizou's is purple.
- Zanji's is red.
- Tarobei's is green.
- Gozou's is orange.
- Jirobei's is white.
- Keima's is cyan.
- Fading Away: Keima's spirit fades after his treachery is exposed and Yoshizou cuts him down. As for the other spirits, they don't survive their clash against Izanami.
- Flat Character: Yoshizou and Keima have significant roles in the plot, but the others aren't as fortunate: Zanji and Tarobei only have one speaking line, Gozou's only line is visible silence, and Jirobei has no lines whatsoever.
- Ghostly Goals: The Battle Spirits have two main goals: avenging Kaguya, and ensuring her safety.
- The Leader: Yoshizou seems to be both Kaguya's head retainer and the main speaker among the Battle Spirits.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Implied. Keima betrayed Kaguya, and in an earlier scene Kaguya mentioned that Keima was one of the people killed by the governor's soldiers.
- Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: When Koppa tells the Battle Spirits that Keima was the traitor they've been looking for, the group senses no lies and faces Keima. He tries to explain himself, but Yoshizou cuts him down on the spot.
- Turncoat: It's revealed that Keima betrayed Kaguya to the governor, which led to the governor's soldiers surrounding the Tsukiyomi Shrine, setting the place on fire, and killing all of her retainers (Keima included).
- Weapon-Based Characterization: Each Battle Spirit has their own preferred weapon which they use in their boss battle:
- Yoshizou wields two swords, and his attack is called Dual Slash.
- Zanji and Keima wield yari, and they attack two tiles in front with piercing thrusts.
- Tarobei and Gozou wield bows, and they shoot arrows from a distance.
- Unlike Yoshizou, Jirobei only wields one sword in his right hand.
Gimensha
Shiren's father. Thirteen years ago, he made Sensei swear to only let Shiren solve the mystery of the family heirloom, the Key of Kudan, after Shiren became a full-fledged Wanderer, then disappeared to resolve a fight he had to face alone.- Continuity Nod: Gimensha's Jar was one of Kron's nine legendary items in GB2.
- If I Do Not Return: His parting words to Sensei end up being his last.Gimensha: If I don't come back... Take good care of Shiren, and my wife... your sister.
- Posthumous Character: According to Koppa, Gimensha died fighting in a dungeon.
- Riddle for the Ages: What was the fight he had to resolve alone, which ultimately led to him dying in a dungeon? The question is left unanswered.
Jofuku
A Taoist skilled in fortune-telling and shamanist ways who led his people across the sea to the land of Japan 2,000 years ago.- The Chessmaster: Manipulated Shiren's ancestor and Kaguya (and possibly countless other people) as part of a 2,000-year-old scheme to destroy the moon.
- Deal with the Devil: Sensei theorizes that Jofuku didn't actually die on Hourai Mountain but found an elixir of life there- or something close enough to an elixir, known as the Ochimizu- by making one of these deals with a demon. In exchange, he became a monster (specifically, not a "crane god" as fancified by storytellers over time but actually a dragon).
- Demonic Possession:
- When Shiren's group awakens Kaguya, Jofuku hijacks Shiren's body to destroy the moon via stabbing its reflection with the Sword of Totsuka (the true form of the Key of Kudan). When Kaguya ruins his scheme by pulling out the Sword, Jofuku realizes that Shiren's regaining control of his own body, and decides to retreat into Yomi before that can happen.
- In the depths of Yomotsu Hirasaka, he's baited into taking Sensei's body once Asuka and Koppa exorcise him from Shiren's, unaware that Sensei was going to sacrifice himself.
- The Dragon: He orchestrated his 2,000-year-old scheme after making a deal with Izanami, and his monster form Ikazuchikami is a literal representation of this.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: His name is the Japanese reading of the historical Xu Fu
, a court sorcerer serving under Qin Shi Huang who disappeared after being tasked with finding an elixir of life. In Shiren 3, he turns out to have been orchestrating a 2,000-year-old plot that would have ultimately killed humanity if Shiren's group didn't stop it. - My Death Is Just the Beginning: After Shiren's group defeats his Ikazuchikami form in the Palace Keep, he deals the finishing blow on himself to "augment the blood of Izana". This later turns out to have been a delayed Demonic Possession.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: By giving Kaguya a Tamafuri of the ancient gods (in the form of a song) to ease her pain during her 1,000-year slumber, he gave her the means to restore Izanami's soul to her.
- Really 700 Years Old: Taking his historical age into account, he's 2,045 years old.
- Taking You with Me: When Shiren and Asuka defeat Ikazuchikami in Yomotsu Hirasaka, he tries to commit this on them, but Sensei pulls one on him first.
- This Cannot Be!: He's shocked that Kaguya is able to touch the Sword of Totsuka, to which Sensei points out that she drank the Ochimizu as Jofuku did.
- Villains Want Mercy: When he realizes Sensei's trying to pull a Taking You with Me on him, Jofuku begs for mercy and says he knows a way they can both survive, but Sensei responds that Jofuku's lived long enough.
- Was Once a Man: Accepting a deal with Izanami and drinking the Ochimizu gave him access to a dragon form called Ikazuchikami, but the exact nature of his Human Disguises as Jofuku, Taketori, and the village elder of Otsutsuki Village after that point are unknown.
Izanami
The Goddess of the land of Yomi, a realm separating the living and spirit worlds.- Big Bad: She's the voice that convinced Jofuku to enact his 2,000-year-old scheme: manipulate the blood of Izana (two of whom are Shiren and Kaguya) into destroying the Rock of Chibiki (read: the Moon) so that she can merge the living and spirit worlds, even if it would kill everyone in the former.
- Evil Makes You Ugly: Her time in Yomi has not been kind to her. Once Kaguya sings the Tamafuri to restore Izanami's soul to her, her physical ugliness disappears along with her rage.
- Final Boss: Of Shiren 3.
- One-Winged Angel: When Shiren's group realizes they're outmatched against Izanami because of her Yatano Mirror, Kaguya and her retainers appear and engage her in a Beam-O-War that shatters the Mirror. Izanami then transforms into Izanami Complete.
- Woman Scorned: Being abandoned by her husband Izanagi made her concoct a scheme spanning at least 2,000 years to conquer the living world.
Introduced in Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate
Oyu
A kind-hearted girl who is afflicted with a terrible illness. She is fated to die within a few months, which compels Jirokichi to challenge the Tower of Fortune so that her fate can be changed.- Cosmic Plaything: Born in a destitute home, lost both her parents at a young age, and is now dying of a terminal illness? Fate has been particularly cruel to her. It's telling that a literal Deus ex Machina is needed to give her a happy ending.
- Diabolus ex Machina: She dies right as Jirokichi is about to roll the Dice of Fate. Cue the Tower of Miracles.
- Raised by Grandparents: Her grandmother has been taking care of her ever since her parents died.
Jirokichi
An energetic young man who cares deeply for Oyu, he challenges the Tower of Fortune to change her fate.- Death Is Cheap: He leaves behind a gravestone when defeated, and throwing a healing item at it revives him to full health.
- Escort Mission: If Jirokichi is a gravestone when Shiren takes the stairs during the main story, Shiren and Koppa will find themselves at a dead end with a portal back to Nekomaneki Village.
- Guest-Star Party Member: In the original DS version and the Vita port, he's a mandatory ally until the postgame, after which he's permanently unavailable. The Switch and Steam ports (and the subsequent mobile ports) allow him to become an ally again for a few exclusive postgame dungeons.
- Recruitment by Rescue: He becomes Shiren's mandatory ally for the rest of the main story after Koppa throws an Herb at his gravestone.
- You Are Too Late: After earning the right to roll the Dice of Fate, he's devastated to learn from Reeva that Oyu died before he can finally save her.
Kojirouta
The son of the wealthy elder of Inori Village. He believes people are born into an inescapable defined role that they must play.- Leeroy Jenkins: If he sees a monster, he'll break formation and rush to attack it. However, he's prudent enough to not do this if his HP is low.
- Money Mauling: He attacks enemies by throwing Gitan bags at them, which can hit them even if they're behind walls or even inside walls.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He's likely to "wander off" and leave the party at the start of a new floor.
Ponta
A tanuki who runs a lottery in the basement of Hotel Nekomaneki.Tao
A part-time guide to the Tower of Fortune who fights in a panda suit.- Battle Boomerang: Her ranged attack is a thrown boomerang that hits all enemies in its square/diamond attack path.
- Guest Fighter: She's a playable character in Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics (as Wanderer Type B).
Gen
Gennoshin is a hunter living in Nekomaneki Village, known for being not only the best hunter among the hermits but also a man of few words. Koppa is surprised to find out that Gen is a huge cat.- Handicapped Badass: His right eye is gone, but he can shoot at night monsters just fine.
- Hunter of Monsters: He only uses his rifle against night monsters because day monsters are too weak for his skills, but he will at least attack the latter with his paws if they're next to him. He also tells Okon and Koharu that he doesn't hunt animals when trying to explain that he didn't kill their father.
- Food as Bribe: He initially refuses to help Shiren because Koppa insulted him in their first meeting; it takes a special catnip juice from an old lady in Inori Village for Gen to come around.
- Funny Animal: He's a human-sized bipedal cat.
- Mistaken for Murderer: This is what opens the postgame Old Road Bonus Dungeon in Inori Village. Okon and Koharu tell Shiren and Koppa that they challenged Gen to a duel there, thinking that he killed their father. When Shiren and Koppa reach them beyond 38F, Gendolucika chooses that moment to approach them all and reveal himself after letting the sisters mistake Gen for him. Gen then thinks that the sisters' father passed away before he could finish his sentence.
Okon and Koharu, the Fox Sisters
Okon and Koharu are a pair of kitsune on a journey to avenge their father. Having gotten separated, they manage to reunite in Nekomaneki Village a few adventures after Shiren and Koppa rescue a fox from a trap.Tropes applying to both
- Asian Fox Spirit: It's implied that both sisters are foxes who can transform into humans (plus each sister's unique forms); Okon is rescued as a fox, Gen mentions that he doesn't hunt animals, and the killer mentions killing many foxes.
- Disappeared Dad: Their father was murdered.
- Post-Victory Collapse: They crumple to their knees after believing they dealt the finishing blow to Gendo.
- Vengeance Feels Empty: Ultimately defied. Okon acknowledges that Shiren, Koppa, and Gen's help is what enabled her and Koharu's short-lived victory over Gendo, and that is enough for them. When she was facing off against Gendo, Okon learned something: that she was scared of being controlled by hatred, of her and Koharu becoming as foul as him. She asks Koharu whether she feels the same, and Koharu agrees.
- You Killed My Father: They want revenge against their father's killer.
Tropes applying to Okon
- Magikarp Power: Her initial Blade Bee attack is unimpressive (attack once, then step back one tile), but as she levels up she can disable enemies with status effects, displace enemies, remove allies' status effects, and heal allies.
- Prepare to Die: Disgusted by the nonchalance of her father's killer, Okon says the trope verbatim:Okon: Father, I will avenge you! Prepare to die!
- Recruitment by Rescue: She becomes an available ally in Nekomaneki Village after Shiren and Koppa free her from a trap.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: She uses the special attacks of various monsters by transforming into them.
Tropes applying to Koharu
- Awesome, but Impractical: Her equipment forms have their uses, but other equipment have the benefit of open rune slots and resonance.
- Boring, but Practical: On the other hand, once her final equipment forms are unlocked and have maxed out upgrade values, her human form becomes surprisingly reliable.
- Equippable Ally: She can let Shiren wield her as either a weapon or a shield.
- Evolving Weapon: Her weapon and shield forms evolve as they gain experience (from either killing monsters or getting the right effect from a Gambler's Scroll).
- Magikarp Power: Maxing out her weapon and shield forms gives her human form the highest respective attack and defense among Shiren's allies in Shiren 5.
- Mechanically Unusual Fighter: Unlike the other allies in Shiren 5, Koharu doesn't gain experience from defeating enemies in human form. She only levels up by being used as equipment, which means she benefits not from Rare Candy items being tossed at her human form but from specific scrolls being used on her equip forms.
- Precision F-Strike: Her father's killer doesn't remember killing him, which provokes her into calling him a bastard.Okon: You killed my father?!Gendo: Hah! Maybe? Like I remember! Who can remember all the foxes they killed?Koharu: Y-You bastard!
- Ship Tease: The adjectives of her later equipment forms (Cute -> Shy -> Loving -> Smitten) imply that she develops a growing attraction to Shiren.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: She can transform into a weapon or a shield once per floor, but if she reverts to her base form on the same floor (via any item effect that doesn't increase her equipment upgrade value or level) she can't transform a second time.
Great Reeva
The god of space and time, he introduces himself as the counterpart of Reeva. He resides at the very top of the Tower of Miracles.- Deus ex Machina: A personification of this. Lampshaded by the fact that he wasn't foreshadowed anywhere in the series before his debut.
- Final Boss: Of Shiren 5.
Gendo
Gendolucika is a one-eyed hunter of some infamy who just finished a big job in another part of the world. Having heard that some fox sisters were looking for him and realizing that they were mistaking Gen for him, he decides to crash their duel with his gang of monsters.- Beast Man: Going by his antlers and snout, he seems to be a humanoid deer.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: He doesn't remember killing Okon and Koharu's father; after all, he's killed many foxes.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Whether letting Gen be seen as a murderer, telling his victim's daughters that he doesn't remember killing their father, or shaming the good name of hunters like Gen, Gendo takes it all in stride.
- Evil Gloating: He mocks Shiren's party for thinking they defeated him so easily.(Okon and Koharu collapse in relief after shanking Gendo from both sides.)Gendo: Just kidding!(Gendo vanishes in a puff of smoke, to the party's surprise.)Koppa: Gendo?!Gendo: You should see the looks on your faces. I was just playing dead! I tricked you! Hahaha! I am Gendolucika, the demon from the north! You think I'll lose that easily?! Hahahaha!(The party looks around to search for Gendo.)Koppa: Where are you, Gendo?!Gendo: I'll retreat for today. I'll call this a draw! See you again, you fools!Koppa: Hey, wait! Gendo!Gendo: Hahaha! Haha... Ha?!(Gendo loses consciousness.)Underling: Huh?! Boss?! Crap! He's out cold! We gotta hurry to a doctor!
- Flunky Boss: He's flanked by two Dragons and two Debasers at the start of his boss battle past 38F in the Old Road, and he's able to summon more (plus Gyandoras) on a whim.
- No-Sell: Subverted. When he's making his escape after being defeated by Shiren's party, he tries to give them the impression that they only managed a draw... but he collapses mid-laugh, leading to his underlings carrying him to a doctor.
- Red Baron: He claims that people call him "the demon from the north".
- This Cannot Be!: After being defeated by Shiren's party, Gendo says this trope verbatim.Gendo: Tch! Impossible! I lost...?! Nooooooo! This cannot be! Raaaaagh!
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: After being defeated by Shiren's party, Gendo is wounded by Gen and finished off by Okon and Koharu. The sisters collapse in relief, thinking their revenge is complete... but Gendo disappears in a puff of smoke, reveals that he was playing dead, and laughs at them for being tricked.
The Eight Bestial Gods
Shared Tropes
- The Ghost: The group was only mentioned by name in the first game.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The English version of the DS remake of the first game names them the Eight Rivanian Beast Gods, but Shiren 5 names them the Eight Bestial Gods.
Reeva, the God of Destiny
King of the Eight Bestial Gods. It is said that one of his three eyes sees the past, one sees the present, and one sees the future. The three dice that he casts are said to define the birth and death of all humankind. When a Die of Fate is cast it can bequeath prosperity or grave misfortune, and even a life in dire straits can be completely turned around. Legends claim that he dwells in a wondrous stronghold known as the Tower of Fortune.- Disc-One Final Boss: In Shiren 5, Reeva allows Jirokichi to roll the Dice of Fate after the Reeva Statue is defeated, but points out that Oyu has just died. Out of respect for Kron (who makes his presence known in an apparent act of defiance), Reeva opens a portal to the Tower of Miracles and turns the Dice of Fate into the Miracle Dice so that Jirokichi can undo Oyu's death.
- Inconsistent Spelling: The English version of the DS remake of the first game names him Riva, but Shiren 5 names him Reeva.
Kron, the God of Travel
The second Bestial God. He rules over the success and failure of Travel.- Big Good: For a Wanderer, Shiren seems to be particularly favored by Kron. In Shiren 5, Kron's presence convinces Reeva to open a portal to the Tower of Miracles and turn the Dice of Fate into the Miracle Dice so that Jirokichi can undo Oyu's death.
- Deity of Human Origin: Shiren GB2 implies that he used to be a legendary traveler who helped most people while he was wandering around, and was known for always carrying nine special items with him.
- Unseen No More: Kron's face is shown in Shiren 3 and DS2, and a silhouette of his body appears in Shiren 5.
Bufu, the God of Food
The third Bestial God. Gluttonous, rotund, and pig-headed, he is the ruler of Food.Kaka Roo, the God of Traps
The fourth Bestial God. Fox-headed, he is the ruler of Traps.Doras, the God of Magic
The fifth Bestial God. He rules over Magic.Murado, the God of the Hearth
The sixth Bestial God. Cat-shaped, he rules over Dwelling Places.- Unseen No More: In Shiren 5, a statue of Murado can be seen in Nekomaneki Village.
