Battle Spirits: Shonen Toppa Bashin/Characters
Sorted to be as spoiler-free as possible.
Chosen Card Battlers
Toppa Bashin
The protagonist. A huge Battle Spirits enthusiast with a straightforward personality. He’s always cheerful and friendly. His father left him at a young age, which left him rather shy, but after being introduced to Battle Spirits, he was able to open up. He prefers the red attribute.
- Ascended Fanboy: To J
- Big Eater: Eating doesn't come up constantly with him, but he'll shovel down food if put in front of him.
- Cross-Dressing Voices
- The Determinator
- Disappeared Dad
- The Hero
- Hot-Blooded: Along with everyone else in the show, but especially him.
- Idiot Hero
- Keet
- Last-Name Basis: It's rare for anyone but his mother to use his first name, and even she calls him Bashin at times.
- Magnetic Hero: Everyone is drawn to him.
- Oblivious to Love: Poor Meganeko
- Playing with Fire: He uses red
- Redheaded Hero
- Shonen Hair: Well, he apparently does nothing to it.
- Strong Family Resemblance: To his father.
Juli “J” Sawaragi/ Jack Knight/Number Eleven
Bashin’s rival. Somewhat cold and distant, and takes Battle Spirits from an almost studious perspective. He was the world champion for two years in a row, despite only being an elementary schooler, and thus became very famous. In order to be accepted by his father, he later joins Thousand Spirits Group, hoping to at least be able to serve as a knight to him. He prefers the white attribute.
- All-Encompassing Mantle
- Aloof Big Brother
- Big Brother Instinct: To Kyouka
- Bishounen
- But Not Too Foreign: He's half Finnish.
- Cross-Dressing Voices
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Male example
- Even the Guys Want Him
- Evil Costume Switch: He wears a black cape as Jack Knight
- Face Heel Turn: And later Heel Face Turn
- Lonely Rich Kid
- The Rival: Of Bashin
- Rival Turned Evil: Temporarily
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: If his father would've just spent more time with the family, it probably would've saved him a lot of angst and his Face Heel Turn.
- White-Haired Pretty Boy
- The White Prince
Kakeru “Striker” Nohara
A soccer player with a very distinctive haircut, who attends the same school as Bashin. He has four younger brothers, and ultimately learns Battle Spirits in order to be a hero to them. His strength is his loyalty to his friends. He prefers the green attribute.
- Improbable Hairstyle: Aside from his father, has quite possibly the weirdest in the series.
- Keet
- Meaningful Name: Actually his nickname, but everyone calls him that to the point that his real name is hardly mentioned.
- Ship Tease: Mainly with Suiren, but a little with Kyouka too.
- Strong Family Resemblance: To his father
Suiren/My Sunshine
A popular idol who disguises herself as a masked card battler in order to play Battle Spirits. As Suiren, she has somewhat of a domineering personality, whereas My Sunshine is girly and sweet. She prefers the purple attribute.
- Action Girl: She should really be an example for other female characters in this type of male-oriented action anime.
- Apologizes a Lot: Subverted, as it’s done in a mocking way
- Ayahi Takagaki
- Bare Your Midriff: As My Sunshine and in the manga
- Cool Mask
- Dark Is Not Evil: Her attribute is purple.
- Expressive Mask
- Genki Girl: Her My Sunshine persona
- Hello, Nurse!: As My Sunshine
- Idol Singer
- In the Hood: When disguised.
- Lonely Rich Kid
- Mask Power
- Secret Identity
- Ship Tease: With Striker and Bashin
- Shorttank
- Tsundere
- You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Purple or pink, depending on her persona.
Thousand Spirits Group
King Uchuuchouten/Touha Bashin
The mysterious leader of Thousand Spirits Group. He is actually Bashin’s father, Touha.
- Battle Couple: He used to be this with His wife, Hayami.
- The Faceless: For most of the series
Michael Elliott/Number Two
The game designer of Battle Spirits (both in the anime and real life). He came from America, where he also is opening a Battle Spirits school. He later quits Thousand Spirits Group, after losing a battle with Striker and coming to a realization.
- Affably Evil
- Bunny Ears Lawyer
- Chafurin
- Informed Ability: Not only did he make the game, but he's on a team composed of the best players in the world. He's the only player (excluding some who battled only once) who never wins a single match.
- Two First Names
- Gratuitous English: He speaks quite a lot of it for a show that's in Japanese.
S. Kiano Sawaragi/Number Three
J’s father. He is a rich, Finnish businessman, who designed the Battle Spirits battle system. He appears to be very distant toward J. In truth, he cares about J, but becomes very upset towards him when he joins Thousand Spirits Group.
- Affably Evil
- The Evil Genius: Well, evil is a stretch, but he's the one who builds all the battle systems.
- Knight in Sour Armor
- The Rival: He used to be this with Bashin's father.
Smile/Number Four
A card battler who defeated J during the Gunslinger round of a championship. He has a rather creepy appearance and mannerisms. Smile was originally a pupil of Card Sensei. It was through this intense physical training that he grew into a harsher person. Smile came to resent Sensei for being too gentle. After meeting J, Smile takes an interest in him, later inviting him to join Thousand Spirits Group. He prefers the yellow attribute.
- The Dragon: He's the strongest and most threatening in battle of the regular Numbers.
- Dragon with an Agenda: All he really wants by the end is to prove he and J make a better team than Bashin and J.
- Four Is Death: Especially in the manga
- Jerkass
- Light Is Not Good: His attribute is yellow.
- No Name Given: Smile probably isn't his real name
- Only One Name: Even if it is, he still doesn't have a last name.
- Peek-a-Bangs
- Verbal Tic: Kekeke
Nanao “Seven-sempai” Watanabe/Galaxy Seven
Bashin’s sempai in middle school, and president of the Battle Spirits club. Normally, very quiet and easily frightened, until becoming his alternate persona, Galaxy Seven, who is narcissistic and egotistical. He prefers the blue attribute.
He is modeled after Galaxy Watanabe, the card game’s mascot, though may or may not actually be the same character.
- Affably Evil
- Club President
- Cool Shades
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
- Daisuke Kishio
- Demoted to Extra: In the manga
- Mascot
- Secret Identity: Galaxy Seven
- Seven Is Nana
- Spell My Name with an "S": The proper spelling is Galaxy, but in-show, it’s written as Garaxy.
Masako Inogashira/Number Eight
The sole female member of Numbers Elite. Somewhat proud, as well as careless, and constantly gets lost. She used to date Card Sensei, and they were very close. She took his betrayal of the organization personally, and remains very loyal to Thousand Spirits Group in order to not become like him. She later becomes Bashin’s music teacher, when he starts middle school.
- Absolute Cleavage: Not all the time, but the outfit she wears to tournaments... uhh, this is a kids show.
- Affably Evil
- Bare Your Midriff
- Becoming the Mask
- Cool Big Sis
- Cool Shades: Two different pairs, one reminiscent to Kamina’s.
- The Dark Chick
- Demoted to Extra: In the manga
- Dreadful Musician
- Fingerless Gloves
- Michiko Neya
- Ms. Fanservice
- No Sense of Direction
- Official Couple: With Card Sensei
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: With Card Sensei
- The Smurfette Principle: She’s the only female Number
- Sunglasses at Night
- Tsundere: Both with Card Sensei and in a non-romantic example her own students when she tries very hard to resist Becoming the Mask
Kyuusaku Kujou/Number Nine
The first member of Numbers Elite to challenge Bashin, who gave Siegfried to him as a reward for winning. Always well dressed, he seems very gentlemanly. Separate from King Uchuuchouten, he has his own ambitions concerning the stones. He stages a coup d’état before the final tournament to carry out his plan. He prefers the red attribute.
- Alliterative Name
- Badass in a Nice Suit
- The Big Bad
- Evil Costume Switch: When revealed as final boss.
- Evil Laugh
- Peek-a-Bangs
- Playing with Fire: He uses red
- Taiten Kusunoki
- Villainous Breakdown
Pets
Aibou
Bashin’s pet mouse. He can be somewhat strict, and often lectures or scolds Bashin. He usually follows Bashin to school, even though he’s not allowed to. He loves mushrooms.
- Balloon Belly
- Cross-Dressing Voices
- Dreadful Musician: To viewers, at least.
- Meaningful Name: It means “partner,” which Bashin used to be called by his father.
- Mentor Mascot
- Non-Human Sidekick
- Parrot Pet Position
- Talking Animal
- Team Pet
- Through a Face Full of Fur: He blushes.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Mushrooms
Okyou/Queen
J’s cat. Tends to be arrogant, and thinks very highly of J as well. She joins Thousand Spirits Group along with J, calling herself Queen.
Cap
Striker’s parrot. Tends to help him come up with new battle strategies.
Pink
Suiren’s chameleon. Is often stressed with having to handle the high-maintenance Suiren.
Nanarin
Meganeko’s dog. Has a somewhat haughty personality.
- Misato Fukuen
- Non-Human Sidekick
- Puppy Dog Eyes: Naturally, and she uses them to distract guards at one point.
- Talking Animal
- Team Pet
Guraguri
Card Sensei’s turtle. He’s extremely knowledgeable about Battle Spirits.
Others
Fumiko “Meganeko” Otonashi
Bashin’s childhood friend. She often feels neglected, because Bashin spends more times with his Battle Spirits friends than her. She later learns Battle Spirits from Card Sensei, and awakens as a chosen card battler. She prefers the yellow attribute.
- Action Girl
- Akemi Kanda
- Beware the Nice Ones: She actually turns out to be a very powerful card battler
- Demoted to Extra: In the manga
- Fan Girl: Of My Sunshine
- The Glasses Come Off: She claims they get in the way of reading the cards
- Meaningful Name: Well, nickname. But like Striker's nickname, everyone calls her it, even her grandfather.
- Meganekko: Naturally, but only for the first half of the series
- Raised by Grandparents
- Shrinking Violet: At first
- Took a Level in Badass: After becoming a card battler.
- Victorious Childhood Friend: At least she thinks she will be.
Kyouka Sawaragi
J’s twin sister, and the younger of the two. She cares about her brother very much, but also tends to tease him. When J joins Thousand Spirits Group, she was devastated, so Card Sensei gives her his blue stone so she can fight with Bashin and the others. Still, she’s not very skilled at Battle Spirits.
- But Not Too Foreign: She's half Finnish
- Demoted to Extra: She doesn't even appear in the manga
- Kansai Regional Accent: Kyoto-ben
- Ojou
- Princess Curls
- Sixth Ranger
- Spoiled Sweet
- Ugly Guys Hot Daughter: Not that her father is absolutely freakish, but he's definitely far off from the looks of the rest of his family.
- White-Haired Pretty Girl
Kyouji “Card Sensei” Kawatou/ Number Five
Bashin’s elementary school teacher. Has a hot-blooded personality, and seems to like pretty women, especially Bashin’s mother. He is later revealed to be Number Five, and secretly spying on Bashin. He permanently resigns from the organization in order to keep Bashin, Meganeko and the others out of danger, and goes to live in the wilderness.
- Alliterative Name
- Badass Teacher:
- Becoming the Mask
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
- Demoted to Extra: In the manga
- Hot-Blooded: Along with everyone else in the show, but especially him.
- Official Couple: With Number Eight
- Pink Girl, Blue Boy: With Number Eight
Hayami Bashin
Bashin’s single mother. A taxi driver, who often works to take care of Bashin. She worries about him a lot, wanting him to concentrate more on his studies than Battle Spirits. She was once a masked card battler known as The Speed Star. She battled with her husband, Touha Bashin, against their rivals, J’s father and aunt.
- Badass Driver
- Demoted to Extra: In the manga
- Education Mama
- Hot Shounen Mom
- Tomoko Kawakami -> Akiko Kimura
Setsuko Kirishima
The student council president at Tonari Middle School. Very strict and devoted to the rules.
Manabu Miyagawa
Setsuko’s 2nd in command, but more laid back. He’s a fan of Kyouka.
- Alliterative Name
- Number Two: To Setsuko
Kitan Otonashi/ Number Ten
Meganeko’s grandfather, who raises her in her parents’ absence. He is actually Number Ten, and though he retired from Numbers Elite, is very trusted by Uchuuchouten.
Miyako Sawaragi
J and Kyouka's mother. At first she doesn't approve of J's devotion to Battle Spirits, out of worry for him.
- Kansai Regional Accent: Kyoto-ben
- Naomi Shindo
Female Announcer and Commentator-san
The two announcers at all tournaments (and sometimes other matches if they're in the right place). They also have a talk show on Battle Spirits TV.