Demon Blade/Characters

A list of characters from Crazed Ninja's Demon Blade.

Main Cast

Tsurugi Diablo

The main character, a 13-year old bounty hunter and the son of a military advisor who had betrayed and killed the Feudal Overlord he was working for 12 years ago. Diablo's father was himself murdered four years before the events of the story.

Diablo is a Jerkass who, while his goals seem noble, he's really only aiming for them to satisfy his own needs. He doesn't fight crime because he wants his village to be safe, he does it for the money. He isn't trying to take down the Religion of Evil to stop them from opening the sealed evil can, he's just doing it so they don't take his soul. He didn't rescue his client's daughter because he genuinely cares for her life, he's just interested in getting a tip.

Tsurugi Diablo displays examples of:

• Anti-Hero (Type III.)
• Badass Cape
• Badass Long Hair
• Badass Spaniard (But only half Spanish; his father was Japanese)
• Bandage Babe (After having his wounds treated by Hinako from his battle with Dios)
• Blood Upgrade (Making him bleed his own blood is arguably the fastest way to lose in a fight against him.)
• Brains and Brawn (Diablo's got the brawn, Dr. Suno's got the brains.)
• Combat Pragmatist
• Glass Cannon (Ends fights quickly, but tends to take a while to recover after taking just one or two hits.)
• Good Is Not Nice (Becomes this after he has something to protect.)
• Half-Human Hybrid (Deconstructed. Due to high tension between humans and demons, Diablo's father had to keep him a secret from the world, and in the present day, he has to conceal his demon traits when he goes out in public.)
• Heroes Prefer Swords (Probably the first hint that he's not such a bad guy.)
• The Hero
• Improbable Use of a Weapon (His sword is a rapier. However, he often creates an energy blade around it so he can slash with it.)
• Katanas Are Just Better (Variation: His sword changes shape depending on who holds it, and it's a rapier in Diablo's hands, but he usually creates a katana-shaped energy blade around it when he fights seriously.)
• Meaningful Name ("Diablo" and "Tsurugi" mean "Devil" and "Sword" in Spanish and Japanese, respectively.)
• Redheaded Hero
• Red Oni, Blue Oni (Diablo is a Red Oni, and has had both Dr. Suno and Dogma for Blue Oni.)
• Shirtless Scene (Courtesy of Yara-ma-yha-who and much to Michiko's delight, Diablo takes off his soaked shirt to increase his mobility.)
• Sir Swearsalot: Most of the comic's profanity comes from Diablo, although rarely does he go further than "ass" and "damn".
• Sword Beam
• Ted Baxter (At first)
• They Call Me Mister Tibbs (Insists that Dogma call him "Tsurugi the Great")
• Trademark Favorite Food (Kitsune udon; noodles with fried tofu on top)
• What the Hell, Hero? (Hinako calls Diablo out on his selfish reasons for wanting to fight Dios alone.)

Dr. Suno Takamaru

That loon who's always inventing crazy things, Dr. Suno also runs a clinic. However, he was also an officer for the Evil Empire, and built many a Humongous Mecha for their use, a decision he deeply regrets. He opened his clinic to save as many lives as he could after indirectly claiming so many.

Dr. Suno Takamaru displays examples of:

• The Atoner
• Badass Bookworm
• Badass Longcoat: Of the lab-coat variety.
• Beehive Barrier (Silver Visage is equipped with one.)
• Brains and Brawn (Dr. Suno's got the brains, Diablo's got the brawn.)
• Heel Face Turn
• Humongous Mecha (Doesn't pilot one himself, but has built many before.)
• Leg Cannon (Silver Visage's main form of attack is a pair of plasma cannons that double as its legs.)
• Let's Get Dangerous (He isn't a fighter at heart, but if he's forced to, he'll use Silver Visage to Kick. Your. Ass.)
• May-December Romance (He's 12 years older than his wife.)
• Mini-Mecha (His personal mecha is the smallest one he's built.)
• Older Sidekick (About the closest thing to a sidekick Diablo has.)
• Red Oni, Blue Oni (One of the Blue Oni to Diablo's Red Oni.)
• Renaissance Man (Currently a medical doctor, formerly a military engineer. Appears to have a strong interest in demon biology as well.)
• Theme Naming (His family has a bird theme going on. "Taka" means "Hawk", while his surname means "Of the nest".)

Suno Hinako

Dr. Suno's daughter, who first appears as a Damsel in Distress, but later turns out to be an Action Girl. Unfortunately, her training is incomplete, due to her teacher's murder several years ago. Her training partner was Jay von Schlag.

Suno Hinako displays examples of:

• Action Girl
• Badass Normal (Now a Badass Abnormal.)
• Bare-Fisted Monk
• Betty and Veronica (The Veronica to Michiko's Betty.)
• Combat Medic (Inverted; she's primarily a fighter, but being the daughter of the best doctor in town does give her enough medical knowledge to support her allies.)
• Cute Bruiser
• First-Name Basis (After she is cured of her poison from Loki, Diablo starts to call her by her given name.)
• Little Miss Badass
• Muscles Are Meaningless
• Playing with Fire (She learns pyrokinesis while training under Jay.)
• Theme Naming (Continuing the bird theme mentioned in her father's example above, "Hina" means "Chick". However, she and Those Two Guys also have names containing the Japanese words for "sun", "earth" and "moon" respectively.)
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Between herself, Michiko and Natsuki, Hinako is the youngest, but arguably the most mature of the three.

Michiko Baki

Michiko is the daughter of a man who fought in the war, and is also Hinako's best friend. She makes few appearances in the beginning, but becomes more important after she's kidnapped by Vlad.

• Badass Adorable: Once she Took a Level in Badass.
• Badass Normal
• Betty and Veronica (The Betty to Hinako's Veronica.)
• Chekhov's Gunman (She doesn't immediately appear to be one of the main characters.)
• Combat Pragmatist: Seems to have rubbed off on her from Diablo, against inhuman enemies at least; she has no problem shoving her sword down Yara-ma-yha-who's throat. Then again, he did have Diablo cornered...
• Dual-Wielding: Fights with a combination of... a fencing foil and a bamboo shinai.
• Gender Blender Name (Sort of. Michiko's first name is pretty feminine, but in Japanese culture (which most citizens of Tengu Town live by), only family members and the closest of friends are usually on a First-Name Basis, and her last name is Baki, which as a first name would be masculine.)
• Girlish Pigtails
• Goofy Print Underwear (An Omake strip reveals that she wears fox-print panties.)
• Halfbreed: Michiko's father hails from the Land of the Death God, but her mother was Japanese. This is shown by her skin being lighter than that of her fully-Japanese friends.
• Licked by the Dog (One of the few characters whose first impression of Diablo is a good one.)
• Luminescent Blush (Very, very prone to this, especially when it comes to Diablo.)
• Series Mascot (Michiko may not be the main character or even a very important one, but she is the author's favorite, and it definitely shows in his deviantART gallery, to the point where one of his New Year's resolutions for 2011 was to draw less of her.)
• Tagalong Kid
• Teacher-Student Romance (In a one-sided example, Michiko has a crush on Diablo, her swordplay teacher.)
• Took a Level in Badass (She goes from being a Damsel in Distress to a competent fencer, and even saves Diablo at one point)
• Theme Naming (See Hinako's example above)
• Those Two Guys (Subverted)
• Violently Protective Girlfriend (Toward Diablo, though she'll insist that she's a Violently Protective Student instead.)
• Yaoi Fangirl
• You Gotta Have Purple Hair
• Younger Than They Look: She's slightly curvier than your average 12-year-old.

Supporting Cast

Carl Baki

Michiko's father, a soldier who opposed the Evil Empire during the war. As if the stress from the war wasn't enough, his wife was also Stuffed Into the Fridge some time ago.

• Badass Beard
• Badass Longcoat
• Badass Long Hair
• Beard of Sorrow: See his chin curtain? It was just a goatee before his wife died. And it grows even longer in jail!
• Dying Moment of Awesome
• Expy (Of the protagonist from the author's Disgaea fanworks.)
• Glory Days: Word of God says that in his prime, Carl could have taken down half of the Faustian Cult himself. Compare that to his current position as the Worf of the cast.
• Good-Looking Privates
• Homage (His design pays homage to both Gendo Ikari and Van Hohenheim. Particularly the beard and face in both cases.)
• Hot Dad
• Humongous Mecha
• Majorly Awesome
• Mr. Fanservice: His ruggedness and Papa Wolf status were added in hopes of attracting fangirls.
• Papa Wolf
• The Rival (To Dr. Suno)
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: He keeps a surprisingly cool head most of the time, but being in a war for 7 years is bound to give someone anger issues.
• You Gotta Have Purple Hair

Suno Tsubame

Hinako's mother. A somewhat paranoid woman who initially suspects that Diablo is just another member of the Faustian Cult.

• Hot Mom (Not exactly intentional, as the artist admits he's just bad at drawing motherly figures)
• Housewife
• May-December Romance (She's 12 years younger than her husband)
• Theme Naming (Going with the other bird names, Tsubame means "swallow")

Ivory Baki

Carl's cousin (also making him Michiko's cousin once removed) who works as a mechanic for the military.

• Absolute Cleavage (Yes, he somehow manages this even though he's a guy)
• Bare Your Midriff
• Bunny Ears Lawyer
• Camp Gay
• The Captain (although he's more known for his mechanical skills than performing as a captain.)
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass / Beware the Nice Ones (Messing with Ivory's family is like sticking your hand in a toaster. It's just not a good idea.)
• The Engineer: Actually a mechanic, but still.
• Gender Blender Name (Averted; Believe it or not, Ivory is actually a unisex name.)
• Good-Looking Privates
• Homage (To Leeron from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. His hairstyle and manner of dress are a parody of Iori Yagami.)
• Kissing Cousins: It's more than mildly implied that Ivory has a thing for Carl.
• Peek-a-Bangs

Goto Natsuki

Hinako's other best friend who may or may not want to make out with her.

• Cat Smile
• Cute Little Fangs
• Expy (Unintentional, but her cat-like features, mischievously playful personality and flat chest bear quite a resemblance to Etna.)
• Older Than They Look: Natsuki is older than Hinako or Michiko (by one year), but is flat as a board.
• Plucky Comic Relief
• Schoolgirl Lesbians
• Shipper on Deck (Natsuki will tease both Hinako and Michiko about Diablo whenever either of them mention him in conversation.)
• Stalker with a Crush (Played for Laughs when she reveals in a non-canon ad for the shop that she'd looked through Michiko's panty drawer.)
• Theme Naming (See Hinako's example)
• Those Two Guys
• You Gotta Have Green Hair

General Rossi

A general in the military. She is Carl and Ivory's superior. See Zula below for more tropes.

• Foreshadowing (Uniform of green, gold and purple, with a subtle hint of space-related imagery.)
• Four-Star Badass
• Freudian Excuse (The reason she wants to make Carl suffer so badly is because she's jealous of his family life.)
• The Glasses Come Off (Much like Aizen, she's seen without eyewear far more often after her reveal.)
• Impossibly Cool Clothes (Wears a jacket with buttons that form a big dipper.)
• I Was Quite a Looker
• Made of Iron (Diablo even references the trope by name when he mentions it.)
• The Mole
• The Stoic
• Stoic Spectacles

Commander King

The leader of the military. Little else is known about him at this point.

• Awesome McCoolname (Caesar King.)
• Badass Beard
• Badass Grandpa
• Bald of Awesome
• Expy (Back when he had hair, he looked remarkably like one of the author's Disgaea fan-characters.)
• Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
• No Celebrities Were Harmed (Word of God says he was drawn with Patrick Stewart on the brain.)
• Wild Hair (Back when he actually had hair.)

Jack Abim

The friendly ramen stand owner who always listens to Diablo's problems while cooking him some bitchin' noodles.

• Crazy Prepared
• Dropped a Bridge on Him (Was going to be killed off anyway, but it was done sooner than originally intended because the author hated drawing him.)
• National Stereotypes

Gelaton Vaznaus

The teacher of Hinako, Michiko and Natsuki's class.

• As Long as It Sounds Foreign (His name seriously doesn't mean anything.)
• Scary Shiny Glasses
• Stern Teacher

Antagonists

Loki

The first monk of the Faustian Cult who gets sent after Diablo. He quickly becomes somewhat of a rival to him, each wanting to accomplish their own goals, but especially wanting to beat each other.

• Arrogant Kung Fu Guy (Honestly believes he's the strongest guy in his unit, when he's actually one the weakest monks in the entire cult.)
• Badass in a Nice Suit
• Beware My Stinger Tail (He can grow one, complete with poison. This becomes a plot point later.)
• Breath Weapon
• Death Equals Enemy Mine
• The Faceless (Played with: His face is all black aside from his red, glowing eyes, even in broad daylight. Early chapters darkened the background of every frame he was in, but this stopped after his second fight with Diablo.)
• Glowing Eyes of Doom
• Good Old Fisticuffs
• Laughably Evil
• Magic Pants
• Mr. Exposition: Loki's tendancy to reveal things about the Faustian Cult that he shouldn't is parodied when he tells Diablo in an almost casual manner how to open the secret entrance to their hideout.
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast
• One-Winged Angel
• Only One Name
• Playing with Fire (Never shown doing it during a battle, but he uses it to escape after his first fight against Diablo, and in the April Fools' Day chapter he lights a cigarette this way.)
• The Rival (To Diablo.)
• Slasher Smile (Tends to telegraph his attacks with a huge grin and widening eyes.)
• Theme Naming (Loki and Heimdall were named after Norse deities)
• Voluntary Shapeshifting
• The Worf Barrage (His "ultimate attack" couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. Diablo even manages to dodge it in a narrow tunnel.)

Heimdall

Loki's partner, a mysterious and creepy masked gunman. Wears a mask similar to Zula's.

• Almighty Janitor (Despite his low rank, it turns out he's deadlier than many of his own superiors.)
• Artificial Limbs
• Badass Long Hair
• Biseinen (With his mask off, anyway)
• Brother-Sister Team (With Zula.)
• Coat, Hat, Mask
• The Dragon (By default after Zula's death)
• Gonk (His old face)
• Good Scars, Evil Scars (He had a scar across the bridge of his nose until he got a new face.)
• The Gunslinger
• I Have Many Names (He is also known as Luigi Marino (his birth name) and Bruno Ferrari (the false identity he used to flee from America.))
• The Mafia (He and Zula were part of the American Mafia, but got new identities in order to flee the country.)
• Making a Splash (Thanks to the Poseidon)
• Mask of Power
• Meaningful Name: In Norse Mythology, Heimdall was the guardian of the Bifrost bridge, and is also described as the "whitest of the Gods". In Demon Blade, Heimdall is the last person to guard the entrance to the Faustian Cult's hideout, and also has white hair and wears a white mask.
• One-Winged Angel
• Perpetual Frowner (Wears a tragedy mask)
• Red Baron: Heimdall is just a nickname. Albeit one that he came up with himself so the authorities would know what to call him, but a nickname nonetheless.
• Theme Naming (Loki and Heimdall were named after Norse deities)
• White-Haired Pretty Boy (Except he wasn't so pretty back in his mafia days!)
• White Mask of Doom
• Wolverine Claws

Isaac Dogma

Loki and Heimdall's superior, and the first of Dios' Four Avatars. He's actually been looking for a warrior qualified to take down the cult, while deliberately hindering them from within.

• Affably Evil (Justified since the "Evil" part is just an act anyway.)
• Cool Shades
• Dark Chick (The only human in the Five-Bad Band.)
• Extremity Extremist (Dogma almost exclusively uses kicks. In fact, the battle where he loses use of his right arm is the one fight in which he's ever shown throwing a punch.)
• Handicapped Badass: After he's stabbed by Heimdall. He can't use his right arm, but he can still kick your ass. Literally.
• Heroic Sacrifice
• Homage (His hair is deliberately drawn to resemble Sonic the Hedgehog, as a nod to the very, very early drafts of the comic.)
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
• Muscles Are Meaningless
• Reasonable Authority Figure (His father was a cop who had a strong sense of justice.)
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: One of the Blue Oni to Diablo's Red Oni. Aside from their colors, they are also opposites in three ways:
  • Diablo is a demon who allies himself with humans, whereas Dogma is a human who works with demons. At first, anyway.
  • Diablo dresses like a sophisticated swordsman, in sharp contrast to his brash personality. Dogma, on the other hand, dresses like an average street thug but acts like a gentleman.
  • Diablo performs a usually high-brow combat discipline (swordplay) in a rather unrefined manner, while Dogma takes a typically barbaric fighting style (street brawling) and makes it look far more graceful.
• Reverse Mole
• Scars Are Forever (After his fight with Diablo, he's shown with faint claw scars on his face.)
• Sunglasses at Night (He even wears them in the cold, dark depths of Dios' hideout.)
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair (Literally.)

Yaibato

Local yakuza boss, and the second of Dios' Four Avatars. He strikes a deal with Diablo and Dr. Suno after Hinako is poisoned.

• Afro Asskicker
• Badass Grandpa (He's middle-aged even by goblin standards.)
• Big Ol' Eyebrows
• The Brute (Despite his small size, he's able to kick Silver Visage across the room.)
• Funny Afro
• Gag Nose
• The Napoleon
• Only One Name
• Our Goblins Are Wickeder
• Pint-Sized Powerhouse (One of the shortest characters in the series, but has enough striking force to send a Mini-Mecha flying.)
• Terrible Trio (The leader of one; Touya and Ishimaru are his subordinates.)
• Walking Shirtless Scene
• Yakuza

Touya

Yaibato's right hand man, a kitsune who's addicted to cigarettes, and tends to work in tandem with Ishimaru.

• Animal Stereotypes (So very inverted)
• Barefoot Cartoon Animal
• Butt Monkey
• Hot-Blooded
• Kitsune
• Must Have Nicotine (Once he's in jail, he often complains about not having cigarettes.)
• Only One Name
• Yakuza

Ishimaru

Yaibato's left hand man, an alcoholic tanuki who usually assists in his partner and boss' attacks, rather than directly fighting.

• Acrofatic
• The Alcoholic (Not as bad as Touya's smoking addiction, though, since he's more often than not seen without a bottle of alcohol.)
• Barefoot Cartoon Animal
• Only One Name
• Satellite Character (Has so far only been seen with Touya and/or Yaibato.)
• Tanuki
• Yakuza

Jay von Schlag

The gatekeeper of the Faustian Cult's hideout, who used to be acquainted with Hinako, until her teacher (his father) was killed. He later underwent a Heel Face Turn, however.

• Bare-Fisted Monk
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Jay had quite the brows in his early appearances. They got smaller over time.
• Bruce Lee Clone
• Casting a Shadow
• Deus Exit Machina (Twice in one segment is Jay thrown out of commission; first he has to haul Heimdall to the police, and then within the same chapter that he comes back, he gets locked out of Dios' chamber.)
• Eyepatch of Power
• Friend to All Children
• Gentle Giant (Appears to have a soft spot for children.)
• Heel Face Turn
• Meaningful Name ("Schlag" means "strike" in German)
• The Von Trope Family

Vlad

The third of Dios' Four Avatars, a maniacal and mechanical being who is also incredibly sadistic, and will kill without a second thought.

• Artificial Limbs (Has a metal arm on his face)
• Ax Crazy
• Beware My Buzzsaw Tail
• Brought to You by The Letter "S": His shirt has a big red "V" on it.
• Cyborg
• Evil Genius
• Good Scars, Evil Scars
• Handicapped Badass
• High-Class Glass
• Impossibly Cool Weapon (Also has a buzzsaw attached to his tail.)
• Large Ham (Per SFMZero, his voice actor in the upcoming dub of the comic.)
• Names to Run Away From Really Fast
• Only One Name

Zula

The fourth and final of Dios' Four Avatars. Appears to be the cult's tactician, formulating most of the plans and strategies that the monks and other three avatars perform.

• Broken Faceplate (After charging face first into a shadow ball from Jay.)
• Brother-Sister Team (With Heimdall.)
• The Chessmaster
• The Dragon
• Dramatic Unmask
• Hoist By Her Own Petard (She was fine until Panzer Hades blew up on her.)
• Knife Nut
• Knight of Cerebus (Zula's first appearance is the exact moment the comic starts to get serious, by killing Loki.)
• Let's You and Him Fight
• The Mafia (She and Heimdall were part of the American Mafia, but got new identities in order to flee the country.)
• Manipulative Bastard
• Mask of Power
• Monster Clown
• Perpetual Smiler (Wears a comedy mask)
• Samus Is a Girl
• Smug Super
• Super Window Jump (Mere seconds before her death.)
• Troll
• Villainous Breakdown: Subverted. Once again, she's trolling.
• White Mask of Doom

Dios

The leader of the Faustian Cult. Dedicated to resurrecting the ancient demon Faust in order to kill Mephisto, his former boss.

• Badass Cape
• Badass Mustache
• Big Bad
• Body Snatcher: That Evil Overlord in the prologue? Yeah, that was this guy's doing as well.
• Extra Ore Dinary
• Face Framed in Shadow (Until it's revealed in chapter 13, anyway.)
• Gag Nose: Well, he is a tengu...
• Manly Gay (Technically, due to Word of Gay)
• Meaningful Name (Dios means "god" in Spanish; both a direct contrast with Diablo's "devil" and a reference to his attempt at resurrecting Faust.)
• Religion of Evil
• Slouch of Villainy (When Diablo finally reaches his chamber.)
• The Starscream (To Mephisto)
• Thanatos Gambit (What do you do when you're about to die just one soul short of achieving your ultimate goal? Use your own soul to finish the job!)
• Unusual Eyebrows: They're shaped like lightning bolts and they spork at the end!
• Villain's Dying Grace: After he realizes that his attempt to play God did more harm than good, he decides the least he can do is help destroy the abomination he created.
• Weapon of Choice: A lance, which he apparently materializes out of minerals from the ground.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: He's killed countless numbers of people, but he claims even more would die if Mephisto is allowed to live for too long.