No Need for Bushido

• Yorikiro Wataro, the hapless hero. Yori is a master of a style so secret and mystical that no one has ever seen it and survived. His style often includes running away and broken swords, but every now and then he reveals a surprisingly high level of combat skill. He is a kind, somewhat naive person. He likes Ina, but is conflicted about the facts of his heritage. His choice of swords relies on their cost rather than quality, so most of them break very easily.
• Ina Senshin, the daughter of Masuhiro and Kagome Senshin. She flees home when her engagement to a member of the Wataro clan is announced. This leads her to meet Yori, who saves her from four bandits. She is a strong person who resents the sheltered life she is expected to lead, and often intervenes in fights when Yori seems to be getting the worst of it. She is also apparently a strategic genius, and accomplished the near impossible feat of defeating her uncle at Go while still very young.
• Cho Teko, a blind Taoist priest who enjoys spewing absurd proverbs, termed "Choisms" by fans. Cho wields multiple bo staves in combat and first displays his skill while fighting a ninja at the inn that Yori and Ina were staying at. He attaches himself to Ina and Yori shortly thereafter and has traveled with them ever since. Cho is part of a prophecy involving a blind Taoist Priest, a Hindu, and a Christian Priest walking into a Japanese bar, heralding the end of the world, and as such cannot go into any of the said establishments. He is the guiding light of their little band, always optimistic and true to his word. Cho is equal parts sage, warrior, and random comic relief. So far in the comic, Cho's eyes (or, at least, the place where they should reside) have yet to be seen, as they are always obscured, mostly by his pointed hat, but also by other things (up to and including the comic border) when the hat is off.
• Kenta "Ken" Daisuke, a rōnin who wields a massive zanbatō sword. His style is none other than the Red Dragon Zanbatou, a reference to Rurouni Kenshin. He tends towards violence, beating up the choicest bystanders for money, forcing his way into Kabuki plays (which he loves, rabidly), etc. He and Yori meet in a showdown, ending with Ken joining them. Ken is the last living member of the Daisuke clan, and wants more than anything to kill General Nataku. Genchu saved his life. He loves alcohol. Just loves it. Can't get enough. Ironically, if 'Daisuke' is pronounced incorrectly, it means 'I love you'.

• Hirotomo Wataro, Daimyō of the Wataro clan. He is Yori and Eijiro's father. He has systematically crushed all who oppose him. Now he seeks his own son's, Yori's, death. A monster without compare, whose despicable actions are surpassed only by his complete and utter competence — and his favorite color is yellow. (Note: Added at request of subject.) His favorite animals are the fabled Birdfish. He was not always a power-hungry tyrant, however. It is hinted that it was the death of his wife that changed this...
• Eijiro Wataro, Yori's arrogant brother. He is devoted to the clan, in contrast to Yori. He is engaged to Ina. Ryo was once his personal bodyguard. It was Eijiro who hired the Izuma to kidnap Masuhiro, as he hates the "inferior" clans and wishes to see them conquered. He figured that the kidnapping would lead to war.
• General Yoshinori Nataku, AKA "Nine Finger Nataku". Nataku seeks only peace, preferably brought about by a long, bloody conflict. He lives to fight, and personally oversaw the slaughter of Ken's clan, losing his finger to Genchu in the process. Ken's major motivation in life is to find Nataku and kill him. A lot.
• General Atsumori, Hirotomo's OTHER general/henchman. He holds the distinction of being one of the calmest characters in the comic, and only the second one with a beard.

• Tadashii, leader of the four Demons of Sorrow, and the clan's finest swordsman after the loss of Genchu. He trained Yori after Genchu left. The two men were once good friends, but Tadashii's absolute loyalty to his lord proved stronger than friendship. His sword represents his family's loyalty to their lord. Genchu literally clove it in half during his escape, but Tadashii had it reforged. He is perhaps the least evil of the Demons. In Japanese, the word tadashii can be interpreted as righteous, truthful, or proper. However, the word tadashi means, "loyalty to master".
• Ryoku, one of the four Demons of Sorrow, and tutor of Eijiro, Yori's brother. Somewhat like an evil version of Cho, although the two have never met. He joined the Demons of Sorrow knowing that he would one day be called on to kill Yori, as he wished to ensure Eijiro's succession to the throne. Ryoku is blind, but, like Cho, possesses a sort of second sight. Recently challenged Yori to one final match, where he used an unusual technique involving reflecting sunlight off his sword into his opponent's eyes. Yori defeated that technique by fighting with his eyes closed, and Ryoku challenged him to an iaidō match in which he was killed. The way he "sees" is somewhat like the way Uonuma Usui, from Rurouni Kenshin, and Daredevil "see" by using superhuman hearing to form a picture in his head, similar to sonar.
• Uso, one of the four Demons of Sorrow. While technically a samurai, he makes use of many ninja abilities similar to those of Kakashi Hatake in Naruto. Holds a somewhat petty personality. In Japanese, uso means a lie. He is identified as Uso, the Trickster by Yori in their first encounter.
• Honou-ko, one of the four Demons of Sorrow. Wears a thick mask and armor, and has an unhealthy obsession with hellfire, slaughter, and general carnage. He is the most fearsome demon, but the least stable. In the alternate scripts, Honou-ko speaks only in synonyms for blood, death, fire, kill, etc. He is identified as Honou-ko, the Beast by Yori in their first encounter.

Ex. "Slaughter bloody flame?" "Rage burning hellfire!" "Blood flesh burning massacre."

• Ryoushi, the hunter, a balding man who uses a bow and arrow, and is first introduced in Chapter 18, a flashback chapter. Yori identifies him by name when the Demons of Sorrow band together to ambush him in the Senshin village.

• Masuhiro Senshin, Ina's father and a skilled samurai. As a daimyō, he is liked and respected by both his peers and his people. He forged an agreement with Hirotmo Wataro to wed Ina to Hirotomo's son in order to restore peace between the clans, but Ina's flight left Masuhiro in a difficult situation. He was captured by the Izuma ninja clan en route to a conference with Hirotomo to explain the situation, and is currently their captive.
• Kagome Senshin noh Masamune, Ina's mother. Just like her oldest daughter, only more of a conformist. The other daughters have yet to appear in a speaking role. Believes in her husband, but not her brother, Yukizane.
• Yukizane Masamune, Kagome's brother. Has a keen mind and loves to play Go and other games. A skillful tactical commander, but he fears violent death, and prefers diplomatic negotiation to battle. He once won a legendary battle by challenging the enemy general to a battle of Chinese Checkers and winning. His tactics are brilliant, and often lead to a death toll of zero.
• Mizuki Masamune, Ina's caretaker. Took care of Ina, as, thanks to her bouncy yet aloof attitude and chronic deafness, was the only one who could stand her complaints. Idly broke the news of her engagement to Ina, and continues to believe that everything is fine. Ina's mother hired Mizuki while drunk.

• Suzuka, kunoichi of the Izuma ninja clan. Uses her "female trickery" to foil Masuhiro's numerous escape attempts. She believed that she was hired by Hirotomo, but recently learned that her employer was actually his son, Eijiro. Having fulfilled her contract to him, she is now negotiating to ransom him back to her clan. Suzuka has two lieutenants, also female, named Ayane and Yumiko. Like all Izuma, she is skilled in the use of knock-out-drug-coated-weapons. Suzuka's weapon of choice is a kusarigama, and she is the only blonde in the comic.
• Ayane, one of Suzuka's two lieutenants in the Izuma ninja clan. To avenge Bunzo, Ayane was sent with a squad of ninja to kill Yori, but, unfortunately for them, the Demons of Sorrow were also sent to kill him at the same time. The entire squad was slaughtered by Uso and Honou-ko, and Ryo fought her to a draw. Tadashii left her alive to send back to Suzuka with a warning. Ayane wields a set of spiked fans, each one coated in poison or knock-out drugs. She dresses in a very revealing kimono, and paints her face before combat.
• Yumiko, one of Suzuka's two lieutenants in the Izuma ninja clan. She is an expert shot, and wields a bow and arrows coated in poison or knock-out drugs, along with a sai in her belt. Yumiko has an eye patch and shoulder armor, and never speaks.
• Bunzo, Izuma ninja who uses Rock-jutsu, an "ancient art" which revolves around throwing rocks at his enemies. He attacked the group and, when his first attempts failed, he ran off towards Mount Fuji, announcing his intention to throw it at them. He hasn't been seen since. The ninja clan generally agrees that he is no great loss, but decides to avenge him for reasons of good policy. Bunzo is indirectly mentioned in a newspaper late on, suggesting that he had actually managed to lift Mt. Fuji.

• The Wu Tang Brothers, from Cho's monastery in China. When old Master Zhao died, his dying wish was for Cho to take his position. Unfortunately, the Wu Tang brothers, out of a combination of personal greed, desire not to dishonor the monastery, belief that the master was obviously mad in the face of death, and just a general dislike of Cho (Brother Tang once hit him on the head with a spiked club and called it an accident) lied about his dying orders, and took over instead. They told Cho to go as far west as possible, but the Tao (and a hot dog vendor) instead lead him to Japan, where he met Yori and company. Hearing of this, the brothers sought him out to kill him, to prevent both the end of the world and their own loss of power. They carry a case filled with weapons, and Brother Wu can use the legendary Thousand Fists of Fury technique, although the strain of it has caused a compound fracture and internal bleeding within his hand.
• Matrix, a mysterious femme fatale. Little is known of her except that she follows the foursome, and so long as Yori lives she avoids attracting their attention. She is an extremely good warrior, and is often described as "too cool to care." Strangely she possesses several out-of-time items, such as modern clothing and sunglasses, cigarettes, and a medallion with the CND symbol. She has a comrade named Lex who also bears unusual items and takes things much more seriously than her.
• Fujio and Fumio, survivors of the quartet of bandits who attacked Ina earlier in the comic. After the death of two of their comrades, they were captured by Suzuka's ninja clan and made a deal with Masuhiro to find Yori and warn him that his father wants him dead. Having delivered their message, they have been pressed into accompanying the group by the force of Ina's personality.
• Genchu Wataro Daisuke, a master samurai, said to have been rivaled only by Hirotomo Wataro, who bears two family names. He appears only in flashbacks, and may or may not be dead. Genchu taught Yori before leaving the Wataro clan, and saved Ken's life when Ken was a child. Genchu was also a more skilled warrior than any of the Demons of Sorrow, assembled to kill him. He left the service of Wataro after Wataro decided to destroy the Daisuke clan, and arrived at their castle in time to save the last of them. Years later, he returned and attempted to kill Wataro in a brutal struggle, allowing Yori to take his place. Wataro spared his life at Yori's request, but secretly formed the Demons of Sorrow for the purpose of killing him. They failed, and his current status and whereabouts are both unknown. It is said that Genchu's strong will manifests itself in his fighting ability, which allows him the strength to cleave the weapons of his enemies in two, as seen in his fight against Tadashii.