In the second game, Hyo plays very similar to the first game. So saying, he's still as much of a poser as ever, and he still can whack quite viciously with that sakura-loving pole of his. ^_^

Last Blade 1 Story: Err.. they didn't think too hard on this one. ^_~ Amano is a playboy who only cares about sake, women, and fighting. But he grows tired of things; one day he notices how the petals are all falling off the Sakura tree, and decides someone out in the world isn't enjoying life like they should. So, he heads out to "bust some ass".

Last Blade 2 Story: (yay, they thought a little harder this time! ^_~) The sakura have blossomed in glory for one thousand years, but now the sky turns grey and clouded, day after day. Hyo draws his dear sword, Otokomae, only to find it's edge strangely dulled. He took it to his friend Takane Genzou, hoping to get it reforged. Yet Genzou had passed on, and his beloved daughter, Hibiki, had left their home. Hyo was uneased; he decided to search for the girl.

Useless but fun facts: Hyo's birthdate is April 14, 1835, making him 28 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means something like heavenly fields (for Amano) and to drift (for Hyo)

Okina is a funny little guy. He's about half the height of everyone else, with a big, wide brimmed hat and a bushy beard and mustache that hides his face. He seems to be pretty peaceful, a fisherman at heart, really. ^_^ You can even get him to sneeze and say "Chotto matta!" (Wait a little!). And believe it or not -- though with that beard I could believe it -- he's 128 years old. *Eep!*

Okina is also very odd. He fights with the fishing pole he carries over his shoulder, and the large basket strapped to his back. He whacks with his pole, and does some nice spinning moves that thump rather heartily with that basket. And if you think that's odd, wait till he pulls open his basket and starts punting turtles at you! Big ones and little ones, either way they hit for damage if you're not careful. He also has a few tortoises in that basket, and when he whips those out, they heal him for a small amount. So don't hide in the corner and let him throw tortoises, either. ^_~ He's a lot of fun to play, and very cute.

In the second game, Okina is quite similar to the first, though I think he's gotten better with that fishing pole. ^_~ His turtles sometimes do extra things now, too.. and did I mention that he summons the great Genbu turtle as his special? Well he does, in both games -- it's very cool. Genbu is huge.

Last Blade 1 Story: Okina is another of the four guardians of the Gates of Hell, and he represents Genbu, the Green Turtle. Years ago, he was assigned his job as guardian because of his excellent sword skills. For the most part, now, he is peaceful and merely likes to fish, but one day five years ago, a young boy named Kaede came to see him. Kaede wished to learn about swordfighting, and Okina taught him everything he knew, until Kaede was so skilled he could defeat even Okina. And then, out of the blue, Kaede went away again. Okina realised that the boy was going for a reason, and decided to follow him, slowly and surely.

Last Blade 2 Story: Hell's Gate had not been sealed properly, and Okina knew this. Legends of the Sealing Maiden had passed down the generations, of how the gate could not be sealed without her. Okina told Kaede and Yuki to find the Maiden. Then, things seemed to happen all at once: Yuki disappeared; the Messenger From Afar was coming; Moriya was said to have returned; and a familiar evil was felt. Okina found himself hurrying in the face of so many events and so little time.

Useless but fun facts: Okina's birthdate is December 3rd, 1735, making him 128 years old at the time of the game. The kanji for his name literally means venerable old man of Genbu.

Akari is the cute little girl character type who normally drives me nuts in these games.. but for some reason I like her. ^_^ She's cute, yeah, but she's also got style. She plays at being innocent, but then she blithely kicks serious butt. She has attitude that rocks, especially when matched with her innocent look. Oh, and I like her Kansai accent, too. *grin*

Akari also has some of the weirdest, and coolest moves in the game. ^_^ Her weapon is the same kind of stick that shinto priests use to purify things, and she whacks pretty good with it. But she also does the strangest things.. she calls on a demon who swallows her up, then spits her back out to wham into her opponent. She calls a demon to clank a bell over her opponent and then shoot them in a whirling spiral around the outside of it and bam! out the top. And one of her specials involves her summoning one hundred weird and wonderful Japanese demons who rush across the screen in a huge stampede, completely flattening her opponent. ^_^ Yup, she's cool.

In the second game, Akari has been improved somewhat. (As if she wasn't deadly enough already. ^_~) She's a little faster, a little stronger, and some of her moves have been added to. Gods, this little 13 year old is hard to beat!

Last Blade 1 Story: The Ichijo family works in the security business, although they mostly just observe. Even though she is only 13, Akari can summon spirits just as well as anyone else, and she has an attitude to go with it. One day Akari's father sent her off to observe the Gates of Hell and report to him about it. However Akari, determined to give her job 200%, goes not only to find out what is going on but to put everything to right again while she's at it. Easy enough, ne?

Last Blade 2 Story: When her beloved sister, Hikari, fell ill, Akari became restless and worried. Soon, her father called for her, his expression grim. He started to tell her that Hell's Gate had.. but before he could so much as say what it had done, or might be doing, Akari was on her feet and headed for the door; her reckless mind suddenly sure that Hell's Gate was the reason for her sister's illness, she was determined to cure Hikari, and get revenge at the same time. Her father was left to shout curses after her disappearing figure.

Useless but fun facts: Akari's birthdate is September 26th, 1850, making her 13 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for Ichijo means something like one block, as in a town, and since Akari is in hiragana, it doesn't really mean anything special. ^_^

Good old Juzo. I like this guy. He's big and buff. He bares his chest. He eats pork rolls before each fight, though he usually chokes on them. ^_~ He doesn't take things particularly seriously, I don't think.. always flashing his beaming grin, and laughing heartily at his opponent.. or yawning at them. Really, he's just in because Akari dragged him along. ^_^ I don't play Juzo a lot, but I always amuse myself when I do.

Juzo weilds a big ass club which he waves around rather dangerously. He has quite a few nice thumping moves with it, as well as one great one that thuds the club into the ground so hard that his opponent falls over. He even has a nice juggle that tosses his opponent up into the air and then, if done right, he plays baseball with them on the way down. ^_^ He's a little slow sometimes, but not as slow as Shigen, and he does some nasty things with that huge studded club. Beware the Juzo. ^_~

In the second game, Juzo is quite different. Most of his moves have been scrapped in place of newer, more ass-thumping ones. ^_^ He has improved his baseball game greatly, as well as his headbutting, and his ability to grab you out of moves and blocks; and that club is just.. argh. Want to really piss me off, play Juzo against me and thump me to death. ^_~

Last Blade 1 Story: Juzo lives with Akari's family, even though he is not related to them, because he has no family of his own. One day, while he was looking for new ways to kill time around the house, he heard footsteps behind him, and then he was hit in the back of the head and knocked out -- by Akari, no less! The next thing he knew, she was forcing him along on her journey to check out the Gates of Hell.

Last Blade 2 Story: When Akari's sister, Hikari, fell ill, Juzo visited her every day, worried greatly for her. One day her expression was strange, and Juzo asked her what was wrong. She quietly told him that Akari had run off after Hell's Gate again, determined that it was at fault for her sister's illness. Juzo, seeing this as a way to prove how much he cared for Hikari, assured her to leave it all to him. As he powered out of the room to chase down Akari, Hikari shook her head with a sigh.

Useless but fun facts: Juzo's birthdate is June 18th, 1837, making him 26 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means something like gods promontory (for Kanzaki) and thirteen (for Juzo).

Yuki is one of only two female characters in the game, and also the only character who's not oriental. She's also very cool. Sensible, determined, and wanting mainly to stop the fighting that's going on and make Kaede and Moriya actually talk to each other, she struggles on against hardships and annoying men with swords. ^_^ I like her a lot. She's tough; she knows what she's doing and she's not afraid to do it. And she's not a typical token female character, either.

Yuki weilds a Naginta, a wonderfully long reaching weapon with a curved blade on the end. She commands the powers of ice, and has an ice projectile, an icicle uppercut, and a great little ice shield that not only hits if the opponent is close enough, but will also reflect projectiles if you time it right. ^_^ She also has some great combo moves, including her special, which tears her opponent several which ways and then tears them a little bit more.

In the second game, Yuki plays quite similarily, though she doesn't seem to be quite as quick as she was in the first one. She can still tear you to pieces with that wicked looking blade though. ^_^

Last Blade 1 Story: Yuki's parents died in an accident when she was young and she was adopted by the same swordsman who took in Kaede and Moriya. They became a true family to her, and took care of her when she was teased about being different. She also took up training under the swordsman, but picked up the naginta instead because she wasn't quite as strong as the other two. Life was good, until when she was 13 and their master was killed. Five years later, Yuki has finally decided to find out what really happened and to find Moriya, who she has secretly harbored feelings for all that time.

Last Blade 2 Story: Yuki travelled with Kaede to speak with Okina, where they found out about the Sealing Rite for the portal. However, as Kaede went to search for the Sealing Maiden, Yuki faced one question. That question made her and Kaede part without a word; as she set out, the necklace that had been with her since she was first adopted by GaiSei began to give off a strange light.

Useless but fun facts: Yuki's birthdate is January 23rd, 1845, making her 18 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for her name means snow, which I think is rather approriate, ne? ^_^

As a rule, I don't play ninja type characters. Someone I used to know ruined them for me. But, Zantetsu is still pretty cool. I like that hat. *grin* He seems very sullen, out to get everyone, or perhaps thinking everyone's out to get him. Not to mention his ego problem. (As in, it's rather large. ^_~) He has a very deep, annoyed voice that sounds like he had gravel for breakfast -- when he actually talks. Mostly, he's just dark and mysterious. ^_^

He has a couple of pretty cool projectiles and uppercuts, and he also weilds some very sharp, very quick, very lethal blades. He can slice the air with them, he can jump up above and throw them down at you, and he can slash you to pieces very fast and consistently with them. He also has the ability to wrap his cloak around himself and become almost invisible -- all you see is the occasional flicker where you think he is, and by the time you get there, he's flickering behind you, kicking your butt. He's fast and can be very dangerous. ^_^

In the second game, Zantetsu remains fast and dangerous; he's had a few changes but he's still got a lot of very quick, devious slashing moves. He can grab you in the air for one of his throws now (argh! I hate that! ^_~) and he's still capable of flickering into almost invisibility. As ever, a force to be reckoned with.

Last Blade 1 Story: Zantetsu is a true ninja, and as time passes and the ninjas begin to die out in wars and the like, Zantetsu has discovered that he is the only ninja left alive. No-one seems to care about ninjas anymore, and Zantetsu is determined to prove their strength. He proves it time and time again, battling and destroying humans who thought themselves worthy opponents. But it's not enough for him; it's not proving his strength. So when he hears rumours of a demon being ressurected, he travels to find it and prove just how powerful he is.

Last Blade 2 Story: Zantetsu has been at his home village, teaching his grandson all he can about the ways of a ninja. But the time has come to leave, and he knows he will never return. His body is growing old, weakened by time and a life of fighting. For one last true fight, one last test of strength, he heads for Hell's Gate once more, where others strong and powerful are gathering.

Useless but fun facts: Zantetsu's birthdate is October 19th, 1811, making him 52 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means something like killing iron. (Hmm. Is that those blades? ^_^)

Kagami is the second and final boss of the first game, after you've defeated Musashi. And I must say, after the effort it took me to beat Musashi, Kagami was almost a dissapointment. He's not as tough and not as hard to kill; or at least, that's what I found. But he's pretty cool, all the same, even if he can be rather cheesy.

Kagami has a flaming sword, and he likes to use it. ^_^ He also has some nice flaming moves that don't need his sword to do.. his throw is particularly vicious and spectacular looking. Kagami, like Kaede, also comes in two versions.. however, they're seperate characters, as it were. When you kill Normal Kagami, you fight Hyper Kagami, and when you want to select him as a character yourself, you have a choice of one or the other. Hyper Kagami has a few extra moves, and he also floats. ^_^

In the second game, Kagami is no longer boss, and therefore no longer Mr Cheese. ^_^ He's been added to, his moves have changed quite a bit, and he actually learnt how to crouch this time! He's still cool, and the no-longer-boss status has made him a much more appealing and enjoyable character.

Last Blade 1 Story: Kagami is another of the four guardians of the Gates of Hell; he represents Suzaku, the Red Phoenix. However he has grown angry at the foolishness and weakness of the humans he protects, and desires instead to open to Gates of Hell and begin a new world order.. beginning with the destruction of humankind and his domination over all, of course.

Last Blade 2 Story: Defeated and dethroned by Kaede, who had awakened as the guardian Seiryuu, Kagami was thrown into Hell's Gate as punishment. But death could not take him, for he was needed soon for a higher purpose. Hell's Gate had been opened, the balance of order had changed, and Kagami was needed to insure the conclusion of this tearing of fate.

Useless but fun facts: Again, I've no idea of his birthdate, although I know he is 30 years old at the time of the second game. The kanji for his name means something like delightful god (for Kagami) and modest man (for Shinnosuke).

Musashi is the first boss you face in the game, and he's a mean old bastard. Wandering the earth for 200 years, or something like that, and he's determined that everything that stands in his way must die. Oops. Either move or hit him, quick! He's big, he's tough, he grrrrs a lot. And he has the coolest scarred eye. I like him, and I actually found him quite tough to beat.
Musashi is likely based on Miyamoto Musashi, a man considered Japanese's finest sword fighter, who dueled 60 battles undefeated. He also wrote the Book of the Five Rings. He's pretty damn cool; for more information about him, check out this page. (thanks to the 600 people who emailed me about it.. I really, really know who he is now. Honestly.)

Musashi is a very in your face type character. He has some very vicious slashes, a nasty fire uppercut type move, and a double cross slash that hits me just about everytime. (I'm stupid.. I jump into it. Don't do the same. ^_~) He's vicious, he hurts, but he can be a little slow on his feet, so nimble characters shouldn't have too much trouble beating him.

Last Blade 1 Story: Umm. I'm not entirely sure why Musashi is in the game, other than that he was ressurected by Kagami in order to fight. Anyone else have any more info?

Last Blade 2 Story: Musashi is only available in two player mode; ergo, I presume that he didn't really survive the first conflict and is there purely for the fun value. ^_^

Useless but fun facts: Birthdate? Not a clue. About 200 years ago, I guess. ^_^ The kanji for his name means something like daybreak (for Akatsuki) and I'm not sure what Musashi means. (Yet!)

Shigen is the big, bulky guy who oozes muscles and masculinity. ^_~ He's pretty amusing.. not my type of character, but he can be quite cool. He blocks with his bracelet, of all things. *grin* And one of his arms is grey, as though it is made of stone. (Some sort of afflicition? He thumps pretty good with it though.) He never actually talks, just waves his arms angrily and goes "grrrr" a lot at his opponent. ^_^ His stage is also very cool..

Shigen doesn't need a weapon at all. Everything is in the arms, don'tcha know. ^_^ Basically he just thumps and thumps with his fists. He has an uppercut, several slashing moves, and an interesting move called Diamond Smasher where he thumps his opponent onto a large pile of very sharp crystals which appears randomly out of the ground. He's very tough, and damn does he hit hard, especially in power mode, but he's a little slow on his big feet, so he's not for beginner players or those of you who like lots of combos.

In the second game, Shigen is more powerful, and he can do a lot of followups to some of his normal moves, which means if you're not careful, you could be caught in a continual pummeling that drags your life bar down into dangerous levels very quickly. He's still not the easiest character to play, though; but if you can get used to him, you'll be lethal. ^_^

Last Blade 1 Story: Shigen is also one of the four guardians of the Gates of Hell. He represents Byakko, the White Tiger. He was once a gentle, peaceful man, however he has been sealed in stone for ten years by his best friend, and only now has he finally been able to break free. His hatred and agony have driven him over the edge, and all he can think of is revenge against the one who locked him away.

Last Blade 2 Story: After the defeat of Suzaku's guardian, Shigen regained control of his senses, and was reunited with his foster daughter, Kotetsu. Shamed by his ten years of absence, he took her into the mountains to spend time together. Kotetsu played while he trained; but things weren't meant to stay peaceful, it seems. Shigen sensed the evil in the not-yet closed Hell's Gate, and realised he must deal with it; he departed late at night, not noticing the shadow that crept along behind him.

Kotetsu: yes, that's her hanging from Shigen's huge arm in the picture above. She is selectable in Last Blade 2, but she seems to be added for amusement value more than anything. Try it at least once, you'll appreciate it. ^_^ With your cursor on Shigen in the character select screen, do the following within 4 seconds: push C five times, push B ten times, and push C two times. You'll hear Kotetsu's voice when you've done it correctly; then press A or D to play as her.

Useless but fun facts: Shigen's birthdate is October 5th, 1827, making him 36 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means something like formal guard (for Naoe) and displaying source (for Shigen).

Okay, there's been so much debate over Koujirou's gender that it makes my head spin. Final conclusion: Koujirou is female. See the game ending for proof. The reason she's running around with a male name, doing male things, is that she's taken on the identity of her recently deceased brother, in order to find his killer. So yes, we're supposed to think she's male. Despite this (^_^) I like her quite a lot; she's a strong, interesting character.

Koujirou is, not suprisingly, quite similar to Keiichirou in gameplay; it's a Shinsengumi thing. ^_~ She still has her own style, though, and a regiment of moves that are quite fast. I don't play her a lot, but she's solid and can really kick arse provided she doesn't concentrate only on her moves that deal with airborne opponents.

Last Blade 2 Story: Koujirou is captain of the Shinsengumi Unit Zero. 6 months ago their investigation into Hell's Gate became Keiichiro's solo mission; and at this time, Shikyo escaped from their number. Many of them were lost in the battle with the crazed Shikyo, and the Zero Squad came to question their purpose. But the Hell's Gate investigations had to be carried out. And so Koujirou travels to Hell's Gate, to restore the Zero Unit's faith in themselves, and to defeat the crazed one who slipped through their fingers.

Useless but fun facts: Although I'm not aware of her birthdate, Koujirou is 30 years old at the time of Last Blade 2. The kanji for her name (or technically, her brother's name) means something like true rice field for Sanada and next small son for Koujirou.

Yaaah, Setsuna! (Be still, my heart.) Ever since I got Last Blade 2, Setsuna has become my all time favourite LB character. Yes, I am a female in lust, so sue me. ^_^ Setsuna is very, very cool. Tall and arrogant, with long white hair, a deep, soulless voice, a big sword, and a few powers of lightning. Oh, and absolutely no conscience. What more could you possibly want in a man? ^_~

Setsuna has some nice moves; a rising uppercut and a hard slash down from above that can be done either light or heavy, depending on how much time you have to hit. ^_^ He can also grab an opponent out of the air and throw them forcefully on the ground. There's a nice twirling leap that will get you close to your opponent and beat the snot out of them if you're lucky. And he has one extra useful little trick; his 'ghost armor', as it were. When you do this move, he glows for awhile, and the next hit he takes, he can ignore it and still hit his opponent. Trust me, this works wonders and can make the difference between winning and losing. Oh, and if you can manage to do his super special move (check the FAQ, it's Anonymity, Ultimate Continuation) it's absolutely beautiful. Trust me.

Last Blade 2 Story: Setsuna is a powerful spirit of the underworld, let loose through Hell's Gate after Kagami was defeated. He took physical form on earth by entering the body of an infant that was killed amidst the confusion of battle. Now, his body is fully grown, and he appears a beautiful and youthful man; yet this masks the blackness of his soul. He is full of rage, a loathing for every living creature, both the spirits of his world and the humans that walk upon ours. And so he walks amongst them, seething with hatred against all life.

Useless but fun facts: Well, I guess Setsuna's birthdate would be about 6 months before Last Blade 2, ne? ^_^ The kanji for his name means instant. (Specifically, refering to an instant or moment in time.)

Shikyo is the official insane guy of the group. ^_^ Trust me. He's nuts. In his starting pose, he licks one of his nasty-looking blades, and anytime you don't do anything with him for awhile, he gets bored and does it again. He's always giggling, and he also spends plenty of time drooling. For his winning pose, he points his finger at his fallen opponent and laughs maniacally.. but if you kill him, he laughs as well. Completely bonkers. I love playing him.^_^

Shikyo weilds a very nasty looking weapon.. two huge curved blades that he can use both seperately -- too slash you one-two across the chest -- or together -- to spin like a helicopter blade and rupture your vital organs. He has a move where he leaps into the air and dives at you with his blades, and he also has several moves that throw his weapon, spinning across the screen, and if you're not careful, it can hit you from behind, too. However, if you hit him while the weapon is out of his hands, it falls and he has to retrieve it manually. My favourite move of his is a wonderful thing called the Weasel's Slash, where he scuttles across the screen, grabs you by your collar, and proceeds to munch on your stomach. ^_^ Very disgusting, and also fast and difficult to block. He's hard to predict, and a lot of fun to use.

Last Blade 1 Story: Shikyo was also once a member of the Shinsengumi, like Keiichiro, but it was not to preserve Japanese history; it was to go on gleeful killing sprees. It didn't take the Shinsengumi long to figure this out, but Shikyo escaped before they could do anything to him, in search of more killing. Rumours of the Gates of Hell made him want to kill even more, but killing mere commoners was not satisfying enough. (Hey, I know that feeling. ^_~) He sought prey to quench his bloodlust; and when a strange man came to him and told him it could be found, he was quite happy to go along.

Last Blade 2 Story: See Mukuro's page for more information.

Useless but fun facts: Shikyo's birthdate is February 24th, 1829, making him 34 years old at the time of the game. The kanji for his name means something like violet mirror.

Hibiki is another of those female characters who doesn't want to fight yet still goes on to kill a large number of people to get to the end of the game. Hmm. (^_^) Despite this, I still quite like her (as opposed to, say, Rimururu, who I can't stand) though I think it's more for that fact that she's interesting to play. And I do recommend you give her a try because it's quite a lot of fun. ^_^

Hibiki's stance is very similar to Ukyo's from Samurai Shodown; back to her opponent, sword sheathed except when she's actually attacking. Also, you won't necessarily find her easy to play because most of her moves, though quite quick, suffer a large amount of lag if you miss with them. Thus, you can't just run in and button mash or you'll get knocked flat in seconds. Hibiki requires some mastery, but is very satisfying to play once you know what you're doing.

Last Blade 2 Story: During the Bakumatsu era, there was a bladesmith named Takane Genzou who was famed for his mastery. When he retired, it was to a quiet town away from the crowds who knew him; he took his daughter Hibiki, and continued his trade without stress. One day, a silver-haired young man came and requested a sword to be made; Genzou was entranced by his intense evil and could not refuse him. Even Hibiki felt uneasy about the strange man. Eventually Genzou finished the Yasomagatsu Hinotachi, the Eighty Day Sword named for the time it took to be created. But the effort had made him ill, and he was confined to bed. He told Hibiki that it was the silver-haired man's fault; "Though I cannot approve of such actions, go and find that man and the sword. The thing that I saw... what I felt... even you must understand." These were Genzou's last words. Confused and unsure, Hibiki yet did as she was told, packing her things and leaving their simple home. It was three days later that Amano Hyo came searching for Genzou.

Useless but fun facts: Although I'm not aware of her birthdate, Hibiki is 17 years old at the time of Last Blade 2. The kanji for her name means something like high peak for Takane and resounding for Hibiki.

Keiichiro is a man with a temper. ^_^ He's very foulminded, and annoyed most of the time, and says all manner of rude things to his opponents. He grumbles a lot, and his taunt is him hmphing and then wiping his blade clean with a cloth. (As if you're such a bad fighter that he can casually clean his weapon while he waits, ne? ^_~) He's lots of fun, with his gruff manner, and I enjoy playing him for that alone.

His moves, however, I have more trouble with. I'm very used to the good old quarter-circle and zig-zag moves, and Keiichiro's are mostly up-down and back-forward moves. He has a double projectile, though, which is great for opponents only expecting one, and a very long reaching stabbing move, as well as a stabbing uppercut. He's also very fast on his feet, and running him around a lot is a great way to confuse the hell out of your opponent. ^_^

In the second game, he is still the same old grumbling Keiichiro; still fast on his feet and quite aggressive to play as, and against. Oh, and he got some nice followups to some of his moves. And he still loves to draw huge kanji in the air when doing special moves. ^_~

Last Blade 1 Story: Keiichiro is a member of the Shinsengumi, a group of people true to the history of Japan and the oldstyle Samurai art of fighting. Keiichiro believes in these things very strongly, and does his duties to the utmost. After his last mission ends succesfully, he is given the assignment of researching the Gates of Hell, and journeys to discover what is happening there.

Last Blade 2 Story: Many people died in a natural disaster, like that of the earlier defeat of Kagami; Keiichiro set off to continue his investigation of Hell's Gate. Several men had returned after the earlier investigation, with the knowledge that they must seek out a girl, the Sealing Maiden. And so Keiichiro left searching for her, and for the truth.

Useless but fun facts: Keiichiro's birthdate is May 20th, 1835, making him 28 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means something like eagle's nest (for Washizuka) and joyous first son (for Keiichiro).

Mukuro is, when it all comes down to it, what you get if you take Shikyo, kill him, then reanimate him. Lovely, ne? ^_~ I think they had a bit of fun with this; though in all respects very similar to Shikyo, Mukuro is even more insane. (If that's possible.) Also, his voice is all of Shikyo's sound files, put through some really twisted filters, until they're barely recognisable. He's mad and a lot of fun, but to be honest I miss the good ol' Shikyo.

They also decided to make Mukuro even more powerful than Shikyo was; and Shikyo was quite good to begin with. Mukuro has pretty much the same moves, although he's less likely to drop his blades this time around, and he does a hell of a lot of damage. Good for when someone is beating the shit out of you nonstop and you want to get back at them. ^_^

Last Blade 1 Story: See Shikyo's page for more information.

Last Blade 2 Story: Wrapped and bound in bandages, dragging his blades, the mysterious Mukuro is an assasin. But he's a gruesome one; reeking of death and decay, he seems not much more than an animated corpse. The skills he once had now fade from his mind, but he has moved beyond noticing or caring of such things. In death, as it was in life, he roams with his Kyoudachi Hagewashi, the Misfortune Blade of the Bald Eagle.

Useless but fun facts: I don't believe dead people have birthdays anymore; but I guess Mukuro is the same age as Shikyo. ^_^ The kanji for his name literally means corpse.

Ah, Moriya. He's the bishounen of the game. (Well, until Setsuna came along.. ^_~) Quite beautiful, our Moriya. He's also got that sour, jaded attitude that either makes you want to slap him, admire him, or kiss him. (Depending on your tastes and sexual preferences. ^_~) He's bitter about something, and he doesn't bother hiding it. When he wins a round, he smirks at his lesser opponent. He also says very cool things, like "scream to the moon" and "it seems you wish to die". Gotta love a man with attitude. ^_^

Some of Moriya's moves remind me somewhat of Ukyo from Samurai Shodown; his special is similar to Ukyo's famous apple-slicing move, and several of his normal attacks make me think Ukyo as well. Oh, and he wears the same pants. ^_^ He has no projectile, but he does have a good long reaching slash, as well as a move that lets him teleport around the screen. He's fast and a lot of fun to play.

Moriya in the second game plays pretty similar to the first one. However, I'm told (I don't play him myself, he belongs to my flatmate ^_~) that some of his moves have been altered in the way of comboing, so that although his moves are similar, the way of playing him can be quite different. Sounds like fun to me. ^_^

Last Blade 1 Story: Moriya was always an excellent swordsman, and at a young age he was accepted to train under a well respected swordsman. Within several years, he found he had excelled even that man, but he stayed with him because he (and the other children he had adopted) were more like family. But a day came, when he was seventeen, that he found himself standing over the dead body of the man he respected more than any other. Five years later, he's travelling still to atone for his past.

Last Blade 2 Story: After all that had happened with Kaede, Kagami, and Hell's Gate, Moriya left in disgust to train himself some more. But six months later he felt a strange, overwhelming urge to return home; not to any home he had lived in, but to the great black portal hanging low and evil in the sky. So he returns, seeking answers and truth.

Useless but fun facts: Moriya's birthdate is September 23rd, 1841, making him 22 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means something like distinguished gentleman (for Minakata) and guarding arrow (for Moriya).

Recca is, I suppose, the "token" Chinese character. ^_~ And yes, as several people have pointed out, I am aware that he's very much based on the martial artist Jet Li. (Whom I also adore. ^_^) Recca is very cool.. he has super long hair all bound up in a tight braid that he flicks over his shoulder when he wins, a sweet voice and a very disciplined way of fighting. For the most part, in fact, he only relies upon his hands and feet to fight his opponent. None of this hiding behind your weapons stuff.. he's right in there smacking the opponent to hell and back. ^_^ I find Recca truly enjoyable to play.

Recca is another who's quite fast on his feet. For the most part, he's best to get in close, because he has a great number of kicks and punches that you can chain together -- even in power, I think -- to beat the hell out of your opponent. Not only that, he's doubly cool because when he does weild a weapon, it's a tessen. (A metal fan.) And a flaming tessen, at that. He does some wonderfully nasty tessen/kick jobs that fry his opponent. His flaming special takes in the whole screen and can be quite difficult to block. He kicks butt. Literally.

In the second game, Recca is very similar to the first, with only a few changes to his gameplay. He's learnt how to run properly, though, which is always a useful skill. ^_~

Last Blade 1 Story: Recca does not come from Japan; he learnt his form of martial arts elsewhere. But one day, he saw a red shooting star falling in the East, and he felt that an evil presence was about to ressurect and cause such destruction that it would soon affect his lands and people as well. So he journeyed to Japan, to stop the evil before it had a chance to spread.

Last Blade 2 Story: Feeling that the evil was not properly dealt with, Recca stayed in Japan; he trained at a temple, making his living at a farm that was nearby. He began to finally feel his true strength burning inside him. Then, one evening, he saw another evil star burning bright in the night sky. He abandoned his training and set off to pursue the star.

Useless but fun facts: Recca's birthdate is February 16th, 1843, making him 20 years old at the time of the first game. The kanji for his name means plum (for Lee) and raging fire (for Recca). Very appropriate!

Kouryu is the final boss of Last Blade 2, and is supposedly the man who was once both tutor and father to Kaede, Moriya and Yuki. Somewhere between the last game and this (after he died.. ?!) he's become exceedingly powerful and harnessed the powers of all four gods that guard Hell's Gate; Suzaku, Seiryuu, Byakko and Genbu. Eh.. he's also even more cheesy than Kagami was in the first game. I play him purely for amusement value, to be honest; but I gotta admit he looks pretty cool.

Kouryu is ridiculously overpowered and very capable of blowing away anyone without too much effort at all. Ergo, if you're a scrub, play Kouryu. ^_~ He's got something like five desperation moves (!!) and like first game Kagami, hasn't learnt to crouch yet. I hate that. He does some funky long range tricks, and can also levitate you in order to beat the shit out of you. Painful to play against.

To select Kouryu in the game, place the cursor over Kaede on the character select screen, and do the following within four seconds: push C ten times, push B five times, and push C four times. You'll hear Kouryu's voice when you get it right; then push A or D to select him.

Last Blade 2 Story: um.. actually, I have no idea. Yes, he once was the tutor/father of Kaede, Moriya and Yuki, and had supposedly been killed by Kagami. In LB2 he was possessed by some kind of power of Hades that made him insane, but... don't ask me how we got from one to the other. Or why. I guess I haven't been paying enough attention. :P Anyone want to help?

Useless but fun facts: Don't know his birthdate, age, or kanji, sorry!