List of Buso Renkin characters

File:Buso Renkin Characters.jpg

From the left to right Tokiko, Papillon, and Kazuki. In the center is Mahiro and Captain Bravo.

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This is a list of characters in the manga and anime series Buso Renkin. The manga was written and drawn by Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, with some story collaboration by Kaoru Kurosaki. It was serialized by Shueisha in the shōnen (aimed at young boys) manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between 2003 issue 30 and 2005 issue 21/22. The story was completed in two extra chapters called "Buso Renkin Period" and "Buso Renkin After," which were published in the two issues of Jump the Revolution! in 2005 and 2006. The serial chapters were collected in ten bound volumes. The manga is licensed in North America by Viz Media, in France by Glénat, and in Germany by Tokyopop. The series was adapted as an anime television series by Xebec, which was initially broadcast in 26 episodes by TV Tokyo between 5 October 2006 and 29 March 2007. The series was also adapted as two drama CDs and a novel.

The series is about teenaged boy Kazuki Muto who is accidentally killed during a battle between an alchemy warrior and a homunculus at his high school, and after being revived through alchemy, becomes one of the alchemy warriors. These warriors use numbered alchemial devices called Kakugane that, when activated, take on a unique Buso Renkin (武装錬金 Busō Renkin, lit. "Armament Alchemy") form based on the Kakugane's user. According to Watsuki's author notes in the manga, he based the designs of several characters on those of characters from Rurouni Kenshin.

Main characters

Kazuki Muto

Kazuki Muto (武藤カズキ Mutō Kazuki) is a 16-year-old boy who attends Ginsei Private Academy with his younger sister Mahiro. After becoming involved in Tokiko Tsumura's fight, subsequently being killed by a homunculus and then revived by a Kakugane, he is told to return to his ordinary life, but instead insists upon assisting Tokiko in her battles. Kazuki is very enthusiastic, friendly and caring for his friends and sister Mahiro; he tends to put himself in difficult situations in order to assist or protect others. Although he has an unusual way of showing it, he does have strong feelings for Tokiko Tsumura. Kazuki has been called a hypocrite on a number of occasions (almost every time by Papillion): such instances being Kazuki's trying to stop Koshaku Chono from becoming a homunculus and having to destroy him, becoming (albeit against his will) a Victor and thus giving up his humanity and (in "Buso Renkin After") trying to apologize to Tokiko for wanting to touch her scar.

The Kakugane Tokiko used to revive Kazuki turned out to be Black Kakugane III disguised as a normal Kakugane, which transformed him into a Victor. He is then pursued by the 'Muto-assassination team', as well as his former commander, Captain Bravo. During his assassination, he was dubbed 'Victor III' by the Alchemy Warriors. Afterwards he was given his freedom as he had promised to destroy himself if he could not find a cure for the Victor transformation before six weeks (the amount of time it takes the Black Kakugane to permanently change him into his Victor form). In the end, he sacrifices himself when he sends himself and Victor to the moon with Sunlight Heart +. In Buso Renkin Period, however, he returns to Earth successfully with help from Victor's Buso Renkin, Fatal Attraction. As soon as he returned to Earth, he and Papillon settled their scores, with Kazuki claiming victory. After this, he returns to a normal life with Tokiko, Mahiro and his friends (despite his image being used as part of a fast-food promotion under the name "Hypocrite Boy").

His Buso Renkin is Sunlight Heart (+) (サンライト・ハート Sanraito Hāto). It first was believed to be Kakugane LXX, but Kazuki came to discover he was actually in possession of the Black Kakugane III, with the actual Kakugane LXX being in the possession of Dr. Butterfly. Seeing as the Kakugane doubles as his heart, his Buso Renkin plays a unique and critical role in Kazuki's survival. Once invoked, his Buso Renkin, Sunlight Heart, takes the form of a spear-lance with a large decorative cloth attached. He was told his personality fit as a spear so his Kakugane took that form. The cloth is turned into an energy force when it resonates with Kazuki's willpower. The cloth's energy can be used as propulsive kinetic energy for forward charging, or, dissipating the gravitational forces of a fall. This ability is the origin of its name as the light it radiates shines like the rays of the sun.

As the story progresses, Sunlight Heart changes into Sunlight Heart +, with a smaller, sleeker design. This new streamlined version, at first glance, seems inadequate as a lance due to its decreased reach and size. However, Sunlight Heart +'s true properties reveal themselves as being able to vastly increase its reach and power; responding to Kazuki's willpower to unleash its self-contained energy, disassembling into, and arranging its core components in the most efficient formations. To this extent, it activates its alchemic powers in the same manner as the original Sunlight Heart. Though lacking the cloth, it can generate propulsive forces from the point at the end of the handle (which is shaped like the original Sunlight Heart, though much smaller) which opens to release kinetic energy. It can also fire off blasts of internal energy.

Sunlight Heart + is last seen in "Buso Renkin Period," when it was destroyed by Papillon's Buso Renkin, Near-Death Happiness, with only the original spear's head remaining; however since it is seen that Buso Renkin regenerate as time passes, Sunlight Heart would've been repaired. Unlike most of the other Kakugane; which were collected and hidden away when the Alchemist Warriors suspended operations, Kazuki was allowed to keep his since he cannot survive without it.

Kazuki adopts the habit of naming certain attacks. His most frequently used are:

• Sunlight Slasher: formerly named the "Jousting Slasher," is a straight charge attack under the propulsion of cloth's energy at full capacity.
• Sunlight Flasher: formerly the "Jousting Flasher," uses a burst of bright light from the cloth to blind the enemy.
• Sunlight Crasher: formerly the "Jousting Crasher," is his strongest attack, which wraps the cloth around the lance and uses its energy force to increase the overall speed and destructive force of the charge.

Watsuki Nobuhiro states that Kazuki's initial design and personality was based on Makimachi Misao from Rurouni Kenshin, adding that his hair tips are reminiscent of Misao's hairstyle. Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Steve Staley (English)

Tokiko Tsumura

Tokiko Tsumura (津村斗貴子 Tsumura Tokiko) is a 17-year-old alchemy warrior that was assigned to take care of a homunculus problem in Kazuki's town Ginsei City. When Kazuki tried to save her from a homunculus she felt a sense of attachment to him and revived him with a Kakugane, intending to make sure that he never gets killed again. Tokiko is very dedicated to her job, claiming that she hates all homunculi, and quit going to school in order to be more efficient. This hatred comes from the trauma she suffered as a little girl, when all the people in her school were killed or eaten by homunculi; she was the only survivor of that school, where she was rescued by Mamoru Sakimori, who would eventually become her commanding officer, Captain Bravo. The incident also left her with a horizontal scar running across the bridge of her nose and across her cheeks. As such, she is serious almost all the time, which leads to some awkward situations between her, Kazuki, and his friends. Though her scar could have been easily removed by the power of alchemy, Tokiko had decided to keep it as a reminder of her desire to kill all homunculi. She is later assigned to be a student at Kazuki's school by Captain Bravo. She eventually falls in love with Kazuki and stays with him at the end of the series. Her famous catchphrase when battling is "I'll splatter your guts!" True to her words, the Valkyrie Skirt has torn many enemies apart. At the end of the series, she is forced to give up her Kakugane when the Alchemist Warriors suspended operations, but Kazuki assures her that the one he uses as his heart will be enough for the both of them. In "Buso Renkin After", we find out her image is being used as part of a fast-food promotion under the name "Gut-Splatter Girl".

Her Buso Renkin is Kakugane XLIV, Valkyrie Skirt (ヴァルキリー・スカート Varukirī Sukāto). This takes the form of four scythe-like blades that attach to her thighs and are controlled via synaptic nerve impulses through her skin. She is capable of using them a number of ways, from attacking numerous enemies at once to using them to boost her jumps and cushion her landings. She has also used them to traverse difficult terrain and even skate across walls and ceilings. The name comes from how in stand-by mode the blades fold up, and in her school outfit, her skirt resembles that of a Valkyrie. Unfortunately, the weapon is ill-equipped to fight enemies of great physical power or endurance. To make up for these deficiencies, Tokiko uses strategy and agility. Furthermore, if any of her blades do break from the skirt, she can still wield them as swords.

As a note in her character profile, Watsuki states she was a feminized version of Himura Kenshin's design as the Hitokiri Battōsai. Voiced by: Ryōka Yuzuki (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)

Koshaku Chono

Koushaku Chono (蝶野攻爵 Chōno Kōshaku), better known as Papillon in the series, is a 19 years-old genius student from Kazuki's school and was meant to be heir to the Chono family fortune. However, he is also deathly ill and has had to repeat several years of school due to the amount of time he has needed to spend in the hospital, and was disinherited by his strict-ideal father. Upon discovering a 100-year-old research diary from his great-great-grandfather he learned of alchemy and the process of making homunculi, experimenting with various animals first before turning himself into a human-type homunculus, renaming himself "Papillon" (or as he pronounces it Pa-Pil-Lon). However, he's imperfect, as he was forced to use an unfinished homunculus core to recreate himself (in the original Japanese, it was said that he used his own sick cells to create the core, so the disease remained), he now suffers from the same sickness, but won't die. He began his move by eating every member of his family who couldn't recognize him as Koshaku, but as his brother Jiro, to the point of even killing his own father and brother. To prevent Papillon from eating more people, Kazuki had no choice but to kill him. After his initial defeat at the hands of Kazuki, he teams up with the homunculus Dr. Butterfly, his still-living great-great-grandfather. After finding out that Dr. Butterfly was just using him, he aids Kazuki and Tokiko, but for his own ends. After defeating butterfly and finding out about Victor, he decides to become another "Victor" after learning that Kazuki became like Victor as well. After the LXE fell, he became a team with Ouka to turn Kazuki back to normal again, in order to duel and kill Kazuki. In the end, he does restore Kazuki to a normal human with the white Kakugane he created himself, and loses the duel. However, Kazuki does not kill him because he already killed him once and thought that he was a good person. He then becomes one of the many urban legends in Japan, nicknamed 'Butterfly Man Papillon', where he is now loved by all of the people in the city, becomes friendly with everyone, and even has a promotion deal with the local fast-food restaurant. Like Kazuki, Papillon was seen with his Buso Renkin at the end of the anime and manga, which can imply that he was allowed to keep his Kakugane (though he may have just made a new one).

As Papillon, he is flamboyant and reckless. He appears in public wearing his mask and in revealing or outlandish outfits, apparently oblivious to or possibly enjoying the stares of bystanders. He also slowly loses a thirst to eat human and his wish to burn the world to the ground, slowly becoming something more than a homunculus with Victoria Powered referring him as "superhuman". After Kazuki was thought to have died by the hands of Victor on the moon, he claims the world is trash without him. He deems Kazuki the only human who is worthy of calling him by his original name as Kazuki believes humans can have power without sacrificing their humanity which is something Chouno is trying to disprove, and enjoys referring to Kazuki as a "hypocrite". The majority of the series his relationship with Kazuki is portrayed comically.

His Buso Renkin is Kakugane LXI, Near-death Happiness (ニアデス・ハピネス Niadesu Hapinesu). When activated it appears as black gunpowder that typically takes the form of a pair of butterfly wings on his back. He also can create a number of small butterflies from it that explode on impact and that he can use offensively or create a large butterfly which he can ride on. When all of the butterflies are used up, it takes three days to regenerate. When first activated, Papillon suffers a shock which he seems to enjoy, saying he "forgot the ecstasy of near-death". Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese), Spike Spencer (English)

Antagonists

L.X.E.

The members of the L.X.E. (the League of Extraordinary Elects) serve as the main antagonists for the first half of Buso Renkin, and consist mainly of humanoid homunculi. The organization was formed by Dr. Butterfly a hundred years ago when he found Victor injured, and pledged to heal him in exchange for his alchemic knowledge. The L.X.E. was formed specifically to protect Victor until the treatment was complete. While most of the organization are homunculi, the L.X.E. also employs humans as "Familiars", who are lowest in their hierarchy. These Familiars either use their influence to protect the L.X.E., such as spying, controlling large crowds through propaganda, or other grunt work, with the aim of becoming a humanoid homunculus. When a Familiar's work is completed, either in success or failure, he or she is devoured. Because all the members of the L.X.E. are either human or humanoid, they can use Buso Renkin; however, according to Kinjo, very few members receive kakugane, typically only those high in the ranks. The Hayasaka twins were granted kakugane to defeat Kazuki and Tokiko.

Watsuki's original plan was to name the L.X.E.'s Buso Renkin after fairy tales or children's stories,^{[citation needed]} but only three (those of Dr. Butterfly, Kinjo, and Jinnai) are (Dr. Butterfly's is "Alice in Wonderland", Jinnai's is "Noisy Hamelin" and Kinjo's is "Peaky Gulliver").

Doctor Butterfly

Doctor Butterfly (Dr．バタフライ Dr. Batafurai) is the leader of L.X.E. His original name was Bakushaku Chono (蝶野 爆爵 Chōno Bakushaku) and he is the still-living great-great grandfather of Koshaku Chono (Papillon). Dr. Butterfly has a moth-shaped mustache, and his battle outfit resembles a white version of Papillon's, with an attached a cape. He considers Papillon weak, saying he cannot go very far on his own, which leads Papillon to challenge him to a fight with their Buso Renkin. During this, Dr. Butterfly is killed by Papillon just before Victor awakens, and in his last moments, he uses his Buso Renkin to greet Victor.

He uses Kakugane LXX, the real version of the Kakugane that Kazuki supposedly owns, which manifests as the Buso Renkin Alice in Wonderland (アリス・イン・ワンダーランド Arisu in Wandārando). This Chaff Buso Renkin has the same wing-like structure as Papillon's Near Death Happiness, but is platinum-white and confuses the nervous system. In concentrated mode, it is also able to directly affect a person's brain, giving the person hallucinations and illusions. Alice in Wonderland is also capable of disrupting radio and electric waves, and when in contact with water, can create a mist. Voiced by: Katsumi Chou (Japanese), David Lodge (English)

Moon Face

Originally named Lunare Nikoleav, Moon Face is a homunculus with a moon-shaped head and a higher-up of L.X.E. He is depicted as constantly cheerful, rarely seen without smiling, and he uses the catch phrase "Moon~" whenever possible. After L.X.E. is defeated, Moon Face is put into custody by the Alchemy Warriors, and later sent to the Moon with Victor and the other homunculi. Moon Face joined the L.X.E. a hundred years before the start of the series, when he came from Russia to Japan for reasons unknown.

Moon Face uses Kakugane XXX, which manifests as "The Buso Renkin of the Moon Fang" Satellite 30 (サテライト・30 Sateraito 30), which resembles a deer horn knife without a second crescent overlapping the first. This allows him to create up to 30 copies of himself, each copy having a different head representing the different phases of the moon. Since this uses a large amount of energy, only a homunculus such as Moon Face can use it. The more copies Moon Face makes, the harder it is for him to coordinate complicated moves. Unless all 30 are defeated at once, more copies can always be made, as each one is the real version. Watsuki stated that he got the idea of Satellite 30 from the character Agent Smith from The Matrix Reloaded.^{[citation needed]} Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese), Christopher Corey Smith (English)

Kinjo

Kinjo (金城 Kinjō) is a low-ranked member of the L.X.E., assigned to spy on Papillon and, if possible, finish off the Alchemy Warriors of Ginsei High. He is loud, arrogant, and uses the catch phrase "Hyahou" frequently. He has the ability to talk without his tongue. Kinjou is defeated by Captain Bravo, then killed by his teammate, Jinnai. Watsuki based Kinjo on Inui Banjin from Rurouni Kenshin.

Kinjo uses Kakugane LII, which manifests as "The Buso Renkin of the Right Hand Gauntlet", Peaky Gulliver (ピーキー・ガリバー Pīkī Garibā), a gauntlet attached to his right arm able to change its size by absorbing elements from the air, and which has small rockets that can propel attacks or allow flight. However, this proves no use against Captain Bravo's Silver Skin. Kakugane LII originally belonged to an agent sent by Bravo to spy on the L.X.E., but who was found and killed by Moon Face. The name of the Buso Renkin is based on Gulliver's Travels, as are Kinjo's special moves, Laputa Falls and Brobdingnag Finger. After his death, Captain Bravo holds on to the Buso Renkin. Voiced by: Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese), Kyle Hebert (English)

Jinnai

Jinnai (陣内) is a low-ranked homunculus in the L.X.E. who, like Kinjo, is sent to spy on Papillon. When Kinjo fails to kill the Alchemy Warriors, Jinnai kills Kinjo to prevent him from talking, then later that night uses his Buso Renkin, Noisy Hamelin, to control the students at the Ginsei High dorm to try to take Kakugane LII from Tokiko. He retreats after being injured by Tokiko, then attempts to eat Chisato in her dorm room, but Tokiko forces him out into the forest where she cuts off his arms and legs with her Valkyrie Skirt. After he promises to tell her about the L.X.E., Tokiko returned his severed limbs, but deliberately attaches his arms and legs to the wrong places. Angered by this, he attacks Tokiko again and she kills him. According to Watsuki, he based Jinnai on the character Otowa Hyoko from Rurouni Kenshin.

He uses Kakugane XVI, which manifests as the Buso Renkin Noisy Hamelin (ノイズィ・ハーメリン Noizui Hāmerin). Based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Noisy Hamelin appears as a steel whip capable of vibrating itself and emitting sounds that can hypnotize anyone within its range. This has an effective range of about 100 yards, but the more people it hypnotizes, the weaker the effect. It can also amplify sound waves, allowing its user to hear from a distance. It can be used as a whip, but as such it is only a normal whip. After Jinnai is destroyed, Papillon claims this kakugane. Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Tom Gibis (English)

Tai

Tai (太) is a giant Chinese homunculus with little intelligence. Usually commanded by his comrade, Shi. He tries to steal Shusui and Ouka's Kakuganes by infiltrating Ginsei High, but is slain by Shusui. Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma

Shi

Shi (細) is also from China, and is the thinner, smarter of the two. He wears the People's Clothes worn by Chinese people, and disguised as a female student while infiltrating Ginsei High. He is killed by Ouka's Angel Gozen. Voiced by: Chihiro Suzuki

Shinyo Suzuki

Shinyo Suzuki (鈴木震洋 Suzuki Shin'yō) takes the position as the Student President after Ouka is hospitalized. During L.X.E.'s attack on Ginsei High, Suzuki uses his status to broadcast on the school public address system that both Kazuki and Tokiko (who are battling the giant homunculi) are also monsters, thereby attempting to isolate Kazuki and Tokiko. However, he is outsmarted by Rokumasu and his plans are thwarted. When Dr. Butterfly informs him that he is no longer needed and therefore dispensable (and also edible), he breaks down emotionally. According to Dr. Butterfly, he is not a homunculus but merely a familiar and therefore not worthy to possess a kakugane.

Victor

A hundred years before the start of the series, Victor Powered was the leader of the Alchemy Warriors. Originally, Victor used a regular Kakugane until he sacrificed himself to kill the leader of the homunculi of that era. In order to save him, his wife Alexandria transferred Black Kakugane I into his heart. However, Victor lost control of the power and killed everyone in the lab, as well as critically injuring Alexandria, much to his guilt. Forced to flee his home, pursued by Alchemy Warriors and the homunculus group led by his own homunculized daughter Victoria, who cried; after the sight of his daughter's sorrow, Victor managed to destroy a large portion of both forces before escaping to Japan. While there, he met Chōno Bakushaku (later to become Dr. Butterfly), and the two men then struck a bargain: in exchange for Victor's knowledge of Alchemy, Dr. Butterfly would heal Victor.

A hundred years later, during the series, the plan succeeds: Victor is healed and re-appears in L.X.E.'s Ginsei High School attack. During this attack, Victor kills Kazuki a second time by crushing Sunlight Heart with his own Buso Renkin, Fatal Attraction. This damage to Kazuki's Kakugane causes Black Kakugane III to awaken, saving Kazuki's life. Victor then decides to spare Kazuki, and after departing, he travels around the world absorbing energy from those he passes by, eventually retreating to the Pacific Ocean to avoid harming more people. He is later attacked by the Alchemist Warriors and changes to Stage 3 of the Victor transformation, which gives him more power and greater ability to absorb energy, and destroys Sakaguchi Showusei's Buster Baron (which was boosted by the Buso Renkin of the other "Victor Assassination" Squad members) with Fatal Attraction. Kazuki then confronts him and forces White Kakugane II into his body, but this only reverts him from stage 3 back to stage 2. As a last resort, Kazuki uses Sunlight Heart + to send both of them to the Moon. In "Buso Renkin Period," shaken by Kazuki's determination to protect Earth, Victor uses Fatal Attraction to send Kazuki back, but Kazuki drags Victor along, returning both of them to Earth. Victor reverts to his human form after being given another white Kakugane, and he then asks to be turned into a homunculus to lead all the homunculi to the Moon.

Victor is generally a cold person who hates Alchemy Warriors for hunting him down, as well as using his own daughter as a weapon. During the 100 year interval, to cover up the Black Kakugane incident, the Alchemy Warriors entered fake information in their own database, claiming that instead of losing control, Victor betrayed the warriors and turned himself into a homunculus, then headed for Japan to join the L.X.E.

For most of the series, Victor holds Black Kakugane I, which manifests as "The Buso Renkin of Great Axe", Fatal Attraction, a gigantic war-axe that is capable of manipulating gravity. It can manipulate the gravity direction on larger or smaller scales. It can used to increase the gravitional pull on an object or reverse it. The axe can also be separated into two to be used as double tomahawks. Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese), Yuri Lowenthal (English)

Ginsei Academy Students

Mahiro Muto

Mahiro Muto (武藤まひろ Mutō Mahiro) Kazuki's younger sister, who is supportive of him. Like Kazuki, she is very optimistic and has a nearly identical personality, causing Tokiko to refer to her as "a female Kazuki". Like her brother, she came to Ginsei Private School for the school uniform. At the start of the story, she is swallowed whole by Mita, but she is saved through the combined effort of both Kazuki and Tokiko. Afterwards, she dismisses the event as a dream. Eventually, she realizes it was real and that Kazuki is an alchemy warrior. Her nickname in school is "Mappy." During the time when Kazuki looks for a cure to the homunculus embryo in Tokiko, Mahiro dresses in a nurse outfit and wraps Tokiko in bandages so that she looked like Shishio Makoto from Rurouni Kenshin. She practically adores Tokiko as a "big sister", is delighted and accepts Tokiko at once when everyone believes that Tokiko is Kazuki's girlfriend (although she is confused when both Kazuki and Tokiko originally say that they are siblings) and seems to be looking forward eagerly to the day when Kazuki and Tokiko are married so that Tokiko will really be her "big sister". Voiced by: Aya Hirano (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English)

Hideyuki Okakura

Hideyuki Okakura (岡倉英之 Okakura Hideyuki)ura is one of Kazuki's friends, and the resident lecher. He gets jealous easily, and wants to be in love like Kazuki. In "Buso Renkin After," he asks out Hanaka Busujima after she transfers to Ginsei High. Okakura obsesses over his hair, which is the form of an enormous ducktail, calling it his "Regent Hairstyle Attack". Voiced by: Yuuto Kazama (Japanese), Liam O'Brien (English)

Masashi Daihama

Masashi Daihama (大浜真史 Daihama Masashi) is one of Kazuki's friends. Physically, Daihama is very large, making him noticeable in any crowd. He has a very mild-tempered personality, and apologizes when he is forced to be violent, even when he was controlled by homunculus Jinnai. Voiced by: Yoshinori Sonobe (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (English)

Koji Rokumasu

Koji Rokumasu (六舛孝二 Rokumasu Kōji) is one of Kazuki's friends. Rokumasu is a strange boy who is inexplicably skilled in many areas, leading to other characters wondering exactly who he is. Some of these skills include voice imitation, lip reading, and kendo techniques. Voiced by: Takayuki Kondou (Japanese), Darrel Guilbeau (English)

The Alchemist Army

Despite the fact, members coming from all over the world, the series only focuses on the division in Japan. Tokiko is the first of this group to appear, who was at the time investigating the incidents involving homunculi created by the "Papillon Mask." However, one mission leads to another concerning the L.X.E. and ultimately Victor. However, when news spread that Kazuki has become another Victor, a special squad is deployed to re-exterminate him; while another squad is sent to hunt down victor. After the Victor incident, all but the research division, who's mission is to reverse the humanoid homunculus process, is disbanded and all warriors are relinquished of their buso renkin (with an exception of a few) and reassigned.

Japan Division Leader

Shosei Sakaguchi

Shosei Sakaguchi (坂口照星 Sakaguchi Shōsei) is the leader of the Alchemy Warriors in Asia. Before he became the leader, he was the captain of 'Shōsei Team', which included Bravo, Hiwatari and Chitose. Shosei is the only person able to stop anything Hiwatari does. He has the peculiar quirk of beating up anyone who disagrees with him, and doing so while laughing.

His Buso Renkin is "The Buso Renkin of the Full Plate Armor", Kakugane XVII, Buster Baron, a gigantic knight-like robot 57 m high with a weight of 550 tonnes, that attacks primarily with its fists. It is visually based on Armor Baron, a character from Watsuki's earlier manga (Gun Blaze West). Its left and right shoulders, however, can be inserted with up to six alchemy warriors and their Kakuganes. The Kakuganes of the warriors inside are transferred to the Baron and become amplified to fit its size. It can also be summoned with just one of its body parts. One modification is its ability to be converted into a makeshift rocket. It is also equipped with two knuckle dusters. However, it proves to be no match against Victor even with six other Buso Renkins, the Baron was beaten by Victor in his normal size. Voiced by: Sho Hayami (Japanese), David Paulson (English)

Team Bravo

Captain Bravo

Mamoru Sakimori (防人衛 Sakimori Mamoru), better known as Captain Bravo in the series is Tokiko's commander, who dresses in an outfit that covers every inch of his body except for his eyes. Though Tokiko assumed this was to protect his identity, Bravo actually has no qualms with showing his real appearance when he acts as Kazuki's dorm supervisor. He claims that he does not use his real name because it is cooler that way. The truth is he abandoned the name after his first and last mission in the "Showusei Team", who only managed to save Tokiko. He acts as a father figure for Tokiko, after rescuing her as a child; then Kazuki, who trains him "without mercy" when Kazuki becomes a full Alchemist Warrior (both he and Kazuki claim to be "Masters of Special Training", Kazuki at receiving and Bravo at giving). He is the only character besides Kazuki who loves green vegetable juice. During the Muto Assassination arc, he tried to kill Kazuki but he later defends Kazuki when Kazuki defeats him. He was critically injured by Hiwatari when he gave up his silver skin to cover up Kazuki and Tokiko from getting killed by Hiwatari's Blaze of Glory. Bravo remained conscious and controlled Silver Skin to prevent both Hiwatari and Kazuki from harming each other till Showusei appeared and stopped both raging warriors. True to his name, the captain has a tendency to say "Bravo" when applauding someone. He claims that he has 13 different attacks regardless of identity, such as Comet-Bravo Kick (流星・ブラボー脚), and Charming-Bravo Kiss (悩殺・ブラボキッス).

His Buso Renkin is "The Buso Renkin of the Metal Jacket", Kakugane C, Silver Skin (シルバー・スキン Shirubā Sukin), which is his outfit. Upon impact from an attack, his outfit hardens into a regenerating metal; it is known as the strongest defense power in all known Buso Renkins and because of it, he uses hand to hand combat to compliment his fighting. In addition to all this, Bravo has immense physical strength. Later it is revealed that the Silver Skin has another ability, which is named Silver Skin Reverse (银皮反穿). This ability is used on the opponent to restrict his/her moves, rendering the victim defenseless against Bravo's powerful physical attacks. However, Reversed Wearing can be easily stopped if someone runs into it, as Bravo cannot control whom it can capture. Bravo also uses Kakugane LII, something left by his dead subordinate, in several occasions, such as the battles against Moon Face, and against Kazuki.Silver Skin will reverse its colors also. Silver Skin is also the only Buso Renkin invulnerable to a Victor energy drain. Silver Skin seems to also be able to be operated as a space suit, as shown by Tokiko in "Buso Renkin Period," she was able to use it to get to Kazuki in space. Voiced by: Masashi Ebara (Japanese), Patrick Seitz (English)

Gota Nakamura

Gota Nakamura (中村剛太 Nakamura Gōta) is a rookie among the Alchemic Warriors. He is jealous of the relationship Tokiko shares with Kazuki (a relationship he wishes for himself with Tokiko), and as a result finds himself disliking Kazuki. Yet despite all this, he cooperates with Kazuki and Tokiko as they try to uncover the conspiracy behind the Black Kakugane. Gota is a strategic planner and fights with variations of his Buso Renkin. As shown in his fight against Negoro, he was able to figure out Secret Trail's secret and use it against Negoro. In "Buso Renkin After," he returns to the regiment with most of the alchemist warriors.

His Buso Renkin is, "The Buso Renkin of Chakrams", Kakugane LV, Motor Gear, which takes the form of a pair of gear-shaped chakrams. This has a variety of applications ranging from close-to-long range weaponry to increased mobility for Gota himself. Motor Gear is regarded as one of the weakest Arms Alchemy currently in use; however, it more than makes up for this with its speed and size which makes it extremely hard to see, along with the wide variety of uses the Motor Gear can utilize in combat. Gota can use the Motor Gears in three different modes: Knuckle Duster, where Gota places them on his fists to increase damage; Marine Diver, where Gota places them on his heels to help him swim faster.; and Sky Walker, where Gouta puts them at the side of his heels to help him travel faster. Voiced by: Shinji Kawada (Japanese), Liam O'Brien (English)

Team Hiwatari (Muto Assassination Squad)

This team is deployed after Captain Bravo failed to re-exterminate Kazuki Muto. Bravo's former teammate leads this group.

Sekima Hiwatari

Sekima Hiwatari (火渡赤馬 Hiwatari Sekima) is Captain Bravo's former teammate and one of the Alchemy Commanders. He is the leader in charge of Muto-assassination team. He has a bad temper and threatens to kill people, almost never plans things out first, and is willing to use the same tactic the enemy uses to beat the enemy. During the Muto-Assassination arc he said, "Unreasonable things must be beaten with the same unreasonable tactics." After Maruyama, Negoro, and Bravo were beaten, Hiwatari appears in front of Kazuki and co. to kill them. While Bravo tried to stop him, he released a flame storm that engulfed the entire construction yard thus leaving only the two silver skins intact. He went in shock after seeing Bravo sacrificing himself to cover his Silver Skin around Kazuki and Tokiko, and is angered by how Kazuki wants revenge. The two of them engaged in a fierce battle, only to have each of their attacks shielded from the other person by Silver Skin fragments. They were then stopped by Sakaguchi Shousei, the Asia leader of the Alchemy Warriors. Hiwatari is also known as the Alchemy Warrior with the strongest offense with his Buso Renkin Blaze of Glory. Every time he laughs maniacally, it's indication that he hides the fact he's sad and mourning as pointed out in his flashback as well as by Shosei. He is one of few people that call Captain Bravo by his real name and shows great respect for him despite how different their ideals are.

His Buso Renkin of "The 10,000 Degree Napalm Flame" is Kakugane XX, Blaze of Glory, which appears to be a napalm bomb with hexagons all over the bomb itself. This gives Hiwatari the ability to become one with flames, as such, the napalm bomb usually does not appear. The further the flames burn, the more powerful he is. As such, physical attacks will not work on him, as shown in his battle with Gōta. He was unaffected even when Motor Gear slit through his throat; instead of dying, he released flames from his wound to attack Gōta. Blaze of Glory is able to release a flame storm with a temperature as high as 5100˚C and a radius of 250 m. However, the flames still require oxygen in order to burn, and in the manga, it was revealed that in the thin atmosphere of the upper-stratosphere or in the vacuum of space, his flames will go out. The manga also reveals that, as Hiwatari merges with his Buso Renkin's fire, if the flames go out, Hiwatari will die instantly. Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese), Kyle Hebert (English)

Genji Ikusabe

Genji Ikusabe (戦部厳至 Ikusabe Genji) has an extreme thirst to fight Homunculi, and is the record-keeper of 'Most Homunculi killed' (332), even more than the number of homunculi killed by Hiwatari and Bravo combined. Ikusabe's powers come from his Buso Renkin, the Jumonji spear Gekisen's recovery ability, his special ability and habit to eat remains of Homunculi he's killed to increase his power and stamina, and the times he can use the recovery ability. Unlike Negoro, Ikusabe cares more about the process of battling than claiming victory, and quit the mission to kill Kazuki when he was defeated by Papillon. In the anime, it is not shown that he eats homunculi, nor does he send Papillon to Kazuki and Gōta. Instead, he falls to the ground after Papillon defeats him.

His Buso Renkin is Kakugane XII, Gekisen (激戦, lit."Intense War"), a Jumonji spear (cross-like spear) that can heal any wound of its holder. The spear is even capable of reviving Ikusabe even if Ikusabe's body is blown to pieces. However, Gekisen's flaw is that since it recovers automatically and at a high speed, if something gets caught into where one of Ikusabe's body parts should be, the recovery will fail. If Ikusabe is separated from his spear, then the weapon cannot heal him.Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Japanese), Doug Erholtz (English)

Shinobu Negoro

Shinobu Negoro (根来忍 Negoro Shinobu) is No.5 of the Muto-assassination team, he is an extremely cold character. Almost always hidden inside his own 'space' created by his Buso Renkin, the Secret Trail. His clothes and his hair are sewn into it as well. The opposite of Ikusabe, he cares about claiming victory more than the process of beating his enemies. He was later defeated by Gōta when he hid in his own space after being ambushed by Gōta's Motor Gear, only to have the two chakrams hit him again as both chakrams had Negoro's own blood. He is able to become completely unnoticed in a crowd of people.

His Buso Renkin is "The Buso Renkin of the Ninja Sword", Kakugane XIV, Secret Trail, a ninjato that can cut open paths to another space that only Negoro, who has the DNA that Secret Trail will recognize, can enter. The sword itself can also be thrown freely the world of Buso Renkin and the special space. Voiced by: Kenji Hamada (Japanese), Dave Wittenberg (English)

Team Chitose

Chitose Tateyama

Chitose Tateyama (楯山千歳 Tateyama Chitose) is the leader of the Muto-Assassination team. Like Bravo and Hiwatari, Chitose was part of the Shousei Team. She is depicted as a serious woman who specializes in scouting and chores, and who appears to like to cosplay, though she denies this. She initially has a long braid and frequently cries, but is depicted as maturing after the Shousei Team goes missing. She is an expert in paring apples. In the anime, she leads the team that searches for Victor, composed of Inukai, Busujima, Maruyama, and Shusui, but they are defeated and only escape when Chitose uses her Buso Renkin, Hermes Drive, to teleport everyone out. She attends Captain Bravo when he is in the hospital while recovering from his battle with Kazuki.

Chitose uses Kakugane XCV, manifesting as "The Buso Renkin of Radar", Hermes Drive, a hexagonal radar that can detect enemies and allies. It can also be used to teleport objects up to 100 kg. The Hermes Drive itself can also be used as a mini-shield and as a hitting weapon. Voiced by: Yu Kobayashi (Japanese), Deborah Sale Butler (English)

According to Watsuki, she was originally supposed to have a dagger-like Buso Renkin which gave her the ability to change her age, but as the series was ending, he had to give her a different one.

Hanaka Busujima

Hanaka Busujima (毒島華花 Busujima Hanaka) is a mysterious person who is always shown masked until "Buso Renkin After." Busujima cares deeply about Hiwatari and worries about him. In "Buso Renkin After," she is revealed as an extremely shy girl, who wore her Buso Renkin mask because of her shyness. Without her mask, she is blond wearing a blue headband. She can guess the oxygen density accurately, which she tells to help Hiwatari. In the anime, she is part of the Victor Search Team sent to find and kill Victor, but they are easily defeated. They only escaped when Busujima releases a cloud of smoke, giving time for Chitose to teleport the others out.

She uses Kakugane XXXIX, which manifests as "The Buso Renkin of Gas Mask", Aerial Operator, a gas mask capable of mixing all gas type elements into poisonous or explosive mixtures. She most notably expels oxygen to amplify Hiwatari's Blaze of Glory. It is also capable of flying, viewing distant objects, night vision, magnification, and filtering. Voiced by: Sayuri Yahagi (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)

Madoka Maruyama

Madoka Maruyama (丸山円 Maruyama Madoka) is No.4 of the Muto-assassination team. Maruyama is a bishōnen that is usually under the disguise of a fat, chubby ball, until Tokiko cut open the disguise with her Valkyrie Skirt. He was able to shrink Tokiko to 34 cm in their first battle, then seemingly shrink her to nothing in their second battle, only to find Tokiko still has 4 cm remaining and went into his stomach. He was defeated as his guts were ripped out by Valkyrie Skirt. His special ability is that he can draw a circle without using a compass. In the anime, he, Inukai, Chitose, Busujima and Shusui were sent to fight Victor, but lost against Victor's Buso Renkin, Fatal Attraction, and was forced to retreat. He doesn't use his fat man disguise in the anime either. He is a homosexual, as he is listed as liking feminine activities like day spas and make-up, and also dislikes women. Also, in the anime, he blows a kiss to Shusui.

His Buso Renkin is "The Buso Renkin of Floating Mine", Kakugane XXXII, Bubble Cage, a large number of wind-navigated fire balloons that will shrink the person it hits by 15 cm per hit; a person will vanish if he/she gets hit by too many bubble cages. By detonating one Bubble Cage, he can create wind force that'll drive other Bubble Cages towards the enemy. Although these balloons make laughing sounds when moving, they have no intelligence. In the anime, Bubble Cage does not shrink the target, but when it explodes, it splits into more Bubble Cages. Voiced by: Junko Minagawa (Japanese), Sam Regal (English)

Rintarou Inukai

Rintarou Inukai (犬飼倫太郎 Inukai Rintarō) is No.6 of the Muto-assassination team. Known to have a strong sense of pride, and rather die then getting defeated and left alive. Inukai uses the Buso Renkin "Killer Rabies," two mechanical dogs that are commanded by a dog flute. He claims that anyone not holding the flute will get killed when his dogs are in berserk mode. However, at one point, Gōta used this to his advantage and took Inukai's flute, resulting in Inukai nearly getting killed by his own dogs. He can also imitate a dog's bark. In the anime, he, Maruyama, Busujima, Chitose and Shusui were dispatched to take out Victor, but they were forced to retreat.

His Buso Renkin is "The Buso Renkin of Military Dog", Kakugane XCII, Killer Rabies, a pair of mechanical dogs commanded by a dog flute held by Inukai; these dogs have twice the smelling power and ten times the strength and stamina of normal dogs. When in berserk mode, the dogs will kill anyone not holding the flute. Cutting both dogs in half during this mode will not affect them, since with lighter weight they move even faster. The only way to defeat the Buso Renkin is to cut the heads off. In the anime, the dogs were sent to fight Victor, but they proved to have little effect on the giant warrior; one dog was crushed in the neck with Victor's bare hands, and the other was crushed by the gravity force Victor generated with his Buso Renkin, Fatal Attraction. According to the manga data page, Killer Rabies were supposed to be purple-red and purple-blue; however, in the anime, they are portrayed as white dogs with purple tails. Voiced by: Makoto Yasumura

Hayasaka Twins

The Hayasaka twins attend the same academy as Kazuki Muto. When they were children, the two constantly played the "marriage" game with their mother. They were always told never to leave the room they were in and to never go outside. One day, their mother died overnight. The Hayasaka twins were unaware that she was dead and only came to a realization of this when her body began to rot. Upon seeing this they tried to leave the house for help but found that the door was chained and bolted shut. Trapped in the apartment, the twins nearly starved to death but were rescued by police who had come to arrest the mother. It was later revealed that the woman was not really their mother but an unbalanced woman with whom their father had had an affair and who had kidnapped the twins when the father had ended the affair. While in the hospital, they overheard their real parents arguing and claiming that the children were no longer theirs. Not wanting to be separated, the twins ran away from the hospital to live together on the streets. Eventually they were found by Dr. Butterfly and Moon-Face and recruited into the L.X.E. where they decided to work for the homunculi there so that one day they too could become homunculi and live together forever. Their lives changed when they met and later fought against Kazuki Muto and Tokiko Tsumura. They eventually parted ways, Shusui opting to train with his old kendo teacher; Ouka says they were relying on each other as emotional support, and have to stand alone.

Watsuki stated that a part of the Yukishiro siblings, Tomoe and Enishi, from Rurouni Kenshin were used in their design and personality.^{[citation needed]}

Shusui Hayasaka

Shusui Hayasaka (早坂秋水 Hayasaka Shusui) is Ouka's younger twin brother. Like his sister, he is depicted as very smart, but unlike his sister, is quick to anger. Shusui is Ginsei High's best student at kendo, his speciality being the notoriously difficult reverse do. He is also vice president of the student council under Ouka, and Kazuki claims he's number one in terms of genital size. His eyes are shown as fierce and maniacal at times, as noted by Dr. Butterfly and himself. After Shusui is defeated by Kazuki, he surrenders his kakugane to Captain Bravo and returns to his old kendo teacher to try and overcome his demons, and then later becomes an Alchemy Warrior. In the anime, Shusui is recruited by Chitose into the team dispatched to take out Victor. He is later seen in "Buso Renkin Period" defeating the cloned Mita in battle. In "Buso Renkin After", Kazuki wishes him luck at kendo camp.

He uses Kakugane XXIII which manifests as the Buso Renkin, "The Buso Renkin of Japanese Blade", Sword Samurai X (ソード・サムライ・X Sōdo Samurai X), a sword with a small charm attached at the end of the grip. The sword absorbs energy into the charm, and the user can make this energy discharge from the charm. This energy can only be used as a short-range attack and cannot stop kinetic energy from physical attacks; as such, its strength depends on the user's skill at kendo, making this a deadly weapon in Shusui's hands. "Samurai X" refers to the English name of Rurouni Kenshin as translated by ADV, which the author stated he likes. Watsuki revealed he created the ability to neutralise energy because he was tired of swords firing energy beams in fighting games. He is voiced by Kishô Taniyama in Japanese and by Dick Smallberries, Jr. in English.

Ouka Hayasaka

Ouka Hayasaka (早坂桜花 Hayasaka Ōka) is the older twin sister of Shusui, and student president of Ginsei High. Ouka specializes in hacking and computer engineering as well as having a sharp mind. She and Shusui originally work for L.X.E. Kazuki's kindness and self-sacrifice (especially when he faces Tokiko to save the twins when Tokiko wanted to kill them) has touched her deeply, and she believes that if Kazuki had heard them crying and trying to get out of the locked apartment long ago he would have saved them; after the L.X.E. is defeated, Ouka works for Papillon to keep Kazuki from being killed. According to her character profile, she especially likes espresso.

Ouka uses Kakugane XXII, which manifests as "The Buso Renkin of Archery", Angel Gozen (エィンジェル・御前 Einjieru Gozen), a set consisting of a bow, an autonomous robot named Gozen, and a glove. It attacks using a stream of arrows aimed by the robot, It has the ability where a special arrow is shot at a person and the user can absorb that person's injury. This was shown when she used it to save first Shusui's then Kazuki's life. This is good for long-distance attacks, but ineffective when fighting close-quarters. The robot is unable to speak until Bravo turned on the sound mechanism. Ouka is later given Dr. Butterfly's Kakugane LXX by Papillon, and while she uses it, Gozen's wings turn into butterfly wings. Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese), Cindy Robinson (English)

Gozen (御前) is the automatic doll and is Ouka's "other" personality. Gozen acts as the main messenger between Papillon and Ouka, as Gozen's heart-shaped head ornament can receive and send messages and be used as a camera. His Angel Eyes can also see through illusions, such as illusions created by Dr. Butterfly's buso renkin. Gozen is very hyperactive and loud (unlike Ouka), has a tendency to shed pieces whenever Papillon does something strange, and is usually sarcastic around Tokiko, who usually threatens to kill him afterwards, or anyone who threatens Kazuki. He also suffers from urinary incontinence when he is frightened, as demonstrated when Tokiko threatens to tear him apart for his sarcasm. Because Ouka has become fond of Kazuki, Gozen also cares deeply about Kazuki. Voiced by: Wasabi Mizuta (Japanese), David Lodge (English)

The Powered Family

Alexandria Powered

Alexandria is Victor's wife. Her body was paralyzed after Victor went lost control, a century before the start of the series, and she moved her own brain into a container in the Newton's Apple All Girls Academy. She lives inside her daughter Victoria's Buso Renkin, Underground Searchlight, where she continually clones her own brain to increase her mental abilities and to complete Kakugane II. However, after a century in this state, her cells begin to die, and she fades away before the confrontation between Victor and Kazuki. Even 100 years after what Victor did to her, she still loves him and relays her daughter one final message before disappearing. While still in her human form, she specialized in making meat pies.

Alexandria uses Kakugane L, manifesting as the Buso Renkin Rurio Head, which is her only means of communication to the outside world, and is usually worn by Victoria. It is capable of controlling its wearer and searching the wearer's memories, and can attack with its cape knives. At various times during the series, it controls Victoria, Chitose, and Gōta. Voiced by: Masako Katsuki

Victoria Powered

Victoria is Victor and Alexandria's daughter. After her father lost control, a century before the start of the series, she was forced to become a homunculus and lead a squadron of homunculi to kill Victor showing her father her tears of what has happened to her. As a result, she came to hate alchemy, just like her father, and is depicted as having a sharp tongue and cynical attitude. She is also perceptive of others, and points out to Papillon the nature of his rejection in eating human flesh. Victoria disguises herself as a student of the Newton's Apple All-Girl Academy, protecting the chamber that houses the multiple clones of her mother's brain. She likes to eat "Mama's special", a piece of food which is always hidden under pixelization, but which is in fact a piece of the dead brains of her mother. After hundreds of years, she is finally reunited with her father who asked her about her mother. In "Buso Renkin Period," she is shown following her father to the Moon.

She uses Kakugane LI, manifesting as the Buso Renkin Underground Searchlight, which allows Victoria to generate a hidden cave that can only be entered when Victoria opens it. In its normal state it uses electricity and water from the Academy, but in an emergency it can provide a month's worth of water and electricity. Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese), Gina Bowes (English)

Other characters

Soya Muto

Soya Muto (武藤ソウヤ Mutō Sōya) is Kazuki and Tokiko's son, who as a teenager travels back in time to stop a plot by Moon Face. His Buso Renkin is Kakugane LXXIV, Lightning Pale Rider, a trident very similar to Kazuki's Sunlight Heart. He appears in the PlayStation 2 video game, Buso Renkin: Welcome to Papillon Park (武装錬金～ようこそ パピヨンパークへ Busō Renkin: Yōkoso Papiyon Pāku e).Voiced by: Hiroaki Miura

Reception

In the Buso Renkin Weekly Shōnen Jump popularity poll, Tokiko ranked first, Kazuki ranked second, Papillon ranked third, Captain Bravo ranked fourth, Shusui Hayasaka ranked fifth, Mashiro ranked sixth, Gouta ranked seventh, and Ouka Hayasaka ranked eighth.

External links

• Character List at official Japanese Buso Renkin site.