Haruhime
As the bearer of the title of Ichi-no-Kami, she is the leader of the Eight Swords who hold authority in Kanto.
A charming and elegant princess, she possesses a curiosity rare in her kingdom—and naturally, being a rare curious soul amidst such a rough folk, she finds herself fighting a lot of uphill battles. She is loved by her people as a fair and just ruler; although trusted with power, she has never sought it.
Haruhime is internally a somewhat more timid and lonely individual than she lets on to the rest of the world, and doesn’t always have the patience for less interesting tasks. As she’s constantly getting hungry, she keeps snacks stashed up her sleeves for consumption whenever she needs them.
“If you ask me to choose between talking and eating, I’m always going to choose eating.”
Akane
One half of the Ni-no-Kami of the Eight Swords, also known as Fuujin of the Gales. Despite being the youngest of the Swords, she and her twin sister Aoi are together the strongest fighting force in Kanto.
Correspondingly confident and headstrong, Akane prefers to let her excellent instincts run on autopilot rather than thinking her way through her problems. She nonetheless possesses a good and earnest heart, and tends to look after everyone in her orbit.
Everybody’s cute older sister. Her favorite food is tofu hamburger.
“Get ready to collapse when you see how strong we really are!”
Aoi
One half of the Ni-no-Kami of the Eight Swords, also known as Raijin of the Thunder.
Despite being the youngest of the Swords, she and her twin sister Akane are together the strongest fighting force in Kanto. Even wilder than her sister Akane, Aoi is a berserker who finds the most satisfaction in battle.
She does pick up some of the thinking that Akane prefers to skip, but loves her older sister so dearly that she leaves the decisions to her. Luckily, Aoi also enjoys the chaos that inevitably ensues. She’s such an adorable agent of violence.
“If sis says you’re her enemy... Then you’re my enemy too.”
Yuri
Just an ordinary person. She’s no one in particular. Assigned to guard and look after Shin, her only power is exceptional physical strength, which doesn’t go very far in battle.
Her primary purpose as far as Kanto is concerned is to serve Shin as a representative sample of the culture. Her honesty and inflexibility also tend to make her the butt of jokes.
At first, she can barely stand Shin, but in time she becomes his greatest confidant.
“I want to see where you are going. The places you will reach.”
Natsuhime
Haruhime’s elder sister and the hero of Kanto, now believed to be deceased.
She had the power to command the world itself with her words, creating matter from nothing as the ultimate user of the power known as Kotodama. One hundred days before Shin awoke, she struck down one of the Kurokami that served as the lynchpins of humanity’s oppression, freeing her people—and being struck down herself in the process. She has not been seen or heard from since.
The near-godlike abilities that she wielded made her into something else, inhuman, without the urges or emotions that drive her lesser brethren.
“Let’s eat ricey balls. I agree with the coming together of rice into a neat shape.”
Tsubame
Roku-no-Kami, the sixth of the Eight Swords. She has the power to manipulate blood, and the rare medical applications of this ability make her a precious asset to Kanto—too precious to risk on the front lines of battle, and therefore relegated to the life of a scholar.
Nonetheless, her duties in dealing with injured individuals have given her a quiet strength to underly her otherwise laid-back and languid personality.
She hides a surprising secret beneath her clothes.
“You can lick it, if you like, or suck on it! ♪”
Some
The finest tailor in all of Kanto. She makes the clothes worn by the Eight Swords themselves. Her pursuit of change and new designs makes her an eccentric by the standards of Kanto, where individuality is repressed and technological advancement is slow at best.
She gets along well with Shin due to his ancient knowledge and sense of taste, and as a mature woman, she gives him good advice.
She’s pregnant, so be nice to her.
“What’s number one in my life? My son and my clothes. Both.”
Shiki
A professor who lives in a research facility underneath the palace.
She studies any ancient artifacts that are excavated while striving to replicate the technology that created them. Her lack of powers has left her isolated, but Haruhime protects her.
Though her passionate scientist’s soul often lapses into hyperfocus, she’s usually more rational than she lets on.
“You’ll need to become strong enough to strike fear into my heart. That’s when I’ll know you’re a real Sword.”
MG point:24
