Karakter & Staf

Youko Nakajima

Utama

Female

Youko was a 16-year-old living a fairly ordinary life as an honor student in Japan, whose primary worry is her naturally red hair. One day at school, a man named Keiki suddenly appeared and bowed at her feet, swearing loyalty to her. The school was then attacked by a giant bird, and she reluctantly accepted his protection. He gave her a sword and transports her and two of her classmates to the kingdom of Kou. (Source: Wikipedia)

Aya Hisakawa

Keiki

Utama

Keiki is a kirin and the Saiho of Kei. He contacted Youko in Japan and brought her to the Twelve Kingdoms, though they were separated. Soon afterwards, he fell under a spell from Kou's Saiho, and was forced to appear in front of a pretender to the throne of Kei. Like all Kirin, Keiki abhors violence and prefers peaceful resolutions. Keiki appears as a very quiet and unemotional type, however does have caring qualities, especially seen towards the kirin Taiki. (Source: Wikipedia)

Takehito Koyasu

Shouryuu

Pendukung

Male

Shouryuu is the king of En. Like Youko, Shoryu is a taika from feudal Japan, approximately 500 years ago. He was originally the leader of a clan, and after it was wiped out, he was taken by Enki to rule the kingdom of En. Though En was originally in terrible condition, his 500-year rule has led to an extremely calm and prosperous nation. Shoryu helped Youko by providing her with an army to retake the kingdom of Kei and rescue Keiki. As a fellow taika, Shoryu feels that he should help guide Youko in her new life.

Masaki Aizawa

Enki

Pendukung

Male

As a taika from Japan, the kirin of En (or Enki) is also known as Rokuta. He was found by his nyokai after his parents abandoned him at a young age. He originally felt that humans could not rule a kingdom properly and was reluctant to choose a new king, but he felt that Shoryu truly deserved to become king of En. He assisted Youko in her journey to Kei and played a part in helping the Saiho of Tai. (Source: Wikipedia)

Kappei Yamaguchi

Aozaru

Pendukung

The blue monkey that dwells inside Kei's sword. Actually he is a part of Youko's conscience who is constantly teasing her. Aozaru (青猿, Aozaru?) is the physical manifestation of the sentient spirit of the scabbard of the Suigūtō (the Water Monkey Sword). The sword is a royal treasure to the kingdom of Kei and can only be wielded by the kingdom's rightful ruler - as such, Youko is the only one who can draw the sword from its sheath. The sword was forged from a water demon that a previous great ruler of Kei had defeated while the scabbard was created from a long-tailed monkey demon. From the scabbard hangs a large jewel that can heal the one who holds it. The sword is not only capable of killing demons and sages and breaking substances like metal chains, but is also capable of presenting visions of the past, future, and things in the distance. The sword and scabbard must be kept together, otherwise the phantasms of the sword appear unchecked while the spirit of the scabbard is free to act as it wishes. When Youko loses the scabbard, it appears in the form of Aozaru, the blue monkey, and taunts her with her doubts while the sword presents her with visions of things she does not wish to see. Eventually, Youko, overcoming her own doubts, kills the monkey and picks up the dead scabbard. Because she has killed Aozaru, the sword can be drawn from the sheath by anyone, though it can be wielded effectively only by Youko. Source: Wikipedia

Kousuke Okano

Taiki

Pendukung

Male

The black Kirin of Tai, Taiki was blown to Wa in a Shoku before he hatched. 10 years later, he was found and returned to live in peace, where he found his king and returned to Tai to live. Shortly after, he disappeared without a trace.

Rie Kugimiya

Rakushun

Pendukung

Male

Rakushun is a hanjyuu with the form of a rat. Though Youko is initially distrustful of him, he becomes her first good friend after she is taken from Japan, after managing to teach some essential skills to Yoko about life. He is very intelligent and knowledgeable and enrolled in the Daigaku of En. Youko wishes him to teach her about the politics and customs of the world.

Kenichi Suzumura

Shoukei

Pendukung

Thirteen for thirty years while her father was King of Hou, her name was Sonshou but she was called Shoukei. She lived like a spoiled brat in the palace because her father would never let her out into the kingdom. When her father was overthrown by Gekkei, her mother and Hourin (kirin) were killed before her eyes. She was then removed from the registry of immortals and forced to live out her life in a rike in Gekkei's Kei province. Three years later, she looked nothing like the over-dressed princess and felt even more bitter. She blamed everyone else for her misfortune and never once tried to understand anyone else's perspective. She considered Gekkei a usurper who wanted nothing but the throne and was unjust in his taking it. She couldn't understand why anyone would praise him for his actions, especially since she believed he was living lavishly in a palace while she was forced to suffer. When her identity was revealed to those living in the rike, they attempted to kill her. Only the old matron had enough self-restraint to run to Gekkei's palace and have someone sent to remove Shoukei in order to save her life. Gekkei then exiled Shoukei to the kingdom of Kyou where she was allowed to stay in the royal palace on the condition that she work as a servant. She would not be made into a Sen-nin, though, because the queen thought she had too much pride. Shoukei agreed to stay but she hated it. Working as a servant meant she had to bow. So she stole treasures and escaped to Ryuu. She heard there that a person could get land and citizenship without a pass if they came from Tai. Thinking this would be a great way for her to get close to Youko, she decided she'd go to Tai and then to Kei. Before this plan could come to fruition, she was arrested and spent a night in jail with Rakushun. He slowly came to gain her trust and show how spoiled and self-indulgent she had been throughout her life. By the time Shoukei reached Kei, she was a better person. She wanted to get to Youko not to hurt her, but to tell her what would happen if she lost her way. She unknowingly met Youko in the Wa Province when she threw a rock at a soldier during a public execution. From there she met up with the rebel group who want to overthrow Gahou, the evil lord of the province. While on assignment to pick up touki weapons, she stayed with Suzu. The two of them share information about the rebellions. Shoukei assured Suzu that Youko was a good person and would have done all she could to help Seishuu. Now completely reformed, Shoukei had learned to empathize with other people. She was appointed courtier by Youko. She sent a letter to Gekkei apologizing for her behavior and hoping that he would take the throne until the new ruler was chosen. [From Phenomenal: A Twelve Kingodms Fansite].

Gyokuyou

Pendukung

Tomoko Kaneda

Yuka Sugimoto

Pendukung

Female

In the novels she is only mentioned in passing and doesn't go to the Twelve Kingdoms but remains in Hourai (Japan). In the anime Yuka is one of Youko’s classmates in Japan and gets transported to Kou along with Youko and Asano. She enjoys fantasy books and is thrilled to be part of the adventure, believing that she is destined for greatness. Destined to be a rival, she becomes extremely jealous of Youko when she finds out that Youko is the "chosen one" and believes herself to be just as worthy. The king of Kou takes advantage of this to convince her to fight against Youko. She later realizes her mistake after making up with Youko, and Youko sends her back to Japan. [from Wikipedia].

Aya Ishizu

Gyousou Saku

Pendukung

Male

Introducing himself as "General Saku from Kouki Province," his real name is Sou but people call him Gyousou. The first time a glimspe of him was offered was when Taiki and Sanshi were sitting on the mountain watching the candidates travel up the trail. When he came to offer incense, he scared Taiki and caused him to call the ceremony to a halt. The next time they meet, Gyousou was punching the absolute shit out of Goson for causing a disturbance on Mt. Hou. Despite his manners and his attempt to calm Taiki, Gyousou always came across as violent, as a warrior should. Risai said it was his aura of ambition that frightened Taiki and that she would fear Gyousou if she were his enemy. In Risai and everyone else's opinion, Gyousou's hardness was exactly what a kingdom needed. When Taiki was finally calmer around Gyousou, he and Risai went on a hunt for youma. They rested for a night and it was then that Gyousou asked why Taiki was afraid of him. He always wanted to know in which ways he was lacking, because he obviously felt, as others did, that he was more than qualified to be the king. He asked if Taiki's fear was due to the fact that he smelled badly of blood. Taiki told him that he was like fire: though he's drawn to it, he knows it's dangerous. Gyousou was satisfied with this explanation and assured Taiki that he would find a good leader someday. Gyousou's main character flaw was his pride. He was willing to resign as a Sen-nin and general because he was not chosen as king. It would be good medicine, he said. He was leaving Mt. Hou with a group of travelers who wanted to hunt youma on the way down and required an escort. The fact was this hasty exit was akin to tucking his tail between his legs and running in shame. But that ego, along with his callousness, were the perfect foil for Taiki's gentle innocence. It made the pair all the more startling. When Taiki finally chosen Gyousou as king, he seemed to come down a notch in arrogance. He renamed Taiki to Kouri, which was a peak high on a mountain where the dead are believed to walk. (Renaming a kirin is a mark of affection.) He called Keiki to Tai because he was worried about Taiki's depression. He also helped arrange to prove that Taiki was not wrong and assauge the young kirin's conscience. He balanced power and compassion quite nicely. So while no one knows what happened to him, it's apparent that he would have made a good king. [From "Phenomenal: A Twelve Kingdoms Fansite"].

Suzu Ooki

Pendukung

Suzu's life seemed to begin with hardship. Her family had to send her away for money, she was caught in a shoku on her way to her new residence, and then found floating in the ocean of the Twelve Kingdoms. When she awoke and couldn't understand the language, she knew she wasn't home. A Shusei troupe was given custody of her and she traveled with them, still unable to communicate and doubly unable to perform. Her tasks were medial: washing clothes, animals, cleaning. One day she was pushed the stage to buy time while the troupe tried to prepare a show for Riyou, a Sen-nin in the kingdom of Sai. The only song Suzu was able to perform was one her father used to sing. But as soon as she started, Riyou interrupted her and started to leave. Because Suzu was able to understand her, she begged to be taken in as her servant. Riyou accepted and renamed her Honma, which means 'pathetic woman.' As soon as she was registered as a Sen-nin and this became clear to her, Suzu's life went downhill. She served Riyou for a hundred miserable years because she was afraid leaving would remove her from the contract of immortals. When Taiki returned to Mt. Hou, Suzu went to speak with him about Japan. Unfortunately, Sanshi attacked her and she was exiled from Mt. Hou. This embarrassed Riyou and made Suzu's life even harder. But she didn't stop her attempts for freedom there. When she heard the new queen of Kei was a taika, she wanted to meet Youko so badly she even had scary dreams about her. After breaking a valuable vase and being told her only way to make up for it was to gather a rare herb from the mountains, Suzu escaped to the royal palace and was taken in by the queen. The queen thought Suzu was much too spoiled and needed to mature, so she gave her a travelling pass, money and sent her on her way. Suzu headed for Kei. Along the way she met Asano, who was with the same Shusei troupe that Youko had traveled with, the leader of which Suzu had known as a child. Suzu asked Asano to come with her to meet Youko and, after some crazy visions by Asano, he joined her. Onboard the boat, Suzu met a sickly waif named Seishuu. She constantly told him that he couldn't understand the suffering of kaikyaku but he said he could because his life had been nothing but misfortune. Suzu cared for him and wanted to take him to Youko's palace so that he could be healed. Unfortunately, he was killed, but not before he helped Suzu to realize that other people in the world suffer just as much as she did. Angered by his death and hating herself for it, Suzu joined Koshou and Sekki's rebellion. Before that, she purchased a touki weapon and managed to gain access to the royal palace, thanks to her travelling pass. But Youko wasn't there, so she left and went to Shoukou's manner. After killing Shoukou, she was going to kill Youko. (Irony: she'd met Youko at this point but didn't know it.) But Shoukei convinced her that it would be wrong of her and that Youko would never have ordered the boy to be killed. Renewed and in love with Youko once again, Suzu fought in the rebellion and was invited to the royal palace with Shoukei after its end. [From Phenomenal: A Twelve Kongdoms Fansite.]

Sanshi Haku

Pendukung

Sanshi is the Nyokai of the black Kirin Taiki. During the many years following the disappearance of Taiki's ranka she searched for him relentlessly while everyone gave up, and finally was able to help retrieve him from the human world. She hasn't left his side since, following him even when he returned there. After Taiki's horn was cut, her source of food (the chi of a kirin) was cut as well and she started to go insane, gradually killing those around Taiki as she viewed them as "threats".

Masako Katsuki

Shoukou

Pendukung

Male

Tooru Ookawa

Ribi

Pendukung

Female

Masako Katsuki

Kouya

Pendukung

Kouya is a young boy who was abandoned by his impoverished mother when he was young, Kouya was raised by a youma he called Ǒkii-no (big one), who called Kouya Chiisai-no (little one). He met Rokuta when they are young and Enki revealed his wish to travel to Hourai, believing that it is a peaceful land and hoping to find his mother. Rokuta named his new friend Kouya, meaning midnight as they had met at midnight. Not wishing to forget his new name, particularly since he had forgotten the name his mother had given him, Kouya asked that Ǒkii-no call him Kouya and began to call Ǒkii-no Rokuta in order to remember his new friend. Kouya eventually encountered Atsuyu, the governor of En's Baku Province, and was greeted with apparent kindness. In exchange for Kouya's loyalty, Atsuyu provided Kouya with a place to live and a formal education. As a result, Kouya becomes involved with Atsuyu's attempt to overthrow Shouryuu, the King of En, one hundred years into the king's reign. When Atsuyu is defeated, Kouya leaves En and becomes known as Kenroushin-kun (犬狼真君 ,Kenrōshin-kun), a heavenly sage tasked with guarding and protecting the people who travel the Yellow Sea. Since then, he has waited for Shoryu fulfill his promise to create a place where Kouya and Ǒkii-no can live in peace. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Akira Ishida

Ikuya Asano

Pendukung

Ikuya Asano is another one of Youko’s classmates who is transported to the kingdom of Kou.

Yuuji Ueda

Kou-Ou

Pendukung

The King of Kou, known also as Chou, has ruled his country for fifty years and has tried his best to improve the state of Kou. However, he comes to feel that he will never be able to bring Kou the prosperity seen by the neighbouring kingdoms of Sou and En, whose rulers have ruled for six hundred and five hundred years respectively. When Joukaku, the ruler of Kei, dies after a reign of six years, the King of Kou comes to fear Youko's ascension to the throne of Kei, believing that as a taika like the King of En, she will be able to bring the ruined country the same prosperity as En and Kou will continue to fall behind. As such, the King of Kou secretly supports the false queen Joyei, the younger sister of Joukaku who seized the throne without being chosen by Keiki, and makes various efforts to capture and kill Youko

Takaya Hashi

Youka

Pendukung

The youngest of the nyosen on Mt. Hou. When Taiki first came to Mt. Hou, he took a liking to Youka and she became his friend and primary caretaker, after Sanshi.

Yukana

Risai

Pendukung

Risai is the general of Tai's Jou Province and well-known, though she is not as renowned as Gyousou. When Taiki's return to the Twelve Kingdoms is announced, she is among the many who ascend Mount Hou in hopes of being chosen as the new king. She is a sennin as a result of becoming a general of Jou since the governor of Jou, who has a lived a long life, requires those who serve him to also possess longevity as well to retain their usefulness. Taiki develops a friendly relationship with her, but in the end does not recognize her as Tai's new king. After Gyousou ascends the throne of Tai, she remains a loyal subject. When Taiki and Gyousou both mysteriously vanish during another civil war, she and military commanders and civil servants oppose the governor who places himself in charge of the kingdom. While many are arrested, Risai is among the few who successfully escape arrest and continues to search for Gyousou and Taiki. She eventually flees to Han and then finds refuge in Kei, where she beseeches Youko to somehow find either Taiki or Gyousou in order save Tai from a corrupt and totalitarian rule by a usurper whose rule violates the Mandate of Heaven

Naomi Shindou

Riyou

Pendukung

She was the mistress of Fu-ou, a previous ruler of Sai. Before meeting Fu-ou she was a prostitute. Fu-ou made her a sage and the mistress of the Suibi Grotto, where she lives. After his death, the Sai-ou who ascended the throne allowed her to retain her rank and possessions. Riyou is a mean-tempered woman. She made Suzu a sage in return for Suzu becoming her servant. However, Riyou was unkind to all her servants, and especially came to delight in abusing Suzu as long as Suzu never gained the strength of will to fight back

Minami Takayama

Shushou

Pendukung

Shushou, the queen of Kyou, has ruled for over 90 years, but she has the appearance of a young girl, since that was when she was chosen to become the new ruler. She ascended the throne twenty-seven years after the death of the previous king. Though strict and capricious, she has demonstrated herself to be a wise monarch. She also appears to have above-average strength in the anime, being able to make Shoukei bow her head to her with only two fingers. The novel Tonan no Tsubasa relates her journey in the Yellow Sea and how she became the queen of Kyou.

Wakana Yamazaki

Sekki

Pendukung

Sekki, the brother of Koshou, is the brains behind the Shisui rebels. When Youko appears searching for Enho, Koshou is about to attack her because he believes she is a spy who is going to give them away, but Sekki stops him. He later explains that he heard the ring of steel, and that Youko's bravery suggests that she is far more dangerous than she appears. Sekki makes all the tactical decisions for the rebels except when fire threatened Takuhou and Koshou overrides him.

Kenji Nojima

Koshou

Pendukung

Koshou is the charismatic leader of the Shisui rebels. He rallies the rebels to fight against Shoukou, even though he believes that they cannot win. When Youko declares that Shoukou must be spared, Koshou supports her. When the town of Takuhou, the capital of Shisui, is set on fire, Koshou insists that the people must be rescued or else the rebellion has no point, even though the fire is a trap for his fighters. When Youko asks him what he wants as a reward for his service, he asks her to procure a university spot for his brother Sekki.

Rintarou Nishi

Kantai

Pendukung

Kantai is secretly the general of the province of Baku. He is a hanjyuu that can take the form of a large bear, and he is incredibly strong, even in human form. He saves Shoukei after she ran from the soldiers who sought to arrest her after she threw a rock at Gahou's executioners. Kantai seeks to expose the corruption of Gahou, and he sends Shoukei to the intermediate village of Houkaku to provide touki weapons to the Shisui rebels. Suzu arrives there to take the weapons to Takuhou. When Kantai realizes that his allies in Shisui will be wiped out by Gahou, he sends his own forces to intervene. Shoukei accompanies him and seeks out Suzu to inform the Shisui rebels that Kantai is on their side. When Koushou insists on saving Takuhou from fire, Kantai is shamed into helping him despite his doubts. When Youko asks Kantai what reward he wants for fighting corruption, Kantai asks for pardon for his lord Koukan. After Gahou is defeated, Youko places Kantai in charge of Kei's entire army

Yasunori Matsumoto