List of Afro Samurai characters

This is the list of the characters in the 2007 manga/anime miniseries Afro Samurai, the TV movie Afro Samurai: Resurrection, the video game adaption, and other related media.

Main characters

Afro Samurai

Young Afro Samurai Voiced by: Crystal Scales (anime), Kari Wahlgren (video game)
Teenage Afro Samurai Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Adult Afro Samurai Voiced by: Samuel L. Jackson

Afro Samurai is a samurai who is the main protagonist of the series. As a child, Afro saw his father being killed by Justice. Wearing the Number Two Headband, he is on a quest to avenge his father and reclaim the Number One Headband.

Ninja Ninja

Voiced by: Samuel L. Jackson

Perhaps the most debated character within the story, "Ninja Ninja" is Afro's complete antithesis, always speaking and usually saying aloud what Afro can't bring himself to say, such as expressing fear or worry when Afro is stoic in the face of danger; generally, Afro refuses to respond to anything he says other than telling Ninja Ninja to "shut up." As his name implies, he dresses in a ninja motif. He also seems to have a counter color scheme to Afro, while also having a similar frame and hair cut though he slouches when he walks. This can best be seen at the end of episode 2, where they are walking side by side after the fire. There are several clues throughout the show that point to Ninja Ninja being imaginary, such as Afro being the only one who speaks to him, his constant disappearing when Afro is in combat or internal conflict, and the fact he is not hurt when he and Afro are knocked off a cliff by an RPG despite being next to each other. It is later shown in Episode 4 that Ninja Ninja first appeared suddenly when Afro lost his friends and loved ones while obtaining the Number Two headband. At the beginning of Episode 5, it is revealed that Ninja Ninja was the one that was "killed" by Kuma's strike; a symbolic way of showing that Afro has come to terms with the loss of his friends at this point in his journey. Also about halfway through the episode when Afro finally meets Justice again, Justice states that he watched him shed his "imaginary friend."

In the collector's DVD, interviews with the staff and writers concede that Ninja Ninja is indeed imaginary. However, even though Ninja Ninja is "imaginary," he appears to have some form of presence in the real world, as well. When Brother 2 of the Empty Seven spies on Afro, Ninja Ninja can be clearly seen from Brother 2's point of view through the binoculars. Ninja Ninja also interacts with items around him constantly such as catching Afro's spliff in his mouth, moving a hanging pillar inside Otsuru's home, putting Otsuru's comb into Afro's afro, eating the food that was intended for Afro given by Brother 3 (as seen in the Director's cut), and throwing the Afro-Droid's microchip at Afro to cut in two. The idea of Ninja Ninja having at least a partial existence in reality is once again brought into light when he is 'killed' by Kuma. Because Kuma was such a skilled warrior and had the intent to cut down Afro on the sword strike that killed Ninja Ninja, it would seem odd that he would pause from his attack and have a conversation with Afro if there was not a reason to give pause which strengthens the idea that he was taken aback by Ninja Ninja's sacrifice before attacking Afro again. Additionally supporting his real world presence is the scene in the video game in which he knocks the hand of one of the Empty Seven off of a ledge, killing him, as is the scene after Sword Master's death in which one of the many clones of Ninja Ninja grabs Sword Master's mouth and moves it up in down, pretending he is a puppet.

At the show's website, Ninja Ninja can be seen in the background behind Afro during the final seconds of the trailer. How he has managed to come back for the sequel after being "killed" has yet to be revealed, but his return does imply that he was in fact imaginary.

In the video game, Afro battles Ninja Ninja in his mind in order to regain his humanity which he lost as a result of being the Number Two.

Rokutaro

Voiced by: Greg Eagles

Afro's father Rokutaro was the Number One at the beginning of the series, who lost his title and life to Justice when Justice decapitated him. How he attained the Number One headband, what he did during his time as Number One, and how long he'd had it prior to Justice killing him remains unclear. According to Justice, it was Rokutaro's intention to end the headband wars by hiding The Number One headband, but people kept fighting and killing each other to possess the other headbands. Justice saw the only way to stop the fighting forever and to obtain ultimate power was to become the Number One and rule the world by force, but realized later (after becoming the Number One and discarding the Number Two headband), he needed both to have such power. Unlike Afro, who wears it simply as a headband, Rokutaro uses The Number One Headband as a hairband to tie back his afro in a large ponytail. Rokutaro says something to Afro before he died; however, we don't know what he said. Afro believes that Rokutaro wanted Afro to avenge him or he wanted Afro to live his own life.

In "Afro Samurai Resurrection," his skeleton is uncovered by a woman named Sio who intends to resurrect him, her intention being to use Rokutaro's clone to kill Afro. Afro's father is regenerated by Dharman from a jawbone. In the final stage of restoration, Sio interrupted it, leaving the mental recreation incomplete, making him a violent brute. Sio then uses him to kill Afro and as a result of her final revenge. This causes Jinno's personality to resurface, and he attacks the clone, but dies as a result. Sio herself dies trying to defend Jinno. In the end, Afro himself gets resurrected by a jolt of electricity from Jinno's damaged circuits carried by Sio's blood. Afro accepts that the clone is not his real father and kills him, retaking The Number One headband.

Otsuru/"Okiku"

Okiku Voiced by: Kelly Hu
Otsuru Voiced by: Tara Strong (anime), Lexi Jourdan (video game)

Otsuro is a young woman who specializes in the art of healing. Otsuru is an excellent cook and adores fireworks. She is the one who discovered Afro in the shrine after he lost the Number Two headband as a boy, and took him to Sword Master's dojo where he befriended Jinno.

When she is introduced as "Okiku," she has once again found Afro in a near-death state (having been blown off a cliff by an RPG fired by Brother 6 and badly poisoned by an arrow in a fight with Soshun). She bandages him and takes him to her home to heal. She and Jinno survived the attack that was meant to claim the Number Two headband from Sword Master, and they were both saved by the Empty Seven Clan. Apparently, some time after the events at Sword Master's dojo, she became an agent working for Brother 1 of the Empty Seven Clan. She possesses the unique ability to siphon memories from people as they dream and did this to copy down Afro's sword style to be used to complete the Afro Droid. She was also supposed to kill him should the opportunity ever present itself, but she finds herself unable to after having sex with him (and at the same time, falling in love with him). She remarks that she still thinks of him as the same innocent boy she knew so long ago, revealing to him that she is actually Otsuru. Brother 2 of the Empty Seven then kills her for failing to carry out her mission and betraying the Empty Seven. Otsuru apparently had a strong emotional effect on Afro as seen when in episode five when Afro calls out her name twice in his grief over the friends that he has lost.

In the video game adaption, Okiku is just an assassin working for the Empty 7 Clan and is killed for helping Afro avoid capture by them after falling in love with him.

Sword Master

Voiced by: Terrence C. Carson

The Sword Master is a one-eyed samurai who housed orphans and trained them to become warriors. He takes in Afro after saving him from some bandits and learning that his father Rokutaro was killed. When a young Afro first approaches him about the headbands, he receives a beating and is told by Sword Master that wearing the headbands leads to a life of murder saying "We are born men in order to live, not to kill". Afro asks about the headbands again at dojo graduation after hearing a rumor about Sword Master holding the Number Two Headband. The two meet alone underneath the Bodhi Tree outside the dojo where Sword Master tells Afro he meant to take the secret to his grave. He then tells Afro to make a decision: forget avenging his father's death and live a normal life or walk the path of the Number Two. When a large group of thugs in search of the Number Two headband attacks the dojo, Sword Master fights them to show Afro just what it means to be Number Two. After the battle is over with all the thugs and most of the students dead, he faces Afro telling him that he's chosen his path. After Afro charges at Sword Master in order to kill him to claim the Number Two Headband, Sword Master closes his eyes (eye) and lets himself be killed by Afro who takes the Number Two Headband.

The official site reveals that Sword Master was in fact a friend of Rokutaro which helps explain the basis for his advice and world view.

In the video game, the Sword Master has an older brother who is a Daimyo. A teenaged Afro assassinates the Daimyo suspecting him to be the Number Two. As he dies, the Daimyo reveals the true identity of the Number Two. This incident triggers the schoolyard massacre carried out by the Daimyo's men as an act of revenge.

Sasuke

Voiced by: Jason Marsden

Sasuke is a teenage student of Sword Master and a friend to both Afro and Jinno. He wears a pair of glasses which are held to the face by string (similar to those worn in feudal Japan and late dynastic China). Though he graduated from swordsman school at the same time as Afro and Jinno, his skills are apparently inferior to theirs (though he is seen killing two people in his final battle). He appears to be very eccentric as shown by his playful manner with his friends as well as telling his friends that he hopes to eat chicken cutlet for his final meal, much to their disbelief. During a flashback in the fourth episode, he is killed in the Midnight Battle Under The Bodhi Tree after being impaled from behind by one of the assassins targeting Sword Master.

The Empty Seven

Brother 1 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Brother 2 Voiced by: John DiMaggio
Brother 3 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr (in "Afro Samurai"), Jeff Bennett (in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection")
Brother 4 Voiced by: Terrence C. Carson
Brother 5 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Brother 6 Voiced by: Greg Eagles

The Empty Seven (無無坊主) is a group of six monks who believe that attaining both ancient headbands will lead to immortality and godhood. They employ robots and mercenaries to do their dirty work, since the monks themselves have greatly inferior fighting skills when compared to Afro and Justice possibly due to their age difference. Brothers 1 through 5 look like identical wizened old men with long beards, dressed in robes with some other accessories:

• Brother 1 was the apparent leader of the Clan (although such an authority was never outright stated). His personality and mannerisms were a mixture of an Evangelical preacher and a street pimp. He was almost always seen with an almost nude beautiful woman at his side. As with most of the Clan, he was a wizened old man with a long beard and has a prosthetic gold left arm (which can be switched out for a machine gun). In an attempt to ambush Afro from atop the elevator leading to Kuma following the Afro Droid's destruction, Brother 1 ended up being paralyzed and held in a stretcher with a catheter by Brother 3 making him the only monk to fight Afro directly and lose but survive. Brother One's woman is seen in Afro Samurai: Resurrection working as a stripper in Brother 3's gambling house at which she excels perfectly.

• Brother 2 was the eyes of the Clan often seen scoping out Afro from a distance with a pair of high-tech binoculars. Usually Brother 6 was shown assisting him. All of his observations of Afro during his reconnaissance were reported to Brother 1 via cell phone. In combat, he was shown to use an extending Buddhist staff or kunai. When Otsuru turns against the Empty Seven for Afro’s sake, it was Brother 2 who stabbed and killed her. Later when he was lying in wait to kill Afro, Afro surprises him from behind by swiftly poking his eyes and shoving his binoculars deep into the wounds. Likely the brutal manner of his execution was out of revenge for Otsuru.

• Brother 3 was unusual among the clan because he was the most laid-back of the brothers. While the other Brothers would plot Afro’s death, Brother 3 was usually content to face away off in the corner, listening to his circumaural headphones and bobbing to the music. During the few times that he actually spoke, he was shown to have a Southern US accent. He seemed to have a much more pacifistic approach than his comrades regarding decisions. When deliberating on which assassin to choose to kill Afro, rather than settle things through violence Brother 3 suggested looking at their individual credentials. Later when Afro invaded the Empty Seven’s temple, he was waiting by the door with tea and rice crackers prepared while calmly chanting Hachimaki o kudasai, (Japanese for "headband please.") simply asking for the Number Two Headband, rather than attempting combat for it. Afro didn't take the rice and tea offered to him, but Ninja Ninja did. Because of this, Brother 3 survived while the other monks were killed and injured. Brother 3 returns in "Afro Samurai: Resurrection," offering to tell Afro the whereabouts of the Number Two Headband if he could beat him in a game of chance. But when he is exposed as a cheater by using loaded dice, Brother 3 is forced to tell what he knew to save his life.

• Brothers 4 was a gruff deep-voiced monk in a green robe who usually carried a Buddhist staff and wore a wide metal hat. He was usually seen side-by-side with Brother 5. In combat, Brother 4's weapon of choice was a sansetsukon. When determining which assassin would face Afro, Brother 4 insisted that Ivanov the Russian was the obvious choice which led to an argument with Brother 5 who held opposing views and felt Foo from China was more capable. Brother 1 settled the issue by suggesting a battle royale, an idea which greatly appealed to both 4 & 5. Later after Brother 6’s defeat at Afro’s hands, Brothers 4 & 5 launched out from where they were concealed in Brother 6’s backpack and attempted to gang up on Afro from both sides. This tactic failed miserably and both monks were easily killed.

• Brother 5 was the arrogant and sadistic monk who wore a plain white robe, regularly smoked a long pipe, and spoke with a high squeaky voice. In combat, Brother 4's weapon of choice was a jian (in the manga, he wields a tantō). When determining which assassin would face Afro, Brother 4 insisted that Ivanov the Russian was the obvious choice which led to an argument with Brother 5 who held opposing views and felt Foo from China was more capable. Brother 1 settled the issue by suggesting a battle royale, an idea which greatly appealed to both 4 & 5. Later after Brother 6’s defeat at Afro’s hands, Brothers 4 & 5 launched out from where they were concealed in Brother 6’s backpack and attempted to gang up on Afro from both sides. This tactic failed miserably and both monks were easily killed. In the manga, Afro Samurai kicks Brother 5 over the waterfall and is later found dead in the water face down.

• Brother 6 was a massive, muscled individual with cold inhuman eyes in monk regalia who wore a wide metal hat. He was the only Brother who didn’t resemble an old monk with a long beard. As mentioned in the manga, his true name is Rokutaro and he is the youngest of the Empty 7. Violent and impulsive, Brother 6 never hesitated to use excessive force in his actions. In combat, he wielded a long Buddhist staff and a backpack holding a variety of weapons, including a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a flame thrower. Brother 6 was the man who rescued Jinnosuke and Otsuru from the brink of death, but regarding Jinnosuke felt it would have been more merciful to just let him die. He was the one to burn down Otsuru’s home and blew up the bridge after Afro’s initial confrontation with Afro Droid (much to Brother 1’s displeasure). When that tactic failed, Brother 6 fought Afro one-on-one. He proved a difficult opponent and when defeated held Afro’s sword within his body, disarming the samurai so that Brothers 4 & 5 could have the advantage over Afro.

In the video game, Brother 7 is said to be God himself and that one becomes God by sacrificing the other six Brothers where they each fell into the rotating blades. Brother 2 does this while attempting to use Afro to take his place. Also in the video game, Afro Samurai defeats the Brothers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 after his fight with Jinno while Brother 3 throws his own blood into the rotating blades before leaving the rest to the Empty Seven's robots.

Dharman

Voiced by: Phil LaMarr (normal version), S. Scott Bullock (Director's Cut version and "Afro Samurai: Resurrection")

Dharman is an insane cyborg scientist employed by the Empty Seven Clan to build their machine-ninja army and the Afro-Droid. He also helped rebuild and heal Jinnosuke whom he considers his masterpiece, referring to him as his "Teddy Bear". His name comes from the fact that he closely resembles a Japanese Dharma doll. When Jinnosuke was defeated by Afro, it is likely that Dharman was the one who repaired and rebuilt him. He was assumed by many fans to be Brother #7, as indicated when Brother #1 refers to him as "brother," but the official site states that this is in fact not the case. He also does not like to think of himself as part of the group, referring to them in the third person in the second-to-last chapter.

Dharman is seen in Afro Samurai: Resurrection working for Sio in her vicious plan to get revenge on Afro. Using advanced bio-technology, he is able to create a clone of Afro's father from a jawbone that Sio had stolen from the warrior's grave. He also was responsible for turning Sio's foster family members Bin, Michael and Tomoe into cybernetic warriors. Dharman is aroused by Sio's seductive beauty and sadistic nature as she toys with him although he scolds her for interrupting Rokutaro's resurrection process. When the resurrection process is almost complete and Afro's father lives again, Dharman is killed by Sio who stabs him with her sword for letting her henchmen fight Afro without her permission.

Afro-Droid

The Afro-Droid is a semi-sentient robot copy of Afro Samurai created by the Empty Seven Clan (specifically their personal scientist, Dharman). It was created from combat data siphoned from Afro's mind by Otsuru, and is able to reproduce all of his learned techniques and abilities. It is physically superior to Afro and its external appearance is identical. The Afro-Droid is also equipped with guns, lasers, and explosives. Afro Samurai eventually defeats the Afro-Droid in the third episode after the droid is impaled on its own sword following a sky-high, mid-air duel between the two, after which Afro destroys his memory chip and copied skills, thus stopping any more Afro-Droids from being made.

Jinnosuke/"Kuma"

Voiced by: Yuri Lowenthal

Jinnosuke is a swordsman who wears a cybernetic teddy bear mask (the same design as Otsuru's teddy bear from their time as children in their dojo) earning him the nickname "Kuma," which means "Bear" in Japanese. He wears black keikogi and hakama, and his geta sandals have toe straps made of metal instead of cloth. Jinnosuke possesses great skill in wielding twin blades and is an old friend of Afro from his days at the dojo. Back then Jinno thought of Afro as a brother, but when Afro killed their master for the Number Two headband, Jinno vowed vengeance against him. His remaining eye constantly weeps, and under his robotic eye there appears to be a scar in the same position, due to the injuries (physical and greatly emotional) he suffered at the Midnight Battle Under the Bodhi Tree; he tells Afro that his tears have never stopped falling since that day. Jinno was rebuilt with cybernetic body modifications by the Empty Seven to "create a samurai of extreme power." Afro defeats him by destroying his life-support system, but it seems Kuma was again able to cheat death. He returns to challenge Afro years after the death of Justice, this time his body completely modified, appearing more android than human and virtually mummified in the other headbands from Justice's lair. At their second meeting, Jinno has also regained his teddy bear mask which smokes a cigarette. His Number Two covers the missing right eye; a mirror image of when Afro was recovering in the Sword Master's Dojo.

Jinno appears in Afro Samurai - Resurrection with a motorcycle and works with Sio on her revenge plan. It is revealed that Sio is actually his blood sister who lived with foster parents when she was a child. Jinno was rebuilt several times due to the defeats from Afro, meaning that Jinno lost the fight at the end of season one. Because of the damages to his body, he is mute for most of the movie and is unable to communicate with his sister. Near the end of Resurrection, when Afro is near death, Jinno remembers his bonds of brotherhood with Afro and attempts to stop Rokutaro from killing Afro. However, he is killed along with Sio and both die in each other's arms. The electricity travels through Sio's blood from his robotic body resuscitating Afro allowing him to continue the fight with Rokutaro's clone, eventually winning. With Dharman dead as well, it seems that Jinno will remain dead.

In the video game, Jinno's transformation into Kuma is not explained, and Kuma does not recognize Afro upon their first encounter. He recovers his memory of the schoolyard massacre as the two battle each other, and then appears to die at the conclusion.

Justice

Voiced by: Ron Perlman

The holder of the Number One headband for most of season one, Justice is the man who killed Afro's father before his eyes many years ago and told Afro to challenge him when he was ready. He is a remarkably skilled gunman, dressing in a cowboy garb with the Number One headband tied around his wide-brimmed hat. He has discolored, diseased-looking skin, which his bio on the official site implies is the result of a past accident which would explain his abnormal abilities. Justice has the ability to regenerate himself after being exposed to blood, as seen just before his final fight with Afro when the injured hero's blood flows to Justice's feet and his withered body begins to reshape into the young version that fought Afro's father. However this could also be a property of the number one head band as it also demonstrates the power of resurrection in Afro Samurai: Resurrection when it transmits through a pool of blood to revive Afro. He also has a third arm hidden on his back that holds a sword for catching opponents off guard, which he used to decapitate Afro's father. Justice would try to use the same tactic on Afro but he failed. He believed that the only way to stop the killing over the headbands was by becoming The Number One, thus becoming a god and ruling by force. However, after leaving The Number Two headband for Afro, he realizes that ultimate power only comes from having both headbands. Justice was able to survive after nearly being decapitated and seemed able to control the Number One's throne room to some extent, but Afro manages to defeat him by slicing his body into many smaller pieces. Justice also appears in last image of Afro Samurai as a head surrounded by darkness.

During interviews in the DVD release, it is stated that Justice and Afro's father were in fact part of the same clan of swordsmen and indeed best friends. However, their differing views on the headbands and how to end the violence plaguing the world eventually drove them apart, leading to the final confrontation between the two.

In the video game when Afro finds the lair of Justice, he discovers that Justice is long-dead (similar to his manga counterpart). With no foe to battle, Afro is finally forced to confront his own guilt for being the Number Two. His inner demons take on the form of Justice in his mind. Afro battles with the faux Justice to break free from his past. Originally, Afro was able to confront and kill the real Justice.

Justice makes two figurative appearances in Afro Samurai: Resurrection: first in Afro's dreams where he is seen nailed to a cross alongside Afro's father, then as a broken statue pointed out to Afro by Ninja Ninja. His only real appearance is in a non-speaking role is at the end of the season, fully healed and meeting Takimoto during a solar eclipse.

Lady Sio

Adult Sio Voiced by: Lucy Liu
Young Sio Voiced by: Ariel Winter

Lady Sio is Kuma's blood sister who arrives in part two, "Afro Samurai Resurrection." She convinces Kuma to try to kill Afro, but in the end Kuma realizes that he is really Jinnosuke and not Kuma and that he must defend his "brother" of the sword, Afro. Sio is Jinno's blood sister unlike Otsuru, who is related to Jinno the way Afro is, by a bond stronger than blood.

Sio and her brother are orphans; while Jinno went to train with Sword Master, Sio lived with an apparently wealthy and powerful foster family who had their own castle took her as their daughter to replace the daughter they lost, treating her as the princess she believed she was. She knew Afro when he was younger and hates Afro for supposedly killing her orphan family, though the words of her servant, Tomoe, imply that their lands were destroyed in the chaos that followed Afro's disappearance with the Number One headband, which means that her family's death's may not have directly been Afro's fault. Near the end just before she can kill Rokutaro, he uses Jinno's body as a shield and impales her through Jinno, killing both of them.

Bin

Voiced by: Mark Hamill

Bin is one of Sio's henchmen and protector. When Sio was young, he was part of her foster family and always made people laugh because of the funny mask he wore. But after the town where he lived was destroyed (Sio blames Afro for this event), he was almost killed and was reconstructed by the mad professor Dharman as a cybernetic fighter (similar to Jinno's situation). Now no longer laughing, but a hateful shell of the man he once was, he wears the same humorous Noh mask that he had in the past to conceal his robotic appearance. Bin usually carries a boom box that can fire metal spikes and is capable of turning his left hand into a blade and his right hand into a laser cannon as well as using his robotic feet to make huge leaps. He and the other henchmen despise Afro because they consider him responsible for their loss of humanity and desire to kill him in order to prevent Sio from becoming a murderer. After the other two henchmen are destroyed, he grabs Afro's leg with his last strength and wants to detonate himself in order to kill him but Afro disposes of him by kicking his head off.

Michael

Michael is Sio's second henchman. Similar to Bin, he was part of Sio's foster family and used to entertain people by dressing in a dragon costume. He was also reconstructed by the scientist Dharman as a cyborg after he had suffered nearly fatal injuries. He wears a cloak and a red dragon mask which fires flames and rockets when it opens its mouth. After Afro dispatches the mask and the cloak covering his body, it is revealed that the only organic parts that are left from him are his head and torso, the rest of his body being cybernetic and having attached a pair of long, metallic chains and a huge machine gun on it. After his fellow henchman, Tomoe, grabs Afro and begs him to shoot them with his machine gun, he at first refuses to do it, fearing that he might kill her, but at Bin's request he decides to fire at them. Afro instead uses Tomoe as a human shield, and therefore she is completely destroyed by Michael's bullets. He is killed by Afro, who first destroys his metallic legs then cuts him in half with his blade.

NOTE: Michael doesn't have a voice actor as he cannot speak, being able to communicate only through his glasses that serve as a digital display for words and images.

Tomoe

Voiced by: Grey DeLisle

Tomoe is Sio's third henchman. Part of her foster family, Tomoe was a woman who was seen holding a shamisen (guitar-like Japanese instrument) and was very kind to Sio (teaching her to dance among other things). Like the other two henchmen, she became a cyborg assassin after the tragic event that occurred in her town. She wears a wide hat and holds the same instrument that she used to sing at in the past, now being capable of turning it into a deadly weapon. Also, she wears a Noh Mask that resembles her old appearance in order to hide her burnt face. Her jet-propelled cybernetic feet allow her to fly, and her enhanced muscular tissue adds more power to her strikes, thus making her a worthy opponent. She is able to injure Afro with her weapon, and after she grabs him with her enhanced arm, she is willing to sacrifice herself by telling Michael to shoot them with his machinegun. But Afro manages to poke her eyes out and use her as a shield in the way of Michael's bullets. After being torn apart by the bullets, her damaged cybernetic body explodes, thus ending her life.

Shichigoro

Voiced by: Liam O'Brien

Shichigoro is the possessor of the Number Two headband and a very skilled swordsman. Much like Afro's swordmaster, Shichigoro believes that by hiding the headband he would stop all the killings, but once he meets Afro, he accepts his challenge because he desires to personally kill him for all that Afro did in the past. Shichigoro is eventually killed by Afro, who takes the Number Two headband from him after his death. It is worth noting that Afro didn't really want to kill Shichigoro due to the latter having a background similar to Afro and his father at the beginning of the series. This is manifested through Afro at first confronting him in a formal manner, displaying respect he rarely shows enemies. Shichigoro battles Afro to a standstill, proving to be his equal at the very least. Motivated by his sole purpose to save his father, Afro resorts to deception by pushing the DJ that had appeared earlier towards Shichigoro as he came around a corner and subsequently stabbing through the DJ and into Shichigoro's heart.

In the manga, he and the Oden Shop Master used to work for the Empty Seven. Shichigoro betrayed the Empty Seven after the Oden Shop Master botched an assignment and had to protect him from the Empty Seven's Cleaners.

Kotaro

Voiced by: Zachary Gordon

Kotaro is Shichigoro's adopted son. After witnessing the death of his father at the hands of Afro, he seeks for revenge against him. At the end of the movie, Afro hands him the Number Two headband telling the child that he can challenge Afro 'whenever he is ready' (a scene reminiscent of Justice's speech to Afro as a child).

In the manga, he shows up many years later after Afro Samurai has become the Number One and has become the Number Two the old fashion way. He was cut down by Afro Samurai effortlessly.

Takimoto

Voiced by: Kevin Michael Richardson

Takimoto is the last person seen greeting Justice at the end of Afro Samurai: Resurrection.

In the manga, he holds a similar duty to Justice that the Empty Seven and Kuma held in the anime, protecting the "Number One" and defeating the current "Number Two." Although he explains himself as having the goal of observing the order of the world, seeing Afro about to reach the throne room made him ready to interfere. He even interacted with Ninja Ninja.

Depending on the possible third movie, it will be unknown if his motives and goals will be carried to the anime, since many of the characters have similar but slightly altered parts in the manga.

Minor characters

• DJ (voiced by RZA) - A disc jockey who played music at a club which Afro Samurai and Shichigoro crashed. He was caught in the crossfire when Afro Samurai killed Shichigoro.

• Daigo "Big Boy" - Exclusive to the manga, Daigo "Big Boy" is one of the students of the Sword Master. His goal is to become the World's Greatest Chef. He doesn't get to live up to his goal since he was killed in the Midnight Battle Under the Bodhi Tree.

• Fu (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - A trickster assassin from the Hunan Province of China who was hired by the Empty Seven. He is considered to be one of the world's most capable assassins, and describes himself as "first among men and machines". Brother 5 believes that Fu could have defeated Afro, but Brother 4 disagrees about this stating that Ivanoff would have been more suitable. He is killed along with every other assassin that charged toward the Afro Droid (his appearance was in the Director's Cut DVD). His name may be a reference to Kasumi Fu from Samurai Champloo which has been stated as a leading inspiration behind Afro Samurai.

• Gorokube - Exclusive to the manga, Gorokube is a warlord who is contracted by the Empty Seven to target Afro Samurai. Wielding an RPG and a mini-gun, Gorokube attacks Afro Samurai during a parade. His arsenal does give Afro Samurai some trouble until Afro Samurai manages to kill Gorokube and his minions.

• Hachiro (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - In Afro's flashback, he and his brothers were the ones who attacked young Afro some time after Justice killed Rokutaro. After young Afro attacked his brother Yashichi, Hachiro later attacked him. With some help from Jinno, Afro managed to kill Hachiro.

• Ivanov (voiced by John DiMaggio) - A Russian assassin hired by the Empty Seven. He is considered one of the world's best assassins, and describes himself as "second to no man". Brother 4 believes that Ivanov could have defeated Afro, but Brother 5 disagrees about this. He is killed along with every other assassin that charged towards the Afro Droid (his appearance was in the Director's Cut DVD).

• Jiro (voiced by Tara Strong) - He is one of the students of the Sword Master. Jiro is killed in the Midnight Battle Under the Bodhi Tree.

• Juzo (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) -

• Kazuma - Exclusive to the manga, Kazuma is one of the students of the Sword Master and is the talkative of the bunch. His fate was unknown since he wasn't seen during the Midnight Battle Under the Bodhi Tree.

• Matasaburo (voiced by Dave Wittenberg) - He is one of the students of the Sword Master. Matasaburo is killed in the Midnight Battle Under the Bodhai Tree.

• O-Sachi - Exclusive to the manga, O-Sachi is a young woman who found Afro Samurai following his slaying of the Empty Seven and his fight with Kuma. She belongs to an isolated community that follows the teachings of "The One." As she cares for Afro Samurai, she seems to develop an attraction to him and it appears that Afro Samurai might reciprocate. Unfortunately, it turns out that "The One" would probably be more accurately referred to as "Number One". When she learns that Afro cannot forgive Justice and intends to kill him despite all the good he's done, she attempts to kill Afro first since Afro Samurai had previously killed her sister. This leads to Afro slaughtering the entire community.

• Oden Shop Master (voiced by Mark Hamill) - The Oden Shop Master is a friend of Shichigoro. He becomes Kotaro's caretaker after Shichigoro is killed by Afro Samurai. In the manga, he and Shichigoro used to work for the Empty Seven. Shichigoro protected the Oden Shop Master from the Empty Seven's Cleaners after he botched up an assignment.

• Oyuki (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - Oyuki was the bartender at the bar that Afro stops at. She is also where Soshun got the headband history from.

• Shuzo (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) -

• Soshun (voiced by John Kassir) - A man who comes from the Land of the Weapon Masters of the West. He wielded a giant crossbow with a grenade launcher. He first saw Afro in a bar and learned the history of the headbands from its bartender. He encountered Afro on the mountain when Ninja Ninja detected him. In his battle against Afro, Soshun was killed by Afro, but one of his poisoned arrows had grazed Afro and resulting in his temporary handicap against his first encounter with Brother 6.

• Thugs (voiced by Dwight Schultz and Dave Wittenberg) - Seemingly endless hordes of men in various costumes seek the Number Two headband throughout the series. When fighting any of the major characters they inevitably chuckle menacingly before dying in huge numbers and in various states of dismemberment.

• Yashichi (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) - He is the brother of Hachiro and was with him in their first attack upon young Afro. Some time later, young Afro managed to interrogate him for the info on who has the Number Two Headband before killing him.

Video Game characters

The following were exclusive to the Afro Samurai video game:

• Ashura Brothers - The Ashura Brothers are Afro Samurai's first opponents in the Lowdown East Pass level where they were enlisted by Brother 2 and Brother 6 to attack him. They are killed by Afro Samurai.

• Daimyo (voiced by W. Morgan Sheppard) - In the video game, the Daimyo is the oldest brother of the Sword Master. The Daimyo presides over the province where the Sword Master's dojo is located. He and his brother don't share the same wisdom and they have also known Rokutaro. He and the Sword Master found a young Afro Samurai in a beaten up state and carrying the skull of Rokutaro in his backpack. Teenage Afro Samurai raided his palace in search of the identity of the Number Two. The Daimyo claims that there are no sacred headbands. Before he dies following a fight with Afro Samurai, the Daimyo states that the Sword Master is the Number Two. The death of the Daimyo resulted in his remaining men attacking the Sword Master's school.

• Hanjiro (voiced by John Kassir) -

• Keisuke - Keisuke is a warrior who attacks Afro Samurai in order to avenge his son. He is killed by Afro Samurai.

• Masaki - Masaki is a warrior who attacks Afro Samurai in the mountains. He is killed by Afro Samurai.

• Osachi (voiced by Kelly Hu) -

• Polecats (voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) - The Polecats are a group of dancers and assassins that work for the Daimyo. They served as the Daimyo's line of defense when teenage Afro Samurai raided his palace.

• Takamori - Takamori is a warrior who attacks Afro Samurai (at the time when he was following Okiku) in order to claim the Number Two headband. He is killed by Afro Samurai.

• The Wild Five - The Wild Five are a group of five armored samurai that attack Afro Samurai in the mountains. They are killed by Afro Samurai.

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