Name:
(English) Kyo/ Kyoshiro Mibu (Japanese) Onime no Kyo/Kyoshiro
Mibu Name:
(English) Kyo/ Kyoshiro Mibu (Japanese) Onime no Kyo/Kyoshiro
Mibu
Alias(es): Demon Eyes Kyo, Thousand man slayer
Race: Human
Age: Mid to late 20s
Hair: Brown/ red (depending on the body he's using at the time)
Eyes: Blue, brown, red (body again)
Height: 6'4"
Status: Samurai slayer
Anime: Samurai Deeper Kyo
Voice: (English) Dan Green
History and Personality: At the battle of Sekigahara, a legend named Demon Eyes Kyo was born. Called the thousand-man slayer, Kyo was unopposed during most of the battle. But another samurai named Kyoshiro Mibu stood before him. These two had waged a war of their own until that day, when they would finish it. But an unprecedented event happened during their fight... a shooting star slammed into the ground right where they were fighting.
Four years later, a bounty hunter named Yuya Shiina came along with a medicine man named Kyoshiro Mibu. Apparently there was a bounty on his head for skipping out on a restaurant payment. This is where things get crazy. First a Demon comes after Kyoshiro claiming that Kyoshiro is actually Demon Eyes Kyo. It turns out he is right, in a way. Apparently when the shooting star (or meteor) ended the fight at Sekigahara the souls and minds of Kyoshiro Mibu and Demon Eyes Kyo were merged into Kyoshiro's body. The poor guy was evidently overwhelmed because he forgot all about both lives and started a new one as the medicine man Kyoshiro.
Kyoshiro the medicine man is a wimpy, whiny, easily scared, very perverted, but very nice and somehow lovable, guy. His greatest wish in life is a full stomach and a beautiful woman.
Kyoshiro Mibu the samurai is serious, quiet, kind, wise, and deadly.
Demon Eyes Kyo, slayer of a thousand men, begins the series as a heartless, seemingly emotionless, merciless killer who has no use for other people except to kill them, unless they entertain him or can be used to reach his goals. He is incredibly fast and skilled as a swordsman but his only joy comes from his quest to be the strongest warrior. Fortunately Kyo is not at all who he appears to be. As the series progresses we learn that he believes in honor, that he does show mercy (at the strangest times and for the strangest reasons) and he even grows to care for his companions.
There's a very good reason for this change, but we will get to that later.
Kyo remembers Sekigahara and he blames Kyoshiro for the fact that he lost his body. His immediate goal is to find his body (which he is told Kyoshiro placed in the middle of the "Sea of Trees" - a very dangerous forest) and defeat Kyoshiro - assuming he can find a way to put his soul back in his body. He travels with Yuya, the bounty hunter, who he keeps alive first because she interests him and then because he finds her useful. He calls her servant number 1, but he cares for her more than he will admit. A young man named Benitora (who is actually the son of the shogun but is in disguise...) joins him as well. And on and off Yukimora Sanada, Sasuke (one of Sanada's ninja) and a strange man named Migaria join them as well. Somehow Kyo, who once cared for nothing but strength, becomes the key player in a battle for the future of Japan. We find that he cares far more than he lets on, first risking his life for his companions and then for the man who trained him in the sword. We also learn that even in his "wilder" days he took in and trained two boys - an orphan and another boy.
Kyo's past seems relatively straight forward, he was a samurai whose only desire was to be the strongest warrior. The only person who ever came close to a match for him was Kyoshiro Mibu and they fought more than once. The man who trained both Kyo and Kyoshiro, Muramasa (who is also the man who made Kyo's sword) states that Kyoshiro was the only person ever able to master all of his sword techniques. However, in Kyoshiro's body Kyo is able to master them as well.
However, his past is far more complicated then we first believe. You see, there is a reason Kyo and Kyoshiro have similar names. Kyo is actually a part of Kyoshiro.
Kyoshiro Mibu is the heir of the Mibu clan. It is his destiny to rule them as the Red King and through them to control all of Japan from the shadows. Kyoshiro was an amazing warrior, and it was he who first earned the nickname "Demon Eyes Kyo" and the title "slayer of a thousand men". But Kyoshiro fell in love with a woman named Sakuya. Because he felt that he could not be the warrior king the clan needed and the gentle loving man that Sakuya deserved he had a ritual performed that split him into two men: Kyoshiro, the gentle yet strong man, and Demon Eyes Kyo, the heartless warrior. The body that Kyo inhabited for many years had been made to house the darker side of Kyoshiro's soul. However, Kyo refused to become the Red King. He was the embodiment of Kyshiro's fighting spirit and cared for nothing but fighting. He left and began to travel Japan sometimes destroying whole towns. Kyoshiro, who at this point no longer shared the goals of his clan and was in fact openly opposing them, took it upon himself to stop Kyo's bloodshed. That is why he found him at Sekigahara. And so this man, who became two men, was forced once again to become one man when the meteor struck.
However, Kyo and Kyshiro did not merge back into one soul and so the body of Kyoshiro developed a sort of split personality for several years and a third personality was created. In the first several episodes this third personality (the perverted medicine man) and Kyo struggle for dominance, but the medicine man is easily pushed aside (as he was never real to begin with - he was only a facade). For the bulk of the series Kyo is in full control of Kyoshiro's body. However, as Kyo learns to care for others and develops emotions he grows closer to becoming the man Kyoshiro once was. This allows Kyoshiro's personality to re-emerge. Through the final conflict of the series Kyoshiro is often in the back of Kyo's consciousness, attempting to guide him and even takes control of his body. In the end Kyo is deemed worthy of living his own life and when the world is set right (it's a long story, and even more complicated than the whole "Kyo is Kyoshiro is Kyo is two souls in one body that were actually one soul..." yeah, you get the picture, thing...) Kyo and Kyoshiro are each giving back their bodies from the separation. However, once this happens all Kyo wants is to see if he can defeat Kyoshiro. Kyoshiro decides he has that right and agrees to a face off. Through the eyes of Yuya we see pieces of the battle and are given the impression that only one man was left standing, but we don't know which one. The series ends with a jump to several years later in which Yuya runs into a man who looks like Kyoshiro, but has Demon Eyes Kyo's eyes and voice. This leaves the distinct impression that the battle ended with the two souls merging into the one soul they came from once again forming a gentle yet ruthless warrior - the paradox that is Kyoshiro Mibu.
Relationships: We only know of one relationship for Kyoshiro Mibu. He was in love with a woman named Sakuya, and was willing to give up half of himself to be the man he thought she deserved. Their love was evidently deep, but somewhat misguided and when he is given back his own body he does not return to her.
Kyo only formed three relationships in his "early" life (that would be the time between his "creation" and the battle of Sekigahara) the first was with Kyoshiro who he evidently took a great dislike too, whether because he felt wronged in the separation form Kyoshiro, despised Kyoshiro's "weakness" in deciding to cast off his warrior half, or because he knew Kyoshiro would always be seen as the true thousand man slayer. At any rate they become rivals of a sort though it appears to be one-sided with Kyo being the one who truly cares.
Kyo's other two relationships were with the two boys he allows to travel with him. The first was Akira, an orphan boy. Kyo killed his whole village and then took the boy in because he was unwilling to give up even when frightened. At first Kyo probably took the boy in as some twisted form of amusement, or perhaps he saw it as a chance to pass on his view of life and fighting. Whatever the reason he is relatively kind to the boy and Akira cares for him greatly. However, when he reappears in Kyoshiro's body Akira wants nothing more than to return him to the body of the Red King Kyo and face off against him. It would seem Kyo passed down his philosophy of life better than he had imagined.
The second boy was a member of the Mibu clan who followed Kyo constantly, pestering him with questions. Kyo bore this with remarkable patience considering he was supposed to be the embodiment of a pure fighting spirit, and eventually allowed the boy to travel with Akira and himself. This boy (sorry, cannot recall his name) also wishes to fight Kyo when he meets him again, and seems disappointed that Kyo has learned to care for others.
Apparently he also had a relationship of sorts with Muramasa, who was a teacher and mentor to him. It was strong enough that he came back to protect Muramasa and his... umm... well the young woman who lives with him and he r younger sister. It is even strong enough that he spares the younger girl's life years later (in the actual series timeline) when she attempts to kill him.
As for Sakuya, Kyo doesn't even want to hear her name. This may be because he hates her for being the catalyst for Kyoshiro's decision to split into two souls, or even that he hates her for being unable to choose between the two once they are split. Or he may still care for her and wish he did not, seeing love as a weakness. It is also possible that he hates her for her part in the Mibu clans deceptions of which he wants no part. In any event he never softens toward her, even after he begins to developed true friendships.
Kyo's series time relationships are vaster and more complex. He first developed a relationship with the young bounty hunter Yuya. As Kyoshiro the medicine man he is attracted to her and protective of her (though too weak and scared to do much). As Demon Eyes Kyo he first finds her intriguing and even amusing. She is determined to find the man with a cross scar on his back - the man who murdered her brother. Kyo knows this to be himself (or rather, Kyoshiro when they were still one person) but he does not volunteer this information. Kyo becomes rather protective of Yuya, and even possessive and it is clear that they grow to know and understand one another very well. Kyo claims that he sees her as a servant, even calling her servant number 1. However, when she is in danger it becomes clear that she is far more important to him than that. Muramasa believes that Kyo loves Yuya and that she is the thing that will keep him fighting when all else fails him, but when Yuya gets close to him he reacts with anger. It seems most likely that he does grow to love her, but struggles with that emotion because he was created not to have it.
His second real relationship is with Benitora (who is actually Hititada Tokugowa the heir to the Shogunate in a very poor disguise - in fact, only Yuya is fooled) He is impressed with Benitora's spunk and really, he can't get rid of the guy without killing him - and for some reason he seems reluctant to do that. He calls Benitora servant number 2. He must have some sort of respect for him because he never reveals his true identity and he trusts him. For the most part though Kyo ignores Benitora - he doesn't even want to fight him. Every once in a while he will mmm... recognize that Benitora ought well, but that's about the extent of their interaction. Except when he orders him to bring more sake...
Kyo also forms loose relationships with Yukimora Sanada, Sasuke and the rest of Sanada's ninja group, and the strange Migaria, as well as a woman named Okuni who he apparently knew before though whether as Kyo, Kyoshiro (first of second time), or both is hard to say. With all of these he has a sort of warriors' respect - in fact he and Yukimora would like nothing better than to have a real match to find out who is the better swordsman - and a sense of companionship if not friendship. He occasionally relies on them and ultimately works with them to save Japan and restore the true timeline (or something close to it...)
Techniques: Demon Eyes Kyo's sword style is the Mumyo Jinpu Ryu Satsujin Ken (Earthly Wind of God Style Murdering Sword), which was taught to him by Muramasa, his master and the man who made Kyo's sword. It teaches standard fencing skills and defense, but they are far more powerful than any of the skills of other sword styles. It is the most powerful sword school in the Mibu Clan. Kyo's speed is also unmatchable. In the early volumes, he was shown to be fast enough to easily cut musket balls in mid-air and kill the gunmen in a second. Although he is a samurai (which usually forbids attacking from behind because it is dishonorable), he has no trouble using his speed to appear behind his opponent and attack.
It is unclear how Kyo, and the other swordsmen like him, in the series are able to sense others. However, it has said that something was mentioned in the manga about a sense of awareness technique called "Maai" is. What it translates to in English remains unknown, but this technique forms a field that the samurai generates him/her-self through the use of their chi. If anyone enters it, they will know when and from where they come from. It can be said that in some ways, its almost like they're standing in a pool of water, or a spider's web. The moment when someone steps in, or on, it; they're alerted due to the vibrations. Only other master warrior samurai and newborn children, can enter it without being noticed.
Kyo's weapon is a Muramasa called Tenro, which translates to "Sky Wolf". Tenro is one of the Four Great Demon Blades that the swordsmith Muramasa forged. Its curve and cut are things of beauty. It is approximately five shaku (equivalent to five feet) long and it cannot be broken, cracked, bent, or dulled. It has no problem cutting through steel weapons or solid iron. Basically, it is an indestructible nodachi that only Kyo can wield. It seems to have a mind of its own, and chooses the one who wields it. Apparently, it chose Kyo and seems to enjoy working with him. The only other who has been seen to wield Tenro is Muramasa, Kyo's master. Inside Tenrou is the spirit of the First Aka no Ou, Kyo's direct ancestor.
Why we love him: ... split personality including strong but gentle (and I love the English voice for Kyoshiro - not the medicine man), broody and arrogant, and silly but adorable? Come on now, he may be borderline multiple personality disorder but he's got everything a girl could want ^_^ No ,seriously though, he's strong, he can be caring and gentle, he could definitely protect you, and he shows a capacity to change for the better over time. He's loyal and when he's his true self (Kyoshiro completely merged) he's so sweet and romantic! I love all three of him, well, I guess there are actually four of him... but not the medicine man as much as the others...
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