Sarasa is the main character of the story. She is the girl-half of the set of twins prophecised to free Japan. Sarasa is very much like an ordinary girl, except for the fact that she is fated to carry the name of her brother in disguise and lead a rebellion against the Emperor of Japan. She introduces herself as "Sarasa" only when she feels comfortable being a girl or when she needs to masquerade the fact that she is masquerading as Tatara (huh?).

Unlike many shoujo heroines, Sarasa is resourceful, self-reliant, and intelligent. She tends to be more agressive in "Tatara" mode, and more feminine in "Sarasa" mode. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes these two halves of her personality can merge into one, such as when she confronted the Blue King.

Sarasa is in love with Shuri. And these feelings often conflict with the Tatara half of her personality. She has a pet owl named Shinbashi, and a horse named Yato. Age: 15 Birth: August 15th (Leo) Voice: Akiko Kimura

Tatara is used to describe 3 different persons:

• The youth prophecised to save Japan from tyranny. This person is more symbolic than real, and exists as a legend among the minds of the people.

• The boy-half of the set of twins prophecised to save Japan from tyranny. He was named Tatara, and all the villagers assumed him to be the Savior. Thus the name "Tatara" became famous as the name of the Savior. Age: 15 Birth: August 15th (Leo) Voice: Akira Ishida

• Sarasa's alter ego, the part of her that disguises as a boy and journeys around Japan gathering followers to help her overthrow the Emperor. This half of Sarasa's personality is what she imagines her brother to be like, so it is very different from the two Tatara's mentioned before. She is determined to fulfill her destiny as the Savior, and seeks personal revenge on the Red King, her arch enemy. Obviously, these responsibilities are often at odds with Sarasa's personal feelings and wants. She is the rightful owner of the Sword of Byakko. Age: 15 Birth: August 15th (Leo) Voice: Akiko Kimura

Shuri is the other Savior of this story. Before he was born, a prophecy foretold that he will destroy his own father. Therefore, he was abandoned by his birth parents as a baby and raised by his uncle's family. Because of this, Shuri hates all prophets and superstitions.

Although arrogant and rough, he is extremely clever and ambitious. Shuri is confident of his looks, and enjoys hitting on women he barely met. He did this when he first met Sarasa. He also has a cute sense of humor, and likes to joke around in front of Sarasa.

Despite living in luxury, Shuri is quite lonely and has few people to talk to. The two people most important to him are Shido - the best friend he grew up with, and Sarasa - the girl he loves. Age: 17 Birth: August 6th (Leo) Voice: Kazuhiko Inoue

The Red King is the youngest son of the Emperor of Japan; i.e. the youngest of the 4 color kings. He was given the south-western desert region of Japan to rule at the age of 12. The Emperor wanted him to capture and execute Tatara, because the village of San-In lies within his territory. But the Red King also wants to kill the legendary Savior for his own personal reason: to prove the prophecy wrong. Thus, he becomes the arch enemy of Tatara.

Though a ruthless king, he is a skilled tactician and a strong ruler. His actions are often wise and well-calculated. The capital of Suou has become a prosperous and popular city under his reign. The Red King does not get along with his father, the Emperor, or any of his siblings, some of whom he has never met. His dream is to rule all of Japan one day. Age: 17 Birth: August 6th (Leo) Voice: Kazuhiko Inoue

Ageha is the handsome desert wanderer who helped Sarasa many times throughout her journeys. It's difficult to describe his personality, but words like "eccentric," "cool," and "mysterious" come to mind. In a way, he acts very aloof, as if he's above everyone else and merely a spectator. But sometimes, he is willing to jump into the action, and selflessly sacrifice himself for others. He lost his left eye in such a way, in order to save Sarasa's life.

Ageha's past is a painful one. He worked as a slave for Shido's family during his childhood, and was often abused. As a result, Ageha revels in his freedom by traveling around Japan, and rarely displays any sort of emotion besides cold indifference. He tends to speak with a tint of mockery and sarcasm in his voice.

As a traveler, Ageha knows many people, and many things. In fact, he seems to know everybody in this story (6 degrees of Ageha, anyone?). Nothing boring or stupid has every come out of his mouth. And Ageha is one of the few people who treats Sarasa as if she's just a normal person and not the Savior of Japan. Although he maintains a neutral stance in the overall conflict, he feels compelled to help Tatara whenever possible. Ageha's constant companion is an owl named Kagero. Age: Early 20s Birth Sign: Gemini Voice: Kaneto Shiozawa

Kicho is Ageha's on stage persona: the part of him who wears elaborate dresses, lipstick, nail polish, and performs for Madame Butterfly's traveling troupe. You can usually tell Kicho from Ageha by the eye-patch. If it's black, he's Ageha. If it's anything else, he's Kicho. Because of Kicho's beauty and enchanting performances (supposedly), he is a popular star and many men are infatuated with him.

Ageha usually becomes Kicho so he can move about the country easily as part of Madame Butterfly's traveling troupe. We wouldn't call Kicho "Ageha in disguise" - the way Tatara is for Sarasa - because many people know Kicho and Ageha are the same person.

Thankfully, Kicho doesn't show up often in this story. We definitely prefer Ageha over Kicho. Age: Early 20s Birth Sign: Gemini Voice: Kaneto Shiozawa

Shido is Shuri's best friend, as well as the Red King's right-hand man. After the Red King conquered the region of Kyushu, Shido was assigned to govern and protect it. When the Red King couldn't apprehend Tatara, Shido came to help and offered to take the case. He is a very loyal subject, and is willing to give up his life to serve and protect his king.

Just like every major character of this story, Shido also has two sides to him. The everyday part of him is kind, gentle, and very smiley. He looks forward to building a greener country. That's why he gave Shuri a pouch of olive seeds. But the battle part of him is cruel and ruthless. He is willing to kill women and children to obtain what he wants.

Shido has several important men in his life. He has strong feelings for Shuri, because they grew up together as kids. He worships the Red King, because he knows he can never be as brilliant. He also considers Ageha a dear childhood friend, even though Ageha resents the idea since Shido never treated him as an equal.

Despite all those men, Shido doesn't appear to be gay. Of course, one may argue otherwise. Shido is in love with Senju, and is engaged to marry her at the start of this story. Age: Early 20s Birth: November 1st (Scorpio) Voice: Juurouta Kosugi

Sigh. Asagi is the guy who is a major character in the Basara story, but wasn't one in the anime. That's because the anime ended too soon, right after Asagi was introduced. And there's not much I can say about him without spoiling a surprise. He came into episode 12 as the captain of the Blue King's bodyguards.

I wish I could discuss his personality some more, but until I actually read the manga (instead of just interpreting the pictures -_-), I can only guess about this guy. He does appear to be wicked, conniving, a bit psycho, and a bit bratty. He sort of reminds me of a cross between Rin from Please Save My Earth and Dilandu from the Vision of Escaflowne. Age: 18 Birth: May 13th (Taurus) Voice: Nozomu Sasaki