Genjuro Kibagami

Genjuro Kibagami (牙神 幻十郎, Kibagami Genjūrō) -with Genjūrō meaning Mystic Tenth Son in Japanese- is a recurring character introduced in Samurai Shodown II and the official rival to Haohmaru. In Gamest's 1997 Heroes Collection, he was ranked the staff's eighteenth favorite character and was voted as the number one favorite character at the time of his debut.

Story
He claims to have killed his family and at least a thousand other people. His mother was a prostitute and, due to her profession, he knows nothing about his father. When he was fifteen, Genjuro killed one of her clients -due to his mother's pleas for protection from her client's drunken rage. As he went to leave, she attacked him, leaving the scar on his back, and he killed her.

Orphaned, Nicotine Caffeine spotted him and took him under his tutelage along with Haohmaru in his home. Both students were close friends yet Genjuro's hunger for power worried Nicotine. To test his student, he decided to have them fight to determine who was stronger, with a scroll that promises power as the reward. Genjuro defeats Haohmaru but is banished for his murderous intent. He swore to kill Haohmaru and Nicotine, spiteful for their idealistic beliefs on swordplay. He hates Haohmaru especially, because he resembles the man his mother was with when he killed them. He also was attracted to Shiki at one point, as she resembled his mother.

His profession during his travels is a hitokiri or killer-for-hire, often accepting the more "dirty" jobs such as wiping out pirate brigades and bandit hideouts. His former clients include Sankuro Yorozu and Mizuki Rashojin. In Samurai Shodown 64-2, Genjuro gains the upper hand in his last duel with Haohmaru. Before he could deal the final blow, a boy stabs him in vengeance for his unnamed father. It's heavily implied that Genjuro dies from his wound and, as promised, an older Haohmaru toasts to his friend's honor.

Similar to Ukyo, his death is believed to be retconned in the newer sequel. Here, Genjuro is attacked by two assassins; one he kills quickly and the other somehow survived. Before he makes the killing blow, the surviving assassin tells him that this was a test from a man named Golba and offers him to join his master. As he hesitates, the assassin blows himself up, which perks Genjuro's interest and begins his journey to find Golba.

He has a motto that he recites before he goes to slaughter people. It's roughly translated as: "I build a nest of beast in my heart. The fang is growling; Kill... Let's go kill. The fang is crying; Kill... Let's go kill. To calm it down, I have no way but slash men..." (translation taken from here)

Although it is mostly exclusive to the series' drama CDs, players can hear parts of it being sung by a woman during his theme song in Samurai Shodown 64.

Personality
Genjuro is a brutal warrior who only fights for the pleasure of killing. He likes to dominate over others and hates people who are weak. There are times when he occasionally feels regretful and shows mercy for his actions though he often counteracts these instances with more acts of cruelty. He is often called a "demon" by his victims, usually moments before he slays them.

Powers

 * Energy Projectile - Genjuro can fire a projectile of energy from his sword.
 * Energy Attacks - Genjuro can fuel his sword with ki energy.
 * Stun - Genjuro can trap his opponents and leave them completely vulnerable for a limited time.

Fighting Style
Though they both trained underneath Nicotine, his fighting style greatly differs from Haohmaru in execution. All of his special moves are direct references to the Japanese card game, hanafuda. Depending on whether a move hits or misses, the move will temporarily project the images of a "winning" combo of cards and/or a "miss" based on the featured hanafuda set. His "pet" of sorts is an unnamed orange frog, a reference to the card, Yanagi ni Ono No Toufuu. His win poses from his first appearance made several heavy references to the deck; his later win poses tone down the references.

Music

 * Oni (Demon) - Samurai Shodown II
 * Oni no Uta (Demon Song) - Samurai Shodown III
 * Oni no Uta - Kai (Demon Song - Modified) - Samurai Shodown IV
 * Oni no Uta ~ Beast + Divine Ferocity - Samurai Shodown 64
 * Oni no Uta ~ Asura Zanmaden - Samurai Shodown 64-2
 * Daimen's Nite Groove (Hot Sake Mix) - Samurai Remix VA (shared with Nicotine)
 * Feel It (Mr. Organ Mix) - Samurai Remix VA

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown II
 * Samurai Shodown III
 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
 * Samurai Shodown IV
 * Samurai Shodown 64
 * Samurai Shodown 64-2
 * Samurai Shodown V
 * Samurai Shodown V Special
 * Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuden
 * SNK vs Capcom: SVC Chaos
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum
 * Samurai Shodown: Edge of Destiny

Anime Appearances

 * Samurai Spirits 2: Asura-Zanmaden (OVA)

Similar Characters

 * Sankuro Yorozu