Kojiro Kanemaki

Kojiro Kanemaki (, Kanemaki Kojirō) is the deuteragonist of the manga Orient. He is the childhood best friend of Musashi and the captain of the Kanemaki Bushi. His and Musashi's goal is to form the greatest Bushi Band ever.

Appearance
Kojiro is a lean young man with average height and build. He has yellow eyes and short, spiky blond hair. He initially wears a light-colored kimono with a color-matching hakama. He is always carrying around a sword which was given to him by his late father, Jisai Kanemaki, along with his own Kitetsu Sword.

Personality
Kojiro is a kind person and cares about his friends. Since his father's death, he had to take care of himself and became self-sufficient from a very young age. His resourcefulness comes in handy when he strategizes during fights. He can be little competitive with Musashi, and also has the tendency to compare himself with his friend, leading to him gaining an inferiority complex and doubting his own abilities and competence.

History
Kojiro lived with his father in the outskirt of Tatsuyama Town. They were treated inhumanly and were constantly bullied by the villagers who were influenced by the Oni worshippers. However, one day, while Kojiro was practicing his swordsmanship, young Musashi came there and was fascinated by his fencing skills. Soon after, Musashi became Kojiro's one and only friend from the town, which made him very happy. After the death of Musashi's parents, the boy was taken into the Kanemaki household, where the three of them lived humbly but happily up until Jisai's execution. After that, the boys got separated and Kojiro was left alone in the old hut. Even though he had to do odd-jobs to make a living, he grew up to an independent and handy young man.

Equipment
Kitetsuki (鬼鉄騎, Kitetsuki, Oni Iron Rider): A motorbike which he inherited from his father.

Kitetsu Sword

 * Rekku Yaezakura (, Air-Splitting Cherry Blossom): Kojiro's first Kitetsu Sword and his current weapon.

Powers and Abilities
Blue Sword Soul: Blue souls are often associated to be common in the bushi community, and can make multiple strikes in one action. It is said that two out of five bushi have blue souls.

Kojiro has used it to cut apart a lesser Oni with a single strike, which generated multiple slashes.

Musashi
A friend and rival of Kojiro Kanemaki.

Trivia

 * Kojiro is named after Sasaki Kojiro, a famous samurai who lived during the early Edo period.
 * Kojiro smokes, a habit he likely took up from his father. He attempted to quit right after he and Musashi left the town; however, he failed.
 * One of his noted special skills is making ends meet.
 * Kojiro ranked 2nd place in the manga's 1st Character Popularity Poll.
 * Kojiro does not drink because his alcohol tolerance is low.

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Коджиро Канэмаки