| “ | Your dream? Of becoming the only true Shogun of the Dark? That's a laugh. If you became a shogun, there'd be nothing but devils in this world. If you so want the company of Devils, I suggest you hurry back to hell, Genma! | „ |
| ~ Jubei to Genma Himuro, right before cutting off his arm |
Jubei Kibagami is the main protagonist of the 1993 anime movie Ninja Scroll. He is a wandering ninja in feudal Japan and a former member of the Tokagawa government. One day, he ends up getting caught up in a conflict with the Eight Devils of Kimon, a group of ruthless mercenaries working for the Shogun of the Dark and led by Jubei's old enemy Genma Himuro, whom he thought he had slain in the past but survived through reincarnation.
He is voiced by Koichi Yamadera in the Japanese version and Dean Wein in the English version.
Appearance
Jubei is a fairly tall, slim young man with short brown hair and a muscular build. He wears a dark-green man's kimono that he leaves open very loosely at the front, and a straw hat on his head.
Personality
| “ | I hate those who think so little of their own worth. | „ |
| ~ Jubei to Kagero |
Despite a troubled past and living in a poverty-stricken country where one must break the laws of nature just to survive, Jubei remains an honourable man with firm morals. Although he admits that he works for money, he is perfectly willing to retrieve an item for much less than it's worth if other people need the money more. He is quite laid-back and jovial, frequently engaging in light-hearted humor, though this tends to be rather sarcastic. His morals cause him to frequently butt heads with Dakuan, who frequently employs extremely ruthless methods and believes that to defeat the enemy, one must become the enemy.
During combat, however, Jubei is a pragmatist through and through, though this is out of necessity rather than personal preference; as a normal human with no supernatural powers, Jubei is outclassed in every one of his fights with the Eight Devils of Kimon. Therefore, his modus operandi in each fight is to exploit his enemy's weakness or turn their own strengths against them. These include stabbing Tessai in the eyes (the one part of his body he can't turn to stone), taking advantage of Utsusu's blindness, knocking Mushizo into the water which results in him being stung to death by his own bees, or using Shijima's own weapon against him. All of this shows Jubei to be very crafty, perceptive and resourceful, which may come from his days as an agent for the Tokagawa government, as Dakuan also shows these traits.
Jubei also has a strong dislike for people who view themselves as worthless or expendable, which is not only stated by him explicitly but shown in him frequently chewing out Kagero for her reckless actions and seemingly complete lack of regard for her own life. In addition, despite flirting with Kagero frequently, he refuses to have sex with her despite it being the best way to cure his poison, as he can tell she's in a terrible state and refuses to take advantage of that.
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