About Kurotabo

KUROTABO

Appearance

Kurotabō is a fairly tall yōkai with long blue-black hair and blue eyes with the appearance of a young bishōnen human in his early twenties. He is frequently seen dressed in black monks' robes and a conic straw hat topped by a diamond shape. He wears a white scarf around his neck and an olive-colored kesa fastened by a ring over his robes (signifying his full ordinance as a monk - probably of the Zen sect due to the ring). Apart from the standard warrior monk's shakujō that he carries, Kuratabō's long robes hide the many weapons in his arsenal. Beneath his hat, a pair of small nub-like horns protrude from either side of his forehead.

Because of his unique yōkai origins, it is unclear whether he ages naturally like yōkai of animal, nature and human type. Assumed to have been born sometime in the early Edo period, Kurotabō is anywhere between 400-300 years old.

When disguised as a human, Kurotabō ties his hair back and wears a pin-striped business suit with a blue tie. For some reason, he usually keeps his eyes closed while in human form.

During his time in the Hyaku Monogatari Clan, through which his form was corrupted by the Conquerer's Tea, Kurotabō's hair was even longer and a pair of thin spiraled horns protruded from either side of his forehead. In his first introduction as a general of the Hyaku Monogatari Clan, he wore Manchu-Qing Dynasty-styled court robes with a dragon motif. In his assassin disguise, Kurotabō dressed entirely in black, wearing gloves (though in his first appearance, they are contradictorily absent) and hiding half of his face under a black scarf. His appearance returned to its original state, and the one seen in the present day, after Sanmoto's defeat. Subsequently, since then he tends to keep one eye open and one eye closed - just like Rihan.

Personality

Befitting his status as a warrior monk, Kurotabō is generally cool, pragmatic, and no-nonsense in battle and in his everyday role as bodyguard to Rikuo. However, prior to exchanging sakazuki with Rihan and joining the Nura Clan during the Edo Period, he was focused strictly on his role as an assassin in Sanmoto Gorōzaemon's employ - shy, unquestioning, and without realizing any real purpose to his existence. Kurotabō has since loosened up, able to hold his own fairly well while indulging in Ukiyoe Town First District activities (habits likely acquired due to the influence of Rihan and Aotabō).

Regardless, he will occasionally display bouts of childish, silly behavior, especially when regarding his looks (while riding the subway, he internally -and snootily- puts down the other bodyguards for their human disguises not being nearly as good as his, as a "handsome, successful businessman"), his skills (particularly when having contests with Aotabō), and his own lingering grudge against the 8-year-old Rikuo due to having always fallen for the latter's pranks.

And despite his massive popularity and heartthrob status with yōkai females - to Aotabō's equally massive annoyance - Kurotabō's relative inexperience (and bad luck) with women of both species causes him to be mistaken for a pervert time and again.

Kurotabō may claim he "couldn't care less about humans," but he may actually care more about them than most other yōkai as he was created by the thoughts and hopes of humans. This is evident not only in his fate as protector of human children like Natsumi, but also in the way he was easily enslaved by the human Sanmoto, calling him a "wonderful" master before realizing his treachery. It is probably Sanmoto's deceit and betrayal that contributes to Kurotabō's general opinion of humans, but, on the other hand, it is that humanity-laced 'fear' which attracts him to seek out Rihan.