Saemon Kisaragi (如月 左衛門, Kisaragi Saemon) is a member of the Kōga Manjidani clan who is one of the ten ninjas selected by Danjō Kōga to participate in the war against the Iga Tsubagakure clan and the older brother of fellow Kōga ninja Okoi.
Appearance[]
Saemon has black hair that he keeps back in a small topknot and he has a rather unremarkable face with his only distinguishing features being his slightly narrow eyes.
He wears a pale green kosode with slightly darker green hakama, tied around the waist with a dark green sash.
Personality[]
Saemon is perhaps Basilisk's most complex character. Cool and aloof, he conducts himself in both war and peace with an almost professional sense of detachment. Following Okoi's brutal capture, interrogation and terrifying death at the Iga's hands; Saemon throws himself whole-heartedly into the war between Kōga and Iga, viewing victory for his clan and revenge for his sister as one and the same. To that end, Saemon will use any method necessary to physically and mentally break the remaining Iga ten. But after the fight is over and his enemy is dead, Saemon will always apologize to his slain opponents with the hope that in death they might know the peace they were denied in life.
He seems to be very close friends with both Gyōbu Kasumi and Kagerō.
Biography[]
Before the War[]
Saemon is seen watching Shōgen Kazamachi fish at a stream, seeming fairly relaxed and even comending Shōgen's fishing skill. Suddenly, Jōsuke Udono comes rolling down the hill behind them, landing in the water and setting the fish free. He is followed by an irritated Okoi and Gyōbu Kasumi, who accuse Jōsuke of ruining their hunting trip. The group then joke that Jōsuke should be eaten as punishment for letting all their food get away. Jōsuke explains to Okoi that if they eat him, her rear may get to large, which enrages Okoi as she thrashes Jōsuke and walks off with Gyōbu and Saemon following closely behind.
Abilities[]
- Skinchanging: By pressing another's face into a raised mound of mud or soft clay, Saemon can form a mold with which he can insert his own face into, taking their form and appearance for himself. However, his technique is only effective cosmetically and does not allow him to imitate a person who's bodily proportions does not match his (i.e. Jōsuke Udono as noted by Shōgen Kazamachi). It doesn't bestow him with any of a person's memories or abilities and anything with senses superior to a human's (as Hotarubi's snake proved) are able to see through it. Thankfully, while impersonating someone, Saemon is very adept at weaving everything he says in such a way that it would not rouse any suspicion from those being subjected to his subterfuge.
- Voice Mimicry: Saemon can impersonate voice which he heard. This, along with his talent for skinchanging, makes Saemon a master of disguise. However, when he is distracted or shocked, his voice mimicry stops as seen in Episode 6 and Episode 21.
- Taijutsu: Saemon shows some of the best hand-to-hand combat skills amongst the Kōga, easily managing to defend against Hotarubi's kicks and steal her weapon in the process. He also shows extremely precise and effective lethality against three of Lady Ofuku's vassals: while disguised as Tenzen Yakushiji, he attempts to enter the compound where Oboro and Akeginu are staying. The men initially try to stop him, but he snaps their arms at the elbow almost instantaneously when they attempt to restrain him. In an earlier instance, Saemon also shows why he's one of the Kōga's more capable fighters by successfully defending himself against multiple Iga ninjas at once.
Relationships[]
Okoi[]
Okoi is Saemon's younger sister and the only person he shows emotion to where the pair seem to share a very deep bond. Her death stirs him into action and starts him on a path of revenge.
In a scene shown only in the anime, it is shown that Okoi likes to tease him and that Saemon is a little over-protective, demanding to know when Okoi became "tea-friends" with Jūbei Jimushi.
Gyōbu Kasumi[]
Saemon appears to be very good friends with Gyōbu as they always talk with each other and they also work well together as seen when they both kill Yashamaru and then set out to save Gennosuke Kōga immediately after.
Kagerō[]
Saemon and Kagerō share a strong bond and both are seen working together many times. When Gennosuke Kōga and the other Kōga members set out to Senpu, Saemon was the first one to notice that Kagerō was not in the right state of mind.
Later, both Saemon and Kagerō seem to partner together like when they chased after Hotarubi's butterflies and Ogen's hawk carrying a scroll. They were also responsible for the death of two Iga members - Koshirō Chikuma and Akeginu.
When Kagerō finds out that Tenzen Yakushiji has killed Saemon, she is seen to be very upset and kills Tenzen in the process.
Hotarubi[]
Their relation is maybe the most hatred in the series since Saemon participated in her beloved Yashamaru's death and Hotarubi stabbed his friend Shōgen Kazamachi incessantly.
To make things worst, Saemon used Yashamaru's appearence with Hotarubi in a loving moment, which left her horrified and she became extremely violent towards him that the animosity between both culminated until he killed her.
Nenki Mino[]
Saemon doesn't show much expression or feelings, but he express an extreme hate for Nenki who is responsible for the death of his younger sister Okoi at some point, which he later turns in happiness by degrade, offend and kick Nenki's dead body after Hyōma Muroga kills him.
Difference between Manga, Anime and Novel Versions[]
Like most of Basilisk's characters, Saemon is considerably more humanized in the anime than he was in the original manga where he experiences neither regret nor sadness after slaying his enemies and frequently displayed an ironic and cynical sense of humor. An example would be after he and Kagerō killed Akeginu in volume 5 and Saemon is being questioned by Lady Ofuku's samurai. After being told that it was an honor to be on the same side, Saemon sardonically laughs to himself at how the Iga's allies were unaware that his true intention was to infiltrate their party to assassinate Oboro.
In the anime, where he is indeed more humanized, Saemon seems to be almost sympathetic of Akeginu. Just as Kagerō is about to finish her off, Saemon stares at Akeginu with a pained expression on his face. He seems to have had sympathized or even pitied Hotarubi as well. When he kills Hotarubi in the manga, he remarks how the Iga had killed his sister Okoi and death was to be expected. In the anime, he gives Hotarubi an approving nod of his head and remains silent as her body falls down into a canyon.
In the novel, it is stated that he appears so plain and common that a person would forget what he looked like moments later and even upon several meetings. And between his own clansmen and the Iga ten, Saemon does appear to be the most ordinary. It is also contemplated that the face he usually has might not even be his real face at all. His personality is the same as how he is depicted in the manga.
Appearance in Other Media[]
Houka Kinoshita as Saemon
Saemon is also a featured character in the 2005 Japanese live-action film Shinobi: Heart Under Blade, portrayed by Houka Kinoshita. Within this movie, his whole body is wrapped up in a certain type of cassock, in which he wears a mask over his face. He had the apparent ability to teleport and instead of pressing a person's face in mud, he simply has to rub his hands on their face and then rub his hand on his own face, thus successfully mimicking their appearance. He uses his ability to steal Yashamaru's identity and infiltrates the Iga, attempting to assassinate Oboro at his first opportunity. His stab is blocked by Hotarubi and the two begin to battle, though it is cut short when he his slashed from behind by Tenzen Yakushiji.
Etymology[]
- The name Saemon means "left" (左) (sa), "defense, protection" (衛) (e) and "gate" (門) (mon).
- Saemon's surname Kisaragi means "February" (如月).
Quotes[]
- "Let me kill the first."
- (To Hyōma Muroga) "Women are terrifying creatures no matter how you look at them."
- (Imitating Akeginu's voice) "Its tiring...the seductive voice of a woman."
- (To Kagerō) "Listen...Kagerou. The sun will always rise and set; this is a constant. But during the next few cycles, how many more lives will be lost? I do not wish to appear this way anymore than Gennosuke-sama wishes to hide. But we do our parts so those in Kouga can live their lives."