Hi there! This is a partial copy of the Shin Angyo Onshi article. I'm trying to figure out how to organize the characters/references, so I'm just editing that part here in my user space. If you'd like to help, please head on over to the real article's talk page. You can see all my contributor notes, questions & concerns there.
If you happen to have content to add, please do so at Shin Angyo Onshi. Seriously. Please do. It's very lonely being the only person contributing chunks of content and information to an article.
Characters edit
- This section describes the characters as they appear in the manga version.
Blade of the Phantom Mask bases many of its characters on Korean folklore heroes and historical figures. To reflect this, character names and proper terms are kept as close to the Korean as possible.
Angyo Onshi edit
In Blade of the Phantom Mask, angyo onshi bear ranks called mahai, denoted by the number of horses cast into a bronze medallion given to them by the king:
- First mahai onshi can summon basic magic to fight ordinary soldiers.
- Second mahai onshi can summon demons to fight evil sorcery.
- Third mahai onshi can summon the phantom soldiers of Jushin, who are undefeatable and indestructible.
After the fall of Jushin, both first and second mahai medallions are useless; only third mahai medallions still function.
Angyo onshi are also prohibited from having families, but they are allowed one bodyguard, who bears the special title of "sando."
Main Characters edit
Munsu is the main character of the series and a third mahai angyo onshi from the fallen kingdom of Jushin. Despite the common perception held by Jushin's former citizens that angyo onshi are virtuous and bearers of justice, Munsu is amoral and does not believe in helping people who refuse to help themselves. When he does help others, his methods can be questionable and often misconstrued as "evil." Munsu suffers from a curse that resembles asthma, which can only be alleviated by the inhaler-like charm he wears around his neck.
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese)
Sando, whose real name is Chun Hyang, is a beautiful woman with immense fighting ability and Munsu's companion. She is the only character in Blade of the Phantom Mask capable of defeating Munsu's phantom soldiers. When she was kidnapped by a corrupt lord who wanted to make her his personal bodyguard, her lover embarked on a failed quest to become an angyo onshi and died as an indirect result. After Munsu frees her, she decides to become his bodyguard in memory of her dead lover and takes the title "Sando" as her new name. Despite her fearsome natural fighting ability, Sando is quiet and shy and believes in doing what is right. As a result, she fights with Munsu constantly over his chosen methods and has made it clear that if he does something truly evil, she will no longer protect him.
Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese)
Bang Ja is Munsu's unwanted but good-intentioned servant. Once the servant and apprentice of a first mahai onshi, his former master released him from service after Jushin's destruction. When his master and his sando were later killed in a rebel uprising against a corrupt lord, Bang Ja began roaming the country as a thief. He believes that angyo onshi should be virtuous and heroic, which is why Munsu's behavior often shocks him.
Aji Tae is a former scholar from Jushin and the man Munsu holds responsible for the destruction of the country. Many of Munsu's former allies and comrades have since switched their loyalties to Aji Tae, whom they now call "Lord." His motives and purpose, as of yet, remain unknown.
Supporting Characters edit
Mago is Aji Tae's companion and bodyguard. At first appearance, she is a muscular warrior woman. In reality, however, Mago is an intelligent, man-eating panther. The only person who sees her as a human woman, for certain, is Aji Tae; Munsu and most others see her as the panther. It remains unclear whether or not Sando sees her as the human or the panther. To her, Mago is merely an "enemy."
Won Sul is a master swordsman from Jushin, who was once a subordinate of Munsu but now serves Aji Tae.
Won Hyo is a high-ranking sorcerer from Jushin, who was once an ally and friend of Munsu but now serves Aji Tae.
Eul Paso is a former soldier of Jushin, who is now Aji Tae's lackey.
Miss Hwang first appears in the series as a tavern owner. In reality, she is a second mahai angyo onshi, who was in disguise while investigating the local government. She also later appears disguised as a captive sacrifice. Unlike Munsu, her sando is not human but rather a beast that resembles an East Asian dragon.
Mong Ryong is an idealistic young man who left his village to become an angyo onshi in order to save his kidnapped lover, Chun Hyang. His efforts met with failure no less than three times and after Jushin fell, he had no choice but to return to his village empty-handed. On the way there, he passes through the desert where he meets and saves the life of a dying man whose name is Munsu.
Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese)
Bun Haku Dou is the corrupt lord of Mong Ryong's and Chun Hyang's home village. His paranoid nature led him to kidnap Chun Hyang in an effort to coerce her into becoming his personal bodyguard.
Voiced by: Ryusei Nakao (Japanese)