Mugen

Mugen's Japanese is quite rough and "Yanki." The exact date of Mugen's birth and much of his past is shrouded in mystery. In "Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 1)", he states that he never knew whom his parents were. Mugen is revealed to be illiterate (due to him not being educated as a child). However, he learns how to read in War of the Words. Mugen's style of clothes suggests he may be of Ainu origin. This appears to be further supported later on by Mugen remarking that he grew up on the same music an Ainu fugitive was playing (though the Ainu man came from the far North, and Mugen came from the far south). Another reason for the similarity may be because the Ainu of the north and the Ryukyu of the south are from the same cultural and genetic stock before being displaced later by the Yamato Japanese. The blue tattoos on Mugen's wrists and ankles indicate that he was once in prison. The circumstances of his imprisonment are unclear at first, but it is later revealed that he was to be executed for engaging in piracy. Since Shintaro Watanabe states that Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy share the same universe, it is possible that Spike Spiegel and Dandy are Mugen's descendants. A running theme in the series is that any women Mugen is sexually attracted turns out to be a dangerous threat: Sara - A blind assassin who Mugen grows to respect.

Mugen's highly unorthodox swordplay and a fighting style based on breakdancing - dubbed "champuru kendo" (Champloo Kendo in English) and ostensibly developed by himself - taking bits and pieces from all forms of martial arts and making up the rest on-the-go as he fights his opponents, make him generally unpredictable in a fight and a force to be reckoned with.[2] Mugen also has a tendency to parry attacks with the steel base of his geta. He carries a uniquely crafted sword. It appears to be an amalgamation of the Okinawan sai with its tsuba being two upward-pointing and curved side-prongs, while the blade being smoothly curved like a Japanese katana, albeit with an edge on both sides. It has a brass pommel on the end of the hilt, a feature of European and Chinese swords, but not Japanese ones. It is carried in a sheathe across his back with a double deception. The sheathe is disguised to make his normal-sized blade look like a nodachi in length to make enemies initially misjudge the length. Also, at the bottom of the sheathe conceals a tantō (only resorted to as a trump card).

Mugen's fighting style is unpredictable, which makes it harder for opponents to counter. Kariya Kagetoki praises this, however he notes that Mugen's skill level is lacking as a result. However, Mugen has a knack of learning things very quickly, once he sees his opponent doing a move he will try to incorporate it to his fighting style. Mugen is a prodigy at fighting, easily learning how to use ki to kill Shoryu and impressing Sara in his second fight.

Background

Mugen was born in a penal colony on the Ryukyu Islands (most likely Miyako Island since it was a penal colony in the past), which in the Edo period was a separate kingdom with close ties to the Satsuma domain of Japan. During his childhood, Mugen had to resort to piracy and committed several crimes with Mukuro and his stepsister Koza. One day Mugen is captured by government officials and sent to be executed over a cliff. Mugen jumped off the cliff to escape the officials, with Mukuro and Koza watching

Rude, lewd, vulgar, conceited, temperamental, and unhinged - Mugen is something of an antihero. He is fond of fighting and has a tendency to pick fights for petty reasons. In several episodes it is made clear that Mugen is a womanizer, and his libido often gets the better of him. Character designer Kazuto Nakazawa stated in an interview: "When I was doing character design, the most difficult one was Mugen, as I expected. I'm pretty sure that as far as the director's image went, he probably was thinking of someone like a 'rapper who acts like a bad guy.' But the way Mugen acts is relatively based on his core conviction." Mugen is extremely competitive, and will take on any and all challengers. On top of his consistent rivalry with Jin, he is prone to gambling and taking on fights with anyone else he deems strong enough. He is also a sore loser and will go to great lengths to redeem himself from a defeat.

Mugen absolutely despises authority of any kind. His anarchic behavior stems from his childhood growing up in the lawless and often violent Ryukyu Islands. Mugen states he would rather die fighting than be on his knees pleading for mercy. His disdain for authority is so great, it even led him to attempt suicide by jumping off a cliff and into the ocean as opposed to being apprehended. In spite of his faults, Mugen is capable of accepting people as comrades, if begrudgely. If Mugen sees a skilled opponent, he will hold a high degree of respect to them (like Shoryu, Ishimatsu, Sara, Okuru, Kariya Kagetoki, and most importantly Jin). Originally Jin and Mugen did not get along well, but over time Mugen grew to respect Jin and even consider him as a friend. Jin killed Mukuro because he thought Mukuro stole his kill, and Mugen tried killing Sara because the only person Mugen considers worthy to kill Jin is himself. At the end, Mugen admits he doesn't want to kill Jin. Mugen also respects Fuu more than Koza (even though Koza likes him) because Fuu is more independent.

Mugen has messy black hair and a faint beard. He sports several blue ring tattoos, two on each wrist and one just above each ankle, a sign of his status as a convict.

His clothing is anachronistic as well, reminiscent of baggy hip-hop fashions of today. His attire consists of a light gray shirt with a stitch pattern running down the middle and ending at the halfway point of the shirt. He wears this under a red short-sleeve happi with a hollow white triangle on the upper back that functions as a jacket. Additionally, he wears light blue earrings, dark gray hakama cut off at shorts-length, resembling loose-fitting Bermuda shorts and Japanese Geta (wooden sandals) on his feet. these geta are fitted with several metal strips on the soles, allowing him to use his sandals as blocking devices. Lastly, he carries his sword on his back with a sash that goes from his left shoulder to his right hip, favoring his right hand. It has a zig-zag pattern of green and yellowish-brown.

Losing, authority, responsibility, working

Food, booze, pretty women, fighting, winning

Champloo/Champuru Kendo and martial arts

Double-edged Tsurugi with two-prong hilt, Tantō (concealed in opposite end of scabbard)

Vagabond, Pirate, The hired assassin is Sarumai

19-20 years