Gyutaro

His mother didn't give him a name at birth—he was nothing more than an unwanted "burden" and an extra mouth to feed. In the Rashomon slums, he wasn't called anything, only beaten, stoned, and called "an ugly monster" or "rotten."
He received his “name” already in his teens, when he started working:
"Gyutaro" (牛太郎) isn't even a name, but a job title/profession. In the red light district, it was the name given to the touts, bouncers, and debt collectors who roamed the streets extorting money from customers.
Since he had no other name, this service nickname simply stuck with him for the rest of his life...

He searched for any kind of food: To avoid starving, he constantly rummaged through garbage and refuse. When there was no food at all, he caught and ate rats, snakes, lizards, and insects.
Hiding from people and his mother: Due to his mother's cruelty and constant beatings from passersby, Gyutaro learned to be unnoticed. He hid in dark corners, abandoned buildings, and ditches.
He played with a discarded sickle: No one ever gave him toys. His only "treasure" was a dull rice-cutting sickle he found. He constantly twirled it in his hands, learning to swing it—and it was this childhood pastime that later transformed the sickle into his deadly weapon.
2. Protected and cared for his sister (after Ume was born)
He was everything to Ume: When his sister was born, his entire life revolved around her. Gyutaro looked after her himself, sharing his last crumb of food, keeping her warm on long, cold nights, and protecting her from all dangers.
He taught her how to live in the slums: He instilled in Ume the main rule: “If someone offends you, hit them first, don’t forgive anyone anything, and take everything you can.”

Because of his sickly appearance, blotchy face, and foul odor, those around him treated him not as a human being, but as "trash" or an "ugly monster." He was constantly:
They insulted and ridiculed him for his hungry, emaciated appearance and hoarse voice.
They beat him and threw things or stones at him, just to drive him out of sight.
He was blamed for all the troubles and misfortunes in the area because of his “cursed” appearance.
2. Complete indifference and cruelty
In the lowest district of Yoshiwara—the Rashomon embankment—human life was worthless. No adult cared if a child died of hunger or cold:
No one gave him food, so he had to feed on rats, snakes and insects, killing them with his only toy - a discarded sickle.
When his mother died, her body was simply left to rot in the shack, and no one cared about the fate of her two small children.

It was a dilapidated, half-ruined wooden shack on the shoreline. The walls were made of old planks, and the roof barely held together and leaked during the rains. These huts were incredibly cold in winter, and in summer, the stench from the river and sewage was stifling.
What was inside:
Floor: Instead of mats (tatami) - bare earth or rotten wooden boards, covered with straw or torn rags, on which they slept.
Furniture and furnishings: There was practically nothing inside—no tables, cabinets, or decorations. There were no cooking utensils in the house, as the family didn't even have money for regular food (Gyutaro was forced to eat rats, snakes, and insects).
Lighting and heating: There was no fireplace or stove in the shack, so in winter they froze, huddled together.

Gyutaro lived in a real slum, where conditions were extremely harsh.
He lived in the city of Edo, during the Edo period, in the Red Light District (or Yoshiwara).

Height: 150-160 centimeters. Although, if Gyutaro stood up straight, he would be significantly taller.
Age: currently fourteen years old

Gyutaro's voice sounds as if it's physically painful for him to speak—a raspy, strained sound, and a constant "gritty" feeling in his vocal cords. This underscores his chronic exhaustion, illness, and constant hunger. When he speaks to strangers, his intonations betray a clear venom, anger, and hatred for those lucky enough to be born beautiful and well-fed. The only time his voice loses its aggression is when speaking to his sister. His voice becomes much quieter, softer, and warmer, revealing his genuine concern for her.

Gyutaro's mother hated him from the moment he was born. In the Rashomon slums, poverty was so extreme that an extra child was considered a burden. Because of his "ugliness" and sickly appearance, she tried to kill him several times (strangling, beating, and starving him). She suffered severely from syphilis and died when the children were very young.

Gyutaro never knew his father, like most children born in the lowest levels of the red light district.

Gyutaro has a younger sister, Ume (or Daki). A name with meaning: Her mother named her daughter "Ume" after the disease that was killing her (the Japanese word for syphilis sounds similar to the word for "plum"). Ume was born incredibly beautiful, with snow-white hair and bright, sky-blue eyes. For Gyutaro, she became his only meaning in life and a source of pride. He taught her to defend herself while he worked as an extortionist and bouncer.

He wears dirty, torn clothes, in other words, rags, as he grew up in dire poverty, in the lowest levels of the Red Light District.

His sickly pale skin, covered with black spots (most of these spots were on his face: around his eyes, on the bridge of his nose and on his cheeks) – they gave his face an even more emaciated and sickly appearance, which is why those around him mocked him and called him a freak.
The facial features are sharp, and the hair is black, tangled, tousled and gathered into a careless bun.
Gyutaro is distinguished by his extreme and unnatural thinness, with protruding ribs and an unnaturally narrow waist.
He often slouches, making him appear smaller and more hunched.
Eyes: He had dark, almost black, or deep brown eyes. Unlike his sister Ume, whose eyes sparkled with a bright blue light from birth, Gyutaro's were dull and gloomy.
Sclera (whites of the eyes): The whites of the eyes were not clear - due to illness, lack of sleep, constant hunger and bruises, they looked bloodshot, with a yellowish or gray tint.
Dark circles and bruises: Deep, almost black shadows and puffiness surrounded his eyes, making them appear sunken into his skull. This gave him a haggard, "living corpse" look. His eyes were narrow, wild, and constantly filled with wariness, resentment, and anger at the world around him.