Samurai Flamenco has a mixture of over-the-top, zany, and serious characters. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, but viewers should be able to find at least one character they like or that they can relate to. Read on to learn more about the characters of Samurai Flamenco.
Masayoshi Hazama / Samurai Flamenco
Masayoshi is a male model, but he’s actually a superhero otaku who has dreamed of being a superhero since he was a child. He was inspired for this dream by Samurai Flamenco, a superhero created by his grandfather to help Masayoshi cope with his parents’ deaths. He has to hide his superhero interests from his manager, because she doesn’t want her clients to have hobbies.
But Masayoshi decides to secretly be a superhero on the side by donning a red suit and calling himself Samurai Flamenco. Unfortunately, his attempts to help people usually annoy them instead. One day, while Masayoshi is out as Samurai Flamenco, he is found by a police officer named Hidenori Goto who thinks he’s acting suspicious. Masayoshi and Hidenori strike up a friendship, but Hidenori keeps trying to convince Masayoshi to give up on his superhero identity. In a surprising turn of events, Samurai Flamenco becomes an internet sensation after a video of him is posted online that shows him going to great lengths to recover Hidenori’s stolen umbrella. But this notoriety brings him unwanted attention, which includes people wanting to visit with him as he’s trying to stop crime, and having a one million yen reward placed for anyone who can unmask Samurai Flamenco’s true identity.
Meanwhile, Masayoshi’s modeling career is taking off, which starts landing him gigs on television shows. This includes getting a dream job of appearing on a superhero show. But dealing with the director and the negativity on the set almost makes Masayoshi question what he’s been doing and he almost gives up on Samurai Flamenco. But a box of items given to him by a friend of his late grandfather reveals that Masayoshi’s parents were actually murdered and not killed by disease as he had been told. This revelation gives Masayoshi the determination that he needs to continue on. With time, Samurai Flamenco gains the trust of the city’s citizens.
But when King Torture arrives on the scene and dispatches his various monsters, Masayoshi starts developing an ego as he defeats each one. He believes that winning these fights makes Samurai Flamenco the “real deal,” and this new attitude nearly destroys his friendship with Hidenori. But when the going gets tough at the boss fight, the two men put their differences aside and work together. After King Torture is defeated, Masayoshi decides that it’s best to reveal Samurai Flamenco's true identity to the public.
But after he unmasks himself, Masayoshi is called upon to lead the Samurai Squad Flamengers, a group battling an enemy known as From Beyond. During his time with the Flamengers, Masayoshi becomes known as Flamen Red. This experience forces Masayoshi to learn how to work as part of a team, which was actually difficult for him to do since he was so used to working alone. But after From Beyond is defeated, Masayoshi finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving the Japanese government and becomes a fugitive. At the climax of the series, Masayoshi is involved in a psychological battle with his final enemy, which almost destroys his friendship with Hidenori.
Hidenori Goto
Hidenori is a police officer who takes his job very seriously. He’s also seen regularly texting his girlfriend to tell her about what’s going on. It’s revealed later on that Hidenori’s girlfriend has been missing for a while and that he’s actually been sending the texts to himself. He hasn’t been able to accept the truth about his girlfriend, and sending these texts have been a coping mechanism for him.
One day, Hidenori encounters Masayoshi as he’s trying to help out as Samurai Flamenco, and Hidenori thinks he looks suspicious. But Hidenori ends up befriending Masayoshi, and keeps trying to convince him that he needs to stop trying to be a superhero. The police department has been receiving a lot of complaints about Masayoshi’s antics, so Hidenori is trying to keep his friend out of trouble.
It’s during one of these conversations that Hidenori’s umbrella is accidentally taken at a restaurant, and Masayoshi springs into action as Samurai Flamenco in order to retrieve it. With this incident, Hidenori ends up inadvertently helping Samurai Flamenco gain notoriety. After Samurai Flamenco’s sudden fame, Hidenori is there to stand by Masayoshi’s side and offer him support. He also doesn’t let on to anyone that he knows Samurai Flamenco’s true identity.
Hidenori is temporarily assigned to the Vigilante Counseling Unit, which is essentially the police department’s attempt at public relations to appease the critics of their handling of Samurai Flamenco. This puts Hidenori in a bit of a bind, since he’s friends with Masayoshi and has to hear the various complaints and praises of citizens about his friend’s actions.
But after his assignment at that unit ends, Hidenori returns to his regular duties and continues to provide help and support to Masayoshi. Hidenori plays a vital role in helping to defeat King Torture, and he also has some role to play when fighting against some of the other antagonists. At one point, Hidenori even adopts the identity of Samurai Policeman.
But during the series, there are a couple of instances where his friendship with Masayoshi is nearly destroyed. The first time, Hidenori becomes frustrated when Masayoshi develops an ego over defeating King Torture’s monsters and is constantly being berated by the superhero for various reasons. The second time, Hidenori loses his cool when Masayoshi reveals he knows the truth about Hidenori’s girlfriend. The psychological issues Hidenori has when it comes to dealing with his missing girlfriend causes this normally level-headed police officer to appear as if he’s ready to go over the edge.
Mineral Miracle Muse / Flamenco Girls
Mineral Miracle Muse is a female idol group made up of three members: Mari Maya, Mizuki Misawa, and Moe Morita.
Mari is the lead singer of the group, and has an energetic personality. She’s also a magical girl otaku who had plans to debut as a magical girl superhero, and she’s unhappy when Samurai Flamenco makes his appearance. Mari figures out his true identity, and blackmails Masayoshi into teaming up with her. She takes on the identity of Flamenco Girl and accompanies Samurai Flamenco, but her excessive use of force causes problems. Masayoshi ends the partnership, and Mari goes on to form The Flamenco Girls with Mizuki and Moe. Mari changes her superhero identity to Flamenco Diamond, and Mizuki and Moe take on the superhero names of Flamenco Ruby and Flamenco Sapphire, respectively. They try to fight crime like Samurai Flamenco, but they’re just not quite as good at it as he is.
But Mari, like Masayoshi, also starts thinking a little too highly of herself when King Torture is on the loose. She shoots off her mouth in an interview and says she wants to fight King Torture personally. This leads Mari to being captured by him and used as bait to lure Samurai Flamenco to a final fight with him.
After being captured, tortured, and humiliated by King Torture, Mari becomes distant and develops a hatred for superheroes. She goes into hiding out of shame and feeling inferior, and it takes a little while for her to reconcile with Mizuki and Moe.
Mari also has a crush on Hidenori, but he doesn’t return her feelings.
Joji Kaname
He’s an action hero who starred as Red Axe the Armored God, one of Masayoshi’s favorite superheroes when he was growing up. He’s first introduced to the series when he arrives on The Wow! Show dressed as Samurai Flamenco and claiming to be him. He comes across as a phony trying to take credit for someone else’s work as a way to cash in on Samurai Flamenco’s popularity and to boost his own name. But when Masayoshi sends a challenge to Joji and reveals that he’s the real Samurai Flamenco, Joji offers to train the younger hero. This seems like a great idea to Masayoshi at first, but it turns out that whenever he calls Joji for advice, he seems to always be out of the country for one reason or another. After a while, this gives the impression that he really doesn’t want to help out when the going gets tough.
Joji later appears after Masayoshi reveals Samurai Flamenco’s real identity to the public, and is the one who brings Masayoshi to the Samurai Sentai Flamenger. Supposedly, his involvement with them explains his frequent absences. He is later framed by the Japanese government for the From Beyond plot, along with the Flamengers.
Joji admits that he’s actually Red Axe, and has been secretly fighting monsters alongside other heroes for years. Joji is married to another hero named Lady Axe.
Near the end of the series, Joji is critically injured when he’s hit by a truck. After his recovery, he becomes the director for a museum that’s dedicated to heroes.
Samurai Sentai Flamenger
This is the group that Masayoshi joins and ends up leading when From Beyond becomes the main villain of the series.
Soichi Aoshima is Flamen Blue, and has been Joji’s assistant for 10 years. He feels she should be the leader of the team, which causes friction with Masayoshi right at first. But once he gains respect for Masayoshi, Soichi is content with being second-in-command. Soichi also works with Joji, acting in superhero shows as a hero called Neo Axe.
Sakura Momoi is Flamen Pink, and is the only female member of the group. She serves as the Flamengers’ public relations officer. Sakura primarily joined the team because of her crush on Joji, and openly displays her feelings for him. This leads to friction between herself and Lady Axe. Sakura also enjoys knitting, even though she considers it to be an overly feminine hobby.
Hekiru Midorikawa is Flamen Green, and serves as the team’s strategist and tactical analyst. It’s not surprising that Hekiru ended up in this role for the Flamengers due to his passion for learning.
Anji Kuroki is Flamen Black, and he’s the Flamengers’ weapons specialist. Surprisingly, even though he’s in charge of weapons, he spends his spare time farming. Anji also helps to care for his sickly grandfather.
Jun Harazuka
He’s a middle-aged man who works for the R&D Department of a stationery company called Monsters Stationery. Jun approaches Samurai Flamenco after studying him and points out that he has limited attack options that force him into an ineffective defensive style. To help Samurai Flamenco improve his attack and defense options, Jun provides “legal” weapons disguised as stationery products. These are offered to Samurai Flamenco for free, so Jun can gather data on them. The various weapons we see Jun provide during the series include the Samurai Ink Eraser, the Samurai Retractable Pen, the Samurai Stapler, the Samurai Tape Measure, and the Samurai Glue. Surprisingly, these tools actually work and come in handy at times when Samurai Flamenco needs them. Unfortunately, when Masayoshi joins the Flamengers, Jun’s inventions are confiscated by the government.
Jun provides scientific knowledge in the later part of the series, especially when the story focuses on the Japanese government conspiracy and Alien Flamenco. He habitually wears a protective garment that he designed under his clothing on the off chance that he’s the target of an assassination attempt. He seems to feel that his stationery weapons and his affiliation with Samurai Flamenco increase his chances of being a target. But this garment came in handy when the final villain pushed Jun down a flight of stairs and kept the inventor from receiving grave injuries.
Sumi Ishihara
She’s a strict and competent manager for an entertainment production company called Caesar Pro, and Masayoshi is one of her clients. Sumi doesn’t want her clients to have hobbies, so Masayoshi tries to hide his interest in superheroes and the fact that he’s Samurai Flamenco from her. She suspects for a while that he’s actually Samurai Flamenco, but doesn’t say anything to Masayoshi about her suspicions, even after she is rescued by the hero. But after being saved by Samurai Flamenco, Sumi has a better attitude toward him and works hard to protect his true identity until Masayoshi reveals it himself.
After Masayoshi finds out that Sumi is aware of his superhero alter ego, he’s more willing to talk to her and to try to get advice when he needs it. While she is willing to provide advice, there are times when Sumi will encourage Masayoshi to talk with Hidenori. The times that she does give Masayoshi advice, she has a gentle, almost motherly nature about her. And when Masayoshi becomes a fugitive near the end of the series, Sumi is one of the people who secretly aid him until he can clear his name.
Sumi has also attracted the interest of Akira Konno, the manager of the news website High Rollers Hi! However, she dislikes the attention that he gives her and doesn’t seem to reciprocate his feelings for her.
Akira Konno
Akira is the manager of the news website, High Rollers Hi!. He takes an interest in Samurai Flamenco, and for fun, decides to offer a reward to anyone who can reveal his true identity. At first, it’s a one million yen reward, but he later raises it to ten million. Akira actually appears on The Wow! Show with Masayoshi, but is unaware that he is sharing a stage with Samurai Flamenco.
He also develops an interest in Sumi, Masayoshi’s manager. His advances annoy her to no end, and she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. Even though Sumi keeps giving him the cold shoulder, this doesn’t deter Konno from trying to woo her. As a manager of a news website, perhaps being determined is a trait he had to develop in order to get the scoops that get his site attention.
Akira films the video of the challenge that Mari makes to King Torture, which ultimately leads to him being captured and tortured by the villain. But going through this experience seems to start bringing about a change in Akira’s attitude in the long run. He leaves the country for a little while to recuperate, but when he returns, he gives his aid to Samurai Flamenco when Masayoshi becomes a fugitive. Akira is also the one who films the battle between Samurai Flamenco and the Prime Minister, which shows the citizens what’s really been going on with the Japanese government and how the Flamengers were framed.
King Torture
He’s a criminal who enjoys torturing his victims. King Torture sends monsters to Japan that he has hypnotized to commit crimes that become more and more ridiculous and pointless as time goes on. These monsters are dispatched to try to draw attention away from his ultimate plan: to unite all humanity into a hive-minded monster to create a true “evil” peace.
In a lot of respects, he’s actually rather similar to Masayoshi. As a boy, he was taken in by superhero stories, except he was fascinated with the villains rather than the heroes. King Torture believes that superheroes have a pointless and thankless job, and that the heroes never provide the true peace that they promise. He is so devoted to being a villain that he amputates one of his own arms in order to attach a chainsaw with the intent of defeating Masayoshi and turning him into a cyborg.
King Torture is ultimately defeated when he is impaled on a sharp and severed limb of one of his life-size figures. With King Torture’s death, his evil plan comes to a halt.
From Beyond and Shintaro F. Okuzaki
From Beyond is an alien organization that was responsible for providing King Torture with the power to create monsters. The organization releases stylish promotional videos to introduce each monster that they send out to attack Japan. The closest thing that From Beyond has for a leader is “Beyond Flamenco,” a mysterious being who bears a very strong resemblance to Masayoshi and refers to himself as Masayoshi’s brother. When Masayoshi and Beyond Flamenco face off against each other, the villain uses Masayoshi’s gun to commit suicide and causes the remaining members of From Beyond to vanish.
It turns out that From Beyond is a conspiracy involving the Japanese government to improve their approval rating, but the Flamengers ended up being too good and became celebrities in their own right. The Flamengers and Joji are framed as being the ones behind From Beyond’s attacks.
Shintaro is the Prime Minister of Japan, and he begins an anti-vigilante campaign to raise his approval rating to 100%. He has a suit of armor that grows stronger as his approval rating improves. Shintaro gives the impression that he doesn’t really care about the citizens and is only concerned with raising his own rating, and his sentiments are broadcast to the public when Akira films his battle with Masayoshi. It’s later revealed that Shintaro was hoping to make his suit powerful enough to defeat Alien Flamenco.
Haiji Sawada
Haiji is originally seen in the very first episode of the series as part of a group of delinquents that Masayoshi advised not to stay out at night. However, this character isn’t referenced again until after the defeat of Alien Flamenco. When Haiji returns, he causes all sorts of mischief, which includes attacking Anji’s grandfather, cutting Sakura’s hair, trashing Soichi’s apartment, destroying Hekiru’s favorite book, trying to kill Jun and Joji, and setting off an explosive that destroys Masayoshi’s apartment.
It turns out that Haiji is the person who uploaded the video that made Samurai Flamenco famous in the first place, and that the boy has become obsessed with the hero. In fact, Haiji is so determined to look special to Masayoshi that he’s willing to turn evil for him by attacking his friends. But Haiji’s ultimate goal is to try to scar Masayoshi into becoming a dark hero.
It’s also revealed that Haiji’s parents helped perpetrate a ruse that their son had died of an illness a year earlier. Because of this, Haiji has gotten so good at hiding under the radar that Masayoshi believes for a while that the boy is something that only exists in his mind.
The characters that inhabit Samurai Flamenco may have a lot of quirks and drastically different personalities, but they actually work together well with the ever-changing story that the series presents.
