Saito Hajime

Saito Hajime, the third unit captain of the Shinsengumi, a police force that served in Kyoto at the end of the shogunate.

He was one of the best swordsmen in the Shinsengumi, on par with Okita Souji and Nagakura Shinpachi, but his origins and the school of his swordsmanship are unknown.

Height/Weight: 178cm, 77kg

Origin: History

Region: Japan

Alignment: Lawful-Balanced

Sub-Attribute: Human

Gender: Male

"School of discipline? Doesn't matter to me. Then again, as I am now, I might call it the peerless style."

One of the few members of the Shinsengumi who fought and survived through the turbulent period of the Bakumatsu until the start of the Meiji period, and lived out his life.

His swords skills were prominent among the Shinsengumi, and the Second Unit captain Nagakura Shinpachi dubbed Okita Souji the Stalwart Sword and Saito Hajime the Invincible Sword. He was said to have undertaken many undercover missions, such as purges within the units, and one theory even states that he was a spy sent into the Shinsengumi from the Shogunate or Aizu clan.

In fact, his behavior during his time in the Shinsengumi was often suspicious, and he seems to have held a sort of special position among the ranks.

He may appear to be a lovable goof at first glance, but he at times shows a much shrewder, more serious side. That said, he believed in living a flexible and adaptable life not influenced by existing values, despite being a member of the Shinsengumi, which tended to hold to traditional values.

"That sounds real good on paper, but in reality all I do is stick around as long as things seem fun."

As you can see from what he says above, he's kind of a jokester, so Okita gave him the unfortunate nickname Snarksengumi.

He loves noodles, and after eating croquette soba when he manifested in the modern world, it quickly became his favorite.

"Dipping croquette in soba is such an unpretentious, yet delicious dish. It's the best."

Invincible Sword: A

A term that described Saito's remarkable swordsmanship, which was said to be one of the best in the Shinsengumi. While Saito's style did not follow a specific discipline, and was at times considered to be the Mugai-ryu (outer nothingness) or Itto-ryu (one-sword school), in truth, Saito's style was unrestrained and free-spirited.

Freely Drawn Sword: B

A sword drawing technique that can freely change forms when the user unsheathes his blade in each hand. A swordsmanship independent of form, changing in all directions from the tip of the sword. It's a specialized combat technique that makes it extremely difficult to predict where his strike will fall.

"My dominant hand? I just use whatever hand is easier at the time. Besides, if you got time to be worrying about things like that, just start cutting already."

『Formless』

Rank: None

NP Type: Anti-Personnel Mystic Sword

Range: 1 - 9

Maximum Targets: 1

Mugyo.

A special move by Saito Hajime, the man dubbed the Invincible Sword, who slices from the bottom to the top. This freestyle sword does not employ any specific form.

He approaches the target in a unique way, different than rushing in with pure speed, and his moves distort the target's perception of time and distance. He then slices up the target in an instant. Since the target assumes they are far enough away that the blade cannot reach them, they are invariably surprised to experience the flurry of cuts.

No matter what kind of melee weapon the target uses, be it spear, sword, or anything else, Saito always makes the first move from any distance, ignoring the target's reach.

"And that's why my sword is invincible!"

A member of the Shinsengumi since its inception, he won Commander Kondo and Vice Commander Hijikata's trust, carried out numerous important missions, and survived many intense battles during his tenure. He later left the Shinsengumi and joined the newly formed government, living out the rest of his life into old age. Towards the end of his life, he was a man of few words, and seldom spoke about his days in the Shinsengumi. He often worked as a spy more than as a swordsman, and his solitary lifestyle where he seldom revealed his true intentions often led both his enemies and allies to see him as a man lacking a warrior's conviction.

"Well, there's some truth to all that. I kind of stumbled around from one place to another, just following my own interests. I always say that you lose when you die. If you don't die, that means you don't lose. That's the secret to my invincible sword. Or whatever."

But who really knows the truth of his actions. After all, he lived through the new era carrying a single flag—his own principle—in his heart until the very last moment of his life.