Goemon (series)/Characters

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As Ganbare Goemon is a series with Loads and Loads of Characters across different media, this list will be limited to those who appear most often.

Main Characters

Goemon

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (FC, 1986)

Our hero, a bred-in-the-bone Edoite who fights evil with his family's kiseru. His hot temper often gets him into hot water.

Ebisumaru

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon 2 (FC, 1989)

Goemon's eccentric best friend who'd rather eat and loaf about than do battle. He likes to call himself "The Ninja of Justice."

  • Ambiguously Gay: He loves the ladies, but his admiration for Goemon is rather questionable at times. He's definitely not so ambiguous in the manga, though...
  • Big Eater: He's said to hold a record for eating 200 plates of dango at his favorite teahouse. In the pachisuro game, it's possible for him to devour up to 100 kan of dango, equivalent to 826.7 lbs (or 375 kg in metric).
  • Eyes Always Shut
  • Expy: of Nezumi Kozō (the "Rat Brat"), the Player 2 character who appears in the MSX version of the first Ganbare Goemon.
  • Fartillery: The "Poison Mist" attack in Goemon's Great Adventure.
  • Fire-Breathing Diner: In the anime.
  • Identical Grandson: Sister Bismaru. No one actually seems to realize the obvious connection.
  • The Idiot From Osaka: In fact, his Kansai Regional Accent is one of his defining characteristics.
  • Improbable Weapon User: He has an entire arsenal of these that changes with nearly every title.
  • Kavorka Man: Ebisumaru is surprisingly popular with the ladies.
  • Meaningful Name: Ebisumaru may have been named after (former) Konami director Etsunobu Ebisu.
  • Pig Man: Ebisumaru is temporarily transformed into one during the Jigoku-Hen manga.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: His daughter Mao.
  • Verbal Tic: "Honii" - it's actually the word formed when he uses the Solid Megaphone in Goemon's Great Adventure.

Yae

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Kieta Ougon Kiseru (FC, 1990)

A member of a group of secret ninja agents who investigate strange happenings. She's like a big sister to Goemon and the others.

  • Action Girl: The series' original.
  • Ascended Extra: Was originally a supporting NPC in the original SNES game, before later being promoted to one of the four main recurring characters.
  • BFG: Her Bazooka can be seen as this. It's as big as her head due to the graphics!
  • Curtains Match the Window: Green on green.
  • Hotter and Sexier: Yae's wardrobe has become more revealing in recent times, trading her practical shinobi shouzoku for a skirt short enough to flash her panties at certain angles.
  • Implausible Fencing Powers: When you upgrade her sword for the first time in Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, it can deflect bullets!
  • Ms. Fanservice: She's the series' main provider of Fan Service, though Omitsu and Princess Yuki have had their fleeting moments. Her fans in Japan even have a mantra of "Yae is in charge of the eroticism."
  • Rapunzel Hair: Knee-length in the games and anime, waist-length in the manga.
  • Tsurime Eyes

Sasuke

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)

Wise Man's creation, a steadfast mechanical ninja with a "useless" good/evil switch. He's fond of hot baths and green tea.

  • Enjo Kosai: Played for laughs in the Fever manga. Goemon and Ebisumaru get the idea to remodel Sasuke into becoming a kogal, whereupon he quickly adopts the stereotypical mannerisms.
  • Mr. Fanservice: To sum things up, he's the fangirls' equivalent of Yae.
  • Robot Buddy
  • Verbal Tic: "De gozaru," in line with his archaic manner of speaking.


Supporting Cast

Goemon Impact

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon 2: Kiteretsu Shougun Magginesu (SFC, 1993)

A giant robot with an affable personality and dreams of stardom. Originally thought to be made by Wiseman, he is actually an alien.

Omitsu

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (FC, 1986)

Goemon's neighbor and sweetheart, a teahouse waitress with a reputation as a beauty idol. She provides support from the sidelines whenever she isn't getting kidnapped.

Wise Man

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)

A brilliant inventor from Iga and a close ally of the Goemon gang. Unfortunately, his perversions tend to cloud his judgement.

Kurobei

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)

A ninja cat who is both Princess Yuki's pet and bodyguard. He has the ability to turn into a plate-spinning ghost woman, for whatever reason.

  • Verbal Tic: He says "nya," but never did it until recently.

The Feudal Lord

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)

Edo Castle's happy-go-lucky ruler, who doesn't seem to do much ruling. Nevertheless, he cares deeply about his people.

Princess Yuki

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon! Karakuri Douchuu (FC, 1986)

The beloved princess of Edo Castle. She has a calm and quiet demeanor, but don't rub her the wrong way...

The Others

Kabuki

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Yuki-hime Kyuushutsu Emaki (SFC, 1991)

A recurring villain notable for his habit of coming back from the dead. His burning desire for revenge is what motivates him.

Plasma

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Neo Momoyama Bakufu no Odori (N64, 1997)

A hooded, barely-clothed fortune teller with an obvious Verbal Tic. Come to his place for the hints, stay for the atmosphere.

Thaisamba

First Appearance: Ganbare Goemon: Neo Momoyama Bakufu no Odori (N64, 1997)

An aquatic robot known as "The Charming Mermaid." He takes on a handful of different forms (a few of them gigantic), and speaks his own incomprehensible language.