Sanosuke Sagara Husbando

Sagara Sanosuke, born Higashidani Sanosuke, is a main character in the Rurouni Kenshin series. A former member of the disgraced Sekihō Army, in his youth, Sanosuke spent the years after the Meiji Revolution taking out his frustrations as a "fight merchant" under the name Zanza, all the while hating the Ishin-Shishi that framed and murdered his comrades as well as the flawed Meiji government that they created. After meeting Kenshin, however, Sano is able to put his feelings aside and end his fighting merchant days - instead taking up with Kenshin's group at Kamiya Dōjō. With his great strength and upright character, Sanosuke is a welcome and invaluable ally in Kenshin's adventures, serving as a trusted friend in times of peace and a dependable "right arm" in battle. Tall and lean, Sanosuke's slight build belies his immense strength and his superhuman toughness, but his wild shock of spiky brown hair and intense brown eyes are clear indications of his demeanor. Sano is always seen wearing a white happi jacket with black trim and the kanji character aku (惡) - meaning evil or bad - emblazoned conspicuously on the back in black as well as white dōgi trousers. While he always wears his jacket open - sometimes leaving his arms out of the sleeves so that it simply drapes over his shoulders, Sanosuke does not wear a shirt beneath it, instead leaving his chest bare while white sarashi bandage tape is wrapped around his abdomen; this same white sarashi is wrapped around his ankles and feet. Additionally, Sano wears a long headband and matching sarashi around his left forearm, both of which are often depicted as red, but sometimes seen in purple. As he fights with his fists and relies on his ability to absorb damage rather than any defensive skill, Sano is also frequently seen in bandages, most notably around his right hand and forearm after mastering Futae no Kiwami. After he leaves Japan and goes to the mainland at the end of the series, Sanosuke lets his already wild image grow wilder by allowing his hair to lengthen to a shoulder-length mane while growing a chinstrap beard. Straightforward and brash, Sanosuke presents a rather complex set of morals despite his relatively simple demeanor. Not particularly occupied with whether a person aligns with "good" or "bad", he instead places importance on whether or not people are honest with themselves or others. Due largely to his experience with the Sekihō Army and the Ishin Shishi of the Meiji Government, Sanosuke is acutely aware that the definitions of good and bad are arbitrary and subjective - often changed or switched depending on who is in a position of authority - and, therefore, does not judge those who choose either path or balk at doing "illegal" or "immoral" things himself. However, he marks lies and hypocrisy as the height of villainy and, as a result, is unusually forthcoming with his own intentions and also bald-facedly critical of others' half-truths. Though usually displaying a demeanor somewhere between sardonically jovial and bored, Sanosuke is described by those close to him as having a temperament like fire - a fire that smolders with the losses of his past in times of quietude but comes fully aflame when his fists itch for combat. In keeping with his brash and forthright character and in spite of his quick tongue, Sanosuke is more prone to speak with his fists than with his words. For him, there is no greater enjoyment than that found in brawling with strong opponents and no greater disappointment than raising his fists against a weaker man. When Sano's temper is ignited by the victimization of a friend, however, he becomes unable to calm himself until his fists have struck a target, regardless of his enemy's strength. After coming into contact with Himura Kenshin and the group at the Kamiya dojo, however, Sanosuke has begun to see a deeper path through life. For the most part, forgoing his violent nature, Sano soon comes to admire Kenshin and joins the ex-hitokiri's mission to aid the downtrodden and victimized. Along the way, Sanosuke encounters more and more people whose strength he begins to evaluate differently; to those whose inner strength resembles Kenshin's, Sanosuke offers his strong right arm, and to those whose ideals are misguided, Sanosuke seeks to give the same inspiration that Kenshin has given him. Unfortunately, Sanosuke's brash straightforwardness carries a strong strain of thickheadedness with it. Though rather observant in crucial situations and particularly astute with doling out criticisms, he can often be rather simple-minded, requiring those with sharper minds to explain the finer points of any complex occurrence. Sanosuke is also known to his close friends as a bit of a mooch, skulking around the Kamiya dojo for free meals, borrowing cash from friends without any real promise of reimbursement and racking up a rather large unpaid tab at the Akabeko.