Kurozumi Kanjuro is a samurai from Wano Country and a member of the Kurozumi family. He worked on behalf of Orochi and long pretended to be an ally of House Kozuki. He was born 54 years ago and later traveled 20 years into the future along with Kinemon, Momonosuke, and Raizo. They were on their way to Zou when they were shipwrecked at sea. Except for Raizo, they were washed up in Dress Rosa, where they became separated from each other. During this time, he had provided valuable information to Orochi’s allies. His epithet is Kanjuro of the Evening Viewer (Eng. anime) or Kanjuro Evening Rain/Evening Storm (Eng. manga) (jap. 夕立ち, Yūdachi).
Contents
Appearance
Kanjuro’s appearance is more like that of a Kabuki actor than a samurai. Furthermore, his overall appearance seems unusually colorful. Over his light green kimono, he wears a pink Haori tied with a turquoise bow and containing a yellow line pattern. On his feet he wears the Zori common to samurai. His face is white, with two red dots on each of his cheeks. His lips are also red, as is his long hair, which covers his forehead and runs past his face to the middle of his stomach.
Personality
Since the violent death of his parents Kanjuro is inwardly frozen and pursues only the goal to take revenge for this act and to die afterwards. According to Orochi, Kanjuro only knows the life within a theater and can only exist by embodying a role as an actor. He showed no remorse when he revealed himself as a traitor to his longtime comrades.Kanjuro’s false personality
Kanjuro is a samurai who is very self-sacrificing and helps when the situation allows. The welfare of his comrades is more important to him than his own. However, his sense of helpfulness gets him into trouble from time to time. When he got to the King’s Plateau on Dress Rosa with Kinemon, he drew a ladder for the civilians with his Devil Fruit. He didn’t realize that they were after King Riku’s life, putting everyone on the plateau in danger. After Kanjuro realized his mistake, he wanted to slash his stomach as punishment. Kinemon, however, easily persuaded him not to.
Skills & Strength
Kanjuro was born to be an actor. Just like Charlotte Pudding, he can impersonate a fake personality believably for a long period of time, deceiving even those close to him. No one expected Kanjuro to be a traitor.
Kanjuro is in possession of the Brush Fruit. Like Kinemon, Kanjuro refers to his devilish powers as “magic”. With the help of a large paintbrush called “Tsuji Shibai” (jap. 辻死梅, Tsuji Shibai ~ Street Death Plum), he can paint things that subsequently come to life. He can also use his hair to activate his devil powers. These have the same properties as their real-life counterparts, for example, the lettuce Kanjuro drew himself in the dump on Dress Rosa was edible. He pretended his drawing skills weren’t flawless, so a sparrow he created to escape had trouble flying. In fact, however, Kanjuro is a gifted artist. This first became apparent when he created a doppelganger of himself, which took his place on the boat from the Nine Akazaya.
It turns out, however, that he can bring more than just his own drawings to life. When Usopp made him a drawing of a projectile for Sugar, he was able to create it from the drawing. It was during the ascent on Zou that the limit of these abilities was then revealed, as the ascent on Zunesha pushed Kanjuro’s drawn dragon Ryunnosuke to his physical limits. After the latter completed its service, it transformed back into a drawing. Drawings also dissolve with much contact with water. However, in the waters off Onigashima, it was shown that heavy rain did not necessarily harm the drawings, as Kanjuro’s clone did not dissolve from it. Whether Kanjuro intentionally dissolved his cat on Zou or this is related to the amount of water or to the quality of his drawings is unclear so far.
Kanjuro is able to use Busoushoku and Kenbunshoku. Instead of a sword, he uses his giant brush as a weapon.
Past
The informant Orochis
Kanjuro was born into a folk theater troupe, but his parents were killed on the open stage because of their family name. As a result, Orochi, Semimaru, and Higurashi, all also Kurozumis, took to the boy, gave him the Devil’s Fruit, and tasked him with the perfect role for him. He was to live as a follower of the Kozuki clan and die as one. Kanjuro agreed, seeking only a destiny to die. At 18, Kanjuro stayed in Kibi and was known as the “Ghost from Kibi” (jp. 希美の妖怪, Kibi no Yōkai). He cut people’s hair and made brushes out of it, which he sold. While trying to steal Kozuki Oden’s, he got a beating and followed him from then on.
Lord Oden’s vassals
Then, when Oden was appointed daimyo, Kanjuro became his vassal. Six years later, when their master was short of money, they tried to steal from Shimotsuki Yasuie, but were caught. Instead of punishing them, he gave them the money and put some on top. They should use it to become decent supports for the later Shogun Wano Countrys, Lord Oden. 30 years ago they formed a respectable retinue. However, that same year, the Whitebeard pirate band was shipwrecked on Wano Country, and eventually Kozuki Oden followed them onto the Moby Dick.
Kanjuro and other followers were left behind in a panic. During their master’s absence, they tried to sort things out in Kuri and Wano Country, but there seemed to be problems. Then when Oden returned, they pleaded with him, but he moved on with the Roger pirates, leaving only his wife, two children, and the minks Nekomamushi and Inuarashi. Then, about six months before Oden’s final return, Kanjuro and company went armed to the capital to put a stop to the new shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, but at the same time Oden’s family in Kuri was attacked by the Beasts Pirates. When Oden returned and heard this story, he ran off to the flower capital in a rage himself. However, when Oden returned, he made himself a fool lord for five years and danced through the streets lightly dressed. Without knowing the reason, his followers loyally stood behind him.
The legendary hour
However, it turned out that Oden made a deal to protect the population. However, 20 years ago, Orochi broke it and Oden and his minions went to fight the Shogun and Kaidou. On their way, they were already awaited by Kaidou and the Beasts Pirates Pirates. Kanjuro and Denjiro fought Queen in the process, but ultimately they were defeated, as well as Oden and the rest of his comrades-in-arms. They were then sentenced to death in the cauldron. However, on the day of the execution, Oden then grabbed a plank and had his followers climb it so they wouldn’t die. Should Oden survive an hour, then all would survive, Kaidou assured him. It turned out, however, that this bargain was not kept either, and so Oden threw his minions away with his last ounce of strength and ordered them to open the borders of Wano Country for him. He himself was shot by Kaidou shortly after. They ran to the castle to protect Oden’s family, but the castle was already in flames.
The time travel
Toki, Oden’s wife, then transported Kanjuro, Momonosuke, Raizo, Kinemon and Kikunojo 20 years into the future. Coming to the same place, they quickly realized that this was no longer their Wano Country of old and saw a strange world until they finally found allies. They left Wano Country hoping to find more allies, but the rough seas separated them one by one. Kinemon, Kanjuro, and Momonosuke drifted to Dress Rosa, where they were also pursued by Donquixote Doflamingo’s men. Kanjuro allowed himself to be captured to allow Kinemon to pursue Momonosuke, who was hiding on a ship when it suddenly left for Punk Hazard.
Present
Dressrosa
When Kinemon arrived in Dress Rosa again with the Straw Hat Pirates, he immediately went in search of Kanjuro. He finally found him in the garbage dump below the Commander’s Tower and greeted him in tears. Using his devil power, Kanjuro drew a sparrow, which they used to escape from the garbage dump. The citizens and soldiers of Dress Rosa, who were also imprisoned here, begged the samurai to take them with them. For them, Kanjuro drew a ladder that was difficult to climb, with which they could ascend.
Afterwards, the two samurai met Usopp, Viola, Tank Lepanto, and King Riku at the King’s Plateau. There, Kanjuro painted the terrifying face of the sniper for Usopp, which he had already used to take out Sugar once. While Usopp took aim at Sugar, Kinemon and Kanjuro held off the inhabitants of Dress Rosa who were targeting those sought by Doflamingo.
Later, the samurai helped stop the shrinking birdcage. After Doflamingo’s fall at the hands of Luffy, Kinemon and Kanjuro accompanied the Straw Hat Pirates and Trafalgar Law to Zou, the samurai’s real destination.
Zou
When the samurai and the pirates reached the elephant on whose back Zou was, Kanjuro mentioned the Mink people who were native to the island. Using his devil powers, the samurai drew a flightless dragon that they could use to climb the gigantic elephant. During the climb, however, a small monkey suddenly appeared and swooped down from the elephant. In doing so, it dragged the two samurai down with it from the dragon. Shortly afterwards they climbed the elephant again together with the monkey Bariete, but were surprised by a gigantic mass of water. The next morning the samurai finally reached Zou. Bariete immediately alerted his people that samurai had entered the country. On their way inland, they met Momonosuke. With him, they arrived at Claugh, where Nekomamushi and Inuarashi were fighting. The Straw Hat gang tried to hide the samurai from the Minks in a panic, but Kinemon suddenly spoke up publicly. Contrary to the Straw Hats’ expectations, the Minks welcomed the samurai, who reported that their friend Raizo was doing well.
The samurai now revealed their true identities and were subsequently taken by Nekomamushi and Inuarashi to the secret interior of the Whale Tree. There, Kinemon, Kanjuro, and Momonosuke were reunited with Raizo, who was chained there for safety. Here the samurai explained that they had originally intended to sail to Zou to mobilize allies in the fight against Kaidou and the Shogun of Wano Country. The latter were currently occupying the land and had the former daimyo Kozuki Oden on their conscience. Together with the Straw Hat Pirates and the Minks, the samurai formed an alliance with the goal of fulfilling Oden’s last wish: To open the borders of Wano Country. To that end, the alliance would split into four groups. Kanjuro and his samurai companions, along with Zoro, Usopp, Robin, Franky, and Trafalgar Law, formed a group that was already set to leave for Wano Country and make preparations for the coming battle.
Wano Country
Later, Kanjuro and the others infiltrated Wano Country, disguising themselves as simple citizens to avoid notice until the rest of the allies arrived and preparations for battle were complete. He mingled with the people as a simple fish vendor, who sold fish created with his ability, but they tended to cause a stir among the residents due to their wildly different appearance. Franky informed him that he had not yet had any success in finding the plans for Kaidou’s estate on Onigashima. After the disturbances at the shogun’s banquet, Kanjuro met with Nami, Robin, Brook, and Shinobu at the northern cemetery in Ringo, where they exchanged information.
However, their secret message that they had spread to recruit allies was later decoded. Shinobu’s suspicions immediately fell on Trafalgar Law’s subordinates captured by the Beasts Pirates Pirates, but Kanjuro interrupted them and reminded them that the most important thing was to stick together and not lose sight of the goal. Tonoyasu then appeared and seemed to recognize the two, but they did not recognize him. He showed them the secret message and spoke of the rumors that were making the rounds among the residents. He offered them to join the fight and disappeared again. However, when he was to be captured and executed a short time later, they remembered him again. It was Shimotsuki Yasuie, a former supporter of Oden. They ran to the execution site, but they could only witness his death at the hands of Orochi, after which Kanjuro deeply regretted not recognizing him. Despite all the commotion, they managed to get the body, and Kanjuro promised the residents that he would get a dignified burial. Temporary graves were built in Kuri for Yasuie, as well as for Pedro. Later, he and other high-ranking members of the rebellion gathered in Kuri for a strategy meeting, and a day before the planned attack, he and seven of the Akazaya, Momonosuke, and Shinobu present set out for the meeting place.
The traitor reveals himself
There were no allies to be seen at the rendezvous point, yet they set sail, seeing no further chance of raiding Onigashima. Unnoticed, however, Kanjuro stayed behind on shore, sending only a drawn double onto the boat with him. When Kinemon brought up the subject of a possible traitor in their ranks, Kanjuro revealed himself to be the traitor. Kinemon then wanted to behead him, but they too then realized it was only a drawing clone, while the real one was able to take control of Momonosuke on the beach and tie up Shinobu. Kanjuro had betrayed their plan, so he thought that was why there were no allies in sight, but it turned out that they had simply misunderstood Yasuie’s message. As a result, one ally after another appeared. Shortly after, Kyoshiro also joined them and revealed himself as a spy as well, but in favor of the rebellion. He was in fact Denjiro all along, which surprised Kanjuro. Kanjuro was upset that he couldn’t give all this information to Orochi, however he managed to escape with Momonosuke, showing his former comrades his true abilities. Once on Onigashima, despite poor directions there and an attempt by Momonosuke to break free, he was able to get the boy to Orochi. He also informed Orochi as well as Kaidou that the rebellion had not yet been crushed. He then made his way to the back of the island and confronted his former comrades with some beast pirates and a fight ensued, but Kanjuro was defeated with serious injuries. Kinemon laid his hat on him and the rest of the Akazaya left.
Kanjuro survived and, after the Sword Sheaths lost to Kaidou, he drew a copy of Oden and tried to trick his former comrades. However, he could not convince Ashura Doji with it, whereupon the latter attacked the copy of Oden. Quickly the rest realized that it could only be Kanjuro. However, Kanjuro had prepared himself and equipped the drawing with explosives. Once again, Ashura intervened and used the drawing to transport himself out of the room where the explosives went off. Kanjuro’s real body, on the other hand, was nowhere near. He caught sight of Momonosuke and Shinobu, with whom Kinemon and Kikunojo were also. Once again disguised as Kozuki Oden, he tried to fool the group, however Kikunojo didn’t fall for it. She charged towards him, but the Oden copy reminded her of how Oden once took her and her brother in, causing her to hesitate long enough for Kanjuro to pierce her in the stomach area with his sword. Mortally wounded, she fell into Kinemon’s arms, who then struck Kanjuro down. Staring death in the face, Kanjuro laughed one last time, finding it excellent that Kinemon, of all people, finished him off.
Miscellaneous
- On Kanjuro’s first Vivre Card, his age was listed as 39. However, on his second updated card, this was corrected to 34.
- The name of Kanjuro’s brush (辻死梅, Tsuji Shibai) is a pun on the same-sounding 辻芝居, which translates as “street play”.
- In Chapter 725, a silhouette of Kanjuro was shown. However, it was adapted for the Tankōbon version by Eiichiro Oda. However, in Kanjuro’s first appearance in Chapter 754, you can see that neither silhouette really resembles his real appearance.
- His entire appearance basically mirrors that of a renjishi actor (note: needs link). Renjishi is a kabuki dance in which one of the actors wears a fiery red long mane, a face almost completely made up in white, and colorful traditional clothing.
- Like many characters, Kanjuro has a distinctive laugh. In his case, it is a string of several kas, or kakakaka.
- His favorite food is salad roll with sashimi, a common ingredient in the one-pot dish Oden.
- His hate dish is peaches. This is possibly a subtle reference to Momonosuke, as Momo means peach in Japanese, which is meant to express his dislike for the Kozuki offspring.
- If he were an animal, he’d be a cackle cuckoo.
- His hobby is Ink wash painting.
- Originally, Kanjuro’s nickname was to be Wet Glass (jap. 濡れガラス, Nure Garasu).
- The appearance of Kanjuro’s devil fruit is reminiscent of brush hair that has been partially dipped in paint.
- Kanjuro’s ability is related to ink (jap. 墨, sumi), which is black (jap. 黒, kuro). Together, this could be read as Kurozumi.
- Kanjuro shares his name with the main character in the 2010 Japanese film Saya Zamurai (note: needs link), both of whom are samurai, possess no sword, and are captured at one point.
- Kanjuro as the Traitor of the Red Sword Scabbards may have been inspired by Yamada Emosaku, a painter who was smuggled as a spy into the Shimabara Rebellion during the Tokugawa clan and betrayed the rebels, consisting of peasants and masterless samurai.
- There is some evidence of Kanjuro’s role as a traitor within the nine red sword sheaths:
