Chou Sawagejou

Also known as ‘The Sword Hunter’, Chou possesses quite a collection of rare and unusual swords, including a long flexible sword he keeps hidden around his waist, and double bladed sword known as a renbatou. He is only a mediocre opponent when not using these exotic weapons (despite using a master sheathing technique). He has a very calm and cool exterior, and normally keeps one eye closed when talking, and only opens both eyes when excited in the heat of battle. He speaks with a Kansai-ben accent.

His fighting style is determined by the sword he uses, but he mainly uses the style Garyuorochi. The first is Orochi (Eight-Headed Hydra), in which Chou bounces his sword, Hakujin no Tachi (The thin blade) on the ground in waves. He uses Sakasa Kuchu Noutou (Mid-air Sheathing) on Seiku’s son Iori to locate the final sword of Shakku which was placed in a temple as a godsword. It was at that time that Kenshin defeated him with that sword. Ultimately he turned out to be a far cry from a match for a well-armed Kenshin, however he told his opponents that all Juppongatana members are stronger than him. After Shishio’s death, Chō pays Kenshin and his friends a visit to inform them of what happened to members of the Juppongatana after Shishio’s demise, then he goes on to work under Saitou as a spy/informant.

Chou later appears in the anime when he tries to attack Amakusa Shougo but is soundly defeated. In the manga, he later appears in the Jinchuu Arc to help uncover information about Enishi.