Meet the characters from Kubo and the Two Strings

Fighting style:

Mixed magic shamisen–summoning and samurai-sword martial arts

 

Personality:

Ambitious, courageous, fearless, caring

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

Eye patch, his father’s beetle emblem–emblazoned yukata, shamisen often slung on his back

 

Weapon:

Telekinetic origami manipulation via his shamisen

 

Sworn enemies:

The Moon King, the Moon King’s spectral daughters, the Moon King’s unholy beasts

 

Allies:

Beetle, Monkey, Little Hanzo

 

Description:

The son of a legendary samurai and a goddess, Kubo is a scrappy, shamisen-shredding 12-year-old with magical powers he’s only beginning to understand. Kubo is a born storyteller, raising money to care for his mother by entertaining his town’s villagers with origami reenactments of his father’s past heroics. But when he seeks out the truth of his father’s past, Kubo discovers more than he bargained for, awakening the all-powerful Moon King. Now, faced with challenges beyond his wildest imagining, Kubo must embark on a quest to master his powers and become the hero he was born to be.

 

Fighting style:

Battōjutsu, Iaijutsu, Monkey-jutsu

 

Personality:

No nonsense, overprotective, fierce

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

An embodiment of the protective Mr. Monkey talisman Sariatu gave to Kubo, Monkey is recognizable by her soft fur and her stern scowl

 

Weapons:

Katanas, teeth, and unarmed martial arms

 

Sworn enemies:

The Moon King, the Moon King’s spectral daughters, the Moon King’s unholy beasts

 

Allies:

Beetle, Kubo, Little Hanzo

 

Description:

A protective talisman magically brought to life by Kubo’s mom, Monkey has one mission: protect Kubo at all costs. As skilled with a sword as she is with her razor-edged wit, Monkey is a no-nonsense fighter with little patience for monkeying around. But while she presents a tough exterior, it’s only to keep her emotions from getting in the way of defending the friends she would do anything for.

 

 

Fighting style:

Expert marksmanship, four-armed rapid-bow technique, Beetle-jutsu

 

Personality:

Loyal, courageous, forgetful, spontaneous, foolhardy

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

His giant personality. And the fact that he is a giant beetle.

 

Weapons:

Projectile weapons, bow & arrows

 

Sworn enemies:

The Moon King, the Moon King’s spectral daughters, the Moon King’s unholy beasts

 

Allies:

Monkey, Kubo, Little Hanzo

 

Description:

A skilled archer and brave warrior, Beetle once served in the army of the legendary samurai Hanzo. Or at least he thinks he did. Stricken by a horrible curse, Beetle’s memories were stripped away and his body transformed into a hard-shelled, oversized man-bug. Beetle eagerly joins Kubo on his quest after learning about the boy’s relationship to Beetle’s former master. Loyal to the core of his armor-plated thorax, Beetle’s multi-armed marksmanship makes him an enormous asset—just as long as he can remember where he is and what he’s supposed to be doing. Wait, what were we talking about again?

 

 

Fighting style:

NA

 

Personality:

Patient, loving, caring, faithful

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

His ripple-patterned blue robes

 

Weapons:

NA

 

Sworn Enemies:

NA

 

Allies:

NA

 

Description:

A devoted father, Hosato loves nothing more than spending time with his daughter and teaching her about their cultural and ancestral traditions. A model citizen if ever there was one, Hosato is well loved by his neighbors for his sharp mind and good humor. For Kubo, Hosato’s idyllic family life is a poignant reminder of everything the Moon King took away from him.

 

 

Fighting style:

Smoke manipulation and Kusarigamajutsu

 

Personality:

Ruthless, merciless, loveless, jealous

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

Immaculate and lifeless Noh masks, matching black battle robes, the ability to fly

 

Weapons:

Cursed kiseru summoning and kusarigama, respectively

 

Sworn enemies:

The allies and kin of the legendary samurai Hanzo

 

Allies:

The Moon King and his unholy beasts

 

Description:

The spectral twins are both the Moon King’s daughters and his most powerful warriors. Identical in voice and appearance down to their chilling Noh masks, the Sisters are in charge of hunting down their father’s enemies with ruthless efficiency. They never eat, they never sleep, and they’ll let nothing stand in the way of capturing Kubo and carrying out their father’s wishes. Don’t let their smiling masks fool you… if you ever hear their whispering voices, run.

 

 

Fighting style:

Spectral transformation

 

Personality:

Cold, callous, calculating, arrogant

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

White, pupilless eyes, moon-emblazoned robes

 

Weapons:

The Moon King can assume the forms of massive, demonic apparitions with fearsome powers

 

Sworn enemies:

The allies and kin of the legendary samurai Hanzo

 

Allies:

His spectral daughters and his unholy beasts

 

Description:

The immortal Moon King is a stone-hearted god who seeks to shape the world in his image: cold, callous, and perfect. When his favorite daughter forsook her family and fell in love with the human samurai Hanzo, the Moon King became enraged and brutally laid waste to Hanzo and his army in retribution. Now unchallenged and unmatched in raw power, the Moon King will stop at nothing to capture his grandson Kubo and bring him back into the family, thus restoring the earth and stars to their “proper” order.  

 

 

Fighting style:

NA

 

Personality:

Helpful, funny, perceptive

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

Caring smile and warm voice

 

Weapons:

NA

 

Sworn enemies:

NA

 

Allies:

NA

 

Description:

A kindly widow from Kubo’s village, Kameyo is always there to lend an ear, tell a joke, or give a bit of advice to help Kubo. From silly suggestions on how to improve his performances to recommendations on fun activities, Kameyo does her best to make sure that Kubo doesn’t grow up too fast as he works to support his mom. Old in age but young at heart, Kameyo is Kubo’s best and funniest and definitely least mature friend.

 

 

 

Fighting style:

Kenjutsu

 

Personality:

Gregarious, boisterous, proud

 

Notable appearance/characteristic:

His towering stature and personality

 

Weapon:

Katana

 

Sworn enemies:

NA

 

Allies:

NA

 

Description:

Akihiro is without a doubt Kubo’s biggest fan. While trained as a fierce and serious warrior, Akihiro isn’t immune to getting silly with childlike wonder whenever Kubo hits the stage for one of his performances. And even though he eagerly volunteers to participate in Kubo’s tales whenever he can, Akihiro hasn’t quite worked up the courage to ask his favorite storyteller for an autograph yet.