Protagonist
Like in previous games, the main character is a nameless rōnin who just came into town. Players can choose a youth, a young man, or a middle-aged man.[7]
Foreign powers
Laura Rita: Blonde, rich, and kind daughter of a noble from Great Britain. She lost her parents, and now comes to Japan as a Goodwill Ambassador to sign a trade agreement. She lives in the foreign settlement called 'Little Britain'. Voiced by: Yasushi Yurino
Jet Jenkins (aka J.J): The British delegate in Amihama and a regular at the town's 'Rising Sun' casino. J.J often wields a pistol, but can also fight with rapier when needed. He loves sushi and wears a pink boxer. Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa
Melinda (Megamelons) de Cameron: Captain of Laura's escort team, a female knight in golden armour, carrying a claymore. Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka
Shogunate forces (Bakufu)
Kotobuki Hikaru: Chief magistrate of Amihama and a master swordsman. He is strict, but a good man. Voiced by: Daisuke Egawa
Moro Shigeru: A magistrate skilled in unarmed combat. He cares deeply for his country's future despite his nonchalant look. Voiced by: Daisuke Endo
Kinugawa Onsen: An old Tairō, father of the Kinugawa Sisters. His name Onsen means 'hot spring' (Kinugawa is a famous hot spring town). He has a group of ninja, and a double. His hobby is dropping people into a boiling pot. Voiced by: Rokurō Naya
Kinugawa Sisters: Mayu, Chika, and Yuri, 3 sisters who love to torture people. They inherit their father's wickedness, and rule the torture room. The sisters have a group of half-naked slaves, who succumbed to their tortures, to help them torture people and attack whoever try to escape. Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro
Toguro: Captain of a ninja group serving Kinugawa Onsen called 'Dark Crowns'.
Madara: A mysterious masked kunoichi who serves the Kinugawas. Voiced by: Sachiko Kojima
Anti-foreigner forces
Akagi Retsudo: Leader of a group of isolationists fighting to protect the samurai era and Japanese culture. He is reckless, and hates Brits, yankee, and all foreigners in general. Voiced by: Hiroshi Kogami
Kogure Jinrai: A quiet guy, second-in-command of the group. He is Akagi's childhood friend, and always tries to protect him. Uses the Iaido style of sword fighting. Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya
Akemi: This gentle young woman is the owner of a pub, which the group uses to gather information. Her real identity is a kunoichi. Voiced by: Sachiko Kojima
Others
Dojima Gunji: Swordsmith, will gladly work on your swords as long as you have the mon. Same character who appeared in every game of the series so far. This time he has a safer working environment, as the 'heat' system was removed, and players need constant weapon repairing, thus having to refrain from killing him. Voiced by: Atsushi Imaruoka
Onna Kenji: A female samurai (her name literally means swordswoman). Same character as the 'Sensei' who appeared in the 1st and 3rd games. Voiced by: Megumi Yamato