Yamada Asaemon Shugen is the 2nd-ranked Asaemon of the Yamada clan and a former Assistant Instructor. Widely regarded as the strongest swordsman in the clan, he steps up as the de facto leader of the additional landing party dispatched to Kotaku Island when the Shogun grows impatient with the vanguard team's progress toward securing the Elixir of Life.
He stands out from his fellow Asaemon by wearing a striking black uniform instead of the traditional white, visual embodiment of his uncompromising stance against evil. He wields the named blade "Fuributsu Kaneaki" with masterful precision.
His personality is defined by ironclad loyalty to the Yamada clan, whom he regards as his true family, and an absolute, almost fanatical devotion to justice. Having lost his parents to a criminal in his childhood, Shugen developed a profound hatred for lawbreakers of any kind.
