Sanjuro

"Doting on it only when it's healthy... but throwing it away because circumstances are bad. Do you think someone like that is qualified to call themselves master?"

- Sanjuro

Sanjuro (三十郎, Sanjūrō) is a Heavy Blade in the .hack//Games, and the mentor of Shugo during the .hack//Legend of the Twilight anime.

Appearance
Sanjuro is a Heavy Blade modeled after a Ronin, or wandering Samurai. He is a rugged looking warrior of indeterminate age who wears dark platemail on his upper body, and hakama (a sort of Japanese lower garment) around his legs. His wave symbols are visible on part of his face, as well as on his clothing. He has an eyepatch over his right eye. Since he is modeled after a Samurai, he exclusively wields Katana type weapons.

Personality
Sanjuro tries his best to act the role of the wise and honorable warrior. And sees himself as a sort of wandering hero, traveling throughout The World protecting the weak. He has a great deal of hate for PKers, who he considers "honorless dogs". He is especially helpful to people visiting the JP servers from English speaking servers.

Though he was still a bit of a newbie in his first appearance, his encounter with Kite and his assistance during the Twilight Incident made him into a very powerful player. He is likely one of the most powerful Heavy Blades in the game. He is close with most of the .hackers and a very good friend of Hotaru, who considers him as a mentor.

Basic Info
Sanjuro is actually a Japanese teacher from South Dakota. He plays on the JP servers of The World in order to improve his skill at the language by speaking with others who are fluent in it.

Hobbies
Sanjuro is a big fan of Samurai films, especially those starring the famous actor Toshiro Mifune. His favorite movies are "The Hidden Fortress" and "Yojimbo" the movie that he took his character's name from.

.hack//Games
Sanjuro is an optional character, and only plays a small role in the .hack games. He first meets Kite while searching for a rare Katana at Δ Hideous Destroyer's Far Thunder. Though he was unable to find the weapon himself, Kite was able to locate it and gave it to him as a gift. In exchange, Sanjuro gave Kite his Member Address. His other missions usually involve locating rare Katanas, like the Demonic Sword at Λ Bitter Hot-Blooded Sand Trap and the Tonosama Sword at Σ Soaring Sky Madness Compass. Like most of Kite's party he was present during the final fight against Corbenik, and was temporarily placed in a coma by the Phase's Drain Heart attack.

.hack//Another Birth
In Another Birth, Sanjuro accompanies BlackRose and Natsume to the field Δ Hideous Someone's Giant where they battle against the rare Parasite Dragon. The event reminds BlackRose that The World is still a game, and that she shouldn't spend all her time online worrying about what's going on around her.

.hack//Firefly
Sanjuro's role in AI buster 2 is in the short story "Firefly". He runs into Hotaru in the root town of Mac Anu. Realizing that she's an American player as well, he assists her with an event she's unlocked, and fights off a group of PKers who try to attack her. With his help, Hotaru is able to finish the event. They exchange member addresses and he encourages her to keep logging onto the JP servers.

Anime
Sanjuro is a major character in the Legend of the Twilight Anime. He first appears when he is forced to save Shugo and Hotaru from a group of monsters they ran into while searching for medicine for Hotaru's Grunty. Though he mistakes Shugo for Kite at first, he quickly realizes his mistake. Later he is sought out by Balmung who asks him to train Shugo, as the Twilight Bracelet he received from Aura will be needed to help bring balance back to The World. Sanjuro accepts and takes Shugo on as an apprentice. He also assists Shugo in many of the battles that occur later in the series.

Manga
Sanjuro only has a small role in the Legend of the Twilight Manga. When Shugo first brags about being a "hero," he is seen toward the bottom of the panel. While he is mentioned by Hotaru a few times, he only appears in one scene where he meets Hotaru in a tavern. He has no speaking parts in the manga.

Trivia

 * Sanjuro joins Kite's party at level 15.
 * Sanjuro's original weapon is the Zero Katana, a level 1 weapon. It is later replaced by the Kotetsu Sword, a rare level 8 weapon.
 * When introducing himself he uses the surname "Sunaarashi", translating to "Sandstorm", however his character name in the English version is just "Sanjuro"
 * According to .hack//Archives_03 LIGHT EDITION his character model stands at 188 CM, or 6'2"
 * Within the Legend of the Twilight anime, it was stated that Hotaru is one of his students, but being part of the anime, this is apart of a separate continuity (as in the AI buster novels it's stated that Hotaru lives in Boston).
 * He looks similar to Snake Plissken, a character from the movies Escape from New York and Escape from L.A.