Blade of The Phantom Master - Characters

Characters

Munsu (文秀/문수)

The anti-heroic protagonist of the series and a third mahai amen osa from the fallen kingdom of Jushin. Despite the common perception held by Jushin's former citizens that amen osa are virtuous and bearers of justice, Munsu usually comes across as somewhat amoral and does not believe in helping people who refuse to help themselves. When he does help others, his methods almost always involve excessive bloodshed, lying, torture, and other questionable acts.

Munsu suffers from a curse that resembles asthma, which can only be alleviated by the inhaler-like charm he wears around his neck. This curse originates from during the Jushin period, where he convinced Aji Tae to switch the curse which was originally suffered by his lover Kye Wol Hyang unto him in hopes of relieving her pain. However, this was ineffective; not only did she die in the end while he retained the curse, Munsu actually fell directly into Aji Tae's scheme. In volume 11, Munsu confessed to Wonsul that despite claims that he was her killer, the truth was that Kye Wol Hyang killed herself by running into his sword while he was holding it right into her heart. He blames himself for her death and believes that he is her killer. When asked by Hong Gildong, he refused to deny that he was her sister's killer although his life was at stake. He went against the entire Hwalbindang after consuming a special drug that removed his asthma for a period of time, and managed to kill most of them. However, the drug had negative side effects when it wore off, and conveniently Aji Tae appeared while Munsu was at his most weak and wounded moment. Seeing his sworn enemy, his condition worsened and he started vomiting more blood, falling into a more critical state. Munsu swears that he will not die despite reality and that he will find Aji Tae in the end.

Before passing out, he asks Bang Ja to use an acupuncture needle in his pocket in order to prevent his death, but as soon as Bang Ja did it, Munsu's heart stopped beating. Everyone lost hope and believed that he was dead; however, after a few days despite the humid weather, Munsu's body did not decay. Later it was discovered that the needle contained mandrake extract and Munsu was affected with the infamous hallucinogen, allowing him to escape death. But being affected by the mandrake's poison means he will forever live in a fake world of his most desired dreams where he happily living with his loved one. Volume 11 shows the most treasured moments in Munsu's life and more about his past.

Sando/Chun Hyang (山道/春香/산도/춘향)

A beautiful girl with prodigious fighting skill. She acts as Munsu's 'Sando', or bodyguard. When she was kidnapped by a corrupt lord who wanted to make her his personal bodyguard, her lover embarked on a futile quest to become an amen osa. He died in the process, but not before making Munsu aware of her plight. After Munsu frees her, she decides to become his bodyguard in memory of her dead lover, and takes the title "Sando" as her new name.

Despite her fearsome natural fighting ability, Sando is quiet and shy, with a high moral stance. As a result, she is often in conflict with the amoral Munsu over his questionable methods. She has made it clear that if he ever becomes truly evil, she will no longer protect him. She also has a great fear of heights, and will refuse to cross bridges set over deep mountain gorges or valleys. Munsu finds this extremely peculiar, seeing as to how she often leaps several stories into the air during combat.

Later in the series, she is defeated in combat and leaves Munsu in shame to pursue greater strength. She learns the power of using her 'ki' from a friend of Aji Tae, attaining the strength she desires. She is last seen on Aji Tae's side, having become his latest bodyguard.

Bang Ja (房子/방자)

Munsu's unwanted but good-intentioned servant. Once the servant and apprentice of a first mahai onshi, his former master released him from service after Jushin's destruction. When his master and his sando were later killed in a rebel uprising against a corrupt lord, Bang Ja began roaming the country as a thief. He believes that amen osa should be virtuous and heroic, which is why Munsu's behavior often shocks him.

He is a third-rate Magician who summons animals to do his bidding, and he deeply takes his role as a Bang Ja seriously. This often leads to his being manipulated and bullied by Munsu, who often beats him or sends him on inane/impossible errands.

He was responsible for the main death of Won Hyo. After Sando left the group and Munsu almost died, Bang Ja used Yuui Tae's acupuncture needle on Munsu so that he lives. Bang Ja finds it difficult that Munsu is in a coma state situation that he is a lifeless body. After Yeongsil received the false information about the Mandrake cure, Bang Ja and Yeongsil traveled together to an icy mountain encountering Sando. Having joined Aji Tae, Sando attacked Bang Ja and Yeongsil.

Kye Wol Hyang (桂月香/계월향)

Is Munsu's deceased lover and sister of Hong Gildong. She is Munsu and Hae Mo Su's childhood friend. She has an illness that resembles asthma, which can only be alleviated by the inhaler-like charm he wears around his neck.

Munsu couldn't stand and watch Kye Wol Hyang suffer so he asked Aji Tae to perform a ritual to pass Kye Wol Hyang's illness to Munsu.

Later it is known that Kye Wol Hyang committed suicide but Munsu still blames himself for her death even when Hong Gildong asks for the truth.

Won Sul (元述/원술)

A master swordsman from Jushin, who was once a subordinate of Munsu. However, when Jushin fell he began serving Aji Tae, growing Yang Gwi Bi, a plant with narcotic properties, to ship to the west in exchange for weaponry. His weapon, Saruhyondo, is a sword with a blade forged from his killing 'ki', or killing intent. Aside from being impossibly sharp and hard, the blade is also extremely mallaeble, re-shaping itself into any killing form Wonsul can imagine. As it is made of pure killing ki, the blade is also invisible to the naked eye. Wonsul can manifest the blade so long as he has something to act as a hilt, such as a stick or his signature dragon's head sword hilt.

While working for Aji Tae, Wonsul was defeated and killed by Sando, while temporarily confused by her possession of Aji Tae's lucky charm. His death, however, proved temporary, as he was later resurrected by Aji Tae. Now effectively a zombie of sorts, Wonsul retained his mind and skill, but his body was like a living corpse, continuing to decay. Furthermore, his re-animated form proved extremely hard to kill, since it was already technically dead - even when decapitated, he still remained conscious and fully aware. He went on to serve as Munsu's sando in Chun Hyang's stead. When Munsu went against the Hwalbindang, Wonsul remained by his side. As their battle with the Hwalbindang comes, Aji Tae made his appearance, upon which Wonsul requested that the former end his state of living death. At first Aji Tae appears to oblige, disintegrating Wonsul's body. However, Aji Tae then states that so long as even part of his body remains intact, he wants Wonsul to remain alive, and "see everything through to the end". At this, Wonsul's head, the only remaining part of his body, begins to cry.

Later, when Munsu recovers from his mandrake-induced coma and prepares for a final battle with Aji Tae, Wonsul is dispatched to attack. Despite having been turned into an immense, grotesque mass of flesh (he is initially mistaken for one of Kaidaiten's demons), Munsu recognises his old friend and grants Wonsul his wish, exploding a nearby ammunition dump and engulfing the monstrosity in the blast. Back in his fortress, Aji Tae comments that Wonsul is finally dead.

Aji Tae (阿志泰/아지태)

A former scholar from Jushin and the man Munsu holds responsible for the destruction of the country. Many of Munsu's former allies and comrades have since switched their loyalties to Aji Tae, having been coerced by his power or duped by his charisma. His motives and purpose, as of yet, remain unknown. He possesses a large range of magical abilities, among them the ability to resurrect the dead, explode people with a mere glance, shapeshifting, and teleportation.

During the Junshin period, Aji Tae was General Munsu's second-in-command. At that time, he was smaller in size and sported short black hair and glasses. Despite his innocent exterior, however, the Jushin Aji Tae was already convinced of the inferiority and unworthiness of mankind, and was already plotting his conquest of Jushin.

As of volume 15, he has succeeded in conquering most of the former Jushin territories, having gathered together a formidable force of supernatural allies. This includes the resurrected Kaidaiten and its demon brood, an army of undead, black magic practitioners from the West, and Munsu's former bodyguard Sando.