Goemon Ishikawa XIII - Personality

Personality

Goemon has an extreme sense of pride in his abilities, and when he cannot accomplish a task, usually feels extreme shame and remorse afterward. Breaking Zantetsuken, as he did in a battle with Flinch in Lupin vs. the Clone, is a common cause of shame. He will also show chagrin when he succumbs to his weaknesses, as when a woman ran off with his sword in 1998's Memories of the Flame: Tokyo Crisis. On many of these occasions, Goemon will leave to meditate or further train to rid himself of his weak points.

Goemon shows allegiance to Japanese culture as strictly as his traveling and unique lifestyle can allow. He dresses in a hakama and fundoshi, and prefers wearing his hair long and somewhat unevenly cut. He is a firm believer in Buddhism and Shinto. Although he may toast with champagne, his drink of choice is sake. He has been seen multiple times wearing a sandogasa.

Goemon's most often seen pasttime is meditation. Even under threat or when locked up, he is typically seated on the floor in a state of mental seclusion so deep he cannot be budged from his position. Other activities Goemon favors include fishing, attending noh theater, and participating in martial arts competitions.

Although typically a person of mellow aloofness, Goemon has been seen exploding with frustration, admiring beautiful women and (very rarely) screaming in fright. Such out of character moments are usually treated as humorous takes. If Goemon has a true weakness, it is that he's even more weak with women than Lupin is. He readily trusts any woman who seems superficially trustworthy or innocent, often landing him in much trouble. At the same time, he fears sultry women will distract him from his training, and tends to blush or flee when any woman puts him in a less than modest situation.

Goemon also is very bad with money as well as falling for any scam that states will show the path of enlightenment, and constantly charges Lupin for his services in some fashion. In $1 Money Wars he gives it to the female leader of a cult, who promptly runs off with it.

Commonly thought to be just a samurai, an episode of the second TV series ("Goemon's Revenge") has Goemon visiting his Iga ninja sensei. This episode depicts him as having had the training of a master ninja, perhaps giving some reason behind his willingness to find thievery as an acceptable practice, in spite of his samurai ways.