Characters of the Bardo Universe
Meet those who chase their ambitions, overcome their obstacles, and leave their mark on the Bardo lore. Select a profile to discover their story.
SAMUEL R. MARTIN
Type: Prophet - The City Samurai
Powers: Spirit of Apep; Durability
Young teen Samuel R. Martin is a passionate and stubborn high school student who enjoys basketball and martial arts movies. Disturbed by his father's disappearance, Sammy desperately wants to know what type of hero his father was.
Sammy: The City Samurai
Sammy: The City Samurai
Sammy: The City Samurai
Sammy: The City Samurai
YVETTE MARTIN
Type: Mechanically Enhanced Human - Smoke
Powers: Twin Pistols, Bio-Mechanical Nose
Yvette Martin/ Smoke is a former member of Team Riot, a special Radiant Defense unit, and a strict but loving single mother determined to protect her son, the next City Samurai. Yvette is smart, capable, and not easily fooled. She keeps Sammy hidden from the enemies of her past, but protecting him may be difficult when he has a habit of finding trouble himself.
Yvette Martin
CALVIN MARTIN
Type: Human - Former City Samurai
Powers: experience
Former City Samurai and beloved local hero, Calvin Martin left behind his life as a hero to build the family he always wanted with his wife, Yvette, and their son, Samuel. Years later, when Sammy was seven, Calvin mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind the very family he had once given up everything to protect.
Apep The Divine
Type: Divine Being - Spirit of Chaos
Powers: 36 different gifts; durability, fire, weather control...
Born among the Egyptian pantheon, Apep (Apophis) is the divine spirit of chaos who survived the Last Age of Divinity by attaching himself to human prophets. Now imprisoned within his host’s mind, his soul and powers are sealed behind 36 chambers. Through the City Samurai, his avatar, Apep channels his divinity while plotting his escape. Driven by vengeance against a world he believes betrayed the gods, he seeks freedom to unleash chaos upon humanity, or perish without a host.
Green Light
Type: Radiant- Corrupted by Ogun Green Flames
Powers: Green Divine Flames
Born in Africa and held captive by a cruel warlord, Kaikara witnessed countless boys die after failing to channel the divine. When his turn came, he survived by accepting the green flames of Ogun, sacrificing his ability to speak in the process. Kaikara was eventually rescued by City Samurai Calvin Martin, who took him on as his apprentice and sidekick. Under the codename Green Light, the mute radiant wields Ogun’s green flames in service to s a secret council.
Boogie
Type: Radiant- Weilder of the Philosopher's Stone
Powers: Reality Warping (Brings Artwork to Life)
A timid, artistic nerd, Boogie has spent much of her life being teased for her vitiligo and giving more to her friendships than she gets back. Despite her cautious nature, she follows Sammy into danger, even at her own expense. After being shot during a robbery at a family antique shop, Boogie awakens in the hospital with a mysterious ability to bring her drawings to life.
Olivia Nicole Parker
Type: Radiant- Multiversal Transformation
Powers: Transforms into alternate versions of themselves
Born into the wealthy Parker family, Olivia has spent her life maintaining a flawless public image while hiding her inherited Radiant powers. After her powered brother was removed from the family, Olivia was trained to suppress her own abilities and prescribed medication to maintain control. But as her powers develop a resistance to treatment, she secretly turns to the Youngbucks gang for help, risking everything to keep her growing instability hidden from her father.
Wanksta and Pipsqueak
Type: Humans
Powers: Advanced Knowledge in the Art of Bullying
Once best friends who bonded in foster care, Wanksta and Pipsqueak formed an unbreakable partnership through shared trauma. Wanksta grew up in an abusive household and later heavily bullied for his skin tone by his predominantly Black foster family, except for Pipsqueak, the sole survivor of a fire that claimed his parents. Now, the two have each other’s backs as they bully Sammy, turning their pain outward in a quest to rise above their circumstances and proclaim themselves kings of Westchest.
Imani Blanco
Type: Human
Powers: Studious
The daughter of a sports podcaster, Imani Blanco moves to Denrock following her parents’ divorce, becoming the new girl at school and befriending Boogie and Olivia. Musically gifted, academically driven, and guided by a strong moral compass, Imani balances her ambitions with an active social life. Reuniting with Sammy, a childhood friend, she sees the good in him even when his actions suggest otherwise. Determined to build a bright future, Imani holds herself to high standards while encouraging those around her to become their best.
Principal Phan
Type: Human - Former City Samurai
Powers: experience
Principal Phan leads Ruby Bridges High School in Denrock, Westchest, with a mission to prepare students for the challenges of adulthood and help them become better people. A strict and disciplined leader, he holds himself and his students to high professional standards, believing that accountability, character, and perseverance are essential to their future success.
Ahmad Nazari
Type: Human - Arsenal the Hunter
Powers: Skilled in Historical weaponry
Ahmad Nazari is the owner of Hidden Treasures Pawn Shop, a store stocked with weapons, rare antiques, and other valuable memorabilia. His father, a former Hollywood actor typecast as the token brown villain, built the business by selling the items he collected throughout his career after the roles dried up. Through a business-first mindset, valuing money over sentiment. His rule is simple: buy, don’t steal.
Pigeon Lord
Type: Radiant- Former Member of the Council of Nine.
Powers: Communication with Pigeons
Once a simple man who cared for pigeons, Enrique Vasquez developed his natural divinity by studying the birds, eventually learning to manipulate them and use them to gather information. Recruited into the Council of Nine, he became entangled in the criminal operations behind Westchest’s crack epidemic. After being framed as the Council’s sole conspirator and imprisoned at Masaw Prison, Enrique escaped with help from the alchemist Katalis. Seeking redemption, he watches over Sammy, hoping to guide the next City Samurai toward a better path while repairing his relationship with his own child.
Christina the Secretary
Type: Human - Front Desk Operator
Powers: experience
Christina serves as the secretary for the Youngbucks gang, working the front desk at the Ashtray, where she manages shipments, deliveries, and day-to-day operations. Loyal to the people she works with, Christina sees the gang as her family and friends, placing their well-being above loyalty to its leadership. And like plenty of others, she has a huge crush on Starboy.
Domino and Dice
Type: Human - The Ashtray Security
Powers: Big Guns
Domino and Dice are the Youngbucks gang’s first line of defense, guarding the entrance to the Ashtray with big guns and mean attitudes. Though small in stature, these kids are fiercely protective of their territory and share an inseparable bond. Take one away from the other, and everyone nearby had better take cover. Together, they’re the intimidating front line of the Ashtray.
Molly Molotov
Type: Human - Youngbucks' "Gang Member"
Powers: Pyrotechnican and Battle Strategy
Molly Molotov is a quiet, deceptively intelligent strategist who prefers to watch, learn, and plan before making her move. With a fascination for fire and a lighter never far from reach, she has a particular fondness for Molotov cocktails. Though she rarely gets her own hands dirty, Molly lets her two boys do the heavy lifting while she orchestrates the chaos. Cunning, fiercely loyal, and ruthless when necessary, Molly Molotov is not someone you want to cross.
Hooligan
Type: Human - Youngbucks' "Gang Member"
Powers: Instigator and weapons expert
Hooligan is the Youngbucks’ loudmouthed menace, an abrasive bully who pushes everyone’s patience to the limit. Obsessed with gold chains, gold guns, and the glory that comes with power, he’s tired of living in Starboy’s shadow. Beneath his cruel, obnoxious exterior lies a fear of being overlooked. Hungry for admiration and recognition, Hooligan is biding his time, waiting for the chance to climb over anyone in his way and finally claim the spotlight for himself.
Starboy
Type: Human - Youngbucks' "Gang Member"
Powers: experience
Starboy grew up surrounded by violence before finding a home with the Youngbucks at a young age. Now a major name at the Ashtray, he moves drugs and lives the gang life despite dreaming of escaping to attend school in Serlington. Haunted by the weight of his actions, Starboy knows he’s doing wrong but struggles to imagine another way forward. He looks after Sammy like a little brother, wanting to bring him into the gang while believing Sammy has the future, family, and stability he never had.
Lord Narco Plaza
Type: Human - Youngbucks' "Gang leader"
Powers: master Biology Orchid
Lord Narco Plaza is a highly educated young drug lord, raised and funded by the Council of Nine. The organization gave him Orchid, an extraterrestrial plant, to experiment with and develop into a powerful hallucinogenic drug that twists its users’ hopes and desires into vivid, intoxicating visions. But as he tests his creation, Orchid begins to unravel his own mind. Manipulative and unhinged, Narco exploits vulnerable kids much as the Council once exploited him. With Orchid nearing full distribution, he plans to seize control of Westchest and overthrow its five major drug lords.
Dame Kokei
Type: Human - Vikings "Gang Member"
Powers: none
Dame Kokei, a high-ranking gang affiliate and married to the leader of the biker gang, The Vikings, remains loyal to the organization despite resenting the life she leads, placing the Vikings above even her own daughter, Kimiko. Cold, cruel, and driven by self-preservation, Dame seeks to expand the Vikings’ drug operations into Denrock, putting her at odds with the Youngbucks in an uneasy turf war.
Kimiko Kokei
Type: Human - Vikings "Gang Member"
Powers: potential
Kimiko Kokei is a 12-year-old optimist growing up in the eye of the storm as the daughter of the Viking leader and Dame Kokei. Despite the cruelty and instability surrounding her, Kimiko loves her parents and dreams of a world where everyone can be happy. Separated from her mother and trying to find her way back to Ramona, a series of unfortunate events leads her to Sammy Martin. Their encounter becomes a moment she’ll never forget, inspiring Kimiko to become a hero and bring hope to a world that has given her so little.
Alchemist Katalis
Type: Alchemist / Radiant- Weilder of the Narrative
Powers: Future Foresight
Alchemist Katalis is an elderly woman capable of seeing the future and wielding divine energy through alchemy. Working behind the scenes, she carefully guides people toward the events she believes must come to pass, knowing that even the smallest interference can have dangerous consequences. Her greatest challenge is convincing her pawns to trust her and follow her commands. Fortunately, her grandson Franklin remains fiercely devoted to her cause, carrying out her plans as she maneuvers the world toward its destined future.
Franklin
Type: Radiant- Alchemy in training
Powers: Four-Dimensional Life Dreams (Experiences his entire life across past, present, and future)
Franklin is a special Radiant who dreams of his entire life every night, experiencing his past, present, and future in endless detail. From childhood conversations to the battles and victories awaiting the City Samurai, he has already lived through it all countless times. Knowing the outcomes of his grandmother Katalis’s plans, he follows her commands without hesitation.
BURIJI TANAKA
Buriji Tanaka
Buriji Tanaka
Buriji Tanaka
Buriji Tanaka
Type Yokai
Powers: Super Strength, Super Speed
Buriji Tanaka was found alone on a bridge and raised in seclusion on a quiet farm, taught to fear the supernatural power she carries within her. Despite being feared as a Yokai, Buriji dreams of living openly among humanity and using her incredible strength to help the community she calls home.
MAMI TANAKA
Type Human
Powers: Motherly Advice
A former princess who gave up the throne for love, Mami now lives as a humble farmer raising her daughters. Though haunted by the loss of her husband, her love for her family remains her greatest strength.
Mami Tanaka
Mami Tanaka
DAICHI TANAKA
Type Human
Powers: Stubborn
Daichi is a man nostalgic for the Jōmon way of life, living in the Yayoi era while hunting, honoring the kami, and never fearing bloodshed. Everything changes when he finds Buriji, believing the kami have chosen her for a greater destiny. Though he loves his wife and daughters, Daichi risks everything to raise Buriji as his own, knowing that sheltering a yōkai could cost him his life.
Daichi Tanaka
Daichi Tanaka
Daichi Tanaka
Katsumi Tanaka
Type Human
Powers: Above Average Intellect
Katsumi Tanaka is Buriji’s older sister, a clever and compassionate young woman who helps run the family farm by selling the food her sister makes at the village marketplace. After witnessing her father’s death at nine years old, Katsumi became fiercely protective of Buriji, putting her family’s needs before her own.
Katsumi Tanaka
Katsumi Tanaka
Toshii
Type Yokai - Kitsune
Powers: Shapeshift
A nine-tailed kitsune over 900 years old, Toshii resides in the Sacred Forest, where yokai have lived in peace for centuries. Wary of humanity, she hopes Buriji will embrace her yokai heritage instead of seeking acceptance from humans.
Toshii Yokai Kitsune
Toshii Yokai Kitsune
Yudai
Type Human / Soldier
Powers: Honorable
Yudai is an honorable and straightforward family man who has always valued logic, hard work, and doing what is right. After discovering Buriji’s secret, his integrity is tested as protecting her could cost him everything he holds dear.
Yudai soldier
Yudai soldier
Masuyo and Ken
Type Human / Soldiers
Powers: Curious / Kind
Young guards with a knack for finding trouble, Masuyo and Ken often blur the line between duty and personal gain. Despite their mischievous nature, their loyalty to friends is unwavering, and they quickly come to see Buriji as one of their own.
Masuyo and Ken
Masuyo and Ken
General Taii Genkei
Type Human / Hunter
Powers: Strategist
After losing his brother to a mysterious yokai, Taii Genkei rose through the ranks with one purpose: to eradicate every yokai he can find. His hatred has become both his greatest strength and his greatest blindspot.
General Genkei
General Genkei