Tsubame Sanjou

A girl working at the beef hotpot restaurant "Akabeko." She refers to herself as "watashi." She is a good understanding presence for Yahiko. With a slightly timid and nervous personality, she meets Yahiko, Kenshin, and others by chance. Initially, she had a habit of calling Yahiko with the suffix "chan." Later, she plays a role in reviving Kenshin, who had lost his spirit due to Jinchu, by desperately calling on him to help Yahiko, who was facing Kujiranami. She is 131 cm tall, weighs 28 kg, born in February 1868, from Tokyo Prefecture, an Aquarius, and blood type A. She likes kind people.

Her background is the daughter of a retainer serving the Nagaoka family, a former samurai family. Because of this connection, she was targeted by Mikio Nagaoka and sent as an assassin to steal money from Akabeko. She couldn't refuse as she was threatened that everyone at Akabeko would be killed if she resisted. However, Mikio Nagaoka was defeated by Yahiko, and Kaoru told her that she shouldn't always be timid and nervous, prompting her to vow to become a strong girl. From then on, she calls Yahiko with the suffix "kun."

Later, she marries Yahiko and they have a son (Shinya). During that time, she wore a new uniform reminiscent of a maid outfit while working at Akabeko. Around Meiji 15, it seems she was also courted by Yutaro besides Yahiko. Her hobby is collecting nishiki-e (colored woodblock prints).

In "Ashitaro Zenka Ari," she appears at the end. In the "Hokkaido Arc," she is asked by Yahiko, who is left to guard the dojo, to live together.

In the first anime adaptation, the circumstances of her meeting with Yahiko are depicted, where she fixes his broken sandal strap while he was training in swordsmanship by the river, which becomes their connection. Yahiko also shows romantic feelings towards Tsubame, making the romantic elements stronger than in the main story. She is also acquainted with Ayame and Suzume (original characters from the first anime adaptation). She meets Kaoru through the incident with Mikio Nagaoka, but in the first anime adaptation, they are set to be acquaintances earlier.

The design motif is inspired by a popular anime's warrior of Saturn.

In the complete edition volume 19 rewrite: Her casual wear is a kimono with a swallow pattern and a modified bob haircut. Instead of a uniform, she wears an apron with the Akabeko logo printed on it. As a countermeasure against unruly customers, she holds the Akabeko specialty "oak tray." There is also a maid outfit version.

In the Kinema version: She is set as Yahiko's childhood friend.