Matabei Goto

Matabei Goto inherits the name and legacy of the historical spear master Goto Matabei, making “Matabei” both her given identity and a symbolic title.

She is enrolled at Buou Academy and is depicted as a large-framed yet gentle and rather shy girl despite her intimidating appearance.

She follows Yukimura Sanada due to their shared opposition to the Tokugawa leadership.

Because of her quiet demeanor and lack of assertiveness, she is often treated more like an errand runner than a formal high-ranking retainer.

Jubei Yagyu affectionately calls her “Beta-san,” highlighting their close and somewhat playful relationship.

Despite her formidable combat skills, her personality is more low-key and reserved than most of the other heroines.

Matabei is taciturn, not very strong-willed, and tends to follow orders rather than push her own opinions.

This often results in her being overworked or sent on minor tasks while others take center stage.

She can be unexpectedly airheaded and literal-minded.

For example, after accidentally stabbing Hanzo Hattori with her spear, she tries to reassure everyone by saying, “It was a flat-side strike, so it’s fine,” even though that clearly does not make real-world sense.

Her shyness contrasts with the more flamboyant characters like Yukimura Sanada and Jubei Yagyu.

However, she is deeply loyal, and her sense of duty runs much deeper than she herself likes to show.

In the second season of the story, she develops a strong sense of guilt for not being able to help Yukimura when Yukimura is in danger.

This emotional burden pushes her to grow and seek more strength so she can protect those she cares about.

Matabei has a large and sturdy physique, which visually emphasizes her role as a front-line fighter and spear user.

Despite this imposing build, her expressions and body language often reveal her gentle and shy nature.

Her everyday outfit is her school uniform combined with a traditional loincloth instead of modern underwear.

Because of this, she intensely dislikes the idea of wearing normal undergarments and avoids them whenever possible.

In one early prologue battle scene, she is shown as a Master Samurai fighting alongside Yukimura, Jubei, and the others.

During that appearance, she wears what looks like a miniskirt instead of the loincloth, giving her a slightly different visual style from her usual look.

Matabei is an exceptional spear user, worthy of the legendary name she carries.

Her main weapon is an extremely long spear known as a “five-jou spear,” indicating a spear of great length and reach.

With this spear, she can unleash thrusts at such incredible speed that she alone can create the effect of a spear-wall formation.

This means she can simulate an entire unit’s worth of spear thrusts by herself, making her extremely dangerous in close and mid-range combat.

Although her demeanor is quiet, her battle capabilities are dramatic and overwhelming.

This contrast makes her fight scenes particularly striking, as the reserved girl transforms into a whirlwind of spear strikes.

Matabei possesses a sense of smell that is several times more acute than that of an ordinary person.

She is also an extreme scent enthusiast, finding smells fascinating and emotionally stimulating.

For her, laundry day becomes a kind of secret pleasure.

She delights in smelling the clothes of Yukimura Sanada and Jubei Yagyu while washing them, treating their lingering scents as her private bliss.

Recently, she has also become interested in the scent of Muneakira Yagyu’s clothing.

This shift hints at her growing attachment and curiosity toward him as the story progresses.

Her combination of heightened senses and scent obsession adds a humorous and slightly eccentric layer to her character.

It also stands out as one of her most memorable and unique personality traits.

Yukimura Sanada

Matabei’s deepest loyalty is to Yukimura Sanada, whom she follows out of ideological alignment and personal devotion.

Their shared anti-Tokugawa stance forms the core of their relationship, with Matabei acting as Yukimura’s steadfast subordinate.

Despite this devotion, Matabei feels she is often unable to properly support Yukimura in critical moments.

In the second season, her guilt over failing to help when Yukimura is in danger becomes a major emotional turning point for her.

When Jubei and Sen Tokugawa are captured, Matabei joins Yukimura in becoming a Sword Princess to Muneakira Yagyu in order to help rescue them.

This action underscores how far she is willing to go when Yukimura and their allies need her strength.

Jubei Yagyu

Jubei Yagyu calls Matabei “Beta-san,” a nickname that mixes affection and playfulness.

This nickname reflects the way Jubei softens the atmosphere around Matabei, making her less stiff and more approachable.

Matabei respects Jubei’s power and innocence, and their relationship is friendly and warm.

She also takes care of Jubei’s clothing during laundry, which ties into her scent-related quirks.

Sen Tokugawa

Matabei initially stands on the opposite political side from Sen Tokugawa due to Matabei’s anti-Tokugawa stance.

However, when Sen is captured by a great demon, Matabei helps rescue her, showing she cares about Sen as a person regardless of faction labels.

During that rescue mission, Matabei’s determination to save Sen pushes her to form a contract with Muneakira Yagyu.

This moment marks her official status as the sixth Sword Princess and strengthens the bonds between her and the rest of the group.

Muneakira Yagyu

At first, Matabei is not formally contracted to Muneakira Yagyu, even though Yukimura Sanada and others act as his Sword Princesses.

In the anime adaptation, there is a scene where Yukimura orders Matabei to form a contract with Muneakira, but at that time the contract has not actually been made.

Later, when Sen Tokugawa is imprisoned by a great demon, Matabei finally seals a contract with Muneakira.

This act turns her into the sixth Sword Princess and allows her to fight at a much higher level.

Her interest in the scent of Muneakira’s clothes suggests her feelings toward him are becoming more personal and possibly romantic.

The bond with Muneakira also offers her the strength she longed for so she can better protect Yukimura and the others.

Hanzo Hattori

Matabei and Hanzo Hattori have a memorable interaction when Matabei accidentally attacks Hanzo with her spear.

After striking her, Matabei casually claims, “It was a flat-side strike, so it’s fine,” conveying her slightly clueless and deadpan sense of humor.

This incident shows that, despite her serious appearance, Matabei can be unintentionally comedic.

Hanzo’s role as a loyal and intense ninja contrasts with Matabei’s more laid-back but clumsy moments.

Matabei’s journey as a Sword Princess unfolds over time rather than from the very beginning.

In the anime’s first episode prologue, she is depicted as a Master Samurai already fighting alongside Yukimura and Jubei, although that form is more of a preview than her main timeline status.

When Jubei and Sen are kidnapped, she temporarily fights in tandem with Yukimura after Yukimura becomes a Sword Princess to Muneakira Yagyu.

In that situation, Matabei is essentially acting under Yukimura’s command, supporting the rescue mission.

In the second season, Matabei’s sense of inadequacy pushes her to seek more direct power.

During the incident where Sen is captured by a great demon, Matabei finally forms her own contract with Muneakira, becoming the sixth Sword Princess.

This transformation marks her full arrival as a front-line heroine.

From that point on, she can fight as a true Master Samurai in her own right, rather than just as Yukimura’s assistant.

Matabei’s daily life at Buou Academy is a mix of menial tasks, training, and quietly supporting Yukimura Sanada.

Because she is not very assertive, others often rely on her for errands and chores.

Interestingly, her appetite is surprisingly small when compared to her large build.

This contrasts sharply with Yukimura’s robust appetite and becomes a small but noticeable character detail.

She often spends time in a charcoal-burning hut practicing kissing, hinting at her desire to be prepared for forming contracts or for romantic situations.

These scenes show her shy side, as she tries to rehearse intimacy in private rather than face it directly.

Her favorite “relaxation ritual” is smelling the clothes of her friends and allies while doing laundry.

This unusual habit, combined with her powerful sense of smell, makes ordinary tasks feel special and meaningful to her.