Okita Souji

Okita Souji Fujiwara no Kaneyoshi (沖田総司), better known as Okita Souji, is the male protagonist in Kaze Hikaru, a historical shoujo manga by Watanabe Taeko. He is the Captain of the First Troop, which is composed of the best swordsmen of the Shinsengumi and serves as the captain's guard.

A child prodigy and extremely talented with the katana, Souji is considered to be one of the best swordsmen of the group, rivaling the captain of the Third Troop Saitou Hajime. He is a selected successor of the Tennen Rishin Ryu style of swordfighting, having mastered all of the skills and attaining the rank of Menkyo Kaiden (license which gives the holder the permission to teach) at the young age of 18.

He is the first person in the troop to discover Seizaburou's true identity as Tominaga Sei.

Early Life
Born Okita Soujiro, Souji was the long-desired male heir of the Okita household, joining two older sisters, Mitsu and Kin. His father, Okita Katsujiro, was a low-ranking bushi who died only a year later. His mother, Nao, was a hard-working woman determined to make a life for herself and her children. With his father dead, the Okita family had lost any income, and Nao was forced to move the family back to her hometown. Young Souji was oblivious to the dire circumstances he was surrounded by, but was spoiled by even the harshest of his sisters.

When Souji's oldest sister, Mitsu, was 14, she received a marriage proposal. The dowry that would come with the groom would help the family, but Nao did not want her daughter to marry so young. Mitsu, however, disagreed and accepted the proposal, saying the Okita household needed a master. Unfortunately, Mitsu's husband, a good-natured and kind man named Inoue Rintaro, did not help the family fortunes because of his poor bargaining skills. Nevertheless, Souji treated him as an older brother and Rintaro become a beloved member of the family.

As Souji grew older, he became more aware of his family's poverty. When his sister Kin was seventeen, she left for Edo to marry a young bushi. Not long after, his mother became weak and was diagnosed with arthritis, something that she had been hiding for years. Not long after that, Mitsu discovered she was pregnant. For Mitsu, it was clear that there was not enough food to feed Souji, much less the other family members or the new baby, and with a heavy heart it was decided that Souji would become a servant in the Ten'nen Rishin Ryu dojo in Edo. Souji begged not to be sent away, believing that he had done something wrong.

A timid child that was prone to crying, Souji was utterly terrified of the dojo. Though the mistress, Oei, was bitter and angry, the master, Shusai, was very kind.