List of Reborn! characters
The Reborn! manga and anime series, known in Japan as Katekyō Hitman Reborn!, features an extensive cast of characters created by Akira Amano. Set in a fictional town called Namimori in modern Japan, the series' protagonists are of Japanese descent. However, their connection to an Italian Mafia family results in a majority of other characters introduced being mainly of Italian descent, including most of its antagonists.
The story centers on middle school student Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada, who finds out that he is the heir to the most powerful Mafia family, the Vongola. The current Vongola boss thus sends his most trusted member, the titular character and infant hitman, [|Reborn], to train the future boss. Tsuna gradually becomes a more confident person and leader, while Reborn slowly recruits members into Tsuna's own Mafia family, which mostly includes Tsuna's schoolmates. Though they encounter new allies in the form of other hitmen and mafiosi, they also attract attention from those who want to annihilate the future boss of the Vongola Family. Enemies such as the [|Kokuyo Gang], a group of Mafia criminals, and [|Varia], an elite team of assassins, prove to be formidable challenges for Tsuna's new "family". When the story later shifts into an alternate future, nine years and ten months later, in which some of the characters are transported into, they have to adapt to a world where every Vongola member, as well as their allies, is being hunted down by a powerful rival family of that era, the [|Millefiore]. The characters transported from the past into this future are joined by adult versions of the ones who have yet to be replaced with their younger selves.
Various publications that review manga series have mostly praised the eccentric cast of characters in Reborn!. Some attribute the story's humor to the peculiar characters, with one reviewer positively describing it is as an insane collection of characters. The story's shift into a darker and more serious tone by volume eight garnered even more praise, with some finding the characters being no longer simply used for slapstick comedy pleasing, and that the characters' evolving maturity is gratifying.Creation and conception
The Reborn! characters have also appeared in Akira Amano's early versions of the series that were meant for adult readers due to the violence that it contained. Amano has referred to most of her characters as "weirdos", and mentioned that though she changed the storyline's style starting from volume 8 of the manga, she still kept adding the weirdo characters.Protagonists
Tsunayoshi Sawada, commonly known as "Tsuna", is the 14-year-old main protagonist of the series. Because of his severely low self-esteem and lack of talent in any activity, Tsuna is known as "No-Good Tsuna" in his middle school, Namimori. After being informed that he is the heir to the Vongola Family, due in part to him being the great-great-great grandson of the first Vongola boss from 400 years ago, as well as the untimely deaths of the other candidates for the position, Tsuna is trained into becoming a mob-boss by the infant Vongola hitman Reborn. He is often shot by Reborn with a bullet that increases his physical abilities in order for him to fulfill his regrets. That state, which is called the Dying Will Mode, is what gradually makes others see him in a better light. For the most part of the story, Tsuna rejects his position and wants nothing to do with the Mafia, but due to the results of various conflicts involving himself and his friends, his own power matures and he eventually starts embracing his destiny. He is the Bearer of the Sky Ring. Tsuna is voiced by Yukari Kokubun in the anime.Reborn
Reborn is the title character. An [|Arcobaleno] and the holder of the Yellow pacifier of the Sun, Reborn is an infant hitman belonging to the Vongola Family. As the Vongola IX's most trusted member, he becomes Tsuna's home tutor and trains him into becoming a Mafia boss using torturous ways. He often shoots Tsuna with special bullets that enhances his abilities; these bullets are created inside his shape-shifting chameleon "partner" named Leon, who usually sits on Reborn's fedora. No matter how strong the emotion, Reborn always keeps a straight face and handles many situations as calmly as possible. Reborn often says "Ciaossu". Later in the manga, this is revealed to be a mispronunciation of his real catchphrase, "chaos," developed because he was unable to pronounce the consonants of "chaos" in his baby form. Reborn also appears randomly dressed as "another person" who no one recognizes except for Tsuna and Dino, despite his disguises being obvious to the audience. Reborn is voiced and portrayed by Neeko in the anime and the stage plays respectively. In his short appearances as an adult, he is also voiced by Ken Narita.Hayato Gokudera is a 14-year-old transfer student from Italy who is placed in Tsuna's class. Gokudera is a dynamite expert nicknamed "Smokin' Bomb Hayato", or "Hurricane Bomb Hayato" in the anime. He keeps various explosives hidden on his body and uses those explosives liberally by lighting them with a cigarette held in his mouth. Initially, he comes to Japan in order to test Tsuna's strength, and after the latter risks his life to save Gokudera, he devotes himself entirely to Tsuna, having sworn to become his right-hand man. A hot-headed and short-tempered youth, Gokudera continuously gets into fights with several characters especially to those who try to get too close to Tsuna. Despite his personality, he is considered to be a genius, excelling in his academic studies. He is Tsuna's Guardian of the Storm Ring. Gokudera is voiced by Hidekazu Ichinose in the anime.Takeshi Yamamoto
Takeshi Yamamoto is the 14-year-old popular baseball star of Namimori Middle School. Despite his carefree and outgoing personality, Yamamoto initially has no confidence in doing anything other than baseball, even attempting to commit suicide after sustaining major injury to his arm. After Tsuna reassures him, the two become close friends, and Reborn tries to recruit him into the Vongola Family. He hardly takes anything seriously, and is usually oblivious to what is truly happening around him, often tricked by Reborn into participating in Mafia-related events because he thinks that they are all just playing a game. Though he becomes a dedicated and valuable member of Tsuna's family, growing to become a fighter who excels at swordsmanship, he still does not understand the full extent of the situation surrounding the Mafia. He is Tsuna's Guardian of the Rain Ring. Yamamoto is voiced by Suguru Inoue in the anime.Lambo
Lambo is a cow suit-clad 5-year-old assassin from Italy affiliated with the Bovino Family. He has a huge afro with horns on the sides of his head. Despite being a hitman, he lacks the emotional maturity and discipline that Reborn has and is also very conceited as well as being a crybaby. In order to prove that he is worthy of becoming his own family's boss, Lambo comes to Japan to kill Reborn, though he only proves that he is no match for the Vongola hitman. He also possesses his family's Ten-Year Bazooka, which replaces his present himself with another version of himself ten years from the future. He is Tsuna's Guardian of the Lightning Ring. Lambo is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, while Adult Lambo is voiced by Kenjirō Tsuda.Ryohei Sasagawa is a 15-year-old passionate member of the boxing club at Namimori Middle School. Ryohei is extremely loudmouthed. He constantly asks others he believe are strong to join his club, most notably Tsuna. In response, Reborn wants to recruit him into Tsuna's family. Every time he sees Tsuna and his family doing something strange, Ryohei gets fired up and always wants to be a part of it. Because of his energetic personality, however, he does not understand the full extent of Tsuna's connection with the Mafia, but still does everything that he can to protect him and fights with as much spirit and confidence as the others. Proficient in hand-to-hand combat, Ryohei's boxing training lead to his peak physical condition. He has a habit of always saying "kyokugen!" as a single response or as an ending to his sentences. He is Tsuna's Guardian of the Sun Ring. Ryohei is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in the anime.Kyoya Hibari is the leader of the Namimori Middle Discipline Committee, or Prefects, whose members are a group of delinquents loyal to him despite his lack of care for them. Though he speaks in a calm tone, Hibari is an excellent but violent fighter who wields a pair of tonfa as his primary weapons. Though he uses his status to harass others, he actually has great pride in his school, and has a soft side towards animals and small children. However, students are not the only ones who fear him, teachers and other town residents know of him as well since he enforces his form of order throughout the entire town. He prefers to be alone, usually beating up those who crowd near him. Despite caring little about the events surrounding Tsuna and his friends, Hibari takes a great interest in Reborn after seeing his abilities, which is reciprocated by Reborn, who wants to recruit him as part of Tsuna's own family. He is Tsuna's Guardian of the Cloud Ring. Hibari is voiced by Takashi Kondō in the anime.Mukuro Rokudo
Mukuro Rokudo is a 15-year-old Mafia criminal who escaped from an Italian prison, which held some of the most dangerous Mafia criminals, before he was to be executed. Not long after, Mukuro, along with his two subordinates, came to Japan, enrolled in Kokuyo Junior High, and formed the Kokuyo Gang, which consists of heinous criminals who have recently escaped from prison. Skilled in casting illusions as well as mind control, Mukuro attempts to take his revenge on the Mafia by taking over the body of Mafia criminal Lancia and uses him to wreak havoc. When his plan fails due to Tsuna's interference, he is once again imprisoned. Later on in the story, after possessing the body of Kokuyo Gang member [|Chrome Dokuro], Mukuro takes on a more supportive role for the series' characters, though still prefers not to associate with them. Mukuro is voiced by Toshinobu Iida in the anime.