Kage

 (カゲ, Kage) is a character in Ousama Ranking and its anime adaption. He is a member of the Shadow Clan originally from the Bo Kingdom, and Prince Bojji's friend/bodyguard.

Appearance
Kage appears to be a small black puddle with two slanted, blue eyes. He has two arms that disappear into his body when unused, and a third arm-stalk that serves as a mouth.

Personality
After years of uncertainty and abuse Kage developed a very rough exterior, pretending to be a hard-bitten thief who wouldn't think twice about killing someone. In reality Kage is empathetic and kind-hearted, and quickly dropped his pretense around Bojji once he realized the young prince's circumstances.

Kage is much more worldly and savvy than Bojji, and tends to act as both the voice of reason and resident skeptic on their adventures.

Plot
Kage is the last surviving member of the Shadow Clan, an infamous clan of assassins who were annihilated in a purge by the Light Clan when Kage was a small child. Forced to flee, Kage was openly-scorned by the residents of the towns he visited, until he was found and taken-in by a local thief.

The thief used Kage's strange body to commit dozens of robberies, and eventually sold him out to the kingdom's forces for the reward. Through sheer luck Kage was once again able to flee, and traveled the countryside as a thief and a robber, until he eventually ended up on the outskirts of the Bosse Kingdom, where he first met Prince Bojji.

After an encounter with Bebin, Kage was appointed to be Bojji's secret bodyguard, and remains one of Bojji's closest allies on his journeys.

Shadow clan
Kage is a member of the Shadow clan, an infamous clan of assassins with inhuman, flat, almost fluid-like bodies that blend into shadows and darkness. Being a member of the Shadow clan means he is able to utilize their abilities. This includes:


 * Moving quickly and silently across nearly all surfaces, including vertically up and down walls and underneath doors.
 * Heal themselves fully and fairly quickly (compared to other creatures).
 * Retracting their limbs completely into their bodies when not in use, including their mouths.
 * Storing and retrieving items larger than themselves within their bodies.
 * Their enraged state, that allows them to grow in size to the point where they can consume another living creature.

Knife Usage
Kage has some skill with knives, whether from early training in the Shadow clan, having spent time spent living with a thief, or from learning to live on his own stealing from others. He armed himself with a knife upon first meeting Bojji, and can accurately use throwing knives as seen with the ones given to him by Bebin.

Cooking and Housekeeping
Due to his time spent as a servant to the thief, Kage has become very good at cooking and cleaning. This has proven useful when travelling with Bojji, as Bojji nearly almost killed Kage and Despa with his cooking.

Pain Endurance
Kage is able to endure fairly extreme pain, as shown when he cut through his own body to escape the hook Bebin stuck him on in the Bosse Kingdom's prison.

Trivia

 * 's name likely derives from the Japanese word for shadow (影, kage).