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.

Fleeing the Bo Kingdom
As a small child Kage was forced to flee his native Bo Kingdom after the nobility conspired to eradicate the Shadow Clan. Kage's mother sacrificed her life so her child could flee. Kage was very nearly captured, but was assisted by the young Countess Poise and her butler, who directed the young shadow to pass through the nearby Toxic Forest (a massive woodland filled with poisonous flora and fauna).

Kage has not returned to the Bo Kingdom since, and the kingdom's fate is unknown.

The Thief
Alone and on his own, Kage wandered to a nearby town, where he was shunned and scorned by the locals. News of the Shadow Clan's eradication had spread, and villagers refused to help the young shadow for fear of being persecuted themselves. Kage was forced to steal food to survive, and very quickly came across another major figure in his life: The Thief.

The Thief, already accustomed to living outside of the law, agreed to take Kage in so long as Kage cleaned his house, made his food, and helped him in his thievery. Overjoyed to finally have a companion again, Kage complied, and spent the next few years as an obedient assistant to the Thief. Around this time Kage developed a habit of sneaking out of the house to collect his father-figure at the end of the night, helping the Thief home and into bed. Unfortunately the Thief felt no such empathy or loyalty to Kage, and one night, in a drunken stupor, he sold out Kage to the local magistrate.

In an enormous stroke of luck, Kage had already left his home to search for the Thief, narrowly missing the magistrate's soldiers. Angered by this, the magistrate killed the Thief and left him to die in his own home. Kage would return to say goodbye to his surrogate father-figure before moving on, and the Thief died regretting his actions.

Not knowing another way of life, Kage became a thief himself, and travelled the countryside stealing whatever he could.

Meeting Bojji
Kage's thieving lifestyle would continue until a chance encounter with Bojji on the outskirts of the Bosse Kingdom. Though Kage initially robbed Bojji, the two discovered that Kage could somehow understand Bojji's meaning even without words. Bojji was overjoyed at this, and obediently let Kage rob him several times, so much so that Kage eventually got curious and secretly followed Bojji back to his home.

Kage was flabbergasted that Bojji was a real prince, but more importantly: He was irritated at the stern treatment Bojji received from everyone else in his life. Right then and there Kage resolved to actually become Bojji's friend, and told Bojji as much the next time they met... after an excited Bojji offered Kage an entire chest of gold and jewels.

Filled with new resolve, Kage tried to quietly slip out of the Bosse Kingdom's castle, but was immediately caught by Bebin of the Big Four.

Initially suspicious, Bebin thought someone had hired the Shadow Clan to infiltrate the Bosse Kingdom and possibly kill Bojji. Kage would remain imprisoned until Bebin could verify his story. Once satisfied, Bebin freed Kage and gave him a new mission: Someone had ordered the assassination of Bojji on an upcoming trip, Kage was to stay out of sight at all times, and act as Bojji's secret bodyguard.

Reunion at the Gates of Hell
Bojji's would-be assassin would turn out to be his swordsmanship instructor, Domas of the Big Four. Domas pushed Bojji down the Gates of Hell, a massive, firey sinkhole that serves as the entrance to the Underworld. Kage narrowly managed to rescue Bojji, and the two shared a tearful reunion on a small outcropping of rock within the sinkhole.

It turns out Bebin had given Kage another mission as well: Lead Bojji to the Underworld, and find a mysterious tutor who could help make Bojji strong.

After a nerve-wracking encounter with King Desha, Bojji and Kage managed to locate the mysterious tutor: None other than Desha's little brother, the fanciful Prince Despa. Despa had the strange ability to peer into peoples' souls to find their strengths and weaknesses, and agreed to do so for Bojji after Kage offered him a chest of gold and jewels.

While Bojji busied himself with training, Kage helped cook and clean for the two princes, doing what he could to ensure his friend's growth. They were successful, and Bojji emerged from his training as the strongest man in the world.

Return to the Bosse Kingdom
After a tearful goodbye with Despa, Bojji and Kage made their way back to the overworld, heading back to the Bosse Kingdom. Unbeknownst to them, in their absence the mysterious Miranjo had begun her plan to overthrow the kingdom, freeing six dangerous prisoners from the Underworld's dungeons and setting them loose in the castle.

Kage and Bojji were quickly reunited with Despa as he, and a detachment of the Order of the Underworld, sped toward the Bosse Kingdom to recapture the prisoners. Joining up, Bojji would prove instrumental in subduing several of the more dangerous prisoners, turning the tides of the attempted invasion. Unfortunately it would not last, and soon Bojji was forced to square off with his most powerful opponent to date: The depraved immortal Ouken.

Swallowing Ouken
When things looked their darkest, and when his best friend was about to be cut down by the vicious immortal, a tearful Kage would discover a new ability. When feeling extreme emotion, members of the Shadow Clan can grow to a massive size for a few moments. Kage used this growth to literally swallow Ouken, preventing him from attacking Bojji.

Unfortunately Kage's emotional gambit didn't work, and the immortal simply cut his way out of Kage's body, killing the young shadow. When Kage awoke he found himself on the banks of a mysterious river, with his mother on the opposite bank, beckoning him to cross. Kage happily did so, and very nearly crossed into the afterlife, until a regretful Miranjo stopped him and pulled his soul back to the side of the living.

As Kage had laid dying Ouken had run roughshod over all of his allies. Nearly the entire battlefield, including Bojji and Despa, had also been slain. Finally stirred to action, Bosse, a regretful ally of Miranjo, joined the fight. Bosse had been reincarnated into his second son Daida's body at the time, and was able to pair his own raw strength with Daida's inherited restorative magic to resuscitate the entire battlefield.

Bosse then turned his attention to Ouken, and easily crushed the immortal, stuffing his regenerating body into a small boulder to deprive it of the space it needed to rebuild. After conferring briefly with Miranjo, and after a subsequent altercation with a mocking Demon, the attempted coup finally came to an end.

Aftermath
Bojji officially succeeded his father, Bosse, as the king of the Bosse Kingdom. Kage suddenly felt himself feeling unworthy of his friend, and out of place in Bojji's new kingdom.

Regretfully, Kage slipped away, resolving to live an upstanding life using Bojji as an example. He quickly found that the world was still very unwelcoming to a member of the Shadow Clan, but used his positive memories of Bojji to power through.

Without his best friend, Bojji quickly lapsed into depression. It turns out Bojji was relying on Kage just as much as Kage had relied on Bojji. After a brief conference with his step-mother and the king's council, Bojji formally passed the crown down to his younger brother so he could seek out his friend.

Bojji and Kage tearfully reunited outside of a small town, and the two resolved to travel together, learning everything they could with the ultimate goal of founding their own kingdom.

Bojji
Bojji is Kage's first and best friend. The two share a deep and meaningful connection, and indeed Kage was the first person on earth to be able to understand Bojji, even without sharing a language.

Though Kage occasionally feels unworthy of his best friend, Bojji deeply values Kage and seems to see the two as complete equals.

Kage's Mother
Kage's mother loved her son enough to sacrifice herself to save him, something Kage has never forgotten. Kage still misses his mother dearly.

Despa
In spite of not being his direct student, Kage seems to have struck up a genuine friendship with Prince Despa. The two tend to be comically antagonistic with one another, with Kage usually playing the straight man.

Shadow clan
Kage is a member of the Shadow Clan, an infamous bloodline of assassins cursed with inhuman, flat, dark, almost fluid-like bodies. Kage's inhuman body grants him many abilities, including:


 * Moving quickly and silently across nearly all surfaces, including vertically up and down walls and underneath doors.
 * Blending into shadows and other dark areas with relative ease.
 * Accelerated healing (compared to most other species).
 * Retracting his limbs completely into his body when not in use, including his mouth.
 * Storing and retrieving items larger than himself within his body.
 * His enraged state, which allows him to grow to a massive size (large enough to swallow an adult human whole).

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

Cooking and Housekeeping
Kage is an excellent cook and housekeeper, due to his time acting as a servant to a thief. He typically handles cooking duties while traveling with Bojji.

Pain Endurance
Kage has a superhumanly high threshold for pain, especially given his age. He has been both tortured and interrogated in his short life, and has never once buckled under pressure.

Trivia

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