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
When Kage was a child, the Shadow clan was annihilated supposedly after someone tried to murder their lord. As they run through the city streets, members of the clan are stabbed with spears. Soldiers continue to pursue them as they flee outside the city and Kage's mother instructs him to continue to the Poison Forest. A member of the Light clan casts a spell that illuminates the area, exposing Kage and his mother. She attempts to stall them as Kage flees but he mocks that their detached force probably already got him. They stab her to death and begin searching for Kage.

A count's daughter, Poise, hides Kage in her stuffed spider and misdirects the soldiers to continue on to the forest. 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 human 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 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 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).