Bebin

 (ベビン, Bebin) is a character in Ousama Ranking and its anime adaption. He is one of the Big Four of the Bosse Kingdom, known as "Snake Master". He serves as the kingdom's spymaster, and was Daida's swordsmanship instructor.

Appearance
Bebin is tall man with wavy black hair, prominent eyebrows, and a large pointed mustache. He typically wears a dark green shirt with a fur-trimmed hem, small silver spaulders, light gray pants, and black knee-high boots.

Personality
In contrast to his unsavory appearance and demeanor, Bebin is extremely loyal to the Bosse Kingdom and all members of Bosse's family. He has repeatedly shown himself to be intelligent and empathetic, and has even counseled Daida to appreciate the strength of character in Bojji.

Bebin is the master of the triple-headed snake Mitsumata, and was the one who nursed it back to health after Hilling saved its life. Many of Bebin's recent actions seem to have been motivated by a premonition from Mitsumata. Bebin is extremely fond of Mitsumata and its children, and takes their counsel seriously.

Similar to Dorshe's relationship with Hilling, Bebin is probably the member of court closest to Prince Daida, and immediately supported Daida to be Bosse's successor. Though little has been shown of their relationship, Daida seems to trust and respect Bebin deeply.

Plot
Originally a guardsman of the Bosse Kingdom, Bebin caught the attention of King Bosse after the king spotted him saving Mitsumata, a young triple-headed snake.

Later, after witnessing Apeas and Dorshe on the battlefield, Bebin resolved to improve himself as a swordsman. He traveled to the Underworld on Mitsumata's advice, and studied under Despa. Though Bebin's physical abilities are only above average, Despa was able to give him several advantages in battle, raising his overall abilities as a combatant. Equipped with these new techniques, Bebin returned to the Bosse Kingdom and quickly proved himself capable against Apeas in a duel.

Sometime later Bebin was promoted to the Big Four, though the circumstances are unclear. Bebin took on the role of the Bosse Kingdom's spymaster, using Mitsumata's snake offspring as his spies and enforcers. He was also appointed Daida's personal swordsmanship instructor, and was quickly able to raise Daida to defeat adults in single combat.

After Bosse's death Bebin unreservedly voted for Daida to succeed Bosse. One of Bebin's colleagues, Apeas, resigned his post as one of the Big Four, angering the newly-crowned Daida.

Soon after Bebin caught Kage sneaking through the halls of the castle. Initially believing him to be a spy or assassin, Bebin listened to Kage's story and came to believe Kage was telling the truth about being Bojji's friend. Still, suspicious of certain events happening in the kingdom, he appointed Kage to be Bojji's personal bodyguard.

Furious that Apeas had quit, Daida ordered Bebin to track down and assassinate his former colleague. Bebin caught up to Apeas on the outskirts of the kingdom, and lost to him in a duel. However, he was saved by Mitsumata, who recovered his body and nursed him back to health. Bebin has remained in the shadows since then, recovering and operating in secret to resist Miranjo's plots against the Bosse Kingdom.

Daida
Bebin is an extremely loyal retainer to Prince Daida, acting as his personal sword instructor and bodyguard. Moreover, Bebin has been a mentor to the young prince, often providing mature and intelligent counsel that has helped bring out the better aspects of Daida's personality. This mentorship helped Daida resist the worst manipulations of Miranjo in her guise as the Magic Mirror, and though it took some time, it helped Daida develop an appreciation and respect for Bojji as well.

Bebin has enormous faith in Daida, and unreservedly supported him to succeed King Bosse.

Bojji
Though they've had very little personal interaction, Bebin has been a diligent, quiet protector of Prince Bojji. Bebin is one of the few members at court who does not dismiss Bojji as incompetent, and instead respects the young prince for his courage and tenacity. He is very likely aware of Bojji's relationship with the giant snake Mitsumata, and is therefore has an appreciation of the prince's talents as well.

After Bosse's death Bebin quickly became aware of a plot to assassinate Bojji, and appointed Kage to be Bojji's secret bodyguard as a countermeasure. Bebin also charged Kage to seek out Prince Despa of the Underworld to assist in Bojji's training.

Bosse
Throughout his reign King Bosse demonstrated an excellent eye for talent, and seemed to note Bebin's competence well before he became an exceptional warrior. After witnessing Bebin save the injured Mitsumata, Bosse jokingly dubbed Bebin "snake guy", which would eventually evolve into "Snake Master" when Bebin joined the Big Four.

Miranjo
Though they have never personally interacted, Miranjo was very aware of Bebin's movements as the Bosse Kingdom's spymaster, and regarded him as an extremely formidable opponent. She noted that she had enormous trouble manipulating Daida specifically because of Bebin's presence.

Swordsmanship
Bebin is a very capable swordsman, though he is not considered a swordmaster and is probably the weakest single combatant of the Big Four.

Both the Captain of the Order of the Underworld and Despa have noted that Bebin's swordsmanship and physical abilities are only "above average". However, Despa was able to train Bebin to work around these shortcomings, first by using his signature wavy sword, and also by teaching him a special technique to cleave steel. Though he's incapable of beating a master like Apeas in single combat, these two factors have made Bebin an extremely capable fighter.

Snake Master
Bebin's true mastery is snake-handling, due to his relationship with Mitsumata. He is able to both command and understand snakes, and uses them as spies and enforcers for the Bosse Kingdom. Very little happens in the Bosse Kingdom without Bebin's knowledge, and he was able to discover Daida's plans to assassinate Bojji before Bojji even left the kingdom.

Trivia

 * 's name likely derives from the Japanese word for "snake" (ヘビ, Hebi)