Bebin

Bebin (ベビン) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings 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 Queen 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 Drushi'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 Apis and Drushi on the battlefield, Bebin resolved to improve himself as a swordsman. He traveled to the Underworld on Mitsumata's advice, and studied under Desper. Though Bebin's physical abilities are only above average, Desper 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 Apis 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, Apis, 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 Apis had quit, Daida ordered Bebin to track down and assassinate his former colleague. Bebin caught up to Apis 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.

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 Desper have noted that Bebin's swordsmanship and physical abilities are only "above average". However, Desper 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 Apis 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

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