Plot
Grenadier follows the travels of the extremely well-formed and busty Rushuna Tendo, an expert senshi, and the samurai Yajiro Kojima, a mercenary swordsman. A Senshi or "Enlightened" is one who is skilled to some degree in the use of guns. The series begins with Yajiro and a small army of samurai launching a frontal assault against a fort in an attempt to free their lord, which was taken over by a group of gunners. The assault fails.
Yajiro orders a retreat, but is spotted by the enemy and chased to a small cliff, which he jumps off of to escape. With his pursuers still following, he follows a nearby hot-water stream upcurrent where he finds Rushuna bathing in a hotspring. She seems undisturbed by his presence or her own nudity and hides him in the hotspring with her ample breasts as cover until the enemy passes them by. After this, she introduces herself as a traveler and reveals the ultimate battle strategy to Yajiro; to avoid battle by removing an enemy's will to fight.
Hearing the gunfire of the renewed assault upon the fort, Yajiro leaves Rushuna to rejoin combat. He arrives in time to see the leader of the gunners use a Gatling gun to decimate the samurai. Rushuna also arrives at this point and shows her considerable gun talent and effectively ends the battle by defeating the lead gunner and rescuing the lord by herself.
Something in him changing, Yajiro decides to become Rushuna's partner and travel with her.
During their travels, Rushuna and Yajiro face a mysterious masked figure known only as "The Jester" who is responsible for a weapon called "Enlightened Evil". Then they discover that Tenshi, who sent Rushuna to travel in order to learn the "Ultimate Battle Strategy", had apparently put a price on her head. Joined by a young girl named Mikan Kurenai, a balloon maker, Rushuna and Yajiro make their way to the capital of Tento, confronting many of the Juttensen along the way.
It is at Tento that they discover the truth and the final showdown against the Jester begins.
Rushuna Tendo
First appearance: Episode 1
Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Rushuna Tendo (天道 琉朱菜 Tendō Rushuna) is an extremely busty, 16-year-old, blonde senshi who was trained in the positive teachings and kind ideals of Tenshi. A former pre-Juttensen candidate, she is trained in the use of a revolver, specializing in shooting to disable rather than to kill using a form of Gun-Kata as seen in the final battle with Setsuna. Rushuna fights to end strife and chaos. She has excellent tactical analytical skills, being able to discern her opponents' weaknesses in the heat of battle and adjust accordingly to exploit them with the tools at her disposal. She also hugs opponents who are difficult to negotiate with to her chest in order to pacify them.She has also been known to hide ammunition in her cleavage. She is 16 years old. Rushuna has a weakness for taking hot baths, and she indulges in this pursuit frequently. Rushuna earns the title of "Grenadier, the smiling Senshi" from Tenshi at the end of the series. Her first name may be a reference to a Rushana Buddha, while her surname means "heavenly path" - appropriate considering her status as a traveler.
In the manga, many people point out that Rushuna is a foreigner because of her natural blonde hair and large bust. She also had an older sister who rivaled her in skill but was corrupted by the Baron Iron Mask. She was raised by the eccentric Soun who taught her everything she knew. This differs from the anime in that she was trained in the Capital.
At the end of the manga series, it is canon that she marries Yajiro.
Yajiro Kojima
First appearance: Episode 1
Voiced by: Kazuya Nakai (Japanese), Sam Riegal (English)
Yajiro Kojima (虎島 弥次郎 Kojima Yajirō) is a swordsman also known as the "Rearguard Tiger" or "Tiger of the Rearguard", who battles in an attempt to bring about world unity. He is called the Tiger by Templar because the more cornered Yajiro becomes, the greater his abilities become. A former rebel, he was working as a mercenary until he met Rushuna. Although Yajiro disdains the use of firearms, he is skilled enough to parry bullets with his sword as well as slice massive cannon shells in two. Yajiro hates guns because he believes that gunners see the weight of a person's life in how hard it is to pull the trigger. However he later states that he does not see Rushuna in the same light as he does other gunners. The route that he, Rushuna, and Mikan take towards Tento's capital by crossing Mt. Charanbo and then White Wizard Lake retraces the same route that he followed when he was with the rebel army that attempted to invade the capital a year and a half ago and is thus memory-laden for him. Rushuna calls him "Yatchan" , an informal name he is initially irritated with, but grows to accept. Not too far into the anime, Yajiro seems to hint having some feelings towards Rushuna, evident on numerous occasions where he either gets embarrassed by her words, protects her without saying why, or shows jealousy towards her almost sisterly relationship with Mikan.
In the manga, he belonged to a branch family of the Kojima clan. This clan was led by Midare Kojima and his sister, Suguna. Yajiro intended to go out and make a name for himself, ensuring the safety of his village. While on a journey, Suguna gave her life to save Yajiro's own.
After the events in Volume 7 of the manga, Yajiro is said to have never lost a fight after that. He and Rushuna go on to get married.
Mikan Kurenai
First appearance: Episode 5
Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka (Japanese), Julie Ann Taylor (English)
Mikan Kurenai (紅 みかん Kurenai Mikan) is an orphaned girl who comes from a family of balloon makers. Despite her young age, she is a master balloon artist, being able to construct balloons of all shapes and sizes. After her parents were killed by Tenma Ganzo's senshi, she was rescued by Touka Kurenai, and accepted her offer to join Touka and the other dispossessed girls of her village. Since then she has worked for Touka at the Peach Blossom Tower while nursing dreams of revenge. After Rushuna helps her see beyond revenge, she is unable to kill Ganzo when she has the chance. Mikan then leaves Touka Kurenai and joins Rushuna and Yajiro on their journey, to 'keep an eye on them'. In the manga, when she grows older she takes over running the Peach Blossom from Touka.
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