Main characters ; / : :Played by:
Masaki Okada :A rakugo storyteller known for his perfectionist style of rakugo. His birth name is never specified, although Sukeroku took to calling him "Bon". He was given the name "
Kikuhiko" when he became a student of the Seventh Generation Yakumo. He was originally a dancer, but he ruined his leg in an accident and ended up being given to Yakumo. During his time as a student, he would struggle to find his own rakugo having placed too much emphasis on flawless execution, but he was able to find inspiration thanks to Sukeroku. He would go on to inherit the Yakumo name, but initially he refused, thinking that he was not worthy of it. Following the deaths of Sukeroku and Miyokichi, he inherited the name to fulfill Sukeroku's vision of keeping rakugo going in a time when tastes in entertainment change. He would later on become the head of the rakugo association. ; / : :Played by:
Ikusaburo Yamazaki :A rakugo storyteller known for his freestyle brand of rakugo. His actual birth name is never specified, but Kikuhiko used to call him by the diminutive . He was given the name "
Hatsutaro" when he became a student of the Seventh Generation Yakumo. Later on, he would change his name to "
Sukeroku". Despite his talent for rakugo, Yakumo refused to pass on his name to him due to the rebellious nature of his rakugo. Following a heated argument, he was expelled from the school. He would move to the countryside to marry Miyokichi and start a family where he would spend his life drinking away in depression until Kikuhiko arrived to bring him back to doing rakugo again. He and Miyokichi died when they fell from a balcony in an inn where Sukeroku gave his last performance with Kikuhiko. ; / / : :Played by:
Ryō Ryūsei :An aspiring storyteller who was recently released from prison. He was born "
Kyoji" and was given the name "
Yotaro" when he became a student. Having been a big admirer of Kikuhiko's rakugo he decides to become his student. His desire to inherit Sukeroku's name that leads to conflicts between him and Yakumo due to Yakumo not wanting his brand of rakugo to be corrupted. Ten years after being accepted by Yakumo, he is promoted to a shin'uchi and formally becomes the
Third Generation Sukeroku Yurakutei. ; / : :Played by:
Aya Ōmasa :A young woman who worked as a Geisha who first appeared as the Seventh Generation Yakumo's mistress whom he met in Manchuria. She became attracted to Kikuhiko due to his aloof personality and the two developed an on-again-off-again relationship. Eventually Kikuhiko rejected her and out of spite she began a relationship with Sukeroku which resulted in her becoming pregnant with their daughter, Konatsu. Sukeroku and Miyokichi eventually left for the countryside after Sukeroku's expulsion. However, she did not care for Sukeroku or Konatsu and instead turned to prostitution to earn money. After Kikuhiko appeared and rejected her advances again, she attempted suicide, but Sukeroku convinced her to stop. However, she slipped from a balcony and in his attempt to save her, both Miyokichi and Sukeroku fell to their deaths. Her true given name was "
Yurie". ; : :Played by:
Riko Narumi :Sukeroku's and Miyokichi's daughter. She learned her father's style of rakugo to entertain customers at a soba shop in the countryside. Following the death of her parents, Kikuhiko became her legal guardian. She holds a great deal of resentment for Kikuhiko as she initially believed he was responsible for her father's death, and more recently because he represents the 'old-fashioned' traditional rakugo that does not allow women to participate. She later gave birth to a child named Shinnosuke whose biological father's identity is not revealed. Later in the series, it was revealed that she had witnessed the death of Sukeroku and Miyokichi but had lost her memories of the incident.
Supporting characters ; : :A popular writer who is interested in helping Yotaro in writing new rakugo. In his youth, he had admired Miyokichi and had a crush on her. This eventually extended to his obsession with Yakumo, whose apprentice he tried to become. ; : : Matsuda is Yakumo's retainer and driver. He has been employed by the Yakumos since the Seventh Generation. ; : :Yotaro's fellow storyteller from Kyoto. He had stopped performing rakugo for some time after his father's death. ; : :A famous storyteller and Kikuhiko's and Sukeroku's teacher. ; : : Rakugo critic and fan of Yakumo. His father Amano was a literary critic. Amaken is disliked by Yakumo. ; : ; : ; : (child) /
Yūki Ono :Konatsu's son who greatly admires Yakumo's rakugo. Yotaro believes his father to be the boss of the gang that he once belonged to. His parentage is never confirmed. ; : :Konatsu and Yotaro's daughter. == Media ==