Appearance in Anime

Sa Sakujun is a charismatic, seductive, and charming individual, capable of manipulating those around him with his words and actions. However, beneath his refined and alluring exterior, he is hedonistic, ruthless, and deeply sociopathic, lacking genuine regard for human life, including his own. Having grown up in an affluent yet toxic environment, Sakujun became disillusioned with life, viewing it as an endless cycle of dull repetition. As a result, he seeks entertainment through manipulation, treating people as mere pawns in his elaborate games.

Cunning and highly intelligent, Sakujun is a master strategist, orchestrating events from the shadows with chess-like precision. His scheming nature remains evident until his final moments, cementing his role as a brilliant but dangerous chess-master in the political turmoil of Saiunkoku.

Once he sets his sights on something, Sakujun is relentless, stopping at nothing to achieve his desires. This is especially evident in his obsession with Shuurei, whom he wants to possess completely. Even in death, he ensures that his presence lingers in her heart, demonstrating his twisted and possessive nature.

Sa Sakujun is an exceptionally handsome man, with long, wavy red hair and striking amber eyes that are often described as cat-like. His piercing gaze and alluring presence make him impossible to ignore, even among those accustomed to beauty and refinement, such as Kou Shuurei, who finds herself momentarily caught off guard by his appearance.

Sakujun dresses with impeccable taste, favoring elegant and sophisticated clothing in rich, complementary colors that enhance his noble and seductive aura. His attire reflects his status, cunning nature, and hedonistic tendencies, giving him the air of a man who enjoys power, luxury, and control.

From a young age, Sa Sakujun exhibited a natural talent for manipulation and deception, using his cunning mind to orchestrate chaos. At just 15 years old, he took control of the Satsujinzoku, also known as the Murderous Blades, a notorious bandit group, treating them as nothing more than pawns in his elaborate games.

Fourteen years prior to the main events, Sakujun encountered a collapsed young prince, Seien (later known as Seiran), in the snow. Recognizing Seien’s potential usefulness, Sakujun brought him to the Murderous Blades, setting in motion a series of events that would shape Seien’s future. Around the same time, as an act of retaliation against Enjun Sa, Sakujun murdered Enjun’s son and daughter-in-law, an act motivated by old grudges and a twisted sense of vengeance.

Later, when his grandfather, Sa Chuushou, ordered him to marry Kou Shuurei, Sakujun saw an opportunity to entertain himself and exert control over another person. Assuming the alias Lin Senya, a merchant’s son, he arranged a meeting with Shuurei. Unlike his grandfather, he had no true interest in power or leadership. However, once Sakujun desired something, he would stop at nothing to obtain it—and in this case, his obsession became Shuurei. In order to remove any obstacles in his pursuit, he arranged for the murder of his older brother, Sa Soujun, securing his position as next in line to become the Sa Clan head. This strategic move gave him the leverage necessary to resist the Kou Clan, ensuring that he could marry Shuurei against their wishes.

Displaying his twisted sense of irony, Sakujun allowed Shuurei to poison him without her knowledge, reveling in the thought that she would carry the burden of his death for the rest of her life. Although he was presumed dead, his body was never found, leaving his fate shrouded in mystery. In the second series, his spirit briefly appears to To Eigetsu, freeing him from captivity, though his true motivations remain unclear until the later novels.

Sakujun was eventually revived by the Black Immortal, but at a terrible cost. While his body was restored, his soul was absent, leaving him as an empty shell, a puppet with no will of his own. Seizing this opportunity for manipulation, Ryou Anju took control of Sakujun, forcing him to destroy Sacred Artifacts, assassinate Hyou Ruka, and later kidnap Shuurei. However, at some point, Sakujun’s consciousness resurfaced, and he reclaimed his will, ultimately aiding Shuurei in escaping from Anju’s grasp.

It was also revealed that Sakujun’s biological father was Sa Chuushou himself, further cementing his position within the Sa Clan’s hierarchy and the legacy of deception that defined his life.

Swordplay
Sa Sakujun possesses impressive swordsmanship, capable of matching Seiran in combat. In a high-stakes duel, both fighters demonstrated equal skill and strength, neither gaining the upper hand until Seiran succumbed to the effects of poison. Sakujun’s ruthlessness in battle is further demonstrated when he coldly murdered Shunki’s parents, showing no hesitation or remorse.

Agility and Reflexes
Sakujun’s speed and agility make him a formidable opponent, particularly when evading attacks. When Seiran attempted to kill him by hurling a dagger, Sakujun effortlessly dodged every strike, showcasing his superior reflexes and nimbleness. His training as the leader of the Murderous Blades has honed his combat skills, allowing him to move with precision and swiftness.

Stealth and Evasion
Sakujun is a master of stealth, able to disappear and reappear at will, leaving no trace behind. His ability to cover his tracks so efficiently makes him virtually untraceable, even to skilled warriors. His time spent leading the Murderous Blades refined his espionage skills, enabling him to navigate unseen through dangerous situations.

Immunity to Poison
Having intentionally exposed himself to various poisons, Sakujun developed a high resistance to toxic substances. Many poisons that would be fatal to an ordinary person have no effect on him, making it exceedingly difficult to assassinate him through conventional means. This self-imposed poison tolerance allows him to play dangerous games with life and death, further highlighting his reckless nature and disregard for his own mortality.

Kou Shuurei
Despite his sadistic nature and ruthless personality, the only person Sakujun ever showed genuine affection for was Kou Shuurei. From the moment they met, he became fascinated and enthralled by her presence, claiming that she was the first person to ever truly captivate him. While his love was questionable at first, his final moments proved that his feelings were sincere, as he clung to the memory of her while dying with regret. Before meeting Shuurei, Sakujun was completely narcissistic and indifferent to others, viewing people as mere playthings for his amusement. However, Shuurei was the first person he actually cared about aside from himself.

Unlike others who acknowledged and respected Shuurei’s ambitions and political aspirations, Sakujun was wholly uninterested in her goal of becoming a governor. Instead, he desired to keep her all to himself, treating her not as a partner, but as something to possess and control. He frequently expressed his wish to monopolize her affections, demonstrating his obsessive and possessive tendencies.

A significant symbol of his pursuit of Shuurei was her Ganlu tea. Since Shuurei only made this tea for those she deeply cared about such as Seiran, her father, and Ensei Sakujun became fixated on getting her to brew it for him. It became his personal goal to be included among those she valued, an obsession that reflected his deep desire to be irreplaceable in her heart.

Throughout their interactions, Shuurei always addressed him as ‘Young Master’, maintaining a formal and detached dynamic between them. This deeply disappointed him, and his dying regret was that she never once called him by his real name, signifying that, despite his efforts, he never truly won her heart.

After his death and resurrection as a puppet of Ryou Anju, Sakujun was manipulated into kidnapping Shuurei. However, in a final act of defiance and free will, he regained control of his body and helped Shuurei escape, proving that, even after death, his attachment to her remained unbroken.