Baku Sen'nin

Baku Sen'nin (バク せんにん, Baku Sennin) is one of the primary protagonists of ELEMENT. He is a strong and responsible mentor type character that guides the group through the world of the Elementals. He also seems to have a lazy side. Baku Sen'nin cares greatly for his pupils, although doesn't show it often.

Background
Baku was born some time before the series began, being part of the generation that preceded Kiyoshi's. He was brought up by his parents and grandfather, who told stories of the legend and of the medallions. His parents used to argue a lot which caused child Baku Sen'nin some strife. He wanted to someday swing a sword for justice as an Elemental would. This transitions into the present where Baku fights off some SYSTEM Bots. This is where the story begins, with Baku Sen'nin stationed in Megatropolis to look for Elemental recruits for the Council. He is seen speaking to Hoku. He soon locates both Kiyoshi and Masuyo and suspects them of Awakening soon.

Appearance
Baku Sen'nin is a mustached man with dark features. He appears to be quite a bit taller than Kiyoshi and company at the beginning of the manga. He wears glasses that are slightly opaque, or possibly catch the light often, making it difficult to see his eyes at times. He has brown hair with a ponytail, seemingly portraying a modern samurai-type character. He constantly wears a tuxedo for unknown reasons. He also carries a katana that he calls Silverwing, which has a dark blue sheath and gold trim.

Personality
Baku Sen'nin is depicted as the quintessential mentor type, appearing as wise and extremely knowledgeable of the Elemental affairs. He is politically connected through his superior, Hoku, and shows deep concern for the Elemental situation. He is a very protective sensei, attacking anyone who threatens them, and protecting them with his own attacks. He is responsible and duty-driven; when he appears somewhere, it is rarely for leisure related reasons. Instead, he is prompt to follow and serve the Council. He understands the importance of the Council gaining the Medallions.

Moreover, Baku Sen'nin tries to make learning fun and shows deep respect for his students, assisting them and guiding them. He does withhold information if he believes that the person asking is not ready to hear the truth. For example, he does not share Reikari Fowntin's history with Kiyoshi, even though he was aware that Kiyoshi's parents' disappearance caused him great emotional anguish. He is also admittedly lazy, only rushing to do things if they are high priority. It has been hinted that Baku Sen'nin has a love interest. This was alluded to by Hoku when he asks Baku to return to council, where people can live freely from discrimination and "fall in love". Baku Sen'nin has a big heart and a great concern for people, which has grown out of his elemental experience. As a child, he believed the world was filled with disgusting people.

Abilities
Baku Sen'nin early on in the manga was easily the strongest character. Even now, he remains one of the most powerful Elementals introduced. He is not quick to resort to violence, but has defeated many SYSTEM bots and elementals in his lifetime. He is also very analytic and strategic.

Physical
Baku Sen'nin is extremely quick on his feet. Like most elementals, he can use ele to increase his strength, speed, and jumping abilities. He has been shown to easily ascend to the tops of rooftops and trees. He is the fastest adult elemental shown thus far, easily outmatching Jiro and Yuuto. His sword abilities are top notch, using a style based on samurai kendo. He can cut through large boulders with apparent ease.

Sword Powers
Baku Sen'nin's ele allows him to channel his power through his sword. He is one of several Elementals who require a medium for their ele to activate through. His sword glows with his elemental energy which releases upon swinging. Thus, Baku Sen'nin becomes a long range fighter who can fire blasts out of his sword. The blasts are thick, able to destroy trees easily. He has used this power to release a surge of energy that erupts from the ground, an ougi he calls the Beta Slash. Baku Sen'nin has a tendency to name his attacks after Greek letters. He can release huge trails of energy from his sword, create multiple slashes that fly towards the opponent, and even spin his sword to create an energy shield that protects from most anything.

Awakenings Arc
To be continued x_x

Akako Akio
Baku Sen'nin and Akio immediately have a strong connection. Baku Sen'nin sees Akio as a leader, a genius, and a boy with great natural ele control. He puts Akio in charge of leading the group during the Alclay mission, should they get separated. He may have known that Akio would become an Elemental from the start, when he recruits him. He also constantly refers to Akio as his student and pupil, despite Akio being a human at the time. Akio is impressed by Baku Sen'nin's strength. It should be noted that at first Akio didn't trust Baku Sen'nin at all.

Reikari Kiyoshi
Baku Sen'nin was there to witness the Awakening of Kiyoshi. He has from then on been a guiding figure in Kiyoshi's life. He expresses great concern for all of his students, and Kiyoshi is no exception. He is, like Akio, quick to criticize Kiyoshi's brash behavior, but ultimately sees that Kiyoshi is a powerful Light User. He comments twice that Kiyoshi is "a scary kid", and it can be inferred that he feels somewhat responsible for Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi admires Baku Sen'nin, and although their relationship is odd at first, Baku Sen'nin has taken his place as one of two primary, living "father figures" in Kiyoshi's life.

Shisuku Masuyo
Baku Sen'nin witnessed Masuyo's Awakening, like he did Kiyoshi's. Baku Sen'nin has always expressed interest in Masuyo, perhaps because of his ele type, or because of his bloodline. Baku was the one who decided to bring Masuyo on the Alclay mission. He has had the most conversational time with Masuyo, and Masuyo has confided in him more than a lot of other characters. Baku Sen'nin is the one who sends Masuyo to see Seijaku because of the apparent hallucinations Masuyo was having. Baku Sen'nin also is the first to reveal Masuyo as the Boy of Destiny, a role which has yet to be clearly defined.

Trivia

 * Baku has the distinction of the first important human character seen (if you don't count the sages from the legend).
 * He is the first person to show the use a specific elemental ability (not counting God from the legend)
 * He is the first character we see both the child and adult form of, and the first character to speak outside of a flashback.
 * His sword is named Silverwing.