In Yoroiden-Samurai Troopers, the Masho are the villains who serve the evil demon ruler, Arago. The Masho serve their master by fighting the Samurai Troopers and doing any other tasks they are asked to perform. Obviously, the fans of the anime fell in love with the Troopers because they are the heroes, they�re strong and oh yes, they�re cute. You�ve got the basic idea where different personalities are forced together: Ryo has his fiery temper and leadership qualities. Touma, the genius of the Samurai Troopers (IQ of 250) and hidden complexities. Shu mostly believes in the �fight now and think later� policy. Shin is said to be gentle but in reality can be just as cruel and vicious as anyone; he can cook a very delicious meal at that. Seiji is the handsome, spiritual one who does not like to talk to girls (with the exception of Nasty). There are certain episodes in the television series that reveals some of the Troopers� personalities and perhaps more so in the drama CDs. So basically you get a nice combination of young boys who fight for the sake of mankind. Yay.

Now the Masho tend to be left in the dark. Even though they too, wear mystical yoroi, they are disregarded because they are the �bad guys.� They fought against our handsome heroes and even beat them silly at times before they are defeated. Never the less they give them a good fight. After the second television series ended, the Masho return to the Youjakai with Kayura to rebuild the Youjakai into a �beautiful world.� And that is the last we see of them. They do no appear in any of the Samurai Troopers OAVs (no, I do not count Message because they are only shown in flashbacks the Troopers have). We do not learn much (if anything) about the generals� true personalities except maybe for Shuten�s. The Masho are viewed as powerful warriors who go after the Troopers.

Perhaps this is why there are fans of the Masho. There is an air of mystery about them and their natures, which goes pretty much untouched by the anime and manga. There are some doujinshi that trace a bit on their past but nothing really major. Most doujinshi are based around the Samurai Troopers because they are the main characters of the story and all. Never the less, the Masho have taboos that get one thinking how they might be more interesting than the Troopers. None of them had easygoing lifestyles � hey, they were born 400 years ago and it was feudal Japan, the time of the samurai. They were not fortunate like the Troopers to gain some of the luxuries out of life, having to end up farmers, fair fighters, or semi-powerful lords. When they all discovered the yoroi, it was there that Arago was able to convince them to join the evil empire, promising a better lifestyle then the ones they were leading at the time.

And who says that the Masho do not have personality? Shuten is a man who is both a physical and intellectual fighter � brawns AND brains. Anubisu is a skilled swordsman who is loyal to those he serves or cares for. Naaza is also a very skilled swordsman who would have a hard time adjusting around others because of his appearance. Rajura is a tactical person who would enjoy refinement, flirtation (IMO), and fantasy.

Now would this not spark any interesting in anyone�s mind? These four warriors have personalities which others can relate to just as well or perhaps more so than the Samurai Troopers. They have lives just like the Troopers and they are certainly most capable of being just as popular as them. Most fan fiction on the Internet focuses around the Troopers and their struggles. There are only a sprinkle of stories out there that actually have Masho material - about their lives before their joining the ranks of Arago, their lives afterwards and what not.

So the next time you consider writing a YST story or are just pondering about character developments in the anime, why not think about the Masho first?