Profile
"Comrades in arms, let's hurry!"
A second year transfer student and classmate of the hero who came from the Wanokuni gate. Coming from highly respected samurai lineage, Moritaka does his best to do his family proud and become a splendid samurai and heir. To that end, however, he has neglected socializing with his schoolmates and feels lonely at times, spending all his free time in training. Because his home realm was a war-torn, dangerous place, he is very capable and experienced in real combat. In his youth his mother raised him as a girl in order to protect him, so he feels a sort of kinship with cross-dressers.
His sacred treasure, the sword entrusted to his father, and later passed on to him, is blessed with a bead of spiritual water said to smite evil. He strongly dislikes the silver-tongued, sneaky type; in part because his gullible nature makes him easy prey for them.
Moritaka assists the hero in their infiltration of the Ikebukuro guild in Chapter 3, where the two strike up a friendship over the course of several battles. Afterward, the hero invites Moritaka to feel free to hang out together if he wishes, saying that Ryota and the others would be glad to have him. Moritaka happily accepts, becoming the fourth member of the hero's "main" group.
Valentine's Variant
[Samurai Fallen In Love]
Every day after school, his first stop is the kendo club. To win the championship at the next tournament, Moritaka trains harder and longer than anyone. Foremost in his mind is always the drive to polish his swordsmanship and become a samurai capable of responding to any attack, and there's no better way to do so than to cross swords with the best of the best, across schools and even dimensions. Although he has made new friends since coming to Tokyo thanks to this sword, romance had never crossed his mind. After the usual practice, as the dojo is dyed orange by the sunset, the person who had been waiting until he was alone launches a surprise attack his years of training could never have prepared him for. For the first time, a young samurai feels his heart aflutter.
Notes
Based on the character Shino Inuzuka, from the novel series Nanso Satomi Hakkenden, written from 1814-1842. Moritaka shares many of the original character's symbology and traits, such as the devotion to family, peony mark, and history with cross dressing. When defeated, he calls out to a person named Yoshiro, who was a pet dog in the original story.
Has an old-fashioned speaking style.
The butt of a running gag in which he's fooled into performing dog tricks.