Kurogane

黒鋼

Kurogane is serious and highly perceptive, capable of quickly assessing Syaoran's combat skills (including his blind right eye) as well as Fai D. Flourite's true nature and fighting abilities. Although he appears somewhat irreverent, he is deeply loyal. He is likely the most experienced fighter in the group and wiser than he looks. He becomes Syaoran's sword-fighting instructor, imparting the same philosophy he holds: a sword should only be drawn when necessary and not used to cut anything if it is not needed. Despite his seriousness, Kurogane is easily annoyed by others, particularly Mokona Modoki and Fai, who persistently call him absurdly cute nicknames like "Kuro-puu", "Kuro-wan-wan", or "Kuro-rin". However abrasive and ruthless Kurogane may seem, he possesses a compassionate nature and a desire to protect. This is exemplified by how Kurogane continually questions Fai about his actions and character, advising the wizard to stop clinging to his past and embrace the future with his new companions. Another example is Kurogane's own statement: "If someone wants to take away the ones I want to protect, I'll kill them too".
His compassion and protective instincts are especially evident when comparing his early actions in the series to his later ones. In their first world, the Hanshin Republic, he bluntly told Syaoran that the quest had nothing to do with him. However, in the next world they visited (Koryo Country), Kurogane offered his services to help raid an evil lord's castle and stayed behind in battle to allow Syaoran to proceed. Eventually, he risked losing strength to avenge his comrades' "death" (they were, of course, still alive) by defeating their killer in battle. It is noted that after discovering Fai and Syaoran were still alive, he lost his passion for the fight.
He acquired a new sword in Outo called the Souhi (Blue Ice or Pale Ice) and taught Syaoran sword-fighting skills and how to sense attacks from the left.

Spoiler

At the beginning of the story, Kurogane told Syaoran that he would not help in finding Sakura's feathers, since it was not related to him. However, he ended up aiding Syaoran and the others anyway, teaching Syaoran how to fight and use a sword as well.
In the Tokyo arc, Kurogane was involved in a short fight with Kamui. Later, he wished to Yuuko to save Fai's life, after Fai's eye was ripped out by the clone Syaoran. Through an arrangement by Yuuko, Kurogane and Kamui mixed their blood and forced Fai to drink it. Fai thus became a vampire and survived. Since it was not Fai's wish to live but Kurogane's, Fai can only take blood from Kurogane. Fai painfully refrained from calling Kurogane nicknames from then on, in an effort to distance himself from Kurogane.
Kurogane noticed that Fai and Sakura were up to something in the Infinity world, but did not say anything. After Sakura left, however, he finally spoke up, refusing to let Fai give up his eyesight to go to Celes. Kurogane told Yuuko they would all pay a fourth of the price to go save Sakura's body from Celes.
In the latter parts of Volume 20, Ashura used his magic to show Syaoran, Kurogane, and Mokona visions of Fai's tragic past. This caused an angry and betrayed Kurogane to unsheathe his sword and attack Ashura and Fai. He and Fai fought a fierce battle that devastated the room around them. In the mayhem, Kurogane destroyed the body of Fai's twin and managed to overpower Fai in that moment of weakness, saying to the overpowered Fai something along the lines of "I thought I already told you I don't have anything to do with your past". Kurogane then turned on Ashura, demanding to know why he'd shown them Fai's memories. The king responded by saying that he only wanted Fai to "grant his wish" and kill him. Ashura then launched vicious spells against Fai, Kurogane, Syaoran, Mokona, and a defenseless Sakura's body in order to force Fai's hand. In the chaos that followed, one of the massive ice stagamites that he conjured pierced Kurogane through his lower right side.
Korogane is then apparently spared the damage due to the protective spell that placed upon him before leaving Japan by Tomoyo. He then stabs King Ashura, and after the King's death the group is seen possibly leaving for the next world.
Fai's second curse caused him to suck up the world of Ceres; Fai tries to transport Kurogane and the others out of the small sphere that Ceres has become, but he doesn't have enough magic to do so. He only succeeds in transporting Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona. Then Mokona's earring (a magical tool made by Yuuko) was able to drill a hole into the sphere, but only one person could pass through. When Fai told Kurogane to leave him, Kurogane cut off his left arm and left it and Souhi as a sacrifice and rescued Fai.
In chapter 167, Kurogane wakes up and finds himself back in his country, with Princess Tomoyo by his bed. Tomoyo welcomes Kurogane home and asks him if he has found out the true meaning of strength, to which he replies that he doesn't know. However, he explains to Tomoyo that he doesn't regret giving up his arm to take Fai with him, and tells her that he knows that some things can't be protected only by (physical) strength. This surprises Tomoyo, but she acknowledges that Kurogane has definitely realized the true meaning of strength. She then lets Fai into Kurogane's room. Kurogane seems genuinely pleased to see Fai, while Fai doesn't express much emotion, until suddenly he punches Kurogane. Kurogane doesn't quite react to this, far too startled. Fai then smiles at him, saying "This is payback, Kuro-sama." The smile seems like the real thing, and Fai has gone back to using suffixes on Kurogane's name. Kurogane grins back, promising to beat Fai up for that.
In chapter 169, Kurogane is approached by Fuuma who has come to Nihon Country with an artificial arm from Piffle Country, however Kurogane refuses the arm by saying that he "will not pay anything to that witch for it." Fai replies by saying that he had agreed to pay the price while he slept, and gives up the last of his magic. In the second to last page of 169, Kurogane is seen with the arm attached, but claims that it "feels weird."

In Horitsuba Gakuen, he is the PE teacher.