Summary
Tōma Hashiba, known in the English adaptation as Rowen Hasiba, is a member of the Ronin Warriors and is widely regarded as the group's most intelligent member. This intellect leads the Dark Warlord Dais to label Rowen as the most cunning and, consequently, the most dangerous of the Ronins. Possessing an alleged IQ of 250, he frequently acts as the voice of reason, serving as a counterbalance to the hot tempers of Ryo and Kento. In the TV series, he speaks with a thick Brooklyn accent, a trait that disappears in the OVAs. His father, Genichirou, is a mad scientist who is often too busy to see his son, while his mother, an unnamed journalist, travels frequently and treats her ex-husband and son more as friends than family. She first appears in the YST CD drama Tenkuden. Rowen shares a close friendship with Sage due to their similar interests. He wears the Strata armor known as Tenku in YST, which carries the virtue of Inochi in Ronin Warriors, a change from Chi in the original series. His principal weapon is a collapsible bow attached to the back of the armor, accompanied by a small metallic quiver that holds a seemingly unlimited supply of arrows. His surekill is Arrow Shockwave, referred to as Shinku Ha in YST. This attack involves firing an arrow that energizes to create devastating explosive power upon impact, releasing a destructively powerful pillar of light, as demonstrated when its first use demolished a large section of a mountain. He is voiced by Ward Perry in the English dub. Like the other Ronins, Rowen receives a new suit of armor in the third OVA, Message, although its specific powers and abilities remain unknown. His surname Hashiba is likely derived from Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s original last name; Toyotomi succeeded Oda Nobunaga and briefly unified Japan under his rule.
