From the beginning of the show, we can clearly see how Heizou Hasegawa is depicted as a devil, but is actually a very compassionate man. In fact, he is not up to shed blood as a real devil would; on the contrary, Heizou is open to dialogue with the criminals he catches, and is willing to pay attention to what they have to say. In the first episode, he believed the word of a man – Kumehachi – he had just put in jail, and went as far as to free him. Not only did he free Kumehachi, but Heizou collaborated with him in order to catch the real Tanbei of Chigashira, who had wreaked havoc in Edo.

The trust placed in Kumehachi proved Heizou's good instinct, leaving even his underlings with their mouths open. Kumehachi lived up to Heizou's expectations, and helped him; from that moment onward, the compassion Heizou had showed to Kumehachi, made him gain a new important pawn who, from time to time, would lend a helping hand.

As we already said, Heizou Hasegawa has a sharp mind, and he is a man with good instincts. What's more, he seems very composed and nothing seems to faze him, but was it always like that? There's a certain episode 9 where we discover who was Heizou Hasegawa, before turning into the feared “Onihei”.

Back in the days, when Heizou attended lessons at the Takasugi Dojo, he had a fated meeting with a skilled man – Jyubei Matsuoka. We find a totally different Heizou Hasegawa, whose younger version is hot-tempered, impatient and foulmouthed. Basically, the exact opposite of what he will become later on. What's more, we discover the relationship he had with his father's legal wife, who considered Heizou unable to become the heir.

After arguing with his father's wife, a dispirited Heizou was on the verge of becoming a criminal: he accepted an assignment to rob with one of his best friend, but it was Matsuoka, the man he had met in the Dojo days before – who was actually a thief – who opened his eyes and made him step back. A lesson that cost Heizou Hasegawa dearly, making him realize later on the seriousness of the situation, and what consequences it would bring.

While Onihei, which is episodic, unfolds, we realize some of the sweet traits of Heizou Hasegawa's personality. Heizou and Hisae have one son, whose name is Tatsuzou, and an adoptive daughter, the little Ojun. To show you once again Heizou's compassion, we need to say that Ojun was the daughter of a theft he previously arrested, and he loves her as if she was his actual child.

When Heizou interacts with Tatsuzou, there are a lot of gags because he tries to play the strict father, while in the past he was just as unruly as his son. When Tatsuzou can't see, Heizou expresses how proud of him he actually is. As for his relationship with the little Ojun, they are very close. It's impossible to forget the 7th episode, when Gohei Ishikawa revealed to Ojun the truth about her real father and she ran away. It was about to end in a tragedy, but when Heizou managed to save Ojun, he kept apologizing, and kept repeating how for him, she is like a real daughter.

We can't avoid mentioning Heizou Hasegawa's skills as a swordsman. For what we see through the show, we realize that he has always been fond of the blade arts, and from the beginning – when he attended lessons at the Dojo – he showed his talent and loved showing off.

Heizou Hasegawa proves to be a skilled swordsman in more than one occasion; in fact, he is the most feared man in Edo, and even outside Edo his name is very well known. It's interesting to see how even the biggest, and strongest man, grow pale at the mention of the name “Onihei” or “Heizou Hasegawa”. His fame grew up step by step, deed after deed he became the respected man every underling venerates.

The 4th point brings us directly to the 5th, as a consequence. Heizou Hasegawa is a charismatic man and a born leader. What is interesting, is that he doesn't really have to struggle to be obeyed. His compassionate attitude, his sword skills, his way of interacting with his underlings is what makes the magic. This is so true that even though Heizou is the chief, his underlings admire him and almost treat him as a friend, and so does Heizou Hasegawa with them.

He likes drinking, and doesn't blame his underlings if they drink; he loved women when he was younger, so he doesn't blame an underling who messes up because of a woman. Heizou Hasegawa has always interesting remarks over the situations, or meaningful comments, and even some jokes. As he is admired by both friends and foes, feared by even the strongest men, and loved by his family, we thought he deserved even the viewers' admiration!