Taro, the ugly, was a heimin of the remote village of Mushi Mura. He was born with severe deformities that twisted his face's left side, his left eye was blind, and his left arm hanged limp. When a Bloodspeaker cell seized the village, Taro became a willing follower of its leader, the Maho-tsukai Shinroku, and his primary informant in the village.