Otojirō Kawakami, a male actor and political activist, cross-dresses as geisha Otoyakko to finance his traveling theater troupe. Balancing his flamboyant stage persona with a gruff, protective nature, he serves as a brotherly guardian to his companions. His activism lands him in frequent legal skirmishes, yet he consistently escapes lasting repercussions.

After fleeing the Rokumeikan, protagonist Mei Ayazuki encounters Otojirō in his Otoyakko disguise. He shelters her at a geisha house, where she misidentifies him as female until discovering his true gender when he drunkenly returns home, exposing his dual life.

His turbulent partnership with playwright Izumi Kyouka fuels his performances, as he coercively adapts Kyouka’s scripts—a dynamic marked by fiery confrontations, including one where Kyouka ignites Otojirō’s hair. Despite clashes, Kyouka’s works remain essential to his productions.

Rehearsing Kyouka’s play about a water goddess imprisoned in a lake, Otojirō nearly loses himself to the role, compelling Mei to anchor him. The narrative’s themes of love and sacrifice mirror his conflicted emotions toward Mei, complicated by envy over her admirers.

His arc branches into three conclusions: a triumphant American tour invitation for Mei, a bittersweet parting as she returns to her era, or a romance solidified if she stays in Meiji Japan.

His name—Otojirō ("sound," "two," "son") and Kawakami ("upper river")—and alias Otoyakko ("sound" and "companion") underscore his duality as performer and troupe sustainer. Past political extremism and financial strife fuel his unorthodox methods to fund his theatrical ambitions.