Ashura and Yasha-Ou

Ashura
Ashura is the sole survivor of the Ashura clan, and the main character of the story. Ashura was born to Shashi and Ashura-Ou, along with Ten-Oh, Taishakuten's son. Ashura unfortunatley, was hated by his own mother, and almost murdered by her. It is not clear why his mother, Shashi failed; but he was then sealed in the Forest of Maya for three hundred years, until Yasha-Ou came along and freed him with Yamato (no digi-fans, not the yummy blonde bishonen Ishida; Yamato is a sword named... well, Yamato). Ashura is then adopted by Yasha, and goes along with him. Now, not all of Ashura-'s relatives are--uh.. were dead. For instance, when Ashura went seeking Shura-Toh/Shurato; he found his aunt Kara had married the king of Kusumbara (formerly the City of Flowers, but then ravaged by Taishakuten, therefore Kusumbara went underground.). She later dies however, but she is one of the "seals" that help keep Ashura in his innocent, child-like form. The other seal, is Shashi, the Empress of Tenkai. Ashura in his Dark Form (a fully mature Ashura) is a merciless killer, whom kills Shashi; therefore realeasing the True Ashura, which will destroy everything HE considers evil. The place Ashura should have lived is Ashura-Jou, a mirror of Zenmi-Jou (the Emperor of Tenkai's Palace), so that it appears underneath Zenmi-Jou. It is accessable from Zenmi-Jou, through er... the floor in the OAV that has a panel of Shiv/Shiva the Destroyer (RG Veda is based on Hindu Mythology, therefore it's natural that some Hindu motifs are put in). I'm not sure if it's the same in the manga (seeing as the manga is impossibly rare), if it isn't please refresh my memory. Ashura is usually very friendly, kind, very outgoing. He is skillfull at fire magic, and his sword Shurato; resonates with Yamato and is sheathed in Ashura's body.

Yasha-Ou
The northern Bushinshou, and strongest of them; Yasha-Ou has led a strange life. He was the son of a concubine, and his beloved brother was son of the queen, leading to Yama's (as he was called back then) problem with accepting the title of Yasha-Ou. Yasha's brother told him to take the title and stuff the being-the-son-of-a-concubine hurdle away. Then his brother runs off and marries a woman called Sara. So Yama became Yasha-Ou and dons Yama-Toh/Yamato. He becomes northern bushinshou for Taishakuten and gains a reputation for being a ladies' man (Kendappa-Ou's mother, the former Gakushi no Kimi falls in love with him although she's older and already married. They say she dies of a broken heart because of Yasha, and Kendappa-Ou likes to snap at him because of it). Young Yasha-Ou is one day introduced by the seer Kuyou to Ashura-Ou. Ashura-Ou asks our hero a question that Yasha-Ou replies to by saying "I would die for the one I love" Or something like that. Ashura-Ou smiles and plots in a very Gendo/Akio-like* way to use this to his advantage (*cough*Ashura*cough*). Anyways, our hero is one day ordered by Taishakuten to go and and kill off Kuyou (btw, this is 300 years later, y'know?) thus giving Yasha-Ou some serious work problems. Kuyou is his friend, does he obey the emperor (Taishakuten: You better hella respect me! Or I'll kill off your whole clan!) or not kill Kuyou? Of course, as all heroes do; he defied Taishakuten's orders and went to Kuyou. Kuyou, gives him the prophecy of the six stars and sends him off to the Forest of Maya where he cracks open a tree and takes out Ashura. Then he goes back to see Kuyou pinioned to the wall (courtesy of Bishamon-Ten, I think...) and then his whole clan is massacred by Taishakuten. Enough to make you mad too huh? Well.... he goes on his way collecting the other Six Stars so he can throw of Taishakuten's tyrannical yoke AND avenge his clan.