Colonel Bagley is Nathan Algren's commanding officer, he is also fighting against the Samurai. He led a battalion of well-armed men to massacre a defenseless town of unarmed Indian civilians. For that reason alone, Nathan grows a deep hatred for Bagley.

Katsumoto led the samurai force against the Emperor Meiji. He and the rest of the Samurai believed that the Emperor had forgotten the old ways of the Samurai. They fought the Emperor not to take the throne, but to remind him of the old ways and to stop the growth of western influences in Japan.

Emperor Meiji was the leader of the Japanese people in this movie. He is influenced by his advisor, Omura, to hire people from all around the world to "modernize" Japan. He ignores the advice of his old teacher, Katsumoto, and continues to be manipulated by Omura.