Ginko

Ginko, whose real name is Yoki, is the main character who is followed throughout the series solving mushi cases. He appears to be a very serious person on the outside, but he treats people with respect and stresses that the mushi are not evil, but merely trying to survive like everyone else. He rarely comes back to the same show location more than once, to reinforce his 'wanderer' status. His age is unknown, but likely in his mid 20s to 30s.

Appearance
Ginko has white hair and an unearthly-green right eye (his left eye is actually glass, but he gave it to an eyeless girl in episode 2), and has been like this ever since he was a child after he was affected by the Ginko mushi.

His outfits are comprised of more modern clothing (button-up shirts, slacks, coats, sweaters, etc.). This easily separates him from the other characters (who are all dressed in traditional Japanese clothes).



Ginko, during his younger years before being affected by the Ginko mushi, had dark hair and black eyes, and had a darker skin tone.

Personality
Ginko appears as a rather laid-back type, though he can become serious and concerned when need be. Even though he wanders from place to place, he cares about the people he meets, and is always willing to help.

Early Life
When Ginko was a child, he was found by Nui, a Mushishi who had the same white hair and a green left eye. Before his mushi incident, Ginko's name was Yoki, and even as a child he could see the mushi.

While walking through the mountains with his mother, a wrong turn was taken, and on the strange road they continued down, a mudslide killed his mother. This is when Nui found him, brought him to her home, and looked after him. For many days Nui took care of Yoki as his broken leg healed, showing him the different types of mushi that lived in the area around her home in the mountain. As Yoki's leg healed he found out that the cause for Nui's transformation was observing mushi called "Ginko" for too long.

After he and Nui were consumed by the Tokoyami, Nui was swallowed by the Ginko, and Yoki escaped by sacrificing his left eye and memories. The only name he remembered was "Ginko", so he gave that name to himself. After wandering the forest for a few days, he came upon a road, where he was discovered by a man who housed him for a small time. But the next day, Ginko ran away because he knew that if he stayed in one place too long, he would attract more mushi, which in return will cause trouble for the people living there. In a later episode, it is discovered that he wandered around the country living with several different people, all of which were Mushishi in some way, which is how he learned how to become a Mushishi himself.

Trivia

 * Ginko had been designed for a more modern setting (explaining his somewhat modern outfits), but Yuki Urushibara changed the setting to a time between the Edo and Meiji periods, while keeping Ginko's design.