Momo

Momo (モモ) is Fuu's pet flying squirrel who first appears in the prison scene and saves Fuu from getting molested.

The animal accompanies Fuu, Mugen and Jin on their journey to find the "Samurai who smells of sunflowers" and inhabits Fuu's kimono, coming out from time to time to rescue Fuu in difficult situations.

Appearance
Momo has a mix of grey and white fur with grey in most places. Momo has a boomerang shaped mark on his/her head and has black shiny eyes, with a big tail and small feet.

History
In the first episode, Momo rescues Fuu from being molested by a prison guard, distracting him for enough time to let Fuu hit him onto the ground. Later in Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1), Momo flies out of Fuu's sleeve and back in while she is trying to find any money she has, and when she is forced to work in a brothel in Hellhounds for Hire (Part 2), Momo flies onto a male customer's face to save Fuu while she uses a vase to knock the customer unconscious. In Artistic Anarchy when Fuu is kidnapped by three of Sawa's henchmen, she is tied up and put into a barrel. Momo exits her kimono and tries to fly out for help, but the lid is slammed shut before Momo can escape, knocking the squirrel unconscious. In A Risky Racket, Mugen, Jin and Fuu are at a gambling house trying to win some money. Before they can place a bet, Momo chooses a card to play, resulting in their bet being correct and winning some money. Jin swears that he saw a squirrel but then states he was probably imagining it.

In Misguided Miscreants (Part 1), Fuu can be seen playing with Momo at night before Mugen enters the residence and tells them he is agreeing to a pirate raid job. When Mugen, Jin and Fuu arrive in the Kansai region of Japan in Bogus Booty and get some money, Fuu gorges on some food and is not let into a brothel where Mugen and Jin sneak away to. When Fuu waits outside the town while the two men stay at the brothel, Momo sits on Fuu's shoulder, making Fuu ask if Momo is a boy or a girl, but Momo only lets out a squeak.

In Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 1), Mugen, Jin and Fuu go their separate ways. As Fuu walks on her own path, Momo suddenly flies away, causing Fuu to chase after the flying squirrel. She falls down a hill with a small cliff at the bottom, but she hangs onto a root in the cliff. Momo walks onto the root and tickles Fuu's nose with its tail, causing Fuu to lose control and fall into the river. She survives due to Okuru saving her, and she sees that Okuru is feeding Momo some seeds. Fuu is jealous, but Okuru gives her some seeds, drawing back Momo to Fuu. In Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 2), Fuu follows Okuru again since he has some seeds, but returns to Fuu after Okuru is chased by some shogunate officers.

In War of the Words, two twin vandals compete with each other for Fuu's attention, causing Momo to hiss at them and get defensive. Later when the two compete to "tag" the highest spot on Hiroshima Castle, the two lose since Mugen beats them both. After they lose, the two twins lean in toward Fuu at first menacingly, but it is revealed that they did not want Fuu but instead wanted to play with Momo, disappointing Fuu. Further in their journey, in Unholy Union when Fuu is imprisoned by Xavier III, Fuu ties a message only stating "Help me, from Fuu" around Momo, and the squirrel flies to her two bodyguards for help. Mugen wakes up with Momo flying onto his face, angering him. When Jin enters, Momo flies toward Jin for better understanding, and Jin sees the note. The two rescue Fuu and Momo continues traveling with them.

When Mugen, Jin and Fuu accompany Sara in Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 1), Fuu and Sara sleep in the same room and have a conversation. Sara talks about her blindness heightening her other senses, even being able to detect Momo in Fuu's kimono, causing Momo to crawl out from the kimono. Much later in Baseball Blues when navy officers of the U.S. threaten to set base in Japan, the naval officers and some local Japanese compete in a baseball game. Because the Japanese team lacks enough teammates, they have to recruit a couple animals, including Momo. When the dog is violently hit by the American pitcher's baseball and flees, Momo is scared to go to the plate and flies away, not being seen again.

Etymology

 * The name Momo means "peach" (モモ) in Katakana.
 * Momo is also short for "momonga", meaning "flying squirrel".

Trivia

 * Fuu asked Momo in the episode Bogus Booty if Momo was a girl or boy, but Momo's gender is not specified since the squirrel only lets out a squeak.