Tanda is a Yaku herbalist who lives in the mountains. Even though he is the pupil of Torogai his skill as a shaman is lacking. However he is very skilled as a doctor, in part due to the fact that he always treated Balsa's wounds in the past. At the time of the main story, Tanda and Balsa have been friends for nearly 20 years. During this time, Tanda's affections for Balsa have grown but he has yet to act on them for reasons that are later revealed. This relationship is depicted very realistically and adds great depth to both Tanda's and Balsa's characters.