Here you will find my ranting about each character. No discussion of or comparison to the movie characters will be done. Just surfing through the Japanese websites and the English fanfiction will tell you in no uncertain terms: the anime characters now have lives of their own, apart from the movie.
Kanbei
Gorobei
Heihachi
Shichiroji
Katsushiro
Kyuuzo
Kikuchiyo
Will Work for Rice! 