Obanai is a harsh, strict, and rude man with a judging nature. As the Serpent Hashira, he is a fairly muscular man of short stature with a pale complexion. He has straight-edged black hair and heterochromia, with a yellow right eye and a turquoise left eye; he is partially blind in his right eye. A large wound, inflicted when he was twelve, scars his mouth from corner to ear, which he keeps hidden under a bandage. He is often seen with his pet white snake, Kaburamaru, draped over his shoulders.