|
History After the death of Yukishiro Tomoe, Himura Kenshin became a free wielding swordsman to protect members of the Inshin Shishi. Shishio Makoto became his successor as the shadow hitokiri (assassin) and was responsible for the assassination of Izuka, the man who had betrayed his comrades. Because he was unpredictable and took a liking to killing, the Meiji government believed it would be in their best interests to eliminate Shishio before he became too powerful (especially since Shishio appeared to be a man who desired power and longed for conquest). Thus during the Boshin War, Shishio was knocked unconscious by a bludgeon to the head, doused in oil and burned alive by the new government formed by the Ishin Shishi. He survived, sustaining severe damage to his entire body. Afterwards, he assembled a group of the best swordsmen in Japan, called the Juppongatana (Ten Swords), to overthrow the new government. Shishio envisioned a Japan ruled by him, enforcing the principles of natural selection, or what he called "Survival of the Fittest". Using this belief he ran a campaign against the Meiji government, as he felt it was too weak to effectively lead the country. This was during the time when Japan was in a weak position--civil wars were everywhere, imperialists still existed and the West was colonizing parts of Asia. Also using his motto he molded an ideological disciple out of Seta Sōjirō. He planned to strengthen the economy with petroleum once he took over the country. Story After Kenshin's sakabatō is broken, Shishio and his followers have reached the climax in their plans to overthrow the Meiji government with only Kenshin, Saitō Hajime, Sagara Sanosuke, Kamiya Kaoru, Myōjin Yahiko and the Oniwabanshū rallying to stop him. Shishio sends his subordinates to deal with the Oniwabanshu, Kamiya Kaoru, and Myōjin Yahiko while leaving his most powerful fighters to Kenshin, Saito, and Sagara Sanosuke. Shishio sends his lover Komogata Yumi to guide Kenshin. Sōjirō, after his defeat, asked Yumi to tell Shishio about the truth behind Kenshin's Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, before leaving him. Ultimately, Shishio must experience the technique first hand in order to defeat Kenshin, the last remaining block in his conquest. As a result of the damage done to his sweat glands, he could fight for no more than fifteen minutes; otherwise his temperature would continue to rise. He continued to fight; although he had surpassed his limits, his body became so hot his blood started to evaporate and he slipped into madness. Yumi attempted to stop Kenshin out of concern for Shishio, but was impaled by Shishio's sword along with Kenshin. Yumi died happily knowing she had finally been of use in battle to her love. When Kenshin finally decided to try the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki against him, Shishio successfully blocked the technique with this knowledge, but he was unaware of the fact that the technique consisted of two parts, the latter of which was not necessary against Aoshi or Sōjirō: The first blow is so powerful it creates a vacuum, paralyzing the opponent temporarily while Kenshin spins around for a second hit. In the end Shishio was not exactly able to "surpass his limit". Right when he died, his temperature skyrocketed--igniting his body fat and oils--leaving him to die burning alive. As he did, he laughed maniacally, the meaning to the laughter lost to everyone. His most loyal servant, Hoji, followed him straight to the grave, slitting his throat in prison when the Meiji Government refused to let him have a public trial. At the end of the Kyoto Arc, he is seen with Yumi and Hoji in Hell. All three walk off into the distance, with Shishio claiming that he will conquer Hell. He is seen in the manga during the Jinchū arc in Kenshin's vision, after Kaoru's supposed death. Kenshin didn't care whether he was dead or alive, but Shishio would only take Kenshin with him if Kenshin were to admit that he was wrong about all he fought for back in Kyoto. Character The future Meiji government was more secretive about Shishio than Kenshin; many members of the Choshu and Satsuma clans (the members of the future Meiji government) would have very little information on him. In battle, he does not disappoint. His reaction speed is incredible; he is able to dodge Saito's Gatotsu Zero-shiki at point blank range. He is incredibly durable, as he is able to throw off Sanosuke's Futae no Kiwami technique, and absorbs numerous strikes from Kenshin without toppling or appearing at all injured. He is also able to get up after being struck with Kenshin's Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. However, he does have a weakness: his medical condition. Due to the intense burns he received, his sweat glands and pores were completely destroyed, thus his mummy-esque visage. Therefore, he has an elevated body temperature due to his lack of sweat as a cooling mechanism and can only fight at full strength for fifteen minutes (which is the primary reason why he uses the Juppongatana to fight for him). In an interview (contained in Kenshin Kaden), Watsuki said that he was too into the character of Shishio so he had made Shishio the strongest of the Kyoto Arc. Techniques He uses a sword with a serrated blade called Mugenjin which is soaked in the flesh, oils and body fat of the victims he had killed over the course of his life. As a result, he is able to execute fire-oriented techniques. He, like Kenshin, is able to register his opponent's techniques, and could then analyze their strengths and weaknesses, taking advantage of them. His will to live is abnormally strong, almost as powerful as Kenshin's. Shishio's fighting skill closely matches that of Kenshin. He uses Mugenjin to execute techniques referred to by Hoji as "The Three Secret Swords": Homura Dama - This is the technique Shishio has used the most. Using friction to ignite the oil on his sword, serving to distract the opponent from his swings. The result is being simultaneously being burned and slashed at the same time. Guren Kaina - He fills his gauntlets with gunpowder, and ignites them with the sparks caused by the Mugenjin. Thus it results in an explosion. Guren Kaina dishes out a lot of force, but the gloves have to be changed after use. Kaguzuchi - The Kaguzuchi is the ultimate technique in Shishio's arsenal. It is not fully revealed, but one can guess the conclusion. By scraping his blade from the base to the tip of the blade on the end of the scabbard. It appears as a miniture fiery cyclone around the blade. Before Shishio could use utilize the Kaguzuchi he was countered with Kenshin ultimate attack. Voice Actors Trivia See also | ||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||
 |
|
| |