Makoto Shishio

Latest revision as of 06:54, 31 December 2024

Makoto Shishio

Makoto Shishio is a male anime and manga character who features in Rurouni Kenshin.

Biography

Makoto Shishio in Rurouni Kenshin v1 #14.

Makoto Shishio (Japanese: 志々雄 真実) was a male human born in feudal Japan where he grew to adulthood to be a skilled swordsmen.

After the death of Yukishiro Tomoe, Himura Kenshin was relieved of secretive assassination missions and was to fight the Shinsengumi in the open to protect members of the Ishin Shishi, who were being hunted by the Shinsengumi, Shishio Makoto became his successor as a serial killer and was responsible for the assassination and murder of I'izuka, the man who had betrayed the Chōshū party. The next Meiji government was more secretive about Shishio than Kenshin; many members of the Chōshū and Satsuma clans who were the members of the next Meiji government and had very little information on him. However, unlike Kenshin, who was nobler and was focused on the well-being of innocent people, Shishio only cared for power, having decided to take the country for himself after his first job of killing, murdering, and slaughtering Iizuka. As a result, the Meiji government decided to use Shishio as a means to an end then kill him off. Later, the new Meiji government believed it would be in their best interests to eliminate Shishio. While they had found Kenshin Himura to be an idealistic servant of the Imperialist cause, Okubo and other Meiji officials correctly concluded that Shishio was an opportunistic sociopath, who would undoubtedly use his vast knowledge of government secrets to plunge the country into turmoil for his gain. Thus, during the Boshin War, Shishio was knocked out from a blow to the head, then doused in oil and burned alive by the Ishin Shishi. He survived, sustaining severe damage to his entire body to the point that he must wear bandages day and night to cover his disfigured skin, giving him an appearance similar to that of a mummy. It also limited the time he could fight. Any battle that surpassed fifteen minutes placed him in jeopardy of undergoing spontaneous combustion due to his lack of sweat glands and abnormal rising body temperatures.

A former Manslayer in the employ of the imperialists during the Meiji Revolution. Shishio replaced Kenshin Himura as the assassin in the shadows. At the time, Shishio's skills were said to be equal to the Battosai, but the Meiji government grew to fear Shishio for unlike his predesesor, he desired power, and the knowledge he had of their actions could bring them down if the public became aware. In 1868, during the Boshin War, they betrayed Shishio during his final mission and ambushed him, shooting him in the head and then setting him on fire but Makoto Shishio did not die. Taking the time to take care of his injuries, Shishio hid in the shadows, wrapping himself in bandages from head to toe. All his sweat glands were destroyed and as such he could no longer regulate his body temperature through sweating, leaving his body temperature extremely high. Shishio began travelling through Japan, planning his revenge. Along the way he recruited Soujiro Seta, and taught him his philosophy: If you're strong you live, if you're weak you die. Shishio's power was growing and he recruited Hoji Sadojima and through him was able to recruit a syndicate and his own assassination squad called the Juppongatana (The Ten Swords). He also gained the love of a beautiful, high ranking escort named Yumi Komagata. By the time Shishio was ready to move against the Meijis, the revolution was over and the Meijis were in power. Shishio loathed the Meijis, seeing them as weak since they could not successfully kill him, and vowed to bring them down. Shishio, with the aid of a man named Sadojima Hōji, assembled a group of the best fighters in Japan, called the Jūppongatana (Ten Swords), to overthrow the Meiji government. He envisioned a Japan ruled by him, enforcing the principles of Social Darwinism. Using this belief, Shishio ran a campaign against the Meiji government, as he felt it was too weak to lead the country effectively. Using his motto, "The weak are food for the strong," he molded an ideological disciple out of Seta Sōjirō, who served as his right-hand man and the strongest of the Jūppongatana. He planned to strengthen the economy with petroleum once he took over the country. At some point, he met Komagata Yumi, whom he shared a romantic relationship with. After ten years, Shishio began small villages all over Japan, taking the city of Kyoto as his headquarters. He eventually learned that Prime Minister Okubo was charging Kenshin Himura to assassinate him. Looking forward to the attempt, Shishio embraced this and allowed Okubo another week of life before sending Soujiro to assassinate him. He also used the assassination as a warning to Himura of what to expect.

While visiting one of the villages he conquered, Shishio finally met Kenshin Himura and Saito Hajime, whereupon he unleashed Senkaku on Himura, merely to test and observe Himura's fighting skills; for if Shishio ever saw a move, it could not be used against him. Shishio retreated back to Kyoto and sent word to all the Juppongatana to gather there.

Shishio returned to Kyoto preparing his master plan to burn Kyoto to the ground, and then take a steel battleship (which Shishio dubbed Purgatory) he acquired and kept in the harbor of Osaka down to Tokyo. Once there, he would attack the Meiji government disguised as the infamous black ships that caused the revolution, as Shishio had a love for such ironies. With the nation in chaos, Shishio would hve taken control of Japan. His plot to burn Kyoto failed due to Kenshin, Saito and Sanosuke Sagara. Shishio had greatly underestimated them; unable to set the fires and with his ship destroyed, Shishio realized he needed to kill Himura, Saito and Sanosuke before taking control of Japan, and challenged them to a duel at his true headquarters at Mt. Hiel.

Shishio awaited the arrival of his enemies, allowing three of the Juppongatana to stay while he sent the rest to destroy the Oniwaban Group (who had previously interfered by preventing the arson of Kyoto), and allowed Yumi to act as Himura's guide and spy so that he could learn the secret of Himura's final attack. One by one, his top three warriors were defeated, and a shocked Shishio decided to await Himura in the arena which he called Inferno Room.

Upon making their way into the arena, Shishio embraced Yumi promising the fight would end in fifteen minutes, and battled with Kenshin, the fight going in his favor. He succeeded in knocking Kenshin out, beat Saito in one-on-one combat, and defeated Sanosuke and Aoshi as well. Kenshin rose up again and the battle between him and Shishio grew more desperate; fifteen minutes had passed and Shishio's body temperature was rising to dangerous levels. His blood began to literally boil and he doubled over in pain, vomiting. Yumi stepped in, begging Kenshin to stop so she could take care of Shishio. But Shishio stabbed through her with his sword, and Yumi was only too happy to die for her love. Shishio got on his feet and prepared to kill Kenshin, but his body temperature had risen so high that his blood began to evaporate and he burst into flames. Letting out a triumphant laugh, Shishio fell, his body turned to ash.

Makoto Shishio and Yumi reunited in Hell waiting for Hoji to arrive (as he killed himself in prison later). Allowing Hoji to rejoin him, Shishio set out to conquer Hell, feeling that the spirits feared him (Shishio), and that's why they allowed Kenshin to win in life. But in a place where only evil people existed, Shishio was confident that would not happen a second time, and victory would be his.

Shishio later appeared to Kenshin while he was injured mocking him for a failure. But it is unknown whether or not Kenshin was hallucinating or he was actually visited by the spirit of Makoto Shishio.

Overview

Personality and attributes

If you're strong you live, if you're weak you die....

Shishio was shown to be an extremely ruthless, sadistic, and coldblooded person. He strongly believes in the concept of social Darwinism, in which the weak existed for the benefit of the strong, and generally appeared devoid of compassion or mercy.

These are the words which define Makoto Shishio's very nature, his outlook on life and what he planned to bring to the nation of Japan under his rule.

However, he is not entirely heartless. Despite his sinister nature, he seems genuinely in love with Yumi Komagata, who reciprocated the feelings. He also possesses a dark and twisted sense of humor, claiming initially to Kenshin that he had enslaved an entire town so he could bathe in the hot springs with privacy. He was also able to form bonds to a degree with Sōjirō and Hōji. Despite this, he still sees them as a means to an end. He showed no sadness when Sōjirō chose to leave him, only seeing him as a tool that weakened Kenshin. However, Shishio seems to be a man of honor as he kept his promise to Hōji that he would let him taste victory by his side when he reunited with him and Yumi in hell and planned to take it over.

Powers and abilities

Shishio is one of the deadliest warriors to have ever lived. A master swordsman, his sword strikes are highly precise. He was able to cut one of his soldiers in half by quickly unsheathing and sheathing his blade without it being seen leaving the scabbard. As the successor to the Hitokiri Battōsai, his prowess in battle is at least on par with Himura Kenshin's; he is shown to be able to match the latter in a great Battōjutsu struggle.

In terms of weapons, he wielded the sword Mugenjin (無む限げん刃じん, "Infinity Blade") that was the ultimate creation of the master weaponsmith Arai Shakkū. It can be considered the sibling and antithesis to the sakabatō where it served as the ultimate tool of killing. It was designed to kill continuously, and with the utmost severity in its slicing power, thanks to its self-sharpening serrated edge flaked away in a regular pattern. The lethality of this blade is further increased by the proper soaking of it in the flesh and body fat of the victims he had killed over the years. As a result, he can execute fire-oriented techniques using the oils as fuel.

His fighting technique was the Three Secret Swords which he had honed and used:

• Ichi no Hiken: Homura Dama (壱いちノ秘ひ剣けん 焔ホむら霊だま lit. "First Secret Sword: Burning Soul") :
• Ni no Hiken: Guren Kaina (弐にノ秘ひ剣けん 紅ぐ蓮れん腕かいな腕かいな lit. "Second Secret Sword: Crimson Lotus Upper Arm") :
• Tsui no Hiken: Kaguzuchi (終ついノ秘ひ剣けん 火か産ぐ霊ずちの神かみ lit. "Last Secret Sword: Fire Bearing Spirit God") :
• Mugenjin Senkū (無む限げん刃じん旋せん空くう, "Infinity Blade Whirling Air"?)

Within the Japanese government, he had served as a Hitokiri (人斬ひときり?, literally man-slayer) that were swordsman sent out by an important or powerful figure for the express purpose of assassinating others.

After being burnt, nearly all his sweat glands were burned. As a result of this, his body temperature is at a higher level than that of a normal human being, both to his blessings and curses; he alludes to this being the "fires of hell" raging within him. Therefore, once he engaged in battle or extreme physical activity, his body heat rose far above normal levels and is strictly limited to 15 minutes.

Shishio came to head the Jūppongatana (十じゅう本っぽん刀がたな, Ten Swords?) that were a special attack force of elite warriors assembled and commanded by him for the purpose of leading his revolutionary army against the Meiji government.

Notes

• Shishio Makoto was created by Nobuhiro Watsuki where he featured in the setting of the Rurouni Kensin universe.
• Fans of Rurouni Kenshin like to believe that Makoto Shishio succeeded in conquering Hell.

In other media

Films

Video games

• In Jump Force, Makoto Shishio appeared as a playable character in the fighting video game where he was voiced by actor Masanori Ikeda.

Appearances

• Rurouni Kenshin:

External Links

• Rurouni Kenshin Wiki Entry
• Wikipedia Entry