Shishio Makoto
Makoto Shishio is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin. Shishio Makoto is roughly based on Serizawa Kamo, the original lead commander of the Shinsengumi. He is the main antagonist of the Kyoto arc.
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 murder of Izuka, the man who had betrayed Kenshin.
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 from a blow to the head and burned alive by the Meiji government. 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 the country. 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.
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.
Character
Shishio is very secretive about himself, even more so than Kenshin; the members of the Choshu and Satsuma clans and the future Meiji government would have very little information on him.
He was extremely clever and ambitious, believing himself to be the future leader of Japan. During the Boshin War, the "Meiji Government" attempted to silence him to prevent his knowledge of them from being used as a weapon.
In battle, he does not disappoint. His speed is exceptional, but his power is almost beyond comprehension. He is tougher than Sanosuke which can be seen in withstand Sanosuke's Futae no Kiwami and seems invincible at first but he has a weak point: 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 why he uses the Juppongatana to fight for him).
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. Although he grabbed Kenshin before using it, it is not necessary to have a firm grip on the enemy. Against Saito, he used it as an explosive punch. 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, he unleashes the full flame of the Mugenjin. It appears as a fiery tornado around the blade. Apparently Shishio just starts the fire and quickly slashes at the enemy. Thus he can incinerate them entirely while still cutting them.
Shishio vs Enishi
One could argue whether or not Shishio is Kenshin's most powerful enemy, because in the manga Yukishiro Enishi became the next important enemy for Kenshin to defeat, an extremely personal foe. Enishi was able to withstand the Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki and not only evade Kenshin's technique, but counter it, although this was more due to the nature of Enishi's Kofuku Zettō Sei technique rather than his own evasion skills. In their first battle, however, Enishi fell prey to simple punches and slashes from Kenshin who had been sufficiently angered over Kaoru's safety. It is doubtful that these simple attacks that injured Enishi so grievously would have had any effect on Shishio who had defeated Saitou's Gatotsu and taken a Futae No Kiwami from Sanosuke at full force. In Enishi's first fight with Kenshin, both Sanosuke and Saitou agreed that Enishi was below Shishio in strength and skill indicating that Enishi is indeed not as powerful as Shishio since Sanosuke and Saitou agreeing on anything in the series (much less fighting techniques) is an extremely rare occurrence. Though they could have simpily underestimated Enishi before witnessing some of his special techniques and ablilites. However, in the manga, it is implied that Kenshin had been too burdened with strong emotions of guilt over Tomoe to fight Enishi in top form as he had with Shishio. There was also an argument about Enishi's and Shishio's physical condition. Which two of them possesed unique physical ability. Shishio has a body condition which can cause himself more powerful in attack when the heat of his body is increased but in term of speed, Enishi seems to be more superior which he possesed hyperactive nerves( the size of the nerves is almost like ateri and vena) that enabled him to react quickly after the opponent reacted. Enishi also claimed that due to this ability, he can heard every sound of a moving body, sees every blood that gust out in slow motion, and feel every flying sand that fall on his body and makes every moves of his opponent are nothing but a piece of paper that he can read through. And also stated that Enishi's body has no 15 minutes limits in fighting like Shishio.
As a side note, Enishi sold Shishio the ironclad battleship Rengoku, which Sanosuke destroyed later.
Voice Actors
- Japanese Seiyuu: Masanori Ikeda
- English Voice Actor: Steven Blum
- Brazilian Voice Actor: Emerson Caperbat
See also
- Antidrosis
External links
- Kagutsuchi A shrine to the antagonist Makoto Shishio.