Shishio Makoto

Appearance: Shishio has red eyes. After being burned, Shishio's skin is brown and cracked, sometimes appearing red. He wears bandages around his entire body to ease the pain and hide his deformity. The remains of his hair sticking out of his head bandages in tufts. Over his bandages, he wears a robe, which varies from indigo to purple depending on the lighting. Both before and after his immolation, Shishio tended to wear his kimono with the right side of his chest and right arm exposed. Personality: Shishio is extremely ruthless, sadistic, and coldblooded. He strongly believes in the concept of social Darwinism, in which the weak exist for the benefit of the strong, and generally appears devoid of compassion or mercy throughout the series. 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. Shishio displays an extraordinary level of intelligence and insight, leaving the impression of an evil mastermind. He is extremely crafty, being able to hide from the Meiji government despite their efforts to find him, and his plans nearly succeed in bringing them down. He is also quite manipulative and is skilled in exploiting a person's psychology to facilitate his own devices, such as he does with Usui and Aoshi. He also learns from his mistakes; after his brush with death from being knocked out with a bullet to the head, he takes to wearing a hachigane (iron headband) to keep that weakness from being exploited.

Relationships: Sadojima Hōji - Right-hand man Hōji was his faithful second-in-command who is disillusioned by the Meiji Government. After committing suicide, as a result of Shishio's demise, he joins Shishio and Yumi in hell, and the trio plan to take over hell from Lord Enma (aka Yemma).Seta Sōjirō - ApprenticeShishio met Sōjirō when he was an abused child. While still suffering burns, Sōjirō provided him with food and bandages. Shishio gave him a wakizashi in return for nursing him, which he used to kill his oppressive family. He was then trained by Shishio to be his top henchman in the Jūppongatana. Komagata Yumi - Lover A former courtesan, Yumi was drawn towards Shishio's ideals and hatred for the Meiji government, soon falling in love after meeting him. Himura Kenshin - Adversary, rival and predecessor Only one year older than Kenshin, Shishio became the successor to Kenshin and also a rival to him. Shishio refers to Kenshin as senpai.

Abilities: Homura Dama

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.

Despite the severe burning damage to his body, Shishio's might remains as powerful as ever, if not having grown stronger. Shishio's raw might border on inhuman. Also, like Kenshin, he excels at seeing through his opponent's nature and reading their attack patterns, and likewise effectively counter an enemy's attack after seeing it once if not neutralize the threat completely. Combining these remarkable traits, Shishio was able to stop Kenshin's Ryū Shō Sen using his fingers, dodge and counter Saitō's Gatotsu Zero Shiki at point-blank, see through Shinomori Aoshi's Jisen-Kenbu, and take Sagara Sanosuke's Futae no Kiwami without injuries. He even took a five-hit combo, followed by a direct hit from Kuzu Ryū Sen from Kenshin while still able to stand and battle on. However, each event happened while the respective opponent was already injured or battle-worn from a recent fight, preventing them from fighting at full capacity. Most remarkable in his sheer stamina and resilience was his ability to take Kenshin's most potent technique, Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki, without it putting him out ultimately.

While preferring to strike his foe down fast with his blade, Shishio has remarkable hand-to-hand combat prowess and raw strength as he took down Sanosuke, a man well known for his remarkable endurance and near-superhuman strength, with one strike, and injured Saitō by stabbing the latter's shoulder with his fingers.

Shishio's sword, like Kenshin's Sakabatō, is an ultimate creation of the master weaponsmith Arai Shakkū, Mugenjin (無む限げん刃じん, "Infinity Blade"). It can be considered the sibling and antithesis to the Sakabatō: whereas the Sakabatō is regarded as a holy sword created to safeguard all life and symbolize the newfound peace of the Meiji era, the Mugenjin is an ultimate tool of killing. It is 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.

Shishio uses Mugenjin to execute techniques referred to by Hōji as the "Three Secret Swords". Despite this, these techniques appear as more of dirty tricks as they require the use of flammable materials he must carry on himself.

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: Blazing Soul"?) - This is the technique Shishio has used the most. He created sparks from the frictions between the blade and sheath, to ignite the human fats; this serves to distract the opponent from his swings. The result is being simultaneously burned and slashed; even if the opponent dodges the actual blade, the flame extends the range and effect of the swing. However if the sword was cleaned beforehand, the technique is rendered as useless. Ni no Hiken: Guren Kaina (弐にノ秘ひ剣けん 紅ぐ蓮れん腕かいな, lit. "Second Secret Sword: Crimson Lotus Arm"?) - Shishio fills his gauntlets with gunpowder, and ignites them with the sparks caused by the Mugenjin. Thus resulting in an explosion. Guren Kaina yields a lot of force and is usually performed while his opponent is at close-range, preferably in his grip. While often, this would likely result in damaging the user's hand, Shishio's inhuman resilience can compensate for it.Tsui no Hiken: Kaguzuchi (終ついノ秘ひ剣けん 火カ産グ霊ツ神チ, lit. "Last Secret Sword: Fire Bearing Spirit God"?) - The ultimate technique in Shishio's arsenal. He activates it by scraping his blade from the base to the tip on the end of the sheath, creating a small fire-cyclone around the edge, then slashing at the enemy, which engulfs them in a pillar of fire. Thus, he can incinerate them entirely while cutting through them. While Kaguzuchi was not fully unveiled in the battle against Kenshin due to Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki's vacuum effect disrupting Shishio from executing the attack, the special manga one-shot, '''Master of Flame''', reveals the full extent of the technique. The Kaguzuchi (actually Kagutsuchi) is the name of the Shinto god of fire. Note: In the Rurouni Kenshin: Enjō! Kyōto Rinne video game, when Shishio makes contact with his Kaguzuchi, the flames rise upward and form a giant pillar or wall of fire, sending the opponent upward while severely burning him at the same time. In the video game J-Stars Victory Vs., has Shishio simply slam the blade engulfed in said flame in front of him for a few hits, shattering the ground in front of himself. The video game Jump Force instead has the fire extension protruding from Shishio's slash upon engulfing his foe, to eventually unleash a large fire tornado. Mugenjin Senkū (無む限げん刃じん旋せん空くう, "Infinity Blade Whirling Air"?) - Localized as Infinity Blade Cyclone. A technique only seen in J-Stars Victory Vs. as one of Shishio's special moves (his forward + circle special), which involves him running at his opponent in a reckless dash while dragging the Mugenjin along the ground to create friction. During the rush, he can ram into his opponent for multiple hits, and ends the dash with a spiraling uppercut slash from a jump from the flaming friction generated from him dragging his blade along the ground. This move can also be performed during a dash with much less startup compared to the standard version. While not officially named, its basis appears to be inspired by a similar series of attacks used in the anime during the first minutes of his battle against Kenshin.

Weaknesses: For all of his power and skill, Shishio had a fatal weakness: Because he was set on fire, 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.

Symptoms of pushing his bodily limits:

Before 15 minutes: Normal, healthy state After 15 minutes: Normal, healthy state, however, reached limits of high body temperature After 20 minutes: Extreme, searing insatiable pain from within the body, nausea, delirium, psychotic episodes, heatstroke After 22-23 minutes: Evaporation of bodily fluids, cognitive disequilibrium due to high body temperature After 25 minutes: Ignition of fats and oils of the body into flame, death Though Hōji believed Shishio's body heat contributed to his power as a warrior, it became his downfall, as he spontaneously combusted after 25 minutes in battle.