Takimi Shigure (
Appearance[]
Shigure is a young man with long brown hair that is tied back into a ponytail and four strands handing in the front, and thick eyebrows.
Shigure wears a white haori over a blue shirt, grey pants, white socks, sandals, and carries two swords on each hip.
Personality[]
Relationships[]
- Himura Kenshin - He befriends Kenshin Himura after hastily dealing with some foreign sailors who were harassing Toki. But changes antagonistically during the assault on the British embassy when they engage until Shigure recognizes Kenshin's swordplay as the Battousai's.
- Aizu Clan - He was one of their commanders during the Meiji Restoration.
- Takatsuki Toki - Shigure has burdened himself with Gentatsu's death and tries to make amends by housing and taking care of Gentatsu's younger sister Toki. He dies shielding Toki taking several bullets to his back. Shigure dies quickly afterwards whilst trying to apologize to Toki.
- Takatsuki Gentatsu - Shigure and Gentatsu were both friends and comrades during the war. He was killed in a duel with the Battousai.
Abilities[]
Shigure is an accomplished Swordsman; sufficient in skill he fought for the Tokugawa in high regard. Able to fight off and successfully killed many simultaneously.
He is practitioner to the Saiki Kanuma style he himself developed. The Kanuma style uses an iron sheath in congruence with the sword for most of its attacks. It also incorporates the Wakizashi if necessary.
Techniques[]
- Kanuma Shouyo Ken (Hidden Sun's Sword): a double strike in a horizontal circular motion. This attack is executed by striking first with the sheath of the sword. If the opponent blocks the attack the user then traps the opponents sword and attacks with his own. (This attack is similar to the Soryusen Ikazuchi technique in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu).
- Shouyo Ken #2: The variation of Shouyo Ken is if the opponent evades the first strike with the sheath. When this occurs the user would then launch the sheath out of his left hand at the opponent, usually aiming for a weak spot or a previous wound. After attacking, the sheath is retrieved by pulling back on the cord attached from the users left hand to the. This attack increases the combative range of the user by at since a sheath can be launched out further than the length of a sword.
- Kanuma Shouen Ken (Hidden Flame's Sword): In this technique, the user strikes the ground with sheath and scrapes the ground in a circular motion, igniting anything on the ground, i.e. leaves. This causes a wall of flame which confuses the opponent as to where an attack will come from. From this point the user then dashes in with their sword extended out aiming for a stab instead of a cut.
- Hiken Soutou Ken (Secret Paired Flying Sword): This technique is basically an anti-air movement in which the user drops the sheath and unsheathes the wakizashi with the left hand and leaps up to intercept the opponent. Before the opponent comes within range the user crosses the swords in front of their body for either a scissors attack or to catch the opponent's sword in the cross of their two swords.
History[]
Shigure is a veteran samurai who fought valiantly for the Aizu clan during the Meiji restoration, acting as one of the commanders for their saboteur runs and assassinations, and master and founder of the Saiki-Kanuma sword style. A disciplined fighter and idealistic man whom his best friend and comrade Takatsuki Gentatsu share his ideas with.
However, during the war Shigure lost his best partner to the hands of the Hitokiri Battousai during an attempted raid on the Chōshū clan leaders who were planning an alliance with a rival clan at Suzuya.
Ever since the Meiji founding, Shigure has burdened himself with Gentatsu's death and tries to make amends by looking after Gentatsu's sister Toki. All the while over the years, Shigure watched the corruption of the new government's corruption, especially for not distributing enough wealth among the population, even the victims of other wars. Discreetly, Shigure and one of the other Aizu generals (a man named Sadashirō Kajiki) went around to the homes of the victims of the Boshin war and gave them financial support for an upcoming revolution to overthrow the Meiji government and to make Japan how he and Gentasu envisioned it should be.
In the present Meii Year 11, he befriends Kenshin Himura after hastily dealing with some foreign sailors who were harassing Toki. Kenshin is warned by Hajime Saito about Shigure's dealings and activities. Kenshin brushes the warning off until he encounters Shigure in the midst of an assault on the British embassy. They fight until Shigure recognizes the sword style and finally recognizes Kenshin as the Battousai which enrages him. The battle is cut short as Shigure retreats due to his army being overwhelmed.
Kenshin follows to a nearby fort where the Aizu remnant have barricaded themselves. With help from Sanosuke Sagara, Kenshin confronts Shigure one last time. After a while a teary eyed Toki runs in to embrace him telling him he's had enough fighting. Shigure succumbs to his emotions and breaks down, learning that Kenshin had honored Gentasu's death more than him.
A firing squad led by Captain Tomono burst into the establishment firing at any opposition, leaving Shigure to shield Toki from the back. Shigure dies quickly afterwards whilst trying to apologize to Toki. In result, an enraged Kenshin instinctively charges at Tomono in his Battousai state and intends to finish Tomono permanently until he heard Kaoru's voice at the last second, reverting back to normal and reversing his Sakabatou front side for the offense.
Trivia[]
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