Most fans of Samurai X would agree that Rurouni Kenshin’s best arc is the Shishio Makoto arc, where the protagonists travel to Kyoto. Featuring many members of Juppongatana who challenge Himura Kenshin as he tries to stop Shishio. Shishio's evil plan is to overthrow the Meiji government, which culminates in a sword duel between the two ex-slaughter agents during the revolution, Kenshin and Shishio.

Often referred to as one of the strongest and hard-to-beat anime characters, Shihio Makoto does have extraordinary fighting prowess and a sly mind. Who is Shishio Makoto? Here's a discussion about this mummy-looking evil samurai!

1. An Antagonist Who Started a Rebellion

Shishio Makoto is the main antagonist of the Kyoto arc and former hitokiri Ishin Shishi who is best known as Battosai's successor. But after his colleagues in the government failed to assassinate him, Shishio Makoto became vengeful against the Meiji government.

He then slowly amassed an army and developed an anti-government militia led by his own private elite group of soldiers. The rebel troop was named Juppongatana.

2. Terrible Appearance and Wrapped in Bandage

Shishio Makoto with this terrible appearance has red eyes. Prior to his execution, Shishio had black eyebrows and black hair slicked back in a samurai pigtail. After being burned, Shishio's skin becomes brown and cracked, sometimes appearing red. He wore bandages all over his body to ease the pain and hide his burnt disfigurement.

The remnants of his hair were sticking out of his bandaged head. He also wore a purple kimono robe. Before and after being burned, Shishio tends to wear a kimono with the right side of the chest and right sleeve of the kimono being left open.

3. Shishio is Ruthless and Has No Compassion

Shishio Makoto is ruthless, sadistic, and cold-blooded. He strongly believed in the social concept of Darwinism, in which weak creatures were created only to be food for the strong. With the slogan "The strong eats the weak", Shishio always appears mercilessly throughout the Rurouni Kenshin series.

4. Shishio Has No Conscience and Loves to Take advantage of Others

Despite his evil nature, Shishio Makoto seems to be genuinely in love with Yumi Komagata, who also reciprocates those feelings. He also has a dark sense of humour. His dark jokes were delivered to Kenshin claiming that he had colonized and enslaved all Shingetsu Village residents just because he wanted to bathe in the village's hot springs by getting his privacy.

He is also able to form a good relationship with Sojiro and Hoji. Despite this, Shishio still saw the two of them only as a means to an end. He showed no sadness when Sojiro decided to leave him, only seeing him as a tool that could weaken Kenshin. 

5. Shishio is the Mastermind Behind Many Various Crimes

Shishio Makoto displays an extraordinary level of intelligence and insight, making him the mastermind of various evil acts. He is very cunning, able to hide from the Meiji government. Shishio is also quite manipulative and skilled at harnessing one's psychology in order to carry out his goals, as he did with Usui and Aoshi. He also learned from his mistakes by wearing a hachigane or iron headband because in the Boshin War he was defeated with a blow to the head.

6. Inspired by a Real Historical Figure Named Serizawa Kamo, the Leader of Shinsengumi

In the original history, military and police officers were prohibited from entering the shrine area of ​​Mount Hiei which was considered sacred, which is why criminals congregated there. They claim that they are there to seek "religious enlightenment." Because of that, Watsuki made Mount Hiei as the hiding place of Shishio and Juppongatana Rurouni Kenshin.

The main inspiration for Shishio was the main commander of Shinsengumi named Serizawa Kamo. Serizawa Kamo was the leader of the Shinsengumi and used his power for personal gain. Serizawa was killed by some of his own men who wanted to change the Shinsengumi so they wouldn't become an evil organization.

7. Shishio was also Modeled After Genjuro from Samurai Shodown

Watsuki said that his editor wanted him to make "a big arc", which led him to create the character Shishio Makoto. Therefore, according to Watsuki, Shishio did not have a model for his personality. He originally wanted Shishio to seek revenge because it would make it easier for him to express Shishio's disappointment to the Meiji government.

However, Watsuki believed such character motivations would only make the story small. Therefore, he made Shishio determined to get revenge and desire to conquer Japan. Thus the character's background makes Shishio as destructive as Serizawa Kamo from Shinsengumi. The author of Rurouni Kenshin was also inspired by Genjuro Kibagami, a character from SNK’s Samurai Shodown II (ShinSamurai Spirits). Therefore Shishio's appearance before his body burned was very similar to Genjuro's.

Also Read:

• Why Did Rurouni Kenshin The Final Come Out First Before The Beginning?
• There are Differences Between Rurouni Kenshin Movie The Final & Manga Story. Where’s Kenshin’s Father-In-Law?
• 7 Characters in Rurouni Kenshin Movie Who are Real Life Historical Figures!

8. Kenshin’s Hitokiri Successor During the Revolution

After the death of Yukishiro Tomoe, Himura Kenshin was relieved of his secret mission as a hitokiri by Kogoro Katsura, the chairman of the Ishin Shishi. Shishio Makoto becomes Kenshin's successor as hitokiri and was responsible for the murder of I'izuka, the man who had betrayed Kogoro Katsura and the Choshu clan.

However, unlike Kenshin who protects the weak, Shishio only cares about the power he can gain. As a result, the Meiji party decided to use Shishio as a tool to achieve its revolutionary goals. After winning the war, Meiji's side wanted to kill Shishio who was dangerous to the country.

9. Shishio was Eliminated at the End of the Boshin War Due to His Potential Threat

At the end of the Boshin war, the new government believed that they must eliminate Shishio Makoto. In contrast to Himura Kenshin who was thought to serve the purposes of the Meiji Government, Okubo and other Meiji officials concluded that Shishio was an opportunistic sociopath.

Shishio was thought to be using his knowledge of government secrets to plunge the country into chaos for his own benefit. That's why after Meiji's victory in the Boshin War, Shishio was knocked unconscious with a blow to his head, then doused with oil and burned alive by Ishin Shishi.

10. Was Burned Alive But Survived Due to Snow

After being burned and left alone in the middle of the battlefield, Shishio Makoto survived because the snow extinguished the fire. Even so, Shishio suffered so much damage all over his body that he always had to wear bandages to cover his damaged skin and give him a mummy-like appearance.

It also limited the time Shishio could fight. Battles that exceed fifteen minutes can put him in danger of spontaneous combustion resulting from a lack of sweat glands and an abnormally elevated body temperature.

11. His Serrated Sword can Create Fire

Ichi no Hiken: Homuradama is the sword technique that Shishio Makoto uses most often. He created sparks from the friction between his serrated blade and the scabbard, like the mechanism of a match. Oil from human body fat that was often applied to his sword when he had killed another person creates spark.

This move also serves to distract the opponent from his sword. The result is that Shishio's opponent will be burned and slashed at the same time. Even if the opponent dodged Shishio's sword swing, the flames would extend the range and effect of his attack. However, if the sword is cleaned, the technique is useless because the oil that sticks to the sword is the main fuel for the fire.

12. His Gauntlet is Padded with Gunpowder

Ni no Hiken: Guren Kaina is a technique where Shishio Makoto fills his gauntlets with gunpowder, and ignites them with sparks caused by his sword. This move causes an explosion.

Guren Kaina produces great destructive power and is usually done when the opponent is in close range. Although often this move will likely cause damage to the user's hands as well, Shishio's inhuman resilience compensates for it.

Those are the 12 facts about Shishio Makoto, Kenshin's strongest enemy who wants to overthrow the Meiji Government. Do you think there are other Shishio Makoto facts that have not been discussed here? You can share them in the comment section.

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