Shinomori Aoshi
The genius young Okashira of the Oniwabanshū who swears to kill Battosai for the title of the strongest.
Shinomori Aoshi (四乃森 蒼紫), known in Western order as Aoshi Shinomori in the English version of the anime, is a fictional character in the Rurouni Kenshin manga series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is the genius young Okashira (御頭; literally "the head", as in "leader" or "boss") of the Oniwabanshū group for Edo Castle. After the Meiji Restoration, Shinomori alone was offered rankings in the military, but instead of abandoning his comrades, he decided to work with them for Takeda Kanryū. This decision leads to the death of his comrades and his defeat by the former assassin Himura Battosai from the IshinShishi, which results in driving him mad. Shinomori swears to kill Battosai at any cost in order to gain the title of "the strongest" and bestow this title upon the graves of his fallen comrades.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Rurouni Kenshin
- First
- Rurouni Kenshin Act 16: Megumi
- Kanryū
- and...
- Creator
- Nobuhiro Watsuki
- Portrayed by
- Yusuke Iseya
Lore & Background
Shinomori Aoshi is a ninja of the Oniwaban, who worked for the Shogunate government during the Edo period. At the suggestion of Kashiwazaki Nenji (better known as Okina), Shinomori was given the position of Okashira at the age of fifteen, in time for the Oniwabanshū to defend Edo Castle. As a member of the Oniwabanshū, he helped to raise Makimachi Misao from childhood. Misao, who was his protegee, developed a strong admiration and romantic feelings for him. Aoshi's weapon of choice is a kodachi, a sword described in the series to act like a shield because its light weight makes it easy to block with. He originally used only one of these short swords for defense and relied mainly on kenpo for his offense, but later used a two-sworded style. Among several from his Kodachi nito Ryu, the Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren (回天剣舞・六連; "Spinning-Heavenly Sword-Dance Six-Series" or "The Dance Of The Wheeling Sword Six Successions") is the strongest. After the revolution, since a few members of the Oniwabanshū were unable to adapt to life in the Meiji era, Aoshi and these members worked for the corrupt, power-hungry business man, Takeda Kanryū instead. During the early chapters of the manga, the Oniwabanshū work to capture doctor Takani Megumi under orders from Kanryu for his opium business. This leads them to clash with Kenshin and his allies. As the oniwaban are defeated by Kenshin and his friends, Kanryu betrays them and tries to kill them. Aoshi is the only survivor who escapes to become stronger to kill Kenshin and obtain the title of the strongest in favor of his dead subordinates.
Reader's Guide
Shinomori Aoshi is a grandmaster and Okashira of the Oniwabanshū shinobi. His weapon of choice is a kodachi, a short sword that acts like a shield due to its light weight. He originally used only one kodachi for defense and relied mainly on kenpo for offense, but later adopted a two-sworded style. His strongest technique is the Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren (Spinning-Heavenly Sword-Dance Six-Series). Aoshi's character was created by Nobuhiro Watsuki as a new rival for the protagonist, based on Hijikata Toshizō, the Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi. Watsuki describes the version of Hijikata that inspired Aoshi as "a bundle of raw combat-instinct who keeps fighting until the very death." The addition of the Oniwabanshū occurred during the "last minute," and Watsuki found difficulty writing Aoshi since he had not resolved a "concrete image" for him. Watsuki used no specific design model for Aoshi, but added fringes (bangs) to his design as the image of Hijikata grew stronger. Aoshi's coat was based on a Western comic Watsuki refused to specify. In the animated adaptation, Shinomori is voiced by Yoshito Yasuhara in Japanese and Terrence Stone in English. For the live-action films, Yusuke Iseya portrayed him, training with two swords for four months before his debut in shooting Kyoto Inferno. Iseya found several challenges when acting and fighting at the same time, and the superiors told him to make a calm Aoshi.
More in Characters & Swordsmen
Elsewhere in Rurouni Kenshin
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