Difference between revisions of "Shiki Ichimonji"

EN: Matt Hill

Shiki Ichimonji is somewhat of a well-known name amongst the students of Gekkoukan High School. Aside from his ultra-flashy fashion choices, the boy's major claim to fame is having been the artistic prodigy behind the manga series, "Captain Rebellion". While it has since been cancelled, the intrepid youth still aims to become famous for his drawing prowess as well as protect the world from what threatens it! With his great enthusiasm, strong will and heart of gold, it's almost as if Shiki himself stepped right out of the manga pages... However, beneath his brave exterior lies a sensitive boy, trying to hold on to his dreams and find his place in a world not nearly as black and white as he wishes it was.

Goggle Boy, Read the Entire Man's Life Series Overnight, The Pen is Mightier than Anything Else, Now This is just Getting Meta, Very Specific Genius, But Was it Really Such a Good Idea?, This is the Form of my Courage!!

• Shiki grew up in Inaba. He moved away about three years ago to settle down in Port City. He has since basically lost touch with everyone he knew from there.
• The only video game console Shiki has ever owned was a Sega Saturn, which he still has in his dorm room. He really likes Burning Rangers, and thinks Segata Sanshiro is actually a real person.
• While his grades can go pretty much all over the place depending on various factors, one subject Shiki is consistently bad with is english. Like many fellow mangaka, however, he's sure he's got things under control when it comes to cool catchphrases.
• Shiki secretly owns several identical fire jackets. One set has been customized for combat, with extra padding and inner pockets tweaked to conceal Evoker, knives and pens while keeping them accessible. The other, "casual" set retains all the pens (for... some reason) but has much deeper pockets that hold about as many useful (and less useful) knickknacks as Batman's utility belt. Either way, the thing is heavier than it looks. Shiki thinks of it as "gravity training", whatever he means.
• Shiki is secretly Baseball Ranger Red, leader of the Baseball Rangers.
• Thanks to his involvement with DVA System matters and ability to inspire others, Shiki had been promoted to the position of field commander within SEES, with Itsuka as his second. Hopefully he will not go mad with power!
• Shiki tends to start referring to people his age on a first-name basis very quickly. He stays pretty formal with his honorifics, though.
• With Captain Rebellion cancelled, Shiki is now officially out of a job!! Holy crap! On the upside, this has cleared up his schedule significantly, giving him time to attend club (manga, kendo and baseball) meetings, see his friends, study and save the world without slowly going insane as a result. He still hasn't stopped drawing, though, and keeps a certain tendency to push himself. Luckily for him, though...
• Shiki drinks Powerthirst.
• Also, coffee. He totally drinks it black in a cup with flames on it because he is a badass dude, or at least that's what he says.
• Starting from a certain point, almost all of Shiki's scenes have had him introduced with a TITLE IN ALLCAPS next to his name. For some reason. Some sum up his character well, some are about his state at the time of the scene, and some have nothing to do with anything. They have all been immortalized as part of a rotating chantitle on the Public channel!

• Weapon: Silver Anchovies - Don't actually look that much like anchovies, but Shiki likes to call them that. Much more lethal than they sound. A birthday present from Thora.
• Body: Fire Jacket+ - Shiki's trademark jacket, customized for combat. Grants no actual fire resistance. Parameters somehow improved by the addition of a "utility belt" from Himeru and fingerless gloves from Yuuka.
• Feet: Ordinary Shoes - ...Still nothing to write home about.
• Accessory: Goggles - Never seen without them. The lenses have been modified by Teddie, but they give no special effects or stat boosts.

Shiki's Persona is Gawain, one of the Knights of the Round table. He appears as an animated suit of shining silver armor that, probably influenced by Shiki's imagination, bears many resemblances to medieval-themed giant robots. Has cool, light-up eyes visible through its helm, and a large green scarf as well as a pair of deployable thrusters allowing it to hover or even fly for a short time. It wields an elaborate-looking (and transformable!) greataxe. It uses a wide array of physical skills and light-based attacks, which are fired either from its axe or the very skies above. Its prowess in combat may or may not be influenced directly by flashy theatrics. It can also fire its fist like a missile.

Even when unsummoned, Gawain has an ususual effect on Shiki. As in some versions of Arthurian legend, the knight is energized by the rays of the sun, but at its weakest after sunset. This doesn't translate too much to Shiki himself, who has not even noticed it yet, but thanks to this he's a lot more energetic during daytime (especially when it's sunny) and tends to feel slightly less comfortable during the night. Furthermore, the Dark Hour's draining effects are more pronounced on him than on almost everyone else with his level of experience.

See also: Captain Rebellion

Since his first appearance on the grid, Shiki has been the author behind Captain Rebellion, a biweekly series published in the Shounen Super manga anthology. As of December 4th, 2009, the series has officially been cancelled, and Shiki has stated no official plans to resubmit a new series anytime in the near future. The series has enjoyed a good run, however, with four action-packed volumes still on sale! Tell a friend!

In order of first appearance!

• Maki Sonomura: It's weir-- Friendship will do. An artist from St. Hermellin High, one of the very first people Shiki met after his manga debuted. This chance encounter could have been forgotten in the passing months, but wound up the catalyst for a series of very strange events during the Mikage-cho incident. The exact specifics will not be retold here, but Shiki now wants to be her friend, despite (or because of?) the fact that she might just hold the key to unmaking all existence.
• Minato Arisato: Healthy respect. Gekkoukan High's inexplicably charming quiet boy and SEES field leader. Shiki met him through shenanigans involving 4koma he drew, but now he feels a little bad about that. Officially recruited him into SEES, and led teams including Shiki out of trouble more than once. AKA Baseball Ranger Blue.
• Thora Kobayashi: Admiration. A very scary girl from Inaba, apparentice at Daidara Metalworks and ally to both SEES and the KDA. Their relationship got off to a rocky start, but all was forgiven when it was revealed Thora reads the manga Shiki draws. She's since saved his life on his first foray into the Dark Hour, and supported him in many ways big and small. Calls her "Thora-senpai" despite knowing she's a fellow first-year. Shiki recently learned a dark secret regarding her, but chooses to keep on trusting her, as strange as even he admits that might be.
• Aigis: Trust. A strange girl from Gekkoukan, secretly SEES' secret anti-Shadow weapon. Shiki bumped into her and fought alongside the droid both on the battle and baseball fields many times now. Greatly trusts her as a teammate and is very grateful for the role she played in rescuing him in Mikage-cho, but has had few opportunities to get close to her beyond this. AKA Baseball Ranger Yellow.
• Fumiya Watanabe: Casual friendship. An exuberant boy who originates from Port Island but is currently staying over with his grandparents in Inaba. Known for his unusual neon clothing, strange fixation on the eighties and tendency to attract trouble. Was recently trapped in the TV, but rescued by a team that included Shiki, who realized the two had far more in common than he originally thought. Shiki is very grateful for the role the cool boy played saving him in Mikage-cho, but hasn't had the chance to catch up since.
• Shirou Sekigawa: Casual friendship. A sickly-looking boy from Inaba, affiliated to the KDA. Shiki once challenged him to an epic shooting arcade game duel. Shiki technically won, but declared that this would be the start of a friendly rivalry. Exactly how or why, no one is quite sure. Seems rather close to Thora, though Shiki doesn't know exactly how much yet.
• Shinjiro Aragaki: ( ' < quack. SEES' resident atoning loner badass. Was there to witness Shiki first summoning his Persona, and since helps train the boy. Now has become a sort of mentor (and maybe even parental) figure to Shiki, who in turn has taken it upon himself to help solve the many problems troubling his senpai. Shiki learned much about his senpai's darker side after a horrifying Midnight Channel dive, but chose to keep regarding him as a hero. The two have recently shared a few secrets, making Shiki happy he was trusted with them.
• Hideo Aratami: ?!?!? Would-be heroic knight from Kasugayama High. Originally got along well with Shiki due to similar idealism. Since then, a dramatic series of events involving Shiki and Itsuka led to the boy being trapped inside the Midnight Channel and subsequently becoming Shadow-possessed. Shiki dueled him, lost, and was brought back home safely by Hideo himself and another nice boy. Was assured that the knight was perfectly fine despite his condition, but even Shiki has trouble believing this, even though Hideo was one of the people present to rescue him from Mikage-cho.
• Akatsuki Enda: Admiration. A Gekkoukan High graduate and SEES member, who excels in basically everything. Has helped Shiki salvage his school grades many times, proven himself to be quite the badass in combat, and given Shiki a valuable dating tip or two.
• Itsuka Mizuhara: ~Teenage love.~ A fellow second-year from Gekkoukan High and SEES member. Met Shiki while studying with Akatsuki, later became friends after the boy stealthily tried to draw her. Have gone on too many adventures together to count now, founded SEES' official unofficial "Eclipse Squad", and are now officially dating. AKA "Tsuka". The two have shared many secrets since, and Shiki has gained new insight into the girl's more troubling sides. However, her apparently genuine desire to become a better person as well as her perseverance in rescuing him from Mikage-cho have prevented the boy from even considering turning her back on her.
• Hinata Itoh: Friendship. Fellow second-year and SEES member. The youngest of the Itoh sisters, who is part of the baseball and manga clubs along with him. One of the few people who can match his levels of enthusiasm. She has proven herself many times in trying to save him from Mikage-cho, and was part of the team that wound up freeing him. Shiki considers her a more valuable friend than ever. AKA Baseball Ranger Pink.
• Yoshiro Yoshino: Friendship. Another fellow second-year and SEES member, reckless courier. First summoned his Persona using Shiki's Evoker, more or less saving the day, more or less as intended. Was invited to be part of Shiki and Itsuka's so-called Eclipse Squad, and is now officially a member even though he might not take it as seriously as the other two. Shiki used to have a hilariously clueless disregard for Yoshiro's well-being, but some planetary alignment may have caused this trend to reverse.
• Ran Itoh: Friendship. Gekkoukan High graduate, SEES member and employee of the Lucky 7 convenience store. Seems to enjoy an unusually close relationship to Shinjiro, which Shiki is all too pleased to encourage. Her friendly and cheerful demeanor make her easy for the boy to get along with. Was both rescuee and rescuer in the same Midnight Channel dive, displaying tenacity that won the boy's admiration.
• Miwa Saitou: Casual friendship. Seven Sisters High graduate. Has been run into a few times under varying circumstances. Dates Akatsuki's nice twin brother, has an affinity for the occult, and can most probably be considered trustworthy.
• Himeru Namikawa: Friendship. A fellow second-year at Gekkoukan High. A very peculiar girl whose behavior seems to hover between two extremes, both of which initially puzzled Shiki more than anything else. Her involvement in rescuing Shinjiro and later Shiki himself have caused Shiki to completely rethink his view of her and gladly accept her as a friend despite her unsettling quirks.
• Shinsuke Kusagawa: Friendship. New pal and Itsuka's nice long-lost twin brother. More info forthcoming in actual social links update!

• Akito Ichimonji: Father. The Hanged Man. A well-meaning but nervous salaryman who often lets pressure get the best of him. Works for a magazine company.
• Yurika Ichimonji: Mother. Justice. A larger-than-life prosecutor with a flair for the dramatic. Tends to be strict but remains extremely friendly.
• Kinzo Ichimonji: Grandfather. The World. A somewhat famous painter. Deceased.
• Bruno-san: Father's friend. The Chariot. A foreigner and man of few words, with a memorable voice and mountain of muscles. Somehow Akito's coworker and best pal.
• Captain R: The Hero. Judgement. The hero of Captain Rebellion, created by the DVA System during the events of the Mikage-Cho plot.
• Dark O: The Villain. Death. The villain of Captain Rebellion, created by the DVA System during the events of the Mikage-Cho plot.
• Ikki: The Narrator. The Magician. A child version of Shiki, created by the DVA System during the events of the Mikage-Cho plot.
• That Freaking Raven: Annoying Bird Stalker. ??????. caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw caw

Shiki was born to unloving couple of Apathy Syndrome victims, who raised her to act like a boy while her twin brother was spoiled in anticipation to his gaining leadership of their family's Yakuza branch. She was forced by her sadistical grandfather, Kinzo Ichimonji, to undergo intense artistic training at gunpoint, literally whipping her into a genius artist and murderous sociopath by the age of seven. Driven to madness, she killed her twin brother with a poison-coated pen, accidentally inheriting his Persona, Gawain. The deranged girl's increasingly bizarre account of the event, soon involving shape-shifting lizards and futuristic technology, were madly scribbled into a sketchpad that would become the storyboard for Captain Rebellion. The jacket, or at least the original design, once belonged to her brother, whose personality she unconsciously borrows. Her cheerful and disarming demeanor are only a front meant to lure in potential allies while she quietly warps the world into a supernatural nightmare from within the core of the DVA system. The goggles hold no special significance.