Shishinki

Shishinki (死神鬼（ししんき）, "Ogre of Death") was once one of Tōga's opponents. He was a powerful oni daiyōkai. His powerful and original Meidō Zangetsuha was taken by Tōga and turned against the demon, ripping half of his head off. Shishinki hides the missing portion of his head behind a mask, concealing the severe damage inflicted by Tōga. Wielding his staff, Shishinki is able to open numerous portals which suck their victims straight to hell itself. It appears that Shishinki's Meidō Zangetsuha is too small to allow him to escape from hell as Tōga's son, Sesshōmaru, was able to send himself into and out of hell with an incomplete but larger Meidō Zangetsuha.

History

At some point, Shishinki battled and wounded Tōga, but he had his face cut in half, along with his technique being stolen. It was hinted Shishinki was left for dead as Myōga did not expect him to have survived the battle. For nearly 200 years later, he sent his assistant to one of Tōga's sons Sesshōmaru, along his companions Rin, Jaken, A-Un, and Kohaku to him.^[1]

As Shishinki is attempting to banish Tōga's sons to the underworld, while both Tessaiga and Tenseiga are pulsing, Sesshōmaru unleashed the technique that Shishinki was shocked that Sesshōmaru's Meidō have achieved a complete circle and swallowed his Meidō, but the Tenseiga supposed to be incomplete. Shishinki is being sucked in, and before he has been banished to the underworld, he was surprised to see both of the swords glowing. Which that make sense to him, and he's pitying to Sesshōmaru what Tōga did was "cruel".^[1]

Personality

Shishinki was a very cocky opponent. In his encounter with Sesshōmaru, Shishinki took great pleasure in teasing him about his inability to master the Meidō Zangetsuha and also about the fact, first disclosed by him, that Tenseiga was an incomplete sword - merely a castoff from Tessaiga. The revelation had a great impact on Sesshōmaru. Even Inuyasha and his friends, who joined to watch the fight, agreed that, if true, Shishinki's allegations would suggest great disregard on the part of Sesshōmaru's father towards his elder son.

However, Shishinki's cockiness lead him to underestimate Sesshōmaru. The dog demon was able to replicate his father's disfigurement of Shishinki's face with his mere claws and, in resonance with Inuyasha's Tessaiga, he managed to form a gigantic, full-circled Meidō, to Shishinki's disbelief. Ultimately Shishinki was cast into hell by his own technique.

Physical description

Shishinki appeared as a young adult male with red eyes that had cat-like slits, elven ears, light purple hair, and a pale complexion. His most distinguishing feature was his mask, which covered the missing half of his face after Tōga cut his face in half, allowing the former to steal Meidō Zangetsuha.

His attire consisted of a black uniform (the style of which implies Chinese origins), hakama, and a large tuft of black fur on his right shoulder. Two black tassels extend from his shoulder pauldrons and drape to the ground behind him. The outfit was completed with a set of red armor plating, arm bands with dark markings decorating it, and a gray sash around his waist.

Powers and abilities

• Expert staff specialist: Shishinki showed respectable skill in wielding it against Sesshōmaru during close quarter combat and thus was able to fend off the younger dog demon when he got close.
• Expert strategist: Shishinki knew when an advantage in battle presented itself where he repeatedly taunted Sesshōmaru about how Tōga chose to pass Tessaiga to Inuyasha as a sign that he rejects Sesshōmaru to psychologically unhinge his opponent. This had work in that Sesshōmaru became rather reckless in the battle due to his internal turmoil from his father's intentions that nearly led to his and Inuyasha's deaths were it not for the Tenseiga resonating with Tessaiga to complete his Meidō Zangetsuha.
• Immense demonic power: Shishinki was a very powerful daiyōkai as he was the first one to use the Meidō Zangetsuha that required extremely high yōki to use or else the demon is consumed by the jaki of hell involved in its usage. He was able to fight against the Great Dog Demon many years ago and later on nearly killed both Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha simultaneously.
  • Meidō Zangetsuha: As he was the originator of the Meidō, Shishinki used the technique with extensive flexibility. While Shishinki's were smaller than the ones Sesshōmaru and Tenseiga produced, they were a complete circle and could fire off multiple ones at a time. He could also cancel Sesshōmaru's incomplete Meidō by summoning one of his own and firing it straight at his.
• Immense endurance: Shishinki was extremely resilient as he survived having half of his upper head taken away by the stolen Meidō Zangetsuha cast by Tōga many years ago and continued living to this day to exact revenge on his sons.
• Enhanced durability: Shishinki was very durable where he recovered in mere moments of Sesshōmaru stabbing into the missing part of his head that was taken the Meidō Zangetsuha stolen from him by Tōga.
• Enhanced agility: Shishinki showed himself to be very fast and agile where he dodged an attack made by Sesshōmaru aiming towards the ground he was standing by doing an acrobatic back flip off the ground.

Weapons

• Staff: Shishinki wielded an iron staff with a gold ring at the tip and a moon at the pommel; it was with this staff that Shishinki channeled the Meidō Zangetsuha.

Quotes

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Trivia

• Shishinki's name is written with the kanji for "death", "god", and "oni", which is a type of Japanese demon. "Death God" is a fitting name for someone who can send his opponents directly to the netherworld.
• Shishinki is be based on the Shinigami, supernatural spirits that invite humans toward death in certain aspects of Japanese religion and culture. Shinigami have been described as monsters, helpers, and creatures of darkness. Shishinki being the originator of the Meidō Zangetsuha which could banished his victims to hell is proof of his connection to Shinigami.
• Despite the gaping wound in his head, no visible damaged flesh can be seen when Shishinki removes his mask, showing only complete blackness.
• His mask is similar to that of in The Phantom of the Opera.
• In episode 21 of Hanyō no Yashahime, Kyūki and Konton reported to Kirinmaru that Tōga have been wounded from battling with Shishinki and Ryūkotsusei in Kamakura.

Media appearances

References

Dog Yōkai
Daiyōkai	Tōga • Sesshōmaru • Sesshōmaru's mother
Hanyō	Inuyasha • Towa Higurashi • Setsuna • Moroha (quarter)
Allies	Bokusenō • Hōsenki I • Higurashi family • Kaede • Jaken • Kohaku • Myōga • Rōyakan • Saya • Sea God • Seiten • Kujaku • Tōtōsai • Mō-Mō • Miroku • Shippō • Kirinmaru (formerly) • Zero (formerly) • Riku • Rion • Spirit of the Tree of Ages • Akuru • Hisui • Nanasuke • Rokuta
Enemies	Hyōga clan (Hyōga • Menōmaru) • Naraku • Panther tribe (Panther King) • Ryūkotsusei • Shishinki • Shitōshin • Takemaru • Shikyō • Kirinmaru (currently) • Zero (currently)
Locations	Kagome and Inuyasha's house • Sesshōmaru's mother's manor • Stone tomb • Tōga's tomb
Unique Items	Bakusaiga • Black Pearl • Meidō Stone • Robe of the Fire-Rat • Sō'unga • Tenseiga • Tessaiga • Hoshikiri no Fue • Rainbow Pearls • Kyūyōkon Root • Kikujūmonji • Kurikaramaru • Kanemitsu no Tomoe • Windmill of Time • Pinwheel • Yukari no Tachikiri • Zanseiken