Shira
Shira is a cold-blooded killer and member of the Mugai-ryū, best known for murdering Magatsu Taito's close friend O-Ren. He's a sadistic psychopath who gets sexual gratification from torturing and killing his victims, with a particular fixation on young women.
His descent into obsession with revenge started after a failed ambush on Anotsu went sideways. When things fell apart, Shira turned on his own attackers—hacking off limbs with the saw-blade edge of his sword—and attempted to rape a prostitute caught in the crossfire while mutilating her. Rin tried to intervene but he knocked her aside. Manji showed up and managed to sever Shira's hand before he escaped. The trauma from cutting his own flesh and sharpening the bones into spikes caused his hair to turn white.
That lost hand became the obsession that defined him. His quest for revenge against Manji escalated so far that he betrayed the Mugai-ryū itself, which led to Shinriji's death. When Magatsu Taito finally tracked him down—traveling with Manji specifically to find him—Shira lost his remaining hand in their battle.
These days Shira's locked in the same prison as Manji, with a predetermined list of opponents he has to face before he's allowed to fight him directly. He's already lost an eye since then, but he's found a brutal new weapon: Manji's severed arm. He's also gained the bloodworms, giving him the same regenerative abilities as his nemesis.
His signature weapon is a ninja-to called Hotosogi ("Woman Shadow Eraser"), with a saw edge running down one side. He typically uses the regular blade to cripple opponents by cutting off their legs, then switches to the saw to dismember and inflict maximum suffering. The name has a darker second meaning—the kanji for woman and shadow together form the character for vagina.
He first appeared in Dark Shadows part 2 and was officially named in part 3.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
