First appearance: Battle 7
Age: 29-30
Height: 192cm
Weight: 110kg
Type: Dou
Type: Katsujin Ken
Martial Arts: Karate (specializes in Mutenkendoku-style)
Sakaki Shio is infamous as the 100-Dan Street Brawler and one of Ryozanpaku's masters. He initially refused to take on disciples, but gradually warmed up to Kenichi—and now he's probably the one most worried about the kid, even if he'd never admit it.
On the surface, Sakaki comes across as arrogant, violent, and drinks too much. Honestly though, he's arguably the most grounded of the Ryozanpaku crew. He's naturally intimidating without even trying, which throws him off whenever someone points it out. That tough exterior hides a genuinely kind person underneath, one he's terrible at concealing. He's also a bit hot-headed and, ironically, a bad liar—which Kenichi has definitely called him out on.
There's something almost endearing about his weaknesses. He gets stage fright and falls apart if he's the center of attention. The guy became a nervous wreck posing as Miu's father at a parent-teacher conference, and he's hopeless with kids at first—his intimidating presence just makes them cry. Though after some effort, he actually warmed up to them and remembered all their names.
With Kenichi specifically, he's genuinely the nicest he gets. He's often the only master checking in on the kid's condition during fights or when he's in trouble. Yeah, Sakaki acts distant and harsh, but it's clear he cares—he pushes hard because he needs to. When Kenichi manages to impress him, Sakaki rubs his finger under his nose, genuinely wondering when this kid became someone worth respecting.
Sakaki grew up studying karate under a Sei-type master, including the Muntenkendou style that defines his technique. His only family was an older sister who raised him. The problem was his master—a Yami member who wanted Sakaki to join the organization and embrace karate's "true" lethal applications. Sakaki couldn't do it. He was against killing, and that fundamental disagreement strained everything.
Early on, he met Hongou Akira and the two clicked immediately, becoming close friends and fierce rivals who'd constantly test themselves against each other while taking down street thugs. Then in his late teens, Suzuki Hajime showed up asking to become his disciple despite being only a few years younger. Sakaki turned him down flat—disciples weren't his thing—but Suzuki followed him anyway. When Sakaki found Hongou getting jumped, Suzuki proved himself by stopping the attackers with actual skill, even taking bullets to protect him. That earned both Sakaki and Hongou's respect instantly, and the three became inseparable. Suzuki became their unofficial referee, eventually racking up 125 wins each for Sakaki and Hongou before they stopped counting.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
