Gen-An Shiranui

  

 

BIO:

He is a member of the Shiranui clan who has the blood of demons and follows the "way of darkness". He is considered the strongest warrior in his clan by some, which has caused him to be extremely confident, declaring himself a "king", when in reality he is just a minion amongst the masses. He's also considered very handsome by his clan members as well. Despite his bold proclamations for the sake of evil, Gen-An is mostly a light-hearted character who just wants the best for his family.

In the first Samurai Shodown, he believes that he should be the ruler of all demons and goes out to kill Amakusa.
He seeks to enlighten his progress in the "way of evil". To this end, he travels Japan, killing anyone he can. During his travels, he was killed by an unknown female ninja (very high chance this is Ayame).

A year later (in Samurai Shodown 2), his soul was revived by Mizuki, the leader of the Demon World. He was told that if he works for her, she would give him a second life. Although Gen-An agreed, he planned to kill her any chance he got and take her place.
In his SS2 ending game, he is convinced by his wife, Azami, to return home and live in peace. It appears Gen-An also admires Haohmaru, as he is seen parodying him during one of his win poses. Gen-An is also comically and ironically "rumored" be Mai Shiranui's ancestor, as they share the same last name.
 
genan-ss2fix.jpg (33797 bytes)             genan-samurai2.jpg (58184 bytes)             genan-samurai1.jpg (872203 bytes)             genan-samurai-shodown-6-tenka-artwork.jpg (92142 bytes)            
 
 

genan-family-samurai-shodown.jpg (352570 bytes)                       genan-manga-shirou-ohno.jpg (242286 bytes)            genan-sam1.jpg (291924 bytes)
 

ORIGIN:
Samurai Shodown

  
          
 
 
                                               
   

OTHER APPEARANCES:
Samurai Shodown 2, Samurai Shodown 6, SNK Vs. Capcom: Card fighters Clash, SNK Vs. Capcom: Card fighters Clash 2

 
.                    genan-samuraishodown2-ending-todoh-cameo.jpg (53399 bytes)                          
 

Page Updated:  July 8th, 2023

SNK's early answer to Blanka? Definitely, but while Gen-An's rolling special move was certainly a nod at Blanka's (not to mention the greenness), he's a very original design in many other ways. His laugh? His evil personality? And most of his moveset? 100% original... and a very memorable character from his series. Gen-An's badass claw weapon in particular is a distinctive part of his design and moveset. 

A charismatic "freak" for his series, Gen-An's hilariously insane-sounding voice is pleasingly creepy. Gen-An is yet another SamSho character who is truly brought to life by his awesome voice actor (Eiji Yano). While he may seem simple at first, there are so many cool details about Gen-An's design. I've always loved how you can hear his claw 'rattling' during gameplay... what a cool effect and intimidating for the opponent. A character who can bring that level of "onscreen presence" can really add a lot to a fighting game. That said, Gen-An brings respectable color and flare to Samurai Shodown. On a side note, Gen-An can be used very effectively in SS1/SS2 (not sure about SS6) and is a very fun character... he's no pushover!

Fighting  Style  /  Moveset
Personality  /  Charisma
Outfit(s)  /  Appearance
Effectiveness  in  series
Overall Score