Shizumaru is a young boy who has
no memory of his past, and the main protagonist of Samurai Shodown 3. He
doesn't even remember his name, so he named himself after his sword. Because
he was deemed a "demon's child" since childhood, he lives and
survives alone. The only thing
Shizumaru remembers is the vision of a demon
and a red field of vision. In order to find out what happened, he travels
around Japan searching for the demon. He eventually finds Zankuro
and kills the demon. But after he slays Zankuro, he realizes the demon
within himself. Soon after, he senses the spirit of Zankuro again in the
Amakusa
castle. To slay Zankuro for good, he heads for Amakusa castle.
During the events of
Samurai Shodown V, he was taken in as a servant by a noble young couple.
The husband leaves to fight in the war at Hinowa, leaving his wife, Hakana,
under Shizumaru's protection. Pregnant, Hakana wants to return to her father
(who Shizumaru doesn't know is Youkai
Kusaregedo) for shelter. Shizumaru, assured she is safe, feels obligated
to help in the war. When the battles are over, he is rewarded a hefty sum of
gold for his efforts. He leaves for home but is stopped by a man who calls him
Yaiba. Despite Shizumaru's denial, the man insists that he is Yaiba and that
"his family" misses him. Shizumaru chooses to stay with his master
and flees. Unfortunately, his master dies in the war and Hakana is eaten by
her father. Due to the trauma he has suffered, he labels anything malicious,
be it person or mannerisms, as a "demon".
He respects Haohmaru,
who inspires him and teaches him the philosophy of the sword at an early age.
Shizumaru seeks to defeat Zankuro and supposedly avenge his family's death. He
and Haohmaru slay Zankuro. After the events of Samurai Shodown IV, he
confuses the remaining blood lust within him as a "rampaging demon".
However, he comes to accept his "demon" as a natural part of himself
and makes peace with his past. Shizumaru
was originally believed to be loosely based
off of Himura Kenshin from the manga Rurouni Kenshin, but the creators
stated that his visual model was Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho.
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