#dude shishido is the first character i've written an essay about in a while

[netheritetanto]

TW://sexual assault, abuse

Kosei Shishido is a character that I have seen misrepresented in many aspects. I figured I would go ahead and represent what he actually stands for and the reasons for his always imminent betrayal. 

Shishido has, in many aspects, lived a life close to Kiryu’s. He seems to be obsessed to a point with Joryu. He sees right through the exterior of that obviously fake codename. He sees the strength. He sees fully realized the type of man he wants to be, despite the Daidoji label marked deep into his skin. Kiryu still holds a space and carries the weight of the Dragon of Dojima as plain as the clothes on his back. That type of room captivating awe. That mere respect that no one really truly had shown him before was standing right in front of him and he was frustrated at the thought someone would strip themselves of a weight as powerful as that of Kazuma Kiryu. As we move through the story, you feel a profound sense of sadness weighing down on his shoulders. Knowing the yakuza world, it is easy to ignore this. The way he holds himself. The oni mask… Why would someone so powerful in build and bulk and someone who wants power hide their face from the light of day? Then we meet the puppet master. 

Nishitani Homare III. A character who I rightfully despise, has taken control from Shishido in every possible concept. A former Jingweon Mafia member himself, he knew the importance of the weight of a name. Of appearance. Of merely existing in a circumstance that had never been born for him to inhabit. He has a stolen name, but not a stolen face. A name that has actual meaning in the yakuza world. He uses it disgracefully to the original owner, Homare Nishitani. I guarantee if Homare knew about the 3rd he would tear him to pieces. As I say this, I shift back to Shishido. His face, pockmarked, dragged, mangled by something. You notice this immediately after the mask comes off. It is a defining feature of a face that is exceptionally handsome. You wonder if this is the only part of his body to hold these deep pits categorized as scars. The pain that he must have felt as the weapon sliced his skin couldn't have been less than searing, white hot. Then Nishitani III unleashes his true villainy. He has Shishido under lock and key. His dog. He’s collared and it was hard to hear such a thing. Why? How? 

Shishido was born under a different name. A name that held less weight than dog shit on the bottom of your shoe. He was sold into slavery by his father to the Kijin Clan, forced from fifteen to be in death matches in their coliseum. The more matches he won, the more he caught the attention of the person who oversaw these fights. Nishitani III. He was caught in his “good grace” to ultimately be taken advantage of. Tortured. The scars on his face held that weight. Sexually abused. His mind held this tightly, as you see in the particularly hard to watch cutscene of one of Watase’s guys openly commenting and making fun of him for. This went on for decades a “living hell” that “broke his mind and body”. What did he have to do other than fight? What could he do when he lost, facing the 3rd and hoping he would hopefully do the least amount of damage to him. When did his mind break? Did it take a while of the abuse? Or did he withstand some of it, only to be broken by another thing forcefully done to him? In any case, even the name Watase gave him, with time, degradated and withered. He felt less and less like a human and perhaps more like a monster. An oni, perhaps? Forced and fed into violence, striking down those who would hurt him, would hurt his abuser. This is why he feels betrayed and ultimately would betray Kiryu, his name was not enough for him and he needed to know why. 

Shishido, crushed, broken, tired. He was everything when he went into the building to retrieve the note that was to end the Omi Alliance forever. The place that had given him his name, although now it felt and rang hollow, couldn’t end just like that, right? He was dumbfounded. Heartbroken, even. How could they do this to him? How could they get rid of this for everyone who had gained a name from their somewhat twisted profession? What about the legends? What about title and rank and bosses and underlings? He was even somewhat worried about what that meant for Nishitani III even despite everything. He had given him power, even if it was lesser than he would have wanted. The “murder” of the 3rd was framed as a mercy. As if he survived, what would happen to the dissolution plan? Although this pissed Kiryu and Tsuruno off, at least he was gone. Until he wasn't. 

The full villainy of Shishido is overwritten by his extreme grief and hatred. He was about to lose another name, one granted by the people who had saved his life and given it purpose. Who else did he have to turn to other than his abuser, Nishitani Homare III. Who also suspected Joryu’s real nature. Whose name symbolized power in the Kijin Clan. Who could overturn the dissolution with sheer numbers, if he desired. Kiryu was their shared enemy. Kiryu was also their ultimate downfall. Joryu isn’t a man. He is a concept. A ghost. When you have hauntings, who do you call? Well, Shishido and the 3rd saw themselves as Ghostbusters of sorts. If he was revealed to be alive, what would happen to the things he was trying to protect? No one knew, but it was a point of contention. If they could get the Dragon of Dojima behind them, if they could reveal he was still alive? The dissolution would come falling down with them. This is the end to which the means are defined. Shishido had to protect his abuser because he had lost every other thing that had given him the little power he did possess. The collar tightened around his neck and with it, he lost his power again.

After Kiryu defeats Shishido, there is nothing left for him. I’m sure he knew, somewhere. Deep down he would lose. But he went down fighting with everything he had. But little did he know he wouldn’t die there. An even worse fate awaited him and his abuser. They were both taken to become Daidoji, to become complicit to their ways, even if they had to keep them half alive to do so. I can only imagine the terror as Shishido wakes up only to find he’s lost not only his name, but his rank and power along with it. The dissolution went off without a hitch. Kosei Shishido was a dead man and to top it all off? He was to be in this organization with a new name, new rank. He would have to fight to be back at the top, although the top is different in Daidoji’s books. There is no top. You are either a good agent or a bad one. The realization he was to spend probably the rest of his life chained to his abuser while simultaneously chained like a dog to the Daidoji was one I could only imagine caused the worst pain in him. I fear it may have even made him complicit to the Daidoji, which will have to be figured out with the release of Infinite Wealth. I hope there is a way to save him in some way, as I think he does deserve peace. 

#yakuza #like a dragon #like a dragon gaiden #shishido kosei #nishitani iii #kiryu kazuma #yuki tsunoda #dude shishido is the first character i've written an essay about in a while #he means so much to me and also his story #whew boy #do heed the tw because i do go into it a bit