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Shirou Ogami (大神 士郎 Ōgami Shirō) is the deuteragonist of the BNA: Brand New Animal series by Studio Trigger. He is a Wolf Beastman and works as a social worker in addition of being the first and original Ginrou. He despises humans and fights for the rights of Beastmen. During the course of the series, he acts as the primary caretaker for Michiru Kagemori. He also serves as the main protagonist of the prequel light novel BNA - Zero: Beasts That Can't Become Even Better.
Appearance
In his human form, he has the body of a young man around his twenties, he has pale skin and short white hair with bangs. He has teal/cyan eyes, that are droopy and stern. He wears a light tan trench coat with the collar up, a black sweater, black cropped gloves, a pair of slim dark gray chinos, and dark brown chelsea ankle boots. Shirou wears a dark brown dog collar with a silver buckle around his neck and a matching belt around his waist. In "Anima City" he no longer wears his collar, showing the scar on his neck. During "A Beastly Feast" to "Anima City", Shirou wears a black leather jacket.
In his wolf form, he has white fur accented by teal fur covering his back and the top of his head. He has gray fur on the bridge of his black nose, and a white diamond-shaped pattern on his forehead. He has a small, disheveled mane of fur around his neck that spills out all over. His eyes are still ice blue, and he still wears the same clothes.
As Ginrou, he appears as a cyan and white giant wolf with sharo wing-like protrusions on the shoulder, constantly in a state of luminescence, emitting a cyan light.
Personality
Quiet and stoic, Shirou is very proud to have been born as a beastman and passionate about his brethren; he enjoys living with them and is even moved to see them celebrating the tenth anniversary of Anima City. On the contrary, he despises humans and will go to any lengths to eliminate or disable any humans who disrupt the daily life of Anima City. According to him, any beastman who works for humans, betraying their own race, must be treated as a traitor. He demonstrated this when he breaks Yaba's rhino horn during their confrontation, taking away his beastman's pride. His perspective of humanity eventually changed to better after a fateful encounter with Michiru Kagemori, a young human girl who unexpectedly transformed into a powerful tanuki beastman, albeit from a mutual point of view of an isolated incident in Michiru's case.
After living for a thousand years helping his brethren thus sparing them from the grisly fate his fellow Nirvasyl citizens suffered in the past, Shirou proclaims himself to be the protector of the beastmen, demonstrating a strong sense of responsibility in carrying such duty. As helping beastmen in need is what truly mattered for him to the end, his selflessness saw him caring little if his altruistic deeds inspired other beastmen to worship him as their protector deity. Shirou does, however, aware with the prospect of someone exploiting the legend and belief he indirectly created for their own gain, as shown when he visibly disturbed by the appearance of Silver Wolf Order, a cult seemingly dedicated for his transcendent alter-ego and even had its guru, Nazuna Hiwatashi/Ginrou II, using her beastmen powers to impersonate him unaware that her predecessor is not only exist all along, but also alive and well.
Shirou's greatest fear is being rendered helpless while watching his fellow beastment perished either at the hands of other beings or themselves via. Nirvasyl Syndrome and succumbed to the destructive malady because of it once. He eventually got over it thanks to Michiru's unexpected (or rather unintentional) help where her mutated blood revealed to provide the cure for Nirvasyl Syndrome that plagued every beastmen in millenia. Although he can be fierce and once killed his enemies with vengeance, he has since understood that vengeance only brings him emptiness and will show mercy, only killing when the situation becomes uncontrollable.
History
Barbara: (sees a statue of winged Ginrou still under construction) A Ginrou with wings, huh? It's a little over the top. But, people always trying to make the imitation more flashy than the real thing.
Michiru: Imitation?
Barbara: (nods)Shirou Oogami is indeed the real Ginrou for a thousand years now.
Michiru: (gasps)A thousand years?! Does that mean he has been alive for a thousand years?
Barbara: Yes.
Michiru: I don't understand. He doesn't look that old.
Barbara: In appearance, no. That's because he stopped ageing after he became Ginrou.
Michiru: What do you mean became?
Barbara: The truth is Ogami has always been Ginrou
Michiru: Huh?
Barbara: It's a long and complicated story. (an artistic footage of an ancient Greek city plays as she narrates) A thousand years ago, at the eastern edge of Europe, there was a city called Nirvasyl. It was a place just like Anima City, a place where only beastmen lived. Oogami used to live there as a normal wolf beastman. Back then, beastmen and humans used to trade with each other. Not only they coexisted, they were friends. (the footage changes from a wolf beastman – presumably Shirou's mortal self – exchanges a coin with a human as part of unspecified trade to a horde of Greecian soldiers with familiar symbol begins the siege to purge Nirvasyl) But one day, without any warning, an army of humans attacked Nirvasyl. (we see many of the soldiers slew any beastmen they came across with spears at hand and a rain of arrows, resulting strange lights emerging from their corpses)They killed an entire clan. (Shirou in his wolf form charges upon the soldiers only to be speared by one of them and executed by their victorious general) Then, they killed him too. (the footage changes to reveal a pit in which every single one of slain Nirvasyl beastmen being dumped into as the general left, apparently rallying his force to continue the purge somewhere else) And just like all the others, his corpse was abandoned. (deep within the bloody pit corpses, Shirou's dying body, still with the spear on his torso surrounded by dead bodies of his fellow clansmen and the rest of Nirvasyl inhabitants, started to glow ominously. The lights converge into him as thunderstorms looming over the pit) But then, something strange happened... (the pit violently bursts into an explosion of light and darkness, revealing Shirou, now reborn as the transcendent wolf beastman in his Ginrou form at the center of the still-burning crater, who then howls into the night) I don't know how exactly it happened, but the blood of his 2000 fallen comrades gave him the power and immortality. At least, that's what he believes.
Michiru: No way...
Barbara: After obtaining the power of Ginrou, he searched for the general who killed his clan. He tracked down the army of humans and ended up killing many soldiers. However, he was never able to find the general. (the flashback shows Shirou as Ginrou regaining his senses after looking at his reflection on his last victim's eye, and then the bloody path he made in his quest for vengeance. Reverting to his human form devoid of clothes, he looked on his bloodied hands as the flashback ends) After realizing how empty the vengeance was, he decided to become the protector of beastmen. Not only did he protected them from oppression by the humans, he led them to new lands as well.
Michiru: So, that's how the legend of Ginrou came from...
Barbara: I met him for the first time in Europe. It was in the end of the second world war. (another flasback plays the young Barbara in a cell somewhere at a human research facility) Some countries were trying to analyze the powers of beastmen. They were trying to turn them into bioweapons. In those countries, beastmen were captured, thrown into prison, and used for their experiments. (young Barbara saw a dog beastman being shot down several times by two of the facility's officers. Apparently, a riot breaks out there with its mastermind, Shirou in his Ginrou form, mauls the same officers right before her eyes. Stepping to the bars, young Barbara meets Ginrou who then frees her) That was when we were saved by Ginrou. (young Barbara and Ginrou stumble upon a lab full of disfigured, presumably comatose beastmen, some were either had their limbs amputated or forcefully hybridized in Frankenstein-style) However, when he saw the horrible conditions that the beastmen were subjected to, the one used in experiments, he killed all the humans in the lab. (the flashback shifts to the bloody aftermath of Shirou's fury) After that, he never transformed into Ginrou again. He became afraid of his own strength, so he sealed away the power of Ginrou. You cannot tell anyonw what you learned about him today, understand?Barbara rose reveals to Michiru about Shirou's past.[1].
Shirou was once a mortal wolf beastman and hailed from Eastern Europe, about a thousand years ago in a beastman-exclusive city called Nirvasyl. One day, he and the other beastmans were killed by humans led by Raymond Sylvasta due to the rampage of the beastmen resulted from stress-induced Nirvasyl Syndrome as well as Sylvasta clan's campaign against regular beastmen so as only purebreed variant of their kind that preserved as the supreme rulers of the planet. In the aftermath of the massacre, Raymond made a mistake in tossing Shirou who barely alive into the pit alongside bloodied corpses of hundreds of his fellow Nirvasyl inhabitants; the contact with their blood triggered a miraculous reaction in Shirou's beast factor, allowing him to achieve godhood where the transcendence process being the crude version of Sylvasta clan and possibly other purebred beastmen clans' ritual. As such, he carried souls of his fallen brethren into his very being upon becoming the first and original Ginrou, a phenomenon which endowed him greater power as much as being perceived as the affront to Sylvasta clan.
As Ginrou, Shirou set out to find the general who slaughtered his people, slaying countless human soldiers in the process but was unable to find him. Seeing how pointless his quest of vengeance was, he made amends by protecting his fellow beastmen instead. During the final years of WWII, Shirou rescued beastmen from a research facility, including young Barbara Rose and Kuro. The sight of gruesome results of beastmen experimentation in the same facility enraged him that he slaughtered humans responsible within before eventually suppressed his god powers upon seeing the outcome of his carnage.
In BNA - Zero: Beasts That Can't Become Even Better, prior to the establishment of Anima City, he and Barbara (Natalia) traveled around the world to aid other beastmen.
Shirou is now a social worker for Gem Horner and Melissa Horner of the Animal-human Consumer's Coop by profession. He occasionally works with the Anima City Police as a Special Advisor and as a Special Task Agent for Mayor Rose.
Brand New Animal
Episode 1/Runaway Raccoon
The festival is underway and Shirou cries tears reflecting how he waited a long time for such a joyous celebration to occur for beastmen. Michiru bumps into him and looks with confusion and a weird feeling about him. Before Michiru notices, he disappears into the crowd of the festival. Shirou appears once more to save Michiru and other civilians from the falling scaffolding.
Shirou accuses Michiru of knocking the scaffolding over, to which she denies and informs him that she witnessed a fox sneaking away earlier. He relaxes and smells the air, identifying the path of the fleeing culprit. He apologizes for the misunderstanding and follows the trail while Michiru continues to pursue the pickpocket. They are both interrupted by a large explosion in the city. Shirou arrives at the scene of the explosion and confronts the culprit. A lion and a deer beastman carrying guns suddenly explode out the back of a van, raining a sea of bullets on the wolf. The wolf narrowly escapes the enemy's fire and notes that the culprits are professionals. He smells the air once again and discovers the scent of humans on the culprits.
Shirou furiously exclaims that the terrorists were hired by humans and the terrorists' reply contract work is still contract work regardless of who hires them. Disgusted, he proceeds to criticize and overpower the terrorists. Backed into a corner, the terrorists use the last of their energy to grow massively in size and strength, but Shirou is still able to subdue the two, even tearing off Yamada's antlers. Right when Michiru appears at the scene, the canine terrorist Sato from earlier grabs hold of her as hostage. Unfazed, Shirou jumps behind Sato and repeatedly beats him down.
Michiru calls out to Shirou to stop as the threat is averted and further violence is not necessary. He refuses and says that the terrorists ruined the festival and were hired by humans. He kicks the terrorists once more, but Michiru cries out for him to stop and her tail begins to glow and expand. The tail knocks Shirou back. Although both are shocked, they begin to argue once more; this time Michiru defends the humans and exclaims that she is human too. Unconvinced, Shirou sarcastically remarks her beastman appearance.
Episode 2/Rabbit Town
Michiru insists that she's human but Shirou doesn't believe her, using her appearance as irrefutable evidence she's a tanuki. The cops arrive and find the three festival terrorists bound with a note. The police detective Yuji Tachiki sighs realizing Shirou arrived at the scene before them. Further away, Shirou transforms back into his human form. Michiru is shocked and flustered believing he would be a lot older. She tries but is still unable to transform back to a human again. The festival ends, and all the citizens turn back to their human form as well. Michiru is frustrated that she can't.
Shirou takes Michiru to Gem Horner's house. Gem uses a beastmen marker on Michiru to test if she is a beastman. The marker turns blue confirming that she in fact is. She's frustrated again and insists that she was a normal human a year ago. Michiru asks if there exists a disease that turns human into beastmen, but they both say it's improbable, to her disappointment.
As they settle in for the night, Kuro, Shirou's crow, swoops in through the door crack, collides then lands on an unsuspecting Michiru. Shirou quickly calls the crow back and flatly tells Michiru to sleep soon for an early schedule tomorrow. Melissa apologizes for Shirou's blunt behavior and introduces him to Michiru who's only just learned his name. Hearing his surname Ogami reminded her of the shiny wolf she saw earlier in the night.
Morning of the next day, Shirou and Michiru arrive in the city council where a long line has formed. Shirou announces that he will be leaving and was only informed to guide her to the location, not wait with her. A fight breaks out in the line to Michiru's surprise. Shirou unwavered, tells her that the strong win in the beastman society. The city isn't living up to Michiru's prior expectations. Shirou leaves and meets with Mayor Rose in her office to debrief on the terrorism incident yesterday. Both are disappointed beastmen would resort to such heinous acts for money. Rose ends the discussion by giving one last request to Shirou.
In Rabbit Town, Shirou is outside Gram Grandma's building and scoping the area, and notices a suspicious car pull up to the building. A young man in a blue suit steps out the car and comments that the place reeks of women. Kusakabe, the man in the blue suit, meets with the Grandma for business. In reality, he came to get money from Grandma. She tells him it's not ready yet to his dismay. Kusakabe begins insulting the women and nearly breaks into a brawl with Grandma's lackey before Giuliano Flip, the boss, steps in. Flip asks for the money and Grandma reiterates she doesn't have it. Flip brings up the fact that Grandma is in possession of new animals she can turn over for money. Such information had already become widespread and known even among mayors, to Grandma's shock and frustration. Shirou eavesdrops on the conversation outside the window and leaves.
Shirou tails the gang and Michiru to a shipping port, unable to make an apprehension due to insufficient evidence. Michiru ends up saving the children, but is stopped by one of Grandma's lackeys. The lackey chokes Michiru out, but just as she's about to pass out, Shirou jumps in to intervene. Right before she passes out, Michiru sees a silhouette of a wolf and suspects it's Ginrou. Shirou easily subdues the lackeys while Grandma nonchalantly surrenders. The police arrive a short while later and thank Shirou for intervening before it was too late. Shirou tells the officer it was a request from the Mayor herself.
Michiru confronts Shirou for not saving the children earlier in the day, and he replies he didn't have enough evidence to warrant an arrest. She refuses his answer and begins to cry, anguished at the possibility they would've been shipped away. Shirou reaffirms his promise to save all beastwomen and children. The episode ends with Michiru flashing her ID as proof of her humanity then denouncing beastmen and their culture, promising to find a cure and leave the city.
Episode 3/Rhino Melancholy
Next morning, Shirou sits at his study and smells Michiru's ID card. He observes flashbacks into her past, stretching all the way back to her accident and injury as well as a game winning shot during a basketball game. Shirou finds her outside and drags her back in the storage room and traps her in the room. He's finally accepted Michiru is a human. He doesn't want to start a panic if more people find out her true identity.
Suddenly, Mayor Rose steps foot into the residence and interrupts the two. The Mayor has come to deliver the news of a threat letter sent to Sylvasta. It is revealed that the vehicle explosion was a truck loaded with Sylvasta medicine. Michiru tries to eavesdrop the conversation when her ear elongates into a bunny ear. Apparently, the message in the letter argued that money spent building state-of-the-art Beastman medical facilities should go towards saving humans. The police couldn't find any trace of smell to identify the explosives, so Rose personally visited Shirou for his help. Shirou agrees to aid in the search for explosives. Michiru realizes that she won't be able to find the cure if the hospital is bombed, so she yells for help to the mayor to free her. Rose doesn't hear her, so Michiru transforms into a rooster and bellows for help. She is freed and accuses Shirou of holding her hostage.
Michiru pleads to Rose for permission to aid in the search effort and Rose allows her. The three promise to keep the secret of Michiru's origin in exchange that Michiru drop the hostage allegations. Michiru begrudgingly accepts the terms and is handed a smartphone while Shirou is handed the bomb fragments.
While gazing at the Sylvasta building outside, Shirou begins to tell Michiru the background of the company. Shirou sniffs the bomb fragments and is able to locate all the bombs hidden in the buildings downtown. He notifies the bomb squad that there are 6 bombs and directs Michiru to head towards the medical facility. He reasons that the true target of the bombers is the Medical Center. The task force is underway. Kusakabe and his lackeys corner Michiru, but Shirou saves the day yet again. Kuro ended up notifying and briefing Shirou on the situation. Apparently the gang and medical staff were sneaking in supplies.
An explosion goes off in the Medical Center tower. Shirou forbids Michiru to head towards the tower. Feeling clever, Michiru claims that she's a beastman now, and Shirou is obligated to protect her since he vowed to protect all beastmen in the past. Shirou laughs and lets her tag along. They arrive at the explosion site and meet Mr. Yaba, the Medical Center Chief, and Yuji. Yaba allows them to investigate, but Shirou smells no traces of the explosive.
Shirou, Michiru, and Yuji reach the office of the chief. Shirou says the only way to remove all the scent of the explosive is to use a chemical to do so, likely produced at the medical facility. Michiru also points out that the gang was cooperating with medical staff earlier. Shirou concludes that the chief exploded the lab to destroy all evidence. Because all beastmen leave a residual scent and the chief has no scent coming from his hands, he is the prime suspect for the bombing. Yuji holds out a document stating Shirou's smelling skills are admissible evidence under the provisions of the Special Beastman Territory. They move in to arrest Yaba who transforms into a rhinoceros beastman to fight. Mimura, a chameleon beastman materializes behind Michiru and restrains her. Yaba and Mimura escape with Michiru a hostage. Shirou reaches Yaba and the two brawl. The altercation ends with Shirou crushing Yaba's horn.
Outside on the rooftop, there is a standstill between Mimura and the cops. Mimura is threatening to drop Michiru off the building if he doesn't receive the helicopter he requested. Kuro tries to intervene but fails. Michiru frees herself from the beastman but falls off the building in the process. Shirou jumps and catches Michiru, protecting her from the fall. Michiru thanks Shirou who responds he will protect all beastmen.
Later at the residence, Rose reveals that Yaba and Mimura confessed to blowing up the Medical Center's data system after finding out the higher-ups were aware of their embezzlement schemes. Shirou promises he won't lock Michiru up anymore and Rose stated she will search for a treatment for her. It is revealed that Rose has the first Ph.D. on researching beastmen genetics. Rose continues that while she's a politician, her partnership with Sylvasta may help too. Shirou warns that Sylvasta Pharmaceuticals feels suspicious because his nose is telling him so.
Episode 4/Dolphin Daydream
Investigating further for the recent explosion incident on Medical Center, Shirou searches for Kusakabe. He goes to the docks and finds Kusakabe being punished by Flip and The Family. Shirou keeps his distance from the gang and warns Flip that he has a business with Kusakabe. However, Flip isn't fazed and as a part of the punishment for being spotted by Shirou during the Medical Center and Gram Granma affairs, Flip ultimately throws the rope which is connected with the tied-down Kusakabe toward a moving ship. Shirou, knowing Flip's intention, shouts to stop him but to no avail as Kusakabe is dragged toward the sea. Flip and The Family then leave the docks after their filthy business, with Flip remarking to Shirou that his business here is also over.
Later that day when Shirou is taking a short break on the couch, Melissa knocks on his door saying there's a call for him. Turns out it's Mayor Rose who asks him Michiru's whereabouts while also telling him that the said girl is hanging out with Flip's daughter, Nina, at the mainland. Both of them know that if The Family finds out it'll be a big problem, so Shirou assumes that he'll need to fetch both of them before anything happens which gets a "thank you" from the Mayor, much to his annoyance.
He waits at the wharf and intercepts The Family's convoy before they can travel to the mainland. He demands to talk to Flip, but Flip dismisses him saying that he's busy. Shirou then offers to bring her daughter back for him, to which Flip responds with why will he do such a thing. Shirou only replies that Flip can make a choice between two; leaves her daughter to him or argue pointlessly there. With a grunt, Flip gives his consent, but he'll only wait until midnight, otherwise, Shirou will have to face the consequence.
During the time crossing the sea with Marie's ship, Shirou calls Michiru. He bluntly says that he doesn't care if Michiru leaves Anima City, but he'll need to bring Nina back while also mentioning Flip's plan to start a war with humans because of it. He tells her to figure her way out while he's on the way there and ends the call. Marie, who listens to their conversation, can't help but remark that it's once in a blue moon to see Shirou's entrusting his work to someone else as she quotes that "the sky might as well fall".
As they return to Anima City, Shirou watches Michiru looking at the city and questions her if she wants to return there. Michiru does say she wants to return, but she wants to know more about beastmen. While still on the topic, Shirou mentions her buying something on his tab and says that she'll have to work and pay it back. Michiru retorts while telling him that it's her birthday, and he should've made it a present but Shirou pays no heed as they start a little argument calling each other with petty insults.
Episode 5/Greedy Bears
Early in the morning, Michiru practices basketball with Shirou watching her. He reminds her that she's already able to change into human form, but Michiru answers that it's more comfortable in beastman form. Unable to understand Michiru's way of thinking, Shirou sighs and leaves the place. He heads to City Hall and meets Mayor Rose there. She asks him if he knows a thing or two about baseball and Shirou replies with a negative. However, once Mayor Rose mentions baseball gambling, Shirou is aware that the gamble is held by The Family, and they can't simply interfere with it. Mayor Rose points out that dodo beastmen have gone extinct because of baseball gambling. If the gambles keep going, who knows which species is going to extinct next. She asks Shirou to investigate about it.
As the night falls, Shirou scouts Pizzanimals and witnesses Dante being kicked out from the shop. He asks what he's doing there and Dante flatly responds that he's just eating pizza. Shirou then proceeds to tell him that he's looking for evidence of baseball gambling and asks if Dante can testify. However, Dante only answers that whoever defying The Family won't live, and he'll make his living out of baseball gamble even it means that he'll have to deal with The Family.
As the day passes, baseball games keep going. During one of The Bears match against The Tigers, Shirou takes his time to watch the game and spots Michiru using her power to change part of her body for her advantage in the game; not only partially change her body but even to the point where she extends her arm in public. After the game, Shirou calls her "gorilla tanuki" and reminds her that she has made a promise not to use her power in front of everyone else. He also reminds her that if beastmen find out the truth about her, Anima City will likely disappear before they can find her cure. Michiru chuckles and admits that she finds it fun to help The Bear even though they're mostly "dumb" and she's having fun while playing baseball, to the degree where she also mentions that she can momentarily forget about her beastmen disease.
Continuing his investigation, Shirou scouts Dante's place and finds his desk stuffed with a lot of baseball-related things. With his ability, Shirou tracks down the scent, and he sees Dante's past; being a beastman who loves baseball but teams up with humans ultimately causes him to be unable to withstand the endless insults and results in him throwing murderous violence. Finally, understanding Dante's situation, Shirou intercepts him, who appears to have stolen the money from baseball gambling and hands him a radio where it live-broadcasts the commentator on The Bears final game against Killer Animal. This alone sparks the love of baseball back in Dante as he kneels down and realizes his mistake. Shirou proceeds to take the stolen money and return it to Saotome, the gang boss after easily knocking down his bodyguards. Saotomoe questions why he returns it to him and Shirou only says because he loves baseball, and he also gambles for it.
In the end, Shirou reports to Mayor Rose that he can't find the evidence of baseball gambling.
Episode 6/Fox Waltz
In a morning, Shirou and Michiru start their day and before they leave, Melissa stops them and hands them safety charms, a tradition she and many believes to be an offering anyone should bring in case Ginrou appears before them. Outside, however, Shirou casually eats the offering where Michiru calls him "cursed" for doing that. Shirou simply replies that a deity won't need an offering, thus the charm is pointless. Michiru states that with such behavior, no wonder he doesn't have a friend. At this, Shirou strikes back and asks if Michiru has any. Michiru then starts bragging about her friend, especially one particular friend she calls her besties, but Shirou doesn't pay much mind at her story and leaves her midway to Mayor Rose's office.
Some times later, Shirou and Mayor Rose discuss the rumor about wandering cult called Silver Wolf Order. Shirou senses something fishy in it, and he doesn't like them in the city, but Mayor Rose says that she'll meet them. Later that night, when Shirou is home, Michiru brings her friend with her and asks if her friend, whom she calls Nazuna, can stay. Immediately, Shirou notices that Nazuna is the one from Silver Wolf Order, and he quickly rejects her presence, and with that, Nazuna leaves. Michiru is pissed at his response and wants to go after Nazuna, but Shirou stops her and tells her that Nazuna and her organization is fishy. Michiru scolds him back by saying why she can stay but Nazuna can't then she runs off.
Episode 7/Easy Albatross
After the discovery of the cult and Nazuna as their "leader", Shirou and Mayor Rose continue their discussion. Apparently, Mayor Rose already gives permission for the cult to stay. Bringing another fact that Nazuna shares the same "beastman disease" as Michiru, Shirou speculates if they have infected each other. Mayor Rose replies that if that's the case, they should've infected a lot of people already. She decides to let the cult stays but keeping them under observation. It is then she is notified that she has a visitor, even though she didn't have any plans for one that day.
Alan Sylvasta enters the room and greets both of them, offering a handshake to Shirou. The latter, however, refuses flatly, saying that he doesn't want the human smell on him. Alan then proceeds to talk about the cult's presence and is against the idea of them staying. Mayor Rose replies that if they reject them, then Anima City's purpose, which is open for every beastman, will just collapse, to which Alan counters with his reason that it will give an adverse effect against beastman's modernization if the cult is to stay and only encourages anti-beastman action. He then informs them about anti-beastman movement lately, and also the fact that an unidentified flying beastman has trespassed Japan. In the end, Alan lets the Mayor make the decision, but he'll have to change his opinion depending on the decision.
After Alan leaves, Shirou and Mayor Rose discuss the previous topic, where Shirou calls Alan as "kid" and Mayor Rose tells him not to underestimate Alan just because he's young. With another fact that Anima City's funds directly come from Sylvasta Pharmaceuticals' financial aid, they can't simply ignore Alan's input, but they also have to make the decision either way. A moment later Mayor Rose receives information from Ichizaki that the trespassing bird beastman is likely a terrorist, as Alan said. It's then when Shirou spots the bird-beastmen, Pinga and Michiru flying together, where Shirou mutters Michiru's carelessness for agreeing to fly with him.
In the following evening at their house, Shirou asks Michiru the whereabouts of the bird beastman and Michiru's answer that he has left, much to Shirou's distaste. He then explains that Pinga may be a terrorist. Michiru disagrees by saying that he'll leave tomorrow, whereas Shirou emphasizes that he may do something that night. The information he receives and the fact that there's Pinga in the city can't be a coincidence, so they'll have to find him. Michiru then asks if he can't track him like usual, to which Shirou replies that sky is his weak point; the smell dissipates faster hence there's no trace left for him to follow. Nevertheless, Shirou doesn't give up and leaves to find Pinga.
During the night, Shirou stays on watch on the top of City Hall's building. It is then that he spots a bird beastman, which happens to be Pinga, starts diving toward Mayor Rose's room. He jumps off the building to intercept Pinga and manages to catch his talon. Pinga, who is clearly on advantage, tries to shake him off by purposely dragging him toward the building and grinding him on its surface. At some point, Pinga manages to set free from Shirou's grip, and he kicks him away from the height. As he falls, Michiru miraculously comes to the rescue by shapeshifting her arms into wings just in time, grabbing him before they can fall and fly up to the sky. Both of them, especially Shirou, are utterly surprised at first, but they decide to focus on their objective first, which is to stop Pinga. Michiru brings Shirou in their airborne pursuit and as they close by, she swings him toward Pinga and as the throw makes hit, Shirou brings Pinga down to the ground and quickly disarms him by snatching away his backpack.
Shirou questions Pinga if he's from military, and Pinga confirms it. Pinga also says that the bomb he brings is only a bluff so that Mayor Rose will listen to him. Shirou checks it himself and after knowing that Pinga doesn't actually plan to cause a serious harm, while also with the fact that he hasn't done anything wrong, Shirou tells him to leave. Pinga then entrusts what he is fighting for, which is the tags of his fallen comrades and his attempt to make tombs, to Michiru before telling them another intel that he's not the only bird beastman who is on the move. He calls a name, Meteor, who has been known as a hit-man. Shirou asks him if they have the same target, and Pinga replies that if they do, he should've known. Realizing another possible target, Shirou quickly leaves the place.
Arriving at the Medical Center, they are a bit too late. Alan is held up high at the sky by Meteor, and the latter let loose of his grip as Alan falls from the height. However, that plan comes to a failure when Nazuna quickly acts and saves him. Realizing his mistake, Meteor tries to charge back but Pinga intercepts him. He then delivers a powerful kick that sends Meteor to the ground. Shirou moves quickly to catch Meteor so that he won't run away.
Episode 8/The Mole Rat Speaks
Shirou sees a vision of a ram-like person with a red background, and it is seen of him looking fearful/traumatized. Alan accepts the Silver Wolf Church moving into Amina City, as they saved his life and such. Michiru flies over to Nazuna, and they both have a conversation. Michiru flies back to see what Shirou wanted to speak with her about, and he claims it's to see what the bird's intentions were in jail. Yaba gets a mutation that makes him go berserk, destroying the city. Michiru flies both of them to a secure place with no people to continue fighting. Shirou attempts to bind, mutated Yaba but Yaba breaks free and impales Shirou with his horn. Shirou then gets crushed by his fist, leaving him on the ground. Michiru tries to help Shirou, but Yaba grabs her, almost crushing her when Shirou reveals himself as the True Silver Wolf. Yaba becomes more mutated, and he and Shirou continue to fight. Shirou proceeds to break Yaba in half as Michiru watches in awe/shock. Shirou returns to his beastman form, he falls knocked weakly, Michiru tries to call an ambulance but Shirou tells her not to. Mayor Barbara drives over to check out what was all the commotion, then a Bodyguard is seen taking Shirou to the car to rest. Barbara, Michiru, and Shirou is seen all in a room, with Shirou resting on a couch with bandages covering his body. Michiru ask Barbara is Shirou being Ginrou all along (thus indirectly explained his indifference to the legendary god-like wolf since the two are one in the same all along) , but Barbara is trying to avoid answering. Barbara asks her, "What would you do with this information if it is true?", and Michiru responds with a detailed response mainly with, "I've known he was uncomfortable around humans, so I thought he was prejudiced, but so was I."
Episode 9/Human Scapegoat
Episode 10/Rabid Wolf
Episode 11/A Beastly Feast
During Nazuna's event, Shirou and Flip plan to execute their move on dealing with the Silver Wolf Order. Marie later tells Shirou that the cult is out to hunt him down, and he is surprised to know that Nazuna plans to reveal herself as a former human after he demands Marie to tell him intel. He later picks up a handgun as he believes that finishing off Nazuna is the only option, until Michiru interferes, so he changes his mind. However, he and Michiru still fail to stop Beastmen from going berserk due to Boris's intervention. When Shirou attempts to reduce the damages caused by the Nirvasyl Syndrome-afflicted beastmen, he witnesses the sight of them going on uncontrollable rampage and then them getting shot by Engel Machines that convert them into humans. Such harrowing sight causes him to fall into despair and self-blame, and soon he succumbs to the Nirvasyl Syndrome himself. Michiru wants to wake some sense back into him by giving him a punch, but he goes berserk and inadvertently crunches her.
Episode 12/Anima-City
After accidentally biting Michiru, Shirou returns to his senses upon getting into contact with Michiru's blood, and lets out a mournful howl when he notices her being unconscious, believing that he has killed her until she wakes up. He later joins Michiru to stop Alan's diabolical plan on destroying the city. He becomes incredibly incensed at Alan's selfishness and cruelty, stating that the later has committed an unforgivable sin.
Later, Shirou decides to face Alan heads-on, but he is staggered as the revelation of Alan being a purebred Beastman dawns on him. He is overpowered by Alan who has an equally powerful Beast Form with immortality, slamming onto a building wall unconscious. Nonetheless, he soon recovers and saves Michiru, due to the souls of his brethren inside his body encouraging him to carry on.
Shirou then engages in another rematch against Alan. This time, Shirou demonstrates his true power as a demigod and is able to cancel out most of Alan's attacks. His fearlessness and strength soon drives Alan to succumb to the Nirvasyl Syndrome, but as he is about to finish off the purebred, he chooses to hold back after seeing how Michiru worries about him, knowing that it is unnecessary to kill off someone. Returning to his normal form, Shirou then decides to make Alan bite his arm so that his neutralized blood can cure the purebred, and says that he doesn't want to live with regrets any longer, giving a smile to Michiru.
After his howl has been broadcast around the city, the serum that contains his neutralized blood are given to patients who have listened to his recorded howls. Shirou later apologizes to Michiru who is playing basketball, and informs her that the cure for her has been finished. At first, he is surprised that Michiru wants to remain as a Tanuki, but after knowing that Michiru wants to do something beneficial for the city along with Nazuna, he becomes pleased. He is stunned and confused when Michiru mentions him being Ginrou at the festival, until he understands that she hopes that he can choose his form freely from now on. He later watches Michiru and Nazuna flying across the city, having faith in them being able to make a conducive change to Anima City.
Relationships
Michiru Kagemori
After taking Michiru in to aid with integrating into Anima City, Gem and his wife Melissa decide to allow her to sleep in the same housing as Shirou. Michiru also assists Shirou with his investigations, whether it is by his request or her own volition.[2] After Shirou discovers that Michuru was originally a human, he barracades her within her living quarters out of distrust and fear of the uproar it would cause Anima City if her origins were exposed. Shirou initially berates and loathes Michiru because of her young age and seemingly immature behavior, but over time he begins to lower his sternness towards her and realizes that she only has good intentions towards beastmen, and gradually learns to trust her. During the Nirvasyl Syndrome incident in Anima City, Shirou experiences a memory trigger after witnessing countless beastmen turn into large, mindless beasts and is reminded of the same atrocities he witnessed his fellow beastmen slaughtered in front of him centuries ago in Nirvasyl. This, in turn, causes Shirou to become an enraged feral beast himself, Michiru attempts to recover Shirou, however, out of sheer feral instinct, Shirou grabs her and proceeds to bite deep into her shoulder, seemingly inflicting fatal wounds. This causes him to awaken from his stupor and after realizing his actions, falls in distraught and howls in despair over Michiru who he thinks is dead. He is interrupted by a chuckle, looking to see that Michiru is still alive and has been video recording his howl on her phone in jest. After saving the city, Shirou and Michiru have forged a mutual respect for each other.[3]
Barbara Rose
Years before the establishment of Anima City, Shirou rescued Barbara from a research facility and for a period of time she was his student. [4] He is on good terms with her, often doing many tasks she asks him to do.
Kuro
Kuro is his sidekick whom he rescued from the research facility.
Gem Horner and Melissa Horner
The certain extent of their relationships with Shirou is ambiguous, though it can be assumed that they are on good terms with him.
Nazuna Hiwatashi
Nazuna was not favored by Shirou, and he was suspicious towards her. When his suspicions were confirmed to be right, he warned Michiru and was displeased about Michiru hanging out with Nazuna. But after Nazuna helped him and Michiru to save Anima City, Shirou begins to have some faith in her and wonders how she and Michiru can help humans and Beastmen for the better.
Alan Sylvasta
Shirou is quick enough to realize that Alan is suspicious and up to no good from the moment Alan meets him. He demonstrates strong hostility towards Alan, such as growling and refusing a handshake from Alan. [5] They even face off each other after Alan reveals his true agenda, and Shirou is shocked to realize that Alan is also a wolf beastman. But even after triumphing in his battle with Alan, he decides to show mercy and not kill Alan after seeing the fear in Michiru's eyes at his power. [6]
Abilities
Transcended Beastman Physiology: Once an ordinary beastman, Shirou transcended into a god-like beastman referred as Ginrou after having his souls merged with his other fallen kin, and thus endowed with immense powers beyond ordinary beastman.
- Keen Smell: Shirou has a very keen sense of smell to the point that it outclasses the Anima City Police and thus, is brought in as an "Advisor" to provide better insight to tracking crime. However, he finds it difficult to track any smell from creatures that wander in the sky since their scents have dissipated by the time he tries to sense them.
- Psychometry: At full strength, Shirou can obtain historical memories or sensations concerning beings and objects through their smell. It was through this ability he learned about Michiru's past.
- Supernatural Resilience: Shirou's transcendence into Ginrou endowed him to survive situations that will kill ordinary beastman even in his basic wolf form such as falling several hundred feet from the top of the Sylvasta Medical Center and impacting twice on the way down, sustaining only minor injuries.
- Supernatural Regeneration: In addition to the aforementioned resilience, Shirou's body can heal at accelerated rate. Not only can he heal from even most severe of wounds in the matter of seconds, but he is also implied to be immune to disease. While he initially susceptible to Nirvasyl Syndrome, he later gained immunity to it after he was exposed to Michiru's mutated blood.
- Immortality: After his transcendence into Ginrou, Shirou stopped aging, therefore having eternal life and biological immortality.
- Supernatural Speed: In a head-on battle both as ordinary wolf beastman or as Ginrou, Shirou has proven to be able to dodge bullets and counteract physical blows from other beastmen. He is also able to run at tremendous speed to the point of being able to rescue Michiru from a falling electronic Billboard.
- Supernatural Strength: In head-on battle, Shirou has shown to be able to fight on-par or better than other beastmen using his fists and martial-arts style fighting. He has demonstrated the ability to simply break a Rhino's horn and rip off a Deer's antlers with his bare hands, as well as easily lifting Michiru off the ground with only one hand. As Ginrou, his strength increased to greater levels.
- Multiple Souls: As revealed during his final battle against Alan Sylvasta, Shirou's currently immortal body carries souls of his fellow Nirvasyl inhabitants that afforded him two advantages over his nemesis; the emotional support from his deceased brethren throughout his campaign to protect his fellow beastmen and the ability to stay alive as long as he choose to.
- Wings: The protrusions on the shoulders of Shirou's Ginrou form can be unfurled into wings for flight.
- Ginrou Howls: As Ginrou, Shirou possess two special howls:
- Sonic Howl: For combat, Shirou's howl can be focused into a destructive, laser-like sonic beams that can pierce through even metals like a hot knife agaist butter.
- Soothing Howl: Shirou's howl has an uncanny ability to calm down beastmen even while succumbed to Nirvasyl Syndrome and drove them to howl alongside him. The same howl even quell the chaotic state in beastmen affected by the same disease so as they can be safely treated, thus prevented them from being attacked by Alan's drones.
Quotes
- "Celebrate. It's the festival that beastmen have waited for for a thousand years."[7]
- (To the Three Anti-Beastmen) "You were brought out by humans, huh?"[7]
- (To the three anti-beastmen) "Is that...why you ruined...the festival...?"[7]
- (To the Three Anti-Beastmen) "You bastards aren't even worth using my claws on. My fists are more than enough!"[7]
- (To the Anti-Beastmen Deer) "You, who lost pride of a beastman...you don't need the pride of a deer!"[7]
- (To Anti-Beastmen Wolf) "Whose life is done you said?"[7]
- (To Michiru) "Don't try to stop me. These guys ruined the festival."[7]
- (To Michiru) "Humans are enemies to this city."[7]
- (To Michiru) "How long do you plan on staying that way? Hurry up and change back into a human. You can't?"[8]
- (to Michiru) "Don't say something so human like."[8]
- (To Michiru) "Younglings like to show off their power.... The stronger one wins. It's a simple rule."[8]
- (To Barbara) "Those guys are a disgrace to beastmen."[8]
- (To the women and Gram Grandma) "There is no forgiveness for those who sell beastmen to humans, even if it's a woman."[8]
- (To Michiru) "There was no evidence yet, the only way to arrest them was to catch them in the act."[8]
- (To Michiru) "I never miss, I will protect every beastwoman and child."[8]
- (To Michiru) "I finally understand that you were a human, your existence is dangerous. People would panic if they found out that a human can turn into a beastman. Don't go until we find out the details. I'll be bringing you food."[2]
- (To Michiru) "There are rumors that SYLVASTA Pharmaceutics is collecting beastmen data and making a profit off of it. Not all beastmen are welcomed there."[2]
- (To Gang Members attacking Michiru) "Go, I won't kill you. Not today, that is."[2]
- (To Mr. Yaba) "We investigated the place of the incident, we couldn't confirm any traces of the culprit, It's not just the culprit, there wasn't a single smell at the scene. That's impossible. It's impossible go have all smell disappear under normal circumstances. You have the chemical to do such a thing, after all. Mr. Yaba, in this laboratory you go create such a thing, isn't that right?.... You can always reach the culprit if you follow the residual smell left on the scene. Because there are no smell-less beastmen. But at the crime scene, there was a period where there were absolutely no traces of any smell. And your hands are lacking smell right now. Ever since the lab was blown up."[2]
- (To Mr. Yaba in beast form) "To you who abandoned the pride of a beastman, this horn is useless!"
- (To Michiru) "I won't die."[2]
Gallery
Trivia
- Shirou's mobile phone number is [5128-8814|(040) 5128-8814].[2]
- 040 numbers in Japan are decommissioned.
- If you read the numbers in Japanese, it will be read as [5こ 1い 2つ 8は 8や 8ば 1い 4よ] ([こいつはやばいよ]), which means [This is dangerous].
- Shirou has another name revealed on BNA - Zero: Beasts That Can't Become Even Better, which is Abiyad [アビヤッド]. It means white in Arabic.
- Shirou's office number was obscured but if it does start with the 029X- prefix, it's the same as Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan, next to Tokyo.
- Shirou's true nature as the transcended beastman under the name of Ginrou was foreshadowed through some points in the series noticeable only for astute watchers, such as superhuman abilities beyond average beastmen (including surviving the fall from extreme heights), increasing concern and suspicion toward Silver Wolf Order, and him nonchalantly consuming bacons intended to be offering for his divine alter-ego.
- When he transforms into Ginrou his color scheme and design bear some resemblance to Godzilla.
- Shirou's VA, Yoshimasa Hosoya, is known for voicing Robin from Fire Emblem, Gaius Worzel from Trails of Cold Steel, Yashiro Tsurugi from Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Reiner from Attack on Titan, Fumikage Tokoyami from My Hero Academia, Sousuke Yamazaki from Free!, Asahi Azumane from Haikyuu!! and Lance from Pokémon Generations.
- Yoshimasa Hosoya is also a famous singer, meaning Shirou is the second character that can sing in real life (first being Michiru).
- As Ginrou, Shirou sports silver eyes and turquoise aura.
- There is an unconfirmed theory that Shirou was based on a character called Yugo Ogami from Bloody Roar.
Etymology
- Ogami (大神) means god or deity. It may also be a reference to the word 狼 (okami, wolf).
- Shirou (士郎) is a masculine name and sounds like the word for white (白, shiro). It's also a homophone to 白狼 (shirou, white wolf).