Shiki Tohno

Shiki Tohno (遠野 志貴, Tōno Shiki^?) is a member of the Tohno household living in Souya. He possesses the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Mystic Eyes that allow him to see "death."

Shiki is the main protagonist of the Tsukihime Remake series.

Profile[]

Background[]

Shiki is originally a member of the Demon Hunter clan Nanaya, being the son of the head of the Nanaya clan Kiri Nanaya, until its eradication by Kouma Kishima. During the night of the massacre of the Nanaya clan, Shiki was awoken by an unusual commotion. His family are acting strange, they are being awfully noisy, but he cannot understand why. In a dream-like state an unknown woman's voice calls out to him, telling him how things could have been different. His family was being massacred, but he was simply a child, so he couldn't understand. Before long, it was his turn as well, Kouma turned towards him, but his mother covered him, protecting him from Kouma's killing blow.^[2] However, he was later adopted by Makihisa Tohno due to him sharing the same unisex name with Makihisa's eldest son, Shiki (四季, SHIKI^?), becoming the adoptive brother of SHIKI Tohno and Akiha Tohno.^[3]

Seven years before the start of the game, Shiki was involved in a life-threatening accident, which led to anemic symptoms and left him with a large scar on his chest. Due to these symptoms, he suffers from frequent collapsing and fainting. Although Shiki did not know it, the Tohno family's demon blood led to inhuman urges in all its members; every descendant eventually became insane from its effects, a process called "Impulse Inversion". When this happens, the person loses all ability for conscious thought and becomes a monster with only the mind to kill and consume others. One hot summer day as Shiki played with his brother SHIKI and sister Akiha, SHIKI inverted without warning, and immediately attacked Akiha. Shiki managed to shield Akiha at the cost of his own life; the wound that SHIKI caused by piercing him in the chest became the large scar that Shiki would bear from that day forward.^[4][3]

It is the duty of the Tohno's family head to police demon activity in the area, and specifically to execute any Tohno who underwent inversion so that he or she cannot do the sort of damage that such inhuman beings inevitably do. Makihisa arrived on the scene immediately and, without a second thought, killed his own son. However, neither Shiki nor SHIKI died that day. Although Shiki did not know it then, his sister Akiha provided him with half of her own life force, keeping him alive. In turn, SHIKI instinctively stole half of Shiki's borrowed life force to avoid his own death. It is this lack of energy that causes Shiki's anemic tendencies.^[3]

Sometime later, Shiki woke up after being in a coma. The doctor tells him its a miracle that he is alive. He was in an accident and was basically considered dead. But more than anything, what Shiki wants to know from the doctor is why the hospital is full of scribbles everywhere. The doctor, talking behind his back, starts to suspect brain damage. One day, Shiki tries tracing the scribbles of his bed, and without any resistance, it breaks apart. He is spotted by a nurse and then scolded by the doctor. Yet when they ask how he did it, his story about tracing the scribbles is treated as a lie.^[5]

One day, he gets fed up with the hospital, and runs outside until he comes unto a wide plain. There he encounters an unusual red-haired woman. She is called Aoko Aozaki and is willing to talk to the day on equal terms, without treating him as a child. Thereafter, Aoko and Shiki continue meeting upon the plain outside the hospital. One day, Shiki shows off his unusual ability. Before he can destroy the tree, Aoko slaps him and tells him off rather harshly. She explains that he should never use his ability to destroy, but promises to help him. The next day, Aoko brings him a pair of glasses. When Shiki puts them on, he notices that he can no longer see the lines and is overjoyed. He declares that it's almost like magic, to which Aoko responds that she actually is a Magic-user. Aoko tells him his ability can see the end of things, and that the ability is his to use as he will, despite her earlier harsh words. Shiki understands it is the last he will see of her as he parts from the plain.^[5]

Shiki is attending high school in the 2010s, being a student at Metropolitan Souya High School.

Appearance[]

Personality[]

Shiki is an amicable individual and a normal high school student most of the time. Due to his close brush with death, he is not overly concerned about dying, and instead seeks to cherish every moment of his life - 'just living is enough' is his perspective on life. He has a remarkable amount of empathy, not having much of a problem placing himself in the shoes of others, such as when he empathized and felt regret for the life and eventual fate his adoptive brother SHIKI suffered. He is also very forgiving, examples of this include the time he forgave Ciel for attempting to kill him and seemingly manipulating him and also towards Arcueid who attempted to harm Shiki and drink his blood. Because he sees death due to his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Shiki values living and experiencing it. Many of Shiki's values were taught to him by his Teacher, Aoko Aozaki.^[5]

He has a darker side, that of his bloodline's, the Nanaya. The instincts and skills he had learned at a young age are buried deep within Shiki and have proven capable of manifesting themselves in dire situations, such as in his battle against Vlov Arkhangel. Although not on the level of an alternate personality, the Nanaya side of Shiki is the highly trained killer within him and thus is much colder, composed and calmer. Only once has his Nanaya side surfaced in a similar way to that of an alternate personality, and that was under great stress and a very difficult situation for Shiki. The other times, Shiki is merely filled with a desire to kill, and instinctual knowledge on how to do it. Due to the murderous impulses he was born with Shiki's behavior can change from being friendly and kind to someone who follows his libidinal drive, want for violence and lust for killing, this only happens when he comes into contact with supernatural beings. Despite fixated on death and killing, with the mere prospect of it bringing him the utmost joy, he displays somewhat normal interactions with people like Miyako Arima and Hisui, even Noel when she is yet to be a Dead Apostle in Ciel's Route.

Role[]

Tsukihime[]

Arcueid Route[]

Ciel Route[]

In the Normal End of Ciel's route, when Shiki stabs himself to kill Roa, Ciel sacrifices her own life to keep Shiki from dying from his suicide attempt.^[6][7] It ultimately ends with Shiki training to becoming an Executor after being recruited by Mario Gallo Bestino in hopes that he can find a way to bring Ciel back to life before he himself dies as well.^[7]

Melty Blood: Type Lumina[]

Noticing that tonight's moon was ominous, Shiki decides to patrol the Tohno Mansion.^[8] Outside the mansion, he encounters Noel trespassing on the Tohno family grounds. After conversing with her, Shiki decides to engage in combat against her.^[9] Later on he encounters Vlov Arkhangel who Shiki accuses of being behind the vampire disturbances in town. Vlov denies being responsible for the 'sorry' state of town. Shiki states that the sight of a vampire is enough to make him almost lose himself in anger. Upon Shiki's statement, Vlov remarks that the wounds may have faded, but the scars remain. Both decide to engage in combat, with Shiki ending up the victor.^[10] Later on, Shiki remarks that he would rather not be facing such an opponent again. Deciding to rest, Shiki notices a blond woman walking. He, the vessel known as Shiki Tohno, heard something shatter. Shiki realizes that the night is not over yet and that at that moment his real destiny with the vampires began.^[11]

Abilities[]

Combat[]

Shiki's primary weapon is a small knife, a relic of the Nanaya family named Nanatsu-Yoru (七夜, Nanaya^?, Seven Nights). It is a switchblade with a plain hilt, with its blade and hilt of a length around 10cm. The blade can alternately be called the Nanaya, taking after Shiki's real surname. The meaning of the name is the same as well as the kanji.

Because of his Nanaya training as a child, Shiki possesses excellent physical ability, capable of feats comparable to at least an Olympic-level athlete. As a child, Shiki was taught some of the Nanaya Assassination Arts by his family, but he stopped training with them around the age of 10 and eventually forgot them. Despite this, he still subconsciously remembers his training, and is able to instinctively call upon his childhood skills. Shiki displays remarkable skill with his knife, such as being able to easily cut down Vlov's hounds and The Dead.^[12][13][14] Shiki is able to react and respond quickly towards attacks that are both long range and short range.^[13][14] He is also a formidable tactician, being able to come up with well thought out plans to take down his enemies.^[13][14] Shiki is capable of quickly figuring out his opponents' attacks, defenses and maneuvers.^[13][14] He also has some training in stealth.^[13][14] He possesses the Nanaya family's characteristic murderous impulse against non-humans, but this appears to be, in most cases, a controllable impulse that is mainly meant to enhance his Nanaya Arts. In Type Lumina, several of Shiki's and Aoko's moves strongly resemble each other's, implying that Aoko taught Shiki some martial arts.^[15]

His endurance has a ceiling due to his limitations as a human, and his battle style usually involves guarding and dodging until the chance for a decisive attack presents itself.^[13][14] When he is in dangerously close proximity to death, his Nanaya persona resurfaces and he regains the basic Nanaya Arts that he lost from Makihisa Tohno's hypnosis. As Shiki Nanaya, he becomes an assassin who is focused completely on eliminating his target. In this state, it seems that he is even more difficult to kill than usual; however, this is merely a facade. All he does is ignore any sense of pain or threat to his life in order to kill his target through sheer force of will; this creates the illusion that he is somehow capable of delaying his death for as long as he needs to.

Dr. Arach remarks that Shiki's body is specialized for bursts of movement; his bones are lighter than the usual human, almost like a bird's, and his muscles are structured unusually. However, as she made these comments under the belief that Shiki was a half-oni like his adoptive sister, it may be a misjudgment.^[16]

Mystic Eyes of Death Perception[]

A special power that awoke in Shiki Tohno as the aftereffect of an accident seven years ago. Mystic Eyes that can apprehend "the lines vulnerable to death" ー the concept of a "time of death" inherently contained within all things.^[17]

As opposed to the "physical phenomena that can be attained through modern technology", it is a "phenomenon that cannot be attained no matter what". Tracing these "lines of death" allows for the target to be severed and killed (in this case it is not the cut that kills, but death resulting in the target being cut).^[17] It is comparable to Magic, bypassing causality and conservation of energy to actualize death.^[18]

Although Shiki can suppress his power to a level that doesn't impede his daily life thanks to the Mystic Eye Killer glasses he once received from his teacher (Aoko Aozaki), the same cannot be said for when he runs into extreme situations. Ultimately, it becomes possible to not only see the "lines" and "points" of living and inanimate things, but also the death even of space and existence.^[17]

In the Normal End of Ciel's route, Mario Gallo Bestino states that he estimates Shiki has about a decade left to live before he succumbs to the side effects of his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.^[7]

Vampirism[]

In Ciel's route, Shiki becomes the new host of Roa after the death of his seventeenth incarnation SHIKI, due to the spiritual link between the brothers. As a result, Shiki slowly becomes a vampire and thus gains the advantages of a Dead Apostle, such as enhanced strength, speed, senses, and regeneration. His physical abilities further increase dramatically at night; he can run fifty kilometers per hour, leap up to twenty meters in the air, and jump thirty meters between buildings.^[19]

As he remains partially human, Shiki cannot survive the same wounds a full vampire like Roa could, and he still needs to breathe oxygen.^[7] Relying on his vampiric abilities accelerates his body's transformation; in the True End, it reaches the point where Shiki's body will not return to normal even after Roa is gone.^[20]

As Roa's strength grows, Shiki becomes able to speak with him and see his memories. This also allows Roa to offer Shiki advice and criticism during battle.^[20]

Magecraft[]

In the True End of Ciel's route, Roa's possession enabled him to use gravity-based magecraft through Shiki, aiding in his maneuverability by redirecting the trajectory of his falls toward specified objects. Shiki is later shown to be able to do this on his own even after Roa dies. He uses the nerves in his left hand as makeshift magic circuits, and risks burning them to ash if he overuses the ability.^[19]

References[]

Tsukihime characters
Main characters
Shiki Tohno (Remake) • Arcueid Brunestud (Remake) • Ciel (Remake) • Akiha Tohno (Remake) • Hisui (Remake) • Kohaku (Remake) • Satsuki Yumizuka (Remake) • Len • Michael Roa Valdamjong (Remake)
Secondary characters
Arihiko Inui (Remake) • Aoko Aozaki • Barthomeloi Lorelei • Crimson Moon • Dr. Arach • Enhance • Goto Saiki • Gransurg Blackmore (Remake) • Karius Berlusconi • Kouma Kishima (Remake) • Mario Gallo Bestino • Merem Solomon • Mr. Dawn • Mio Saiki • Narbareck • Nanako • Noel • Nrvnqsr Chaos (Remake) • Shiki Nanaya • SHIKI Tohno (Remake) • Vlov Arkhangel • Yuugo Ando
Minor characters
Akemi Yamase • Akira Seo • Brainwashing-Detective • Caubac Alcatraz • Curry de Marche • Eco-Arc • Forte • Fake Shiki • Hanei Misawa • Ichiko Inui • Keiko Arima • Kiri Nanaya • Magical Amber • Maiko Yamase • Makihisa Tohno • Master Panda • Mecha-Shiki • Neco-Arc (Remake) • Neco-Arc Bubbles • Neco-Arc Destiny • Neco-Arc Evolution • Phantas-Moon • Sougen Jinan • Souka Tsukihime • Tokie Jinan • Tonami Kugamine • Tsukasa Shijyou
Melty Blood characters
Miyako Arima (Remake) • Dust of Osiris • Mech-Hisui • Neco-Arc Chaos • Night of Wallachia • Red Arcueid (Remake) • Riesbyfe Stridberg • Saber • Shiki Ryougi • Sion Eltnam Atlasia • White Len

Vampires
Dead Apostles
Ciel (Remake) • Curry de Marche • Jester Karture • Lord Rozay-en • Maiko Yamase • Noel • Odd Borzak • Satsuki Yumizuka • Shiki Tohno (Remake) • SHIKI Tohno (Remake) • Sion Eltnam Atlasia • Shirley • Tarantella • Third Crusade Dead Apostle • Zepia Eltnam Atlasia
The Twenty-seven Dead Apostle Ancestors (Remake)
Primate Murder • The Dark Six • Brunestud of the Crimson Moon • Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg • ORT (Lostbelt • Xibalba) • Rizo-Waal Strout • Einnashe • Forest of Einnashe (Remake) • Fina-blood Svelten • Altrouge Brunestud • Nrvnqsr Chaos (Remake) • Louvre • Stanrobe Calhin • TATARI • Dust of Osiris • Van-Fem • Rita Rozay-en • Gransurg Blackmore (Remake) • Trhvmn Ortenrosse • Enhance • Zaria Offenbaum • Vlov Arkhangel • Merem Solomon • Sumire • Chromclay Petastructure • El Nahat • Be'ze • Caubac Alcatraz Michael Roa Valdamjong (Remake)
True Ancestors
Altrouge Brunestud • Arcueid Brunestud (Red Arcueid • Berserker • Remake (Eco-Arc • Archetype: Earth))
Lamyros
Wolfgang Faustus
Others
Akiha Tohno (Remake) • Hinako Akuta • Baobhan Sith • Carmilla • Child of Einnashe • Euryale • Medusa • Sion Eltnam Sokaris • Stheno • Vlad III (EXTRA • Apocrypha • Berserker)