Shutenmaru

Biodata

Background / History

Before serving Kozuki Oden, Ashura Doji was a notorious bandit who ruled Kuri. Oden subdued him single-handedly, after which he became Oden’s retainer. The intelligence describing this history and his crimes was independently checked by Yamato with Shimotsuki Yasuie and Hyogoro 42.

After Oden’s death, he adopted the name Shutenmaru and established the Atamayama Thieves on Atama Mountain. His gang robbed traveling merchants and impoverished villages, while his stronghold sheltered criminals from other settlements. Orochi repeatedly attempted to eliminate him, but those expeditions failed and cost the shogun men 38 42.

Despite returning to banditry, Shutenmaru still anticipated the time foretold by Lady Toki. His surviving followers knew he had a mission to fulfill and urged him to escape because only five years remained until that promised time 45.

Appearance

• Build: Bulky and slightly bloated, but capable of astonishing bursts of speed 42 43.
• Hair: Pink 43.
• Distinctive presentation: Appears at the grain-convoy raid reclining on the back of a black bull, with a sword at his waist 43.

Personality

Shutenmaru is hot-tempered, territorial, and unwilling to let an attack on his authority go unanswered. Good correctly predicts that he will retaliate against the suppression army rather than hide. Shutenmaru himself regards the convoy massacre as a warning necessary to preserve his reputation and control of Atama Mountain 42 43.

His brutality is directed largely at people without powerful protectors: peddlers, laborers, and poor villagers. Nevertheless, he expects samurai to fight openly and honorably, condemning the fire-and-gunfire assault on his stronghold as shameless 43 44.

He treats his followers as brothers and is devastated by their deaths. During the convoy ambush, he prioritizes getting them to safety; later, he tells Ushimitsu Kozō to abandon him rather than remain trapped together. His grief ultimately becomes an overriding determination to kill Good 43 45 46.

Abilities & Skills

Swordsmanship

Shutenmaru overwhelms the Oniwabanshu ninja in direct combat. Good considers him capable of fighting Jack on equal terms and describes him as Oden’s strongest warrior 43 47.

• Cuts down Daikoku in a single exchange, leaving a wound that nearly bisects his upper body 43.
• Injures Wind Blade, Thunder Blade, and Chiyome while breaking out of their encirclement 43.
• Releases a slash wave that clears a path through surrounding samurai 45.
• Clashes with Good’s greatsword, producing shock waves strong enough to keep nearby samurai from approaching 46.

Physical Strength and Speed

His heavy build conceals considerable mobility and raw power 43 45.

• Moves behind Daikoku before the ninja can respond to his sword strike 43.
• Sends numerous samurai flying and forces Daikoku backward despite his own severe injuries 45.

Endurance

Shutenmaru continues fighting through successive wounds, but the accumulated damage steadily reduces his effectiveness 43 45 46.

• Escapes the convoy ambush with arrows, shuriken, burns, and sword wounds across his body 43.
• Survives the stronghold assault and a stone spike piercing his foot 45.
• Fights while suffering blood loss and further stab wounds, though Good observes that his exhausted condition no longer poses a serious threat 46.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sword — His principal weapon, used for close combat and projected slash attacks 43 45 46.
• Black bull — His mount during the raid near Boro Town 42 43.
• Dynamite — A concealed red tube with a burning fuse, detonated beside Good in his final attack 46.

Relationships

• Kozuki Oden — Former lord, who subdued him and made him a retainer. Shutenmaru recognizes Oden’s sword techniques when his rescuer uses them 42 46.
• Atamayama Thieves — His followers and self-described brothers. The final three sacrifice themselves to give him an opportunity to escape 43 45.
• Orochi — Longstanding enemy whose previous attempts to suppress him failed. Orochi sponsors Good’s campaign hoping to benefit regardless of which side wins 38 39.
• Good — Commander responsible for destroying his gang. Shutenmaru seeks revenge and believes Good could become the Kozuki faction’s greatest enemy when the foretold time arrives 43 45.
• Daikoku — Enemy ninja whom he gravely wounds during the ambush. Daikoku later stabs him from behind while he is fighting Good 43 46.
• Ushimitsu Kozō — Rescues him and refuses to abandon him. Shutenmaru realizes the masked thief is a fellow Red Scabbard but does not learn which one 45 46.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Bandit-Suppression Campaign

• Orochi proposes Shutenmaru as a target for Good and Yamato, hoping they will either eliminate the troublesome bandit or suffer defeat themselves 38.
• Good accepts and obtains funding and troops. The assembled expedition includes five hundred samurai and four Oniwabanshu ninja 39 41.
• Good also uses Shutenmaru’s criminal record to challenge Yamato’s idealized view of Oden and his retainers 42.

Grain-Convoy Ambush

• Shutenmaru leads dozens of bandits around the army’s camp toward Boro Town. They attack a supply convoy, killing its visible samurai guards and pursuing the fleeing farmers 42 43.
• Samurai concealed beneath the wagon tarps counterattack, killing nearly half the bandits in the opening exchange. Shutenmaru defeats Daikoku and escapes the other ninja, saving only about a third of his men 43.
• Yamato follows the fugitives’ blood scent to their stronghold, allowing Good’s army to locate it 43.

Destruction of the Stronghold

• Good delays until the exhausted bandits rest. At 1:45 a.m., his forces set the mountain ablaze and fire flaming arrows into the stronghold 44.
• Fire and gunfire reduce Shutenmaru’s hundred-odd followers to three. Their final charge gives him an opening, but Good’s stone spikes block his escape westward 45.
• Ushimitsu Kozō intervenes with Oden Two-Sword Style, destroys the spikes, and carries Shutenmaru away 45.

Final Stand and Aftermath

• The pair are surrounded at the mountain’s foot and fight back-to-back. With his rescuer occupied by Yamato, Shutenmaru charges Good despite his worsening wounds 46.
• Daikoku stabs him through the chest from behind. Shutenmaru then detonates dynamite, attempting to take Good with him; Good survives behind a rock barrier, while Shutenmaru dies 46 47.
• His corpse is displayed during the army’s triumphant return to the Flower Capital. Orochi announces the Atamayama Thieves’ destruction and holds a victory banquet for Good 47.
• The rescue attempt gives Good grounds to connect Ushimitsu Kozō with Oden’s surviving retainers, leading to suspicion of Kyoshiro 47 48.

Notable Quotes

“Don’t underestimate a samurai!” 43 46

“Run. Leave this to me!” 46

“Die with me, pirate!” 46