| Introduction |
"I'd swear I'd endure this. But your ability and its 'correctness' taught me something... Everybody's heart has limits. I know I said you were an angel but you're more than that. You've come down upon this battlefield as an 'Angel of Death'." |
Shunzen[4] Tachihara (
Appearance[]
He had short dark brown spiky hair. During battles, he wore the typical military uniform consisting of military clothing, a hat, and boots. He also wore a dog tag. He had two white bandages on his face: one on the left side of his forehead and the other one on his lower left chin.
Personality[]
He always wore a calm expression and gave off a quiet aura. He was thankful and kind to the young Akiko Yosano's help in saving them during the war. He even fondly referred to her as an "angel" and kept a tally of the number of times she saved him, which at some point reassured her. He was also quite humble, considering his ability as nothing grand compared to Yosano's ability that can change the world. Shunzen was also sharp with the information he accessed as a private, able to deduce Ōgai Mori's motives for bringing Yosano into the battlefield despite not being explicitly told of this purpose.[5]
Shunzen decides to give up on fighting in the unending war.
To a degree, Shunzen held strong determination and resolve, but his and his fellow soldiers' prolonged exposure to seemingly unending war eventually broke his spirit to continue fighting. This led him to call Yosano an "Angel of Death" and deemed her too correct. Even in his final moments, he usually thought of his family, as seen when he asked Yosano to send them his goodbye before his death.[1]
Ability[]
- Main article: Midwinter Memento
From what we see in the manga, it seems Shunzen can produce objects made of metal from between the pages of a book. He created Yosano's hairpin, which Yosano still wears, in this manner.[5]
In an interview from 2019, Harukawa 35 called the Tachihara brothers' abilities "exactly the same," implying his ability is more similar to Michizou's than it appeared in our brief glimpse of its use.[3] This also strongly implies his ability is Midwinter Memento, but that has not been officially confirmed.
| Midwinter Memento ( | ||
|
Manga Debut: | Chapter 65 (flashback) |
|---|---|---|
| Anime Debut: | Episode 46 (flashback) | |
| Ability: | Ferrokinesis | |
History[]
Shunzen with Tachihara in the past.
Shunzen was the older brother of Tachihara, who looked up to him and considered him quite talented.[2] Some time later, he became a soldier and participated in the war.
The Great War[]
Shunzen praises Yosano.
During the battle in Tokoyami Island in the war, Shunzen was among the first soldiers healed by the gifted Yosano. He was later approached by the girl while he read a poetry collection; Yosano suggested he go back to the battle if he was all better. Shunzen thanked Yosano for healing him and presented her with a gift, a butterfly hairpin, made from his ability.
He then displayed knowledge about the Skill Doctrine as the reason why Mori brought her to the battle. Mori was unhappy that Shunzen read his "Immortal Regiment" treatise. Confused, Yosano asked about the Immortal Regiment and the upper brass. However, Mori dragged her, telling her that more casualties needed her ability.
Shunzen caught in an explosion.
Shunzen continued fighting with the other soldiers and was caught in an explosion. Upon waking up, he saw Yosano and asked about the condition of others. Yosano, tired and traumatized, asked how she could be an angel since it was like she was just healing them for them to be killed again. Shunzen pulled out his dog tag and showed her a tally of times she saved him, thanking her for being there with them. Another soldier then called him to get back to the battle.[5]
Shunzen kills himself.
He continued to fight in the battle, eventually getting injured again. Yosano saw his condition and did not want to save him. However, she was forced by Mori to heal him by shooting him. Soon, as the soldiers slowly rallied against Yosano's healing, he relayed a message through a speaking tube to Yosano and described her as an "Angel of Death" who controlled the battlefield. He asked her to offer his goodbye to his family before cutting off contact and hanging himself to death. Yosano rushed to the room and found Shunzen dead with his dog tag and a note that said, "You are too correct", denouncing her.[1]
Legacy[]
Yosano unable to resuscitate Shunzen.
Yosano attempted to resuscitate Shunzen hundreds of times using her ability, but to no avail. Years later, his brother Tachihara would plot to take revenge on Yosano in an elaborate scheme, entering the Port Mafia as a spy for the Hunting Dogs with hopes of someday crossing paths with the Agency doctor Yosano. Fourteen years after Shunzen's death, this revenge would take place when Tachihara and the Hunting Dogs corner Yosano,[2] albeit ending with Tachihara ultimately sparing her life upon admitting in himself that he did not join the Mafia to take revenge for his brother.[6]
Appearances[]
- Chapter 65 - Dreaming of Butterflies, Part 1
- Chapter 66 - Dreaming of Butterflies, Part 2
- Chapter 67 - The Sadness of Those Without Wings, Part 1 (flashback)
- Chapter 68 - The Sadness of Those Without Wings, Part 2 (flashback)
Quotes[]
- (To Akiko Yosano) "I'm keeping count of the times you saved my life. This time makes exactly five. I like this character and its meaning - correct. Everytime you complete a tally, you add one more "correct" thing to the world. This shows how correct you are. Without you, I'd never see my parents and brother back home again. I'm glad you're here for us."[5]
Trivia[]
- Michizō Tachihara's real-life older brother's name was Ichirō Tachihara. Ichirō died at the age of three, the year before Michizō was born. [7]
- Sango Harukawa's original character design for Shunzen was more physically fit, but Kafka Asagiri requested she make him look "like a good guy Fyodor."[3]
- Shunzen was unnamed until Big Brother's Day 2023 when the anime's official Twitter account shared the name Asagiri had given him.[4] The Kanji for his name means "spring cicada," a species of cicada which hatches and consequentially dies before most other species of cicadas.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 66.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 68.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Quarterly S Magazine Autumn 2019 Interview: Page 26 (Japanese)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Big Brother's Day Twitter post. Twitter (in Japanese).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 65.
- ↑ Bungo Stray Dogs Manga: Chapter 77.
- ↑ The Complete Works of Michizou Tachihara - Biography (Japanese)
- ↑ 夏秋表. Aozora Bunko
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