Shiro Inukai

Shiro Inukai (, Inukai Shiro) is a mysterious Bushi and a member of the Obsidian Eight. He chases the Obsidian Goddess in order to achieve the strongest Kitetsu Sword.

Appearance
Shiro is a pale-skinned young man with a tall and muscular physique. He has short and spiky silver hair, golden eyes and freckles on his face.

Shiro's attire is composed of a dark shirt and trousers with a belt and a black cloak over them. He has earrings in both ears and a large golden cross necklace. He also has a neck ring just like Nanao.

Personality
Shiro is usually seen as a carefree, outgoing person with a playful nature. He is a huge fan of Kitetsu swords, and will often talk about them or boast his collection of them. That is why when they are involved in a matter that he also is, Shiro becomes a completely different person. He takes off his façade and shows his true demeanour. Shiro is a smooth talker who knows what fits certain situations, and he isn't opposed to lying in order to get what he sets his eyes on, just like he did with Musashi. During battle, he shows no mercy and becomes a ruthless fighter who can kill many people in the blink of an eye. He despises the weak who run away from fighting, while on the other hand, he acknowledges those who shows bravery.

Daito Mine Arc
Following an oni, Musashi meets Shiro at a large field, where Shiro had place Kitetsu Blades everywhere. He offers Musashi to borrow one to defeat the oni. As Musashi does and defeats the oni, the sword ends up breaking, but Shiro tells him its fine as that sword was waste of steel. However, he wonders how he managed to draw out that much power and if he is the one. Shiro's servant, Nanao Inusaka, then appears, telling him its time and wonders why Shiro insists of making patterns in the ground with the Kitetsu Blades. Shiro states he feels good being surrounded by beauties and then explains how each sword makes him feel. Nanao apologizes for Shiro's perversion and they leave. Musashi asks them who are they, but Shiro states they are dogs for hire with names not worth sharing, and then vanish before Musashi even realizes.

Shiro observed Musashi's failed trial. As everyone left to fight the Kishin, he appears in front of Musashi and reveals he has black aura too and invites Musashi to join him. Shiro explains that Musashi can become stronger if he lets himself go during the Kitetsu Sword trial. He then demonstrates how powerful he can be and cuts a large pit in the ground and tells Musashi he can become the ultimate Kitetsu Blade. Musashi realizes he means to turn him into a sword and refuses, wanting to be with his friends. Thinking about it, Shiro decides to make his friends swords too and pushes Musashi into the pit, along with a Kitetsu Blade. Nanao then comes and Shiro explains he found the goddess he was looking for, but also wants to get some black stones. He then leaves Nanao to look after Musashi and heads towards the mountain.

Shiro decapitates the Kishin and hides its head on which is also his horn. As the Bushi come, he reveals himself and confirms that the horn is on the head. A small Bushi band surrounds him, wanting to take the head and the Kitetsu, but he murders them. He then tells everyone that he wants their Kitetsu Blades and the Bushi try fighting him, but end up defeated. As they start running, he gets angry as the soul of coward Bushi isn't something he wish. However, he promised to make Kojiro into a blade, so he starts chasing him. Realizing he is after him, Kojiro turns back to the top of the mountain, to let the Bushi escape. Shiro follows Kojiro and defeats him, stating that he finds the soul of courageous Bushi to be beautiful. As he is about to kill him, he feels Musashi's presence and lets Kojiro and steps away. Nanao join him and explains she pulled Musashi too early. Shiro realizes she rushed to complete the job, but forgives her as its became interesting as Musashi is half fused with the black stone and the Goddess haven't cast her judgement yet, but if they attack him now, she will issue her sentence. He then lets Nanao fight Musashi, Kojiro and Tsugumi.

Nanao starts fighting them and initially takes the upper hand, but soon she looses one of her swords. Shiro then decides to step in, as he gets bored. He prefers to fight alone and tells Nanao to step aside. He activates his Kitetsu Blade and creates a cube that flips the ground and the sky, causing Bushi to start falling to their death. He finds the Bushi to be insects, who needs to band to survive, while all they need to do is become stronger. As he causes Musashi to start falling too, the Goddess accepts Musashi and shares her power with him. Using Musashi's body, she draws energy from all Kitetsu Blades around her and takes Shiro's blade, ending his technique. Shiro retakes his blade and states he waited long to meet her and wishes she to join him, but the Goddess denies and prepares to fight him.

As the Goddess gathers energy and attacks them, Shiro uses his technique and manages to escape with Nanao, while also taking the Kishin. A bit later, Nanao describes Jisai and states they were looking for him, the great criminal who escaped with the Goddess inside of him. But if Musashi has the Goddess, then the description doesn't fit. Shiro states its been 15 years and seems the Goddess had picked a new vessel for some reason, however, Musashi seems to not have any clue about the Goddess.

Awaji Island Recapture Operation Arc
The Obsidian Eight gather for a meeting after they heard Shiro and Nanao had encountered the Obsidian Goddess and Nanao confirms. Shiro boost that he found her, but Seiroku Inukawa says he heard that she rejected Shiro and the two end in an argument. The eight explain that the Bushi shouldn't get a hold of the goddess and that their duty is to ensure the survival of the Kishin, so they can continue living alongside them. They decide to form a plan and send someone after Musashi, who Musashi have not seen.

Shiro releases multiple oni inside the Uesugi castle, after the oni were defeated, he appears in front of Tatsuomi Uesugi and attacks him. He then reveals himself in front of the other Uesugi Bushi and explains he got their leader. The Uesugi Bushi attempt to fight him, but Seiroku appears and cuts their blade energy, without which they don't stand a chance against Shiro and Seiroku. Shiro then approaches Musashi, excited to see him and then sends Musashi to Awaji island, while teleports one of Yamata no Orochi's heads to the castle. The bushi are trying to fight back, but fail, which causes Shiro to feel bored. Eventually, Naotora arrives and Shiro gets excited facing him, but they run out of time and have to leave.

Having spies among the Uesugi, Seiroku and the rest learn of Kuroko's plan and know they need to protect Orochi for three days for them to win. They learn that Naotora won't be fighting due to Kuroko insisting to also defeat the Orochi, and guess their job would be easier. Shiro wishes to fight Naotora, but Seiroku has his eyes on Kanetatsu. Yataro states he will kill the goddess, but Seiroku tells him he is relieved of his duty and that he and Shiro will do it. Yataro wonders why and Seiroku guesses the rest decided that because he failed last time and is weak.

The next day, as the battle starts, having spies with Kuroko, Seiroku knows of what will happen and tells Shiro to transfer Musashi's group bombs meant for the Yura mine, over Naotora's ships, and then he can kill Musashi. The Takeda Bushi arrive as backup to Musashi's group. They create a barrier around Shiro and Naotora decides to fight him. Seeing Shiro's ring, Naotora feels they have met ten years ago, but Shiro states he won't remember something that old. Shiro wishes to leave and head for the goddess, however, Naotora states the goddess is better dead as it constantly causes the bushi to fight among them. Upset, Shiro decides to take Naotora's bait and uses Void, creating a square full of deep sea water and explaining that he tends to do that or puts them in a lava, when he doesn't want to even touch his opponents with his sword. Naotora slashes the square in two, freeing himself and wondering if that is all Shiro can do. He guesses he is the one that hunts for swords and explains that he doesn't hate oni as he seems them as natural disasters, but he dislikes people like Shiro, who take advantage of the state of the world to cause chaos. The two start fighting and as Naotora launches his attack, Shiro opens a small window, redirecting the attack behind Naotora. As his attacks doesn't match any color, Shiro reveals that his color is white.

Shiro states that Naotora is the most common color, weaker than the red and lacks unique abilities like yellow and green, which is why he finds fighting blue bushi boring. Naotora states he will show him that blue bushi can be the strongest. Shiro decides to get serious and transfers large amount of lava above Naotora, but using water, he hardest it. Naotora creates a large fire and water tiger and attacks Shiro, who notes that those powers should belong to a Kishin and that all of the ore in the mine is reacting to him, letting him act like a Kishin. Shiro guesses he used the same power to escape his water prison and Naotora confirms it. However, Shiro easily defeats the tigers. He decides to move somewhere they won't be interrupted and transfers him and Naotora elsewhere.

Shiro wonders why Naotora bothered to create this technique as control over fire and water can't cut a Kishin's horn. Naotora confirms that he won't be able to defeat him if he fights like a Kishin. He then starts gathering fire and water at his hand, creating a small black ball. Naotora explains he never used this technique in front of his comrades and he didn't want to wipe them out. He then turns it into a small blade and explains that its not a power he created to kill Kishin. He remembers a battlefield long ago, where someone with Shiro's color had obliterated his brother's. Naotora had created that technique for the Obsidian Eight. Shiro finds it interest and wonders if he could, but before he could even finish his sentence, Naotora passes by him and cuts him. Shiro is surprised and in that moment, crystals come out from him and he explodes, defeating Shiro.

Shiro survives as Naotora is unable to finish him off. Later, Shiro abducts the recovering Katsumi Amako, planning to make him a replacement for Yataro.

Kitetsu Sword

 * Avidya: Shiro's Kitetsu Sword is a massive, oversized greatsword with a curved blade that he usually carries on his back.

Powers and Abilities
Black Sword Soul: Users with a black soul are said to be masters of the Touki. This is a unique condition caused by having a black crystal within oneself or being the host to the Obsidian Goddess. Black crystal users are shown to have a second color along with the black crystals they possess.

White Sword Soul: Shiro's original sword soul color was white. Amongst the five types of sword souls, it is the absolute strongest. Its users are described as those who can use horrifying techniques that surpass the limits of human knowledge. It is so rare that there have only been a few white blade users throughout all of history.

Shiro's ability allows him to cut out locations in space to swap them with others. The size of the location can range anywhere from about the size of the average human to that of an entire mountain top.

Aoshi Sanada said he was like a god that can manipulate heaven and earth, with the power to slice open the world and rearrange it as he sees fit, using the power of creation and destruction. When fighting opponents he doesn't want to touch with his blade, he traps and crushes them in a water prison made of high pressure water swapped from the ocean floor, or he drops the bone melting interior of a volcano on them.

Etymology

 * The name Shiro means "four" (四) (shi) and "son" (郎) (ro).
 * Shiro's surname Inukai means "dog" (犬) (inu) and "domesticate/domestication, raise, keep, feed" (飼) (kai).

Trivia

 * His favourite meat is pheasant meat.

Navigation
Инукай Широ