Shiranui

Shiranui
Shiranui, as seen by C.Y.
Photo Gallery
General information
Name meaning	"White/wild majesty"
Alias
Gender	unknown, assumed male
Age	unknown
Status
Chakra
Elemental power	None, but he can appear and disappear at will.
First appearance	Chapter One, page forty-five
Affiliations
Allies
Rivals
Enemies
Relatives
Other
Voiced by

Shiranui (白野威) is the name given to a mysterious entity that the Chakra Heroes met along the course of the comic. It is believed to be the spirit of the ancient wolf Shiranui, the celestial creature who slew its eternal enemy, the demon serpent Orochi. Shiranui's appearance is not entirely clear, as he is constantly wrapped in strong white light and surrounded by yellow smoke. Apparently, C.Y. is the only one among the Heroes who is able to sense his presence and to see him. She spotted Shiranui for the first time on Urashima's shore, and for the second time in a shrine dedicated to Shiranui himself. On that occasion, the rest of the Chakra Heroes saw an old, crumbling statue of the wolf instead of the shiny figure.

Appearance

Spiritual entity

Shiranui's first appearance.

When C.Y. sees him for the first time, Shiranui appears as a shiny wolf-like shape, surrounded by yellow smoke and an aura of light. On their second meeting, C.Y. recognizes the aura and smoke that surround the creature. Its aspect has not changed, however, the smoke around him seems to have condensed. Shiranui is never seen speaking or moving, he just stands in the middle of the smoke and stares at C.Y.

Statue form

Shiranui's statue, before Rejuvenation.

Apart from C.Y., Led and the rest of the Chakra Heroes are able to see Shiranui too. Unlike C.Y., however, they only see him in one occasion, in the Shrine dedicated to him. Moreover, they do not perceive his spiritual self, but only a statue representing him. This statue is placed on a once-golden, pedestal, with four big "horns" jutting out of its corners, and a plate in its front with the inscription "Shiranui". The statue itself represents the wolf sitting and looking straight in front of him, with his right front paw raised to hold the Destiny Sword firmly. However, by the time the Heroes enter the Shrine, the statue is in a state of neglect: covered in moss and broken apart, it's missing its right paw and the Sword, and it seems to be waiting for someone to bring it back to its old glory.

History

As of Chapter One

Shiranui appears for the first time in the comic toward the end of Chapter One. While C.Y. and Led share a moment on Urashima's shore, Shiranui appears in the middle of the ocean, wrapped in golden fog. Only C.Y. seems to be able to see him, and, at the time, she knows nothing about his identity. Shiranui disappears moments after, and C.Y. relates her sighting to Led.

As of Chapter Two

Motyl rejuvenates Shiranui's statue.

Shiranui is seen again later near the end of Chapter Two, as C.Y. senses a presence inside one of the tunnels of Gaping Mouth. When C.Y. reaches the end of the tunnel, she sees the same shiny wolf she spotted on the shore one year earlier. Shiranui is standing on a pedestal, that features a plate with his name written on it: thanks to the inscription, C.Y. identifies the figure as Shiranui. The rest of the Heroes, however, only see an old, crumbling statue sitting on the

Shiranui appears just outside the bubble.

pedestal. As Motyl tries to rejuvinate it, she accidentally summons the Destiny Sword with her powers.

As of Chapter Three

Shiranui appears at the climax of Chapter Three, as C.Y. is wrapped inside a bubble at the bottom of the sea, near the base of Konohana Island. The mysterious wolf speaks no word, he just appears in front of a scared Heroine, and then leaves quickly as a darker figure takes its place in C.Y.'s vision.

Trivia

• Shiranui's gender is debated: in the videogame Okami, his or Amaterasu's genders are not specified, but it is hinted multiple times that Amaterasu is female, and, since Amaterasu is the reincarnation of Shiranui, this is also assumed to be female. However, in the sequel of Okami, Okamiden, Shiranui is clearly referred to as male, but only in the English translation of the videogame. Being this the only official source of Shiranui's gender, it was chosen that its gender be male in the comic.