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"There's no such thing as hell, or anything else like it. This world is simple. Reality is only what's visible."— Ryou Shishikusa
Ryou Shishikusa (獅子草 寥) is a character from the Onibi series.
She was the mother of Mai Shishikusa, the wife of the Shishikusa Clan's representative, and the one responsible for the death of Akari, angering her brothers before getting eaten by her own daughter as a result of a curse cast by Akari herself.
Appearance[]
Ryou is modeled after GUMI.
She has green hair, green eyes, and she's dressed in a purple kimono with white sashes. Underneath it, a spider tattoo extends from her right hip to her navel.
The kimono that Ryou wears has a unique dye on the hem; it's a unique style of kimono with a long, dangling obi. As it is noted that all the members of the Shishikusa Clan have this on their clothes, one could say it's to prove you are a Shishikusa.
In the manga, she has longer hair tied into a braid, and her bangs are parted in the middle. She also has a mole under her right eye, and slight creases under both eyes.
Personality[]
"I'll get rid of the enemy, even if it costs me my life."
Ryou had two sides to her personality. On one side, she could be a loving mother who cared deeply about her daughters; she even took pity on people whom she had never met before, as seen by how she demanded that she take Shizune as her daughter as a result of her father abandoning her.
She also gave one of the prisoners a name, food, and water, and felt bad when she drugged the prisoner to make her calm down.
On the other, she could be cruel when it came to business matters, as seen when she was killing Akari, blaming her for her uncle's death and regarding her as an enemy.
It is worth mentioning that Ryou was an atheist, believing that gods, ghosts, and supernatural things don't exist. Still, she becomes paranoid after reading about an entire village mysteriously cannibalizing itself, despite telling Tomonari she didn't completely believe it.
Background[]
Early Life[]
Not much is known about Ryou's past, but what is known is the fact that she received a demonic blade, which was described as the work tool for the "Onigumos," the clan that Ryou possibly belonged to before the Shishikusas.
The blade was given to her a long time ago as proof of becoming a full-fledged executioner after being trained under her uncle Genji.
Sometime after or before, Ryou's sister was kicked out of their household before she turned 18 as a result of her falling pregnant by an unknown man.
Ryou then got married to Tomonari not too long after that. The circumstances they met are not mentioned.
Apparently, Tomonari and Ryou used to do the "business" of kidnapping young women and trafficking them for the Daimyo's entrainment a long time ago, until Tomonari told her that it needed to be stopped and she agreed. The reason why he made this decision is unknown.
She later gave birth to Mai and left that sort of work behind her for good, and promised to change her way of life even if she couldn't erase her previous crimes.
Adopting Shizune[]
Onigumo to Kitsune no Shishi to[]
"I give this dango to Mai whenever we can't be together..."
On the 2nd of May, Ryou gets woken up by Daiji. They go into the hall and enter through a large sliding door, coming face to face with Tomonari, Mai (who is sitting across from him), and Daiji (who is behind her).
When Mai asks her parents if she can go out, Ryou says she can, but only while accompanied by Daiji. Mai excuses herself and leaves with him.
Tomonari informs her that a Daimyo is coming to gamble today, as he is the heir to the Matsuwa Clan family crest. This reminds them of a young boy belonging to that clan who supposedly slayed a demon; Ryou personally doesn't believe it.
Tomonari and Ryou head out to go to the theater, but before that, she gives a piece of paper to Toki, which includes a recipe for tri-colour dango, Mai's favorite food. Ryou asks her to serve it to Mai later, as she always gives it to her whenever they can't be together.
Ryou and her husband enter one of the three teahouses in town. After being greeted by one of the Daimyos of the Matsuwa Clan, Denjuurou, Tomonari gives him a special ticket to the theatre that gives him access to the gambling room before leaving with their two aides.
The day after, they approached the theater at 8 o'clock and lead the Matsuwa Daimyo to the theater's basement after the day's performances. Ryou helps the Daimyo as he gambles and notices that he kept touching her the entire time, leaving her seething but unable to do anything as he was an important figure.
Exhausted, Ryou goes back home and falls asleep immediately, leaving her to take a bath in the morning. She sees a note from Mai folded between the sliding screens and decides to read it later.
The Daimyo's Procession[]
"Stop fooling around! Snap out of it! It's fine if it's just me, but I will never put Mai in any danger!"
On May 4th, Ryou wakes up to Tomonari coming home with Daiji from a meeting with the Daimyos, who frequent their theater in a bad mood. He reveals that they want something new and that the performances and gambling aren't enough.
Fearing that they are going to lose their main source of income, Tomonari says that he'll work something out. Ryou then goes to her room and begins working on a ledger containing various money-related things like income and expenses.
It gets dark before Ryou notices. She sets her paperwork aside, now relieved that they won't lose money until Tomonari comes home with a grim face.
When Ryou asks him what's wrong, he explains that they will have to go back to the "business" of trafficking women, as the Daimyos desperately want to watch the death of a human.
Ryou objected, fearing for her daughter's safety. After Tomonari shrugs it off, she slaps him.
She tries slapping him a second time, but Tomonari persuades Ryou, informing her that they will lose their only source of income. With her still unsure because of Mai, he reassures her that if they get caught, she will run away with the fortune they will gain from fulfilling the Daimyo's request.
With Ryou convinced, Tomonari then apologizes and goes to get the money and purchase list.
Beheading Dance Performance[]
(Note that "Beheading Dance Performance" in the story is referring to Sachiko's death, not the actual released song.)
Kitsune no Yomeiri[]
The Incident[]
"My neck is... gone..."
Legacy[]
Ryou's actions of killing Akari resulted in the end of the entire Shishikusa lineage and the destruction of the Shishikusa Clan. The curse that was cast on her bloodline continued on to her niece, Kaori Onidzuka, and ended with the Doll Owner.
Relationships[]
Mai Shishikusa[]
Mai was Ryou's biological daughter. She clearly loved Mai a great deal as she dropped to her knees and wailed when Mai was kidnapped, becoming very vitriolic and wanted to kill the perpetrator soon after.
Even if they didn't spend much time with each other because of Ryou's busy schedule, Ryou still went and got her daughter her favorite food and treats, as no matter how grown-up Mai became, Ryou would still treat her as a little girl, such as caressing her head in her lap.
Ryou can easily tell what Mai's emotions are, as she immediately knew when Mai lied to her; this could hint at a strong emotional connection between the two
Even after Mai killed Tomonari in front of Ryou's eyes, she still saw her daughter like she always would: loving and gentle. And in her last moments, she still hugged her daughter tight as Mai killed her.
Tomonari Shishikusa[]
Tomonari was Ryou's husband. They didn't seem to be close, as there weren't many depictions of them being intimate with each other at all, not to mention that they didn't sleep in the same bedroom.
But it is seen that they cared about each other deeply, as the other worried when the other was in possible danger and feared for them.
Daiji Masaoka[]
Daiji was Ryou's bodyguard and servant. He was very loyal to her, as he did not dare disobey her orders.
Ryou liked Daiji, as she confided in him to always protect her daughter, Mai, and succeed in doing so. She also called him the best bodyguard and samurai in their Castle Town and had him attend meetings between her and her husband.
Additionally, she confided in him with the task of protecting her, as she let him take the lead when alarmed by strange noises coming from the front gates. She was most likely the only person next to Tomonari who knew about his past.
Ryou's Sister[]
Ryou's sister. The state of their relationship is insufficient, but they seem to have a neutral relationship towards each other, as they do not show much affection when seeing each other.
Kaori Onidzuka[]
Kaori was Ryou's niece. Even if they don't interact much as a result of Kaori's lack of outside contact, Ryou seemed to care for her and valued her as much as a family member would.
Ryou even assured her sister that, even with Kaori's unusual habit of befriending animals, she would grow up to be a good, well-mannered child.
Shizune Shishikusa[]
Shizune was Ryou's adoptive daughter. Ryou valued her as much as she valued Mai, considering them to be related by blood even though they were not. This is shown when Ryou worried about Shizune dearly when she went missing with Mai.
Sachiko[]
Sachiko was a geisha, categorized as an ugly woman in her thirties, who had been kidnapped by the Onigumos on Tomonari's orders for the Damiyo's entertainment from another Castle Town. She seemed to have taken a liking to Ryou.
Ryou felt sorry for her and called her Sachiko, unlike the others, even if it was not her real name. She also granted her water and food, where she was imprisoned.
She seemed to pity her even more when she realized that Sachiko thought that she was going to perform a dance in the Shishikusa's theater when, in reality, she was going to be killed on stage.
Genji[]
Genji was Ryou's uncle who was apparently her only family left from the Onigumo Clan, aside from her sister. Ryou seemed to value him dearly, possibly even looking up to him, seeing as he had trained her about everything she had known, mostly about murder.
Toki[]
The Shishikusas' household cook. Ryou thought of her as a mother[1] and loved her dearly as she cried once she received the news of her death.
Akari Oborodzuka[]
Shikyou[]
When reading about Shikyou, Ryou called it bluff and said that she didn't believe it, which is understandable considering that she was an atheist and didn't have faith in spirits or gods.
Even so, Ryou was very creeped out after hearing about Shikyou's procession and even seemed to fear for her life.
Theories[]
- It is possible that Ryou was married to Tomonari through an arranged marriage, or they met through an arranged operation to kill someone for their benefit. Alternatively, Tomonari could have married a skilled executioner to keep her by his side, but it's a bit of a stretch.
Trivia[]
Conceptualization and Origin[]
- Ryou's name in Japanese (寥) means "lonely."
- Ryou's maiden name, Onidzuka, is composed of two Japanese words: Oni (鬼), which refers to a "demon" in Japanese folklore, and Dzuka (塚), which mostly means some variety of "mound" and "hill."
- Ryou's surname, Shishikusa, is composed of two Japanese words: Shishi (獅子), which refers to a "guardian lion" in Japanese folklore, whereas Kusa (草) means "grass."
- She had a very slender, double-edged dagger with demonic influences and a blade length of two shaku (30.3cm or 11.9 inches).
- When she wielded it, red steam rose from it, and her face and hands became bright red and hot.
- She didn't know that the blade she held had demonic powers. When Akari recognized it, Ryou dismissed it as a regular blade.
Curiosities[]
Appearances[]
- 鬼蜘蛛ト狐ノ獅子ト (Onigumo to Kitsune no Shishi to/The Spider and the Kitsune-like Lion) [Debut]
- 狐の嫁入り(Kitsune no Yomeiri/The Fox's Wedding/2011) [Mentioned]
- 死凶天邪鬼 (Shikyou no Amanojaku/Shikyou, the Amanojaku) [Minor]
Gallery[]
