Shu Shirakawa
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Shu Shirakawa is a fictional character from the Super Robot Taisen series of video games, making his first appearance in 2nd Super Robot Taisen. He is usually seen as an enemy character, although he has been known to join the player's side whenever it is most convenient for him plot-wise.
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[edit] Personal Data
- Name: Shu Shirakawa
- AKA: Cristoph Gran McSord (original Ran-Gran name)
- Voice Actor: Takehito Koyasu
- Army Affiliation: Divine Crusaders (2, 3, Alpha, OG 1); Himself (EX, 4, F Final, Masoukishin, Alpha Gaiden)
- Personal Affiliations: Masaki Andoh (Rival); Chika (Familiar spirit); Saphine Grace (Follower); Monica Gran Bilseir (Follower); Telius Gran Bilseir (follower); Volkruss (Soul vessel)
- Mecha: Granzon, Neo Granzon
- Familar: Chika (a blue bird)
[edit] Personality and Traits
Shu conducts himself in an extremely proper manner, to the point where his speech and mannerisms border on femininity. Despite this propriety, he is not above condescending his enemies for their weakness. On top of this, Shu is an incredibly intelligent individual, and despite his young age, he has earned a number of PhD's and is a brilliant scientist. Chika, Shuu's familiar, is a foolmoutheded bird who cares exceptionally much about money. Familiars are generally considered a reflection of their master's subconciousness, but it is not very likely that this is true in this case.
[edit] Storyline
Shu Shirakawa's past throughout the Original Generation series is deliberately left enigmatic; however, in previous games and the radio dramas for Alpha, his earlier life and true origins are revealed in full.
[edit] Before SRWOG
Sometime before the war with the Divine Crusaders (SRW2, OG1), Masaki had his first encounter with Shu on Earth, where Shu has already received his Granzon. Surprisingly to Masaki, Shu was already familiar with Masaki and, more importantly, his Masou Kishin Cybuster. He explains that he is not an Earthling, but a citizen of the Langran Kingdom -- one of the nations in the La Gias world from which the Masou Kishin come. Reminding him that the Earth Federation Army will be coming to engage Masaki soon, he says that he should return to La Gias immediately.
The next time Masaki and Shu's paths would cross in a significant way would be under much more shocking circumstances. Masaki had already let it be known to his friends in La Gias that he could not trust Shu, and his feelings were validated when Shu, in the Granzon, launched an attack on the capitol of Langran. Here, he announced his renouncement of his royal bloodline and a declaration of war on the Langran Kingdom. He also renounced his original name, Cristoph Gran McSord, saying that if he must use the Cristoph name, the name Cristoph Zeo Volkruss may suit him better. As it is, he preferred the name Shu Shirakawa to either name he mentioned.
In a rage, Masaki launched in the Cybuster to meet Shu head-on; Shu, unimpressed with Masaki's hotheadedness, says he will show him just what kind of power Granzon has compared to Cybuster's. Masaki attacked Shu, and to his shock didn't even scratch the paint off of Shu's machine. Shu proclaims that that was what he was trying to tell Masaki: That it is useless to even try and fight back, since the Masou Kishin are not even close to being in the same league as Granzon. To demonstrate this, Shu used one of Granzon's weapons to damage Cybuster. He criticized Masaki's lack of power, and told him that if he wishes to live, he will unlock Cybuster's true potential here and now. He went on to explain that the Granzon shares the same technology used by the Divine Crusaders' Armored Modules, EOT -- the extraterrestrial technology gathered from Meteor 3. He added that an alien force known as the Aerogaters will attack Earth, and the Granzon is the only machine powerful enough right now to withstand their weaponry. Furthermore, he warns Masaki that unless he can realize his Masou Kishin's full potential, his chances of being able to fight them are nonexistent.
Masaki prepared for a counterattack, but was pulled off of the battlefield when it is clear he cannot sufficiently fight back. He was forced to watch Shu duel with -- and quickly defeat -- Zeoroot, his father figure, killing him with very little effort. Shu says that all humans die quickly, and that death is equal for all living things. Masaki yells "I won't forgive you, Shu!". It is for this reason that Masaki despises Shu. However, Shu was forced to retreat when he realized that Zeoroot has been able to damage the Warp Shield of the Granzon. In a rematch with Shu, perhaps due in part to his desperation, Masaki was possessed by Cyfis (the guardian spirit of Cybuster) and was able to seriously damage Granzon.
When the capitol of Langran was destroyed by the forces of the Shutedonias Kingdom (another kingdom of La Gias), Shu and Masaki met once more. Despite the way that it looked to Masaki, Shu was not responsible for this attack -- and he added that he knew Masaki wouldn't believe anything he said. Realizing that Masaki would want his revenge, Shu went on to say that he had business to attend to on Earth. Masaki went back to Earth to track down Shu and make him pay.
[edit] The Divine War
Shu laid low for the time being, preparing for his attempt to end the alien invasion before it could begin. The first obstacle facing him in this situation, however, was the weak-willed Earth Federation government, which saw fit to surrender to the Aerogater threat before they could begin their assault. Finding the secret meeting to sign their declaration of surrender in Antarctica, Shuu used Granzon to level the building and end the proceedings before they could even begin. To the Earth's armed forces, this was seen as an act of terrorism; indeed, it is not until later in the game that the main characters of Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation find out the truth behind his actions, revealing it to the SRX team in their final battle with Bian Zoldark, and the ATX team when a group of Aerogater Probes -- as well as the White Star, a strange attack station brought to Earth by the Aerogaters -- encountered the Hiryuu Custom battleship. Rather than helping the Earth's forces in Operation SRW, however, Shu simply leaves.
[edit] Battle with the Inspectors
In SRWOG2, Shu plays a very minor role compared to his role in the 3rd Super Robot Taisen. In that game, Shu joined the heroes aboard White Base in the final assault on the Inspectors, an alien force sent to Earth to determine its threat level, and the battle with their leader, the child-like Wendolo.
After Wendolo's defeat, however, Shu revealed his true intent -- he wished to challenge himself and become stronger by fighting and killing his enemies-turned-allies. To accomplish this, he unlocked the cursed power of the God of Destruction, Volkruss, transforming his Granzon into an even more devastating machine, the Neo Granzon. With this newfound power, he intended on destroying the Earth -- knowing that this impetus was necessary to push the Londo Bell to its full power. In this final battle, the combined might of the Londo Bell prevailed, and Shu's machine was destroyed... his last words indicating that he was proud of the Londo Bell and their ability to defeat even Neo Granzon. He died with no regrets.
[edit] Resurrection
His death was shortlived, however, as his body and soul were brought from the void back to La Gias, summoned by a dark priest of Volkruss: Luozorl Zoran Loiel. His plan was to use Shuu to summon the true Volkruss and throw La Gias into chaos. Shu, unhappy with being used by Luozorl, quickly rebelled and even defeated Volkruss itself alongside his former enemies.
[edit] Alpha and Alpha Gaiden
Due to the fact that the Divine Crusaders were not an enemy force in Alpha, Shu acted as a background ally for much of Alpha, only joining the Londo Bell at the end, when they prepared for their showdown with the leader of the Aerogaters, Laodechia Judecca Gozzo. His role in Alpha Gaiden was also limited to a short number of episodes, but much more significant. In the chaos surrounding the aftermath of the war with the Aerogaters and activation of Project Aegis, the operation to block a humongous wave of gravitational energy brought about by the apparent destruction of the Excelion from Gunbuster, Shu -- with Saphine and Monica in tow -- arrived on Earth in front of the grounded Macross, declaring that he must provide a sufficient number of sacrifices on the surface to resurrect a certain something in La Gias. In addition, he felt a compulsion to bring about an end to the forces trying to divert karma's wheel-in other words, the Londo Bell-and doom the Earth to its one true destiny: Destruction.
Rightfully angered by his proclamations, the Londo Bell engaged Shu in his Neo Granzon and even managed to badly damage it, the result of which was a rip in time and space that threw the Londo Bell centuries into the future...one in which the Londo Bell failed to activate Project Aegis, bringing about an apocalyptic world.
When the Londo Bell returned to its original timeline, Shu was there for one more challenge, intending (as in SRW3) to destroy Earth and provide the souls required for Volkruss' resurrection. In a hard-fought battle, the Londo Bell overcame the Neo Granzon a second time, this time destroying the monstrosity for good. Shu died without regrets-he realized that it was simply his time to be destroyed as part of the universal cycle of life.
[edit] Trivia
- Perhaps not coincidentally, Shu and Masaki are voiced by Takehito Koyasu and Hikaru Midorikawa, a pair who were often portrayed as rivals in series (Zechs and Heero from Gundam Wing, Tamahome and Hotohori from Fushigi Yūgi, etc.)
