The Awesomeness That Is Heiwajima Shizuo

Whilst I may not be the most widely-watched person in terms of anime, I would think that scarcely anyone would disagree that Heiwajima Shizuo is one of the most awesome characters to ever grace anime.

Let’s start off with a basic introduction on Shizuo.

Widely acknowledged and feared as the strongest person in Ikebukuro, Shizuo is a blonde man with a hair-trigger temper who is always dressed in a bartender’s outfit and a pair of blue shades. Despite his violent tendencies when angered, he dislikes violence. His name in Japanese translates into “Peaceful Island, Quiet Man”, a complete opposite of his actual behavior and represents something he himself wants to achieve. He is normally a pretty quiet guy… unless of course, angered.

In what must have been a joke by some higher power, Shizuo is blessed with tremendous physical strength. The first time he displayed this was when he lifted a refrigerator in an attempt to squash his younger brother, Heiwajima Kasuka, for eating his pudding. However, Shizuo’s body did not at first have the endurance he currently possesses; the first few times he unleashed his strength resulted in numerous injuries and fractures. As he continually uses his unparalleled strength in various acts of violence, he slowly conditioned his body to the point where getting hit by trucks barely injures him at all. He also has an insane level of tolerance for pain; getting stabbed in the thighs and hand by pens merely amuses him, and he doesn’t even feel it when he gets shot.

Shinra: “What in the world happened?”

Shizuo: “Well, at first I thought that I’d slipped and fell in the rain. Then I noticed that blood was gushing out of my stomach and leg… So I realized, “Oh, I’ve been shot.”

 

Shizuo uses anything and everything around him as a weapon; his favorite, and most iconic, being stop signs and vending machines. He is, however, an extremely skilled hand-to-hand combatant as well, being able to hold off an entire horde of attackers on his own.

He generally is an okay person towards anyone who doesn’t anger him or isn’t Orihara Izaya, and he has a soft spot for Celty Sturlsson. He is also a long-time acquaintance of Kishitani Shinra; they have known each other since elementary school. For some reason, he cannot remember Sonohara Anri’s name. The only person in the series who can actually match his strength is Simon Brezhnev, whom Shizuo is actually on okay terms with. The only person Shizuo will actively chase, attack, and attempt to kill, is Orihara Izaya, a man he met at Raira Academy and who has been his enemy since the day they met.

Because of his short fuse, Shizuo has problems keeping a job. He will usually lose his temper at the slightest provocation, and has been fired from numerous jobs, including the one where he works as a GARtender bartender. He was fired from that as well, and he works now as a bodyguard for his friend Tom Tanaka, who is a debt collector.

Shizuo is a very unique character; despite his explosively violent tendencies, he is actually a pretty shy, quiet person. He’s shown to be an extremely loyal friend, as he immediately offers to kill the Slasher when he found out that Celty was attacked by her. He seems to be on good terms with Simon and Kadota as well, as they greet him on the streets when they see him, and he actually replies… when he’s in the mood.

Overall, Shizuo is a complicated and amusing character to watch. Definitely one of the more interesting characters I’ve come across in awhile.

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