Shingen Yashida

Shingen Yashida ヤシダシンゲン
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Lord Shingen: Wolverine Vol. 1 #1 (September 1982) Shin Harada: Wolverine Vol. 4 #300 (March 2012)
Created by	Lord Shingen: Chris Claremont Frank Miller Shin Harada: Jason Aaron Steven Sanders
In-story information
Alter ego	Shingen Yashida Shingen "Shin" Harada
Team affiliations	Lord Shingen: Yashida Clan The Hand Shin Harada: Brotherhood of Mutants Yashida Corporation
Notable aliases	Lord Shingen: Shingen Yashida Shin Harada: Silver Samurai
Abilities	Highly intelligent Peak human physical condition Master swordsman and Martial artist

Shingen Yashida is the name of two related fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as supervillain foes of Wolverine.

The character was played by Hiroyuki Sanada in the 2013 film The Wolverine.

Publication history

The first iteration first appeared in Wolverine Vol. 1 #1 (September 1982), was created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.

The second iteration first appeared in Wolverine Vol. 4 #300 (March 2012), and created by Jason Aaron and Steven Sanders.

Fictional character biography

Lord Shingen

Lord Shingen was a Japanese Yakuza crime boss who disgraced his family name, when he claimed he had a legitimate claim to the Imperial Throne of Japan, by turning his clan into a criminal empire.

To settle a personal debt incurred during his rise to power, Shingen forced his daughter Mariko Yashida to marry criminal boss Noboru Hideki. Wolverine found out Noboru beat Mariko nearly to death and confronted Noboru but relented from killing Noboru upon Mariko's insistence, however, Shingen had Wolverine poisoned, temporarily greatly weakening Wolverine so that he could beat and humiliate the superhuman mutant in a duel with bokken in front of Mariko. Shingen used his expert knowledge of human anatomy to secretly attack Wolverine's nerve endings in such a way so as to make the duel life-threatening. But as Mariko did not know this when Wolverine attempted to use Wolverine's claws against Shingen to save Wolverine's own life, it appeared to Mariko that Wolverine was cheating in the duel. Mariko did not know that Wolverine's body had been saturated with enough lethal poison to kill several dozen ordinary men, or that Shingen was the one who was actually cheating in the duel. This had the effect of disgracing Wolverine in front of a lover, which was the design of Shingen. Logan was then dumped onto the Tokyo streets and found by Yukio (Shingen's best assassin) who participated in a deception with the Hand ninja clan to manipulate Wolverine into an assassination of a rival crime lord, using Mariko as unwitting bait for additional motivation. After his role was completed, Shingen ordered Logan killed, but Yukio ignored the order which led to the Hand being sent to enforce his will. In the events resulting from that action, including the death of a personal friend by Yukio, Wolverine realized that Yukio was the one who poisoned Logan at Shingen's residence and was being played for a fool at apparently Shingen's orders. After a philosophic epiphany about humanity, Logan then completely destroyed the Yashida criminal empire to which Wolverine confronted Shingen a second time, Shingen did not survive Wolverine's confrontation and Mariko revealed of planning to kill her dishonorable father personally and commit seppuku in recompense had not Logan preempted Mariko. Afterwards, Mariko and Wolverine decided to marry with the X-Men receiving an invitation from the Emperor of Japan for the event.

It's later revealed that his illegitimate son Kenuichio Harada wanted to inherit Shingen's position.

Shingen was briefly resurrected by Phaedra of the Hand as part of a campaign of revenge against Wolverine.

Shin Harada

Shingen "Shin" Harada, otherwise known as the second Silver Samurai, is Kenuichio Harada's son and named after Lord Shingen, his grandfather. He had been committing larceny with Amiko Kobayashi.

Shin later worked with Mystique to track down newly awakened mutants to join a cause. He was later recruited by Kade Killgore to be a teacher at the Hellfire Club's Hellfire Academy where he worked as a designer.

Silver Samurai later appeared as a member of Mystique's fourth incarnation of the Brotherhood of Mutants. During Magneto's fight with the Brotherhood of Mutants on Madripoor, Magneto controlled Silver Samurai into wounding Mystique.

As part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel, Shingen Harada represented the Yashida Corporation when he attended a meeting at the Universal Bank with Tiberius Stone of Alchemax, Wilson Fisk of Fisk Industries, Sebastian Shaw of Shaw Industries, Darren Cross of Cross Technological Enterprises, Zeke Stane of Stane International, Frr'dox of Shi'ar Solutions Consolidated, and Wilhelmina Kensington of Kilgore Arms where they discussed with Dario Agger about Roxxon Energy Corporation's plans to exploit the Ten Realms of Asgard. When the true motive of the meeting was revealed, Harada attacked Dario and they almost fought, interrupted by the arrival of Exterminatrix of the Midas Foundation, resulting in Dario getting knocked out when declaring herself a new member of their assembly. He then went to an underwater station in the Southern Ocean, where he attacked the employees until encountering Thor who defeated him by smacking him repeatedly with Mjolnir. He then escaped and joined Exterminatrix in an aerial battle against soldiers attempting to rescue Dario. They later entered Roxxon Corporation HQ, where they encountered the B.E.R.S.E.R.K.E.R.S., a group of Hulk-like superhumans. While the Mindless Ones fought the B.E.R.S.E.R.K.E.R.S., Silver Samurai and Exterminatrix went to Dario's vault, attempting to take the money until Agent Solomon arrived, forcing Exterminatrix to fight the woman while Silver Samurai opened the vault. When the vault was opened, Dario transformed into Minotaur and knocked out Silver Samurai. Then, the floating island the building was located on fell down due to the activation of the Agger Imperative. While S.H.I.E.L.D. evacuated the building, Thor destroyed the island. The villains were later arrested and taken into custody.

Silver Samurai approached Old Man Logan wanting to ally in stopping the Hand's Regenix operation. He agreed in exchange that Mariko doesn't get killed and that Touku and Asami's child is taken care of. When Logan and Silver Samurai attack the Hand's Regenix operations, Silver Samurai fought Gorgon while Logan fought the Hand Ninjas to confront Mariko. After Gorgon got away, Silver Samurai injected nanites into Mariko to break the Hand's control. Afterwards, Logan and Mariko sent Silver Samurai to destroy the Regenix shipments in Madripoor.

Powers and abilities

Lord Shingen had no superhuman abilities but was in peak physical condition despite his age and was one of the finest swordsmen and martial artists in all of Japan. Highly intelligent, he had extensive knowledge of human anatomy, pressure points, and also great knowledge of poisons and assassination techniques. Shingen was highly skilled in the management of criminal organizations and very well connected in the international criminal underworld, particularly in areas of drug traffic.

Shin Harada possessed a technologically advanced suit of armor which granted him the ability of flight and protection from many conventional attacks. In addition to carrying two energy katana blades, Shin possessed a number of armaments and gadgets such as an energy cannon built into the right wrist of his suit.

Other versions

In the comic series Exiles, a younger version of Shingen Yashida exists in the home reality of Mariko Yashida (aka Sunfire).

In other media

Television

Lord Shingen appears in Marvel Anime: Wolverine, voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata in the Japanese version and by Fred Tatasciore in the English dub. This version is leader of the Kuzuryū syndicate. He arranges for Mariko Yashida to be married to Hideki Kurohage of Madripoor with the series focusing on Wolverine working to prevent Hideki from marrying Mariko. In the final battle, Shingen wears special armor to take on Wolverine. Despite wounding Yukio, Shingen is killed by Wolverine and Yukio.

Film

Shingen Yashida appears in the 2013 film The Wolverine, played by Hiroyuki Sanada. Heavily adapted from Lord Shingen, he is shown as the father of Mariko Yashida and the son of billionaire Ichirō Yashida. After the Yashida technology empire is conscribed to his daughter despite Shingen's efforts to cover up his father's near-bankruptcy, he grew hateful of him and conspired with the minister of Justice Noburo Mori in using the Yakuza. Despite Ichirō's adoption of Yukio, Shingen often treats Yukio with contempt due to her being a mutant. Shingen has Mariko kidnapped and brought to him so he can kill his own daughter for taking his place and having his father's admiration, but the Black Ninja Clan rescues Mariko and he is poisoned by Viper. Wearing the family's traditional Silver Samurai armor, Shingen attacks Yukio, but Wolverine intervenes in a vicious duel where he's killed.

External links

• Shingen Yashida at Marvel Appendix
• Silver Samurai II at Marvel Wiki
• Silver Samurai II at Comic Vine