Shiba, James
Summary
James Shiba, a thirty-year-old former underground boxing champion known as "The God of Destruction," first appeared in Battle 173. He practices the Dou path of Katsujin Ken and specializes in Boxing and Underground Boxing. Once a dominant figure in the criminal underworld, James suffered a crippling injury to his right leg and the loss of his right eye during a battle with Fuurinji Saiga, the One Shadow of Yami. Following this defeat, he retreated into hermit-like existence, dwelling in a shack beneath a bridge that housed a makeshift gym, emerging only occasionally to play Pachinko. Takeda’s reaction suggests he is among the few Master-class Boxers globally. Physically, James is a tall, lean, and muscular man with pale hair parted on the sides and shaved halfway down the middle. He sports a long, pointed mustache that he takes great pride in, often keeping it pointing upward much like Akisame’s. His attire consists of dark pants with knee guards, dark boots, and a ripped sleeveless vest. Due to his past injuries, he has mechanical joints inside his right leg and wears an eye patch over his right eye. He is frequently seen smoking a cigarette. Personality-wise, James is portrayed as comically dishonorable and arrogant, to the extent that Akisame noted even Yami would reject him for such hubris, though Akisame’s view may be biased by a personal grudge over their mustache rivalry. During a disciple race against Akisame, James demonstrated his lack of honor by flicking a Pachinko ball at Kenichi’s head to make him fall, thereby giving Takeda the lead. He also refused to cut off his mustache after losing a bet by exploiting a loophole, shaving only a few hairs before escaping on a nearby bullet train. Furthermore, he exploited Takeda by forcing him into betting matches to supplement his own income, becoming quite wealthy in the process. James keeps various pets and names his techniques after them, such as the Giant Cat Eye Frog Punch, derived from a frog with cat eyes. He despises being called "Sensei," punching Takeda immediately upon hearing the title. During Takeda’s fight with Kenichi, James showed a twisted form of care by forfeiting the match, claiming it was foolish to break his source of income. He comically attempted seppuku to avoid the bet’s penalty but arrogantly refused when reminded of the consequences. Like Takeda, his best punch is a left straight, a trait that helped forge a bond between master and disciple. His mustache and beard reflect his mood: pointing downward indicates a neutral or bad state, while pointing upward signifies excitement. Additionally, he enforced hellish training methods on Takeda, similar to Akisame’s, by forcing him to wear restraints that exercised his boxing muscles. In his youth, James believed boxing was the supreme martial art and frequently participated in underground bouts. He quickly built a reputation, but his career collapsed after his loss to Saiga, which supposedly marked his death as a martial artist and left him incapacitated for several years.
