Summary
Following the demise of Yukishiro Tomoe, Himura Kenshin transitioned into a free-wielding swordsman dedicated to shielding the Ishin Shishi. Shishio Makoto assumed the role of his successor as the shadow hitokiri, taking responsibility for the assassination of Izuka, the individual who had betrayed the revolutionary group. The nascent Meiji government kept Shishio’s existence far more secret than that of Kenshin, with many figures from the Chōshū and Satsuma clans possessing minimal intelligence regarding him. Believing it prudent to neutralize Shishio before his ambition for power grew too threatening, the new regime orchestrated an assassination attempt during the Boshin War. He was struck by multiple gunshots, doused in oil, and burned alive by the Ishin Shishi-led government. Although he survived, the ordeal left his entire body severely damaged. In the aftermath, Shishio gathered Japan’s most formidable warriors, forming the Juppongatana, with the intent of toppling the Meiji administration. Shishio dreamed of a Japan under his rule, governed by the principles of natural selection, which he described as "the strong eat the weak." Deeming the Meiji government too feeble to lead the nation effectively, he waged war against them based on this ideology. He shaped Seta Sōjirō into an ideological disciple and his right-hand man, as well as the strongest member of the Juppongatana. Shishio also planned to revitalize the economy with petroleum once he seized control of the country.
