Shinobu is a kunoichi from Wano Country and fights alongside Kinemon and his troops. She also has a brother named Shinosuke.
Contents
Appearance
Shinobu is a short and stocky woman. She has a roundish face with red cheeks and fair hair that she has tied into two braids. She wears light colored kunoichi clothing and has a sword tied across her back.
When she is not on duty, she wears a dark kimono with a light circle pattern.
As a young woman, however, she was still much slimmer and very pretty.
Personality
Shinobu is very serious when it comes to overthrowing Orochi and sticks to the plan in every situation. Accordingly, she argued violently with Law when she suspected that Law’s captured men had spilled the beans about the plan. She even went so far as to try to “silence” the prisoners. However, she also panics easily in other ways and is, by her own admission, afraid of sharp objects. In contrast, however, she is also very proud of her former beauty.
Skills and strength
She is a skilled kunoichi and was once even part of the ninja elite unit, the Kozuki Secret Agents. She was able to defeat Hanzo with ease, as she is proficient in several ninjutsu and infiltration techniques.
In addition, she has eaten of a devil fruit that allows her to age anything she touches. Thus, she showed that shemake objects red, but also physically age Momonosuke by 20 years, for example.
Past
Shinobu once served the Kozuki clan as a member of the Kozuki secret agents, but when Kurozumi Orochi took the post of shogun and the rest of the secret agents joined him, she refused to be loyal to him and left the force.
Then, when Kozuki Oden returned to Wano Country 25 years ago and had to make a deal with Orochi to protect his countrymen, Shinobu, hiding in the attic, overheard this. Thus, she was one of the few to know Oden’s true motivation for making himself an idiot lord for five years. However, when the deal was finally broken on Orochi’s part and Oden and his entourage went on the attack, she joined the fight.
However, Kaidou was eventually able to win and in order to save Shinobu’s life, Oden slandered her. While she was spared, the rest were to be publicly executed. On the day of the execution, Shinobu was also on hand and when people in the audience began to speak disparagingly of Oden, she became enraged and explained to everyone present why the so-called Idiot Lord had truly acted as he did.
Although she was then grabbed by her former leader Fukurokuju, she was able to open the eyes of the people, after which they pleaded in vain for mercy for Oden. However, none of this helped and Oden was executed while his subordinates escaped. Shinobu was also able to break free from Fukurokuju’s grip and handed Oden’s subordinates their weapons.
Together, they fought their way through the enemy. For the next 20 years, all of Kozuki Oden’s followers were persecuted, including Shinobu. When Kinemon and co. returned, she joined them once more.
Present
Preparation for battle
After Kinemon revealed the truth about Wano Country and their past to those present in the ruins of Oden Castle and dressed them in more inconspicuous clothing with the help of his devil powers, Kinemon called for Shinobu. She instantly appeared and introduced herself to the troupe. However, shortly after, Kaidou himself appeared in Kuri and, after receiving a clue from Basil Hawkins, attacked Oden Castle. However, due to Shinobu’s devil powers, everyone was saved on the spot by the latter creating a hole in the ground while Luffy was captured.
A bit later, Shinobu infiltrated a house of Orochi’s subordinates together with Nami to get information about the weapons shipments. However, they were discovered and had to flee. They managed to do so through Shinobu’s technique Ninpo: Odako, in which she flies through the air with a dragon and Nami clung to her. Still, they were able to get a read on when and where the weapons would arrive. Their next task took them directly to Orochi’s castle, where they hid in the ceiling, but were informed by Robin that she herself had been discovered by the Orochi secret agents. Shinobu commented that they were extremely skilled.
After Brook was also exposed, Shinobu and Nami were also discovered. Hanzo, a ninja of the Orochi secret agents, recognized her and identified her as the beguiling kunoichi who was known to seduce and kill men. She was able to incapacitate him, however, and then caused the ground to rot beneath them, causing them to land on Orochi’s head with the roof beams. After Kyoshiro apparently murdered the courtesan Komurasaki, Shinobu was shocked. Afterwards, Nami used electricity to strike the Shogun and they were able to escape. Shinobu, Brook, Robin, and Nami dropped little Tama off in the red light district and met up with Kanjuro at the northern cemetery. The women decided to go to a bathhouse in the flower capital.
There, the kunoichi told them both about Hyogoro and her past with the Oniwabanshu under the leadership of Fukurokuju, though she turned away from him after his betrayal of the Kozuki clan. Though they were discovered by members of the Beasts Pirates, led by stars Hawkins and X. Drake, Nami was able to take them out using Shiawase Punch, however. Eventually they were rescued by Sanji, who was also present in disguise, and they escaped again, but he informed them that Law’s men had been captured. They went to Ebisu, where Shinobu got into a heated discussion with Law, insinuating that its captured members had spilled the beans. However, Tonoyasu appeared afterwards, who seemed to know Shinobu and Kanjuro, and inquired if the final battle was really happening. However, the two didn’t seem to know the old man.
It wasn’t until he was about to be captured and executed that they remembered him. They ran with the others to the execution site, but were too late. Afterwards, Shinobu told the truth about the Smile fruit and why the villagers were still laughing despite their hero’s death. After riots broke out and Sanji and Zoro prepared to fight, Shinobu took the body of Shimotsuki Yasuie, aka Tonoyasu.
When maximum security was declared in the Flower Capital, Sanji and Shinobu surveyed the situation from a rooftop and decided that they must free the captured supporters of the Kozuki clan. Later, she attended a meeting of key Alliance members to overthrow Orochi and Kaidou. Then, one day before the planned attack, she set out for the meeting place along with Momonosuke and the seven Akazaya present.
Attack on Onigashima
To their horror, however, they found that there were no allies and no ships at sea. The weather also seemed to have turned against them. Per Smart Tanishi, no one could be reached and the harbor looked as if a battle had taken place. Desperate, Momonosuke held them back while the rest set sail anyway. On the open sea, however, Kanjuro revealed himself to be the traitor and was able to trick them with a doppelganger drawing. Still on land himself, he was able to immobilize Shinobu and then escape with Momonosuke.
However, their allies suddenly appeared after all and Shinobu, apologizing to Kinemon, boarded the Polar Tang. They were able to win the sea battle against the Beasts Pirates pirates that appeared and infiltrated Onigashima. On the scene, she boarded the Brachio Tank 5 with Chopper, Carrot, Nami, and Usopp and accompanied the eastern force. Arriving at Black Maria’s brothel, Carrot, Nami, and Shinobu separated from the rest to search for Momonosuke. However, Big Mom was also at the brothel at the time, so they ran into Prometheus, who Captain Nezumid them out to the Empress, causing them to flee from her. While Nami and Carrot were caught, Shinobu escaped and focused on rescuing Momonosuke. After the Akazaya and Izou subsequently started the battle by launching a surprise attack, Shinobu wanted to take advantage of the commotion and free Momonosuke.
Before she was discovered and flung away by King, she was able to untie Momonosuke’s bonds, after which Sanji rescued the boy and handed him over to Shinobu. Just landing on the ground, they encountered Luffy and Yamato, with the straw hat letting them know that they could trust Yamato. The latter wanted to protect them, but pretended to be Oden and scared the two. While fleeing, however, Shinobu was injured by Sasaki’s units and accepted Yamato’s help. Yamato then got the two out of harm’s way, but was unable to escape the island with Momonosuke, as Kaidou had already begun the “New Onigashima Project”.
In a storage room, they were able to catch their breath for a moment, and Yamato told Shinobu and Momonosuke about her meeting with Ace, but also that her father is Kaidou. However, after she also gave Momonosuke Oden’s log, they were discovered again and the escape continued. Using a “Momonosuke doll” as bait, Yamato went to Kaidou to draw the attention of Momonosuke and Shinobu.
They encountered Kinemon and Kikunojo, while Momonosuke perceived Luffy’s voice. Suddenly, Oden appeared, but Kikunojo immediately attacked it, knowing it was a deception by Kanjuro. When Kaidou then appeared, Kinemon ordered Shinobu to run away with Momonosuke.
Miscellaneous
- Their favorite food is Hanpen, an ingredient in the stew oden.
- In SBS Volume 96, a reader asks Oda if Shinobu’s appearance is inspired by Jane from the manga and anime series Jungle King Tar-chan by mangaka Masaya Tokuhiro (Oda worked as an assistant to Tokuhiro before his mangaka career). Just like Shinobu, Jane was beautiful in her youth, but let herself go a lot as she grew older. However, Oda actually reveals that Japanese comedian and actress Naomi Watanabe was Shinobu’s role model.
