Shiro Fujimoto

Shiro Fujimoto (藤本獅郎) was a priest, an Exorcist, the two-hundred fifty-first Paladin of the True Cross Order, and the adoptive father of the Okumura twins before his untimely death at the hands of Satan.

Appearance
Shiro is a tall slender man with average build. Although in his late forties, he displays mastery over combat and manages to defend himself and his brethren from Demons. Shiro would appear younger if not for his light gray hair and aged facial features but overall he seemed like he could pass for man in his mid to late thirties. Along with his hair which he wears in a messy fashion, Shiro also has a goatee and some stubble along his lower chin and upper lip. Even when he was young Shiro always wore a pair of glasses with the chain adorned with beads & a cross. The most notable feature Shiro possesses is the cross like scar on his forehead that he did not have when he was much younger, presumably fifteen years before the start of the main story. When Shiro was younger, he greatly resembled a much older version of Rin, his adoptive son. Shiro also sometimes wears a happy look on his face but when the time comes he can become quite serious.

As an Exorcist, Shiro wore the issued black Coat & Heart shaped rosary but as he got older he began to look much more like a normal priest as he adorned more of a clerical clothing with his priest collar adorned with two crosses. Shiro turned his Exorcist pin into a very long necklace he always wore on his person. Along with wearing it as a necklace, it has been modified into a stiletto/pin type weapon which he used to stab himself in the chest with, causing his own death. Shiro also wore another shorter necklace with a key around it. This key was the one he used to keep the vault he built to safely contain The Demon-Slaying Blade shut.

Personality
Shiro is quite mysterious but has a protective personality and kind heart. Though a Paladin, he is not merciless towards Demons as he befriended the cat sith, Kuro, and is the adopted father of Rin, which made him one of the few people able to calm Rin down. Despite being born as the twin sons of Satan Shiro raised and loved Yukio and Rin with all of his heart as if they were his own children. He loved them so much that he was willing to die for them if it meant protecting his sons. Despite being a priest, he can be immature and joke around, and likes women with big breasts as he claims he broke his ribs so a busty nurse can take care of him. Some of his personality traits are possibly passed to Rin and perhaps Shura.

In the past, Shiro was shown to have a cold-hearted personality and followed orders from the Vatican; all for the simple goal of escaping the routine of being a test subject, though he would still be under the Vatican's control. He was annoyed by Yuri for befriending the Demons and tries to destroy them despite them being her friends. His perspective towards Demons changed though when Yuri gave birth to Rin and Yukio. He changed his mind when Rin smiled as he was about to slay them. For Yuri's sake, he decided to raise the two boys which Mephisto laughed at. Shiro used to be a chain smoker but when Rin smiled at him, he decided to quit for the boys' sake.

In his youth, Shiro was quite the womanizer, sleeping around with the female Exorcists. However, he did have some standards. When Yuri told him that she loved him, Shiro refused her feelings because she was a few years younger than him. In fact he shows utter annoyance with someone younger than him being persistant with such; primarily shown when he captures Shura as a child under orders to end her rampages and she became attracted to him. Though Shiro would admit upon Yuri's death that he had indeed loved her, but he had been too afraid to act on his feelings.

It seemed Yuri had an impact on his later life, as Shiro changed his tactics to trying to understand and reason with demons before using force. Additonally, being a father seemed to grant Shiro a good deal of patience and wisdom. While not outright foster father to Shura, Shiro managed to reign in her more "indecent" quirks and get her to start acting more mature. His patience and understanding helped with Rin's temper, allowing his son to hit him to vent his feelings and then claim his injuries were from something else. The anime goes a step further, showing Shiro eat Rin's first attempt at an omelet to boost his confidence as a chef.

History
Shiro was originally part of Section 13's experiments to create new bodies for the Eight Demon Kings. A clone of Azazel, Shiro was the fourth in a series of clones.

(anime - twins birth) About fifteen years ago, Shiro was ordered by the True Cross Order to exorcise the children of Satan. Because Rin smiled as he was about to slay them, Shiro defied his orders and sought means to prevent their deaths. With the aid of Mephisto, Rin's demonic power was sealed within the Kurikara, allowing the boy to grow up relatively normal. Fujimoto worked at his own monastery for at least fifteen years before the start of the series, and raised the Okumura twins as his sons. Additionally, he began training Yukio at age seven in the art of exorcism, enabling the youth to earn Meisters as a Doctor and Dragoon.

True Cross Academy arc
Shiro Fujimoto was first seen speaking to Rin when he came to the church. He questioned Rin as to why he was covered in bruises. Rin replied that he fell down the stairs on a hot chick. Fujimoto then suddenly stood up, and told Rin to lead the way. He realized that Rin was lying and told him that he shouldn't get into fights that often and that he should find a job. Then, Yukio came telling him that he finished packing his things. Some other Exorcists at the church commented that even though Rin and Yukio are twins, they are totally different. Angered by this, Rin let some of his flames out, breaking the heater in the process. Fujimoto then quickly ran to the heater to see if it was safe, commenting that he should buy a new one. Another Exorcist came and told him that he has visitors. Fujimoto tells Yukio to heal Rin's wounds, then departed.

When Rin got into his suit and headed to his job interview he saw Father Fujimoto comforting a girl and her mother. He told her that her parents will protect her from bad Demons and even if that is not enough, then that is why the Exorcists are there. Rin came asking Fujimoto if being an Exorcist is about protecting people from something that doesn't exist. Fujimoto then claimed that Demons do exist, in people's hearts. He asks Rin as to why he was wearing the suit. Rin then answered that everyone demanded him to take it for the interview. However Father Fujimoto noticed that he was missing a tie and said that he would tie it up for him. He commented that even thought Rin has grown physically, he is still a child. Rin said that he will show Fujimoto how much he's grown, before leaving for his job interview. After Rin was accepted at his job, he called his house to tell the news to everyone. Fujimoto then told him that he should hurry home to Yukio's farewell party.

At night, everyone was waiting for Rin to come back. Eventually, Yukio went looking for him. When Yukio and Rin came back home, they found Fujimoto talking to the father of the same girl that visited him yesterday. Rin commented that it wasn't humans who bully the girl, but some weird creatures. Surprised, Fujimoto listened to Rin for a while but then stopped him and gave the girl a four leaved clover that would protect her. He then told Rin that he was a hundred years too young for him to scold someone. Afterwards, Fujimoto and Rin continued Yukio's farewell party but Fujimoto grounded Rin and forbid him to eat sukiyaki because he receive a bill from Rin's boss from the supermarket of all the damages that Rin caused to the store.

At night, Father Fujimoto went to see if the seal on Kōmaken was weakened. When he opened the shelf he saw the seal breaking.

The next day, Fujimoto noticed all the Coal Tar floating in the air. When he went to look for Rin he found him, and a Demon called Astaroth with him. He exorcised the Demon and told Rin that he is the son of Satan. Fujimoto and Rin then ran to the church, encountering many Demons along the way.

When they finally arrived at the church, Fujimoto told the other Exorcists to put barriers around the area to prevent Demons from entering. He then took Rin to a secret room where he gave him the sword Kurikara with Rin's sealed powers inside. He told Rin that they needed to keep this a secret from him in order to let him live as a human. The Demons finally broke into the church starting a huge battle between Demons and Exorcists. Fujimoto then locked Rin in the room and went to fight.

After the fight was over, Fujimoto told Rin to call his friend's phone number, and to get away from the church. Confused, Rin then told Fujimoto that he just wants to get rid of him. Rin thought that Fujimoto was just tired of acting as his father. Then, Rin said that Fujimoto should stop pretending to be his father. Fujimoto, angry at Rin, slapped him and told him to go. Because of the fact that the only thing keeping Satan from ever possessing Fujimoto was his strong will having to result to violence with Rin and the great shame that came from it, Fujimoto got possessed by Satan who came to drag Rin to Gehenna. When Satan opened the Gehenna Gate and was about to abduct Rin, Fujimoto regained control over his body and stopped Satan's possession by stabbing himself, and killing himself. Satan, however, claimed that it was too late. Rin drew out the sword that sealed his powers and destroyed the Gehenna gate, leaving deceased Fujimoto and Rin in Assiah. After the incident, Yukio came to the church in shock.

The next day, everyone went to Fujimoto's funeral. There, Rin called the number Fujimoto gave him, and met Mephisto Pheles.

Powers & Abilities
Shiro Fujimoto was the former Paladin of the True Cross Order, and was therefore considered the most powerful exorcist. As Paladin, he mastered the five basic meisters Aria, Doctor, Dragoon, Knight and Tamer. His exorcising talents were so great that he easily exorcised Astaroth, The King of Decay instantly. He has also displayed extreme willpower by retaking his body, albeit a short while from Satan, the Demon god of Gehenna.

Shiro, as a subject of the Elixir experiments has accelerated healing that allows him to heal a clean cut in an hour.

Dragoon
Shiro seemed to favour firearms in his youth, and is able to use both a shotgun and rifle with excellent aim. He also modified one of the standard Holy Water Grenades to instead dispense Silver Vine Sake in order to subdue Kuro.

Tamer
While his actual abilities as a Tamer were never explored, Shiro showed a strong understanding of the residents of Gehenna, in particular, subduing Kuro when he rampaged without harming him and convincing him to not only be a familiar, but to guard one of the city gates. Whether any sort of contract was made between the two, or just a simple understanding was not clear.

Aria
Shiro, as both a Priest and an Exorcist, possessed an in-depth knowledge of holy scripture, instantly quoting the appropriate verse to exorcise a Demon before it had fully manifested.

Doctor
Shiro's skills as a Doctor were shown when, after being sent to steal the Koumaken, he immediately understood the illness the monks were suffering from when he saw them and demanded the ingredients to heal them, even managing to ensure the recovery of a pregnant woman without any complications to her or her child.

Trivia

 * In the Blue Night Investiagtion arc, its revealed that the reason Shiro shares a resembelance with Rin is due to the fact Satan used one of Shiro's clone brothers as a vessel prior to the Blue Night.
 * His pastimes and talents are: collecting dirty books, taking care of his glasses, and falling asleep anywhere and anytime.
 * Shiro's name means "young lion" or "lion man" in kanji. The first half of his name, "Shi" (獅), means "lion". And the second half, "Rō" (郎) means "youthful, young" or "man, servant".
 * According to the kanji used for his surname, Fujimoto means "origin of wisteria". The first half of his surname, "Fuji" (藤) means "wisteria". The second half "Moto" (本) means "origin/main/this".
 * His average hours of sleep per night is 6 hours.
 * He likes hot girls with large breasts.
 * His favorite manga genres are: Romance, emotional drama and social drama.
 * His favorite food is Oden, especially the Japanese Radish (Daikon).
 * A character sharing Shiro's design makes a cameo in Godzilla Singular Point, a series for which Kazue Katō did the character designs.

Quotes

 * (To Rin Okumura) "Heheh...You're lying. You just don't know how to knot a tie do you? Come here, I'll give you a hand."


 * (To Rin Okumura) "If you don't like to be treated like a kid then why don't you try showing how much you have grown up...?"


 * (To Rin Okumura) "*sigh* I'm getting too old to protect a kid like you..."
 * (To Asteroth) "Evil is in their hearts. Oh Lord give unto them according to their works and the wickedness of their inventions. According to the work of their hands render unto them their reward. Thou shalt destroy them and shalt not build them up. You have heard my supplication. The Lord is my helper, and my protector. Thou shalt perish!"
 * (To a hoard of coaltars) The road is unmarked for those without faith. The hand of god will fling them from Jacob's ladder!"
 * (Locking the door to the basement) The road is not marked for those who are lacking faith. Billowing fog blocks the gates to heaven."


 * (To Satan) "This boy is my son...! And I'm taking him back!!!"
 * (To Tatsuma Suguro) "You'll never be able to move forward if you're afraid of soiling your hands."

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