Genan Shiranui

Genan Shiranui (不知火 幻庵, Shiranui Gen'an) is a character from the Samurai Shodown series, introduced in Samurai Shodown. Like Earthquake, he is a character that was dropped after Samurai Shodown II and only makes cameos in other characters' endings in other games. Both of his endings feature characters from other SNK games (Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting). Although they share the same family name, he is in no way related to Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters character Mai Shiranui.

Development
Originally a dark hero in the early development of King of Monsters, a 2D action fighting game feature various monsters. As the game concept evolved to Samurai Shodown, Genan was the only character remain. According to Yasushi Adachi, Genan's signature scissor hands was based on Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton.

Story
He is a member of the enigmatic Shiranui Clan, one that follows the "way of the darkness". He seeks to enlighten his progress in the "way of evil". To this end, he travels Japan, killing anyone he can. However, in his travels, he encounters an unknown female ninja (who greatly resembles Mai) and is slain.

In Samurai Shodown II, his soul is revived by a being calling himself "leader of the Demon World" along with a proposition of servitude. Genan agrees but plots to one day slay his benefactor and rule the Demon World himself. In his ending to the same game, he is convinced by his wife, Azami, to return home and live in peace.

SNK's background designer, Tomoki Fukui said, "In regards to his background design, there’s a big boiling pot [...] there’s alien bones in that pot. Genan was part of the Shiranui tribe that defeated aliens that tried to invade the planet. That was the backstory of the character amongst the development team."

Personality
Genan is the supremely confident yet blundering fool of the series, declaring himself a king when he is really a minion amongst the masses. He is violent enough to pose a threat to humanity but a sound beating or a greater power will cause him to swiftly retreat to his home. Despite his bold proclamations for the sake of evil, Genan is really a light-hearted character who just wants the best for his family. He frequently parodies Haohmaru in Samurai Showdown II.

Powers

 * Poisonous Gas - Genan can imbibe a potion and puff a cloud of poisonous gas at his opponents.
 * Fiery Roll - Genan can surround his body with a fiery energy and charge at his opponents with a roll attack.
 * Harpoon Claw - Genan can shoot his claw at an opponent and then pull them towards him via a hidden chain connected to his claw.
 * Replacement Dummy - Genan can shed his skin for a quick escape to fool his opponents.

Fighting Style
He fights with a claw, which can also be extended with a hidden chain. He can also spew poison gas to his opponents. One of more noticeable advantage over other characters are his kicks' uncanny priority. Players can easily chain them together and counter most attacks. In Samurai Shodown II, he also humorously parodies Haohmaru through both his win poses, story, and the names of his theme songs.

Music

 * Monster - Samurai Shodown
 * The Path of Monsters - Samurai Shodown II
 * Demon Scriptures - Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidou Retsuden
 * Dub Spirit - Samurai Remix VA

Voice Actors

 * Eiji Yano - Samurai Shodown I~II
 * Masahiro Okazaki - Samurai Shodown VI
 * Kōichi Kitamura - Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture
 * Neal Ford - Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture (English voice)
 * Isamu Tanonaka - Samurai Shodown Dengeki drama CD series

Game Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown
 * Samurai Shodown II
 * Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidō Retsuden - as a minor villain
 * Samurai Shodown VI
 * Quiz King of Fighters

Mobile Appearances

 * Samurai Spirits - Makai Rineki
 * Samurai Shodown Tenkadaiichi Kenkakuden
 * Samurai Shodown: Oborozuki Densetsu
 * SNK Fighting Age

Cameo Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown IV - in Genjuro's ending
 * Samurai Shodown! - cameo in background of bamboo forest arena, together with Sieger and Wan-Fu
 * Samurai Shodown V - in Gaira's ending
 * Days of Memories (third and seventh title) - in-text cameo
 * Samurai Spirits Gaiden: Cham Cham

Anime Appearances

 * Samurai Shodown: The Motion Picture

Etymology

 * The name Genan means "phantom, vision, illusion, dream, apparition" (幻) (gen) and "hermitage, hut, retreat, cabin, shanty, wigwam, hutch" (庵) (an).
 * Genan's surname Shiranui means "phosphorescent light" (不知火).
 * Phosphorescence is relating to a type of light that glows softly in the dark and that does not produce heat.