Lord Shingen

Origin

Lord Shingen’s family lineage is as old as the Emperor’s and has a legitimate claim to the throne. He is a Master Martial Artist, a student of Bushido who specialized in sword fighting and pressure point attacks. In his 1st encounter with Wolverine, Lord Shingen challenged Logan to a mock duel using Bokan wooden practice swords finding Logan unworthy to handle a samurai sword and humiliated him in front of Mariko. What Mariko did not know at the time was prior to Logan being dragged in front of Lord Shingen, he had been nearly fatally poisoned purposely overwhelming his healing factor. Wolverine agreed to the duel with his healing factor absent and physically suffering from the effects. Lord Shingen then proceeded to fight Wolverine placing overwhelming pressure point hits on Logan’s body. Mariko did not realize what was happening and thinking her father was simply humiliating Wolverine but in truth each blow Lord Shingen placed on Logan were meant to kill him. If it were not for Logan’s indomitable will he would have died. Logan began to lose his temper realizing he could die if Lord Shingen continued to hit him, he threw away the wooden sword and unsheathed his claws disgracing himself in front of Mariko appearing to fight without honor.

Lord Shingen took advantage of Logan’s desperation and mocked him pointing out to his daughter that Logan’s actions confirm what he truly is an animal unworthy of Mariko’s love. Logan dishearten to hear Mariko agree with her father attacked Lord Shingen in anger but was easily countered by the sword master, Lord Shingen parrying Logan’s clumsy attack. Lord Shingen taking advantage of Logan’s broken heart and desperation unforgivingly assaulted Logan with deadly strikes from his wooden sword each hit being worse then the last each meant to kill nearly snapping Logan’s spine if not for his adamantium skeleton. Finally Logan could no longer defend himself the poison’s cursing through his body had done its job robbing him of his healing factor making Logan slow struggling to defend himself, Lord Shingen mercilessly attacked Wolverine till he lost consciousness from overwhelming pressure point attacks to his body.

Mariko believed Logan simply defeated but in actuality Lord Shingen had believed Logan dead as was his intend, Shingen had Logan’s body dumped in a Japanese alleyway in the city of Tokyo to have his body found by wandering citizen. Fortunately for Wolverine his mutant healing factor had finally overcome the poison and was able to repair Logan’s injuries and assuring a second battle with Lord Shingen for not just honor and revenge but to free Mariko from her father and his criminal organization.

In their second encounter Wolverine came to Lord Shingen after Logan had dismantled his criminal empire and asked Lord Shingen if he was finally worthy, Lord Shingen unsheathed the family Honor Sword and responded to Logan that he would see as they engage in what was then their final battle where only one would live. Logan using his claws and Lord Shingen using his family sword, they fought mercilessly cutting and slicing one another but the battle was already decided Wolverine possessing a mutant healing factor while Lord Shingen did not. Lord Shingen managed to stab Logan clean through his torso, Logan used this opportunity to grab Lord Shingen keeping him from disengaging from Logan or releasing the sword. Locking eyes with one another Logan brought his fist to Lord Shingen’s head and unsheathed his claws killing Lord Shingen in their duel and reclaiming the lost honor of Clan Yashida.

Creation

Lord Shingen Yashida first appeared in Wolverine #1. He was created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.

In Other Media

The Wolverine

Shingen appears as one of the main antagonists in The Wolverine, portrayed by Hiroyuki Sanada. In the film, he hates his daughter Mariko, resenting her for being named as the new head of the Yashida corporation over him. He arranges her kidnapping so that he can have her killed, but Viper poisons him before he can do so. In a last act of rage, he attacks Yukio and a greatly-weakened Logan while wearing his family’s suit of samurai armor. After his healing factor returns, Logan easily defeats and kills Shingen.

Marvel Anime: Wolverine

Lord Shingen appears as one of the major villains in the Wolverine anime, voiced by Hidekatsu Shibata in the Japanese version, and Fred Tatasciore in the English dub.