- "Rainy days, snowy days, birthdays, new year's days... I've lived every day of my life since childhood wielding a sword. I've lived my life with blade always in my mind. That blade... the sword-slay techniques I've cultivated... this thinly cut mass of iron... if there's even the slightest thing that can be saved by any of that... then I've got no choice... but to wield my sword."
— Soshiro Hoshina.
Soshiro Hoshina (
Soshiro is one of the main protagonists of Kaiju No. 8: B-Side, a spin-off series of Kaiju No. 8.[8][9][10][11]
Appearance[]
Soshiro is an athletic young man of average height with a small yet muscular build and dark violet short hair in a bob cut style. His red eyes (purple in the anime) are closed most of the time and he always has a jovial expression on his face,[6] except when serious scenarios made him display an imposing expression with his eyes opened.[12]
When on-duty, Soshiro wears the usual Defense Force uniform.[4] He also wears the normal combat suit used by Defense Force members when on the battlefield.[12] While wearing Numbers Weapon 10, Soshiro wears a combat suit with light-purple scale-like armor with green outlines, a long mechanical tail and Kaiju No. 10's signature eye in the middle of the chest plate.[13]
As a child, Soshiro was mostly identical to his current appearance, most wearing a traditional training outfit.[2]
Gallery[]
Personality[]
Soshiro is rather laid-back, always having a smile on his face; it is very rare to see him downtrodden. He seems to enjoy making fun of others, especially Kafka Hibino considering him a comic relief.[6] However, he does have some serious moments when he speaks firmly and open his eyes to emphasize the seriousness of his words.[14] Soshiro also likes to tease captain Gen Narumi from the First Division. Despite Soshiro's relaxed and friendly appearance, he is very intelligent and intuitive. He was the only one who correctly suspected Kafka's identity as Kaiju No. 8, thus one of the main reasons he accepted him in the Third Division despite failing the exam was to keep an eye on him.[14]
Soshiro has a great, yet hidden, sense of loyalty towards the Defense Force and feels very thankful towards his captain Mina Ashiro for letting him into her division. His sense of loyalty to his role in the force is so strong that he deep down sees it as his only reason to live.[2] Soshiro is also very thankful as seen when he talked to Kafka two months after he proved to be Kaiju No. 8 and thanked him for saving his life and those of his subordinates showing to hold no grudge towards him.[15]
Soshiro is also very linked to his family and its swordsmanship tradition. His father's skepticism of his abilities[2] and his feeling of inferiority towards his older brother Soichiro Hoshina [3] brought Soshiro to hone his swordplay and identify his whole being within the art of the blade.[3] He was also seen training alone despite being very late at night, replaying in his mind the fight he had against Kaiju No. 8. This further proves that Soshiro is also very hard-working and determined to be strong enough to defeat all the Kaiju. However, During his fight with Kaiju No. 12, No. 10 digged into Soshiro's psyche and made him realize that he always had fun swinging the sword , with Soshiro finally accepting his simplemindedness as his main resolve for fighting and improving himself.[16]
Soshiro is aware that times have changed and the era of swords is more than over and most members of the Defense Force look down on him because of his fighting style. Despite this he feels it is his duty to wield his sword because he's spent better part of his life in training and improving his swordmanship and it's the only way he knows to fight against Kaiju. In battle, Soshiro is perceptive enough to notice his opponent's mental state as well as the mood of the skirmish itself, alerting him whenever a fight is favorably going his way or otherwise and thus adapting on the spot.
Power & Abilities[]
Overall Abilities: Soshiro is the vice-captain of the Third Division of the Defense Force and a powerful combatant, capable of fighting on par with Kaiju No. 10.[17][18][19] While his skill set puts him at a disadvantage against large-sized Kaiju, Soshiro's proficiency in defeating small to mid-sized Kaiju in battle surpasses that of the captain of the First Division, "Japan's Strongest Anti-Kaiju Combatant", Gen Narumi.[20]
Ever since wearing Numbers Weapon 10, Soshiro's physical attributes have been dampened due to the weapon being the first Kaiju weapon in the history of the Defense Force to have a mind of it’s own.[21] However, when reaching a temporary status of synchronization, Soshiro is able to easily overpower minor Kaiju, with the potential to use his Numbers Weapon to the fullest.[22]
Against Kaiju No. 12, the improved and final version of Kaiju No. 10, Soshiro is initially overwhelmed by the monster due to it possessing far superior speed, strength and fighting ability compared to No. 10.[23] But after revealing his secret weapon, Soshiro is able to gain the upper hand on No. 12 for a short period of time before the monster adapts to his fighting style.[3][5] Eventually, after a very tough battle, Soshiro is able to defeat No. 12 with a new technique that he develops during their battle.[24][25]
Powers[]
- High Unleashed Combat Power: As a Defense Force vice-captain, Soshiro is capable of using a high amount of his combat suit's power. His maximum unleashed combat power in a normal Defense Force combat suit is 92%,[26] but abusing the suit's power will cause him to overheat.[27] While wearing Numbers Weapon 10, he is capable of using 100% of his suit's power.[16]
- Enhanced Strength: Soshiro has incredible physical strength, able to slice through Kaiju No. 8's incredibly tough skin with ease.[28] He is also capable of slicing through Kaiju No. 10's tough skin despite being heavily damaged, something not even Kikoru Shinomiya could do with her own personal weapon.[29] During his training session with Kafka and without wearing a combat suit, Soshiro is able to overwhelm the latter with only a few punches [30] and sends him back a great distance with one punch while he is holding a reinforced training bag.[31]
- Immense Speed and Reflexes: Soshiro is an extremely fast combatant with extraordinary reflexes. He is shown killing a Kaiju without any noticeable movement.[7] Kafka (in his Kaiju form) is shocked by how fast he moves and states that his speed is on a whole other level when compared to Kikoru.[28] His speed is so great that he even impressed Kaiju No. 10 with how fast he can move.[32] He is also capable of dodging extremely fast attacks from Kaiju No. 10,[17][18][19] as well as Kaiju No. 12,[3] at point blank range.
- Enhanced Durability: Soshiro is an incredibly durable combatant as shown when he emerges completely unscathed after Kaiju No. 10 sends him flying through a building.[18]
- Enhanced Endurance: Soshiro possesses tremendous levels of physical endurance. Despite being heavily injured after taking a powerful punch from Kaiju No. 10, he is able to continue fighting even after his suit overheats.[27] After going well beyond his suit's limit, he is still able to push beyond and use 63% of his suit's power despite being heavily fatigued.[2]
Abilities[]
- Master Swordsman: Soshiro is an extremely skilled swordsman who hails from the Hoshina Family, a family of Kaiju slayers dating back to the Muromachi period, and is one of the Defense Force’s strongest blade specialists. When using his custom-made twin swords or his katana, Soshiro can quickly cut down his opponents with extreme speed and precision.[7][3] According to his father, even at a very young age, Soshiro would’ve been considered a prodigy in the Edo period due to his extraordinary mastery in swordsmanship.[2] Soshiro further showcased his mastery in swordsmanship by coming up with a new form in the middle of the fight against Kaiju No. 12.[24] His older brother and captain of the Sixth Division, Soichiro Hoshina, states that when it comes to the blade, Soshiro stands above everyone in the Hoshina Family past or present.[25]
- Martial Arts Mastery: Despite specializing in swordsmanship, Soshiro is a highly skilled unarmed fighter. He is capable of using Isao Shinomiya's fighting style with great proficiency and easily overpower Kafka Hibino in their training session.[30] His close-quarters fighting ability is stated to be the strongest within the entire Defense Force.[5] He was even capable of evolving Isao's fighting techniques.[33]
- Leadership Skills: As a vice-captain, Soshiro has shown excellent leadership skills, able to guide a whole platoon and multiple officers on the battlefield during major battles.[34]
- Keen Intellect: Soshiro is a very intelligent man. He is shown explaining, in detail, the catastrophes that Kaiju No. 9 caused as well as it’s abilities to the eastern division of the Defense Force [20] and is able to deduce the location of No. 9's whereabouts.[35] He also likes to plan for the future as shown when he asked Konomi Okonogi to develop a new secret weapon just in case Kaiju No. 9 observed his battle with Kaiju No. 10.[3]
Fighting Style[]
Soshiro's unleashed combat power when it comes to using firearms is low, so he prefers close-ranged sword fighting. Unlike other Defense Force officers, Soshiro uses his family's unique fighting style, known as Hoshina Style (
Soshiro's field of expertise with his style is the sword-slay technique, used with a Dual-Blade Form (二刀型, Nitō-gata). His skills and power easily allow him to fight toe-to-toe with Kaiju of Identified class, like No. 8,[28] No. 10[18] and No. 12.[5] He also proved to use the quick-slash technique and the single-blade form with remarkable ability, despite the latter being Soichiro's specialty.
Battles[]
- Soshiro vs Kaiju No. 8 (Interrupted): Chapter 19 - Chapter 20
- Soshiro vs Kaiju No. 10 (Interrupted): Chapter 25 - Chapter 30
- Soshiro, Kikoru Shinomiya and Mina Ashiro vs Kaiju No. 10 (Win): Chapter 30 - Chapter 31
- Soshiro and Numbers Weapon 10 vs Chofu Airport Kaiju (Win): Chapter 73 - Chapter 75
- Soshiro and Numbers Weapon 10 vs Kaiju No. 12 (Win): Chapter 76 - Chapter 93
Equipment[]
- Combat Suit (formerly): On the battlefield, Soshiro wears a normal Defense Force combat suit.[12]
- Rifle: Despite having a low released force in shooting, Soshiro is shown wielding a rifle on the battlefield.[12]
- Respirator Mask: Soshiro wears a respirator mask in battle.[12]
- Numbers Weapon 10 (
識別怪獣兵器 10号 , Nanbāzu Jū-gō): Soshiro's personal Numbers weapon, provided by Izumo Tech, is a special combat suit crafted from the body of Kaiju No. 10. This suit has light-purple scale-like armor with green outlines, a long mechanical tail, and No. 10's signature eye in the middle of the chest plate. It is the first Numbers weapon in the history of the Defense Force that has a will of it's own.
- Twin Swords: Marked SW-2033 and provided by Izumo Tech, Soshiro's personal weapons are a pair of twin swords.[7] The blades are sharp and durable enough to slice through incredibly tough Kaiju like Kaiju No. 8[28] and Kaiju No. 10.[19] He is shown to have multiple swords as a back up.[3]
- Katana: Marked SW-1023, Soshiro uses a single katana as a secret weapon, despite this being a weapon usually wielded by his older brother. The blade is sharp enough to easily slice through Kaiju No. 12.[3] He is shown to have multiple katanas as a back up.[3][5]
Etymology[]
- The name Soshiro contains the kanji for "religion, sect, denomination, main point, origin, essence" (宗, so), "four" (四, shi) and "son" (郎, ro).
- Soshiro's last name Hoshina contains the kanji for "protect/protection, maintain, guarantee" (保, ho) and" family, department, section" (科, shina).
Trivia[]
- Soshiro likes reading, coffee, mont blanc and simple guys.[1]
- Soshiro seems to be better at videogames than Gen Narumi.[36]
- When designing Soshiro's SW-2033 swords, Matsumoto was undecided between a combat knife or a ninja sword.[37]
- Soshiro ranked #1 in the first character popularity polls.
- In the anime, Soshiro's introduction is earlier than in the manga, making a cameo appearance in Episode 1.
- While equipped with Numbers Weapon 10, Soshiro's maximum unleashed combat power of 100% is the highest in the entire series.[16]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Soshiro's character profile
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Chapter 29
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Chapter 89
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chapter 4
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Chapter 90
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chapter 5
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Chapter 14
- ↑ Chapter 1 (B-Side)
- ↑ Chapter 2 (B-Side)
- ↑ Chapter 3 (B-Side)
- ↑ Chapter 4 (B-Side)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Chapter 8
- ↑ Chapter 72
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chapter 10
- ↑ Chapter 65
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Chapter 92
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Chapter 25
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Chapter 26
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Chapter 27
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chapter 57
- ↑ Chapter 73
- ↑ Chapter 75
- ↑ Chapter 81
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Chapter 93
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Chapter 94
- ↑ Chapter 19
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Chapter 28
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Chapter 20
- ↑ Chapter 30
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Chapter 66
- ↑ Chapter 69
- ↑ Chapter 74
- ↑ Chapter 106
- ↑ Chapter 12
- ↑ Chapter 58
- ↑ Volume 7 extra
- ↑ Soshiro's SW-2033 info.
