Shuri Oak

'''SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!'''

Shuri Oak is a neutral, previously antagonistic, secondary character of the 07-ghost series. He first appeared at the Barsburg Military Academy, and was Teito and Mikage's classmate, the former of whom he used to verbally bully due to him being a slave.

Shuri is the son of Wakaba Oak and the younger first cousin of Hakuren Oak. He was the president representing the students in the military academy, but among the Black Hawks he is disliked and seen as a nuisance. He became a member of the Black Hawks after his graduation, but has not yet joined in the anime. After the death of his father, Shuri ceased to antagonise Teito, the main protagonist, because Teito helped him at Wakaba's funeral.

Etymology
Shuri's name may come from Shuri castle in Japan. Shuri castle was the palace of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, and may allude to Shuri's (the character's) family's wealth.

In Japanese, "to fix/repair" is pronounced as "shuuri".

His surname, Oak, may be derived from the fact that the oak leaf is commonly seen on military awards and insignia, as it is a symbol of strength, and the oak (tree) is the national tree of Germany.

Physical appearance
Shuri appears as a boy in his mid-teens and is of average build, having the same height and weight as Mikage, who is 167 cm and weighs 51 kg. Shuri has a slim build with an angular face, a small nose and a small mouth with full lips. His skin tone is quite dark compared to his light colored hair, his hair being pale blonde, neck length, and parted to the right, almost falling over his right eye. Shuri's most notable features are his large, bright blue eyes, with long black eyelashes, particularly on his bottom lid, and the red studs he wears in his ears. Earrings appear to be a family tradition of some sort, as Wakaba Oak also wears earrings.

On the whole, Shuri bears a significant resemblance to his father and many other Oaks. It is unknown if he also resembles his mother.

Clothing
Shuri wears the Barsburg Military cadet uniform, consisting of a black, or dark blue, thigh-length tunic with long sleeves and a neck guard. He wears black trousers and knee-length back boots and white gloves similar to the other military cadets. His uniform has golden trimming on the shoulders, chest, sleeve cuffs and neck guard and he also wears a gold belt. He also has gold shoulder boards on his right shoulder and a small version of the Barsburg Military insignia over his left shoulder.

In the manga, after he has graduated from the academy, he wears the standard military uniform, which consists of an ankle-length overcoat with a small half-mantle over his left shoulder with an enlarged version of the Barsburg Military insignia. At his belt there is a rather large and ornately decorated sabre, though his skill in using a sword in a real battle is questionable. His black trousers, knee-length boots and white gloves stay the same.

During Princess Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg's masquerade ball, Shuri wears the appropriate noble clothing, and a mask.

Personality
Shuri is arrogant, stubborn and spoilt. As his parents have over-protected him by preparing everything for him and solving all the problems for him, he has developed the habit of calling for his parent(s) (especially his father), whom he mistakenly thinks can cause anything to change, whenever he faces difficulty or has troubles. He breaks down in stressful situations, and asks for help.

He is frank and childish, thus often says or does things that offend others without realizing or meaning it. He cries easily (e.g. when he sees dead bodies the first time), become nervous or frightened easily. He doesn't hide his anger, fear, like, dislike or sadness. He says how he thinks/feels outright most of the time.

He enjoys being praised and dislikes when people he doesn't like (e.g. Teito) receive more attention than him. As he comes from a very wealthy family, he easily finds that things are not up to his standard, such as he doesn't have his own office in the Black Hawks, or the Black Hawks's aircraft is small compared to his father's.

Despite insulting Teito based on his past as a sklave, Shuri may not be as prejudiced as he initially seemed, as he does not insult or treat differently the Black Hawks despite them being Warsfeil.

He can often act in a stupid or naive way. For example, after he announces that he is Ayanami's new Begleiter, Ayanami asks "Who brought this rubbish on board?" and Shuri agreed with Ayanami (not realizing that the rubbish Ayanami was referring to is Shuri).

Shuri appreciates it when others defend him, as shown by his becoming attached to Konatsu after Konatsu saves him during the Antwort War, and by his warming to Teito after Teito helps him at Wakaba's funeral.

Family and relatives
Wakaba Oak: Shuri has a very good relationship with his father, possibly because he is much loved by Wakaba. Unlike his cousin, he respects and trusts his father completely and does what his father wants him to do, be it to take military as his career or to go to the Black Hawks. At Wakaba's funeral, Shuri cries his heart out on top of Wakaba's dead body and won't let go of the coffin, having to be forcibly dragged away by two soldiers. (manga chapter 75)

He is very reliant on his father emotionally (e.g. his father hugs him after a teary Shuri comes back from Antwort; when Shuri is left alone in the battlefield, he also cries and calls for his parents) and career-wise.

His mother: It seems that they have a good relationship too, as Shuri calls her "mama", and when he felt helpless in Antwort, he also called for her.

Hakuren Oak: Shuri has a strained relationship with his older cousin. They enjoy mocking each other and seeing the other party look defeated.

Hakuren's parents: Considering that Wakaba and Hakuren's father seem to avoid each other, and that neither of Hakuren's parents were seen at Wakaba's funeral, it is likely that Shuri is not close to his aunt and uncle.

Other Oak members: Shuri doesn't approve of quite a number of them, as he implies that the Oaks present at Wakaba's funeral are people who only think of their own gain. (manga chapter 75)

People in the military
Ayanami: Shuri shows a good deal of respect for Ayanami, using the honorific "sama" when addressing him, and looks quite pleased to be assigned as a Begleiter to the then Chief of Staff, the second highest rank officer in the Army. However, Ayanami dislikes him and considers him a nuisance.

Hyuuga: When traveling to Antwort, Shuri was thrown off the aircraft by Hyuuga. However, Shuri did not complain to the Marshal when he had the chance, so it could be because he respected Hyuuga or he didn't want to make things difficult for Hyuuga's Begleiter, Konatsu, whom he liked a lot.

Konatsu Warren: Shuri likes and respects Konatsu. He considers Konatsu his idol, as he is a skillful swordsman and has saved him on the battlefield. Shuri has said that Konatsu is the epitome of his ideal soldier and he wants to be just like him. Shuri also considers Konatsu an elder brother figure (as arrogant as Shuri is, he uses "o-nii-sama" (respectable elder brother sama) to address him.

However, after Wakaba's death, Shuri may no longer regard Konatsu highly, as he observes those who don't care about his father coldly and looks down on them, and it is obvious that Konatsu doesn't care about Wakaba's death.

Teito Klein: Shuri often verbally bullied Teito about the fact that he (Teito) had been a slave or that he was 'a pet' of Chairman Miroku. Possible reasons are that he (coming from the second highest social class) dislikes those coming from the lowest social class (slaves), or that he was jealous that Teito received more attention or better treatment from the chairman than he did.

After graduation, Shuri met Teito in the Black Hawks and they shared the same bedroom. Shuri said it was a humiliation that Teito was his room-mate (manga chapter 72), and both Shuri and Teito requested a change in room-mate, but Konatsu rejected it. In manga chapter 75, their relationship somewhat improved, after Teito hit the soldier who was dragging Shuri away from Wakaba's corpse. Later, Teito was seen sitting beside Shuri, who curled himself up and buried his face in his own elbows. In manga chapter 80, their relationship improved to the extent that they even chatted at Ouka's birthday ball.

Shuri still occasionally insults Teito, but without any malice, and Teito seems less easily offended by Shuri's insults.

Other soldiers: Because Shuri was the field marshal's dear son, it appears that many soldiers respect (or dare not disrespect) Shuri on the surface, as they call him Shui-sama even though Shuri is much younger than them or/and his rank in the military is lower than theirs. Some of them think Shuri is troublesome, while some of Wakaba's subordinates seem to care about Shuri to a small extent (one of Wakaba's subordinate doubts if it is good to let Shuri stay in a group of Warsfeil, the Black Hawks).

Others
Mikage Celestine: When Shuri verbally bullied Teito, Mikage would mock Shuri back. In manga chapter 75, when Teito asked if Shuri knew to which unit Mikage was assigned, Shuri coldly said "I have no reason to know things related to proletariat like you guys, haven't I?". In fact, Shuri was in very low spirits when he heard of Mikage's death. According to Karein Celestine, Shuri and Mikage were childhood playmates. Shuri said he doesn't understand why he is in low spirits, and Teito's view is that Shuri likes Mikage too. (manga chapter 76)

Kokuyou Celestine: Shuri says "ただいま” (a greeting one says to one's family (usually) when one returns home, literal meaning being "Hello, I'm back") to Kokuyou when he returns home. Kokuyou smiles at and is very polite to Shuri, giving him compliments to which Shuri once replied "I'm always splendid!" like a child, (manga chapter 75), so it seems that they have a good relationship.

Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg: As the representative of the God House of District 2, Shuri Oak is one of the wooers of Ouka. (manga chapter 80) However, Shuri says he does not want to be the husband of the empress-to-be at all.

Abilities and Attributes
When he appears on the Black Hawks' ship, Shuri has a large sabre at his belt (the fact that it looks relatively large can be due to the fact that Shuri is not tall). His ability with using a sword in real battles is questionable.

Zaiphon
Because he was in the Military Academy, and shown taking the graduation exam, Shuri can be established as a Zaiphon user, despite not being seen using a Zaiphon in the series so far. Shuri was said to have scored high marks on the simulations, showing that he has some skill with handling his Zaiphon.

Childhood
Shuri was born on 3 February to Wakaba Oak and a woman who has never appeared in the series, but it is likely that Shuri's mother comes from a prestigious family too, as Hakuren’s father has said that it is important for a male member of the Oaks to find a good (presumably family background also considered) marriage partner.

Shuri is the one who decides the guests to be invited to Wakaba's funeral (manga chapter 75), and in a mini-drama he said that he is the next head of his family.

Years in the academy
"You punched me! Not even my own father..."

- Shuri

When in the academy, Shuri Oak routinely verbally bullied Teito and Mikage probably because he protects Teito. One incident (appeared only in the manga) involved him telling Mikage to clean his shoe, and when Mikage refused and walked away with Teito, Shuri provoked him by saying, "the so-called 'servants' are my family's slaves. Slaves flock with slaves, I see", which resulted in Teito punching him in the face.

Pre-begleiter exam
Shuri first appears as a student in the Barsburg Military Academy, where he is president of the class, being shown giving a patriotic speech before the other students as well as the higher-ranking officers.

"As the 315th class of our honourable Barsburg military's academy... We are the elite, chosen to be potential soldiers of Hohburg fort. Let us all endeavour to become superb fighters who will not bring shame to the name of the Empire."

- Shuri's very ironic speech on the Empire.

He next appears in a lecture hall where Teito and Mikage are among his classmates. Shuri is shown taking pride in his ability, with his friends praising him, saying that they think he will certainly pass the graduation exam. His friends flatter him by saying that the military has come to recruit him specifically. After hearing Teito explain that he has an exemption from practical lessons, Shuri mocks Teito on being 'Chairman Miroku's favorite pet' for the special treatment he receives. However, he is then promptly humiliated in front of his classmates and his teacher by Mikage who uses his Zaiphon to make the porn that was under Mikage's desk appear in Shuri's hand, making it look as if Shuri has been reading porn during class.

During the Begleiter exam
Shuri's next appearance is in a waiting room, ready to take the Begleiter exam, where he notices that he is on team A, the same team as Teito. He expresses disbelief that he is on the same team as a sklave, and he and Mikage exchange banter till they are called into the arena to take their final exam. Once they are in, one of the teachers explains that their final exam is to kill the criminal, saying that if they abandon their allies or fail to kill the criminal then they will fail the exam. Shuri attempts to put on a confident front, eager to be the best candidate, but he doesn't know how to react after he realizes the criminal is much stronger than they are, and sees the criminal send his friends flying. He panics and frantically begins to bang on the glass, screaming to the examiners for help. This behavior leaves the examiners unimpressed, Ayanami commenting 'how unsightly', which apparently ruins his chances of passing the exam and graduating.

The criminal sees him in his state of distraction and attacks him. However Shuri is saved by Teito, who elbows him out of the way.

Due to his failure to kill the criminal and his abandon of his team mates, he should have failed the exam, but the manga shows that because his father is a high-ranking officer and is respected in the Barsburg Empire, he is able to graduate.

Antwort War
"Because Papa said I was Ayanami-sama's begleiter, of course!"

- Shuri Oak

Shuri appears again on Ayanami's Ribidzile, having earlier been brought aboard by Hyuuga on Wakaba Oak's orders, where he immediately annoys those on board by complaining this ship is "smaller than Papa's" but is "suitable". He approaches Ayanami and introduces himself as his (Ayanami's) begleiter, a fact unknown to Ayanami himself. When Hyuuga questions him, Shuri replies that his father had told him he was Ayanami's beglieter. When Ayanami demands to know who brought the "garbage" on board, Shuri too demands to know- unaware that the 'garbage' is him.

The fleet of seven ships, is spotted by Antwort soldiers approaching the country. The soldiers do nothing, confident that their anti-battleship shield will block any attack and deter them. Ayanami then conjures up an enormous Zaiphon, and fires it at the shield- destroying it in a single blow. Despite the country having advanced defences, they have no means to defend themselves against a Warsfeil. Antwort forces begin to panic- quickly realising they are no longer fighting normal humans, and they fire their cannons at the approaching ships. The attacks do not make contact, as they are blocked by a Zaiphon shield surrounding the enemy Ribidziles.

Shuri is sitting comfortably when Ayanami addresses him; telling him that his (Ayanami's) begleiters are expected to be able to fight on the front line. Shuri is confused but Hyuuga then grabs Shuri by the collar of his coat and hangs him out of the Ribidzile and Shuri begins to panic. Hyuuga, pleased with the location, then drops him (Shuri) in the centre of the Eastern Antwort camp.

"Mama... Papa... Save me!"

- Shuri Oak

He survives the fall, but is mistaken by Antwort's men as the fleet's only front-liner, and they fire at him in panic. Shuri begins to scream and cry, and almost meets his death via Antwort's arsenal, but Konatsu Warren leaps after him and cuts the cannons that are aiming at Shuri in half. Konatsu states that he was only doing it so as to avoid getting his lieutenant Hyuuga's reputation damaged.

Shuri sits in the snow and can only watch as Konatsu slaughters oncoming guards, splashing Shuri with their blood.

Once the battle has ended, Shuri kicks a dead body that lies on the floor- prompting Konatsu to slap him and tells him not to "mock the dead". Shuri begins to panic- saying he has never seen a dead body before. He cries on Konatsu.

Return from Antwort
Shuri waits with the rest of the Black Hawks as his father is in a meeting with Ayanami. When Wakaba arrives, a tearful Shuri runs into his arms and is comforted by him. Just as his father talks with Ayanami about Shuri being his begleiter, Shuri interrupts him to introduce Konatsu Warren, the soldier that had saved him during the Antwort War.

"This is Konatsu onii-sama! He's the splendid soldier that protected me! He's the ideal soldier. I want to be like Konatsu onii-sama- NO! I will definitely become like Konatsu onii-sama!"

- Shuri Oak

Shuri expresses his admiration for Konatsu and vows to be like him. Wakaba, seeing how attached Shuri has become to Konatsu, places Shuri under Konatsu's care.

The Black Hawks later return to their office, where Shuri loudly bemoans the fact that he does not have a private office and that he has to do paperwork, suggesting that someone call a servant to do it for him.

He is last seen at Princess Ouka's Groom Choosing ball, where he was the representative of District 2, a task which he complained about as he did not want to be Ouka's husband. Teito talked to him for a while, then left. What happened to Shuri after the ball is unknown, apart from the fact that he probably eventually became Head of the Oak family.

Trivia

 * His birthday is exactly one month before Mikage Celestine's.
 * In the manga, a fox/cat's tail and ears appears on Shuri's head and back when he acts in a childish way.
 * In the manga, stars or flowers are often seen around Shuri or when he makes an appearance.
 * Since Shuri is a Zaiphon user and was in Teito's class, in theory, Shuri was one of the candidates for the Eye of Mikhail. However, practically speaking, it is unlikely that Shuri is intended to be a candidate for the Eye, since Marshal Oak, Shuri's father, know that such candidates will be used for cruel experiments that can cause them trauma or/and their lives, so, he will definitely use his power in the army to protect Shuri from becoming a candidate for the Eye.
 * Shuri likes bergamot tea.
 * Shuri tells Teito that if he is to marry, he wants to marry someone who is cute, more stupid than he is, loves him the most and flies to him like a little bird. He does not want to marry someone who is more intelligent than he is, because he will appear more stupid than before in people's view.
 * Shuri doesn't want to die in battles (manga chapter 26), likely because his life is very happy (being deeply loved by his parents, an heir to a very rich and powerful family and having physical beauty)
 * In manga chapter 26, Shuri cried and said that he had never seen anyone or a body that won’t move, and asked Konatsu if he (Shuri) would also become like that someday. So, it seems that Shuri has never seen a corpse before and has no knowledge that living things die. Following this, Shuri’s grandparents may either still be alive, or he had not attended their funeral.
 * Early in the series, Shuri was often accompanied by two other boys, but they have not been seen again with him since. The reason is unknown.

'Extras' related trivia

 * There are ten servants, four toilets and three baths in the house where Shuri lives.
 * Shuri comes from the senior branch of the Oak Family while Hakuren comes from the cadet branch.
 * Shuri sleeps well and eats well.
 * When Teito Klein killed Buran, he destroyed a part of Shuri's house. According to an omake in manga vol.13, what Teito destroyed at the Oak House and a chandelier Ayanami destroyed cost 3.4 billion Yuus (Barsburg currency).
 * Shuri plays a role in the drama CD titled 07-Ghost - 7th District in 2009.