Details
- Name
- Shuren (シュレン)
- First appearance
- Hokuto no Ken ch.117 / anime ep.94
- Appears in
- Hokuto no Ken (manga, anime), Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu: Raō Den Jun'ai/Gekitō no Shō (flashbacks), Zero Kenshirō Den (2008), Hokuto no Ken: Ichigo Aji (manga + anime), Seikimatsu Drama Satsuei Hen
- Status
- Ally
- Role
- Shuren of the Flames, one of the five Nanto Goshasei, master of the Gosha Enjōken who sets his body ablaze
- Martial art
- Gosha Enjōken (五車炎情拳, Passionate Flame Fist of the Five Chariot Stars)
- Signature techniques
- White phosphorus body combustion
- Seiyū 1984
- Norio Wakamoto
- Seiyū films / OVA
- Nobuyuki Hiyama (Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu)
Shûren
Shûren des Flammes (炎のシュレン, Honō no Shuren) is one of the five members of the Nanto Goshasei (南斗五車星), guardians of the last general of Nanto. He commands the Crimson Brigade (the Crimson Army) and masters the Gosha Enjōken (五車炎情拳, "Fist of the Fiery Passion of the Five Chariot Stars"), a codified style of the Goshasei lineage that uses white phosphorus combustion to set his opponents ablaze without burning its user. His star is that of the Chariot of Fire (炎, En).
He is voiced by Norio Wakamoto in the original TV series and by Nobuyuki Hiyama in Shin Kyūseishu Densetsu.
Fighting style and personality
Far from being an improvised style, the Gosha Enjōken is the art transmitted to the bearer of the Chariot of Fire, parallel to the four other styles unique to each member of the Goshasei (Wind, Sea, Mountain, Cloud). By manipulating the controlled combustion of phosphorus, Shûren can launch flaming arrows from great distances, hurl fireballs, and as a last resort transform himself into a human torch without being consumed by his own flames. He is an impetuous fighter, loyal to his brothers-in-arms and ready to die without hesitation for the cause he defends.
Death against Raoh
After the death of Huey (Hyui of the Wind), his "star brother," Shûren mobilizes his men to avenge his comrade and block Raoh's advance toward the last general of Nanto. In the 1984 anime, he marks his resolve by setting fire to his own castle as a funeral pyre for Hyui, a gesture that forbids any retreat for his army. He then ambushes the King of Fists' army in a valley with a volley of flaming arrows, before engaging in direct combat. Having learned from Hyui's lesson, who had attacked Raoh head-on, he this time attempts to blind him with fire before striking from behind. Raoh reacts, shatters his fist and deflects his blow while immediately crushing his leg. As a last resort, Shûren sets himself ablaze in an attempt to engulf Raoh in a suicidal fiery embrace. Raoh declares that Shûren's flames will never consume his ambition, breaks his neck, and continues his march.
This final act is presented not as madness but as the logical conclusion of a warrior who has given everything and has nothing left to offer but his own life.