This Karate fighter's name has same pronunciation as the main character's name. Martial art part: Ryu Narushima ( 成島竜, Narushima Ryū) of Kyokushin.Juvenile delinquency part: The "Boy A".Ryo Narushima is modeled after two persons: This story was inspired by the Kobe child murders of 1997 that a 14-year-old "Boy A" ("Shōnen A") killed and decapitated several children. modern karate" in which Ryo (who uses traditional karate meant for combat and self-defense) and the various elder members of Banryukai find themselves hopelessly lost in a world where such karate is scorned in favor of modern sport karate, to the point where Resshin, the man who founded Banryukai along with his late brother, contemplates suicide due to his despair at living in a country of "declawed men" where the style he and his brother used to survive the Second World War has been hopelessly defiled by modern ideals. This is part of the recurring theme of "traditional vs. Narushima is reviled for his violent traits, while Sugawara is praised & rewarded for using those same traits in a slightly different context. Famous, rich, and beloved for the same abilities that make Narushima a social pariah, Sugawara's presence can be seen as an example of society's cognitive dissonance towards violence. Various supporting characters within Shamo act as dramatic foils to Narushima, with Naoto Sugawara being the primary example of this. He is also shown to have fallen in love with Yan, the granddaughter of the master he studied under while he lived in China and was crushed by her suicide, which made him hellbent on killing the man who drove her to it.Ī minor theme throughout the manga is society's morally-based stratification, how it condemns young criminals like Narushima, and how that condemnation forces Narushima to the fringes of society making his chances of true reform and redemption even more remote. However, Ryo seems to genuinely care for those close to him, and will not hesitate to help them if they are in trouble.
Though capable of redemption (as evidenced by his care-taking of his sister and various small charitable acts shown throughout the manga) ultimately Narushima is a Byronic hero spiraling into darkness, his chances at reform slowly ebbing away as he gives in to more and more of his depraved and brutal tendencies. Throughout the manga Ryo Narushima is depicted as being unrepentant for the murder of his parents (who are later implied to have been physically abusive towards Ryo and overly-controlling of his life) and is shown committing crimes such as assault and rape for the sake of making himself stronger. Shamo differs significantly from other seinen manga in that the story's protagonist is actually an unrepentant and often unsympathetic criminal.