Character Analysis: Renzo Shima [Blue Exorcist]
I think one of the most relatable characters I’ve ever encountered in a series that I don’t really talk about on my blog is Renzo Shima from Blue Exorcist and my personal favourite character in the series. The pink-haired, lighthearted and carefree entophobe Aria/Knight that actually turned out to be a double agent for the Illuminati. Yup, that’s my fave.
When he’s first introduced, Shima is portrayed as a clear womanizer (well the guy tries to be anyway with many failed flirting attempts), but in the end he’s a dependable guy who’s nice to be around when you need a laugh or someone you can depend on. He’s rather lazy. In fact, he didn’t even really want to become an exorcist, it was just expected of him since it’s his family’s business. Shima typically wants the easy way out in a situation, and will usually only do something if it’s for his friends.
He’s a follower, but he will easily break out from that mindset if it seems like more work to stick with the decision than go against it. [ex. still being friends with Rin after his identity reveal to the group on being Satan’s son.]
Shima’s the nice laidback guy with sound judgement.
Which is why when his true allegiance to the Illuminati as a spy came to light, everyone was completely stooped and felt sucker punched.
Yes, as shocking as it was for the entire group to discover, especially Izumo, Bon, and Konekomaru, Shima was a spy. Right before his admission to True Cross is when he joined up with them. Some might deem his reason for joining up with the Illuminati was stupid and/or petty, but I wasn’t even mad because of the simple fact that I knew the kind of feeling he was talking about.
Many people, typically adults for the most part or mature teens in some situations, usually think that when you’re young, you have little stress and problems to worry about. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Shima is the fifth and youngest son in his family. Deeming him with typically fewer responsibilities than the elder siblings. From someone else’s perspective, all that means is that Shima was just given more time to idly spend his time as he wanted before he went to True Cross to learn the family business– being an exorcist.
Yes, it was shown from what little we got that Shima did have it fairly easier compared to his other siblings. But that didn’t change anything as far as traditions go. Him becoming an exorcist, regardless, of what he wanted was always there. Renzo Shima was going to become an exorcist of some kind and join in the family bizz, just like his childhood friends Suguro (Bon) and Konekomaru who also just assumed the same thing as Shima’s father and siblings.
They [meaning Suguro and Konekomaru] were no escape from the life Shima was dealing with at home. They only enforced it. It’s even seen within the series before setting up the actual importance of Shima’s character for the series later on, when he still seemed to just be the lazy overater. “Hello! You’re supposed to be a monk, Shima!”
Shima never got that “Son, no matter what you choose, I’ll always love you. Just tell me what it is that you, as Renzo Shima, want to do with your life, and I’ll support you as much as I can.” from anybody. Not his dad, his brothers, sisters, or mother.
All he got was “You’re oldest brother was so brave and died protecting you, Renzo. You must live up to his footsteps!” There can even be some family negligence involved if we refer back to when his mother no-holds-barred disregarded Shima entirely to ask how Suguro and Konekomaru was doing before asking him. It may seem harmless to some, but to a teen of Shima’s mindset, that was probably a big deal.
First his oh-so-amazing brothers he has to be like and now his clearly favoured best friends from childhood?
Which I will now lead up to what he told Izumo when she finally asked him “Why”. What Shima told her was:
Shima fell victim to something that some people can just take too lightly:
He had too many high expectations pressured onto him and he crashed and burned under them. He wanted to “throw everything away”. He hated everyone, possibly even himself, and he had no one to talk to about it.
If anything, due to how carefree his is, anyone else would just assume ‘Oh it’s just Shima being all overdramatic again. He’ll get over it eventually the turd.”
Another prime example of someone crashing under too many expectations is the character Haruka Nanase from Free!.
Right in the middle of an important meet, with tons of scouts watching him, Haruka froze up and stopped swimming in the middle of his lane. Shocked all his friends and teachers who were expecting more of him, being a pro swimmer. Joining the Olympics.
And it got to him, right to the very moment he started swimming, and he just couldn’t keep going anymore.
He even lashed out at Rin saying, “What dream? What future? I don’t have any of that!”
“What dream? What future? I don’t have any of that.”
That is the quote I immediately associate with Shima when I hear it during my moments of being in the Blue Exorcist fandom.
Shima couldn’t take it anymore.
The expectations his family and friends had for him.
The lack of choice he had to choose from with his own future.
So when the Illuminati appeared and asked him for his assistance in being a spy, Shima knew all the risks. What would happen if he was discovered. If his friends and family found out. Maybe even the surefire possibility of dying.
This was his own of saying, he had no dream, no future. That was already thrust upon him and he didn’t want it. But no one cared. So why should he? I believe this is the most realistic portrayal of a character’s psyche Kato has done, and this is an unbiased opinion.
So for now, we’re all just seeing how the ride will turn out for him.
Predictions-wise as of late with his brother saying he is still loyal to True Cross in actuality, the gang’s reluctance in trusting him, and the fact he was revealed to be a spy in the first place all just lead to a clear Death Flag for Shima.
There are a few ways I can see this happening:
Shima decides to go back to work for True Cross officially, not wanting to trail upon this trail of darkness anymore and ends up getting killed by Lucifer in a “You guys go ahead! I’ll keep him stalled for as long as I can so go kick some satanic ass!” manner.
Or some Illuminati member of some kind of importance kills him later with a “You are no longer of any use to us now. Die.” way.
It sucks to think any of the possibilities might happen, especially since he’s my favourite character, but I’ve seen characters like Shima in other series that ended up dying in some way. But if it doesn’t happen, well finally one of the characters on my list favourite characters didn’t die for once! And hopefully, we’ll be getting more on his background in order to add on to his character analysis.
So let us all please enjoy the great character of Renzo Shima.
