Nagakura Shinpachi

Nagakura Shinpachi was the captain of the second unit of the Shinsengumi, the militia group that operated in Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period.

Nagakura was considered to be one of the greatest swordsmen even in the ranks of the Shinsengumi, which was comprised of masters of the sword. As the saying went: "First is Nagakura, second is Okita, and third is Saito."

Nagakura managed to survive the end of the shogunate upheaval and lived to see the Meiji era. He also recorded accounts of the Shinsengumi to pass down to future generations in his memoir, "Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki."

Height/Weight: 175cm, 78kg

Origin: History

Region: Japan

Alignment: Neutral-Good

Sub-Attribute: Human

Gender: Male

"Who you calling gramps!?"

A senior member of the Shinsengumi since the Shieikan times. He mastered the Shindou Munen sword style, the same style mastered by commander Serizawa Kamo, with whom he was on good terms. While he supported Kondou Isami as commander, he insisted on being treated as an equal rather than a retainer with Kondou, which later became the reason for his departure from the Shinsengumi. During the Ikedaya Incident, he charged in with only three others: Kondou, Okita, and Toudou. He fought to the end despite being wounded. In the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, he rushed headlong onto a battlefield crisscrossed by flying bullets, earning him the nickname "Gamushin," which combined the term "gamushara" (reckless) and Shinpachi.

Like Saito, Nagakura was one of the few members of the Shinsengumi to survive the upheaval at the end of the shogunate and live a full life. It is no exaggeration to say that the records of the Shinsengumi managed to be passed down to this day thanks to Nagakura's accounts of their actions.

"I won't allow people who know nothing about the Shinsengumi to talk shit about it."

He has a bold, yet pleasant personality. Beloved by the soldiers for the open affection he showed them, Shinpachi found that behavior also caused problems with his superiors. This was exacerbated by his insistence that he and Commander Kondou were equals, along with his refusal to be treated as a retainer.

When the Shisengumi left Kyoto and moved eastward following several battles, he was unable to come to terms with that decision, and so he ended up parting ways with his comrades after the battle in Koshu. Even to this day, he keeps asking himself whether that was the right decision.

Typically, Servants are summoned in their prime, but Nagakura Shinpachi possesses two Spirit Origins: one in his old age and one in his youth. This results from the serious conflict raging within him, as neither of his selves can wholly accept the other as his true self.

"By the way, Okita and Saito are Sabers, but why am I a Berserker!? Huh!? Cuz I'm stupid!? What the hell does that mean!?"

Gamushin: A

The nickname given to gamushara Shinpachi for his impulsive and straightforward behavior. It's a reckless and bold fighting style where he jumps in and thinks later...or possibly not at all, until the enemy lands a blow.

Furious Sword: C

An explosive sword technique that builds up energy to the brink of detonation and unleashes it the moment his blade sinks into its target. Sword techniques are an explosion! Although he mastered the Shindou Munenryu, his true power lies in his reckless "gamushin" fighting style. He is a fierce swordsman who embodies the saying, "cut the flesh to sever the bone," and he is willing to suffer injury to slaughter his opponents, as the many scars on his body attest.

"I got these wounds for the sake of my nation. I can be proud of that."

『Ryuhiken』

Rank: None

NP Type: Anti-Personnel Mystic Sword

Range: 1

Maximum Targets: 1

Flying Dragon Sword.

Nagakura Shinpachi's deadly blade. It is a mighty sword that blows away the enemy with a slash like a dragon flicking its tail. The blade delivers a downward slash that's impossible to evade. Much like Okita's Stalwart Sword and Saito's Invincible Sword, this is Nagakura Shinpachi's quintessence blade. This Noble Phantasm is not so much a sword technique as it is an expression of Nagakura Shinpachi's determination. It is a realm of madness no ordinary person would dare to enter.

From a desperate lunge sure to result in death, he leaves his enemy defenseless with a fierce upward slash, then swings his sword down with power at the very outer edge of his limit, unleashing a literal explosion of magical energy in a devastating blow.

"You're gonna regret stepping on the tail of the dragon!!!"

When I was laughing with those guys at the dojo in Edo, I didn't have to think about anything. All I had to do was swing my sword for my nation, and that was all that mattered. Then I went to Kyoto and wielded my sword. But there was something wrong. The more I swung my sword, the more my comrades disappeared. I would understand if that was the result of a fight, but no. It wasn't that. My comrades were dying over trivial matters, and we were the ones killing them.

Was this what we strived for? Is this why we left Edo for our nation? Was that what we wanted to do?

"Weren't we kindred spirits fighting for a shared cause!?"

Whatever the reason, I couldn't accept it. And so I abandoned them. I left the Shinsengumi. I don't know what I should have done at the time. You can say whatever you want about me. But I can't stand it when people who don't know anything make fun of the Shinsengumi. We all gathered under the banner of sincerity. That, at least, was the one thing we did that wasn't a mistake.

That's right. I'm sick and tired of complaining on and on as like an old man. So why don't we swing our blades with reckless abandon again, for their sake! Right, Shinpachi!?