Norba Shino (ノルバ・シノ Noruba Shino?) was a character that appeared in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS.
Personality & Character[]
Shino was usually quite cheerful, loud and gregarious. He did have a slightly eccentric side as he frequently called his machines "Ryusei-Go" and painted them in a magenta color scheme with a pair of cartoon eyes set on the units' head as he believed it would help boost the group's fighting spirit. Also, in the midst of a male-dominated society, he has a stronger desire and appetite for the opposite sex than most. He knows how to spend money on entertainment, and has even climbed the stairs to adulthood ahead of Orga and the others.
As a drill trainer, Shino was strict and demanding. Eugene once compared him to the former leaders of the 1st Unit of the CGS. But he told Eugene that he is only strict because he wanted to ensure that there would be as few deaths as possible among the recruits. In addition, because he is always fighting on the front lines, he is often confronted with the death of his comrades, and he is a person who grieves more than anyone else. In order to save his friends, he sometimes reveals a side of intelligence that he usually doesn't show. However, because of this, he wants to escape the responsibility of sacrificing his friends, and often takes on dangerous tasks on his own.
Skills & Abilities[]
Shino has had the Alaya-Vijnana surgery, which granted him a greater spatial awareness and information transfer rate. He was one of the top pilots in Tekkadan behind Mikazuki and Akihiro. He is a specialist in hand-to-hand combat with a large physique, and is entrusted by Orga to command Mobile Worker units and hand-to-hand combat units, and in battle, he leads raiding units and is in charge of suppressing enemy ships.
History[]
P.D. 323[]
A boy soldier who belongs to the CGS participation program. He is one of the oldest members of the group, having been a member since before Orga joined, and often hangs out with Eugene, who is also one of the oldest members. After the attack on the CGS by Gjallarhorn, he becomes a core member of the Tekkadan founded by Orga Itsuka, along with Eugene Sevenstark and Biscuit Griffon. In Tekkadan, where it is customary to call each other by name, he is the only one who uses his surname, "Shino", because Mikazuki pointed out to him that his name was similar to that of Maruba Arkay, the president of the CGS.
After the war with the Brewers, he received the EB-06/tc Graze Custom when Akihiro switched to the ASW-G-11 Gundam Gusion Rebake. The Graze Custom was then upgraded into the EB-06/tc2 Ryusei-Go for Shino's use. However, as the Graze Custom originated from the machine used by Gjallarhorn's Crank Zent, Shino became involved in a series of battles with Ein Dalton, who was trying to reclaim it, and he was finally defeated by the EB-AX2 Graze Ein in Edmonton. Just as it looked like it was going to be all over, Ein intercepted the group's transmissions and headed off to pursue Kudelia Aina Bernstein, which ended up saving Shino's life. He was later rescued by Yamagi Gilmerton.
P.D. 325[]
Following the Tekkadan's appointment as the official military advisor for Arbrau, Shino and Akihiro would be responsible for training new recruits. Due to the loss of faith towards Gjallarhorn in Mars, several pirates would attempt to exploit this, and the Dawn Horizon Corps are hired to attack a mine being visited by Kudelia. Shino and Akihiro would lead the defense, and the pirates are eventually driven away by Mikazuki and the new ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus. As the remaining pirates were hovering over Chryse, the group work with Montag's assistant, Isurugi Camice, in attacking the pirates and claiming the victory before the arrival of Rustal Elion's fleet.
Following this, Shino would accompany Akihiro in tracing the Dawn Horizon's secret agreement with Terra Liberionis and arrest Allium Gyojan's men. As thanks for dealing with the pirates attacking their ships, McMurdo Barriston awards the Tekkadan with a parcel of land containing a lucrative mine. To Shino's delightful surprise, the Tekkadan would accidentally uncover a Gundam Frame, which was given to him and a mobile armor.
Upon being informed of their find, McGillis and Isurugi visit the site and inform the Tekkadan that the mobile armor was an ancient weapon that strove to wipe out mankind before being stopped by the legendary Agnika Kaieru. Unfortunately, Iok Kujan's mobile suit team awakens the dormant Hashmal which now heads towards Chryse. Shino is dispatched along with Yamagi in the refurbished Gundam frame, identified as Gundam Flauros but nicknamed by Shino as the Ryusei-Go IV. Shino would successfully fire the Ryusei-Go's railgun, dubbed as the "Super Galaxy Cannon", at the cliff above the mobile armor, separating it from its Pluma army.
Due to the humiliation of the Tekkadan putting out the issue instead of him, Iok works with Jasley Donomikols, who was jealous of both Naze and Orga's close relationship with McMurdo, to frame the Turbines and eliminate them. Despite Naze's attempts to refuse reinforcements and prevent the Tekkadan from being accused of collusion, Shino still departs alongside Ride and Akihiro to try and save their allies. Though they rescue Lafter, Azee, and most of the non-combatants, Naze and Amida are killed in a desperate attempt to kill Iok. In retaliation to this and Lafter's own assassination at the hands of Jasley's men, Orga splits from the Teiwaz and orders Shino and the others to destroy Jasley's forces. After avenging the Turbines, McGillis announces his coup against Gjallarhorn.
As secret allies of McGillis, the Tekkadan is compelled to assist him against his political rivalry with Rustal, who declares him a rebel. Despite securing Agnika's ASW-G-01 Gundam Bael, the revelation of McGillis' treachery against his former allies over the years by Gaelio Bauduin, believed to have been killed at Edmonton, prevents the rest of the Seven Stars from giving immediate aid. Requiring a decisive victory against Rustal, the Tekkadan accompany McGillis for his battle against the Arianrhod Fleet.[1]
Though Shino and the others initially have the advantage in the battle's opening skirmish, it is all a trap by Rustal to entice his enemy forward before having a spy fire a Dainsleif railgun at himself. Having given himself the excuse to use the powerful weapon, the Arianrhod Fleet launch their own barrage of Dainslef Railguns, Shino would suffer a direct hit as the Ryusei-Go IV's left arm was torn off, and the impact also fractured his own arm.
Still determined to help give Orga a victory, the Tekkadan use the damaged Hotarubi as a shield and decoy to give Shino the opportunity to strike directly at the main bridge of Rustal's ship. As he fired his own Dainsleif from the Flauros' remaining railgun, interference from Julieta's Reginlaze Julia caused the shot to miss. In pure frustration, Shino hopelessly launched his Gundam directly at the bulk of the Arianrhod's fleet and was killed in action.[2]
Shino's failure would lead to the Tekkadan's retreat and signified the beginning of the end of both the organization and McGillis' ambitions.[3]
Relationships[]
Yamagi Gilmerton[]
Shino and Yamagi had a very close relationship. Yamagi was personally in charge of maintaining Shino's suits. He vowed to make sure that Shino didn't die on his watch, a melancholic sentiment the optimistic Shino would brush off.[2] Shino seems to be oblivious to the fact that Yamagi has a crush on him, seeing it as more of a friendly gesture. When Yamagi rebuffed Shino's offer of taking him to a place with lots of pretty girls, Shino suggested taking him out for drinks alone instead. After Shino's death, Eugene revealed to Yamagi that Shino was actually aware that Yamagi liked him but found it odd because Shino considered Yamagi as family.[3]
Eugene Sevenstark[]
Shino was known to have teased and fought with Eugene to great extents, sometimes physically, and in return, Eugene showed little tolerance. However, on many occasions, they are shown to get along greatly and care for one another. By P.D. 325, their relationship continued to grow closer, showing that alongside their friendship, they also work together wonderfully as teammates and on the battlefield.
Gallery[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- Shino's favorite color seems to be magenta, as his mobile worker, combat visor on his combat suit, and the mobile suit are all painted in this color. He also names (or in most cases 'renames') anything under his command, be it his unit or his mobile suits, as "Ryusei", which means "meteor" or "shooting star" in Japanese.
- Considering his custom Shiden was the "Ryusei-Go the 3rd" and Flauros is the "Ryusei-Go the 4th", it is implied that even his custom-painted mobile worker was also nicknamed Ryusei-Go.
- Shino appears in the Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme vs. series as the pilot for the Gundam Flauros, and he can also summon either Akihiro's Gusion Rebake Full City or a Landman Rodi for support. His Graze Custom II also appears as an unplayable enemy during Arcade mode.
References[]
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS Episode 44, The Man Who Holds the Soul
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS Episode 45, If this is the End
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS Episode 46, For Whom?