Akira Shimura
志村晃
Hunter / male / 70
An old man who becomes lonelier than he has ever been after losing his wife and child in a landslide. Koichi who appears in chapter 2 of "Strange Tales" is Shimura's son, and Takafumi who appears in "Strange Tales" chapter 4 is Shimura's cousin.
Occasionally, those of the Kajiro line of Hanuda Villae are born with the faint ability to see "visions" (however the Kajiros do not have clear visions, simply sometimes seeing and hearing visual and auditory hallucinations), the Shimura family producing many people with "sharp intuition". Akira and Takafumi's senses are particularly sharp, even amongst the rest of the family, and have noticed the "warp" in the village - why the people around them aren't suspicious as to why the Guiding Nun never ages.
However, unlike Takafumi, who causes a fuss about these suspicious to those around him, Akira ignores the "warp". Believing that the customs that have been carried out since ancient times should be protected ("Do not interfere with the Kajiros or Irazu Valley (Makino) house, the absolute beings in the village; don't go near them"), he refuses even to help Takafumi when he is confined in the hospital to keep him quiet ("It's better to do nothing; he went too far. He must be punished"), looking at the situation quite cooly.
What is most tragic to Akira is perhaps that his son Koichi is brought around to Takafumi's way of thinking. Although Akira has no way of knowing that it was Koichi's actions that brought about the landslide 27 years ago (see "Strange Tales" chapter 2), in the disaster Akira ends up losing his wife, son Koichi and cousin Takafumi. Afterwards Akira, becoming pessimistic, moves away from the village, but is unable to leave the area in which his family sleeps and lives shut away in the mountains all alone.
Learning that he has become trapped in the Other World, Akira realises that it is his destiny to die here and commits suicide. However, the red water will not release him, and Shimura becomes a Shibito, heading for the world of god.
Also, like Harumi, you can draw your own interpretations about Shimura from the official European Forbidden Siren site. Here you can see a different side of Shimura, now full of pessimism, grieving over the loss of his beloved wife and child and passionately speaking of his irritation at the media who don't try to understand the village's oddities.
An old man who knows of a woman who lives forever
Shimura, who has sharp intuition like his cousin Takafumi, immediately senses it as soon as he becomes caught in the incident - that he and everyone else is done for...
Exceptionally skilled with a hunting rifle
Like Shibito who have rifles and revolvers, Shimura possesses a weapon that can snipe a Shibito from long distance in a single hit. In a way, he is the strongest character at the beginning.
The end of an old man despairing at everything
Atop the watchtower, Shimura knows that, like his son, he has no chance of being saved. Thinking once more of his son Koichi, Shimura takes his own life.
The inescapable "curse"
A few hours after his suicide, Shimura soon resurrects as a half-Shibito. No longer living by the principles of the human world, Shimura lets out a self-deprecating laugh.
Day 1
0:00 - Siren. Loses consciousness
8:00 - Awakening, the still-hazy Shimura assesses the situation. To learn what is gone, descends from the mountain with hunting rifle in hand
11:00 - Encounters Mihama in the mountains
16:00 - Shimura looks down from atop the tower, realising that this is the village that should have vanished 27 years ago.
Meeting up with Yoriko, they witness umi-gaeri together. Despairing at the situation in which he is trapped, commits suicide by shooting self in the head
21:00 - Body found by Tomoko
Day 2
0:00 - Despite gunshot to the head, revived as half-Shibito
10:00 - Half-Shibito Shimura shoots Yoriko with his hunting rifle. Defeated by Takeuchi, but remembers memories of when he was human
12:00 - Umi-okuri
17:00 - Umi-gaeri. Transformation into Fly Shibito
Day 3
12:00 - Watches over Yabe Settlement as Fly Shibito
Akira Shimura in Each Level
Day 1 / 26:53:37 (Harayadori - Watchtower)
Climbing to the top of the watchtower, Shimura knows for sure that this is the settlement that was lost in the landslide 27 years ago. The line "Did you call to me?" refers to his son, Koichi. Both father and child chose different ways of life, but in the end neither is able to escape the warped nature of the village. Was the path he chose the right one after all...?
Day 2 / 10:29:56 (Janokubi Valley - Return bridge)
With minimal resistance Shimura shoots himself in the head with his hunting rifle, but is resurrected as a half-Shibito by the power of the red water, he interferes with the remaining survivors, led by a strong intent. However, Shimura remembers the man who pursues him, and is unable to pull the trigger. The man is the son of the Takeuchis, with whom he was good friends with when Koichi was alive, Tamon.
Day 3 / 12:21:08 (Arato - Yabe Settlement)
Shimura, now a half-Shibito, remembers the face of Takeuchi, but the Fly Shibito Shimura who appears in this level appears to have completely lost all memories from when he was human. In contrast to brain Shibito like Takato and Mina, who to a certain extent (though instinctually) remember things from when they were human, Shibito who turn into dog, spider and Fly shibito turn into beings that are controlled by the brain Shibito.
Shimura Q&A
Q: Who are the four people shown in archive [No.070] Old Photo of Akira Shimura?
A: They are Akira Shimura, Koichi Shimura, Omito Takeuchi and Tamon Takeuchi. Akira Shimura's son is Koichi, and Omito Takeuchi's son is Tamon.
Q: After performing umi-gaeri on Day 2, what does the now Fly Shibito Shimura do?
A: Like the other Shibito, he acts normally as a Fly Shibito.
Though he only appears as a playable character in two levels, Shimura is popular. It seems as though people have taken a liking to his strategic sniping from a distance with his hunting rifle.
The photograph blown on the wind from the top of the watchtower is picked up by Yoriko, and finally returned to Shimura by Tamon. It shows the Shimuras and Takeuchis, who became great friends through Takafumi Shimura.
English Translation by Chelsea
