Sho Minamimoto

Sho Minamimoto (南師 猩 Minamimoto Shō) is the secondary antagonist in The World Ends with You and a main character in NEO: The World Ends with You. In the first game, he was a Reaper Officer, but in the sequel, he becomes a Player and joins the Wicked Twisters.
== Appearance ==
In The World Ends with You, Minamimoto is a tall tan-skinned young man with grey spiky hair hanging down and amber eyes. At the beginning of the game, he wears a black short-sleeved coat with an undone belt and yellow buttons, ripped grey jeans, black platform shoes, a black and grey cap with two silver buttons on the front, a red bandanna, and a silver necklace and earring and bracelet. As he experiments further with taboo his outfit changes - he starts off with black taboo markings on his left hand, and after reviving in Week 3 it continues to grow over his body. The only clothes he keeps from his initial outfit is his ripped coat exposing his chest, his shoes, and his bracelet. His jeans are now fastened with a belt - the buckle is his Noise form, Leo Cantus. As the Taboo spreads further, Sho's hair begins spiking up. His clothes can be collected as Gatito threads: Pi-Face's Coat, Pi-Face's Jeans, Pi-Face's Cap, and Pi-Face's Bandanna.
In NEO: The World Ends with You, Minamimoto wears black laced platform boots with a red inside and white buttons, grey pants, a black shirt with a white zipper, a dark gray coat with a reptilian pattern, his cap, and his necklace. The reptile pattern is a reference to Megumi Kitaniji; the pattern used for Minamimoto is that of a crocodile, while Kitaniji's was from a python. Noticeably, he doesn't have any Taboo markings on him. He looks almost exactly like Elegant Strategy character Lord Tomonami, making Nagi obsess over him.
== Personality ==
=== The World Ends with You ===
: "An 18-year-old whose cruelty is second only to his intelligence. His reputation as a Reaper has gained him notoriety in spades--along with a prestigious promotion within the Reapers' ranks."
:: — Game manual description
At 18, Sho Minamimoto is the youngest Game Master of the Reapers in Shibuya and the second Game Master Neku battles. It is revealed that he excels in all areas of leadership except one—cooperation with others. More of a mathematician than a brawler, Sho loves to speak in mathematical terms and cannot refrain from making a calculation or from telling a math joke during conversation, to the point of obsession.
Arrogant and willing to show it in whatever way necessary, he ceaselessly tries to prove his value and his strength. He has a strange habit of gathering together junk heaps when playing the part of game master, claiming that they are a precisely calculated form of art; this can be viewed as performance art reflecting his views that "The world is garbage" and lacks any beauty.
=== In Another Day ===
In the parallel universe of Another Day, Sho Minamimoto is known as Dr. Pin and is seemingly the son of the Tin Pin founder Ken Doi. Sho is far less cruel to Neku and his companions. He gives them advice on their quest to reclaim their pins and offers them his own exclusive Player Pin for them to use, in which Ken Doi was quick to point out that the pin was easily destroyable. He later rejoins the group after making a new Slammer for Shuto "Shooter" Dan.
=== NEO: The World Ends with You ===
: "I couldn't care less which plane you exist on. That's your problem to solve. The only parameters that matter to me are the rules of the Reapers' Game. Anything else is a colossal waste of my time."
:: — Minamimoto to Rindo and Fret
As a 21-year-old under the new Reapers' Game by the Shinjuku Reapers, Minamimoto is less outgoing and arrogant (though he can still be condescending to those weaker than him) but still uncooperative and enigmatic. He describes himself as "not following the Associative Property like other Players" and moves in and out of the Wicked Twisters. While he helps them, he declares they have different goals and has ulterior motives beyond the Wicked Twisters. He can often be aloof to their problems or questions, considering them a waste of his time and beyond him.
Notably, one of the insults Minamimoto used in The World Ends with You was yoctogram, ten to the negative twenty-fourth power. In NEO: The World Ends with You, he uses zeptogram, ten to the negative twenty-first power. As well as being larger than a yoctogram, Minamimoto is more optimistic about his definition - while he acknowledges that a zeptogram is so infinitesimal that it almost converges with zero, its not precisely.
== Story ==
=== The World Ends with You ===
==== Background ====
Much of Minamimoto's history is a mystery, although he may have been a survivor of a Reapers' Game who won and chose to become a Reaper. At some point, he began to lust after the Composer's position for unclear reasons.
Sanae Hanekoma, a Fallen Angel, taught Minamimoto how to refine Taboo Noise. Minamimoto was Hanekoma's backup plan to ensure Shibuya's survival in case the Composer does not change his mind.
Seeking to become the new Composer for quite some time, Minamimoto was aware of Joshua's form in the RG. Minamimoto was hoping to kill Joshua, believing the Composer would be vulnerable in the RG, but was unaware the Composer still had some power, even in the RG. Minamimoto chased Joshua in the RG. Joshua and Minamimoto end up in the Udagawa Back Streets, where Neku Sakuraba is admiring one of CAT's murals. Joshua shoots at Minamimoto, barely missing. Minamimoto retaliates with a repeated fire, but Joshua stops the bullets midair and drops them to the ground, prompting Minamimoto to flee back to the UG.
==== Week 2 ====
Sho Minamimoto is selected as Game Master for Week 2, though he has little regard for the rules of the Game. For most of Week 2, he does not issue missions or report to the Conductor. He also begins creating Taboo Noise, erasing Reapers and Players alike. He personally meets Neku and Joshua on several occasions, mostly in order to insult them. Each time Sho approaches, Neku receives a severe headache for reasons unknown (It is thought that because Sho and Joshua were both present when Neku was killed, seeing them both in the same place stresses his mind and puts it on the brink of relapsing and remembering what happened to him. However, since Joshua has taken this memory, he cannot recover it on his own, and was stuck with just a headache).
In his first meeting with Joshua and Neku, he expresses surprise at one of the Players' presences and says that this brings him one step closer to his desired result. Although Neku believes this refers to him in some way, it is later revealed as likely due to his recognition of Joshua (the Composer) as a Player, meaning that on Day 7 he could get a second chance to kill Joshua.
After Minamimoto is defeated by Neku and Joshua, he releases a powerful Level i Flare psych, which was supposed to erase both himself and both Neku and Joshua, though Joshua shoves Neku off of the building and escapes himself to an alternate reality.
==== Week 3 ====
Minamimoto returns partway through the third week. He emerges from a Taboo Noise refinery sigil in a new body with far greater powers, claiming it "surpasses the Composer's" at the end of Beat, Day 4. Later on, he makes his way to the Shibuya River to challenge the Composer. After a brief encounter with Neku and Beat, he is sent along by Mitsuki Konishi.
After Neku and Beat defeat the Game Master, they find Minamimoto further along the tunnel, crushed under a car and a soda machine, presumably by Joshua, apparently dead. Later it is revealed that in the RG before the game even started, it was in fact Joshua who killed Neku in search of a Proxy, and that Minamimoto's target had been Joshua, the Composer, the whole time. Joshua explains that Minamimoto was obsessed with taking over his position as Composer and had somehow discovered what his Realground self looked like even though he had suppressed his vibe. Joshua also comments that the only reason he kept Minamimoto around was because he found Minamimoto entertaining.
However, all previously seen Players, Reapers, and Noise disappear entirely upon being "killed" (erased), whereas Sho's physical body remained, thus leading to the conclusion that he was just knocked out, but it should also be noted that he would have needed to be erased before the start of A New Day.
It is also revealed in the secret reports after the game is completed that Minamimoto's Taboo Noise experiments were actually aided secretly by Hanekoma himself. The Taboo Noise Refinery Sigil that was to revive Sho upon his death was flawed, and would not have worked had Hanekoma not gone to Udagawa and fixed it.
==== This Day Ends with You! ====
In the alternate universe of This Day Ends with You!, Sho is known as "Dr. Pin," and seems to be the apprentice/son of ramen chef and former Tin Pin founder Ken Doi. This Sho appears much less malicious than his counterpart, and freely gives advice to Shooter, Neku, and company. Though the pins he develops are rather lacking, he does create a new Launcher for Shooter, taking on the appearance of his Taboo form in the process, giving him a more wreaked appearance (noting that he must have had some difficulty while creating the Omega Launcher).
==== A New Day ====
Sho does not appear for the majority of A New Day until the very end, when Coco Atarashi uses a new Refinery Sigil to revive Minamimoto again with the intention of making him Neku's partner in a new Reapers' Game.
=== NEO: The World Ends with You ===
: "He calculates every possible future using his own unique formulas and acts in accordance with the values he discovers, but he remains a mystery to all around him. He seems to have his sights set on something greater than Rindo and the gang."
:: — Minamimoto's character profile
Minamimoto returns as a Player in NEO: The World Ends with You as a member of the Wicked Twisters. The circumstances of his resurrection mean that it is possible that, although acting as a Player, he is in fact a sentient Taboo Noise.
==== Week 1 ====
Minamimoto first appears on the first day when Rindo and Fret get overwhelmed by Noise. He erases them all and berates Rindo and Fret for their poor fighting, saying they have a one zeptopercent chance of surviving. He explains to Fret that a zeptopercent is so infinitesimally close to zero that the two points almost converge, but not precisely. He tells them the Game's 142,857 (Rindo looks this up and finds it's a cyclic number) then announces that they have to follow his lead if they want to be part of the remainder. At Shibuya Hikarie, Minamimoto learns that pins are no longer restricted by psych level and any Player can use any pin. He helps Rindo and Fret defeat Drum 'n' Stinger, and leaves after.
Minamimoto returns on Day 2 after Rindo and Fret talk with Kubo. He states that he's not working toward the same goals as the Wicked Twisters, but will help them along the way. When Rindo and Fret ask what happens if they win, Minamimoto is apathetic and says he only cares about the rules of the Reapers' Game, telling them to ask the Game Master Shiba or one of his Reapers. Minamimoto realizes Fret's power to awaken memories and ponders what awakens this. He defeats the Go-Go Beringei with Rindo and Fret, and tells them to grab the pin afterwards to count their victory before leaving - the pin is taken by Kanon Tachibana, claiming the points for the Variabeauties.
At the start of Day 3, Minamimoto instructs Rindo and Fret to skip the day's mission in order to recruit a supposedly strong player who is rumoured to carry a variety of psych pins. He also continued to observe his team members from afar, but became interested in Rindo's strange actions due to the latter awakening to his Replay ability in an attempt to recruit Nagi Usui. After Rindo helped Nagi obtain an Elegant Strategy collector's pin, Minamimoto appears to the team and confirmed that she is the player they have been searching for. He suspects Nagi may have a unique psych ability drawn from her player pin as well and wondered what ability it could be, but decided to leave as soon as the girl begins to become infatuated with him due to his likeness to the character Lord Tononami from the Elegant Strategy game she plays.
Minamimoto appears before Rindo and his Wicked Twisters team on Day 4 and learned from them that they will be playing a game given by Kaichi "Susukichi" Susuki rather than following the main mission in hopes of the Ruinbringers promising them enough points to leave last place. Minamimoto gave no advice to the team on the matter, but rather muttered to himself: "Are these zeptograms the ones that'll finally bring you out of hiding?" It is unknown as to who he was referring in his words.
When the Day 5 mission was announced, Minamimoto advised Rindo's group that in order to take advantage of the rewards of earning a massive amount of points for being in last place, they will need to sabotage the other players to keep the points to themselves. Minamimoto already calculated the likelihood of the Deep Rivers Society interfering with them in large numbers at the end of the day, so he hinted to Rindo that he will have to 'rewrite' the outcome that will happen, testing to see if the player can actually go back in time.
After witnessing Rindo using his Replay ability to make choices deviating from his predictions and sabotaging the planned backup group for Fuya Kawahara's DRS team to win the battle, Minamimoto caught sight of some strange birds flying into the sky and smirked. Minamimoto was later confronted alone by Shoka Sakurane about being an unofficial Player in the game and asked what does he plan to get out from helping the Wicked Twisters. Minamimoto replied that he will tell his secrets if Shoka tells her own, threatening her with his taboo noise powers before the reaper gave up on questioning him further.
During the the Scramble Slam turf war event on Day 6, while Fret and Nagi were wondering about Rindo's unique psych ability after talking to Kanon Tachibana, Minamimoto stepped in and informed them of Rindo's ability to travel through time and its limited usage based on his observations. Minamimoto then mutters to himself that he will need to put the Replay power through an experiment to confirm his suspicions on it. He continues to assist the Wicked Twisters in taking victory in the Scramble Slam throughout the day, even bluntly telling them to eliminate all of their rivals (except the Ruinbringers, who did not participate) in their surprise final showdown in Udagawa.
On Day 7, Minamimoto expressed his disinterest in their final mission as a hide-and-seek with Susukichi for his team to win the Game, so he leave it to Rindo and his friends to do the task. By the time the Wicked Twisters have their showdown at the Expressway Underpass, Minamimoto was nowhere to be found and they were left to face off against Susukichi by themselves to disastrous results. Soon after, Rindo turned back time once more and called out for Minamimoto hiding in Shibuya Hikarie for his reason as to why he was absent. Minamimoto evaded the question by claiming since Rindo is time-traveling to change their fate, he would not be able to answer for what happened.
Minamimoto then decided to test his hypothesis on Rindo's powers by choosing to participate in the fight this time, preparing not to hold back on his strength against Susukichi. Even after Minamimoto and Wicked Twisters win the fight, Susukichi was still standing and used the rest of his strength in an attempt at defeating Rindo, but was blocked by a mysterious masked man in black overalls before the stranger disappeared. Soon after Shiba Miyakaze declared the Ruinbringers' victory due to the interference of the masked man, Minamimoto captured one of the strange birds and absorbed them. Having obtained what he wanted, he declared to his team members that their partnership ends here and leaves the team, to which he would not be seen for a long time.
==== Week 3 ====
On Day 4, after Rindo successfully thwarted Tanzo Kubo's trap using his Replay ability, Minamimoto arrived and knocked out Kubo before he could act. While Fret and Nagi were happy to see him, both Shoka and Daisukenojo 'Beat' Bito were shocked and on guard against him. Shoka warned the team of Minamimoto's nature as an ex-reaper, while Beat explained his history with him in the Game he played three years ago and found it hard to believe how he was helping the Twisters in Week 1.
While the team discussed their thoughts to why he appeared, Minamimoto attracted the attention of the strange birds that appeared after the most recent Replay. As Minamimoto absorbed them, he revealed that the birds are noise produced from Rindo's time travels, drawn to the differentials of the previous and current present time at a degree of interdimensionality. Before determining their point of origin, Mimamimoto lost control of the collective noise he absorbed and transformed into Leo Cantus Armo, attacking the Wicked Twisters.
Proving too much for the team to handle, an injured Beat tried to help Rindo and his friends escape by sacrificing himself in holding back the berserk Minamimoto. Before Beat was about to take the final blow, Neku Sakuraba arrived in the nick of time and purged all of the noise that Minamimoto absorbed, reverting him back to normal.
As soon as Minamimoto recovered, he admit he did not foresee Neku arriving so he will need to recalculate. After analyzing how his planning could not change a certain future outcome and how the noise he absorbed triggered his transformation, he warned Rindo of the powers of his Replay ability and his pin were not meant to be wielded by a mere Player. When Neku asked what was he planning to use the power for, Minamimoto described it as 'to approach infinity', but also added that he will need more power if he wants to avoid getting 'crunched'. Neku responded if Minamimoto knows there was someone more powerful they should watch out for, to which the latter confirmed the possibility and told them to find the answers themselves before leaving.
In the second Replay of Day 7, Koki Kariya and the Wicked Twisters struggled to fend off the mass of Plague Noise in Cat Street until Minamimoto arrived and single-handledly wiped out the Noise with his renewed strength. Neku then asks Minamimoto for his help in saving Shibuya, successfully convincing him that it would be to his benefit to protect the city he is aiming to take over from facing erasure.
Minamimoto then told Rindo that he knew he is using his Replay ability again and that the Soul Pulvis Noise created from his time travels were too much to handle. Having already concluded the abundant Noise in Rindo's pin were produced by rejected cognitive energy of Souls lost to time, Minamimoto advised the group that they will need to reawakened the consciousness of the living in Shibuya first in order to use their cognitive energy to overwrite the energy of the lost Souls' so that the Noise would reduce.
After leaving the group to find the solution themselves, Kariya expressed his surprise at Minamimoto being the kind of person giving out advice, to which the latter retort that he is only interested in helping himself before walking away. Kariya laughed at how Minamimoto is a real character, but admit he cannot complain on his trait so long as he is on their side.
During the middle of the plan to reawaken Shibuya, Minamimoto would rescue his benefactor Coco from being cornered by a Plague Noise. He then greeted her with '07734' and left her immediately just after disgusting her with his number word play.
In the epilogue, Minamimoto is seen conversing with Coco, Kariya, and Uzuki Yashiro. Kariya admits he look forward to him rejoining the Reapers, but Minamimoto refused the idea as he is more interested on a different problem. He told them how he did not factor on the Shinjuku Reapers helping in the end, but their efforts revealed a new gleam in the turn of events: the Composer's involvement. He then decided to leave to 'run some figures', to which Uzuki remarked if he is still trying to become the next Composer.
It is assumed that Minamimoto was referring to Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu as the Composer he mentioned and that he is making another scheme to take him down again. However, considering the secret report revealing how a different Composer had a hand involved in the final battle, Minamimoto may have been hinting towards this knowledge. If this is true, what he plans to do with this knowledge remains unknown.
==== Party in the 'Buya ====
It was revealed that Minamimoto used the influence of one of the Soul Pulvis noise he captured from Week 1 Day 7 to enter into the Party in the'Buya universe, which explained his absence for the majority of the events between Week 2 and until Week 3 Day 4. He can be recruited by the Another Day versions of the main cast at the Statue of Hachiko.
== Relationships ==
=== Joshua ===
Before the Reaper's Game, Minamimoto knew of Joshua's identity as the Composer and was able to recognize the Composer in his Realground form. After failing to kill the Composer, Minamimoto fled into the Underground. The only reason Joshua leaves Minamimoto alive is because he "really knew how to heat up a Game."
During the second week as the Game Master, Minamimoto had extensive interactions with Neku and Joshua, repeatedly following (and mocking) them after missions. At one point, Minamimoto saved Joshua from Taboo noise (only because he wanted to defeat Joshua personally on the last day).
On the final day, Minamimoto is ironically crushed by one of his "art projects" thanks to Joshua's intervention.
=== Neku Sakuraba ===
Minamimoto and Joshua's chase ended up in the Udagawa Back Streets, where Neku was admiring one of CAT's murals. There, he completely ignored Neku as his target was Joshua, though Neku was led to believe on Week 2, Day 7 that Minamimoto was the one who killed him, since his memory ended at the point where Minamimoto fired in Neku's direction (at Josh).
At the end of A New Day, Coco intended for Neku and Minamimoto to be partnered up with each other for a new Reapers' Game, though nothing is known of what took place afterwards.
In Week 3, Day 4 of NEO: The World Ends with You, Neku returns to Shibuya just in time to save Beat from being crushed by Minamimoto transformed into Leo Cantus Armo. On the final day, he is able to convince Minamimoto to help with saving Shibuya, knowing how much he seeks the position of Composer.
=== Mitsuki Konishi ===
Sho had met Konishi and nicknamed her the "Iron Frostiness" at some point. During Week 1, the two interacted at the meeting, only for Sho to mock the rules and the meeting (as well as the Game Master and their boss the Conductor) and Konishi chastising him for his mocking attitude. Konishi has great respect for Minamimoto's genius. However, Sho only sees her as a tool to use in his quest for power, threatening to turn her into sludge if she does not help him out.
On the final day, Konishi and Minamimoto interacted, and they agreed that if Sho became Composer, Konishi would become the new Conductor; in exchange, Sho could travel further into the Shibuya river.
=== Megumi Kitaniji ===
Kitanji and Minamimoto have, at the very least, an understanding. Kitanji adopts a laissez-faire attitude allowing Minamimoto to run the game without missions during Week 2. Minamimoto calls Kitanji "Megs", which Kitanji shows no signs of anger to in the game (in the non-canonical manga, he is less than pleased).
=== Koki Kariya and Uzuki Yashiro ===
: Main article: Kariya
: Main article: Uzuki
=== Shuto Dan (Another Day) ===
In the Another Day storyline, Sho is a much more friendly individual (and is believed to be Ken Doi's son). Shooter refers to Sho as Dr. Pin. While early on he sought to join Shooter's "Tin Pin spirits," Dr. Pin assisted the group by offering a pin he created (later proven to be a dud) and at the climax of the storyline, he assisted them by creating and handing over the recently developed Slammer Omega (at the cost of looking like his Taboo form in the main game). Shooter looks up to Sho as he believes that Sho is Dr. Pin. As such, Shooter goes to him whenever he needs advice. Sho also gives him Slammer Omega after Shooter's old Slammer breaks.
=== Coco Atarashi ===
At the very end of A New Day, Coco revives Minamimoto with the intention of partnering him up with Neku in a new Reapers' Game, stating that Neku will need a "zetta-strong" partner.
In NEO: The World Ends with You, on Week 3, Day 7, Minamimoto saves Coco from a Plague Noise that nearly attacked her and she affectionately calls him "Mini-moto". In response, he simply says "zero-seven-seven-three-four" and goes off on his own, leaving Coco disgusted. After the Wicked Twisters defeat the Phoenix Cantus and Minamimoto goes off on his own once again after having an argument with the Shibuya Reapers, Coco claims to them that she should be his master since she's the one who brought him back to life, and intends to make him obey her. They are directly connected to each other on the Social Network.
=== Rindo Kanade ===
: Main article: Rindo
=== Tosai "Fret" Furesawa ===
: Main article: Fret
=== Nagi Usui ===
: Main article: Nagi
=== Shoka Sakurane ===
: Main article: Shoka
=== Kaichi "Susukichi" Susuki ===
: Main article: Susukichi
=== Fuya Kawahara ===
: Main article: Fuya
=== Tanzo Kubo ===
: Main article: Tanzo Kubo
== Abilities ==
Minamimoto is able to summon Taboo Noise. Hanekoma states in early Secret Reports that Minamimoto was taught the techniques to summon Taboo Noise by a "Fallen Angel." It is later revealed that the "Fallen Angel" was in fact Hanekoma himself. Minamimoto uses his abilities at the beginning of his battle against Neku and Joshua.
When he enters the battle himself, he transforms into Leo Cantus, his Noise form. Leo Cantus is an anthropomorphic (humanoid) lion. Unlike most Reapers in Noise form, Minamimoto transforms by absorbing Taboo Noise and is treated as one—he exists on only one screen, leaving the other partner to deal with the Taboo Noise he absorbed. Destroying all of the Taboo Noise causes him to revert to normal for a few seconds before he switches screens and repeats the process.
Also, unlike most Reapers who enter Noise form, Minamimoto's wings shatter prior to the fight with him, suggesting that he is no longer a Reaper. Also of interest, most Reapers only have two wings, while Minamimoto had six, a possible reference to the Seraphim (the highest ranking angels of God). As a Reaper's powers are contained in his wings, it can be assumed from the number and size of his wings that his powers as a Reaper were extremely advanced. After his defeat, Minamimoto is revived through his Taboo Noise refinery sigil, becoming a corrupted version of his former self. The corrupted portions of his skin, especially around his midsection, bears some resemblance to the Leo Noise symbol upon closer inspection. The Leo Noise symbol can also be seen as his belt buckle, similar to Higashizawa. Though he no longer summons Taboo Noise, he is vastly more powerful in this second form and recovers some HP upon time.
In both forms, he attacks primarily using energy bursts (with a cry of "Infinity!") and will teleport to evade attacks. Additionally, in his Taboo form, he will do so when struck or touched at all with the stylus, rendering psychs that require direct stylus contact with the enemy (e.g. Shockwave, Thunderstorm) useless or inaccurate.
== Game Appearences ==
=== Project X Zone: Crosswars ===
He appears as a rival unit, but later appears as a solo unit.
Category:The World Ends With You
Category:Square Enix
Category:Anti-Heroes
Category:Guest Characters