Ariyoshi Shinako

* School uniform
* Trion body

**Shinako Ariyoshi** (有吉ありよし 姿子しなこ, *Ariyoshi Shinako*) is an A-Rank Attacker in Border and the leader of Ariyoshi Unit. She is also the wielder of the Black Trigger Baratoge and the No.5 Attacker.

## Appearance

Shinako is a young girl of average height and athletic build. She has light skin and long blonde hair which she normally leaves down. She has light gray eyes. There is a scar over her left eye, which is cloudy due to its blindness. When not in her Trion form, she can mostly be seen wearing her school uniform: a white sailor shirt with double-breasted buttons, a black ribbon, a black pleated skirt, and black thigh-high socks. In her Trion form, she wears a light blue short bodysuit with a deep V-neck, a dark blue shirt underneath with straps attaching to her neck, and silver gloves over the sleeve of the bodysuit. She also has white leg sleeves tucked into dark blue boots, and a silver belt around her waist that holds two sheathes on either side for each of her Kogetsu. While in this form, her hair is tied in a ponytail. When she thinks she will use Baratoge, she wears a special outfit, since she can't have her Border uniform while using Baratoge. She has a high-neck, long-sleeved blue shirt and either black pants or shorts, all made of breathable material. She also has black boots made of light material.

## Personality

Shinako is serious and a bit grumpy. She is responsible and put-together, causing people to rely on her often. Because of the hardship that she has been through, she is cold and aloof, and she doesn't readily trust people. She only completely trusts a select few people, and she isn't entirely open to them. She can be a bit hot-headed, getting irritated easily and often storming away in anger. She is incredibly stubborn, which can be frustrating to those around her. She is very independent and always tries to handle her problems on her own. She often has to be reminded that there are people she can rely on to help her. She is a cynical person, believing that the world is a bad place and people can't be trusted until they can prove it. Despite her cynical outlook, she is a humanitarian at heart. She wants to help people and make the world a better place.

She has a cold exterior, but she also has a soft side that is rarely seen. She cares very deeply for the people close to her, and she would do anything for them. She will occasionally express affection for those close to her, but when confronted about it, she will quickly deny it. She is easily embarrassed and blushes easily, especially when Jin teases her. She used to be much more cheerful and energetic in the past, but she has gradually hardened herself over the years.

## History

Shinako lived a normal life until the first Neighbor invasion. During the invasion, her home was destroyed. She was hit in the eye by a piece of falling debris, leaving a long scar and causing her to lose her sight in her left eye. Her father was buried in the debris, and he died. Her mother, who was in Border at the time, became obsessed with destroying Trion soldiers. One day, Shinako stole her mother's Trigger and secretly went into the Forbidden Zone, thinking she could help her mother by defeating Trion soldiers. A Gate opened, and a Trion soldier emerged. Shinako tried to activate the Trigger, but she didn't know how. She accidentally dropped the Trigger holder, and it was smashed by the Trion soldier. Her mother found her and tried to escape with her. However, the Trion soldier tried to attack Shinako. Shinako's mother pushed her out of the way, taking the blow herself. She was fatally injured, and in her last moments, she created a Black Trigger for Shinako. Before her life force was gone, she told Shinako how to use it and told her to survive. Shinako put the Black Trigger, a black choker necklace, on and activated it. With its power, she fought the Trion soldier and somehow defeated it. She then passed out from exhaustion and was found by Jin Yūichi.

She was taken to Headquarters, and the Upper Management attempted to take the Black Trigger from her. She wouldn't let them, though. In order to keep her Trigger, she joined Border as a combatant. Wanting to get revenge against the neighbors for both her father and her mother, she quickly associated with the Kido faction. She was classified as an S-Rank agent because of her Black Trigger, and she was trained by Jin. Two years later, her friend from school, Morimi Kazue, joined Border and convinced Shinako to form a team with her. In order to be considered a normal agent, Shinako began training using Kogetsu, and she asked Tachikawa Kei to help her. After forming the unit, they were later joined by Hanai Sumika and Ikari Mayu, and Shinako became the leader. They rose through the ranks, and eventually rose to be the 9th ranked A-Rank Unit. Shinako rose to the rank of No. 5 Attacker with Kogetsu.

While her teammates have no personal grudge against Neighbors, Shinako dedicated herself to destroying all Neighbors to get revenge for her parents. It wasn't until Jin introduced her to Kuga Yūma that she began to question her morals. When she was ordered by Commander Kido to help capture Kuga's Black Trigger, she was unsure of what to do. She traveled with the other A-Rank Units, only for them to be interrupted by Jin. Shinako attacked Kikuchihara from within the ranks, then joined Jin in defending the Black Trigger. From that point on, Ariyoshi Unit has been part of the Tamakoma Branch. For a while afterwards, she was seen as a "traitor," but that opinion of her died after she proved her loyalty in the second large scale Neighbor invasion.

## Triggers and Abilities

### Black Trigger

**Baratoge** (薔薇棘ばらとげ, *lit. Rose Thorn*): A Black Trigger created by Shinako's mother. When deactivated, it takes the shape of a black choker necklace with a red line through the middle. When activated, glowing black tendrils grow from the necklace and wrap around her arms. The tendrils end at her hands and extend into long, pointed blades. They can be extended or retracted at will. She can shoot thorn-like projectiles from the tendrils.

* **Vines** (蔓, *Tsuru*): The blades extend from her hands and become long and flexible like whips. They are pointed and sharp on the ends. She can also use this to enhance her mobility.

### Other Triggers

**Kogetsu**: Shinako's Trigger of choice is Kogetsu, and she usually chooses to wield two. Her basic fighting style with this Trigger is quick attacks, but powerful attacking that leave no room for countering.

* **Senkū**: Shinako is a skilled Senkū user. She is able to perform two slashes at once. She can make the slashes travel along the ground, then suddenly rise up to strike the target.

**Shield**: Since her Side Effect makes dodging easier, she relies more on dodging than blocking, but she will use Shield in a pinch.

**Asteroid**: She uses Asteroid to supplement her physical attacks.

**Grasshopper**: This Trigger allows her to fight in midair more effectively, and it adds to her already great mobility.

**Bagworm**: Like most Border agents, she uses this for stealth.

### Side Effect

**360-Degree Perception**: Her Side Effect allows her to perceive and be aware of everything in a 5 meter radius of her at all times. If she concentrates, the radius can expand to up to 50 meters. She can't physically see anything that's not directly in her line of sight, but she can "feel" things and be aware of their presence. This makes it nearly impossible to sneak up on her.

### Other Abilities

**Agility:** She has great speed and agility, which allows her to dodge and move around effectively.

**Dexterity:** She is great with her swords, and she can even wield two at once with great skill.

**Leadership:** She is a great leader, and despite her young age, she commands a great deal of respect from other people.

## Trivia

* Her favorite food is dragon fruit.
* Current concern: She wonders if her scar scares children.
* She rarely uses her Black Trigger so that she can participate in rank battles. She only uses it in emergencies.
* Her unit's emblem consists of a rose surround by thorny vines. The rose represents Shinako, while the vines represent her teammates.

## Quotes

* *"Jin-san, you're the worst."*
* *"You guys are the thorny vines. You help and protect me, the rose."* (to her teammates about their unit's emblem)
* *"She's always been cold. It's no wonder they call her the One-Eyed Dragon."* (by another agent)
* *"People are hard to trust."*
* *"You seem pretty happy. You're even smiling. That's a rare sight. You should do it more often. It makes you look cute."* (by Jin)
* *"I'm not asking you to do something you don't want to do. I just think you'd be happier excelling as a Sniper rather than simply being average as a Shooter."* (to Sumika when asking her to join Ariyoshi Unit)
* *"There were a lot of people who thought that I didn't deserve to be S-Rank. They thought that I was just given my rank and that I didn't earn it. They were kind of right, but now I have the chance to prove them wrong by working my way up to be the best."* (after forming Ariyoshi Unit)
* *""I can't just sit here and do nothing while I can still fight!"* (to Mayu)
* *"Shina-chan has no family to look after her... I'm all she has. Me and Sumika-chan and Mayu-san. We're her family."* (by Kazue)
* *"You've always been trouble for me to predict, Shinako."* (by Jin)

## Gallery

Shinako's chibiAriyoshi Unit's emblemShinako with the rest of Ariyoshi UnitA young (around 7 years old) Shinako with her mother, ChihoShinako with the other combatants of Ariyoshi Unit