Shoda Ichimoji

**Shoda Ichimoji***(一文字 書だ; Ichimoji Shoda)* is a supporting character in Highschool DxD: Black. He is son a family of exorcists that utilizes steampunk-like tools such as clock holy grenades and mechanical swords of light. A second-year student of Kuoh academy, he becomes the second and now only pawn of Lavinia Allocer, and is one of Zenjirou's closest friends and consider him his rival.

## Appearance

Shoda has the appearance of skinny yet muscular, tall, bespectacled young man with bicoloured black and white short hair and bright red eyes, reminiscent of a vampire's.

Being a student of Kuoh academy, Shoda wears the typical uniform of black jacket, white lined shirt and black pants and shoes.

## Powers and Abilities

**Super-human strength -** Despite his skinny frame, Shoda has shown to have a strength superior to those of normal humans, which only developed further after his training as a exorcist and he polishes up to this day.

**Super-human speed -**

**Exorcist skills -** Coming from a family of exorcists, Shoda is show to possess high talent for exorcism, riving that of Miyuu Ichinose's. He has the ability to talk and seal away lesser evil spirits, as well as track down devils and other dark creatures.

**Magic seals -** Like any exorcist, Shoda can create paper seals that can either bless or curse an individual, which different results depending on level and power of the said seals.

**Promotion -** Being a Pawn, Shoda can use promotion to temporarily gain the traits of a [Queen], [Rook], [Knight] or [Bishop].

**Stealth-** After years of being a complete pervert, Shoda has also learned how to mask his presence from people.

**Ninja Arts(忍法; Ninpō)-** Ninja arts, or ninpo, are several kinds of techniques that a ninja uses to further improves it's performance in battle, and it can be used to assist in wars, conflicts, single battles and even mundane activities like house duties. After training with Annabelle in Volume 16, Shoda has learned how to use Ninpo and Ninjutsu. He has shown to have a great amount of knowledge about Ninja arts, though not as much as Annabelle and Ren:

* **Summoning technique(口寄せの術; Kuchiyose no Jutsu) -** Using this technique, Shoda can summon several beasts and familiars in order to assist him in battles. His own personal summoning seems to be a giant snake named Orochimaru, which can spit a extremely potent and venomous poison.

## Equipment

### Automaton Clock

**Automaton Clock**, also known as the **Weapon Schematics of the Ancient Civilization**, is Shoda's Sacred Gear and primary weapon, that takes the form of a clockpunk-styled glove over his right hand, with brass steampunk decorations, that has the ability to construct complex machinery with the user's mind and materialize them for a limited time use a day. Originally the sacred gear was weak and Shoda could only use it to file away information with [Alexandria] and unlock doors with [Jericho]. However after defeating the fallen angel Marut and his artificial sacred gear, his sacred gear downloaded more weapons for him to use ([Luxor} and [Axum]).

* **Alexandria** (甚大文庫アレクサンドリア, *Arekusandoria*), also known as the **Great Library**. Shoda first unlocked this ability pre-series, and used it unknowingly to store folders on all the B/W/H sizes and "hotness rating" of all the girls at his school (Zenjirou and Takeshi dubbed it his "Hammerspace"). When Shoda fully awakened his Sacred Gear, he could pull out any book he desired that had already been stored their previously.
* **Jericho** (無限大の鍵エリコ, *Eriko*) also known as the **Keys of Infinity**. Shoda had previous unlocked this pre-series, but didn't show this off until Volume 4, after revealing his Scared gear. With it, he could scan any lock and cause it to open by psychically manipulating the mechanism inside. After fully awakening, he could even create locks to seal away barriers. It is theorized that he could probably use it to read people's minds, but no one would let him try.
* **Luxor** (超常現象の砲塔ルクソール, *rukusōru*) also known as the **Psionic Turret**. Downloaded after defeating Marut; after his Sacred gear clashed with [Ceremonial Sands], the gear creates an heavy gun for him to wield at close range, however the weapon only lasts for thirty seconds on continual usage before it automatically disassembles.
* **Axum** (超空間烽火アクスム, *akusumu*), also known as the **Hyperspace Missile**. Downloaded after defeating Marut; after his Sacred gear clashed with [Ceremonial Sands], the gear created the long range missiles to strike him as he pulled away out of reach. The weapon lasted for thirty seconds with six launches every ten seconds before it automatically disassembled.
* **Jerusalem** (抗材料小銃エルサレム, *Erusaremu*), also known as the **Anti-Material Rifle**. Downloaded after a test match against Galeus' sword, Garncoch; the weapon is shaped like a anti-material sniper rifle. Unlike his previous downloads, this weapon doesn't have a time limit and only disassembles when it runs out of bullets. After its first use, it became Shoda's primary weapon in battle other then his magic seals.
* **Damascus** (守備鎧ダマスカス, *Damasukasu*), also known as the **Defensive Armor**. Downloaded after a test match against Sarakiel's sword, Aunweor; this weapon lasts as long as the user is under attack and only disassembles after the threat is gone or the durability is broken. After its first use, Shoda always equips it before engaging in battle.
* **Megiddo** (抗竜砲兵メギド, *megido*), also known as the **Anti-Dragon Artillery**. Downloaded after facing Zenjirou's second Juggernaut Drive activation; this weapon is specially designed to destroy dragons, shaped as an Anti-Aircraft turret, the weapon disassembles after sustaining considerable damage.
* **Babylon** (覇砲バビロン, *Babiron*), also known as the **Supremacy Cannon**. Created and modeled on the Longinus Smasher, Shoda invented it by combining [Luxor], [Axum] and [Megiddo] together using [Alexandria] to create the schematics, and [Jericho] to lock them together. Due to its immense fire power, Shoda can only fire it once before the whole thing disassembles. It is considered a pseudo-Balance Breaker.
* **Salem** (反魔法爆弾セーラム, *Sēramu*), also known as the **Anti-Magic Bomb**.
* **Empireo** (帝国籠手エンピレオ, *Enpireo*), also known as the **Imperial Gauntlets**.

#### Ultra Akashic Record

**Ultra Akashic Record** (伝説の合戦武装アルトラ・アカシク・リコードズ, *Arutora Akashikku Rekōdo*), also known as the **Legendary Battle Armament,** is Shoda's subspecies Balance breaker. After taking a bite out of the fruit of truth, a large number of godly armaments downloaded from his mind and into his Sacred Gear directly to prevent the knowledge from consuming him. Activating this covers him head to toe in specially crafted metal that radiates unearthly light. Due to the intensity of the power he wields, most armaments disassemble after their first use.

* **Eden** (従順の球エデン, *eden*), also known as the **Orb of Obedience**. An orb that creates multiple mirage copies of himself to attack enemies. When a copy is destroyed, the light causes a sudden psycho-epileptic epidemic to all surrounding foes.
* **Avalon** (覇の剣アバロン, *Abaron*), also known as the **Sword of Domination**. A sword that can generate electricity through the blade and even act as a lightning rod. Capable of cutting through most metals with ease due to the high temperature of the blade
* **Shangri-la** (死衣の命シャングリラ, *Shangurira*), also known as the **Shroud of Life**. A cloth that drapes over the user's shoulders, capable of quickly closing up wounds after they appear once blood drips onto it.
* **Arcadia** (抑圧の棒アルカディア, *Arukadia*), also known as the **Staff of Oppression**. A staff that alters the contours of the field, raising and lowering key areas and shaping any environment to the wielders desire.
* **El Dorado** (反発の輪エルドラド, *Eru dorado*), also known as the **Ring of Repelling**. A ring that can reflect and block incoming attacks.

**Ninja weapons -** Training as a shinobi, a feudal assassin, Shoda uses several weapons and gadgets to assist him during battles, including knives, kunais, smoke bombs, explosive papers, traps, switches, swords, bladed shoes and gloves, metal balls and many, many more. His weapon of choice seems to be a ninja sword, kunai knives and demon wind shurikens, paired with his holy grenades.

**Ninja Snake Orochimaru -** Shoda is capable of summoning the snake Orochimaru in order to assist him in battles, that also acts as his familiar. A snake big enough for him to support himself atop of it, it has the ability to spit a highly potent and venomous toxin from it's mouth, and use it's tongue and tail as a high-speed lance, which contains a paralizing poison on it. The snake can also change it's size to support itself and wrap around Shoda, without strangling him.

## Trivia

* Shoda's appearance and image is based on Sukune from the manga series **Kaimetsuou to 12-nin no Hoshi no Miko**.
* Shoda's sacred gear weapons are modeled after the **Akashic Records** used by Yuu Mononobe in the **Juuou Mujin no Fafnir** series, who downloads the weapons from Green Yggdrasil.
* His familiar, Orochimaru is named after a character in the **tale of the gallant Jiraiya, o**ne of Japan's most known folklore stories. In the tale, Orochimaru was a man over taken by serpent magic and was the archenemy of the hero Jiraiya.
* Shoda's surname, "Ichimoji" (一文字) is derived from "ichi" (一) meaning "one", "bun" (文) meaning "statement", and "ji" (字) meaning "letter".
	+ His surname can also mean "straight line" when pronounced as "hitomoji" (一文字). Putting it together with his first name reads; "I write [in] a straight line" (書だ一文字)
* According to Ren and Haruka, if Shoda was ranked as a ninja, he would be about a middle-class shinobi.