Isao Shinomiya

*"Catastrophes happen when we conform, when we trust ourserlves thinking that we have everything under control. When we believe that everything is resolved without worrying about what will come. We must evolve too."*
— Isao Shinomiya to Gen Narumi.
**Isao Shinomiya** (四 (し) ノ (の) 宮 (みや)  功 (いさお) , *Shinomiya Isao*) was the Director General of the Defense Force before being absorbed by Kaiju No. 9. He is also the father of Kikoru Shinomiya and husband of Hikari Shinomiya. In the past, Isao was the sixth captain of the First Division.

## Appearance

Isao is a very tall and muscular middle-aged man with short blond hair, a moustache and beard. He has thick, messy eyebrows and big wild yellow eyes, usually showing a serious look on his face.

Ten years ago, Isao had a more youthful appearance and lacked his moustache.

Isao's combat suit was special compared to the standard combat suit's worn by other Defense Force members. It was made from Kaiju No. 2 and has scale-like black armor texture.

## Personality

Isao is a very authoritative and serious man, being also very demanding towards both his subordinates and his daughter. As the Director General of the Defense Force and serving many years in its ranks, Isao is a far-sighted man who gave his orders firmly in sight of future threats. Isao is not above using living kaiju as weapons to empower the Defense Force.

Isao strong romantic relationship with his wife brought him to be very affected by her death and ever since then, Isao became cold and distant with his daughter, demanding her to become the "perfect soldier" so that she wouldn't suffer the same fate as her mother. Isao's strictness wasn't limited to his family alone, as he acted the same way with his subordinates and his former student Gen Narumi.

However, despite his apparent cold and serious behavior, Isao showed a more caring side when he remembered Kikoru's words about Kafka Hibino and when he personally informed the latter about his decision to keep him alive, going against his high-ranked colleagues to give Kafka a chance to prove himself to them. Until the end, Isao's only concern was the sake of the next generations, fighting for it with all of his might to ensure a safer future to those after him, to the point of being willing to sacrifice himself like his wife did.

## History

Over thirty years ago, Isao's career in the Kaiju neutralization business started.

Ten years ago, after one of Hikari's missions, Isao and Hikari came home to find a happy Kikoru declaring her desire to join the Defense Force to save her mother one day. Some days later, however, Kaiju No. 6 unleashed various cataclysms which brought to the death of over two hundred Defense Force officers, three captains and Hikari herself, with the event leaving a deep mark inside Isao's heart and making him colder as a person. As a matter of fact, back when Kikoru was in middle school, Isao started to be very demanding on his daughter, to the point of expecting absolute perfection from her.

When Isao was the captain of the First Division, he mentored a young Gen Narumi, honing his student with a strict demeanor. Gen never managed to beat Isao once during training.

## Plot

### Kaiju No. 8 Captured Arc

After the events of the raid on Tachikawa Base and the subsequent discovery of Kafka Hibino's identity as Kaiju No. 8, Isao and other high-ranked members of the force had a meeting discussing what to do with Kafka, with Isao himself ordering to have him secured to the Ariake Maritime Base. After his daughter came to ask him not to execute Kafka, Isao revealed to her that his heart took the shape of a core, a proof that he is a kaiju. Then, he proceeded to meet Kafka and, after having him released, he violently attacked him to collect a sample of his blood, while taunting him for his kaiju nature. As the battle went on, Isao eventually geared up his combat gauntlets and faced Kafka in combat. Overwhelming his opponent, Isao proceeded to neutralize his legs and land a clear punch on Kafka. As Kafka fully transformed into an out-of-control Kaiju No. 8, Isao kept fighting against using every move in his arsenal, and studying Kafka's move with the intent of testing him. Eventually, Isao found himself overwhelmed by No. 8 and, in the climax, Isao witnessed as the kaiju punched his own heart and turned back into Kafka Hibino, declaring once again his humanhood. As Kafka fainted on the ground, Isao ordered First Division Captain Gen Narumi to put his weapon away from him.

During another meeting about Kafka, Isao declared that he deemed Kafka "a controllable kaiju" and that he will be used as an asset without being turned into weaponry, standing opposed to many of his coworkers. Isao then reminded everyone of the incident involving Kaiju No. 6 ten years ago, and suggested to use Kafka's unknown power at his fullest as a beam of hope towards new threats. Moments later, as Kafka woke up in the infirmatory, Isao went to talk to him. Surprised that Kafka didn't want to injure him, due to the former's relationship with Isao's daughter Kikoru, Isao informed Kafka of the decision he has taken and suggested that he proved his worth as a Defense Force officer.

Five days later, Isao ordered a meeting with the Captain and the Vice-Captain of the First Division to place Kafka Hibino in its ranks, in order to both give Kafka a way to prove his strength and worth and as a way to have Japan's strongest anti-kaiju fighter and the strongest kaiju around in the same division, to better face future threats. As Gen declined the offer, Isao reminded him of what happened with Kaiju No. 9 and No. 10, and that arrogance could only lead to failure.

### Kaiju Weapon Arc

During the attack on Shinagawa City, Isao was seen sitting in the temporary headquarters of the Defense Force. Keiji Itami noticed that Kafka failed to transform as Isao pondered in silence. After his daughter engaged in battle with Kaiju No. 9, Itami told Isao not to move, stating that using a numbered weapon repeatedly would shave years off the user's life. Isao then remarked by saying he's well aware of the fact and that that was a trial the new generation must overcome. Gen battled the beta-version of Kaiju No. 9, Isao and Itami noticed that No. 9 was still evolving during the battle. Isao stated that No. 9 operates like a virus. When Gen decided to get serious, Isao was shown explaining the capabilities of the weapon made from the retina of Kaiju No. 1. After Kafka and Narumi defeated the beta and gamma-versions of Kaiju No. 9, the main body manifested behind him attacked Isao. No. 9 went to attack Kurusu but Isao quickly defended him against it. He then told Itami and Nogizaka to lead the evacuation of the troops while he handled No. 9. Thinking he took the initiative by froming the strongest division, No. 9's evolution far exceeded his estimations. Isao and No. 9 then exchanged powerful blows that ended in a stalemate at first, but No. 9 made it's arm bigger and completely overwhelmed the Director General. No. 9 then went for a finishing blow but was stopped by Isao, who then said he would be disposing of No. 9. As the fight went on, Isao managed to deal a fatal blow to No. 9, powerful enough to whipe away the top of the building they were fighting in. Despite the damage dealt to him, No. 9 managed to regenerate from the core and steal Kaiju No. 2's power, before killing and assimilating a totally powerless Isao. Moments later, Captain Narumi and Kaiju No. 8 found No. 9 with the Director General's appearance.

### The Compatible User Arc

Sometime later, inside No.9's body, Isao's conscience awakened to realize he couldn't resist much longer inside of Kaiju No.9's body, begging his Defense Force comrades to save their country.

## Power & Abilities

**Overall Abilities**: Isao was the Director General of the Defense Force and had absolute authority over the entire organization. In the past, he was known as "the strongest soldier" in the entire history of the Defense Force, though Isao himself stated that his current strength was a mere shadow of it's former glory. Despite this, he was still strong enough to fight on par with a berserk Kaiju No. 8, and nearly kill Kaiju No. 9.

### Powers

* **Sonic Booms**: Through the usage of Numbers Weapon 2, Isao is able to use Kaiju No. 2's ability to produce sonic booms, exapnding the range of his strikes.

* **Electric Attacks**: When using Numbers Weapon 2, Isao can release highly destructive electrical attacks from his gauntlets.

* **High Unleashed Combat Power**: As the former Director General and leader of the Defense Force, Isao was capable of using an extremely high amount of his combat suit's power. While wearing Number Weapon 2, he was capable of a "Full Release" which brought out the full power of Kaiju No. 2.
	+ **Immense Strength**: Isao possessed a tremendous degree of physical strength. During his battle with Kaiju No. 8, the force of their fist colliding together was strong enough to destroy multiple layers of an extra-fortified training shelter. He could also match the strength of Kaiju No. 9.
	+ **Enhanced Speed and Reflexes**: Isao possessed incredible speed and reflexes. He was able to speed blitz and attack Kafka before he realized what happened. He was also fast enough to save Kurusu from Kaiju No. 9's attack. His reflexes allowed him to dodge some of Kaiju No. 8's extremely fast attacks.
	+ **Immense Endurance**: Isao possessed immense levels of physical endurance. Due to his combat suit's defenses, he was able to endure powerful attacks from Kaiju No. 8 and continued to fight. Although severely injured, Isao was able to get back up and fight after taking a devastating punch from Kaiju No. 9.

### Abilities

* **Martial Arts Mastery**: Isao was an extremely skilled and powerful close-quarters fighter. His mastery in martial arts allowed him to improve his own fighting style, which was passed down to other Defense Force soldiers. He easily overwhelmed Kafka with powerful punches and fought on par with Kaiju No. 8. He was also capable of exchanging blows with Kaiju No. 9 with only one arm.

* **Leadership skills**: As the former Director General of the Defense Force, Isao had complete and absolute authority over the entire organization. For more than thirty years since his days as a captain, Isao served as the heart of Japan's neutralization efforts.

#### Fighting Style

* Number One: Barrage Blast
* Number Two: Force Blast
* Number Two: Twin Blast
* Number Four: Rising Blast
1/4
Isao's fighting style is named Squadron Style **Combat Technique** (格闘術, *Kakutō-jutsu*). It is a fighting style focused on hand-to-hand combat, perfected by Isao himself. The foundation of this fighting style is derived from the lower body, where the user channels the power created with the legs into their fists. Isao used it in tandem with his combat suit and gauntlets, managing to fight almost like a daikaiju using hand-to-hand combat techniques.

* **Number One: Barrage Blast** (1式: 蓮破, *Isshiki*: *Hasu Yabu*): Isao hits his opponent with a powerful elbow strike.
* **Number Two: Force Blast** (2式: 発破, *Nishiki: Happa*): Much like Kaiju No. 2 would often do, Isao expands the range of his strikes by empowering them with destructive sonic blasts.
	+ **Twin Blast** (双破, *Sō Yabu*): Another application of the second technique can be performed with two simultaneous strikes.

* **Number Four: Rising Blast** (4式: 昇破, *Shishiki: Nobori Yabu*): Isao hits his opponent with a powerful uppercut.

## Battles

* Isao vs Kaiju No. 8 (Interrupted): Chapter 34 - Chapter 37
* Isao vs Kaiju No. 9 (Lost): Chapter 49 - Chapter 51

## Equipment

**Handgun**: Isao used to carry a handgun on his side.

**Numbers Weapon 2** (識別怪獣兵器 (ナンバーズ) 2号 (ごう) , *Nanbāzu Ni-gō*): Isao's personal Numbers Weapon consisted of a special combat suit made from the corpse of Kaiju No. 2. This suit is able to release super high levels of electromagnetic energy.

* **Gauntlets**: Marked **FS-1002** and provided by Izumo Tech, Isao's personal weapon are two powerful gauntlets made from the corpse of Kaiju No. 2. The gauntlets can release highly destructive energy, similar to electricity, that Isao used to attack his enemies from a distance.

Isao's handgunIsao's Number Weapon 2 combat suitIsao's FS-1002 gauntlets
## Etymology

* The name **Isao** contains the kanji for "achievement, merits, success, honor, credit" (功, *isao*).
* Isao's last name **Shinomiya** contains the kanji for "four" (四, *shi*) and "temple, shrine, palace" (宮, *miya*).

## Trivia

* Isao likes jazz, whiskey, chess, and animal videos.
* Isao has a vain side which prevents him from having his reading glasses on in front of Kikoru.
* Isao ranked #9 in the first character popularity polls.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Isao's character profile
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chapter 7
3. ↑ Chapter 39
4. ↑ Chapter 33
5. ↑ Chapter 52
6. ↑ Chapter 6
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 86
8. ↑ Chapter 38
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Chapter 35
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 Chapter 50
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 Chapter 36
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Chapter 37
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chapter 34
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chapter 49
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Chapter 66
16. ↑ Chapter 54
17. ↑ Chapter 67