Shizuo Heiwajima

Shizuo Heiwajima (平和島 静雄, Heiwajima Shizuo) is the man renowned as the strongest man in Ikebukuro. He currently works as Tanaka Tom's bodyguard, and he is shown to be familiar with some of the major characters in the series, including Orihara Izaya and Celty Sturluson.

Characteristics
Shizuo is usually seen wearing his trademark bartender suit and blue sunglasses. Most of the time his personality is rather simple; he is normally quiet and nondescript, and usually simply follows Tanaka Tom around as his bodyguard. However, Shizuo has a very short fuse, and when angered, his body "acts on its own," and he fights with incredible strength. Despite his destructive tendencies, he apparently doesn't like violence. He is, along with Orihara Izaya and the Dollars, one of the people Kida Masaomi warned Mikado to stay away from, telling him to 'not hesitate to run from him' in the manga.

Normally, the brain restricts one's power, shutting down muscles in response to pain in order to prevent serious injury; unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), Shizuo doesn't have this ability, and is capable of using his full strength at will. His power is described in the novels as the naturally unlimited form of human strength, and Kishitani Shinra likens it to the incredible "adrenaline power" that people get in times of emergency. Although he was always injured as a child, the fact that he could always fully exert himself meant that his body quickly strengthened itself and caught up. Now, as an adult, he is able to use his power without destroying his own body.

Despite the fact that Shizuo uses his power very often, he doesn't like violence, and apparently hates the fact that he is so strong. This is probably the result of events in his childhood where his strength caused others to fear him, alienating him from others at school, and even at times inadvertently hurting people he cares for. It wasn't until his run-in with the Saika Army that he was able to accept himself the way he was, since they claimed to "love" him because of his strength. Shizuo then let himself loose; outsiders believe that the "Slasher" incidents ended when he went after Shizuo (it was actually when Sonohara Anri defeated Niekawa Haruna, but Shizuo still beat up many of Saika's daughter blades and only stopped fighting when they did).

Shizuo is also capable of often superhuman parkour moves, most likely a result of his own strength and from years of hunting down Orihara Izaya, who is very good at running away from him. Shizuo and Orihara share an intense animosity, and simply seeing Izaya on the street usually results in Shizuo hurling a trash can/vending machine at him while he flees.

Background
He stated that he grew up in a perfectly normal family, and the first apparent display of his immense strength was when he tried to throw a refrigerator at his brother, Heiwajima Kasuka, for eating his pudding. The strain was too much for his body, and he ended up in the hospital with broken bones. This was the beginning of many more fits of anger, and of course, more injuries - not only to him, but also to those around him. During his elementary school years, Shizuo met a young woman working at a bakery while walking home with Kasuka. She noted that she always saw him with injuries, and told him to drink milk. She was one of the few people who were kind to Shizuo, and he began to care for her deeply. But one day, when he was walking home with his brother, he saw the woman in the bakery being assaulted by several men. He lost his temper and nearly destroyed the bakery, even hurting the woman who was so kind to him. Horrified, Shizuo never talked to her again.

After this incident, Shizuo decided to stop holding back. Since he wouldn't be able to anyway, why try at all? His muscles and bones became stronger each time he used his power, up until the point that he no longer hurt himself when he fought. Known as one of the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro, Shizuo defeated anybody who tried to challenge him, making sure that they wouldn't be able to get up anytime soon. He was fired from many jobs, including fast food, car cleaning, children's plays, because of his explosive temper. However, when he was working as a bartender his brother Kasuka, at this point a famous idol, arrived commenting that he shouldn't change jobs so often. As a sign of his desire, Kasuka brought him enough changes of his trademark bartender clothes that he "could work [as a bartender] forever". Strongly affected by his beloved brother's words, Shizuo strove to keep his job, and it is implied that he held it for a significant period of time.

This, of course, couldn't last. Izaya Orihara framed him for a crime that remains unclear. He was found innocent, but he was still fired. (In the light novels, it is not being framed but beating up his manager that gets him fired). At this time, Tom Tanaka, one of his old classmates, asked him to work with him as a debt collector. Basically, he's Tom's bodyguard. He beats up people who try to attack him, or won't pay up.

Still, he doesn't like violence.

Anime
Anime specific spoilers about this character per episode.

Episode 01: He is stated as the "person you don't want as enemies" by Kida to MIkado.

Episode 02:

Episode 07: It is revealed that way back, Shizuo's superhuman strength occured when he was a kid. Also, revealed that Shizuo, Izaya, Shinra, and Kadota are in the same high school, Raira Academy.

Manga
Manga specific spoilers about this character per volume/chapter.

Volume 01:



Light Novel
Light Novel specific spoilers about this character per volume/chapter.

Volume 01:

Trivia

 * His name is ironic. Heiwa (平和) means "Peace/Harmony" while Jima (島) means "Island", leading his last name to translate to "Peaceful Island". Shizu (静) means "Quiet" and "o" (雄) means "Hero/Masculine/Leader", leading his first name to translate to "Quiet Hero".