Shingen Kishitani

Shingen Kishitani (岸谷森厳, Kishitani Shingen) is Shinra Kishitani's father and a former owner of Saika. As a scientist on Nebula's payroll, he is fascinated by the supernatural and especially by Celty Sturluson.

Appearance
Shingen's appearance sets him apart from the crowd. He wears a scientist's white lab coat and a white gas mask because "the air in Tokyo is filthy." According to Egor, Shingen's face resembles his son's Shinra Kishitani.

Personality
Shingen is a strange man who has an eccentric personality like his son Shinra. Like his son; he is interested in supernatural beings, objects, and occurrences. Upon initially coming across Celty in Ireland, Shingen severed her tie to her head using Saika, then on the ship to Japan pretended he had never met her. He was permitted to dissect her once in exchange for giving her a place to stay in Japan.

His personality ranges from childish comic relief around his family to serious and manipulative around Izaya and Namie. He insists Celty calls him "father," while upon first hearing about the Ikebukuro color gangs he said that he "hopes they destroy each other and die in the sewers."

Background
At some point earlier in his life, he married Kaname and they had a son named Shinra, but they divorced before Shinra was old enough to remember his mom. Twenty years prior to the start of the series, he bought Saika from Kasane Kujiragi through Jinnai Yodogiri and used it to cut off Celty's head. Afterward, he smuggled Celty into Japan and sold Saika to the Sonohara family, and he later moved to America for work, presumably when Shinra was old enough to support himself. One year before the start of the series, he and Emilia married in America.

Saika Arc (anime)/Yellow Scarves Arc (novel)
Shingen is first seen on his arrival to Tokyo, when some of the Yellow Scarves members are messing with him due to his appearance. He is rescued by an unwillingly helpful Celty, who scares the thugs off. Later, at Shinra and Celty's apartment, Shingen learns of their relationship. During the exchange, he accidentally reveals that it was he who originally stole Celty's head. Flustered, he escapes the apartment building.

He visits Izaya Orihara in Shinjuku, telling Izaya that he wants Celty's head back but is in no hurry to bring her head and body back to America with him to experiment on. He is able to deduce Izaya's plan to create a war zone in Ikebukuro that will awaken Celty's head, and he is interesting in staying around to observe the results. Shingen is impressed by Izaya's plan being based on mythology rather than science and admits that this would have never occurred to him.

Hollywood Arc
Shingen is recognized by Saika within Anri Sonohara while he is talking to Egor, presumably about hunting down Ruri. Egor expresses some irritation about being called out to Japan so suddenly, but accepts the job. Shingen spots Anri and recognizes her as the daughter of an antiques dealer he knew. He gives Anri his condolences and heads to a different location with Egor.

Later, Shinra questions his father over the phone on how he knows the assassin Egor, since Egor mentions Shingen's name when Shinra is called to Russia Sushi to treat him. Shingen explains that he hired Egor to capture a certain female whom Shinra would better know as the serial killer Hollywood. He goes on to explain that he suspected something supernatural involved with the murders and, after using Nebula's information network, found out that it was Ruri Hijiribe behind it all. He also discovered that there was an individual who was a "creature of myth" similar to Celty that was her ancestor and used his powers to obtain a large amount of wealth.

Shingen suspected that the genetic traits of that particular ancestor manifested in Ruri but he had no way to tell if it manifested every generation or every other generation. He wanted to put Ruri under Nebula's "protection" so that he could dissect her and perform experiments on her. Shinra replies that Shingen needed to change his behavior, but Shingen simply brushes him off. According to him, Ruri did not display enough supernatural abilities for them to provide funding for research since she could not even withstand a blow from a human.

Adabashi Arc
It is revealed through flashbacks that Shingen initially obtained Saika through an Information Broker named Jinnai Yodogiri. Yodogiri is also the one who persuaded Shingen to steal the head of Celty and provided her location to him. After obtaining the head, Shingen is approached by Seitarou Yagiri. Seitarou demands that Shingen hand the head over to him but Shingen refused no matter how high the price was. Seitarou finally resorted to threatening the life of Shinra in order to get the head.

Shingen eventually succumbed to his threats and gave up the head to him. Although the two of them remained friends, Shingen is still bitter about Seitarou threatening his only son. Near the end of the novel, Shingen warns Seitarou not to get too close to Yodogiri saying that he was similar to a radioactive substance where all who get close to him eventually decay and rot away. Seitarou dismisses Shingen's warning and claims that he will simply have to use Yodogiri better that he is using him.

When he discovers that Shinra was beaten up by Ruri's stalker, and that Seitarou, could have prevented it, Shingen doesn't hesitate to call Seitarou and warn him that he'll "smash his face" for what he did. He even goes to the dojo and asks Eijirou to teach him the deadly punch he knows so he can go get back at Seitarou. When Eijirou refuses, he then attempts to bribe Eijiro to beat up Seitarou on his behalf before Mikage stops him. He then considers having Mikage beat up Seitarou for him before Eijirou finally kicks him out.

Saving Izaya/Haruna Returns Arc
Shingen talks on his own blog about how fresh the air is in his gas mask, mentioning how he has zero followers and his account is private. It's due to this that he feels he is free to discuss whatever he likes since he is the only person who can read it. After making a few posts about this freedom to talk, he mentions that Nebula has been pulling a lot of underground money under the guise of 'Entertainment Expenses'. The money is apparently used to socialize with somebody who is not human. After making this claim, he goes on to make various posts about the department he works in for Nebula, as well as some posts about Celty and the fact that vampires exist. Digressing from his topic by repeating how nobody can read his posts, Shingen says that he would be punished by Nebula should they ever learn that he's posting these things. Though, due to him running a private account, he feels only a thrill at the risk rather than threatened.

It's during his multiple posts about this, that person under the username 'Tsukkuu' appears. Tsukkuu, replies to one of Shingen's posts, prompting Shingen to reply back asking who Tsukkuu is and how he accessed his private posts. Almost immediately after demanding to know who Tsukkuu is, Shingen quickly posts again apologizing and promising to pay Tsukkuu, likely as hush money. Tsukkuu apologizes, claiming to be Tsukumoya Shinichi, an internet-based Information Broker. Rather than seem confused, Shingen, who appears to know Tsukumoya, expresses relief in knowing that his private life is still private.

Tsukkuu goes on to tell Shingen about Seitarou coming in to capture Namie Yagiri and steal Celty's head. Shingen questions why Tsukkuu, AKA: Tsukumoya, is helping him. Tsukkuu claims initially that it's due to him being a member of the Dollars, quickly backtracking and saying that he only wishes he could say that, though the Dollars haven't been appealing to him lately. After Shingen questions which side Tsukkuu is one, Tsukkuu replies that he's on the side of those who love this city (Ikebukuro/Tokyo), whether they are human or not. Before the conversation ends, Shingen asks Tsukkuu to leave his private life, private. Tsukkuu insists that he is unable to do so, before logging out and deleting his existence from the blog.

Later on, Shingen takes part in a plan to save Namie from Seitarou and Kujiragi who had captured her earlier. Those who took part in the rescue, (Egor and Eijiro) dressed just as Shingen does, in the white lab-coat and gas mask. After saving Namie, Seitarou tells Shingen that Izaya has a bad hobby, though Shingen only expresses a desire to strike Seitarou.

Shingen tells him how it was on the deal. He then pays Kujiragi 500 yen if she'll answer a question for him. She accepts before hearing out his question about human beings. Kujiragi fails to supply a good answer, but Shingen claims that he listed something with chemicals involved and he also included that Celty's head is one of them too.

Final Curtain Arc
After hearing that Shinra was kidnapped by Kujiragi, Shingen, eventually locates Seitarou, suspecting him to be responsible. He then confiscates Celty's head and, with Egor's help, returns it to her, leaving Seitarou to have a breakdown.

Several days later, Shingen is being informed by Emilia that Celty's head was being shipped to Chicago. Afterwards, he offers a Namie a job position at Nebula.

Shinra Kishitani
Shinra and his father Shingen have a fairly stable relationship. When he was a child his father would let Shinra join him in performing surgeries, including the one where he dissected Celty. Shingen believed that Shinra has always been a "sicko" since besides his love for Celty, he believes Shinra enjoyed the past dissections "too much". Beside that he genuinely loves Shinra. Shingen cut Celty's head off and sold Saika's sword off to Anri's parents in order to protect Shinra from Namie's grandfather who threatened to kill Shinra if he didn't. When he discovers that Shinra was beaten up by Ruri's stalker, and that Seitarou could have prevented it, Shingen doesn't hesitate to call Seitarou and warn him that he'll "smash his face" for what he did. He even goes to the dojo and asks Eijirou to teach him the deadly punch he knows so he can go get back at Seitarou.

Celty Sturluson
Celty and Shingen don't think highly of each other due to the fact that he was the one who stole her head. Shingen believed that Celty will always be a monster who will try to fit in with human society while Celty believed that he was just a pervert and a creepy man. They would usually argue and taunt one another and he doesn't really like the idea of Celty being in love with Shinra and would want her to call him "father".

Emilia Kishitani
Emilia is Shingen's second wife. In the second season of the anime, it is revealed that they were married in America the previous year. Even though he is 20 years older, they do indeed love each other. He supports Celty and Shinra calling her "Mother," and she will sometimes wear a gas mask to please him. He sometimes calls her "pumpkin" and they sleep together, even though she sometimes kicks him in her sleep.

Etymology

 * The name Shingen means "solemn" (森厳).
 * Shingen's surname Kishitani means "shore, bank, coast" (岸) (kishi) and "valley" (谷) (tani).

Trivia

 * Shingen often reveals secrets that he is supposed to keep.
 * Shingen's face is never shown.
 * Shingen revealed that he and Shinra Kishitani's mother would switch clothes sometimes.