Heiwajima Shizuo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hatesviolence) wrote2019-10-02 04:37 am
hatesviolence) wrote2019-10-02 04:37 am
☣ background/canon timeline
[ Note: Most of his BG is novel based, but the anime covers volumes 1-3. There are very few discrepancies between the two mediums, though the anime changed the timeline slightly to better fit its medium. Regardless, I'll be sticking to mostly the novel events and information since he is coming out from the novels rather than the anime. Since volumes 2 and 3 haven't been translated yet (because of the anime covering it), I'll be drawing some details there. I'll make distinctions and notes where the novels and the anime differ, but it really won't affect it all that much.
ALSO: Durarara!! basically runs off the concept of synchronicity. All of the events that occur will at some point or another affect the others in the main cast, Shizuo included. So while I focus on the events involving Shizuo, I also make brief allusions/summaries to any of those plots.
A nice index that links to all the available (fan) translated material can be found here. Most of the novels have been completely translated with the exceptions of 2, 3, 11, and 12. Parts of these novels can be found with 3, 11, and 12 currently on-going.]
SPOILERS INSIDE: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
PRE-HISTORY
Despite what people may initially assume, Shizuo grew up in a warm, well-loving and caring family living in Ikebukuro, Japan. He had a mother, a father, and a younger brother, Kasuka, whom he cares for and who also cares for him. They were your typical nice family. However, it was also because of his brother that Shizuo became the highly short-tempered, anger-filled, dangerous, and extremely powerful man he is today.
Everything started when he was nine years old. He had had a minor quarrel with his brother, but in a fit of rage, he tried to lift up a full-sized refrigerator to throw at him. Of course, this didn't happen. Instead, he suffered multiple dislocations and extensive muscle damage. One would think a child would learn his lesson and never attempt to perform such actions gain, but the problem was Shizuo couldn't control his temper. Once the fuse was ignited, it was hard for him to restrain himself. Another incident of such escalated violence occurred during school when he threw a desk full of books at another student. This was the result of another student picking a fight with him and had thrown compasses at him. Fortunately the boy survived with just a scraped wrist. The desk had flown past him and had embedded itself into the wall behind him.
He was still nine.
So how was he able to do this? It all stems back to the muscle damage he suffered from the attempted refrigerator throw. There is a natural mental limiter that the body places on the human muscle so that they aren't overused and risk damage. Usually during times of extreme crisis, however, these limiters are released. This allows for the body to perform miraculous and superhuman feats. Because of the muscle damage, however, the limiters no longer exist for Shizuo. He doesn't need to be in an extreme situation to use the full potential of his muscles.
The downside, however, is that without these limitations, he has no control over his strength when he fully taps into it. This causes his muscles to deteriorate further and strain his own heart. This is made worse by his temper. He couldn't control his own anger, and in turn the power became his anger that would continue to grow. He soon developed a mindset that he had to destroy anything that pissed him off, that it was just natural. So he started to go down this spiral where he no longer placed any self-restraints and allowed the self-destruction. As time would go on, however, he would try and restrain himself somewhat. Particularly after a certain incident involving him losing control while trying to help a woman who had given both him and Kasuka some milk. Not only did he accidentally get her hurt in the fray, he also caused her trouble. Since then, he drank milk (which would help his bones) and it served as a reminder for him, a tactic Kasuka used when they were still living together at home.
He attended the same middle school and high school (Raijin Academy) as Orihaya Izaya, Kishitani Shinra, and Kadota Kyouhei. Shinra would follow Shizuo around like a puppy, thinking his extraordinary superhuman strength was amazing and wanting to learn more. He was also the reason how Shizuo first met Celty, the Headless Rider.
It was during this time he first met Tom and acquired his "delinquent" look. In short, Tom had stumbled upon Shizuo when he was still in the middle school. Gangs were still picking fights with him, and Tom came in just in time to catch the tail end of a particular fight. After convincing Shizuo to help bring the fallen to the hospital, Tom treated Shizuo to a meal. It was there that he suggested Shizuo should portray himself like a delinquent so as to lower the number of people who would come after him. This included the hair dying, but Shizuo refused, saying he could change the hair color his parents gave him. From then, Tom continued to give Shizuo some advice to help him not get picked on by gangs so much.
A month or so later, Shizuo was napping on top of the school building when he overheard a conversation between Tom and some of the upperclassmen. They were essentially trying to get Tom make Shizuo like their own dog, but true to his nature, Tom refused. After he left, the students started to make threats to take Tom hostage to make Shizuo join their side. Unfortunately, they didn't know Shizuo was listening in until they heard a strange hissing sound behind him. Shizuo had detached one of the water tanks and after yelling at them, kicked it down at them.
A few months after that, that same group targeted Tom. Shizuo arrived on the scene just as Tom finished beating them up, though he was rather injured himself. When Shizuo asked him why he didn't just use him like the others wanted, Tom just said that Shizuo had said himself he didn't like violence and that it would be better if he didn't fight. After that, Shizuo started to dye his hair and after the rumors spread, he had a peaceful period in his life as not as many people came to pick fights with him.
But of all the people he had met during his school years, it was Izaya who would have the most impact on his life. He was the one who ruin his peaceful life. While Shizuo would not start any fights or conflicts, he usually found himself caught up in them. This was usually Izaya's fault. Upon first seeing Izaya's face, Shizuo immediately disliked him, and the two would have constant fights and chases. Mostly chases as Izaya tended to just run away laughing. At some point in high school, Izaya had started to gather "worshipers" for his own purposes. These were usually girls, and soon there was a conflict between the various Izaya fans from other Ikebukuro high schools. Despite not wanting to have anything to do with the conflicts, Shizuo got dragged into the very center of it and rose to local fame because of it. Gangs and bullies would continually try to fight him, only to be defeated with explosive results. He would later become known as a contender, if not the person, to be the strongest fighter in Ikebukuro.
These years were known as the "Izaya and Shizuo" years, and Raijin Academy's reputation deteriorated until it would later merge with another school to become Raira Academy years later.
Of course, this would not be the end of Izaya and Shizuo. When Izaya became wanted by the Ikebukuro police, he framed Shizuo for co-commiting the crime. When the police attempted to arrest Shizuo, he threw a vending machine at the police car. He was later cleared of all charges after investigations.
He was under eighteen.
After that, he chased after Izaya with only one intent in mind: to kill him. He learned parkour just so he could catch Izaya, as the young man had also learned parkour to escape Shizuo. Whenever Shizuo even caught a glimpse of Izaya's face, he would grab the nearest large object and hurl it at him before running after him.
At one point, Shizuo was also scouted to be a model. He had the looks for it, however he had no inclination of becoming one. In fact, he almost killed the talent scout, but his brother, Kasuka, saved the poor, unfortunate fellow. This actually landed Kasuka a spot in the modeling business, and he would later become an actor.
Shizuo was also the reason why one of the colored gangs, the Blue Squares, disintegrated. They picked a fight with him and effectively lost. He would later join the Dollars group, a growing "colorless" gang that was rising through Ikebukuro, through an invitation by Simon.
He did attempt to a hold a job, but they normally didn't last long mostly due to his temper. Before his current job, he was a bartender. Even though Kasuka gave him twenty bartender suits in hopes he would actually keep it, Shizuo was framed by Izaya yet again, and it cost him his job. Currently he works under Tanaka Tom as a debt collector for dating sites. More specifically, as a bodyguard. Unlike his previous bosses, Tom actually knows how to handle Shizuo and Tom also had been an upperclassman, so the two at least knew each other. Tom also didn't "mind" Shizuo beating up the clients, just so long he didn't kill them. It was costly, though, and the business somehow put up with Shizuo's destructive tendencies. (Probably because despite destroying everything, he would also be able to get the money out of them)
VOLUMES 1-3 [time zero]
Shizuo's first major appearance in the current canon timeline was a run-in with Izaya. Izaya was talking to Ryuugamine Mikado, Kida Masaomi, and Sonohara Anri. When he saw Izaya, he threw a trashcan at him, nailing him in the head. At this point in time, a gang who claimed themselves to part of the Dollars had gathered around because they wanted to get back at Izaya for a prior incident. One of them had the misfortune to attack Shizuo even though he knew who Shizuo was. Shizuo beat them up, and as Izaya tried to escape, attempted to hurl a vending machine at him. But then Simon dropped in to intervene and stop them (when I say "dropped in," I mean that literally. Simon just appeared out of nowhere from a nearby building several stories up). Though Izaya was able to get away, Shizuo beat up Simon before finally leaving.
Other than his brother, there are only a few people who are "close" to him, and the Headless Rider, Celty Sturluson, is probably the one he's closest to. She is also one of the few he considers important. Even if she didn't have a head, she could still communicate through written means, or her PDA in the modern times. But even so, she would always listen to whatever he had to say and would not make unnecessary comments or take what he said as more than what they were supposed to mean. He knew everyone was afraid of him, but Celty wasn't. So he enjoyed talking with her whenever the chance arose. He knew who she was (but not that she's a Dullahan; all he knows is that she's the Headless Rider), but he didn't particularly care.
Because of this close affinity to her, he was always more than willing to help her. When she came to him asking if he knew a street artist who supposedly had drawn pictures of a Dullahan, he not only told her where the artist was, but also offered to come along and help, saying it would be easier than her just trying to communicate with the PDA all the time.
Another time he helps her out is when they see a girl with what Celty identified as her head. Of course, Shizuo had no idea the truth about Celty's reaction to chase her, but he follows and helps out anyway. When Seiji appears and stabs him with pens, he holds the guy back, telling Celty to leave everything to him and chase the girl. Though he has no idea what's going on, he knows Celty is interested in that person, and that's all that mattered. He let Seiji off pretty lightly, knocking him out with a headbutt.
Shizuo also showed up at the giant Dollar's "meeting," confirming that he was indeed part of the Dollars, and witnessed Celty's crazy ride down a building. Again, he doesn't know that she's a Dullahan.
By this time, the "Slashers" and events with Saika were becoming more prominent in Ikebukuro, and he became a central figure in the plot. He would feel as if someone was watching him, but whenever he turned around to look in the direction, whatever it was disappears. When Celty told him that she had been attacked by one before, he immediately decided to kill the Slasher and even hopped on Celty's bike, telling her to go so he can do exactly as he said. Fortunately, Celty talked him out of it since he was still on working time, so he resigned to her wishes. That didn't mean he wasn't still mad about the whole affair.
Some time later, Shizuo was with Celty, again wanting to kill the Slasher, when the two saw some members of the Yellow Scarves staring at them. Already in a "not good" mood, Shizuo walked over and promptly beat them up for staring at them. Afterward, while riding around through the streets, Celty heard a commotion and promptly turned to where Anri and the van gang (Kadota and the others) were. Niekawa Shuuji, a reporter who had tried to (and got thrown for) interviewing Shizuo had been possessed by the demon blade Saika and was trying to stab her. Though the van gang had hit him with the van, he still managed to get up and made for a round two. Celty landed a hit with her motorcycle, but it wasn't until Shizuo ripped off Togusa's van door and slammed it into Shuuji that it was over.
After that, Shizuo went to Izaya's apartment to call him out to "play." And by play, he meant "Let me smash your face into the wall and kill you, you flea" play. As the two were about to fight, handguard rail poised and ready, Celty arrived to show Shizuo the chatroom where someone under the username "Saika" kept asking for Shizuo. She then took him to South Ikebukuro Park, where the two found themselves surrounded by over a hundred "children" of Saika. They were people who were being controlled by the demon blade Saika and all were proclaiming their "love" for Shizuo, the one who was determined to the strongest man alive. And to show their love, they wanted to stab him.
So after that lovely confession, Shizuo proceeded to beat the crap out of everyone. Miraculously, no one died, and he actually managed to stop himself in time from continued the pummeling once the Saika's "hold" over the people was released. He could never control his strength, so being able to stop in time was important to himself.
Now for a prime example of synchronicity. All is fine for a day or so, but at some point during the later afternoon-early evening, Anri was being chased by the Yellow Scarves, and the Dollars were just flying all over the place helping her. She eventually wound up in a park, and was confronted by a group led by Horada, a person of brief "significance." Upon noticing her well-endowed chest, Horada got a nosebleed. At that very moment, Shizuo was passing by, yelling at his cellphone because of all the notifications from the Dollars members. So when he turned and saw Horada staring at him with that face, it was no surprise that Horada was sent flying and the rest scattered. Shizuo was the endnote for the slew of convoluted events of the day, a pattern that tends to recur throughout the series. Celty, as well as the van gang, showed up just in time for the show, and once the deed was done, Shizuo left, saying he was turning off his cellphone for the rest of the night.
However, later that night, Horada confronted him and actually shot him in the leg and abdomen. Seeing that it did not do too much to Shizuo, Horada left while saying that someone named "Kida Masaomi" was the one who ordered Shizuo to be shot. Apparently Shizuo didn't even realize he had been shot to begin with. He thought he had tripped and fallen, so by the time he came to again, they were gone. Tom was with him at the time and was the one who told him to go see a doctor. The fear of lead poisoning was what made Shizuo decide to go, and he went to Shinra since it would not involve the police and he got better rates.
So Shizuo went to Shinra's to be treated. As always, unlike normal people who would be unconscious during the whole procedure, Shizuo stayed conscious and grumbled about the whole situation. At some point Anri had arrived, though he didn't remember who she was. But when she heard him talking about killing Kida Masaomi, she took off right after Shizuo left.
And then Shizuo once again pulled off the finale stunt for a rather large, crazy event. There was a lot of crap going on between the Dollars and the Yellow Scarves, with Horada being the one to help instigate the whole thing. But anyway, after the fight and them losing, Horada and his crew fled the scene. To their horror, waiting on the highway with an uprooted highway street exit sign was the one and only Heiwajima Shizuo. He promptly sliced the roof of the car off as they flew past, and they were taken in by the traffic cop, Kinnosuke.
One would assume things would settle down, and for a year it was relatively quiet. But of course, this would not last.
VOLUME 4. [approximately a year later, or at least several months; April]
After the novel introduction about the "Killing Machine" (Russian assassin) and "Hollywood," a "rising" serial killer, the scene opens up with the two fighters facing each other off. In this very scene, Tom and Shizuo were actually eating on a nearby bench when the "Killing Machine" and "Hollywood" started to fight nearby. The duo didn't really pay much attention to them.
Until the assassin took Tom's attaché case.
Shizuo promptly ripped up the very park bench the duo had been sitting on and slammed it into BOTH "Hollywood" and the "Killing Machine." "Hollywood" was sent flying out of the park (literally) and the "Killing Machine" was slammed to the ground. Fortunately, Tom stopped him from delivering the final blow to the "Killing Machine," and after a short exchange, Shizuo calmly jogged out to see if the nearby supermarket had any attaché cases.
So two lessons the two killers learned that night: robbing is no-no and don't mess with the strange man in a bartender suit.
Shizuo had purchased a new attaché case for Tom, and the two were continuing on their way when one of Izaya’s twin sisters, Mairu, literally jumped on his back in greeting. Much to Tom’s surprise, Shizuo just gently pulled her off his back, holding her up by the nape of her collar. They were asking for directions to the Russian sushi bar for, ironically, the very man Shizuo had just beaten up: the "Killing Machine." Prior to meeting Shizuo, the twins happened upon the man. However, since the twins never said why they were going there, Shizuo had no idea and carefully gave them the directions. During this time, the topic of his brother came up, and the scene ended with Shizuo thinking that a call from him once in a while wouldn’t be bad.
Incidentally, Shizuo was the reason why Kasuka meets "Hollywood." Remember when he slammed that park bench and sent the killer flying? She landed on the very road Kasuka was driving on (ironically, in some attempt to see if he could find his brother). Just yet another prime example of synchronicity.
This may not seem important to note, but it actually will make sense in the Volume 5 section. There are a lot of various circumstances that can't all be explained here, but that following night, the majority of the Durarara!! cast were entangled in the most ridiculous motorcycle/car chase that involved a few different gangs and the traffic police. Tom and Shizuo were not part of the actual chase, but some members of the involved gangs later came up to the duo and actually tried to hit Tom. Though Tom managed to dodge the attack, the pipe tore the sleeve of Shizuo's bartender suit. So in a fit of anger because those clothes are the most precious gifts his brother ever gave him, Shizuo literally sent them flying in return.
VOLUME 5 [one month later, May 3rd]
At a hamburger stand, Tom witnessed the commotion brought up by a new character: Rokujou Chikage. He told Shizuo he should be careful because Chikage was the leader of the Toramaru motorbike gang and is probably out to avenge his guys. But to Tom's surprise, Shizuo had actually already met the young man the previous night.
Chikage had come up to Shizuo, basically challenging him to a fight to see how strong he was. Shizuo didn't fly off the handle because Chikage had been direct and straightforward about it. While Shizuo was talking and was about tell him something, Chikage had already taken the opportunity and delivered a near impossible hard kick to Shizuo's face, followed by a punch. However, much to his surprise, all it did was move Shizuo's face a fraction of an inch. The man probably didn't even feel much of it, if at all.
What Shizuo was trying to tell Chikage was all he wanted was to spend the rest of his days in peace. So without further ado, and bidding the man "Good night" (in a way), Shizuo just punched Chikage square in the face. He told Tom it took four punches before Chikage was actually knocked out. Here Shizuo briefly referenced someone else who was just as strong, and in all likelihood it was Nile from Baccano!. Afterward, he took Chikage to Shinra.
While the two were talking about Shizuo's love life—or rather, the lack of one and Tom trying to encourage him to try and find a girlfriend—Tom noticed a little girl staring at them through the window. More specifically, at Shizuo. Even more specifically, her whole face was pressed up against it.
Wondering who she was and what she wanted, Shizuo walked outside. Immediately the girl started to run toward him, which only made the man even more confused. He was starting to get a bad feeling about the girl, and was proven right when she suddenly yelled "Die!" and jabbed a stun gun right into Shizuo's abdomen. While this would send any normal person to the ground, or possibly killed as apparently it was modified to increase the strength, all it did was just send the electric shocks through Shizuo's body and make him feel pain. He did feel it, and it hurt, but other than that he was fine enough to push her away.
While the girl was crouching on the ground, Shizuo had picked up the stun gun, wondering what it was at first. Unfortunately, this made one hell of a misunderstanding scene, so under Tom's orders, they bolted. But at some point along the way, the girl had managed to latch onto Shizuo's back.
After some quick deliberation, Shizuo took both the girl and Tom to Shinra's to hide, much to the doctor's displeasure. She ended up having a fever, and the trio talked while she slept. Or rather, Shinra prattled along trying to figure out who the girl was and why she wanted Shizuo dead.
The next morning, after Celty had brought Anri to the apartment due to unrelated events that would later become related, the girl woke up. When Shizuo entered the room, she immediately went to the corner and asked if she was going to be killed, too. After a comment from Shinra, Shizuo asked him if he would like to be the first kill on his record, suggesting that while Shizuo had been in countless fights and had sent most if not all of his opponents to the hospital, he had never killed anyone.
Shinra managed to coax (though somewhat sickeningly in Shizuo's opinion) some information about the girl. Though she didn't tell them her last name, they learned her first name was Akane. In truth, she was Akane Awakusu, granddaughter of the leader a large mob organization called the Awakusu-kai. But no one knew of this yet. When asked why she wanted to attack Shizuo, Akane answered it was because someone told her that Shizuo was an assassin who was going to kill her father and grandfather.
Already the room became tense as Shizuo was going through his silent "getting mad" process. Both he and Shinra had an idea of who that "someone" was, and it was confirmed after Akane responded to the question: "Izaya onii-chan."
Orihara Izaya.
When Shinra turned around to see Shizuo's reaction, he was stunned in disbelief. For lo, Shizuo's expression wasn't one of a demon about to destroy a city, but one with a very soft, smile. Shizuo told Akane that "Izaya-kun" was mistaken and that they were "friends." They just had a little fight and told her to wait there while he made up with him.
So after a wink and whistling, he left the apartment with Shizuo, leaving Shinra speechless. Tom commented on Shizuo's acting skills, to which Shizuo replied that he was going to be gone for a few days to kill Izaya.
However, after reaching Izaya's apartment, he was only greeted by a "WE'VE MOVED" sign. This of course sent Shizuo over the edge and back again, but he managed to not kick down the door and instead left. Unfortunately, this had been a ruse set up by Namie. It was Izaya's apartment, and they were still there. But Shizuo was unaware of the simple trick, so Izaya was able to live for yet another day.
So he went to the address listed on the sign. However, instead of finding Izaya, he found three corpses sprawled about the office. He was still wondering what was going on when a young man confronted him for trying to break in. But when he saw the sight, he automatically assumed Shizuo was the culprit. In the ten seconds that it took for the guy to make a phone call, Shizuo had exited the building stage window. Yes, he used the window as a means of departure. He had no idea that the building and office he had stumbled into what was the office of the Awakusu-kai. That's right, the very same organization that Akane's grandfather led.
VOLUME 6 [same day; May 3rd]
So the whole gang tried to get back at him, still believing Shizuo had killed the three men. Shizuo didn't really want to fight so he just used his parkour skills and climbed up the Sunshine 60 building to its skydeck high above. There he bided his time and considered his next move, carefully reasoning the pros and cons of taking certain actions. In the end, he realized he had fallen into yet another one of Izaya's traps and decides to go back to Izaya's apartment to try to figure out a way to have the Awakusu-kai go after Izaya instead.
However, before he could do so he received a text from his cellphone about the Dollars being attacked. After flipping through the messages and seeing Kadota facing off Chikage, he decided to not be too concerned with it, believing that Kadota could probably handle the situation. But when he saw the picture of some girls and a message about an attempt to kidnap, he immediately set off to the warehouse where the Dollars and the Toramaru were fighting. He made his entrance by carrying a motorcycle over his shoulder and after seeing Mikado, declared his departure from the Dollars. His reason? He didn't want to be "breathing the same air as people who go around kidnapping women just for a little fight."
After some brief exchange, one of the Toramaru attempted to attack Shizuo, but instead he found himself with a dislocated shoulder and thrown into a fence. When Shizuo tried to leave, a woman in a motorcycle suit (Vorona) attempted to stab him in the chest. It only went five millimeters in before falling. Immediately she turned and ran, and Shizuo was soon following her—though not before throwing her motorcycle at her.
Thus began one of the craziest chases in the series. First Vorona jumped into the awaiting truck, but Shizuo was quick and made his way to the back of the truck. He was then faced with the barrel of a rifle, but what caught his attention was Akane also in the truck. Before Vorona could fire, he ran to the parking lot opposite where they were. In the interim he again realized that this was all part of Izaya's plan and again his rage consumed him.
He found an abandoned car that was marked to be towed and literally kicked it across the street and sent it rolling toward the truck. Afterward he used his parkour skills to jump up on the fence and run along balconies to keep up with the truck. When Vorona opened the door, he jumped and managed to land inside the truck, immediately grabbing the rifle and bending the barrel to render it useless. She managed to grab a pistol and aimed at Shizuo's face, but by this time Celty had managed to catch up and through her black shadows restrained the trigger.
When the truck braked, Shizuo noticed knives falling right toward Akane. Instantly he dived and used his body to shield her. Once he was able, he picked her up and jumped out of the truck. Celty used her shadows to form a net, softening the landing. Once they were out, Akane asked Shizuo why he saved her when she was still trying to kill him. Although Shizuo questioned why she still wanted to kill him, he also shrugged it off and asked if she was okay. It was when she confirmed that she was that he smiled one of his rare smiles.
The following day, May 4th, when speaking with Tom, it was revealed that everything between Shizuo and the Awakasu-kai was settled, but Shizuo was not allowed to discuss what happened. Vorona, or the "woman with the motorcycle" was mentioned only once afterward, and then his life returned (briefly) back to normal.
VOLUME 7 [May 5th]
There's a few things to note that have happened prior to and around the same time of Shizuo's focused chapter. Izaya had been stabbed the day previously, Mika and Namie had a head-to-head (about the head, hah), things were happening around Ayakabashi, and the latter includes sending Akane to a dojo for self-defense lessons. As usual, a lot of things were circling around and like everyone else, Shizuo gets entangled with it a bit.
The chapter starts off with references to a bunch of rumors regarding the man, most of which regarding the events of the month prior. Him being spotted with Akane, getting involved in the usual fights and the gangs, throwing large vehicles, being the older brother of the famous Yuuhei—basically more fuel for his "urban legend" fame. He was becoming quite the popular topic.
Particularly toward old gangs, groups, and others he had destroyed before (all unintentionally, of course). Rumors of him being injured spread like wildfire, particularly one involving a "woman" and a "child" (it went so far as to insinuate they were related to him). And it all fueled this idiotic desire to take advantage of the supposed situation and get some payback.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Anyway, Shizuo was beginning to receive the direct effect of these rumors. During a debt collection, the debtor actually tried to blackmail Shizuo into paying his own debt by claiming he knew how Shizuo was related to Yuuhei. Shizuo of course did not confirm this. Instead, he reached out, dislocated the man's jaw, and then threw him out the window when he wouldn't shut up. The guy survived, but Tom lectured Shizuo afterward, saying he should try to do something "more safe," like bending a coin in front of them with his finger. Shizuo responded that it might be illegal to mess with coins like that (but throwing people out of the window is A-OK). Still, he apologized and seemed genuinely troubled by not being able to do his job better. Tom told him he was doing the opposite and that he felt bad dragging him around to such dangerous jobs. Shizuo was still not completely placated by this, so Tom decided they should eat at Russian Sushi for lunch.
There they would meet Vorona. Technically this would not be Shizuo's first time meeting her, but he did not know that she was the one who attacked him. Vorona spotted him first, though Shizuo did not realize her glares were directed at him. Since Tom seriously botched his attempt at Russian, he assumed it was because of that. Denis then asked Tom if they would like to have Vorona help them out. Tom was surprised and troubled by both the offer and their boss' acceptance of Vorona's employment, especially when she was actually tasked to follow them with the collecting jobs. Shizuo had yet to really comment on it, and both he and Tom discovered how adept she was at fighting. By this time, the rumors of a woman following the original duo had spread, particularly how "she was staring at Shizuo" the whole time.
Afterwards, while resting at the Kishibojin Temple, Shizuo asked Vorona if she did any martial arts. She would explain a little of her background, such as knowing Denis and Samya (Simon), as well as how her father was also a martial artist ("Systema"). She explained she did not learn the style in defiance of her father and asked to not press further. Shizuo told her he won't, but still thought her "pretty amazing." Vorona, however, took it as more of a joke rather than a compliment since he was the one saying it, referencing to his own strength. For Vorona, who had experienced the force of his strength just the day prior, he just made her realize how weak she was and all her glares, while toward Shizuo, were really directed toward herself. Of course, Shizuo did not even realize any of this and instead insisted that she was more amazing than he was. Because unlike him, she trained for her strength. It was a reflection of how he only has this strength and how it's just there. There was nothing really special to it in his eyes. He did not earn it.
While in the middle of talking on a tangent (about medals that displayed Vorona's intelligence), the Orihara twins and Akane appeared, the younger girl catching Shizuo by surprise. Especially when she ran over and dove into his arms for a hug. Once more the rumors of the girl and Shizuo's association spread, and those who believed these rumors to be true started to take action.
Really dumb, stupid, dumb actions.
Anyway, upon Shizuo's inquiries, Mairu revealed that Akane had joined the dojo she trained at and Shizuo gave his approval. But then Shizuo was reminded of Izaya and he asked the twins where their brother had been. The girls are surprised that Shizuo hadn't heard about his stabbing yet and rather than tell him directly, Mairu told him to read the news while Kururi gave vague references. However, before he could press further Tom informed him that they need to get to the next job. Due to the more delicate nature of the job, Tom requested Vorona to stay behind with the girls and the two men depart.
In the ten minutes they were gone, the stupid things happened. Basically the men who wanted to try and put Shizuo into their control tried to kidnap the girls. This of course fell completely flat as all four girls could defend themselves plus the Awakusuku had put protection detail on Akane. It was really dumb.
Although Shizuo and Tom came back in time to see them flee, the girls had returned to their normal state and were thus unaware that the men had tried to pull a kidnapping. While Shizuo went to get coffee from the vending machine, he completely missed the dispute between Vorona and Akane claiming "ownership" over him. Of course this was about the matter of "killing" him, but by the Tom and the twins heard it, it was mostly a "He's mine!" argument. He remained completely oblivious.
As the trio departed to the next workplace, Shizuo asked Vorona if they had met before. Fearing he may have finally recognized her, she only told him that she would rather not say. He didn't ask any further, instead getting another can of coffee and pushing it against her cheek. He told her he had been through a lot of jobs and could never stay long enough to have a junior. Though he did not say it, it was clear he was happy about it. He also told her that since Simon, Denis, and even Akane seemed to think she was all right, then it was fine with him.
As a result of the events, the rumors about Shizuo changed once more. This time they included him as being part of the Awakusu Group (illegitimate heir!?). These rumors would also connect to Kasuka...but that's another story.
VOLUME 8 [July]
One night in July, while leaving their workplace, the receptionist stopped Shizuo to tell him that he had a guest waiting in the reception room. Surprised, he went in to see who it was only to find his brother, Kasuka. It seemed the younger Heiwajima wanted to discuss him about something and after ensuring that the location was all right, Kasuka opened a door to reveal a young woman. This woman was the idol Ruri Hijiribe. It was clear she was afraid of him, which Shizuo quickly understood to be due to his strength. Awkwardly he apologized, but Ruri was quick to try and counter apologize as she had actually attacked him before—without him knowing who it was, of course. But Shizuo changed the topic, turning to Kasuka and telling him that he should go to their parents to introduce her and started to imply that he should wait for marriage (clearly Shizuo thought Kasuka came to him to announce an engagement of sorts). However, Kasuka interrupted him by asking if he knew about Dollars.
The reason was due to Ruri's recent stalking incidents. Kasuka investigated it and discovered that her pictures and information were being spread through Dollars. He had also found that Shizuo had been associated with it before, but the older brother told him he had left it months ago (back when the whole turf wars were going on and the "kidnappings" occurred). However, he did know of at least one person that might be still with them, so he offered to take them to visit them. In the process, Shizuo displayed how close he was to Kasuka, being able to see through Kasuka's otherwise robotic facade and telling him to cool down. He also teased his brother a bit ("We're family, stop being so formal") which was a rare thing indeed. Kasuka also asked Shizuo if he could look after his cat, Dokusonmaru.
He would bring his brother and Ruri to Shinra's apartment. His entrance, however, was not what they expected, as Kasuka's cat had been resting on his head. Shinra's greeting laughter earned him a kick across the room. After settling down, they begin to discuss the situation about Ruri and Dollars. Shizuo came to them because he knew Celty was still with Dollars and hoped she could help. Also, he wanted to leave the cat with them. While discussing, it was apparent that Ruri and Shinra had met. Out of curiosity, Shizuo asked why she had come to him, and before Ruri could nervously explain, Kasuka intervened by saying it was due to the art of being a monster. Somehow, Shizuo understood this.
At some point Dokusonmaru climbed atop Anri's chest and somehow the girl's flustered expression reminded him of Mikado (Ryuugasaki—no, Ryuugamine). He started talking about how he had told the kid that he was leaving Dollars, which surprises Anri, Celty, and Shinra as they had just been discussing about Mikado prior to the other trio's arrival. Shizuo explained how he didn't want to be in the same group that kidnapped girls, but he didn't know how to properly quit. So he just told Mikado who happened to be in the park he usually went to.
Celty silently wondered if Shizuo's departure might have caused Mikado's change, but told Shizuo she would ask. And then, just as Shizuo was about to drink his tea, Shinra had the brilliant idea to suggest he work with Izaya. Needless to say, the cup was no more. He managed to stop at that to apologize to Celty, but Shinra kept digging his grave with more idiotic words. Shizuo was about to throw him out the window when Kasuka, in his usual calm, expressionless manner, told him to calm down. That was enough for the otherwise enraged man to set the doctor down. Eventually they finished their discussions, Shizuo unaware of what was brewing between the three women. He had brought the cat to see if Celty and Shinra could take care of him, but in the end it was Anri who would be the caretaker. He left behind Kasuka and Ruri.
The following day, while walking with Tom and Vorona and discussing Kasuka's cat, (apparently Shizuo prefers dogs), Shizuo continued to worry about the stalker problem. While discussing where to eat (Vorona was against going to their usual haunt, Russian Sushi), Kida suddenly appeared in front of them. After introducing himself, he said he wanted to apologize to Shizuo. The man was at first confused, but then memories of when he was shot and a voice telling him to blame Kida resurfaced. Rather than get angry at Kida, he simply flicked the youth's forehead, saying he should speak more politely since he was speaking to an elder. This of course surprised Kida and again he tried to apologize. Shizuo told him that he didn't hate either him or the Yellow Scarves as Celty had explained the truth. Plus Kida had properly dealt with the issue, so it was all clear in his book. Shizuo (gently) flicked him again on the forehead, however, because Kida still used informal speech. He said the flick could be considered his punishment—and given that this was being dished out by Shizuo, it kind of was, for it had actually sent the kid to the ground and with a slight concussion. Shizuo of course did not expect that. He knew he was strong, but even a flick?
Once Kida recovered, Tom invited him to join them for lunch. Although Tom offered to pay, it wasn't really for free. In exchange, he wanted to hear more about the Yellow Scarves. Kida suggested they go to Russian Sushi and Tom and Shizuo managed to convince Vorona to come along. As they were walking, Vorona noticed they were being followed. While Tom was thinking of a plan, Vorona stopped and immediately counterattacked the would be attacker. Doing so made him drop a vial which evidently contained acid. Enraged, Shizuo moved to pick up the man to throw him, but a second came out with broken glass. Kida moved to try and help defend, but a mysterious boy ran out to use a stun gun. Noticing the scarf and thinking the boy was part of Blue Squares, Kida left to chase after him, leaving Shizuo and the others behind to finish them off.
VOLUME 9 [Sometime in August]
One day while out, a few guys approached Shizuo and asked him about Izaya. Needless to say, Shizuo's first response was to pick up an illegally parked motorcycle and almost throw it at them. Fortunately Tom calmed him down and eventually they were able to explain themselves after being almost scared to death. They wanted to exact revenge for their gang leader whose girlfriend had been taken in by Izaya, so they thought Shizuo might know of his whereabouts. During this talk, Vorona asked who Izaya was and Shizuo basically told her he was "a flea" she should stay away from. When he talked about how he planned on killing him and beating him to pulp, Vorona stated that she knew ways of how to kill and dispose a body without a trace. This troubled Shizuo, who had just moments before talked of killing Izaya, and he patted her head telling her to not speak like that even as a joke. He told her that knowing he she felt was more than enough.
On asking about any weak points Izaya might have had, Shizuo seemed to recall something back from his high school days. This also started to set off that spark, but before the guys could try to cut the conversation short and leave, Mairu and Kururi appeared. They mention how they met "Iza-nii," which immediately catches the guys' attention. However, before they could question or the twins could continue, Shizuo immediately locked in on one of them who had three cellphones hanging out. His rage meter firing, he started to yell at them, saying how it reminded him of Izaya and wondering if they were in the same business. He gave them three seconds to leave before he beat them, and before he started counting they were gone. Tom, who had also noticed the cell phones, thought that Shizuo was putting on a bit of a show for the twins' sake. Shizuo said he really was mad for that reason, but he did follow up by telling the twins that they shouldn't carelessly announce their relationship with Izaya. He had a feeling that that flea was up to something. He also told them that he worried about them, though he thought that it didn't really sound like himself. The twins, however, clung onto his arms, saying how much of a nice guy he was. When they said he had set a good example for his brother, Shizuo immediately protested, saying they were insulting his brother by comparing him to himself.
For the record, that story the guys told Shizuo was a lie. It was true that their boss was looking for Izaya, but not for that reason. In fact this volume focused on Izaya. Previous volumes had a subplot about a group called "Amphisbaena" selling illegal drugs and the Awakusu-kai were looking into as it had invaded their territory. They hired Izaya to look into it. Like with everything about Durarara!!, this actually related back to Izaya so some more backstory was revealed for him. Anyway, this isn't important for Shizuo so that's all I'll say about the plot for this volume.
VOLUME 10 [August, a few days later]
Shizuo heard about Kadota's accident while out on the job. One of the debtors actually informed him, and the thought of someone hitting his past schoolmate and running away sent him in a rage that made him kick the motorbike the debtor was trying to escape him across the river.
Later, Shizuo would be arrested under the charge of assaulting a victim. Of course he denied this, but he followed the policemen back because he knew he innocent and wanted to clear up any misunderstandings. The others of course were on his side and think he was being framed. The real danger would be what happened while at the police station, as it there was legitimate concern for him (accidentally) blowing up during interrogating, which would warrant an entirely different charge. The interrogation would indeed be his downfall.
The charge was for assaulting a woman and repeatedly Shizuo denied ever even seeing her. He tried to distract himself, such as noting how the room wasn't like those found on TV dramas or thinking of his brother and not wanting him to be dragged in. But it was difficult. He could feel his irritation bubbling over as the false accusations continued on. It was also strange as it seemed they were actually trying to provoke his anger so that they could charge him for different offenses. When they actually directly mention Kasuka, Shizuo's temper was once more tested, but he had felt a strange unease. It was too weird. After looking directly at the detective, he noticed the bloodshot red eyes and realized they were under Saika's control. After saying this, the detectives revealed that it was a different parent and they were just keeping him off the streets, but it didn't matter to Shizuo. Although they threatened to beat each other up and collaborate that Shizuo had done it, Shizuo had decided that since they weren't real police, he could beat them up, anyway.
Before he could, however, Kuzuhara Kinnosuke, the traffic officer that always chased Celty around, burst through the door. After affirming that Shizuo was Celty's friend, Kuzhara told him to relay a message to her about keeping her lights on. This utterly baffled Shizuo to the point where it actually abated a lot of that pent up anger. On his way out, the detectives tried to confront him, but Kuzahara just slammed him against the wall. It was then that he revealed that he overheard them and that if they continued he would alert the inspector.
This gave the strength Shizuo needed to endure the ludicrous investigation, as he now knew that there were still good (and unaffected) policemen and not everyone had turned. He also had a new resolve: to battle his own anger so that he could "greet" their "parent."
His arrest was of course staged by Izaya, which was something he would figure out later.
VOLUME 11 []
NOTE: Volume 11 is still currently being translated, but summaries and snippets have been posted, including bits about Shizuo. I'll edit this for more details, but going off the wiki: at some point after the interrogation he was placed in jail. He didn't stay long, however, but prior to being released another inmate suggested that Shizuo make a scene to try and steal Celty's head, which was at the station under investigation. However, Shizuo is released. But even more Shizuo heard the man mutter Izaya's name and while he managed to somehow hold in his anger, it continued to grow as he started to think that everything was circling back to Izaya. Upon leaving, there was an explosion and someone runs out with a box he suspects contains Celty's head. He also suspects it was Vorona who caused the explosion. His pissed off meter is beyond control at this point.
VOLUMER 12 []
NOTE: Same with Volume 11, it's still being translated, but summaries and snippets have been posted. Going to just directly c/p from the wiki: "Shizuo witnessess Celty's rampage through the city, wondering what caused her to act this way. Suddenly, Shooter, Celty's horse, rides next to him, signalling him to jump on so that they can confront the person responsible for Celty's current state. Shizuo agrees but asks Shooter to transform into a regular bicycle as he doesn't have a motorcycle license. Shooter takes Shizuo across the city, unaware that Izaya was tracking them as well, to an old warehouse where they find Kasani Kujiraki and Vorona hiding out. Shizuo confronts Kujiraki over Celty's berserk state but Vorona steps between them and points a gun at Shizuo. Shizuo tells Vorona to get out of the way but Vorona remains steadfast in defending her current client. As the situation grows more tense, Vorona suddenly lunges at Shizuo, startling him, as she knocks him to the ground. As she does so, a large number of Steel beams crash through the roof of the warehouse, embedding themselves in the concrete floor. Vorona is also hit by a stray metal pipe which significantly wounds her. Kujiraki escapes while Shizuo attempts to tend to Vorona's wound. [somewhat misleading—Vorona actually noticed the pipes and had lunged at Shizuo to push him out of the way. it's not like she just tried to attack him—despite defending the client, she had also been concerned about Shizuo's safety]
Shizuo scolds Vorona for trying to protect him and doing something so reckless, but Vorona insists that her injury isn't very serious. Vorona then calls Shizuo's attention to Izaya who was observing them from a nearby building. The crane that held up the metal beams started to fall, but Shizuo simply punched it out of the air and towards Izaya. The crane didn't reach it's intended target, but it was clear what Shizuo was thinking at this time. Before Shizuo can act, Izaya calls him on his Cellphone. Izaya taunts Shizuo, teasing him about his inability to protect his friends and accusses him of having feelings for Vorona and even Akane. Shizuo notices Izaya standing on top of a nearby building, gazing down at him. Shizuo calmly tells Izaya "Goodbye." before hanging up. After confirming Vorona was alright, he smiles at her briefly before turning to leave. Shizuo tells her to be careful around him as he can't think rationally at this point, even giving her permission to shoot him should he go out of control. He then leaves to fight Izaya one last time, ignoring Vorona's attempts to calm him down."
WIKI'S WORDS NOT MINE. I'll edit this whenever a translation is released.
VOLUME 13 [Same day + following]
The volume opened with Shizuo reaching the rooftop where Izaya had been and gasoline greeting his nose. Despite the flames that erupted around him, he simply ripped off the door, stamped his foot, and charged through it. When more beams came toward him, he simply punched them away. Then he saw Izaya in another area. Down he went, battling through the traps Izaya had set, but there was one he could not have anticipated.
Although the objects had little to no effect on him, the oxygen deprivation from the fire did. Adjustments to the fire extinguishing system had depleted the gas from the area Shizuo was in. Brought to his knees, he could only glare up at Izaya who remained unharmed in an area higher above. But that was not all Izaya had planned. Another gas had been filtered in and Izaya dropped a match, igniting it all. With his legs paralyzed, Shizuo was surely doomed, but the man would, as always, exceed his foe's expectations. Using his upper strength alone he had broken a hole beneath where he had been, and from there he had moved to the base of the metal foundation Izaya had been standing. Just like he did with signs and guardrails, he uprooted the structure and shook it so hard that it flung Izaya out into the sky.
Or rather, into the next building. Shizuo actually leaped across from where they had been over to it to try and find Izaya. Although he wasn't rationally thinking this, he knew he had to be certain that Izaya was dead, otherwise that flea would just crawl out again. The narrative described Shizuo as using his own anger as energy and that he really was becoming something of a monster. However, it noted that while he was chasing (or hunting, rather) after Izaya out of his own selfishness, it was also in large part due to what Izaya had done to his friends—Vorona being first and foremost (she is described as "cherished friend"), and the others like Akane, Shinra, and Tom. Prior to forming these bonds, he would have gone on a more animalistic shouting rampage. Now he was more focused and silent—his anger internalized. How he behaved now was testament to the changes he had overgone these past few months, as well as revealing his weakness. He was no longer distant from people—he was now a part of them. But this was also what made Shizuo the coldhearted hunter that he was now. And his hunt continued after he found that Izaya was no longer on that floor. He noticed the elevator light indicating it descending, and though he had some doubts, he slowly and calmly made his way to the window and peered out of it. There he spotted Izaya's shadowy figure fleeing from the building, for the man had decided that it was actually his best option. With no hesitation whatsoever, Shizuo calmly stepped up to the window—and jumped off.
The pursuit would continue onto the streets, with Shizuo utilizing his usual weapons—vending machines, light posts, guard rails. With Izaya wounded, each throw came nearer and nearer. Eventually Izaya would lure him to where everyone else had gathered for their own standoffs—Anri and Haruni, Chikage and Aoba—and it would be there he would make his stand. Pulling out his own switchblade, he planned to prove that Shizuo was not human but a monster. With his body moving under that murderous, monster-like trance, Shizuo advanced toward Izaya, ignoring everything and everyone else around him. Even when one of the fools tried to hit him, his body moved on its own to crush the weapon. But he was only focused on Izaya. Slowly, while dragging a vending machine, he approached Izaya until he was just right in front him. Then without warning and with a speed a master swordsman, he swung the vending machine.
Izaya dodged forward, barely avoiding the attack and the subsequent fist that flew at him. But he continued to dodge and slice at Shizuo. Of course his attacks were useless, but they weren't meaningless. He was slowly proving his point that Shizuo was a monster. This continued until an incident at the Russian Sushi nearby broke his focus. Due to the events occurring there, a flash bang had gone off. Izaya had noticed and in that one moment created an opening for Shizuo. Although his fist only grazed Izaya's shoulder, it was more than enough. With Izaya's momentum thrown off, he then pulled back for another punch. All Izaya could do was try to use his arms as a shield, which was what perhaps prolonged his life. Rather than upward, Shizuo directed his punch diagonally downward to slam his target back. Izaya's arms were broken, but if not for them, it was likely Shizuo could have broken his ribs and ruptured his heart instead.
By now it was clear Izaya's cuts had done their work as Shizuo was bleeding all over. But he still continued in that rage induced trance. Once again approaching Izaya, he lifted the thrown vending machine and made to finish his sworn enemy once and for all—
—when a knife flew from the sidelines into Izaya's side. Surprised, they both turned to see that it was Vorona who had thrown it, and it was her presence, her actions, and most importantly, her words that brought reason back into Shizuo.
"Shizuo-senpai—is human."
"The need to become a beast—is nil."
When she then pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Izaya, he yelled at her to stop—she couldn't become a murderer. Not for his sake or for any reason. But she only refuted that, saying that from the very start she was a beast who enjoyed killing. However, before she could shoot Izaya, Simon had noticed and threw one of the stun flash grenades into the intersection. At this point, the Saika possessed group then tried to attack the Dollars members gathered around.
But then something else happened—drops of shadow rained down and a voice could be heard. It was Celty's. Having recovered her head and gaining information of what her body had done, she had stopped everything to set things right.
When Shizuo recovered from the flash bang, he found everyone but himself bound by shadow. He also noticed Izaya had disappeared, but instead of looking for him, he turned his attention to Vorona. Tom, Simon, and Denis were there, and Vorona was being carried unconscious. Again, rather than try and find Izaya, panic filled him as he ran toward them. Frantically he asked if she was all right and he was somewhat placated upon learning that she was just unconscious and would be all right. Still, he was confused. He couldn't understand why Vorona did what she did, and although Denis told him it was likely because she didn't want him to be a killer, it did little to help. Instead and believed himself to be weak. Silently he asked for her forgiveness as well as noted that he'd still probably try and kill Izaya if he ever saw him again.
But then he saw Shinra hobbling down the street toward the building where Mikado and Masaomi had been fighting and now here Celty was making her last appearance. He would make his way and follow him up to the roof to witness Celty flying up. Shinra would then ask him to fulfill a promise made back in their high school days—that if Shinra were to ever "become a villain for the person he loved, Shizuo would send him flying to the end of the sky for her." Shizuo asked if he was serious and said that even he wouldn't be able to catch him. If he fell he would die 100%, and when he asked Shinra if he was trying to make him a murderer, once again Vorona appeared in his mind. But upon seeing how serious Shinra was, and after his friend told him to trust him and Celty, Shizuo wordlessly smiled, grabbed Shinra's leg, and with all of his strength—even more than he used in his death match against Izaya—threw him into the sky ("Don't regret it, bastard!"). Afterward (the two had a touching, fantastical reunion which involved Shinra cutting off the shadows connecting Celty's body and head with the Saika he possessed) he left the building to check on Vorona.
Things would slowly return to normal. Well, normal for Ikebukuro which was full of monsters and legends. For Shizuo, his days would be a bit more melancholic. Vorona decided to return to Russia with Slon to face her father. He didn't press into any details, but he did tell her that as his "precious junior" she could call him anytime. She responded that if and when she does return, she would like a match with him. That it was her wish to "revel in the joy of existing in this world." Although Denis tried to reassure Shizuo that she would likely return, he still had some regrets. Mainly not properly thanking her. For he acknowledged that he was still human because of her. Simon responded by saying Shizuo was definitely human through and through.
And so he could try and live his life as a human—a human with monstrous strength—but a human nonetheless. Not a monster.
-------------------------
Shizuo makes a reappearance in the sequel, Durarara!! SH, which is set two years later. But Narita has only just recently started writing them. As they are translated, I'll update the timeline, but for now Shizuo will be post-volume 13.
ALSO: Durarara!! basically runs off the concept of synchronicity. All of the events that occur will at some point or another affect the others in the main cast, Shizuo included. So while I focus on the events involving Shizuo, I also make brief allusions/summaries to any of those plots.
A nice index that links to all the available (fan) translated material can be found here. Most of the novels have been completely translated with the exceptions of 2, 3, 11, and 12. Parts of these novels can be found with 3, 11, and 12 currently on-going.]
SPOILERS INSIDE: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
PRE-HISTORY
Despite what people may initially assume, Shizuo grew up in a warm, well-loving and caring family living in Ikebukuro, Japan. He had a mother, a father, and a younger brother, Kasuka, whom he cares for and who also cares for him. They were your typical nice family. However, it was also because of his brother that Shizuo became the highly short-tempered, anger-filled, dangerous, and extremely powerful man he is today.
Everything started when he was nine years old. He had had a minor quarrel with his brother, but in a fit of rage, he tried to lift up a full-sized refrigerator to throw at him. Of course, this didn't happen. Instead, he suffered multiple dislocations and extensive muscle damage. One would think a child would learn his lesson and never attempt to perform such actions gain, but the problem was Shizuo couldn't control his temper. Once the fuse was ignited, it was hard for him to restrain himself. Another incident of such escalated violence occurred during school when he threw a desk full of books at another student. This was the result of another student picking a fight with him and had thrown compasses at him. Fortunately the boy survived with just a scraped wrist. The desk had flown past him and had embedded itself into the wall behind him.
He was still nine.
So how was he able to do this? It all stems back to the muscle damage he suffered from the attempted refrigerator throw. There is a natural mental limiter that the body places on the human muscle so that they aren't overused and risk damage. Usually during times of extreme crisis, however, these limiters are released. This allows for the body to perform miraculous and superhuman feats. Because of the muscle damage, however, the limiters no longer exist for Shizuo. He doesn't need to be in an extreme situation to use the full potential of his muscles.
The downside, however, is that without these limitations, he has no control over his strength when he fully taps into it. This causes his muscles to deteriorate further and strain his own heart. This is made worse by his temper. He couldn't control his own anger, and in turn the power became his anger that would continue to grow. He soon developed a mindset that he had to destroy anything that pissed him off, that it was just natural. So he started to go down this spiral where he no longer placed any self-restraints and allowed the self-destruction. As time would go on, however, he would try and restrain himself somewhat. Particularly after a certain incident involving him losing control while trying to help a woman who had given both him and Kasuka some milk. Not only did he accidentally get her hurt in the fray, he also caused her trouble. Since then, he drank milk (which would help his bones) and it served as a reminder for him, a tactic Kasuka used when they were still living together at home.
He attended the same middle school and high school (Raijin Academy) as Orihaya Izaya, Kishitani Shinra, and Kadota Kyouhei. Shinra would follow Shizuo around like a puppy, thinking his extraordinary superhuman strength was amazing and wanting to learn more. He was also the reason how Shizuo first met Celty, the Headless Rider.
It was during this time he first met Tom and acquired his "delinquent" look. In short, Tom had stumbled upon Shizuo when he was still in the middle school. Gangs were still picking fights with him, and Tom came in just in time to catch the tail end of a particular fight. After convincing Shizuo to help bring the fallen to the hospital, Tom treated Shizuo to a meal. It was there that he suggested Shizuo should portray himself like a delinquent so as to lower the number of people who would come after him. This included the hair dying, but Shizuo refused, saying he could change the hair color his parents gave him. From then, Tom continued to give Shizuo some advice to help him not get picked on by gangs so much.
A month or so later, Shizuo was napping on top of the school building when he overheard a conversation between Tom and some of the upperclassmen. They were essentially trying to get Tom make Shizuo like their own dog, but true to his nature, Tom refused. After he left, the students started to make threats to take Tom hostage to make Shizuo join their side. Unfortunately, they didn't know Shizuo was listening in until they heard a strange hissing sound behind him. Shizuo had detached one of the water tanks and after yelling at them, kicked it down at them.
A few months after that, that same group targeted Tom. Shizuo arrived on the scene just as Tom finished beating them up, though he was rather injured himself. When Shizuo asked him why he didn't just use him like the others wanted, Tom just said that Shizuo had said himself he didn't like violence and that it would be better if he didn't fight. After that, Shizuo started to dye his hair and after the rumors spread, he had a peaceful period in his life as not as many people came to pick fights with him.
But of all the people he had met during his school years, it was Izaya who would have the most impact on his life. He was the one who ruin his peaceful life. While Shizuo would not start any fights or conflicts, he usually found himself caught up in them. This was usually Izaya's fault. Upon first seeing Izaya's face, Shizuo immediately disliked him, and the two would have constant fights and chases. Mostly chases as Izaya tended to just run away laughing. At some point in high school, Izaya had started to gather "worshipers" for his own purposes. These were usually girls, and soon there was a conflict between the various Izaya fans from other Ikebukuro high schools. Despite not wanting to have anything to do with the conflicts, Shizuo got dragged into the very center of it and rose to local fame because of it. Gangs and bullies would continually try to fight him, only to be defeated with explosive results. He would later become known as a contender, if not the person, to be the strongest fighter in Ikebukuro.
These years were known as the "Izaya and Shizuo" years, and Raijin Academy's reputation deteriorated until it would later merge with another school to become Raira Academy years later.
Of course, this would not be the end of Izaya and Shizuo. When Izaya became wanted by the Ikebukuro police, he framed Shizuo for co-commiting the crime. When the police attempted to arrest Shizuo, he threw a vending machine at the police car. He was later cleared of all charges after investigations.
He was under eighteen.
After that, he chased after Izaya with only one intent in mind: to kill him. He learned parkour just so he could catch Izaya, as the young man had also learned parkour to escape Shizuo. Whenever Shizuo even caught a glimpse of Izaya's face, he would grab the nearest large object and hurl it at him before running after him.
At one point, Shizuo was also scouted to be a model. He had the looks for it, however he had no inclination of becoming one. In fact, he almost killed the talent scout, but his brother, Kasuka, saved the poor, unfortunate fellow. This actually landed Kasuka a spot in the modeling business, and he would later become an actor.
Shizuo was also the reason why one of the colored gangs, the Blue Squares, disintegrated. They picked a fight with him and effectively lost. He would later join the Dollars group, a growing "colorless" gang that was rising through Ikebukuro, through an invitation by Simon.
He did attempt to a hold a job, but they normally didn't last long mostly due to his temper. Before his current job, he was a bartender. Even though Kasuka gave him twenty bartender suits in hopes he would actually keep it, Shizuo was framed by Izaya yet again, and it cost him his job. Currently he works under Tanaka Tom as a debt collector for dating sites. More specifically, as a bodyguard. Unlike his previous bosses, Tom actually knows how to handle Shizuo and Tom also had been an upperclassman, so the two at least knew each other. Tom also didn't "mind" Shizuo beating up the clients, just so long he didn't kill them. It was costly, though, and the business somehow put up with Shizuo's destructive tendencies. (Probably because despite destroying everything, he would also be able to get the money out of them)
VOLUMES 1-3 [time zero]
Shizuo's first major appearance in the current canon timeline was a run-in with Izaya. Izaya was talking to Ryuugamine Mikado, Kida Masaomi, and Sonohara Anri. When he saw Izaya, he threw a trashcan at him, nailing him in the head. At this point in time, a gang who claimed themselves to part of the Dollars had gathered around because they wanted to get back at Izaya for a prior incident. One of them had the misfortune to attack Shizuo even though he knew who Shizuo was. Shizuo beat them up, and as Izaya tried to escape, attempted to hurl a vending machine at him. But then Simon dropped in to intervene and stop them (when I say "dropped in," I mean that literally. Simon just appeared out of nowhere from a nearby building several stories up). Though Izaya was able to get away, Shizuo beat up Simon before finally leaving.
Other than his brother, there are only a few people who are "close" to him, and the Headless Rider, Celty Sturluson, is probably the one he's closest to. She is also one of the few he considers important. Even if she didn't have a head, she could still communicate through written means, or her PDA in the modern times. But even so, she would always listen to whatever he had to say and would not make unnecessary comments or take what he said as more than what they were supposed to mean. He knew everyone was afraid of him, but Celty wasn't. So he enjoyed talking with her whenever the chance arose. He knew who she was (but not that she's a Dullahan; all he knows is that she's the Headless Rider), but he didn't particularly care.
Because of this close affinity to her, he was always more than willing to help her. When she came to him asking if he knew a street artist who supposedly had drawn pictures of a Dullahan, he not only told her where the artist was, but also offered to come along and help, saying it would be easier than her just trying to communicate with the PDA all the time.
Another time he helps her out is when they see a girl with what Celty identified as her head. Of course, Shizuo had no idea the truth about Celty's reaction to chase her, but he follows and helps out anyway. When Seiji appears and stabs him with pens, he holds the guy back, telling Celty to leave everything to him and chase the girl. Though he has no idea what's going on, he knows Celty is interested in that person, and that's all that mattered. He let Seiji off pretty lightly, knocking him out with a headbutt.
Shizuo also showed up at the giant Dollar's "meeting," confirming that he was indeed part of the Dollars, and witnessed Celty's crazy ride down a building. Again, he doesn't know that she's a Dullahan.
By this time, the "Slashers" and events with Saika were becoming more prominent in Ikebukuro, and he became a central figure in the plot. He would feel as if someone was watching him, but whenever he turned around to look in the direction, whatever it was disappears. When Celty told him that she had been attacked by one before, he immediately decided to kill the Slasher and even hopped on Celty's bike, telling her to go so he can do exactly as he said. Fortunately, Celty talked him out of it since he was still on working time, so he resigned to her wishes. That didn't mean he wasn't still mad about the whole affair.
Some time later, Shizuo was with Celty, again wanting to kill the Slasher, when the two saw some members of the Yellow Scarves staring at them. Already in a "not good" mood, Shizuo walked over and promptly beat them up for staring at them. Afterward, while riding around through the streets, Celty heard a commotion and promptly turned to where Anri and the van gang (Kadota and the others) were. Niekawa Shuuji, a reporter who had tried to (and got thrown for) interviewing Shizuo had been possessed by the demon blade Saika and was trying to stab her. Though the van gang had hit him with the van, he still managed to get up and made for a round two. Celty landed a hit with her motorcycle, but it wasn't until Shizuo ripped off Togusa's van door and slammed it into Shuuji that it was over.
After that, Shizuo went to Izaya's apartment to call him out to "play." And by play, he meant "Let me smash your face into the wall and kill you, you flea" play. As the two were about to fight, handguard rail poised and ready, Celty arrived to show Shizuo the chatroom where someone under the username "Saika" kept asking for Shizuo. She then took him to South Ikebukuro Park, where the two found themselves surrounded by over a hundred "children" of Saika. They were people who were being controlled by the demon blade Saika and all were proclaiming their "love" for Shizuo, the one who was determined to the strongest man alive. And to show their love, they wanted to stab him.
So after that lovely confession, Shizuo proceeded to beat the crap out of everyone. Miraculously, no one died, and he actually managed to stop himself in time from continued the pummeling once the Saika's "hold" over the people was released. He could never control his strength, so being able to stop in time was important to himself.
Now for a prime example of synchronicity. All is fine for a day or so, but at some point during the later afternoon-early evening, Anri was being chased by the Yellow Scarves, and the Dollars were just flying all over the place helping her. She eventually wound up in a park, and was confronted by a group led by Horada, a person of brief "significance." Upon noticing her well-endowed chest, Horada got a nosebleed. At that very moment, Shizuo was passing by, yelling at his cellphone because of all the notifications from the Dollars members. So when he turned and saw Horada staring at him with that face, it was no surprise that Horada was sent flying and the rest scattered. Shizuo was the endnote for the slew of convoluted events of the day, a pattern that tends to recur throughout the series. Celty, as well as the van gang, showed up just in time for the show, and once the deed was done, Shizuo left, saying he was turning off his cellphone for the rest of the night.
However, later that night, Horada confronted him and actually shot him in the leg and abdomen. Seeing that it did not do too much to Shizuo, Horada left while saying that someone named "Kida Masaomi" was the one who ordered Shizuo to be shot. Apparently Shizuo didn't even realize he had been shot to begin with. He thought he had tripped and fallen, so by the time he came to again, they were gone. Tom was with him at the time and was the one who told him to go see a doctor. The fear of lead poisoning was what made Shizuo decide to go, and he went to Shinra since it would not involve the police and he got better rates.
So Shizuo went to Shinra's to be treated. As always, unlike normal people who would be unconscious during the whole procedure, Shizuo stayed conscious and grumbled about the whole situation. At some point Anri had arrived, though he didn't remember who she was. But when she heard him talking about killing Kida Masaomi, she took off right after Shizuo left.
And then Shizuo once again pulled off the finale stunt for a rather large, crazy event. There was a lot of crap going on between the Dollars and the Yellow Scarves, with Horada being the one to help instigate the whole thing. But anyway, after the fight and them losing, Horada and his crew fled the scene. To their horror, waiting on the highway with an uprooted highway street exit sign was the one and only Heiwajima Shizuo. He promptly sliced the roof of the car off as they flew past, and they were taken in by the traffic cop, Kinnosuke.
One would assume things would settle down, and for a year it was relatively quiet. But of course, this would not last.
VOLUME 4. [approximately a year later, or at least several months; April]
After the novel introduction about the "Killing Machine" (Russian assassin) and "Hollywood," a "rising" serial killer, the scene opens up with the two fighters facing each other off. In this very scene, Tom and Shizuo were actually eating on a nearby bench when the "Killing Machine" and "Hollywood" started to fight nearby. The duo didn't really pay much attention to them.
Until the assassin took Tom's attaché case.
Shizuo promptly ripped up the very park bench the duo had been sitting on and slammed it into BOTH "Hollywood" and the "Killing Machine." "Hollywood" was sent flying out of the park (literally) and the "Killing Machine" was slammed to the ground. Fortunately, Tom stopped him from delivering the final blow to the "Killing Machine," and after a short exchange, Shizuo calmly jogged out to see if the nearby supermarket had any attaché cases.
So two lessons the two killers learned that night: robbing is no-no and don't mess with the strange man in a bartender suit.
Shizuo had purchased a new attaché case for Tom, and the two were continuing on their way when one of Izaya’s twin sisters, Mairu, literally jumped on his back in greeting. Much to Tom’s surprise, Shizuo just gently pulled her off his back, holding her up by the nape of her collar. They were asking for directions to the Russian sushi bar for, ironically, the very man Shizuo had just beaten up: the "Killing Machine." Prior to meeting Shizuo, the twins happened upon the man. However, since the twins never said why they were going there, Shizuo had no idea and carefully gave them the directions. During this time, the topic of his brother came up, and the scene ended with Shizuo thinking that a call from him once in a while wouldn’t be bad.
Incidentally, Shizuo was the reason why Kasuka meets "Hollywood." Remember when he slammed that park bench and sent the killer flying? She landed on the very road Kasuka was driving on (ironically, in some attempt to see if he could find his brother). Just yet another prime example of synchronicity.
This may not seem important to note, but it actually will make sense in the Volume 5 section. There are a lot of various circumstances that can't all be explained here, but that following night, the majority of the Durarara!! cast were entangled in the most ridiculous motorcycle/car chase that involved a few different gangs and the traffic police. Tom and Shizuo were not part of the actual chase, but some members of the involved gangs later came up to the duo and actually tried to hit Tom. Though Tom managed to dodge the attack, the pipe tore the sleeve of Shizuo's bartender suit. So in a fit of anger because those clothes are the most precious gifts his brother ever gave him, Shizuo literally sent them flying in return.
VOLUME 5 [one month later, May 3rd]
At a hamburger stand, Tom witnessed the commotion brought up by a new character: Rokujou Chikage. He told Shizuo he should be careful because Chikage was the leader of the Toramaru motorbike gang and is probably out to avenge his guys. But to Tom's surprise, Shizuo had actually already met the young man the previous night.
Chikage had come up to Shizuo, basically challenging him to a fight to see how strong he was. Shizuo didn't fly off the handle because Chikage had been direct and straightforward about it. While Shizuo was talking and was about tell him something, Chikage had already taken the opportunity and delivered a near impossible hard kick to Shizuo's face, followed by a punch. However, much to his surprise, all it did was move Shizuo's face a fraction of an inch. The man probably didn't even feel much of it, if at all.
What Shizuo was trying to tell Chikage was all he wanted was to spend the rest of his days in peace. So without further ado, and bidding the man "Good night" (in a way), Shizuo just punched Chikage square in the face. He told Tom it took four punches before Chikage was actually knocked out. Here Shizuo briefly referenced someone else who was just as strong, and in all likelihood it was Nile from Baccano!. Afterward, he took Chikage to Shinra.
While the two were talking about Shizuo's love life—or rather, the lack of one and Tom trying to encourage him to try and find a girlfriend—Tom noticed a little girl staring at them through the window. More specifically, at Shizuo. Even more specifically, her whole face was pressed up against it.
Wondering who she was and what she wanted, Shizuo walked outside. Immediately the girl started to run toward him, which only made the man even more confused. He was starting to get a bad feeling about the girl, and was proven right when she suddenly yelled "Die!" and jabbed a stun gun right into Shizuo's abdomen. While this would send any normal person to the ground, or possibly killed as apparently it was modified to increase the strength, all it did was just send the electric shocks through Shizuo's body and make him feel pain. He did feel it, and it hurt, but other than that he was fine enough to push her away.
While the girl was crouching on the ground, Shizuo had picked up the stun gun, wondering what it was at first. Unfortunately, this made one hell of a misunderstanding scene, so under Tom's orders, they bolted. But at some point along the way, the girl had managed to latch onto Shizuo's back.
After some quick deliberation, Shizuo took both the girl and Tom to Shinra's to hide, much to the doctor's displeasure. She ended up having a fever, and the trio talked while she slept. Or rather, Shinra prattled along trying to figure out who the girl was and why she wanted Shizuo dead.
The next morning, after Celty had brought Anri to the apartment due to unrelated events that would later become related, the girl woke up. When Shizuo entered the room, she immediately went to the corner and asked if she was going to be killed, too. After a comment from Shinra, Shizuo asked him if he would like to be the first kill on his record, suggesting that while Shizuo had been in countless fights and had sent most if not all of his opponents to the hospital, he had never killed anyone.
Shinra managed to coax (though somewhat sickeningly in Shizuo's opinion) some information about the girl. Though she didn't tell them her last name, they learned her first name was Akane. In truth, she was Akane Awakusu, granddaughter of the leader a large mob organization called the Awakusu-kai. But no one knew of this yet. When asked why she wanted to attack Shizuo, Akane answered it was because someone told her that Shizuo was an assassin who was going to kill her father and grandfather.
Already the room became tense as Shizuo was going through his silent "getting mad" process. Both he and Shinra had an idea of who that "someone" was, and it was confirmed after Akane responded to the question: "Izaya onii-chan."
Orihara Izaya.
When Shinra turned around to see Shizuo's reaction, he was stunned in disbelief. For lo, Shizuo's expression wasn't one of a demon about to destroy a city, but one with a very soft, smile. Shizuo told Akane that "Izaya-kun" was mistaken and that they were "friends." They just had a little fight and told her to wait there while he made up with him.
So after a wink and whistling, he left the apartment with Shizuo, leaving Shinra speechless. Tom commented on Shizuo's acting skills, to which Shizuo replied that he was going to be gone for a few days to kill Izaya.
However, after reaching Izaya's apartment, he was only greeted by a "WE'VE MOVED" sign. This of course sent Shizuo over the edge and back again, but he managed to not kick down the door and instead left. Unfortunately, this had been a ruse set up by Namie. It was Izaya's apartment, and they were still there. But Shizuo was unaware of the simple trick, so Izaya was able to live for yet another day.
So he went to the address listed on the sign. However, instead of finding Izaya, he found three corpses sprawled about the office. He was still wondering what was going on when a young man confronted him for trying to break in. But when he saw the sight, he automatically assumed Shizuo was the culprit. In the ten seconds that it took for the guy to make a phone call, Shizuo had exited the building stage window. Yes, he used the window as a means of departure. He had no idea that the building and office he had stumbled into what was the office of the Awakusu-kai. That's right, the very same organization that Akane's grandfather led.
VOLUME 6 [same day; May 3rd]
So the whole gang tried to get back at him, still believing Shizuo had killed the three men. Shizuo didn't really want to fight so he just used his parkour skills and climbed up the Sunshine 60 building to its skydeck high above. There he bided his time and considered his next move, carefully reasoning the pros and cons of taking certain actions. In the end, he realized he had fallen into yet another one of Izaya's traps and decides to go back to Izaya's apartment to try to figure out a way to have the Awakusu-kai go after Izaya instead.
However, before he could do so he received a text from his cellphone about the Dollars being attacked. After flipping through the messages and seeing Kadota facing off Chikage, he decided to not be too concerned with it, believing that Kadota could probably handle the situation. But when he saw the picture of some girls and a message about an attempt to kidnap, he immediately set off to the warehouse where the Dollars and the Toramaru were fighting. He made his entrance by carrying a motorcycle over his shoulder and after seeing Mikado, declared his departure from the Dollars. His reason? He didn't want to be "breathing the same air as people who go around kidnapping women just for a little fight."
After some brief exchange, one of the Toramaru attempted to attack Shizuo, but instead he found himself with a dislocated shoulder and thrown into a fence. When Shizuo tried to leave, a woman in a motorcycle suit (Vorona) attempted to stab him in the chest. It only went five millimeters in before falling. Immediately she turned and ran, and Shizuo was soon following her—though not before throwing her motorcycle at her.
Thus began one of the craziest chases in the series. First Vorona jumped into the awaiting truck, but Shizuo was quick and made his way to the back of the truck. He was then faced with the barrel of a rifle, but what caught his attention was Akane also in the truck. Before Vorona could fire, he ran to the parking lot opposite where they were. In the interim he again realized that this was all part of Izaya's plan and again his rage consumed him.
He found an abandoned car that was marked to be towed and literally kicked it across the street and sent it rolling toward the truck. Afterward he used his parkour skills to jump up on the fence and run along balconies to keep up with the truck. When Vorona opened the door, he jumped and managed to land inside the truck, immediately grabbing the rifle and bending the barrel to render it useless. She managed to grab a pistol and aimed at Shizuo's face, but by this time Celty had managed to catch up and through her black shadows restrained the trigger.
When the truck braked, Shizuo noticed knives falling right toward Akane. Instantly he dived and used his body to shield her. Once he was able, he picked her up and jumped out of the truck. Celty used her shadows to form a net, softening the landing. Once they were out, Akane asked Shizuo why he saved her when she was still trying to kill him. Although Shizuo questioned why she still wanted to kill him, he also shrugged it off and asked if she was okay. It was when she confirmed that she was that he smiled one of his rare smiles.
The following day, May 4th, when speaking with Tom, it was revealed that everything between Shizuo and the Awakasu-kai was settled, but Shizuo was not allowed to discuss what happened. Vorona, or the "woman with the motorcycle" was mentioned only once afterward, and then his life returned (briefly) back to normal.
VOLUME 7 [May 5th]
There's a few things to note that have happened prior to and around the same time of Shizuo's focused chapter. Izaya had been stabbed the day previously, Mika and Namie had a head-to-head (about the head, hah), things were happening around Ayakabashi, and the latter includes sending Akane to a dojo for self-defense lessons. As usual, a lot of things were circling around and like everyone else, Shizuo gets entangled with it a bit.
The chapter starts off with references to a bunch of rumors regarding the man, most of which regarding the events of the month prior. Him being spotted with Akane, getting involved in the usual fights and the gangs, throwing large vehicles, being the older brother of the famous Yuuhei—basically more fuel for his "urban legend" fame. He was becoming quite the popular topic.
Particularly toward old gangs, groups, and others he had destroyed before (all unintentionally, of course). Rumors of him being injured spread like wildfire, particularly one involving a "woman" and a "child" (it went so far as to insinuate they were related to him). And it all fueled this idiotic desire to take advantage of the supposed situation and get some payback.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Anyway, Shizuo was beginning to receive the direct effect of these rumors. During a debt collection, the debtor actually tried to blackmail Shizuo into paying his own debt by claiming he knew how Shizuo was related to Yuuhei. Shizuo of course did not confirm this. Instead, he reached out, dislocated the man's jaw, and then threw him out the window when he wouldn't shut up. The guy survived, but Tom lectured Shizuo afterward, saying he should try to do something "more safe," like bending a coin in front of them with his finger. Shizuo responded that it might be illegal to mess with coins like that (but throwing people out of the window is A-OK). Still, he apologized and seemed genuinely troubled by not being able to do his job better. Tom told him he was doing the opposite and that he felt bad dragging him around to such dangerous jobs. Shizuo was still not completely placated by this, so Tom decided they should eat at Russian Sushi for lunch.
There they would meet Vorona. Technically this would not be Shizuo's first time meeting her, but he did not know that she was the one who attacked him. Vorona spotted him first, though Shizuo did not realize her glares were directed at him. Since Tom seriously botched his attempt at Russian, he assumed it was because of that. Denis then asked Tom if they would like to have Vorona help them out. Tom was surprised and troubled by both the offer and their boss' acceptance of Vorona's employment, especially when she was actually tasked to follow them with the collecting jobs. Shizuo had yet to really comment on it, and both he and Tom discovered how adept she was at fighting. By this time, the rumors of a woman following the original duo had spread, particularly how "she was staring at Shizuo" the whole time.
Afterwards, while resting at the Kishibojin Temple, Shizuo asked Vorona if she did any martial arts. She would explain a little of her background, such as knowing Denis and Samya (Simon), as well as how her father was also a martial artist ("Systema"). She explained she did not learn the style in defiance of her father and asked to not press further. Shizuo told her he won't, but still thought her "pretty amazing." Vorona, however, took it as more of a joke rather than a compliment since he was the one saying it, referencing to his own strength. For Vorona, who had experienced the force of his strength just the day prior, he just made her realize how weak she was and all her glares, while toward Shizuo, were really directed toward herself. Of course, Shizuo did not even realize any of this and instead insisted that she was more amazing than he was. Because unlike him, she trained for her strength. It was a reflection of how he only has this strength and how it's just there. There was nothing really special to it in his eyes. He did not earn it.
While in the middle of talking on a tangent (about medals that displayed Vorona's intelligence), the Orihara twins and Akane appeared, the younger girl catching Shizuo by surprise. Especially when she ran over and dove into his arms for a hug. Once more the rumors of the girl and Shizuo's association spread, and those who believed these rumors to be true started to take action.
Really dumb, stupid, dumb actions.
Anyway, upon Shizuo's inquiries, Mairu revealed that Akane had joined the dojo she trained at and Shizuo gave his approval. But then Shizuo was reminded of Izaya and he asked the twins where their brother had been. The girls are surprised that Shizuo hadn't heard about his stabbing yet and rather than tell him directly, Mairu told him to read the news while Kururi gave vague references. However, before he could press further Tom informed him that they need to get to the next job. Due to the more delicate nature of the job, Tom requested Vorona to stay behind with the girls and the two men depart.
In the ten minutes they were gone, the stupid things happened. Basically the men who wanted to try and put Shizuo into their control tried to kidnap the girls. This of course fell completely flat as all four girls could defend themselves plus the Awakusuku had put protection detail on Akane. It was really dumb.
Although Shizuo and Tom came back in time to see them flee, the girls had returned to their normal state and were thus unaware that the men had tried to pull a kidnapping. While Shizuo went to get coffee from the vending machine, he completely missed the dispute between Vorona and Akane claiming "ownership" over him. Of course this was about the matter of "killing" him, but by the Tom and the twins heard it, it was mostly a "He's mine!" argument. He remained completely oblivious.
As the trio departed to the next workplace, Shizuo asked Vorona if they had met before. Fearing he may have finally recognized her, she only told him that she would rather not say. He didn't ask any further, instead getting another can of coffee and pushing it against her cheek. He told her he had been through a lot of jobs and could never stay long enough to have a junior. Though he did not say it, it was clear he was happy about it. He also told her that since Simon, Denis, and even Akane seemed to think she was all right, then it was fine with him.
As a result of the events, the rumors about Shizuo changed once more. This time they included him as being part of the Awakusu Group (illegitimate heir!?). These rumors would also connect to Kasuka...but that's another story.
VOLUME 8 [July]
One night in July, while leaving their workplace, the receptionist stopped Shizuo to tell him that he had a guest waiting in the reception room. Surprised, he went in to see who it was only to find his brother, Kasuka. It seemed the younger Heiwajima wanted to discuss him about something and after ensuring that the location was all right, Kasuka opened a door to reveal a young woman. This woman was the idol Ruri Hijiribe. It was clear she was afraid of him, which Shizuo quickly understood to be due to his strength. Awkwardly he apologized, but Ruri was quick to try and counter apologize as she had actually attacked him before—without him knowing who it was, of course. But Shizuo changed the topic, turning to Kasuka and telling him that he should go to their parents to introduce her and started to imply that he should wait for marriage (clearly Shizuo thought Kasuka came to him to announce an engagement of sorts). However, Kasuka interrupted him by asking if he knew about Dollars.
The reason was due to Ruri's recent stalking incidents. Kasuka investigated it and discovered that her pictures and information were being spread through Dollars. He had also found that Shizuo had been associated with it before, but the older brother told him he had left it months ago (back when the whole turf wars were going on and the "kidnappings" occurred). However, he did know of at least one person that might be still with them, so he offered to take them to visit them. In the process, Shizuo displayed how close he was to Kasuka, being able to see through Kasuka's otherwise robotic facade and telling him to cool down. He also teased his brother a bit ("We're family, stop being so formal") which was a rare thing indeed. Kasuka also asked Shizuo if he could look after his cat, Dokusonmaru.
He would bring his brother and Ruri to Shinra's apartment. His entrance, however, was not what they expected, as Kasuka's cat had been resting on his head. Shinra's greeting laughter earned him a kick across the room. After settling down, they begin to discuss the situation about Ruri and Dollars. Shizuo came to them because he knew Celty was still with Dollars and hoped she could help. Also, he wanted to leave the cat with them. While discussing, it was apparent that Ruri and Shinra had met. Out of curiosity, Shizuo asked why she had come to him, and before Ruri could nervously explain, Kasuka intervened by saying it was due to the art of being a monster. Somehow, Shizuo understood this.
At some point Dokusonmaru climbed atop Anri's chest and somehow the girl's flustered expression reminded him of Mikado (Ryuugasaki—no, Ryuugamine). He started talking about how he had told the kid that he was leaving Dollars, which surprises Anri, Celty, and Shinra as they had just been discussing about Mikado prior to the other trio's arrival. Shizuo explained how he didn't want to be in the same group that kidnapped girls, but he didn't know how to properly quit. So he just told Mikado who happened to be in the park he usually went to.
Celty silently wondered if Shizuo's departure might have caused Mikado's change, but told Shizuo she would ask. And then, just as Shizuo was about to drink his tea, Shinra had the brilliant idea to suggest he work with Izaya. Needless to say, the cup was no more. He managed to stop at that to apologize to Celty, but Shinra kept digging his grave with more idiotic words. Shizuo was about to throw him out the window when Kasuka, in his usual calm, expressionless manner, told him to calm down. That was enough for the otherwise enraged man to set the doctor down. Eventually they finished their discussions, Shizuo unaware of what was brewing between the three women. He had brought the cat to see if Celty and Shinra could take care of him, but in the end it was Anri who would be the caretaker. He left behind Kasuka and Ruri.
The following day, while walking with Tom and Vorona and discussing Kasuka's cat, (apparently Shizuo prefers dogs), Shizuo continued to worry about the stalker problem. While discussing where to eat (Vorona was against going to their usual haunt, Russian Sushi), Kida suddenly appeared in front of them. After introducing himself, he said he wanted to apologize to Shizuo. The man was at first confused, but then memories of when he was shot and a voice telling him to blame Kida resurfaced. Rather than get angry at Kida, he simply flicked the youth's forehead, saying he should speak more politely since he was speaking to an elder. This of course surprised Kida and again he tried to apologize. Shizuo told him that he didn't hate either him or the Yellow Scarves as Celty had explained the truth. Plus Kida had properly dealt with the issue, so it was all clear in his book. Shizuo (gently) flicked him again on the forehead, however, because Kida still used informal speech. He said the flick could be considered his punishment—and given that this was being dished out by Shizuo, it kind of was, for it had actually sent the kid to the ground and with a slight concussion. Shizuo of course did not expect that. He knew he was strong, but even a flick?
Once Kida recovered, Tom invited him to join them for lunch. Although Tom offered to pay, it wasn't really for free. In exchange, he wanted to hear more about the Yellow Scarves. Kida suggested they go to Russian Sushi and Tom and Shizuo managed to convince Vorona to come along. As they were walking, Vorona noticed they were being followed. While Tom was thinking of a plan, Vorona stopped and immediately counterattacked the would be attacker. Doing so made him drop a vial which evidently contained acid. Enraged, Shizuo moved to pick up the man to throw him, but a second came out with broken glass. Kida moved to try and help defend, but a mysterious boy ran out to use a stun gun. Noticing the scarf and thinking the boy was part of Blue Squares, Kida left to chase after him, leaving Shizuo and the others behind to finish them off.
VOLUME 9 [Sometime in August]
One day while out, a few guys approached Shizuo and asked him about Izaya. Needless to say, Shizuo's first response was to pick up an illegally parked motorcycle and almost throw it at them. Fortunately Tom calmed him down and eventually they were able to explain themselves after being almost scared to death. They wanted to exact revenge for their gang leader whose girlfriend had been taken in by Izaya, so they thought Shizuo might know of his whereabouts. During this talk, Vorona asked who Izaya was and Shizuo basically told her he was "a flea" she should stay away from. When he talked about how he planned on killing him and beating him to pulp, Vorona stated that she knew ways of how to kill and dispose a body without a trace. This troubled Shizuo, who had just moments before talked of killing Izaya, and he patted her head telling her to not speak like that even as a joke. He told her that knowing he she felt was more than enough.
On asking about any weak points Izaya might have had, Shizuo seemed to recall something back from his high school days. This also started to set off that spark, but before the guys could try to cut the conversation short and leave, Mairu and Kururi appeared. They mention how they met "Iza-nii," which immediately catches the guys' attention. However, before they could question or the twins could continue, Shizuo immediately locked in on one of them who had three cellphones hanging out. His rage meter firing, he started to yell at them, saying how it reminded him of Izaya and wondering if they were in the same business. He gave them three seconds to leave before he beat them, and before he started counting they were gone. Tom, who had also noticed the cell phones, thought that Shizuo was putting on a bit of a show for the twins' sake. Shizuo said he really was mad for that reason, but he did follow up by telling the twins that they shouldn't carelessly announce their relationship with Izaya. He had a feeling that that flea was up to something. He also told them that he worried about them, though he thought that it didn't really sound like himself. The twins, however, clung onto his arms, saying how much of a nice guy he was. When they said he had set a good example for his brother, Shizuo immediately protested, saying they were insulting his brother by comparing him to himself.
For the record, that story the guys told Shizuo was a lie. It was true that their boss was looking for Izaya, but not for that reason. In fact this volume focused on Izaya. Previous volumes had a subplot about a group called "Amphisbaena" selling illegal drugs and the Awakusu-kai were looking into as it had invaded their territory. They hired Izaya to look into it. Like with everything about Durarara!!, this actually related back to Izaya so some more backstory was revealed for him. Anyway, this isn't important for Shizuo so that's all I'll say about the plot for this volume.
VOLUME 10 [August, a few days later]
Shizuo heard about Kadota's accident while out on the job. One of the debtors actually informed him, and the thought of someone hitting his past schoolmate and running away sent him in a rage that made him kick the motorbike the debtor was trying to escape him across the river.
Later, Shizuo would be arrested under the charge of assaulting a victim. Of course he denied this, but he followed the policemen back because he knew he innocent and wanted to clear up any misunderstandings. The others of course were on his side and think he was being framed. The real danger would be what happened while at the police station, as it there was legitimate concern for him (accidentally) blowing up during interrogating, which would warrant an entirely different charge. The interrogation would indeed be his downfall.
The charge was for assaulting a woman and repeatedly Shizuo denied ever even seeing her. He tried to distract himself, such as noting how the room wasn't like those found on TV dramas or thinking of his brother and not wanting him to be dragged in. But it was difficult. He could feel his irritation bubbling over as the false accusations continued on. It was also strange as it seemed they were actually trying to provoke his anger so that they could charge him for different offenses. When they actually directly mention Kasuka, Shizuo's temper was once more tested, but he had felt a strange unease. It was too weird. After looking directly at the detective, he noticed the bloodshot red eyes and realized they were under Saika's control. After saying this, the detectives revealed that it was a different parent and they were just keeping him off the streets, but it didn't matter to Shizuo. Although they threatened to beat each other up and collaborate that Shizuo had done it, Shizuo had decided that since they weren't real police, he could beat them up, anyway.
Before he could, however, Kuzuhara Kinnosuke, the traffic officer that always chased Celty around, burst through the door. After affirming that Shizuo was Celty's friend, Kuzhara told him to relay a message to her about keeping her lights on. This utterly baffled Shizuo to the point where it actually abated a lot of that pent up anger. On his way out, the detectives tried to confront him, but Kuzahara just slammed him against the wall. It was then that he revealed that he overheard them and that if they continued he would alert the inspector.
This gave the strength Shizuo needed to endure the ludicrous investigation, as he now knew that there were still good (and unaffected) policemen and not everyone had turned. He also had a new resolve: to battle his own anger so that he could "greet" their "parent."
His arrest was of course staged by Izaya, which was something he would figure out later.
VOLUME 11 []
NOTE: Volume 11 is still currently being translated, but summaries and snippets have been posted, including bits about Shizuo. I'll edit this for more details, but going off the wiki: at some point after the interrogation he was placed in jail. He didn't stay long, however, but prior to being released another inmate suggested that Shizuo make a scene to try and steal Celty's head, which was at the station under investigation. However, Shizuo is released. But even more Shizuo heard the man mutter Izaya's name and while he managed to somehow hold in his anger, it continued to grow as he started to think that everything was circling back to Izaya. Upon leaving, there was an explosion and someone runs out with a box he suspects contains Celty's head. He also suspects it was Vorona who caused the explosion. His pissed off meter is beyond control at this point.
VOLUMER 12 []
NOTE: Same with Volume 11, it's still being translated, but summaries and snippets have been posted. Going to just directly c/p from the wiki: "Shizuo witnessess Celty's rampage through the city, wondering what caused her to act this way. Suddenly, Shooter, Celty's horse, rides next to him, signalling him to jump on so that they can confront the person responsible for Celty's current state. Shizuo agrees but asks Shooter to transform into a regular bicycle as he doesn't have a motorcycle license. Shooter takes Shizuo across the city, unaware that Izaya was tracking them as well, to an old warehouse where they find Kasani Kujiraki and Vorona hiding out. Shizuo confronts Kujiraki over Celty's berserk state but Vorona steps between them and points a gun at Shizuo. Shizuo tells Vorona to get out of the way but Vorona remains steadfast in defending her current client. As the situation grows more tense, Vorona suddenly lunges at Shizuo, startling him, as she knocks him to the ground. As she does so, a large number of Steel beams crash through the roof of the warehouse, embedding themselves in the concrete floor. Vorona is also hit by a stray metal pipe which significantly wounds her. Kujiraki escapes while Shizuo attempts to tend to Vorona's wound. [somewhat misleading—Vorona actually noticed the pipes and had lunged at Shizuo to push him out of the way. it's not like she just tried to attack him—despite defending the client, she had also been concerned about Shizuo's safety]
Shizuo scolds Vorona for trying to protect him and doing something so reckless, but Vorona insists that her injury isn't very serious. Vorona then calls Shizuo's attention to Izaya who was observing them from a nearby building. The crane that held up the metal beams started to fall, but Shizuo simply punched it out of the air and towards Izaya. The crane didn't reach it's intended target, but it was clear what Shizuo was thinking at this time. Before Shizuo can act, Izaya calls him on his Cellphone. Izaya taunts Shizuo, teasing him about his inability to protect his friends and accusses him of having feelings for Vorona and even Akane. Shizuo notices Izaya standing on top of a nearby building, gazing down at him. Shizuo calmly tells Izaya "Goodbye." before hanging up. After confirming Vorona was alright, he smiles at her briefly before turning to leave. Shizuo tells her to be careful around him as he can't think rationally at this point, even giving her permission to shoot him should he go out of control. He then leaves to fight Izaya one last time, ignoring Vorona's attempts to calm him down."
WIKI'S WORDS NOT MINE. I'll edit this whenever a translation is released.
VOLUME 13 [Same day + following]
The volume opened with Shizuo reaching the rooftop where Izaya had been and gasoline greeting his nose. Despite the flames that erupted around him, he simply ripped off the door, stamped his foot, and charged through it. When more beams came toward him, he simply punched them away. Then he saw Izaya in another area. Down he went, battling through the traps Izaya had set, but there was one he could not have anticipated.
Although the objects had little to no effect on him, the oxygen deprivation from the fire did. Adjustments to the fire extinguishing system had depleted the gas from the area Shizuo was in. Brought to his knees, he could only glare up at Izaya who remained unharmed in an area higher above. But that was not all Izaya had planned. Another gas had been filtered in and Izaya dropped a match, igniting it all. With his legs paralyzed, Shizuo was surely doomed, but the man would, as always, exceed his foe's expectations. Using his upper strength alone he had broken a hole beneath where he had been, and from there he had moved to the base of the metal foundation Izaya had been standing. Just like he did with signs and guardrails, he uprooted the structure and shook it so hard that it flung Izaya out into the sky.
Or rather, into the next building. Shizuo actually leaped across from where they had been over to it to try and find Izaya. Although he wasn't rationally thinking this, he knew he had to be certain that Izaya was dead, otherwise that flea would just crawl out again. The narrative described Shizuo as using his own anger as energy and that he really was becoming something of a monster. However, it noted that while he was chasing (or hunting, rather) after Izaya out of his own selfishness, it was also in large part due to what Izaya had done to his friends—Vorona being first and foremost (she is described as "cherished friend"), and the others like Akane, Shinra, and Tom. Prior to forming these bonds, he would have gone on a more animalistic shouting rampage. Now he was more focused and silent—his anger internalized. How he behaved now was testament to the changes he had overgone these past few months, as well as revealing his weakness. He was no longer distant from people—he was now a part of them. But this was also what made Shizuo the coldhearted hunter that he was now. And his hunt continued after he found that Izaya was no longer on that floor. He noticed the elevator light indicating it descending, and though he had some doubts, he slowly and calmly made his way to the window and peered out of it. There he spotted Izaya's shadowy figure fleeing from the building, for the man had decided that it was actually his best option. With no hesitation whatsoever, Shizuo calmly stepped up to the window—and jumped off.
The pursuit would continue onto the streets, with Shizuo utilizing his usual weapons—vending machines, light posts, guard rails. With Izaya wounded, each throw came nearer and nearer. Eventually Izaya would lure him to where everyone else had gathered for their own standoffs—Anri and Haruni, Chikage and Aoba—and it would be there he would make his stand. Pulling out his own switchblade, he planned to prove that Shizuo was not human but a monster. With his body moving under that murderous, monster-like trance, Shizuo advanced toward Izaya, ignoring everything and everyone else around him. Even when one of the fools tried to hit him, his body moved on its own to crush the weapon. But he was only focused on Izaya. Slowly, while dragging a vending machine, he approached Izaya until he was just right in front him. Then without warning and with a speed a master swordsman, he swung the vending machine.
Izaya dodged forward, barely avoiding the attack and the subsequent fist that flew at him. But he continued to dodge and slice at Shizuo. Of course his attacks were useless, but they weren't meaningless. He was slowly proving his point that Shizuo was a monster. This continued until an incident at the Russian Sushi nearby broke his focus. Due to the events occurring there, a flash bang had gone off. Izaya had noticed and in that one moment created an opening for Shizuo. Although his fist only grazed Izaya's shoulder, it was more than enough. With Izaya's momentum thrown off, he then pulled back for another punch. All Izaya could do was try to use his arms as a shield, which was what perhaps prolonged his life. Rather than upward, Shizuo directed his punch diagonally downward to slam his target back. Izaya's arms were broken, but if not for them, it was likely Shizuo could have broken his ribs and ruptured his heart instead.
By now it was clear Izaya's cuts had done their work as Shizuo was bleeding all over. But he still continued in that rage induced trance. Once again approaching Izaya, he lifted the thrown vending machine and made to finish his sworn enemy once and for all—
—when a knife flew from the sidelines into Izaya's side. Surprised, they both turned to see that it was Vorona who had thrown it, and it was her presence, her actions, and most importantly, her words that brought reason back into Shizuo.
"Shizuo-senpai—is human."
"The need to become a beast—is nil."
When she then pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Izaya, he yelled at her to stop—she couldn't become a murderer. Not for his sake or for any reason. But she only refuted that, saying that from the very start she was a beast who enjoyed killing. However, before she could shoot Izaya, Simon had noticed and threw one of the stun flash grenades into the intersection. At this point, the Saika possessed group then tried to attack the Dollars members gathered around.
But then something else happened—drops of shadow rained down and a voice could be heard. It was Celty's. Having recovered her head and gaining information of what her body had done, she had stopped everything to set things right.
When Shizuo recovered from the flash bang, he found everyone but himself bound by shadow. He also noticed Izaya had disappeared, but instead of looking for him, he turned his attention to Vorona. Tom, Simon, and Denis were there, and Vorona was being carried unconscious. Again, rather than try and find Izaya, panic filled him as he ran toward them. Frantically he asked if she was all right and he was somewhat placated upon learning that she was just unconscious and would be all right. Still, he was confused. He couldn't understand why Vorona did what she did, and although Denis told him it was likely because she didn't want him to be a killer, it did little to help. Instead and believed himself to be weak. Silently he asked for her forgiveness as well as noted that he'd still probably try and kill Izaya if he ever saw him again.
But then he saw Shinra hobbling down the street toward the building where Mikado and Masaomi had been fighting and now here Celty was making her last appearance. He would make his way and follow him up to the roof to witness Celty flying up. Shinra would then ask him to fulfill a promise made back in their high school days—that if Shinra were to ever "become a villain for the person he loved, Shizuo would send him flying to the end of the sky for her." Shizuo asked if he was serious and said that even he wouldn't be able to catch him. If he fell he would die 100%, and when he asked Shinra if he was trying to make him a murderer, once again Vorona appeared in his mind. But upon seeing how serious Shinra was, and after his friend told him to trust him and Celty, Shizuo wordlessly smiled, grabbed Shinra's leg, and with all of his strength—even more than he used in his death match against Izaya—threw him into the sky ("Don't regret it, bastard!"). Afterward (the two had a touching, fantastical reunion which involved Shinra cutting off the shadows connecting Celty's body and head with the Saika he possessed) he left the building to check on Vorona.
Things would slowly return to normal. Well, normal for Ikebukuro which was full of monsters and legends. For Shizuo, his days would be a bit more melancholic. Vorona decided to return to Russia with Slon to face her father. He didn't press into any details, but he did tell her that as his "precious junior" she could call him anytime. She responded that if and when she does return, she would like a match with him. That it was her wish to "revel in the joy of existing in this world." Although Denis tried to reassure Shizuo that she would likely return, he still had some regrets. Mainly not properly thanking her. For he acknowledged that he was still human because of her. Simon responded by saying Shizuo was definitely human through and through.
And so he could try and live his life as a human—a human with monstrous strength—but a human nonetheless. Not a monster.
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Shizuo makes a reappearance in the sequel, Durarara!! SH, which is set two years later. But Narita has only just recently started writing them. As they are translated, I'll update the timeline, but for now Shizuo will be post-volume 13.