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Warning This character, Ishi Haseo, is property of Ishimura_Elite.

WARNING! This article contains spoilers!


This is the character featured in Sword Art Online: Blade Master. For the original character from Clashing Blades, see Ishi.

Life isn't something that can be taught; it has to be learned. But isn't it a shame that it takes your entire life to figure out what to do with what's already gone?
~ Ishi Haseo


Ishi Haseo
Personal Info
Name Ishi Haseo
Kanji ハセオ イシ
Romanji Haseo Ishi
Birthday June 14, 2004
Age 18 (Start of SAO)
20 (End game)
40 (End War Online)
Gender Male
Height 5'10"
Weight 154 lbs
Eyes Yellow
Hair Black
Unusual Features Permanent scars on his right cheek and over his left eye

Scars on his right arm

Place of Residence Nagoya, Japan
Occupation Student

Kenjutsu Instructor

Marital Status Married
Family Aunt and Uncle

Asuka Shizuka - Wife
Yamato Haseo - Son

Player Profile
Display Name Ishi
Kanji イシ
Epithet Blade Master

The Second Wandering Swordsman of Sword Art Online
Ishi the Voidwalker

VRMMORPGs Played Sword Art Online

End War Online

Occupation Player Killer
Affiliation Pendragon Court
Partner Misaki Akimi

Asuka Shizuka

Base of Operations Adeline's
Status Deceased
Skills
Unique Skill SAO:

Zero Shift
EWO:
Voidwalker

Unique Weapon SAO:

Arondight
Avalon
Kuraokami
EWO:
Raikiri
Boltac Wristbow
Dark Soulblade

Media
Voice Actor Japanese: Mamoru Miyano (SAO)

Yūichirō Umehara(EWO)
English: Brad Swaile (SAO)

First Appearance Sword Art Online: Blade Master


Ishi Haseo was a player of Sword Art Online, and is the main character of Sword Art Online: Blade Master and its short story follow up, The Morning After.

Appearance[]

Sword Art Online[]

Ishi wore a black long sleeved and hooded undershirt with black pants and black knee high boots with metal plating. He wore a white two tailed medium length short-sleeved overcoat with black trim and gray fur around the collar, as well as a belt attached to the back around the waist above the tails which Ishi buckles up. He wore two black belts crossed on his back and slung under his shoulders, which housed the sheath of his sword Arondight on his back, diagonally up to his left shoulder. On his left forearm he wore his clawed gauntlet Avalon, which complemented the light silver armored spaulder he wore on his left shoulder. After Misaki's death, he had tied the green hair ribbon he had gifted her to his sword.

After his final duel with Yamato, Ishi had his left arm's armor removed entirely, as it was broken during the battle, and as a result Ishi had discarded Avalon as well. His right sleeve was also torn off at the forearm, and his coat in general had become tattered and cut in several places. He wore the coat with all straps undone, resulting in it flowing less restricted, and his back scabbard for Arondight was removed after the blade was also shattered in the fight. He instead carried Kuraokami on his left side, strapped to his waist. He had also allowed his hair to grow out a bit more, resulting in the same style but a bit longer and slightly spiked.

End War Online[]

In End War Online, Ishi wore black knee-high boots, black cargo pants, brown dual belts. He wore a white and black medium-length coat and a dark gray and red sleeveles vest all covered with a black hooded cloak with dark red lining, split at the center front. Additionally he wore a red scarf over his shoulders and draped behind him in two tails. He wore a dark silver metal bracer on his left arm and a black fingerless glove on his left hand, but kept his right bare handed. His hair was much fuller and longer as well as being spiked much more.

Real Life[]

Ishi bore multiple scars on his right arm, in addition two the two scars on his face, which is why he tends to keep the arm covered by his sleeve.

Later in life, at age 40, his hair had grown out more, being fuller and straight. He wore an unorthodox outfit while mentoring at his dojo, consisting of simple black slacks and a white button-up shirt that he refuses to tuck in with a black short-sleeved haori over it, tied to him at the waist. When out in town, he commonly wore the same black slacks and dress shirt, but donned another button-up shirt as a jacket over it. At home he usually wore plain jeans and a t-shirt or polo of any color or pattern he randomly decided on.

Background[]

Ishi's mother died during childbirth, and his father drank himself to death when he was 5. After that, he was taken in by his grandparents, who cared for him until they died when Ishi was 13 and 14. After that, Ishi inherited his grandparent's house and is now living off the money his wealthy aunt and uncle send him monthly. It was with this money that he was able to acquire a NerveGear.

Ishi's childhood was mostly spent in deep and suicidal depression, filled with emotional trauma and a near complete lack of any kind of social interaction, resulting in a lack of empathy and a distrust towards others. The two scars he bears on his face were a result of training accidents in a Kenjutsu class. After the accident, Ishi took to cutting himself deliberately, resulting in heavy scars all over his right arm.

After a time, Ishi began to exhibit clear signs of extreme sociopathy with a particular interest in bloodshed. During his schooling, he met Misaki Akimi, one of very few people who bothered to attempt to get through to him, and the only one who persisted. Ishi's condition began to slowly improve as he grew into adulthood alongside Misaki, and the two formed a powerful bond that later became a romantic relationship.

Sword Art Online Incident[]

Ishi became a prominent player of the Sword Art Online within the first year of the game, becoming renown for his skill and ability with the blade. He had also become infamous due to his player kills. Though he had secured several player kills earlier, what brought Ishi true infamy was during an encounter with a group of player killers, in which he mercilessly killed 7 even while outnumbered 12 to 1. The rest of the group escaped, but word then quickly spread of Ishi's brutal and merciless nature, the title of Blade Master eventually being established among players. Due to this, he would isolate himself from others, training alone most of the time, hardly caring for the situation he was in as a whole. His only real connection to others was in his childhood friend, Misaki Akimi, and her allies in Pendragon Court, though Ishi would never become an official member of the guild, despite cooperating with them on many occasions.

Ishi was tasked along with Misaki in investigating several strange anomalies appearing randomly around multiple floors of Aincrad, which would be deduced to be a glitch in the game known as Skeith. It was shortly after Ishi's first contact with artifacts left behind by Skeith that Ishi met Hao, with him providing Pendragon Court, and especially Ishi, with information regarding the whereabouts of Skeith, as well as the existence of Corbenik, which he claimed held the same potential as Skeith, and would need to be contained in order to secure Aincrad's safety. He and Ishi formed a tentative alliance to reach the same goal. Ishi would eventually come into contact with Skeith and was shown to be compatible with it, with Ishi being able to contain the glitch within himself. Though over time, Skeith's influence would exacerbate his dark nature, and he would slowly lose control of himself more and more, despite Misaki's best efforts to keep him stable.

Ishi met Asuka Shizuka during a dangerous mission she had decided to undertake on her own, being coerced by his friend and housemate Adeline to chase after her in order to make sure she didn't get herself hurt or worse, Ishi reluctantly agreeing to do so. He would save her from two player killers, but would then immediately turn around and ridicule her over her foolishness in undertaking such a dangerous mission alone, pointing out her sloppy bladework and unrefined skills. Asuka would take the verbal abuse in stride, however, insiting that she and Ishi start to work together. It would take a great amount of insistence on Asuka's part in order for Ishi to accept her as just an acquaintance, though in time the two would become allies and friends.

After killing Misaki in a Skeith-induced psychotic episode, the only stabilizing force in his life was removed, and he became close to being completely overtaken by Skeith and becoming another Skeith Avatar. It was only with the help of Yamato, who still possessed Corbenik, that Skeith was contained and Ishi returned to normal, though burdened greatly by the loss of life left in his wake. Asuka would be the one to intervene during a suicide attempt, pledging to Ishi that she wouldn't leave him. Asuka slowly therafter became Ishi's new stabilizing force.

It would eventually come to light that Hao had orchestrated Misaki's death in order to draw Skeith out of Ishi so that he could claim it for himself, succeeding in drawing a copy of Skeith from Ishi. Met with a new threat, Ishi swore to kill Hao in revenge for Misaki. It is at this point that Yamato began to train Ishi in the art of Kyosho Style kenjutsu, hoping to temper his inner demons as well as to suppress Skeith within him, so that Ishi would be able to utilize both as powerful weapons against Hao and his amassing forces. With this process, Ishi learned to become his own stabilizing force, becoming much calmer and more collected, using his dark nature as a righteous weapon in the coming fight. Ishi also learned of Yamato's own past, as well as his dark nature, the two coming to a deep mutual understanding of each other. He would also become close friends with Yamato's own childhood friend, Sakura Katsuragi.

His final test with Yamato would be to face him in one final duel to the death; a battle of wills to determine if Ishi would be truly ready to accept himself and go on to defeat Hao. He battled Yamato one more time, clashing blades with him throughout a long and strenuous duel that pushed the two past their limits, the two utilizing Skeith and Corbenik as well as their own dark natures in order to battle each other. In the end, Ishi would narrowly defeat Yamato, with the latter in his final moments thanking Ishi for allowing him to finally reveal his true self for the very first time and hold absolutely nothing back, and that he was finally at peace with himself, passing away shortly after. Ishi would take Yamato's katana as his own to challenge Hao, not as the Blade Master, but as the Second Wandering Swordsman.

Ishi would confront Hao with both Skeith and Corbenik in his possession, and would fight against Hao in a final climactic battle. Ishi defeated Hao after a long and grueling battle, killing him and ending the war between Pendragon Court and Hao's army. With his journey finally over, Ishi spent his remaining time in SAO with Asuka and Adeline, occasionally trekking out to eliminate any residual fragments left from Skeith in Aincrad.

It was during this time that Ishi became aware of remnants of Hao's army under the command of [REDACTED], who were using a girl who possessed a Skeith fragment in order to continue Hao's mission covertly; a contingency plan set up by Hao in the case of his defeat. Cooperating with Pendragon Court once more, Ishi worked to neutralize the remnants of Hao's army and protect Haru Shimikaze, who he had taken under his care. He would be somewhat distanced from her, as she was aware of Ishi's status as Blade Master, and was hesitant around and generally hostile towards him. However, Ishi could not ignore Haru's posession of a Skeith fragment, and would interact with her to attempt to show her how to utilize it and not let Skeith's influence control her.

Ishi would attempt to fight off Hao's remnants in their attempt to recapture Haru by assaulting Adeline's inn. Ishi allowed Haru to escape to find Adeline and Asuka, who were away at the time, while he stayed to defend. He was eventually smoked out of the inn by Hao's remnants who had lit the building on fire, and Ishi crashed through the second floor window below. Dazed by smoke inhalation and subsequently poisoned by [REDACTED], as well as being unable to use Skeith in a populated area, he was captured and brought to a secret underground area beneath the starting town on the first floor.

[REDACTED] gave Ishi the ultimatum to tell him where Haru was, or the slow-acting poison in Ishi's system would eventually kill him and release Skeith underneath the starting town, leading to hundreds of innocent deaths. He was tortured repeatedly for the whereabouts of Haru. [REDACTED] inflicted heavy wounds, some of which were fatal, which Ishi was forced to constantly revert using Corbenik. Asuka eventually found Ishi's whereabouts with the help of Pendragon Court and, with Haru's help with her fragment of Skeith, broke into the dungeons to rescue Ishi, capturing [REDACTED] in the process and recovering the antidote to Ishi's poison.

Afterwards, [REDACTED] managed to escape his confinement, kidnapping Haru in the process, and Ishi immediately set out in pursuit despite still recovering from his ordeal, assisted by Asuka. Upon finding the two, Haru was impaled in the back by [REDACTED], who decided to instead extract the Skeith fragment from Haru in order to use it himself, having discovered his own compatibility with Skeith. Once Skeith was extracted, Ishi immediately rushed to save Haru with Corbenik, succeeding in reviving her from her near-death experience. Ishi at this point was attacked by [REDACTED], but nullified the attack with Corbenik before teleporting all three of them away, bringing them all to the safety of Adeline's. Ishi then asked Asuka and Adeline to look after Haru, before leaving to hunt down [REDACTED].

Ishi eventually found [REDACTED], who had been attempting to control the Skeith fragment within himself, and in a completely one-sided battle Ishi defeated and killed him before neutralizing the Skeith fragment.

After these events, Haru decided to stay with Ishi, Asuka and Adeline in a newly built Adeline's Inn, coming to the conclusion that despite Ishi's past actions, he was not the evil person she was led to believe him to be, and the two formed a strong friendship.

He and Asuka soon after the end of SAO met in real life and married each other, and some time after that had a son together. Ishi would name his son after the man who changed his life forever.

Ishi later opened a dojo to carry on Kyosho Style kenjutsu, with he and Sakura Katsuragi being the only remaining true practitioners of the form, and Ishi being the only master. Despite being carried on through a different bloodline, Ishi would continue to use the Kyosho name for his dojo.

Some time after the SAO Incident, it was discovered that Ishi had contracted an unknown and incurable illness that caused his body to slowly deteriorate over time, and doctors were only able to determine that it was neurological in nature. Although doctors were unable to determine what the exact cause was beyond this, Ishi knew that Skeith had its effect on his body, even in real life, and that his time was limited.

End War Online Incident[]

Ishi Haseo immediately dove into End War Online at the beginning of the End War Online Incident, as his son Yamato had been trapped inside the game along with millions of other players. He joined the game in order to find and protect his son from the many threats that were headed his way, as Yamato was the focal point around which events would unfold. As a member of the End War Online Liberation Task Force, Ishi was paired with an operator, Misaki Kujikawa, who he would correspond with in regards to his progress in hunting down those responsible for trapping everyone in the game and rectifying the issue from within. This was a secondary task for Ishi, however, as his main goal was from the outset to find and protect his son.

During a short time liaising with the Void Hunters, Ishi was sent to the ruins of the Kingdom of Alteia, an area which was barred off from the world due to the extreme presence of Void that even Void Hunters could not venture into. His assignment during this mission was to recover the Dark Soulblade, which was speculated to remain within the long lost Castle Alteia. Ishi, using Voidwalker, was able to traverse the Void and discover the legendary Lord Knight Falken at the empty Castle Alteia, who had spent the last thousands of years completely consumed and corrupted by Void. With his sanity completely gone and reduced to a mindless Void beast, Falken immediately attacked Ishi, and the two engaged in a fierce battle. Ishi emerged from the battle victorious, finally putting the first Voidwalker to rest. Afterwards, Ishi discovered a hidden vault deep within the bowels of Castle Alteia, where he then recovered the Dark Soulblade.

Ishi eventually found Yamato under assault by a group of Void Hunters, and Ishi intervened to save him, killing everyone who threatened them. The two then began working together to search for those responsible for trapping everyone in the game. It was at this point that communications from the outside of the game were cut off, leaving Ishi stranded in the game without direction from the administrators. To partially solve this problem, the operators were sent into the game itself with several administrative privileges to allow them to assist their agents directly. To this end, Kujikawa entered the game and tracked Ishi down to continue to help him as best as she could, risking her life for the purpose of freeing the player population from the game. At this point, her and Ishi's goals were aligned, as they both assisted Yamato in his mission to fix the death game.

When Naoto betrayed Yamato resulting in his capture and her subsequent disappearance, Ishi immediately began searching for his son once again. When Naoto came out of hiding, Ishi quickly discovered her and threatened her life for what she did, holding her by the neck against a wall. When she explained that she wanted to make things right, Ishi released her under the condition that he would kill her on the spot if he suspected that she was lying.

When Kujikawa later confronted Ishi about his sudden shift in his mission, Ishi explained that his sole mission was to find and protect his son, and that everyone else was an afterthought. Kujikawa attempted to convince him to help her continue the mission to solve the death game instead of forsaking the entire player population for a single person, but Ishi was obstinate, reiterating that the only reason he joined the game in the first place was to protect his family. At this point, Kujikawa apologized and utilized her administative privileges to temporarily bind Ishi, leaving him unable to move. Kujikawa apologized once more and explained that she couldn't allow Ishi to abandon their mission to protect everyone in the game just to protect a single person, and she tried again to convince him to change his ways, making it clear that she didn't want to do this, but felt she had no other option if they were going to save everyone. Ishi mulled over her words, and finally agreed. Kujikawa, relieved by Ishi's compliance, released him from his binds, whereupon Ishi immediately drew his blade and cut her down, killing her instantly. He then acquired Kujikawa's Universal Information Processor and transferred her administrative privileges to himself, allowing him to view the entire player registry and locate Yamato.

With Yamato's location discovered, Ishi decided to go on his own to free him. Naoto asked to join him, but Ishi forbade her from doing so, and when pressed, he drew his sword and threatened her once again, commanding her to stay where she was. Ishi went alone to the secret AEP facility Yamato was being held in and singlehandedly broke in and slaughtered everyone there. When confronted by an unmanned EXO-Gear, Ishi was assisted by Naoto who, having ignored Ishi's warning, had followed after and cut off the EXO-Gear's main power source, allowing Ishi to quickly cut the machine apart. After having freed Yamato, Ishi protected Naoto using Voidwalker as the newly reincarnated first Void Avatar used his unrestrained power to destroy the entire facility.

After this, Ishi once again worked with Yamato in his search for the new threat of Cyratel. Ishi's Voidwalker ability proved to be a decisive advantage, with his power allowing them to dispel and destroy Void as it began to infect Creation once more in the Second Void Insurrection. Eventually finding Cyratel, the two engaged the first Void Avatar together. While Yamato provided some support, he was outmatched by the much more powerful and experienced Cyratel, and it was Ishi who proved to be a powerful threat against the first Void Avatar, being able to directly combat him using Voidwalker. While Ishi was poised to strike a final decisive blow, his body suddenly failed him, making him stagger as he coughed up blood; a severe symptom of his incurable illness. Although he was only dazed for a moment, it was enough time for Cyratel to counter and impale Ishi with his Void Soulblade, throwing him aside and slamming him into a nearby tree. Cyratel then retreated while Yamato went to his dying father.

Ishi, unable to move or even speak, was still stoic in his final moments, showing no signs of pain despite his mortal injuries. He handed his sword, Raikiri, to Yamato, to replace his son's own broken Virtue, as well as the Dark Soulblade to protect from Cyratel. With a soft smile, he passed away from his injuries.

Legacy[]

Ishi's effects on the game of Sword Art Online were profound, for better and for worse. Despite the good deeds he had done, his legacy would unfortunately remain that of his darker nature. He was seen as a ruthless killer as the Blade Master, a title he would never fully be rid of, as by the end of the game he had become the most prolific player killer in Aincrad, even if not all of his kills were unjustified.

However, on the other hand it is no hyperbole to say that Ishi was responsible for saving the entire game from certain destruction. Though his actions to this end went mostly unnoticed by the player populace, some word of his exploits did circulate among select groups of players originating from those who had witnessed his actions firsthand, mainly by members of Pendragon Court and their affiliates, as well as other players who had fought alongside him against Hao's army. This rendition of Ishi sees him as more of a heroic figure to those who witnessed him, and those who managed to stay with Ishi until the very end see him as transcending his dark nature and becoming a protector of those he held dear. The Second Wandering Swordsman is how those who saw this side of Ishi referred to him.

Ishi's legacy in Sword Art Online is one of duality and contradiction, and even to present day stories of his journey through the game still circulate through the internet by forums and blogs and videos and articles, though very few people with firsthand knowledge are able to corroborate any of the stories told. However, it is without question that Ishi had become one of a handful of legendary players, even if the full truth of his story would never be revealed.

By the time of End War Online, the Blade Master legend had become somewhat of a myth, with stories of Ishi's exploits having circulated all over the internet. Mostly false accounts of Ishi's time in Sword Art Online had proliferated through internet forums, and his title had become somewhat of an urban legend among VRMMORPG players. Very few actually held an accurate accounting of Ishi's time in Sword Art Online, and a true source of information was relegated only to himself and those close to him. By this time, the Blade Master legend depicted Ishi as a vicious and deadly swordsman that lived up to his reputation as the most prolific player killer in Sword Art Online.

However, Ishi's actual name and appearance had been forgotten by this point, so he would be able to carry on without anyone realizing that the fixture of the stories was actually himself. There were a very select few, however, who had been able to dig deeper into his legacy and learn of his true identity, such as [REDACTED], who wished to see for himself the true ability of the Blade Master of Sword Art Online.

After his death in End War Online, his son, Yamato Haseo, would carry Ishi's sword, Raikiri, as a replacement for his own sword which was broken during his first battle with Cyratel. He would carry this sword with him from his father's death to the end of the EWO Incident, using it to strike the decisive final blow against the first Void Avatar.

Personality[]

Ishi's personality could be described as quiet and reserved at best, and extremely sociopathic at worst. Ishi had very little social interaction with his peers at school, resulting in behavior such as self-harm and suicidal or murderous thoughts. Over time, this would be tempered by his childhood friend turned lover, Misaki Akimi, who helped Ishi to function more normally in life.

At the start of the SAO Incident, Ishi's sociopathic tendencies began to show themselves again, seeing the game's world as an opportunity to let himself go and be free to do whatever he wanted. Although still kept mostly in check by Misaki, he had secured a few player kills, and in his most infamous episode he mercilessly killed 7 players in one battle with a complete disregard for the lives of others. After this violent incident, Ishi once again reverted back to his normal, quiet self, continuing to be kept in check by Misaki.

Ishi's bloodlust, however, began to rise again as he encountered Skeith's fragments. With Skeith granting him the ability to feel pain and even bleed in-game, he began to fall once again into his sociopathic tendencies. These traits would only be exacerbated when Ishi gained Skeith in its entirely, slowly descending into his darker nature. This would come to a head when, in a violent fit induced by Skeith, he killed Misaki with his own hands, which then resulted in a freefall into insanity, resulting in the violent deaths of many players. A full rampage was only stopped by Yamato Ovan, who interfered with Corbenik.

After this incident, after waking from his coma, Ishi fell into a deep and silent depression, not even getting out of bed for days on end. When he did, he was lethargic and completely unresponsive to others. His condition slowly improved over time as Asuka Shizuka attempted to break through to him. Once night, however, Ishi completely broke down into tears, crying for the first time in his life, showing a deep remorse and unbearable guilt for Misaki's death.

His condition would then dramatically improve with the support of Asuka and training from Yamato, being taught to temper his anger and hatred and to use his darker nature as a righteous weapon, eventually coalescing into a deep distaste for those who do harm to others and who prey upon the weak. Ishi also came to form senses of honor and loyalty, as well as a strong morality and the ability to discern right from wrong.

During Ishi's final months of SAO, Ishi had returned to a more quiet and reserved personality, but warmer towards others. He, however, is somewhat haunted by the things he'd done, having free time to reflect on his past actions. He becomes remorseful of his past, especially of all the blood he'd shed, and takes no pride in having taken so many lives and destroyed countless others. He deeply desires to make up for his wrongs, but is unsure of how or if he can. In meeting Haru Shimikaze, Ishi is confronted directly about his past, and can only respond that he's resigned to the fact that he cannot change who he was or what he'd done, but says that he can decide who he will be and what he will do. To that end, he resolutely states that he will be better.

After the SAO Incident, Ishi had become even more wise in his age, taking his time to look deep inward over the years and completely process his experiences and changes in Sword Art Online, coming to a deep understanding of himself and the world. Ishi would find his true purpose as a grand master of the Kyosho Style Traditional Martial Arts, and would impart upon others his wisdom, not just for kenjutsu, but for worldly knowledge and self-actualization, utilizing the art of the blade to show others the path he himself undertook in order to become much more than he ever thought he could be.

By the time of EWO, Ishi's personality had become refined and tempered with wisdom and experience in life. During the time in the game, he was extremely calm and didn't speak much, completely fixated on his goal of protecting his son Yamato and finding a way out of the game. With this singular goal in mind, everything else came secondary to Ishi, including the wellbeing of anyone else. To this end, Ishi has shown himself at times to be somewhat callous and heartless, without hesitation showing that he would forsake the entire player population of the game in order to save only his son, as well as a willingness to strike down anything and anyone who may cross paths with him. This was demonstrated most plainly with his operator, Misaki Kujikawa, who he killed without hesitation for binding him in an attempt to convince him to save the rest of the game over only his son. While he may sometimes help others in need, it is clear he will only do so if it does not hinder his progress towards protecting his family, and anything or anyone that does interfere will be met with a swift end, regardless of who they are, including allies and even friends.

His dark nature tended to reveal itself in combat, as Ishi was merciless and did not hesitate when taking the life of an enemy. He had a distaste for long drawn out kills, however, and was exacting in his executions, preferring to kill as quickly and cleanly as possible, though he was not above breaking enemies in other ways should the alternative be unavailable or impractical. Although these traits were indicative of his previous dark nature, Ishi channeled these forces into a righteous weapon to protect those he held dear.

It became clear that Ishi's fixation on rescuing only Yamato came not from a complete disregard for others, but instead the same intense compulsion to protect those he holds dear. To Ishi, the scars of his past still haunt him, and he sees in Yamato one of the few things he's managed to do right. He reiterates to Asuka shortly before entering SAO that he will protect the family he'd made with her no matter what, with the additional understanding that his time was limited due to the effects of the illness caused by Skeith. With precious little time left to accomplish his goal, Ishi knows he cannot afford to focus on anything but saving his son.

Relationships[]

Misaki Akimi - Misaki was Ishi's only childhood friend, helping him through his depression during childhood. It was due to their close bond through the years that they formed a romantic relationship, and ended up sleeping with each other not long before SAO. Ishi cared for Misaki deeply, and had even thought about proposing to her. Misaki was a stabilizing force in his life, constantly at his side and keeping his more violent side in check. Her death by his own hand is the primary catalyst for his dramatic change later on in his journey in SAO.

Misaki more than anyone saw the good that was buried deep within Ishi, and she was able to clearly see through the barriers he'd set up to close himself off from others. Regardless of the situation, Misaki held an unconditional belief in and love for Ishi, and even right up to her final breath she never stopped believing in him, with her final words to Ishi being an assurance that things would be alright.

For the rest of his life, Ishi would remember Misaki and be forever grateful to her for having faith in the person he could be and would eventually become, and it is partly out of a sense of obligation to her that he lives his life as best he can.

Yamato Ovan - From their first encounter, Yamat and Ishi shared a strong rivalry. The two were master swordsmen, and they tested each other's skills often. The two, however, shared a fateful bond. They were truly opposite sides of the same coin, resembling each other, but in the end never facing the same direction. Yamato saw Ishi's potential to either break through his past and become what he couldn't, or fall in the same way he had. Yamato worked to make sure the latter did not happen, and he would succeed at the cost of his own life by Ishi's blade.

Asuka Shizuka - Ishi's second lover and eventual wife. The two met during the SAO incident when Ishi overheard her speaking of a dangerous mission she was going to undertake alone. While Ishi was initially annoyed at Asuka's presence, she persisted in her attempts to get through to him. Eventually Ishi would allow her to tag along with him whenever she fancied, and the two would slowly form a friendship as Asuka worked past Ishi's cold exterior. After Misaki's death, Asuka would be there for Ishi, the two eventually becoming romantically involved.

Ishi comes to respect and admire Asuka, and during his torture at the hands of [REDACTED], he expressed absolute faith in Asuka that she would come for him. He also states plainly that she is much stronger than he is, and stated that while he was captured, [REDACTED] wouldn't be able to even touch her, and as such his threats against her didn't bother Ishi in the slightest.

Ishi would propose to Asuka not long after meeting her in real life after the SAO incident. The two would have a son two years later, Yamato Haseo.

Hao - Ishi originally worked with Hao as the representative to Pendragon Court, though Ishi was always distrustful of Hao, suspecting he was hiding something, despite Hao providing a large amount of valuable information about both Skeith and Corbenik. Originally Hao's intentions were pure, as he understood the threat Skeith posed to the players of Aincrad, and knew Ishi was compatible and could contain it to remove the threat from the game. However, after observing Ishi's violent and unstable behavior and tendencies, he came to the conclusion that Ishi could not be trusted to contain Skeith, and sought to draw it from him so he could take posession of it himself and use it to raise his army. He was aware that the only way to retrieve Skeith from Ishi would be for the latter to die, and thus with some reluctance began planning for Ishi's demise.

Hao was indirectly responsible for Misaki's death, thereby bringing Skeith's full power out of Ishi, managing to claim a copy of it for himself. Hao expected Ishi to be killed by Skeith in the process, but he was unaware of Yamato Ovan's true relationship with Ishi, resulting in Yamato stepping in to contain Skeith. Ishi would survive the ordeal and work to hunt down and kill Hao for his betrayal. The two end up as bitter enemies, and Ishi would come to have conflicting ideals to Hao's.

During their final confrontation, Ishi, who had changed dramatically by this point, questioned Hao's motives and his god complex. Hao stated that he didn't see himself as a god, and drew ire at the idea that he was being compared to Kayaba Akihiko, the man he resented for trapping everyone within the game. However, Hao offered Ishi a place at his side, noting his dramatically different and more stable personality, as well as his power with both Skeith and now Corbenik. Ishi rejected the offer flat out, stating that someone like Hao could not be trusted with Skeith's power, either.

After their battle and Ishi's victory, he and Hao were left alone on the battlefield, where Hao admonished Ishi for not seeing things his way, attempting once more to explain his goals of freeing everyone from the game. He pointed out that if he was the villain, then Ishi was an outright monster, a statement with which Ishi agreed before dealing the final blow and striking Hao down for good.

Knight - Ishi and Knight were ambivalent towards each other from the beginning. Knight only allowed Ishi to work with Pendragon Court due to his trust in Misaki, but would never allow him to join outright. Knight routinely disregarded Ishi's own wellbeing, sending him off on assignments without any consideration for his safety, despite Misaki's protests. Knight made it clear on multiple occasions that he didn't care whether or not Ishi died, as the latter's status as a notorious player killer would have marked him for execution if it weren't for Misaki. After Ishi killed Misaki, Knight almost personally went to hunt Ishi down and kill him himself, but was stopped after Gawain was defeated easily by Yamato.

After Ishi woke up from his coma, he began working with Pendragon Court to stop Hao. While Knight noted the drastic change in Ishi after he woke up, he still didn't believe that Ishi was able to be redeemed after having caused so much death, but due to the present circumstances, he was forced to collaborate with him in order to stop Hao. Over time, however, Knight began to see more of the change in Ishi, which was cemented after Gawain's death to protect him. Ishi and Knight would work directly together during the final battle with Hao, with Knight intervening to protect Ishi from Hao's Supreme Weapon with his unique skill, [REDACTED]. The two then fought against Hao together briefly, before Knight was injured and knocked away from the fight, then relying on Ishi to finish it. After Hao's defeat, Knight conceded that Misaki was perhaps right about Ishi all along, and while he still remembered Misaki's death at his hands, Knight decided that Ishi's own suffering afterwards and his struggle to be better was enough, even if he himself couldn't ever completely forgive him.

During the uprising of the remnants of Hao's army, Knight worked directly with Ishi to settle the matter. When Ishi was taken captive by [REDACTED], he also collaborated with Asuka in order to find and retrieve him. After Ishi was rescued, Knight allowed Ishi to stay in Pendragon Court's HQ, while he recovered.

Gawain - Ishi and Gawain from the start had an extremely hostile relationship. While both were player killers, Gawain was ashamed of his past as a player killer, and despised PKers. This led to his extreme animosity towards Ishi, and Ishi's own attitude towards Gawain led to constant bickering and some fights. However, due to Ishi's relationship with his close friend Misaki, he would stay his blade for her sake. However, among all of the members of Pendragon Court, Gawain was the one who knew that Ishi would eventually be the death of her. When this came to fruition, Gawain sought to kill Ishi himself, only to be soundly defeated in a brief altercation with Yamato.

After Ishi had recovered from his coma and began to assist Pendragon Court against Hao, Gawain noted the drastic departure from Ishi's personality, but still resented him for killing Misaki. Despite this, the two would be forced to work together on a few occasions. On one mission, the two were ambushed by Hao's forces, and in the ensuing fight, Ishi was nearly killed only to be saved by Gawain who placed himself in between Ishi and his attacker, taking the blow while delivering a fatal strike in return. When Ishi asked why Gawain sacrificed himself for his sake, Gawain stated once again how much he hated Ishi, but noted that Misaki had believed in him, even to her dying breath. Through Ishi's struggles against Hao, his series of good deeds, his maturity over his past self as well as his clear remorse for everything he had done before, Gawain conceded that maybe Misaki could have been right despite everything, and chose to place his faith in her wish to see Ishi be better before passing away.

Haru Shimikaze - Ishi first met Haru when tracking down the Skeith fragment in her possession. Upon discovering Ishi's identity as the Blade Master, she immediately became hostile towards him, having been told of his evil deeds from Hao and instructed that he was a danger to everyone in the game. Despite this, at Asuka's insistence, she took up residence at Adeline's inn, though would be distant from Ishi. Ishi, for his part, took a hands-off approach, but knew he couldn't ignore the Skeith fragment in Haru's possession, and would interact and attempt to teach her how Skeith worked and, most crucially, how to control it and not fall under its influence.

Over time, as Haru watched and listened to Ishi in his interactions with the world and others, she began to understand that Ishi was not the evil person she was led to believe. In becoming close to Asuka, Haru learned from her of Ishi's struggles and his attempts to right his wrongs. Haru accompanied Asuka to rescue Ishi from his captivity by Hao's remnants, displaying increased proficiency with her fragment of Skeith, a direct result of observing and listening to Ishi.

Afterwards, when Ishi was boarded in Misaki's old room in Pendragon Court's headquarters, Ishi explained over Misaki's belongings that he was the one who had killed her, and that her death was the culmination of all the terrible things he had done, and that he was justly punished for it. Ishi explained that he didn't want Haru to experience the same suffering he had, and explains to her that despite who he used to be, he wanted to be better so he could protect those precious to him.

After Haru was kidnapped and almost killed by [REDACTED] to extract her fragment of Skeith, Ishi immediately separated Haru from [REDACTED] and healed her with Corbenik. After his battle with [REDACTED], Ishi calmly went back to Haru and carried her on his back to go home. While he appeared calm through the entire ordeal, Asuka confirmed to Haru later that Ishi was in fact in a panic when Haru was hurt.

After this, Ishi and Haru formed a close friendship as they lived together with Asuka and Adeline at her restored inn.

Abilities[]

Sword Art Online[]

Ishi was a naturally skilled swordsman, utilizing his single-handed blade, Arondight, and his clawed gauntlet, Avalon, to an extreme level of ability. He was near undefeatable in close quarters, as his special self-taught fighting style was both deadly and unpredictable, with varying techniques that Ishi could switch between mid-combat to keep an enemy on their toes. His unique skill, Zero Shift, allowed him to achieve ultimate speed and agility in combat and allowed him to evade and close distance near instantaneously in a single step. Ishi possessed no other combat skills, refusing to learn any others and prefering to use his own self-taught techniques unassisted.

Ishi employed an unorthodox reverse grip with Arondight, providing extremely quick and rapid strikes to bring his enemies down. Though he commonly switched back and forth between frontward and reverse grip with his blade mid-combat, he mainly favored a reverse grip. He also incorporated an unusual position of his sword on his back, being diagonally up to his left shoulder instead of his right, which required him to reach his arm across his body in order to grab his sword. This, however, was intentional, as it also allowed for an immediate powerful first strike while unsheathing the blade, with an outward slash possessing more power than an inward one. Ishi was well known for his frightening tendency to immediately appear in an enemy's blind spot, having been able to maneuver his way into any guard from any angle and strike even from awkward positions with pinpoint precision.

He eventually adopted Kuraokami as his primary weapon after Arondight was destroyed in his final fight with Yamato. He continued to employ a reverse grip with the blade, though he also made use of quickdraws and precision strikes as Yamato had before him. It was at this point that he became a true master of the blade.

Ishi was the only player of Sword Art Online compatible with both Skeith and Corbenik, and came to utilize both together in his final battle with Hao. Capable of utilizing both to their fullest, Ishi essentially became the most capable and powerful player in the entirety of Sword Art Online by far, in a total league of his own in terms of ability.

Ishi released both Skeith and Corbenik simultaneously in combat only once against [REDACTED]. In a completely one-sided exchange, Ishi completely dominated his opponent and successfully suppressed both Skeith and Corbenik afterwards, displaying his experience with both.

End War Online[]

During End War Online, Ishi proved his skills had not dulled with time. In fact, they were still razor sharp and incredibly lethal. Far beyond what he achieved in Sword Art Online, Ishi was a master swordsman and undefeatable in combat. Despite only carrying two weapons, the Solid Energy Blade Raikiri and a Boltac Wristbow, he was easily able to best enemies even wielding firearms, with the ability to perfectly cut and deflect bullets and energy bolts with ease, quickly closing the distance and cutting apart an enemy in a fraction of a second. His bladework at this point in time was unrivaled, undefeatable, and practically transcendent. Further, with the use of the Boltac Wristbow as a secondary weapon on his left arm, Ishi was able to partially replicate his fighting style years ago in Sword Art Online, even more refined and deadly, using both the wrist blade and Raikiri in conjunction in combat.

Ishi was also exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, being extremely fast and light on his feet while also being extremely brutal and powerful, able to subdue and even kill without a weapon easily. His fighting style was extremely direct and hyper-aggressive, and Ishi rarely ever let up on his attack until all threats were eliminated. The aggressive nature of his hand-to-hand fighting style turned most movements into attacks, including defensive maneuvers such as blocking and dodging, to the point where Ishi would continue to attack even while being attacked himself

Ishi was the second Voidwalker in the history of End War Online,  which made him completely immune to the effects of Void and gave him a decisive edge against enemies who used it.

Music Theme[]


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