Shuu Iwamine

Shuu Iwamine
Real World
Debut	Hatoful Boyfriend: A School of Hope and White Wings
Theme	Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Voice	Koyasu Takehito
Heartful Stats
Gender	Male
Species	Chukar partridge
Occupation	School doctor
Alias(es)	Souma Isa Utsuro Ichijou Mishio Isshiki Wallenstein (By Anghel Higure) Calamitous Sorceror (By Anghel Higure) Merciless Dark Sorcerer (By Anghel Higure) Fate-Changing Nightwing (By Anghel Higure) Valentine (By Lute Infini) Valley-time (By Lute Infini) Partrouge Assistant Branch Manager of Darkness

"This partridge is Iwamine Shuu, the school doctor. He's rather creepy in person, and has a bad reputation among the student body. Everyone knows that even just talking to him can bring you down with aspergillus, psittacosis, or even worse things. And I never even heard him come in the door...ninja doctor!?"

—Hiyoko Tosaka

Shuu Iwamine (岩峰 舟) runs the infirmary at St. Pigeonation's, and is one of the dateable birds in Hatoful Boyfriend: A School of Hope and White Wings. He's a chukar partridge, disliked throughout the school for his unsettling demeanor and habit of threatening to make nosy students into experimental specimens. For this reason, there are rumors the doctor has a hand in the disappearance of students and their subsequent reappearance as cafeteria meat and gift shop quill pens. Students who enter his office will discover he tends to appear from behind without any warning, a disturbing phenomenon which has been deemed one of the Seven Mysteries of St. Pigeonation's.

Shuu speaks in a calm monotone and has an unreactive, antisocial personality. He doesn't connect or empathize with others well and much prefers spending time in the laboratory, though his passion for medical research has earned him a formidable reputation worldwide as an authority on pathology.

A translated version of his guidebook short story, "Collapse of the Tower," can be read here.

Early Life

Childhood

Shuu was born Utsuro Ichijou (壱条 虚) to wealthy members of the Parent Human Party in Aves High City, and developed a cynical outlook on life very early on as a result of his parents' neglect. In March 2165, his family was killed in a terrorist bombing of the Ichijou building in Area A23, Section 1, and despite immediate treatment, Utsuro was unconscious for three days and lost most sensorimotor skills on the right half of his body, as well as the ability to perceive any color but red. He also became shortsighted as a result of the injuries. Three years later, Utsuro at age six transferred his inheritance to his remaining relatives and disappeared, changing his identity to Souma Isa (伊佐 湊真) and joining an extremist faction of the Hawk Party known as the Earth Crawlers in 2169 as a medical researcher.

While working for the Hawk Party, Souma Isa worked under the gifted scientist Ryuuji Kawara, whom he admired greatly and considered exclusively worthy of his respect. The group used human samples for their research, which would eventually blossom into Operation Hurtful. Souma was determined to surpass his mentor in skill and intuition, though never realized this goal and was greatly affected when the latter succumbed to disease contracted on an island expedition in 2177. Ryuuji made a final request that if the doctor were to encounter his son, Ryouta Kawara, he fulfill a wish for the boy in his father's stead. Medicine Souma developed during his research career was used to cure the ailing Monsieur Le Bel, earning him a favorable international reputation and endearing him to the Le Bel family. He was eventually promoted to head of the First Biology Research Division.

Operation Hurtful

It was not until 2180 in the aftermath of the Heartful House incident that Souma found Ryouta, at the time with his childhood friend Hiyoko. Having witnessed the fallout of the ongoing conflict between humans and birds, the children wished the two groups could live together peacefully. Souma promised to fulfill this desire in order to accomplish Ryuuji's "one final challenge" to him, and began a plot of bioterrorism which would span many years. After studying the remains of the human soldiers killed in the confrontation, Souma pursued the one responsible for their deaths, a surviving orphan named Nageki Fujishiro whose body was host to the Charon Virus.

Nageki at the time was living in an apartment with the only other remaining Heartful House resident, Hitori Uzune. Concerned for his well-being, Hitori consulted a number of hospitals hoping to find a method of treating his roommate's condition, which made him unable to attend a traditional school. Through word of mouth in the medical community, Souma was able to get into contact with the orphans and invited Nageki to enroll at St. Pigeonation's, where he would be accommodated with living space in the school's state-of-the-art medical center and a full-ride scholarship. Hitori encouraged his adoptive brother to attend, and Nageki, despite his initial reluctance, became a freshman at the academy in 2183.

The following summer vacation, he was confined to the medical center as "Subject 00" to be researched by the Hawk Party, under the pretense of intensive treatment for his condition. During this time he was unable to contact Hitori under threat of the researchers taking him hostage. Souma and colleagues ran a series of tests under the name Operation Hurtful on the airborne Charon Virus's ability to induce asphyxiation in primates, though understanding he was the cause of their deaths had averse effects on Nageki's mental health. Hitori gathered something was amiss due to the lack of contact and infiltrated the premises on August 29th -- though not before Nageki started a fire which destroyed most of the facility. Before taking his own life, Nageki asked the older bird to ensure none of his remains survived the fire so that the virus strain would be forever eliminated. For the most part, this request was fulfilled, but Souma managed to recover burnt tissues and preserve the virus still living in them through cryogenic storage. The project was thus suspended until a new host could be found.

St. Pigeonation's 2184-2188

Sometime during the next three years, Souma changed his identity to Shuu Iwamine – likely to avoid detection by the Dove Party – and much of the medical center was sealed off, making St. Pigeonation's appear to be an ordinary school by the time Hiyoko enrolled.

Under the Hawk Party's Pigeonation Project, Shuu began working in the school infirmary, researching the students in a more latent fashion as potential sources of biological weaponry, taking a particular interest in Okosan's physical strength, Anghel's hallucinogenic pheromones, and Ryouta's potential candidacy for the next Charon Virus host. Shuu was aware of many of the secrets at the academy, such as Sakuya's true identity, information he uses in Hatoful Boyfriend as a bargaining chip to keep Yuuya under his control. As he was a Dove Party agent sent to keep tabs on Isa Souma, Yuuya assists Shuu at the infirmary as his "second in command," and they are often at odds with one another.

Shuu takes advantage of Ryouta's frailty by slowly introducing the Charon Virus into his system whenever he visits on account of one of his frequent stomach aches. In the Bad Boys Love route, Ryouta unwittingly reaches his full potential as an agent of biological warfare and kills Hiyoko when she visits him after school one day in the infirmary.

Spoilers end here.

Hatoful Boyfriend: A School of Hope and White Wings

Such Beautiful Eyes You Have
Pretty Rolling Eyes くるりころころ
Ending Number:	09
Unlocks:	Archive File #5
v • e

ED no.09

Shuu meets Hiyoko in 2188 on her first day as a sophomore, when she is searching the office for Ryouta. Thus far she had never been to the infirmary prior due to her exceptional health, and he doesn't take to her very kindly. When she decides to join the infirmary staff, he catches her going through his open file drawer claiming she was told to tidy up. He chases her off and warns her to be careful where she goes poking around.

That spring, at the sports festival, Shuu does field research on the marathon participants as he does every year, taking notes on as he eventually begins testing a performance-enhancing drug on Okosan.

Hiyoko wishes to rule the world from the shadows, and is able to progress to the following scene(s).

Shuu becomes fascinated with Hiyoko's budding interest in him. She visits the infirmary again during a break period and says she wanted to hear his voice. Later, he confronts Yuuya after school on the suspicion that the French pigeon has been searching his desk. When Hiyoko appears, Yuuya assures him the two were together in the courtyard, but Hiyoko denies this alibi, earning the doctor's favor. Shuu ushers her out of the infirmary and promptly kills Yuuya and preserves his flesh.

Before the students leave for summer vacation, Hiyoko asks if she'll be needed during break and at the same time confronts Shuu about rumors of missing students. She says it would be "cool" if the urban legend were true, which the doctor keeps in mind without telling her anything more on the subject. Dr. Iwamine spends the summer alone continuing research at the institution until he is invited by Hiyoko to the summer festival, who is so eager at the prospect she asked him to accompany her on the "0.05% chance" he would actually appear. Shuu condemns the spiritual origins of such a festival but attends with her regardless, in exchange for a lock of her hair. With each encounter the doctor's interest in primate psychology grows.

Shuu kills Anghel during this time, and he is grateful when Hiyoko retrieves the missing bird's ID from the stairwell and brings it to him. At the cultural festival, Shuu is supposedly the sponsor of the science club and can be seen depositing unneeded refuse in the school's incinerator. He refuses Hiyoko's invitation to lunch that day and becomes increasingly frustrated at her unpredictable nature.

The doctor consults his colleague Kazuaki on the ambiguous "statistical deviation" in the student data from recent years but receives no useful insight. That November, Hiyoko confesses her feelings for Shuu, which he claims to return to some extent. Since Yuuya hasn't been seen at St. Pigeonation's for over a month, Hiyoko takes on most of the infirmary duties in his stead. Dr. Iwamine sends a package to her on Christmas Eve containing a pen made from Yuuya's feather and Yuuya's flesh presented so that Hiyoko mistakes it for a Christmas chicken.

On Legumentine's, Hiyoko gifts the doctor some racing blend beans, though he is more impressed by the social construct of their expensive price tag than by the romantic gesture. Weeks later, Shuu dismembers an unidentified student in the infirmary, leaving the room and its evidence for Hiyoko to discover when she arrives for her last day of duty. There Hiyoko learns that the bird she had eaten on Christmas had been Yuuya. Shuu explains he can't love her more strongly than he already loves his research, but is pleased by her dedication, and so promises to put her body and brain to good experimental use while keeping her head as a trophy, and promptly kills Hiyoko by slicing her neck with a cleaver.

The Happy Couple
Mutual Love 相思相愛
Ending Number:	10
Unlocks:	Archive #10
v • e

ED no.10: Mutual Love

If Hiyoko's wisdom is too low, the game stops here and unlocks "Such Beautiful Eyes You Have".

In the extended ending, Shuu goes on the run with Hiyoko's remains, and becomes a target of the Hawk Party's field agents for refusing to turn over the highly classified sample HB:087, her brain. He finds himself more attracted to her after having preserved her head in a jar, and is opposed to the idea of simply relinquishing her to the Hawk Party. The doctor plans to break the jar and commit suicide, though only after confirming Hiyoko did indeed have feelings for him. Hiyoko has three response options:

►Yes
►Yes
►Yes

He breaks the jar, jumping into the water, and is immediately gunned down by RS-17 and RS-14.

Hatoful Boyfriend Manga

Webcomic

Absolute Zero - the Forbidden Epic of Fallen Angels

Hatoful Boyfriend Drama CDs

Shuu is voiced by 子安武人(Koyasu Takehito) in all drama CDs to date.

Physical Description

As a human, Shuu has dull lavender eyes and a dress shirt of the same color. He wears a cream sweater over this, perhaps to represent the chukar's breast of the same color, and a striped tie which bears some resemblance to the wings of a chukar partridge. Shuu sports characteristic red-rimmed glasses meant to evoke the red ring around the eyes of a chukar partridge. His hair is long, the same light brown as the chukar's plumage, and all tied back with a purple ribbon but for his full bangs and two long locks of hair on either side of his face. As a researcher, he always wears an open lab coat. Sometimes in his bird form he is drawn wearing this oversized coat and his tie.

File:ShrineDateShuuIwamine.png

Shuu's shrine date (pre-remake)

Because the chukar partridge is a comparatively robust bird, Shuu appears more portly than the rest of the cast, though his human form confirms this is not the case.

Shuu's expressions are very subdued. Yuuya describes his pale complexion as "girlish."

Shuu Iwamine is confirmed to be colorblind. He may have Incomplete Achromatopsia, or rather acquired Cerebral Achromatopsia, due to his injuries as a child. Whether his colorblindness stems from his eyes or the brain itself, is unknown. He is unable to distinguish any color except red, and any other color appears to him as grey. His general eyesight also is pretty bad, and is a result of those same injuries.

Although not explicitly stated, Shuu Iwamine has some kind of Hemiparesis. Which also stems from his injuries. He is "somewhat unable to use the right side of his body", and his sensori-motor skills are weakened. As proven by the events of BBL, taking damage to his left arm and leg puts Shuu in a state where he requires a wheelchair. Despite that, his face doesn't seem to be paralyzed, as he can emote and speak clearly.

It's not directly referenced, but it really doesn't take much to figure out that Shuu suffers from mental illness. It may go beyond that, but Shuu definitely is depressed.

Personality and Traits

Mysterious and difficult to read, is the easiest way to describe Shuu. But even though he comes off as antisocial and aloof, he is notoriously known for his very questionable sense of humor. Shuu seems hardly interested in anything unless it can further his (broadly said) "research", to the point it very obviously impacts his health, and the health of others.

His catchphrase is his "hohoho" laugh. In Japanese, the laugh is written as "くくく"(kukuku), in reference to the classic clucking sound that chukars make. Judging from the Drama CD, the laugh is actually more of a muffled chuckle, rather than a Santa Claus-esque belly-laugh.

Shuu enjoys threatening, and vocalizing his fantasies about dissecting fellow characters. His bluntness and indifference about death is what sometimes seems to go hand-in-hand with Professor Nanaki, though this is mostly shown in the Drama CDs.

Shuu lives very strictly by his own isolated philosophy; living to garner knowledge, for himself, and not necessarily anyone else. As proven by a scene in Holiday Star; Shuu seems absolutely delighted by the idea of staying in a comatose state forever, with just enough brain functionality to discover new things in the world of dreams. Claiming that the nonnecessity to tend to his physical body is "a truly pure state of being".

But despite having this kind of depressing, lunatic persona, there is a chance that, to some degree, it is a facade. And this is supported by his very complicated feelings towards and about Ryuuji Kawara. Ryuuji vastly shaped Shuu and Isa as a human being, during his life, and certainly after his death.

Shuu seems to cherish things that are reminiscent of the doctor, with more and less subtle details. Beside the fact that he apparently displays letters and postcards from Ryuuji in the Infirmary, in Holiday Star, he was also very quick to take Miru & Kaku under his wing, even if they seem like personifications of everything that usually annoys him. By the end of Holiday Star, he seems relatively sympathetic to the twins. All his compassionate actions stem from Ryuuji's influence.

Shuu is most definitely sadistic, and has a fascination with dissecting anyone and everyone. Striking fear and pain into people seems to genuinely bring him happiness.

Relationships

Family

It is implied that Shuu did not have a very close relationship with his parents, nor anyone else in his family. In his story for the guidebook, it's said they were neglectful and he did not care much about their passing. In fact, he felt relieved to be finally separated from them. From his own perspective, he believes that his parents were disappointed in him, in how he turned out, and that fueled their distaste and abuse towards him.

Ryuuji Kawara

"You died before I could confess my feelings. And I've chased your shadow ever since."

Ryuuji took Isa under his wing when he joined the Hawk Party, and Isa's fellow researcher. Isa respected him greatly, considering him the greatest researcher alive and the only bird he ever truly cared for. Shuu's goal was to surpass him. Ryuuji frequently reminded Isa to eat, invited him on business trips, and similar, possibly breaking his cool, distant exterior (like the butterfly in Shuu's picture book). However, Isa did not understand the depth of his affections until Ryuuji's death. Ryuuji's dying wish was for Isa to do something nice for Ryouta. Isa subsequently arranged the events of BBL to fulfill that legacy.

In Holiday Star, Shuu adopted Ryuuji's lab creations Miru & Kaku. He is also prompted to help the rest of the cast defeat the king only after the Migrant (Ryuuji) encourages him to. All his compassionate actions stem from Ryuuji's influence. Shuu is reluctant to be the Migrant's friend, denying they met before. At the end of the game, Shuu is most rattled by the holiday star's events, and keeps the fossil the Migrant gave him on his desk.

Ryouta Kawara

Shuu's feelings towards Ryouta are complicated. He is aware that Ryouta is not his father, only has 50% of his DNA, and otherwise is a whole different person. But just like with many things, Shuu tries to cover his feelings as nothing more than "for the sake of research", or in Ryouta's case, "for the sake of his own wish".

He doesn't treat Ryouta much differently than any other student, with the exception of his medical treatment in BBL.

Shuu can't help but feel torn, because despite all this, Ryouta reminds him of Ryuuji so much.

Hiyoko Tosaka

At first, Shuu only ever saw Hiyoko for what she was; The Hurtful Project's Human Representative. He is often annoyed by her rowdy and nosy personality, but otherwise doesn't mind her.

Though his ending is mostly up for interpretation, with the rest of his personality and events in mind, it's safe to assume that Shuu mostly ever felt infatuated about Hiyoko's brain, and possibly her eyes, rather than her as a person. He became attracted to Hiyoko due to her unfaltering curiosity about him, despite his very openly dangerous aura.

But in the end, in all scenarios, Hiyoko ended up serving as a tool for Shuu to forward his goals.

Yuuya Sakazaki

Shuu and Yuuya share a mutually bittersweet bond. Though both of them are aware of their actual hidden identities, they are forced to co-exist in the school, and not raise suspicion about their individual projects.

Yuuya's goal is to gather information regarding Shuu, Isa Souma, but due to Shuu permanently acting suspicious, he can't distinguish what is a prank and what isn't, failing at his job as a spy.

Shuu relies on Yuuya pretty confidently regarding some tasks, because he has the dove under his peer pressure.

Unlike himself, Yuuya is the vastly more liked Infirmary Staff member, due to the fact that he doesn't plan on hurting his patients.

In the Drama CD, Yuuya weirdly enough warns fellow characters about Shuu's literal bloodlust, in a pretty neutral and pokerfaced manner.

Etymology

Shuu consists of the kanji character 舟 (shū), "boat, ship". Iwamine consists of the kanji characters 岩 (iwa), "boulder, rock, cliff", and 峰 (mine), "peak, summit, back of a blade".

Additionally, the Japanese word for "chukar patridge" is 岩鷓鴣/イワシャコ (iwashako). The first character appears in his name.

Mishio consists of the kanji character 深 (mi), "deep, close, profound". Isshiki consists of the kanji characters 一 (i), "one", and 式 (shiki), "ritual, formula".

Souma consists of the kanji characters 湊 (sou), "port, harbor", and 真 (ma), "real, true". Isa consists of the kanji characters 伊 (i), "that one", and 佐 (sa), "assistant, help".

Utsuro consists of the kanji character 虚 (utsuro), "emptiness, fissure, untruth". Ichijou consists of the kanji characters 壱 (ichi), "one", and 条 (jou), "article, clause".

Trivia

• Hiyoko lists off a few of the chemicals found in the doctor's office: ethylpar (えさるぱら, esarupara), tri-fe (とろふえ, torofue), and lucio benzene (るさおのべんぜ, lusao no benze), all of which are fictional. Ethylpar may be similar to the preservative ethylparaben, while tri-fe might be a compound with iron or, more worryingly, the birth control Tri-Legest Fe. Benzene is highly toxic and a carcinogen, and lucio is latin for light, which would make this "light benzene."
• There is a bottle in the lower right corner of the infirmary background labeled "C₁₀H₁₅N": a chemical formula that can refer to methamphetamine.
• According to Hiyoko, Shuu's voice sounds like Snufkin, a character from the Finnish book series Moomin. Shuu's character voice is Takehito Koyasu, who also played Snufkin in the 90's anime adaptations of Moomin.
• Shuu kills Hiyoko on Valentine's Day. According to Anghel in the webcomic, this day is also the day the dark sorcerer Wallenstein was revived.
• Shuu's preferred Legumentine's bean is racing blend, for its interesting medical properties.
• Due to his "hohoho" laugh and portly bird self, he has been jokingly portrayed as the partidge in a pear tree in the song "12 Days of Christmas".
• This partridge's preferred tool is a chinese cleaver, a chuka bocho (中華包丁).
• Hato Moa jokingly says the doctor's theme song is Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy because "he’s as sweet as a sugar plum."
• During the summer festival, Shuu comments on his love of fireworks with the line, "If only I could be so grossly incandescent", a reference to the Knight Solaire of Astora who famously uses the same line in Dark Souls while admiring the sun.
• In Indian mythology the chukar partridge sometimes symbolizes intense, and often unrequited, love.
• In an interview in the How & Why of Pigeonation's, Yuuya confirms that Shuu's eyesight is very bad. If he doesn't have his glasses, he becomes wobbly and dizzy. A very weak spot for him.

Tips

• He can be pursued by Hiyoko if she decides to join the infirmary. In the demo, the option to join the infirmary staff is available from the start, whereas in the full and HD versions, the player must complete at least one playthrough before unlocking the choice for the infirmary.
• His Tanabata wish reads, "Just who will be granting my wish, and how?" If Hiyoko wishes to rule the world from the shadows, it will boost her Wisdom.
• The doctor is one of the three birds with a normal and complete ending. Earning the full ending requires a superior Wisdom stat.
• During battle scenes, if the option is available, aiming for Shuu's left limbs will cripple him.

Gallery

Shuu's concept art

Isa Souma

Drawn for Glasses Day, inspired by Kingsman and The Shining

Notes and References

Characters Main Hiyoko Tosaka · Ryouta Kawara · Sakuya Le Bel Shirogane · Nageki Fujishiro · Yuuya Sakazaki · Okosan · Kazuaki Nanaki · Shuu Iwamine · Anghel Higure · Tohri Nishikikouji Side Albert Alain Alkan · Azami Koshiba · Death · Hitori Uzune · Kazuaki-kun · Kenzaburou Urushihara · Kouichi Sasai · Leone JB · Miru & Kaku · Rabu · Ryuuji Kawara · The King Other Amazing Tosaka · Brian Pigeon · Chunkichi Kadomae · Domingo Santos · Hoppe · Kanta · Kokoro · Mino Ichijou · Momo · Nacchin · Pelicano · Punkgeons · Pyonpyon · Sweet Shuu · Terry Mukai · Tsukkun · Yuki Shirojiro · Yuusuke