| Gouki Shibukawa | |
 | |
| Name | |
|---|---|
| Kanji Name | 渋川 剛気 |
| Kana Name | しぶかわ ごうき |
| First Appearance | |
| Anime | Start! |
| Manga | The Festival Has Begun!! |
| Information | |
| Origin | Japan |
| Age | 75 |
| Hair Color | Grey |
| Height | 155 cm (5'1") |
| Weight | 47 kg (103 lbs) |
| Fighting Style | Shibukawa-ryuu Jujutsu & Judo |
| Original Dub | Hiroshi Naka (2001) Bin Shimada (2018) |
| English Dub | R Bruce Elliott (2001) Vic Mignogna (2018) Kyle McCarley (2019-Present) |
| Relations | Kihei Mikoshiba (Master) |
| “ | Your techniques and mine... I am far too young to say it doesn't matter whose are superior! | ” |
– Shibukawa to Doppo Orochi. | ||
Gouki Shibukawa (渋川 剛気, Shibukawa Gōki) is a fictional character from Baki the Grappler series. He is a master of jujutsu who participates in the underground fighting arena. Later he becomes one of the major characters in the series. Shibukawa is sixty years of age, and has trained since prior to World War II.
He is often called by the title of "the Master" (達人, Tatsujin).
Personality[]
Shibukawa is rather a calm person, but he also has a hidden, more violent personality, and that side of him appears when it is needed. He has shown to have an arrogant, battle-hungry and even ruthless nature at times. He even attacked his master, Kihei Mikoshiba, in full deadly combat (only to be sliced with a katana on the back by him).
He has also shown to have a very twisted and comedic personality, such as throwing a large iron kettle at Ryuukou Yanagi and telling him it's hot water, then laughing and telling him that in truth the water was cold. He likes to put his opponents in a state of consternation and make them not know what to think about him by acting like a weak old man. For example, just before the start of the fight against Koushou Shinogi, he started asking the judge if he could leave the arena for a while and go to the toilet, explaining that age makes it more difficult to control physiological needs.
He has a very traditionalist and strict attitude to martial arts. He never warms up before his duels and believes that real martial arts are always ready for a war. At the same time, he is not enough of a traditionalist to use only typical jujutsu techniques in a match. Shibukawa believes that anything is allowed in a real fight and can even go as far as perform a headbutt during a duel, not limiting himself to using only traditional fighting moves.
Like many aged fighters, he has a tendency to look down on younger opponents and willing to give them a lesson. He started to respect Doppo Orochi only after their match, for example. At first he thought very little about Doppo, considering him an amateur, but later Gouki even told him that he want to live another ten years just to fight with fighters like Doppo. The two occasionally get together and talk, and are seen chatting in Shinshinkai Dojo having a drink of Habu sake from Okinawa.
He is a proficient and seasoned fighter and combatant, having fought for years and participating in many wars for his country, has grown very wise in his years of life. Due to his master's teachings, he is overly cautious, so much so in fact that he imagined a treacherous ocean and an unmovable door blocking his path to a fight with Ryuukou Yanagi, because his sub-conscious sensed that Yuujirou Hanma was in the area.
Appearance[]
Gouki is an old man of average height at age 70 with black hair and his sides beginning to whiten with age. In the third anime series, his hairstyle changed a bit as his hair weren't forming an oval shape and became more angular, making it look as if it was raised. Wearing large framed tortoise shell made glasses and having a glass right eye. Attire wise he wears an Aikido uniform consisting of a plain white keikogi shirt with a quilted design on bottom tucked inside his black hakama pants. He is actually pretty well built under his kimono, but for decency he prefers keeping it and compared to the rest of the cast he is still scrawny.
In his youth Shibukawa's appearance was no different except having a head full of black hair, he wore no glasses and wore a simple judo uniform same top and plain white pants. In the second series of the manga, Shibukawa is shown wearing a simple yukata and obi underneath a haori coat and geta shoes.
History[]
Baki the Grappler[]
Past[]
In the past Gouki Shibukawa was a ruthless fighter whose loves fighting, and his bloodlust made him into the man he is today. He joined the army during WW2 and became an assassin killer and fought just for fun.
Shibukawa during his younger days.
At age 36, Shibukawa sits humbly opposite his master, Kihei Mikoshiba, and asks him what the perfect art of self-defense is. Mikoshiba answers him that achieving this goal is an extremely difficult thing and that even he is only in the middle of his "journey". Mikoshiba also states that Shibukawa has a chance to achieve a high level of self-defense due to his potential. Additionally, Mikoshiba tells Shibukawa about the fact that true self-defense is a phenomenon where no techniques are really needed, because the subconscious stops the fighter from going into too much dangerous situation.
Three years later, he challenged his Mikoshiba to a match while all the other students were afraid to face the sensei. He faced his sensei, making the first attack, managing to counter Mikoshiba's throw with his own. He again charged at Mikoshiba, seemingly with the intent to kill, but the sensei, seeing the bloodlust in his eyes, quickly grabbed a sword Shibukawa had thrown earlier and slashed him across his back. Shibukawa turns around and declares that he has achieved full mastery, and that from that moment forward the dojo will be the Shibukawa-style dojo
Maximum Tournament Saga[]
Shibukawa fighting Roger Harlon.
Gouki Shibukawa appears for the first time during the Maximum Tournament at the Underground Arena. He meets Baki Hanma, who begins to act as a kind of second for him. Both of them immediately establish a specific but at the same time friendly relationship, and Baki keeps his glasses for the time of the fight. Shibukawa is treated by the commentator and audience as an unbelievable legend of martial arts. The first opponent of the old master in the tournament is Roger Harlon, a huge Olympic wrestler. Harlon informs Shibukawa that he intends to crush him with all his might as an act of respect. Unfortunately, it turns out that the wrestler has no chance in a clash with the great jujutsu master. Harlon tries to brutally rush at the old master, but it is ineffective. Shibukawa uses several techniques, and at the end he squeezes his finger into Harlon's neck, causing him to lose consciousness. After the fight is over, Baki gives back a glasses to Shibukawa, and have a short conversation in a friendly atmosphere.
Shibukawa and Koushou Shinogi.
In the second round, Shibukawa's opponent is Koushou Shinogi, a karateka known as the "Cord-Cutter". Before the match begins, Shibukawa asks the referee if he can still go to the toilet, explaining that at some age the body starts to fail. At the beginning of the fight, the old master does not take any fighting stance, and confused Koushou begins to attack first, but any of his moves gives no effect, because Shibukawa counterattacks all the upcoming attacks in his direction and every time Shinogi ends up on the ground. Shibukawa tells the young karateka to start fighting seriously, so Koushou smiles and admits that he actually held back because of the age of his opponent. Annoyed Shibukawa calls him an imbecile and says he shouldn't underestimate him since he became a master before Koushou was even born. Koushou tries to use his famous Cord-Cut technique, but this is also neutralized by the old jujutsu master. The desperate karateka finally uses the Eyeground Crush and Shibukawa finally takes some damage. Koushou thinks he crushed the old master's left eye, but it turns out that Shibukawa actually wears an artificial eyeball in his left eye socket. The great jujutsu master attacks the karateka with surprise and defeats him with another powerful throw. When the match is over, Shibukawa tells the unconscious Koushou that he was very close and repeats that at some age the body starts to fail referring to his artificial eye.
Shibukawa during his fight with Doppo.
The next opponent of Shibukawa is Doppo Orochi. Before the duel begins, Izou Motobe talks to the old jujutsu master and asks him if he is concerned about the power of Doppo. Shibukawa responds that he considers his next opponent as an ordinary athlete. The fight begins with Doppo performing a blow to Shibukawa, which is typically counterattacked by a powerful jujutsu technique called Aiki, which allows Shibukawa to make the incoming force of the blow return to the opponent with even more power. At some point, Doppo deliberately stops attacking so that Shibukawa can't counteract any blow. This strategy provokes the old jujutsu master to make his first offensive move and this time Doppo is the one who counterattacks, performing his special technique called the Bodhisattva Fist. At some point, when both fighters understand that they have already taken a lot of damage, they slowly begin to get close to each other, knowing that the next move can end this match. Doppo manages to hit Shibukawa once again with a strong blow. Eventually, however, Shibukawa knocks him out with a powerful throw, dynamically pressing Doppo's head to the ground. After the match, the old jujutsu master admits that for the first time in his life he felt fear of his opponent. After a while, the lying Doppo tries to provoke Shibukawa to kill him, because his pride does not allow him to end this fight in such a way, but the old man refuses, saying that he would like to face him again some day.
In the semi-finals, Shibukawa's opponent is Jack Hammer. Before the fight begins, the glass in the old master's glasses breaks as a sign of something bad. Izou Motobe and Junichi Hanada come to the locker-room, offering the old man that they will take him to the arena to show him their respect and culture. Shibukawa stumbles twice on his way to the ring and imagines a big wooden door that prevents him from going any further, as if the great master subconsciously senses a big danger, which he should not face (this is what his master once told him about).
Shibukawa and Jack Hammer.
However, eventually the fight begins and the Shibukawa manages to avoid all of Jack's blows. Just before the start of the fight, the old jujutsu master took a sip of water, which he spits out with a strong stream in the so-called "tear duct" (unusual vitality point) of Jack during the fight. Thanks to this trick, Jack feels like he's drowning in water for a while. Shibukawa dominates for a moment and uses a powerful throw, but at some point Jack starts to using his bites and overwhelms the jujutsu master with his brutal force. The old man tries to defend himself using Aiki, but eventually Jack finds a way to neutralize his technique and almost knocks Shibukawa out with a brutal punch. Barely standing on his feet, Shibukawa tries to use one more throw against Jack as an act of ultimate desperation, but Jack unexpectedly counteracts with the Aiki technique and performs a brutal kick, crushing Shibukawa into the ground and achieving a clean victory. After their match, Motobe and Hanada runs to the lying Shibukawa, who tells them that thanks to this fight he understood Jack's true power and that no one is able to defeat this monster who is completely different from the normal fighters.
Baki[]
Most Evil Death Row Convicts Saga[]
Some time later after the tournament, some guest pays a visit to Shibukawa in his house. That person is Ryuukou Yanagi, an old friend of his and one of the five convicts who came to Tokyo in searching of "defeat". They talk to each other for a while and Yanagi criticize Shibukawa for losing his fight in the tournament. Also, it turns out that Yanagi was the person who once deprived the old jujutsu master of his eye in battle. After a while, their conversation turns into a short duel, which Yanagi wins with a dirty trick. He throws a kettle of boiling water at him and uses Shibukawa's astonishment to almost give him a deadly blow, stopping at the last second and confidently stating that this is another Shibukawa's losing battle.
Later, Shibukawa comes into the Underground Arena along with Doppo Orochi, Kaoru Hanayama, Kaiou Retsu and Baki Hanma. They meets five convicts in the place, then set the rules of their "game" and a kind of war between two teams begins.
Shibukawa fighting Ryuukou Yanagi.
Some time later, Baki is assaulted by Ryuukou Yanagi behind the school. During their fight, Shibukawa appears suddenly and attacks Yanagi. The old jujusu master unexpectedly throws a kettle at Yanagi, warning him that the water is warm. Surprised, Yanagi reflexively grabs the kettle with his hands, as Shibukawa did before, and realizes that the water inside is cold. Shibukawa bursts out laughing, enjoying his specific joke, and this time he is the one that uses his opponent's astonishment to perform an attack. They have a short match and then Yanagi pulls out a claw-looking weapon. Shibukawa states that if Yanagi plays dirty, then he will make a duo with Baki and the two of them will defeat the convict. The duo begins to dominate Yanagi, but eventually the convict uses his Vacuum Palm technique against Baki and defeats him. Then it turns out that the police are coming to the scene and Yanagi is running away. Shortly after the whole situation there is a meeting in the Tokugawa's house about Baki's defeat. Mitsunari Tokugawa by himself and five main fighters, including Shibukawa, takes part in the meeting. When Baki is berated by Tokugawa for failing to defeat the convict, they are attacked by Dorian, who torched the place.
He encounters Oliva while at the police station and defeats him in a strength contest. He later fights him in a judo match and breaks his hand. He gives Oliva a black belt as a reward for flipping him.
Shibukawa goes to a park to fight Yanagi and encounters an imaginary wall. At first, he thinks it is because of Yanagi, but when he gets there, he realizes it was because of Yuujirou.
Godlike Clash of the Kids Saga[]
He spars with Alai Jr. in the park and loses after being struck by his fist. He later challenges him to a rematch where he smashes his face against several surfaces until he gets bored and leaves.
Baki-Dou[]
He confronts Musashi Miyamoto for killing Retsu. He overwhelms with Aiki, pins him to the ground and punches him in the face.
Abilities[]
Shibukawa is a master of the Japanese fighting style Jujutsu and the art named Aiki. He is one of the few people among the main cast not rippling with muscle or destroying concrete like cardboard. Gouki uses a more pragmatic approach than most, to take down more physically imposing foes. Even in old age his strength and power have not decreased, with him being able to flip, throw and even injure larger and stronger opponents than himself, like Doppo Orochi, Jack Hanma, Biscuit Oliva and Kyogei. Shibukawa's fighting style is well-known among police officers and sometimes he goes to police station and gives them lessons about martial arts.
As a master of the technique named Aiki, Shibukawa is a master of redirecting the force back at an opponent. During the Maximum Tournament, he was able to make his way into the final four defeating Doppo Orochi along the way before losing to Jack Hanma. In the second series, Shibukawa defeated Mohammad Alai Jr by breaking his finger, throwing, and slamming him rapidly to a jungle of trees. Shibukawa can also unconsciously sense danger as seen before he fights Jack Hanma when his body falls over to escape the ring. Also, he is shown to sense Yuujirou's power which is depicted as world ending events as such the earth breaking open and tsunamis appearing before him.
Even though in the series Shibukawa is called a master of the old style of jujutsu, his moves are more like aikido. When he fights Doppo, it is said that he represents jujutsu (most of Shibukawa's techniques resemble those of aikido).
Techniques[]
- Throat Stab – used against Roger Harlon for the first time.
- Aiki – Shibukawa's most powerful move; used against Jack Hanma or Doppo Orochi; for example.
- Headbutt – used once against Doppo Orochi.
- Foot Sweep – used against Doppo Orochi.
- Stomp – used against Doppo Orochi.
- Finger-Grab – used against Mohammad Alai Jr.
- Ippon Ken – used against Kyogei.
- Dashinage – used once against Kyogei.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The name Gouki means "bravery" (剛気). Gouki's surname Shibukawa means "astringent, hesitate, reluctant, have diarrhea" (渋) (shibu) and "river, stream" (川) (kawa).
- The character is based on the real-life master of aikido, Gozo Shioda.