Shu Shirakawa

Shu Shirakawa is an on-and-off villain of the Super Robot Wars series, one of the first antagonistic original character created for Super Robot Wars (the other being Bian Zoldark). He is the arch-rival of Masaki Andoh and an enigmatic person, only siding for himself. He pilots the mecha Granzon and occasionally evolves it into the Neo Granzon.

Appearances
Shu has appeared in the following games:


 * Super Robot Wars 2 - Enemy character
 * Super Robot Wars 3 - Playable character → Non-playable enemy character
 * Super Robot Wars EX - Playable character → Non-playable enemy character
 * Hero Senki: Project Olympus - Playable character
 * Super Robot Wars 4 - Playable character → Non-playable enemy character
 * Super Robot Wars F Final - Playable character
 * Super Robot Wars Gaiden: Masō Kishin - The Lord Of Elemental - Non-playable character → Non-playable enemy character → Brief playable character
 * Super Robot Wars Alpha - Playable character
 * Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden - Non-playable enemy character
 * Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation - Non-playable enemy character → Playable character
 * Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 - Non-playable character
 * Super Robot Wars Original Generations - Non-playable enemy character → Playable character → Non-playable character
 * Super Robot Wars Original Generation Gaiden - Playable character → Non-playable enemy character
 * Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Masō Kishin - The Lord Of Elemental - Non-playable character → Non-playable enemy character → Brief playable character

Theme Music

 * Dark Prison (Retitled Man in the Dark in the English-language version of Original Generation 2) - Default theme in all appearances.
 * Neo Granzon (Retitled Armaggedon in later SRW series, where it is no longer attributed to him) - Used when piloting the Neo Granzon in the Original Timeline

Personality And Traits
Shu Shirakawa conducts himself in an extremely proper manner, but despite this propriety, he is not above condescending his enemies for their weakness. On top of this, Shu is an incredibly intelligent individual, and despite his young age, he has earned a number of PhD's and is a brilliant scientist. Not only that he actually comes from La Gias, where there are only highly developed alchemies and magics, but Shu managed to adopt himself into the Earth science very quickly and even managed to combine it with alchemies and magics. He also is an excellent alchemist and has high amount of mana even higher than prince Feil-Lord.

Chika, Shu's familiar, is a foulmouthed bird who cares exceptionally much about money, and very talkative. It is revealed by creator of Masoukishin, Shu has created his familiar in order to obtain Cybuster. However Chika's personality annoyed Shu so much he didn't bother creating second familiar, required to utilize High Familiars of Cybuster.

In the event that he is allied or neutral with those around him, he tends to avoid joining any faction or unit, preferring to fight solo against his enemies. He shows a great deal of interest at improving the power of his Granzon and testing its abilities in battle.

However, his thirst for improving the abilities of his Granzon would eventually lead him to being a puppet for the ressurrection of the dark god Volkruss against his will. When Shu was resurrected by Luozorl Zoran Loiel, a high priest of Volkruss, he eventually rebelled and destroyed their entire army including their god.

Masō Kishin The Lord of Elemental (SRW Gaiden & OG Saga part 1)
Shu was born in La Gias as Cristoph Gran McSord, with parents from both La Gias and Earth. At the beginning of the series, when Masaki encountered him, he's already in the surface for business with the Divine Crusaders with his self-developed Granzon. He immediately made himself to be considered 'untrustworthy' by Masaki, as Shu pointed out his familiarity with the Masou Kishin and La Gias. He told him to retreat back to La Gias before any Earth Federation engaged on him on suspicion. Masaki complied. Shu later returned to La Gias and helped Masaki and Simone Kyulian to investigate a nearby Volkruss temple.

Sometime later, Shu appeared in front of the Langran capital and shocked everyone there that he was renouncing his royal bloodline and declares war on Langran Kingdom, renouncing his old name Cristoph Gran McSord and changing it to Cristoph Zeo Volkruss (although everyone else still calls him Shu and he likes that better). Masaki retaliated by attacking him in rage using Cybuster, but the Granzon didn't even get a scratch, and it blew the Cybuster away, gloating that unless Masaki unleashed the full potential of Cybuster, he could never defeat him.

Masaki's foster father, Zeoroot Zan Zenosakis, took on the battlefield afterwards, but in a duel, Shu cold-bloodedly murdered him, finally cementing Masaki's hatred and eventual rivalry to Shu. Masaki chased him afterwards and temporarily activated a Possession by Cybuster's protector spirit Cyfis, and defeated Shu in one blow, but Shu managed to retreat.

Shu later reappears in the ruins of Langran after the nation of Shutedonia declared war. Masaki met him again and once again accused Shu, despite his claims that he's not responsible. Knowing that Masaki wouldn't even listen and would rather deal with revenge, Shu retreated to Earth, resuming his business to help the Divine Crusaders and Bian Zoldark. Masaki gave pursuit.

Classic Timeline
The Divine Crusaders War

Shu collaborated with Bian Zoldark, who staged a coup towards the Earth Federation with his faction, the Divine Crusaders. The first obstacle facing him in this situation, however, was the weak-willed Earth Federation government, which saw fit to surrender to the alien threat, before they could begin their assault. Finding the secret meeting to sign their declaration of surrender in Antarctica, Shu used the Granzon to level the building and end the proceedings, before they could even begin. To the Earth's armed forces, this was seen as an act of terrorism; and it is at this place that Shu is reunited by Masaki. Meanwhile, various factions, that would become the Londo Bell, began rescuing prisoners of the Divine Crusaders, and amassing power to topple Bian. When Bian is defeated, Shu's intention, which was the same as Bian's, was revealed: to prepare the Earth's forces enough to face the upcoming extraterrestrial threat. Shu vanished into obscurity, afterwards.

The Inspectors
Eventually, Bian's prediction came true and the Earth Federation finds themselves under attack by the Inspectors. Shu eventually came out of hiding and joins forces with the Londo Bell to defeat the Inspectors, successfully defeating the child-like tyrant, Wendolo. After Wendolo's defeat, however, Shu revealed his true intent -- he wished to challenge himself and become stronger by fighting and killing his enemies-turned-allies. To accomplish this, he unlocked the cursed power of the God of Destruction, Volkruss, transforming his Granzon into an even more devastating machine, the Neo Granzon. With this newfound power, he intended on destroying the Earth -- knowing that this impetus was necessary to push the Londo Bell to its full power, this is later known as Ragnarok. In this final battle, the combined might of the Londo Bell prevailed, and Shu's machine was destroyed, his last words indicating that he was proud of the Londo Bell and their ability to defeat even the Neo Granzon. He died with no regrets.

Resurrection
His death was shortlived, however, as his body and soul were brought from the void back to La Gias, summoned by a dark priest of Volkruss, Luozorl Zoran Loiel, but not his past memories. His plan was to use Shu to summon the true Volkruss and throw La Gias into chaos. Shu, unhappy from being used by Luozorl, quickly rebelled, and even defeated Volkruss itself, alongside his former enemies.

The Guests and Afterwards
Shu was later seen wandering on the surface world of Earth, when the Londo Bell faced the Zuvorg Alliance emissaries, calling themselves the Guests. He would eventually join forces with them again to drive away the Guests. However, it is possible for the Londo Bell to not forgive Shu for his atrocities in the past and turn against him, causing him to be killed and triggering the Bad Ending.

In the second half of Super Robot Wars Gaiden, Shu and Masaki confronted a resurrected Luozorl, who caught Shu through brainwashing, and turned him against Masaki. Masaki helped Shu break free from Luozorl's control and together, they slew the mad priest. Afterwards, both settled with their differences and it is assumed that they somewhat become friends.

Alpha Timeline
Because the Divine Crusaders were not an enemy force in Alpha, Shu acted as a background ally for much of Alpha, only joining the Londo Bell at the end, when they prepared for their showdown with the leader of the Aerogaters, Laodecia Judecca Gozzo. His role in Alpha Gaiden was also limited to a short number of episodes, but much more significant. In the chaos surrounding the aftermath of the war with the Aerogaters and the activation of the Aegis Plan, Shu, with Saphine Grace and Monica Gran Bilseir in tow, arrived on Earth in front of the grounded Macross battleship, declaring that he must provide a sufficient number of sacrifices on the surface to resurrect a certain something in La Gias. In addition, he felt a compulsion to bring about an end to the forces trying to divert the wheel of balance in the universe, the Londo Bell, and doom the Earth to its one true destiny: destruction.

Rightfully angered by his proclamations, the Londo Bell engaged Shu in his Neo Granzon and even managed to badly damage it, however, the result of which was a rip in time and space that threw the Londo Bell centuries into the future, one where they failed to activate the Aegis Plan, bringing about an apocalyptic world.

When the Londo Bell returned to their original timeline, Shu was there for one more challenge, intending (as in the Classic Timeline) to destroy the Earth, and provide the souls required for Volkruss' resurrection, with Ragnarok. In a hard-fought battle, the Londo Bell overcame the Neo Granzon a second time, destroying the monstrous machine for good. Shu died without regrets, realizing that it was simply his time to be destroyed, as part of the universal cycle of life.

Original Generation Timeline
Shu first appears in Antarctica and attempted to wipe out the SRX Team with the Granzon, along with the base, only to be stopped by Masaki's arrival. Afterwards, his story generally stayed the same with the Classic Timeline version of the Divine Crusaders War.

In the war with the Inspectors, Shu was generally inactive, only appearing at unexpected times, such as rescuing Ratsel Feinschmeker from the assault of the Inspectors' Aguija and Mekibos. He is not seen afterwards.

In Super Robot Wars Original Generation Gaiden, Shu first shows up during the Bartoll uprising, and much to Masaki's chargin, he helped him defeating Kyle Bean and his Mironga. His whereabouts were unknown afterwards, but he showed up again to help the Cry Wolves squadron, Axel Almer and Einst Alchemie, to drive away the newly, risen Einst threat and the homunculi of Duminuss, Tiz. Shu later shows up for the last time in the Swordian Fortress and helps the Earth Federation Army defeat Duminuss and the Dark Brain.

After the Dark Brain's defeat, however, just as in the Classic Timeline, Shu betrays his allies and attempts to execute Ragnarok once more, with the Neo Granzon. He is shortly defeated and killed. However, seeing that the 2nd Super Robot Wars Original Generation will include the events of Super Robot Wars EX, Shu is likely to be revived and will stage his rebellion as in the Classic Timeline.

The final part in Shu's history in the OG timeline is the same of the Classic Timeline, since OG Saga part 2 remakes the same events of SRW Gaiden.

Revelations of Evil God
Despite eventually mending his relationship with Masaki, Shu once again stood as an antagonist or sorts months after the destruction of Volkruss, and the surrounding information of Volkruss possibly coming back made him more suspicious. He also seemingly intent to kill Masaki's sister Precia, but it was later revealed that Shu never wanted anybody else to suffer the same fate as his, being a puppet for a God. Due to Volkruss' defeat by the Zenosakis clan, a curse was put on the clan, making many of them unable to age after a certain point. Such was one of the reasons Shu killed Zeoroot, to relieve him from the curse. He was about to do the same to Precia, but Masaki managed to prevent that by cleansing her from the Volkruss curse. Afterwards, Shu resumed being allies with Masaki, and he is able to join him with his gang in certain paths.