- NOTE: This article is about the incarnation of Silver Samurai from the X-Men film series. The mainstream version can be found here: Silver Samurai (Marvel).
“ | Eternity can be a curse. It hasn't been easy for you, living without time. The losses you have had to suffer. A man can run out of things to live for. Lose his purpose, become a ronin, a samurai without a master. I can end your eternity, make you... mortal. | „ |
~ Ichiro Yashida |
“ | Logan-san, don't look so shocked. With you at my side I survived Nagasaki, surely I could survive this. Dr. Green and I have been waiting. It's only this armor that has kept me alive, we built it to make me strong... so I can take what you would not give. And transfer your unwanted healing to my body, my legacy must be preserved. Your mistake is to believe that a life without end can have no meaning, it is the only life that can. | „ |
~ Yashida revealing his true nature. |
Ichirō Yashida, better known as the Silver Samurai, is the main antagonist of the 2013 superhero film The Wolverine, the sixth installment of the X-Men film series.
He is a former Japanese officer, who was saved by Wolverine during World War II, who founded the Yashida Corporation. Years later, Yashida requests Wolverine to come to Japan to see him at his house, apparently to offer him the possibility of ending his eternal life. However, it later turns out that Yashida secretly hired Madame Viper to extract Wolverine's power so he can be cured of his cancer and become immortal.
He was portrayed by Haruhiko Yamanouchi as an old man while Ken Yamamura played him as a young man.
Biography[]
Meeting Logan[]
During the Nagasaki bombing on August 9, 1945, Yashida was saved by James "Logan" Howlett, also known as the "Wolverine", at a prisoners of war camp where Logan was being detained. He had become fascinated with Wolverine's healing powers, envious even. In subsequent years he became head of a powerful Japanese company, as well as having a son, Shingen Yashida, who in turn had a daughter, Mariko, whom he became more attached to rather than Shingen, much to Shingen's chagrin.
Many years later, one of his granddaughter's servants, Yukio, was sent to get Logan to meet Yashida as he was dying. Upon his arrival, Yashida offered to take his eternity away so he can attain the old life he seek. But Logan, surprised and confused whether such thing is possible, refused. Yashida said then he must protect his granddaughter, Mariko, from her father, as he had entrusted his fortune to her and not Shingen. Yashida's doctor, a woman known only as "Viper", injected a robotic parasite into Logan, taking away his healing factor. However, later that night, Yashida apparently died.
Final Battle[]
It was later revealed, according to Japan's Minister of Justice, Noburo Mori, that Yashida had faked his death and paid billions of dollars to make an armor made of adamantium, or the Silver Samurai armor, and almost put his company, Yashida Industries, into bankruptcy. He battled Wolverine and cut off his claws, but not before killing Mariko's former fiancé, Kenuichio Harada. He then started to extract his immortality away as he is talking about his true nature claiming he will finally grant Wolverine peace in death but before he can regain his youth he was stopped by Mariko and then killed by Wolverine by being pushed off his birthplace to his death, thus avenging Harada. It is unknown as to whether or not he is killed in the alternate timeline as well.
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Trivia[]
- Despite only appearing once in the X-Men film series, Ichirō Yashida coincidentally predicted some of the events later seen in Logan, the sequel to The Wolverine:
- He warned Wolverine that he could grow old, and given how his regenerative factor decreases by 2029, Logan does grow old, yet, to prevent himself from living forever like Yashida warned him, always kept an adamantium bullet to shoot himself if he ever wished to die.
- He suggested Wolverine to have a family, and in some ways, Logan did form a family with Charles Xavier and Cariban before allowing X-23/Laura, his secret daughter, to join them.
- He told Wolverine that he could eventually die, and after more than a century, Logan finally perishes after giving up his life to save Laura and her fellow Essex Corp mutant kids from Dr. Zander Rice, Donald Pierce and X-24.
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Movies Villains | ||
Brotherhood of Mutants Department of Domestic Security and Defense Team X Omega Gang Hellfire Club Yashida Corporation Trask Industries Ashir En Sabah Nur/Horsemen of Apocalypse Essex Corp Others |