Shingo Yabuki

Story

After seeing the 1996 tournament on television, Shingo became a huge fan of Kyo Kusanagi. When he realized they studied at the same school, Shingo began to pester Kyo to teach him his techniques, as he was fascinated with Kyo's flame. But Shingo is unaware that the flame is a Kusanagi family inheritance passed down through generations. Kyo, wanting a gofer and taking pity on him, decided to "teach" Shingo in exchange for food. Shingo saw each of Kyo's moves once, wrote down every move, and practised them daily.

Saisyu Kusanagi, Kyo's father, touched by Shingo's courage, offered an apprenticeship to Shingo, which he accepted. During his training with Saisyu, Shingo discovers the reality of the flame's genesis.

At one point, Shingo trains until sundown to the point of exhaustion, just to discover that he has returned in time. He comes across Kyo and Iori's ancestors here and finds out why Kyo and Iori are constantly at odds with one another.

While remaining at Saisyu's company, Shingo worries about Kyo, despite being told by Saisyu not to interfere with the young Kusanagi's issues with Iori.

Personality

Shingo is a young Japanese high school student who idolizes Kyo Kusanagi. Shingo is known for his energetic and enthusiastic personality. As one of the more lighthearted and silly characters in the series, Shingo considers every fighter his friend, making them think of him as a "weird but good" kid. He aspires to be able to control flames like Kyo, which emphasizes the point of comic relief throughout the series.

However, he has moments of cockiness, sometimes thinking of himself surpassing Kyo, to which the latter will remind him brutally of reality. Kyo doesn't take Shingo seriously at first, regarding him as an eyesore at worst, but he begins trusting him and seeing him more than as a student or an errand boy.

Playstyle

Shingo is a joke character who replicates many of Kyo's moves without flames and elements of both traditional karate and street fighting. He might not seem particularly good at first, but once given enough time and practice, he's a very effective rushdown character in his own right. Opponents have a penchant for underrating him, which throws a wrench in their strategy as Shingo is not too meter dependent on dealing lethal damage.

Appearance

Shingo is young, slim, and athletic, with short black hair, he wears a tracksuit which supports the fact he trains long and hard, and also wears a pair of sneakers and a headband.