Shiki Tohno

Story

Shiki Tohno is the main protagonist of the Melty Blood series. He is a young man who was adopted by the Tohno household after his family, the Nanaya clan, was murdered. He grew up with the two other Tohno children, SHIKI and Akiha. 

While out playing with his step-siblings one day, SHIKI is suddenly possessed by madness due to a phenomenon unique to the Tohno family called "inversion impulse," which causes the sufferer to lose all sense of reason and attack all those around them without any inhibition. In this state, SHIKI was posing a threat to Akiha and was looking to kill her when Shiki stepped in to protect her. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of his life as SHIKI stabbed him through the chest. However, through an act of sacrifice, Akiha shares half her life force with Shiki, which keeps him alive, but the scar from where he was attacked by SHIKI never healed, and he developed an acute case of anemia. 

It was also around this time that Shiki realized that he had a strange new power. This power, as he’d later find out, was the ability to see the death of all things. He could perceive this through the help of mysterious lines around whatever object. What's more, he was also able to trace these lines and cause destruction. This potentially problematic side of him was tamed by an enigmatic woman called Aoki Aozaki, whom he met while at the hospital. Aoki provided him with a pair of glasses that stopped him from seeing the death lines. 

As at the time of the game, Shiki discovers a trespasser on Tohno property, and he decides to engage the trespasser in battle. He faces another adversary in  Vlov Arkhangel, whom he defeats, and is then drawn into an adventure involving vampires and several other strange creatures.

Personality

Shiki is an easy-going character who gets along well with most people. He is very laid back and is particularly nonplussed on the idea of dying. Seeing as he had been so close to death, the idea of it doesn’t scare him at all. While he typically doesn’t have a problem with people, he does have a dark side fuelled by his Nanaya blood. In this state, he is extremely calm and ruthless. He is able to kill without hesitation and is a worthy adversary.

Playstyle

Tohno (as he is usually called) is a well-balanced character whose greatest strength is his great offense and robust defense. He has several tools which make his pressure very difficult to live with, and with a wide array of ranged moves, he has the ability to battle from just about anywhere on the screen. He is perfect for beginners and, at a high level, can be useful if the player has their fundamentals down pat. 

Appearance

Shiki Tohno is a generic-looking student who wears glasses most of the time. He tends to wear his traditional Japanese school uniform with black shoes. Without a shirt, his deep chest scar quickly becomes apparent.