r/TogoShiba

If he looks funny it’s just my artstyle im sorry if I made him look chopped

Source: https://x.com/Shady87123249/status/2069134605471375653

The voice actor also doesn't feel like a good choice... everything is just annoying

For a while, I had noticed hints of Buddhist symbolism in Shiba's character, so I decided to do some quick research about 2 hour ago to see whether there was anything to it. The findings were quite interesting.

I'm not Japanese, nor am I an expert on Buddhism, so if there are any Japanese readers or people more knowledgeable about Japanese language and Buddhist traditions, please feel free to correct me where necessary.

Most of these are based on research from various sources, and I simply wanted to compile the connections I found in one place.

The first thing that caught my attention was Shiba's bracelet. I believe it is red, based on one of his 3/4 coloured illustrations we have.

From what I found, red 数珠 (juzu) are Buddhist prayer beads. Juzu are associated with prayer, spiritual practice, protection from evil influences, and devotion to the Buddhist path. If this interpretation is intentional, then Shiba wearing a red bracelet may be a subtle nod to Buddhist imagery. Juzu is also believed to absorb the owners worldly desire

The next thing I discovered was in his name: 柴登吾 (Shiba Togo).

• 柴 (Shiba) can mean brushwood or firewood. In Esoteric Buddhist Goma (護摩) fire rituals, brushwood serves as the sacred fuel burned to purify offerings and carry prayers to the Buddhas.

• 登 (To) can mean "to ascend", "to rise", or "to offer up".

• 吾 (Go) can mean "I" or "self".

Put together:

柴 (fuel) + 登 (ascend/offered up) + 吾 (self)

This can be interpreted as "the self that ascends" or "the self offered up like sacred fuel". Because of the connections to ritual fires in certain Japanese religious traditions, including Esoteric Buddhist fire rituals. Shiba's name may therefore carry themes of sacrifice, devotion, protection, or self-offering. This becomes more apparent when considering his character, as he is almost exclusively shown acting for the benefit of others rather than for himself.

Then there is his sorcery: Itazura (悪兒).

The kanji are associated with "evil" and "child", often conveying the idea of a mischievous or wicked trick. There is no direct Buddhist etymology here, but what interested me is how the concept potentially connects to Buddhist ideas of illusion.

Shiba's ability essentially creates a temporary "error" in reality, manipulating position, weight, distance etc. In Buddhism, Maya (illusion) refers to the teaching that the physical world is not as solid or fixed as we perceive it to be. It is transient and ultimately empty. Shiba's power takes this concept and makes it literal. By bending or bypassing the rules of existence at will even though limited to positional information and physical properties, he demonstrates that reality's laws are fragile and subject to manipulation.

His sorcery can be viewed as a physical manifestation of the idea that what we perceive as reality is far less fixed than it appears. The name Itazura becomes fitting, not because it is evil, but because it represents the ultimate act of mischief played upon the illusion of a stable world.

One of the central teachings of Buddhism is that suffering arises from attachment, desire, and our inability to accept impermanence. Everything eventually changes, decays, and comes to an end. Clinging to things as though they are permanent creates suffering.

This is where I think Shiba becomes particularly interesting.

Despite losing many of the people closest to him, Shiba continues moving forward. He remains remarkably calm under pressure, rarely allows his emotions to cloud his judgement, and continues dedicating himself to protecting others. Rather than being consumed by grief or anger, he accepts reality and keeps acting. In contrast to characters driven by vengeance or guilt, such as aspects of Chihiro's journey or Samura, Shiba consistently demonstrates a clear-minded ability to move forward, which to be honest is his most interesting trait to meI want to see him break and take a very long time to recover 🤭. Ignore that.

To me, this reflects a form of detachment often associated with Buddhist teachings: the ability to continue living and acting without being controlled by loss, attachment, or desire.

These are some of the connections I have noticed so far, and I would be interested to hear other people's thoughts on them, if you made it this far.