Shiro Tokisada Amakusa

Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, also often called Shirou Amakusa or simply Amakusa, is a recurring boss and playable character in the *Samurai Shodown* series. In Japanese, "Amakusa" is his family name, "Shiro" is his given name, and "Tokisada" is his posthumous personal name. He is the first known agent of the series' major villain, Ambrosia. Amakusa is an alternate portrayal of the historical figure of the same name, who led a Christian rebellion in the Shimabara region of Japan, which was crushed by the bakufu army and he was executed. In the *Samurai Shodown* series, he is portrayed as an evil sorcerer wielding the Palenke Stone. This portrayal shows hints of what the Japanese at the time period perceived Christianity as: an unnatural force of evil and a tool for conquest from outside forces. In *Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge*, his evil persona is the main threat in the story and is called Evil Amakusa. His signature stages are Shimabara, Ring of Stones, and Amakusa Castle. In the original *Samurai Shodown*, he serves as the final boss. He is also playable in 2-player mode in some console versions of the game. In the game's story, to fully incarnate, he uses the body of Shinzo Hattori. He plans to steal the Palenke Stone to bring Ambrosia to the mortal world but is stopped by Haohmaru.