| “ | I think the will to change the future is still an important one. We must try to change things around us, little by little. Even if it is one step at a time, and even if everything is already pre-determined, it's not something for us to be sad about. No. On the contrary; the future is overflowing with hope. And we have infinite paths to choose from.
|
” |
Shion Uzuki is the main protagonist and heroine of the Xenosaga series. Born T.C. 4745 on planet Miltia, Shion is a survivor of the Miltian Conflict, a horrible war that killed her parents and destroyed Miltia, sealing it into the Abyss. Shion is an orphan who saw her mother and father bleed to death as a child, and is suffering from depression and trauma. Shion experienced emotional pain and suffering her whole life.
Shion holds the key to saving the universe and sentient life from complete destruction and annihilation and carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Shion has the special (albeit dangerous) ability to communicate with U-DO ("God") because her consciousness surpasses the level of ordinary humans. In addition, she is more immune and resistant to Gnosis attacks. Shion's will, as well as her pendant which is the ignition key of Zarathustra, is necessary for Wilhelm's Eternal Recurrence.
Shion is a true follower and believer of Jesus Christ, but not Ormus and organized religion in general. To her, the modern day Ormus is just a sick, perverted, warped, disgusting, twisted corruption of Christianity, Jesus's teachings and values, and what Jesus really meant.
In the beginning of the series, Shion is a Camelle Vector Industries First R&D Division computer scientist and programmer who becomes involved with a conspiracy related to the Zohar. Shion helped build KOS-MOS to combat the Gnosis because her fiancé Kevin Winnicot, original creator of KOS-MOS, was unexpectedly killed by the KOS-MOS Archetype. She is Head and Chief Engineer of the KOS-MOS Project. Shion eventually quits Vector and joins the anti-U.M.N. underground resistance Scientia by Episode III.
Shion is the reincarnation of the Maiden of Mary Magdalene, the partner of Jesus Christ, and KOS-MOS is the prototype vessel for Mary Magdalene's spirit. Episode I implies Shion may have been called Marienkind (Child of Mary) in her previous incarnation.
Personality
Altruism
Shion's Flowers and Kevin
Shion and Kevin outside Labyrinthos.
Crushed Flowerbed
Shion mourns her dead flowers.
Deep down, Shion has a pure heart. Having been orphaned as a little girl, Shion tries to be independent. Shion tries to help people as much as she can and is very stubborn about her convictions. She has humanitarian, peace maker, altruistic, and pacifist values, and even extends her compassion to non-human lifeforms, such as Realians, which she has a fascination for.
Shion hates it when people act like barbaric animals and try to justify their primitive actions and behavior, when adults act like children, and she hates pain and suffering because she knows what it feels like to experience it herself.
Shion's brother, Jin, commented that she possibly inherited her stubborn nature from their grandfather, and Margulis even comments that her eyes and attitude reminds him of a man he knows (presumably her grandfather), and he clearly doesn't like it.
Mental health, trauma and suffering
Shion mourning at Kevin's grave.
Shion screams in horror as Kevin dies.
Shion crying, overwhelmed by the amount of pain and suffering she has experienced.
Shion is portrayed as damaged, hurt, and tormented character who tries to overcome the tragic events of her depressing and painful blood-stained past by "looking away from reality and truth" as her method of coping. Shion has an instinctive tendency to run away from her issues and problems. A particular point explored in the series is Shion "looking back at herself and wondering how she should live her life".
Shion is traumatized and her mental health is damaged, having suffered from lots of trauma and death experiences, tormented by her haunted painful memories. Shion is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, post-traumatic growth, and existential depression; Cherenkov also suffers from post-traumatic growth, and Shion can relate. Kevin's death left Shion in mourning and grief, feeling void, hopeless and empty. Her tragic past experiences as a child heavily affected her personality as an adult. Everyone close to her tends to die such as:
- Febronia
- Both of her parents, Suou and Aoi
- The people who died in the Miltian Conflict
- Kevin Winnicot
- Her co-workers in Carioca who were killed by the KOS-MOS Archetype
- Her co-workers (like Caspase and Kazuichi Moriyama) and Realian acquaintances killed on the Woglinde by the Gnosis
- Luis Virgil
- Andrew Cherenkov
- Kirsch in Xenosaga: The Animation
- Cecily and Cathe
- Almadel
- Jin Uzuki, her brother
Family
Staying for the Night
Shion blames Jin for their parents' deaths.
Jin and Shion in Episode III.
Shion grew distant from Jin with time and was reluctant to speak to him for years, considering him responsible for her parents' deaths and being irresponsible in general. Despite this, Jin tried repeatedly to get closer to Shion, while hiding from her the fact that she called the Gnosis.
Shion refused to visit her parent's "graves", partly because she knew Suou and Aoi were not even buried in them. Shion viewed her parent's "memorial" as nothing more than a pointless, useless object that could never replace her real parents - Shion hated it. To Shion, the concept of memorials is just an obscure archaic ancient ritual that doesn't deserve to be resurrected to her - a tradition, a remnant of a bygone era. Visiting their memorial wouldn't bring them back to life.
Shion eventually realizes she was in the wrong, as Jin wasn't really at fault for their parent's deaths. Shion just needed a scapegoat - someone she could pin the blame on. She didn't want to accept that her parent's deaths were beyond even Jin's control and refused to believe that nothing could have been done about it - Shion wanted to believe it was preventable.
Shion also blamed and resented her father, Suou, for using her mother as a guinea pig test subject, making her "suffer subconsciously" for his research.
Pain, sadness, uncertainty, loneliness and happiness
| “ | My pain? No one knows anything about me! No one knows how I feel. I was always alone. Even when I called for help, no one listened! The only one who listened was Kevin. | ” |
| “ | I don't know. I don't know what I should do. I'm tired. I don't want to hurt anymore. None of you saved me. | ” |
Shion always appears cheerful and happy, but she hides her sadness and emotional side, never sharing her pain with anyone, suffering alone. Shion carries an intense burden of sorrow in her heart, believing "No one knows how I feel." In actuality, Shion isn't truly happy at all. Shion wants to be happy, but doesn't even know what happiness really is, or what true happiness means to her. Shion may have felt entertained and amused at times (fake and artificial happiness), but she has never felt true happiness, and has a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction with her life and existence.
Whenever she is feeling unwell and is asked about it, she tends to reply, "It's nothing." Shion dislikes admitting she is wrong because it makes her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Shion has extreme difficulty communicating her feelings of pain, grief and sadness, partly because she has never done it before and doesn't know how to, and is suffering because of it.
Shion suffers from an identity crisis and an existential crisis. Despite living in a vast populated galaxy, Shion feels completely alone and disconnected from humanity like she doesn't belong, as if she was never meant or supposed to exist. Shion becomes more and more scared, afraid, uncertain of what to do with her life, unsure of what she should do, and confused about who she is, and of her future. Shion cries herself to sleep because of it.
Shion Joins Kevin
Shion joins Kevin near the end of Episode III.
Her friends and those she care about are very important to her, though she selfishly chose her love for Kevin Winnicot over them before realizing he was willing to hurt or kill her friends who would not abandon her, and was seriously considering abandoning the rest of the world and everyone in it so that she and Kevin could find eternal peace.
However, this conflicted with her inner desire to "not be alone anymore" - would a world with only Kevin really be enough for her? Would it make her "happy"? As the series progresses, she begins to become more distant and angry at the rest of the cast, feeling like they were never there for her when she needed them most.
Shion eventually realizes that to her, the meaning of happiness means not being alone anymore. She is unable to be happy if it means being alone or being unable to share her happiness with everyone else, as one of her greatest fears is being alone, and she's sick of feeling alone.
Anger
Shion's Anger (ANT Facility)
"YOU MONSTERS! GET AWAY FROM MOM!"
As the series progresses, she becomes ruder, angrier and sterner to others, especially Miyuki Itsumi in Episode III, to the point of being insufferable. Shion has a lot of pent-up anger, rage and frustration from a lifetime of pain and suffering.
Interests and skills
Shion calibrating KOS-MOS, Episode I.
Shion is oblivious that Allen Ridgeley is in love with her. Shion is somewhat ditzy, clumsy, scatterbrained, easily loses track of time, and zones out. She is also very intelligent, inquisitive and enjoys testing KOS-MOS, but is displeased by KOS-MOS' roboticness and is angered when KOS-MOS killed Virgil. When KOS-MOS disobeys or malfunctions, Shion is hurt because it makes her feel like a failure. Shion is skilled at computer science and programming. Upon receiving an e-mail promoting Ninja Assault by Namco, Shion comments "It sounds like fun! I enjoy video games." Shion is a little "nerdy", always interested in the latest technology and how it can benefit humanity.
Shion is a skilled chef, specializing in curry, as she grew up learning from Boss, the owner of Moby Dick's Café.
She makes a reference to H. G. Wells's aliens, implying she may be into the science fiction and horror genres.
Shion has been a fan of Bunnie since she was a little girl.
As seen in Namco x Capcom, she seems to dislike amphibians, mostly frogs.
Flaws and criticism
Shion having a mental breakdown, Episode III.
Shion mentally exhausted, Episode III.
Shion has been criticized for many reasons. For her detractors, she's "obnoxious", "self-centered", "selfish", "whiny", "dumb", “bossy”, "mopey", and treats others poorly, especially Allen Ridgeley (at one point, Shion tells Allen to "just shut up!") and Miyuki Itsumi. She is oblivious to Allen's feelings for her, and unnecessarily cold to her older brother, Jin. She betrays her team to be alongside Kevin.
Shion in Episode I is strong-willed and doesn’t back down when challenged about her views. In Episode III, Shion breaks down mentally and blames the world, everything and everyone around her for her suffering and unhappiness, and turns to Kevin and KOS-MOS for support.
For her defenders, Shion a compelling protagonist who manages to stay strong despite struggling and suffering massively from angst, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, and has an engaging character development, which makes her very sympathetic.
She suffers from astraphobia and hates thunder, the result of two traumatic incidents which occurred during lightning thunderstorms; losing her parents and later her fiancé, Kevin. Shion subconsciously associates loud booming thunder with tragedy and death, and it acts as a traumatizing trigger reminder. This is seen when Jr. turns on the artificial weather on the Kukai Foundation's beach.
Background
Lost Jerusalem Era
Mary Magdalene cries in sorrow over "Shion's" death.
Thousands of years ago, Shion's previous incarnation was the Maiden of Mary Magdalene, the partner of Jesus Christ, though she was not known as "Shion Uzuki" at the time. Episode I implies Shion may have been called Marienkind (Child of Mary). She was required to release the power of Animus, meaning both Mary and Shion need to exist for this power can be used to its full extent.
Nevertheless, Shion (as the Maiden) died in front of Mary, who at that moment had lost all of her power by dividing Yeshua's (chao's) Anima, rendering her helpless. This is apparently the biggest regret in Mary Magdalene's life.
Childhood
Shion as a little girl.
Shion was born on the planet Miltia in the year 4745 T.C. from the union of Suou and Aoi Uzuki, workers for the U-TIC Organization, 13 years after the birth of their son, Jin.
Shion grew up well, having a happy life in a house on block B-32. She became friends with Febronia and her sisters (or more accurately, clones), Cecily and Cathe. Shion also met Almadel. Febronia taught Shion how to grow flowers and gave her seeds to plant. Shion was raised by her father after her mother was confined to Labyrinthos's hospital wing due to her disease linked to U-DO, and regularly went to see her. From her mother's room she saw the part of the Song of Nephilim. Shion would often wait on a swing-set at a playground for her father. Shion never got to play with Suou much while he was alive because he was too consumed by his work.
With Febronia, she helped save the life of Luis Virgil, even though he was a Galaxy Federation soldier, thus an enemy of the U-TIC.
She met a 14-year-old Kevin Winnicot for the first time in front of Labyrinthos. Kevin tried to approach her on Wilhelm's orders, not being kind to her, but quickly fell in love with her.
Miltian Conflict
Xenosaga III HD Cutscene 193 - Tragedy at the Church (Old Church) - ENGLISH
Febronia's death and corpse being eaten.
At the age of eight, Shion found herself in a church when the Miltian Conflict began. She witnessed Febronia's death, being eaten alive by berserk Combat Realians, and ran away in terror.
Unalterable Past (ANT Facility)
Shion sees Suou and Aoi's deaths.
She decided to go see her mother in Labyrinthos using a hidden path. She arrived in her mother's room only to have her father shove her in and be killed by 27-Series Asura Realians that Kevin was working on. She went to Aoi's side, but was forced to hide under her mother's bed when the berserk Realians entered and then murdered her mother.
Once the Realians were gone, Shion desperately tried to stop her mother's bleeding and screamed in horror before entering a trance-like state. Due to being an Animus resonant, like her mother, she resonated with the Zohar located under Labyrinthos, which provoked the mass-arrival of the Gnosis in the Real Number Domain of the Lower Domain. Nevertheless, contrary to Wilhelm's plan, she was unable to "summon" Abel's Ark. Her brother Jin arrived shortly after, but was too late to save his parents because of a fight against Margulis. Hiding his sadness, he took Shion away from the planet.
Adolescence
Shion on Second Miltia in Episode II.
After the Miltian Conflict, Shion lived on Second Miltia, a refuge planet for the survivors of the Miltian Confict, with Jin taking care of her. Over time, Shion forgot certain events of the Miltian Conflict, namely her part in summoning the Gnosis, as well as Febronia. Shion didn't forget the fact that her parents died, but she repressed the details of their deaths.
She grew distant from Jin with time, considering him responsible for her parents' deaths and being irresponsible in general. Despite this, Jin tried repeatedly to get closer to Shion, while hiding from her the fact that she called the Gnosis. Shion refused to visit her parent's graves, partly because Suou and Aoi were not buried in them.
She and her brother spent a lot of time at Boss's restaurant, Moby Dick's Café, where she learned to expertly prepare curry, which became her specialty.
Vector Industries
Shion cradles Kevin as he bleeds to death.
Shion and Allen visit Kevin's grave.
Shion attempted to join Vector Industries' Third Research and Development Division, but after reading an essay of hers, Kevin Winnicot pulled some strings and had her assigned to Vector's First Research and Development Division at the age of 18 in T.C. 4763.
She became reacquainted with Kevin here, and met Allen Ridgeley, who developed a strong attachment to her. While they worked together on the KOS-MOS Archetype, Shion fell in love with Kevin and they became a couple. She acquired her trademark round glasses as a gift from Kevin during this period, and they eventually were engaged to be married. Kevin also gave her his mother's necklace.
This rosy period ended with Kevin's death at the hands of the the KOS-MOS Archetype on planet Carioca, as he tried to defend Shion from it after its activation by U-TIC (this incident was entirely planned by Kevin). Shion became Chief Engineer of the KOS-MOS Project General Operation System Research Center in the Vector Industries First R&D Division, Allen became her assistant, and Kevin became the Red Testament. Shion and Allen visited Kevin's grave, and Allen remained silent as Shion cried.
Shion was devastated by his death and KOS-MOS, who was already a very large part of her life, became the most important person in her eyes. Shion worked endlessly to complete her, which Kevin expected her to do. Eventually, through her dedication to the project, Shion began resonating with Mary Magdalene's consciousness inside of herself as she was the previous incarnation of the Maiden of Mary.
Xenosaga Episode I
Shion in Episode I.
In T.C. 4767, Shion was stationed on the Federation star ship Woglinde where she was finishing to complete building KOS-MOS. The Woglinde was investigating the missing planet Ariadne. She felt attracted by the Zohar Emulator of the ship and saw a small girl (Nephilim Verum) many times. She met Virgil, though neither of them show signs of recognizing the other after fourteen years. She also met Andrew Cherenkov onboard the ship.
Virgil the Conductor
Shion saved by KOS-MOS from the Gnosis.
Shion was summoned to the bridge to deliver a report on the development of KOS-MOS to the ship's captain, Kazuichi Moriyama. While she was en route, the ship was surprised by a Gnosis fleet. Shion tried to activate KOS-MOS, but was blocked by Gnosis. Virgil and his team tried to protect her, but a Gnosis appeared from a wall behind her and grabbed her. Moments of Shion's life flashed before her eyes. She didn't die or transform into a Gnosis, the usual results of a Gnosis encounter, and was saved by KOS-MOS who activated herself.
She was disgusted when KOS-MOS killed Virgil, even though she did it so she would have a better chance of protecting Shion. Shion and Allen were put in an escape pod by KOS-MOS, with Cherenkov holding on to the outside in a space suit, just before the Woglinde exploded.
KOS-MOS ended up on the hull of the Elsa, a scavenger ship, and threatened to smash open one of the bridge's windows and expose the crew to the vacuum of space if they did not take her aboard. KOS-MOS refused to take Shion's pod on the Elsa, considering that she would be saved soon by a Federation ship. Shion tested KOS-MOS's logic by threatening suicide if KOS-MOS did not take her with her. Shion made curry for the Elsa crew and kept an eye on KOS-MOS.
In the Gnosis Cathedral Ship, Shion was surprised by some information possessed by KOS-MOS that she, the leader of her creation, didn't put into her database and could not comprehend her behavior, acting like she was on a secret mission of some sort. Aboard the Cathedral Ship, Cherenkov succumbed to being touched by a Gnosis back on the Woglinde and mutated into one. Shion and her friends were forced to kill him and this deeply saddened Shion, who had experienced a connection to Cherenkov when he died and had learned of his past as a bio-weapon that had been mistreated after the Miltian Conflict ended and there was nothing else to fight.
When they escaped the Cathedral Ship, they met Jr., the leader of the Kukai Foundation and the Elsa's debtor, on his ship, the Durandal. He showed them the Zohar Emulators created by Joachim Mizrahi, and revealed to them a room filled with people that had been touched by Gnosis yet, curiously, did not turn into salt nor did they become complete Gnosis. They retained some of their human traits, but more than half of their bodies had become Gnosis. None had survived the process.
Jr. took them to the Kukai Foundation, only to meet the Federation's Navy upon arrival. They had been framed for the destruction of the Woglinde due to doctored tapes created by the U-TIC Organization, depicting the Durandal destroying the craft. They realized that KOS-MOS had a black box that recorded everything that took place and had a AAA security system, meaning that it was impossible to tamper with and nothing else could prove their innocence.
The Church's Caretaker
Febronia in the Encephalon's church.
They decided to access the "box" through KOS-MOS's subconscious using an Encephalon dive system. Because the resonance between Shion and KOS-MOS was strong and they had shared many experiences, some of Shion's memories were projected into the Encephalon. Shion relived difficult moments, such as seeing her father alive or seeing her parents and Febronia die once again before her eyes. They successfully retrieved the information but were contacted by a girl named Nephilim and Febronia who informed them of the existence of the wave-form U-DO. They showed the group a possible future where KOS-MOS fought U-DO and destroyed it along with the universe. They promised to eliminate the threat and were let out of the Encephalon. They tuned in the data and were succinctly cleared of all charges from the Federation.
U-TIC dispatched Albedo Piazzolla, Jr.'s brother to attack the Kukai Foundation in order to steal MOMO Mizrahi so that he can extract the Y-Data from her. He uses the Song of Nephilim, another device created by Joachim Mizrahi, to get there, which summons a large hoard of Gnosis to attack the Kukai Foundation. Shion and her friends purge the residential areas of the Kukai Foundation of most of their Gnosis and rescue several people, but when the time comes to return to the Durandal, MOMO stayed behind to take care of a wounded man. She was swiftly kidnapped.
Albedo once again contacted the Durandal and revealed that he had taken MOMO. Jr. was furious and charged after her, boarding the Song of Nephilim with his friends. Jr. said he would handle the mission alone but Shion dissuaded him, saying that the battle affected all of them and they had a right to be there. He backed down and led the way into the Song. There they found MOMO, though they quickly realized that Albedo had taken her essence as she was catatonic. This just served to further enrage Jr. and they rushed further inward.
Shion is seen in the Y-Data as being connected to KOS-MOS by Albedo, who claims that it all makes sense now when observing Shion and KOS-MOS.
They take some time to prepare for the battle but during their reprieve, Shion had to deal with KOS-MOS's communication issues as well as her hallucinations. This consequently results in her slapping both Allen and Jr. due to their behavior.
They fight through the Song and are able to see Albedo, who has MOMO and reveals that the MOMO they found was just a Kirschwasser. However, before they fight, the Blue Testament steps in and fights for him, while Albedo flies away in E.S. Simeon. Blue Testament tries to talk to the group and tells them that their quest is meaningless, but before he can reach the apex of his speech, Jr. tells him to shut up and get out of their way. They fight and the Blue Testament turns into a Gnosis, though he later retreats.
Afterward, they deactivate the Song and thwart the Gnosis's attack. However, Albedo then summoned the space station Proto Merkabah, another work of Joachim's. Albedo uses the cannons on the station to systematically obliterate the Federation fleet and began preparing to fire on Second Miltia. Shion and her friends enter Proto Merkabah using the Elsa and fight their way to the reactor core, where Albedo was waiting. After rebuffing Albedo, he turned the reactor into a Gnosis to "test" the party and buy himself time to escape. Albedo set Merkabah on a collision course with Second Miltia, the party concocted a plan to destroy the station by jettisoning all its compartments, breaking it into thousands of pieces. However, the destabilization would destroy the station faster than any of them would be able to return to the Elsa in time to escape.
Xenosaga Episode I Escape
Shion escapes the Proto Merkabah.
KOS-MOS volunteers to stay behind and activate the destruction program, despite Shion's attempt to dissuade her. KOS-MOS calmed her by informing her that she was able to run faster than all of them and would be able to make it to safety in time. Shion reluctantly left her and stalled the Elsa's takeoff as long as possible. They waited until the last possible minute before they took off. Shion then had a strange feeling and told Tony to stop at a wall before leaving the station completely. KOS-MOS blasted through it seconds later and jumped to the Elsa as their section of the station began to break apart. Shion caught her, but due to KOS-MOS's weight, was unable to pull her aboard until Ziggy came and helped her.
The Elsa began entry into Second Miltia's atmosphere but the Elsa's heat shield began to disintegrate rapidly. KOS-MOS briefly morphed into a powerful being to prevent the Elsa from being destroyed.
Xenosaga Episode II
Shion in Episode II.
The Elsa successfully landed on Second Miltia. Shion gave KOS-MOS to Vector's Second Division so they could create her battle frame Version 2 and install the Tertiary Weapon System. Shion decided to walk around her old home and became hungry. She stopped by Moby Dick's Café and remet Boss, as well as Jr. and chaos. She also reluctantly ran into her brother, Jin, and she became upset when Jin asked her to visit their parent's graves. Despite this, she spent the night at the family's house, though she left early the next morning without saying goodbye. Shion receives an outfit change.
Shion participated in the Encephalon Dive into MOMO's subconsciousness in order to retrieve the Y-Data for the Federation. There, they visited some of Jr.'s memories from his time at the Yuriev Institute as MOMO was based on Jr.'s late love, Sakura Mizrahi, the daughter of Joachim Mizrahi. After an incident where Albedo reappeared and stole the activated Y-Data from MOMO, before being killed, Shion and Allen were stationed on the Dämmerung. There, she had more visions of Nephilim and a request from Febronia to go to Old Miltia to save her sisters.
Shion, with Allen's help, stole E.S. Dinah's main frame, and used to it to join the Elsa. Voyager, in the E.S. Dan, attacks her, but she was saved by KOS-MOS who activated herself from Vector Second Division and came on her motorcycle to show Dinah's true power, causing Voyager to flee.
Xenosaga Episode II HD Cutscene 68 - Feb's Sisters Awakening of Omega - ENGLISH
Shion hears Febronia's request to kill her sisters.
Later, on Old Miltia, Shion saw what happened to Cecily and Cathe, now part of the Zohar's control system, and attempted to prevent KOS-MOS from killing them in order to stop U-DO, but then, on Febronia's request to free them, allowed KOS-MOS to proceed, though this greatly saddened her.
Ormus Patriarch summons another Mizrahi invention, Proto Omega, to fuse with the Zohar and create a weapon that could strike anywhere in space. The Patriarch explains that he will use Omega to destroy the Gnosis and command the galaxy under Ormus. The party is then forced to escape as Second Miltia is morphed into the Omega System, which is the result of the Zohar and Omega fusion.
Shion and Jin
Shion and Jin have a heartfelt talk.
Shion becomes emotionally distraught by Cecily and Cathe's deaths, and Jin comforts her. Shion and her allies enter the Omega System and confront the Patriarch, who is also confronted by a dying Albedo. The Testaments defeat the Patriarch and revive Albedo so that he can morph Miltian space into a space-time anomaly. After Albedo does this, Jr. decides to confront his brother personally; he dives into the anomaly and defeats Albedo. Although the space-time anomaly is destroyed, the Original Zohar remains floating in space. Before the Durandal and the Kukai Foundation can rush to acquire it, a star system-sized Gnosis appears: Abel's Ark. Abel's Ark retrieves the Original Zohar and vanishes.
After these events, the party separates to try and lead normal lives, although Jin worries that the chain of events is not over (Ormus is still alive, and the Zohar was abruptly seized by a mysterious force).
Xenosaga: A Missing Year
Shion in A Missing Year.
Shion returned to Vector. More Gnosis attacks occur and Gnosis raid the S.O.C.E. lab. Scientia agent Doctus kidnaps Almadel, a mysterious Realian girl.
Jin and Shion pursue Doctus. They infiltrate a Scientia vessel, but are caught.
In order to rescue Shion, Jin goes to the Scientia base and contacts Doctus. Jin confronts Grimoire Verum at Ars Nova, one area of S-Division within the U.M.N. sealed by Vector. Jin succeeds in rescuing Shion from Grimoire at the core of Ars Nova.
Due to the completion of Lemegeton, Nephilim's consciousness awakens within Almadel. Grimoire is annihilated. Almadel vanishes in order to stop the song of Nephilim. Ars Nova collapses.
Almadel
Almadel and Grimore die.
Shion has an emotional breakdown from Almadel's death and gives up. Jin slaps Shion on the face, telling her not to waste Almadel's sacrifice for her, and comforts her.
Shion is disciplined and demoted for breaking into Vector's S-Division, but was offered the opportunity to continue working at Vector. However, having lost confidence in the U.M.N. and disgusted by Vector's secretive nature, Shion decides to resign and distance herself from Vector. She also decides to research the truth of her father's involvement with the Miltian Conflict, U.M.N. and Vector.
Xenosaga Episode III
Scientia infiltrating Vector's U.M.N.
Shion learned many things over the course of the next year, such as Vector and her father's involvement in the Gnosis Terrorism, which led her to leave Vector and join Scientia with Doctus, Miyuki Itsumi and Canaan. Vector allowed her to keep E.S. Dinah as a present of departure. She then began to research the true purpose of the Unus Mundus Network.
KOS-MOS (CAT Testing Ground)
KOS-MOS is rescued by Shion.
She later traveled to Fifth Jerusalem to see Allen and KOS-MOS. She was surprised by the view of the Ω Res Novae as well as T-elos, and was saddened when she heard about the cancellation of the KOS-MOS Project. She then proceeded to rescue KOS-MOS from the facility where Vector had put her, treating her as garbage, and reactivated her.
On Rennes-le-Château, when T-elos attempted to destroy KOS-MOS, Shion yelled and set in motion the events leading to everyone diving into her subconscious in an attempt to save KOS-MOS from T-elos.
Shion speaking to U-DO.
In her subconscious, on Old Miltia, that she thought to be the past, she discovered the first blueprint of KOS-MOS and use them to fix the android. Voyager tried to kidnap KOS-MOS when they were unable to activate her, and also attempted to take Shion's necklace. It was at this moment that KOS-MOS finally activated. Shion had visions of U-DO in the form of Abel. This is because Shion possesses the same characteristic as her mother where she is inherently able to link with U-DO, and for that reason, her life was being eaten away little by little.
Xenosaga Episode III - Chapter 7 - Inescapeable Reality - Zohar Resonates with Both Shions
Shion horrified by her mother's bleeding.
After a series of events, Shion re-lived the death of her mother and discovered the truth about her summoning the Gnosis. Unable to bear this, she also entered a panicked trance, summoning Abel's Ark, and the team realized that everything around them is her subconscious.
KOS-MOS Escapes
Kevin returns to Shion.
Kevin, who revealed himself as the Red Testament to her. Kevin began to explain how Shion, like her mother, has the ability to "talk" with U-DO. Therefore, by staying with KOS-MOS (who draws power from the Zohar), she is slowly and surely losing her life. Filled with love and misery, Shion attempted to leave with Kevin, but was stopped by the team. The team escaped to the Elsa and returned back to normal time. Kevin tries to convince her to join him, but fails because of Jin, Allen, and KOS-MOS, who then take Shion away from him and T-elos in the Elsa.
Shion Leaves Kevin
Shion leaves Kevin.
On Michtam, Shion learned the truth about of her identity as the reincarnation of the Maiden of Mary and that KOS-MOS contained the spirit of Mary Magdalene. After KOS-MOS awakened, Shion and KOS-MOS met Kevin Winnicot and Shion decided to go to his side, fighting her friends. Allen tried to make her see what a monster Kevin was but was unsuccessful. Shion looked worried while Kevin proceeded to torture him despite his failure. KOS-MOS then saved Allen's life and Shion saw the truth and chose to leave Kevin. Kevin, unwilling to let Shion go, decided to eliminate her friends, thus he transformed and prepared to battle.
Despite using all the powers of a Testament, Kevin lost the fight and questioned if this was the result Shion desired. Kevin then told her that she was confused, and is unable to make calm decisions about where she stood. Kevin proceeded to continue the fight with her friends, but Shion got in between him and her friends, and pleaded to Kevin to stop. Kevin told her that he didn't want to hurt her either, and asked her in frustration on why she can't seem to understand his feelings. Wilhelm, having waited long enough, told Kevin to stand down since his time was up. Kevin grunted in anger and left to regroup with Wilhelm, and Shion tried to stop him from leaving.
Zarathustra.
Wilhelm tortured Shion when she refused to activate Zarathustra with her pendant, the Key. Out of pain, agony and desperation, Shion begged Kevin to save her, and Kevin, not willing to lose the one woman he loved, chops off Wilhelm's right arm, and freeing Shion from her torture. Shion looked to where Kevin turned against Wilhelm, and Wilhelm was unsurprised by Kevin's betrayal. Wilhelm told Kevin that he knew he would betray him, and that his only reason for becoming a Testament was to save Shion. Wilhelm then placed Kevin in agonizing pain, and did so to Shion as well. Wilhelm then asked Shion if she's changed her mind, but she stubbornly refused to use the Key. Wilhelm then ordered KOS-MOS to do it instead as a way for her to protect Shion from the torture. KOS-MOS destroyed the Key at the last moment and saved Shion. In one last effort to end Wilhelm, Kevin punctured Wilhelm in the back, and told him that it was time to end this battle.
Upon Zarathustra going out of control, Kevin used his power to suppress the system's energy, and told Shion to destroy it. However, Shion feared that Kevin will vanish from this world as a result of his attempt to minimize Zarathustra's power, but Kevin assured her to not worry about him, but to concentrate on the system, for this battle won't mean anything if she doesn't stop it. After a moment to build her strength, Shion accepted to proceed with stopping Zarathustra while Kevin kept suppressing its power.
Farewell
Shion during the ending.
With Zarathustra defeated, Wilhelm and Kevin began to disappear, but not before KOS-MOS allowed Shion and Kevin to express their feelings one last time. Shion said a last farewell to Kevin, who tried to save her from torture and died because of it. She hugged KOS-MOS and cried, since KOS-MOS had to stay behind. She also cried when Jin decided to stay behind as well, and they both expressed regret for how they behaved.
She left with the Elsa, and while onboard upon escape, Shion senses Jin's death from miles away, suggesting that, despite the friction between the two of them, she ultimately cared for him deeply. She goes on a journey to find Lost Jerusalem with Jr. and Allen via the Elsa. Shion begins a romantic relationship with Allen.
Relationships
Mary Magdalene
Shion holds Mary Magdalene.
Shion is the Maiden of Mary. Nephilim states that her existence is vital to her during Episode I, and later speaks of how close they were, laughing and crying together. They were always together in Lost Jerusalem, and both of them are necessary to fully use the Animus, Shion being an Animus-resonant consciousness. Unfortunately, Shion died in front of Mary, who was unable to save her. Mary still regrets this event even after her revival in KOS-MOS.
Shion was also necessary for Mary's consciousness to awaken inside of KOS-MOS; as such, Wilhelm orchestrated the events leading up to Shion becoming the one in charge of the KOS-MOS Project to create a special link between herself and KOS-MOS. KOS-MOS always protected Shion during the game, it was the only thing that no order given to her could change, at first this was due to orders from Kevin, but eventually also due to Mary's consciousness.
KOS-MOS
Shion and KOS-MOS.
Shion's relationship with KOS-MOS was complex. Shion was often motherly towards her, trying to explain what was right or wrong. Eventually, their relationship evolved into genuine friendship. KOS-MOS would also act as her confidante whenever Shion was uncertain or afraid. KOS-MOS is the only person that Shion never rejected, despite Kevin's urging. Shion treats KOS-MOS humanely, rather than merely an artificial robot.
It is revealed that this is partly due to the fact that KOS-MOS contained Mary's spirit and that Shion was the Maiden of Mary in a past life. Their relationship may be therefore be considered akin to the one Mary Magdalene and the Maiden shared, though the exact nature of the ancient characters' relationship is unknown.
Allen Ridgeley
Shion holding hands with Allen.
Allen Ridgeley fell in love with Shion the first time he saw her though she never returned his feelings or considered him anything more than a co-worker until the end of their adventure. He tried several times to tell her how he felt but something always prevented him or she didn't pay attention. His affection for her was completely evident to everyone working on their team constructing KOS-MOS. Allen revealed his feelings for her successfully during his stand against Kevin. After this, Shion was much more compassionate toward him and even intervened when Allen was tortured by Kevin.
After Zarathustra was defeated, the two enter a relationship.
Jin Uzuki
Shion and Jin in Episode II.
Shion did not get along with her older brother, Jin Uzuki, after the Miltian Conflict and their parents' deaths, which she blamed him for as he was unable to save them from Gnosis. Shion always held him responsible for their parent's death, and since then, has never tried to get close to him. In fact, it is not that Jin left his parents to die, but that he was delayed by Margulis. He still succeeded in saving Shion, however.
Shion resented Jin for his lax attitude and was frustrated by his inability to hold a steady job for more than six months, constantly changing professions. Shion has a tendency to add the phrase "no-good" when referring to Jin. In the anime, Shion calls him an "idiot" to Tony.
Despite her attempts to avoid him, Jin reached out to his sister often and tried to get closer to her, inviting her to honor their parents or come visit their family home, which he had turned into a medical practice and later a bookstore due to his annoyance at his patients, but it was to no avail. Jin was scared that if he tried to get too close to Shion, she would reject him completely. Shion's avoidance of her brother reached the point of desperation when in close proximity to him. Although they don't always agree, Jin looks out for his little sister like when Kevin Winnicot tried to get her to go on his side.
They apologize mutually for their behavior after Zarathustra was destroyed and are able to forgive each other, moments before his death.
Kevin Winnicot
Shion and Kevin.
Kevin Winnicot was Shion's boss and lover before the events surrounding KOS-MOS's awakening. He attempted to manipulate her at first for Wilhelm's plan, but fell in love with her and were engaged to be married.
He died when the KOS-MOS Archetype was risen by U-TIC and his death devastated Shion. When she replaced him as the leader of the KOS-MOS project, Shion became obsessed with finishing her for Kevin. He was risen by Wilhem as the Red Testament and he became the leader of Vector's right-hand man. Kevin still held feelings for Shion and persuaded her to leave her friends in order to join him.
He died again when he attempted to stop the awakening of Zarathustra and this saddened Shion, though she had already realized that he was evil, but did all this to save her life. They exchange their feelings from the broken pendent that KOS-MOS destroyed, and it is revealed to contain flower petals from the garden Shion made. The exact flower petals that shows how much he truly loves her, even to the very end. As Kevin bids her farewell with a smile and passes on to the other side with peace in his heart, Shion now looks forward to the future and bids him farewell with renewed resolve. Despite all the pain and suffering within the story that he may have caused, Kevin's undying love for Shion, and Shion's discovery of his determination to sacrifice himself for her, helped her become stronger and looking forward to saving the universe from destruction.
Juli Mizrahi
Shion's relationship with Juli is plain and clear, and both of them are in friendly terms. Juli expressed that she envies Shion's resolve to stay true to her calling, while Juli continues to do things that she doesn't if they are right or wrong. Juli even gave Shion a warming conversation about the duties of a creator, and how one should believe in those they created and cherish. Interestingly, both Shion and Juli had family members that had suffered a mental or subconscious disease: Shion's mother was unable to move and fell into a coma, and Juli's daughter was unable to speak and express her emotions on the surface. This is due to the fact that Shion's mother shared the same blood from the People of Zohar, and that Juli's husband, Joachim Mizrahi, also came from the People of Zohar that have the ability to utilize the Zohar and make contact with U-DO.
Battle Skills
Shion healing herself in Episode II.
In addition to Shion's intellect, it is heavily hinted that she learned the same martial arts that Jin and Margulis are masters of, as taught by her grandfather. This shows in her Double Tech attacks with her brother which include fast and skillful swordplay. Upon destroying an object, most of her moves are kicks and punches, not just her M.W.S. attacks. Though unlike them, she primarily focuses on hand-to-hand combat but uses her M.W.S. in conjunction with it. It is stated that she was taught at least some of this battle technique in the Episode I database, which states that their grandfather taught her a strong, high kick.
Shion using her M.W.S. Mark II in Episode II.
In battle, Shion relies primarily on the M.W.S., an invention of her friend Miyuki Itsumi. She is also skilled in the use of Ether to augment her combat skills. Shion is the only character who can use the ultimate Erde Kaiser spell in Episodes I and II. It uses 60 ether points, more than she will likely acquire by the end of the game, though with the Angel Ring that number is halved to a more manageable value. A special side-quest is required in order to obtain this item, but it will do 9,999 points of damage. It can kill almost any boss, including both optional bosses of the first game, but can only be used once per battle.
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Quotes
Episode I
- "Do you really think this is a good idea...?"
- "Get out of my way! Or else..."
- "Okay, here we go."
- "I've come this far, I can't lose now!"
- "KOS-MOS, let's go."
- "KOS-MOS! Activate Hilbert Effect!"
- "Commander, is that really you?"
- "Great! I collected some good data."
- "Who would've thought one of Miyuki's inventions would come in handy?"
- "Okay, let's go on."
- "Take it easy on me... I'm not meant for this line of work!"
- "Is everyone alright...?"
- "I'm sorry... everyone..."
- "I'm not... done yet..."
- "Take this!"
- "Open ether circuit!" (Normal Ether)
- "Reveal thy ancient power to me..." (Robot Parts/Erde Kaiser)
- "Transmit A.G.W.S.!"
- "Good morning, KOS-MOS."
- "Do you feel sad... or anything?"
- "But you know, KOS-MOS, I've got mixed feelings about all this. Of course, I'm happy that you're awake. But the fact that you'll go back to sleep makes me a bit sad. On the other hand, the next time you wake up, it may be a time of much bloodshed. So deep down inside, I hope that day never comes."
- "It sounds like fun! I enjoy video games."
- "Stop it! You have no right to play god with their lives!" (to Virgil)
- "I guess... this is... it.... I'm going... to die..." (almost killed by Gnosis)
- "Wait, KOS-MOS... do... do you understand what you've just done?! That's no excuse! You have no right to go about killing people! Why did you shoot Lieutenant Virgil?!" (to KOS-MOS)
- "How could...! How can you even say that! Have you no conscience?!" (to KOS-MOS)
- "Hey, that's kind of a racist comment." (Shion, annoyed at Allen for insulting Übermutants)
- "Identity diffusion... the eternal dilemma." (to MOMO in the Durandal)
- "There's no difference between illusion and reality to the person experiencing it." (in the Encephalon)
- "I can't believe I just handed over top-secret company info to the Federation without permission... I am SO fired..."
- "KOS-MOS, I really ought to put you on a diet!"
The Animation
- "I want all Realians to be happy and healthy!"
- "You like Bunnie? Well, guess that makes two of us then."
- "Maybe so, but nobody just thinks about what they need to do, nor should Realians. You've been given free will, just the same as us." (to Kirsch)
- "That's not true! We don't treat them anything like equipment or merchandise!" (to Virgil about Realians)
- "All of them... All of them are DEAD now... I can't stand it. I don't want to see anymore people DIE..." (Shion cries in the escape pod)
- "It can't be...! She said... "Daddy"... I don't... Don't leave, Dad! Wait for me! DON'T GO!" (to Suou's memory)
- "In your mind, everyone is just a toy for your enjoyment. I'll show you how wrong you are! We'll all show you! You're going to see! We all have wills of our own!" (to Albedo)
- "Thank you... Thank goodness you're alive, Kirsch."
- "Kirschwasser... I wanted to help you. Help you make a place where you belonged..."
- "But why... but why does everyone... Tell me WHY!? WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS HAVE TO GO AND LEAVE ME BEHIND?!" (Shion cries)
Episode II
- "Wait a minute, Jin. Not this again. I've already told you, I'm not going to their graves. No! I absolutely refuse. Just stop it. I can't believe we're talking about this again. Mom and Dad aren't even IN those graves! You know just as well as I do where they are! Right?! You and I were the only ones there that day. And if you... if you'd only been there SOONER, they'd STILL BE..."
- "It's horrible... I can't stand this! I'm... I'm sick of ALL THIS! I just... I can't take it anymore! I just CAN'T! UGHHH!"
- "You... you did this to them for THAT?! Shut up! I refuse... I refuse to accept this!"
- "Feb... No, I can't! Why does it have to me!? Why did you call me!? I WON'T DO IT! I CAN'T DO IT!"
- "KOS-MOS... FIRE!" (Shion commands KOS-MOS to kill Cecily and Cathe)
- "It's just like it was fourteen years ago. It was exactly the same. Feb was... she was killed right in front of me. I was all alone. I couldn't do anything myself, so I just ran! And again... I still couldn't do anything... Why? Why did it have to be me? I never wanted to feel like that again..."
Episode III
- "Come on. A single thought can change the world. Even fast food can become an elegant dinner."
- "No, Feb, wait! What am I... What am I supposed to do now!? Feb! Please don't go! Feb! No! I don't understand anything anymore!"
- "I have to put it back... I have to put it back... it won't stop... I have to put it back... or else... Mommy's gonna go away... put it back... someone... please put it back... no... no... this isn't true! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
- "You MONSTERS! GET AWAY FROM MY MOM!" (to 27-Series Asuras)
- "No, it-- This can't...be happening! Jin... What is going on? It's a... this is a dream, right? I called- I called the Gnosis. I made them appear, didn't I? This is-- some kind of terrible mistake? Right? Tell me that this isn't possible! Please! Someone tell me what's going on! No! No, I don't believe it! It's a lie! Tell me it isn't true! No. No... NOOOOOO!"
- "Oh, Kevin, I'm happy... I'm so happy to see you again. I missed you so much...! I thought... that... I'd never see you again. And yet... here you are... So, I... I... I..."
- "Kevin, what should I do? Am I just going to disappear from this world, unable to do anything? Kevin... Jin? Jin, why? Why didn't you let me go? Why did you get in my way? If I'd gone with Kevin, I might have been able to be happy."
- "I don't know what I should do. It's not that I want to give Jin a hard time. And it's not that I don't trust my friends. I know that you and Jin and everyone on the Elsa... are worried about me. But isn't everyone really thinking that I'm a dangerous burden? I'm the one who led our universe to destruction. If I die, the Gnosis might disappear. Isn't everyone wishing that would happen? I'm afraid. I'm so scared. No one's going to save me. If everyone abandons me, I... Will you always stay with me? I don't want to be alone, KOS-MOS. Help me, Kevin."
- "What do you want? Are you here to say a bunch of cryptic things again and confuse me? You're always like that. You just appear in front of me, say whatever you feel like, then just watch without actually doing anything!" (to Nephilim)
- "I don't know. I don't understand myself. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of being alone. I don't know. I don't understand anything. Help me. Please, someone help me. Tell me who I am."
- "What's happening? Where am I? Isn't that... chaos? That woman beside him... is the woman in the casket. What is this feeling? Is it... anger? despair? No. You're sad, aren't you? KOS-MOS? Are those tears? Why? Why are you crying? I see... You've lost sight of yourself, just like me. You don't know who you are anymore. You don't even know where you stand, and you feel alone. I understand. Let's find out, together. Alright? Let's try and find out... who I am, and why you are here. Let's look for the answers together, KOS-MOS."
- "My pain? No one knows anything about me! No one knows how I feel. I was always alone. Even when I called for help, no one listened! The only one who listened was Kevin."
- "I don't know. I don't know what I should do. I'm tired. I don't want to hurt anymore. None of you saved me. Only Kevin has made a place for me."
- "Please, don't interfere. Leave me alone! I want this to end. Leave us alone! Stop! Don't hurt Kevin! I want this to end. Please, understand!"
- "Kevin, all I ever wanted was to be with you. Even if that meant I was being used. Even if I was being deceived. As long as I could be by your side, I thought it didn't matter. But... now I know that's not true. It's wrong for me to sacrifice others for it. If I do that... If I run away into the past... all I'm doing is repeating the misery inside me. I do love you, dearly. I'm sure we would be happy together... there's nothing that I would want more. But I can't stand the idea of being the only one who finds happiness. If I can't share it with everyone, then there's no meaning to happiness. And I don't want to be alone anymore..."
- "Thank you, Kevin. Because of you, I have... I've been able to make it this far. Because of you, I'll keep going. Goodbye. Goodbye, Kevin. Farewell."
- "I don't believe it... how can you say that? It's not fair of you to say something like that to me now. I'm the one who was wrong, not you. You always thought about me. I knew that you did... but, I was the one who couldn't admit my real feelings. I was embarrassed or uncomfortable or something so... I'm the one who pushed you away. I'm the one who caused you so much pain... and... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for it, Jin. Forgive me. Please, forgive me!" (Shion to Jin before his death)
- "Jin, I know I never said it, but... I was happy. In my heart, I was so happy to be your sister. So... so thank you. Thank you, Jin."
- "Jin... Now I think I understand what Wilhelm wanted to do, just a little bit better. His methods may have been wrong, but now, I think I understand the logic behind his reasons. Living the same life, over and over again, but living those lives without any regrets is what really matters. That is probably what the ideal vision of being human is all about."
- "Humans are really not that strong. And we know that we can't live like that. We're creatures that are much more flawed, weak, and smaller than that. We hurt others, we lie to ourselves, we hate, we blame others, we regret, but, even if we are weak, and even if it is our fate to disappear entirely, I think the will to change the future is still an important one."
Themes
- Shion's Crisis
- Shion ~Memories of the Past~
- Shion ~Emotion~
- Sorrow
- Rising Emotions
- Kokoro
- Maybe Tomorrow
Trivia
Shion in Namco x Capcom.
- Shion's surname, Uzuki, is the same as Citan Uzuki from Xenogears. In the Japanese version of Xenogears, Citan is known as "Shitan". Both "Shion" and "Shitan" begin with "Shi". It is unknown if this is intentional homage.
- In the Japanese language, "shi" is the same pronunciation as "death", thus it is considered unlucky. This may relate to Shion who is surrounded by death.
- Shion claims she heard the name "Marienkind" somewhere before, which means "Child of Mary". This could imply that Shion's previous incarnation was related to Jesus as a sister, or a descendant/relative of Mary Magdalene. Shion's identity during the Lost Jerusalem era remains unknown.
- Shion's pendant, which had become the ignition of Zarathustra, was something that was built at the same time as Zarathustra in an extremely ancient era of Lost Jerusalem. But what is important is the ritual itself where the Maiden uses the key and activates Zarathustra. Therefore, even though Kevin used the imaginary domain and remodeled it, embedding flower petals into the interior of the pendant for the purpose of swaying the heart of the Maiden, there was no problem with its function.
- Most of the primary female characters in Xenosaga are named after flowers. "Shion" is the Japanese name of the Tatarian Aster, a type of daisy.
- Her blood type is A, as seen when KOS-MOS uses her scanner when she first awakens.
- If Episode I's bonus e-mails are to be believed, she is friends with Kazuya Mishima from Tekken.[1]
- Shion makes an appearance in Namco x Capcom, when she, MOMO, and KOS-MOS appear in the middle of Shibuya, Tokyo during a series of dimensional disturbances, in time to help the main characters against a Gnosis attack. In the game, Shion is paired with MOMO as a single unit.[2]
Gallery
Xenosaga Episode I
Xenosaga: The Animation
Xenosaga Episode II
Xenosaga: A Missing Year
Xenosaga Episode III
