Shiren:Shiren the Wanderer

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Shiren the Wanderer シレン
Character's information
Location
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Age	10 (earliest, Shiren 2) 21 (latest, Shiren 3)
Status	Alive
Family	Gimensha (Father) Sensei (Uncle)
Occupation	Wanderer
Title	Gold Wanderer Dynamite (Shiren 3)
Background information
Earliest appearance	Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer (1995)
Latest Mystery Dungeon appearance	Template:GameTitle (2024)
Latest non-Mystery Dungeon appearance	AI: The Somnium Files – nirvanA Initiative (2022)
Created by	Seiichiro Nagahata
Designed by	Kaoru Hasegawa
Voice actors
Japanese	Shinichiro Ohta 太田真一郎 (Template:GameTitle)

This Shiren the Wanderer page is about the main character of the Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer games. For the list of available games in the series, see Meta:Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (series). For the title of the first game, see Meta:Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer. For Shiren 3, localized as "Shiren the Wanderer", see Meta:Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 - The Sleeping Princess and_the Karakuri Mansion.

Shiren the Wanderer (Japanese: 風来人のシレン) is a character in Template:GameTitle. He made his debut in Template:GameTitle in 1995 and takes the role of the main character for most of the series.

Though still relatively young, he has survived countless adventures. With his trademark bamboo kasa and vertical-striped cape, he's always joined by his ever-reliable partner and travel companion Koppa.

Biography

Physical Appearance

Shiren's physical appearance has varied across the series. While he always has the same general hair cut, his hair has changed color multiple times, as have his eyes. In his earliest appearance, Shiren has light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Later media altered the hair and eye colors several times, including brownish-red hair and black eyes (Shiren 2), purple hair, green eyes (Monster of Moonlight Village Internet Edition artwork), brown hair and eyes (Magic Castle of the Desert), purple hair and eyes (Shiren 3), brown hair, purple eyes (Shiren 4), different shades of brown/red hair and purple eyes (Shiren 5), brown hair and blue eyes (Shiren 6).

Shiren's outfits have also changed significantly throughout the series. However, he does maintain certain iconic aspects that make recognizable. The main iconic features of his design is that are his hat and his cape. He always wears a patterned cape that shares his primary coloration of white and blue. His cape normally has stripes but can also feature slightly more intricate abstract markings akin to a zebra pattern. His hat is a kasa, a type of Japanese straw hat that also varies in appearance from game to game though it usually features a lot of open slits around the brim. While not really being a steadfast rule or as iconic as his other two features, Shiren's footwear may also help distinguish the character, whether he dons boots or waraji (Japanese sandals popular during the edo period), his leg wear usually features large staffs or flaps in their design.

Personality

Shiren is a friendly Wanderer, always ready to lend a hand to those in need, eager to take on challenges, and tends to get caught up in local affairs. Shiren wanders Mystery Dungeons in search of treasure. Wanderers are known to pray to the God of Travel, Kron and pursue one of mankind's rarest undertakings. They brave countless life-threatening circumstances for sheer exhilaration.

It may be inferred that Shiren is a very determined individual. Any time Shiren fails, he gets back on his feet ready to set out and try again until he accomplishes his ultimate goal. Along with his determination, there is a lot of evidence that suggests Shiren has a calm demeanor and a level head. He has been forced into a handful of unfavorable situations where lives were threatened. Shiren will hold himself back from doing anything rash in order to try and keep people safe. Allowing his enemies to have whichever advantage they seek by standing down so long as they promise not to harm his friends or allies. His caring nature can put him in some odd situations, but so far Shiren has always managed to persevere through them.

History

Early Life

Little is known about Shiren's life up to the events of Template:GameTitle. His exact birth origins like birthday and location are unknown. What is known is that he is the son of Gimensha and an unnamed woman. Sensei is the brother of that woman, making him Shiren's uncle and Gimensha's brother-in-law. When Shiren was 8 years old, Gimensha left Shiren and his mom in Sensei's care before apparently failing to return sometime after. Sometime after his birth, before the age of 10, Shiren encountered his lifelong friend and companion Koppa the talking weasel. The amount of time he had known Koppa before their first big adventure together when Shiren was 10 years old is unknown.

Shiren 2

On Shiren's first known adventure with Koppa, the pair had been traveling through mountains and stumbled upon Natane Village. They decided to stop there to eat some food, when the village was attacked by a tribe of Oni. Shiren was convinced by the village to build a castle for to protect them. His castle building efforts are later joined by his friend Riku and the rest of the village. Shiren eventually confronts the Oni Boss, with the support of the Oni Boss' daughter, Kirara, who he had also befriended while staying at the village.

Shiren 1

Eventually, Koppa and Shiren part ways with each other for an unspecified period of time during which Shiren's whereabouts are unknown. They apparently would not meet again until Shiren is about 18 years old, six months prior to  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer, the first game in the series. At this point, Shiren had been traveling in memory of his friend, and the duo decided to check out some rumors that they had been hearing regarding the divine bird of legend, The Golden Condor. This beast resided within the lost city of gold, atop the plains of the sun high above Kobami Valley at the top of Table Mountain. The duo begins their adventure and manages to succeed in what no other wanderer has achieved thus far. They climbed to the top of Table Mountain where they found the lost city of gold, Amteca. It turns out that the city and its citizens have been destroyed and devoured by a vicious creature known as the Tainted Insect, that fed on the very Gold the city was composed of. Shortly after discovering the lost city, Shiren and Koppa do encounter a Tainted Insect and proceed to dispatch it. With the creature destroyed, they are able to actually save the divine bird of legend itself, as it was trapped in a cocoon made by the Tainted Insect. After saving the Golden Condor, it grants Shiren a ride back down to the base of the mountain where they return to the Canyon Hamlet for a short period of time.

Save Surala

While there, they also go on other kinds of adventures, such as helping Surala find her way back home.

Monster of Moonlight Village

After leaving Kobami Valley, Shiren and Koppa find themselves in Moonlight Village, where they help the village by preventing the sacrifice of a little girl to a monster.

Shiren 6

Learning about Shiren's latest adventures, Tatsumi decides to appear to Shiren and Koppa in a dream, asking for help. And so Shiren and Koppa visit Serpentcoil Island, where they defeat Jakaku, freeing Tatsumi from the sea, and confronting her brother Kokatsu for her. Eventually the two siblings make up thanks to the efforts of Shiren and Koppa, putting an end to a several years long drought in the areas surrounding the island.

While on Serpentcoil Island, Shiren and Koppa also have many other adventures. They visit the Secret Ninja Village, where they befriend and help Seki, the daugther of a ninja clan leader who had turned into a monster. They also reunite with their friend Asuka, whom Shiren hadn't seen since childhood, while she is there in search of the Peach Club. Shiren and Koppa also help Hibiki and Tugai learn and confess their feelings for one another.

Shiren 4

Later, Shiren and Koppa find themselves stranded on an island.

Magic Castle of the Desert

Shiren and Koppa defeat a demon in the desert.

Shiren 5

Shiren and Koppa help Jirokichi save his dying friend by climbing the Tower of Fortune with him, letting him change her fate.

Family

• Gimensha
  • The protagonist's father. Mentioned in The Sleeping Princess and the Karakuri Mansion
• Sensei
  • The protagonist's uncle. Also playable in The Sleeping Princess and the Karakuri Mansion.
• Unnamed mother
  • The protagonist's mother, and sister of Sensei. Mentioned in The Sleeping Princess and the Karakuri Mansion.
• Pekeji
  • Pekeji claims to be Shiren's brother in Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer. He never offers any proof of this, even in Magic Castle of the Desert.

Family Tree

Pekeji's claims of being related to Shiren are unsubstantiated. Being the same age as Shiren implies that Gimensha is his father, if his claims are true.

Shiren Ancestor

?

Unknown number of generations.

?

?

?

?

Gimensha

Unnamed mother

Sensei

Shiren

Background Information

Shiren's character was created by Seiichiro Nagahata, while Kaoru Hasegawa designed the character. Nagahata was influenced by Kogarashi Monjirō; a Japanese novel that became popular thanks to its televised adaptation in 1972. By mistake, he covered Shiren's head during the production of  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer, making his face barely visible with his kasa. Hasegawa had drawn several models of the protagonist before settling on the one released to the public, while most of the other designs were unrecovered.

Appearances

For more about Shiren as a character in a specific game, click through their respective links.

Games

Shiren appears in  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer. Shiren appears in  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer. Shiren appears in / Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (SP). Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer GB - Monster of Moonlight Village. Shiren the Wanderer appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren the Wanderer appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 3 - The Sleeping Princess and the Karakuri Mansion. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle. Shiren the Wanderer in Template:GameTitle. Shiren appears in Template:GameTitle.

Shiren 1			Save Surala				Moonlight Village				Shiren 2		Magic Castle		Asuka		Shiren 3		Shiren 4		Shiren 5				Tower of Slumber	Shiren 6
SFC	DS	SP	1	2	3	4	GB	PC	PCI	SP			GBC	DS	DC	PC	Wii	PSP	DS	PSP	DS	Vita	2020	SP
✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓		✓	✓			✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

In Other Media

For Shiren in other media, see Shiren:Shiren In Other Media.

While the series is less popular overseas than in Japan, Spike Chunsoft have made a few crossover between Shiren and its respectful series with other titles. Frequently, the protagonist makes an appearance with any character from the Danganronpa series; another franchise made by the aforementioned company.

Merch

• Shiren the Wanderer Mini Acrylic Figures contains Shiren in two sets.
• Shiren is depicted on one of the Shiren the Wanderer 6 Bean Plates.
• Shiren is depicted on the Shiren the Wanderer 6 Tote Bag.

Gallery

Official Artwork

• 

  (1995)
  Artwork from Shiren1SFC.

• 

  (2000)
  Artwork of Shiren and Koppa from Shiren 2.

• 

  (2000)
  Artwork from a Shiren 2 Source Book.

• 

  (2006)
  Artwork from Shiren 1 DS.

• 

  (2008)
  Artwork from Shiren 3 Wii.

• 

  (2008)
  Artwork from the Shiren 3 Wii iMode Official Website.

• 

  (2010)
  Artwork from Shiren 4 DS.

• 

  (2010)
  Artwork of Shiren and Koppa from Shiren 5 DS.

• 

  (2013)
  Artwork from the Tower of Slumber Official Website.

• 

  (2013)
  Artwork from Tower of Slumber.

• 

  (2023)
  Artwork from Shiren 6.

• 

  (2024)
  Artwork of Kokatsu Shiren from the Shiren 6 Official Website.

• 

  (2024)
  Artwork of Tatsumi Shiren from the Shiren 6 Official Website.

Trivia

• Shiren is one of three characters to be directly mentioned in the name of the Shiren game. The other two are Asuka and Surala.
• A child version of Shiren made a reappearance in the Tower of the Past, and an elderly Shiren made an appearance in the Tower of the Future as part of the plot of Template:GameTitle.

In Other Languages

ShirenFusions

Language Name English Shiren Japanese シレン French Europe Shiren Canada Shiren Spanish Europe Shiren Latin America Shiren German Shiren Italian Shiren Portuguese Shiren Dutch Shiren Russian Ширену Korean 시렌 Chinese Simplified 希炼 Traditional 希煉

Language Name English Shiren Mamel Japanese マムルシレン

Language Name English Dragon God Shiren Japanese 竜神シレン

Language Name English Kokatsu Shiren Japanese 狐渇シレン

Language Name English Tatsumi Shiren Japanese 竜海シレン

References

• Voice actor info.
• Kokatsu Shiren Japanese name.