Charles de Guise

Charles de Guise
Name in Kanji	シャルル・ド・ギーズ
Name in Romaji	Sharuru Do Gīzu
Fighting Style	Hokuto Sonka Ken
Family	Sophie de Guise (younger sister)
Position(s)	Colonel in the French army
Appearances	Souten no Ken; Manga (ch. 18-118); Anime (ep. 7-onward); Souten no Ken: Re:Genesis; Anime (ep. 1)
Voice actor(s)	Taiten Kusunoki; Ryotaro Okiayu

A French Jew and colonel and chief intelligence officer in the French Army that works with the Qing Bang. Although he has mastered Hokuto Sonkaken, he prefers using conventional fighting methods like guns and swords, irritating even the likes of Mang Kuangyun at one point.

Appearance[edit | edit source]

He is a handsome looking man of average height with a muscular build and long dark hair (colored brown in the anime, and strawberry blond in ReVIVE) that is swept to the side, obscuring one of his eyes.

Being a member of the French Army, he naturally wears a military uniform at all times, which consists of a double-breasted jacket, dark gloves, a simple belt, as well as puffy trousers and a pair of calf-high boots. He also wears a cape as well.

Manga & TV Series[edit | edit source]

He first appeared, preventing Ye from committing suicide by damaging the explosives attached to his body. Shortly thereafter, he prevented the military from opening fire on Yang Wong, who had passed himself off as Ye during the battle with Goran. With de Guise's help, Kenshiro was able to reach and kill Huang Xifei. After that, Charles continued to help Qing Bang, informing Kenshiro that Pan Guanglin was alive. Protecting Yang Meiyu, de Guise meets with Ling Wong. After a short confrontation, it is revealed that Charles, like Ling Wong, possesses the Hokuto Sonkaken style. The battle ends with Ling Wong retreating, hearing the approach of the French army. After rescuing Pan Guanglin, Kenshiro begins to consider de Guise as his peng yo. After a while, Charles asks Kenshiro to protect his sister. De Guise's sister, Sophie was suffered trauma resulting in memory suppression due to her experiences in escaping from Nazi Germany as her husband (a non-Jewish German who was prohibited from marrying her by Nazi law) got sent to a concentration camp. When she regained her memory by Kenshiro's acupressure, she was assassinated by Zhang Taiyan. During the battle between Kenshiro and Zhang Taiyan, he defended Kenshiro from the Honghua Hui bandits. Then he met with the members of Wuchamen-Dang and after hearing their story, he allowed them to interrupt the battle. Upon learning the truth about his father, Taiyan wanted to die, but despite his pleas, Guise decided to temporarily abandon his revenge and left a cruciform scar as a reminder of their upcoming battle. De Guise was eventually wounded fatally by Liu Feiyan when the latter deemed him unfit to take care of Erika Arendt and challenged him to a duel. Kenshiro used acupressure techniques on him to prolong his life just long enough to watch his friends staging a glimpse of his vision -- a Shanghai in prosperity (where Jews can take refuge). Believing that Kenshiro and friends will make it come true, he then died in peace.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

In the anime, it was Simeon Nagid that killed him instead of Liu Feiyan.
Charles de Guise bears several similarities to Rei from Hokuto no Ken. Both bear villainous appearances when they first appear but are soon revealed to be on the good side as well as crucial allies to the main character. Both have younger sisters who suffer from disorders and both die after their lives are briefly extended.