Summary
- Shin Asakura’s telepathic abilities stem from an accident with an experimental serum.
- Without the power of clairvoyance, Shin is still a highly skilled assassin, capable of supporting Sakamoto.
- Shin’s telepathic abilities have great potential, with support from other characters to enhance them.
Sakamoto Days is full of interesting characters with overwhelming strength and unique abilities, one of whom is Shin Asakura. Like Spy x Family’s Anya Forger, Shin is a clairvoyant who can read minds. His powers are incredibly useful in combat, which makes him a reliable support to Sakamoto and Lu Shaotang and an annoying opponent to other assassins. He has impressive abilities, but is Shin a natural clairvoyant in the series?
Before joining the staff at Sakamoto’s Store, Shin was an assassin like Taro Sakamoto. In fact, Shin was an ex-assistant to Sakamoto back in his heyday. He only quit after Sakamoto allowed him to work at his convenience store. From that day forward, Shin starts a new life, abiding by the Sakamoto family rules to the best of his abilities. He may have given up the assassin’s life, but trouble always catches up to him in the world of Sakamoto Days.
Related
Sakamoto Days: Does Sakamoto’s Daughter Inherit His Strength ?
There are subtle hints that Taro Sakamoto’s only daughter, Hana, also possesses an overwhelming strength on Sakamoto Days.
Is Shin a Natural Clairvoyant?
Shin Asakura Receives Telepathic Abilities
It’s not uncommon for anime characters with clairvoyant powers to have a rough backstory where they are often subjected to different kinds of research and experimentation. However, Shin Asakura finds himself in a completely different situation. Unlike Spy x Family’s Anya Forger, who might have suffered at the hands of ruthless scientists before gaining the power to read minds, Shin’s ordinary life changes due to an accident. Once a bratty little kid, Shin matures into a somewhat responsible adult due to the power he holds. The accident stems from a research developed by Asakura, who’s now the head scientist at Okutabi Research Lab.
“A person who has got something to protect will fight more desperately.”—Shin Asakura
Lu Shaotang thinks that Shin was born with clairvoyance, but it was the other way around—Shin’s telepathic powers are entirely unnatural. Back then, Asakura was deep into his research of supernatural abilities when Ando, an old friend, entrusted Shin to him. With no other choice, Asakura looks out for Shin while continuing his experiments on expanding the threshold of brain activity—in other words, developing superhuman powers. It wasn’t long before Asakura completed his serum, but a half-asleep Shin mistakenly drank it all in one go, thinking it was just plain water. Asakura’s research proves successful, and Shin becomes living proof of the experiment.
Shin Asakura’s Struggles As a Clairvoyant
It’s Difficult to Work Around Shin
Although Asakura’s research was a success, life becomes more difficult for Shin after becoming a clairvoyant. At the research lab, Shin couldn’t help but read the minds of every researcher in the building, blurting out their inner thoughts one after another and leaving no room for privacy. As a result, everyone started hating and avoiding Shin. Guilt begins to weigh on Asakura, seeing what the little kid has to endure in exchange for his research. Asakura also begins thinking his research is stupid to the extent that he was willing to create a serum that would turn Shin back to normal.
“It’s been a while Mr. Sakamoto. It’s Shin the Clairvoyant.”—Shin Asakura
Despite everything, Shin believes that Asakura’s research is not foolish at all. Instead, Shin thinks highly of Asakura, particularly the hard work and dedication he put into his research just to make it a success. Later, Shin leaves the Okutabi Research Lab convinced that he is nothing but a bother to everyone, including Asakura. From that point on, Shin’s life as an assassin began, and the rest is history.
How Strong Is Shin the Clairvoyant?
Shin’s Telepathic Abilities Have a Huge Potential
Shin is a highly skilled assassin even without his telepathic abilities. He is quick and versatile, often finding ways to outsmart his opponents in combat. He also has a never-giving-up attitude and his willingness to grow stronger to keep up with Sakamoto is just one of the many things that fans love about him. In addition, Shin is also a comedic factor in the series, as he often engages in funny banter with Lu and Heisuke, and later with the other characters.
As a clairvoyant, Shin can read everyone’s thoughts within a 20-meter radius. However, he must exert more effort to hear a particular target’s thoughts, as if he’s adjusting the dial on a radio, filtering out people’s thoughts at will. It takes a huge toll on Shin, though, but with practice, he has no problem using his telepathic abilities to support Sakamoto and to fight for his own survival.
“Is that the Clairvoyant boy?”—Kashima to Shin Asakura
As the plot unfolds in Sakamoto Days, Shin finds unique ways to strengthen his telepathic abilities. Simply reading minds is not enough, especially when Shin often gets into conflict with foes far stronger than him due to his association with Sakamoto. Thankfully, characters like Lu Wutang, Granny Miya, and Sakamoto himself are there to help Shin realize the true potential of his powers. Just imagine if Shin could use his powers to look into the future—such a breakthrough would take him to new heights.
