Shy (manga)

As the world was on the brink of a Third World War, superheroes appeared around the globe to restore order and bring about a new era of world peace. After the threat of war ended, each hero returned to a country to help with domestic matters, where they were quickly accepted by their respective citizens. To better communicate with each other, all heroes meet at Space HQ (ヒーローたちの隠れ家, Hīrōtachi no Kakurega), a space station used to oversee and discuss matters back on Earth. Much of the power and story in Shy deals with people and their "heart", which is either protected by the heroes or manipulated by the villains. Every hero is equipped with a pair of Heart-Shift Bracelets (天心輪, Tenshinrin) that allow them to transform their appearance from civilian to hero and communicate with others in any language. When a hero syncs their heart with the bracelets, they become the source of each hero's power and abilities by storing "Heart Power" for use when seen fit. The stronger one's conviction and determination is, the more powerful one can become. If a hero's Heart Power runs out, they return to their civilian form. On the other hand, the villains can manipulate a heart by forcing a person to wear a special type of ring, which are connected back to their leader, as a result of the rings being made from parts of his heart. These rings have the power to draw out the deepest, most extreme feelings in one's heart, which can manifest as black crystals on their body. This kind of heart also has the ability to create a domain of a variable size, like a personal utopia.

14-year-old Teru Momijiyama is Japan's hero representative, who goes by the hero name "Shy" as a result of her extreme shyness. After being chosen to serve her country, Teru is invited to make an appearance at an amusement park to give a public speech. However, her shyness ends up boring the audience to the point that she leaves the stage in embarrassment. More misfortune continues as she tries to save riders from a broken roller coaster, with one girl, Iko Koishikawa, suffering severe injuries in the process. The public blames Teru for failing to properly rescue Iko, which causes Teru to slip into a deep depression, lose her powers, and go into isolation for a month. Her closest friend, Russian hero Spirit, appears to her to give her encouragement and try to make her understand that she can't please everyone. With her friend's words in mind, Teru turns her attention to a burning building. She is able to muster up the courage to transform back into Shy and rush into the fire to save a woman and a child. After the series of incidents, Iko is later transferred to Teru's school to make things easier for herself due to her injury, as the school is closer to her home. She thanks her for saving her, and the two get to know each other and become friends.

Now, with renewed determination, while improving to become a better, more confident person and hero, and fighting alongside her hero colleagues from around the globe, she defends the world against Amarariruku (アマラリルク), an evil villainous organization that appeared soon after the world was at peace after the threat of world war ended. The group was created by Stigma, their leader, in order to further his dreams of an ideal world made just for children.

Teru Momijiyama (紅葉山 テル, Momijiyama Teru) / Shy (シャイ, Shai)

Voiced by: Shino Shimoji[3] (Japanese); Veronica Laux[4] (English)

Country:  Japan

Teru is the main protagonist of the story. She was chosen to be Japan's hero while still attending junior high school. As her hero name implies, she is very shy to a near crippling degree. She is a kind-hearted girl who exudes more of her power when she is helping others. On the other hand, she is also easily held back by her own feelings of helplessness. Despite this, she works tirelessly as her country's representative. As the hero Shy, she wears a white bodysuit with a white eye visor, twin-tailed hood, and gas mask. She usually wears glasses while in civilian form, but not as a hero. She has the ability to turn the Heart Power from her Heart-Shift Bracelets into flames.

Pepesha Andranof (ペペシャ・アンドレアノワ, Pepesha Andoreanowa) / Spirit (スピリッツ, Supirittsu)

Voiced by: Mamiko Noto[5] (Japanese); Natalie Rose[4] (English)

Country:  Russia

Pepesha is Teru's best friend and mentor. She is very close with Teru to the point where she can come off as overly protective of her at times. She lost her mother at a very young age, and like her, grew up as an orphan. They were both raised in Yuri Orphanage, a local orphanage. Although she is a heavy drinker who loves drinking Russian vodka, a habit that she picked up from her mother, she is still seen by others as a very dependable person. As the hero Spirit, she wears a black bodysuit under a turtlenecked blue shirt, and has a utility belt at her waist. Her Heart-Shift Bracelets allow her to manipulate gasses and turn her own body into smoke. She can also release a mass of super-compressed air from her palm, a move she dubs the "Fluffy Cannon". She has the ability to fly. Her first name is derived from the World War II-era PPSh-41 submachine gun.

Davie Wonder John (ディヴィー・ワンダー・ジョン, Divī Wandā Jon) / Stardust (スターダスト, Sutādasuto)

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki[5]

Country:  United Kingdom

In addition to being a rock star and philanthropist, Davie is the founder of Black Cross, an international aid organization. Even though he comes across as charitable, he is known by his hero peers as a heartless and apathetic person who has been known to use drastic and unethical means while going about his heroism. He has an inborn lack of empathy, which he struggled with from an early age, but continued to seek what he lacked and became one of the world's top heroes. He is requested to fight against Shy when the two first met at the Heroes' Hideout, where Shy unlocks her Heart Power during combat. As the hero Stardust, he wears a full black bodysuit with a star in the middle, he has slicked back blonde hair, and he wears a pair of red-framed glasses. With his Heart-Shift Bracelets, he has the ability to control the flow of whatever is around him, which he can use to redirect incoming attacks. He is exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He has a accelerated high kick, dubbed the "Ashes to Stardust". His character is modeled after rock star David Bowie.

Piltz Dunant (ピルツ・デュナン, Pirutsu Dyunan) / Lady Black (レディ・ブラック, Redi Burakku)

Voiced by: Sayumi Suzushiro[5]

Country:   Switzerland

Plitz has the power to heal others. Because of this, she is a nursing student and member of Black Cross. She uses artificial legs due to losing both of them in a past accident. Although she tends to have a bit of a sharp tongue and a bad temper, she cares about those that she helps. She is very stern with Teru in order to help spurn her on to being a better hero. As the hero Lady Black, she wears a black dress with a white top, sports black framed-shades, and carries around a red handbag. She normally has short hair as a civilian, but her hair grows longer as a hero, where she wears it in twin tails. She can produce a long black bandage from her Heart-Shift Bracelets. She also possesses incredible stamina due to growing up and training in the mountains. Her last name comes from Red Cross co-founder Henry Dunant.

Ming Ming Li (李・明明（リー・ミンミン）, Rī Minmin) / Mian Long (ミェンロン, Myenron)

Voiced by: Ayumu Murase[5]

Country:  China

Ming Ming is a slender teenage boy with a feminine appearance. Because of his look, most people confuse him for a girl, as Teru did when she first met him. He is not only bad at fighting, but insecure about not looking as intimidating as other men. He aspires to get stronger, but also wishes he could save those in need without having to fight. As the hero Mian Long, he wears a white and black traditional Chinese chiffon-style top. His Heart-Shift Bracelets have the ability to brandish claws from his own Heart Power to put his enemies to sleep for a short while. He also finds himself falling asleep at odd times.

Adam Rockwell (アダム・ロックウェル, Adamu Rokkuweru) / Century (センチュリー, Senchurī)

Country:  United States

Adam is a hero as well as an active military colonel. He has a serious personality and a high sense of pride as a hero. He has a muscular build, is always training or working out, and is someone who seems to be sensitive about his health. He loves children and has a young daughter that he loves highly affectionately. As the hero Century, he wears a white and red bodysuit with horns on his mask. With his Heart-Shift Bracelets, he has the ability to manipulate gravity. Like Spirit, he can fly.

Gelm Stein (ゲルム・シュタイン, Gerumu Shutain) / Doctor Schwartz (ドクター・シュヴァルツ, Dokutā Shuvarutsu)

Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi[6]

Country:  Germany

Gelm is the director of the medical department of Black Cross. He works alongside Lady Black. He is a mature, experienced man with a gentle and easygoing personality who is the opposite to Plitz's steadfast and stern demeanor. As the hero Doctor Schwartz, he wears a cape with a gas mask tied around his neck over a white shirt, cargo pants, boots, and gloves. He also sports a belt with a pouch on the left side.

L'Arc Materia Renoir (ラールク・マテリア・ルノアール, Rāruku Materia Runoāru) / La Toile (ラヴォワール, Ravowāru)

Country:  France

L'Arc is nicknamed "The Artist of Space". They are a skilled up-and-coming artist hero who has been making a name for themselves through social media. They enjoy playing pranks on people. As the hero La Toile, they wear a white, padded jacket and have white hair with a red streak in the front, and carry art tools. They can change a person or object's appearance using their art. L'Arc is androgynous and the series does not specify their sex or gender, their character file in the Volume 10 extras states that their response to being asked about their gender is "whichever you like more" (君の好きなほうで, Kimi no Suki na Hō de).[7]

Ananda Varma (アナンダ・ヴァルマ, Ananda Varuma) / Nirvana (ニルヴァーナ, Niruvāna)

Country:  India

Ananda is a member of a misfit group of superheroes known as the Shining Six. He knows Teru's sister, the original hero of Japan, Mei Momijiyama, who used the hero name Shine. The Shining Six carry on in Shine's footsteps after her death, as she originally helped to bring the group together. As the hero Nirvana, he wears white pants and a white top with the arms exposed.

Seva Wang-Chai (セーヴァ・ワングチャイ, Sēva Wanguchai) / Indra (インドラ, Indora)

Country:  Thailand

Seva is a member of the Shining Six. When Shine was still alive, she loved her as if she were his own sister. As the hero Indra, he fights with a stick art that is covered with electric shocks.

Rosalia Peacock (ロザリア・ピーコック, Rozaria Pīkokku) / Pavoreal (パーヴォリア, Pāvoria)

Country:  Spain

Rosalia is a member of the Shining Six. She is Spain's best assassin who is married to fellow Shining Six member Omega Rodriguez.

Nyerko Armstrong (ニェルコ・アームストロング, Nyeruko Āmusutorongu) / Rampage (ランペィジ, Ranpeiji)

Country:  Greece

Nyerko is a member of the Shining Six. As the hero Rampage, she has the ability to manipulate and wear metal around her.

Omega Rodriguez (オメガ・ロドリゲズ, Omega Rodorigezu) / Juggernaut (ジャガナート, Jaganāto)

Country:  Mexico

Omega is a member of the Shining Six. Formerly a guard for mafia officials, he was at odds with Rosalia's organization, but they later became husband and wife.

Weibu Wang (ウェイブ・ワン, Ueibu Wan) / Pulse (パルス, Parusu)

Country:  Singapore

Weibu is a member of the Shining Six. He enjoys tinkering with machines. He has a cool personality, but he is not good with girls and gets flustered when they approach him. As the hero Pulse, he uses special tools to assist him in battle, such as drones with guns and electric riot control wires. He also has a special "Fatal Wave" move that allows him to manipulate electric fields to control various electronic devices or to be used as a stun gun when his wires are affixed to a human body.

Unilord (天帝（ユニロード）, Yuni-Rōdo) / Eunnie (ユニっち, Yunicchi)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue[5] (Japanese); Molly Searcy[4] (English)

Unilord is a celestial emperor who is the leader of the world's heroes. She lives at the Heroes' Hideout and monitors the world's heroes' activities back on Earth. She is not a hero, but she has strong authority and gives orders to the heroes as a supervisor. Although she exudes an air of nobility, she is soft-spoken and sometimes tells jokes.

Stigma (スティグマ, Sutiguma)

Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura[8] (Japanese); Marisa Duran (English)

Stigma is the leader of Amarariruku. His true name is unknown, as "Stigma" is what Unilord and other heroes call him, which he later accepts and uses it for himself. He is extremely abstract and childish, even refusing to mature. He wishes to create an adult-free world, one fit only for children. To do this, he formed Amarariruku by gathering ordinary civilians, taking their hearts, turning their wishes and desires into reality, and bestowing a name to all his creations. He uses rings which were made from parts of his heart which cause his creations to go on violent rampages. The rings have powers similar to the Heart-Shift Bracelets. He can also attack his opponents using dark power crystals.

Doki Baragaki (ドキ・バラガキ)

Doki is a feminine-looking boy who is often mistaken for a girl because of his appearance and fondness for cute things. He tends to be air-headed and simple-minded and because of his aggressive personality, will explode in rage when his gender is mistaken. He joined Amarariruku because of his experience of being forced to act the way others wanted him to and having his desired form rejected by the world. He believes that men should be pretty. His abilities are unknown, but his horns and claws grow to enormous sizes when his emotions get the best of him. He is clad with huge horns, claws, and tail, dressed in a ragged cloak.

Keheheh Kekerakera (クフフ・ケケラケラ, Kufufu Kekerakera)

Voiced by: Rina Hidaka[8]

Keheheh has a signature laugh, where she gets her name from. She refers to herself in third person and likes to play games and jokes with the heroes. Dressed in a clownish costume, she smiles and laughs because she believes she is at peace as long as she does so. She also believes no matter how a person may be feeling, laughter will lead to peace, and was created and desires to fill the world with laughter and smiles because of this. She wears her long, green hair in pigtails and wears extremely long sleeves underneath a black shawl. She has the ability to attract things to her and store large and small objects in her costume.

Tzveta Kooriskaya (ツィベタ・コオリスカヤ, Tsibeta Kooriskaya) / Lenya Andranof (レターナ・アンドレアノワ, Retāna Andoreanowa)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro[8]

Tzveta is an Amarariruku member whose goal is to create a world where children can life a happy life. Her true identity is that of Pepesha's deceased mother, Lenya Andranof, who died 15 years ago. She was born and raised in Yuri Orphanage, then later raised Pepesha as a single mother in extreme poverty, but was murdered by thugs and her body was drowned in the river. She sent a letter of advice before her death, and Pepesha was then taken in by the same orphanage as her. Pepesha's fondness for alcohol was due to the fact that in her poverty, Lenya was only happy and laughed like a child when she drank. Now, revived as a member of Amarariruku, Her youthful appearance makes her resemble Spirit as a child. She has the power to manipulate ice.

Utsuro Karakururi (ウツロ・カラクルリ) / Mai Tennoji (天王寺 昧, Ten'nōji Mai)

Utsuro is an incredibly nihilistic person who has no interests, no values, and only considers herself as a tool for Stigma's operations. As her true identity, Mai Tennoji, she is a former shinobi who ran away from her home village of Sōga to join Amarariruku. She does not like to fight and prefers to live a peaceful life, which led to her abandoning her shinobi training, killing numerous pursuers that have been trying to return her to her village. Soon after, her attitude changed and she pierced the heart of her sister with a sword radiating evil power, named "Void". She has the ability to erase minds. Her name can translate to "hollow", which is emblematic of her personality.

Sekirara Lovesong (セキララ・ラブソング, Sekirara Rabusongu) / Aika Kirahoshi (綺羅星 愛歌, Kirahoshi Aika)

Sekirara is an Amarariruku member with a tsundere personality. She instantly falls in love with Teru when the two first meet, wanting to marry her. She then invites Teru to her house, where she tries to convert Teru's heart by revealing one of Stigma's rings to force Teru to put it on as an "engagement ring", so that she will be "hers forever".

Inori Hallelujah (イノリ・アレルヤ, Inori Areruya) / Eve Ilhan (イヴ・イルハン, Ivu Iruhan)

Inori is a woman with the ability to awaken people to love. She is a nun with a halo and three pairs of wings. She believes that love is the strongest power above all else, and that by giving love to others, the circle of love will expand and cover the world. A halo appears above the head of a person who is under the influence of her ability.

Iko Koishikawa (小石川 惟子, Koishikawa Iko)

Voiced by: Nao Tōyama[5] (Japanese); Bryn Apprill[4] (English)

Iko is a 14-year-old girl who was saved by Shy from a broken roller coaster, although she ended up injuring her leg in the process, which Shy was blamed for. Shortly thereafter, she was saved again by Shy after having her heart manipulated by Stigma, forcing her to wear one of his rings. As she grows closer to Teru, she ends up transferring to her school, as it is closer to her home. She has a younger brother, who was also saved by Shy. She is the first person in the story to have had Stigma's ring placed on her and corrupt her heart.

N. Vilio (エヌ・ヴィリオ, Enu-Virio)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[5] (Japanese); Nazeeh Tarsha[4] (English)

N.Vilio is Teru's robotic hero partner whom she calls "Shrimpy" (えびお, Ebio) since it looks like a shrimp. It acts as a guide to help Teru throughout her missions by giving her advice and instructions. It can open portals to help Teru conveniently travel to other places in the world, and can also project holograms out through its head.

Ai Tennoji (天王寺 曖, Ten'nōji Ai)

Ai is a shinobi and princess of Sōga Village. Unhappy with being sheltered in her home dwelling, she ran away in search of freedom and a longing to see the outside world. She is Mai's older sister, who was a shinobi along with her, but was stabbed in the heart by her sister's sword. The wound did not kill her, yet it left her deeply injured and caused damage to her motor functions. Like her sister, she carries a sword, named "Purity", which has the power to know the feelings of those who touch it.

Tokimaru (朱鷺丸)

Tokimaru is another shinobi from Sōga Village who is tasked with protecting Ai. He identifies himself as having come from a neighboring village to serve the Tennoji family, and is welcomed into Sōga as a disciple of Ai. Since then he has been friends with Ai and Mai since the three were children, as they all endured the same shinobi training together. At first, he tries to force Ai to return to her village, but later decides to let her do as she wishes, all while still watching over her from afar.

Shy is written and illustrated by Bukimi Miki.[12] The series has been serialized in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion since August 1, 2019, in issue #35.[13] Akita Shoten has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on December 6, 2019.[14] As of October 6, 2023, twenty-one volumes have been released.[15]

The manga has been licensed to many countries in Europe starting in 2020: in France by Kana in September 2020, in Germany by Kazé in October 2020, in Spain by Panini Comics in April 2021, and in Italy by Planet Manga in August 2021.[16][17][1][18] In July 2022, at Anime Expo, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication in North America.[19]

On October 6, 2022, an anime television series adaptation by Eight Bit was announced. The series is directed by Masaomi Andō, with assistant direction by Kōsaku Taniguchi, scripts written by Yasuhiro Nakanishi, main character designs handled by Yūichi Tanaka with additional designs by Risa Takai and Akihiro Sueda, and music composed by Hinako Tsubakiyama.[3][45] It premiered on October 3, 2023, on TV Tokyo and other networks.[8][lower-alpha 1] The anime uses three pieces of theme music: one opening and two endings. The opening theme song for the series is "Shiny Girl" by MindaRyn.[5] The ending theme song for episode three is "Shiritai Kimochi" (シリタイキモチ, lit. "The Desire to Know") by Shino Shimoji and Nao Toyama.[46] The ending theme song for episode four is "Kimi Dake ga Hīrō" (君だけがヒーロー, lit. "You Are My Only Hero") by Nao Toyama.[6] Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia.[47] Muse Communication has licensed the series in South and Southeast Asia.[48] On October 13, 2023, Crunchyroll announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered the following Monday.[4]