Shishio Makoto

Shishio is extremely ruthless and coldblooded. Living by the belief that weak only exist for the benefit of the strong, he generally appears heartless, though in reality he isn't. For all of his ruthless nature, he was still in love with Yumi, and understood her feelings. He was also able to form some bonds to a degree with Sōjirō and Hōji.Shishio displays very high intelligence, in some ways giving him something of an evil genius persona. He is extremely crafty, being able to hide from the Meiji government despite their efforts to find him, and his plans nearly succeed in bringing them down.

He also learns from his mistakes; after his brush with death from being knocked out with a bullet to the head, he takes to wearing a hachigane (iron headband) to keep that weakness from being exploited.Shishio's sword, like Kenshin's, is a work by master swordsmith Arai Shakku: a blade called Mugenjin lit. "Unlimited Blade",its self-sharpening serrated edge flaked away in a regular pattern as it was used and it had become soaked in the flesh and body fat of the victims he had killed over the years. As a result he is able to execute fire-oriented techniques using the oils as fuel.Shishio's monstrous strength, stamina, resistance to injury, and ability to read his opponent place him in at least the same league as Kenshin.

However, for all of his power and skill, Shishio had a fatal weakness: Because he was set on fire, most of his sweat glands were burned. Therefore,once he engaged in battle, his body heat rose far above normal levels.He then headed the "Juppongatana".The Juppongatana (Ten Swords) is an elite group of swordsmen (mostly) that acts as a special attack force. They fight under Shishio Makoto against the Meiji government.

Its members are

Seta Sōjirō
Uonuma Usui
Yūkyūzan Anji
Sadojima Hōji
Sawagejō Chō
Honjō Kamatari
Kariwa Henya
Iwanbō
Saizuchi
Fuji