TV-Series
Description
John Smith is a persona adopted by the protagonist of the second season of The Eminence in Shadow, representing a new secret identity taken on to operate independently of his own organization, Shadow Garden. This guise emerges after the events in the Lawless City, where following a confrontation with the Blood Queen Elisabeth, Shadow begins collaborating with Yukime, one of the three rulers known as the Tower Monarchs. Through this partnership, he uncovers a plot by the Major Corporate Alliance (MCA) to undermine the Mitsugoshi Corporation, a vital source of funding for Shadow Garden, by flooding the market with counterfeit banknotes. To investigate and counter this scheme without revealing his true identity as Cid Kagenou or implicating Shadow Garden, he assumes the name John Smith.
In terms of appearance, John Smith distinguishes himself from his other aliases by donning a white mask that conceals the upper half of his face, adding to his air of mystery. His personality under this alias is notably more bombastic, loud, and theatrical than his usual demeanor as Shadow, as he fully embraces the role of a suave, undercover elite agent. This performance is often unintentionally hilarious, with his grandiose speeches and actions creating cringe-worthy comedic moments that are a hallmark of the series. For instance, while discussing counterfeit banknote quality with Yukime, he confidently criticizes a bill as a poor fake, only to be embarrassed when informed it is actually the authentic one, a mistake he awkwardly tries to play off.
The primary motivation for John Smith is to protect the Mitsugoshi Corporation and, by extension, Shadow Garden's financial assets. The MCA seeks to devalue Mitsugoshi's currency by circulating forgeries, and John Smith's plan is to turn this scheme against them. He collaborates with Yukime to create counterfeit notes of even higher quality, saturating the market to trigger a credit collapse that the MCA is unprepared to survive, while Mitsugoshi weathers the storm. His actions are driven by a desire to save his friends in Shadow Garden from a threat he believes they cannot overcome, all while indulging his love for playing an elaborate, shadowy role.
His role in the story creates significant conflict, as he deliberately keeps his identity and true intentions hidden from Shadow Garden, leading them to believe he is a new and dangerous enemy. This forces him into confrontations with his own allies. When the Numbers agents 664, 665, and 666 are sent to investigate, John Smith easily defeats them using his superior skills. He is later confronted by Delta, whose keen beast-kin sense of smell allows her to instantly recognize him as her master, Shadow. To maintain his cover, he sends her on a fake "secret mission". Finally, he faces Alpha, who deduces his identity through his fighting style. This encounter is emotionally charged, as a devastated Alpha feels abandoned by her master, but John Smith defeats her and declares he is temporarily forsaking his name as Shadow to pursue his own plan.
Key relationships during this arc are primarily with other members of Shadow Garden, who are baffled and hurt by his apparent betrayal, and with Yukime, his partner in the financial conspiracy. While Yukime seeks revenge against Gettan, a figure from her past who works with the Cult of Diablos, John Smith's partnership with her is largely transactional, focused on exploiting the counterfeit money scheme for mutual benefit.
The character of John Smith notably showcases a specific and powerful ability. He primarily fights by creating intricate, web-like patterns of magical threads. He rapidly spreads these threads around his opponents, forcing them to navigate a complex trap to avoid being bound or cut. This technique proves highly effective against multiple foes, though it is humorously countered by Delta, who simply uses her brute strength to tear through the threads. His fighting style remains overwhelmingly powerful, as demonstrated when he effortlessly defeats Alpha while offering her critique on her new techniques.
Development-wise, John Smith represents a temporary shift in the protagonist's trajectory, as he chooses to break away from his own organization to solve a problem he perceives alone. The arc concludes with the successful collapse of the MCA, saving Mitsugoshi, but leaves his relationships with Alpha and other members of Shadow Garden strained and in need of repair. His antics throughout this persona serve to deepen the comedic irony of the series, where his subordinates misinterpret his every action as part of a grand, incomprehensible master plan, while he remains focused on his own self-centered and theatrical definition of fun.
In terms of appearance, John Smith distinguishes himself from his other aliases by donning a white mask that conceals the upper half of his face, adding to his air of mystery. His personality under this alias is notably more bombastic, loud, and theatrical than his usual demeanor as Shadow, as he fully embraces the role of a suave, undercover elite agent. This performance is often unintentionally hilarious, with his grandiose speeches and actions creating cringe-worthy comedic moments that are a hallmark of the series. For instance, while discussing counterfeit banknote quality with Yukime, he confidently criticizes a bill as a poor fake, only to be embarrassed when informed it is actually the authentic one, a mistake he awkwardly tries to play off.
The primary motivation for John Smith is to protect the Mitsugoshi Corporation and, by extension, Shadow Garden's financial assets. The MCA seeks to devalue Mitsugoshi's currency by circulating forgeries, and John Smith's plan is to turn this scheme against them. He collaborates with Yukime to create counterfeit notes of even higher quality, saturating the market to trigger a credit collapse that the MCA is unprepared to survive, while Mitsugoshi weathers the storm. His actions are driven by a desire to save his friends in Shadow Garden from a threat he believes they cannot overcome, all while indulging his love for playing an elaborate, shadowy role.
His role in the story creates significant conflict, as he deliberately keeps his identity and true intentions hidden from Shadow Garden, leading them to believe he is a new and dangerous enemy. This forces him into confrontations with his own allies. When the Numbers agents 664, 665, and 666 are sent to investigate, John Smith easily defeats them using his superior skills. He is later confronted by Delta, whose keen beast-kin sense of smell allows her to instantly recognize him as her master, Shadow. To maintain his cover, he sends her on a fake "secret mission". Finally, he faces Alpha, who deduces his identity through his fighting style. This encounter is emotionally charged, as a devastated Alpha feels abandoned by her master, but John Smith defeats her and declares he is temporarily forsaking his name as Shadow to pursue his own plan.
Key relationships during this arc are primarily with other members of Shadow Garden, who are baffled and hurt by his apparent betrayal, and with Yukime, his partner in the financial conspiracy. While Yukime seeks revenge against Gettan, a figure from her past who works with the Cult of Diablos, John Smith's partnership with her is largely transactional, focused on exploiting the counterfeit money scheme for mutual benefit.
The character of John Smith notably showcases a specific and powerful ability. He primarily fights by creating intricate, web-like patterns of magical threads. He rapidly spreads these threads around his opponents, forcing them to navigate a complex trap to avoid being bound or cut. This technique proves highly effective against multiple foes, though it is humorously countered by Delta, who simply uses her brute strength to tear through the threads. His fighting style remains overwhelmingly powerful, as demonstrated when he effortlessly defeats Alpha while offering her critique on her new techniques.
Development-wise, John Smith represents a temporary shift in the protagonist's trajectory, as he chooses to break away from his own organization to solve a problem he perceives alone. The arc concludes with the successful collapse of the MCA, saving Mitsugoshi, but leaves his relationships with Alpha and other members of Shadow Garden strained and in need of repair. His antics throughout this persona serve to deepen the comedic irony of the series, where his subordinates misinterpret his every action as part of a grand, incomprehensible master plan, while he remains focused on his own self-centered and theatrical definition of fun.