Shino is a fusé, a half-human, half-dog hybrid born from the legendary union of Princess Fuse and her dog Yatsufusa. This ancestry grants him supernatural traits, including the power to transform partially or fully into a white-furred wolf-like creature. A distinctive crimson mark resembling a red peony signifies his fusé nature.

He appears as a young man with long silver hair, pale skin, and red eyes in human form. Shino survives by consuming luminous golden orbs representing human "essences," visible within people's chests. To conceal himself, he works as a kabuki actor in Edo, utilizing the profession's acceptance of male performers in female roles to facilitate cross-dressing.

Shino harbors deep loss; six of Edo's eight known fusé were killed by hunters before the story begins. Vengeance for his slain kin drives him to secretly hunt fusé hunters while maintaining his public facade. This mission intensifies following the beheading of Itezuru, another fusé and his acquaintance, by hunters.

His relationship with the human hunter Hamaji creates a central conflict. After she aids his escape from attackers, Shino battles the instinct to consume her essence against a burgeoning emotional connection. This bond complicates his vendetta against humanity.

His character arc culminates in an attempt to assassinate the shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, who is obsessed with eradicating fusé. During the confrontation, Shino faces the shogun's madness and the systemic persecution of his kind. The shogun's subsequent mental breakdown renders the assassination pointless.

Ultimately, his connection with Hamaji allows him to escape Edo, signifying a shift from vengeance towards acceptance of his identity and tentative hope. His final departure mirrors their first meeting, occurring on a bridge.