History ComicBook / Shi

''Shi'' is a ComicBook series written by William Tucci and released in 1994 under his own publishing, Crusade Comics. The original run lasted 12 issues but the comic book gained enough fame to be considered as one of the most popular comic book {{action girl}}s of TheNineties, being published under Creator/DarkHorseComics and Creator/AvatarPress between the 90s and the TurnOfTheMillennium (but later coming back to Crusader Comics) and having {{crossover}}s with famous characters as ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, ComicBook/{{Grifter}}, ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} and ComicBook/LadyDeath.

** Shi had crossed over with many other comics characters, such as ComicBook/{{Grifter}}, ComicBook/{{CyberForce}}'s Cyblade (in a crossover that even featured appearances by ComicBook/CerebusTheAardvark, [[ComicBook/FunWithMilkAndCheese Milk & Cheese]], and ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} among many others), ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} and ComicBook/LadyDeath.

** Shi had crossed over with many other comics characters, such as ComicBook/{{Grifter}}, ComicBook/{{CyberForce}}'s Cyblade (in a crossover that even featured appearances by ComicBook/{{Cerebus}}, [[ComicBook/FunWithMilkAndCheese Milk & Cheese]], and ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} among many others), ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}, ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} and ComicBook/LadyDeath.

* BladeOnAStick: Shi is descended from a long line of Kyoto ''[[WarriorMonk sohei]]'', and often uses the naginata, her favoured weapon.

* FullFrontalAssault: One of the first pages of her first appearance in ''The Way of the Warrior #1'' is shown [[http://www.crusade-fan.com/wotw/wotw01/wotw_01_page1.gif completely naked]] and only covered with her GodivaHair and window's shadows. Also, she used to be naked in almost all the numbers with conveniently censor as this image.

* ParentalSexualitySquick: One of the variant covers for ''Return of the Warrior'', by Creator/AmandaConnor, has Hotaru averting her eyes as Ana struggles to get the bottom piece of her costume over her widened hips.

* SecretWar: Between descendents of the infamous sohei {{warrior monk}}s of FeudalJapan.

* ThouShaltNotKill: After capturing Arashi, Ana decided not to kill any more, thanks to the strong teachings of her Catholic mother, who also was a missionary.
* VigilanteMan: After fulfilling her revenge, Shi dedicated her life to be a vigilante and clean up her zone of delinquents, murderers and violators.

** InNameOnly: Tora no Shi is also called a male assassin from ''ComicBook/TheDarkness'' and ''ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}''.

* TheMovie: A WhatCouldHaveBeen example. At the end of TheNineties, it was a movie in plans, with Creator/TiaCarrere as Ana Ishikawa/Shi and Tucci writing the script. Even it had a [[http://www.teako170.com/shi.jpg teaser poster]] and [[https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/1103831.jpg this cover]] for the then upcoming ''Shi: The Series'' comic books, which are the only record of what would be this movie. In the end all went into DevelopmentHell and nothing was done.

* StockNinjaWeaponry: Apart of the katanas and the naginata, Shi also manage other Japanese weapons like shurikens and a couple of {{sai|Guy}}s.

* BladeOnAStick: Shi is descended from a long line of Kyoto ''[[WarriorMonk sohei]]'', and often uses the naginata, her [[WeaponOfChoice favoured weapon]].

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/92053_88681_shi_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:''Thereby you can be the director...\\

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/92053_88681_shi_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''Thereby you can be the director...\\

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1094769.jpg]]

* SuperMobBoss: The main antagonist of Shi is a {{Yakuza}} crime lord who killed her father and brother when she was a child. Being trained by a decade for her grandfather, Shi goes for a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against him, but he's also a lethal martial artist who killed a lot of people apart of Shi's family and having a tough FinalBattle where she almost died, but finally could defeat him, barely.
* ThouShaltNotKill: After capturing Arashi, Ana decided not to kill anymore, this is thanks of the strong learnings of her Catholic mother, who also was a missionary.
* VigilanteMan: After fullfill her revenge, Shi dedicated her life to be a vigilante and clean up her zone from delinquents, murderers and violators.
* WarriorPoet: Shi usually makes poems and {{Haiku}} based on her memories and quotes ancient Asian writers as Creator/SunTzu.
* {{Yakuza}}: The ones who killed his father and brother, being Arashi his leader.

** Tomoe, Shi's FriendlyRival, also has her own crossover title with noneless than ComicBook/{{Witchblade}}.

* IdenticalStranger: In some illustrations Shi looks very similar to Creator/{{SNK}} character [[VideoGame/FatalFury Mai]] [[VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters Shiranui]].

The story is about Ana Ishikawa, a [[MixedAncestry half-Japanese half-American woman]] with a [[ItsPersonal vendetta]]: avenge her father and brother at the hands of the {{Yakuza}} leader Masahiro Arashi who killed them when she was a child. Training for decades under her grandfather Yoshitora, a WarriorMonk, she goes into a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against Arashi and the Yakuza under the identity of "Shi" and becoming the "[[GrimReaper embodiment of death]]." In the end, thanks to the strong teachings of her Catholic mother, she just leaves him in jail and decides [[ThouShaltNotKill not to kill anymore]], but keeps the "Shi" [[LivingADoubleLife alter-ego]] for when [[VigilanteMan it becomes necessary]], fighting not just criminals but supernatural forces and even [[ComicBook/LadyDeath another "embodiment of death" like her]].

* MixedAncestry: Ana Ishikawa's dad is Japanese and her mother is an American Catholic.