Matabei Yoshitoshi Ijiri

Matabei Yoshitoshi Ijiri (井尻又兵衛由俊) is the main character of the 10th film of Crayon Shin-chan, The Battle of the Warring States. He is Ren Kasuga's childhood friend and serves as a samurai for the Kasuga clan. He is 30 years old.

He liked to always look at the clouds on the sky, so he was known as the "Blue Sky Samurai", and his banner was modeled as blue background with a white cloud. He was an expert fighter that inspired terror in his enemies, being then called "The Devil Samurai". However, he was really with women and never dared to tell his true feelings to Ren. He lived in the Kasuga fort, with Goemon and his wife Osato. He had no family, as his mother died of illness and his father and brother died in the war..

At the beginning of the film, his life was saved by Shinnosuke disturbing two hiding enemy soldiers that were about to shoot at him. He won all his fights during the movie, protecting Ren and the people of Kasuga. After defeating Lord Okurai, he was shot to death by an anonymous soldier that had already agreed to surrender.

In the real action-film Ballad, he was portrayed by Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (草彅 剛). The character in the real-actors movie and in the animated one has almost the same attitudes and habilities.

He also appeared in the episodes 676b, 677b, 678b, 679a and 679b, released as a promotion for the Ballad movie, along with Ren. In the first two, Shinnosuke and his friends travel in time back to Matabei's childhood to recover a fan with fantastic powers. In 678, ancestors of Shinnosuke and his friends go with teenagers Matabei and Ren to an amusement park. Matabei and Ren seem not to remember any of these happenings in the main film. Finally, in 679 reincarnations of Matabei and Ren appear in present day Kasukabe and meet in the park.

Gallery[]

Matabei commanding his army

Matabei as a kid in episode 677

Matabei as a teenager in 678

Adult reincarnated Matabei in episode 679

Matabei as portrayed in the movie Ballad