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Master Jima
Dr. Shiro is a Mugenese man who leads the research facility that conducts torturous and sometimes lethal experiments on humans, historically on Speerlies but also on Nikara. While on some level he understands he’s experimenting on humans like himself—he openly admits that his research will help cure diseases and further medical knowledge—he also dehumanizes his research subjects, subjecting them to painful and gruesome experiments. He’s particularly obsessed with Speerlies, believing they’re different from other humans.
Dr. Shiro Quotes in The Poppy War
The The Poppy War quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. Shiro or refer to Dr. Shiro. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 24
Quotes
She had never understood how horrendously difficult it was to be Altan Trengsin, to live under the strain of a furious god constantly screaming for destruction in the back of his mind, while an indifferent narcotic deity whispered promises in his blood.
That’s why the Speerlies became addicted to opium so easily, she realized. Not because they needed it for their fire. Because for some of them, it was the only time they could get away from their horrible god.
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Dr. Shiro Character Timeline in The Poppy War
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Shiro appears in The Poppy War. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 24
...later, a small man with a bright, chipper voice steps out and introduces himself as Dr. Shiro , the “chief medical officer” here. He cheerfully greets Altan, whom he’s glad to see...
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Hours later, Dr. Shiro remarks on Altan’s tolerance to opium. Rin insists that’s Dr. Shiro’s fault, but Dr. Shiro...
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Dr. Shiro approaches Rin and Altan’s cell with round containers containing the plague virus. Though Nikan has...
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...They can’t abandon the Speerlies’ memory, and they can’t let the Cike end up in Dr. Shiro ’s lab as experiments. This perks Altan up. He says that the Phoenix is the...
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...immediately burn the assistant leaning over them. The flames spread, burning Rin and Altan’s restraints. Dr. Shiro points a crossbow at them, but Altan approaches and burns the doctor.
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