Shino

Shino, also known as Kohana, is a prostitute and the love interest of Jin that appears in Gamblers and Gallantry of Samurai Champloo.

She is voiced by Julie Ann Taylor in the English Dub and Hiromi Tsruru in the Japanese Dub.

Appearance
Shino is a Japanese woman who has medium sized curves that wears a kimono and her hair is tied up.

Personality
Shino is a very kind and sweet woman as shown when she helps Jin cook eels instead of teasing him. However, she is shown to be suicidal, when she plans to drown herself, but stopped when she saw Jin. She is also depressed, seeing that there's no other option to pay her husband's debts. However, during a pivotal moment she musters the courage to get away from her abusive husband and throws his money back at him.

History
Shino first meets Jin when he's force to occupy a stall in a rainy day and he tries to cook her fish, but he struggles and Shino helps him make eel. A bunch of customers came and Jin can't find her for a few minutes. Jin tries to give the eel to Shino, but Shino explains she is about to be sold to a brothel because of her husband's gambling debts and wants to spend her last day free walking around. They exchange names before she leaves.

Jin meets Shino at the brothel and tries convincing her to leave, but he is attacked by security and willingly gets beaten up with Shino watching. Later Jin uses his money to talk to Shino where the two spend most of the night sitting in peace and discussing various topics before having sex. The next morning, Jin suggests the two of them bail and leave town, but Shino’s need to pay off her husband’s gambling debts is keeping her stuck.

In a coincidental turn of events, Shino receives a visit from her husband who requests money from her, but when she tries to convince him to earn it on his own, he smacks her down mercilessly. Jin then interrupts and restrains her husband by force before being asked to let him go.

Later that night, Jin once again visits Shino (barring some mild opposition from Fuu), and he once again proposes the two of them leave. He can help Shino get to a shelter that will protect her, but the two of them won’t be able to see each other again. The conversation goes back to the day they met on the bridge, where Shino confirms that she indeed wanted to drown herself. She comes around and finally decides to leave with Jin.



As the two of them sneak out, they’re spotted by the brothel staff who quickly pursue them. Jin begins to fight them off with his bare hands as Mugen and Fuu arrive in the nick of time to provide additional backup. As Mugen fights the guards, Jin guides Shino to the small boat that will take her to the shelter, but her husband shows up to try and force her to stay. She throws a handful of money in his face and rejects his demands as she gets on the boat and Jin pushes it off in the direction of the shelter where the two of them sharing one last longing look at each other, but it is unknown if the two will ever meet each other again.