Shiro the Dog & Kuro the Cat: JPN vs ENG Character Profile Differences

The original Shenmue Passport provided detailed character profile descriptions for every character in the first game. These profiles (or abbreviated versions) were also published in various strategy guides and magazine features at the time. Until now it had been widely assumed that these profiles were identical between Japanese and English versions, but two recent discoveries have shown that this is not the case.

In this post we will be comparing the differing profile descriptions in the official profiles in the Japanese version vs the English for two animal characters: those of the white dog & the black cat.

Let's get started!

Alternative Lives

A hint that discrepancies may exist first arose thanks to a video created by our friend who runs the fantastic Wandering Through Shenmue YouTube channel. Among the wealth of Shenmue content on the channel is the Suka Pass Saturday series which highlights a certain aspect of the Shenmue Passport fan-remake Suka Pass app each week - and on this particular day, the official background of the white dog was introduced.

The English profile explains that the white dog, whose name is given as Shiro, can be found wandering around the streets of the residential area of Dobuita - however this information raised a couple of small but puzzling inconsistencies. Firstly, despite her home being in Dobuita, the background graphic that was displayed for this profile is New Yokosuka Harbor. Secondly, when playing Shenmue itself, the white dog can indeed be seen at the harbor. What is going on?

The white dog going for a walk at the harbor. (Screenshot from Wandering Through Shenmue's 6 Hour Walk Through Shenmue: Harbor Day/Night)

To answer this enigma, let's start by examining the English profile description for the white dog, and then translate the Japanese profile to see how it compares.

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Hazuki Ishigaki: Shenmue Release Event in Akihabara (December 1999) & Official Profile

Continuing on with the topic of Hazuki Ishigaki (check out the Interview with Hazuki Ishigaki in Yokosuka), who played Shenhua in the Japanese versions of the first two games in the series, here is a post she made on her online diary at the time. It contains a small selection of photos and comments about her attendance at a release event, held in Akihabara on Shenmue's release date in Japan: December 29, 1999.

Below this we've translated her official profile from 2004, showing other TV and radio shows she had been involved in at the time.

So let's get started with the diary photos she posted, with a translation of her comment under each.

--- Hazuki Ishigaki's diary post (29 December 1999) ---

Today, a Shenmue Release Event was held at Yamagiwa Soft in Akihabara. We were lucky to have a warm and refreshing day under a broad blue sky, unusual for this time of year.

Everyone who had been looking forward to this day gathered here along with a large number of reporters. There was wide coverage from radio, television, magazines, and on the internet. Remarkably, there was even a representative from a French gaming magazine (their business card said 'Journalist, Japan Representative') who had traveled all the way to cover the event!

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Poll Result: Patrons' Choice Topic for March 2025

Every month Phantom River Stone holds a poll among our patrons to choose a topic for the blog in the coming month. After tallying the votes (including accumulated votes from previous months), the winning topic that has been voted this time is:

"Shenmue: The Animation - Interview with Masaya Matsukaze (Animate Times)"

Shenmue: The Animation aired globally in early 2022 (yes, almost two years ago!), introducing a new generation of fans to Ryo's journey.

In the Japanese-voiced version of the animation, Masaya Matsukaze once again takes on the role of Ryo Hazuki. As the long-time voice behind the character, Matsukaze offers unique insights into Ryo's  development, both in the original game series and its anime adaptation.

In this interview published by Animate Times, he talks about his experiences reprising the role, sharing his thoughts on Ryo’s personality, the story's themes, and the challenges of adapting the Shenmue world for animation.

Coming soon to the blog! 

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Interview with Hazuki Ishigaki in Yokosuka | Dreamcast Magazine October 1999

In this post, we will be translating a feature about Hazuki Ishigaki, the voice actress for Shenhua in the Japanese version of the first two Shenmue games, from a magazine at the time.

Ishigaki was 21 years old at the time, and her acting and voicing career had started a couple of years earlier, with appearances on Japanese TV and radio prior to her work for the Shenmue games. Online information suggests that she retired from acting around March 2004.

The magazine feature was published in the Japanese Dreamcast Magazine's October 1999 edition, and contains a series of Q&A as well as Shenhua cosplay photos taken on location around Dobuita St, Yokosuka. 

Although this was still a few months before the release of the first Shenmue game at the end of that year - and well before Shenhua would be properly seen in-game in the second game - the character of Shenhua would already have been a familiar sight to gaming enthusiasts from promotional material and magazine articles.

The introduction to the interview article states:

"Thank you for waiting, Hazuki-chan fans. Shenhua couldn't wait any longer for her turn to come, so she has come to the streets of Yokosuka! What discoveries await her in this foreign land?"

Background:

At the time of publication of this article in September 1999 (although the magazine was officially the October 1st edition), interest in Shenmue had been further fueled with the distribution of the What's Shenmue demo to the public. Regarding the full game, the release date was officially still scheduled for October 28th, although a delay would be announced soon afterwards. The autumn edition of the Tokyo Game Show was to take place September 17th-19th, with a special Shenmue promotion at the Sega booth.

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