Personality: Okay, let’s talk about how this complicated (not really) loser (yes really) works.
Sharrkan is introduced halfway through the series as one of eight high ranking Generals who work under the powerful and renowned King Sinbad. While his initial appearance makes it clear that he wields a considerable amount of political influence as a General – he is returning from an important 4 month or so long trip to discuss the future of Balbadd despite an intense amount of tension surrounding the country at the time – what we should take away from this scene is how he carries himself with confidence in a formal situation, as well as the amount of trust and responsibility placed in him by his king, rather than how other people view him. Really, we should focus on this because it's the only chance we hear about Sharrkan in a situation like this. Apparently he didn't open his mouth at the wrong time, didn't flirt with anyone, he didn't even make an effort to steer the conversation towards swordplay like he does on multiple occasions after this. His life doesn't revolve around drinking and fun and flirting when there’s business to take care of, although he gives these things his all when the occasion arises and they do tend to take priority over proper behaviour. I’ll talk more about that in just a second.
The reason we should keep this in mind is because otherwise it can be easy to forget that the guy knows how to behave when he has to. This significant detail doesn’t provide the framework for Sharrkan’s character, but it shows that he’s just as important to - and trusted by - Sinbad as the more serious and grown up Generals. This is reinforced later when Sinbad asks Sharrkan to deal with a sea monster attacking Sindra all by himself, and again when he puts Sharrkan in charge of Alibaba’s training rather than taking the King Candidate under his own wing because, as he freely admits, Sharrkan is the strongest and most skilled swordsman in the country. He’s the best man for the job and his king not only knows it, he trusts the General to deliver results.
So, let’s talk about swords. Is there anything better in life than a sharp blade and the skill to wield it like a demon? Sharrkan certainly doesn’t think so, and he isn’t about to let anyone tell him otherwise without a fight. An actual hair and cheek pulling straight up name calling fight. He all but drops the laid-back routine when he takes a sword in hand, whether in a serious fight or just for training. He does a complete 180 and becomes fierce and hot-blooded until things are finished. Swords are synonymous with masculinity to him – he assumes Alibaba likes swords because he’s a man, for example. Sharrkan’s obsession with swords even extends to his personal life – one bonus chapter reveals that he takes his dates to watch swordfights and will spend the whole night talking about swords simply because they’re the coolest thing around. Other characters make reference to his ‘fencing idiocy’ and joke about it being contagious, warning Aladdin to stay away from him if he doesn’t want to catch it.
But please don’t think Sharrkan is a mature and responsible adult just because he’s good at and loves his job. He’s really really not. Almost everything I mentioned above only applies when he’s on the job, so to speak, and he becomes a laid-back, playful, and rude guy as soon as his General duties are done for the day. The most famous examples are seen while he is in charge of Alibaba’s training. Rather than stay on the training grounds late to give the kid some much needed extra training, for example, he drags Alibaba along to his favourite bar so they can get drunk and hit on women instead. Working when he should be relaxing is something he won’t even consider, regardless of the circumstances. Later on in the arc it is suggested that he asks Alibaba to come drinking with him pretty much every night and never lets the constant rejection stop him from asking again the very next night. When Alibaba finally accepts and tries to talk to his master about his worries and concerns, Sharrkan complains about him being a total buzzkill then tries to ignore him.
Another bonus chapter shows him smashed beyond belief – in case it wasn’t obvious, he likes to get drunk – and asking his large dragon-like senior how he goes about having sex with his slender and very much human wife. It isn’t until he sobers up and is reminded of this the next day that he even thinks to apologise for his behaviour, despite “doing away with manners for the night” being his idea in the first place. His senior forgives him, probably because Sharrkan is part of the younger generation, but those closer to his own age describe him as “a man made of rudeness.”
Key aspects of Sharrkan’s character are shown in the way he interacts with the other Generals. He treats Sinbad like a close friend rather than a boss, encouraging him to drink and slack off even when he has important paperwork to do. He picks on Masrur because of the difference in their physical abilities – Masrur is bigger and stronger than Sharrkan despite being a whole year(!!!) younger than him – and uses the slight age gap between them as justification, yet complains when Ja’far is mean to him because seniors shouldn’t pick on their juniors. His rivalry with Yamuraiha allows us to see the extent of his sword obsession and hatred of magic, while also showing us how important his pride is and how rude and immature he can be when he isn’t on the battlefield. They act like a couple of kids on the playground rather than a pair of twenty-somethings in the king’s army.
Basically, Sharrkan's personality can be split into two separate parts. He is a reliable and skilled General who knows his way around the battlefield and can also be trusted to take care of political situations; yet he's a laid-back and easy going guy outside of this role. He is a fierce and determined fighter when there's a sword in his hand but is also the kind of guy who makes paper airplanes out of other people's important documents when he doesn't have any work of his own to take care of.
Abilities: Sharrkan is a master swordsman who spent years to develop and refine his fighting style. Even without his Household Vessel, he's able to take on novice Djinn users with an ordinary sword. He's also great at preparing food as he turns a sea monster into a buffet while showing off and slicing it up in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
As for magical abilities, Sharrkan has a low amount of Magoi (magical energy) and can only use his single Household Vessel for a few minutes a day. A Household Vessel is a magical item which holds some significance and grant special powers to their owner, in this case it's a black sword called Foraz Saika. When activated, Sharrkan's sword leaves a trail in air and is able to act as a whip. That aside, he doesn't have any other special abilities whatsoever.
Other: He has a bellybutton fetish? I mean-- no, nothing!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Sharrkan | Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic | Not Reserved | 2/3
Sharrkan is introduced halfway through the series as one of eight high ranking Generals who work under the powerful and renowned King Sinbad. While his initial appearance makes it clear that he wields a considerable amount of political influence as a General – he is returning from an important 4 month or so long trip to discuss the future of Balbadd despite an intense amount of tension surrounding the country at the time – what we should take away from this scene is how he carries himself with confidence in a formal situation, as well as the amount of trust and responsibility placed in him by his king, rather than how other people view him. Really, we should focus on this because it's the only chance we hear about Sharrkan in a situation like this. Apparently he didn't open his mouth at the wrong time, didn't flirt with anyone, he didn't even make an effort to steer the conversation towards swordplay like he does on multiple occasions after this. His life doesn't revolve around drinking and fun and flirting when there’s business to take care of, although he gives these things his all when the occasion arises and they do tend to take priority over proper behaviour. I’ll talk more about that in just a second.
The reason we should keep this in mind is because otherwise it can be easy to forget that the guy knows how to behave when he has to. This significant detail doesn’t provide the framework for Sharrkan’s character, but it shows that he’s just as important to - and trusted by - Sinbad as the more serious and grown up Generals. This is reinforced later when Sinbad asks Sharrkan to deal with a sea monster attacking Sindra all by himself, and again when he puts Sharrkan in charge of Alibaba’s training rather than taking the King Candidate under his own wing because, as he freely admits, Sharrkan is the strongest and most skilled swordsman in the country. He’s the best man for the job and his king not only knows it, he trusts the General to deliver results.
So, let’s talk about swords. Is there anything better in life than a sharp blade and the skill to wield it like a demon? Sharrkan certainly doesn’t think so, and he isn’t about to let anyone tell him otherwise without a fight. An actual hair and cheek pulling straight up name calling fight. He all but drops the laid-back routine when he takes a sword in hand, whether in a serious fight or just for training. He does a complete 180 and becomes fierce and hot-blooded until things are finished. Swords are synonymous with masculinity to him – he assumes Alibaba likes swords because he’s a man, for example. Sharrkan’s obsession with swords even extends to his personal life – one bonus chapter reveals that he takes his dates to watch swordfights and will spend the whole night talking about swords simply because they’re the coolest thing around. Other characters make reference to his ‘fencing idiocy’ and joke about it being contagious, warning Aladdin to stay away from him if he doesn’t want to catch it.
But please don’t think Sharrkan is a mature and responsible adult just because he’s good at and loves his job. He’s really really not. Almost everything I mentioned above only applies when he’s on the job, so to speak, and he becomes a laid-back, playful, and rude guy as soon as his General duties are done for the day. The most famous examples are seen while he is in charge of Alibaba’s training. Rather than stay on the training grounds late to give the kid some much needed extra training, for example, he drags Alibaba along to his favourite bar so they can get drunk and hit on women instead. Working when he should be relaxing is something he won’t even consider, regardless of the circumstances. Later on in the arc it is suggested that he asks Alibaba to come drinking with him pretty much every night and never lets the constant rejection stop him from asking again the very next night. When Alibaba finally accepts and tries to talk to his master about his worries and concerns, Sharrkan complains about him being a total buzzkill then tries to ignore him.
Another bonus chapter shows him smashed beyond belief – in case it wasn’t obvious, he likes to get drunk – and asking his large dragon-like senior how he goes about having sex with his slender and very much human wife. It isn’t until he sobers up and is reminded of this the next day that he even thinks to apologise for his behaviour, despite “doing away with manners for the night” being his idea in the first place. His senior forgives him, probably because Sharrkan is part of the younger generation, but those closer to his own age describe him as “a man made of rudeness.”
Key aspects of Sharrkan’s character are shown in the way he interacts with the other Generals. He treats Sinbad like a close friend rather than a boss, encouraging him to drink and slack off even when he has important paperwork to do. He picks on Masrur because of the difference in their physical abilities – Masrur is bigger and stronger than Sharrkan despite being a whole year(!!!) younger than him – and uses the slight age gap between them as justification, yet complains when Ja’far is mean to him because seniors shouldn’t pick on their juniors. His rivalry with Yamuraiha allows us to see the extent of his sword obsession and hatred of magic, while also showing us how important his pride is and how rude and immature he can be when he isn’t on the battlefield. They act like a couple of kids on the playground rather than a pair of twenty-somethings in the king’s army.
Basically, Sharrkan's personality can be split into two separate parts. He is a reliable and skilled General who knows his way around the battlefield and can also be trusted to take care of political situations; yet he's a laid-back and easy going guy outside of this role. He is a fierce and determined fighter when there's a sword in his hand but is also the kind of guy who makes paper airplanes out of other people's important documents when he doesn't have any work of his own to take care of.
Abilities: Sharrkan is a master swordsman who spent years to develop and refine his fighting style. Even without his Household Vessel, he's able to take on novice Djinn users with an ordinary sword. He's also great at preparing food as he turns a sea monster into a buffet while showing off and slicing it up in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
As for magical abilities, Sharrkan has a low amount of Magoi (magical energy) and can only use his single Household Vessel for a few minutes a day. A Household Vessel is a magical item which holds some significance and grant special powers to their owner, in this case it's a black sword called Foraz Saika. When activated, Sharrkan's sword leaves a trail in air and is able to act as a whip. That aside, he doesn't have any other special abilities whatsoever.
Other: He has a bellybutton fetish? I mean-- no, nothing!