Teru Momijiyama

Overview

Image Gallery

Synopsis

Teru Momijiyama
Japanese	紅葉山輝
Romaji	Momijiyama Teru
Alias	Shy (シャイ Shai?) Shadow Girl (シャドー・ガール Shadō Gāru?) (Chapter 91) (formerly)
A.K.A.	Teruteru (テルテル Teruteru?) (by Nyerko Armstrong)
Nationality	日本語 Japan
Gender	Female
Birthday	April 2
Age	14
Blood Type	A
Height	149 cm (4'11")
Weight	43 kg (94 lbs) 49 kg (108 lbs) (anime)
Voiced by	日本語 Shino Shimoji en-US Veronica Laux português do Brasil Sofia Manso es-MX Danna Alcalá Deutsch Emilia Raschewski
First Appearance
Manga Debut	Chapter 1
Anime Debut	Episode 1
Status	Alive
Relatives	Yō Momijiyama (grandfather) Unnamed father Mei Momijiyama (older sister, deceased) Haru Momijiyama (mother, deceased)
Affiliations	Tanpopo Middle School
Occupations	Student Hero

Not what you're looking for? See Shy (disambiguation) or Shadow Girl.

“	You're right. Even Heroes can be overcome by fear... I'm really scared right now... My whole body is trembling... But I... I want to overcome that fear because I don't want you to see me in this embarrassing state. Because... I... am Shy!	”
— Shy to Daigo Koishikawa in "Because I'm Shy"

Teru Momijiyama (紅葉 (もみじ) 山 (やま) 輝 (テル) Momijiyama Teru^?), better known as Shy (シャイ Shai^?), is a middle school student and Japan's Hero. She is the titular protagonist of the SHY manga and anime series.

After Tokyo's incident, Unilord requested the Shining Six to limit Shy's activities as a hero, so her Heart-Shift Bracelets were confiscated. During this time, however, she was unable to stay still during conflicts and temporarily adopted the name Shadow Girl (シャドー・ガール Shadō Gāru^?), though her real identity was obvious.

Appearance

Teru is a petite, skinny girl with fair skin. She has spiky black hair of short length with a fringe swept to the left just above her black eyes (green or blue in the anime) and a bigger lock at her face's right side. She usually wears square-lens glasses. As a civilian, Teru usually wears her school uniform, which consists of a long-sleeved shirt, red tie or ascot, long skirt, calf socks and loafers.

As Shy, her hair turns white, and her eyes red, and she wears a visor instead of glasses with a white bodysuit with triangular collars, a black gas mask above her clavicle and hood with a double tail with a red interior, a belt with a white buckle with a "S", long white gloves and the Heart-Shift Bracelets on her wrists, black socks and white high heels with black soles.

While Shy wielded Purity, some locks of her hair simulated horns.

While Shy temporarily adopted the alias of Shadow Girl and used Weibu Wang's Soul Shift to partially transform, she would wear a dark mask over her face, and an ordinary sailor school uniform under a jacket, black pantyhoose and sneakers. She also had Utsuro Karakururi's Made in Heart on her right index finger.

When using Scar Transformation, Shy’s appearance looks more like Shine's. Her hair grows longer, her eyes turn golden, and her Heart-Shift Bracelets turn golden on the inside. Her outfit consists of a white bodysuit with frills at her hips and a white and golden sailor collar. In addition to this, she wears a white mask, white thigh-high socks with silver accents, white ankle-high boots, and white gloves.

Gallery

Shy's appearance when wielding Purity

Shy's appearance when connected to Utsuro's Made in Heart

Teru as Shadow Girl

Shy's Scar Transformation

Shy's appearance when connected to Quabala's Made in Heart

Personality

Shy's timid personality.

As her hero name says, Teru is extremely shy and has trouble dealing with crowds and people in general, just as she generally thinks negatively of herself, especially after being chosen as Japan's Hero. As her ability to talk in public is very poor, she also has difficulties to raise her voice or even talk normally with many people at once; even if she was invited to attend the Heartman's show, she couldn't stop her stutter and bored the audience.

Her self-esteem is noticeably low and she often doubts her ability to save people. Due to the fact that many began to criticize her for Iko's serious injuries on the day of the roller coaster incident, Shy went without appearing in public for just over a month, considering that everything that was said about her was absolutely true. Even with N-Villio presenting problems to be solved in the country, she couldn't trust herself enough for her bracelets to work. Only when she saw the courage of a little boy along with Spirits' words that she could not save everyone did she have the least confidence to turn into Shy and do her job.

She is very kind and innocent, the type who can't say "no" to people. She ended up accepting to visit the calligraphy club simply because she didn't want to be rude in refusing, and is unable to ask takeout food on her own. She still cares a lot about the people around her and martyrs herself when she does something wrong as when she always remembered herself about what happened to Iko due to her poor performance as a hero. Teru tends to think too much, but tries to act when necessary; after she appeared as Shy after a long time, she was internally freaking out but tried to focus and save the woman and her child who where at the building at the moment.

Shy's resolution to save Iko.

Teru has many fears and often lets herself be taken away by them although she tries to overcome them. She cannot speak to new people normally without blushing and stuttering, but she is always ready to help people, just as she did with Iko Koishikawa when she was still with her injured leg. She was also the only hero who was able to recover an entire ring from Stigma and was praised by Stardust for her unparalleled persistence, in addition to being the only one to say that he really does have a Heart. Even if she is afraid, she wants to be a better hero and has the determination to get stronger.

Her will is referred to in many instances like a small, but indomitable flame. In fact, Teru's most powerful ability is to have the sensitivity to understand other people's feelings and convey them. It is that mentality that made her able to recover a ring intact, and it was the same mentality who allowed her to carry Spirit's burdens and help her connect with her mother. Even if she still doubts herself to this day, her fellow heroes and friends recognize her worth.

In a curious contrast to her general personality, Teru is a huge fan of horror movies and gets easily excited when talking about it. Though she states she is not that much interested in manga and anime, she was able to quickly recognize many cosplay costumes of horror works when she was on a date with L'Arc Materia Renoir. Teru tends to be extremely gullible in such matters, as when she agreed to come to Aika Kirahoshi's house just because she thought she also liked the same horror mascot as her, even though she barely knew her other than that and has been constantly weirded out by her explicit desires to marry her prior to her invite.

Abilities

Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Even though she is a Hero for merely some months, as Shy, she proved herself to be quite efficient as a fighter and a quick learner. She could stand against Iko's corrupted form with a slight advantage and, while fighting, she quickly noticed that the fountain of her power was the ring. She was also the only hero who could retrieve an entire ring.

Keen Intelect: She doesn't give herself enough merit, but she is actually quite clever and creative. Through the simple use of calligraphy, she was able to introduce a new form of utilizing her new powers. Other people have also been shown to put a lot of trust into Shy's decisions, especially Spirit and Mian Long, the latter admiring her greatly. As a leader, she proved herself capable of trusting her subordinates and also guiding them through danger directly at victory. For example, to avoid the civilians zombified by Utsuro Karakururi, she quickly thought about a creative solution using the railway system which no one would use.

Indomitable Will: Shy's greatest quality is her will to never give up. Even though she is meek and extremely timid, throughout the series she learns to trust her own intuition and to act on her own volution to her own goals and ideals. Once she sets her mind about something, nothing can make her think otherwise. Shy is highly empathetic of people and is really sensitive to people's feelings, as she always wishes to understand them with all her heart. This singular characteristic of her has moved many others in her journey, but an extreme example is Stardust, who started the series as a completely ruthless and heartless person. It was through Shy and her sympathetic vision about his actions that he started to change, little by little, something that was even noticed by Stigma himself. Because of her empathy, she became the first hero to be able to take a ring intact out of a victim without the need to harm them.

Equipment

Heart-Shift Bracelets (転 (てん) 心 (しん) 輪 (りん) Tenshinrin^?): As any Hero, Teru has possession of a pair of bracelets which syncronizes her Heart spirit into power. After the events that took place in Tokyo, Teru had her hero activities limited for some time as per Unilord's request, and her bracelets were on Nirvana's possession. She ultimately got her bracelets back after her cover was blown.

• Flame (炎 (ほのお) Honō^?): After her fight with Stardust, she gained the ability to conjure flames through her bracelets and Heart power. She can put on fire almost anything. As the time when she and Spirits went to Arctic to help Mian Long, she could melt part of a block of ice made by Tzveta.
  • Flame Character: "One Stroke" (火 (か) 炎 (えん) 〝一 (いち) 文 (もん) 字 (じ) 〟 Kaen "Ichimonji"^?): Shy crosses her arms, only to open them and unleash a wave of powerful flames against her opponent. It was first used against Tzveta and Keheheh.
  • Flame Character: "Bonfire" (火 (か) 炎 (えん) 『伽 (か) 狩 (が) り火 (び) 』 Kaen "Kagari-bi"^?): Shy prepares powerful flames in one of her hands and immediately punches her opponent from above. This technique was first used against Utsuro Karakururi, with the support of Ai Tennoji.
  • "Ring of Fire" Amaterasu (『火 (か) 輪 (りん) 』『天照 (アマテラス) 』 "Karin" Amaterasu^?): This technique was used alongside Utsuro's Lunar Zenith, Ai Tennoji and Tokimaru. Shy unleashed a bright light through her flames, which were then reflected by Utsuro's moon and dispelled all the darkness it has taken upon.
• Scar Transformation: Using the scars from her past, Shy was able to become stronger and gain abilities. In this form, the speed of her attacks increases, and her attacks are more reminiscent of her sister’s. This was first used in her fight against Quabala.

Jet Pack: Her hero costume has a jet pack on her back, and she uses it to safely land herself and also to avoid obstacles. It can, however, malfunction if she forces it.

Made in Heart (心遺物 (メイド・イン・ハート) Meido in Hāto^?): Throughout her journey, Shy collected some rings from the Amarariruku themselves and is able to connect them to be able to use their special abilities.

• Utsuro Karakururi: Before disappearing, Utsuro trusted Shy her ring. When Shy connects herself to Utsuro's Made in Heart, her costume gains some visual changes. Her hood now has Utsuro's cheek mark, and her arm sleeves are now entirely black. Her socks and boots now have triangular tips and her soles emulate pointy geta. With them, she is able to hear animals' hearts to a certain degree, and manipulate the wind.
  • Whirlwind: Circle of Flowers (旋 (せん) 風 (ぷう) 　華 (はな) 丸 (まる) Senpū: Hanamaru^?): Shadow Girl opens her arms and rotates her body, creating a strong whirlwind for defense purposes. It was first used to counter Sekirara Lovesong's Whip of Love.
  • Ninja Art: Wind Clone Jutsu (忍 (にん) 法 (ぽう) 『風 (かぜ) 分 (ぶん) 身 (しん) の術 (じゅつ) 』 Ninpō: Kaze Bunshin no Jutsu^?): Shy is able to create a handful of smaller clones of herself with are presumably made of wind. They act independently of each other and can use the same abilities Shy can, though, probably with lesser potential. This technique was first used during Doki Baragaki and Sekirara Lovesong's invasion into Nagano in their search for Shy, and she used the clones to save civilians from the former's rage.

Former Equipment

Shy wielding Purity.

"Heart Blade" Purity (心 (しん) 刀 (とう) ・無 (む) 垢 (く) Shintō: Muku^?): After Ai Tennoji merged with Utsuro, Shy became Purity's temporary wielder. Even though she had no training at wielding a blade, through connecting her heart to the blade with her bracelets, she was able to fight on pair with Utsuro, an experienced swordsmanship specialist. Once the fight was over, she gave it back to Ai.

• Mystic Art, Shadow Style: Four Sides Flower Branches (秘 (ひ) 剣 (けん) 裏 (うら) 式 (しき) 　四 (し) 面 (めん) 楚 (そ) 花 (か) Hiken, Urashiki: Shimen Soka^?): Originally Ai's technique, Shy unleashed four rapid slashes against her opponent, which made the form of a lotus flower. All slashes would hit her opponent at the same time. It was first used against Utsuro alongside Ephemeral Moonflower.
• Mystic Art, Flower Basket Redux "Ephemeral Moonflower" (秘 (ひ) 剣 (けん) 花 (はな) 篝 (かがり) ・流 (る) 転 (てん) 『鏡 (きょう) 花 (か) 水 (すい) 月 (げつ) 』 Hiken, Hanakagari: Ruten "Kyōka Suigetsu"^?): Originally Ai's technique, Shy unleashes a circular slash from below to above at her opponent. It was first used against Utsuro alongside Four Sides Flower Branches.

Soul Shift (ソウルシフト Sōru Shifuto^?): As per Unilord's request, Teru had her hero activities limited for some time. So that Japan wouldn't be left without protection, Soul Shift was given to her so she could contact the Shining Six to solve any problems that may have arised on the mean time. As a simpler heart conversion device created by Weibu Wang, it could partially transform her and she used it to become Shadow Girl (シャドー・ガール Shadō Gāru^?). It could only convert about half of heart power that the Heart-Shift Bracelets could, however, and according to Weibu himself, it made Teru only a little stronger than a normal human. As Teru's cover was ultimately blown, the Soul Shift lost its purpose and she received her bracelets back.

Anime Appearances

Appearances
Season 1 1. I'm Shy Debut 2. With All of My Heart Appears 3. Conversation at the Dinner Table Appears 4. A Heartless Person Appears 5. Shine the Light Appears 6. Ice White Appears 7. Unchain Appears 8. Surprise Appears 9. Melee, Trembling Fingers Appears 10. The Lonely Ice and Small Flame Appears 11. What is Conveyed and That Which Remains Appears 12. When I Cough, It's the Two of Us Appears
Season 2 13. Hero's High Appears 14. Wind Coming from the West Appears 15. Heartblade Appears 16. Cloud in the Dark Appears 17. Storming In Appears 18. Nothing Is Permanent Appears 19. Because of Love Appears 20. A Nice Guy Appears 21. Vague Appears 22. Hand Reached Out Appears 23. With the Moon... ... Appears 24. Fare Thee Well Appears

Quotes

• (To Iko's brother) "You're right. Even Heroes can be overcome by fear... I'm really scared right now... My whole body is trembling... But I... I want to overcome that fear because I don't want you to see me in this embarrassing state. Because... I... am Shy!"
• (To Iko Koishikawa) "You know, my grandpa used to say that, our life can only have the most meaning when we know for whom we are living for. He also said that, by using kindness to create a bond with others, you will know that there is value in the life you have lived. If you want to thank me, Koishikawa, all you have to do is be kind of other people. Seeing a smile on everyone's face, is what makes me the most happy."
• (To Iko Koishikawa) "Koishikawa, earlier you said you respect me because I can do great things and protect people... but I also respect you for how you helped that little lost boy. Heroes are people too... Our good deeds are what connect us with others... Seeing you help him made me remember that, Koishikawa."
• (To Pepesha Andreanova) "You told me before that... I should carry the lives of those I couldn't save on my shoulders, and keep moving forward. My shoulders are now strong enough, to carry these responsabilities! So don't worry, I'm ready to carry the burden with you!"
• (To Nagi Watatsumi) "To tell you the truth, Ms. Nagi... I'm actually really weak. I'm weak and shy. There are nights I couldn't even go to sleep... So I would go for a walk into town... One step, two steps. And I thought 'Argh! I'm so useless!' Three steps, four steps. 'Why am I always like this? I'm so stupid! A useless girl!' Ten steps, fifteen steps. 'I just want to disappear...' A hundred steps, two hundred steps. 'I'll never do anything useful...' But by the 1000th step, I saw this. These footprints... They are all me. Every step I took...has made me into the me standing here today. Seeing them gave me the strength to do better."

Trivia

• "Momijiyama" (紅葉山 "Momijiyama"^?) is a common place name. "Momiji" alone can refer to the Japanese maple species, as well as to the color of autumn leaves as 紅 means "deep red" and 葉 means "leaf". Her first name means "to shine" (輝), and the related verb 照れる (Tereru) means "to be shy", which corresponds to her hero name.
  • Interestingly, the furigana for her first name is written in katakana instead of the usual hiragana.
• Her Hero name is sometimes written as 恥ずかしがり屋 (シャイ) (Hazukashi gariya) in the Japanese original version. It also means "shy".
• Teru likes horror movies and her favorite food is natto.
• Shy became a fan of Rise's Civil Revolution!!. She comments she liked the "Solitary" version back when she was younger.
• She hates syringes.
• She is at class 2-4 with Iko.
• Her current concern is that her friends may find her hair messy.
• In the original anime adaptation for Fruits Basket, there's a song called Teru Teru Momiji sang by the character Momiji Sohma, who also represents the year of the rabbit in the series. Some fans wonder if Teru's name was inspired by the song and noticed that the hood of her hero costume resembles rabbit ears. However, there's no confirmation as of yet if Momiji Sohma was somewhat inspiration for Teru's full name or if it was just a mere coincidence.
• Chinatsu Akasaki has reproduced a scene from Chapter 1, giving voice to Teru.
• In regards to her character, Shino Shimoji commented:

“	As her name suggests, she is a shy hero, she faces her own weaknesses and I think the way she fights is cooler than anyone else. I feel that this work is overflowing with that kind of strength. The dubbing has yet to begin, but it is getting more and more exciting every day. In order to convey to everyone the energy that I felt when reading the original work, I want to act carefully!	”
— Shino Shimoji