Shintarō Nakaoka

Shintarō Nakaoka is the common alias for a patriot who lived during the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. A bold yet calm intellectual activist, he spent the majority of his life toiling for a revolution in politics and has been praised to be superior to his comrade, Ryōma Sakamoto, in nearly every way. Fiction often depicts Shintarō playing second fiddle to Ryōma as his good friend from Tosa.

In Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5, his character's name is officially spelled as "Shintarou Nakaoka" in English. Most characters refer to him by his surname within the script. His starting political ideology for this game is extremist.

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de
Nakaoka was born and raised in Tosa. He embraced the extremist movement during his teenage years, throwing his lot with Hanpeita Takechi and his rebels. When Tosa officials began to side with the imperialists, Nakaoka sensed the danger it imposed on himself and fled from his home. Sometime afterwards, he became acquainted with a wandering Ryouma. They bonded due to their shared origins and similar wishes for a new future. Whenever Ryouma wants to meet someone, he relies on Nakaoka to make the arrangements.

During the fifth title's main story, Nakaoka wishes to avenge their comrades who died at Ikedaya. He meets with the Choushu extremists to organize an armed rebellion. He urges Ryouma to join him when they meet again in the capital. Despite Ryouma's warnings to reconsider, Nakaoka stays with his plan and is ultimately foiled by Yuki's interference. The experience taught him that blood cannot redeem the past or future as he flees to Choushu.

Nakaoka decides to shift gears when he meets Ryouma again, agreeing to support his friend's talks for unity. While Ryouma is traveling with Yuki's party, Nakaoka is mediating between the rebels of the west to cease their armed resistance and organizing the Satchou Alliance. He regroups with Ryouma to report his side of current affairs and receive new orders in private.

Kazahanaki shows Nakaoka briefly attending a meeting with Ryouma. He reasons for the Choushu and Satsuma representatives to practice patience and reconsider Ryouma's offer to band with the Ichijo branch. Nakaoka's open support softens the shock of the proposal and calms Saigou's complaints.

Ishin no Arashi
Ishin no Arashi keeps his Tosa dialect and Ryōma's historical nickname for him (慎太, Shinta) in the script. Throughout the series, he is the one to introduce Ryōma to the Tosa Loyalist Party and helps the preparations for the Satchō Alliance. He can get the representatives together but he cannot stop their squabbling, leading to Shintarō to ask for Ryōma's direct assistance. His assassination beside Ryōma is always considered a historical event/ending.

Bakumatsu Isshiden has Shintarō bond with Ryōma due to their similar origins. He is a stern if friendly fellow who actively tries to get Ryōma involved with the extremist ideology. Shintarō informs his friend of many famous rebels of the era, such as Shinsaku Takasugi and Kogorō Katsura. If the player plays the historical route of Ryōma's story, Shintarō dies instantly at the attack in Ohmi-ya. The fictional route has Shintarō help defend Ryōma from the Shinsengumi and survive.

Shippuu Ryoumaden depicts Shintarō as a happy-go-lucky youth with fearsome cunning. He becomes Ryōma's acquaintance while they are still living in Tosa. When Hanpeita plots to assassinate Tosa politicians, Shintarō catches onto the danger it would cause for the rebels' future and advises Ryōma to abandon his friendship with Hanpeita. He leaves Tosa before Ryōma and wanders the mainland. He routinely informs his friend of the changing attitudes towards the Tokugawa shogunate with personal visits or letters. The historical default ending has Shintarō severely wounded by nameless assailants at Ohmi-ya yet conscious enough to hear his friend's final words. He hollers for a doctor to come their aid before passing out.

Development
Nakaoka was designed to be a visual contrast to Ryouma. He is meant to look stern and certain gentleman with assertiveness. His clothing was meant to be concealing to highlight his exasperated reactions to Ryouma.

Personality
Serious and analytical Nakaoka works tirelessly for a new future. Although he follows Ryouma's idealism and has genuine faith and respect in his capabilities, he doesn't completely understand his carefree comrade's beliefs. Nakaoka once questioned the likelihood of Ryouma's plans by voicing his honest skepticism for them. Each time he did, his friend would hush him with unbeatable optimism. Having learned that his misgivings will not deter him, Nakaoka instead compensates by stating his grips for the trouble Ryouma puts him through.

Character Symbolism
His symbolic color is dandelion yellow.

Quotes

 * "You better be on time. If you two aren't here, I'd have to think of the future by myself."
 * "Well, here they are. Exactly as you wanted them to be. Happy?"
 * "I swear... Stubborn as always. It's because you're like this that I complain."
 * "I'll be waiting for the good news."
 * "So you're this princess he talked about."
 * "You're gonna start a war? Here, in the capital?"
 * "That's the only way we've got left to make change."
 * "War doesn't shape the world. It's people's ideas, their beliefs. We gotta change how they feel to get anything done."
 * "The world doesn't give us the time, Ryouma."
 * Ryouma and Nakaoka; Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5