Shu Itsuki

Pursuing the path of an idol via fine arts. He is currently active in France. He is a punctual and fussy person, and tends to have a short temper, expressing his emotions in extravagant ways. His singing voice seems to dance with colorful expression, and his performances are both delicate and elegant.

He is the leader of Valkyrie under Cosmic Production.

Appearance
Shu is a very tall young man with a good build. He has short, light pink hair that is slightly tousled. His casual attire consists of a light blue shirt with white, grey flowers and black pants with a belt.

On stage, Shu wears Valkyrie's brand new uniform - a rose red colored coat over a black shirt and a nice looking corset. Additionally, he wears a white ribbon with a red jewel around the neck. He also wears a dark rose hat with a feather on the side and two gear accessories on top of a dark brown ribbon.

Personality
Formerly perceived as arrogant, dishonest, and selfish, while still kind and caring at heart, Shu was quite a fussy and short-tempered person with a desire for perfection at all times. However, over time he opened up his heart more to those around him. He is an antique doll lover, with a fascination towards all forms of art and European culture.

Etymology
Shu’s first name (宗) means “religion.” It is also an alternative spelling of 旨 (mune), meaning “aim” or “purpose.” This compliments Shu’s strong ambitions as a character. The first character of his last name (斎) can be read as itsuki by itself, and means a “sacred [Shinto] ground.” The second character (宮) means “shrine” or “palace.” His entire last name (斎宮) can also be read as saiguu or itsukinomiya, which both refer to the ancient imperial princesses who used to serve as the high priestess of the Ise Grand Shrine. Interestingly, Ise Shrine is a shrine dedicated to the goddess Amaterasu and is a location to pray for public happiness. This is similar to Shu’s goal of bringing salvation to those trampled by the world through his art.

Overall, the references in his name to worshipping the divine seem related to how he used to view himself as an unparalleled god who stood above all other creatures.

Trivia

 * During the "Ensemble Stars!" era, Shu was one of the first additional main characters introduced into the game and storyline.
 * Shu made his "Ensemble Stars!" game debut in the company of Mika Kagehira, presenting to audiences as Valkyrie for the first time on March 2, 2016. His unit was the first official unit to be announced after the initial release of "Ensemble Stars!".
 * His late entry to the series makes him one of several characters to be revealed after the game's release, also notably including the idols belonging to Switch, MaM, and Eden.
 * He is the eldest and tallest member of Valkyrie.
 * Shu's autograph consists of his full name, rendered in roman letters. Some of the letters in his name feature long extensions to represent marionette strings.
 * Shu often carries around a small blonde doll called Mademoiselle. He does ventriloquism with her and speaks for her in a feminine voice.
 * He is a bookworm, hence why he has knowledge on many philosophical subjects and history.
 * He has a much closer relationship with his grandfather rather than his parents. This is most likely due to the fact he was often scolded by them and they were unsupportive of Shu's interests.
 * In his childhood Shu held Kuro's mother in very high regards because she was supportive of his interests. He mentions that he was jealous of her and Kuro's relationship.
 * Kuro's mother was the person who taught him lace knitting.
 * He refuses to call Anzu by her name (unless he's using Mademoiselle) and calls her "girl" (小娘 komusume) instead. It's hinted that he calls all girls this way, since he refers to Chizuru Yakumo like this in the Crosstalk side story in the Ensemble Stars! light novel series.
 * Due to his bad relationship with food, he relies only on his own cooking and croissants. However, that appears to be changing as he seems more willing to eat food not made by himself as time goes on.
 * He was frequently bullied by other kids in his neighborhood for playing with dolls.
 * When he was a child he drew sketches of clothes designs, which he now looks back at to get inspiration and recreates them with more modern features.
 * He is Kuro's childhood friend.
 * Mika lives at Shu's house to avoid commuting from his home in Kansai.
 * He doesn't like other people touching Valkyrie's costumes, implying that he washes them himself by hand.
 * Shu has very good vision and high levels of discernment between objects, so much so that he's able to see the 2mm difference between Hinata's and Yuta's hair lengths and claim this as being "obvious." When questioned about his vision, he simply states that "if your vision is clouded, you will never be able bring art into this world."
 * Sora described his color as "Pretty, as well as sparkly like a kaleidoscope ".

Voice Actor Comment
"It’s so lively with so many characters, isn’t it? My character is arrogant and overbearing, but he’s also very bad with crowds.  I suppose he’s like the saying, “A lion at home, a mouse abroad.”  …Though, I would encourage you to play and decide which he is for yourself.  His name may be written like Saiguu (Itsukinomiya), but it’s pronounced I-tsu-ki☆ Please remember it!" (Enstars!)

"Prestige is defined by high class, high quality, elegance, nobility, style, and so much more. Therefore, more than ever, let us continue to live as such!"* (Enstars!!)