Critics also commented on the liveaction films focused on Shishio. Jahanzeb Khan of Snap Thirty described Shishio and his minions "as a force to be reckoned with, a legitimate threat to the vulnerable Japanese society that is still struggling to transition into the Westernized values of the new government." Clarence Tsui from "Hollywood Reporter" noticed parallel between Shishio's actions to real life events that occurred in Japan in the liveaction. Despite praising his character, Hollywood Reporter claims that his underlings "often steal scenes". Similarly, filmedinether lamented the multiple subplots the film has, due to the major focus on Shishio as an antagonist. However, his fight scenes in his ship was praised Roxy Simmons of Eastern Kicks focused on Fujiwara's acting in particular as he "was finally able to spread his wings in this, and was fantastic as the antagonist Makoto Shishio, portraying a nuanced version of his character and vulnerabilities that made his end all the more satisfying." Lito B. Zulueta of Philippine Daily Inquirer stated that Kenshin and Shishio are "totally engaging and, in their own terms of twisted motivation and mission, credible characters."