Shinzo is one of the most well-respected Small-Medium army leaders in Club Penguin Armies. In this edition of Memorable Moments, we seek to highlight his career and some of his most notable achievements.
Designed by Edu14463
Shinzo’s Beginnings
Shinzo encountered Armies for the first time in May 2018 while playing on Club Penguin Online with a friend. During this time, Shinzo did not know what Armies were but had stumbled into a Rebel Penguin Federation event. In an attempt to annoy the Rebels, he bought the break dance hoodie and started dancing in the same room as the RPF event. Eventually, more and more people joined in this effort. This led to the creation of Shinzo’s first army-adjacent group, the Club Penguin Socialist Movement. Eventually, CPSM created a Discord and a website, making Shinzo an army leader whilst still not knowing what Armies were.
Several weeks later, Xing contacted Shinzo, convincing him to aid the Red Dawn Alliance in World War VII. It was here that Shinzo first really learnt of Armies, helping to win a World War. Following WWVII, CPSM closed its doors due to disorganization, leading Shinzo to retire from Armies only three months into his career. However, in October, Xing again contacted him, asking if he would join the Templars. It was here that Shinzo would meet Snork, Ripmam and Dagyr3. These three figures would go on to found the Winged Hussars alongside Shinzo. Shinzo proved a valuable asset to the army, achieving the rank of Grand Prior in December. Shinzo alongside other leaders at the time noted that Xing would often get angry due to bad performances, and lash out at others.
Red Dawn Alliance during WWVII
Enough is Enough
Shinzo alongside his three aforementioned friends were sick of the way things were going with Templars. There was conflict due to clashing personalities and moral standpoints. They also realised that even as leaders, they held very little power. This led the group to plot a rebellion, creating a website and a Discord server, inviting people they knew they could trust. This led to the formation of the Winged Hussars, still at this time a rebellion. The Hussars, aided by the New Viking Alliance, which contained future WH brother allies, Elite Guardians, eventually defeated TCP. This led to a declaration of independence being released on January 21, 2019. From here, the war between TCP and WH ended, with a WH victory. Following this victory, Shinzo was re-elected as WH Emperor several times, before his abdication and retirement in September. On November 22, the Hussars closed their doors, merging into Pretzels.
From here Shinzo’s history truly picks up, with his return to armies in October 2023, following activity on New Club Penguin. Shinzo ran into Lady Eden and began reminiscing on his time in armies. From here, the pair founded the International Penguin’s Federation. Eventually, Shinzo found out about Club Penguin Armies, and Eden convinced Shinzo to contact Ripmam. Following this, on October 29, 2023, the Winged Hussars were revived in secrecy. Shinzo and his compatriots decided to grow the army before registering. Finally, on December 18, the Hussars revived with a max of 12, coming out of nowhere.
A battle between NVA and TCP
Shinzo’s victory
Following the Hussars’ return, they assisted their brother allies, EGCP in the Christmas Crusade war. Whilst not leading any battles, Shinzo’s efforts to get his troops to attend certainly had an impact on the Guardians, contributing to their win. On the same day as their victory in the Christmas Crusade, the People’s Imperial Confederation declared war, calling it the Wojna Prestiżowa. Eventually, the war ended with a score of 9-0-7 [W-T-L] for the Polish Knights. However, this was not reflected in the peace treaty, which named PIC the official war victors.
The Treaty of Beanie-Frostbite. Click to enlarge
From here, Shinzo’s next actions included participation in Around the World Cup as well as the WH’s war against the Dark Pirates. This resulted in an overwhelming win for the Knights, as the Pirates were generally unable to max enough to defend, or attack land. Summer was quiet for both Shinzo and the Hussars, as he moved home to spend time with family, meaning he was unable to lead much. Following this, in an unexpected turn of events, the Hussars declared war on the Elite Guardians. In the declaration, the Hussars accused the Templars of secret plans to invade them.
Following the end of the war came Project Conquest: Blood Bowl. In Shinzo’s eyes, this was the peak of his career. Shinzo states good recruitment was the main factor leading to the army’s victory in the Small/Medium Army category. Notably, he recalls the invasion of Cairo versus the Water Vikings. This was a 3-0 victory for the Hussars, shocking many. Following the conclusion of Project Conquest, the Hussars allied with the Army of Club Penguin. This was one of the final acts to take place before their hiatus. Shinzo states that this hiatus is due to leaders’ personal lives, and university, however, he is eager to return to armies, once he is capable.
Shinzo announcing the WH hiatus. Click to enlarge
shinzo’s Achievements & Contributions
Throughout Shinzo’s extensive CPA career, he has received several awards. Most recently was Small/Medium Army Legend status, being inducted on January 4, 2025. Shinzo received 17 Yes votes, and 9 No votes, meeting the quota of 14 required votes. Being the only Small/Medium legend to be inducted this year highlights Shinzo’s capability. Alongside this, he also won the best S/M army leader award during the Summer Awards ceremony 2024.
Alongside his time spent as CPSM, TCP and WH leader, Shinzo has also been active as a reporter for Club Penguin Armies, and even being promoted to the position of Senior Reporter. Unfortunately, he retired due to his personal life getting in the way. Following his retirement he won the award for the funniest post of the winter in 2024.
To find out more about Shinzo’s time in armies, Club Penguin Armies reached out to him for an exclusive interview.
What is your most fond memory of armies?
My most fond memory is definitely getting the max 12 event, before registering the reformed WH in CPA. We all tried so hard to recruit, growing a 3 man group into a Club Penguin army. It took 3 months to get there. Almost every day we tried so hard, going on NCP, recruiting people for this small group. Then, as we grew a little, we could hold first events. Seeing suddenly having doubled in max, all from in-game recruitment, was nice. But then it grew more and more, and on that fateful day we somehow managed to get 12 people online. All through hard work by everyone. It was such a proud moment to have built this all from scratch. To have done this all. I remember how excited I got. And the reactions when we posted out application to the Discord server. The way people did not expect this. It was lovely.
If you could change anything in your army career, what would it be?
About my actual career, I wouldn’t change anything.
What would you say is the largest mistake of your career?
The largest mistake is probably to cut myself completely off from CPA and almost everyone I knew back in 2019. I knew I didn’t want to continue CPA at that point, so I just left. And genuinely, I didn’t think anyone would actually miss me. But when I came back in 2023, and especially when I met all those people I haven’t exchanged a word with in over 4 years, I noticed that it maybe wasn’t so true. I feel kind of guilty for it because I didn’t want to make anyone worry about me. And I understand it now well because I worry about Ripmam, as I don’t have contact with him for almost 8 months now. I assume it’s the same situation. And it doesn’t feel good, every time I think about it.
What inspired you to take a democratic approach with WH?
Well, WH came into existance from the Templars. And when we split from them, we wanted to not just recreate what we had just left. We wanted something where everyone can participate. Where people are involved, even in decision making. A lot of thought went into this, and this especially developed when we reformed. We now have a system where the HCOM is elected and can be any rank. Every issue is undergoing a voting by the HCOM/Szlachta and the Advisors, meaning the Leaders/Monarchs have no more say than them. We have a dual-chamber government, if you will, allowing for transparency and open voting. We have referendums, in which all Hussars can directly vote on certain issues. And we have elections for a symbolic head of the army, the Emperor/Empress. I am very proud of that to be part of having created such a unique, but involving and interactive army.
Any additional comments?
Simply thank you to everyone who has been supporting me so much and thank you to all my dear friends and colleagues. My life would be very much different without all of you!
It is evident that Shinzo is one of the most prevalent community members of recent times. His impact on the community has been astounding, as is shown by his status as S/M Army Legend. But what do you think? Is Shinzo deserving of his Legend status? Could his time have been spent better elsewhere in armies? We would love to know your thoughts.
KiItanon
Senior Reporter
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kiltanon is a Senior Reporter for Club Penguin Armies.