Hmmm… generally speaking I can understand the cause of your frustrations against Shizuru. As for myself however, I don’t dwell on them too much, because of the role he serves. Shizuru is a dick, but that’s because of his tremendous rebellious streak. To his friends and allies, he is a genuine comrade who will stand by your side, even if it means his death. He is not entirely self serving ¬ñ just driven by his spur of the moment feelings ¬ñ and once he gets his priorities straight, loyalty is something Shizuru holds very dear. He can also backup the shit talk he gives: and will happily do so if needed. This is why I like the synergy between Mana, Mayu, and Shizuru. Mayu instigates the troubles, Mana keeps an eye on things Mayu might overlook while just being plain cute as an “innocent” bystander, and Shizuru provides the muscle rid problems the trio run into. All in all, they all have fun spreading wonton destruction everywhere ¬ñ taking licks, but giving twice as much back (getting the “Dark Koji” event and then the “train ending” afterwards best suits this).
Bad fashion sense aside, I like Dark Shizuru because it continues the synergy of his friendships. Of course since Vampire Road goes down the “dark sex” path, there’s a lot of deplorable things Shizuru does - but honestly, as a Sith Lord, I’m not even phased by them. 
They key factor is that Dark Shizuru takes a more proactive outlook than his “normal” version. Rather than wait on Mayu (or Yuka) to take the lead, he becomes the point man in charge. Yet irrespective of this, Dark Shizuru puts a lot of trust in his allies and truly listens to their advice. In some ways, while Shizuru wasn’t an introvert, he remained closed to having confidence in others. He would watch the twincest because he worried they’d get in over their heads. He’d tag along with Yuka, because he thought she needed a good wingman. In a large sense, saw his allies as “lacking”- but in a friendly way ¬ñ where he would fill in that void. Dark Shizuru on the other hand, doesn’t fill in anyone’s void, but finds others who can fill his. Thus he goes from being a follower, to being a leader. And the Vampire Road gives you the narrative of that transformation.
Thus I feel Shizuru truly earns his badassness.
Feh… I’d best stop now… I’m really treading the line of spoilers here.
No. No. Vampire Road is a long arc (compared to the other expansion arcs) that delves deeper in the MinDeaD background mythos. It also tries to vindicate the “evil vampire nation” from their side of the battlefield. Plus it adds more character to Shizuru ¬ñ and quite surprisingly, Arisa as well.
less qq more pew-pew!! :o
On a side note: you might wanna check out Draculius after completing MinDeaD. Totally different contrast, but they share the same mood and general concept. I believe the player protagonist in that title, will REALLY appeal to you. More the style you prefer. But that’s LATER! Finish the expansion first. No eating another meal until you’ve finished your current plate. 
Anyways, the guy seems to have a sharp ear and listens to Japanese Metal on a regular basis, so the info sounds solid.
