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Introduction

 

Who are you? Sum yourself up in one sentence.

I am a man following the path of the warrior.

 

Do you have any nicknames, street names, titles, or nom de plume?

I aspire to deserve the title of Kensei

 

What is your full birth name?

Ranaga Utsuwa

 

Where do you live?

Freedom City

 

How old are you? What year were you born (if applicable)?

I was born in 2004.

 

 

Physical Traits

 

What is your gender? If not applicable, please explain.

Male

 

How would you describe your heritage?

I prefer not to.  Ethnicity?  I am of Japanese anscestry

 

How tall are you?

170cm (5'7")

 

What is your body type?

Athletic, Muscular

 

Do you have any particular weaknesses, such as allergies or physical disabilities?

Not physically, insomnia can leave me less than at my best but it is not a physiological phenomenon in my case.

 

How do you carry yourself? Are you graceful, or heavy on your feet? Can you be stealthy, do you walk with confidence?

I have trained in the combat arts and secret methods of stealth of the Katanarchist nearly from birth.  I move with grace and stealth when required and the confidence of a warrior when not.

 

Describe your skin, eye, and hair color.

Pale golden skin tone, dark brown nearly black eyes, Black hair.

 

How do you wear your hair, if applicable? Do you have facial hair?

I am clean shaven, efforts to the otherwise thus far are fruitless.  I wear my hair shorn clos to the scalp in an undercut with the top nearly shoulder length, Usually the top is placed in a neat topknot.

 

Do you consider yourself attractive? Do others?

I am by design an exceptional example of masculine beauty.  I am aware of it and others are as well.  It is useful at times though makes going unremarked upon difficult.

 

Do you have any scars, tattoos, piercings, or birthmarks?

I have full sleeve tattoos on both forearms, Traditional design of the pheonix rising on the right and an Oni of the sea on the left.  Representative of my grandfathers plans.

 

Do you resemble anyone famous?

My grandfather is infamous and I was made to be a perfected version of him.  The resemblance would be noteable to those who may have known him in his youth but is unlikely to be recognized today.

 

Do you have a dominant hand?

I favor my right though train to eliminate this weakness.

 

What kind of clothing do you wear?

I am accustomed to the training garments of the Katanarchists, loose traditional hakima and tunics.  Or athletic wear depending upon the situation.   Since coming to freedom my benefactor has seen to outfit me with garments more fitting of my peers.  Jeans, boots, tshirts, I prefer unbranded in dark colors or athletic wear for training.  

 

Do you wear makeup?

Only when I need to disguise myself and my training in such arts is limited.

 

What is your vocal range? Is your voice distinctive in some way?

I have a deep voice but not extensive range.  It is noteable at my age but not outside the range of normal

 

Do you have any distinctive habits, nervous tics, or mannerisms? Where did they come from, and what causes them? Do other people notice and remark on these habits? Do they annoy you or other people?

I am told recently I suffer from 'resting bitch face'  though I think of it as a reserved demeanor.  I am sometimes distracted by my grandfathers ravings but try not to let it impact my social interactions.

 

 

History

 

 

Where do you come from?

I was born and raised in a Katanarchist facility outside Katori Japan.

 

Have you made any major moves, or do you live in your hometown?

My leaving of the facility was, significant.  I will not return to them.  I do miss the shrine and perhaps when i am ready I will reclaim it for warriors of honor.

 

Do you feel loyal to your country of citizenship? Do you consider yourself patriotic? How do you feel about the government of your country?

I know only limited amounts about the government of my homeland, colored by Katanarchist propaganda and their flawed ideology.  I have a basic understanding of Modern Japanese international politics from my post facility studies.  But no particular loyalty to that land.

 

How do you feel about the place you come from?

It made me.  What I am.  What I can be.  But they are flawed, cruel and without respect for themselves or the way.  

 

Where is your home town? What was/is it like?

The Facility was a hidden compound outside Katori.  The city was loosely aware of the compound but not the truth of it's nature.  We would blend with the citizens as a test of skill but were not truely of them.  The task masters were harsh often cruel but skilled and their training set my feet on the path.  They may have closed down the compound after my escape, my training and preparation was the primary purpose for it's existence.  I hope it is still there.  I should like to prove the superiority of my technique one day

 

Growing up, were most of the people you knew similar to you, or were you somehow a minority? How did that affect you?

I was, Am, Unique.  I was made by the efforts of the finest scientific minds the Katanarchists could hire or coerce.  The other trainees were only at the compound to be my rivals and opponents, so I would have 'peers' to train against and defeat.  It was lonely but made leaving less emotionally difficult.

 

Is there something you've always been really good at or really bad at? How has that affected your life?

I am an excellent swordsman.  I am exceptional in most martial and athletic pursuits.  I have little training in interacting with peers as equals and am told I can be aloof and even intimidating.  

 

Were there any traumatic experiences in your early years (death of a family member, abandonment, orphaned at an early age)?

If recent events count as early there was the time my biological mother indicated I should not exist and would be better off dead.  It was a difficult "reunion" all around.

 

Briefly describe a defining moment in your childhood and how it influenced your life.

The culmination of my training was to be a battle to the death against the best of my 'peers' at the facility.  Killing inferior opponents when one does not need to is not the way.  I disabled him and fled the Compound.  In the ensuing melee my grandfather was ejected from his tie to my biological mother and attempted to seize control of my body.   I withstood his assault and continue to imprison  him.  The events of that night have set my path on it's current course.

 

What stupid things did you do when you were younger?

I obeyed their instructions.

 

Where did you go to school? How much school did you have, and did you enjoy it?

I had tutors in the skills necessary to pass among children my age.  But my education and preparation was primarily physical.  After all my mind was to be suppressed  when Grandfathers plans came to fruition.

 

Do you have any mementos of your childhood? What are they, and why did you keep them? If you have none, why not?

I left with only the training blade I fought my way free with.  It was shattered in my escape but I keep the remnants, a sentimentality I suppose.  If they can be reforged so too might my own destiny.  

 

When did you decide to become a hero? Why? Did anyone influence you one way or another in the decision?

When the time came to walk the dark path of destiney my grandfather had set before me I chose not to.  Now I must undo his wrongs and fidn a way to see him defeated permanently.

 

Is the reason you give people for becoming a hero different than your real reason? If so, why?

Yes.  Not all need to know nor want to know my true origins.  It makes people uncomfortable.

 

Do you have any deep, dark secrets in the past that may come back to haunt you?

My past is nothing but haunting secrets

 

Do you represent yourself as being different from who you really are? Why?

I try to.  But it is difficult.  Engineered assassin and vessel for a murderous supervillain isn't exactly going to win popularity contests.

 

If you do have these secrets, what do you fear would happen if the truth became known? How far would you go to protect those secrets?

My efforts are for others comforts more than my own.  I would hope that should I win, friendship, they would understand.

 

Do you have any sort of criminal record? If so, is it public knowledge?

Not personally.  But my family and it's organization are a well known band of assassins and villains.

 

 

Family

 

 

What are your biological parents' names?

My biological Mother is Ranaga Kimiyo.  My "Father" such as it were is most likely a gestalt of custom DNA forged to create me.

 

Were you raised by them? If not, please explain and describe who raised you.

I was not.  Until my escape from the Katanarchist cult that raised me my mother was unaware of my existence.

 

What was their standing in the community? What did/do they do for a living?

My mother has seized much of my grandfathers criminal holdings and turned them legitimate.  The fortune is ill gotten but sizeable.  The Katanarchists that raised me were outsiders, thought of as a harmless.  They are not.

 

Where are your parents now?

My bio mother travels and mostly resides in San Francisco.  She is, uninterested, in being involved in my life.

 

Did your family stay in one area or move around a lot?

We stayed in the secure compound except for rare trips to the city for supplies and training in blending with society.

 

How did you get along with their parents? How do you get along with them now (if applicable).

My relationship with my grandfather is problematic.  He wishes subsume my will and ride me as the perfect instrument of his return.  I wish for that not to happen.  That his spirit shares space with my own is, difficult.

 

How do your parents view you now, or how would they?

By evidence with fear and pity in the case of my bio mother.  those that raised me see me as a traitor and woudl wish to facilitate my grandfathers final plans for me.

 

Do you have any siblings? If so how many and what are their names? Describe your relationship with them.

There may be copies of the tissue used to creat my form, effectively twins maybe clones but I am unaware of them being activated.

 

What was your birth order in the family?

I am the first to be successfully grown.

 

Where are your siblings now (if applicable)? Do they have families of their own? What do they do?

 

 

Do you stay in touch with them or have you become estranged?

 

 

Do you love or hate one member of the family in particular?

There is little love lost between my family and I.

 

Is any member of the family special to you in any way (perhaps, as a confidant, mentor, or arch-rival)?

There is not.  I take solace in the words of hte old masters.

 

Are there any black (or white) sheep in the family (including you)? If so, please explain.

My family history is complex and fraught.  Both my biological mother and I are "White" sheep of a sort I suppose.  My grandfather spent his life building a vast criminal empire.  At his defeat my mother has tried to dismantle it.  He possesed her and now attempts the same for me.  Fighting him makes us better than him.  But good may be too far.

 

Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? If so, please explain, including how it has affected your life.

Ranaga Asano, The Crimson Katana.  Assassin, bodyguard to the Emperor, murderer of the Heroes Gunner and the Human Tank is my great-grandfather.  His son Toshiro, my grandfather, formed the Katanarchist a murderous cult of assassins and terrorized southeast asia for decades.  Since his death he and My mother have wrestled for control of both her body and the Katanarchists as she tries to dismantle what he builds.  So yes.  Several.

 

Do you have a partner and children currently? If so, please describe them.

I do not.

 

If you do not have a partner or children, do you want them someday? How firm are you in your opinion on this, and what might change your mind?

Perhaps, if my grandfather is laid to rest and the Katanarchists defeated there may be time left for such personal extravagances.

 

What type of person would be your ideal mate?

I should like a man of integrity and joy.  But such things are out of reach.

 

 

Relationships

 

 

Do you have any close friends? If so, please describe them, and how you came to be close to them.

The closest thing I had to friends was rivals.  The best of them was ordered to kill me or be killed preceding my escape.

 

Do you have a best friend? If so, how did they become your best friend? How close are you to your best friend?

I do not.  I do not know that the risk would be worth it with my grandfather still vying for command of my body.

 

If you were to go missing, who would worry about you?

The Raven and their murder of crows would take note.  Though if they would seek me out or hunt me down I am less certain of.

 

Have you lost any loves? If so, how did it happen, and what did you do?

I have not.

 

Do you have any bitter enemies? If so, please describe them and their history with you.

My greatest foe is in may ways myself, my past, embodied in the spirit of my Grandfather.

 

If you have enemies, how do you think they might attempt to work against you in the future?

The Katanarchists wish to capture me and turn me.  My grandfatehr wishes to sieze my body for his own.

 

What is the worst thing someone has done to you?

My grandfather had me created as a vessel for his return.  My very existence is a cruelty.

 

Where do your loyalties lie? In what order?

I am loyal to the way.  It is guide by which a warrior must measure themselves.

 

Who or what do you trust the most? Why?

No one.  I.  I have not learned how.  I still see it as wekness as much as the Raven and others say there is strength in friendship I am not certain.

 

Who or what do you despise? Why?

My Grandfather.  He is a monster.

 

What qualities do you admire most in other people? Are these qualities you possess?

I admire those who find joy in the everyday, those of good spirit and fair heart who know what is right and do so because it is right.  I aspire to be so but such is not the path before me.  Instead I will protect those with such gifts.

 

What qualities do you hate most in other people? Do you have any of those qualities?

Petty Cruelty and abuse of strength.  It degrades society, their victims, and themselves.

 

Do you have a secret identity? If so, who knows it? Do you hide it from people who are close to you? Why?

My identity is technically secret, particularly as I officially do not exist outside of many layers of false identity.  But at the same time I do little to hide who I in truth am.

 

Do you work well on teams and in groups? Are you a leader or a follower?

My training is to work alone.  I find it difficult to see myself as a part of a team, though there is strength in numbers this is only true if the numbers are a match.  I have yet to meet such a match.

 

Are you on a super team? If so, how do you get along with your comrades? Do you trust them, or do you have secrets from them?

I am not.  It is, a difficult, proposition with my history.

 

Are you a member of any church, fraternal organization, club, committee, political party, or other group? How much time do you spend on that?

No longer.  I have outgrown them.

 

 

Personality & Beliefs

 

 

Who are your heroes?

The old masters.  Musashi, Sun Tzu, Iizasa.

 

Did you ever become disillusioned with former heroes or idols? If so, why and what were the circumstances?

Even in their flaws there is a path to wisdom so no.  Recognizing the imperfections is how we excel.

 

Do you like being a hero? If so, what is the most rewarding part? If not, what makes you keep doing it?

I do not know I would use that term for what I do.  I serve, because I have the skills to serve, that those who do not do not have to.

 

Is there anything that would make you give up hero work, or even switch sides?

It is possible my will could be subsumed by my Grandfather and I would become but the empty vessle he intends.

 

What are your short term goals (what would you like to be doing within a year)?

I would like I think, to better understand the world as it is instead of how it ahs been presented.

 

What are your long term goals (what would you like to be doing twenty years from now)?

I hope to have finally defeated my grandfather.  Perhaps then I could learn a trade, create something instead of destroying.

 

What is your greatest fear? Why? What do you do when something triggers this fear?

Failing to contain my Grandfather.  It leads to me often second guessing myself, if an impulse is valid or his whispers.

 

Is there anything you would give you life for?

If I knew it wouldend my grandfather, but I fear it would only unleash him.  That can't be allowed to happen

 

How do you feel about money and material wealth? Do you desire it or disdain it? Are you miserly with what you have, or do you like to share? Is it mark of success, or a means to an end?

I barely understand it outside the objective truth of it.  I suppose I see it as a neccissary evil.  Not having wanted in life though makes it easy to downplay it's value as well.

 

How do you generally treat others?

I try to protect them.  This can be seen as presumptive.

 

Are you a trusting person? Has your trust ever been abused?

I am not, and yet it has.

 

Are you introverted (shy and withdrawn) or extroverted (outgoing)? Do you have a lot of self-confidence?

I am confident i know my abilities.  But I also am not, skilled, socially.  I find such encounters draining.

 

How do you act around attractive, available members of your preferred sex?

I am not a monk.  But I am also not looking for romance.  I am told purely physical interactions are empty and harmful to the psyche of both partners.  But if they were of a similar mind I don't see the harm in relieveing tensions.

 

What are your most annoying habits?

I am mistrustful of authority and peers.  I can seem aloof and egotistical particularly to adults accustomed to defference form individuals of my age.

 

Do you feel contempt for any general category of people? Who are they, and why?

No.  I loath bullys, those who use strength to oppress.  But I do not feel contempt, only wish to remove them from the position of being able to act.

 

What is your favorite food? Do you prefer any particular type of food? Do you take the time to enjoy your food, or do you eat as fast as you can?

soba noodles (cold)

 

What is your favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?

There is a white tips tea brewed near Katori that I have fond memories of the delicate flavors.


What is your favorite treat (dessert)?

I enjoy citrus when seeking something outside pure nutritional value.

 

Are there any specific foodstuffs that you find disgusting or refuse to eat?

Fast food is so greasy it make me feel ill.

 

What is your favorite color? Are there any colors you dislike?

I preffere subdued tones.  Bright and garish clors are distracting and unpleasant.

 

What sort of music do you like? Is there any that you hate?

I have had little time for music.

 

If you have a favorite scent, what is it?

Petrichor

 

Do you have a favorite animal?

I have not considered it.  

 

What is your most treasured possession? Why?

I treasure not the material.  Though I have sentimental value attached tot he remains of my old training blade.

 

Do you enjoy "roughing it", or do you prefer your creature comforts?

I find 'creature' comforts distracting and am unaccustomed to such.  I prefer to minimize distractions in my personal space.

 

Is there a job or a task you would absolutely refuse to do?

Kill

 

Do you consider yourself a spiritual person? If so, how do your beliefs affect your life?How important is it to you?

Deeply.  The way is a journey of mind, body, and spirit.  All must be of unified purpose for a warrior to achieve their best.

 

Was your faith influenced or molded by anyone special?

Spirituality and faith are not precisely the same thing.  But the Way is best described in the works of the Old masters.

 

If you belong to a religious organization, how often do you attend? Do you have a specific place of worship, or friends within the organization? How much do you agree with the beliefs of your organization?

I do not attend any formal faith organization.  My spirituality is personal and in the every day.

 

Could you kill? Have you killed?

I could.  I would like to not have to.

 

What circumstances led to you forming that conviction, or taking that action?

Killing is the ultimate expression of the way but to do so when there is another way is not of the way.  Practice war to preserve peace.

 

Are there circumstances under which you believe it is permissible to kill? What are they?

When it is the only way to save an innocent you have no choice.

 

How would you react to watching someone kill another person? Would your reaction be different if the killer was a friend or an enemy of yours?

I would stop them.

 

How would you react if something important was stolen from you?

I would retrieve it.

 

How would you react to public humiliation?

I would be impressed.  And contrite.

 

How would you react if a good friend or relative were purposely or accidentally killed? Has it happened to you?

I find it difficult to imagine this scenario.  I have no such relationships.  I suppose I would see justice done.

 

What do you consider to be the worst crime someone could commit and why?

murder of the weak by the strong

 

If your life were to end in 24 hours, what five things would you do in those remaining hours?

Ensure my spirit and grandfathers will both be taken.  Try to reconcile with my biological mother.  Prepare my effects and comrades.  Prepare my spirit. End it on my terms.

 

 

Career & Training

 

 

Do you have any special training in your hero skills? If so, where and how did you get it?

I received training from birth in arts martial and tactical as well as physical conditioning and athletic training.

 

Who taught you the most about your heroing abilities? What was your relationship with that person?

I was taught by the most skilled swordsmen among the Katanarchist.  For their many steps from the true path they were exceptional kensin.

 

Do you have any particularly unusual skills? How did you acquire them?

By virtue of my Grandfathers sipirt I summon spiritual blades and armor.

 

Do you do something besides hero work for a living? Have you ever done anything else, or do you plan to?

I am a ... Student?

 

What is your preferred combat style?

I have mastered the sword.

 

Have you ever received any awards or honours?

not formally

 

What skill areas would you like most to improve in? Is there anything you can't do that you wish desperately you could?

Small unit tactics and teamwork were sorely lacking in my training up until now.  I know what I can do.  I would like ot better uderstand what otehrs can add to my skills.

 

How do you act around people who are more skilled than you in areas you'd like to improve? Are you jealous, or do you try and learn?

The way is to be constantly seeking to improve.

 

 

Lifestyle & Hobbies

 

 

What is a normal day for you? How do you feel when something interrupts this routine?

I admit to by habit still sticking to my training regime from the compound.  rise early, meditate, focus for the day.  Bath, eat.  Begin training kata's while hte mind is fresh.  Lunch.  Rotating physical conditioning for full body improvement.  Studies of the texts and manuals, dinner, further studies or other needed errands (cleaning, gear maintenence etc.)

 

Do you have any hobbies, or interests outside hero work? What are they, and where did you pick them up?

I have begun a self taught process of learning the ways of traditional metalwork.  

 

What do you do for fun?

train

 

Do you have a costume? What does it look like?

When I call upon the armor of the spirit samurai and spectral version of grandfathers armor hides my identity.  I am, conflicted, on this appearance.

 

How do you normally dress when not in costume?

simply.  Usually in athletic wear.  Or in simple jeans, and t-shirt.

 

What do you wear to bed most nights?

shorts.

 

Do you wear any special jewelry? What is it, and what does it look like?

I do not.

 

Do you have a special place where you keep your valuables?

I keep my limited possessions of value in a wooden lockbox I crafted as an exercise after leaving the compound.

 

What's your preferred means of local travel? How about long distance?

I am usually shuttled by my patron or their fellows.  I suppose an airplane.  Whatever is available really.

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

Have you ever made a will, or tried to make arrangements for your death? What provisions did you make?

I have not considered such thing.  I should like to think my biological mother would be warned.

 

If your features were to be destroyed beyond recognition, is there any other way of identifying your body?

My tattoos are very recognizable.  

 

What would you like to be remembered for after your death?

That is did good in the world

 

Do you believe you pose a threat to the public? Why or why not?

Absolutely.  If my grandfather returns it would be, unthinkable.

 

What do you perceive as your greatest strength?

My skill with the blade

 

What do you perceive as your greatest weakness?

I am.  Alone.

 

As a player, if you could, what advice would you give your character? Speak as if he/she were sitting right here in front of you. Use proper tone so they might heed your advice...  

You are not as far on your journey as you think.  there are twists and turns you can't see in the road.  Be prepared and live your life.

 

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