[hider=Call him Joe, if you must]
[center][img]http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28000000/Gintoki-sakata-gintoki-28003009-872-480.png[/img][/center]

[b]Name:[/b] Name:Kuroda Jōichirō ( 黒田 城一郎 )

[b]Age:[/b] 22

[b]Gender:[/b] Male

[b]Race:[/b] Human

[b]Appearance:[/b] Joe stands about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 150 lbs. His hair used to be jet black but has since turned a silvery-white. He is often seen smiling for no reason and is dressed in a way that is consistent to the warriors of his land, Akitsushima. His body would have some scarring, most notably a large scar running diagonal down his chest. He has a fairly athletic build, denoting the fact that he was well trained.

[b]Personality:[/b] An eccentric man. Those who do not know will say that he has gone insane in his pursuit of the ultimate sword. He often is seen smiling for no reason, laughing to himself. He obsessed of his sword, or any sword for that matter. His craft is such that he can tell the core metal of any bladed weapon upon first glance. He himself, however, does not usually carry a bladed weapon. He instead uses a cane, of his own creation. Do not let this fool you. He is as lethal with just his bare hands as anyone can be with any weapon. In fact, his 'insanity' can be attributed to the practice of the Six Meridians Sword. To be fair, one does not go insane when training for that technique. He just happened to have undergone some dramatic transformation in his pursuit. His hair was once obsidian black, but is now a blue silver. No one truly knows his age, or how long it took him to ascend to his current statues. All that is known is that he can kill without sound, and is often drunk...

[b]Backstory:[/b]

Jōichirō, the eldest son to the renowned Kuroda clan, was born in the capital city of Akitshshima. His clan, in its entirety, have always served as the Shogun's most trusted warriors, with many of them being enlisted as the Shogun's personal guards. In Jōichirō's case, he was chosen to live within Castle Aoba with the rest of the royal family and to grow up with, and eventually protect, the future Shogun.

Much of his formative years were spend receiving similar treatment to the young Shogun. Though, subtly but consistently, he would be reminded of his status of essentially being an indentured servant to the eventual Shogun. He received what is considered proper education, both for the mind and the body, within castle grounds. His family would visit him, though the frequency decreased over time.

Around age 15, with the young Shogun taking over the abdicated throne from his father, Jōichirō saw his first action. He, as a part of the Shogun's elite troop, was sent to eradicate a group of bandits plaguing a nearby village. As the troop made quick work of the untrained and unorganized pillagers, Jōichirō came into contact with the leader of the bandits. The leader, laughing manically, said "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You're him. You're the one they spoke about. You're the white-haired demon who will kill the Shogun!!! Here! Take this! You'll need this!" The bandit tossed him a scroll with some indiscernible writing on it. Jōichirō took one look at the scroll and flung it aside. "Any last words, villain?" "AHAHAHA - aha - ahhhhhh" Without a struggle, the bandit leader dropped, crumbling to his knees and before Jōichirō's eyes, turned to dust and faded. Jōichirō took a deep breath, and gathered himself. 

What did he just witness? Who was this man? What does he mean 'The White-Haired Demon' ? Killing the Shogun? 

Without much thought, Jōichirō gathered the rest of the troops who were busy tallying the bandit's horde so they can redistribute it to the people, and headed back to the castle. He told no one of the words and actions of the crazed bandit.

Once home, his life carried on. Days carried on. However, he could not but wonder just what was in that scroll. Was it truly just the words and scribblings of a lunatic? Or was there something more... 

Years past, and the musings of the madman went with it. Until one day...

Jōichirō was cleaning out his room, getting rid of things he no longer needed and he notices a dusty scroll. The scroll was in tatters, and to the naked eye, was blank. Jōichirō froze. He knows what that scrolls is. It is the same one he had flung away all those years ago. Making sure he was alone, he picked up the scroll and unfurled it. The words reappeared to him. Still incoherent but the more Jōichirō unfurled, the more they made sense to him. When the entire scroll was opened, the content made perfect sense to Jōichirō. It was a sword style. Or, more accurately, six. The Six Meridian Swords, as it is called. Jōichirō was engrossed in its content. He dove headfirst into it, absorbing everything and anything the scroll contained. 

The next morning when he woke and headed to join his old friend the Shogun for breakfast, he drew gasps and stares from the servants around the castle. Finally, when entered the dining hall, the Shogun gasped and asked him "Jōichirō! What happened to your...hair?" "Oh, that. I'm not sure." "We'll have the doctor take a look. Are you sure you do not feel any different?" "No, my lord, I feel perfectly fine." "No matter. Doctor! come this instant...." 

In the end, the doctor found Jōichirō to be in great, one can even say inhumanly good, health. What the doctor was unable to discern was how it happened. Or the fact that a change has indeed taken place within Jōichirō that no one could see...

When Jōichirō was 21 years old, he was involved with the Shogun's most recent quest in expansion. Jōichirō was appointed General of the Armies for this expedition. They set out to conquer the rebels in the south, looking to bring them in under the Shogun's banner before moving on to other Shogunates. On the field, Jōichirō was as efficient, some would even say ruthless, as usual. Dispatching scores of enemy warriors without much thought.His black blade glistened with the blood of the slain, seemingly singing between swings. During the battle, a message came from the Shogun. The message was to capture the opposing Shogun alive, and to spare the civilians. Jōichirō had no interest in the civilians. But the opposing Shogun. He Jōichirō would gladly kill. Working his way through the waves of enemies, Jōichirō fought his way to the opposing leader, essentially challenging him to a duel. The shogun was swiftly notified of this act and the Shogun dispatched his fastest messenger to hopefully stop Jōichirō, from both directly disobeying his orders and from killing the opposing Shogun. 

However, when the messenger reached the battlefield, he was greeted with the sights of Jōichirō dragging the lifeless body of the opposing Shogun behind his horse, circling the gates of the city in shock to see such blatant disrespect. Jōichirō, laughing manically, cut the cord to the body and rode to the messenger and said "You're here to take me in? Thats fine. This battle has bored me anyways. I'm sure the boys left can finish the job." He then rode off, back to the capital city.

Upon arrival, he was apprehended and brought before the Shogun. Taking into consideration of the work he has done for the Shogunate, and their friendship, the Shogun exiled him. Cast out, but allowed to keep his armor and weapons, Jōichirō left Akitsushima and traveled to Thaln eventually.

Upon his arrival at Thaln, he had to take up odd jobs to scrape a living and a roof over his head. Soon, his deeds were recognized by the locals and he slowly ascended their ranks, finally reaching a position where he can potentially become a Knight of the Iron Roses...

[b]Equipment:[/b]

    [b]Kokuto, Yoru[/b]: A sword made by a master smith from Akitsushima that was a coming-of-age gift to him from the Shogun. The blade is pure black with a simple hilt and guard of Jōichirō's choosing. The blade is imbued with ancient spells preventing it from dulling, cracking or warping. 

    Jōichirō also carries a cane, for walking and another short blade of unknown name and nature.
[b]Skills:[/b]
    Jōichirō is a master of bladed weapons, namely the sword and specifically the swords from his country.His hand to hand combat abilities are above average, that is to say he would rather draw his blade than fight with his fists. His speed, strength, endurance and pain tolerance are all beyond that of a normal human being. 

[b] Six Swords of the Meridian [/b] No one truly knows what this means, and Jōichirō does not disclose it to others. When asked, he simply smiles and says "If I told you, I'd have to kill you~"
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[@VitaVitaAR]