Full Name: Kenichi Mizumoto
Alias: Kusa (This translates to “Grass” in English, and is a word Japanese generals use to refer to the ninja under their employ).
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Homeland: Kyoto, Japan
Appearance: Kusa seems to be, for all intents and purposes, a very average Japanese man. His hair hangs past his shoulders, though it is usually tied back as to not interfere with his vision. There is a short, very thin scar on the left side of his chin. The cut that caused it was deep enough to score bone, and the resultant indentation can still be felt underneath.
Languages: Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English.
Height/Weight: 5’7” 162lb
Outfit/Armor: Typically wears relatively plain clothing, though it always includes a hooded cloak and scarf that can be pulled up over his nose, effectively concealing his identity. The cloak is large enough to conceal much of his gear, as well as several small objects, and given the frequent rain, has been treated with wax to keep the moisture out. Also, when weather permits, he wears a pair of soft leather, thin-soled boots, which separate his big toe from the rest. Though he does not wear them often, he had also brought some more traditional Japanese clothes with him to America. He would sooner blend in with the crowd.
Hunting Gear: Will always take a katana when he knows there’s going to be a fight, though if the situation is expected to be more like a battlefield than a simple skirmish, his primary weapon will be a bisento (a heavy glaive. Think naginata with 3 times the width to the blade). In addition to this, he will typically be carrying a rope with a studded weight affixed to one end, no less than 6 bo-shuriken (throwing spikes), and a pair of shuko (climbing claws). While not a typical piece of his combat gear, he also carries a razor sharp knife, which has seen more action whittling practice blades than cutting into flesh.
Likes: Training, learning new things, fresh fish.
Dislikes: Rude people, sweets, having to speak Korean.
Occupation: Drifter or Mercenary, depending on who you ask.
Skill Set: He practices a very effective martial art. Many of the basic movements he would use for empty-handed striking also apply to some weapons. The basics for some weapons apply to other weapons. The advanced techniques, however, are extremely difficult to follow, not because they are flashy and detailed, but rather because some minor subtlety makes the difference between simply stopping an attacker, and sending them flying. He has also spent some time as an apprentice at a weapons forge in Kyoto, and knows the process of sharpening and polishing a blade.
Magic Abilities: This area is mostly undeveloped, but there is definitely some potential there, as his luck seems uncanny. When calm, he can feel an attack coming before he can see it. Or rather, he claims he can feel the attacker’s aggression, allowing him to move out of the way before it lands, and determine the most reasonable course of action. This feeling does have its limits, however. The feeling comes just an instant before the moment of hostile action, therefore he cannot dodge something so fast as a bullet or arrow, unless he had already been in the process of moving out of the line of fire (and therefore already aware of the danger).
Pets/Companions: None.
Personality: Comes off as cold, and is definitely introverted. He will often have his nose in a book; the subject doesn’t matter, so long as it is non-fiction. He is particularly fond of geometry and physics, though purely in the interest of applying these principles to further his martial arts. Additionally, any books regarding local culture are quickly consumed, as he does prefer to do his best to blend in. He cares little for excesses or self-righteous behavior, and is likely to ignore the offending party until they either leave of their own accord, or he takes measures to remove them from his immediate vicinity (this typically begins with a frosty stare forged from surviving more than one sword duel). When frustrated, he will rub at the scar on his chin firmly enough to feel the thin groove that was cut into his jaw.
Background: The descendant of a bastard child of a bastard child of some deposed Emperor, Kenichi’s blood traces all the way back to Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan (who legends say may have been a god), even though there is no recorded lineage or family history to verify this. Before leaving Japan, he was the center of several highly improbable coincidences around his family’s household, and the more superstitious believed that he may bring misfortune to the family some day. He has survived close encounters with blades (the incident that caused his scar could have killed him, had he not lost his balance at precisely the right moment), has fallen out of a window on top of a boy who was about to assault his older sister, and fired a stray arrow that had found an underground spring in the middle of a drought, to name a few. While traveling to Kyushu, a letter reached him, stating only that his unique abilities would be needed in New England. Curious, he has decided to follow.
Unique Abilities: He seems to be proficient enough in his martial art to be able to teach someone reasonably well. Additionally, he is rather adept at sharpening blades, to the point of having been commissioned to transform more than a handful of "European bludgeoning edges," as he calls them, into razor sharp dueling weapons (one needs currency while traveling, after all).