Name: Tomaru Shinimura, aka The Red Shinigami
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Race: Kitsune
Random Descriptors: Height: 5’9’’
Weight: 180lbs
Hair Color: Copper
Eye Color: Blue
Skin Color: Fair
Character Tier: Intermediate
Character Type: Critical Character- Tournament Participant
Physical Description: Tomaru has the lean yet well-muscled physique of a practiced martial artist. He has moderately pronounced facial features and a horizontal scar running across his chin. He does little to style his hair, keeping it short enough so that it stays out of his eyes and lets it fall straight back over his neck. As a kitsune, he has a pair of fox-like ears, a large and silky fox tail, claw-like nails, elongated canines, and a set of six whiskers on his face. He wears a snow-white kimono with crimson streaks running through it and a pair of deep red samurai pants. He is not one for footwear as he is well-traveled and the skin on his feet has toughened up to endure rough terrain, partly from his training, partly from all the walking he has done. His movements are all smooth and controlled, as if they were specifically trained, whether he is demonstrating his martial arts or simply passing the salt.
Personality Description: Tomaru is a wandering altruist. Despite his lethality, he is a kind and gentle man that loathes violence. He will entertain a pleasant conversation on just about any subject, and loves to teach people about his philosophy. With that said, he does not stand for any form of oppression and will take any measure to protect his friends. When facing one that has made himself an enemy, Tomaru seems to become a different person and is surprisingly merciless. It is his ruthlessness against the wicked that earned him the nickname Red Shinigami, not a name that he is proud of, but one that has circulated across the world.
Skills, Powers and Abilities: First and foremost, Tomaru is a master martial artist. He learned Ayako-ryu, a martial art and philosophy, from his master, the fox deity Ayako. The style focuses on efficiency of movement, fluency between forms, and effective killing. Ayako-ryu is a collection of many martial arts, including Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Akido, and Drunken Kung Fu. As a master of Ayako-ryu, Tomaru can fluently transition between a number of martial arts. In addition to unarmed combat, Tomaru has also mastered the use of the katana through his training. Ayako-ryu contains several stances that should be noted:
Tsubame: This stance combines offense and defense, implementing principles similar to Wing Chun. His hands are raised with his palms opened, his left hand extended further than his right. From this stance, he can block an attack and deliver a quick strike in a single fluid motion. This stance is only effective about the upper body and in close quarters.
Wani: This is a specialized stance designed for intercepting attacks with a piercing trajectory, such as spears, arrows, and straight kicks. He holds his left arm low with his hand tilted up and his right hand high with his hand tilted down, mimicking the jaws of a crocodile. He then snaps his wrists together to catch the intruding object. Unless the object has a slick surface, like greased metal, he will have a firm grip on it. This stance is only effective at defending the middle of the body and requires steady concentration.
Usagi: In this stance, Tomaru simply falls straight backwards, holding himself up with his tail. Through rigorous training, his tail has developed a strength and elasticity that allows him to quickly spring back with a counter strike. The nature of this stance also allows him to dodge high and upper-mid attacks, as well as attacks aimed at his legs.
Hebi: A standard iaijutsu stance with a twist. Tomaru can unleash his quickdraw strike from this stance at any moment, but if given time to aim, he has familiarized himself with the reflective properties of his blade to such an extent that he can unsheathe it slightly and bounce the light of the sun off of his blade, into his opponent’s eyes, and then strike at that moment of blindness. Naturally, this requires intense focus as well as a sunny day.
Tomaru is also ambidextrous and is capable of seamlessly switching between orthodox and south-paw stances for all of his styles. He has been known to do this to destroy his opponent’s rhythm or even dodge attacks without having to enter a defensive stance.
In addition to martial arts, Tomaru has also learned how to utilize Inner Strength, or as many martial artists call it, Ki. Tomaru has learned three Inner Strength techniques from Ayako:
Hasaiken: Tomaru can channel his Ki into a limb. When he strikes with that limb, the energy augments the attack with a concussive blast of kinetic energy. Such an attack is capable of breaking bones on an unarmored opponent, tearing through light armor, and damaging heavy armor. Hasaiken requires preparation, but not complete concentration.
Ikiteha: Tomaru focuses his Ki tightly into the form of a blade. He can release that energy into a narrow plane of kinetic energy that can slice through all but thesturdiest substances; reinforced titanium probably wouldn’t be affected. Ikiteha requires devoted concentration before it is executed.
Gekitaisuru: Tomaru uses his Ki to unleash a sphere of kinetic energy around his entire body. This attack is not very damaging – an enemy might be dazed after taking a direct hit at worst – but it has enough force to repel enemies or projectiles from all directions if Tomaru becomes overwhelmed. Like Ikiteha, Gekitaisuru requires devoted concentration before it is used, plus he cannot use his Ki for three turns thereafter.
Finally, as a kitsune, Tomaru has heightened senses and an affinity for fire:
Heightened Senses: Tomaru has heightened senses of hearing and smell, and can see a bit better in the dark than a human. Furthermore, his whiskers can detect fluctuations in the air, which makes it difficult to sneak up on him. While the whiskers cannot tell him specific trajectory information, they can tell him that something is moving in a general area.
Affinity for Fire: While not a manipulator, Tomaru is resistant to intense heat and fire. He can sustain direct contact with anything up to 1,200°C and can raise the temperature of all or a part of his body with sustained focus. He can combine this temperature raising ability with his martial arts to give his attacks a burning aftermath.
Character Equipment: The one item Tomaru carries is his katana, Junkojuro (Tier 5). Junkojuro is a steel blade that was blessed by Ayako; no man who is felled by this blade shall go to hell if there is goodness in his heart. Furthermore, the blade is more resilient than normal steel, having a keener blade, being able to withstand higher degrees of pressure and impact, and being highly resistant to various corrosive effects. Finally, the blessing prevents a flow of magic or energy downward past the hilt, preventing Tomaru from becoming a lightening rod.
Character History: Tomaru was born into a poor family. His father was a hunter and his mother ran a mediocre tea shop, and together they scraped by a living for him and his brother. However, one day a hunt went wrong and his father was killed by a rabid wolf. The remaining three family members worked together to run the shop and, tightening their belts, they managed to survive, but fate wasn’t done with them yet. One day Tomaru’s mother became ill, and while he and his brother were old enough to handle the shop, they simply couldn’t afford the medicine.
Rather than letting their mother die, Tomaru decided to pour all their money into medicine, and they would just have to… borrow… food from some of the more affluent vendors. Tomaru was not exactly the best thief, but the villagers knew the situation he was in and usually just turned a blind eye.
One day, though, an old man caught Tomaru in the act. The boy tried to dart away, but the man somehow kept appearing in front of him. Eventually, the old man introduced himself as Ayako, the fox deity, and took Tomaru on as a disciple. He provided the family with food, medicinal herbs, and taught Tomaru how to survive off the land. And, of course, he taught him how to kick ass.
His mother lived for many years thereafter, but eventually her illness took her. Tomaru decided to part ways with his brother and began journeying the world, doing whatever good he could. He agreed to join the Nexus of World’s tournament for a very simple reason: he loves martial arts. This tournament would grant him an opportunity to go all out against great fighters without any lethal consequences. The Red Shinigami could play to his heart’s content.