Post by Ichiro Kuroki on Jun 12, 2013 6:55:01 GMT -5
FULL NAME; Ichiro Kuroki (黒木 一郎)
NICKNAME(S); none
AGE; 21
NATIONALITY; Xingese (Zhanese minority)
OCCUPATION; Traveler
MILITARY RANK; n/a
ALCHEMIST?; Yes
CHIMERA?; No
ABILITIES/TECHNIQUES;
Alchemy: Ichiro's adoptive father taught Ichiro alchemy once Ichiro asked for it. Ichiro is quite skilled, though one can't say he's a master. Ichiro specializes in combat alchemy and his style uses the objects around him as weapons or tools to assist him in combat. In order to be able to better apply his alchemy in combat, Ichiro tattooed transmutation circles onto the palms of his hands so that he can use his alchemy whenever he wishes simply by touching an object. That said, Ichiro generally doesn't use alchemy and instead prefers to use his sword in battle.
Swordsmanship and martial arts: Being the child of mercenaries and originally expected to take over the family "business", Ichiro is quite skilled in martial arts and swordsmanship. His sword, which he carries with him constantly, is a katana that was passed down in his family from generation to generation.
HAIR; Blac, long
EYES; Brown
HEIGHT/WEIGHT; 5 ft 10 in (178 cm), 148 lb (67 kg)
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES;
Apart from the transmutation circles tattooed onto the palms of his hands, the only other real distinguishing feature is his hair which is quite long. If one pays attention to the way Ichiro uses his hands, one will notice that he is left handed.
BASIC DESCRIPTION;
Standing at 5 ft 10 in (178 cm), Ichiro is a bit on the tall side but not too much as there can certainly be people taller than him. He weighs 148 lb (67 kg), average for someone his height. Ichiro's hair is very long and silky, to the point that some might question whether he is really a man. In terms of muscle build he has a six-pack, no doubt due to rigorous training that his parents subjected him to as a child that he continued on his own volition. Ichiro wears a light blue kimono, held together by a yellow sash. He typically keeps very basic necessities (food, water, some money, supplies for maintaining his sword) in leather bags tied to his sash. He also keeps kanzashi of the kushi variety in one of the bags, a memory of his mother. Atop this kimono Ichiro wears a dark blue haori. Ichiro keeps his sword tied to the right side of his sash as it is easier for him to reach it that way because he is left handed. Ichiro almost never goes anywhere without his sword, so if you see him without it chances are something's up.
POSITIVE TRAITS; (at least 5)
- Kind & caring
- Loyal
- Trusting
- Strong willed
- Honest
NEGATIVE TRAITS; (at least 5)
- Very stubborn
- He's one to hold a grudge
- Self-sacrificing
- Impatient
- Easily annoyed
PERSONALITY OVERVIEW;
Ichiro is a kind and caring man that won't hesitate to lend a helping hand to someone in need. If you need help, he'll do everything in his power to help you. If you want to repay him for his kindness, you'll have to insist that he take whatever you give him as he generally won't take gifts of gratitude. His kindness extends to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, gender, social status, or any other factor, though he tends to have more sympathy to the poor.
If you're his friend, you'll have someone that will stand by your side until the day you die. Unless you do something to betray his trust, he will be loyal to you until the very end. Some might say that he takes this to extremes, as he would be more than willing to take a bullet if it meant saving a friend, but it's something that he prides himself with. It's not that hard to become his friend either, all you need to do is earn his trust.
Ichiro won't forget any good deeds you do. Any good deeds will stand out in his mind. That said, he won't forget any bad deeds either. Because of this, Ichiro is one to hold a grudge against someone. That said, you probably won't find him plotting revenge unless you've done something really bad.
Ichiro is very stubborn. When he decides on something, it'll take quite an effort to change his mind. This extends to pretty much anything. You'll find it really hard to change his opinions, and you'll find it very hard to talk him out of doing something he's set his mind on.
Ichiro follows the traditional Zhanese code of honor, or at least his own interpretation of it. His parents taught him it from when he was a child, and it has become the guiding principals behind his actions. His kindness comes from the code of honor, his loyalty comes from the code of honor. He lives by this code of honor, and there's absolutely nothing that will change that.
PARENTS; Ryoko Kuroki (mother - deceased), Masatoshi Kuroki (father - deceased)
SIBLINGS; none
OTHER RELATIVES; Ernst Reuter (adoptive father)
SPOUSE; none
CHILDREN; nond
BASIC HISTORY;
link to semi-brief history of the Zhanese ethnic minority in Xing (Google Docs)
Ichiro was born to the Kuroki clan of the Zhanese minority in Xing. His mother, Ryoko, and father, Masatoshi, were loving and kind but strict. His parents were mercenaries like many other Zhanese people, but they weren't like the others. Most Zhanese families abandoned the Zhanese code of honor, however his family held on to it. They only took jobs which they viewed as morally right, which limited the amount of money they got but they just weren't willing to give up the code of honor.
From a young age Ichiro was trained in swordmanship and martial arts. They also taught Ichiro the Zhanese code of honor. Ichiro was expected to take over the family mercenary "business". Ichiro excelled in his studies and training, no doubt because he put all of his effort into them. Ichiro wanted to make his parents proud and become the best warrior he could, knowing full well that really the only way he could make use of those skills were either by joining the Xingese military or taking over the family mercenary business.
However, as jobs became scarce his family was forced to search for other assignments. Eventually, an Ishvalan hired them to fight in the Ishvalan Civil War. The whole family moved to Amestris, something that was supposed to be only temporary. While in Amestris, Ichiro met Ernst Reuter, an Amestrian alchemist that lived in Ishval and secretly sympathized with the Ishvalans but refused to take part in the fighting. After spending enough time together, Ichiro's parents decided to leave Ichiro with Ernst while they were off fighting.
While with Ernst, Ichiro took an interest in Alchemy. He read books and observed Ernst, and eventually picked up some basic alchemy. Ernst, with Ichiro's parents permission, decided to train Ichiro in Alchemy. Ichiro quickly mastered the basics of Alchemy fairly quickly. But at this time, disaster struck his family.
The Amestrian government had issued Order 3066 and State Alchemists were sent in to the battlefield. Ichiro's parents put up a huge fight against the State Alchemists, more than most people would be able to do, they ultimately couldn't defeat them and were killed in battle. The Ishvalan that hired them brought the news to Ernst and Ichiro. He had survived the battle only because he ran in fear. Ichiro's parents stayed, protecting Ishvalan civilians which were still running away. They put up one heck of a fight, but in the end were still no match for the State Alchemists. The Ishvalan managed to recover Ichiro's father's sword and haori and his mothers kanzashi. Ichiro was devastated at first, and for a few days after that he wouldn't come out of Ernst's house. Eventually he got over it and decided to train and study harder than ever before. Ernst, feeling it would be better for Ichiro to live with someone he knew and trusted rather than be sent to an orphanage, decided to adopt Ichiro. He continued his training in swordsmanship, martial arts and alchemy, eventually becoming quite skilled in both. He eventually tattooed transmutation circles onto the palms of his hands so he wouldn't have to worry about drawing one when using alchemy.
When Ichiro was 19 he decided it was time to leave. Ichiro wanted to do what his parents wanted to do, not be mercenaries, but help people. Only Ichiro decided to forgo mercenary work. It wasn't because he was afraid he might end up like his parents, but because he felt that he didn't need to continue it. Wearing his fathers haori and taking his fathers sword and his mothers kanzashi, Ichiro and Ernst parted ways after saying their farewells.
ALIAS; Zabuza825
OTHER; Reviving an old character of mine from a now-dead FMA RP site called Hidden Truths
RP EXAMPLE;
Ichiro wandered through the desert, hoping to find a village soon. It had been a while since he last saw civilization. If only he had a bit more money he would've been able to ride in the comfort of a train. That said, he needed that money for food and water. Assuming he actually got someplace that is. Ichiro paused for a moment, looking ahead to see if he had missed something. There really was nothing there, it seemed like it would be a while until he found a town. He was about to start moving again when he heard something.
"HELP!"
It was faint, but it was definitely a cry for help. Ichiro rushed over in the direction that he had heard it from. Just over a hill, he saw a caravan being attacked by some bandits. Ichiro ran straight for them, pouncing on the first bandit he could get and knocking him out. The rest turned around and looked at him before heading to attack Ichiro. It wasn't that hard to shake them off, these bandits weren't exactly trained in combat. It wasn't long before Ichiro had driven them off. He turned towards the people in the caravan.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, thanks." replied one of them "How can we thank you?"
"There isn't any need for that." replied Ichiro "Would you happen to know any towns or cities nearby?"
"Yeah, there's one a few days away. We're going to stop by there, why don't you come with us?" said another one of the people in the Caravan. Ichiro really didn't see why he couldn't, and it was him that had asked for directions anyway. Besides, he didn't know if the bandits would come back.
"Sure, if you don't mind." replied Ichiro as he started helping the Caravan gather their things and head off.
