Name: Ichiban Kasuga
Game Origin: Yakuza: Like a Dragon (aka Yakuza 7)
Appearance: Just a mop-headed ex-yakuza looking for a job.Personality: Ichiban might seem simple on the outside - a well-meaning goofball who's a bit slow on the uptake and too stubborn to care - but there's a lot more going on under the surface. Ichiban has a rigid moral code, a sense of righteousness that colors everything he does. Heavily believing in one's honor and the responsibilities that come with it, he'll set straight anybody he sees as straying from the path. But don't think that makes him some holier-than-thou type. Ichiban is incredibly humble and will always see the best in those that get looked down on. He's no bully, and only uses his skills to protect those that need it, like a real hero.
He
is really stubborn though, that part's very true.
Background: Ichiban Kasuga, born on New Years day, was an orphan who was found and raised by a soapland owner since he was a baby. Growing up in an unsavory environment didn't lend him much of a social life, but it afforded him an immense pool of compassion and empathy to people that others would see as lesser. His friendless childhood also drove him to spend most of his freetime playing Dragon Quest, leading to his obsession with the game and RPGs as a whole, eventually viewing life as one big one. Before then, during his teen years, Ichiban ran afoul of some local Yakuza and, in a bid to protect himself, name-dropped the Arakawa clan, hoping it would scare them off. Instead, it lead to the head of the Arakawa clan, Masumi, to show up in person and save Ichiban, at the cost of a finger and a humbling apology. Ichiban, shocked at Arakawa's choice to demean himself to help a random kid, all for the sake of upholding the clan's image, indebted himself to Arakawa in the hopes of joining his clan and learning from him. After months of hanging around the Arakawa office through rain or snow or shine, Arakawa eventually relented, and accepted Ichiban into the family.
Ever since, Ichiban was a loyal member to the Arakawa clan, becoming a personal favorite for the patriarch himself and even appointed as a sort of caretaker to Arakawa's wheelchair-bound son, although his direct superiors weren't so happy with Ichiban's goody goody antics. Eventually, at the turn of the 21st century, Ichiban's life would change forever; one of his commanding officers shot a rival yakuza member, and Arakawa asked Ichiban to take the fall and go to prison in his stead. Ichiban, ecstatic to finally have a chance to honor the clan's name as Arakawa had the first time they met, marched himself right to the police to confess to the crime.
18 years in the clink later, Ichiban was released to... nothing. Despite Arakawa's promises, no one was there to greet him back to the free world. Nobody save for a retired cop named Adachi, who delivers some poor news to him; the Tojo clan, to which the Arakawa family was a subsidiary of, was wiped entirely, with Arakawa now a member of the Tojo's sworn rivals the Omi Alliance. In complete disbelief Ichiban agrees to help Adachi get to the bottom of Arakawa's change in allegiance, if and why he would sell out the Tojo, and his apparent coldness towards Ichiban. However, this ultimately lead to Ichiban getting shot through the chest by Arakawa himself...
...but not dead yet. Waking up in a city called Ijincho, Ichiban was saved from death by a local homeless settlement, particularly an ex-nurse named Nanba who patched him up. Now without a job, a family, or a real place in the world, Ichiban set out to figure out the truth of his 18 year imprisonment, why Arakawa shot him, why he ended up in Ijincho, and maybe, just maybe, be able to afford dinner. (Ichiban will have been taken partway through the story - around a mid-point, rather than the start of his proper journey.)
Specialty: Adaptability, buffs & status effects, the power of friendship
Level: 1
Experience: 0/10
Powers:- Tag Team: Essence of Mayhem - Ichiban's signature Heat Move, Essence of Mayhem is an all-out attack against a single target. Should Ichiban land a blow using this move, the target is stunned, setting them up for additional attacks from up to 3 other allies, one after the other, finishing it off with a dropkick from yours truly for devastating damage. Ichiban cannot use Essence of Mayhem if he is afflicted with a status ailment.
Strengths:- Personality Stats - Like most people, Ichiban has a personality that's made up of several different traits - Passion, Confidence, Charisma, Kindness, Intellect, & Style. Unlike most people, these traits can provide bonuses to Ichiban; raising his resistances to ailments, increasing power for specific attacks, and boosting the effectiveness of his buffs. They all start off weak, at Lv. 1 (out of 10), though Ichiban can gain points towards their next levels by divvying up EXP gained from posts or through significant "dialogue choices" that best represent a related trait.
- Life is Like a Video Game - Having been so invested in playing RPGs in his youth, Ichiban has gained considerable knowledge of the various gaming franchises of his time. Despite being an unremarkable skill where he's from, this wealth of information is pretty useful in the World of Light, affording Ichiban details and foresight on what he may encounter that others lack.
- Inventory Space - Typical of any RPG protagonist, Ichiban possesses a near infinite amount of storage space on his person even though he realistically has, like, only five or six pockets to use. He's able to carry a staggering amount of different items, upwards of 99 of each unique kind, regardless of size, weight, bulkiness (though the common sense of it being able to be held in the first place is still required), with even perishable foods staying fresh and living creatures remaining healthy and content.
Weaknesses:- Trying Hard to Beat the Stage - 18 years in the joint made Ichiban a fucking pussy lose his bearings in the video game world. Without the proper time to have caught up in all that he's missed, Ichiban's knowledge of video games cuts off past the year 2000, so anything that came after that time will be a mystery to him, though he may get by on context clues from long franchises.
- Flat Broke - On a level even more extreme than most, Ichiban is penniless. Or yenless. Not a single coin to his name, Ichiban's current poverty back in his home world has translated to a near cosmic constant in the World of Light - any funds he does get will be gone soon, meaning he has a time limit in being able to use the money he gains.
Inventory:- Valuables: Cell Phone
- Weapons: Self-proclaimed Hero’s Bat (a metal bat with rusty barbed wire bunched up at the end)
- Consumables: None
Spirits:Guest List:- Nanba - a very close friend to Ichiban, though he views their bond as even closer due to Nanba's role in saving his goddamn life. Despite being a homeless bum, Nanba provides invaluable support, both in his knowledge of healing from his time as a nurse and his scrappy, street-level knowhow.
- The Hero - the descent of Erdrick, tasked with bringing light back to the kingdom of Alefgard. Ichiban used to play the early Dragon Quest games obsessively, so if he knew he was in the same place as this guy, he'd probably nerd the hell out about it.
- Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu - known as the "Ultimate Yakuza", Fuyuhiko was enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy with other notable Ultimates. Fuyuhiko has a few less scruples than Ichiban and a whole lot more cynicism, but much like the baby face he's stuck with, there's a softer bit of him somewhere in there.
