Name: Shinko Aroi
Universe: Latrisia (original)
Race: Kitsune
Age: 28
Tier: Powered
Gender: Male
Height: 5'7''
Weight: 190 lbs
Appearance: Shinko has a strong, yet lean body with an overall unkempt appearance. His copper hair is thick and shoulder length in the back, and sloppily cut, likely by himself, in the front to keep it out of his bright blue eyes. Very seldom his he seen entirely clean, yet that doesn't seem to affect the air of vitality about him. As a kitsune, he has a pair of fox-like ears, claws for nails, elongated canines, and a set of six whiskers on his face; however, unlike most kitsune he has three silky fox tails with hair that seems much better maintained than that on his head. His attire consists of whatever mismatched combo of tunic and trousers he hasn't destroyed by his neglect just yet, but they are almost always severely weathered and often have rips and tears from a previous fight in them. His body also has various scars about it, telling the story of all the minor injuries he has sustained thus far from his lifetime of combat.
Skills: Fighting Prodigy - Shinko's formal martial arts training has given him strength and speed superior to a typical person's. While he has received formal training, Shinko has superb instincts and reflexes, which gives him an erratic natural fighting style. He has received formal training in Ayako-ryu, a martial art commonly practiced by the kitsune of his world, but fights best when not adhering to strict notions of style. He is also incredibly adaptable in combat, able to react to new situations on the fly as well as fall into a formal style when useful and quickly break out of it at will. He is also good at understanding how his opponents fight and is seldom flustered by new styles or strange powers.
Tail Power - Shinko has undergone intense strength training on his three tails, and they are effectively as strong as his arms, though far less dexterous and versatile. He can support his own body weight indefinitely on them, can use them as a sort of spring for a variety of leaps, catch himself from a fall, or deliver a moderately powerful strike. He can also grab on to certain types of terrain which provide a good grip, like pipes or tree branches; he cannot grasp ledges or sheer cliffs with his tails.
Mentail Discipline - As a part of his Ayako-ryu training, Shinko has spent time meditating and strengthening his mind. This allows him to process large amounts of information from all of his senses in a chaotic battlefield. It also allows him to resist psychic attacks that would attack his mind whether they attempt to confuse him, influence him, or attempt to read his thoughts. If he is given time to focus while resisting such an attack, the attacker will be redirected back to their own mind.
Heightened Senses - As a kitsune, Shinko has senses superior to that of an average human. He has particularly sharp vision, exceptional hearing, and an exceptional sense of smell.
Powers: Whiskers - Shinko's whiskers are attuned to the wind and can detect motion from the disturbances that physical bodies make in the wind currents. He can detect all motion within a 50 foot radius in open space, but large physical barriers, such as walls, negate this ability. He can detect motion around small physical barriers, such as rocks, trees, or pillars. If focusing, he can predict the trajectory of an attack the moment it begins based on the patterns of disruption it makes in the wind.
Flash - Shinko can emit a brief flash of blinding light from his tails.
Affinity for Fire - Shinko was born with an abnormally high affinity for fire magic. He is impervious to burns, can withstand extremely high temperatures, and can use his magic to warm his body in cold climates. He has also learned a variety of fire magic techniques:
Fire Plume - A rudimentary elemental attack. Shinko summons a ball of fire the size of a basketball that he can launch at any given target.
Fire Whips - By flicking his tails, Shinko can create thin ribbons of fire which he can either leave connected to the tips of his tails and use as whips (limited to 6 ft) or he can release them and use them as light projectiles. Less powerful than a fire plume, but more precise.
Ember Enhancement - Shinko can use his magic to enhance his physical strikes with fire. The result is a trail of embers behind each strike. Hits deal added fire damage, blocked attacks send a small plume of embers that retains the momentum of the initial strike, and dodged attacks leave a streak of embers about their trajectory.
Cauterize - If severe bleeding becomes a problem, Shinko can press his hand against the wound and, overriding his natural affinity, burn it shut. Naturally, this is extremely painful and causes severe tissue damage in the process, but it can thwart the immediate danger of blood loss.
Afterburner - By flicking all three tails in a sharp downward motion, Shinko can create a blast of fire with enough propulsive force to lift him of the ground. This can be used as a means of enhancing a jump, as a situational attack, or to give him a "double-jump" mid-air.
Form of Flame - Shinko can make his tails burst into flames at will. While in this state, his tails lose all physical substance. Once the flames are extinguished, by Shinko's will or otherwise, his tails return to their original state.
Hellfox Blitz - Shinko can summon a fox made of fire. The firefox moves according to Shinko's will, and has the strength and speed of an average fox. The firefox has physical substance to it, meaning it's claws and fangs can cut as well as burn, but also that it is susceptible to physical attacks. Shinko can summon multiple foxes at once, but the strain on his mind and body for maintaining them increases exponentially beyond the first.
Weapons/Equipment: Kitsune Claws - Shinko's claws are as sharp as knives. They cannot cut metal, but they can damage leather armor and can cut through flesh with ease.
Satchel of Bombs - Shinko carries with him a satchel contain 9 bombs, three of each of the following types. Smoke bombs burst into a thick white cloud of smoke with a 50 foot radius. The smoke is breathable, but obscures vision. Within the white smoke there are wisps of black smoke that simulate bipedal motion. Tar bomb are balls of tar that are activated by Shinko's fire magic. Upon being heated the ball will form a sticky goo for approximately 5 seconds. Then it will harden into solid tar. Sand bombs burst into a plume of coarse sand upon impact. The sand is sticky, and will adhere to the first thing it touches.
Bio: Shinko was born in a time of war. When he was 8, his village was one of the first to be attacked by the Nezgarian army, and by the time they were routed most of his friends and family were dead. He had survived through sheer luck, but was seriously hurt. He was taken to a camp by the kitsune army where his wounds were treated and he was given nourishment, but no friends or relatives came to claim him. It didn't help that Shinko's means of coping with the horrors he had just been through was by shutting out all of reality. It was a week before he so much as told the people who rescued him his name.
The kitsune were preparing to send Shinko to an orphanage, until a young captain caught an oddly lively glimmer in his eye. Shinko seemed to perk up when he saw the soldiers practice, particularly in sparring sessions, so the captain offered to give Shinko a lesson in an attempt to get him to open up. She could tell quickly that Shinko had a natural talent for fighting. Rather than sending him to an orphanage, she contacted a friend and arranged to send Shinko to a school, far from the front lines, where he could excel.
Fighting was Shinko's haven from the stark reality that had been thrust on him at so young an age. When he had to think about how to dodge that left hook, he didn't have to think about everything he had lost. Even so, Shinko grew up to have a short temper, and was frequently reprimanded for getting into unnecessary fights. This, combined with his introverted demeanor, made him few friends. Rather than spending time with people his own age, he gravitated towards teachers, never shy to ask them questions. Once they shooed him away, he would spend most of his time either sparring or training by himself.
Once Shinko completed his training, he left the school and wandered in no particular direction. He simply lives off the fat of the land, performs odd jobs if he needs some kind of good, and is always looking for challengers.
