Typeface: 1 – Color: 97d186島田源氏
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↳ Shimada Genji
↳ Sparrow
("Why is it that all infiltrators have bird call-signs? I would much prefer to be called Spider!") ↳ Male
↳ Human
↳ Hanamura, Japan
↳ Thirty-Two
↳ 25th of December, 1985
↳ Polished steel, sake and outrageously expensive cologne.
———————————————————————————————————"I'm sure you've heard of me from my conquests."
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↳ Single
↳ Pansexual
↳ None
↳ Mother – Shimada Haruyo (✝1985)
↳ Father – Shimada Genichi (Alive)
↳ Brother – Shimada Hanzo (Alive)
↳ Goldfish: Aoi, Akai and Hanzo Jr.
↳ Shimada Hanzo
↳ Sombra
↳ Ana Amari
———————————————————————————————————"I love to talk about myself, if nothing else."
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↳ Playful ♦ Hedonistic ♦ Ambitious ♦ Kind-Hearted ♦ Irresponsible ♦ Self-SacrificingOutwardly shallow, Genji is someone who has a love of fine goods and surrounds himself with beautiful people. He's never been one to shy away from flaunting his family's wealth and status to achieve his primary goal in life: pleasure. In his hometown of Hanamura and later Tokyo when he moved there in his early twenties, he acquired a reputation for being a playboy––a heartbreaker interested in only meaningless, mindless fun. The rumors were not wrong.
On a more personal level, Genji has a wide circle of acquaintances but few friends and no trusted confidants. He may be more personable than his brother, friendly and charming and a shoulder to cry on, but in some ways he is just as aloof. A Shimada does not show vulnerability. A Shimada does not cry. Stoicism never worked out for Genji when it came to masking his emotions like a true ninja, so he drowns them in good humour and deflection instead. This is only marginally more acceptable, but he's not the heir, so he assumes nobody is paying attention.
It also happens to be true to his character. Genji does truly love fun; it's not an act. He's goofy, making it his life's mission to annoy his big brother as the butt of all jokes, and he takes very little seriously. He plays with the truth so much that he has been called a dishonest on several occasions, and though he's not the delusion sort of compulsive liar, he loves to exaggerate already tall-tales of his own embarrassing moments and, strangely, Hanzo's achievements.
(Rarely does Genji embellish his own stories, the positive ones about him and his deeds, and even tries to downplay them on occasion. It's almost as if he's humble, but it doesn't fit the narrative he creates for himself.)
A darker edge to Genji's personality is in his relentless chasing of a powerful adrenaline rush. Anything death-defying is his cup of tea. Often he's called the 'foolish' little brother, and this is not inaccurate in the slightest: he has no concept of his own mortality, and seems to think that he's invulnerable–until–proven–otherwise. It must be terrifying to people who care about him, seeing him sneak behind enemy lines at pick fights in which he is outnumbered.
Despite all of this, Genji seems to be, at his core, a good person. He has always despised the missions given to him by his family, though they are becoming fewer and fewer in number in recent years due to his recklessness, but he has no qualms about killing those deserving of it. It just so happens that those in need of a good beating are business partners of his family, and therefore off-limits.
He deliberately tries to be underestimated as just another kid who can't grow up because his ambition (and what an all-consuming ambition it is) will get him killed. Genji keeps his deep, innermost dreams to himself.
❤ All sweet foods, especially Japanese candy.
❤ Arcade games––old school style.
❤ Nightclubs of any kind, though mostly upscale; partying.
❤ Racing (bikes or cars; hell, even a snowmobile would work).
❤ Tests of strength, agility and nerve.
❤ His older brother, Hanzo.
💔 Waking up early––he's not a morning person
💔 The Shimada Clan and everything it stands for.
💔 Hanamura, though he called it home once.
💔 Duelling with Hanzo.
💔 Similarly, losing (a sore loser).
💔 Dishonourable conduct, murder,
crime.
↳ Training: while not exactly a 'hobby', training is the only way he knows to distract himself and release pent-up aggression.
↳ Partying – Genji is always on the lookout for the next big bash, and if there isn't one, he'll set it up himself.
↳ Free-Climbing – Enough said: Genji likes danger, and rock-climbing without safety equipment is the perfect way to do that.
↳ Connections
Because of Genji's personable, popular nature, he is acquainted with a lot of people. Some of those just happen to be useful as well as great drinking buddies: a whole host of Black Market dealers and former gangsters, graduates and drop-outs each with their own specialties. Whether this is an intentional effort to collect allies or not, only Genji himself knows, but either way such social manipulation it is a distinctly Shimada trait. Who could resist when he asks for a favour?
↳ Unshakable Will
Genji is not easily persuaded. He's almost immune to most forms of manipulation––he's been dealing with it for his entire life, and he's developed a bit of a thick-skin when it comes to being told what to do. A bit of healthy rebellion never killed anyone! Once he is set on a task, there is no stopping him. This also applies to other ways someone might try to persuade him. (There have been several times the spare heir was kidnapped for ransom or information, and not once did he let anything slip).
↳ Ninja
If he doesn't want to be seen, Genji won't be seen. Stealth is practically his middle name: eavesdropping, breaking and entering, misdirection, all sorts. At the same time, he's very good at avoiding assassins, too. It's hard not to be when you know their tricks. Generally this only manifests itself in being completely silent when approaching people, resulting in jump scares aplenty; he tries to make as much noise as possible in daily life so that few people realise how silent he can be when he tries.
↳ Glass Cannon
Many have tried but none have succeeded thus far to convince Genji to wear more than the bare minimum of protective gear when on missions. Often he doesn't even bother with a stifling bulletproof vest – it's better to be fast and not get hit at all, in his mind. That means, however, that if he is pinned down and targeted, he won't last long at all––he can't keep deflecting bullets indefinitely, after all.
↳ Honourable
Genji's main flaw as a Shimada is that he refuses to kill in an unfair fight. He does not strike from behind, or without giving the target some opportunity to ready themselves. A duel is an honourable way to die, but slitting throats in the dead of night is most certainly not. Often this sense of honor leads him to dangerous places: he puts himself at more risk, and in many (drunken) cases challenges people to brawls outside bar if given a suitable reason. He also has a strong preference to not hitting women.
↳ Unassuming Appearance
While on rare occasions looking like an exceptionally cute rich boy who is unable to grow up might be a good thing (chatting up men and women in nightclubs, mostly) generally it only causes problems for Genji. Being treated respectfully? Not likely to happen. Intimidation? Impossible––even when he has his sword with him, many just laugh. A hero's most fatal flaw, vanity, is caused by it too, but at least he's self-aware on that front.
Shimada Genji is the youngest son and spare heir of the main family of the Shimada Clan, several years younger that his beloved older brother, Hanzo. He was born in midwinter, and before the year was over, his mother was dead; she never recovered from the strain of bringing him into this world. His father, who looked and acted like the head of an international criminal enterprise, and to Genji, he was a cold, uncaring figure––not cruel, but pragmatic. What use could he be in raising children? That was the function of his retainers.
So Genji, in a long line of Shimada sons, was trained in the same arts that Hanzo was. He was hopeless with the bow, talented at the sword (though unfortunately worse than his brother in a fair duel) but took to the ancient ways easily: the arts of infiltration and assassination grounded in the Shimada Clan's ninja heritage. On the whole, however, he was a bad student. When he was younger he was hyper-active in the classroom and didn't take to heart any of the important lessons in business and communication forced on him, and as he grew older into a teenager he became a deliberate rebel without a cause––a yankee.
There came a point where he was mostly left to his own devices, so long as he showed up in proper attire to meetings with people in power, and dabbled in high society. This was around the same time as his departure to live in Tokyo, alone: a period that involved long binges and legendary parties. To keep the money flowing into his bank account, he had to do favours for the Shimada Clan, some of which seemed to align with the goals of Talon, much to his despair. The time for Sparrow (as became his code-name in his family) to fly the nest came when he refused an assassination mission on a politician of great importance and was left with no financial aid.
The Shimada Clan did not expect him to have his own web of connections as a back-up, however, and Genji did not come crawling back, though he did agree to stay as an agent in the service of his family in a 'networking' role. Occasionally his services were required––there were quite a lot of intel-gathering missions to undertake when he received a role in Overwatch for the same purpose and moved to America––but recently they have dried up, almost as if his family are ready to cut ties entirely.
———————————————————————————————————"My loyalty is to the Shimada Clan. It cannot be to anyone else."
——————————————————————————————————— ↳ Genji
↳ Overwatch
↳ Shimada Clan
↳ Washington, USA
↳ Hanamura, Japan
↳ Offense (Specialty: Infiltration, Espionage)
↳ Agent of Overwatch
———————————————————————————————————"You're talking to the second best warrior in Japan!"
——————————————————————————————————— ↳ Cyber-Agility
Genji was always the fastest of the two brothers, deft and spry. Some of his agility is learned: the Shimada Clan's teachings are the origin of his near-inhuman ability to climb any surface and his impeccable balance. His reflexes and endurance are both innate and trained, allowing him to dodge attacks with ease while keeping up momentum in a drawn-out infiltration without pausing for breath. The rest––'double-jumping', in particular––comes from the use of technology (found in his combat boots) generously provided to him by his family.
↳ Swift Strike
Genji's own signature skill, practiced over two decades of combat training, is the aptly-named Swift Strike. Making use of his abnormal agility, it looks to others as if he blurs for a moment and appears behind his target. By the time he's there, however, his dagger is already sheathed (and usually the target is bleeding on the ground, but that's not always the case). This ability is very taxing on his body, so he cannot use it immediately again––a problem he calls, "Giving his opponent a fair fight!"
↳ Deflect
There is only one way to practice the secret art of deflecting bullets with a blade: get shot at. Genji's sharp eyes and fast reflexes allow him to raise this technique to a much higher level, although it comes at the cost of being limited in his mobility while concentrating on his movements. Certain projectiles he can bounce back at his enemies with a swift flick of the wrist, though his aim isn't always the best.
↳ Shuriken
What kind of ninja would Genji be without his signature throwing stars? These shuriken are Genji's primary means of attack, and although he can use them at long-range (if a target is unawares) they are more suited to medium and close-range attacks. The method he uses to throw them changes depending on the range of targets: it could be a single, accurate stream of them, or it could be a fan of them for maximum spread.
↳ Swords
Genji has several swords, though he is frequently seen carrying only one: the green-accented Sword of the North Wind, which he named himself after first hearing the ancient legend associated with the Shimada Clan. This remains sheathed until he feels it is time, at which point he utilises the technique Dragonblade.
Genji uses a smaller kodachi in his Deflect and Swift Strike abilities.
His other swords are a pair, and he uses them only in dire circumstances and on dangerous missions, and their names are Masamune (正宗) and Muramasa (村正)––they're priceless antiques, red in colour. Usually they are locked up in his current bedroom or hotel room.
↳ Dragonblade
There are different accounts of what this ability actually is, and nobody seems able to come to a consensus. Genji releases his primary blade and with it becomes a terror, slicing and dicing until there are no enemies left and amping up his natural abilities to unseen levels. It is often a strain on his body, and frequently he requires a short breather after using it––time to calm shaking hands and nerves and sheathe his sword again.
Some see an illusion of a green dragon, as fierce and mischievous as its wielder himself, but that cannot be true, even though Genji insists that the essence of the technique is in spirits unknown.
———————————————————————————————————水のように流れ
——————————————————————————————————— ↳ Thomas Azier - Ghostcity