Application | Iyashikei

[tsuninja]

Player Information

Player Name: Meowzy
Pronouns: Any
Age: 37
Preferred Means of Contact: Meowzy, PM
Invitation: N/A
Other Characters In Game: Vox
Do you have any plans for this character in the game? He'll definitely make the most of his time in Iyashikei by doing some research on the concept of souls and how to retrieve them, and anything else that might help find Those Syaoran and Sakura. Other than that, just spending time with his castmates and doing the typical Tsubasa schtick of blending in to the world they're visiting.

Character Information

Character's Full Name: Kurogane
Character's Pronouns: He/him
Character's Canon: Tsubasa: Chronicle (Reservoir and World)
Character's Canon Point: Post Tsubasa: World Chronicle
Character's Age: 28 (no canon age given, I'm spitballing)
Did your character willingly come to Iyashikei? If yes, why? Yes! He's so used to traveling to other worlds, he assumed it'd be a package deal with all of his companions. He was half right.
Will they need any special accommodations upon arrival? Nope!

Character's History: Wikia page! It doesn't use all the names the official manga translation ended up using for worlds, but it's close enough.

Character's Personality:
The main characters from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle are a varied bunch and it becomes obvious right from his first appearance: Kurogane is the grumpy one. Often distant, rude or downright hostile, he's the one who balances out Fai's bubbly personality (and vice versa).

One of the recurring themes of the series, applying mostly to Kurogane, is strength. At the start of the series, he's always picking fights and delights at facing a challenge. He believes strength is something physical, determined by how many people you can defeat in battle. No doubt, this notion stems from his childhood. His father, the Lord of the Land, was deemed to be the strongest warrior in the region. Kurogane idolized him and believed that if he could be just as strong, that would be all he would ever need to protect the people of Suwa. However, after his mother was murdered and his father eaten by the demons that immediately invaded the region, he was hit with the realization that his father's level of strength would not be enough. He would need to be stronger, stronger and stronger still, or he would be unable to protect the one dear to him. (The incident never left him. In Outo country, Kurogane suffers a very strong reaction to the notion of people being eaten by the local demons, hinting at his past trauma long before this plot was revealed.)

After so many years, Kurogane developed a disregard for other peoples' lives. It's emphasized by both Amaterasu and Souma that he was quite the troublemaker growing up, to the point where they had to imprison him in a kekkai (a sort of barrier) whenever he misbehaved. By the time the series starts, he even goes so far as to make up his own ninja rules to justify killing his opponents. When Princess Tomoyo ends up sending Kurogane to another world, she says: "There is no one stronger than you in Japan, therefore you must find stronger opponents elsewhere". She bestows a curse upon him, claiming his power will diminish whenever he takes a life, then tells him to find 'the true meaning of strength'.

Another notion that's made very clear at the start of the series is that he's usually a loner. The moment he starts his journey across the dimensions, he makes a point of saying that he's only traveling with them to get back home. It takes a while for him to warm up to the rest of the group and truly accept them as companions, rather than people who happen to be traveling with him. However, once he does, he'll give his left arm for his new family. Literally. Once Kurogane's emotional investment is won, it's there through thick and thin. As the series progresses, he starts to take on a fatherly role. It's even joked about. He claims early on that he's no good with kids, to which Fai points out that it's because he's easily embarrassed. Still, by the time they reach Piffle Country, he's officially designated the 'daddy' of the group. He does all the chores he's asked to do and keeps a watchful eye out. This isn't something he would openly admit. In fact, he would outright deny it, but actions speak louder than words. It isn't just that he wants to be a father figure, though. It's about protection. The reason Kurogane seeks to be strong is so that he can protect his loved ones, but there's other ways he can keep them safe, like putting them to bed when they've had a little too much alcohol to drink.

Another one of Kurogane's strengths is that he's perceptive. Syaoran's blindness in one eye, Tomoyo herself sabotaging the races in Piffle Country, Fai's everything… He isn't afraid to point these things out when he needs to. If someone has to be confronted with their flaws, he'll be the one to do it, occasionally with some literal force. However, there's also times where he chooses not to divulge his theories. Sometimes he admits to having figured something out a while earlier, but kept it to himself because there would be no point to revealing it yet. Or, as Fai paraphrases it: he didn't want to make everyone paranoid.

Kurogane is a very prideful man and as such, he doesn't like to show any kind of weakness- Or rather, what he perceives to be weakness. Whenever he's injured, he will either attempt to hide it, or downplay it. This is something he continues to do even in the first chapters of World Chronicle. He's grown to the point where he'll confide in the people he trusts, but only when they call him out on his pain. Another way for him to put up a front is an emotional one. He doesn't like being called out on acts of kindness. In fact, when someone does that, he'll lose his temper and tell them to "stop saying disgusting things".

When it comes to Fai, their relationship is tricky to describe. It's made clear right from the start that the two of them are complete opposites in every way. This is why, when the series starts off, Kurogane can't stand the other man. They become a great team when they need to work together in battle, but outside of that there's a lot of tension. As the series progresses, we find out the dynamic as we saw it is the other way around. It was actually Fai who purposely attempted to keep a safe distance between himself and the others, while Kurogane had no qualms whatsoever with befriending them. There are several pivotal moments throughout the first half of the series where Kurogane pulls Fai aside for a serious conversation, because he sees through all the hollow smiles and vague wording to hone in on the things Fai is actively hiding from them, then calls the man out on it.

Despite all the reasons to be suspicious of Fai up to that point, Kurogane's care still shines through when push comes to shove. When Fai becomes lethally wounded in a battle in Tokyo, he acknowledges that the mage changed for the better. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to save Fai, making a deal with Yuuko before even hearing the actual technical details. By forcing Fai to become a vampire who can only drink his blood, Kurogane becomes responsible for his life in both the literal and the figurative sense. He knows Fai may hate him for it, and that's a burden he's prepared to bear. He forces Fai to keep on living with the promise that 'if he really wants to die that badly, Kurogane will eventually kill him himself'. It's no surprise that in the next country, which is Infinity, their interactions have become incredibly cold.

The Celes Country arc is where the character development in this regard reaches its climax. As they face King Ashura himself, Fai's painful past is shown for everyone to see. They learn that not only has their friend been lying about his identity and just how much he knew about their journey, it's revealed that he was one of Fei Wang Reed's pawns all along. Fai was ordered to watch out for Kurogane in particular and dispose of him if necessary. This knowledge still isn't enough for Kurogane to give up on Fai. On the contrary, he starts poking holes in the memories that they were shown, revealing that there was more to the story than even Fai himself realized. As the final step in development, when it seems they have no choice but to leave Fai behind in a Celes that would soon be destroyed, Kurogane makes an enormous sacrifice. He slices off his own arm and leaves it behind along with his sword Souhi, which triggers a sort of equivalent exchange that allows him to free Fai from the trap. Princess Tomoyo later paraphrases that Kurogane 'wished to take Fai with him with all his heart'.

From that decision on, their relationship goes back to what it used to be around the first half of the series. At first glance, anyway. Fai returns to nicknames and merciless teasing, while Kurogane returns to grumbling about it. Even so, the feel of it is different now. Kurogane still calls Fai out on occasional hypocrisy and vice versa, but it's because they've grown to care about and complement one another.

When they arrive in Japan after a long journey, Tomoyo asks if Kurogane has learned his lesson yet. He admits that he's always wanted strength in order to prevent losing more loved ones. However, over the course of the journey, he learned something else. "Having strength can also bring about catastrophes. Besides, there are things that strength alone can't protect." Once she hears that, Tomoyo ascertains that Kurogane has learned the true meaning of strength.


Character Abilities: I can't find Kurogane's sword techniques on any other pages, so:
✦ Hama Ryuu-Ou-Jin. This is the signature move he learned from his father. It causes several sharp bursts of energy to slash at surrounding opponents.
✦ Hama Kuu-Ryuu-Ha. Causes several bursts of energy shaped like dragons to assault the opponent.
✦ Zen-Ryuu Shikougeki. This one causes a burst of energy in the shape of a dragon to shoot forward and throw any opponents in its path.
✦ Tenma Kuu-Ryuu-Sen. It causes energy in the shape of a dragon to swoop down upon the opponent. If opponent dodges, the attack's direction will curve to match, sort of like a homing missile.
✦ Chi-Ryuu Jin-En-Bu. This one causes a shockwave powerful enough to destroy the ground he's standing on. It's also known to break his katana if it isn't sturdy enough.
✦ (Tenma) Shou-Ryuu-Sen. It causes a spiral to shoot upwards like a cyclone, forcing all surrounding opponents backwards.

Player Opt-out/Opt-in Permissions post: He doesn't have any invasive powers but here is a Permission post anyway

TDM Sample Link: Thread with Fai, Thread with Sakura

Any comments or questions you would like us to know? A funny meme is also welcome!