Serizawa Gojiro - A Hooligan King (FINISHED)

Level: [1]

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Name: Serizawa Gojiro

Real Age/Age of Appearance: 22

Birthday: November 4th

Race: Human

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Height/Weight: [198cm/90.72kg]

Physical Description: Gojiro is a tall, broad- shouldered man with finger-length black hair and brown, almost red eyes. Possessed of a strong jaw and sharp features, Gojiro tends to have a fairly menacing presence. Even when the man smiles there’s not much about it that could be considered genuinely friendly. Gojiro generally has a lot of free time on his hands, and spends a fair amount of it exercising daily. His hands are rather large and bony, with scar tissue layered over his knuckles, and it’s easy to see the man has a very firm grip. Though he has a number of small scars from various minor injuries, there are only two that are particularly prominent: On each forearm is a scar approximately two centimeters across. The scars begin just above the wrist on each arm, and proceed towards the elbow at a slight diagonal angle. Goji varies his attire based on his needs. For casual, day to day excursions, he’ll typically wear T-Shirts, Jeans, thick soled boots, and a bomber style leather jacket. When he’s attending more professional or classy establishments, however, he’s been known to break out suits and ties. Goji favors dark colors and earthy tones.

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Dislikes: Whiners, Cruelty, Deceit, anything accurately described by the word ‘Chitinous’.

Likes: Coffee, Individualists, Spicy Food

Flaws: Prideful, Bullheaded, Arrogant

Habits: Frequently introduces himself with his first name instead of his family name, and sometimes forgets to address others in a courteous manner. This is a lingering effect of his time in the U.S. He also has a tendency to scratch at his scars, usually when he gets a bad vibe or the weather shifts.

Fears: Becoming Weak, Losing his Freedom, Bugs

Goals: Once upon a time, Gojiro had dreams of joining the J.S.D.F, though he now seeks to learn more about the strange masked monsters he sees.

Alignment: Neutral Good

Overall Personality: Gojiro abides by a policy of ‘Live and Let Live’. As long as he is left to do as he pleases, he’s got no reason to do anyone any harm. Though he is capable of violence, Gojiro isn’t prone to the deed. He much prefers talking people down from conflict. When faced with adversity, Gojiro takes a very head on approach as his first instinct. If overwhelming force fails to do the trick, however, he will fall back to defensive tactics and begin looking for alternative solutions. Gojiro generally only speaks his mind when invited to, or when it seems necessary. Coupling this with his appearance, many have mistaken him for being slow or stupid. While there’s much that Gojiro is ignorant of, his mind is much sharper than he is given credit for. Gojiro is observant, and tends not to draw things out longer than necessary.

Gojiro’s experience with fighting is fairly limited. In Junior High School he joined up with the Karate club, and then branched out to Judo in High School. While he was never the best in either club, due to his large physique and diligent practice, he was frequently tapped for competitions and performed well. Outside of school, Gojiro frequently found himself at odds with other boys, and engaged in regular street fights. Goji’s fighting style thus consists of close-in hand strikes, grapples and throws, and improvised brawling. He has potential to learn more, and a natural aptitude for fighting, but due to his lack of skill and experience Goji frequently ends up relying on his physical strength and endurance to succeed.

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Birthplace:Futenma Base, Okinawa, Japan

Current Residence: Tokyo, Japan

History: Serizawa Gojiro comes from an old family, tracing its roots back to the Sengoku Period of Japan. In line with its origins, the family has always been known for producing cunning minds and powerful warriors. From its earliest days as a Samurai household, the Serizawa family emphasized service to the Government and Community over all other pursuits. While they have never had a prominent role in history, the Serizawa Family has always done well for itself, prospering until the Second World War. Gojiro’s grandfather, Gekido, became a Captain in the Imperial Army of Japan at a young age. He fought bravely during the United States' island hopping campaign towards the end of the War. After losing his right arm in a mortar shelling, Gekido was sent home from the front lines. He continued to work for the government from behind a desk, even after the war ended, and settled down to start a family.

Gekido was the last surviving heir of the Serizawa line, having lost his brothers in the war. Much to his dismay, his wife had a difficult time maintaining pregnancy, and it was hard on her body. They had several miscarriages before they were finally able to bring a child into the world. Gojiro’s father, Kenji, was a bright young man, and had a very comfortable life. Gekido ensured his son had an excellent education, and many potential career opportunities. Had Kenji been so inclined, he could have continued to live that easy life and make his father proud.

He threw it all away for the right girl. Gekido might have been able to forgive America for the damage it had done in the war, could accept that there was no shame in losing to a worthy foe. It pleased him to see his homeland rebuild itself and prosper in the wake of such a devastating war, and he knew that America had a part to play in that as well. Even so, when he discovered that Kenji intended to wed an American Servicewoman from the nearby base Futenma, Gekido was furious. That Julia, the woman in question, was a beautiful and intelligent engineer working for the United States Marine Corps did not matter. She was an American, and no son of Serizawa Gekido would sully his family’s legacy by marrying a Gaijin.

Kenji and his father alternated between vicious arguments and sullen refusal of communication, all the way up to the wedding. Gekido almost didn’t go, but in the end his wife made him see wisdom. Even if he disagreed with his son’s decision, he would not be so spiteful as to mar the young man’s wedding day. They managed to keep things cool and professional, but after the honeymoon a new rift opened between them.

Julia was pregnant, and due to be rotated back to the States. Kenji fully intended to go with her, and raise their child in America. The bellicose mood between Kenji and his father returned, worse than ever, and by the time the child was born, the two were no longer on speaking terms. Thus, Gekido never met his grandson before the boy and his parents traveled to America to begin their lives.

Gojiro, as the child was named, lived in California with his parents for the first ten years of his life. He was a happy, rowdy boy, usually leading a pack of other hooligans through the neighborhood. He attended a public elementary school, and loved action movies, dinosaurs, and the American Adaptations of certain Japanese Tokusentai series. He knew very little of his family on his father’s side, and Julia didn’t have many relatives her own age in her family. His father rarely spoke about Gekido, though frequently told the boy of his Grandmother in glowing tones! He liked to imagine a kindly old couple, with his grandfather perhaps being a bit of a grump, but all right deep down.

Like most children his age, Gojiro didn’t think bad things could happen to his family. They happened to other people, in other places. That naive assumption of safety was blown to pieces when a car accident took his parents from the world. It was a genuine accident, there wasn’t anyone to blame. A car’s tire blew out on the freeway, and his parents were in the front seat, so they took the worst of the damage. Gojiro survived with a few broken bones, but the loss of his parents was a much deeper wound.

There wasn’t anyone on Julia’s side of the family who could take the boy in, and for a time he feared he’d be placed within the Foster Care System. He became very moody and withdrawn while waiting to know what his fate would be. One day, after he’d been through his daily physical therapy routines, Gojiro returned to his room to find a man and a woman waiting for him. They were old, the woman’s hair more white than black, and the man’s head bald and polished. Both were very well dressed, and neither seemed quite sure what to say when Gojiro arrived.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder, but death smashes it like an egg. In the decade since their son had left for the states, Gekido and his wife had grown more and more lonely, the vacancy he had left in their lives an open wound. Gekido had come to deeply regret his behavior, but had not yet figured out how to apologize to his son and make amends. When the two discovered that it was now too late, they were heartbroken. Knowing that they had a grandson who needed a home, who needed family now more than ever, the two dropped everything to find him.

Gekido and Shiori took custody of the boy, and returned him to Japan once the matter of Kenji and Julia’s estate was settled. Living in their family home in Osaka, the Serizawas had a difficult road ahead of them. Financially, Gekido and Shiori were very comfortable. Thanks to the careful planning of generations of Serizawas, the two could very easily afford to add Gojiro to their lives. The struggles they faced were more in regards to helping Gojiro heal from the trauma of losing his parents.

While he was grateful for his grandparents, Gojiro had a lot of anger and resentment towards the world. Suddenly being thrust into an alien environment had not been helpful, and adjusting to the Japanese style of schooling was an absolute nightmare for the boy. Wearing a uniform every day chaffed his nerves, and while he had learned Japanese from his father at an early age, he was more inclined to speak in English. Other children called him Gaijin and worse, and he quickly developed a reputation for picking fights with other kids.

Gekido didn’t know how to deal with the boy. He could empathize with his grandson’s pain, and understood the child’s anger, but much like his father, Gojiro was stubborn and self-reliant. They argued frequently, but one thing kept the three together: Shiori. She refused to lose another boy, and so whenever Gojiro stormed off in anger, it was usually she who went to find him. Sometimes Granny dragged the boy back by force, but most of the time she found him when he was in a mood to be listened to. Gojiro told her everything, all the time and every time. Shiori never judged her grandson harshly, and never told him what he should do. Her method ran more along the lines of encouraging him to think for himself, to decide on the best course of action.

At the same time, she was also working with Gekido. Shiori reminded him to be patient, to be forgiving. The matron of the House helped the two find common grounds, and speak to each other in a way they could understand. Gekido and Gojiro both had a love for Japanese cinema, from Samurai movies to Kaiju flicks. Their bond developed further as Gojiro ‘taught’ his grandfather to play Chess, and when Gojiro began showing an interest in joining the Karate club, Gekido helped him through basic physical conditioning to prepare. The two clashed on and off again over little things, but whenever their arguments got too heated, Shiori would shoo them out of the house while she made tea and set out their chess board.

Shiori’s death was a heavy blow to the two men, young and old alike. Gojiro had long ago accepted that he wouldn’t have his grandparents for very long, but when Shiori’s heart failed in her sleep, he found himself wishing he’d had more time with her. Gojiro and his Grandfather moved on as best they could, but it was difficult. They were both stubborn and prideful: Self-determined men through and through. Shiori’s pacifying presence was gone. After one particularly spirited bickering match, Gojiro found himself paying a visit to the small shrine Gekido had erected for Shiori at their home. While praying to her, Gojiro realized that he still had time with his grandfather, and that time was too precious to be spent in anger.

He went back inside, made a pot of tea, and set out the chess board. The whistle of the kettle drew Gekido out from his room, and after a tentative talk, the two settled in for a game.

After that, Gojiro more or less abandoned his hooligan ways. He stopped picking fights, stopped letting other kids get to him. The boy focused his energy on Karate and Judo, and his studies. Gojiro had resolved to make his grandfather proud, to show the man he had not misplaced his trust and faith in the boy.

Gojiro always did well, striving to achieve the best grades he could. With Gekido’s help, he developed a suitable diet and fitness regimen, and life became good again. Gojiro began considering his future, and a career in the J.S.D.F started to become very appealing to the young man. As he neared graduation from High School, Gojiro began spending more and more time away from home. Between studies and his various schedules, he had very little time that wasn’t occupied. His free time was rare, and so when he finally got an opportunity to roam the streets with his friends one warm summer night, he pounced on it.

They got beer and rambled, hitting up some arcades and chatting it up with girls from other schools. Gojiro took it easy on the beer, spending most of his time on a fighting game. His friends talked him into showing off for some of the girls, as the arcade had a machine that would supposedly measure the force and give you an appropriate score. Just before he threw the punch, a feeling of dread came over Gojiro. His grandfather would have joked about it being a ‘disturbance in the force’, but it scared Gojiro so bad he punched the machine far harder than he’d intended. Grabbing his jacket, Gojiro left his friends and headed home. It was a warm night, with a full moon. Gojiro didn’t know why, but he almost felt like he was being compelled to return home as soon as possible. He sprinted most of the way, heart pounding in his chest.

When he arrived on his block and passed through the gate to his home, Gojiro had to blink a few times to be sure he wasn’t crazy. The first thing he saw was his grandfather, standing before Shiori’s shrine, a meter or so away. Between the old man and the shrine was a ghostly figure, shrouded in a white kimono. Her face was vague at first, but sharpened into focus as Gojiro paid more attention her: His grandmother, Shiori. Something felt viscerally wrong, and not just because Gojiro was very sure he was seeing a ghost for the first time. There was a sense of anticipation in the air, and Gojiro realized he’d felt it before. Every time he stepped onto the mats at a competition, the air crackled with an energy similar to this. His eyes tracked movement, and Gojiro lunged before he could think. Something heavy struck him in the chest, and sent him crashing back into his grandfather. The older man sprawled, and Goji hit the ground between his grandfather and Shiori’s ghost. A new problem, however, arose as the ‘ghost’ seemed to change shape. Around it, behind it, above it, as if fog were being wiped away from glass, a new figure was melting into view. What Gojiro had believed to be the ghost of his grandmother was nothing more than the forelimbs of a chitinous nightmare bearing a passing resemblance to a Mantis. The creature had a white, skull-like face and glowing yellow eyes, and moved with a nimble, skittish gait. Before Gojiro could react, it was lashing at him with those forelimbs. Bone-white blades glinted in the moonlight, and Gojiro threw his arms up to defend himself on instinct. Pain and heat lashed through his forearms, and he was thrown back into the dirt. Blood streamed from a deep, lengthy gash in each of his forearms, and as his vision faded to black, he watched the insectoid monster pounce on his grandfather.

He awoke in the hospital the next morning, his arms wrapped in bandages. A passing neighbor had seen Gojiro and his grandfather lying in the yard, and had stemmed the boy’s bleeding before calling for help. The Medical Examiner reported that Gekido had died from what appeared to be heart failure, though he had contusions from the fall he took. Gojiro almost told them about the mantis, but stopped when he realized how absolutely insane it sounded. Though it made him sick to do it, he lied and claimed he’d been attacked with a knife by a man wearing a mask. His grandfather had witnessed the attack, and must’ve died from the strain of it.

Gojiro skipped his graduation. The J.S.D.F no longer interested him, he fell out of contact with his clubs and his friends. For a long time, he never left his home. The entirety of Gekido’s estate had been left to Gojiro, including the property in Osaka and a few others. The home in Osaka felt too empty, and he had little interest traveling. With help from his grandfather’s lawyer Gojiro moved to the Serizawa’s smaller family home in Tokyo and put the other properties into the care of a leasing agency. He set up a new shrine for his grandparents at the Tokyo estate, and has set upon the path of discovering just what happened to him the night his grandfather died.

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Power Name: Dragonskin
Power Appearance: Upon activation, an olive green toned substance flows from Gojiro’s back, enveloping his shoulders, arms, throat, lower back, and legs. This substance immediately hardens into an incredibly durable hide of pebbly, reptilian skin. This substance also hardens around Gojiro’s fingertips to produce powerful claws that are more than capable of punching and tearing through flesh. In its current form, the ability seems to leave Gojiro’s stomach, chest, and face exposed.

Power Release Phrase: None Needed
Power Ability: Gojiro’s Dragonscale is incredibly resilient to physical trauma. It is most effective against slashing damage, easily turning aside even a Shinigami’s Zanpakuto when angled correctly. It does lessen the impact of blunt force, but it has its limits. The armor is especially vulnerable to piercing damage. Though its limits have not been tested in this regard, the armor is highly resilient to certain acids and poisons, but provides little to no protection from changes in the climate or air.

Power Name: Carnivore
Power Appearance: In its passive state, the ability has no appearance. When activated, it manifests as a shimmering blue-white nimbus of electrical energy. The energy appears to be centered on the point of contact with incoming Reiatsu, and seems to be drawn into Gojiro’s body. Once the incoming Reiatsu has dispersed, the ability returns to its passive state
Power Release Phrase: None Needed
Power Ability: Carnivore is a passive ability that initiates in tandem with Gojiro's Dragonscale. When initialized, Carnivore intercepts reiatsu based abilities acting against Gojiro, such as Kido spells or Cero blasts. Carnivore robs these reiatsu-based abilities of half their power, lessening their potency against him. Though the exchange of energy is not perfectly efficient, Carnivore does convert a small measure of the power into something Goji can use, restoring his health and stamina for an amount equivalent to one fourth the total power of the ability used against him.

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Approved