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application (riverview)
player information
● name: Kae
● age: 31
● contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
caturday
● other characters: N/A
character information
● name: Jintetsu
● canon: Kurogane (by Kei Toume)
● canon point: post-volume 5, pre-Kai
● age: 17
● (canon) background:
Jintetsu grew up in a small town in Japan's Edo period. Childhood friends remember him as a quiet kid, who listened more than he talked. His father was a woodcarver, and raised him alone after his mother presumably died. The plan was for Jintetsu to take over his father's business when he grew up, and he was fine with that. However, the town was controlled by proto-yakuza clans, who extorted large amounts of money from local businesses under the guise of a "firefighting fee." Jintetsu's father started encouraging the townspeople not to put up with it, but for speaking up, he was murdered. Jintetsu was 13.
His culture and his heart both demanded vengeance. But the apparent killer was a government official, so it seemed the murder would be swept under the rug and forgotten. This was unacceptable. Undeterred by the consequences, Jintetsu took up a sword and took his revenge. Now, how did a skinny teenage commoner, who'd probably never held a real sword in his life, suddenly get the skills to do a thing like that? A deal with the devil, perhaps...? It hasn't been explicitly confirmed, but it seems likely that's about what happened.
Afterward, Jintetsu went on the run. Whenever his pursuers caught up to him, he slaughtered them, fighting like a man possessed (since he literally was). He gained the byname "Hitokiri Jintetsu," and a reputation for brutally killing anyone who got in his way - man, woman, or child. Over the next few years, his bounty rose to a staggering 1000 ryō, and ultimately that caught up to him. A guy came after him with a pack of attack dogs, and while Jintetsu did kill them all, his throat was torn out and he bled to death.
His story begins here.
As he was dying, he was found by Genkichi, a scientist working on a way to resurrect the dead. Jintetsu was his first success. Genkichi replaced his left arm with a mechanical prosthetic, but couldn't save his vocal cords or right eye. He remarked, when Jintetsu awoke for the first time, that he only succeeded because something had been helping him. Something that thirsted for blood, and would use Jintetsu as its instrument. Even death, it seemed, couldn't free him from his cursed existence.
Genkichi's also the one who gave him Haganemaru. He claimed to know nothing about the sword except that it was cursed, but then... maybe these two cursed beings could cancel each other out. Luckily, he was right, in a way. Thanks to Haganemaru, Jintetsu's managed to go over a year without getting murderpossessed at all (as of this canon point, anyway). The two of them have drifted around Japan ever since, occasionally working for local bosses as an assassin, but only when they need the money. They've even picked up some allies along the way - most notably, Makoto the Scarlet Sparrow, who's gradually gone from trying to kill Jintetsu to becoming his closest (human) friend.
● abilities:
● strengths:
● weaknesses:
● job skills: N/A, he'll have to figure something out on his own.
● housing: Communal Housing; Floor 12, Bed 3
● network username: @hagane
app link here
● name: Kae
● age: 31
● contact:
● other characters: N/A
character information
● name: Jintetsu
● canon: Kurogane (by Kei Toume)
● canon point: post-volume 5, pre-Kai
● age: 17
※ Before I get started, I want to address Kurogane's publication history. The original series of five volumes was serialized in the late 90s and released in English in the 00s, which is how I discovered it. It then went on hiatus for about 15 years while the artist worked on other series. However, last year it returned to serialization under the title "Kurogane-Kai" (as a continuation, not a reboot).
Kai is only available in Japanese, which is not my strongest language, and unfortunately I don't expect it to be localized anytime soon, if ever. From what I do understand, though, it includes several retcons of major, major plot points from the original run, to such an extent that at least one story arc probably didn't happen at all.
That said, the retconned version is way cooler, so I'm going to try and incorporate what I can. But since translating Kai completely will take a while, I'm taking Jintetsu from a canon point before its events. If anything else significant gets retconned or revealed by future chapters, I plan to deal with that as it comes. His personality doesn't seem to be changed by the new material, just recontextualized. ※
Kai is only available in Japanese, which is not my strongest language, and unfortunately I don't expect it to be localized anytime soon, if ever. From what I do understand, though, it includes several retcons of major, major plot points from the original run, to such an extent that at least one story arc probably didn't happen at all.
That said, the retconned version is way cooler, so I'm going to try and incorporate what I can. But since translating Kai completely will take a while, I'm taking Jintetsu from a canon point before its events. If anything else significant gets retconned or revealed by future chapters, I plan to deal with that as it comes. His personality doesn't seem to be changed by the new material, just recontextualized. ※
● (canon) background:
Jintetsu grew up in a small town in Japan's Edo period. Childhood friends remember him as a quiet kid, who listened more than he talked. His father was a woodcarver, and raised him alone after his mother presumably died. The plan was for Jintetsu to take over his father's business when he grew up, and he was fine with that. However, the town was controlled by proto-yakuza clans, who extorted large amounts of money from local businesses under the guise of a "firefighting fee." Jintetsu's father started encouraging the townspeople not to put up with it, but for speaking up, he was murdered. Jintetsu was 13.
His culture and his heart both demanded vengeance. But the apparent killer was a government official, so it seemed the murder would be swept under the rug and forgotten. This was unacceptable. Undeterred by the consequences, Jintetsu took up a sword and took his revenge. Now, how did a skinny teenage commoner, who'd probably never held a real sword in his life, suddenly get the skills to do a thing like that? A deal with the devil, perhaps...? It hasn't been explicitly confirmed, but it seems likely that's about what happened.
Afterward, Jintetsu went on the run. Whenever his pursuers caught up to him, he slaughtered them, fighting like a man possessed (since he literally was). He gained the byname "Hitokiri Jintetsu," and a reputation for brutally killing anyone who got in his way - man, woman, or child. Over the next few years, his bounty rose to a staggering 1000 ryō, and ultimately that caught up to him. A guy came after him with a pack of attack dogs, and while Jintetsu did kill them all, his throat was torn out and he bled to death.
His story begins here.
As he was dying, he was found by Genkichi, a scientist working on a way to resurrect the dead. Jintetsu was his first success. Genkichi replaced his left arm with a mechanical prosthetic, but couldn't save his vocal cords or right eye. He remarked, when Jintetsu awoke for the first time, that he only succeeded because something had been helping him. Something that thirsted for blood, and would use Jintetsu as its instrument. Even death, it seemed, couldn't free him from his cursed existence.
Genkichi's also the one who gave him Haganemaru. He claimed to know nothing about the sword except that it was cursed, but then... maybe these two cursed beings could cancel each other out. Luckily, he was right, in a way. Thanks to Haganemaru, Jintetsu's managed to go over a year without getting murderpossessed at all (as of this canon point, anyway). The two of them have drifted around Japan ever since, occasionally working for local bosses as an assassin, but only when they need the money. They've even picked up some allies along the way - most notably, Makoto the Scarlet Sparrow, who's gradually gone from trying to kill Jintetsu to becoming his closest (human) friend.
● abilities:
- karakuri cyborg: Jintetsu's left arm is a mechanical prosthetic, based on the same principles as karakuri dolls, which are sophisticated automata from the Edo period. It's all analog - it's hooked into Jintetsu's nerves to some extent for control and feedback purposes, and apparently it's got a blood supply, but the moving parts themselves are essentially hyper-advanced clockwork. There might be some supernatural element in play as well - another scientist notes that there's no way the arm should work as well as it does. There're some steampunky bits and bobs on the outside, but it's unclear whether they do anything or are just there for aesthetics.(Note: In the first run of the manga, the arm contains a small arsenal of hidden weapons, but these appear to be retconned out. Also, his steel mask originally didn't seem to come off, but Kai has confirmed it does; his face is heavily scarred underneath.)
- hitokiri's curse: When separated from Haganemaru, Jintetsu is highly susceptible to possession by demons and/or violent spirits. If he lets his guard down, any malicious entities nearby can rush in like he's free real estate. When this happens, he loses all control of his actions and enters a berserker state. It gives him inhuman fighting abilities, but the tradeoff is he can't tell friend from foe. Without intervention, this berserk mode will last until either there's no one left to murder, or the spirits get bored, presumably. Being incapacitated does not automatically snap him out of it. The only reliable way to dispel berserk mode is to strike Jintetsu with his own sword, which forcibly expels the spirits. Fortunately, the flat side works as well as the edge for this purpose.
- talking sword: Jintetsu has a talking katana named Haganemaru, who resembles a normal katana except for the functional, human-looking eyeball set in the pommel end. He's rumored to be a cursed sword whose every owner has gone mad and died... but even if that's true, maybe it's just because he talks so much. Haganemaru has his own mind and personality, and strong opinions on a variety of topics. He can read Jintetsu's mind (and only Jintetsu's), so in social interactions he acts as his replacement voice.
Haganemaru's origins and nature were retconned for Kai, so it's currently unknown what his deal is. Magic? Technology? Some combination? In any event, he's definitely got some supernatural properties. As mentioned above, he can be used to forcibly eject evil spirits from Jintetsu's body - but moreover, his presence is enough to keep them from entering him in the first place. As long as Jintetsu doesn't lose Haganemaru, he'll be fine - but if they get separated, some bad, bad shit can happen.
His personality is sort of a foil to Jintetsu's. As the older of the two, he's a little more mature and even-keeled. Though sometimes impatient, he generally values logic over emotion, and is more into planning where Jintetsu tends to improvise. Haganemaru's also more talkative than Jintetsu, but he can keep a secret; he rarely lets on that he's anything more than a weird-looking sword, for instance. He and Jintetsu have a strong rapport, which is good, since they're stuck together indefinitely. He even forgives Jintetsu for the bloodthirsty creature he becomes when possessed, understanding that it's not of his own volition. - professional killer: Even when he's not possessed, Jintetsu's really good in a fight. Though he has little or no formal training, years of life-or-death practice (and also possibly a literal deal with demons) have made Jintetsu an accomplished swordsman. He follows no particular style; it's just bits and pieces he's picked up and made his own over time.
Although smaller than many of his opponents, he uses speed to his advantage. The goal is "kill before you're killed, whatever it takes," so he doesn't hesitate to fight dirty. He uses the element of surprise liberally, and carries throwing weapons (sometimes poisoned) to help him take the upper hand as quickly as possible. His self-taught pseudo-style makes him hard to predict, but it's also his Achilles heel. Among gangsters and lowlifes, his skills are usually more than sufficient, but if the fight goes on too long or his opponent is too well-trained, he starts to lose the advantage. This is usually what leads to him getting injured. - woodcarver's son: Jintetsu learned woodcarving from his father, and he's very talented, if a little out of practice. He's not a master, of course, but he can make small figurines or decorative engravings. Mostly he uses this skill to make little gifts for people he likes.
● strengths:
- new lease on life: Not everyone gets a second chance after death, and Jintetsu has decided he doesn't want to waste his. At first, he struggled to adjust to his new paradigm, and find a reason to keep going. He'd avenged his father's death, but at the cost of losing everything he'd ever loved. He felt empty, almost nihilistic, consumed with self-loathing and the guilt of all the horrible things he'd done. But gradually, he's begun to realize... maybe he can change. He's started trying to do the right thing for its own sake, even when it's difficult or detrimental to himself. And he's not always successful - transforming your life doesn't happen overnight, and sometimes it feels like three steps forward, two steps back. But he's trying, damn it. He's trying so hard.
- compassionate: Though he can be abrasive at times, Jintetsu's kind at heart. He hates to see innocent people suffer or die, especially because of him. He regularly rescues people from assailants on the road, takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, tries to repay kindness shown to him, and so on.
- perceptive: He's always keeping an ear out for rumors, and notices things other people miss. This is a survival skill for him - it's how you figure out where it's safe to sleep, how soon you need to leave town, what you're up against in a fight, etc. He may not talk much, but he's always listening.
● weaknesses:
- loner: Jintetsu's not without social skills, but he usually prefers solitude. He's slow to trust or open up to people. This is partly his natural personality and partly trauma. Can't go insane and kill your friends if you don't have any! But he's also trying to protect himself from the pain of caring about someone and then losing them, over and over and over.
(The fact that he's physically unable to talk without Haganemaru's help is also kind of awkward.) - drifter: Since coming back to life, Jintetsu's struggled to find new purpose. He's never been ambitious, and has always hated the criminal lifestyle his choices forced him into. What he wanted more than anything was to go back to the way things were before, but for someone like him, that's impossible. If he lingers anywhere for too long, it'll cause trouble for them. So he wanders, forming few attachments and never putting down roots. It'd be hard for him to form long-term commitments of any kind; even a steady job is too much.
- glass case of emotion: Despite trying to be distant and uninvolved, Jintetsu can't help but follow his heart. He craves human connection like any normal person, and when he does get attached, he gets attached hard. His feelings are at the root of most of his decisions, which frequently gets him into trouble. Haganemaru will occasionally try to talk him out of some noble impulse or lose-lose situation, but rarely succeeds.
● job skills: N/A, he'll have to figure something out on his own.
● housing: Communal Housing; Floor 12, Bed 3
● network username: @hagane
app link here