Name: Kadokawa Kariya【角川刈谷】
—lit. "forked river, pruned valley"
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Homosexual
Appearance: Kariya stands unfathomably tall and unfathomably wide - or, so would most people think on a first impression. As a matter of fact, he's far from either, but still unquestionably memorable in appearance for what it's worth; tough and heavyset, with ginger hair spiked like a beastly mane and rigging muscles like steel cables, but padded with inconsequential paunch that gives him the proportions of a would-be mascot. His eyes, naturally hazel, flash a vivid maroon when adrenaline gets the better of him. His beard is well-groomed and surprisingly pleasant to the touch. Though his features seem round and gentle at first glance, they clench firmly when resting, giving his moments of contemplation an obvious tell. Not seen, he has several faded scars and bruises along his body - namely, his left arm, upper back and chest, and the skin of his fingers is particularly coarse.
On a weekday, Kariya smells of tuna and pickled ginger, an unfortunate (or fortunate, depending on who you ask) consequence of his occupation.
- Height: 5'11 (180cm)
- Weight: 220 lbs. (100kg)
Face Claim: Rider (Fate/Zero)
Biography: That day was excruciatingly mundane. He hated that - nothing to do, nothing to distract him. And with his mind set to wander blankly, it would fold upon itself to find some manner of thought.
He thought about many things. His parents, bless their souls, had sent him off to pursue his ideal. They weren't gifted people, but good-natured, of kind hearts; to watch their son grow up and, with poise, say "I want to help people wherever I can" like a proud declaration of purpose allowed them to settle down without regrets.
To most, it would seem like a melodramatic ambition. Not many would consider firefighting a job worthy of a 'hero of justice', yet Kariya could hardly disagree more. Since he was young, he burned at the sight of others' pain, idolizing the heroes of western fiction who sought to become more than mere people and bring hope to the innocent. And, though he held no superhuman strength or powers of divine flight, that same will resonated within him.
So why was it impossible?
Why couldn't he
just save people?
Why, for everyone he rescued, would another lose their life in turn?
He knew from the start that his own life would be put at risk. Yet it never dawned on him, the implications of that. That others like him, friends and coworkers alike, had also come to terms with the fact... and that some weren't so lucky to make it out with him.
He'd save couples and hear them cry out for their children, but when he rushed back inside he'd find nothing but burned schmattes amid graves of rubble. And they'd sob into his arms while he stood still to think to himself, if only for a moment--
"This is what you signed up for."
That day was no different. They'd seen it coming weeks prior; the newly-elected mayor of Osaka, Tokisada Satoru, had commissioned the construction of a skyscraper in the Umeda district in celebration of his sweeping victory against political rival Isobe Yasushiro,
under an impossibly strict deadline.
With that in mind, it was inevitable that the workers would be forced to take shortcuts to meet his conditions. When Kariya's crew received a call of a potential gas leak and structural instability in one of the upper floors just a week shy of the building's opening, they thought they knew what to expect.
But by the time they had arrived, it was already far worse than they could have imagined. A third of the building, the east corner, had collapsed upon itself - ten straight floors caved upon each other, creating a domino effect that left the complex gaping like an open wound. The red of blood dyed the clouds, where burnsmoke had waft high and dispersed across the sky. The windows, or the ones that remained, glared hot flame like a million dotted eyes across its walls.
And the screams-- he'd heard many before, but had never arrived so soon as to hear them unfiltered by the absence of distant sirens.
They rushed into action, hosing down the fires, but it scraped higher than they could hope to reach, let alone climb. A helicopter was dispatched, but by the time it would arrive, any then-lucky survivors would be caught dead in the fumes. They did what they could, but it wasn't enough. Anyone caught above the eighth floor would collapse from heat exhaustion or smoke inhalation before they could make their way down the emergency exit.
The warden ordered a withdrawal, but Kariya had no response. He acted in the spur of the moment. It was suicide, but the guilt of not trying would kill him either way.
Now or never, with nothing to lose but his own life, he rushed inside and scaled the site. For floor upon floor, there was no one, and the exits had long-since collapsed behind him.
This was where Kariya Kadokawa would die. Shattered by his own hopes and ideals, choking to death on the suffusion of his breath, with no one by his side but the venomous bite of regret.
And then he heard a cry. The fuse reignited in his legs, he sprung towards the source and found a nook between the dislodged walls. A small girl, practically a toddler, huddled half-conscious in the air of a small blanket with a teddy bear in hand. Her time was drawing close, and the only way out for Kariya sealed itself the moment he entered.
The rope wasn't long enough to reach their truck ladder. It was a several-floor plummet from even the lowest height. At best, his body would completely shatter from the waist down with high risk of death and even higher risk of permanent paralysis. A suicide for him--
--but not for her.
He abseiled the burning building and made peace with his end. With the child held to his chest, he leapt, striking the aerial ladder shoulder-first and careening down the steps, then toppling over the roof of the truck to meet the cold embrace of solid asphalt head-on. His helmet nearly cracked from the impact, and the collision alone caused him to black out.
Yet, she was alive, breathing in his arms. And, miraculously, so was he.
The girl's parents could not be identified amidst the survivors and were presumed dead. Though her lungs were damaged, her exposure to the smoke was heavily minimized, mitigating the risks. She was admitted to an orphanage after making a full recovery.
Meanwhile, Kariya suffered a shoulder fracture, multiple broken ribs, a severe concussion and saw a chance of carbon monoxide poisoning; but he survived. And, in spite of everything, he saved someone. Not everyone, not even close - but saving just that one life liberated him.
Years later, he would go on to adopt the girl, Katsu, by that point 8 years old. Even without his bunker gear, she recognized him.
In order to provide for her, Kariya retired from the fire service, opting instead to open a sushi bar using the training and experience passed down to him through his apprenticeship with his father, a chef. The name 'Katsushi' was not only an oral play on the name of his daughter, but also written with the kanji for 'victory' (勝). In a way, she was his very own victory.
Nationality: Japanese
Occupation: Firefighter (formerly), chef at the Katsushi (presently)
Place of Residence: 530-0022 Naniwa-cho, Kita Ward
Attire: Kariya dresses nicely, often in thick coats lined with fur or pressed button-ups with matching ties. Though in no way lavish, it's comfortable to wear and professional for looks.
Alignment: Lawful-Good
Personality: An idealist who hates idealism, and a cynic who hates cynicism. A good man, but one so torn and distrustful of the systems he upholds that he stands forever apart from the rest of the world, unable to accept help when he needs it.
That is Kariya Kadokawa. A hero that resents the selfless sacrifices that come inherent to heroism, who wishes to build a world where the very concept of "loss" becomes a preventable unnecessity.
Upon first glance, Kariya appears the farthest thing from pessimistic: jolly, broad-grinning, yet solemnly respectful of others' boundaries. He's both one to laugh heartily at a dry joke and politely defuse confrontations wherever they may arise, and is very approachable in that sense.
Yet, he's a man with one foot always out the door. Kariya remains constantly detached from those around him, never putting his emotions before a black-and-white sense of right and wrong. While he does everything in his power to make others feel comfortable and accepted, he never truly settles around them, always fronting to hide his fears. And though it may seem like he does it for the good of others, to give them a shoulder to cry on, in truth...
... The losses he's endured, the sacrifices he's made, the uncountable "why"s and "what-if"s weigh on his conscience like anchors on his feet. However hard he attempts to realize his ideals, to help everyone he sets out to save, his mind is burdened with the guilt and trauma of failure after failure, leaving that desire a hollowed-out
plea that has been buried amid a sea of regrets. Kariya swims against the insurmountable tides and scorns
himself when they plunge him lower each time, cursed to never see the shoreline.
--Except, that is no longer Kariya Kadokawa. Now, he has someone to fight for. Not just a mere desire or ideal, but an innocent life he's sworn to shield. What Kariya wishes for isn't "a reality where no one suffers or dies", but a world brimming with hope and prosperity - a world worthy of his beloved daughter.
- Intelligence: 2 (Earnest)
- Wisdom: 3 (Insightful)
- Guts: 5 (Indomitable)
- Kindness: 5 (Altruistic)
- Charm: 4 (Inspiring)
Likes: A cup of hot mead on a winter night, long walks along a beach and watching
UFO Robot Grendizer with his daughter.
Dislikes: Processed food, the Internet (he doesn't really understand it), "people who just can't slow down".
Motivation: To become a symbol of hope for Katsu Kadokawa.
Relationships:
- Katsu: Kariya's adopted 11-year-old daughter. A noisy rascal, but otherwise well-mannered. As a result of the Frontier broadcast's recognitive barrier, she hasn't realized that her father is actually the hero Ursus - yet, she idolizes the character nonetheless, and has drawings of Beowulf plastered across her room.
- 'Cain': A member of the Kamikakushi with an inexplicable grudge against Ursus. The feeling isn't reciprocated-- however, Ursus sees him as a threat to human life that should be eliminated at all costs and, being only a materialized entity hailing from beyond the Collective Unconscious, holds nothing back against him.
- 'Power': A reckless, homicidal hot-shot with no functioning self-preservation instincts and another member of the Kamikakushi. He feels strangely familiar, yet Ursus can't seem to place it.
- Anti-Shadow Weapons (Ambrosia, Eurydice): [to Doctor Sawano] "You've 'overcome' death? You've incentivized death! There's no great Valhalla, no glory in suffering - the people who die stay dead, and we're the ones who have to grapple with and suffer from that fact, yet you see it as a 'necessity'? Something to be done for the greater good? Those were once living, breathing children, but the moment they kicked it you saw the opportunity to... what, just 'repurpose' them? Like spare parts? Those aren't people; they aren't 'alive'; they're the desecrated hearts of kids who should've been put to rest. You've done nothing but devalue life in the pursuit of your disgusting ambition."
Alter-Ego: The Unyielding Ursus
Contract: "I will never allow harm to fall upon the innocent."
Frontier Armor: Ursus' "Macho-Champion Attire" is a plated leotard with blue spandex leggings and a pelt of white bear fur forming a wrestling mask that flows into a fluffy short-cape. His knee-high greaves and metal gauntlets alike wield solid, claw-like protrusions from their tips which allow Ursus to find leverage even in solid steel. An extravagant, golden championship belt branded with the shield of a roaring bear loops around his waist, serving as the conduit for his Persona summoning.
Equipment:
- Lindiskjöldr: A round, white shield made of linden wood. The iron rimming allows it to be used both for striking and parrying.
- Teddy Bear: Protects from a fatal blow once. A small stuffed bear that belongs to Katsu. The fur around its snout was burned during the Tokisada building fire; Kariya attempted to restore it, but his poor handiwork left distinct stitches around the replaced panel. In spite of this, it remains sentimental to his daughter. He carries it into combat in a pouch as a reminder of her and his objective.
Abilities:
- Powerlifting: The infallible might of the man who bears the world on his shoulders. Lifts up to thrice one's own weight regardless of factors such as strength or stamina.
- Endure: An inability to be brought down in spite of all odds. Should even the body itself shatter beyond repair, the mind endures.
- Protect: Disregards all conditions, restraints or confinements to save those in need; a hero's mentality made manifest.
Persona: Beowulf
Arcana: XI - Strength
Background: The eponymous hero of the oldest surviving English epic, who repelled the attacks of the fearsome giant Grendel and claimed its severed arm as trophy. His name means 'bee-wolf', a kenning for 'bear'.
Appearance: A burly, mammoth figure closed in skin-tight scale-mail. The warrior's body is laden with thirty coats of armor, the plunders from his battles, the one foremost carved with figures of his feats on its chest. His legs are caged in great, studded cylinders, like tree trunks worn, his feet flat stumps beneath them. A sword and shield are sheathed along his back, ancient heirlooms showing wear through their dull hues. His fists, huge themselves, lift overhead a giant's severed arm, the shoulder bone still protruding oddly from its sizzling wound. Most radiantly, the princely helmet he wears is a tin of beaten gold bearing eyebrows, a nose and mustache that create the image of a soaring dragon with outstretched wings rising from the visage.
Stats:
- Strength: 73
- Magic: 45
- Endurance: 91
- Agility: 40
- Luck: 50
Resists: Ice
Weak: Fire
Skills:
- [Trait] Load-bearing Sky: Reduces damage received from targets of equal or greater physical size by 25%. Damage resistance scales up proportionally to larger threats.
- [Ice] Bufudyne: Pitches a great glacier to strike the target.
- [Ice] Mabufudyne: Shrouds the surroundings in a blistering hailstorm that impairs vision and mobility.
- [Physical] Megaton Raid: Bludgeons the enemy with Grendel's severed arm.
- [Physical] Deathbound: Stomps the ground, summoning vile tremors.
- [Support] Thermopylae: Temporarily increases all allies' attack, defense, speed and accuracy when ambushed, surrounded or outnumbered.
- [Passive] Firm Stance: Halves damage taken from foreseen attacks. Does not work when immobilized.
- [Passive] Unshaken Will: Imparts immunity against all psychological ailments.
- [Passive] Ice Boost: Strengthens Ice attacks by 25%.