(no subject)
✖ PLAYER:
Name & LJ: chas | matlock@lj
Birthdate & Age: 4.10.86 (25)
Characters played in Zodion: -
✖ CHARACTER:
Name: Shouichi Irie
Canon: Katekyo Hitman REBORN!
PB/Image: here.
Info links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Reborn!_antagonists#Shoichi_Irie & http://reborn.wikia.com/wiki/Shoichi_Irie
Canon Point: Chapter 172
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birthdate/Sign: 12.3; Sagittarius (Canon)
Tattoo: 2" x 2" located on the inside of the left forearm.
Suitability: -
Power: Shouichi's canon powers (Sun attribute) through his fake Mare ring worked most notably with his base. Because of the change in location and the fact that the ring has been destroyed, it would be more effective to select a different power for him. The power of Manipulation under the Fire sign of Sagittarius is relatively close to the flames that are drawn from any of the Mafia rings and/or Dying Will Flames.
Personality:
When we meet Shouichi at the beginning of his role in the story, he doesn't seem to be anyone particularly remarkable. In fact, most everything about him looks to be downright average, from his appearance, to his family and even their apartment. All it took to flip his mundane life around was one unfortunate run in with the Bovino Famiglia. When Lambo is sent flying into his bedroom and a package is mistakenly delivered to the home, Shouichi is begrudgingly sent to return both. A hit notice is misinterpreted as the original delivery address, which sent him directly to Tsunayoshi Sawada and Reborn. However, the delivery of the package never happened. This is how he was thrown mercilessly into the world of the Mafia.
Unknowingly possessing the bullets belonging to the Ten Year Bazooka, it was a simple cleaning accident that changed everything. As an idealistic fourteen year old boy, to be sent into the future ten years to learn that he didn't grow up to be who he wanted was devastating. Shouichi wouldn't have it. He began altering his life in an effort to change the future. Each time he used a bullet to time travel, he found himself in the presence of a mysterious man. Every time he met him, the conditions of the world became worse, ultimately being left in a state of complete destruction. Without knowing, Shouichi had caused an apocalypse ten years into the future.
This is where he gets resourceful.
With his Future Self in contact with his Past Self using the technology of the Ten Year Bazooka, Shouichi becomes involved in a plan so intricate it leads you to consider that he may not be as average as his background once confirmed. Or perhaps it is just that his grave mistakes have led him to adapt extraordinarily. When we meet up with him again, he has worked his way up to an A-rank squad captain for the Millefiore Famiglia. We also learn that he's spent quite a lot of time and energy researching the same device that sent him into the future and created this debacle ten years ago. In fact, he is working on harnessing the same power for the sake of that mysterious man: Byakuran, who would eventually use it to destroy the world.
While it must seem like a backwards way of going about things, Shouichi remains deeply committed to the assignment: Learn to control time travel in order to obtain the Vongola rings to complete the 7³. This would unlock the ultimate power that Byakuran was seeking. Though in order to collect the rings, the Vongola themselves had to be transported into the future. This gave Shouichi the opportunity to put them up against Byakuran to keep the power of the 7³ out of his hands for certain.
So with the help of the Tsunayoshi Sawada and Kyoya Hibari of the future, Shouichi would become something of a double agent, working within the Millefiore but ultimately aiding the Vongola Famiglia while appearing as a dangerous enemy.
Shouichi understood there was no room for failure in this situation, so he blocked his memory of his knowledge of the future for five years. This allowed him to become close to Byakuran through college and build their friendship without any bias. While he would later reflect that the time they had spent together during those years was the happiest time of his life, for the greater good of the world he would have to defeat his friend.
This is when he became an actor.
Shouichi Irie isn't a man of steely reserve or stoicism. When the right buttons have been pushed, however, he can be.
While within the Millefiore Shouichi finds difficulty in being taken seriously by both his peers and underlings. This has some to do with the fact that he appears as the commander Byakuran's favorite subordinate and also because his appearance and demeanor don't command the sort of respect needed for a mafia operation. He is shown to be highly avoidant by ditching his assistants and finding ways to cut communication with his superior. In dealing with other officers and members of the Millefiore his attempts to be domineering are obvious and he overcompensates by developing a "strictly business" attitude when addressing them. However, when intimidated it is clearly written all over his face. In other, more candid conversations he comes off more dry and cynical in attitude. With so much riding on his shoulders, Shouichi expectedly cracks in the "A-rank facade" he puts up now and then. Usually this is seen through debilitating stomach pains caused by stress or in angry outbursts. That gives him a sort of "loose canon" vibe that continually puzzled his fellow comrades, when in reality he is just terrified. With communication devices placed in his uniform and surveillance cameras on every wall of the Melone Base, the chances of being found out are exceptionally high. This translates quite clearly as death looming around every corner, every moment of every day. Should the mission be compromised, not only would Shouichi be executed, but the world would likely be lost. Due to the nature of the assignment and what was at stake, anxiety takes its toll on him. This is very apparent to those around Shouichi, either by his choice in words or sudden outbursts. It also does quite the job of making him appear both suspiciously reserved and immature.
Although he even goes as far to fully admit that he fails to act properly as a squad leader, that's where his "Other Side" conveniently comes into play. Shouichi's Other Side is what appears to be a complete dissociation from his struggle. Played out like a psychological defense against his surroundings, the Other Side is everything necessary for Shouichi to become a power player in his position. With a complete and dramatic turn in demeanor, he appears confident, cold and ruthless. It is through this method that he can achieve the control he needs. While it doesn't make him completely immune to the pressures of his situation, even with its minor setbacks the Other Side is highly successful in dealing with key components, both planned and unplanned during the most stressful of times during his mission. With this created persona, he, who had hardly been taken seriously in the past can now order the execution of both (defective) comrade and foe with little question. Whether or not it was intentional, this method works effectively as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" tactic.
Despite his accomplishments in terms of education and ranking within the Millefiore, one issue regarding Shouichi is that he is undeniably immature. Prone to anxiety, his nervousness causes him physical distress and leaves him with a short temperament. It is possible that the high stress conditions in his life have left him emotionally stunted, or perhaps he was simply meant to be high-strung. At times his reactions have a significant lack of composure, sometimes even when he is pretending to be someone he is not. However, even with his short-comings, it ought to be noted that Shouichi is far more brave than he is possibly given credit for. With the burden of his guilty conscience he was willing to risk and even give up his life at the chance to redeem himself. Reckless decision after reckless decision make up his life story over the course of ten years. In those ten years he managed to help destroy the world and help save it. His experiences have humbled him, but they haven't stopped him. He isn't one to be overlooked by his boyish appearance, either. A genius strategist, Shouichi executes obscenely clever power plays, both with Melone Base and with the game Choice. To echo his friend, Spanner: Shouichi has always been good at seeing the whole picture. He makes a considerably worthy ally in that regard.