OOC: APPLICATION
Player Name: ash
Player Journal: armadas
Email: diabeetus [at] gmail [dot] com
AIM/MSN/YIM: asanofied/the third seat on AIM
Timezone: EST
Name: Keigo Asano
Series/Fandom: BLEACH
Gender: Male
Age: in canon, 16, but as he's going to be AU'd, I'd approximate him at somewhere in his mid 50s, physically appearing as if he was 18 or so.
Species: Arrancar
Sexuality: Pansexual.
Representative Character:
Canon History:
Keigo is the second born child in the Asano family, which consists of his older sister Mizuho and his parents, and grew up in the suburb of Narukishi, Tokyo, Japan, a city to the north of Karakura. Life was relatively normal for him and there was really nothing to speak of that stuck out in his life. Up until middle school, Keigo was typically a loner, very shy and lacking in friends. However, he was a smart kid, so his grades were fairly good. When he met and became friends with Kojima Mizuiro, things started to change for him.
He became far more out-going and his grades soon plummeted, but he really didn't care because he was happy. The first day of high school, he met Kurosaki Ichigo and Sado Yasutora, who saved him from an onslaught of bullies. From that day on, Keigo became very attached to the both of them, often trying to get them to hang out with Mizuiro and himself.
Having been in near-constant contact with Ichigo, Keigo gained a level of spiritual power, allowing him to be able to communicate and see spirits and, unfortunately, Hollows and Arrancar. When the politics of Soul Society started to get mixed up in his life, Keigo witnessed Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika take on an Arrancar, and afterwards, housed them for a short period. From there, he learned--mostly by eavesdropping--that Ichigo was a God of Death, or Shinigami. He kept this information to himself, even after Ichigo's short return to Karakura. After Ichigo left for Hueco Mundo, Keigo, Mizuiro and their classmate Arisawa Tatsuki followed after him to Urahara Shoten, where he learned that there was still a great deal he did not know about his friend and protector.
Alternate History:
Just like in his Canon history, Keigo was born in the suburb of Narukishi and was the second born child in his family, consisting of his older sister, Mizuho, and his parents. His early life was also the same, being friends with Kojima Mizuiro and going through Elementary and Middle school with him. He also met with Kurosaki Ichigo and Sado Yasutora in the same manner, being saved by Ichigo from a group of bullies on their first day of High school and befriending both boys. Things were very similar from that point on, until a few months into their High school career.
Ichigo and Keigo became pretty decent friends, and, as typical of him, Keigo would try to get Ichigo to hang out with him whenever possible. One day, while walking together, a large group of street punks made a comment about the boys, and that didn't sit well with Ichigo at all. Not caring about being out-numbered, Ichigo back-talked and challenged the group for making snide remarks about him and, more importantly, his friend. Keigo wanted to get the hell out of there, but by the time Ichigo opened his mouth, it was too late. The group was on them and they weren't exactly merciful. Ichigo managed to throw off a good deal of them during the ambush, but Keigo wasn't so lucky. Being frailer in comparison, it didn't take a lot for some of the punks to get him down on the ground and kick the shit out of him, to which Ichigo lost all control of his head. Being far more reckless now that his friend had gotten dragged into the fight, Ichigo's guard was down and it just took a few blunt hits to the back of his head to knock him the hell out. They didn't stop there, either. Someone got the bright idea to beat him when he was down with a metal pipe, and a few hits later, Ichigo had stopped breathing. Keigo was down for the count as well, beaten to shit and suffered from a punctured lung as well as some head trauma. When the ambulances came, the EMT declared Ichigo dead and took Keigo to the local hospital.
Keigo was in the hospital for only a day and a half and he didn't wake up once during his whole stay. It wasn't long before he eventually died in his bed, most likely due to internal bleeding or hemorrhaging in his brain from blunt force.
The next thing he was aware of was "waking up" in the hospital room, though he was detached from his body. He watched as the doctors and nurses pulled a sheet over his body, watched as his parents and sister cried and he tried desperately to contact them, but to no avail. He followed them around for a few weeks until he eventually gave up and wandered elsewhere, finding himself back in Karakura, the spot he had been beaten up at and the spot where Ichigo had died.
Not surprisingly, Ichigo was there and the two of them stuck together, wandering around the city and uncertain of what to do with themselves. Keigo didn't like the idea of not being able to talk to his friends any longer, but he tried to make the best of it by pulling harmless pranks on them instead whenever he managed to catch a glimpse of them. But, eventually, that lost its charm and Keigo found himself less inclined to bother with something that got him no direct results.
After about ten months or so, Ichigo changed completely. It didn't sit well with Keigo, but there wasn't a lot he could do to prevent it from happening. His Chain of Fate finally dissolved and he had become a Hollow, his body resembling something close to a lizard with a long tail and clawed hands and feet, and, of course, a mask covering his entire face. Keigo felt an innate fear of Ichigo as he was like this and he first tried to run, but Ichigo didn't seem keen on doing anything to harm him. He didn't give chase when Keigo ran, nor did he try to hurt him when he was near. It soon became apparent that Ichigo hadn't entirely lost his consciousness and Keigo stayed by his side, even as Ichigo started feeding on human souls, just like him, to try and quell the void in himself.
It was close to a year or more after Ichigo became a Hollow that Keigo followed suit, his hollow form resembling some odd wolf/shark creature. Keigo fell into the same habits of typical Hollows despite the guilt that was welling up in himself. He would travel with Ichigo and devour lost souls, the guilt he felt only seeming to make his hunger worse.
At some point, about a decade or so later, the souls seemed to be less fulfilling than they used to be and the two of them decided to try and eat other Hollows instead. It made more sense; eating Hollows who have devoured a great deal of souls would be cutting their hunting time in half and be far more satisfying. So, the two would pick out fellow Hollows in the area and also in Hueco Mundo and fight them, eating them and becoming far stronger with each successful meal.
They would continue this routine for several more decades until they reached a point where they had enough strength to break their masks off by themselves. Doing this changed them from Hollows to Arrancar and they decided to hide back in Hueco Mundo for the time being, becoming more aware of the existence of Shinigami now that they had become so strong.
In Hueco Mundo, the Espada were considered to be the strongest Arrancar in the spiritual world and Ichigo felt like a great deal of them weren't worthy of the title. He decided to challenge them and fight his way through the ranks with Keigo at his side. It didn't take horribly long for Ichigo to climb his way up and Keigo was soon considered as his Fraccion, or second in command.
But, even as things were looking up for the both of them, secured among the strongest Arrancar, it wouldn't last as soon Aizen Sousuke infiltrated Hueco Mundo with the intent to take over as the head of the Espada ranks. That didn't sit well with Ichigo and he resisted Aizen fervently. But, even though he had gained a great deal of strength for having devoured Hollows for close to 40 years, it wasn't enough to defeat Aizen. After a rather embarrassing loss, Ichigo lost and Keigo was infuriated, rushing to fight against him himself, only to be stopped by Ichigo instead. There would be no point in trying to resist at that point; Ichigo was stronger than Keigo and if he couldn't defeat Aizen, there was no chance Keigo would be able to do much better. The two of them begrudgingly complied with their new leader and became part of Aizen's army, aiding him in whatever plan he had for Soul Society and the living world.
Personality:
There will be some slight differences in Keigo's personality in comparison to his Canon self, mostly because becoming a Hollow and then an Arrancar has a great effect on how he behaves. Most of the changes are small, however, and shouldn't be too drastic.
Keigo is a very upbeat person, for being an Arrancar, and can usually be found with a smile or smirk on his face in most situations. He is not what someone would call pessimistic, as he tries his hardest to look on the bright side of things, but he's prone to feeling downhearted or discouraged, just like most other people. Keigo is all about living day-to-day, even in death, and he would much rather have fun than do anything serious. His idea of fun has changed over the years--mostly because Hueco Mundo doesn't have things like video games or comics or television--but the idea behind this side to him is the same.
He's still very much about socializing and will try and mingle with fellow Arrancar in an attempt to befriend them, but most Arrancar aren't very trusting of him these days as he is a part of Aizen's army. Keigo will still try, however, being as upbeat and friendly as possible. But, this is only to people he finds as physically appealing. Keigo is extremely superficial and a person's appearance means everything to him and what kind of opinion he'll develop of them. If they're ugly or strange-looking, Keigo will be less-inclined to want to talk to them, regardless of how their personality might be. But, this doesn't mean that Keigo isn't open to change in opinion. If someone somehow manages to do something against his set stereotype for them, Keigo will be very intrigued and might want to associate with them after all.
Keigo used to be very anxious about keeping friends, but now that he only has one real friend left, Ichigo, his anxiety has died down somewhat as he knows that no matter what, Ichigo will still be his friend. But, if he managed to make any more friends, he might become a bit possessive of them and dislike being ignored. He likes attention of any kind--positive or negative--and the worst thing to do to him would be to flat-out ignore him. If he was to be ignored, Keigo would do just about anything to get the attention he seeks, and as an Arrancar, those things might be a bit more drastic than they used to be.
He loves to talk and this is probably one of the most noticeable things about Keigo. He can talk--and will--at length about anything to the point of babbling and prattling on like a jackass. But, even if talking to someone a little less inclined to make conversation, Keigo is usually all too happy to do all the talking; just having someone to share company with is usually enough for Keigo.
Due to spending the past 50+ years with Ichigo, Keigo can no longer fathom the idea of being alone. If left alone or otherwise separated from Ichigo, Keigo will go stir-crazy and become depressed. He has absolutely no idea what to do with himself if he's alone and his personality will do an entire 180; he'll become far shorter and less-upbeat and his temper will be easier to set off.
Keigo is also a very big flirt. As mentioned, he is very big on appearances and at the sight of a pretty face, Keigo can be instantly enamored. He will put on a suave air in front of those he finds attractive and can be very verbose, to the point of being over-the-top. Most of this probably appears silly to the people he flirts with, but Keigo is very serious about it.
He's a very physical-oriented person on top of being talkative and can be literally clingy to people he likes. One can expect to be tackled, jumped on or hugged at random by Keigo as a form of greeting. At times, he can be a little more subdued, but there will still be an arm swung around someone's shoulders while he's talking or conversing regardless.
Appearance:
While Keigo retains some of his human-like qualities, he obviously has several additions to his appearance. Foremost, there is a mask that covers the right side of his face. It appears to be similar in shape to half of a shark's jaw, though it appears to be tilted upwards on a slight angle, the mouth opening being over his eye rather than aligned with his own mouth. It also has a slight crest on the top half, resembling a small dorsal fin, and the rest of the mask extends past his ear and tilting back down towards the back of his head. There, there are two jagged ends that seem to resemble another mouth crossed with a tail fin. The mask opens and closes depending on Keigo's emotion. The more extreme or intense the emotion--such as extreme happiness, bordering on elation, or anger--the wider the mouth opens. If Keigo's feeling particularly depressed or low, the mask closes and might even entirely hide his right eye from sight. Next most notable feature is his Hollow hole, which has moved from the usual center spot to over the left side of his chest, right over where his heart would be. It's a smaller-sized hole, though someone could probably shove their hand through it if they really wanted to ( Keigo might get annoyed if anyone tried to do that, though! ).
Keigo is relatively tall as well, standing at about 6' when he's not slouching. However, he usually will be slouching, so a lot of the time, he seems shorter than he really is, never straightening himself up unless he has to, such as when talking to someone who is taller than he is. His hair is short and brown, layered and flipping out all around his head, being the longest at the back. His eyes are a darker brown, nearly black, and his face is typically set into a jubilant smile or even something of a cocky smirk, but nothing overly sinister. His body is thin, though not as thin as it was when he was alive; it seems that over the years of devouring souls and other Hollows, his body gained some muscle mass, but not a large amount. He's still far scrawnier than the typical Arrancar that runs around Hueco Mundo, and his joints and bones stick out quiet a bit, especially at his wrists, knuckles, hips, elbows, collar, knees and ankles. He's far below most Arrancar in physical strength, but he is able to fight off Hollow and low-level Shinigami with relative ease due to the years he spent devouring souls.
After becoming Ichigo's Fraccion, Keigo's clothing is typical of a member of Aizen's army. That is, it's basically reminiscent of a Shinigami's shihakusho, with the exception that the colors are inverted. Keigo's is slightly modified, being more loose-fitting around the top, and typically open, exposing his chest, abdomen and the outside curve of his Hollow hole. The hakama is also bigger than the typical, sliding off his hips. The sleeves of the top half are cut short, only three-quarter length, opposed to coming to his wrists.
Strengths:
Keigo is extremely loyal to Ichigo and will do anything to protect and/or serve him. Because of this, he can drive himself to be more motivated in completing a task than he would be normally if it means it will please Ichigo. He's very smart and a fast learner, as well, capable of picking up on things relatively easily and without a second explanation. He's quick on his feet and has a high reaction time as well and can dodge most straightforward attacks. He seems to be better at blocking an attack the more he's experienced it ( i.e.: he can pick up the patterns of someone's technique--such as the certain way someone punches or kicks--if subjected to it more than once, and the next time he's presented with it, he can block it with ease ). Keigo is also resilient and can literally bounce back from being beaten--within reason--quickly enough to counter or at the very least, make a quick getaway. He's not the best with fighting, but Keigo has devoured enough souls in his time to be much stronger than a human or most average-level Shinigami or Arrancar; he's not an Espada's Fraccion for nothing. Being punched or hit by a human will just make him laugh and one would have to be a very high-leveled Arrancar or Shinigami to make him wince.
Weaknesses:
Keigo is lazy and somewhat flaky. He doesn't like to do anything unless he has to and would much rather laze around than be serious. While he is fairly intelligent, Keigo is somewhat idealistic and often thinks things through with his heart rather than with his head or logic, which can lead to him appearing stupid or whiny and can in turn lead to him making some detrimental mistakes in his judgment. He has a very short temper and it doesn't take a lot to set him off, even more so after having become a Hollow and then an Arrancar. Usually disrespecting Ichigo is enough to get him enraged and when he's angry, Keigo becomes irrational and hasty. He can be sloppy in his attacks and leave openings, which would be bad if he was fighting someone stronger than he was. Though his body has strengthened up considerably since becoming an Arrancar, Keigo is still frail by comparison and if someone was stronger than he was, it probably wouldn't take a lot to break his body. He's quick, though not the fastest, either, and being somewhat scatterbrained can also leave openings in his defense. Keigo also is very emotional, and being an Arrancar has increased this ten-fold. He has a short fuse in all areas, and that can be a huge weakness.
Weapons + Skills:
Keigo owns a zanpakuto, named Tiburon, and he relies on it as his main form of defense. He's capable of performing basic Arrancar techniques, such as a Cero-type attack which is released from his mouth. Most of his zanpakuto's ability seems to be based on the element of sound, utilizing different frequencies and pitches to perform attacks.
He is capable of using sound to diffuse an opponent's projectile attack, negating it and protecting himself from harm. He does this by slamming the blade against any flat surface, or even plunging it into the ground ( or someone's body ). Keigo is also capable of using most types of sound waves to his advantage, mostly for defensive maneuvers ( i.e.: using sound waves to create diversions and discrepancies in perception as well as tricking the ears to misjudge what direction a sound comes from ).
As for attacks, Keigo can send sound waves through physical objects, such as a wall or even someone's body, by placing his hand against the surface and from there, he can manipulate the sound waves into shattering his target. He can shatter bone this way, as well as organs, depending on the strength of the sound wave. It's a very difficult technique to perform, however, as Keigo would have to be able to secure his hand around an opponent for at least eight seconds to build up a decent enough sound wave to do any form of damage. Keigo can theoretically do the same attack with his zanpakuto, but he is still trying to perfect that.
Keigo also has a released form that is on a similar level to a Shinigami's bankai. In this form, he takes on more of his Hollow's qualities and becomes much stronger. His body is covered with some of the Hollow's bone-like armor, specifically around his arms and legs and back. His hands are clawed and sharp, and he uses them for his main attack force, rather than his zanpakuto, which disappears when he uses his release. This form is faster than normal and he has somewhat heightened defense. His sound wave attacks are amplified through his mouth and hands, and as well as through the sharp fin-like structures that protrude out of his spine. He has a tail similar in length to Ichigo's in his Hollow form, but the end is in the shape of a fin and he also can use this to produce sound waves he can manipulate. His ears are more sensitive to sound and resemble a wolf's ears, though are usually flattened down against his head while he fights. His teeth are sharper as well and if he actually bites someone, it's going to hurt, as they're rigged like a shark's teeth. To perform the release, Keigo must yell a call to the zanpakuto, which is "Clamar, Tiburon."