。brave new world

[leadingspirit]

PLAYER INFO

Name: Ghost
Contact Information: ghosthotel
Time Zone: Eastern Standard
Characters Played: Ankh and Honkers.


CHARACTER INFO

Character Name: Kazuya Taki
Character Canon: Kamen Rider (1971)/ Kamen Rider SPIRITS

History: Wikia on Taki, and Spirits. Spirits is a manga set to take place some 10+ years after the events of the original 1971 series, and expounds upon history and characterization of many of the characters, hence the mix.

AU History:

Taki is Calderan born and raised, though "raised" is a relative term. He was orphaned at age eight, but it didn't really bother him all that much as his parents were merchants and often away. He is a very stereotypical Calderan, right down to the fact that he only hesitated when the house he'd lived in with his parents was seized about a year after their passing and he suddenly had nowhere to live.

Though, hesitation is also a pretty relative thing with this guy, seeing as he pretty much just went from living in a house and causing a ruckus to living on the streets and causing the same, if not possibly more of a ruckus. Having always been a good-hearted kid, he habitually beat up on bullies and mild offenders, punching many a nose of thieves and people who harassed women, children, and anybody who couldn't or had a hard time defending themselves.

Somewhere between the ages of ten and fourteen he met and befriended Hayato Ichimonji, a fellow Calderan and scrappy orphan brat. Their friendship was primarily good-natured punching and looking out for one another, but the bond between boys who have nothing is not one to be taken lightly.

When he was sixteen, Taki was approached by a member of Caldera's Battalion of Steel and drafted, smudging the line of his age for the sake of being afforded a paycheck and a place to live (being that he was orphaned, it was easy enough to ignore any papers he may have had stating he wasn't eighteen at the time he was drafted). He has been with the Battalion since, respected for his amicable nature and his startling intelligence. He holds the equivalent of a Sergeant rank, though is commonly known to treat his superiors and subordinates and/or inferiors with the same friendly respect.

Somewhere in the years he's been part of the Battalion, he was also a weapons tester for the Calderan inventor Lucca. This adds a good bit to his knowledge of varying weapons, and probably also a number of funny scars and singed eyebrows. He is on good terms with Lucca, considering her his wacky inventor friend, and she knows that at a moment's notice she could call on him for more testing. In return, she created a funny weapon with Electric typing for him to use, explained later in his abilities.

Taki will be making his way to Union with the purpose of researching the Enhanced, and is in for about seventy-five surprises when he gets there.

Canon Personality:

At first glance, Taki appears to be nothing more than an amicable numbskull. He's friendly, he smiles often, and he is prone to dropping everything to help someone out. One might say he even behaves a little bit dumbly, or is somewhat slow on the uptake, and they couldn't be more wrong. Often times Taki will play the part of someone unknowing, when in reality he's paid painstaking attention to several details others may not have noticed. Being that he's in the FBI, this is likely due to his training so he doesn't come off as suspicious.

Taki is simultaneously someone who gives people the benefit of the doubt while monitoring their actions until he can deem them truly safe. He makes friends easily and can and will find something to talk about with anyone willing to give him the time of day (at one point in Spirits, he strikes up excitable conversation with a grouchy old fisherman who boasts having been a matador). Whether this is because he's just friendly or because he's trained to keep people talking is hard to determine-- as many things are with him.

One thing you will never find Taki discussing, however, is himself. We have next to no concept of back story for who he was or what he did before he joined Kamen Riders 1 and 2 in their fights against Shocker, apart from a singular brief conversation with Ichimonji wherein he claims to have no siblings (it's translated as "no living relatives", but the term used references siblings specifically), thus resulting in his fondness of Ishikura Goro, the younger brother of one of the Racing Club's girls. This, again, could very easily be due to FBI training to be tight-lipped about himself, or could just be the fact that he's emotionally-stunted and doesn't know how to talk about himself. Comically, despite not knowing how to or being willing to discuss personal topics, Taki is definitely a talker. So much, in fact, that at one of the numerous points of him donning the visage of a Shocker grunt to infiltrate a villain's base, he asks a question of a villain when the disguise he's wearing is not of a rank to speak to superiors, despite this having been alluded to a number of times earlier in the episode. Clever though he often may be, Taki is not always the brightest crayon in the box.

Regardless of discussion of himself, Taki is a very capable person. While he is never given any specific forms of martial arts that he has studied, he is shown numerous times to be on-par with the fighting ability of both Hongo Takeshi (Kamen Rider 1) and Ichimonji Hayato when they are not suited up and making use of their cyborg enhancements. At one point, when Hayato is out of sorts over having lost a fight that led to Goro being injured, Taki actually turns up to kick him around a little until he gets his head back in the game. Within Spirits, he actually adopts the persona of "Taki Rider", making use of a protective leather suit and bike helmet to become his own equivalent to Kamen Rider, as he lives in New York at the time and there is no Kamen Rider in America. He often tells a cluster of orphaned children in Harlem stories of Kamen Rider, fondly regarding the battles he fought years prior.

At a later point in Spirits, Taki is put in charge of a military support group for the Kamen Riders by a member of Interpol. This group later becomes the namesake of the series, as he deems that since none of them are cyborgs like the Kamen Riders, what they cannot do in power they can make up for in spirit, to follow and support those who fight for humanity without reward. This speaks volumes not only of his loyalty to his friends, but his personal desires to keep the world safe for those who cannot fight to protect it. It is made clear in a similar segment of the story that Taki has on numerous occasions wished for the strength and power that comes with being a Kamen Rider (and thus, turned into a cyborg), because he often falls just short of being able to truly defeat more powerful enemies when fighting with them, but has never voiced these wishes because none of the Riders asked for the fate themselves. This, too, shows his respect and fondness for his friends, and further expresses his unwillingness to talk about himself or his own thoughts or feelings on a topic.

For all his amicable nature and his friendly attitude, Taki also has a definite temper on him. He is very quick to anger, and regularly forgets to stop and think before acting, especially when he's angry. This in conjunction with his fierce sense of wrong and right definitely tends to get him in trouble. He is on numerous occasions set up and trapped, kidnapped, and attempted to be killed, because Shocker is aware of how much of a threat he poses as an ally to the Kamen Riders. Half the time Taki is openly aware of being lured into a trap, but goes anyway due to some misplaced sense of invincibility and an unwillingness to admit defeat. He tends to forget, often times, that he is not a Kamen Rider, and that he is in fact a lot easier to hurt and potentially kill than they are seeing as he's not made of metal and cybernetic enhancements. This lends him to something of an inferiority complex toward the Riders, as previously mentioned, though he never voices it save for a brief mention in Spirits, after several years of fighting alongside them.

As a sort of offhanded mention, Taki does also smoke. It's less common in 1971, but even if he's not smoking, about 80% of the time in Spirits he has a cigarette in his teeth. It's hard to say if he actually smokes very often or if it's just a nervous habit to chew on the filters, but especially later in life he picks up the habit pretty badly. This could easily be explained as a stress coping mechanism, as somewhere between the end of 1971 and Spirits he was cut loose from the FBI and probably had a lot of free time that drove him nuts, or it could just be residual addiction from having smoked when he was younger. It's hard to say.

Lastly but certainly not least, Taki has a huge enormous bruised peach soft spot for children. There isn't a concrete explanation for why, other than his mention of having no siblings, but he is always shown to be friendly toward, protective of, and happy around children. He considers Goro to be a little brother, he wastes no time in asking after the thoughts and feelings of any child he comes across, he regularly ruffles hair and picks up and carries and babysits. During an episode where he and a fellow FBI agent have gone diving seeking evidence, they come across a young girl crying amongst a bunch of rocks after having watched her older brother get swept underwater by a monster, and Taki wastes absolutely no time in going up to her, asking her what happened, and picking her up to cradle her while she cried. He is a very compassionate soul, who truly believes in and fights for what's right, and solidly loves everyone good.

AU Deviation:

Well for starters, he's not in the FBI, and his friends aren't all cyborgs. For the most part, Taki will remain the same in personality, just under slightly difference circumstances. The inclusion of Pokemon will sort of overlap his fondness for children shown in canon, and while I don't intend for him to bond with many he will still enjoy Pokemon as a whole. With the whole Kamen Rider thing not being a concept in existence he will also lack the vague inferiority complex toward his fighting comrades he harbors in canon, though that's not to say he won't think somewhat the same of his superiors in the Battalion.

Canon Abilities:

As mentioned in his personality section, Taki is skilled in close range combat, though the forms of martial arts he uses are never stated specifically. He's startlingly quick for a big guy, and given that he is of decent stature (he's shown to be full heads taller than several other characters in Spirits, though appears less gargantuan in 1971), he's also something of a powerhouse. He is most commonly shown to use his legs as his primary weapon in 1971, often kicking and springing away from enemies. He seems somewhat less polished with punches, which may explain the modified brass knuckle he sports when donning the persona of Taki Rider.

He is also quite proficient with weaponry of varying types. While in 1971 he fights predominantly without a weapon or via knocking down his opponent and stealing theirs (ranging from staves to firearms), in Spirits he is always seen with at least one handgun, though he wears two shoulder holsters at all times. The handgun he uses most is later modified by another Rider to drop some form of hunting knife out of the gun's butt, allowing him the ability to, with quick thinking, have a stronger advantage in close range (this knife has been used to sever an arm from an enemy, among other things). He also wields a shotgun in the Taki Rider persona, modeled after a Franchi SPAS-12. The handgun he uses appears to be a standard-issue 9mm, potentially a Glock or Beretta.

Something he will not bring to Brave New World is the suit he dons as Taki Rider, which is further outfitted with bizarre little tricks and power-ups to give him the advantage despite being only human. Given that this suit was of his own design, it holds elements of both Riders 1 and 2, as he fought with them for many years before leaving for New York. Among these are the Ballistic fist, a modified brass knuckle outfitted with shotgun shells to give it an explosive power, combat boots with the same, and several knives strapped to the suit. He also has his personal motorcycle, but naturally that will also not accompany him to Brave New World.

Beyond material weaponry and abilities, Taki is also very intelligent. He was drafted by Interpol to investigate the primary villainous organization in 1971 for his investigative prowess, and is shown regularly infiltrating Shocker bases without their knowledge to be of aid in a plan (half the time even the Riders don't expect him to be there). In Spirits, some ten years later, he is mentioned to have been "scorned" by the FBI, and "had his fangs removed", but is later reinvolved and asked to lead a group of over 25,000 specialized soldiers as support to the Kamen Riders.

Enlightened Abilities:

Far From Ordinary, Mastery of Battle.

Taki will also come to Union with an Enhanced item, referred to in his abilities and also under equipment on his Wikia page. It's referred to as the "Ballistic fist", and appears to be a modified brass knuckle. Whereas in Spirits it is outfitted with shotgun shells, in BNW I will treat it as an Enhanced item with an Electric typing. This basically allows him to punch shit and taze shit at the same time. Cool beans. Fun fact; this bizarre little weapon of his was something created by the Calderan inventor Lucca, with Ax's permission.

Starter Pokémon: Rhyhorn and Scyther!

Notes/Special Considerations:

Parkour!

SAMPLES

First-Person:

-What do you feel your role in your city is?

Maintaining the safety of the people that live in it. 's kind of always been a thing, but now it's kinda my job.

-To what lengths would you go to rescue your allies if they were lost in the wilderness?

The ends of the world and back.

-What would you say the most important occupation is within your city?

I like to think what I do is pretty important. I'm not the highest-ranking, obviously, but I do my job and I do it well, and the Battalion as a whole functions like a well-oiled machine to keep things safe and as they should be. That's by no means meant to undermine any civilian roles, naturally.

-What does the story of the Savior mean to you?

Ah, hm... Am I a bad person for saying "not much"? It's not really my thing, I never paid it a whole lot of attention.

-What aspects and traits do you respect most in your individual fellow man?

Owning up to your misgivings, and working to correct them. Understanding that not everybody's perfect. Mercy to your fellow man only where it's due. There's a lot I can respect, but a whole helluva lot more I don't.

-What do you look for in the Pokémon with whom you bond?

I-- yanno? That's one I'm not sure of. Spike's been around for as long as I can remember, an' Hongo is a bit flighty... I guess, as long as I can depend on them if I need them, as long as they're as much my allies as I'm theirs... 's all good with me.

Third-Person:

-A human has attacked a wild Pokémon who retaliates in defense. How do you respond and whom do you defend?

Depends-- izzit a Calderan trying to bond with one? That's kind of how we do things. An'-- if it's not, if it's just some guy being a jerk and attacking a Pokémon, screw defending one or the other I'm gonna break up the fight. Ya don't just attack a Pokémon for no reason, same as you don't just attack a person for no reason.

-You are alone and bereft of your Pokémon allies; upon what strengths do you rely on to see yourself safely home?

Pro'ly this nifty punchy thing Lucca made me. It's still nifty and punchy and sparky.

-When encountering a rare and powerful Pokémon, what is most important? Researching it, bonding with it, or defeating it? Why?

I tell you what, a lotta these questions ain't good to ask a Calderan. My upbringing says "defeating it", but that also goes hand in hand with "bonding with it". Remember, we punch things to say hello.

-What strengths make you most qualified for your role within your city?

...are you actually looking at me when you're asking these questions.

-In your eyes, what is absolutely unforgivable?

Harming an innocent. Betrayal. Lying. Theft? That one's a little bit of a grey area. Most things that involve "breaking the law" would fit, but I guess I'm a guy of somewhat questionable morals.

-No Enlightened chooses their abilities - and not all are Enlightened. What type abilities would you most desire to manifest and why?

Nnnone, actually. Zilch. The idea of having crazy powers is kinda weird to me. I mean-- Earthkin are cool and all, somma' the shit they can do would be convenient? But I'm cool with just doing what I can.