[ Application ]
Series: Gintama
Series' Medium: Anime/Manga
Character you're applying for: Takasugi Shinsuke
Character's role in their canon: Main antagonist
Character's age: The creator lists him as being in his "20s." For the purpose of this RP, his age will be 27 years old.
Character's gender: Male
Character's "Real Name": Steve Tanaka
Please give us a detailed personal history of your character:
Born and raised in Edo, Takasugi studied under the tutelage of a man named Shoyou in temple school, who taught him and fellow classmates, Katsura and Gintoki, the way of the samurai. Because of this, Takasugi had come to revere Shoyou and embrace his teachings wholeheartedly, even later in life carrying around the same book Shoyou had taught out of within his yukata. Unfortunately with their hometown under siege by a race of aliens known as the Amanto, Takasugi entered the battlefield when he was only a teenager and was exposed to death and carnage at a very young age, leaving residual psychological effects which had been further aggravated by the death of Shoyou (though whether this occurred before, during, or after the war remains unclear).
During this time, Takasugi led a small militia known as the Kiheitai, which was revealed to have been massacred by the Amanto towards the end of the war. All the soldiers had their heads removed as penalty and lined up in rows to ward off any lingering rebels. It is also speculated that Takasugi had taken damage to his left eye during the war, rendering it permanently unusable.
After the war, Takasugi had gone into hiding in Kyoto where he remained quiet for years but still enraged by the Amanto's conquest and the death of his beloved teacher, inciting him to later slaughter a bunch of the Bakufu's officials while they sat down for a meeting over dinner. This earned him the reputation as the most dangerous man in the nationalist faction. He then reunited with both Gintoki and Katsura while putting in a personal appearance at a festival that was supposed to mark the anniversary of the Amanto's rule over Edo. For the sake of stirring trouble, he manipulated a robot-inventor by the name of Haraka into using his robot, Saburou, to blow up the shogun by appealing to the inventor's vengeful side. Haraka's son had been one of the men in the Kiheitai who had been killed by the Bakufu and had his head removed, leaving Haraka anguished at the site of his son's defamed body. On the night of the anniversary festival, Takasugi attempted to stab Gintoki in the back and prevent his interference, but because he had underestimated Gintoki's will to fight, he was taken out in one punch. Saburou was thus stopped before it could complete its objective, while Takasugi quietly slipped away. Prior to disappearing back into hiding, though, he had a brief exchange with Katsura where he told his old comrade that he still bore no desire to change his destructive ways and would continue to pursue his goal.
He reappeared in Edo several months later with his newly formed Kiheitai, featuring the assassins, Okada Nizou, Kawakami Bansai, Kijima Matako, and Henbeita Takechi. He tried to use the advanced technology of a sword known as the Benizakura, which is said to "have a life of its own," in order to wage war on the Bakufu. Uncaring of the side effects, Takasugi presented Nizou with the Benizakura, which slowly began to consume Nizou's mind and body. As a result, Nizou attempted to kill off Takasugi's former comrades without being ordered to, and the Kiheitai's plans were revealed before they could come to fruition. Angered at Nizou's carelessness, Takasugi attempted to slice Nizou in half but was prevented by the Benizakura. Since their ship was under attack at that moment by Katsura's own Nationalist faction, Takasugi told Nizou he would let him live as long as Nizou took care of them. Unfortunately, Nizou ended up being killed off by Gintoki after the Benizakura hit a critical state and took over his body entirely. With the Benizakura destroyed and the Kiheitai defeated, Takasugi ordered the space pirates, the Harusame, whom he had recently formed an alliance with, to kill off his former comrades. Outnumbered, Katsura and Gintoki ran away but not without first delivering a promise to kill Takasugi -- to which he responded with an enigmatic smile.
Wanting to stir up trouble in the Shinsengumi soon after, Takasugi later manipulated the Shinsengumi's advisor, a man by the name of Itou Kamatarou, into killing off the Shinsengumi's commander in order to take the position for himself. Sensing Itou's loneliness, he pandered to Itou's desire for acknowledgement and told him that such a feat would escalate his status. He also dispatched Bansai along with other members of the Kiheitai to assist him. However, Itou ended up siding with the Shinsengumi after being shown friendship and compassion from them and took a barrage of bullets to the chest in order to protect them. The rest of Kiheitai, including Bansai, were defeated by the Shinsengumi with the help of Gintoki and his group of freelancers, and Itou was later killed off by the Shinsengumi's vice Commander, Hijikata, in a duel. Takasugi later reacted to the news with severe displeasure and uncharacteristic silence, especially after learning about Gintoki's involvement from Bansai.
Please give us a detailed description of your character's personality:
Calm and deadly, Takasugi is someone frequently described as having a dangerous aura about him. After watching many of his comrades and his beloved teacher die, he had developed a cynical view of the world and believes that there is nothing worth being saved. Instead, he aspires to "drown Edo in a sea of fire" and would go through any lengths to see his ambitions completed, even if it means sacrificing the lives of people in the process. His ruthlessness often causes others to view him as a beast solely bent on destruction, to which he casually replies that he doesn't mind living that way, especially if it means his ambitions will see the light of day.
Most of the time, he carries himself in a very relaxed manner, always appearing at ease with his surroundings, even when dangerous situations are afoot. He has no qualms about strolling around in the middle of a festival with his kiseru in hand, even as a wanted man, and never panics, even while his ship is under siege. These events are met with a careless face, indicating a deep, cold confidence about himself. Even if he has to fail a million times and see more of his men die, Takasugi knows that one day he will reach success. The only thing that stands in his way is time.
Underlying the usual calm attitude, is a more violent and terrifying personality, which he only displays under certain situations. At one point, he claims to hear voices that tell him to take revenge on their fallen comrades and goes on to say that there is a beast whining at him to kill and kill. His bloodthirstiness is what makes him very feared, even among his own men. He is someone who has lost all sense of morality and is incapable of feeling remorse anymore, which makes him the most difficult kind of terrorist to deal with.
As leader of the Kiheitai, Takasugi proves to be both charismatic and intelligent, inspiring several remaining rounin to follow him reverently and unquestionably. One of his subordinates, Bansai, describes him as being able to read the true intentions of people, particularly those of Nizou and Itou, who had been seeking power and acknowledgment for their deeds. Takasugi carries himself with a certain charm that draws people to him like moths who would willingly die for him -- a fact that he uses to his full advantage. His pursuits prove to be very selfish as he shows no regard for any of his men, easily casting off the deaths of both Itou and Nizou as minor casualties. With every failure comes a new step along his blood road towards glory.
In spite of his descent into madness and violence, at heart, Takasugi is still a samurai and has retained some of those values. He is not above praising others for their genius nor humbling himself on occasion by claiming he is the same "kind of sword" as them. He lives only to fight for his cause and holds true to it regardless of those who warn him against the path he's chosen for himself.
However much others revere him, he is not a man without faults. The one thing Takasugi hates the most (and possibly even fears) is change. When the Amanto invaded, he saw his whole world transform in front of him, driving him to severe hatred and contempt. Others often comment that he is a man incapable of change and prefers to live in a faded past rather than join the new age. This puts him at odds with his former comrades who had both distanced themselves from their former aspirations and have started new lives co-habitating with the Amanto while he continues to fight. In his absolute refusal to accept change, he has an underlying childish pettiness about him and a naive, singular view of the world that often overshadows his own eventual downfall.
Though possibly the biggest unwanted change in his life had been losing Shoyou. Because of his death, Takasugi had deemed the world unfit to carry on as it is. With Shoyou's death, all their samurai values had also been lost. Shoyou had been the one to rear Takasugi and bring him up in the way of the samurai, leaving a deep impression in Takasugi's heart. He openly shows hurt towards the man's death and often recalls their childhood days together with deep nostalgia. To him, Shoyou had been his world. He'd greedily sewn all of Shoyou's teachings to his soul and claimed that everything he had done and will continue to do would be for that one man.
His relationship with his former comrades, Gintoki and Katsura, is nowhere near as pleasant as it was with his teacher. Takasugi has grown to detest the both of them for abandoning Shoyou's teachings and choosing to live peaceful and banal lives. When he confronts Gintoki at the anniversary festival, he remarks that Gintoki has "lost his fangs" and calls him by his old nickname, the Shiroyasha, in a patronizing manner. He believes that Gintoki has allowed his own strength to wither away, only leaving behind a useless corpse with none of the spirit he had once possessed. This proves to be false and works against Takasugi's favor as he later openly admits to underestimating Gintoki time and time again.
He views Katsura with the same amount of disgust, seeing only a man who had all the potential in the world but had sacrificed it in order to fight against the Amanto using peaceful means. While they were in temple school, they had despised but respected each other. This had changed shortly after the war as Katsura's own terrorist methods gradually became more and more docile while Takasugi's became more and more extravagant. When Katsura attempts to convince Takasugi to change his ways and stop fighting against the Amanto, Takasugi easily casts away the plea and instead orders him to be killed along with Gintoki by the Harusame, indicating he has no interest in maintaining any sort of bonds with his former classmates.
Speaking about Takasugi's relationship with his former comrades frequently proves to be a very senstive subject. When Bansai once questions about what had changed between him and Gintoki since their time fighting in the war together, Takasugi chooses not to respond and instead meets the inquiry with anger. When Nizou spitefully asks Takasugi if he's hurt over the fact that he had murdered his comrades with the Benizakura, Takasugi lashes out violently and attempts to slice Nizou in half then says his relationship with both Gintoki and Katsura is "not as innocent as it appears" and that if Nizou ever mentioned them again, Takasugi would kill him without another word.
Please give us a detailed physical description of your character:
Standing at only 170 cm and often clothed in a flamboyant and loosely worn yukata (usually colored purple and patterned with either butterflies, flowers, or some sort of effeminate adornment), Takasugi has a somewhat unlikely appearance for a man deemed to be a deadly terrorist. His left eye is always covered by white bandages, hiding away the injury he had acquired during the war. His eye color is green, and his hair is a purple-tinted shade of black usually worn short and haphazardly covering the bandages. He can often be seen smoking a kiseru, and in spite of the sword ban in Edo, he carries around a sword at his side.
What point in time are you taking your character from when he/she appears at Landel's?: Takasugi will be taken from the end of the Itou-arc (episode 105 // chapter 168) when Bansai exits his private meeting room on his boat after informing of both his own failure and Itou's death.
What kinds of magical/special/crazy powers does your character have, if any?: Presently, Takasugi does not possess any sort of supernatural abilities whatsoever.
If present, how do you plan to tweak those powers to make him/her appropriately hindered in the setting of Landel's?: There aren't any powers to tweak.
Does your character have any other non-magical skills or abilities that we should know about?: As a trained samurai and leader of his own terrorist faction, Takasugi possesses excellent sword-fighting skills coupled with the speed and agility to make him a formidable fighter. Due to the fact that he has yet to show the extent of his power and ability, it is difficult to gauge exactly how strong he is. However, when he draws his sword against Nizou to warn him against his reckless behavior, Nizou comments that Takasugi could have easily killed him if it weren't for the Benizakura. Therefore, it is safe to assume that he has the ability to reinforce his command, if necessary.
How about improbable appendages?: ...None to speak of.
Please give us an idea of where you'd like to take your character within the scope of the Landel's Damned RP:
As someone with analytical prowess and great insight, Takasugi would most likely spend his initial few months assessing his surroundings and forming alliances with anyone who could benefit him. He would also manipulate these people into doing his work for him, whether it be research or generally causing mayhem against those responsible for keeping him caged in Landel's. Never one to accept any authority imposed on him, he would actively seek chaos without regard for anyone who should get caught in the crossfire. Though for the most part, he prefers to work through others than get his own hands dirty and would rarely be seen drawing a weapon himself, especially once he realizes he will be over-powered by the other residents who do possess supernatural abilities. Only in rare cases would he fight for himself, especially if under physical threat.
What kind of psychological effect do you see Landel's Institute having on your character?:
At first, Takasugi will most likely remain himself and focus his attentions on escape. He will strategize as much as possible and seek out the more unsavory inhabitants of Landel's to assist him in his ambitions. However, with the passage of time and when it becomes more apparent that escape isn't possible, his sanity will begin to dwindle, and he will become more and more consumed with rage against his captives, which will cause him to react violently. He will undoubtedly cause trouble and incite others who share his feelings to follow him through until he can amass enough of a force to put a dent in the institution. He is a catalyst for destruction and not one to calmly abide by the rules or ignore what he will be forced to endure.
Given that this RP takes place in an unsettling and outright horrific environment, how do you justify your character as being appropriate in both body and mind for this kind of setting?:
Takasugi has proven on multiple occasions that his sanity is already only hanging by a fine thread. Though more level-headed than most of his men and very intelligent, he's someone constantly consumed by his own desire for vengeance. His humanity is slipping away as is ability to regard others with mercy, leaving a behind a ravenous beast that thrives on bringing harm and suffering for those he deems responsible for taking away everything precious to him. He stands apart from most of the other characters in the series because of his serious disposition, which often seems out of place in a comedic setting. He's constantly haunted by the memories of his fallen comrades and losing the teacher he had looked up to with so much reverence and has thus become someone ruled solely by his personal anguish. Landel's would serve well to cut loose that final thread and diminish whatever last reservations he has about indulging in his personal desire for carnage.
Third-Person Sample:
Another one who found his defeat at the hands of the Shiroyasha.
Takasugi was growing more and more tired with hearing that age-old nickname repeated and hearing the sounds of a long-forgotten legend being needlessly dragged around. That man had died long ago, left a corpse on the battlefield with their fallen comrades. He had laid contorted just as they all had, mouths open in horror as they watched death greet them with warm, fleshy fingers -- enticing at one moment until the flesh peeled away and only bone remained to cup their faces in a sordid imitation of tenderness.
Takasugi had once heard her siren call, a beautiful song that brushed along his ears and made his trembling arms and knees crawl nearer, but unlike the Shiroyasha, he had refused to let his legend die. He wanted to be that name spread upon everyone's lips, whispered in awe, fear, or both. He wanted to be the battle cry that launched a thousand ships or the one flame that ignited all of Edo, drowning away the waste and refuge beneath wave after wave of fire.
They say men only need ambition to persevere, and every second that ticked by brought him closer to that one moment, nudging him nearer to his goal. Yes, he'd been defeated, but that was only a minor set back. A few warriors had fallen, but as long as he continued to live, so would Shoyou-sensei's vision. Takasugi was the sword that encased that man's will in steel, and so he would live on to drive his own point into the hearts of the Amanto and spread them open until they bloomed fresh blood onto the very soil that now housed the corpses of their fallen. Shoyou's memory will be inlaid into the Amanto's dead bodies, carved straight into their bones, and they will lie mounted one onto the other, a veritable funeral pyre that would graze the sky.
Everything that had been taken from them, a world trampled on and now a disgusting wasteland that made him sick with rage -- even the calming night with fireworks bursting overhead and the soothing waves beneath him couldn't quiet his heart. What did they understand of a boy with a dream and of a man who'd seen that dream torn into pieces right in front of him? How could someone like the Shiroyasha relate to the torment he felt inside after he had shed away all his armor and left behind his own sword embedded where his corpse still lay? How could the Shiroyasha make his ears deaf to the one clear voice that rose amongst them all?
Shoyou-sensei's.
There were no warriors left in this era. That samurai blood that had swam fiercely through their veins had been diluted by the Amanto's money. Those same bloodied fingers that once gripped the hilts of their swords, those same lips that once encased mouths full of fangs -- they had been sliced away. What remained were a trail of fallen limbs, each more disgusting that the next, oozing of blood and infection.
His ambitions mounted to one thing alone -- he would ignite what was left and take pleasure in their desolate cries because he himself had taken the form of a monster just to off kill the ones that still haunted him.
First-Person Sample:
To place your faith in mere walls as barriers -- that is your first mistake. It's no different than expecting steel bars can hold back a pack of hungry predators.
You see... I'm no different. If I feel the urge twist inside me, I'll do what I can to sate it, and if I'm left unsatisfied for too long, I'll be certain everyone can hear my roar.
So to our generous captors, I ask you one thing: can you hear it?