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Character: Kurama (Shuichi Minamino)
Series/Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho
Original or Template version: Original
Age: 17 as a human / over 300 years old as a fox demon
Gender: Male
Species: Human / Fox demon
Sexuality: Omnisexual
Appearance: Kurama is considered any high school girl's dream. Long red locks, large green eyes, and a pleasing face that borders on feminine, Kurama turns the heads of both sexes. He's fairly tall for someone of Japanese origin - reaching around 5'9" - and holds himself with certain poise. The entire effect is one of calm, intelligence, and beauty, almost as if he has royal upbringing. He usually is seen wearing his school uniform, a purple outfit that magically doesn't clash with his hair.
Personality: To match his appearance, Kurama is considered the calmest of the four in the Spirit Detective group. He's polite and charming without even trying, and demonstrates levelheadedness a person wouldn't expect from someone of his 'age'. In battle his calm is his greatest asset, and he uses it with deadly grace. It's nearly impossible to get under his skin or read his movements unless he desires a person to.
Kurama, however, can be angered if the right buttons are pressed hard enough. Time as a human has made him very protective of those he considers friends, and he will turn cut-throat if he feels their safety is in danger. In fact, he is sometimes considered the most ruthless as well as the calmest. Self-sacrifice and death are not things he fears; if Kurama feels his death will aid his friends, he will take his own life.
Abilities/Strengths: His trademark power is the manipulation of plants. As Hiei once explained, "Even weeds can become a deadly weapon for Kurama." All nature of plants will grow and morph if he wills them to, and his knowledge over botany gives him an asset of poisons and cures. A favorite manipulation of his is that of a rose; Kurama uses his energy to turn the flower into a deadly whip that can cut through almost anything, including solid stone.
Kurama is nearly impossible to rattle in battle; he keeps his cool no matter the situation, even in the blatant face of death. The advantage over his emotions and mind allows him to think and analyze to the best of his ability. Plus, it usually rattles his opponents when they realize even if they have Kurama's life in their hands, he still holds himself superior.
Even in his human form, Kurama has an impressive sense of smell. He can sniff out demons miles away, and his sense has saved him in many battles before.
Kurama can change into his demon form, Youko Kurama, an S-class demon who is known infamously throughout Demon World. Youko has complete power over all Demon World plants, as well as super speed, and just a more impressive amount of energy. After the Three Kings Saga, Kurama finally decided he would not resort to using Youko in times of need, instead willing himself to look toward the future and friends for strength.
Weaknesses: Crafty though he is, Kurama sometimes must resort to using his mind rather than power to win fights. He's not the strongest of the four, most likely losing out to Hiei and Yusuke in terms of raw strength and energy. A powerful enemy can overwhelm him if he strikes quickly, not giving Kurama time to formulate a plan or tactic.
His greatest weakness is the love for his friends and family, most notably his mother, Shiori. She is the reason he stayed in the human world, deciding to live out his life as a human instead of escaping to the Demon World at age ten. Most enemies that threaten those close to him give Kurama enough time to counter-attack in the most cunning of ways, but it's been proven he can be manipulated if someone dear to him is in trouble.
History: Before the one known as Shuichi was even born, there was Youko Kurama, a fox demon known to be the most ruthless of bandits. He was wounded one day by a bounty hunter after a botched operation; the only way to save himself was to send his spirit into the Human World. Managing a successful escape, he took refuge in the unborn child of Shiori Minamino, and was then born as Shuichi Minamino.
Ten years was the amount of time it would take to regain his strength. Kurama planned to flee for the Makai - the Demon Wordl - afterward without a word, but the plan changed when his human mother committed a selfless act for him, helping Kurama see how much he was hurting the woman. It was enough to cement his decision to stay in the Human World as her son.
Soon after his revelation, Shiori fell prey to illness and started to deteriorate. Kurama agreed to join up with Hiei and Goki and help them steal three powerful artifacts from Spirit World, if only so he could get his hands on the Forlorn Hope. When chased down by the Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi, Kurama promised once he had made his wish to save his mother's life, his own would be taken in exchange and Yuusuke could have the artifact back. Things didn't go according to plan when Yuusuke offered up his own life so Kurama could live; the Forlorn Hope spared both their lives while also granting Kurama's wish. His mother lived.
As thanks for saving his life, Kurama momentarily teamed up with Yusuke in order to defeat his former ally, Hiei, and afterward was ordered by Spirit World to assist Yusuke against the four Saint Beasts. If they succeeded in defeating the beasts, Kurama's previous crimes would be looked over. Obviously he did not have much choice in the matter. He took on the fight against Genbu - a stone beast that could manipulate stone as well as Kurama could manipulate plants - and ultimately outclassed the demon in battle. He was wounded, however, and could only support his teammates afterward, even though they ended victorious over the Saint Beasts.
Peace reigned for a little while after the Saint Beasts case, but a new problem soon arose. Yukina, an ice apparition, had apparently been kidnapped by a group of humans wanting to profit off the jewels her tears produced. Even though she was rescued, a human turned demon named Toguro forced Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama to all enter the Dark Tournament. Refusing would end in their lives being taken, as well as the people closest to them. He trained three months with Hiei and Kuwabara until the date arrived, and then they were shipped off to Hanging Neck Island.
Team Urameshi ultimately won the tournament, ending a fifty year old feud between Toguro and Genkai. Later they managed to defeat a former spirit detective bent on opening a gateway to demon world, thus ensuring the destruction of the human race. Kurama's life should've continued peacefully, but he was then called on by an old acquaintance of his. He returned to Makai as Yomi's right hand man. When Yusuke proposed a tournament that would decide the future ruler of Demon World, Kurama fought as well. In his last match he was pitted against an S-class demon, Shigure; the same demon who gave Hiei his Jagan eye.
Clearly outmatched, Kurama changed into his S-class self, Youko Kurama. During the fight, however, he changed back into his human form after making a decision to stop relying on his past strength, and instead look to rely on the strength he had gained with friends and family. With new determination he called on a dormant tree to bloom. The move ended with him removing Shigure's weapon and ensuring his victory. The wounds he suffered from the fight left him extremely weak, though, and so Kurama was rushed to a hospital despite his pleas to watch Hiei's next fight.
When he awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar church, completely healed but alone.