ZENMEI GEKKANI -Ninmenjushin-
Karma - Tekken 6
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Specie: Werewolf Ninmenjushin/Angel
Physical Description: As a human, he has shaggy brown hair and wears a white hoodie (with short back sleeves adorned with a golden 日 (sun) and a silvery 月 (moon), and a red back with an overlapping sun/moon on it), black spiked bracers (adorned with 木 (wood) and 金 (metal)), and slacks emblazoned with 火 (fire) and 水 (water). In his Yokai form, he takes the form of a humanoid wolf, same color as his hair. His hoodie comes unzipped, exposing the 全 (zen) tattoo on his chest. Crystal wings levitated very close to his back, their base shaped like a five-pointed star.
Personality: He's well-meaning and has a stable head on his shoulders (even when it physically isn't). As a young journalist-to-be, finding the truth in things is his biggest interest. However, he's a bit on the shy side, which often leads him to keep secrets or not ask for help (but this part is mostly to protect those close to him).
History: A youth of Iwaki, and part of Nakoso High School's journalism group. He has a bit of a secret - he's actually a Ninmenjushin, a human/Yokai (specifically a Werewolf Yokai)! He first realized this when he was eight, when his transformation was first triggered. That was also the same night that his mother had mysteriously vanished, so the ordeal was even more shocking for him than it should have been. For a long time, he tried to not let anyone outside of his family know anything about his true self, so they wouldn't get hurt. However, when a rising Akuma threat is poised on attacking all of human- and Yokai-kind, he couldn't keep his secret shut for long. Thankfully, this is what got his life saved by his childhood friend, Ekiyu Nyuuwa. After many other trials, he proved himself worthy of the greatest honor to Yokaikind - becoming an Angel.
Equipment: Rekinen, a channel for projecting a blade of pure chi. The phantasmal blade's damage capabilities is only limited by the user's will. This model is infused with veins of silver, a purifying metal, making it effective for exorcising evil spirits. Also, the Wolf's Mirror, a mysterious relic that first triggered Zenmei's Yokai side, has become part of Zenmei. He can project it out as a shield.
Abilities: Using Rekinen as a focus, Zenmei can channel different elements of chi in the form of chakra. So far, it seems he can conjure chakra of Fire, Water, Thunder, Earth, Wind, Shadow, Light, and Moon. Also, as a powerful Yokai aligned with Earth, his body has taken on a bizarre property - his very flesh has become crystalline! He can harden his limbs to increase impact, and even detach parts of himself, especially his head. His crystal wings act like blades, and can fire beams of raw chi. He can use this technique to treat the wings like a jetpack, allowing some degree of flight.
Other: Being half-Yokai (a fairy creature), he's very vulnerable to damage from iron weapons. A strike from an iron weapon would normally be fatal for a Yokai, but since a Ninmenjushin is half-human (with iron-rich blood), Zenmei is merely just weak to it.
Specific Moves
- Pyrosphere: Fire chakra in the form of a fireball that bursts on contact. Can be launched, set in place, or sent on a bouncing path.
- Waterflow: Water chakra in the form of a rushing wave of water. Good for pushing foes back.
- Wrathstorm: Thunder chakra in the form of a swath of thunderbolts around himself falling down. Electrifies metal for a while.
- Rock Wrecker: Earth chakra that turns Rekinen's phantasmal blade into a large crystal club.
- Fissure: Earth chakra that sends a burst of energy along the ground.
- Zen Idol: Solidifies his whole body in a statue-like form, crashing downward.
- Grass-Cutter: Wind chakra that sends several homing blades of air forth.
- Twister: Wind chakra that conjures a tornado around himself. Fends off projectiles.
- Crescent Wave: Moon chakra in the form of a large blade of lunar energy. Sometimes befuddles the senses.
- Psycho Zone: Moon chakra that projects a spherical lunar field around himself. Sometimes befuddles the senses.
- Black Blade: Shadow chakra in the form of a large, short-range shockwave of darkness.
- Shadow Guard: Shadow chakra that makes him resistant to flinching. The dark membrane around himself also counters direct attacks.
- Ascension: Light chakra in the form of a pillar surrounding himself.
- Radiant Pulse: Light chakra that casts a homing wave. Pierces guards, but can be cleaved apart.
- Crystal Beam: Fires a chi shot from his wings. Can be charged for greater size and power.
- Crystal Jet: Propels forth with his wings' chi thrust, tackling into foes at a sonic speed.
- Subspace Slip: Fortune power that lets Zenmei slip through a portal to a nearby spot.
- Shadow of Doom: Materializes objects from Fortune energy above foes and sends them crashing down. Can range from small, noggin-rattling object to large, crushing objects.
- Yokai Sense: Slows the surroundings with Fortune energy. May dodge an incoming hit automatically, but this will end the effect.
- Silver Aura: Increases his strength with the mystic essence of silver.
- Golden Aura: Improves his endurance and healing factor with the mystic essence of gold.
- Idai Suishonoken: Shapes his wings into a double-barrel laser cannon, firing a giant beam of chi.
- 7 Yoso Toboe: Jams his wings' crystals into the ground in a circle and lets out a piercing howl, conjuring from them a sphere of fire, water, lightning, wind, sand, and lunar energy.
Inspirations
- Youkai folklore
- Okami
- The werewolf (Ouendan! 2)
- Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Marvel comics)
- Hercules (Disney)
- Alisa Bosconovitch (Tekken)
- Ms. Fortune (Skullgirls)
- Peacock (Skullgirls)
- The Soul Calibur
- The Crystal Empire (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
- Comic Jumper
Trivia
- "Zenmei" is Japanese for "another name", and contains the word "zen", the attainment of enlightenment or insight of one's true nature. "Gekkani" means "in the moonlight".
- The main reason that he's a werewolf was a play on how socially, werewolves may be shy or distant to keep others from getting hurt, or to keep from being judged for what they really are. Ironically, it later comes to symbolize that a wolf, being a pack animal, ought not be lone.
- Also, the wolf was regarded in Japan as a harvest deity of the late year (whereas the fox is a harvest deity of the spring), and Zenmei's journey began in autumn.
- Zenmei's channel uses the essence of silver, which may seem ironic, since he's a werewolf. However, silver is traditionally effective in cleansing evil energies, like curses. That's the real reason that silver weapons were effective on the typical werewolf back in the day. But, Zenmei's werewolf state isn't from any curse, so silver doesn't really hurt him.
- Zenmei's Fortune abilities, Subspace Slip and Shadow of Doom, are both drawn from specials used by Peacock in Skullgirls, namely The Hole Idea and Shadow of Impending Doom (respectively).
- Zenmei tends to outright ignore the fourth wall, and sometimes lampshades certain tropes.
Aigis's Theme - Persona 4 Arena