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PLAYER INFORMATION
Alias: World
Preferred Personal Pronoun: No preference. She if you must.
Age: 19
Contact Info: MSN - the.second.advent [at] hotmail.
Current Characters In-game: None
Reserved?: Yes, Here That account is my personal journal.
Reason for Playing: I have been playing Kiriko in different games for over two years now and I've been itching to take him in a new direction. Most games do not allow AUs, let alone game-born AUs, and so this will be my very first chance to try Kiriko as a Star System Character rather than only his Black Jack iteration. This also means that I have control over Kiriko's development as an individual rather than relying on what the canon specifically says he will become, and while I intend to follow the Star System's basic premise for the character, a new setting with an AU version of him will allow for variety and further interpretation. Finally, in Tezuka's works, Kiriko has been fated to be born into suffering over and over for the things he has done - part of me wonders if I could take the character in an IC direction and somehow manage break his "curse" of unhappiness. I also love Majora's Mask and would just love to put him into the Termina setting, to be completely honest.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: Kiriko George [most commonly by just "Kiriko" as his last name was only given by the author's son after the author's death.]
Canon: Black Jack/Tezuka's Star System
Character Type: Termina-born
Age: Approximately 26.
Gender: Male.
Species: Human.
Appearance: Kiriko has fair skin, light blonde (sometimes silver) hair, blue eyes, and a bony, triangular face with high cheekbones. His left eye has been ripped clean out, and the socket is covered by an eyepatch. He is very tall, at least six feet, but is also considerably underweight. To make himself appear less frail, he usually covers up everything but his face completely, never seen without long sleeves and long pants, often wearing gloves or scarves as well. In the heat, he'll wear looser clothing or a tank top with a light cotton jacket - or simply roll his sleeves up an inch. His hair is thick and often worn long, and is also messy.
Canon Point: N/A
Background:
((Note that this application may borrow sections from my previous applications to Gargleblasted (the_suicide_king), Niteo Nix (and_above_all) and Queen of Hearts (rhododendronic), but much of it is original for this setting.))
Kiriko is one of Osamu Tezuka's Star System characters - meaning he appears repeatedly throughout Tezuka's work instead of just being a character restricted to a single canon. When characters are used as gag characters (ex. Shunsaku Ban or Acetylene), it is treated like actors reprizing their roles. However, when done in Tezuka's more serious works, it is treated the same as Buddist reincarnation: the consciousness of their new being is neither identical nor entirely different to that of their deceased personality (Kiriko, Shogo, Black Jack, etc.). Kiriko's most famous and most influential role to his character is from Black Jack, which established Kiriko as a Star System character. As I will be drawing most heavily on the canon from Black Jack, I'll go into greater detail about his background in that canon, and make very brief summaries about the two other canons he is also from for the sake of making his AU character clearer.
There's no wiki anywhere for Kiriko or his Star System soul, unfortunately, so I'll be writing it out:
In Black Jack, a series of short stories centering around a back-alley surgeon, Kiriko is the antagonist of the story - a euthanasiast who travels the world. However, Kiriko of Black Jack is the most kind of any of his iterations. Born and raised in an isolated mountain home in Banff, Alberta to a Canadian father and a Japanese mother, Kiriko had a peaceful and affluent upbringing. Raised to become a heir to his father's legacy - as his Dad, Dr. Edward George, was the discoverer of the serum of Eternal Life and therefore a famous and well respected Doctor worldwide - Kiriko was a brilliant young man. He was especially skilled in music composition as well as the sciences. His baby sister Yuri was born when he was about ten to thirteen, and was raised by the tightly-knit love of her entire family. But when Kiriko grew into his twenties, he and his father moved to New York City to pursue their research, where Kiriko eventually volunteered to serve in the military as a Doctor during a terrible war. It was there that Kiriko’s gentle, affectionate personality was forever changed: during battle, Kiriko’s left eye was gouged out by an enemy when he was treating patients in the front lines, and he suffered permanent physical and mental scars. Having been treated in less-than-sterile conditions, Kiriko underwent extreme torment after his emergency amputation, and developed a new and frightening understanding about his work as a Doctor. He realized that his calling was not to heal patients of their ailment – but only to end their pain completely. Upon his recovery, Kiriko then mercy killed his entire unit who had been treating using painless euthanasia (both out of madness and also because he had too begged to die, and knew how agonizing it was to be denied death). He turned from a kind and privileged child to a cold and stoic killer. Upon his return home, he was excommunicated from the George family for his actions, and ever since then has been forced to wander the earth alone, without a home, acting as a hitman. He calls himself “The Living Reaper,” and provides painless and dignifying deaths to people who have been denied their right to die... for the proper fee.
Since then, Kiriko has been on the run for about fifteen years. While he is occasionally arrested or detained, no one is able to make charges against him stick, and he is always set free. Because of this, his one and only enemy is the titular Dr. Black Jack, a back-alley surgeon who is bent on bringing down Kiriko’s euthanasia. Likewise, Kiriko finds Black Jack to be greedy and inconsiderate towards his patients. Kiriko and Black Jack have known each other for a very long time, allegedly ever since Kiriko was discharged from the war. Since their relationship has gone on for so long, their connection is very complex. When working, they are bitter and cruel enemies who would fight to the death to prove the other wrong... but outside of the operating room, they act as close friends, sharing occasional friendly banter and supporting each other during difficult situations (such as working together in harmony to save a dying single mother). But while Kiriko may care for Black Jack in secret, his friendship will not stop him from fighting against him to bring him down for good, and vice versa.
Eventually, Kiriko’s father Dr. George becomes ill, suffering from medial pneumothorax (a painful lung disorder where the ability to breathe is heavily impeded because of a puncture in the lung, and the air pressure also damages the heart) for five years without hope of being cured. Though Kiriko initially tries with all of his strength to heal the father who threw him out, he is unable to. After five years worth of operations, he tries to euthanize father against his little sister Yuri’s will. After this incident, Black Jack seizes Dr. George from Kiriko and tries to heal him, much to Kiriko’s annoyance. During the procedure, Kiriko grows tired of watching the Doctor experiment on his father, and injects deadly toxin into his father’s bloodstream without anyone else knowing. As soon as he does so Black Jack announces he has found the cure, but it is too late. The poison takes ahold and Kiriko’s father dies on the table. Kiriko is wracked with guilt, Yuri discovers what he has done, and the division between he, his sister, and Black Jack grows wider.
A month after mourning, Kiriko moves on from his father’s death and returns to euthanasia. He travels to Brazil, where he has been hired to kill a rich Rubber Farm entrepreneur who has been infected with a local incurable and deadly jungle parasite. During treatment, Kiriko accidentally exposes himself to the disease, and is infected as well. Faced with an absolutely humiliating prognosis – where he must endure dysentery, his abdomen swelling to four times its size (think pregnancy), and painful hemorrhagic syphillic sores across his entire body – he plants dynamite under his bed during the final stages and attempts to commit suicide by setting the bombs to detonate in his sleep. Unfortunately for him, Yuri walks in on him and calls Dr. Black Jack, forcing Kiriko to take drastic measures. He picks up a few sticks of dynamite and holds them above his head, telling his sister that if she is not gone in three minutes, he will not only detonate the bomb on himself while he is conscious, but will murder her in the explosion as well. Before he has the chance to do so, however, Kiriko collapses from the pain of the parasite attacking his body, and Black Jack takes this opportunity to operate on him and remove the parasite. As soon as he wakes, Yuri rushes to his side. Though one would assume he would be grateful for her hand in saving his life, Kiriko still spurns her affection. Black Jack announces that what they believed was an aquatic parasite is actually a jellyfish-like organism that has never before been seen - and Black Jack suspects it is a new form of life that did not originate on Earth. If left alive, the organism would kill all humans - and so Black Jack destroys it. Kiriko becomes the first human being to survive bearing the alien organism.
From then on, Kiriko's story has no true conclusion. Other than chapters where he makes small appearances, he is only seen in a plot-relevant chapter again in the epilogue of the series, speaking to Black Jack within a dream, in which he promises him he will never give up on euthanasia no matter what. The story of Black Jack never truly ends - the series concluding with Black Jack waking up from this dream on a plane, remarking that people only experience such vivid, realistic dreams before they die. His plane sinks into the sunrise, remarking that the future is uncertain, and the series ends. And so here concludes Kiriko's background from Black Jack, as well.
(Warning, Ayako contains triggery content such as incest and rape. Skip over this paragraph if you don't wish to know!) In Ayako, Kiriko is born as a man named Jiro who, at age 20, is drafted into World War II. He is captured by the Americans, tortured, and is forced to kill his own people for survival. When the war ends and he makes his way home, Jiro is alienated and disowned by his family for not dying for their Emperor. His only comfort is a young girl named Ayako, his youngest sister... and also his niece. His father raped his brother's wife, Su'e, and Su'e gave birth to Ayako a year after Jiro left for the war. Both black sheep of the family, Ayako bonds with Jiro. However, one night she and her caretaker (Jiro's younger sister O'Ryo) witness Jiro murder a Japanese political figure after being ordered by the Americans. Jiro is forced by the Americans to kill the witnesses. He drowns O'Ryo, but instead of killing Ayako, he and his family lock her away in a cellar so that she will never be seen again, and he reports that she is dead. Jiro then runs away and changes his name so the Americans and his family will never be able to find him again, becoming a leader of the Ginza Yakuza by the name of Tomio Yutenji. The richest man in Japan, Jiro is a powerful figure, untouchable by the authorities, and is cruel and merciless to his enemies. He also begins sending half of his funds to Ayako, should she escape, and in his will makes his entire fortune out to her. But 23 years later, a beautiful young woman arrives at his house... it is Ayako. She has escaped the prison her family forced her into, and wished to find the man who has been sending her money for the past 23 years. Not realizing Tomio is her older brother Jiro, she falls in love with him, and Jiro allows the relationship to blossom. The two of them are very happy, until one night where Ayako begs to consumate their relationship. Jiro refuses, reasoning that Ayako only wants sex and doesn't understand what true love is - and heartbroken, Ayako leaves. Jiro then spends the rest of the manga redeeming himself in order to win her back. Not caring that he is her brother and her uncle, he has fallen madly in love with her. Jiro becomes a kind man, no longer resorting to violence when dealing with his enemies. He tries to create peace between the warring crime syndicates - but fails when his kindness is taken advantage of, and he is shot 12 times in the chest. Barely alive, Jiro spends months in the hospital, where Ayako comes to see him - and realizes that he is her older brother from 23 years ago. Deciding that she doesn't care if they are related, she and Jiro almost flee to America to start a new life and be married. Unfortunately, while fleeing, Jiro is again injured by one of his enemies, and is forced to take shelter in a dirt cave. When Ayako and the rest of his family (who he hasn't seen for 23 years) comes to save him, there is a cave in. Ayako nearly saves his life - however, when she is told by her family that Jiro murdered O'Ryo, Ayako decides to leave him to die... and kills the rest of her family as punishment for locking her away. The manga ends with Ayako emerging from the cave as the only survivor, inheriting the billion dollar fortune Jiro left for her, and disappearing forever.
In Prime Rose (which has not come out in English, so I only know the brief premise as well as Kiriko's basic role), Kiriko is the General of a military government called Guroman in an almost postapocalyptic world. A man of great power, General Kiriko is feared by his enemies, and his own people, as one of the greatest swordsmen alive. When conflict erupts between Guroman and the neighbouring country of Kukurit, the countries agree to end the conflict by each sacrificing a member of the royal family for the other side. The princess of Guroman, Princess Prime Rose, is given to the country of Kukurit - where she is spared, and raised as a young woman named Emiya. Years later, Emiya witnesses the cruelty and injustice Guroman inflicts upon Kukurit, and wishes to find a way to stop it. She allies with a man named Tambara Gai, who raises an army from Kukurit to overthrow Guroman. Tambara Gai and Kiriko lock swords, ending in a statemate - Kiriko is stabbed, and Tambara Gai, exhausted, flees. Kiriko's soldiers find one of Gai's relatives, a small child, and ready to kill him as revenge for injuring their General. However, Kiriko stops the execution, reasoning with his guards that the boy is just a child - he should be taken prisoner and spared. When Gai returns, due to his brother being in Kiriko's care, he finds himself unable to kill Kiriko - and so a woman stands up to challenge him. It is Emiya, the true heir to the Guroman throne. They fight, and Kiriko is killed at her blade as revenge for all the wickedness he had caused. Emiya, Princess Prime Rose again, overthrows the military government, becomes Queen, and brings the two countries to peace.
There is a trend to Kiriko's character. He tends to begin as a kind person who is eventually thrown into a conflict he does not fully understand. This warps him into a cynical individual who is fuelled by his hatred into becoming something greater. Once he has gained power, he then realizes that not everything he has done is something to be proud of, and tries to redeem himself. This usually ends in his death or defeat to the protagonist, and the cycle begins again in a new life.
And so, in Wishing Scales as a Termina-born version, I will do my best to continue this trend.
Kiriko in Termina was born in an isolated seaside home off the shores of Great Bay. His parents were hard-working and self sufficient, traits that Kiriko inherited. An idealistic and energetic youth, Kiriko loved the company of his family and the beauty of the sea. But while he was very happy living their solitary life, the constant sight of wide open ocean made him hunger for travel, and he wished to see as much of the world and meet as many new faces as he could. Though his parents were growing old and his younger sister was still too young to do hard work, his father Edward agreed to allow him to leave home if it meant his happiness.
Kiriko's first order of business was to purchase bow and a quiver of arrows, with which he trained to defend himself from monsters. Having always been a dedicated boy, it was a skill he picked up quickly, and before long, he was an excellent shot. He learned many other survival tactics from home and during his travels, such as how to make medicinal herbs and treat wounds, how to fashion arrows and spears for himself, as well as how to hunt game. One evening, as he set up camp in Termina field, a caravan of merchants crossed his path. Noticing the bow and quiver he carried on his back, they pleaded with him to protect them from theives and monsters as night fell. Kiriko reluctantly agreed, nervous because as he was a gentle boy, he had never used his abilities to harm a human being before. Luckily, the only enemies they came across that night were monsters, and Kiriko had protected their cargo so efficiently that the caravan paid him handsomely. Inspired to help people in similar ways, Kiriko then became a mercenary, offering his skills to protect innocents - sometimes for only as much as a small meal, sometimes for free. He grew quickly, and fulfilled his wish of meeting many new faces and exploring Termina.
Years later, Kiriko, now a homesick adult, decided to venture back to the Bay. As his childhood home was fairly isolated, he bargained with a ship of human merchant sailors to take him across the ocean to where his family lived in exchange for protection against pirates. Having only given bandits minor injuries in order to draw them off the trail of caravans, he was not used to harming human beings, but convinced himself and the fisherman that he would be able to kill if it came down to it. They believed him, and agreed to add Kiriko's home as the last stop of their trade route.
Between trade ports and seaside marketplaces, Kiriko befriended the sailors during their slow journey. He got to know each of them individually, and in turn, they trusted him. The men became a sort of surrogate family for Kiriko, and eventually, he was asked if he would become a permanent member of their crew after his visit with his family. Kiriko agreed.
A month later, as they neared Kiriko's childhood home, a small, stealthy ship of pirates approached in the night. Though he was on watch and had been warned the pirates of Great Bay were female, these women were nothing like the ruthless and ugly pirates he had imagined - he was surprised by their beauty and naively believed them to be a group of travelling merchant women or actresses. Not realizing they were a threat, Kiriko allowed them to come near speaking distance of their ship - where they quickly attempted to board. Panicked, as one of them drew a sword to fight, Kiriko hesitated when he could have made a kill. He fired only a single warning shot, but before he could reach for another arrow, the pirates were upon him.
Kiriko was badly injured in the resulting attack, and his eye was gouged out by one pirate's knife. He fell unconscious and was mistaken for dead. With Kiriko down, the women snuck into the sailor's cabins and slit their throats in their sleep, raided their cargo, tossed the bodies overboard and commandeered the ship.
Kiriko washed up on the shore, barely alive. Badly injured and in terrible pain from the salt water stinging at his wounds, he staggered along the beach until he arrived home - only to find his house had been torn apart by bandits. His mother was dead, and his father and sister had gone missing. He buried his mother, and believing his sister and father were likely dead, mourned them. Though he had no proof, he blamed the pirates, and his rage stewed as his wounds healed.
Following his recouperation, Kiriko took up the wicked weapon of his enemies - the sword. He became completely obsessed with becoming stronger, and with becoming a man who could take a life without hesitation. Again he set off on his travels, this time, to become a hitman. He hoped in his journey to eventually find the pirates who killed his friends and to take his revenge - as well as atone for his inability to save the lives of his friends.
Personality:
In all canons, Kiriko frequently skirts the boundary between good and evil. In Black Jack, a point is made that while he is a killer and the villain of the story, he is also a kind and selfless man. In Ayako, while he is the leader of a crime syndicate, he spends the end of his life atoning for the sins he as committed. In Prime Rose, while he is an oppressive General, he also refuses to hurt a child even if it would result in his victory. In Wishing Scales, I will have him do this as well: he will be dangerously obsessed with killing, but still able to appreciate the difference between right and wrong. ...To some degree.
Starting with Kiriko's selfless side, in canon he is frequently seen helping the less fortunate. In the anime of Black Jack, Kiriko finds a woman half-dead in the wreckage of a car accident in the country. He saves her from the wreckage and slowly nurses her back to heath, playing her music and bringing her flowers to lift her spirits, despite the fact that she is a complete stranger. As well, when she comes down with a fatal illness, he finds the cure for no cost and completely out of kindness. Not knowing who she is, she begs him to call the famous euthanasiast Dr. Kiriko for her so that she can commit suicide. He tells her that Dr. Kiriko is a wicked man who only cares for the rich, and would not be interested in giving her death. The woman is heartbroken by his response and weeps, but survives her condition and goes on to live a happy life. In Ayako, he feels guilt over the political figure he was forced to kill in his youth, and goes to apologize to the woman that was that person's fiancee - openly admitting that he killed the love of her life and that if she doesn't accept his apology, she is free to kill him to make things right.
Kiriko is also shown to have somewhat of a creative side. In Black Jack, when he is not working in euthanasia, he composes and records music. He also built his death machine, an ultrasonic device that paralyzes the medulla, from scratch. Early in Ayako, beneath his eyepatch he fashions a bomb that should detonate if ever an enemy of his syndicate kills him. Also in Black Jack, the dynamite he places under his bed when he plans to commit suicide is hand-made. In Termina I will translate this creativity into Kiriko being a very resourceful person, able to make makeshift medicines and such, as well as a fast learner with his musical instrument.
But Kiriko is not without his faults. In Black Jack, Kiriko is so obsessed with euthanasia that he is known to sometimes damn a patient who could have been healed (ex. his father). In the termina universe, his obsession with murder has lead to Kiriko becoming impulsive, to kill too quickly before learning of the criminal's situation. Kiriko is stubborn, firmly believing that what he does is always right and just, and refuses to listen to anyone else's opinion. As well, he is overconfident in his own abilities, which in Termina will lead him to focus too heavily on offense, and carries with him no armor or shield with which to defend himself. He also frequently overexerts himself (despite his skills, he is still quite thin for his height, and cannot handle physical stress for long periods of time) or gets in over his head.
He is also prone to mood swings, and while he is generally a tolerable person, and his anger can become violent very quickly - for as simple a reason as he didn‘t get what he wanted. In the Black Jack anime, when Dr. George is on his death bed, Kiriko bursts in uninvited and tries to kill his father with a shotgun instead of being forced to watch him suffer. …But when his father tells him he wants to die, Kiriko stops what he is doing and starts screaming insults at him, telling him he’s a pathetic man for giving up. He is also prone to unnecessary pettiness, and sometimes, even tantrums. While he may start out with good intentions, if a person he dislikes becomes involved (such as Black Jack), he will push the issue as far as he can just to spite them. For example, in the final chapter he's seen in in the manga, Kiriko has one last conversation with Black Jack. He asks the Doctor if he will continue to extort people unnecessarily. When Black Jack answers that he won’t stop, Kiriko presents to Black Jack a relatively healthy 180 year old man. The old man has undergone every surgery imaginable in order to achieve immortality, and since Black Jack can do nothing to make him live forever, Kiriko drags the patient off to kill him just so he can make Black Jack angry. Also, in a chapter where Kiriko contracts the Amazonian parasite, he begins with good intentions: he tries to kill himself so he will not become Japan's Patient Zero and no one else will die because of him. When his sister catches him attempting suicide and runs for help, Kiriko isn’t all that angry… until he finds out she ran to get Black Jack. He completely snaps and tries to kill himself and his sister in a fit of insanity, setting a bomb to detonate in three minutes and threatening her with it. Even when he collapses on the ground from pain, he starts swearing at Black Jack when the Doctor tries to alleviate his suffering. When he wakes up to discover he’s been cured, he’s completely indifferent, and thanks no one for their aid in saving his life. Instead, he ridicules them, saying that he will continue to commit murder after murder just because they let him live, out of pure pettiness. Kiriko himself is hardly a violent person, but after being put through such an unnatural experience, when pushed to a certain limit he has the tendency to crack or completely overreact in ways that include frustration, anger, violence, hysteria, and sometimes even sorrow.
Powers:
-Kiriko has no magic powers whatsoever.
-From his life on the road, he can easily identify poisonous or edible herbs, and can make decent medicines from them - or poisons, if need be.
-He is skilled with bows and spears when it comes to hunting, but will not take a human life with either (though he may use them to inflict minor injuries).
-He has trained with a shortsword, and has become very skilled. His sword is his main weapon for hunting down bandits and criminals in his work as a hitman.
-Kiriko is very nimble, as seen in all versions of his canon. He very fast on his feet and can run long distances quickly.
Items: A set of bows and arrows, a shortsword, a small leather bag with a set of extra clothes and another eyepatch. That's it.
Instrument: The Komabue fue; a short, thin Japanese flute. Kiriko will refer to it as a Bamboo Flute.
SAMPLES
Bracket Sample ((Promt 1))
[Kiriko approaches the mask salesman tentatively, understanding that despite his outward appearance, he is a powerful individual. Kiriko had learned long ago not to allow feeble appearances to deceive him, and so when he speaks, it is with utmost respect.]
They say you are a man of great means. There must be something you know of... that...
[He finds himself suddenly unable to speak. How can he possibly put something he wants so terribly into words? He falls to his knees, removing his eyepatch, unbuttoning his shirt. The scars from the attack years ago are seen even in the darkness. What he will not show is far worse. He hopes that the few he has will say enough.]
No matter what happens to me, there are people who absolutely must pay, and I must be the one to do it. It will be impossible for me as I am...
[Though he has trained hard, he is still far too weak to take on a band of pirates on his own. Three or four at a time, perhaps. But no, he will not settle for picking them off one by one.]
The price doesn't matter. You can take my life if you must. But, please...
[He bows, prostrate on the ground in desperation.]
Even if only for a little while... Give me the strength I need to fight.
Prose Sample [[Inspired by the fact that the Black Jack who wants to app in is a genderswap.]]
It wasn't often a pirate wandered from the Bay, and less often they wandered as far as Clock Town.
He noticed her as she ascended the West Clock Town steps that evening - round ears, dark skin, and a malicious-looking scar across her face. She wore a long, black cape that made it clear she was a woman to be respected as well as feared.
Stunned, it took a moment for Kiriko to dive into the shadows. From there he studied her further. He noticed her skin had two tones... wearing the skin of her enemies was not something Kiriko doubted a pirate would do. Or had she tried to cover up her tone as a disguise? No, he wouldn't be fooled. He'd incapacitate her, ask questions, and decide for himself whether or not she deserved to live.
At first, Kiriko drew his bow, silently pulling an arrow from his quiver and aiming it at her legs through the heat of the flame. But as he drew back the string... he paused. Something far more sinister welled up inside of him. No, a pirate such as this did not deserve a fair trial...
Pressed against the wall and concealed behind the torches, his fingers gripped the hilt of his sword as he waited in silence for her to pass by...
