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藤本獅郎 :: Shiro Fujimoto ([personal profile] lionson) wrote2017-07-19 12:39 am

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Player Information
Name: Mandy
Age: Yep!
Contact: [plurk.com profile] husbando
Current characters: none!

Character Information
Name: Shiro Fujimoto
Series: Blue Exorcist (manga version. The anime and manga have some key differences, so this distinction is important)
Appearance: image 1, image 2, image 3
Age: 49. In canon he is stated to be 34 during an incident that happened 15 years before the 'current day', so MATH POWERRRR
Canon Point: TECHNICALLY he is from chapter 1. However, he has a lot of appearances in the series that occur in flashbacks (that is actually the majority of his appearance in the manga, since he dies in chapter 1), so those flashbacks are included in this as well.
Canon History: There is a wiki, but the wiki doesn't differentiate between anime!Shiro and manga!Shiro (which is important because there are some key details that are different between the two versions), so I'm going to go ahead and just write it all out.

In the world of Blue Exorcist, there are two distinct versions of Earth: Assiah, the land of the humans, and Gehenna, the land of the demons. These worlds are separate, but linked to each other, and it is possible for demons to cross over to Assiah and live there. However, demons can't exist in the human world without possessing a body, and they will usually try to possess a body that is similar to their own in Gehenna. So cat demons will possess cats, plant demons will possess trees or shrubs, and so on. The stronger demons will often possess humans, but humans are notoriously difficult to control, and their bodies tend to break down over time if they stay possessed. This is especially a problem for the high-level demons like the 8 Demon Kings, who can only possess an average human body for maybe a few years at most before the body literally rips itself apart.

So a demon named Samael (one of the 8 Demon Kings) got a brilliant idea one day: why not make human bodies specifically tailored to suit their needs? The bodies would still break down over time, but in theory they could create bodies that could last for much longer without having to be replaced. And since they're made to order, the Demon Kings wouldn't have to spend so much time looking for a suitable body. So Samael started the project called 'Section 13' (hidden behind a place called 'Asylum' which was where orphans were sent to be raised into exorcists), in which he started cloning human bodies for possession by the Demon Kings. The thought being that cloned bodies would not have souls and personalities, so they would be easier to possess for long periods of time. This theory proved wrong in the long run (the clones all grew up to be normal people), and thus Samael was left with a bunch of kids that he couldn't use as bodies long-term for him and his siblings.

Shiro was one of these clones. He spent at least some of his childhood in Section 13 (it is unclear exactly how long he was there, but he has memories of it) before he was moved to Asylum and trained to be an exorcist. Despite being a clone with a rather unusual start to his life, Shiro proved to be a talented exorcist. He got a 'Meister' (which is basically Blue Exorcist talk for 'is qualified to be an exorcist in [insert fighting style here]') in all 5 categories of exorcism, which was highly unusual since most exorcist specialized in one or two areas. He rose through the ranks, ending up as an upper-first-class exorcist (the highest rank an exorcist can be before they get special fancy titles) by the time he was 28. He made a few friends along the way (notable names: Shura, the young girl he saved from a particularly nasty demon; the Moriyama family, who run an herbal shop that he shops at often; Yuri Egin, a very kind young woman that Shiro crushed on hardcore but was too chicken shit to do anything about), but still often operated on his own. For many years his life was a very predictable cycle: wake up, fight demons, go to bed.

The major turning point for Shiro happened when he is 34. Early in the spring of that year, he ended up on a mountainside in Kyoto, half-dead and quickly bleeding out. Most of the monks there wanted to throw him off the mountain, but one monk in particular (Tatsuma Suguro, the son of the head monk) decided to show compassion. He treated Shiro's wounds, and he gave him the warning to leave the mountain, as many at the temple were very sick. Shiro was having none of that, though. Even though he was still injured, he whipped the monks into action (they had been previously praying for the sickness to go away, rather than doing any medical treatment) and taught them how to make the medicine that saved everyone's lives. Tatsuma's wife and unborn child were among those saved (which is actually vital to Blue Exorcist in general, as that unborn child is a main character in the series), and he thanked Shiro profusely for his help.

So what did Shiro do?

He told Tatsuma "I am not a good person" and stole a holy relic from the temple before running away. (But it's okay, Tatsuma forgave him for it anyway.)

That was the entire reason he had gone to the mountain. Even though he made some friends along the way, his whole goal was that sword. Why did he need that sword specifically? Because it was a demon sword ('demon swords' being swords specifically made to kill demons), but it was also empty (meaning it had nobody's power within it, which is unusual for a demon sword).

Next a bunch of crazy stuff happened, which has not been expanded on in canon yet, but we have a general idea of what went down. One of the other clones of Azazel (Goro, the next clone in line after Shiro) was possessed by Satan and did some Bad Shit, among which are 'gratuitous murder', 'corruption of holy men and women', and 'impregnating Yuri Egin with the spawn of Satan'. This incident was called the 'Blue Night', and as a result of that incident both Asylum and Section 13 were shut down and most of the clones and scientists were killed. Anyone who survived (which included Shiro) was bound by a contract with a demon of death: if they spoke of Section 13 or what had happened there, they would be instantly killed.

Fast-forward to December of that year. On December 27th, Yuri gave birth to twin boys: Rin, who inherited the powers of Satan, and Yukio, who was born as a normal human. Shiro had been ordered to kill the boys, but instead of doing so he decided to seal away Rin's powers (remember that empty demon sword? Yeah, Shiro remembered it too) and raise the two boys as his own sons. Why did he do it? Nobody knows, Shiro didn't tell anyone his reasoning for it. Assumptions can be made (the fact that they are Yuri's children specifically probably has something to do with it), but "why did Shiro choose to save Rin and Yukio instead of killing them" is actually one of the over-arching plot points to Blue Exorcist. It may be explained in the future, but the series is ongoing and the question hasn't been specifically answered yet. What we do know is that Shiro lied about killing the kids, and gave them new names ('Okumura' instead of 'Egin' or 'Fujimoto') and adopted them as his own children. He never breathed a word of truth to anyone, instead telling anyone who asked that a random woman had left the boys under a bridge.

For 15 years, Shiro continued to work as an exorcist (eventually rising to the rank of Paladin, the highest rank any exorcist can reach) and raised the boys on his own. It was pretty difficult to do, as Rin was a particularly violent and unstable child and frequently got into fights and broke furniture and stuff. Even with his demon powers sealed, Rin was still a handful. But Shiro endured, and by the start of canon the boys are 15 and ready to start high school.

Then one night, Rin finds out the truth of who he is (the half-demon son of Satan who had his powers sealed away as a baby) and there is a huge fight between Rin and Shiro. During that fight Satan is able to possess Shiro, since the argument is a particularly harsh one and the grief of it weakens Shiro's mental fortitude to the point where Satan can possess him. After gloating about it for a bit, Satan attempts to drag Rin to Gehenna. However, Shiro regains partial control of himself at the last moment and stabs himself in the heart, sacrificing his life to protect Rin.

Personality: As a note, Shiro's personality changes dramatically over the course of Blue Exorcist (as in, who he is at 34 is very different from who he is at 49). I will be focusing primarily on how he is at age 49, since that is the canon point I am apping him in from, but I will be including some of the other stuff as a point of contrast to show how his growth has affected who he is.

The first thing to know about Shiro Fujimoto is that appearances are really, really deceiving. He is a highly-decorated member of the True Cross Order, holding the rank of Paladin and thus being at the very top of everything. He's also considered to be the strongest exorcist in the world, with even Satan himself considering Shiro to be a challenge. But despite all of these great rumors about his strength and abilities, Shiro is just a dirty old man who loves to joke around and flirt shamelessly. Even though he is the Paladin, he is nothing like the ideal image of a catholic priest.

Shiro has a thing when it comes to following orders. Namely, he'll pick apart the orders to find out what the end goal is, then go about reaching that goal in his own way. As far as he's concerned, the ends justify the means, which is why he has absolutely no problem befriending demons or stealing things from other religious orders if it will solve whatever problem is laid out in front of him. His methods have turned decidedly more agreeable in the last 15 years, and he will try to find a solution that leaves everyone happy, but he still does this in whatever way he deems is best. Teamwork is particularly hard for him, because he's used to doing things on his own. This has burned more than a few bridges in the past, but Shiro has learned to accept that.

He tries to play tough sometimes, especially when he actually does have to fight seriously, but in reality Shiro is actually a very kind person. He can kill demons in dozens of different ways, but he would rather not harm them if another solution is possible. This is partially why Shiro is so laid-back: why fight if you can make friends instead? Of course, Shiro is a very experienced exorcist, so he can tell when talking isn't going to work anymore. If that's the case, he'll stop with the friendly talk and start with the shooting. Diplomacy is preferable, but he doesn't lose sight of his goals.

Being a Paladin, Shiro is supposed to protect humans from the influence of demons. He does take this job at least somewhat seriously, and he will step up and do his job if a human is in danger. However, there is one thing he values above his job and humanity: his two sons, Rin and Yukio. They come first, though he will try to find a way to keep his boys safe and fulfill his job as a Paladin. Shiro is the master of compromises, so long as he gets what he wants out of it.

Shiro is also an old soul. While he's decidedly in the middle-aged range at 49 years old, he's seen a lot in his life. His first couple decades of life were spent as a science experiment, raised to be used as a vessel and nothing else. Once he was deemed unsuitable for that, he spent several decades as an exorcist, fighting demons for the sake of mankind. In that time, he's seen a lot of things, both wonderful and horrible, and it has shaped him into the person he is today. He's very laid-back and enjoys taking his time with things. Peace and quiet doesn't last long, so he doesn't like to interrupt those quiet moments with stupid drama or seriousness. Life is short, and it's not worth getting worked up over the little things.

Love is...complicated, as far as Shiro is concerned. He is incredibly charming, and he will flirt with just about anyone old enough to be out of the 'kid' category in his mind. That said, he had very strong feelings for Yuri, and apparently still holds a candle for her. At one point it is stated that he hasn't 'been with' anyone since she died (though admittedly that conversation did happen about 6 years prior to the current canon, and it could be outdated), and the conversation heavily implies that he was in love with her. So it's most likely that the flirting is just for fun, and he doesn't have any intentions of pursuing anyone romantically.

It's important to note that Shiro is very bad at following rules. He does what he wants when he wants to do it, regardless of what other people think. His experience has a lot to do with this: he's been through a lot, so he knows what works and what doesn't work. Another reason for his behavior is that he's more interested in following the intent of the law than the word. He knows that even the best of intentions can actually be harmful, so decisions need to be made on a case-by-case basis. This is why Shiro listens to people and tries to make compromises, rather than just saying "Well it's against the rules so you can't do that." Following D&D alignments, he would be solidly within the 'chaotic good' square. Also, he doesn't like doing extra work when it is unnecessary, so he lets small things go if nobody is hurt by it.

Another important part of Shiro's identity is one of a parent. He adopted Rin and Yukio fifteen years before the start of canon, and being a father definitely changed him. In the flashbacks we see, he was more cold and serious, not letting his kind side out as often. Even when he was saving everyone on that mountain and teaching them how to make the medicine, he was still barking orders and berating the monks for not listening to him in the first place. But after several years of being a dad, he is much more friendly and open. He's also been shown to give up bad habits (namely smoking) for the sake of his boys. The fact that he did such a good job raising the boys is a miracle in of itself, and a testament to how much Shiro was willing to change himself for their sake. Being a clone, he didn't exactly have any examples of how a parent should act around their children. Everything was pretty much 'figure it out as you go' while he was raising the boys, and being a dad has definitely brought out the softer side of him.

Ultimately, Shiro is a pretty complex character. He has done some really bad things in the name of 'good', and he has been an asshole to a lot of people. But he realized that he needed to change, and he has done a pretty good job of being a better person. He still slips up sometimes and falls back into his old habits of 'yelling at people' and 'bossing people around', but he's trying. And that's what really matters, when you think about it.


Abilities: There are five different classes for exorcists: Knight, Dragoon, Tamer, Doctor, and Aria. Excluding Tamer, which is special, any exorcist can technically do any of the different classes. For example, a Knight could recite Aria verses in a pinch if they needed to. However, most exorcists specialize in one or two of the different classes. Using current Box characters as an example, Rin focuses on Knight, and Yukio focuses on Doctor and Dragoon. Shiro is different in that he has a Meister (essentially a rank, showing that they are competent enough to be recognized in that area by the True Cross Order) in all five areas. He has been shown to favor Dragoon and Aria, but he is also a very talented Doctor and Tamer. He hasn't specifically been shown using Knight abilities, but given that he stole a sword and intended on using it, it is reasonable to assume that he is a competent Knight as well.

Here is an outline of what each class does:

Knight: fights with swords and other bladed weapons (and sometimes fists)

Dragoon: fights with ranged weapons (usually guns, sometimes grenades and bazookas)

Tamer: summons demons and gets them to do stuff (a specialized field, a person needs innate talent to do this) NOTE: This ability has been nerfed in lifeaftr.

Aria: chants holy verses at demons to banish them (not just the bible, but other holy books too) and does other chanting-related abilities (making barriers is a special subset of Aria)

Doctor: makes and uses medicines to treat demon-related injuries, as well as using potions and herbal concoctions to trap and banish demons

Shiro also has an incredibly strong will, so strong that (barring a specific moment of weakness that resulted in his death) no demon can possess him. Mental attacks that can be resisted by a strong will just plain don't work on him, because he has built up many mental barriers over the years. The key point to this, of course, is that it takes focus on his part to keep those mental barriers up. If someone wounds him emotionally first, they can break down those mental barriers and get to him.

In addition to all of this, Shiro has been shown doing judo.

Shiro is also particularly talented at talking with people. He can listen to someone and get them to talk to him about stuff, and he can also give pretty good advice too. He's not specifically a therapist, but he has been 'a shoulder to cry on' several times.

Inventory: -Glasses
-His clothes (button-up shirt, black pants, black shoes and socks, and a cassock over everything)
-His wallet (containing some pictures, an ID, a couple credit cards, and some cash)
-a True Cross pin on a chain around his neck
-a pocket-bible (which is probably waterlogged, since it's a regular bible and not waterproof at all)



Sample

Thread Sample:
This isn't teamwork you guys
dead people telling dead stories
SPIDER GIRL, SPIDER GIRL~
The doctor is in
Your romantic story is full of shit, old man