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[5kotai]

OOC INFO;

NAME: Pear
AGE: 23
CONTACT: tantou
CHARACTERS IN GAME: N/A

IC INFO;

CHARACTER NAME: Gokotai
CANON & HISTORY:
Links! For starters, Here's the main wiki page for Touken Ranbu as a canon, and here's Gokotai's page.
-Link: Here's his Trivia Page on the Touken Ranbu which contains some of his history.
-Link: This is a blog post on his history by a fan, but it goes more in-depth over his legend and how he changed hands a few times.
-Link: Here's the translations of his Kiwame Training Letters (they're also on his wiki page). He sends them while he's gone.

Gokotai is the tsukumogami (a spirit of an object that has lived for at least 100 years) of a historical sword. The sword itself was forged by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu. He was famous for making small blades or tantou, that were popular among Japanese nobility as good luck charms or as blades for self-protection. Gokotai was in the posession of the Ashikaga Clan, then the Uesugi Clan as a gift. His name comes from a story where an envoy from the Ashikaga Family visited China to help improve trade relations. However, he had a fateful run-in with five tigers during his travels. With only the Awataguchi tantou on hand, he waved it at them, which miraculously drove the tigers away. Reporting his encounter back to his lord, the blade was named Gokotai, meaning "drive away five tigers". With that story attached, it was a well-loved blade, even in the hands of the Uesugi Clan, who was fancied by its leaders.

As for the background story of Touken Ranbu proper, in the year 2205, an antagonistic force know as the History Retrograde Army tries to alter the events of history for their own gain. To counteract their efforts, the Time Government (a part of the national government) uses Saniwa Sages to summon ancient swords into tsukumogami warriors so that they can travel through time and fight the History Retrograde Army to preserve history. Gokotai is among one of the swords that a Saniwa can summon, along with his many brothers.

There's actually another part of this plot that involves Gokotai more directly. When swords are strong enough, they can request to go on a journey to the past, to spend time with or train with their previous masters to become more experienced, a state known as Kiwame. Gokotai does just that, because he felt he was weak (tantou are not as strong as other types of blades in canon). He goes back to the time period to meet Uesugi Kenshin, one of his most famous masters. To become stronger, Gokotai wishes to fight five tigers like in his legend, but there aren't any tigers in Japan. Instead, Kenshin offers an alternative for Gokotai: he is known as the "Tiger of Echigo", so if Gokotai manages to defeat him five times in spars, then that would work just as well. Sadly, Gokotai only manages to win three times before Kenshin dies of illness. However he does become stronger and obtains Kiwame status.

AGE: Unknown, but at least 1000 years old, based on the time frame when his smith lived.
CANON POINT: World 7-4, Memory of Enkyou and post-Kiwame Training. With how mobages work, I'll say his exact canon point is after the Regiment Battle: Early Summer Camp Event of June 2017

PERSONALITY:
Tantou in canon take the form of young adolescent boys, and for the most part, they are youthful and expressive like their appearance would suggest. Tantou were not usually used in direct combat, so they are more inexperienced and innocent as well, Gokotai definitely fits that trend, but he is not quite as cheerful as his brothers and fellow tantou. The first impression someone would have of him at the start is that he's a very fragile, sensitive child that could be on the verge of tears. Even as a Kiwame sword and gaining more confidence, his sensitive nature remains, but he also shows other facets of himself openly.

One of the biggest factors towards Gokotai's timid nature is his lack of self-confidence and being very self-conscious of his historical reputation. He and his brothers of the Awataguchi Schools of sword are known more as good luck charms of feudal lords rather than functional weapons. For that reason, he stands out as a sword with a notable legend of repelling full-grown tigers. However, he feels that the way he is, a small sword with little strength and actual experience in combat, he cannot live up to that legend. Feeling that he contradicts the story to his name, he even tearfully confesses he is only a tantou when introducing himself to the Saniwa in full. Originally, he was followed by the spirits of five tiger cubs which reflect this (they could also be interpreted as a part of his spirit, it's never explained), lacking in any fearsomeness that they would have as adults, much like Gokotai himself isn't intimidating, even compared to his more confident siblings. They also stay close to him despite his legend, and Gokotai cares for them as pets, further contradicting his legend. When he introduces himself to the saniwa, he apologizes for their presence, blaming that he felt too sorry for the tigers to drive them away. If anything, it shows there's a part of him that's realistic about his abilities, but is hard on himself to the point that keeps his self-esteem low.

This lessens after his training with Kenshin, but he still feels saddened by how he couldn't accomplish what he came for, a workaround to fighting tigers, and how it was interrupted by something as harsh and inevitable as death. However, while he could not fulfill his goal, he gains a sense of courage that accepts his life as a sword, something that originally had distressed him. While he dislikes battles, he works hard during them because he understands how important their mission is. Some of his lines after Kiwame, such as when he lands a critical hit or sparring with others, suggest that he understands that he is much stronger, and wishes to opt out of fighting to prevent the other harm. In a way to signify this change and his hidden bravery in battle, his five tiger spirits become one fully grown yokai tiger that fights at his side. Of course, the courage he has may also come from having a ferocious companion, but he still can push himself past his own comfort zone.

A constant of Gokotai's personality is his devotion to others. It's unsurprising when his family is a loving one, and he loves them right back. Part of why he holds his family in high regard is because he feels inadequate compared to them, but his love for them is both parts admiration and feeling encouraged to be as good as his brothers. In particular, he's fond of his eldest brother, Ichigo Hitofuri, who admits he won't run away from during sparring because he seeks his brother's praise. Of course, it's impossible to get along with everyone when a family's so large. In one recollection with his brother Atsushi about counterfeit Awataguchi swords, he accidentally brings Gokotai to tears. But his brother comforts him from thinking he's a counterfeit, showing that he is cared for by his siblings despite his sensitivity. Another example is through his tigers. He cherishes them like dear pets, but remains considerate of others if they don't feel the same. The cubs lend themselves to getting in trouble easily with Gokotai taking responsibility for them. This is prominent in Hanamaru, where they track ink everywhere and on Kasen as he practices calligraphy, and play around much like exotic cats. In another instance, he also apologizes for the distress they cause for another, the spear Nihongou, who is afraid of tigers, even Gokotai's tiger cubs.

Gokotai's attachment to people is unsurprising for someone who takes after a young man, and he finds others easy to admire when he doesn't have much faith in himself. However, one strong, and maybe unexpected motivation for Gokotai is being loved and appreciated by those he looks up to. In that same scene involving Nihongou, Gokotai's brother Hakata explains to him why Gokotai had run off after upsetting him, revealing that he wanted to befriend the spear because he was everything he isn't and admired him. Despite his timidity, he wants to become close to those who can motivate him to be better, even passively. One bond important to him aside from family is with the Saniwa Sage. As they are someone who takes in his family and seems to accept the tantou for who he is, Gokotai is rather fond of them. This becomes even more prominent after his training, because it's the Saniwa who gives him permission to go on that journey, and Gokotai does it for the sake of becoming more useful for the Saniwa and other swords. Since he himself feels he can't judge his progress, he seeks the acknowledgment from others to know. In particular, he asks for affectionate gestures from the Saniwa when he does well in battles, or when he does well at chores like fieldwork. Of course, this is also a way of him showing his stronger confidence in himself to ask for praise, even it makes him a bit childish. For someone who he trusts, he doesn't worry about the impression he gives and is more open of his feelings. He's a loving person, and understands the feeling of being loved when he was a beloved sword. So for him, a clear exchange of feelings and wishes is a proof of trust.

POWERS:
As a tsukumogami, Gokotai is sturdier than an average human, and knows some amount of combat through training and his past as a sword. As the sword he wields in battle is his real self and there's a connection between him and it as its spirit, his human body reflects the condition of his vessel, such as damage. If it breaks, he will die. Gokotai in Kiwame form, which is the point where he's taken from, is a surprisingly strong sword, but is still frail. Thanks to his legend, he's also accompanied by a large tiger spirit, who obeys him faithfully and follows him into battle. The tiger is technically part of his soul as a symbolic connection to his "legend" and behaves somewhat based on Gokotai's inner feelings. For the sake of this game, these are mostly considered biological things and he's very much a kind of spirit or youkai.

OTHER:
I read through the canon powers page and the FAQ to the best of my understanding, and I can definitely go either way about the tiger spirit. If allowed, it's definitely depowered and either as a sort of intangible spirit or a docile, oversized housecat. It's not quite a conventional pet, and it comes from the same source Gokotai comes from, his tantou blade (which he would definitely have on his person, think Pokeballs and Pokemon). I'd actually want its availability/presence to be based on the magical frequency of the world! But I'm also okay with working this out into something that's reasonable for the game.

GAME INFO;

CRAU INFO: N/A
MAGIC ABILITY: Gokotai's ability is stability inducement! He can temporarily make himself or what he touches more stable, as in improving stability and less likely to fall over or collapse.
PRICE: His "Blue Bird of Happiness" picture book. It is special to him because thanks to how much he loved the happy story, a group of friends at the citadel who tried to catch a bluebird for him based on how it would bring good luck and happiness.
ACCLIMATION: 4/10. Gokotai is timid and somewhat dependent on his siblings and master for emotional support, so being on his own might be difficult. However, he knows how to defend himself, and even if it may be slow, he does march to the beat of his own drum and adapts through that.

SAMPLE;

LINKED SAMPLE:
Link to sample! While Recolle is an AU game, his personality during the TDM was kept mostly the same.