Sanguis (Tetsuya Kakinoki) [Villain]

THE BASICS

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Generally tall and imposing, Tetsuya is an unusually good-looking man (to the levels of a male model) that actually could pass as a foreigner, if he so desired.

PERSONALITY

Tetsuya is, through and through the organised type. Whether it’s a bank heist or a children’s birthday party, he cannot stand something being arranged without adherence to a schedule, proper logistics and management. If things are out of place or simply disorganised, it drives him up the wall. He tends to be quite analytical and contemplative, taking time to think through a situation or problem before he makes an attempt to solve it. He always tries to not follow his immediate impulse and survey things before jumping in, which can make him appear indecisive or inactive.

He is the sort that prefers things to be quiet and stationary when he can, and has a distinct dislike for flashing and bright lights. He tends to stay in the dark or with dimmed light, which does not help the rumours of his supposed ‘vampirism’, even if it does generally help his reputation and intimidate some of the more simple-minded criminals of Japan. He likes re-tracing his steps and always keeping a mental note of where he has been, what he has done, and how he did it. He adapts very quickly to enemy strategies and methods as a result of this, memorising almost exactly the steps of how the results of a fight, investigation or other situation came about.

Though he can appear ruthless and pragmatic, which he still is to some degree, Tetsuya tends to be a tad more merciful than most villains. He dislikes killing; he sees it as messy and unnecessary, especially if he wants to change the world for the better. If he wants to bring his new world into reality, he needs opened eyes; a corpse is of no use to him. He respects many pro heroes for their desire to sacrifice for a greater ideal, even if he believes fully that society swings too heavily in their favour to truly advance for the future, in Japan particularly. He is quite critical of Japanese culture in general, which only makes him appear more eccentric to many around him.

BACKGROUND HISTORY

Born to quirkless, labourer parents, Tetsuya was always a bother. He would cry and cry, constantly needing love and attention, as well as nourishment of a different kind. The young baby was a parasite in more ways than one. To his parents’ initial happiness, their son was born with a Quirk - unfortunately, it was one that required constant sustenance. The young Tetsuya did not eat like other children, and when he came into physical contact with his mother or father, he would take what energy he could to sate himself. Being so young and so small, not much was needed, but it only added to the stress of his parents, tiring them out more at the end of a long and hard day. It felt like their young son was stealing their life away, that they would never be able to continue like this. His father, in a moment of rage and weakness, decided that he’d had enough. He took a knife, planning to murder his infant child and end the suffering placed upon the two of them, that he knew would only get worse with time, that he couldn’t let befall anyone else, harm others outside of the household.

Tetsuya’s mother refused to allow it, and the two struggled and fought over their child. In the ensuing fight, Tetsuya’s father was killed with the knife he had intended for his son. Knowing how it would look and in a state of panic, the mother, still with adrenaline rushing through her veins, fled with the child. She kept running as far as she could as police swarmed on the domestic incident, with some small-time Pros even getting involved in the murder of a man and the kidnapping of his child. Unfortunately, once the adrenaline stopped, the come-down was more than she had been expecting. Her son had been feeding off her almost the entire time, having gotten a bit bigger recently. She continued for as long as she could before coming out of an alley and into a rainy street; collapsing as her heart failed, with her baby in her arms.

The young Tetsuya was taken to a special orphanage in Shiretoko for children who suffered as a result of their Quirks, and he received what he refers to as a ‘mixed’ treatment growing up. Early on, his caregivers were friendly with him, if a bit distant. He was given enough attention, and allowed to ‘feed’ in small amounts from them, which was all he really needed. As he grew a bit older though, he needed more. This did not go down well. New staff and carers were brought in around this time, who thought that his quirk and needs were disgusting. Many refused, or simply didn’t realise when Tetsuya fed on them, only keeping it in small amounts as he seemed to waste away. He was eventually given a therapy animal to try and help him work it out, with many assuming his ways were simply out of greed rather than a real need.

His therapy animal, a golden retriever that he named Goru, was his closest and only friend. He would often let Goru distract and be affectionate with others so he could get small amounts of feeding in, and would throw out the food on his plate that was no good to him, or swallow it only to vomit it up later. Tetsuya continued like this for a while before he was a discovered, with he and Goru locked in his room and not permitted physical visitors, only food passed through a small slit in his room’s door. He would try desperately to get a reach for the hand of whoever passed it through, but he would never quite be able to reach. He continued to waste away, unsure of what to do and convinced he was going to die. He sat and cried, only for Goru to come over and lick his face. Tetsuya considered the awful thing he would have to do, and what it might do to him as much as what it would do to his only friend. Still, he had no choice.

He began to feed on Goru, taking his time with it. He allowed the dog to eat the food given to him, but the nutrients he needed to catch up were more than his friend could provide. He survived months in that room, sobbing everytime he was forced to feed on his best friend to hold off the pain of the hunger. Eventually, it was all too much for both of them. Just as it had done to his mother, Tetsuya’s quirk caused the dog’s organs to fail, and it died quietly, being cradled in the arms of the one who had done it. It was only a few days later when his treatment was discovered by a review board, horrified at what had happened. The story of his abuse made headlines, and he was even asked for an interview once he had fed back to full strength. He admitted that he didn’t have many prospects, but that he had a goal to one day perhaps be a Hero, for his power to be used in service of people rather than hurting those he cared about, like it already had.

Though he thought nothing of saying it, a rich man by the name of Iwata in Musutafu had been searching for some good to do, something he could use his vast wealth on to make the future better for his and other children. He took Tetsuya in and had him receive the best training and equipment, to prepare him for the entrance exam into UA. Tetsuya, finally having a future in front of him, did his best and trained hard in how to manage without constantly having to use his Quirk, and how to fight and survive without it, knowing that it was too dangerous of an ability for typical hero work.

Waving goodbye to the kindly Mr. Iwata and all he and his family had done for him, Tetsuya made his way to UA High School, to try and begin his life anew. To become someone better and greater, someone that could inspire. He joined Class 1-A, quickly showing himself as an excellent student when it came to class, even if he struggled when it came to areas of heroism. Tetsuya was a quiet boy, and for the most part a friendly and kind one. His foul temper was quickly noticed, however. His entire persona seemed to switch and change when he lost his cool, and quickly he became violent and irrational, believing that everyone around him was out to get him, to try and make him suffer. He managed to keep these episodes mostly under control, or at least lash out in spats so his punishments didn’t result in full-scale expulsion. That changed with one other student.

Nobukazu Fujikage, who would later be known as the hero White Lightning, often clashed with Tetsuya. The two did not have a friendly or competitive rivalry that many had. They hadn’t even known each other that long, but slights, insults and harassment both real and perceived turned them against each other. Their relationship was bitter, filled with envy and hatred, with Nobukazu having a particular disgust for Tetsuya and his quirk, labelling him as little more than a parasite who needed to be expelled from UA as quickly as possible. Things became clearly awkward in the class over time, with almost the entire student body and the teacher feeling that something was going to boil over. Attempts were made many times to repair the relationship, and at least once it looked like things were fixed, and that it was going to work out.

The heated relationship between the two quieted, but it never stopped simmering, the hatred and jealousy that Tetsuya felt towards his classmate, born to Pro Hero parents and coming into UA on recommendation only deepening his resentment. At the end of second year and moving into third, Tetsuya confronted Nobukazu towards the end of the year, when they were due to head home for a break. An argument broke out, with Tetsuya just trying to express how he felt, almost starting to feeling a burgeoning pity for the student who he seemed to hate so much, but he couldn’t understand why he did. The war of words eventually broke out into physical fighting, something much more rough and dangerous than the mock combat both of them were used to.

Even with Nobukazu’s arguably more powerful Quirk and time to practice with it, he was not the fighter that Tetsuya was, and he was the type to hesitate, to hold back when he had an advantage. Tetsuya was not, and rapidly acted on any space that he had. He fought and clawed, having to have trained so much harder in regular combat styles and practice than his peers, thanks to his Quirk not having the flashy power and great versatility of the rest of his class. He did, unfortunately, go too far. He beat Nobukazu into a critical condition, leaving him bloodied in an isolated area of a park. Tetsuya realised what he had done, and for only a brief moment, considered finishing what he had started, and simply disposing of the rival that he had hated. Even as it fleetingly passed, he was disgusted with himself, and who he had become. What he had allowed to happen to himself.

Tetsuya took Nobukazu to a hospital, where he remained in a state of critical health. He turned himself in, and the case was enough of an issue for U.A. that they were forced to expel him. He was still technically too young to be counted as a full offender, and was judged as a juvenile. Given a different name, he was moved to another city. He stayed in touch with one classmate, though. Todoya Fumiko, who would later be known as the hero Tidal, had always liked Tetsuya, as much as he liked her. He continued to stick close with her, and although the rest of the class warned her, Todoya still took the time to go out with Tetsuya when she was able. Thanks to his new identity and his record being sealed (at the request of the now former Principal, to save face for UA), he was able to train to become a police officer. He kept himself in check, trying to control any anger that he felt, and focus it into his work. He continued on as best he could, with his girlfriend and then fiancée graduating to become a full-fledged hero.

Even if both of the couple were working very intensive occupations, there was still a decent amount of love and affection in Tetsuya’s life, for a time. He was a caring husband, someone who was eager to please and wanted to show the person that mattered the most to him, how much that really meant. He had never had someone so close. Yet, he still felt so far away sometimes. There was a part of him that felt like it was incomplete, like he as a person was not whole. He didn’t understand what he had done wrong, where he had made some kind of mistake. It began to gnaw away at him, the feeling that he had never really reached his potential, that he had squandered his only chance at the one thing he’d always wanted, the dream of being a hero. Now? He was stuck as the desk jockey that cleaned up after them.

Tetsuya’s rage and grief for the life he’d never had built, sometimes picking up the criminals that Todoya turned in and wondering what it would’ve been like to work alongside her, to be her partner. She had partners on and off, many of whom were their former classmates. They knew who her husband really was, but never said a word. It was when she had a short partnership with White Lightning that Tetsuya’s envy, his insecurity and his feelings of inadequacy began to bubble. What was even worse - Nobukazu had forgiven him. He had moved on, and he was simply happy that Tetsuya had a life, despite stupid mistakes that they had made earlier in their lives. He saw it as being condescended to, as being looked down upon.

Tetsuya and Todoya produced both a son and a daughter, even as their marriage drifted further apart. Their son, Ichiro, was the first. He was quickly followed by his sister, Ikuko. Tetsuya became more and more antsy, more panicky as his children began to grow. He hoped, with everything he had, that they would simply have the water quirks of their mother. He saw his genes as a curse, as a poison or disease that had infected his children, who he loved so much now, more than he had ever thought possible. He realised the mistakes he had made in his life, the awful man that he’d become. He began to suffer nervous breakdowns and panic attacks, culminating when he fainted during the arrest of a suspect, who quickly escaped afterwards. He wasn’t reprimanded, though he was deemed unfit for service as a Police Officer, and would serve a couple more weeks before he was removed.

Tetsuya withdrew further into himself. His mental state only got worse as it seemed that his son had a variation on both of his parents’ quirks; he was able to absorb water through his body, including from contact with others, and did not need to eat as long as he received water. He saw it as a narrow escape, but simply another variant on the curse he had left for his children, on the foul legacy he’d forced upon them. Eventually, he could take no more. One day, he simply left, going out while his wife slept in the house along with their children. He had not packed a thing, having only taken a few things; the clothes on his back, his wallet, and his gun. His badge was left in the house, displayed openly near the front door.

It hadn’t helped Tetsuya that he had figured something else about himself not long after the birth of his second child; he was not truly physically attracted to his wife, as much as he had been emotionally. He had always felt something off about himself, but understood more fully after leaving that he was gay, not the exact type of man that he had always thought he was. He took this in stride, not seeing it as something to worry too much about; he wasn’t exactly the dating kind, anyway. He travelled into the criminal underbelly, knowing it well enough thanks to a network of informants and criminals who were more than aware of him, even if they were unsure of why he was there. After proving his mettle, and that he wasn’t undercover by the killing of a high-ranking gang member that was framed as part of a larger turf war, he was generally accepted into the underworld community; at least amongst those not affiliated with that same gang.

He took on the identity of Sanguis, and quickly established himself as a villain through deeds across various cities, moving between them to gain funds and to establish an even deeper network of contacts, those he could call upon when he needed them. He began to never show his true face or say his name. With the nature of the underworld, many who had known him before tended to die off, though some deaths were a bit more convenient than others. Soon, his true name and face were forgotten, only remembered by a few who had known him in his younger years, or who had been a colleague of his as an officer. Still, none of them suspected that he was Sanguis. Tetsuya Kakinoki was, and still is, listed as missing, presumed dead.

He spent time nurturing and training his Quirk, becoming more powerful and deadly by the day, using it to feed regularly. He would disguise such attacks as muggings or fights gone wrong, as most of his victims were too disoriented afterwards to fully understand what had even happened to them. He became bolder, and he soon began to see that there was a pointlessness to simply amassing money for its own sake. Sanguis took his time, contemplating and thinking over the purpose he was to chase. Eventually, it came to him that he had to change at the very least, Japan. He saw society’s way of managing Quirks as mistaken, and being so set in, so ingrained, that normal means would never set it right. Power was too heavily balanced in favour of Heroes and their supporters.

So, taking it upon himself to try and begin a revolution, Sanguis seeks to instead rumble society from its core, to make the wider culture of Japan begin to understand that a man behind a desk, elected or not, has no right to say who can use their natural talents and who can not. His means are somewhat scattered and require greater focus, thanks to his instability and personal grudges; this is something he understands. He is still tainted with envy and a feeling that he is doomed, cursed to be a parasite, forever in fear that his revolution will harm his children, the ones who do not know him, when all he wants is a better world for them. Still, he continues, fully believing in his philosophy of change. If he cannot get the world to listen to him willingly, he will do it by force.

THE ARMORY

Sanguis Villain Suit
Brass Knuckles
Handgun
Smoke Grenades
Flashbangs

QUIRK & SKILLS

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Energy Leech

TYPE: Mutation
RANK/LEVEL: A
SUMMARY:
This Quirk allows, and requires the user to ‘feed’ on other living, organic beings. When the user’s palms make contact with another being, it can feed in this way. The quirk drains the victim of nutrients and energy, causing various detrimental effects. At first, this results in fatigue and nausea, but longer periods can cause vomiting, extreme drowsiness, loss of manual dexterity as well as balance and eventually unconsciousness. If the drain is held for an extended period of time, this can result in organ failure and even death for a victim.

The ‘effectiveness’ in how much is drained from a victim and in turn, how detrimental it is in a quicker time is determined by the origin point of the drain. If the user gets his hand on the extremities the drain will be less effective, particularly so at the legs. At the torso and abdomen, the drain will be more effective, increasing moreso at the neck, face and head. However, the ideal position is for the palm to be placed exactly over the mouth of the victim, which can cause a much quicker onset of these detrimental symptoms.

The effects of the Energy Leech are not permanent, though more serious consequences such as organ failure can require longer term treatment and/or recovery.

WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS:
One of the largest weaknesses of the Energy Leech quirk is that it replaces a normal human’s ability to gain nourishment from food and drink, or even water. Though these can still be enjoyed and will be processed normally, their nutrients will be useless. A victim must be drained to keep the user nourished and healthy. The only location that can drain a victim are the palms of the user; nothing else. Were the hands of the user to be removed, this would inevitably result in a slow, starving death, as even an IV Drip would be useless in nourishing them.

The user must be in close contact and grip firmly in order to begin a drain upon a victim. Thanks to this, any individual with a Quirk that allows them to assume a liquid, gaseous or otherwise incorporeal form could easily avoid the Energy Leech. Those that generate extreme temperatures or other harmful protectors around their bodies such as electricity or thorns could also prevent the Energy Leech from being much use.

RANK/LEVEL: A-
SUMMARY:
Having practiced Judo ever since he was young, Tetsuya has kept up this martial art and trained it further. He was a 7th Dan Judoka when he abruptly left his regular lessons thanks to his sudden disappearance; however, he has maintained and honed his training.

RANK/LEVEL: B
SUMMARY:
Being a trained police officer, Tetsuya is more than familiar with the world of firearms. He regularly trained with handguns in particular as he moved up the ranks to become a detective, and had to make use of his weapon more than once, even though these occasions were few and far between where a Hero hadn’t shown up to handle things already.

RANK/LEVEL: B
SUMMARY:
Though he was often not able to get in on the action as much as others, Tetsuya’s keen mind and honed instincts made him an invaluable cop. He was often able to notice details and discrepancies in a case that few others would, his skills as a detective making him very capable at predicting someone’s movements and motivations if he chooses to track them.

Bronzy

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