Youta Nishimura (Bake-Tanuki) [Student]

THE BASICS

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Youta appears to be an anthropomorphic Tanuki. You may thinking "what the heck is a Tanuki?" That is a much longer conversation. He is a 3 ft tall bipedal fur covered animal somewhere between a raccoon, a dog and a teddy bear. Usually he is dressed in shorts and a plain colored t-shirt without shoes. Of course while this is his normal appearance, he often changes shape to that of a 5'7"young man with red hair, a shy bookish manner and a quick smile. Of course this form also has the Tanuki ears on the top of his head and the matching striped bushy tail. He tends to pull and adjust his clothes in this form as a nervous habit. He almost always has a  book on him. Still there is often a twinkle in his eye at odd moments that speaks to mischief.

PERSONALITY

Youta often gives the impression of being a sweet quiet kid but at his heart he is more of the Yokai he so appears to be. He was raised in a small country village up in the mountains of Japan, spending a lot of his time with the little monastery there. So it should be no surprise that he is Buddhist, prefers small villages and quiet meditative spots. He has always been able to blend in with people, smile and get along with few exceptions. When he is in his favorite human appearance he tends to be a little shy but he cannot keep his playful optimism boxed in for too long. There is a prankster inside him that itches to get out.
He is a bit of a nature lover and likes all sorts of animals (especially deer) but also has a thirst for knowledge that sends him to a library to pour over books when he isnt in the garden or walking through a park for a respite from the busy modern world. 

BACKGROUND HISTORY

Youta was found as a small child maybe 6 months old when he was left at the gate to the Buddhist monastery in the small farming village of Shirakawa. The brothers brought him in only to find that he was no normal child, but the spitting image of a bake-tanuki. Yet despite the appearance, it was a child, complete with all the needs and adorable cuteness of such. They took him in, appealing to some of the local women to help them. Fortunately with time he learned he had the ability to change shape, though his early attempts were spotty including more tanuki. aspects than human At the age of 4, the monks decided it was best for the young man to move into a home with one if the village families.
After a semi-rough settling period, Youta actually got along with most of the villagers, especially the children as he was unassuming and yet willing to join in on fun. The fact that the monks looked on him lovingly and protectively helped. He has had a couple of run ins with older people who thought he was a real tanuki and wished to benefit from his supposed luck. But the village always supported and looked out for him. At the same time he has been helpful to the village as well.
When he was 7, he and some friends were playing in the woods when he tripped and fell down the hillside. In the process he changed into his full Tanuki form and ended up on top of an old shine that had washed down the hill years before and had been lost. Finding it again so it could be re-established was considered very god luck as was the time he fell out of a tree and knocked a nest loose that contained precious heirlooms from 6 of the families in the village. He had little runs of good luck all through his younger days.Well good luck for those around him. It started being said behind his back that when Youta fell, gold was soon to follow.
By the time he entered his teens, Youta had gotten quite decent at shape changing. He was always welcomed to entertain with his impressions and little stories at get togethers and festivals. Of course this was offset by the fact that he was also known to pull little tricks on people, usually with a group of giggling children looking on from the bushes. Still his ability was astonishing and he was getting better at it year after year.
It was at this point that village elders started talking about what was best for Youta and the village. He was old enough to start going to a school of higher level than was available in the town. Instead of him traveling down to the school with the others by bus every day, they arranged for him to attend a prep school in Tokyo. It was quite a change for Youta and he found it very difficult at first. Still he did well if acted a bit more shy, to the point that after a couple of years the village elders sent a request that he be allowed to join the famous school for heroes.

THE ARMORY

no costume or item till power improves.

QUIRK & SKILLS

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Who you?

TYPE: Transformation
RANK/LEVEL:D+
SUMMARY:
Youta's has the ability to change shape into that of any human he can imagine or see in his mind. To do so he must first be in his Tanuki form, have a free leaf against his skin and then concentrate for 1 post. Weight and height do not seem to matter though he always has the same mass, despite being 6'5" or 3'. 

- LIMITATION: To change forms he must be in his base Tanuki form first. He cannot change from any other form including his favored half and half form. He cannot change his mass. He must have a leaf from a tree against his skin. The leaf can be from any tree but it cannot be a leaf off a small bush or plant. Traditionally it was on the forehead under a hat. More often nowadays he will tie it to a forearm or against his neck. If it is damaged he will instantly change back to the Tanuki form.
- WEAKNESSES: When asleep or unconscious he always reverts to Tanuki form. If the leaf is ripped, torn or removed from him, he reverts to Tanuki form. Part of being the same mass means that he has the strength and constitution of his normal form as well, which would be much weaker than a normal sized person. It is more similar to that of a medium sized dog.

RANK/LEVEL: C-
SUMMARY:
Influenced by the frugal and fastidious monks, he has learned to take care of his own clothing, sewing, patching and repairing it himself. That said he can wear modern mass produced clothing but finds it itchy and uncomfortable, mostly cause it doesnt change with him.

RANK/LEVEL: C+
SUMMARY:
One of the skills required of him by the monks was being able to cook classic japanese cuisine using whatever was available, It is something he enjoys and is quite good at. His noodles are to die for. Of course it helps as he has a rather strong aversion for most fast foods.. except anything with lots of molten cheese on it(pizza as an example).

RANK/LEVEL: C
SUMMARY:
He grew up in a small village in the mountains of Japan that was snowed in every winter. He has been taught what is edible and what is not as well as how to raise a small garden of plants. It not unusual for him to go walking through woods or around streams when he can and find plants that he can eat or that he can bring back and grow in a small potted garden. He can also set small traps for rabbits and birds but isn't a hunter in any way.

RANK/LEVEL: D+
SUMMARY:
Less a martial art than a exercise made of soft movements similar to tai chi and probably borrowed from chinese monks a long time ago, this was done daily by the monks of his village and he joined them from a young age He can use it to block hits and kicks and throws based on other peoples movement but if asked he will say it isnt really anything but a way to calm his mind and concentrate, that occasionally lets him avoid getting hit as much.

Mark

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