[Spirit Class 5] Fuuen

○ Name: Otonashi Masaru (音無 勝) ○ Alias: Fuuen (風縁, Wind Boundary) ○ Age: ~300 ○ Gender: Male. ○ Race: Plus ○ Affiliation: Gotei United, 7th Division Substitute ○ Alignment: True Neutral ○ Marital Status: Taken ○ Nationality: Japanese ○ Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual ○ Special Skill: Drawing a face after seeing it once. ○ Ideal Mate: Autistic Artistic ○ Height: 5’9” ○ Weight: Healthy. ○ Hair Colour: Black ○ Eye Colour: Red

Fuuen acts much as the winds from which he takes his name, simply watching many of the world’s events occur as an observer rather than choosing to engage in violence. He has no interest in engaging in conflict, as not only do the majority of battles simply not concern him, but it would be a disservice to his sword to involve it in something relatively petty. This detachment does not extend to simple interpersonal interactions, however, as he simply could not imagine an existence where he cared neither for events nor people. At that point he may as well simply not exist, and such an end is hardly enticing for anyone.

Fuuen's pride is something of a complicated issue. He is not proud of himself, per se. Rather, he is proud of his accomplishments with the sword, and of the many things he has seen in the world. He considers his swordsmanship to be something developed for its own sake, not for the purpose of killing, and he would never deign to sully his blade unless it was absolutely necessary. Indeed, he rarely draws the sword at all, and when he does it is only to practice forms, rather than for actual combat.

Though he once lacked the ability to maintain any memory, such is no longer the case, and there is almost a fervor now for which he lives his life. While he has always felt a passion for the arts, for the beauty in fine food, in the world around him, there is something infinitely more appealing in it all now that he can truly take such things to heart. Fuuen has known the tragedy that is impermanence, has known that nothing has any meaning if one cannot remember it, and there is a certain seriousness with which he treats his every action. After all, life only has meaning when one affirms it.


○ Elyss Kishimoto: A woman that he considers both a friend and a student, only with the return of his memory has it occurred to Fuuen that this is a woman he ought to worry over more than he has. He would rather like to help her, if he knew but how.

○ Yugiri: His significant other for the foreseeable future, she is the brisk typhoon to his gentle breeze. He adores her, but one would be hard-pressed to see him express that affection in anything other than cool, measured gestures and words. Anything more passionate is reserved only for Yugiri herself.


Fuuen, known as Otonashi Masaru in his life, was a ronin duelist of moderate renown in the late Edo period, born in 1815. His skill with the sword was exceptional, though not what one would call unrivaled or other such hyperbolic terms. Indeed, he is at best a historical footnote from this time, and the only facet of his life which saved him from absolute obscurity was the entirely unique style of swordplay which he applied to dueling. Though fundamentally built upon iaido, as a great many dueling forms were, Masaru applied this in a manner which was unorthodox, to say the very least. Rather than using any sort of blade which might have been considered quickly accessible, Masaru used a blade which he had personally requested, and paid for with every koku he had. Modeled after the famed monohoshizao of the duelist Sasaki Kojiro, Masaru's blade, which he christened the Yuudachi, was 6 feet in length in its entirety. While normally a blade of this length might have hindered one's ability to draw it quickly, Masaru had cut a sizable amount of its sheathe away, allowing him to draw it in a wide, forceful swing rather than the usual motion.

Of course, those who lost to a style so absurd and out of touch with proper swordplay were left rather shamed by the occurrence, and their families, students, and teachers began to despise this ridiculous ronin, who devalued the duel with his comical approach to combat. Masaru put no stock in this mockery and ire, of course, and continued to duel with little care for the outcome. There was no final duel which put him over the line, as is often the case in tales like his, no opponent who was a notch above him or too well-connected for him to get away with defeating. No, he was simply declared a public nuisance by the shogunate, and a bounty was put on his head. His last duel was in the year 1866, and while normally it would not be worth mentioning such a thing, his opponent was none other than Sakamoto Ryoma, under his alias of Saitani Umetaro. Masaru lost this duel, though he considered it to have been among his best, and only three days later, he was found and killed by several members of the Shinsengumi. Though he was able to kill only a single one of them, untrained as he was in genuine combat against multiple opponents, he was content enough with the life he had lived, and yet as he felt the final vestiges of life fading, he wished he could have had one more truly great bout with the man who had bested him not three days ago.

His body was simply wrapped in a burlap sack and tossed away into the sea, as there was hardly much concern about a vagrant like him. His sword was nearly thrown away with him, but out of respect for the craftsmanship of the blade, and for whoever it was that might have forged such a thing, they instead simply took it to a plain, unremarkable hill in the nearby countryside, and plunged the thing into the ground. The sheathe was nearly taken as a trophy, but such a thing would have been of questionable honor, and so it was left with the sword. Such was the end of Otonashi Masaru, a man who nearly disappeared entirely into history.

Of course, with death comes the loss of one’s memory, or at least the breaking of the timeline. Fuuen's first memory after death is simply of himself standing atop a hill, bathed in moonlight and entirely alone. He finds this peculiar, as he is able to rather vividly remember the details of the place, as if he were standing there now. The wind blew gently, but with a surprising bite from the frosty air, and rocked a single tree that only barely blocked out some of the moon's rays. Leaves fell around him, slowly and not in especially great number, and in the distance a few animals called out. It was a peaceful scene, and he very nearly wondered if any human had been here in a great many years. It was only with the presence of a blade, jabbed unceremoniously into the ground alongside this tree, with a scabbard hanging from a single branch, that gave any indication as to the presence of men. Taking this blade, he inspected it carefully, and upon finding the kanji 幽太刀 upon its hilt, found it charming in a way, and took sword and sheathe as his to keep.

For some time during his travels, Fuuen did the closest he had ever come to settling down. He took up residence in an abandoned temple, doing little but practicing with his blade. He was a spirit who had nothing to do but practice, and no interest except for that practice. Unbound by physical constraints and the mortal coil, Fuuen's swordplay simply continued to develop. If he found himself at a roadblock, then he simply practiced until it was overcome. No thought was put toward the actual nature of these challenges he faced, and not once did he consider that the stops he was treating as simple inconveniences were monumental challenges that would have been considered the peak of a normal swordsman's capabilities.

Of course, such peace did not last forever, and even for a hermit such as Fuuen, World War 3 made its impact. It was but a single duel, with a young invader who opted to attack the temple Fuuen called home. It was short, decisive, and without mercy. This invader forced Fuuen to dirty his pristine techniques with violence, something that he certainly did not care for, even knowing that he had been given no other alternative. It was not long afterward that he left the temple he once called home, as spiritual awareness in the world grew and drew further challengers toward him. It was simply that the memory of having killed even one other person haunted him, even when he could not remember it.

For quite some time afterward, little else of note happened in Fuuen's life, and his memory, or lack thereof, hid nothing particularly damning from him. But in recent years that came to be less true. He made friends, grew all the more skilled, and through this he was forced to adapt. His potential to grow and develop slowly began to outpace his lack of memory, and eventually, in one singular moment which he would almost call plain in its lack of bombast, Fuuen suddenly realized that he remembered it all. Life and death, mundane and unforgettable. It was as if he had simply taken a step and become a different person--

Yet, even as he realized his very appearance had returned to what it once had been, he did not feel as though he was once again Masaru. He was still Fuuen.

Since regaining his memory, Fuuen has hardly changed much at all in how he approaches his life. He still abhors violence, still wanders where he wishes like a gentle breeze. His service with the Gotei, as a substitute shinigami, has been pleasant enough, and he has found further friendship and even love since he put his mind back together. He has no high ambitions for the future, but no intention of letting it be wasted, either. There is far too much that he still has to learn, and far too much swordplay that he has yet to master.


○ Yuudachi: The Yuudachi (幽太刀, literally “ghost sword”) is Fuuen's personal blade, which he carries strapped to his back at all times. It is a masterfully crafted sword, though the name of its smith has been lost to the ages, and even the kanji which denote the sword's name have begun to fade over the centuries. The sword is a total of 6' in length, taken in its entirety, and 4 and a half of those feet comprise its blade. While normally such a sword would be imbalanced to a nearly comedic degree, its hilt has been crafted so as to provide suitable weight to counterbalance the otherwise unwieldy weapon. Thanks to this design, while the sword is by no means easy to use for anyone who is unfamiliar with it, Fuuen himself is capable of using it with all of the precision and finesse of any other sword. While at one time the blade was a pristine silver, the memories of its usage as a weapon of merciless killing have stained the blade itself, and it is now a bold and undeniable shade of red that Fuuen himself does not much care for.

○ Asauchi: Given to him as part of his duties as a Substitute Shinigami, Fuuen uses this blade primarily for the purposes of konso. While he has attempted to develop it, zero progress has ever been made on that front.


○ Limitless Potential: Due to the nature of his life, or perhaps the nature of his death, Fuuen's potential for swordplay is quite literally without end. If there is some difficulty in training, or a concept he cannot grasp, then through pure trial and error, countless attempts to achieve perfection, Fuuen will eventually understand it, no matter how difficult. It may take a great deal of time, but so long as he applies himself to his training, Fuuen can overcome any obstacle and continue to pursue the impossible ideal of genuinely perfect swordsmanship.

○ Passive Spiritual Control: As Fuuen has no training in spiritual abilities of any kind, he cannot actively engage in any sort of spiritual attack. However, this is only true if made under the assumption that he is making said attack with the intent of spiritual application, something which he would never do as a pursuant solely of swordsmanship. What truly brings Fuuen's swordsmanship to a frightening level is that, through nothing more than his nature as a Plus, and his own sheer skill and talent, spiritual energy in his vicinity will bend to the will of his blade and bring power which would be otherwise impossible to his techniques. What this means, simply put, is that Fuuen exudes no spiritual power of his own, and has within him only the barest amount necessary to exist as a Plus spirit in the first place. However, he is still entirely capable of performing astounding spiritual feats through his Fugaku Sanjūrokkei.

○ Fugaku Sanjūrokkei (36 Views of Mount Fuji): This is Fuuen's personal sword style, honed and developed over the centuries to be as efficient and as perfect in form as possible. It is a style which is not meant for combat, but this does not mean it is ineffective if used in such a way. A sword is a sword, after all, and as much as Fuuen dislikes applying his knowledge to something as base as killing, he is capable of doing so if he must. The style is named after a series of paintings by the ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, and each of its techniques shares the name of a painting from that set. This naming convention comes from Fuuen's fundamental approach to swordplay; that there are many approaches and considerations one might make, and that while all techniques must rely on the same basic core of a sword against a foe, there is no reason one cannot be creative with positioning, sword direction, and even the battlefield itself. While any sword form has an exceptional array of techniques and forms, both simple and advanced, the 36 Views are those 36 techniques which elevate Fuuen's craft beyond mere swordplay, and into a genuine art. Those of the 36 Views which are currently not listed here do still exist, and will be added to the list as they appear in threads.
» 36 Views:

• 1. Kanagawa Oki Nami-ura: The first by merit of its worth, and by merit of Fuuen's pride regarding it, Kanagawa Oki Nami-ura is a technique which would be flatly impossible using a single blade. By focusing his mind on the infinite possible paths of a sword, Fuuen is able to manifest each and every one of these possibilities within a single slash, overwhelming the foe in countless strikes in one moment. This ability alone would be enough for many swordsmen to consider the peak, but Fuuen still believes he can do better, as the weaknesses of this technique are simply too much for him to be content with it in its current form. First and foremost, anyone who is equally well versed in the sword is able to note the otherwise imperceptible moment of pause that marks Fuuen's focus becoming centered, and can take advantage of this to catch him before the strike is able to be made. Beyond this, there is the simple matter that each of these strikes, other than that of the sword in his hand, is made of spiritual energy, and so those with heightened defenses against those sorts of attacks, or who can absorb such energy at a high level, will have little trouble with the overwhelming number of otherwise relatively weak blows.
  
  • 1, Zoku. Kaijou no Fuji: A followup technique to the Kanagawa Oki Nami-ura, the Kaijou no Fuji requires that Fuuen coalesce the extreme spiritual energy already utilized for the initial technique. All of those uncountable strikes are condensed into the edge of Fuuen’s sword in the form of dew, and upon swinging the blade only once, is unleashed in a massive wave-like cut that carries the same intensity as all of Kanagawa Oki Nami-ura combined. It is, however, an exhausting technique to utilize, and so it is only realistically practical to use at the end of a fight to close it out, or as a last resort.
  
  
• 2. Gaifuu Kaisei: A highly telegraphed overhead slash, the Gaifuu Kaisei is specifically intended to give the opponent an opportunity to evade. While it is certainly an impressive slash by normal standards, compared to Fuuen’s best it is remarkably slow and controlled, and as such, it gives him ample ability to follow up the attack with a much more targeted and swift strike, intended to capitalize on however the opponent evades.
  
• 3. Sanka Hakuu: A vertical downward strike, this technique is characterized by the reishi coursing over the blade itself that arcs outward before the slash genuinely begins. While Fuuen’s blade moves in a perfect line downward, the spiritual power accompanying it instead creates two diagonal cuts in an X shape, moving at the same speed as the physical sword itself. It is an extremely direct offensive technique, offering significantly more power for only a slight increase in effort.
  
• 9. Bishuu Fujimigahara: This technique can only be properly achieved when Fuuen’s blade is sheathed on his back, and in some ways can be said to be an extreme modification of the principles of iaijutsu. The sword and sheath both fill with spiritual energy, before Fuuen draws the blade in a high-speed wide arc. The energy accumulated moves alongside this arc, creating an exceptionally wide slash of spiritual power that dwarfs Fuuen himself.
  
• 17. Soshuu Enoshima: Not so much a singular technique as a method of adjusting any other typical sword strike, Soshuu Enoshima creates a functional extension of the blade’s length, manifesting reishi into an extension of the sword. This extension can be anywhere from a few inches to outright doubling the length of Fuuen’s sword, and does not necessarily need to occur before Fuuen begins an attack. As such, it is not uncommon for a swing that might have seemed too far away to, in fact, be perfectly capable of reaching an opponent.
  
• 27. Bushū Tamagawa: Functioning similarly to the Kanagawa oki nami-ura, Bushū Tamagawa is comprised of a quick slash from above, typically aimed at the head or shoulders of the opponent, though any part of the body is perfectly targetable. Upon this slash's completion, however, four afterimages of the sword follow after it, striking every bit as powerfully as the initial blow and deepening the wounds inflicted. This attack is intended as a simple all-purpose strike, able to be applied offensively or defensively depending on the situation, and is one of Fuuen's most frequently used maneuvers.
  
• 32. Koushuu Kajikazawa: A technique that is exceptionally similar to the 9th View, Koushuu Kajikazawa is differentiated at a glance by the orientation of the slash. Rather than a vertical cut, this technique takes the form of a horizontal slash, a perfect circular cut around Fuuen that creates 360 degrees of defensive coverage by way of one massive spiritual blade, even if only for a moment.
  
• 35. Shinshuu Suwako: A defensive technique in which Fuuen lowers himself to the ground, taking a single step beneath an opponent’s strike as his sword remains low enough to nearly touch the ground. In the event that the foe’s defenses are sufficiently weak, it allows for a crippling strike against them from below, and in the event that they are capable of defending, it allows Fuuen to simply return to his stance effortlessly.

○ Urafuji (裏富士, lit. "Reverse Side of Mt. Fuji"): These techniques are those which Fuuen designed after his death, rather than those he first created while alive as Otonashi Masaru. While there is nothing inherently different about them when compared to the techniques of the original Fugaku Sanjuurokkei, he categorizes them differently on account of the personal distinction.

• 6. Shoujin Tozan: A relatively simple technique, at least in Fuuen's view, it is actually remarkably complicated, and almost assuredly would not be possible were it not for Fuuen's unique spiritual status and sheer martial prowess. By cutting through the air with his sword, Fuuen can create a temporary gate between the realms. Even with his skill, however, this is not an easy technique to perform, nor is it one that is by any means perfect. It takes a full post of focus simply to create this gate, and once it is created, it will only stay open for one post, closing immediately after Fuuen walks through (assuming he even does). It is not especially large, only allowing for a typical person to comfortably walk through, and anything too large to be moved through two-meter opening will simply be unable to move through it.

○ Ukiyo Hakkei (浮世八恵, lit. “Fleeting Life’s Eight Blessings”): This collection of styles is built upon Fuuen's previous life as the duelist Otonashi Masaru. Each of them has been developed as a manner of continuing a life that he himself took, and as such, he treats them with every bit the same respect and reverence that his own Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji. If he were to show them anything less, it would dishonor them, and tarnish his own honor as an artist.

• Ichi no Kei: Yau (一の恵 夜燠, First Blessing: Night Ember): Fuuen has not yet suitably mastered this style for combat purposes.
  
• Ni no Kei: Rakugan (二の恵 落願, Second Blessing: Descending Prayer): Fuuen has not yet suitably mastered this style for combat purposes.
  
• San no Kei: Seiran (三の恵 晴瀾, Third Blessing: Clearing Wave): This style, inherited from the roving duelist Maihime, is every bit as aggressive as the woman who created it. Maihime was a runaway samurai who had, upon losing a bet and being compelled to marry a foreign daimyo, simply fled into the mountains to live out a more interesting life. Her pursuit of combat was not necessarily for any artistic reasons, but simply because she relished the idea of battle. It was that very fire that had attracted the daimyo to her, and that had led her into the mountains. Fuuen regrets having cut her down only because he knows that she surely could have lived more peacefully in another lifetime. Born into different circumstances, she could have burned brightly.
  
  The Seiran style, conceptualized by a woman who existed to put forward her all, is one that demands the opponent respect it through sheer aggression. It does not believe in defense, does not intend to parry or sidestep any blow. Rather, it intends to attack so completely that the opponent has no time to defend, not only committing one's body to mighty swings, but to a constantly forward offense. By putting the opponent onto their back foot, the Seiran style intends to make them desperate, and to force them into making a potentially fatal mistake.
  
  • Seiran Ni-shiki: Yamakaji (晴瀾弐式 山火事 lit. “Clearing Wave 2nd Technique: Wildfire”): The closest thing to a “defensive” technique that might ever exist in the Seiran style, it is simply a slight modification of offensive principles. Coating the edge of his sword in spiritual energy, Fuuen then slams the blade into the ground, unconcerned with whether or not the edge strikes an opponent proper. A wave of flame-like reishi quickly bursts outward from the point of impact, cutting what it touches as if struck by Fuuen’s own sword.
  
  
• Shi no Kei: Banshou (四の恵 晚星, Fourth Blessing: Evening Star): Fuuen has not yet suitably mastered this style for combat purposes.
  
• Go no Kei: Sekishou (五の恵 夕咲, Fifth Blessing: Sunset Bloom): Inherited from the blind government enforcer Akatsuka, who was known for his attachment to the word of the shogun above all else. His legalism was a point of extreme contention even among other members of the shogunate, and brought him into conflict with the Shinsengumi and Shinchogumi both during his time as a man of the law. Fuuen regrets having to cut him down, but Akatsuka was one of the first forces of the government to be sent after him when he was considered a nuisance. He has taken on the Sekishou style with pride, and treats it as an honorable, straightforward style with no room for trickery. Despite its original master's lack of eyesight, it is a style so extremely orthodox that even the opponent would find trouble in taking advantage of the user.
  
  Because of this honorable nature, the Sekishou style holds the blade in an extremely straightforward stance, vertically oriented and with both hands on the hilt. The stance is wide, each foot kept apart so that the practitioner cannot be knocked off balance easily, and their focus is overwhelmingly on their stance and the sword in their hands. The style is extremely defensive, focused on the vibrations through the earth and even the movement of the wind against his sword. It is highly reactive, and while it is by no means a perfect defensive form, it is an extremely solid form when facing a new or unfamiliar style.
  
• Roku no Kei: Bosetsu (六の恵 暮蝃, Sixth Blessing: Twilight Rainbow): Fuuen has not yet suitably mastered this style for combat purposes.
  
• Shichi no Kei: Shuugetsu (七の恵 秋讞, Seventh Blessing: Autumn Judgement): Fuuen has not yet suitably mastered this style for combat purposes.
  
• Hachi no Kei: Kihan (八の恵 歸伴, Eighth Blessing: Returning Consort): Inherited from the ronin swordsman Yoshida, a mercenary who fought with the Shinsengumi. Yoshida was a swordsman known for bouts of exceptional violence and cruelty, tempered only seemingly by an apathy towards all things, including life itself. Fuuen, however, knows that the truth of the matter was Yoshida's own unstable mind. He was a man cursed with insanity from the moment he was born, and one that Fuuen believes to have been a tragic man more than an evil one. Yes, he certainly killed countless in battles that were ultimately unnecessary, but Fuuen believes that it was still not his place to take a man's life when there was still any opportunity for him to atone. He considers the tale of Yoshida a tragedy born of madness and of circumstance, even if others would only call it evil.
  
  A style built upon what some would call deceit, the Kihan style takes a stance where the sword is held low, its tip pointed toward the ground, and the hands are loose around the hilt. At the same time, the practitioner takes on a reserved stance, one foot behind the other and their head hung a bit low. Their eyes are empty, seemingly aimed at nothing other than the broadest area that the opponent takes up, and in general it is a stance that seems to lack any confidence. However, it is a style exceptionally suited to defense, allowing a quick step back or to the side in order to avoid a blow, and the unfocused gaze is, rather, intended to take in the entirety of the opponent's stance and every technique. The true purpose of the Kihan style is to strike at the opponent when they have become overconfident, when they believe that they have found a hole in his defense.

General Skills

• Durability: C
  
• General Speed: C
  
• Strength: D
  
• Soul: B
  

Will Skills

• Willpower: Adept
  
• Mental Deduction: Adept
  
• Focus: Advanced
  

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Winter Burst 2022 Claim
-Durability from Beginner to Adept (10 Points)
-General Speed from Adept to Advanced (25 Points)
-Focus from Adept to Advanced (25 Points)
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Shoujin Tozan Upgrade
-Added the Urafuji designation for techniques
-Added 6. Shoujin Tozan under the Urafuji techniques
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Spring Burst 2022
-Hoho from Untrained to Beginner
-Moved from Plus to Shinigami
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New Year Burst 2023
-Tier from 5-3 to 5-1
-Hoho from Beginner to Adept
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6 Years In the Making Baby
-Spirit Class from 8 to 5
-Durability from D to C
-Soul from D to B