aka Kenage Houbai(brave comrade)

Age:21

Appearance: Kenage's hair is the palest of blonds, almost white, perhaps best described as cream. He basically leaves it the way it looks when he rolls out of bed in the morning and it's mildly unruly. His hair falls in spiked layers to about his ears. His eyes are a piercing gray although usually filled with kindness and a sort of inner light that draws others to him as friends. He always seems to have a soft smile on his face. His skin is fairly tan to contrast with his very pale hair and he has an excellent build although he's not extremely tall-- only about 5'7". He makes up for his lack of height in fights by being extremely agile.

Fighting Outfit
Kenage wears loose grayish tan pants and gray sandals similar to what the Samurai of ancient Japan would have worn. Over his pants he has an extra wing of black cloth which is embroidered, and he wears a cream colored vest that literally matches his hair. Over the vest he wears a loose, long cream colored jacket that matches and has very wide sleeves. Both when fighting and not fighting he wears a good luck charm on a long pendant, but when he's in fighting mode the amount of chains and bracelets seem to increase. Attached to one of the pieces of the vest is another charm.

Weapon(s): He fights with a straight sword that is about the same size as a katana, being unusually large for a straight sword. It's a little greater than average in thickness, and the handle is long enough for him to use two hands should the situation require such. The hilt is covered in strips of tan, gray, and cream colored leather which intersect to form a diamond pattern. He's labeled this weapon "Bougu" or Protector. Powers:
Kenage's powers are drawn from the spirit; from his own mainly because of all the light and courage his soul holds. He's also a master of the style taught at the Zenrei dojo (like Ryu) only during his years in Britain he added some fencing moves to it and has made it a style completely his own. He's also in the process of studying other forms of martial arts such as Tai Chi and Kung Fu. He's not nearly as advanced in these methods though.
Warrior's Spirit -- this is what he says to transform. He raises his arms above his head and his sword appears. When both hands grip it his body becomes a brightly shining figure, so white that nothing can be made out except for Kenage's gray eyes. When the light fades he's in his fighting clothes.
Brave Soul Strike -- he closes his eyes and extends an arm forwards with two fingers raised. After a moment of concentration his eyes open and they flash white briefly. Suddenly a beam of energy forms at his fingers and he sends it towards a target.
Heart of Healer -- this is what he says to heal wounds. However whatever he heals he takes 25% of that injury, so it's not without drawbacks. Healing a "dead" person is much harder for him and he gains 50% of the injuries when he does so, and is usually knocked out.
Helping Hand -- saying this will add strength to an attack of a friend he trusts. For example, if he was fighting with Ryu against an opponent, using this would make Ryu's attack stronger.
Light of Soul -- Kenage's strongest attack -- he raises his sword above his head and yells "Light of Soul!" After doing so he can direct light/spirit energy towards any opponent or group of opponent for a period of time. The energy surrounds his sword and his fists, and it follows both in the shape of the blade/fist. (In other words imagine them being surrounded by an aura of light and energy, and this energy trails behind him as he moves.)

History: Kenage's mother was born in Japan but chose to major in English and due to her excellent grades and ability to speak the language well, she travelled to Britain for college where she eventually graduated with honors and began to work at the Japanese Embassy there. That's where she met his father, who also worked for the embassy. They were married and settled in Britain. Kenage is their first child. His parents both wanted him to understand how wonderful Crystal Tokyo and Neo Japan were so they often sent him there to visit his Grandparents on summer vacations, where he met "Old Man Zenrei" and made friends with the entire Zenrei family, including one Zenrei Ryuujin. The two have been nearly life long friends. Kenage has three siblings: a younger sister and the twins, his two youngest brothers. When he was 7 and his mother was pregnant with the twins the doctors feared there would be complications so to make things easier on the family he was sent to live with his Grandparents. During this time he came to love Japan and he vowed that when he was old enough he would settle there permanantly. He ended up staying with his Grandparents for around a year and a half, and ever since has spent almost every vacation in Japan, except for the last few because he was working very hard to graduate from college early. He was crestfallen when he found out that Ryu's parents and younger sister had been murdered but could not make the trip to Japan to see the funeral or council his friend because of school. He has not heard of the death of his old Master, Ryu's Grandfather, and assumed the dojo would still be open when he decided to leave for Japan, where he was hoping he could help Ryu and Master Zenrei teach. He doesn't know what's been happening in Ryu's life so he's in for a bit of a surprise.
His own life has been rather uneventful compared to his friend's, and this is perhaps what allows him to keep such a bright personality and optimistic outlook on life. This is unlikely however, because even as children Ryu was often the brooding shadow when Kenage was the shining lantern. They remain however good friends and comrades despite their different viewpoints and attitudes.

Personality: Kenage is well liked -- guys want to be around him because he has integrity and girls want to be around him because he has character. He has a good sense of humor and enjoys a fight as long as the other combatants fight honorably -- honor is a big thing with him. He's a bit of a flirt, and due to his fairly popular status, good looks, and open minded attitude, he's been known to date members of either sex. At least, back in Britain, that was the rumor. He seems to have an inner light inside that nobody and nothing can take away: he's trustworthy and loyal and gives excellent advice.

Home: Kenage is currently rooming with Kira.