PLAYER: Min
ARE YOU AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD?: Yes
CONTACT: koutenko or koutenko#5884
CHARACTERS PLAYED: N/A

NAME: Sakamoto Ryouma
CANON: Fate/Grand Order
CANON REFERENCE:

• Sakamoto Ryouma | TYPE-MOON Wiki
• Sakamoto Ryōma | Fate/Grand Order Wiki

CANON POINT: Post-GUDAGUDA Teito Seihai Kitan
CRAU HISTORY: N/A
AGE: Mid-20s (in appearance); 31 (at death); technically unknown as a Heroic Spirit
APPEARANCE: here
CONTRACT PAYMENT: To "make a world where everyone can live happily".

QUESTIONNAIRE:

• Your Faction leader, not just your boss but the leader, has asked you to carry out a hit. The target is a non-affiliated public leader, well-liked by the people of the city. Do you carry it out? Why or why not?

[ ryouma fingers the brim of his hat as he often does when he's considering things, his expression difficult to read at first. ]

I would have to assume that if the Faction leader is coming to me directly, then I must have done something for them before that they approved of.

[ he smiles easily because working by that assumption, a man like him has already made where he stands clear. ]

So they should expect me to say no and ask questions. There's always a better solution than that. If the public leader isn't affiliated with anyone and popular with the people, it would be a lot smarter to work together peacefully with this person, don't you think? And if they are affiliated with another Faction, the people will only have more reason to see us as enemies. If anyone wants anything to change in this place, it needs to begin with earning the trust and favour of the people.

[ having aspired to topple a government once, he'd know. ]

• What is the most frightening thing you've ever done? What part of you did it test the most?

[ he much prefers the questions that deal in hypotheticals more than the ones that delve into his history — because that's something ryouma would choose to avoid — but since he can't, his expression tightens a bit and his smile no longer quite reaches his eyes. ]

I left my home a long time ago. Back then, that meant treason, so obviously it isn't a thing you treat lightly. I had travelled before, but this was different. The world was changing but I wasn't sure what I needed to do, only that I needed to do something. Ah! I must have been very young and stupid because I don't think I'd have such an easy time anymore letting go so freely.

[ he laughs, but there's a sadness to it he can't shake. ]

I guess that's growing up though, isn't it? I'm still not so good at being careful, but I made a lot of mistakes back then. Too many died. It was always difficult moving forward, especially when you knew taking one path means another one ends, but you need to keep moving forward because there's something only you can accomplish.

• What is your favourite diversion? Hobbies, indulgences, vices? Would you put off important things for that diversion, or would you be more strict about how you spend your time and/or money?

That's an easy one. I like all sorts of things, this and that. None of it's really important.

[ he's also doubting the likelihood of running into particular niche interests around here. ]

I wouldn't put off something important for a diversion. I like doing good work and I like doing work I enjoy doing. Plus, I'm smarter about how I handle money now.

[ he looks a little sheepish to admit this. ]

I had plenty of time to figure it out.

• An enemy of your faction has asked for a meeting, proposing a truce of sorts to deal with a greater threat. On one hand, there is indeed a threat at hand, but on the other, this person double-crossing you is just as likely an outcome. Do you agree to the meeting? Do you trust them?

[ ryouma can't help but be amused at this question too. he has a little experience. ]

Of course! That's the best time for a discussion like that. Aren't they just as likely to wonder if we might double-cross them? Enemies don't have to stay enemies forever, but negotiations have to be honest. If you go looking for demons in the dark, you'll find them.

[ in this case, he means if you go around expecting to get screwed over. ]

POWERS & ABILITIES:

Ryouma is a Servant. What this means, essentially, is that he has a body composed entirely of magic (ether) with enhanced strength, abilities, senses, and durability (compared to a human). When a Heroic Spirit is summoned as a Servant, they are something like a complex magical familiar and are more or less bound by the constraints assigned to them by the class they're summoned as. In Ryouma's case, he is summoned as a Rider.

A Servant has both a spiritual and corporeal form which they are able to shift between at will. A Servant must take their corporeal form to be able to sense or interact with the physical environment, but their spiritual form allows them to conserve mana as they have no physical form to maintain.

As a Counter Guardian, Ryouma exists as a Masterless Servant. Because he will still be a Servant even though he's power nerfed, Ryouma still has a Saint Graph or Spirit Origin which functions somewhat like a Servant's soul or core. Since his partner Oryou is his Noble Phantasm, she is a part of his Saint Graph and becoming separated from her causes Ryouma to experience a non-physical sensation of loss or something missing (sort of like a spiritual phantom limb?). He also lacks a Noble Phantasm for this same reason, since Oryou is his Noble Phantasm itself.

Ryouma doesn't use any legendary weapons, just the weapons he was personally known for carrying, Mutsu-no-Kami Yoshiyuki (a katana) and a Smith & Wesson revolver.

• Class Skills
  • Riding (A+ Rank): All vehicles and all creatures up to the level of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast can be used as mounts.
  • Magic Resistance (C Rank): Negates low level magic (described as Magecraft with a chant of two verses or less). It can't block larger scale spells or curses.
• Personal Skills
  • Hero of the Restoration (A Rank): Confidence under pressure and the ability to maintain a strong forward momentum even in the face of chaos or difficulties. "A special skill that was awarded to Ryouma, who rode through the turbulent times of the Bakumatsu and contributed tremendously to the extraordinary historical reformation known as the Meiji Restoration."
  • Senchu Hassaku (A Rank): Refers to Ryouma's gift for innovative thinking as a visionary. "A set of eight proposals that outline a new nation, said to have been compiled by Sakamoto Ryouma. The contents of the clauses were said to be innovative during his time. It's a skill that paves a path of hope for a better future, no matter how dire the situation."
  • Charisma (C+ Rank): The intangible ability to be able to inspire cooperation in others despite not being a ruler or politician. "He may not be able to run a nation, but he possesses solid connections with whom he is affiliated and swore to serve until death. At times, Ryouma's power can be strong enough to weaken groups having ideologies that clash with his.

Per mod response on the FAQ, Ryouma will be limited by the ruling on the Servant abilities that would allow him to magically alter his appearance and would need to regain that ability via rewards.

SUITABILITY: Ryouma's historical role took place during the Bakumatsu period at the end of the Tokugawa Era, one of the most bloody and dangerous times in Japanese history. He's well-acquainted from personal experience with violence and death. He has also been a Counter Guardian for some time, meaning he accepted a contract with the World and serves as a balancing force that is summoned when humanity is on the brink of destruction to set things right. This is often a terrible role because it often involves the culling of particular humans in order to preserve the human race as a whole. For someone as kind-hearted as Ryouma, it's been a very difficult role to play but he's done it in order to fulfil his aspiration of creating a better world.

He considers his time in hell to be another job and assumes there's some reason why he's been sent there. He isn't sure if his contract in hell supersedes his contract as a Counter Guardian, but imagines that's way above his pay grade so he has no choice but to play the game around here. He is sure to encounter issues along the way just because of the nature of the place — it is violent and filled with crime, drugs, and sex. People are more likely to choose the bloody option than the peaceful one and he will always work for the solution that involves less pain, suffering, and death. He's not likely to be popular with certain types of people and that's just fine. Ryouma enjoys a challenge.

Ryouma is also described as having a very paradoxical way of seeing things. I think it will be very interesting to explore the setting with his sort of character, particularly where the darker aspects of his backstory get touched on. Ryouma is a new muse for me and I typically play a character whose key points pull almost exclusively from the historical backstory (and only a little bit of the Fate/ lore), so one of the things I'm excited about is getting to play around with more of the Fate/ lore and Counter Force things, either by earning abilities back or how what he encounters in the game relate to those experiences.

FACTION SUITABILITY:

• The Shuten Clan: Honestly, Ryouma would not fit in well with the overall culture of the Shuten Clan. Things like money, strength, and partying don't matter to him at all and he's the least likely person to use force to try to get anything done. He also has the strongest likelihood of unintentionally offending members of his own faction, as he doesn't lie but he can be deliberately nebulous and unclear and has an odd way of going about things whereas the Shuten have the sort of code and values that probably would not look too kindly on his way of doing business.


• The Tamamo Clan: Ryouma can appreciate the sort of businesses the Tamamo Clan specialises in, even if things like sex work aren't of particular interest to him personally. He would agree with the Tamamo's belief that having power means that one can have freedom, although he would be critical of how that power gets used. Ryouma would also be supportive of any action or activity that is helpful to the people or otherwise makes them happy as long as it's genuine and doesn't take advantage of people. However, Ryouma's success isn't because he's particularly cunning or insightful, he has a tendency to just feel things out and make things up as he goes along. Similar to the Shuten, he might have challenges if how he operates doesn't gel well with how the Tamamo typically prefer things to get done.


• The Sutoku Alliance: Ryouma would likely find the Sutoku Alliance to be the most familiar and happiest arrangement. He would be very supportive of the idea of smaller, weaker groups coming together for a common goal and would make efforts to strengthen and expand these ties, especially in areas of difficulty like the Kappa's allegiance to the Alliance. Here, again, he would want to do a lot of work that involves getting the local people on board and making sure the Alliance is making good on what they offer in exchange for support or allegiance. He would also appreciate that the Alliance believes in maintaining their own tribal identities, although navigating the nuances of each particular tribe will probably make for an interesting challenge.


• The Department of the Enma: This would be almost a continuation of Ryouma's work as a Counter Guardian. There is a surprising amount of freedom in it, given that the directive is to maintain order by any means necessary. This can be in terrible ways, but as with everything else, Ryouma would seek the least destructive option. This faction would challenge him because just as it was as a Guardian, there would be times when he has no choice but to take the only available option. This would potentially also cause him the greatest amount of struggle in terms of his personal relationships, as his work with the Enma might directly come into conflict with his own personal feelings if that work impacts close individuals involved with other factions (for example, if completing a task were to cause someone to be punished). He would, however, see the value in the belief that because the system is justice, it cannot be corrupt. Ryouma recognises the value in a system like that, assuming it protects people. He would be invested in helping to ensure that justice is properly served. Additionally, it's generally understood that Oryou joined Ryouma during his work as a Guardian and handled much of the fighting and violence. While the other factions might see him doing more diplomatic functions, the Enma might require him to take more direct action, which he would also need to see to himself now.


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