Alter Ego: The Zanrai Kid
Character's Full Name: Yukio Shonazaki
Pronunciation: yew-KEE-oh shohn-nah-ZAH-kee
Species: Human
Powers: Electrical manipulation, tactical prowess, sword skills
Features: Average by Japanese standards
Age: 23
Height: 5' 9''
Weight: 149 lb.
Body Build: Slim in a healthy way.
Hair Color(s): Black when a civilian, black and light yellow as hero
Hair Style: Cut short like it always has been as civilian, anime-esque as hero
Eye Color(s): Brown as civilian, florescent blue as hero
Skin Color(s) Normal as civilian, turns paler as hero
Personality: Easy-going and excitable
Birthmarks, tattoos, scars, piercings: Straight lines running from his eyes to his chin in hero mode
Appearance: He appears as a normal civilian
Supersuit: Form fitting black and yellow ensemble, with a white chest area.
Outfit/Style: Comfortable tees, blue jeans, discount Nikes from the five and dime. At his job, suit and clip-on tie with shined shoes and
Likes: American culture, comic books, foreign foods
Dislikes: Argument,
Hobbies: Sword training,
Strengths: Subscriber and trainee in the style of Kashima Shinden, uses a zanbatō that can be charged with lightning, has significant experience in being a hero
Faults: His impulsive nature can place him in precarious situations,
Kryptonite: A childhood asthma diagnosis that has wreaked havoc on his stamina, can possibly be defeated if he comes into contact with water using an electricity based attack, facing against foes made from primarily insulators
Fears: Intense fires,
Interaction: As a friend, he chooses to be vocal in expressing facts about his life to those who he has met for the first time, allowing others to feel comfortable around him. Despite this, he loathes small talk and prefers actions over discussion.
Family: Wife, daughter, mother, father, two younger sisters
History: Yukio was born in the Arakawa district of Tokyo on January 17, 1992. As a child, Yukio dreamed of becoming a superhero like the people he read in his American comics. His dream was very nearly cut short when a fire in his apartment stranded him on the tenth floor with no way out. As he lost consciousness, he swore he could be felt being lifted up, as if an angel had protected him. When he awoke, he found himself on the top of a separate building, a mysterious geisha standing above him. As the geisha left,he was convinced from that day on heroes truly existed. When the authorities found him, he was rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation and hallucinations of a geisha.
As he got older, Yukio never forgot the geisha. He gravitated less towards what his friends were doing in favor of an American tradition. With no one to keep him company, he wandered the streets of Arakawa, making it his playground and friend. His father found Yukio's life to be unfulfilling, so he decided to signed him up for an activity of his son's choice. Yukio, who had made friends with a local sensei, joined a dojo that taught Kashima Shinden. This learning of the art of the sword led him down a path that was straight and true.
It wasn't until his high school year that his life changed considerably. Walking home from school one night, he saw her. The geisha. Following her to thank her for the aid she had provided all those years ago, she led him to a warehouse. There, he found other heroes who patrolled other parts of Tokyo. The leader simply known as Geisha, the strongman Ganseka, the trickster and magic based Showtime Boy, and the prodigy feral child Kembe Shutaar. After much pleading, they allowed him to join as a temp worker. Thus began his mysterious relation the group that called themselves the City Spirits.
Through them, he met people like the European, a mysterious gentlemen from the West who dressed in a three piece suit and fought for the safety of civilians in Kōtō; the Black Bell, a pop idol turned ruthless killer who sought only to stop evil with no concern for good; the Hibiya Ghost, who may or may not have been a real ghost; and many others. Truly, superheroes did exist and his life was fulfilled. Then his greatest wish came true.
During a particularly difficult battle, Geisha appeared to be on the verge of death. Yukio tapped into the long dormant powers he possessed and zapped a group of oncoming soldiers. Why his powers laid low for so long was never truly understood. It just simply came to be, much like all things in this world. That day, he wielded the wooden sword that had been with him throughout his life and traveled to the dojo, wherein he asked for a true blade, a blade massive enough to carry the power he held. His sensei agreed and presented him with one of the finest zanbatō in Tokyo. This further affirmation led Yukio Shonizaki to become The Zanrai Kid. In the heat of battle, he would summon his powers
Years afterwards, he left the City Spirits in conquest for the United States, the nation that brought his dream to fruition in the first place. Before he left, Geisha revealed it was not she who saved him, but her mother. When the first Geisha saved Yukio at the age of six, she had made her way home only to suffer greatly from a collapsed lung, an injury sustained when she saved his life. With her dying words, the first Geisha told her daughter to watch over "the boy reborn of fire, for he will strike and repay the life sacrificed." She wished to travel with him, wishing to leave behind a society that had shunned her as well even after all her work for it. Following their departure, the City Spirits began to deteriorate within themselves. They separated two years afterwards, leaving Tokyo to the new heroes. Yukio Shonazaki, present day, is now a lawyer at a media insurance company in Little Tokyo, Philadelphia, that specializes in representing comic book firms. He is married to Kaori Shonazaki, a.k.a. Geisha and they have one daughter, Haruka Shonazaki.
