APPLICATION: The Far Shore

[risetocaesar]

Player Information


Name: Christine
Contact: necrofancy @ plurk, PM
Age: Over 18.
Other Characters: N/A


Character Information


Name: Akihiko Sanada
Canon: Persona 3
Canon Point: P3 FES, near the end of The Answer.
Age: 18
History: Akihiko @ the MegaTen Wiki


Personality:

Though he is thought by many to be aloof and playing the part of the “cool upperclassman,” Akihiko’s isolationist attitude is not born out of any kind of conceit. While solitary in his way, he is a private person who prizes his personal space, quiet and well-mannered. Socializing does not come easy to him; as a child, he always felt alienated from his schoolmates because he was an orphan, something that caused more than a handful of other children to treat him differently. Because his upbringing was so different from theirs, he had great difficulty making connections or forming lasting bonds with any of his classmates. Most of his time was spent in the company of Miki, his younger sister, and fellow orphan Shinjiro, with whom he remained best friends throughout the years.

He has had great difficulty coming to terms with his past, particularly the death of his younger sister, Miki, for which he feels responsible. As a result, he continues to have trouble relating to the people around him on a personal level and is privately nervous about letting people get too close to him. While not at all unfriendly, he remains shy in many social situations and has some trouble articulating himself when put on the spot, particularly when it’s by the opposite sex. Shinjiro and longtime friend and classmate Mitsuru have both seemed to circumvent his social issues and know him well, and the two of them are the people he feels most comfortable confiding in. He is at ease around the other members of SEES, as well, though he is not quite as open with the group as a whole. He will occasionally crack jokes with them, particularly with Junpei, and has taken it upon himself to act as an older brother to the group.

Akihiko doesn’t much care for his popularity, often citing the flock of girls that follow him between classes and all over campus as annoying. Though he is heralded as Gekkoukan’s boxing champion, he didn’t take up the sport to aid his reputation and usually pays little attentions to the praise from his fans, though he is almost always polite to them when approached. His success as a boxer comes from his obsession with training himself to become stronger, the result of a vow he made with Shinji after the death of his sister, deciding he would never fail anyone else the way he had failed Miki. He is very focused on his training and revels in the fight, having developed a taste for combat over the years. The prospect of being challenged excites him, and when he’s focused on the fight, all other cares are set aside. He’s a big fan of the adrenaline rush and takes great pride in his athletic achievements, though he is never quite satisfied and continues to push further, aiming to get even stronger still.

Mitsuru often voices her disapproval of this behavior, thinking he treats their work fighting the Shadows as sport, but even though he’s come to love fighting, he feels that being a Persona user presents one with a great responsibility. Akihiko feels that power is not something to be wasted, and that the power of Persona is best put to use protecting those who can’t protect themselves against the Shadows. If he gets to punch in his share of demon-faces along the way, that’s fine with him. He tends to use fighting as a way to vent his frustrations, as well, a crutch he leaned on often before Shinji was shot, when he was still unsure of how to handle confrontation and how to come to terms with his past mistakes. Since Shinji’s death, he’s promised his friend that he would face his problems head-on going forward, instead of ignoring them or letting them get the better of him and his own anxiety, an oath that has allowed him to become more focused and driven than ever before.

Having almost refined responsibility to an art, Akihiko dedicates himself to every project or cause he takes part in. He firmly believes in finishing what he starts, and doesn’t care to leave loose ends behind in any situation. He strives to follow everything through to completion, whether it has to do with schoolwork, relationships, or things of a much more dire nature, such as SEES’ exploration of Tartarus and all that followed. He is a dedicated student and makes an effort to set a good example for the underclassmen who look up to him, as well as for his comrades in SEES. Though he relinquished the role of leader to newcomer Minato for all field operations, Akihiko remained a leader in other ways, along with Mitsuru. As senior members of SEES, the two of them took it upon themselves to supervise the younger Persona users in their group, to take charge of information gathering and strategy, and doing their best to consistently keep morale high, offering Minato their support whenever he had need of it.

Akihiko is a sensible and level-headed individual, even when pushed to the limit. He has repeatedly proven himself able to keep calm even when things are at their worst, always prioritizing the safety of his teammates when a combat situation got a little dicey. He is proud, honest, and always feels a strong urge to do what he feels is the right thing, having a very strong sense of justice. He occasionally gets a little preachy on this subject, often directed at Shinjiro, with whom Akihiko was always disappointed for refusing to use his Persona to fight the good fight along with his friends, even though he himself was well-acquainted with the incident that caused Shinjiro to make such a decision.

He’s both a tireless perfectionist and a workaholic, whether it’s fighting Shadows or preparing for his next boxing tournament: Akihiko is constantly training, turning almost every spare moment into an opportunity to work towards keeping himself in top physical condition. It’s possible that he’ll never be satisfied with his own strength, continually pushing himself forward in an effort to become stronger and, in his opinion, better able to protect the people he cares about. He cannot abide laziness in himself or others, and firmly believes in continually pushing himself to his limits and striving to achieve excellence in all things.

Abilities:

Physically, Akihiko is in excellent condition. He's a champion boxer who keeps himself in the best shape possible, making him an excellent frontline fighter when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. He also has quick and carefully-honed reflexes, although nothing about his strength or agility is beyond normal human limits.

Like the rest of his S.E.E.S. teammates, Akihiko has the ability to summon a Persona in battle. His Persona takes the form of Caesar, which gives him access to a number of physical attacks, as well as lightning and healing magic. He also has the ability to debuff his enemies for a short period of time, lowering their strength, evasion or defense.

Strengths:

loyal

dedicated

passionate

competitive

athletic

Weaknesses:

reckless, impetuous

detrimentally stubborn

often oblivious/narrowsighted

awkward, difficulty expressing himself

difficulty accepting failure

God/Shinki: Shinki
Why?: Though Akihiko is considered the frontline leader of S.E.E.S. pre-canon, he is grateful for the opportunity to pass that torch on to someone else once the protagonist comes along. His loyalty and determination make him an ideal soldier if he believes the cause or person he's championing are worth believing in. He would prefer to follow than lead, so long as he gets to fight.
Cause Of Death: Akihiko will have been stricken down during the battle with Erebus, manifestation of humanity's grief and negative emotion, during the final chapter of The Answer.
Vessel: Cestus.
Name Location: Over his heart.
Power: Electricity Manipulation


Writing Sample

Sample:
Thread #1
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Other

Anything Else?: I would like Akihiko to be paired with Souji Seta/Izanagi as his god if possible, please! Snow and I already discussed it.