I'M NOT AFRAID OF DYING
I'm afraid of not being alive
BACKGROUND
Here is a very basic wiki entry for Rokurou and the wiki for the game's storyline. Rather than rehash the entire journey, I'll be focusing on Rokurou himself. Rokurou is the sixth and youngest son of the Rangetsu clan, a family renowned for their masterful swordsmanship, duty, and commitment. The Rangetsu clan was founded when their ancestor came to the continent from a foreign country and was helped by a noble family, the Capaluses. Since then, the clan has served the Capaluses, assisting them as bodyguards, assassins, body doubles—whatever is called for them. It is because of this past that the family, and Rokurou in particular, holds the following creed: ❝ Always return that which you've borrowed, even if you must repay it with your life. ❞In truth, Rokurou and his older brother, Shigure, are the only ones of the current line alive at the time of the game's beginning, and is implied the other four died while performing their duties. There are two schools of sword fighting the family practices, one with the greatsword and the other with dual short swords. The dual short swords are "servant" to the greatsword, and as the youngest, Rokurou has always been Shigure's sparring partner while he trained with the greatsword. This is how Rokurou has come to master the art of dual short swords, but he also trained on his own to fight with the greatsword. Of particular note is the greatsword "Stormhowl," a blade renowned for not only the blade's strength but also the swordsman who wields it. The leader of the clan wields Stormhowl while the rest are given imitations—swords of lesser quality to the original. Thus Shigure holds Stormhowl while Rokurou carries the imitation. Finally, although he's called "Shigure," that is actually a title held by the leader of the clan; Rokurou's brother's real name is Ichirou (they were all named by numbers; Rokurou means "sixth son"). To become leader, one must kill the previous "Shigure," who was their mother. Before turning daemon, Rokurou attempted many times to best Shigure. The over a decade's worth of losses and inability to receive any kind of recognition has fueled his dark ire and frustration, and he made plans to defeat and kill Shigure by his own hands—and by any means necessary. Shigure had turned away from their ancestral tradition of serving the count, abandoning his role to go off and do his own thing. Rokurou used this, spreading a lie that his brother was planning insurrection and obtain the count's backing to execute him—a "just cause." He sends out thirty of his own students to fight Shigure, knowing they would be killed, but it was all to increase his brother's pride in hopes of capitalizing on it. However, Shigure beats Rokurou—and with dual short swords, no less. Despite using a greatsword, Rokurou never lands a hit. In the Shigure breaks Rokurou's sword, and Rokurou is left in shameful defeat. He is later arrested for failing his duty and imprisoned in Titania, where the daemonblight takes him and he becomes a yaksha—a war demon. However, he doesn't give up. He had vowed to defeat Shigure and continued to train. Three years later, Velvet helps the prisoners break out of jail. Before finding his own way to escape, Rokurou searches for his sword, which had been kept in the prison's storage. Although it's broken, the sword is important to him as it serves as a constant reminder of his failures. He first fights Velvet when they encounter, but after she tells him about the sword, he thanks her and rushes off to retrieve it. At that moment Rokurou becomes in her debt, and he vows to help her in repayment. Thus begins the journey that takes him fighting alongside Velvet as she seeks out Artorius to exact her revenge. Although he follows Velvet out of duty, he also recognizes her strength and wishes to see how far it goes. After learning that Shigure is working with Artorius, his goals become connected with hers. Aside from the main storyline, Rokurou's "sub plot" involves strengthening himself and obtaining a new sword to fight Shigure with. The group encounters Kurogane, a famed blacksmith of centuries past who had become a daemon in his own attempts to create the perfect Stormquell, a sword that could best Stormhowl. After Rokurou fights Shigure in the Vesper Tunnels and loses, Kurogane lends aid to Rokurou's endeavors, first sacrificing his own head to serve as raw material, then using orichalcum, and then his entire body. Rokurou and Shigure would fight a total of three times. The first is already mentioned, and the second is shortly after at the port where Rokurou first uses the blades Kurogane made for him. He loses, but not before showing his tenacity by driving his hand through Shigure's Stormhowl to bring himself in. If Shigure hadn't taken the sword from his back and countered, Rokurou could have gotten him. The orichalcum blade is only briefly tested against Shigure before Inominat first appears and is then broken when Rokurou tries to defend Velvet. Rokurou and Kurogane later realize that it doesn't matter how strong the sword is, if it can't bend it will break. It is near the end of the journey as the group prepares to face Inominat that Rokurou faces Shigure one last time. They needed to awaken the four Empyreans and they would need Shigure's soul. In preparation for the battle, Kurogane sacrifices his entire being to create what is hoped to be the ultimate sword that would surpass both Stormhowl and Stormquell. In that final face off, Rokurou and Shigure share one last drink before it's revealed that his malak, Morgrim, had actually been restraining his power. The group joins Rokurou in the fight, Rokurou able to counter Shigure's mystic arte. In the end, Rokurou and Shigure face off one-on-one with Rokurou only using the short swords at first. Then, when Shigure leaps down, Rokurou steps in to block the blade with both of his, locking them in place to wrench Stormhowl out of Shigure's hands, throwing his own blades out in the process. In the next moment, he reaches back to unsheathe Kurogane to slash through Shigure. Thus Rokurou ultimately used three swords to defeat Shigure, and Kurogane's sword would be named Kurogane's Stormquell. However, Rokurou doesn't take Stormhowl right away, instead temporarily leaving it as a memorial. He will continue to carry Kurogane and use his own swords as they go off to face Artorius and Inominat. Leaving Stormhowl is significant as he also chooses not to take on the title "Shigure." This is the complete opposite of what he had wanted when he was younger and human. Before he had wanted to kill his brother so that he could have everything—the title, the sword, leaders over the family. But throughout the course of the journey those lost their significance and he leaves them behind. It's symbolic of him officially parting his human past and starting on his own path as not only as a daemon, but as himself. As Rokurou Rangetsu, daemon swordsman. He will later use Stormhowl alongside Kurogane's Stormquell in place of the dual short swords, but that's after everything has passed. At the time of his arrival he will have Stormhowl in his possession but not in use. SIDE NOTE: Two sidequests of note. The first is about a daemon who had challenged Shigure that Rokurou takes interest in. Upon meeting the daemon, however, they discover that it is his master, Lord Capalus. They had heard of the family being killed the lord abducted, but the truth is Capalus had killed and eaten them to become a powerful daemon. Rokurou takes offense to the notion that Capalus could beat either him or his brother and fights him in honor of the Rangetsu clan. Afterward, he notes that the oath made to Capalus was when he had been human and had no (or at least less) bearing now that he was a daemon. This sidequest also ties into a skit where Rokurou had claimed his disliking to dogs as he disliked how they were so subservient to their masters. He shows clear displeasure when Capalus called him a dog. (Interestingly, Shigure left his role to serve the Capaluses because he was tired of the "faithful hound life." Either Rokurou is recalling his brother's words or perhaps he's starting to feel the same sentiment.) The second is about a daemon not even Shigure could defeat. It turns out to have been a malakhim that had been corrupted and turning into a dragon. However, during the fight Rokurou recognizes who the daemon really is—his mother. Before Rokurou kills her, he informs her that he had killed Shigure and she praises him. Tabatha will later inform them of how when the Bloodwings tried to attack the clan, Rokurou's mother had been holding him as a baby while fighting, saying he had the potential to cut her down and become the strongest swordsman. So Rokurou was ultimately able to fulfill her wish, as well as hear praise from her for the first time. Here he also notes that it wasn't that Shigure couldn't defeat her, but more that he wouldn't. Not even Shigure would want to kill their own parent twice, after all. This is a great compilation of his sidequest line that holds most of his back-backstory depicted above. PERSONALITY
There are a lot of tenants that Rokurou follows, many of them summing up the core of his being. So this is going to center around those tenants and expand on how they shape Rokurou's personality.
❝ That's just the kind of daemon I am. ❞
Rokurou is actually fairly straightforward guy. He doesn't take things on in too complex of a manner, seeing things for what they are and being direct and honest about what he sees and himself. He knows both his virtues and flaws, and he feels no shame about admitting them. Of course he'll also recognize when he's in the wrong and will genuinely apologize if necessary. While he may try to improve on some things about himself, he also accepts himself as he is. Just being himself is all that matters to him.
Of particular note is how becoming a daemon has changed him. Although we only have a glimpse of how he used to be a human, he appears more tense and unhinged by his obsession to defeat Shigure. Now as a daemon, although that obsession is still there, he's actually a lot more relaxed and takes everything at a rather leisurely manner. He even states that after becoming a daemon, he lost a lot of his human emotions. That isn't to say he's apathetic or holds no emotions whatsoever, but aside from his passion to fight and cut things, many of his old human emotions are more muted. He seems to have a cheerful outlook, but it's really more that he doesn't have as many worries or cares, his goals and mind already set with little to no room for doubt. He knows what he wants and is confident to walk his path without any guilt or remorse.
Furthermore, unlike most humans who turn daemon, Rokurou maintains a rational mind and his individual personality and is thus able to remain more or less human in appearance. In fact, staying true to himself is important to him. This is in part due to his desire to defeat Shigure. There's no meaning in winning unless he can honestly claim that it was he as Rokurou Rangetsu, not a mindless monster. You could say there's a sense of pride in there, and there's a bit of inferiority complex as well. After all, Shigure always defeated him and Rokurou has always wanted to best him—to be recognized for who he is and his talents. So he wants to prove himself and will use and do anything he can to become stronger. If it means using other people, he'll do it.
In terms of the rest of his general personality, Rokurou is fairly friendly to others, usually finding ways to have fun and enjoys a good tease. He's also fairly empathetic and observant, able to sense the feelings and intentions of others and act accordingly. He usually tries to be supportive and help when he can, but he can also respect when it's not wanted or needed. Despite being the youngest brother, he can take on an older brother role, particularly to Laphicet. He tries to help the young malak out in trying to find his way, giving advice when he can and push him to find his own path. Rokurou won't ever tell someone what they should do, but he will help give advice and support when he can.
❝ My sword is my life. ❞
As his introduction clearly shows, Rokurou is all about swords. He was raised with the sword and hopes to one day die by the sword. But while he's sword crazy and will more often than not find a way to turn something to involve swords, this quote has a deeper meaning to it. All Rokurou wants to do is fight, and while that is in large part due to him being a yaksha—a war daemon—it is also fueled by his desire to continually better himself so that he could defeat Shigure. He will take on any challenge, even if the foe seems far powerful than he is. The more practice he gets, the more he can work on improving both his techniques and his own fears.
Fighting is what makes him feel alive. He feels the thrill and heat of battle and enjoys it. He's also not afraid of dying, willing to take on any powerful challenge that comes his way. But one thing that had always held him back when fighting Shigure is the fear of being cut down by the greatsword—of dying and failing at the same time; of being a disgrace. He had to overcome that fear, to become more confident in his abilities and in himself to surpass the genius of his brother. Moreover, he had to realize that he couldn't try to mimic his brother but had to come up with his own unique way and style to defeat him. It's only after he realizes this that he is able to finally succeed in their final battle.
Although he sometimes act like it, he's not foolish or reckless. He'll recognize if a foe is too strong for him and will want to prepare and train so that he can win. After all, "training isn't worthwhile if you get killed while doing it." So he can be aware of the situation, knowing when he needs to pull back rather than rush forward. But in battle, he can be tenacious and fearsome without holding back. He won't fight dirty, but he will use whatever he can so that he can win. If that includes sacrificing his hand, so be it.
Finally, he does not like his fights to be interrupted. He will even attack or try to kill those who do, his daemon side sometimes taking over to send him into a rage. He will at least give warning, but after that all bets are off. It's during these extreme moments that the true colors of his daemon side appears, a reflection of the intense rage he harbors deep within his heart.
❝ Pay what you owe. ❞
As mentioned before, Rokurou takes his family's creed seriously and will defend his family's honor and traditions. No matter the debt, he will do whatever he can to repay it—extreme case being his help to Velvet's cause. Of course, just because he holds a debt or owe thanks to someone doesn't mean he'll spare their life. So long as he can give his gratitude, he can freely cut them down while still abiding by his family's creed. But to go further, this creed also attests to his sense of duty and commitment. So long as he's on your side, Rokurou will provide whatever aid and support without any real risk of betrayal. He doesn't even really question who or what the cause is (again, see Velvet). This makes him for a reliable ally for those he is working with and a formidable adversary for those he's against.
Because his family had held a "servant" type role, Rokurou can be fairly polite, even formal at times. He tends to follow the directions of others, though he will chime in and give direction when the need calls for it. He is also considerate of others, although sometimes he may seem tactless, usually going for the honest and direct approach rather than be roundabout. If he has something on his mind, he'll ask it outright. But he can also take it to private and not push too hard.
Following his ancestor's creed is also a reflection of the honor that Rokurou holds. What kind of honor is debatable as he's certainly not one to follow all noble intentions and is not above serving his own self-interests while helping someone else. He recognizes what is right and wrong, but that doesn't really matter so much to him. After all, he's committed crimes and continues to aid in doing so, and he knows his sins run deep. But he is loyal and if he had to change sides, he would be upfront and say so and be respectful to those who deserve it.
ABILITIES
Although a daemon, Rokurou doesn't have any true "supernatural" powers as all of his skills come from what he trained when he used to be human. He's an expert swordsman, capable of using both dual short swords and the greatsword. However, due to his upbringing and personal preference, he mainly fights with the dual short swords and reserves the greatsword for more punishing moves and finishers. He can also perform more elemental focused hidden artes call "Form Seals." These involve moving his blades in certain formations to activate the arte rather than attacking directly. It's just as quick and instantaneous, with the more advanced artes packing a lot of damage. Because of the style, he is very agile and quick on his feet, capable of crossing distances in a short amount of time, sometimes even seeming to "teleport." He signature moves involve countering, where he'll change stance so that he can parry and appear behind his opponent for the counter attack. This can allow him to chain more attacks which can eventually lead to some of his more powerful Mystic Artes. Becoming a daemon has also heightened his senses and increased his strength, but not overly so. He still trains everyday as he wants to rely on his personal skill rather than just the bonus daemon strength. Although sometimes not immediate, he is capable of sensing whether someone is human or not, as well as recognize fellow daemons (demons) or spirits. He is also more resistant to temperatures and illnesses, finding extreme heat or cold not a problem and (supposedly) incapable of catching common diseases like colds. (Doesn't stop him or the others from sneezing!) A list of his artes can be found here with video compilation. In Empatheias, Rokurou is currently learning the art of dunamis to further enhance his sword skills. For the most part I'm playing with the idea of his emotions having more of a fire and lightning base. Fire seems to be his "theme" and the lightning represents his high energy. I'll try playing with the other elements, but those are the main two. They will all have a "bladed" theme as well. Here are a few "skills" that he'll learn for reference:
- Phoenix Daggers: Be sweeping his sword out, daggers of fire will fly out. Formed by his INTENSE PASSION for fighting.
- Something Lightning: I'LL FIGURE IT OUT probably an enhanced version of his Rapid Bolt arte.
- Terra Gates: One of the few defensive moves, several blades made of earth will form a criss-cross formation that serves as a defensive shield. Formed by STEADFAST DETERMINATION. Fear can either strength or weaken it, depending on the situation.
I'll think of more later. WEAPONS
Rokurou has several weapons on hand with some worthy of note. For the most part, he will have two short swords and one greatsword, all sheathed behind his back. The short swords are sheathed close to the back of his waist while the greatsword is more prominently visible strapped across his back. However, he has a second greatsword that he obtains near the end of the game. In ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png) empatheias he has it on hand but in forgottentales he does not. Short swords: He doesn't really have a "trademark" set of blades aside from what's used in official artwork, so they will vary depending on what he feels like wielding or using at the time. He's constantly getting new swords and upgrading them to improve them. They are his primary weapons and the ones he excels at. Kurogane's Stormquell (Greatsword): The greatsword that Kurogane forges himself into and looks like this. It's black and red, so it's rather distinct. Rokurou is capable of wielding it with fairly good mastery, but since it's not his primary style he still has a ways to go. He mainly uses Kurogane for powerful finishing strikes. Stormhowl (Greatsword): The original sword and symbol of the head of the Rangetsu family, it looks like this. This is the sword Rokurou had strived hard to obtain and in the end delays in taking it after earning his right to it. After the ending of the game he takes the sword and eventually learns to dual wield it with Kurogane. In general I leave Stormhowl out since Rokurou is traditionally seen with just the one greatsword and trying to note it all the time would be a pain in the ass... For Empatheias, he has it but has yet to start training with it as he wants to develop his greatsword proficiency a little first. He will soon, though. BEING A DAEMON & MALEVOLENCE
General info. Daemons in Tales of Berseria are basically what you expect most fantasy demon types to be, but there are some specifics and differences worth noting. This is especially so for Rokurou, who even by daemon standards is an oddball. First off, daemons are actually humans who have been corrupted by something known as malevolence. Malevolence is the "impure emotions beyond what reason can suppress." Or if you want to put in Kingdom Hearts terms, the darkness in one's heart. Basically a human has become so corrupt by their vices and twisted, negative emotions that they've lost not only their sense of humanity, but physically as well. It is traditional for humans who've become daemons to transform into some kind of monster, usually some kind of humanoid beast. However, this change is only visible to those who can perceive it. To all normal humans, anyone who has become a daemon will appear as they always have, but their behavior will seem odd or unusual. For Rokurou, he's 100% daemon, but he didn't go through the physical transformation. His "daemon" form is the same as his "human" form, with the only difference being his red eye and black marks on the right side of his face. The perception rules remain the same, but because of subtle his change is, it's not as easy to tell from a first glance. Additionally, most daemons are always emitting malevolence. As far as it has been shown in canon, Rokurou does not seem to emit his own malevolence. That isn't to say he's not producing any, but due to his carefree demeanor and acceptance of who he is, it's all pretty much self-contained. In terms of play, I just run with a mix of the two. For the most part his malevolence is under control, but when he's fighting then there's a higher chance of it "leaking out." One signal would be his eye—it tends to flash red when he's getting really in his fighting and becoming more aggressive, signaling his more daemonic nature. If he's fighting and he's really in a bad mood, that malevolence will come out in his attacks. It could also seep out if he's having a really bad day. Anyone is free to sense or pick up that there's something dark going on during these occasions, but I'll clearly indicate when it's really visible and more likely to "affect" someone. Which brings me to how his malevolence could affect others. To make it easy, I'm going to describe it by "levels":
- Level 0. Because it's such a lower output, this won't be a problem most of the time so by default, nothing is actually going to happen when someone hangs around him on a normal day. You can imagine it like having your cellphone stuck to your ear all the time or constantly around a microwave. It's not the greatest thing to do, but the effect is minimal.
- Level 1. This would be if there's a small amount of malevolence seeping out, like during intense fighting or a bad day. It wouldn't be prolonged and more like small bursts that pop out occasionally. Nothing too drastic will happen and at most, those around him will have small flashes of cold fear, irritable anger, or other negative feelings, but nothing detrimental. Just a kind of "tingling" feeling. Again, this doesn't happen that often so if it's something to note I'll be sure to indicate it.
- Level 2. This is if he's having a really bad day, his inner rage and frustrations boiling over. This is definitely rare, so if it ever happens it would only be for preplanned situations or events. In this case, his malevolence is much more prevalent and even visible like a dark mist. The negative feelings will be much more noticeable and those around him will feel their inner negativity come forward. Those with fears, rage, and self-loathing will be more sensitive as those are his own feelings. However, it's still not enough to corrupt anyone, just give them a really bad feeling for a while.
- Level 3. The "oh shit he's gone berserk" stage. Now this I highly doubt will ever happen, but mentioning it for completion. At this point he's on a true daemonic rampage, his raging emotions taking over and all he'll want to do is fight and kill, his reasoning thrown out the window. The malevolence he churns out will be thick and this would be a high risk for corruption if a person is in it for too long and is unable to break out of it. Again, this is likely never going to happen, but this illustrates how he ultimately can be a dangerous being if he doesn't keep himself in check.
How he became a daemon. Another thing I'm going to kind of touch on is how Rokurou became a daemon and the significance of his marks. Honestly, we have no specifics on how Rokurou became a daemon. We do know that it was born from his hatred and anger toward Shigure, so that answers the source of his malevolence. But why does he still have his human form? I DON'T KNOW OBLIGATORY CHARACTER DESIGN is probably the real answer. But if I were to posit my own theory, it may have something to do with how Rokurou's emotions work. He still has them, but most of them are muted. The only ones that stand out are hatred, rage, and joy (passion), and all of these are tied to either his vengeance against Shigure or his love to fight. Otherwise, he's a very chill and carefree dude, which is easier to be when you don't have all that human emotional baggage like unnecessary worry, fear, sadness, envy, etc. Again, they are still around, but he can't be easily consumed by them. Just a small blip and then a shrug. What's interesting to note is his daemon eye and those markings are on the right side of his face. Although not scientifically correct, the right side of the brain is often associated with the control of emotions. So there is some connection between why it's the right side of his face and his general character. Additionally, Rokurou prides himself on maintaining his rationality and reasoning, which would be the left side of his brain and what remains intact. The ability to keep his rationality is what helps keep his "humanity" in the sense that he does not turn into a mindless monster. He has his reckless moments to be sure, but compared to most other daemons, he definitely has more of his mind. As to how he changed...no idea. It's never stated in the game, and while there are World Guidance and official fandom bibles out there, no one's translated Rokurou's sections so I have no clue. (If someone does, I'd be very happy to learn it!) The closest Rokurou ever says when talking about becoming a daemon was that the suffering and humiliation from his loss against Shigure made him hate himself to the point that he wanted to end his own life. So it's possible that it could be related. It could have just been a spontaneous change that somehow only centered on his face. It could have been the result of a wound from another daemon and his malevolence took over to prevent him from actually dying. It could have been a self-inflicted wound somehow. I don't think I'll ever really have him explicitly say how he changed (just the more vague, "I wanted revenge on my brother and I would do anything to get it" probably), but for reference... I'd probably toss between spontaneous change and wound theory. If spontaneous, I'd imagine he focused so much on his hatred and desire to become stronger than he wished that he didn't have the emotional baggage holding him back while also maintaining that strong will of his. You could say the malevolence is what ate his face, and I imagine it something more like it bursting out of his eyes and searing it like flames. His markings do have a flame like look to it and goes with his theme and color scheme (not to mention all the connections to fire he has). The wound theory is also based on physical appearance. In addition to scorch marks, it can also look like a giant gash wound, like something clawed out his face. Maybe something like his cellmate turning daemon or something else on the prison grounds. Rather than die, his hatred for himself and Shigure (doesn't want to be so weak and full of shame etc etc) and wish to keep living so he could exact vengeance is what ultimately changes him, so his malevolence heals his face and he becomes a daemon. In a way it would be very similar to Velvet, who lost her arm but regained it upon changing into a therion. Anyway, those are my rambling thoughts for reference and currently leaning towards malevolence fire. I admit a lot of it is conjecture and headcanon, and if canon info is ever released, I'll use that instead. I tried to stay within reasonable bounds, but if something just seems really wrong, I'd be happy to discuss! This kind of thing is fun and I want it to make sense. ABOUT HIS DAEMON EYE
The sign of Rokurou being a daemon is the black marks on the right side of his face and neck, along with his red daemon eye. When he goes into full battle mode or enraged, his eye will pulse red. IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT DAEMON VISIBILITY! According to canon, under normal circumstances (ie, pre-Advent and post-game) only those with high spiritual energy or of supernatural nature are able to see a human's daemon form once they've been corrupted with malevolence. Everyone else only sees the person's normal appearance. So to be consistent with fellow castmates, in Rokurou's case, only nonhumans, those with special spiritual abilities, OR aligned with Thras should be able to see his daemon markings and red eye. (example; characters who can see ghosts, supernatural characters, animals, etc.) Everyone else just sees him with a normal face. I honestly don't care too much if a character sees his daemon markings/eye even if they shouldn't, hah. Neither does Rokurou, he'll handle it like it's whatever (#daemonpride). So I'm not going to get too fussy about it because hey, it's fun! ("Bro what did you do to your face?") We can just blame different world shenanigans if we goof. But this has been the obligatory note; if you have any questions, feel free ask! |
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