Taichi Yoshiro

Taichi Yoshiro is a citizen of Ousho and resident of Ousho City. He was born in 2391 to Gendo and Asuka Yoshiro in Ousho City. He is an accomplish Kendoka, placing second out of one hundred in an inter-dojo competition in 2409. He currently lives with his mother (employed as a waitress), and is employed part time at a near by noodle bar. He might be a relative to Susumu Yoshiro, but no one really keeps track beyond immediate family anymore; distant cousin is likely.

Early Life
Taichi, an only child, spent the first ten years of his life in a broken home. His father was a workaholic employed at an insurance company, his mother a housewife. While their marriage started off strong, it fell apart over the years the father did not spend with her. He was favored by his father, who spent most of his free time with him. When Taichi was 11, his parents filed for divorce. It never went through - within a week of filing, Taichi's father was killed in some sort of gang-related incident. The killers were never found, but somewhere in the back of his mind he felt his mother had something to do with it.

Without his father's considerable income, his mother was forced to find work. Faced with limited options, she settled for a waitressing job, and had to move into a smaller, cheaper apartment in a lower income area. Growing up here was tough; it didn't seem to be within the "area of caring" for any organized crime unit, so disorganized petty crimes were frequent. As young as 12, Taichi was a target for gang violence, particularly by poor minorities. Because of this, he learned to fight, eventually earning a small name for himself in the local fighting scene. It was a rough, poor life; he and his mother were often butting heads. The neighborhood has improved since moving in, but conflict is still more frequent than in other areas.

When Taichi was 14, he uncovered some of his father's old possessions. It had occurred to him in the weeks and months after his father's death that he knew very little about the man who seemed to care so much for him. Amongst a number of boxed things his mother apparently never felt like discarding, he discovered a tale that would change his idea of his father forever. First, he discovered that in his youth his father had been a champion kendoka, a body of awards showing that his father regularly placed in the top 3 in any tournament he entered. Second, he learned his father was a very well respected man at the insurance company, having held a number of paper awards Taichi only vaguely remembered hanging somewhere in the old home. Third, after piecing together many fragments of information, he figured out one more thing:

His father was Yakuza.

Specifically, his father was a Big Brother of the Toyamoto clan. Apparently, from what Taichi gathered, his father had entered the clan around 20 years old, and found favor with the higher ups early on. Possessing natural talent for business, the clan was responsible for his education as a businessman, and his employment at one of their front companies. Numerous old printed emails lead to and supported this conclusion. Bringing this forward with his mother, she confirmed his suspicions - he was indeed Yakuza.

Amongst his father's things he discovered a wooden bokken, and his father's swords - a matched daisho of fine make. These are things he had never seen before, but given the wear on each of the items, they were no doubt used. They were in fine condition, and briefly he pondered their worth on the black market. He decided against selling them - as much as they needed the money, they were the only things he had to connect to his father anymore. All three sit on a special stand in his room to this day. Also found in the box were two books - Bushido: The Soul of Japan and the Hagakure.

Taichi decided to follow, in some way, in his father's footsteps. Within a month of his discovery, he had enrolled himself at a local kendo academy, where he quickly became one of the best students. With few friends and even fewer hobbies, he dedicated his ample free time to practice. By the time he was 18, he was already the school's top four, and had even used his kendo knowledge to successfully fend off two muggers. During this time, as his mind matured, he began to read his father's books (which included a few personal notes and annotations), which he felt further connected him with his long-dead dad. He had, also, considered joining one of the Yakuza clans during this time, allured by the tales of great pay and adventure. He ultimately decided against it, figuring that if the Yakuza had not helped his family out after his father's death (or even contacted him at all), then they did not deserve him.

While he generally placed within the top 10 in inter-school competitions starting from 2407, he managed to place second in one at the Musō-ryū in the richer part of the district, successfully overcoming one of their school's best. He ultimately was defeated by someone better, but it was one of the proudest moments of his life. He still deeply wishes his father had been there to see it. There, he also made an acquaintance with Neil Lee, the gaijin kid he successfully defeated for second place. He did not much care for him at the time; he was too aloof and kind of stuck up, but lacking many friends he got his online contact info just in case.

Personal Life
Taichi doesn't have much of a social life. He keeps to himself, and doesn't maintain close relationships. He typically spends time working out at the gym or at home, practicing his kendo, working or reading; he's become fond of the Hagakure, and has started to build up a small collection of various other works. At his dojo, he has a reputation as something of a loner.

He occasionally has conversations with Neil via his vPad's IM feature, but he doesn't seem too social. Regardless, he finds the guy somewhat intriguing, as he has a lot of knowledge about a fair number of subjects inter-related with kendo, in addition to kendo itself. Taichi doesn't talk much about himself, but enjoys having someone to discuss parts of the Hagakure with. He's not entirely sure that Neil understands that he's read the book himself, as the way he words his answers appear a little condescending. He takes care never to mention his father or anything regarding him other than his mortality. The two occasionally interact in person, usually at kendo venues or a few other social spots. Recently, he has started having an online friendship with Noriko Yuki, who he met through one of Neil's linked conversations. He consults her for relationship advice, and generally has fun talking with her.

He has a few on again, off again relationships with a handful of girls, but it never sticks. They get back together, fool around and then lose interest in each other. It frustrates him, and has a way of making him feel like he's less of a man - which he compensates with more showy arrogance.

Appearance and Behavior
Taichi is of average height, but has a toned build. He is of Japanese descent, with dark hair and eyes. He has a slightly crooked nose from fistfights he's had growing up, and a number of scars on his abdomen and back from a less-than completely successful attempt at defending himself against a knife attack.

Taichi comes off as a bit of an arrogant prick. He has gone through great lengths to culture an air of confidence and energy about him, which serves as a first line of defense against physical confrontation. He is prone to playing up his enemy's weaknesses, goading them into launching attacks when angry, and quickly showing them it was a mistake. Against people he feels are sizing him up or playing with him, he has a certain way of looking down the side of his nose at them, half closing his eyes in an almost uninterested test of masculinity. His reputation has painted him as a gruff loner, and he likes this. He prefers to spend time alone either reading, practicing or working out. At work, he keeps to himself and gets his job done, speaking only when something needs to be spoken.

There is one exception; Tobi Umuru, a coworker at the noodle bar, is his most frequent hand in the kitchen. He occasionally has full conversations with him about interested topics - typically MMA fighting. There's no real connection; Tobi is not a thrill seeker, fighter or much of anything - very much the typical citizen.

Hobbies and Interests
Taichi is not a very academic person, and enjoys general time alone.

Kendo
Following in his father's footsteps has helped Taichi cope over the years. It helps him get through life thinking that, if there is a heaven, his father is proud of his son from up there.

Reading
Though in his youth he cared little for it, over the years Taichi has developed a reasonable reading habit. His vPad contains a number of written works, mostly fictional.

Exercise
Taichi enjoys working out and doing physical things. He hits the nearby gym after work for at least an hour every day he's on, and works out at home every day.

Goals and Desires
Taichi isn't a very long term thinker. He dislikes his job at the noodle bar, but has been unsuccessful at finding one that promises much improvement. Now and again he's considered pursuing a degree, and he has taken a few online classes with a local university. He meets with mixed success. He has considered trying to become an instructor at the dojo, but notices that something seems a bit off beat with most of the teaching staff - something he cannot quite place and knows better than to poke around in. The staff has, on two occasions, expressed some interest in having him become a bigger part of the school, but nothing has come of it.

Now and again he has considered joining the police force, and as of late it's becoming a more serious thought than usual. In spite of his rough youth, he has no record (a small accomplishment in a neighborhood so infrequently policed). The only thing stopping him is the danger; he's not entirely certain he's loyal enough to anything to risk being shot or blown up.

The only real goal he's become interested in is obtaining some kind of notoriety through his martial skills. While he's somewhat handy in a street fight, he's wondered just how well he'd fare against other, more formally trained combatants. He will be competing in the upcoming city-wide kendo tournament, which will be his first year doing so. He hopes to place well.

Likes and Dislikes
Taichi likes kendo, and is into cars and mixed martial arts tournaments. He likes athletic women, or at least women involved in physical activity. He's been hoping to find a girl that shares some interests in common, but unfortunately they're few and far between - his dojo has very few female members. Taichi dislikes fake people, especially people who think they're something they are not. This is what prevents him from establishing a friendship with Neil, as while Neil's online conversations are rather scattered, he's concluded that Neil thinks himself a cut above the norm, and would not be opposed to knocking him down a peg - physically.

He dislikes conflict. Arguments with his mother are less frequent these days but they still happen, and occasionally he has to fight people in and around the neighborhood. He dislikes criminal groups; he resents the Yakuza for not having anything to do with his family, and he dislikes the street gangs he knew growing up for their lack of any real personal progress or growth.

Relationships with Others

 * Asuka Yoshiro - mother.


 * Tobi Umuru - the only coworker he speaks with with any regularity.


 * Neil Lee - acquaintance through kendo.


 * Hiro Wori - sensei.