Name: Ozuma Anji
Age: 11
Gender: Male
Appearance: Anji is proud of his long brown hair that has never been cut. He usually keeps it pulled back in a braid that comes down to his waist. He has golden eyes, said to be the sign of a great warrior within the Takagari Clan, as it matches the eye color of the hawks they train. Anji has an average body build despite being big for his age. He stands around 5' 8” tall and weighs around 130 lbs. Anji is most often seen wearing a his brown overcoat that comes down to his knees. This coat was developed by the Takagari Clan to allow their hawks to land on a shoulder or arm without the talons tearing the fabric and digging into flesh. Thus the overcoat is more resistant to being slashed or pierced than the traditional shinobi attire. Without his jacket Anji makes use of a special shoulder strap, and the traditional Falconer glove. Under the jacket he wears a black form fitting suit, more similar to what the other shinobi wear.
Personality: Anji is a kid who wants to be a great hero, so he is always trying to protect people from injustice which has landed him in his fair share of trouble. He strives to live up to the clan's expectations of him (forced upon him by his eye color). Anji diligently practices his Taijutsu, and Archery, when he isn't training and caring for hawks with his parents. He is really embarrassed about his inability to consistently perform Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, and about the fact that he is still only a student because he always messes up in the practical exams. His heroes include the great Takamura Hojo, who sacrificed himself for the good of the clan and was a revered warrior and leader, his father has told him the tales of Takamura for as long as Anji can remember. He also really looks up to his older brother Ozuma Katsu, who is almost 17 years older than Anji, and has risen to the rank of Special Jounin.
Desired Village: (Village you want to be in)
Ninja Rank: Student
Clan or Bloodline: Takagari Clan
Class: Considered a prodigy of Taijutsu, both his Ninjutsu and Genjutsu skills are seriously lacking. Its not that he cannot use them, he is just incredibly clumsy when it comes to forming hand seals which often results in failed jutsus, or unexpected side effects.
Character's History: Anji was born the youngest of three children and the second boy. His sister died a few months before his birth while on a B-rank mission for the village. His family doesn't talk about her much, so Anji doesn't know the details, but he has seen some pictures of her. He was the first child in three generations to be born with golden eyes, which is a sign of a great warrior in the Takagari Clan, because of this the whole clan has taken an interest in his upbringing (something he isn't fond of at times) Because he is expected to be a great warrior and leader, Anji is taught the history of the Clan (which has now degenerated to something similar to tall tales and myth), as well as many of the clan's most protected techniques from a young age. Anji comes to idolize the fantastic deeds of Takamura Hojo as they are told to him by his father as bedtime stories. (These too have been blown out of proportion through the years so that Takamura is portrayed as a god of battle similar to Achilles or Hercules)
With the goal of becoming like the great Takamura Hojo, Anji trains at every chance he gets, and really excels at all the things his Clan is known for. Unfortunately as a shinobi he is sub par because he so often messes up his hand seals when performing Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. He has already failed the graduation exam at the school 4 times, first taking it when he was 7 years old. He knows the theory front and back, he is a so-so strategist, has excellent chakra control, and is well on his way to mastering his Clan's Taijutsu style, The Way of the Talon, which is something neither his brother nor father can claim to have mastered. He just gets really nervous when it comes time to take the practical part of the graduation exams and always messes up his jutsus, resulting in a failure.
Recently, he has been hearing clan members talking about making the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Earth and Sky. He asked what that was, and was told the tale about the Shrine dedicated to all of their fallen clansmen that was built at the end of the War of Earth and Sky, and how it is tradition to make a pilgrimage there once in every clan member's life. Unfortunately, it has been so long since anyone has actually gone, and nobody knows where the Shrine is anymore. Anji sees this as an opportunity to be a hero to the clan and decides to find the Shrine of Earth and Sky someday, so that all the clan members can once again make their pilgrimages.
Objectives: 1. Find the lost Shrine of Earth and Sky
2. Reestablish the bond among the divided Takagari Clan
Picture of Character: Not my strong suit, but I'll see what I can do.
Let me know what you guys think, of course this is also contingent on the approval of the Takagari Clan. I haven't picked a village, but I think its irrelevant at this point, because his story kind of works regardless of the chosen village.
I'll also probably have to write up a character sheet for his Hawk, and I was also thinking of maybe obtaining a hawk summon at some point.
Of course its all a work in progress, so things are always subject to change before we begin the game.
Subject: Ozuma Anji 
Mon Dec 10, 2007 9:48 pm
