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OOC INFORMATION
Name: Katar
Contact:

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Other Characters: none!

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu
Age: ~17 physically and mentally, ~20 in reality (SDR2 takes place inside a therapeutic virtual reality simulator. All the characters had 2-3 years worth of memories erased and their avatars physically reflected the change. It is unknown what he looks like outside the program, so he's going to have to be a humanized 17 year old avatar in Ryslig)
Canon: Danganronpa 2
Canon Point: Post trial-6, as the virtual world is collapsing but before exiting the New World Program
Character Information: Super Duper DingdongWrongpa 2, Super High School Level Babyface

Personality:

When first introduced to Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, it's kind of hard to believe that he has any redeeming qualities whatsoever. He's incredibly stand-offish, rude, foul-mouthed, and the only thing shorter than his stature is his temper. Attempts at conversation with him will only be met with attempts to shut it down as fast as possible and insults aplenty. It's almost like he never heard the saying "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." (spoilers: he probably hasn't) Treating him like a child is liable to get get you a death threat, as that is the one thing he hates more than anything else in the world. He is fiercely independent and self-reliant, to a point where it's actually kind of a bad thing. He refuses to rely on anyone for anything, no matter how much he likes the person or how insignificant the task. He does not trust others easily, or seemingly at all, and does nothing to make himself seem particularly trustworthy either. Put simply: his people skills leave much to be desired. From an emotional standpoint, he's really not much better. Unless the emotion in question is "anger", he's not one for telling people how he actually feels. Getting a heart-to-heart out of him is nigh impossible thanks to his penchant for keeping everyone at arm's length. So, all-in-all, he's really not the sort of person that anybody in their right mind would want to bother getting to know. Or at least, that's what he'd like you to think.

Even though he gives you exactly zero reasons to do so, Fuyuhiko is a prime example of why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. In reality, he's actually a decent person in possession of a few very admirable traits. He's surprisingly kind-hearted, very protective, and loyal to those who manage to earn his trust. If a friend is having a problem, he can be a surprisingly good listener and occasionally offer some pretty solid advice. However, he isn't always the best at getting that advice across and sometimes assumes a little more about what others are feeling than he should. Like I said earlier, he's not exactly the best when it comes to expressing himself emotionally (he's a massive tsundere). But if nothing else, he does at least try and surely that has to count for something. He's a very determined individual who does not back down from challenges or go back on his word. He possesses a laser-sharp focus, arguably the strongest one out of all his classmates. Distracting him is incredibly difficult and he's usually one of the few (and definitely the loudest) who tries to keep everyone on-track during class trials. He's not afraid to speak his mind, something that makes itself abundantly clear when looking at Fuyuhiko in a negative light as well as a positive one. While not the smartest in their class, he has a good head on his shoulders and is perhaps more intelligent than one would expect.

All that said, it might just seem like he's little more than another Jerk With A Heart Of Gold trope character. But in reality, this is not exactly the case. Yes, he does have a heart of gold buried underneath layers and layers of jerky sludge, but there's a reason for it. He purposefully forces himself to be an asshole, even though his true nature is much the opposite. The reason for this is that what Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu is and what the world expects Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu to be are two very different things. As the heir to Japan's largest yakuza family, there are a lot of things that are expected of Fuyuhiko. He should be a capable leader: intimating, strong, fearless, and never show his emotions or any sign of weakness. It would help to look the part as well. And yet...Fuyuhiko is a tiny, lactose intolerant, baby-faced boy with a huge sweet tooth (he gets even MORE irritable than usual if he goes too long without something sweet and compares himself to an addict going through withdrawal during these times) and an all-too-caring heart. As a result, he tries to hide his true nature by putting up a tough front. He acts like he doesn't care about anybody or anything, despite the fact that this is one of the most bold-faced lies he could possibly tell. As a result of all this, Fuyuhiko is in a more or less constant state of conflict against himself, trying to find a way to reconcile his reality with the world's expectations.

To make matters worse, Fuyuhiko also the "Super High School Level Yakuza", a title was given to him upon his acceptance to Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak is a prestigious high school whose main purpose is to research and cultivate talent for the hope and betterment of Japan. Graduation from this academy pretty much guarantees you success for life. The only way to get in is to be scouted by the school itself and they only scout you if you are 1) currently a high school student and 2) the very best in your respective field. In Fuyuhiko's case, that talent is being a yakuza heir. And while this may seem like more of a position than a skill, that doesn't mean it's not a talent. There are many skills that a good crime boss needs to have, after all. When he wants/needs to be, Fuyuhiko is actually a very capable leader. He's very good at organizing people and getting them to listen to him. Additionally, he has a stupidly high pain tolerance and a working knowledge (though not necessarily actual practice) of somewhat shady topics, including but not limited to: weaponry, interrogation, forgery, torture, the after effects of various poisons, and how to knock somebody unconscious with over the counter drugs. One would think that being accepted to such a school would be a good thing for Kuzuryuu, and would finally lay all his image issues to rest. However, this was not the case. He knows that his little sister would be a better fit for the position. In fact, the only reason she was neither the heir nor the SHSL Yakuza was because she didn't want to be. All his acceptance to Hope's Peak did was further his need to prove himself and live up to the expectations that go along with his position and talent.

His upbringing has done more than just give him image reconciliation issues, however. It's also shaped the way he interacts with others and given him somewhat of an abnormal set of values. As stated previously, Fuyuhiko puts up a front to make himself seem a lot tougher than he actually is. But even without that front, he would still have trouble interacting with others "normally" because of how others treat HIM. Because of what his family is, people look at Fuyuhiko and see nothing but trouble. As a result, Fuyuhiko had no friends growing up. When he's finally available to spend your free time periods with in-game, he oftentimes seems confused and weirded out by the idea that Hajime (the game's protagonist), not only wants to spend time with him, but also seems to enjoy it. The assumption that he's is nothing but trouble isn't exactly unfounded, however, cruel though the outcomes on Fuyuhiko may be. The yakuza world is an incredibly brutal and violent one, especially in the case of the Kuzuryuu family. Fuyuhiko's hot-blooded nature didn't just come from nowhere, after all. His parents and sister have rather explosive tempers as well and even the smallest arguments almost always lead to violence. Fuyuhiko claims that he's come close to death several times in the aftermath of some of his parents' fights, as neither of them hold anything back and go at each other with the intent to kill. Fuyuhiko has grown up surrounded by violence and death and has long accepted the fact that, as long as he carries the Kuzuryuu family name, that will never change. In spite of all this, however, Fuyuhiko embraces his Yakuza roots. Even though he's not well-suited for it (and is painfully aware of this fact), he wants to eventually fill the role he was born into. However, he wants to actually deserve it first: he wants to be strong enough TO lead his family, not strong BECAUSE he leads his family. This desire to prove himself is what causes him to become so fiercely self-reliant. He believed that relying on others was weakness and he'd never be able to prove himself if he accepted help or handouts (even if they came from his own family).

So how is it that Fuyuhiko's true, not-actually-as-bad-as-he-could-be nature makes itself known? Because when he's first introduced, he does very little to give off the impression that there's more to him than meets the eye. The answer is loss. By losing the people most precious to him, Kuzuryuu is able to realize just how badly he fucked up and how wrong he was about a lot of things. In chapter 2 it's revealed that Fuyuhiko and Peko Pekoyama have not only known each other since the cradle, but that Peko is his bodyguard/hitman. It's also revealed that Fuyuhiko's little sister was murdered during their time at Hope's Peak Academy and that Mahiru Koizumi helped cover it up. While Fuyuhiko did have his revenge on his sister's killer after the incident occurred, he had no idea about Mahiru's involvement until Monokuma revealed it to them through Twilight Syndrome Murder Case. Once he found out the truth, he felt as though he has no choice but to retaliate. After all, he he was told from a very young age that when someone wrongs you, you wrong them right back: "An eye for an eye." So he plans to murder her, though he very likely had no intention of actually getting away with it and sacrificing the rest of his class. Not wanting him to be executed, Peko becomes a killer in his place, all but taking the bat out of his hand to murder Mahiru in his stead. She then tries to claim that she was nothing but a mere tool for her young master's use and that by voting for her, the class failed to catch the true culprit: Fuyuhiko himself. All this was an attempt to get Fuyuhiko safely off the island. However, it failed because Fuyuhiko was unable to 1) sacrifice everyone else for his own sake and 2) going along with Peko's plan would mean that he really DID see Peko as nothing more than a tool. Which he could not do because the only thing he ever wanted her to be was herself. Peko is executed as the true culprit, making Fuyuhiko technically responsible for both her and Mahiru's deaths. He tries to interfere in her execution, only to get a sword to the eye and nearly die for his trouble. Because of all this, Fuyuhiko turns over a new leaf and starts trying to make amends with the rest of his class and to stop being such a coward. He even goes as far as to slice open his own stomach to show just how serious he is about his apology. He begins to actively help in investigations and trials, and is even shown to try and help a few of his classmates (Akane and Hajime, specifically) with some of their own struggles.

When looking at his actions over the course of canon, there's one final trait of Fuyuhiko's that makes itself very clear: his cowardice. While he may be brave in the face of violence and danger (he will throw himself into the jaws of death without a second thought and has little issue with enduring pain), the same can not be said of more abstract areas. If given the chance, Fuyuhiko will run away from his problems instead of facing them. It's part of the reason he puts up such a front and tries to act the way people expect him to. He's too scared to try and go against expectations and try and make things work on his own terms. Byakuya even calls him out on his cowardice in chapter one, pointing out the possibility that his motivations for wanting to kill someone are little more than him looking for an excuse to get out of the game. If he dies, he doesn't have to play anymore. But he wouldn't kill himself, and his pride would never allow for him to meekly become a victim at the hands of another. When he runs into Peko's execution, it's clear that Fuyuhiko did not care whether he survived the attempt or not. Saving Peko and surviving would obviously be the ideal outcome, but the chances of that actually happening were slim to none. With Peko dead, Fuyuhiko would be all alone with his classmates who would surely not forgive him for Mahiru and Peko's deaths. And considering that the last thing he asked of Peko was not to leave him, it's obvious that he was terrified of what would happen without her around. To that end, dying at her side was just as acceptable as managing to save her. Even after her death, he's still incredibly reckless with his life. Initially, he does not value her sacrifice and sees his life as a meaningless spare. He's perfectly willing to die to help the others since he should, by all means, have been dead already. It's not until Nekomaru tells him that he needs to value the life that Peko gave him; that it's better to just be alive, that he really starts to get it and stops trying to throw his life away every time he gets the chance. Between the events that transpired during/after chapter 2, and his free time events with Hajime, Fuyuhiko starts making strides in the right direction and decides to start facing his problems instead of running away from them.

During the final trial it is revealed that Fuyuhiko and all of his "classmates" (canon seems to indicate that they're all actually from two, maybe three, different classes instead of the same one like they were initially lead to believe) were actually part of Super High School Level Despair: a organization of high school students lead by Junko Enoshima which completely destroyed the world for the sake of despair. It's never outright said exactly what it is that made any of them fall into despair, but with Fuyuhiko it's not exactly hard to guess. He grew up isolated and friendless, inferior to his own little sister, and was in a state of internal conflict due to image dissonance. These things make him a very good target for despair, as being friendless is a common theme among his classmates. However, since Fuyuhiko does possess a very strong will, it's likely that this wasn't enough. His sister's murder and his own subsequent revenge murder were likely the straws that broke the camel's back, so to speak. His sister was one of the two most important people in his life and one of the few people who actually believed in him and his abilities. When he found out that her murderer walked free thanks to a very good cover up, he couldn't let that stand. But like basically every work of fiction ever tells us: revenge rarely, if ever makes a person feel better. Fuyuhiko is no exception to that trope, as evidenced by his feelings following Mahiru's death. So it's not hard to imagine that murdering his sister's killer pushed him to a point where Junko had no problem manipulating him. Fuyuhiko does not remember anything from his time in SHSL Despair, but he is aware of the fact that he was a member and that he did a lot of really terrible things. He's accepted it and is now making strides to try and keep himself from ever becoming that person again. This choice to accept his past, and to move forward to create his own future is further proof of just how far Fuyuhiko came over the two weeks following Peko's death. He's no longer the cowardly boy he once was, wanting to die just so he didn't have to play a cruel murder game, but rather a brave man worthy of being called a leader.

5-10 Key Character Traits: focused, short-tempered, proud, independent, stubborn, kind-hearted, assertive, loyal, determined, moral
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, or EITHER? Fits, please!
Opt-Outs: Troll, Arachne, Minotaur, Werebear, Kelpie

Roleplay Sample: Some threads from

cerealia... Intro, Attack of the Trees, feat. Gundam Tanaka, and Cheering Up Attempts, feat. Mabel Pines