Gato

APPEARANCE:

^{IMAGE CREDIT: Commissioned from Ishida1694}
Gato is a young man of average height, with a lean, muscular physique and a broad-shouldered build. He stands 5'10" (177cm) tall, with tan skin and a head of unruly red hair which defies all attempts to tame it. His eyes are dark, almost black, with a gaze radiating intensity. Gato's face is boyish and expressive, and his emotions unguarded, as if he wears his mood on his sleeve as a matter of principle. A lithe, fuzzy tail sways to and fro behind him, bearing the same color as the hair on his head. Although his skin is relatively free of blemishes and scars, Gato's knuckles bear thick calluses that mark him as a fighter at first glance, and on closer inspection his nose is slightly crooked, clearly broken and re-set more than once. Gato's ki, when made visible, is cyan in color.

Gato's wardrobe is fairly limited, consisting mostly of athletic wear with some pieces clearly inspired by saiyan "fashion", tight-fitting and made for battle, along with a few more put-together outfits that were probably picked out by his mother. Gato himself seems unconcerned with his appearance, his hair usually left unkempt, though his saiyan genes make any sort of grooming difficult anyway. His hair isn't as resistant to change as a full-blooded saiyan, but it is still remarkably difficult to style in any way other than its natural configuration. Gato's clothing is often worn and ratty, though at the very least he seems to have had basic hygiene habits beaten into him at some point. Gato prefers to go clean-shaven, as he can't grow much facial hair anyway.

PERSONALITY: Blunt, unrefined, and possessed of a fiery temper, Gato is the picture of stereotypical saiyan boorishness. Which is ironic, because his saiyan mother is a cool-headed woman with little interest in fighting. Gato seems to have inherited his fiery disposition mostly from his human father, whose passionate nature seems to have combined with his wife's saiyan genes and stubborn personality to create a monster, or at least a very bull-headed young man. Gato is incredibly stubborn, and once he has set his mind to a task or a goal, it's nearly impossible to drag him away from it until it's complete. However, once he reaches his goals, he quickly becomes depressed and gloomy without something to work towards. As a result, Gato always seems to be active, seeking new challenges to sate his need for purpose.

Gato's great passion is the martial arts, and he has wholly immersed himself in the pursuit of strength, much to the disapproval of his parents. (Well, mostly his mother, but his father knows better than to contradict her on it in front of her.) Beyond a mere desire to get stronger, fighting is also Gato's primary means of self-expression. In his opinion, there are few ways to understand a person better than trading fists. Gato seems to be pretty much always up for a scrap, no matter the opponent. Contrary to the stereotype, Gato is not a particularly proud man, and finds no shame in a loss as long as he managed to learn something from it. However, he detests not being taken seriously, and dismissing him or holding back in a proper match is a quick way to get him mad. Contrary to popular belief, Gato does have interests other than fighting. For one, he is a surprisingly good cook, with a very meticulous approach in the kitchen. He tends to follow the recipe to the letter, and gets very frustrated when things don't turn out perfectly.

Despite his straightforward personality, Gato's personal character is a bit of an enigma. While he's certainly aggressive and afflicted by the peculiar battle-lust saiyans are known for, he's not an especially violent person outside of the bounds of a "proper match", as he calls it. He has little interest in wanton destruction or picking on people who can't or don't want to fight back. He won't refuse a fight with an inferior opponent, but finds little joy in it. The matter of Gato's moral compass is another mystery, as although he's certainly a bit of a delinquent, his misbehavior is almost entirely limited to street fights. The hallmark pastimes of the delinquent seem to hold no special appeal to him, despite thoroughly embodying the archetype in most other ways. His sense of justice seems to be entirely based on gut feeling and vibes, judging right and wrong based entirely on how it makes him feel at the time. This method is far from foolproof, as you can imagine. However, Gato is relatively strict in matters of honor. He holds his word as sacred, and keeps promises with the same stubbornness as everything else. He's not opposed to trickery or deception as a combat tactic, but is disgusted by underhanded techniques that require no strength or skill, such as the use of poison.

BACKGROUND: Gato is a half-saiyan, born of a human father and a saiyan mother. His mother, descended from a fairly respected military lineage, left her homeworld to seek a more peaceful existence separated from the expectations of saiyan society and her family. Though no slouch in terms of raw talent, she had no interest in combat and found herself enchanted by the comparatively carefree lifestyle found on Earth. She settled in East City, finding a certain charm in the rough-and-tumble place that reminded her of home. Only a few years after her arrival, she met Gato's father by chance when she was set upon by thieves one day on the way home from work. He leapt into the fray to defend her, and although she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, she appreciated the gesture. She was especially surprised to learn that he had no fighting experience at all, and was in fact a normal office worker that leapt to her defense without thinking. They turned out to be a surprisingly perfect match, and after briefly dating they got married. Somehow, they even convinced the bride's family to attend the wedding, to the consternation of the other guests.

It didn't take long after the wedding for Gato to arrive on the scene. His childhood was fairly normal, as although he was a rambunctious child, he lacked the superhuman abilities pure-blooded saiyans are born with, limiting his ability to cause trouble. He could only access these dormant abilities in times of great emotional distress, which were thankfully few and far between. As he grew however, Gato's hot-blooded nature became even more apparent, and he regularly got into trouble. His mother initially pushed him towards martial arts as a healthier outlet for his energy, which more or less worked, but it had the unintended effect of pushing him closer to realizing his latent genetic potential. As Gato trained his body, he became capable of calling upon his natural abilities with greater ease, no longer requiring an emotional trigger. As his powers grew, so too did his desire to test them against stronger and stronger opponents. Combined with his easily-provoked nature, this culminated in a pattern of getting into fights on a regular basis. Eventually, he was even kicked out of his martial arts school for street fighting. This didn't bother Gato that much though, as he's learned all he can from drills and controlled sparring. Now, he intends to head out on his own and test his skills in the real world, against opponents greater than he can imagine. His parents don't really approve, but know better than to try to talk him out of something once he's decided to do it. So, Gato heads out on his own for the first time, ready to devote himself to his training. That is, after he pays his rent. The price of freedom is sometimes steep.

Light Attack Technique || Breathtaker
A well-aimed strike to the solar plexus delivered at full strength, knocking the wind out of the opponent.
Power: 20%
KP Cost: 2 KP
Variants: Exhausting (2 TP), Power Upgrade 1 (1 TP)

Light Attack Technique || Burn Knuckle
Gato concentrates his ki to a single point and releases it in a burst of blazing energy! Usually delivered as a super-powered punch, but he can do it with any of his limbs if the need arises.
Power: 40%
KP Cost: 2 KP
Variants: Power Upgrade 3 (3 TP)

Medium Defense Technique || Fighting Spirit
No matter how many times he's struck, Gato just won't go down. He simply takes hits as if he can't even feel the pain, then strikes back with twice the ferocity!
Power: 65%
KP Cost: 4 KP
Variants: Taunt (2 TP), Power Upgrade 2 (2 TP)

Sparking Medium Defense Technique || Burning Fighting Spirit
When Gato's warrior spirit is roused, he completely abandons defense and fearlessly trades blows with his opponent, trusting in his toughness and grit to outlast anyone.
Power: 80%
KP Cost: 4 KP
Variants: Taunt (2 TP), Taunt+ (2 TP), Power Upgrade 4 (4 TP)

Utility Technique || Ki Sensing
Gato can perceive the flow of ki, use it to identify people by their unique aura, and even gauge their strength.

Utility Technique || Flight
Gato has learned to propel himself through the air using his ki.