Shou Yoshizawa

Shou Yoshizawa (吉澤翔, Yoshizawa Shou) is a member of the criminal group V-14. Like the rest of his teammates, he is of his own nationality, having been born in Japan.

Appearance
Shou's appearance is that of a young adult man with long and red hair, brown eyes, and Caucasian-color skin. His physique is noticeably athletic, possibly due to his swordsmanship training in his time with the V-14. However, it is considerably lop-sided, due to the fact that he does not consistently use two hands for the wielding of his blade. His attire consists of a green, light and short-sleeved trench coat with olive-colored pants, as well as a hat that matches the color of his coat. It is noted that underneath the sleeves of his shirt, he has tape-like bandages wrapped around his wrists, presumably for cushioning the grip for sword practice.

Personality
Shou, compared to most, is a socially distant person with a mind commonly at ease. He has good control over his own emotions, commonly displaying a casually calm and light-hearted countenance. He speaks with a careful and glib placing of words, never stumbling over himself or being caught in situations where he is forced to express embarrassment (albeit he does show surprise and shock). Despite being marked as one of the most notorious criminals in Soul Society, he prefers to use words over weapons when faced with an obstacle. Only when his words fail will he unsheathe his blade in combat. However, it is noted that his words, when placed right, are able to match up to his muscle. With the exception of those he is fighting, he rarely sees anyone as an enemy, even if he is aware that the person he is speaking to is an enemy. He is extremely loyal to his group, willing to risk himself in order to achieve their goals and protect what he values. To the end, he serves as a jaded light to his darker companions, his human light shining through their cold exteriors.

However, even he does not possess complete protection from their influence. He possesses a prodigal, clever, and intelligent mind. Notably, he is a skilled linguist and is able to speak and translate languages such as Japanese, English, and other forms of European language. However, to the extent that it proves to fit the situation, he will use this intellectual advantage in order to manipulate others, pick his targets apart, and mocking them for displaying what he believes to be weakness. This sadistic cruelty may have come from his requirement to weaken his targets using any means necessary so they do not fight back. To some targets, he will express regret later on after he does so due to a natural re-calling of his victim's emotions. Though he does not enjoy bloodshed, he does take excitement in the art of combat. To an extent, he is quite the chessmaster, being able to manipulate others to his whim and get successful results. His level of ingenuity is on par with that of his leader's, if not greater than.

Background
Shou's childhood began in the slums of the Rukongai in District 78, immediately having to settle into a hard life. Little has been explained of how he was raised. However, it is know that he was a social outcast in comparison to other children, as well as a perfect target for being bullied and pushed around. It was not uncommon for him to get ganged up on and cruelly beaten once a day due to this childhood torture. Even when he attempted to tell people about it, they did not show one bit of help or sympathy towards him out of the simple awareness of the environment that they were in. Falling quickly into despair and desperate to protect himself, he began to take matters into his own hands. His father had owned a Kidō pistol in order to protect his family, and so without his consent, Shou had discreetly taken the gun and brought it with him to the outside. When he was confronted by his tormentors, he simply pulled out the pistol, shot, and killed them in cold blood. He fled before he could be caught by others. Later on, however, he was caught by his parents holding the weapon in hand, but was immediately forgiven when he broke down and told them what had happened. His father, not blinded from the criminal-infested area, decided to allow the child to keep the gun for himself.

Later on, after Shou was revealed as the killer of his four bullies, his father was immediately denounced by other civilians as the "raising of a serial killer". The parents of the four dead children were especially outraged, demanding revenge. Forming together as a group, they stormed his home and raided it, destroying anything and everything in the process while Shou himself was out for the day. His father attempted to defend himself, and momentarily forgetting about it, he attempted to retreat in order to grab his gun. Only when he reached the spot where it had been did he realize who possessed it, and by the time he did, he was struck down by one of the parents and mortally wounded. When Shou returned home, the destruction of his home performed a severe blow what little innocence he had. He was even more hurt when his father, bleeding from his wounds and crawling on the floor, confronted him one final time. With his dying breath, he warned Shou that the anguished parents would be after him now, pleading for him to survive and escape their wrath. With nothing more than the desire to follow his father's wishes, Shou managed to escape his home and subsequently the district itself.

By the time he had taken refuge once again, Shou's sanity was starting to collapse in on itself. He began to suffer hallucinations as a result of the brutality experienced upon his childhood. These hallucinations came in the form of his four victims, who still jeer at him and mock him for the trouble that he was in. In his mind, they always taunted him that he could never slaughter anyone else, even as he was being hunted by people that would surely kill him. At first, he managed to barely resist it, but insanity was slowly taking him over despite his efforts. Unable to take it anymore, he finally gave in to the subconscious urges and set out with his gun in hand. With only the simple handgun that his father passed on to him, he slaughtered 132 citizens of the district he was in, which happened to be also one of the law-abiding districts. Obviously, this time he was not able to get away cleanly. Though he fought quite viciously, he was apprehended by Shinigami officials and imprisoned. Even then, his insanity continued to wipe his mind away, with the bullies within his head laughing victoriously at their easy manipulation of him.

This was when he had his first "communication" with his Zanpakutō's inner spirit, Kanki on Oto. As he sat, broken and withered within his cell, as well as ready to be executed for mass murder, she was able to reach within his tormented soul and speak to him in an attempt to break through his instability. The way that she spoke to him, as he recalls it, was a "heavenly and angelic tone that seemed to wash away everything with promise". It took days in order to get through to him, but day by day, he began to see her as one of his closest companions. As a result, a strong bond formed between them, similar to that between a mother and a son. On the day of his execution, he was able to reach far enough to summon his Zanpakutō in a physical form. With her power, he broke through his prison and unleashed a one-man attack on the innards of the prison, with her guiding him every step of the way. As he finally broke free, he was being pursued by several guards and was once again on the verge of capture. However, before it could happen, a gunman stepped in to rescue him. With his arnaments, he slaughtered the patrol that was pursuing Shou before wordlessly restraining Shou and taking him to the V-14 base. It was revealed there that Angelika Hartmann, leader of V-14, had gained a particular interest in Shou's criminal activies as well as his "services" towards society. Using his past against him, as well as the fact that the gunman (later on revealed to be Oliver Holmes) rescued him from certain death, Angelika managed to rope him in to her side quite easily. With that, he would be the last member of the V-14 to be recruited.

Synopsis

 * Signed In Red: Rise of Valentine

Powers & Abilities
Zanjutsu Master: In the art of swordsmanship, Shou is an extremely proficient combatant. His personal standard of wielding his blade focuses on a disciplined and tactical form, yet still retains an extents of finesse and style. He is capable of killing with swiftness and natural ease, and can cut through the flesh of his opponents like butter. His sword skills are on such a level that he is able to achieve extraordinary feats such as cutting powerful energy attacks in two and even deflecting high-speed attacks. He does not allow himself to be reckless and wild in contrast to the style of gunman Oliver Holmes.

Immense Reiryoku: As one of the members of V-14, Shou possesses immense spiritual power. He is quite adept at controlling it, to the extent of making it seem like he has even no spiritual energy at all. When he releases it, its properties are like a poison to the air, and can hinder anyone within presence of it with side effects such as breathing difficulties, and even outright suffocation. It is not uncommon for a stronger opponent to fight through these effects, but it is a rarely if one is capable of shattering the poisonous aura around them completely. This very power marks him a dangerous threat as well as an interest of the Seireitei.

Shunpo Master: Shou's speed and reflexes, combined with his swordsmanship prowess, allow him to cut down multitudes of enemies within seconds. His attacks move so quickly that it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to see his blade even move from its respective spot. He is capable of keeping up with and even surprising other high-level opponents with the immense speed he possesses, and if one is careless enough, can cut them down with one strike. This forces his opponents to be at their upmost vigilance when facing him down in order to avoid a quick death.

Marksmanship: In flashbacks to his past, a pre-teen Shou was seen using a gun in order to ward off and kill 4 children. In his time residing in the law-abiding part of the Rukongai, a teenage Shou shot and killed 132 civilians and additionally held off several Shinigami forces before being apprehended. Despite his ability to kill many targets with just a pistol, his gunplay skills are nothing compared to the likes of Oliver, whose marksmanship rivals that of Shou's own swordsmanship.

Zanpakutō
Shōri no Oto (勝利の音, Sounds of Victory): It takes the form of a sword with a black and slightly broad blade. The handle is the same color, with a steel gray straight-cross guard.


 * Shikai: In order for Shōri no Oto's Shikai to activate, Shou states the word twists the blade and releases his hold on the handle. It spins automatically for a moment, before several energy beams shoot out from it and land beside him. They slowly shift, taking on the form of black-furred attack dogs. After the dogs materialize, the sword itself disappears. A total of 300 dogs are materialized by the completion of the release. Afterwhich, they "disappear", leaving Shou unarmed.
 * Shikai Special Ability: Though the dogs vanish upon release, they actually turn to a state where they are "undetected". About four or five can be sensed faintly, though the signatures irregularly appear and disappear. These dogs will chase the enemy down with the intent to tear them apart. Their attack pattern, when actually seen, is a charge-and-dodge fashion of fighting, which under normal circumstances would be predictable. However, there is a terrifying element about the attacking dogs; they possess intelligence. They are capable of utilizing a variant of Shunpo, in which the sound effect is similar to that of a ghostly whistle. They can move at the speed of sound, able to close up to 1,500 meters of distance within a single second. They also utilize maneuvers such as flanking the enemy, and tactically retreating in order to avoid danger. A lone dog possesses enough strength can kill an enemy within a single leap-and-tackle maneuver if not severely injure them, and will do so once the timing is right. There is little chance of escape if the five dogs strike at once, of course. If one is killed, one of the vanished dogs will re-appear to take its place.
 * Koyōte no Kurai (コヨーテのクライ, Coyote's Cry): A technique that Shou can use against his opponents. When an enemy gets too close, he emits a loud scream that can severely damage and destroy flesh and bone, as well as cause severe pain to the brain and eardrums. But that is far from the true effect it has. Once Shou emits that scream, the entire horde of wolves will be immediately summoned to his aid and attack the targets hit by the sonic scream. Survival is next to impossible whenever he uses this technique, and it will take an extreme amount of skill, tenacity, resistance, and sheer luck in order to avoid being slaughtered. A group of fighters affected by Koyōte no Kurai, however, can increase the chances of their own survival by working together against the wolves.


 * Bankai: Not Yet Revealed.

Trivia

 * I do not own these pictures. All credit goes to the makers of Fire Emblem and of Duty:_Black_Ops Call of Duty: Black Ops.
 * Shou's unofficial theme is Beautiful Mine by Butterfly Effect.