Sho

Shoichi Shin ( 正一, Shoichi) is the first half of the older Shin brothers, the main protagonists, in the Band of Brothers series created by "Stormbreaker99" on Fanfiction.net. He resides in the Sword Art Online universe and was there when the death game began. Sho and his brother Raiden were among the 10,000 players who were trapped inside.
== Appearance ==
In real life, Sho is five feet ten inches tall. He has short spiky black hair typically in a buzz cut. However, if he forgets to visit the barber, which is often, his hair does get rather long. It has been compared to spiny durian. Sho's eyes are black, so black that it sometimes hides his pupil. His build is above average, being quite muscular for a kid his age. He usually wears short-sleeved t-shirts and jeans or khakis when not at school. Since he went to a more prestigious school, he had to wear a uniform complete with a tucked in dress shirt, tie, belt, and dress pants. He never liked this style of clothing and it always bothered him to be restrained and constricted.
At the beginning of Sword Art Online, he starts off wearing a green short-sleeved shirt, tan pants, and black boots. On the third floor, he wears a dark green long-sleeved shirt with a matching set of dark green pants held up by a black belt with a dull black buckle. Over his shirt, he has on a brown leather vest that covered up his chest with a single strap going down from his right shoulder to his left hip. Connected to that strap was the sheath to his staff. On his feet was a pair of dark green boots. He wore black fingerless gloves with extra grip on the inside of his palms. All in all, he sported a dark green set of clothing and wielded a staff.
When he reaches the twentieth floor, he acquires the Striker's Set from a global quest. This set is very much like his floor 3 outfit in the way that it is mainly green. The top piece of clothing looks like a typical kung-fu fighter's tunic. A tattered brown cape was attached to a black metal shoulder guard over his left shoulder. The decorative piece stretched from his left and whipped back down over his write. White lines bordered the tunic and a brown leather belt lay on top. The leggings were average brown pants. The bottom part of his outfit consisted of light tan pants and dark green boots. His staff sheath was attached to a strap that went from his right shoulder down to his left waist.
For his end-game armor, Sho uses two different sets. The first set is the final reward for the quest «Shadows in the Moonlight». It is called the Shadow Dragon armor set. This set consists of black, red, and golden colors. A red and black tunic covers the wearer's chest while a red crystalling pendant hangs from the neck. A black hood is connected to the tunic with a golden red trim running diagonally from the left shoulder to the waist. A pair of golden metallic vambraces fit over the wearer's arms, stylized to look like that of a dragon. A black sash-like belt goes over the waist with a golden curved dragon belt buckle design. A black and red cover goes from the waist down to the user's ankles. Finally, the set is finished off with black pants and shoes, trimmed with red.
The second set is the final reward for the quest «Path to Mastery». It is called the Copper Wind armor set. This armor set consists of mainly copper, orange and golden colors. The user wears a leather-scaled long-sleeved shirt underneath a copper-colored tunic tied down by a tiger-faced belt. A brownish and golden-striped scarf adorns the user's neck with a slight collar. The tunic's short sleeves are decorated by reddish-orange flames. Two silken dangles hung as a part of the tunic. The pants also have flame designs and  golden knee-guards. Golden shoes fit over the wearer's feet and fit snugly against the pants. The leggins also have red streaks that line the bottom. Finally, as a piece of aesthetic nature, a head piece is fitted over the wearer's forehead and hair.
== Background ==
Sho was born into an upper-class family. His dad is a Vietnamese ex-military naval colonel and engineer. His mom is a Japanese real estate agent. Together, his parents had three children. Sho was the oldest at age 17. Raiden, age 15, was the second oldest. Finally, Kuzon, age 13, was the baby of the family. They all currently live in Japan in a well-to-do part of the country. Due to the different cultures pervading the family, the Shin brothers all know Vietnamese and Japanese. They also know English. This is due to the eleven years that the family had spent in America. Sho's dad had gotten a job working at a hydraulic damn in the United States. The family only contained three members at that time, and they had hurriedly moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, they lived in a rather high-class neighborhood. At this time, Sho was three years old. He had attended a good public school for his entire elementary and middle school years. He learned French, excelled at math and science and dominated anything that had to do with the left side of the brain. After eighth grade, he was sent to an all boys Catholic school. There, he made many friends. He only just finished his sophomore year when the family, now containing two more members, had moved back to Japan to take up permanent residence. It was there that he spent his junior year before getting stuck within SAO.
His elementary years were fine. He had friends, but not much, especially in 5th grade. When middle school came around, he lost even more friends as they left him for other people. His elementary school was one of four in a district. For middle school, the four schools were combined into one. This quadrupled the amount of boys and girls. Nobody needed a fast-thinking guy as a friend. Everyone wanted the cool football players as their buddy. Still, Sho couldn't be kept down. That just wasn't his thing.
Matters later took a turn for the worst when he got to 7th grade. Sho, for the first time, fully hated school and fully hated people. This year was the year that turned him into the sarcastic and cynical man he becomes for the rest of his life. He doesn't really like to talk about it. In fact, he preferred if it stayed hidden.
Besides the scholarly part of his life, video games and excersise occupied his time. He was very fit and muscular for a "nerd" of his stature. That's why the bullies only attacked him with words. Anything else and they'll have broken bones and bruised ribs. Being ex-military, Sho's dad trained the boys at a young age. Starting at the age of six, his father had set up a grueling training regime for his firstborn son. He made sure that Sho was fit. Sho was able to do forty push-ups, ten pull-ups and run an entire mile without breaking a sweat. This was at the age of ten. When his younger brothers got to this age, they too were able to do the same thing.
Asides from physical training, their father had also taught the Shin brothers five types of martial arts from the age of six to ten. All three boys were trained in karate, Muay Thai, jujitsu, judo, and Shaolin kung fu. While that might sound like a lot, and absurdly so, the arts were reduced down to concepts. Sho's father picked from them concepts that he deemed necessary for a comprehensive lesson in combat and self defense. A taekwondo dojang was situated near their house and their dad had signed them up for that too. He wanted his sons to be able to spar others. What other ways to get into legal fights than to go to a martial arts dojang? Sho's dad had insisted that the brothers knew how to protect themselves. It was good for them to stand up to any form of physical bullying from the other kids. They were foreigners after all. At the age of ten, the brothers were trained in weapons, more specifically the bo staff. Raiden had some training with a sword, but that came from their uncle. Their father would attack them with swords, knives, nunchucks, poles, baseball bats and any other weapons he could get his hands on. From ten to sixteen then, the brothers would just keep practicing, day after day, hour after hour. In that time, Sho had become an expert with the bo staff. Raiden was advanced; he was better with the sword. The same went for Kuzon. Of the three brothers, only Sho focused on the staff.
Then came the tournaments. Sho and his brothers would compete with their school against other people around the nation. Secretly, the Shin brothers began to make a name for themselves. It was only at state finals did Sho get recognized for his skill. He was in his Freshman year when he beat a Sophomore from a jiujitsu school. Using a combination of the same martial art and taekwondo, Sho soundly defeated the guy and won the state title. The next year he did the same thing, except on the national level, gaining another win against someone in his age group. He would later go on to win more regional tournaments as well. Seeing his success, his father signed him and the other brothers up to the martial arts international tournaments later in the year. There he won yet again. It was at that moment that he regained his self confidence. He now had higher faith in his abilities and skills. All it took was a little win to set him straight.
Junior year rolled around and Sho was all ready to go. This was considered the hardest year of high school. Sho got good grades for the first quarter of the year and spectacular grades during the second quarter. He had continued with his Forensics Debate program ever since freshman year. He'd become so good that he was now president of the society. Then the NerveGear came out. He signed up to be a beta tester along with his brother, Raiden. Raiden got the slot and he did not. Not jealous, he urged his brother to find out all he could about the game. When Sho finally tried it for himself on November 06, 2022, his entire life changes as he becomes locked away inside a virtual world.
== Equipment and Items ==
=== Starter Equipment and Items ===
* Iron Bo Staff
* Silk Robes
* Silk Leggings
* Health Potions x 4
=== Later Weapons ===
* Clandestine Blowgun (End-Game)
* Defender's Staff (Floor 3)
* Thief Blade (Floor 20)
* Staff of the Monkey King (End-Game)
* Shadow Dragon Dagger (End-Game)
* Black Flame (End-Game)
* Cyclone Blades (End-Game)
=== Later Armor ===
==== Striker's Set ====
* Striker's Tunic (Floor 4)
* Striker's Shoulder Pad (Floor 20)
* Striker's Gauntlets (Floor 20)
* Striker's Pants (Floor 20)
==== Shadow Dragon Set (End-Game) ====
* Shadow Dragon Hood
* Shadow Dragon Pendant
* Shadow Dragon Footwear
* Shadow Dragon Pants
* Shadow Dragon Tunic
* Shadow Dragon Arm Guards
* Shadow Dragon Belt
==== Copper Wind Set (End-Game) ====
* Copper Wind Headpiece (aesthetic; not needed for set bonus)
* Copper Wind Top Cover
* Copper Wind Scaled Chest
* Copper Wind Belt
* Copper Wind Wrist Guards
* Copper Wind Pants
* Copper Wind Footwear
* Copper Wind Scarf
== Abilities ==
=== Sword Art Online (Floor 75) ===
* Level: 96
* HP: 19000
=== Skills ===
==== Buffs ====
* Flow of Wind - A buff that increases Sho's evasion by 100% for 20 seconds. Requires Martial Arts and Two-Handed Bo Staff. Has a cooldown of 3 minutes.
* Herme's Wings - A buff that increases Sho's movement speed by 200%. Shares same cooldown as Flow of Wind.
==== Two-Handed Bo Staff ====
* Javelin Toss – (1-hit strike) Throws his staff like a spear. Induces a knockback & three second stun
* Diagonal Blow – (1-hit strike) A diagonal attack to the enemy's shoulder.
* Lunge – (1-hit strike) A simple lunge forward. Induces a knockback strong enough to push the own user back.
* Back - (1-hit strike) A mid-level skill that hits with the tip of the staff to induce a knockback. Has a 3 second cooldown.
* Inner Edge - (1-hit strike) A mid-level skill that strikes at the enemy's armpit under their weapon arm, pushing up to stop the downwards attack. Checks momentum and induces a knockback.
* Vault - (1-hit move) A move that uses the staff to vault over the enemy. Requires a running start and flips a good height over the enemy.
* Force of a Thousand Tons – (1-hit strike) Max level skill. A two-handed strike that swings the staff like a baseball bat. Is a powerful attack. Can cause Headache status if struck on head.
* End Strikes - (2-hit combo) A two hit combo striking with the ends of the staff.
* Blunt Stingers – (3-hit combo) Sho holds the staff in one hand to swing to the left, then the right, and finally the left again.
* Over Under - (3-hit combo) Swings the end of the staff over, takes the middle to swing under then finally finishes off with a powerful downwards blow. Induces a knockback.
* Side Blows - (4-hit combo) Holding the staff in the middle, the player swings one hand left and right rapidly, dealing good damage and inducing a stun if all blows land.
* Jabbing Flurry - (4-hit combo) Sho takes his staff and rains a series of jabs at the enemy, inducing a knockback every move.
* Double End Strikes - (4-hit combo) A four hit combo striking with the ends of the staff.
* Pointed Star - (6-hit combo) Using his staff like a spear, Sho lunges for the enemy's neck and groin.
* Spinning Barrier – A defensive skill that spins his staff in a circle to form a transparent shield. The higher the skill level, the longer the barrier. Made to block projectiles.
* Rounded Tip - (8-hit combo) A fast series of whirling staff smashes that targets the enemy's ribs, neck and head.
==== Null ====
==== Combat Mastery ====
== Quotes ==
"You, sir, are an absolute fool."
"God damn it man. You're a complete idiot!"
"Orange juice is like the greatest drink ever invented. It's got orange, and juice. I mean what can be better than that?"
When asked if he drinks soda: "Coke? Naw man. Coke makes me go nuts. When I go nuts, I mess things up. When I mess things up, people give me a hard time. When people give me a hard time, I hit them. When I hit them, well, let's just say that all Hell breaks loose."
War cry: "For Asgard! For the Ham!"
"Here, hold my juice."
"Jesus flipping Christ! You're so fricking stupid."
"Gah, I need a nap."
"Move damn it! Don't just stand there! Get moving!"
"Move and don't get hit. That's my motto."
"A girl, a sword, and a pissy mood. I am not getting involved."
"Have you heroes ever tried not helping people? Like just leaving them to their devices? No? Alright then. Let's go do something stupid."
"Guh, dictatorships are sooo 1940s."
"How can I say this nicely? You're an absolute idiot."
When surrounded by enemies: "Frick this. Frick that. Frick you. Frick him."
When giving "comforting" advice: "Listen to me. The world's a messed up place. You either step up, or get stepped on. Nothing else. Don't lose hope just 'cause things are bad. Frick, things are always bad. You just got to stand back up. Sure it sounds cliché, but don't give up. You think things are bleak now? Wait till tomorrow. They'll be even worse. But guess what? You can choose how to deal with it. Toughen up and pull out your weapon. If you're gonna go down, go down swinging. Never go down in defeat."
"Girls are so confusing."
"Dang it. Where are the unicorns?"
"When I tell you to move, I expect you to move! Don't just stand there! Move!"
"Never give up hope. Hope gives birth to dreams and through dreams, the proponent for change. Hope defines you; dreams refine you. And change binds them both." - Quoted from some "wise old man."
"Life is locomotion. If you're not moving, you're not living." - Quoted partially from the Flash.
"Freedom is not a choice, but a birthright. Everyone has freedom. Only our perceptions limit it."
Insults: 
# "You are a flipping banana."
# "My flipping cat could kick your butt. Heck, he wouldn't even need his claws. He'll just cutiefy you to death."
# "You call that an attack? That's like a little baby throwing a tantrum."
# "Woah! Hold up! Let me finish my juice first God damn it! Warriors these days. They got no respect for their elders."
# "Here, drink some Pepsi. You'll love it. It totally goes with your stupidity."
Category:Player
Category:Male