Koketsu

*"The Morimin have been forced to crawl like beasts for too long, the jade emperor shall die a dog's death for his crimes."* -*Koketsu*

**Koketsu** (虎穴; Tiger's Den/Jaws of Death) is the current ruler of **Byakko-kyū** (白虎宮; White Tiger Palace) and thus the ruler of the west portion of Fusō. A former Morimin slave like the love of his life Byakko, Koketsu holds an unwavering hatred towards the immortal Jade Emperor for the torture of his people and more personally for being the source of most of his pain in early life and for the murder of Byakko.

A broken man consumed by hatred and the need for revenge Kotetsu is a kind ruler at heart that only wants the best for his people but due to being clouded by his dark thoughts ends up doing more bad than good as a ruler. He is extremely active in the civil war, but he seeks *not to conquer* but instead to outright **destroy** the north.

## ***Personality***

### **Quirks**

* **Westernized**: As the ruler of the west side of Fusō and a person with extreme disdain for the original culture of the land that enslaved him Koketsu will dress and conduct himself in a westernized fashion to spite the other factions in the civil war for their perceived complacency.

### **Goals**

* **Revenge**: Koketsu is fueled by a drive for revenge on the Jade Emperor for the enslavement of his kind and the unspeakable acts he personally committed against him and his loved ones.He wants the Jade Emperor dead more so than even death itself.

## ***History***

### **Background**

Koketsu was born a slave, to a family of slaves that personally worked for the Jade Emperor before the civil war. Beaten, abused and forced to toil with barely any rest Koketsu's early life was unspeakably bad, but through it all Koketsu still had his family and another slave friend Byakko.

Byakko semed to be born with a powerful charisma and an above average resistance to damage even for a Morimin, this however seemed to come at a cost of making her clumsy. This of course was also endearing for Koketsu, but it made Byakko a prime target for a different kind of slavery, a more primal kind. When she was forcefully fed poison that kept her from ever becoming pregnant and turned into a sex slave Kotetsu attempted to murder the man who had forever scarred his friend and stripped her of her right as a woman. Koketsu however of course failed in his assassination attempt and as punishment for his transgression was forced to sit and watch the continuous defilement of his friend and lover.

Eventually the civil war occurred and the noble's house was raided and he was murdered by the Crimson Hunters, but by accident in the infighting Byakko was killed by means he cannot comprehend even to this day. Koketsu did not necessarily think that the Crimson Hunters killed her but his inability to confirm the truth of her death made him suspect of the Crimson Hunter's innocence and so he never ended up joining them despite their mutual goals.

Emulating the mutation that had made Byakko so enticing to the despicable royals of Fusō, Koketsu built himself a fervent army out of former slaves and free morimin and instituted the **Byakko-kyū** (白虎宮; White Tiger Palace) named so in honor of Byakko and whose entire purpose of establishment seems to be for revenge and nothing else.

## ***Abilities***

### **Morimin Abilities**

As a Morimin, Koketsu is known to use Kara to acquire enhanced endurance, speed, strength, hearing, smell and sight beyond a majority of individuals in the world that don't practice the usage of ki. It should be noted however that the enhancements Koketsu gets from using Kara are weaker than the average for a Morimin because of his unique application of Kara in the form of an **Ōgi** which leaves him with less ki to provide for the standard enhancements.

### **Ki Styles**

Koketsu is the creator of the martial art of Yajū-ryū (野獣流; Beast Style), and as its founder he is also one of its greatest practitioner, thus his ki usage consist almost entirely on using **Suiki-ryū** (水気流; Water Ki Style) techniques. Because the **Crescent Curse** technically is as an automatic and impossible to turn off **Fūki-ryū** (風気流; Wind Ki Style) technique all Morimin are forced to use he can also be considered a user of Fuki-ryu.

#### **Ōgis**

* **Ikeiko** (畏敬虎; Revere/Awe/Respect Tiger) - An Ōgi developed by Koketsu based on the unique mutation that the **Crescent Curse** imparted on his dead lover Byakko. Ikeiko consists on using Kara to alter one's biology so as to emit an above average level of pheromones that make oneself appear more charismatic, attractive and powerful to those that interact with them, because the technique is a secret technique it is enhanced by Owl and made more powerful passively by default.
	+ **Ikeiko - Ifu** (畏敬虎 - 畏怖, Awe Tiger - Fear) - An active variation of the original Ōgi where Koketsu will use Suiki-ryū to increase Koketsu's pheromone production ability and thus generate an overpowering fear upon those interacting with Koketsu. This technique can be combined with martial arts to generate openings to strike with but some opponents especially those made of ki are immune to it.

## ***Trivia***

* This character is portrayed by **SilverAsh** from the game Arknights.