Raymond Fox

Ray reveals himself to Meva City.

Raymond Fox, most commonly called Ray is the eponymous main character of Ray Fox. Being the son of a Meta Officer, Ray decided to honor his father by becoming the vigilante Blaze. However, as a neo-mutant with pyrokinetic powers, Ray ends up doing more harm than good at Meva Ciy. After being discovered by the Monroe City and arrested by the S.O.S for his vigilantism, Ray now works as a Meta Officer to become a true hero.

## Background

Not much is known about Ray's past other than he was born as a neo-mutant. According to Ray, he has his pyrokinetic powers since he was a baby. He lived with his father Amos at Meva City at some point in his life.

At some point, when he was six, Ray was babysat by Liz for a long time. While babysitting Ray, Liz discovered his powers, but kept quiet about it. Liz grew to be close to Ray and Amos as she worked as a babysitter for the Fox family. Eventually, Liz was adopted two years later by Amos, making her Ray's adopted older sister.

Five years before the series started, 13-year old Ray discovered that his father died in a mission. Determined to honor his father's sacrifice, Ray trained to become a hero. Because of the death of his father, Ray started living with Liz and had Jak train him to become a hero.

A year before the events of the series, Ray met Ally, developing a crush on her. He, Liz, and Jak became close friends with her since she was a recurring customer.

Three months before the start of the series, Ray became Blaze, a vigilante of Meva City who used his fire powers to fight crime. Unfortunately, Ray's poor control of his powers made him do property damage while fighting crime, making him be seen as a threat by Jason Morales and the people of Meva City.

## Personality

Ray is an optimistic young man who strives to do what's right. Because of his close bond with his father, Ray has an admiration for heroes and strives to become one. Despite facing many adversities, Ray has a strong will and is capable of continuing with his course of action if he's sure it's the right thing to do.

Despite working at a gym, Ray is very studious, finding the Port Town Gang by himself by doing research on them. He's very diligent physically and mentally, undergoing rigorous training or studying all night. Ray believes in adaptation and improvement, being aware of his lack of control over his fire powers, but also looking up for the chance to improve them.

While he has a positive and determined personality, Ray is capable of feeling insecurities. He feels deeply hurt and angry when he reads an inductive article about Blaze, following the incident with the Arsenal. He also felt guilty for the martial arts demonstration where he nearly reveals his powers, feeling so bad that he considers giving up as the Blaze.

During the events of the fourth chapter, Ray shows guilt upon seeing how his time as the Blaze indirectly caused trouble for others. This is seen when he feels responsible for Al losing his job and getting arrested after violently confronting Ray, causing the fox to realize that he obtained his dream at the cost of others losing their jobs. His guilt increases when he realizes that Liz and Jack need bodyguards now, making Ray feel bad for costing them their normal lives for getting discovered.

Surprisingly enough, Ray is shown to be a forgiving person. He doesn't resent Asuka for cutting his ear with her sword despite the pain that she caused him, seeing her in a positive light because she supported his dream. Likewise, despite Summer kicking him in the face on their first meeting, insulting him, and refusing to cooperate in the prison, Ray is still making an effort to bond with her during their first mission at Ursa.

Despite his flaws, Ray is willing to make up for his failures. He reveals his true identity to Meva City as a way to show the citizens that he can be trusted.

Ever since he got hired to work at SOS, Ray is shown to be putting effort in being the best Meta Officer he can be. This is seen by him arriving early to the agency and cleaning up his dirty office without complaint. During the mission to Ursa, Ray is putting attention to Eric as he explains the mission, even asking questions about it.

## Appearance

Ray is a young red fox in his late teens. He has red fur, blue eyes, black-tipped ears, black nose, and black triangular markings on the sides of his face.

Because of his training, Ray has a lean yet muscular body. This is mostly evidenced when his shirt is destroyed in battle, showing muscles on his arms, chest, and back.

As the Blaze, Ray wears a hoodie, a mask, pants, and straps on his feet.

## Powers, Skills, and Abilities

As a neo-mutant raised by a Meta Officer and an army man, Ray has many skills and abilities despite his young age.

### Powers

* Pyrokinesis: As a neo-mutant, Ray has the ability to create fire from his body.
* Heat Resistance: By making his body flames hotter than an object with fire, Ray can be immune to burning to any object whose temperature is lower than his. Ray discovered this ability when he fought the Port Town Gang at the climax of the first chapter.
* Fire Augmentation: By coating his fists and feet in fire, Ray can enhance the power of his punches and kicks.
* Propulsion: By concentrating his fire on his feet or back, Ray can propel himself at fast speeds to deliver powerful blows to his opponents. Ray used this application of his powers when fighting Liev.
* Wound Cauterizing: Ray can use his fire to cauterize his wounds by burning himself with his own fire.

### Skills

* Expert Fighter: As a student of Black Boxing, Ray uses a martial style that gives him great speed, agility, and strength that are far greater than his physique suggests. Ray is one of the few students trained by Jak who mastered Black Boxing. He's also the best student of them all, being chosen by Jak as part of a demonstration. His fighting prowess was seen in the first chapter where Ray defeats the Port Town Gang using only his martial arts skills. This is also evidenced when fighting inside a prison, using his martial arts to hold his own against the inmates even when his powers were sealed.
* Researcher: Despite his young age, Ray is capable of pulling research to figure out the positions of criminals based on sightings and criminal records. Ray's investigative skills were good enough to track down the Port Town Gang, which is known for its ability to remain undetected without giving a hint of their presence. By interrogation, Ray can increase his data, allowing him to know about the Monroe Syndicate by the start of the second chapter. Rose, who specializes in intelligence, personally complimented Ray for his researching skills when they met at the fourth chapter.
* Expert Acrobat: Ray is very agile thanks to his Black Boxing training. He can jump great vertical distances, perform flips and somersaults, and engage in aerial combat.

### Abilities

* Peak Physical Condition: Having trained himself from a young age, Ray is more physically fit than any person his size or age. He can easily surpass the whole Port Town Gang in a fight, and he's able to keep up with Summer when facing her in the third chapter despite her skill in combat.
* Intellect: While not as smart as Rose, Ray boasts an above average intelligence. He can memorize lots of data and use deductive skills to figure out the tracks of the Port Town Gang. He was also able to hide his tracks as Blaze for three months.

## History

### Blaze

Ray makes his first appearance as the Blaze when he finds and fights the Port Town Gang at the Arsenal. Despite having a cold, Ray easily defeats the criminals with his Black Boxing. Getting cocky, Ray doesn't realize one of them recovering his gun, forcing Ray to use his fire powers to defend himself. The resulting explosion destroys the Arsenal and allows the Port Town Gang to escape.

The following day, Ray is scolded by Jak for destroying the Arsenal and letting the criminals escape. Liz reassures Ray, who voices his desire to be a hero like Jessica Castle. Liz gives Ray some advice (and sisterly kisses that annoy him) to let Ray know that she trusts him.

The following day, Ray goes to the gym with Liz and Jak. As they are about to enter, Ray reads an article where Blaze is condemned as an arsonist and threat. Feeling angry and hurt, Ray enters the gym. To Ray's dismay, he makes a fool of himself during a Black Box demonstration, which lowers his confidence further.

Returning back home, Liz comforts Ray about what happened at the gym. The two of them then discover the Port Town Gang kidnapping Jason Morales. Ray is initially reluctant to save him, blaming himself for what's happening. Thanks to a pep talk with Jak, Ray recovers his fighting spirit and fights the Port Town Gang as Blaze.

After a harsh fight where Ray learns about his immunity to heat, Ray saves Morales by defeating the Port Town Gang. Unfortunately, because of the collateral damage, his reputation as Blaze keeps worsening. While annoyed, Ray resolves to keep fighting crime with the support of Jak and Liz.

After capturing the last member of the Monroe Syndicate, Ray finds out about Liev and the Monroe Syndicate. Unfortunately, Liev figured out Ray's identity as Blaze through a camera, attacking him and Liz while they were driving for lunch. After pushing Liz away, Ray fights Liev, but is incapable of defending himself without revealing his secret identity.

Before Liev can kill him, Summer and Asuka arrive, forcing him to escape. Asuka presents herself to Ray before arresting him with special handcuffs that seal Ray's power. Summer then kicks Ray in the face, knocking him out. The two Meta Officers take Ray to S.O.S. for interrogation.

After waking up, Ray meets Asuka, who lets him know that she figured out his identity as Blaze thanks to a notebook he dropped while fighting Liev containing incriminating information. Before the interrogation is over, Asuka cuts Ray's ear with her sword, as she was illegally interrogating him but needed to keep him alone with her to get answers.

Asuka takes Ray to her truck, where she reveals to Ray that he's a neo-mutant. Asuka destroys Ray's notebook to prevent the other Meta Officers from figuring out that he's Blaze, making Ray promise to not be a vigilante again. As this happens, Liev has the Monroe Syndicate attack S.O.S. to capture Ray. Asuka orders Ray to be driven away with Summer as his guard while she faces Liev.

Unknown to Ray, Liev's attack was a decoy while he and his guards went after Ray. As Summer fights Liev in vain, Ray feels guilty for getting her and the other officers involved on his mess. Taking his powers to the limit, Ray breaks the handcuffs and fights Liev in the open, revealing his identity to others.

After Liev escapes when more Meta Officers arrive, Summer arrests Ray again. Asuka goes to confront Ray about revealing himself to others after she made sure that he could escape arrest. Ray replies his desire to take responsibility and become a true hero. This causes Asuka to feel proud of Ray, deciding to help him become a Meta Officer.

With his second arrest, Ray meets Morales again, who is not impressed at Ray thinking that he can get away with his vigilantism and property damage by saying that he's sorry and wants to help. Ray is taken to a prison of Meta criminals with his power suppressing handcuffs on. As Asuka takes him there, Ray thanks her for helping him achieve his dream.

Much to Ray's dismay, Summer is his guard and prison. Ray is still mad at the hyena for kicking him, manhandling him, and verbally assaulting him during the time he met. Unknown to Ray, the Monroe Syndicate sent two assassins to kill Ray. Eli, a giraffe Meta Officer, finds the assassins, starting a fight.

After Summer uses her powers to create an explosion, the prison enters a lockdown to prevent the prisoners from escaping. Ray is left alone with Summer, who is uncooperative to him. Upon seeing a guard injured by one of the inmates, Ray asks Summer to remove his handcuffs so that he can use his powers. He states that he figured out that Summer is a neo-mutant based on the explosion she made when fighting one of the assassins, proposing that they work together.

Summer punches Ray in the face, angrily calling him out because he's a criminal, and yet he's made a Meta Officer for being a neo-mutant while she had to work hard to keep her job. Ray, having grown tired of Summer's abuse, fights back against her. The fight is interrupted when some prisoners arrive to fight them, especially Ray since he arrested some of them as Blaze.

During the fight, Ray tricks a panther prisoner into clawing Ray's handcuffs to pieces. With his powers returning, Ray defeats the panther prisoner in a single blow. The assassins corner Ray by having all of the prisoners fight him. Summer, who realized that her stubbornness endangered Ray, arrives to help Ray.

With Summer's help, Ray defeats the prisoners, forcing the assassins to escape. As the duo is left alone, Ray and Summer get into another argument, causing an annoyed Eli to whack them with his neck for fighting. The two of them keep fighting by the time Asuka arrives, annoying her.

After the incident at the prison, Ray became immensely popular with the inmates, having obtained prison cred by defeating them all. As Ray is left out of prison, the panther who fought him warns him about Morales, as everyone who was prosecuted by him was sent to jail.

Ray is taken to a court where he meets Morales and Asuka. Once the court starts, Ray promises to be a good Meta Officer, which satisfies the court. Ray thanks Morales for not prosecuting him, causing the cheetah to point out that he did as a favor to Asuka rather than him wanting to help Ray. Before leaving, Ray asks Natasha for her autograph, flustering her.

Asuka takes Ray to the S.O.S. headquarters to meet the rest of the team. As Ray enters, he notices two elephants glaring at him. Ray meets Rose and Arty, forming a friendship with them after complimenting Arty's robot prosthetics and being embarrassed by Rose snooping his backpack while wearing a swimsuit. As Carol drags Asuka to scold her for her actions, Rose takes Ray to get some ice cream, as she wants to know the new recruit personally.

As Ray talks with Rose and Arty, Rose explains the infrastructure of S.O.S. and how it works. Summer intrudes into the conversation to explain to Ray that he needs to support the team by taking responsibility for his mistakes. Their conversation is interrupted when the two elephants who glared at Ray arrive. Al, the angriest of the pair, angrily informs Ray that it's his fault for blowing up the Arsenal that he's jobless now. Ray attempts to apologize as he realizes how much his earlier mistake affected someone, but Al is too mad to care.

Asuka arrives and tries to diffuse the confrontation. However, Al calls her out for making Ray a Meta Officer despite the destruction he caused across Meva City and for S.O.S. barely showing up when they need help the most. Al attacks everyone with his trunk. Ray and the others dodge the attack while Asuka decides to face Al after he insulted her by calling her a raccoon. Ray attempts to help Asuka, but Summer stops him because she knows Asuka can defeat Al.

After Asuka defeats Al, Ray suddenly faints. Arty and Summer check Ray's condition as he's unconscious. Summer correctly deduces that Ray fainted due to lack of energy for overusing his powers and only eating prison food for days. Summer takes Ray to his home, where Ray awakens and is reunited with Liz and Jak.

After an embarrassing reunion where Liz kisses Ray publicly, Ray eats dinner with his family and his new coworkers. Ray notices the presence of Gordon and Kanto, who are the new bodyguards for Liz and Jak. Ray feels guilty for being Blaze, believing that he ruined his family's chance of living a normal life by making an enemy of the Monroe Syndicate. Liz and Jak comfort Ray, which allows him to feel better.

Ally arrives to the dinner, causing Ray to take her to his room to talk privately about his Blaze identity. Though Ally understands Ray and still considers him a friend, a part of him feels confused about his Blaze persona. While he leaves in good terms, Ray gets embarrassed with Rose, Liz, and Jak standing outside of his room.

After Ally leaves, Ray reflects on his day, feeling guilty over keeping a secret to his friends, destroying Al's life indirectly by getting him fired and arrested, and being a Meta Officer because Asuka bent the rules in his favor rather than earn it. Wanting to make things right, Ray puts on his Blaze costume one last time and arrives to Morales' conference. Ray reveals his public identity to the public, swearing to become a good protector for them as he destroys his Blaze mask.

Upon leaving the conference, Ray returns home and has a tearful goodbye with Liz and Jak. As he leaves in an S.O.S. truck. Ray admits to his new friends that he's sad to leave his friends and family behind. However, he's happy to be able to start his job as a hero, smiling with determination at the adventures coming ahead.

### Mission To Ursa

The following day, Ray wakes up early to join SOS. As he tries to wake up Asuka, he discovers that she is asleep. Ray decides to go to the SOS by himself on a ride to the bus. Though disheartened by the fear that the passengers are showing, Ray resolves to prove himself to everyone. Upon arriving to the agency, Ray meets with Carol, who tasks him to clean up his office. Once Ray cleans up the office, he asks Carol for more question, angering her. She then delivers him to Summer and Rose to give him a tour.

As Ray converses with the pair, he meets Regi, who orders the group to prepare for the mission. While on Rose's office, Rose explains how missions work. Their current mission is to find a rabbit named Maureen Digger. As Rose keeps researching, she is delighted that they will work at the Big Al Express since it's like a cruise ship.

Ray arrives at the train station, where he is shocked at the sight of the megafauna. The team meets Eric Sagmuz, who is in charge of explaining the mission and review the performance. Though nervous about the possibility of facing the Monroe Syndicate again, Ray ultimately decides to enter the train.

On the main room, Ray is the only one besides Summer to pay attention to Eric's lecture. However, his effort is not appreciated by Eric, who yells at him for asking him a valid question due to not recognizing Ray as an agent. Ray then leaves the room and meets Summer at the train's gym, where he tries to bond with her, learning her powers in the process.

The following morning, they are met by Cassius Topklaw, an assassin who is aiming to kill Ray and Summer. Cassius pretends to be a worker at Ursa named Jeff and leads them to a room filled with security staff members that he injured. While Ray and Summer try to check on the wounded, Cassius attempts to kill them while they are distracted. Fortunately, a masked rabbit stops Cassius from attacking Ray, revealing him to be an assassin to the rest of the team.

The masked rabbit attempts to fight Cassius, but she is defeated easily. This forces Ray and Summer to fight Cassius. After a prolonged fight, Ray and Summer ultimately defeat Cassius when Summer breaks his hand and Ray throws a blast of fire into his groin. While the two are recovering, they discover that the masked rabbit who helped them fight Cassius is Maureen Digger. Upon seeing her, Ray sees a vision of his younger self when he was being Blaze.

## Trivia

* Despite living with his powers for 18 years, Ray has poor control of them. Ray burning stuff down by accident, such as getting excited with confidence or aroused is a common running gag with him.