Shane Stryker

This article, Shane Stryker, is property of **the Dark Magician**. Do not modify or use any of its content without her express permission.

> "*If you can't compare to my level of thinking, why do you think you compare to my energy?*"
> ― Shane
>
>

**Shane Stryker** ( ストライカーシェーン, *Sutoraikā Shēn*) is a student at the Okasawa Preparatory Institute, noted for his use of his Burden of a HERO deck. An experienced and highly talented veteran duelist, Shane honed his skills in his hometown New York City through street duels with his peers before moving onto the national tournament circuit, where he made a name for himself. Due to personal circumstances, he was forced to move to Japan and is now focused on honing his skills at his new school.

## Design

### Appearance

With golden hair and breathtaking sapphire eyes that blaze with an intense energy, Shane looks nothing short of vibrant at all times. He carries himself with a noted poise, but his posture is relaxed and effortless. Though he isn't necessarily the tallest person, standing at only six feet and an inch and possessing a slim build to complement his height, his presence commands attention nonetheless, as it radiates drive and determination. Normally, Shane's lips are graced with a bright smile, reflective of his warm and gentle nature. A single piercing rests just below the left corner of his bottom lip, and it is always adorned with a stud or a ring. His slender face is marked by his high, defined cheekbones and somewhat pointed chin. The jawline is subtly noticeable, strong but not overwhelming. Shane's eyebrows are thin and arched in a manner that immediately betrays his rather mischievous personality. The corners of his mouth are often remarked to have a sort of upward twitch, giving him the appearance of always grinning (or smirking, depending on one's interpretation). Fair, porcelain skin complements his features, allowing his already vivid eyes to pop even more than they normally would. His golden hair frames his cheeks, and the general consensus regarding his hair is that it is rather unruly. Given the way his hair is fashioned, he almost always looks as though he's just gotten himself out of bed, but this belies the effort that he actually does put into his hair.

Normally, Shane dresses in all manner of t-shirts, tank tops, jackets, coats, and skinny jeans, frequently wearing accessories such as wristbands or necklaces or scarves. His manner of dress is heavily inspired by New York City's underground punk and emo music scenes, which he used to be a part of. He wears high-cut sneakers most of the time, only switching to something more substantial when the weather turns cold. As he suffers from mild issues with depth perception, when reading or performing other activities that require stellar vision, Shane will wear reading glasses with thick black frames and rectangular lenses.

### Voice/Mannerisms

Shane is capable of speaking both in English and Japanese; however, English is his mother tongue and primary language. In both languages, however, he is careful to speak respectfully to those who hold authority or a higher social station over him. He is appropriately deferential, in other words. Among his peers, he is far less likely to speak as overtly respectfully, preferring to talk casually when conversing with them.

His voice is extremely even and smooth, of a warm timbre and pitch just north of baritone. Even when he gets excited, his voice maintains its even quality. When getting into a Duel, he will frequently exclaim "Let's go!" Shane has a habit of ending Duels that he wins by remarking "Mad respect, though" (or a variation of such). When winning against Duelists he doesn't particularly like, he will often say "Careful not to drop that 'L' you're now holding." He has also been known to say "I'll set this down on the sly" when he goes to Set a face-down card. In casual conversation with friends or other peers in his age group, he likes to address them with "yo" or call them "dude" or "bruh," also frequently (sometimes to the annoyance of others) using the slang word "yeet."

### Personality

In a word, Shane is complicated. On the surface, he is bright, cheerful, radiant, and unshakeable. However, this is not necessarily the case; on the inside, he suffers from depression and anxiety, as well as many insecurities stemming from his childhood and his sexual orientation. Shane has become very adept at masking his mental illness in public for the most part, learning multiple tricks to stem the worst of his anxiety attacks as they develop. He hides his depression as best he can behind his sunny disposition, fearing being left alone more than anything and always doing his best to keep people happy around him so they enjoy his company. Occasionally, however, his energy will fail him and cracks will form in his façade, though he is also quick to dismiss any inquiries into his well-being in these moments, sometimes even when such inquiries are coming from his closest friends. Growing up with no family made Shane very wary about opening up to other people, as the deepest part of him doubts whether or not anyone truly cares for him; as such, he keeps his emotions close to the vest.

Shane is homosexual, which he kept secret from everyone until he came out of the closet to his closest friends at age 15. Though he is loathe to admit it, the religious nature of many of his foster families has scarred him to the point where he is actually still somewhat afraid of his sexuality, despite having support in the way of his friends and adopted family. Before he moved to Japan, many of his former peers and foster siblings bullied him for his lack of apparent interest in girls, as well as his more "effeminate" personality traits, which only exacerbated his issues. He is currently no longer in the closet, of course, but he isn't very open in speaking about his sexual orientation and prefers to not talk about it when possible.

Despite his issues and flaws, Shane is a genuinely loving, caring, and fiercely devoted person. He would do anything for someone he calls a friend, as his friends are all he has in his life and he cares for them more than wholeheartedly. Exceptionally sensitive and emotional to a fault, he is an excellent listener and possesses a great deal of empathy for other people, greatly contributing to his innate sense of compassion and justice. His moral compass is notably powerful, and he always feels compelled to do the right thing, no matter the potential consequences for himself. Shane is exceptionally driven and hard-working, as well, and these traits developed as a somewhat effective means for combatting his depression and anxiety. He is prudent and tactful, mindful of when it is not a good idea to speak his mind, but does not hesitate to be honest and forthcoming when the situation calls for it.

Though his upbringing, or lack thereof, might lead people to guess otherwise, Shane is actually very well-mannered and polite, particularly to those who are older than him or hold some type of authority over him. Amongst his peers, he is gracious and friendly, and even tends to "adopt" younger students, taking them under his wing without hesitation and acting as an older brother figure for them. He is introverted at heart, however, and can only handle so much social interaction at once before he needs to isolate himself and recover psychologically.

Outside of dueling, Shane is a man of many interests. Exceptionally intelligent and academically inclined, he has a zeal for science, particularly biology and chemistry. His grades are top notch, among the very best in the school, as studying helps keep him somewhat grounded. One of the keys to his high grades, according to him, is his reliable memory. Music and art are also interests of Shane's; as a teenager in New York City, he learned how to play multiple instruments, specifically guitar, bass, piano, and drums. When he is not in Japan attending school, he plays in a local pop-punk/emo band called Capture Infinity as the band's lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist. Shane can be frequently spotted painting or drawing, as well, and he claims such artistic pursuits calm him and refocus him when he feels stressed.

As a duelist, Shane is an exemplary sportsman, always respectful and considerate of his opponents to the point of complimenting most of them. He will always maintain his positive attitude towards his opponents when dueling unless they cross a line and enrage him, in which case he will become cocky and taunting, hellbent on absolutely crushing them. Dueling is a true passion of Shane's, and he loves it with every fiber of his being. When he duels, especially against a skilled opponent, he genuinely lights up with joy and enthusiasm, throwing himself into the game with abandon. He is a fervent believer in the Heart of the Cards, having formed a deep bond with his cards to the point of knowing his deck inside and out from solely memory. Shane credits this philosophy with his determination and his unwillingness to ever surrender in a duel, having faith that he will draw exactly the right card when he most needs it.

### Abilities

As a duelist, Shane is noted for his excellent luck of the draw, which he consistently attributes to good deck-building and his belief in the Heart of the Cards. He has wielded an Elemental HERO deck since his childhood, growing quite skilled at using its best attributes, such as its ability to quickly Summon his most powerful Fusion monsters, as well as its high synergy and search capability, allowing Shane to pull the cards he needs at any given moment. Shane considers this "creating his own luck," reinforcing the notion that he can win duels simply through sheer luck alone, independent of his (admittedly excellent) skill.

Much to the surprise of others, he is actually rather athletic, despite his slight and lean build. He is an extremely fast, agile runner and possesses superb body control, able to stop and turn directions on a dime. Shane exercises frequently, most often with his friends Quincy and Alex. As such, he has a deceptively impressive amount of physical stamina. He is actually an avid skateboarder, being quite decent at it.

He has a keen intellect, which serves him well both in Duels and outside of them. Shane is an excellent strategist capable of formulating complicated plans under pressure, making him a formidable opponent and a reliable ally. Despite his carefree attitude, he possesses a good amount of foresight and is relatively wise for his age.

## Biography

When Shane was born, he was given up for adoption. His father abandoned his mother, and his mother didn't have the ability to raise him due to her utter lack of financial resources and young age. As a result, he grew up in New York City's foster care system, being continuously shuffled from "home" to "home," never really feeling cared for beyond a material level. None of Shane's foster parents were really able to connect emotionally with the boy, who was deeply troubled by trust issues, not that most of them even tried. Shane was always a bit different from his foster siblings, being a bit more shy and thoughtful and intellectually curious. He was sensitive, which got him labeled as "effeminate" or "girly" by other boys, and they shunned him, bullying him frequently. This caused him to suffer from a lack of confidence, and he began to push other people away more than ever.

Until he met his first real friend, that is. In the second grade, Shane wound up in the same class with a boy named Ryder, a supremely extraverted and confident child who exuded self-assuredness. Ryder was the first person to ever geniuinely reach out to Shane, and though he was skeptical at first, Shane came to trust the other boy and enjoy his company immensely. They became the best of friends, constantly hanging out and spending all their free time together, and it wasn't long before Ryder introduced his new friend to his favorite game: ​Duel Monsters​. Ryder prided himself on having put together an excellent ​Elemental HERO​ deck, one that over the next couple years kept him undefeated - except against his best friend, whose very first deck was built around ​Black Luster Soldier​. Though the deck itself wasn't exceptional, Shane had been a quick learner of the game, capable of thinking around the deck's weaknesses to beat his friend roughly half the time.

He'd never expected to become a real duelist, and at first, the game was just a hobby for him, one that he just so happened to be extremely good at. That changed, however, when he lost his best friend to cancer at only thirteen years old. Ryder's death jarred Shane, and the grief-stricken boy was left on his own again, with nothing but his friend's prized Elemental HERO cards to keep him company. Upon his death, Ryder's parents gifted the cards to Shane, as per their son's wishes. For a few months, Shane refused to even touch the cards, instead keeping them in a special protective tin, safe inside his backpack. He took the cards wherever he went, but adamantly insisted on not ever using them. Eventually, however, as the worst of his grief wore off, so did his stubbornness, and he began to play with Ryder's old deck. In Ryder's hands, the cards were effective; in Shane's hands, however, they were even better, and the boy began competing in local tournaments, going on a breathtaking win streak.

The trust that Shane put in Ryder's deck was rewarded time and time again, with Shane often drawing the exact card he needed to win, right when he needed it most. He became attached to the cards, and as a result, he adopted a firm belief in the ​Heart of the Cards​, just like his friend before him. Ryder's memory pushed Shane not just as a person but also as a duelist, inspiring him to constantly better himself and to never surrender a duel. Shane's love of the game began to really shine through. As he moved past his grief, he began to reflect, and he came to the realization that part of why he was so devastated was that he’d developed an unspoken crush on his best friend. This confused him and terrified him, and he resolved to keep it a complete secret. Shane understood that he was gay, but out of fear, he wished it wasn’t the case. He decided to ignore his feelings and pretend to be straight, instead of coming to terms with who he was and potentially facing social repercussions for it. Figuring out that he was gay was one of the most pivotal moments of his life, and it changed him, making him more insecure than he already was.

## Trivia

* Shane's appearance is that of Roxas from the Kingdom Hearts video games.