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sunshineapps) wrote2014-04-08 04:13 pm
sunshineapps) wrote2014-04-08 04:13 pm
Entry tags:
Application Maito Gai
Name: Maito Gai (or if you would prefer: Might Guy)
Canon: Naruto - manga
Journal:morningpeacock
Gender: Male
Age: Youthfully 30
Canon History: wiki
Canon Abilities/Powers:
Gai's greatest skill is hand-to-hand combat (Taijutsu). His style (Strong Fist) consists of mostly punches and kicks--fast, hard, and endless--designed to break bones and do increasing damage. He also possesses a proficiency with weapons that has allowed him to teach Tenten at least the basics on an array of different types of weapons; Gai's personal weapon of choice is a pair of nunchucks which he wields with surprising force.
Although not as strong, Gai does have the ability to do ninjutsu and genjutsu (his stats for the two are consistently listed in the databooks at three each). It's stated in the flashback that he doesn't have the ability to use either, but it's probably meant that he doesn't possess an aptitude for either.
He definitely has the ability to do both: he dispels genjutsu during the attack on the Chunin exams (speaking in terms of canon, not game canon) and he is capable of summoning tortoises (ninjutsu). However, he consciously makes the effort to avoid using either as much as possible to prove to Lee that one can be a great ninja without those abilities at their disposal.
But a great ninja is nothing without a signature move: Gai's is his Dynamic Entry. In this patented entry technique, he first deploys a kunai to distract and then follows up with a swift kick coming in from the blind side. Possibly enough to debilitate the enemy before he knows what hit him, it is effective, if somewhat annoying to the opponent or ally who survives the attack with his wits about him. It's basically a flying kick to the head.
The most devastating of Gai's abilities is the one he learned from his father: the Eight Gates. The forbidden technique can unlock hidden potential at great cost to one's body. Each inner gate opens, releasing chakra that Gai can use fuel his attacks, but this brutal double-edged sword strains and deteriorates one’s muscles and tissue, destroying the fighter’s body from within.
Each of the gates opens up unique attack options:
Gate 1 - Front Lotus
Gate 3 - Reverse Lotus
Gate 6 - Morning Peacock
Gate 7 - Daytime Tiger
Gate 8 - Evening Elephant & (unseen) Night Moth
Opening the Eighth Gate is certain to kill the user, therefore the gates are not to be used for anything less than protecting one's important people.
I would be remiss if I left out this important piece in Gai's arsenal:
Gai is the only ninja fully able to avoid falling victim to a Sharingan-based genjutsu; he does so by avoiding eye-contact with the user and instead predicting their moves based on their feet. This is a skill he learned as Eternal Rival to Hatake Kakashi.
Sunshineverse History:
Gai's history before Obito and Kakashi's mission stays much the same.
(Without Obito's death, there is less of a reason for Kakashi to lean so heavily on Gai and the rivalry, so the extent to which they grew beyond mere competition (towards friendship) would be dependent on the Kakashi player's willingness/agreement/interpretation. We can assume they were rivals before that mission, so the Rivalry still exists--in what form/how much is the question. I would personally like to keep their friendship as near as possible where I perceive it is in canon--Gai is a close friend, maybe Kakashi's best, and possibly a confidante--but as this history affects Kakashi, Obito, and to a lesser degree, Rin, it will have to be determined by all currently involved.)
Beyond that, Gai continues to work to hone his taijutsu and his use of the Gates to make his father proud and to protect those most important to him. He gains notoriety as a Taijutsu Specialist and probably makes it into several less-friendly village's BINGO books. Eventually, Team Gai/Genma/Ebisu dissolves and Gai works as a jounin, taking missions either solo or with whatever team he is assigned. He was never especially close to either Genma or Ebisu, though he valued them as comrades.
He is overjoyed for Obito when his Rival's teammate is chosen for Hokage. The two have not always gotten along, but they have come to be friends since making chuunin.
Eventually, Gai meets of Rock Lee. The child's dream to be a ninja inspires Gai to take up teaching--specifically to teach Lee. The village elders and Hokage assign him Rock Lee (at Gai's request), Hyuuga Neji, and Tenten. All are exceptionally ambitious children and Gai is immensely proud of each of them. He does his best to cater his training and teaching styles to each of their very different personalities, and though the children do not always get along, the team succeeds. Even after the team has been together long enough and completed enough missions, he still holds them back a year--to allow them to mature--and then allows them to take the chuunin exam.
(Either in the exams or in another mission, Lee probably faces the equivalent of the aftermath of the fight with Gaara. If so, Gai would still make him the promise and, presumably, Lee would still survive and recover. Obviously if this isn't the case, it changes a great deal about what Gai does from here on out, but for the sake of things...like my sanity, we'll say it happens mostly like in the series.)
At the point Gai is at now, his students are each chuunin or jounin and are pursuing their own individual aspirations. Gai has returned to running missions without a consistent team.
Sunshineverse Abilities/Powers:
Gai's abilities stay pretty much the same as they existed in canon. It's impossible to separate out and determine how much Gai's ability was enhanced by having the Rivalry with Kakashi and how much of it he would have done on his own, left to his own devices.
I feel like most of his major abilities--the Gates, his taijutsu--would still be just about as strong by now with or without Kakashi; Gai is that determined and has that much to prove, so he would find a way, though it may be slower without an equal to always compete with and measure himself against (and no, we are not talking about the Acorn here). His ability to fight Sharingan users may not be as good if the Rivalry was at all diminished, however, out of necessity, he would have still found a way to counterattack to Kakashi's Sharingan genjutsu. He is, after all, still Kakashi's Eternal Rival, even if they may/may not be as close in this verse (see: Sunshinverse History).
In canon, he shares the secret to his ability against the Sharingan with Asuma and Kurenai in the battle against Itachi. In Sunshinverse, given that a Sharingan user is Hokage and the Uchiha are still very much a part of the village arsenal, Gai would guard with his life the secret to fighting the Sharingan.
Appearance:
Standing 6 feet tall and weighing in at 168 lbs, dressed in a one-piece, skintight green jumpsuit and orange legwarmers, Gai makes a striking first impression. What that impression strikes, however…
His entire appearance is exaggerated. Even though his standard-issue flak vest is left open for easier upper-body movement, underneath his orange legwarmers are weights so heavy they could shatter a solid concrete floor. Beneath the bangs of a shiny black bowl-cut of hair, he has notably large, thick brows and eyes with longer lower lashes. His skin is tan, with prominent cheekbones and a fairly broad nose, and when he smiles, which he often does, it is a broad, toothy dazzling grin. Even when not smiling, his face is very expressive, showing off pouts, frowns, and whatever emotion he is feeling.
Personality:
It is often hard to tell if he's really that weird, or if it's an elaborate act. It's a little of both.
Maito Dai, Gai's father, was a failure of a ninja, never amounting to anything more than a genin. But despite that, Dai met the ridicule and taunts against him with a smile and over-the-top optimism. Gai himself was insecure and angry, very aware of what other people thought and said about their family, but his father's youthful spirit, and ability to let even the harshest taunts roll off him, inspired Gai. I don't think Dai was the most brilliant man, but he was a great father, filled with love for his son, and he knew that what his son needed was a role-model. That role model didn't have to be the best--Dai couldn't be--but at least he was not an angry, spiteful, unhappy loser because of his shortcomings. He was a good person, worked hard, and didn't shy away from doing what he was capable of, however limited. I'm sure Dai was partly that kind of man before Gai, but he probably dialed it up for his son. And Gai saw that and appreciated it. In fact, the older Gai became, the more he could appreciate the gesture and what it did for him.
Gai gradually began to adopt Dai's youthful philosophy and learn what skills his father could teach. Those would stick with Gai for the rest of his life.
Now Gai embodies that youth, that fire and passion for life, adding his own ambitious flair to it. He lives in the moment with his eyes on the future, striving to always get better, stronger, faster. Determination and hard-work are his governing mantras. With a self-imposed set of rules, he turns failures into additional tasks, so he is always getting something out of a loss.
Training, too, is a series of extremes and self-rules. For everything he accomplishes, he has a new task right behind it, aiming to take his goals a step further. He knows he is good at what he does, but Gai does not know how to rest on his laurels.
Gai is old-fashioned, uncool, and a little silly. He can be verbose--but that is just a way of being precise!--and quite loud and boisterous (it means he's cheerful!). Jokes, especially those at his expense, sometimes initially go over his head. He seems to ignore or miss entirely when someone is laughing at his appearance or behavior. Gai is boldly and passionately himself, regardless of what others think of him. But he is his friends' and comrades' #1 Cheerleader when they need it. He's full of words of wisdom (if somewhat cliched and odd wisdom) and lengthy we-can-do-it-team! speeches no one except Lee (and Naruto) really listens to. If you need a shoulder to cry on, he will be there. And while he has a tendency to strike goofy poses, like a smile and thumbs up with a promise, a promise from Gai is a promise that you know will be kept.
But he is intensely serious when it counts. In battle, in friendship, in training his students, Gai understands his responsibility. Responsibility does not weigh him down; it is what gives him his strength. He takes pride in his students and Rivalry, and for him...these are his important people. He works hard to build up their self-esteem, to embolden them, to be the sensei and friend and source of smiles they need him to be. These are the people that he would lay down his life for. And enemies are to be respected and Gai gives his all in a fight. He is governed by morals and an honor code, but he's not afraid to be as ruthless as needed to fight for his precious people.
The secret of Gai is that he's a man who knows he will die. This is not an intangible fact for him. This is not a 'I will probably fail a mission and it will cost me my life someday.' No. With the Gates, death is his future, an inevitable and conscious decision Gai will make for himself to protect something of value to him. He has known this since he was a child and Dai first taught him the Eight Gates, but moreover, he has seriously contemplated it since his father's death and sacrifice.
He knows the day will come when he will give his life for the people he cares about. Gai has made his peace with that and so he can live each day trying to make the world as bright as possible for those he loves. Being that person for his comrades may make them laugh at him, but every smile is worth it, and the laughs have long stopped hurting. Mostly.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
+ Gai is physically strong, well-built, and tough. He's broken plenty of bones and taken many scrapes and bruises, and still gets right back into the game.
+ Determined and hard-working, Gai sets his own goals, achieves them, and sets himself even higher goals. He's proactive and isn't afraid to try to achieve what he dreams.
+ Nor is he afraid to keep trying, despite failure, or to perfect what he has learned. As Bruce Lee said: I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once. But I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times. Gai is the man practicing a single move again and again.
+ He is incredibly steadfast, even when his friend gives him no reason to be. If you need someone to have your back, make friends with Gai. And then just hope that Kakashi or Team Gai doesn't have an emergency at the same time you do!
+ Gai is confident, or generally lets himself appear so. Confidence can both be infectious among your teammates, and a strong deterrent against enemy attack.
+ He tries to maintain an optimistic attitude in the face of most letdowns. Smiles, positive thinking, and determination get him through tough times, but he's not afraid to cry, either.
+ The Gates
- The Gates
- Ambition is often a double-edged sword.
- Confidence sometimes borders on cockiness. Sometimes it goes to his head.
- One doesn't survive as a ninja without either a lot of luck or some intelligence. Gai certainly isn't dumb, but comparatively, he's sometimes out of his league in the smarts department. He is definitely more the muscle than the brains. Gai's intelligence in battle is mostly intuitive, not the cold strategic logic of some of his comrades.
- Hand to hand combat is his greatest strength in battle, but also his greatest weakness. There is little to shield him and one vulnerability or injury could be his undoing.
- Sometimes his determination is actually a problem. Gai will get fixated on doing something and good luck talking him down from it.
- He appears to have difficulty remembering faces.
- Prone to tears and displays of affection/frustration/any strong emotion, Gai can sometimes be both embarrassing and just...a little much. Still, he isn't afraid of showing his emotions, but that isn't exactly a highlight on a ninja's stats.
Village Affiliation: Konoha.
Rank: Jounin.
Prose sample:
Hearing that Neji, his student, was going to be in ANBU made Gai both incredibly proud and incredibly worried. To be allowed to join the Black Ops proved just how advanced Neji's skills were. His student's hard work was definitely paying off.
But Gai also knew what the Black Ops could do to the psyche of a person, what it asked for its soldiers to do… No, not asked. Ordered. Required. They were the execution and assassination squad, the tactical eliminators of Konoha's deadliest enemies and dirtiest spies.
ANBU left no survivors and, in turn, it left no member's hands clean.
The things Gai saw haunting his Rival's eyes after some of those missions…
Now, perhaps ANBU had changed since the years Kakashi first joined and Obito became Hokage. Maybe. But Gai highly doubted it. Gai was no idiot, and despite the unsteady peace that Konoha enjoyed, an organization like ANBU was necessary. Or at least the village felt it was necessary in order that they might sleep well at night. There would come a time when Neji would have to kill, not for survival, but for no other reason than that his village required it of him. Neji would become a simple pawn on the chessboard of the village politics.
He wished he could have kept Neji from that. But if Neji needed ANBU in his life, to achieve his goals or to feel accomplished, Gai would be there to support him in that.
So Gai could wear a warm, welcoming and proud grin as he greeted Neji and beckoned him to the table. How grown up his grumpy little Hyuuga was now!
"Ah! Neji! I have not seen much of you lately! Have a seat! Tell your sensei how your training is going!" The Hokage had already briefed Gai on Neji's ANBU training and tests, but Neji didn't need to know that. Besides, Gai preferred to hear it from his student himself.
Bracket sample:
[He had already completed some push-ups and was through his fortieth set of sit-ups by the time the door cracked open. Immediately, he jumped to his feet and stood at attention as the Hokage made his way to his desk. The Sandaime and Yondaime had always seemed so wisened, so imposing. Gai had never at the time given serious thought to how someday the Hokage would be one of his own peers, let alone one of his friends. Obito seemed to almost be dwarfed under that hat and those robes.]
You are aware that this is the fifteenth mission debriefing of mine that you have been late to, Hokage-sama? [That was not a complaint. He would never complain about the Hokage! And certainly not to the man's face! It was just a...gentle reminder! That was all.] Perhaps I should inform your sensei.
[Okay, maybe he would resort to tattling. Just a little.]
Missive Sample:
[Gai's penmanship is bold, strokes are decisive and strong and, like his taijutsu, well-practiced and honed over the years. He tends to write with speed to avoid any wiggles or oddities in his letters. It resembles, in part, a slightly more lax version of architect/drafter's script in that the letters are both somewhat stylized capitals, yet are almost nondescript, and are definitely legible. When he gets lazy--and this is extremely rare--it devolves back into the chicken-scratch of his youth, a problematic habit he tried very hard to work his way away from.]
Neji-
I appreciate that you are in ANBU now, but when a man agrees to meet with someone, he is giving his word! Do not let their ways make you lax in your manners! Lunch tomorrow will be promptly at noon or else I will have words with your ANBU superiors and see to it that you are given an adequate amount of laps around the village to make up for this! Do not be late! I will see you there!
- Your sensei
Canon: Naruto - manga
Journal:
morningpeacockGender: Male
Age: Youthfully 30
Canon History: wiki
Canon Abilities/Powers:
Gai's greatest skill is hand-to-hand combat (Taijutsu). His style (Strong Fist) consists of mostly punches and kicks--fast, hard, and endless--designed to break bones and do increasing damage. He also possesses a proficiency with weapons that has allowed him to teach Tenten at least the basics on an array of different types of weapons; Gai's personal weapon of choice is a pair of nunchucks which he wields with surprising force.
Although not as strong, Gai does have the ability to do ninjutsu and genjutsu (his stats for the two are consistently listed in the databooks at three each). It's stated in the flashback that he doesn't have the ability to use either, but it's probably meant that he doesn't possess an aptitude for either.
He definitely has the ability to do both: he dispels genjutsu during the attack on the Chunin exams (speaking in terms of canon, not game canon) and he is capable of summoning tortoises (ninjutsu). However, he consciously makes the effort to avoid using either as much as possible to prove to Lee that one can be a great ninja without those abilities at their disposal.
But a great ninja is nothing without a signature move: Gai's is his Dynamic Entry. In this patented entry technique, he first deploys a kunai to distract and then follows up with a swift kick coming in from the blind side. Possibly enough to debilitate the enemy before he knows what hit him, it is effective, if somewhat annoying to the opponent or ally who survives the attack with his wits about him. It's basically a flying kick to the head.
The most devastating of Gai's abilities is the one he learned from his father: the Eight Gates. The forbidden technique can unlock hidden potential at great cost to one's body. Each inner gate opens, releasing chakra that Gai can use fuel his attacks, but this brutal double-edged sword strains and deteriorates one’s muscles and tissue, destroying the fighter’s body from within.
Each of the gates opens up unique attack options:
Gate 1 - Front Lotus
Gate 3 - Reverse Lotus
Gate 6 - Morning Peacock
Gate 7 - Daytime Tiger
Gate 8 - Evening Elephant & (unseen) Night Moth
Opening the Eighth Gate is certain to kill the user, therefore the gates are not to be used for anything less than protecting one's important people.
| Ninjutsu | Taijutsu | Genjutsu | Intelligence | Strength | Speed | Stamina | Hand seals |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2.5 |
I would be remiss if I left out this important piece in Gai's arsenal:
Gai is the only ninja fully able to avoid falling victim to a Sharingan-based genjutsu; he does so by avoiding eye-contact with the user and instead predicting their moves based on their feet. This is a skill he learned as Eternal Rival to Hatake Kakashi.
Sunshineverse History:
Gai's history before Obito and Kakashi's mission stays much the same.
(Without Obito's death, there is less of a reason for Kakashi to lean so heavily on Gai and the rivalry, so the extent to which they grew beyond mere competition (towards friendship) would be dependent on the Kakashi player's willingness/agreement/interpretation. We can assume they were rivals before that mission, so the Rivalry still exists--in what form/how much is the question. I would personally like to keep their friendship as near as possible where I perceive it is in canon--Gai is a close friend, maybe Kakashi's best, and possibly a confidante--but as this history affects Kakashi, Obito, and to a lesser degree, Rin, it will have to be determined by all currently involved.)
Beyond that, Gai continues to work to hone his taijutsu and his use of the Gates to make his father proud and to protect those most important to him. He gains notoriety as a Taijutsu Specialist and probably makes it into several less-friendly village's BINGO books. Eventually, Team Gai/Genma/Ebisu dissolves and Gai works as a jounin, taking missions either solo or with whatever team he is assigned. He was never especially close to either Genma or Ebisu, though he valued them as comrades.
He is overjoyed for Obito when his Rival's teammate is chosen for Hokage. The two have not always gotten along, but they have come to be friends since making chuunin.
Eventually, Gai meets of Rock Lee. The child's dream to be a ninja inspires Gai to take up teaching--specifically to teach Lee. The village elders and Hokage assign him Rock Lee (at Gai's request), Hyuuga Neji, and Tenten. All are exceptionally ambitious children and Gai is immensely proud of each of them. He does his best to cater his training and teaching styles to each of their very different personalities, and though the children do not always get along, the team succeeds. Even after the team has been together long enough and completed enough missions, he still holds them back a year--to allow them to mature--and then allows them to take the chuunin exam.
(Either in the exams or in another mission, Lee probably faces the equivalent of the aftermath of the fight with Gaara. If so, Gai would still make him the promise and, presumably, Lee would still survive and recover. Obviously if this isn't the case, it changes a great deal about what Gai does from here on out, but for the sake of things...like my sanity, we'll say it happens mostly like in the series.)
At the point Gai is at now, his students are each chuunin or jounin and are pursuing their own individual aspirations. Gai has returned to running missions without a consistent team.
Sunshineverse Abilities/Powers:
Gai's abilities stay pretty much the same as they existed in canon. It's impossible to separate out and determine how much Gai's ability was enhanced by having the Rivalry with Kakashi and how much of it he would have done on his own, left to his own devices.
I feel like most of his major abilities--the Gates, his taijutsu--would still be just about as strong by now with or without Kakashi; Gai is that determined and has that much to prove, so he would find a way, though it may be slower without an equal to always compete with and measure himself against (and no, we are not talking about the Acorn here). His ability to fight Sharingan users may not be as good if the Rivalry was at all diminished, however, out of necessity, he would have still found a way to counterattack to Kakashi's Sharingan genjutsu. He is, after all, still Kakashi's Eternal Rival, even if they may/may not be as close in this verse (see: Sunshinverse History).
In canon, he shares the secret to his ability against the Sharingan with Asuma and Kurenai in the battle against Itachi. In Sunshinverse, given that a Sharingan user is Hokage and the Uchiha are still very much a part of the village arsenal, Gai would guard with his life the secret to fighting the Sharingan.
Appearance:
Standing 6 feet tall and weighing in at 168 lbs, dressed in a one-piece, skintight green jumpsuit and orange legwarmers, Gai makes a striking first impression. What that impression strikes, however…
His entire appearance is exaggerated. Even though his standard-issue flak vest is left open for easier upper-body movement, underneath his orange legwarmers are weights so heavy they could shatter a solid concrete floor. Beneath the bangs of a shiny black bowl-cut of hair, he has notably large, thick brows and eyes with longer lower lashes. His skin is tan, with prominent cheekbones and a fairly broad nose, and when he smiles, which he often does, it is a broad, toothy dazzling grin. Even when not smiling, his face is very expressive, showing off pouts, frowns, and whatever emotion he is feeling.
Personality:
It is often hard to tell if he's really that weird, or if it's an elaborate act. It's a little of both.
Maito Dai, Gai's father, was a failure of a ninja, never amounting to anything more than a genin. But despite that, Dai met the ridicule and taunts against him with a smile and over-the-top optimism. Gai himself was insecure and angry, very aware of what other people thought and said about their family, but his father's youthful spirit, and ability to let even the harshest taunts roll off him, inspired Gai. I don't think Dai was the most brilliant man, but he was a great father, filled with love for his son, and he knew that what his son needed was a role-model. That role model didn't have to be the best--Dai couldn't be--but at least he was not an angry, spiteful, unhappy loser because of his shortcomings. He was a good person, worked hard, and didn't shy away from doing what he was capable of, however limited. I'm sure Dai was partly that kind of man before Gai, but he probably dialed it up for his son. And Gai saw that and appreciated it. In fact, the older Gai became, the more he could appreciate the gesture and what it did for him.
Gai gradually began to adopt Dai's youthful philosophy and learn what skills his father could teach. Those would stick with Gai for the rest of his life.
Now Gai embodies that youth, that fire and passion for life, adding his own ambitious flair to it. He lives in the moment with his eyes on the future, striving to always get better, stronger, faster. Determination and hard-work are his governing mantras. With a self-imposed set of rules, he turns failures into additional tasks, so he is always getting something out of a loss.
Training, too, is a series of extremes and self-rules. For everything he accomplishes, he has a new task right behind it, aiming to take his goals a step further. He knows he is good at what he does, but Gai does not know how to rest on his laurels.
Gai is old-fashioned, uncool, and a little silly. He can be verbose--but that is just a way of being precise!--and quite loud and boisterous (it means he's cheerful!). Jokes, especially those at his expense, sometimes initially go over his head. He seems to ignore or miss entirely when someone is laughing at his appearance or behavior. Gai is boldly and passionately himself, regardless of what others think of him. But he is his friends' and comrades' #1 Cheerleader when they need it. He's full of words of wisdom (if somewhat cliched and odd wisdom) and lengthy we-can-do-it-team! speeches no one except Lee (and Naruto) really listens to. If you need a shoulder to cry on, he will be there. And while he has a tendency to strike goofy poses, like a smile and thumbs up with a promise, a promise from Gai is a promise that you know will be kept.
But he is intensely serious when it counts. In battle, in friendship, in training his students, Gai understands his responsibility. Responsibility does not weigh him down; it is what gives him his strength. He takes pride in his students and Rivalry, and for him...these are his important people. He works hard to build up their self-esteem, to embolden them, to be the sensei and friend and source of smiles they need him to be. These are the people that he would lay down his life for. And enemies are to be respected and Gai gives his all in a fight. He is governed by morals and an honor code, but he's not afraid to be as ruthless as needed to fight for his precious people.
The secret of Gai is that he's a man who knows he will die. This is not an intangible fact for him. This is not a 'I will probably fail a mission and it will cost me my life someday.' No. With the Gates, death is his future, an inevitable and conscious decision Gai will make for himself to protect something of value to him. He has known this since he was a child and Dai first taught him the Eight Gates, but moreover, he has seriously contemplated it since his father's death and sacrifice.
He knows the day will come when he will give his life for the people he cares about. Gai has made his peace with that and so he can live each day trying to make the world as bright as possible for those he loves. Being that person for his comrades may make them laugh at him, but every smile is worth it, and the laughs have long stopped hurting. Mostly.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
+ Gai is physically strong, well-built, and tough. He's broken plenty of bones and taken many scrapes and bruises, and still gets right back into the game.
+ Determined and hard-working, Gai sets his own goals, achieves them, and sets himself even higher goals. He's proactive and isn't afraid to try to achieve what he dreams.
+ Nor is he afraid to keep trying, despite failure, or to perfect what he has learned. As Bruce Lee said: I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once. But I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times. Gai is the man practicing a single move again and again.
+ He is incredibly steadfast, even when his friend gives him no reason to be. If you need someone to have your back, make friends with Gai. And then just hope that Kakashi or Team Gai doesn't have an emergency at the same time you do!
+ Gai is confident, or generally lets himself appear so. Confidence can both be infectious among your teammates, and a strong deterrent against enemy attack.
+ He tries to maintain an optimistic attitude in the face of most letdowns. Smiles, positive thinking, and determination get him through tough times, but he's not afraid to cry, either.
+ The Gates
- The Gates
- Ambition is often a double-edged sword.
- Confidence sometimes borders on cockiness. Sometimes it goes to his head.
- One doesn't survive as a ninja without either a lot of luck or some intelligence. Gai certainly isn't dumb, but comparatively, he's sometimes out of his league in the smarts department. He is definitely more the muscle than the brains. Gai's intelligence in battle is mostly intuitive, not the cold strategic logic of some of his comrades.
- Hand to hand combat is his greatest strength in battle, but also his greatest weakness. There is little to shield him and one vulnerability or injury could be his undoing.
- Sometimes his determination is actually a problem. Gai will get fixated on doing something and good luck talking him down from it.
- He appears to have difficulty remembering faces.
- Prone to tears and displays of affection/frustration/any strong emotion, Gai can sometimes be both embarrassing and just...a little much. Still, he isn't afraid of showing his emotions, but that isn't exactly a highlight on a ninja's stats.
Village Affiliation: Konoha.
Rank: Jounin.
Prose sample:
Hearing that Neji, his student, was going to be in ANBU made Gai both incredibly proud and incredibly worried. To be allowed to join the Black Ops proved just how advanced Neji's skills were. His student's hard work was definitely paying off.
But Gai also knew what the Black Ops could do to the psyche of a person, what it asked for its soldiers to do… No, not asked. Ordered. Required. They were the execution and assassination squad, the tactical eliminators of Konoha's deadliest enemies and dirtiest spies.
ANBU left no survivors and, in turn, it left no member's hands clean.
The things Gai saw haunting his Rival's eyes after some of those missions…
Now, perhaps ANBU had changed since the years Kakashi first joined and Obito became Hokage. Maybe. But Gai highly doubted it. Gai was no idiot, and despite the unsteady peace that Konoha enjoyed, an organization like ANBU was necessary. Or at least the village felt it was necessary in order that they might sleep well at night. There would come a time when Neji would have to kill, not for survival, but for no other reason than that his village required it of him. Neji would become a simple pawn on the chessboard of the village politics.
He wished he could have kept Neji from that. But if Neji needed ANBU in his life, to achieve his goals or to feel accomplished, Gai would be there to support him in that.
So Gai could wear a warm, welcoming and proud grin as he greeted Neji and beckoned him to the table. How grown up his grumpy little Hyuuga was now!
"Ah! Neji! I have not seen much of you lately! Have a seat! Tell your sensei how your training is going!" The Hokage had already briefed Gai on Neji's ANBU training and tests, but Neji didn't need to know that. Besides, Gai preferred to hear it from his student himself.
Bracket sample:
[He had already completed some push-ups and was through his fortieth set of sit-ups by the time the door cracked open. Immediately, he jumped to his feet and stood at attention as the Hokage made his way to his desk. The Sandaime and Yondaime had always seemed so wisened, so imposing. Gai had never at the time given serious thought to how someday the Hokage would be one of his own peers, let alone one of his friends. Obito seemed to almost be dwarfed under that hat and those robes.]
You are aware that this is the fifteenth mission debriefing of mine that you have been late to, Hokage-sama? [That was not a complaint. He would never complain about the Hokage! And certainly not to the man's face! It was just a...gentle reminder! That was all.] Perhaps I should inform your sensei.
[Okay, maybe he would resort to tattling. Just a little.]
Missive Sample:
[Gai's penmanship is bold, strokes are decisive and strong and, like his taijutsu, well-practiced and honed over the years. He tends to write with speed to avoid any wiggles or oddities in his letters. It resembles, in part, a slightly more lax version of architect/drafter's script in that the letters are both somewhat stylized capitals, yet are almost nondescript, and are definitely legible. When he gets lazy--and this is extremely rare--it devolves back into the chicken-scratch of his youth, a problematic habit he tried very hard to work his way away from.]
Neji-
I appreciate that you are in ANBU now, but when a man agrees to meet with someone, he is giving his word! Do not let their ways make you lax in your manners! Lunch tomorrow will be promptly at noon or else I will have words with your ANBU superiors and see to it that you are given an adequate amount of laps around the village to make up for this! Do not be late! I will see you there!
- Your sensei