Post by mugenginga on Aug 30, 2009 20:57:23 GMT -5
Humanoid Demon Form Full Name: Youko Kurama
Fox Demon Form Full Name: Kitsune Kurama
Demon Form (Both) Nickname: Kurama
Human Form Full Name: Shuuichi Minamino
Apparent Age (Youko): Young Adult
Apparent Age (Kitsune): Adult
Apparent Age (Human): Mid Teens
Actual Age: About 3,000 years
Height (Youko): ? (Tall)
Height (Kitsune): ? (Average)
Height (Human): ? (Short End of Tall)
Weight (All): ? (Lean)
Gender: Male
Race: Kitsune Yokai (Fox Demon)
Alliance: Neutral with a strong lean towards Good
Home: Makai/Demon Realm, with strong attachment to the Ningenkai/Human Realm
Franchise: Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Physical Description (Human Form)
Listed first because this is Kurama's most common form. Uses the name Shuuichi unless he is in the company of only those who know he's actually a demonic fox.
Kurama suffers from a case of femininity. Likely a result of the way humans interpret beauty and how his Youko form effects it, but he is known for being mistaken as a small chested girl. His skin is neither pale nor tanned and he has eyes that are capable of being caring and gentle as well as harsh and unforgiving, all depending on the situation. Most of the time they have a meek and well-mannered expression to them, of the kind a polite Japanese teenager would be expected to. They are emerald green in color.
He has long purple-red hair that looks rather well groomed despite having loose chunks here and there. It comes down to just past his shoulder-blades, although the middle tips go about 2/3 of the way down his back. His bangs are rather full and fluffy, and two long strips fall down in front of his ears to about the middle of his chest.
His preferences for clothes seem to be things that are easy to move in, although it is not out of the question for him to wear tight jeans. If he is under no need to hide that he is in fact a demonic fox, he tends to wear semi-archaic martial arts clothing with an noble air about them. In a place where he has to interact with a lot of normal humans, he tends to wear his school uniform. It isn't anything fancy, just a dark pink bordering on crimson red suit that resembles what you might see a Japanese military officer wearing. It buttons in the front and has a thin gold strip that rests over the buttons, generally concealing them. He wears the standard black boots for his school, choosing not to upset the status quo in that sense. Casually, he'll usually wear soft soled black shoes like you might find a martial artist wearing.
Physical Description (Youko Form)
Listed second because this is Kurama's second most common form.
If you didn't see one of two things, you'd never know this was the same entity as Shuuichi Minamino. Either him transform, or the extremely rare but you don't want to be anywhere near raging Shuuichi, which shares the harsh presence and expression of this form. He is significantly taller and has a much more dangerous presence. His yokai (demon) aura is magnified several times over to the point that its intimidating standing in the same general area as him, let alone right next to him.
He is less feminine in this form, but no less beautiful. And it would still be quite possible to mistake him for a girl except the outfit he wears makes it more obvious he isn't developed in that way. His hair is long and has more in common with a mane than hair. It comes down to his waist and is the color of pale silver bordering on white, appearing muted blue in the right light. The tips of the middle come just past his hips. His bangs are a bit longer and his hair has sacrificed fluffy in the favor of flow. The two pieces of hair that come in front of his ears are thinner, but about the same length as in human form.
He has pale skin and he is well muscled, but its more like the light definition you would see on a swimmer than obvious muscle. His gaze is much more intense, his eyes having become narrow. The color has faded from emerald green to an unnatural yellow with hints of green. He is basically incapable of a "soft" gaze in this form, the closest he can come being more of a critical stare.
He wears what resembles a loose martial arts gi. It is white all around, including the tie around his waist. The tunic-like pieces that hang down are wider than is often standard for a gi. He has on two white shoes that come to a near point. They appear to be cloth soft soled shoes. An important fact to consider about his outfit is it is not cloth at all, but a sort of armor formed by his spirit energy. It stops as much if not more than most metal armors.
Despite the mostly human appearance of this form, he does have two very non-human traits. Dark silver fox ears extending from about where the base of his human ears should be up his head. The bases are concealed by his hair and it should be noted he does not have human ears. His other trait is a single fox tail the same color as his hair. It flows with a supernatural grace and he'd probably be thrown of balance if you managed to make the deadly mistake of damaging it.
Physical Description (Kitsune Form)
Listed last because it is never truly revealed in the anime, its existence being merely implied.
Kurama's kitsune/fox form is basically... well, a fox. He is about the size one would expect a wild fox to be, although he is on the lean side of things. His fur is extremely pale silver that could be called white except for the way it is known to glint. It really is a thing of beauty and it would not be out of the question for a person to get caught off guard due to being mesmerized.
His eyes are like a normal fox, although they carry the wisdom of three millenia and are completely unreadable. They are pale yellow. If you can get any emotion from them you know he's feeling it to the absolute max. If that emotion is anger, you're dead. Once he reaches that point you have no chance of escaping.
He actually has nine tails, each tipped with a dark silver. The base of his ears begin fading to a darker silver and are the same shade as his tail tips near the top up. However, he's known for using his powers to conceal the tails, although he seems loathe to conceal more than five of them. He prefers to have at least four tails showing. His claws are also dark silver and there is an otherworldly presence about him right down to the way he moves.
His power is more obvious in his Youko form. Somehow the grace of this form conceals his full power.
Weapons
Kurama technically has a "rose whip", but its better described as a manifestation of his powers than an actual weapon. However, he is able to use a whip to the unreal skill level of Indiana Jones. He would see no need to in most cases.
Abilities/Powers
Every single one of Kurama's abilities falls under the category of plant manipulation. He prefers to use plants of the Makai as they are far more deadly, having grown and adapted to survive in that unbelievably dangerous environment. However, he can use and manipulate normal plants as well and is quite capable of talking with all types. Plants and him seem to share quite the level of respect and they will do anything he asks of them. He would never, however, put a normal plant in harm's way. He only does so with the demonic plants as they are far more willing due to their very nature. If he were to encounter a holy plant it would probably weigh the situation and comply based on what Kurama's true motivations were. Plants know what Kurama is aiming to do, a skill no other creature can truly claim. It is due to the way he communicates with plants, sort of a demonic "mind meld", as it were.
There are a number of "official" skills Kurama has with plants, but anything within a plants power is something he can manipulate. Occasionally even more. And as no attempt to catalogue the plants of the Makai has ever been made (likely from people stupid enough to try getting eaten) it is quite possible he has a number of different skills. His power is mainly limited by access to the plant. He must at least brush against a plant to give it command or manipulate a seed. Many of his powers require "planting" said seed, and this is often harder than it sounds. Especially in the case of some of the Makai plants.
His first skill is often called the "Rose Whip", and at the very least must have a rose seed to use it. It seems easier to do from a single rose, but its often not possible to get a hold of one. He basically causes the stem of the rose to grow into a whip and uses it as such. As one might guess, it causes more damage than a normal whip due to the thorns.
Another skill consists of a demonic plant that grows from the inside of a person's body. Its very hard to plant as he has to put it in an open wound or force the foe to swallow it. But it can grow out of them and rip them apart. If you've seen the movie "The Ruins", you'll have a very good idea of what this plant is like.
He has various other skills and is well stocked on Makai plant seeds when he enters the RP. Its more a matter of getting him angry enough to use the plants. It should be noted that he can use the skills in his human form as a result of the Dark Tournament, but its extraordinarily draining and generally only a last ditch effort. Its easiest and most powerful if he uses them in Youko form. He is able to use them in fox form, but without his opposable thumbs of his human and Youko forms it is rarely practical. It is also more draining than in Youko form, but not to the extent as in human form.
His Youko form takes energy, and massive amounts, to maintain. This is due to it no longer being his most natural form thanks to being reborn as a human child. This is mainly to indicate that he doesn't haphazardly take this form, basically only doing so if the situation truly needs it. He does seem to be able to hold it better in the Makai, quite possibly due to the very demonic air of the Realm. His "true" form is that of a kyuubi, or nine tailed fox, but ever since attaining his Youko form is not considered his most natural.
Skills
As Shuuichi Minamino, Kurama is agile. On the outer limits of human ability, even. He can move quickly, but its not anything that would make him seem abnormal. Its more the lack of his tail that prevents the true expression of his agility than anything else. He's a little more off balance and it effects his skills. However, it doesn't mean he couldn't whomp most normal humans. However, for all his speed, he isn't physically very strong.
In Youko and kitsune forms, however, Kurama is much faster. It has settled into the realm of the supernatural now, although he would only be considered a good athlete in terms of Makai speeds. He creates a small illusion of blurring when he runs, merely because normal human eyes just aren't "wired" to follow things at that speed, and would take an experienced battler to keep track of him. One would not need spirit abilities to keep him in site, although they would to keep him in clear focus. He uses the speed mainly to dodge attacks, but he has been on the short end of the stick for speed before and it has proved rather disastrous. Basically, he'd be able to break the world record but one could still track his general movements.
Personality
Shuuichi Minamino is an incredibly smart kid, but he's the quiet type. He doesn't talk much and is slow to anger. Its nigh impossible to get a rise out of him and he dislikes fighting back. He would likely be a total wallflower if it weren't for the way he practically waltzes through school in terms of grades. He never needs to study, but easily aces his exams and is generally at the top of his class in an already private school.
He doesn't speak unless spoken to or something very truly needs to be said. He often seems distant but an observant person would realize he is constantly analyzing a situation. He seems quite straight laced and collected. He has this absolute aura of "cool" around him, but his method of dull staring and silence seems to ward off any possible "fangirls" he would otherwise have. He's very decisive and would be a great person to go to advice... if he seemed even mildly approachable.
Shuuichi is actually very kind and seems to take others into account first. In a normal situation, he would likely be called a "mama's boy" in that he seems to focus her on the exclusion of everything else. However, the many years of terminal sickness she bore causes people to feel like jerks when the thought crosses their minds. Japanese adults refer to him as a "very good son" due to his loyalty to the woman and his excellent grades. Somehow his aura intimidates others, as well. He never yells.
There is, however, some bleed over from his other forms and original personality, although this never really has a need to come out in real world situations. If he were to be cornered, he would likely not hesitate to kill to get away. He has no problem with blood or death, and would view a scene of a person getting hacked to death with mild interest. His normally dull and/or calm gaze can shift. He can take expressions of minor annoyance, amusement, or pure superiority. Its quite possible no normal human has ever seen him angry due to his tendency to kill those that push him to this point.
In his Youko and kitsune forms, he seems to have a slightly different personality. It certainly comes across as quite different. His gaze is harsh and unforgiving or so cold you feel like you're getting frostbite just from looking at it. Definitely the type of gaze that would send chills from your spine across the room, even if you didn't know he was looking at you.
His calm and calculating eyes and appearance increase exponentially. He can also take a very cruel gaze. We're talking psychotically happy as you hack a baby to death here. Most normal humans would wet themselves without realizing it, and even a large portion of demons run off with their "tails" between their legs from it.
Kurama shares the trait of anger in this form that Shuuichi has, but many more have seen his angry face. Maybe 1% of those that have have had the "honor" of living past it. If you incite Youko Kurama's angry face, you likely have less than an hour to live. Unless he decides he would rather torture you. Then you'd wish you had died ten years ago.
In his truest and most original personality, one that actually rarely comes out any more due to his time as a "human", he is a sadistic and depraved monster. Yet he balances that out with patience beyond a holy monk and an ever calculating mind that was once described as "three steps ahead" of his opponents. However, he has over time developed a slightly larger respect for life and comradery. Hard to piss off, but my eternal pity to the few that manage it...
History
Kurama was born an ordinary fox about 3,000 years ago, give or take. However, as the legends of multi-tailed foxes depict, any fox that lives past a certain age gains a certain level of spiritual power beyond the basic power they are already said to possess. Flying past the expected age limit for a fox thanks to his skill with said spirit energy, Kurama eventually sprouted a second tail. His affinities meant his reikai (spirit energy) become yokai (demon energy) and he was quick to migrate to the Makai.
He found his affinity with plants in the Makai to be even greater than those in the Human Realm, and as his tails continued to multiply he gained mastery and a mutual respect for all plant life. Upon turning 1,000, he sprouted his ninth and final tail. His life was harsh, as one would expect any demon's to be. His strength and icy, calculating ways earned him followers. As most demons, he wanted a territory to rule over, with the possibility of ruling the entire Makai always open. It was during this point of recruitment he met a demon named Yomi, who quickly become his right-hand man.
Problem was, Yomi was... cocky. Cocky and quite sure he was the coolest thing since the Norse version of Hell. His attitude and resulting behaviors made him a larger and larger concern for the then ruthless and cold blooded Kurama. Finally, Kurama had enough. He hired a demon to destroy Yomi, an assassin. He offered to pay him money enough to buy an island in our world, and the demon gladly agreed.
After the demon left to fulfil his duty, Kurama faced the result of not having Yomi by his side. A surprise attack forced him into a corner, and while he won his army was decimated. Not injured, but with several opposing armies after him, he chose to flee to the Ningenkai. The barrier that would one day be put up was not yet there. However, it went up with little warning while Kurama was in the Ningenkai. The result was that he was effectively trapped. His careful and calculating ways allowed all his crimes to fall under the radar of the Reikai/Spirit Realm, thus giving him a seemingly clean record.
About fifteen years ago, Kurama caught wind that the barrier was going through a fluctuation. It was an odd one in that it would only allow demons to pass into the Makai. Fluctuations were rare, and the last one he had caught wind of had been a two-way passage allowing demons up to Rank D past. It had actually been an orchestration of a man, and as such Kurama would have likely ignored it regardless of its power. Being of a high middle category of the S class himself, Kurama chose to take advantage of the opportunity to return "home". He was more than a little sick of being trapped in the Ningenkai and under the scrutinizing eyes of the Reikai. With his current power, it would be no problem to become a contender for the throne of the Realm, even with such powerhouses as the Warrior God Raizen and Mukuro running around.
What he hadn't expected, however, was to get cornered in the space between Realms by the most elite of Spirit Realm officials, the Reikai Special Defense Force. In fact, it was only the highest ranking members of the SDF that cornered him. He had a rather strong suspicion as to the orchestrator of the attack, but found it very humorous that the SDF were trying to stop an S-ranked demon as himself (the Reikai ranks any S-ranked yokai as too strong to interfere with). However, for some reason or another Kurama actually made a rare mistake, the result being what should have been a mortal would to the Kitsune Yokai.
He released a burst of power onto the SDF's forces. He vaporized his opponents, but it was at the cost of what should have been his only chance of surviving. His quick thinking and various unpredictable circumstances gave him a single chance. He turned himself into pure yokai energy and fled into the only chance he had, the still-forming fetus of a human woman who fate had allowed to walk near the point he had entered the space between Realms he had entered.
About nine months later, Kurama was born in human form and named Shuuichi Minamino. Even as a newborn he was fully aware of his past and his currently sealed powers. But he was still as defenseless as any human his age and in order to not arouse suspicion from his human parents, he allowed himself to grow. If he could take ten years, he would regain access to his demonic forms. They would be terribly weak and his powers would barely register on the Reikai's scale, but he would at least be able to flee the woman that considered herself his mother.
However, she raised him with such care that he had begun developing feelings for the woman, the feelings a grateful child would have for a caring parent. However, he still very likely would have been able to flee, eventually abandoning his regrets, were it not for one event. When "Shuuichi" was nine, he tried to get a container from a shelf too high for him to reach due to his loathing of relying on humans held over from his demonic memories. He slipped, several porcelain plates falling ahead of him. The woman caught him as he fell towards the shards, but gravity caused Shuuichi to push her arms into them.
She recovered, but the selfless act coupled by the obvious scars and her continual kindness had tugged on a near-heart Kurama hadn't known he possessed. He tried to leave several times, but was never able to do so. He realized then that he truly did care for the woman, and it only made it that much more devastating when she fell ill with a terminal disease.
She got worse as the years advanced, and he spent his free time and connections to the Makai looking for a way to cure her. Shortly after she was hospitalized, he caught wind of a plan to steal three demonic treasures from the Reikai. Joining forces with a rather ugly yokai named Gouki and one he'd had a few neutral encounters with named Hiei, he managed to steal the treasures. However, Kurama only had interest in the Dark Mirror, a treasure that could grant any wish during the full moon... at the cost of the user's life.
The theft caused a major uproar in the Reikai. The powerful King Enma of the Reikai had been away on business, and the thieves had used the opportunity to take the treasures. Prince Koenma immediately insisted that Yuusuke Urameshi, a human who had recently spent several months as a ghost and been harassed into becoming a Reikai Tantei (Spirit Realm Detective), track down the treasures. The Spirit Guide named Botan that Yuusuke had met during his ghost ordeal was shocked that Koenma would order such an act with Yuusuke so inexperienced, but it was because no choice was to be had. If King Enma returned and found the treasures gone, his rage could very well shatter the Ningenkai.
Kurama made no effort to hide from Yuusuke. He casually walked away from a heated discussion where he announced he was leaving the thieving trio. After Gouki was defeated, he contacted Yuusuke and told him he would be glad to return the mirror after he had used his powers during the full moon three days from then. Yuusuke gave him the time he requested (much to Botan's chagrin) and when Kurama revealed the cliff notes version of his past and made his wish on the mirror, Yuusuke offered half of his life force so that neither he nor Kurama would die. More to save Kurama's mother from the pain of losing a child than anything else, as he had seen the emotional torment this caused during his time as a ghost. This act gave Kurama instant respect for the teenager, and they parted on good terms.
When Yuusuke was ordered to go fight the "Four Saint Beasts", four demons based around the four directional constellations of Japanese myth (drawn from Chinese myth), Kurama reappeared. Yuusuke and his "friend" Kazuma Kuwabara were nearly killed by flesh eating demons on the border of a Makai city, but Kurama and Hiei showed up to help them. For Hiei, it was a manner of being acquitted for his crimes, especially his part in the theft of the three treasures. For Kurama, it seemed more a manner of boredom than anything else. In actuality it was more of a return favor for Yuusuke's previous act of kindness.
The quartet faced the challenges of the castle belonging to the Four Saint Beasts, Kurama having a direct hand in Genbu's defeat. He and the others aided Yuusuke in reaching Suzaku, and the group came out victorious.
After various other events occurred, Kurama was "ordered" by powerful demons to participate as a member of Yuusuke's team in a tournament known as the Dark Tournament. Among the team were Yuusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, a strange woman that would later be revealed to be Master Genkai, and Kurama. The Tournament was long and bloody, and rather strongly manipulated. Kurama had his fair share of hard knocks, but it was thanks to his fight with a demon of "Team Toguro" known as Karasu that he learned how to access his Youko form powers in human form. In fact, the tournament is what allowed him to gain his Youko form with the "ease" he now has. Although even in that form his power only balanced out to a high B class or low A class. But it was clear his powers were returning.
After the Tournament, things pretty much settled down. At least until Yuusuke up and vanished one day. Kurama was surprised when Koenma announced an emergency meeting, and even more surprised to discover that Yuusuke had disappeared. Koenma seemed rather stressed, explaining that Botan had burst into his office. During the meeting he ranted a bit about paperwork and how Yuusuke had been sucked to another world.
The people that attended the meeting went there for various reasons. Keiko, Yuusuke's girlfriend, was there because she wanted to hear where Yuusuke had run off without telling her before hand. She was quite pissed. Botan was there because she had spread the message about the meeting and her position as Assistant Reikai Tantei to Yuusuke required it. She was also quite worried. Kuwabara was there because he was raging at Yuusuke for running off without putting up some kind of fight. Kurama was there due to curiosity and respect towards Yuusuke. Pouh, some kind of odd cross between a puppy and a penguin, was there merely because he was a spirit beast representation of Yuusuke's soul. In fact, the only major member of the team that wasn't there was Master Genkai, who had been rather annoyed at being bothered about something "so trivial".
When Koenma specified that Yuusuke had not been drawn to a directly connected world, such as the Reikai or Makai, there was much panic. Koenma said he had been spending the last few days tapping Reikai resources to open a portal to this world, as it seemed to have some kind of multi-dimensional barrier around it. All while complaining about how whatever Yuusuke was doing was causing more paperwork than he wanted to think about. There were discussions over who should go, and much ranting by various members of the group.
Koenma heard a "decision" made and forced open the hole. The plan had been to send Botan in, as she could likely explain things the clearest. With a "free" representative of the Reikai there, she could attempt to contact the Reikai of the other world and work out a way to get Yuusuke returned. This didn't go well, however, in that Kuwabara rushed past and dove into the portal, which seemed to dislike the unannounced "visitor" and snapped shut, leaving much in the way of "0_0" expressions from the group.
More arguing continued, and Hiei pulled Kurama to the side, telling him that someone needed to prevent Kuwabara from killing himself. This actually surprised Kurama, who asked once more why Hiei wasn't volunteering himself. The short yokai clammed up. Kurama knew well that he wouldn't get more out of him and stepped up saying that he should go next. With Kuwabara's powers gone after the Dark Tournament it seemed wiser to send a fighter rather than simply a peacekeeper. Koenma conceded and told Kurama to clear things with his human mother.
About midnight that night, Kurama appeared to Koenma and told him he had informed his mother he was going on a camping trip with his friend Yuusuke. His mother had been delighted that Kurama was spending time with friends, but he was more than a little miffed at having to lie to her. Koenma forced upon the portal and Kurama walked through. This time the portal reacted even worse, exploding as it closed and sending Kurama flying backwards. He was actually fine but decided he'd research the portals more before attempting that again... but Kurama had passed through the portal to Dimension Island.
Other
I created Kurama to compliment Jilak's Yuusuke Urameshi RP (this also explains the copy and paste of a chunk of the original draft of the history he used for Kuwabara). As such he is taken from the same point in canon and based around the same events. He is also taken from the same canon itself, in that he is based on his manga incarnation. Also, any appearance conflicts come from multiple appearances (such as hair color) the manga seems to carry as canon. I tried to blend with the anime in that sense.
A lot of his backstory was pieced together from manga canon, and some of it references events after he was pulled from canon due to much of his backstory being revealed then. There are some small conflicts in the two times backstories are revealed for him, and I've tried to merge them into something more complete. The part with the SDF is a foreshadowing of sorts to events that occur after I pull him from canon that were referencing events that occurred before I pull him from canon. But I did much research and he will not act on anything that occurred after the Dark Tournament arc of the manga, although powers seen then might occur as he has those abilities, just not the chance to use them.
Kurama is not specifically stated to have a fox form in the manga, although it is implied. It is never shown in the manga so if he were to take it, it would be his unique yokai energy that alerted canon characters that it was still in fact Kurama. Also, it is not stated nor even implied that Kurama was a nine tailed fox but signs of his power levels in the manga indicate he very well could have been at some point.
The references to demon classes occur after the Dark Tournament arc but are shown to have existed far prior. The classes go from lowest (F) to highest (S) and are put in place by the Reikai. The Makai very much dislikes the system as S merely lumps all demons the Reikai can't handle into one group. The S class has wildly varying power levels, and even Kurama would have only been on the higher ends of middle. Note that right now he would best be described as a high B to low A rank, but could grow back into the S rank in the RPG.
Pictures
The fox form has no picture but really doesn't need an explanation. Its an oddly colored nine tailed fox, after all.
Shuuichi Minamino (anime): media.photobucket.com/image/Shuichi%20Minamino/Daddysdotdot/YYH/25.jpg
Shuuichi Minamino (manga): www.sasugabooks.com/images/sasuga/4088737113.jpg
Youko Kurama (anime): images1.wikia.nocookie.net/yuyuhakusho/images/3/3a/Youko_Kurama2.jpg
Youko Kurama (manga): www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/3226/gallery/yyh/youko.gif
Fox Demon Form Full Name: Kitsune Kurama
Demon Form (Both) Nickname: Kurama
Human Form Full Name: Shuuichi Minamino
Apparent Age (Youko): Young Adult
Apparent Age (Kitsune): Adult
Apparent Age (Human): Mid Teens
Actual Age: About 3,000 years
Height (Youko): ? (Tall)
Height (Kitsune): ? (Average)
Height (Human): ? (Short End of Tall)
Weight (All): ? (Lean)
Gender: Male
Race: Kitsune Yokai (Fox Demon)
Alliance: Neutral with a strong lean towards Good
Home: Makai/Demon Realm, with strong attachment to the Ningenkai/Human Realm
Franchise: Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Physical Description (Human Form)
Listed first because this is Kurama's most common form. Uses the name Shuuichi unless he is in the company of only those who know he's actually a demonic fox.
Kurama suffers from a case of femininity. Likely a result of the way humans interpret beauty and how his Youko form effects it, but he is known for being mistaken as a small chested girl. His skin is neither pale nor tanned and he has eyes that are capable of being caring and gentle as well as harsh and unforgiving, all depending on the situation. Most of the time they have a meek and well-mannered expression to them, of the kind a polite Japanese teenager would be expected to. They are emerald green in color.
He has long purple-red hair that looks rather well groomed despite having loose chunks here and there. It comes down to just past his shoulder-blades, although the middle tips go about 2/3 of the way down his back. His bangs are rather full and fluffy, and two long strips fall down in front of his ears to about the middle of his chest.
His preferences for clothes seem to be things that are easy to move in, although it is not out of the question for him to wear tight jeans. If he is under no need to hide that he is in fact a demonic fox, he tends to wear semi-archaic martial arts clothing with an noble air about them. In a place where he has to interact with a lot of normal humans, he tends to wear his school uniform. It isn't anything fancy, just a dark pink bordering on crimson red suit that resembles what you might see a Japanese military officer wearing. It buttons in the front and has a thin gold strip that rests over the buttons, generally concealing them. He wears the standard black boots for his school, choosing not to upset the status quo in that sense. Casually, he'll usually wear soft soled black shoes like you might find a martial artist wearing.
Physical Description (Youko Form)
Listed second because this is Kurama's second most common form.
If you didn't see one of two things, you'd never know this was the same entity as Shuuichi Minamino. Either him transform, or the extremely rare but you don't want to be anywhere near raging Shuuichi, which shares the harsh presence and expression of this form. He is significantly taller and has a much more dangerous presence. His yokai (demon) aura is magnified several times over to the point that its intimidating standing in the same general area as him, let alone right next to him.
He is less feminine in this form, but no less beautiful. And it would still be quite possible to mistake him for a girl except the outfit he wears makes it more obvious he isn't developed in that way. His hair is long and has more in common with a mane than hair. It comes down to his waist and is the color of pale silver bordering on white, appearing muted blue in the right light. The tips of the middle come just past his hips. His bangs are a bit longer and his hair has sacrificed fluffy in the favor of flow. The two pieces of hair that come in front of his ears are thinner, but about the same length as in human form.
He has pale skin and he is well muscled, but its more like the light definition you would see on a swimmer than obvious muscle. His gaze is much more intense, his eyes having become narrow. The color has faded from emerald green to an unnatural yellow with hints of green. He is basically incapable of a "soft" gaze in this form, the closest he can come being more of a critical stare.
He wears what resembles a loose martial arts gi. It is white all around, including the tie around his waist. The tunic-like pieces that hang down are wider than is often standard for a gi. He has on two white shoes that come to a near point. They appear to be cloth soft soled shoes. An important fact to consider about his outfit is it is not cloth at all, but a sort of armor formed by his spirit energy. It stops as much if not more than most metal armors.
Despite the mostly human appearance of this form, he does have two very non-human traits. Dark silver fox ears extending from about where the base of his human ears should be up his head. The bases are concealed by his hair and it should be noted he does not have human ears. His other trait is a single fox tail the same color as his hair. It flows with a supernatural grace and he'd probably be thrown of balance if you managed to make the deadly mistake of damaging it.
Physical Description (Kitsune Form)
Listed last because it is never truly revealed in the anime, its existence being merely implied.
Kurama's kitsune/fox form is basically... well, a fox. He is about the size one would expect a wild fox to be, although he is on the lean side of things. His fur is extremely pale silver that could be called white except for the way it is known to glint. It really is a thing of beauty and it would not be out of the question for a person to get caught off guard due to being mesmerized.
His eyes are like a normal fox, although they carry the wisdom of three millenia and are completely unreadable. They are pale yellow. If you can get any emotion from them you know he's feeling it to the absolute max. If that emotion is anger, you're dead. Once he reaches that point you have no chance of escaping.
He actually has nine tails, each tipped with a dark silver. The base of his ears begin fading to a darker silver and are the same shade as his tail tips near the top up. However, he's known for using his powers to conceal the tails, although he seems loathe to conceal more than five of them. He prefers to have at least four tails showing. His claws are also dark silver and there is an otherworldly presence about him right down to the way he moves.
His power is more obvious in his Youko form. Somehow the grace of this form conceals his full power.
Weapons
Kurama technically has a "rose whip", but its better described as a manifestation of his powers than an actual weapon. However, he is able to use a whip to the unreal skill level of Indiana Jones. He would see no need to in most cases.
Abilities/Powers
Every single one of Kurama's abilities falls under the category of plant manipulation. He prefers to use plants of the Makai as they are far more deadly, having grown and adapted to survive in that unbelievably dangerous environment. However, he can use and manipulate normal plants as well and is quite capable of talking with all types. Plants and him seem to share quite the level of respect and they will do anything he asks of them. He would never, however, put a normal plant in harm's way. He only does so with the demonic plants as they are far more willing due to their very nature. If he were to encounter a holy plant it would probably weigh the situation and comply based on what Kurama's true motivations were. Plants know what Kurama is aiming to do, a skill no other creature can truly claim. It is due to the way he communicates with plants, sort of a demonic "mind meld", as it were.
There are a number of "official" skills Kurama has with plants, but anything within a plants power is something he can manipulate. Occasionally even more. And as no attempt to catalogue the plants of the Makai has ever been made (likely from people stupid enough to try getting eaten) it is quite possible he has a number of different skills. His power is mainly limited by access to the plant. He must at least brush against a plant to give it command or manipulate a seed. Many of his powers require "planting" said seed, and this is often harder than it sounds. Especially in the case of some of the Makai plants.
His first skill is often called the "Rose Whip", and at the very least must have a rose seed to use it. It seems easier to do from a single rose, but its often not possible to get a hold of one. He basically causes the stem of the rose to grow into a whip and uses it as such. As one might guess, it causes more damage than a normal whip due to the thorns.
Another skill consists of a demonic plant that grows from the inside of a person's body. Its very hard to plant as he has to put it in an open wound or force the foe to swallow it. But it can grow out of them and rip them apart. If you've seen the movie "The Ruins", you'll have a very good idea of what this plant is like.
He has various other skills and is well stocked on Makai plant seeds when he enters the RP. Its more a matter of getting him angry enough to use the plants. It should be noted that he can use the skills in his human form as a result of the Dark Tournament, but its extraordinarily draining and generally only a last ditch effort. Its easiest and most powerful if he uses them in Youko form. He is able to use them in fox form, but without his opposable thumbs of his human and Youko forms it is rarely practical. It is also more draining than in Youko form, but not to the extent as in human form.
His Youko form takes energy, and massive amounts, to maintain. This is due to it no longer being his most natural form thanks to being reborn as a human child. This is mainly to indicate that he doesn't haphazardly take this form, basically only doing so if the situation truly needs it. He does seem to be able to hold it better in the Makai, quite possibly due to the very demonic air of the Realm. His "true" form is that of a kyuubi, or nine tailed fox, but ever since attaining his Youko form is not considered his most natural.
Skills
As Shuuichi Minamino, Kurama is agile. On the outer limits of human ability, even. He can move quickly, but its not anything that would make him seem abnormal. Its more the lack of his tail that prevents the true expression of his agility than anything else. He's a little more off balance and it effects his skills. However, it doesn't mean he couldn't whomp most normal humans. However, for all his speed, he isn't physically very strong.
In Youko and kitsune forms, however, Kurama is much faster. It has settled into the realm of the supernatural now, although he would only be considered a good athlete in terms of Makai speeds. He creates a small illusion of blurring when he runs, merely because normal human eyes just aren't "wired" to follow things at that speed, and would take an experienced battler to keep track of him. One would not need spirit abilities to keep him in site, although they would to keep him in clear focus. He uses the speed mainly to dodge attacks, but he has been on the short end of the stick for speed before and it has proved rather disastrous. Basically, he'd be able to break the world record but one could still track his general movements.
Personality
Shuuichi Minamino is an incredibly smart kid, but he's the quiet type. He doesn't talk much and is slow to anger. Its nigh impossible to get a rise out of him and he dislikes fighting back. He would likely be a total wallflower if it weren't for the way he practically waltzes through school in terms of grades. He never needs to study, but easily aces his exams and is generally at the top of his class in an already private school.
He doesn't speak unless spoken to or something very truly needs to be said. He often seems distant but an observant person would realize he is constantly analyzing a situation. He seems quite straight laced and collected. He has this absolute aura of "cool" around him, but his method of dull staring and silence seems to ward off any possible "fangirls" he would otherwise have. He's very decisive and would be a great person to go to advice... if he seemed even mildly approachable.
Shuuichi is actually very kind and seems to take others into account first. In a normal situation, he would likely be called a "mama's boy" in that he seems to focus her on the exclusion of everything else. However, the many years of terminal sickness she bore causes people to feel like jerks when the thought crosses their minds. Japanese adults refer to him as a "very good son" due to his loyalty to the woman and his excellent grades. Somehow his aura intimidates others, as well. He never yells.
There is, however, some bleed over from his other forms and original personality, although this never really has a need to come out in real world situations. If he were to be cornered, he would likely not hesitate to kill to get away. He has no problem with blood or death, and would view a scene of a person getting hacked to death with mild interest. His normally dull and/or calm gaze can shift. He can take expressions of minor annoyance, amusement, or pure superiority. Its quite possible no normal human has ever seen him angry due to his tendency to kill those that push him to this point.
In his Youko and kitsune forms, he seems to have a slightly different personality. It certainly comes across as quite different. His gaze is harsh and unforgiving or so cold you feel like you're getting frostbite just from looking at it. Definitely the type of gaze that would send chills from your spine across the room, even if you didn't know he was looking at you.
His calm and calculating eyes and appearance increase exponentially. He can also take a very cruel gaze. We're talking psychotically happy as you hack a baby to death here. Most normal humans would wet themselves without realizing it, and even a large portion of demons run off with their "tails" between their legs from it.
Kurama shares the trait of anger in this form that Shuuichi has, but many more have seen his angry face. Maybe 1% of those that have have had the "honor" of living past it. If you incite Youko Kurama's angry face, you likely have less than an hour to live. Unless he decides he would rather torture you. Then you'd wish you had died ten years ago.
In his truest and most original personality, one that actually rarely comes out any more due to his time as a "human", he is a sadistic and depraved monster. Yet he balances that out with patience beyond a holy monk and an ever calculating mind that was once described as "three steps ahead" of his opponents. However, he has over time developed a slightly larger respect for life and comradery. Hard to piss off, but my eternal pity to the few that manage it...
History
Kurama was born an ordinary fox about 3,000 years ago, give or take. However, as the legends of multi-tailed foxes depict, any fox that lives past a certain age gains a certain level of spiritual power beyond the basic power they are already said to possess. Flying past the expected age limit for a fox thanks to his skill with said spirit energy, Kurama eventually sprouted a second tail. His affinities meant his reikai (spirit energy) become yokai (demon energy) and he was quick to migrate to the Makai.
He found his affinity with plants in the Makai to be even greater than those in the Human Realm, and as his tails continued to multiply he gained mastery and a mutual respect for all plant life. Upon turning 1,000, he sprouted his ninth and final tail. His life was harsh, as one would expect any demon's to be. His strength and icy, calculating ways earned him followers. As most demons, he wanted a territory to rule over, with the possibility of ruling the entire Makai always open. It was during this point of recruitment he met a demon named Yomi, who quickly become his right-hand man.
Problem was, Yomi was... cocky. Cocky and quite sure he was the coolest thing since the Norse version of Hell. His attitude and resulting behaviors made him a larger and larger concern for the then ruthless and cold blooded Kurama. Finally, Kurama had enough. He hired a demon to destroy Yomi, an assassin. He offered to pay him money enough to buy an island in our world, and the demon gladly agreed.
After the demon left to fulfil his duty, Kurama faced the result of not having Yomi by his side. A surprise attack forced him into a corner, and while he won his army was decimated. Not injured, but with several opposing armies after him, he chose to flee to the Ningenkai. The barrier that would one day be put up was not yet there. However, it went up with little warning while Kurama was in the Ningenkai. The result was that he was effectively trapped. His careful and calculating ways allowed all his crimes to fall under the radar of the Reikai/Spirit Realm, thus giving him a seemingly clean record.
About fifteen years ago, Kurama caught wind that the barrier was going through a fluctuation. It was an odd one in that it would only allow demons to pass into the Makai. Fluctuations were rare, and the last one he had caught wind of had been a two-way passage allowing demons up to Rank D past. It had actually been an orchestration of a man, and as such Kurama would have likely ignored it regardless of its power. Being of a high middle category of the S class himself, Kurama chose to take advantage of the opportunity to return "home". He was more than a little sick of being trapped in the Ningenkai and under the scrutinizing eyes of the Reikai. With his current power, it would be no problem to become a contender for the throne of the Realm, even with such powerhouses as the Warrior God Raizen and Mukuro running around.
What he hadn't expected, however, was to get cornered in the space between Realms by the most elite of Spirit Realm officials, the Reikai Special Defense Force. In fact, it was only the highest ranking members of the SDF that cornered him. He had a rather strong suspicion as to the orchestrator of the attack, but found it very humorous that the SDF were trying to stop an S-ranked demon as himself (the Reikai ranks any S-ranked yokai as too strong to interfere with). However, for some reason or another Kurama actually made a rare mistake, the result being what should have been a mortal would to the Kitsune Yokai.
He released a burst of power onto the SDF's forces. He vaporized his opponents, but it was at the cost of what should have been his only chance of surviving. His quick thinking and various unpredictable circumstances gave him a single chance. He turned himself into pure yokai energy and fled into the only chance he had, the still-forming fetus of a human woman who fate had allowed to walk near the point he had entered the space between Realms he had entered.
About nine months later, Kurama was born in human form and named Shuuichi Minamino. Even as a newborn he was fully aware of his past and his currently sealed powers. But he was still as defenseless as any human his age and in order to not arouse suspicion from his human parents, he allowed himself to grow. If he could take ten years, he would regain access to his demonic forms. They would be terribly weak and his powers would barely register on the Reikai's scale, but he would at least be able to flee the woman that considered herself his mother.
However, she raised him with such care that he had begun developing feelings for the woman, the feelings a grateful child would have for a caring parent. However, he still very likely would have been able to flee, eventually abandoning his regrets, were it not for one event. When "Shuuichi" was nine, he tried to get a container from a shelf too high for him to reach due to his loathing of relying on humans held over from his demonic memories. He slipped, several porcelain plates falling ahead of him. The woman caught him as he fell towards the shards, but gravity caused Shuuichi to push her arms into them.
She recovered, but the selfless act coupled by the obvious scars and her continual kindness had tugged on a near-heart Kurama hadn't known he possessed. He tried to leave several times, but was never able to do so. He realized then that he truly did care for the woman, and it only made it that much more devastating when she fell ill with a terminal disease.
She got worse as the years advanced, and he spent his free time and connections to the Makai looking for a way to cure her. Shortly after she was hospitalized, he caught wind of a plan to steal three demonic treasures from the Reikai. Joining forces with a rather ugly yokai named Gouki and one he'd had a few neutral encounters with named Hiei, he managed to steal the treasures. However, Kurama only had interest in the Dark Mirror, a treasure that could grant any wish during the full moon... at the cost of the user's life.
The theft caused a major uproar in the Reikai. The powerful King Enma of the Reikai had been away on business, and the thieves had used the opportunity to take the treasures. Prince Koenma immediately insisted that Yuusuke Urameshi, a human who had recently spent several months as a ghost and been harassed into becoming a Reikai Tantei (Spirit Realm Detective), track down the treasures. The Spirit Guide named Botan that Yuusuke had met during his ghost ordeal was shocked that Koenma would order such an act with Yuusuke so inexperienced, but it was because no choice was to be had. If King Enma returned and found the treasures gone, his rage could very well shatter the Ningenkai.
Kurama made no effort to hide from Yuusuke. He casually walked away from a heated discussion where he announced he was leaving the thieving trio. After Gouki was defeated, he contacted Yuusuke and told him he would be glad to return the mirror after he had used his powers during the full moon three days from then. Yuusuke gave him the time he requested (much to Botan's chagrin) and when Kurama revealed the cliff notes version of his past and made his wish on the mirror, Yuusuke offered half of his life force so that neither he nor Kurama would die. More to save Kurama's mother from the pain of losing a child than anything else, as he had seen the emotional torment this caused during his time as a ghost. This act gave Kurama instant respect for the teenager, and they parted on good terms.
When Yuusuke was ordered to go fight the "Four Saint Beasts", four demons based around the four directional constellations of Japanese myth (drawn from Chinese myth), Kurama reappeared. Yuusuke and his "friend" Kazuma Kuwabara were nearly killed by flesh eating demons on the border of a Makai city, but Kurama and Hiei showed up to help them. For Hiei, it was a manner of being acquitted for his crimes, especially his part in the theft of the three treasures. For Kurama, it seemed more a manner of boredom than anything else. In actuality it was more of a return favor for Yuusuke's previous act of kindness.
The quartet faced the challenges of the castle belonging to the Four Saint Beasts, Kurama having a direct hand in Genbu's defeat. He and the others aided Yuusuke in reaching Suzaku, and the group came out victorious.
After various other events occurred, Kurama was "ordered" by powerful demons to participate as a member of Yuusuke's team in a tournament known as the Dark Tournament. Among the team were Yuusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, a strange woman that would later be revealed to be Master Genkai, and Kurama. The Tournament was long and bloody, and rather strongly manipulated. Kurama had his fair share of hard knocks, but it was thanks to his fight with a demon of "Team Toguro" known as Karasu that he learned how to access his Youko form powers in human form. In fact, the tournament is what allowed him to gain his Youko form with the "ease" he now has. Although even in that form his power only balanced out to a high B class or low A class. But it was clear his powers were returning.
After the Tournament, things pretty much settled down. At least until Yuusuke up and vanished one day. Kurama was surprised when Koenma announced an emergency meeting, and even more surprised to discover that Yuusuke had disappeared. Koenma seemed rather stressed, explaining that Botan had burst into his office. During the meeting he ranted a bit about paperwork and how Yuusuke had been sucked to another world.
The people that attended the meeting went there for various reasons. Keiko, Yuusuke's girlfriend, was there because she wanted to hear where Yuusuke had run off without telling her before hand. She was quite pissed. Botan was there because she had spread the message about the meeting and her position as Assistant Reikai Tantei to Yuusuke required it. She was also quite worried. Kuwabara was there because he was raging at Yuusuke for running off without putting up some kind of fight. Kurama was there due to curiosity and respect towards Yuusuke. Pouh, some kind of odd cross between a puppy and a penguin, was there merely because he was a spirit beast representation of Yuusuke's soul. In fact, the only major member of the team that wasn't there was Master Genkai, who had been rather annoyed at being bothered about something "so trivial".
When Koenma specified that Yuusuke had not been drawn to a directly connected world, such as the Reikai or Makai, there was much panic. Koenma said he had been spending the last few days tapping Reikai resources to open a portal to this world, as it seemed to have some kind of multi-dimensional barrier around it. All while complaining about how whatever Yuusuke was doing was causing more paperwork than he wanted to think about. There were discussions over who should go, and much ranting by various members of the group.
Koenma heard a "decision" made and forced open the hole. The plan had been to send Botan in, as she could likely explain things the clearest. With a "free" representative of the Reikai there, she could attempt to contact the Reikai of the other world and work out a way to get Yuusuke returned. This didn't go well, however, in that Kuwabara rushed past and dove into the portal, which seemed to dislike the unannounced "visitor" and snapped shut, leaving much in the way of "0_0" expressions from the group.
More arguing continued, and Hiei pulled Kurama to the side, telling him that someone needed to prevent Kuwabara from killing himself. This actually surprised Kurama, who asked once more why Hiei wasn't volunteering himself. The short yokai clammed up. Kurama knew well that he wouldn't get more out of him and stepped up saying that he should go next. With Kuwabara's powers gone after the Dark Tournament it seemed wiser to send a fighter rather than simply a peacekeeper. Koenma conceded and told Kurama to clear things with his human mother.
About midnight that night, Kurama appeared to Koenma and told him he had informed his mother he was going on a camping trip with his friend Yuusuke. His mother had been delighted that Kurama was spending time with friends, but he was more than a little miffed at having to lie to her. Koenma forced upon the portal and Kurama walked through. This time the portal reacted even worse, exploding as it closed and sending Kurama flying backwards. He was actually fine but decided he'd research the portals more before attempting that again... but Kurama had passed through the portal to Dimension Island.
Other
I created Kurama to compliment Jilak's Yuusuke Urameshi RP (this also explains the copy and paste of a chunk of the original draft of the history he used for Kuwabara). As such he is taken from the same point in canon and based around the same events. He is also taken from the same canon itself, in that he is based on his manga incarnation. Also, any appearance conflicts come from multiple appearances (such as hair color) the manga seems to carry as canon. I tried to blend with the anime in that sense.
A lot of his backstory was pieced together from manga canon, and some of it references events after he was pulled from canon due to much of his backstory being revealed then. There are some small conflicts in the two times backstories are revealed for him, and I've tried to merge them into something more complete. The part with the SDF is a foreshadowing of sorts to events that occur after I pull him from canon that were referencing events that occurred before I pull him from canon. But I did much research and he will not act on anything that occurred after the Dark Tournament arc of the manga, although powers seen then might occur as he has those abilities, just not the chance to use them.
Kurama is not specifically stated to have a fox form in the manga, although it is implied. It is never shown in the manga so if he were to take it, it would be his unique yokai energy that alerted canon characters that it was still in fact Kurama. Also, it is not stated nor even implied that Kurama was a nine tailed fox but signs of his power levels in the manga indicate he very well could have been at some point.
The references to demon classes occur after the Dark Tournament arc but are shown to have existed far prior. The classes go from lowest (F) to highest (S) and are put in place by the Reikai. The Makai very much dislikes the system as S merely lumps all demons the Reikai can't handle into one group. The S class has wildly varying power levels, and even Kurama would have only been on the higher ends of middle. Note that right now he would best be described as a high B to low A rank, but could grow back into the S rank in the RPG.
Pictures
The fox form has no picture but really doesn't need an explanation. Its an oddly colored nine tailed fox, after all.
Shuuichi Minamino (anime): media.photobucket.com/image/Shuichi%20Minamino/Daddysdotdot/YYH/25.jpg
Shuuichi Minamino (manga): www.sasugabooks.com/images/sasuga/4088737113.jpg
Youko Kurama (anime): images1.wikia.nocookie.net/yuyuhakusho/images/3/3a/Youko_Kurama2.jpg
Youko Kurama (manga): www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/3226/gallery/yyh/youko.gif
