Tu Shanshu Application

[baniichan]

Player Information:
Name: Jansen
Age: 25
Contact: symbologic @gmail, jackets @plurk, Quatrina Raberba @ AIM
Game Cast: N/A

Character Information:
Name: Barnaby Brooks Jr.
Canon: Tiger & Bunny
Canon Point: Post episode 25 (end of the series)
Age: 26
Reference: http://tigerbunny.wikia.com/wiki/Barnaby_Brooks_Jr.

Setting: Stern Bild, a retrofuture, alternate-1970s Manhattan with cyberpunk elements, is a multi-tiered city divided by socioeconomic classes. The three predominant levels are Bronze Stage (for the working class), Silver Stage (for the middle class), and Gold Stage (for the wealthy class). In addition, there is a Downtown District, an Industrial District, and an Urban District. The Stern Medaille District, which includes much of Gold Stage, houses all of the city's major corporations and serves as the financial hub of the city.

About 45 years ago, mutants called Noted Entities with Extraordinary Talents, also known as NEXT, began to manifest powers. No one understood how or why this happened, which meant NEXT were misunderstood by society as a whole. Branded as monsters and freaks, they suffered discrimination at school and the work place. Some NEXT children were even abandoned by their parents.

In order to improve society's image of NEXT and give NEXT positive role models, Albert Maverick and his cohorts eventually created a reality TV program for network OBC that showcases superheroes with NEXT abilities saving innocent people, arresting criminals, and protecting the city. Much like the characters from comic books, the superheroes of Stern Bild don costumes and take on aliases.

However, unlike fictional heroes, being a hero for Hero TV Live is actually a full-time job that became an official profession. Heroes from different companies compete against each other for points by trying to save and arrest as many people as possible, turning crime-fighting into a spectator sport. Corporations that employ heroes generally have their own Hero Division that is responsible for managing their stars' schedules and publicity, as well as developing state-of-the-art technology for use while crime-fighting.

As of NC 1978, the seven major corporations of Stern Bild are as follows:

Apollon Media (Barnaby and Kotetsu's company)
Kronos Foods
Poseidon Line
Helios Energy
Odysseus Communications
Titan Industry
Helperides Finance

In order to offset the costs of such a large-scale TV program, hero suit and vehicle maintenance, and the inevitable property damage heroes might cause while on the job, corporate sponsors became an integral part of Hero TV Live. Consequently, heroes are expected to display their sponsors' logos on their suits and essentially become walking billboards as they fight crime. Some of these sponsors include big names like Pepsi, Domino's Pizza, Bandai, Amazon, and the cellphone company Softbank. While most of the sponsors don't directly manage heroes, their financial backing makes it vital to avoid tarnishing their reputation (making things like, say, destroying an important cultural artifact or botching an arrest on live television a giant no-no).

Another major player in the setting is a mysterious crime syndicate named Ouroboros.

It is Ouroboros that haunts Barnaby Brooks Jr. for much of his life. When he was four years old, his parents were murdered on Christmas Eve, and the memory of their killer – and the Ourorboros symbol tattooed onto his hand – was burned into his mind forever. Investigating such a well-connected organization came with its own challenges, such as little cooperation from the police and many dead ends while questioning leads. This ultimately led Barnaby to the Hero industry, as he wanted to not only have the resources to take his research to a new level, but to have the means to spread his name far and wide as a declaration of war against the monster who murdered his family.

Albert Maverick, who was a good friend of the Brooks family, provided Barnaby with the resources and support he needed to advance his career.

It is also Maverick who suggests that, in order to differentiate himself from the other heroes, Barnaby ought to become part of the world's first superhero duo by paring off with Wild Tiger (aka Kotetsu T. Kaburagi). Apparently, Maverick believed having a veteran hero like Wild Tiger around would give Barnaby some extra guidance and direction. However, Barnaby is immediately put off by Wild Tiger's tendency to cling to outdated ideas of traditional heroism, not only because it obviously conflicts with the reality of a commercialized hero industry, but also because Barnaby suspects he has selfish reasons for doing so. As it turns out, Barnaby is quite perceptive of the people around him, and he is not completely inaccurate in his assessment.

Still, in contrast to most of Barnaby's other relationships, he is unable to remain indifferent toward Kotetsu. Initially, this translates into a need to drive a wedge between them as a defense mechanism. But Barnaby is gradually won over by Kotetsu's persistence in looking after him, particularly when Kotetsu shields Barnaby with his own body during an attack, and later when he helps him apprehend the Ouroboros criminal Jake Martinez.

While the people who pour money into the Hero industry bill themselves as defenders of justice, at the end of the day it's still a for-profit business with a shady underbelly. It's no surprise, then, that one of the heroes' recurring enemies is a masked vigilante named Lunatic. Lunatic is a NEXT who claims he fights for true justice, subscribes to the “eye for an eye” philosophy and is quick to deliver a painful and fiery death to criminals. In a city where even capital punishment is illegal, this is obviously a huge problem that undermines the public's trust in their heroes. His dark view of justice serves as a foil to Barnaby's idealistic partner Wild Tiger, but it is also a stark contrast to Barnaby's own gray moral relativism.

Personality:

One of the most important things to understand about Barnaby is that, according to the novel, if he has one guiding principle he lives by, it's merely this: choose your objective, and then do everything you can to accomplish it, even if it means shedding your own blood.

Of course, Barnaby himself admits that personal policies are shaped by the ever-changing trends of society (and that they must change if someone wants to stay relevant), but he is still pretty consistent in sticking with this main philosophy. His impressive point record, and the seriousness with which he approaches every aspect of the Hero industry (from crime-fighting to photo shoots), are examples of this.

The second most important thing is that he has many different facets to his character that changes with any given situation. According to voice actor Morita Masakazu, he generally has three faces: one he shows as a hero, one he shows to people, and one he shows when he's alone.

Indeed, as a hero he seems to be the type who basks in the attention, running his hand through his hair and delivering a dashing smile for the camera when the opportunity presents himself. 

Yet to people he can come across as distantly polite and perhaps a bit cold. His Japanese dialogue is almost always keigo, which puts as much distance between himself and the other person as possible. In instances where he feels like he must guard his heart, he can be downright insulting. “I will never forget that you wasted three minutes of my life,” he calmly tells Kotetsu after he had to wait outside for him during an early episode. 

But when he's alone, some of his issues become more apparent. There are multiple scenes of him in his apartment, sitting alone in the dark, or gazing off into space while listening to opera. Often times these moments of solitude trigger disturbing memories from his past. Since he only appears to own three pieces of furniture, he also comes across as someone who's not used to having a lot of unnecessary clutter in his life. This is also reflected in the way Barnaby has no casual friends. You can count the number of people he trusts on one hand, and he honestly seems to like it that way.

Where relationships are concerned, it's either all or nothing for Barnaby, which helps explain why he doesn't surround himself with a lot of people unless he has to. Investing himself in shallow connections for the sake of human contact doesn't interest him at all. In fact, it's been said that he was incapable of even feeling lonely before he met Kotetsu.

As Barnaby himself puts it in the novel, "It's not that I outright hate other people. They simply don't interest me."

In addition to these three “faces”, it can also be said that he has a dualistic personality. 

On one hand, he's logical, calculated, and takes care to project a distinct image to the public. His initial motivation for becoming a hero is to track down his parents' killer, and it's clear he meticulously planned his actions to make this goal a reality. After all, he did well in the Hero Academy, repeatedly demonstrates his proficiency in combat throughout the series, and (judging by the numerous photo shoots and interviews shown in canon) has clearly trained himself to act natural and charming in front of others. Not only that, but he's spent years collecting piles of newspaper articles and data related to his parents' murders and his primary lead, Ouroboros.

It's no secret that, between him and his partner Wild Tiger, Barnaby is the more strategic of the pair. For example, in cases where he finds himself at a disadvantage from the beginning, he's less likely to squander his 5-minute Hundred Power ability, instead choosing to wait until he absolutely needs it. A specific instance of this is seen during his respective fight with Jake Martinez. (This isn't a strict rule, however, as he also uses it quickly during his fight with H-01 during later canon points.)


He also doesn't hesitate to put his partner in his place if he feels like he's slacking off somehow. Kotetsu himself mentions in a magazine interview written by the series screenwriter that, although Barnaby is always willing to explain the functions of his suit to him, he scolds him for not reading the instructions beforehand.

It's also worth noting that image is very important to Barnaby. The way he takes great care of his appearance suggests this. He mentions in canon that he goes to the hair salon twice a month. Given his drive for perfectionism and the fact photoshoots and television appearances make up a large part of his career, though, this is hardly surprising. However, an interview with the Tiger & Bunny staff mentions that he does eventually enjoy those aspects of his life, though whether it's because they're things he's spent a great deal of time prepping himself for (and is therefore comfortable with them), or he just naturally enjoys attention, is never explicitly stated. Most likely, it's a combination of both. When talking about his school days with the director, he can't help but look mildly put out when Kotetsu changes the subject to Origami Cyclone. (Interestingly, he tends to gravitate toward the same favorite styles, rather than keeping up changing trends, suggesting that he's also a creature of habit. In fact, he admits in a magazine interview written by the screenwriter to wearing his current outfit for nearly 5 years already.)

With some of these factors in mind, perhaps it isn't so surprising that he initially placed an unusual amount of emphasis on earning points on Hero TV. After all, points are a concrete, quantitative way to determine his success as a hero and a public figure. The more points he scores, the more famous he will become, thus boosting his chances of getting his name out to his parents' killer. Points are also probably easier for him to grasp than abstract notions of heroics and altruism. In fact, he initially deems Kotetsu “old-fashioned” because he espouses those kind of ideals. This is likely because such talk seems antiquated and out of place in an industry that essentially turns superheroes into commercialized, marketable commodities.

This pragmatism also means that Barnaby isn't dogmatic about any one philosophy, and is willing to change in order to meet the challenges of any given situation. This is best illustrated in the novel when, despite hating modern music, he decides to take voice lessons. This is because he recognizes the success and demand of the pop industry and thinks it would be foolish to ignore it simply out of principle.

On the other hand, for all of his “cool” qualities, Barnaby is also hot-blooded and emotional in many ways. This is likely related to his untreated PTSD, as he often loses his composure when something triggers him somehow. We first catch a glimpse of this when he sees a criminal wearing the Ouroboros symbol. Angered that this man may be connected to the death of his parents, Barnaby not only shouts at him, but physically handles him in a rough, violent way that serves as an ugly contrast to his official role as a hero of justice. In fact, his actions are enough to spur Kotetsu into intervening, which only serves to make Barnaby angrier when he witnesses the criminal burn to death by Lunatic's hand.

Later, he experiences a severe panic attack when he sees Kotetsu standing next to a wall of fire with a tazer, and he activates his Hundred Power in order to escape the situation. This shows that, when confronted with something that triggers, shocks and upsets him, one of his first inclinations is to flee and isolate himself. (Another example of this is when he runs from Kotetsu at the skating rink.)

That's not to say that Barnaby always flies off the handle whenever his parents' deaths are involved, though. He keeps cool enough to realize that Jake Martinez is using Origami Cyclone as a decoy, for example, and only becomes angry when Kotetsu interferes out of concern of him accidentally killing Jake. He also refrains from delivering a killing blow during his final showdown with Jake when he sees Kotetsu watching him. In both of these cases, though, it's worth noting that he'd had at least a little time to prepare beforehand, which may have affected his overall mental state during crucial moments.

Even after the 10-month timeskip, however, his bubbling emotions threaten to crack his typically-calm exterior. Once he's faced with evidence that his memories aren't as reliable as he believed, he experiences panic attacks and eventually suffers a breakdown in public (though it's worth noting that he was also suffering from insomnia). He's also prone to crying when dealing with something especially upsetting. He sheds a few tears when he believes he may lose to Jake, but tears stream down his face during his breakdown at the skating rink. He has even cried over Kotetsu on one occasion, and then threw his arms around him in a tight hug sometime later. It can be argued that some of these scenes most clearly display his innate warmth and tenderness, which is buried beneath all his baggage. Indeed, according to the head screenwriter, Barnaby is very much a "love is blind" type, which is why he overlooks Kotetsu's faults for awhile.

In all likelihood, years of emotional and mental abuse growing up, on top of the trauma of watching his parents die made it difficult for him to learn how to handle such powerful feelings. Although he can be surprisingly straightforward about his feelings and sometimes admit when he's angry, happy or disappointed about something (such as when says that he's sad he doesn't fully understand what his parents wanted to do with their research, or when he tells Kotetsu he's upset that he doesn't trust him), and will later apologize if he believes he's stepped out of line for some reason (like after he snapped at Kotetsu during the initial stages of Jake's release from jail), he has a tendency to keep himself at arm's length from most people. 

According to an interview with the Tiger & Bunny staff, Kotetsu is the first real emotional connection he's made with another human being since the death of his parents. Consequently, this can make navigating the more delicate aspects of interpersonal relationships difficult for Barnaby. He doesn't want to pose an inconvenience to others (as seen when he tells Kotetsu he'll be fine alone if he needs to take some time off, despite having just suffered a nasty panic attack), but when someone garners his trust he doesn't seem to believe there should be any reason to hide things from them. Such thinking can cause friction with Kotetsu, who often keeps problems to himself if he thinks they'll make Barnaby worry about him. When Kotetsu refuses to come clean to him about his problems (such as at the skating rink), Barnaby is deeply wounded. He suddenly lashes out at him in a cruel way, rather than trying to rationally work through the problem. This is likely because during a TV interview, Barnaby confesses that, although he doesn't aspire to become like Kotetsu, he admires the man's pride and enthusiasm, and genuinely wants to be worthy of his unwavering trust and acceptance.

He takes his duty as Kotetsu's partner seriously, sees it as something that should ideally be a give-and-take type relationship, and believes they should both support each other during difficult times. That's probably why any mistrust from Kotetsu has the potential to deeply wound Barnaby, which can lead him to say or do things he later regrets. Barnaby is, in many ways, a child pretending to be an adult, and it comes through during situations like these. This need for emotional intimacy and complete trust from the few relationships he has also explains why he doesn't have any friends outside of Kotetsu, as well as why it's quite easy for people he cares about to hurt his feelings.

Naturally, these issues can bleed into life in general. Although years of keeping up an attractive persona allows him to smoothly handle superficial interactions, the finer points of friendship can still be difficult to master. As he becomes closer to Kotetsu and finds reason for living outside of his thirst for revenge, it's apparently a little easier for him to work with others (he doesn't have any issues putting on a concert with Blue Rose, for example). However, it's worth noting that the heroes are probably some of the few people he has anything in common with – after all, they are all NEXT who share the hectic and busy lifestyle of their jobs, and generally work together to fight crime. 

Even if he's gradually able to let the other heroes into his life on a professional level, it's doubtful that he emotionally trusts them in the same way he trusts Kotetsu. Barnaby himself mentions in an interview that, if he had to be paired with someone other than Kotetsu, he'd choose Sky High – not necessarily because they get along particularly well, but rather because it's proper to align himself with the team member who's most dedicated to his work at all times. It's a pragmatic answer.

That's not to say his trust issues make him completely heartless, though. Even before he fully warms up to Kotetsu, Barnaby goes out of his way to help despite claiming that he doesn't care. A clear example of this is when Kotetsu and Nathan are both in danger of getting killed by an Ouroboros member. Upon receiving Kotetsu's calls for help, Barnaby initially tells him that he doesn't care for anymore pranks (in light of the failed birthday party attempt) and hangs up on him. However, he later appears with his gear to aid him, but claims that he didn't come for his sake. This probably isn't true, since it's clear he had to make preparations to be in the right time and place to help Kotetsu. He also rescues Kotetsu's daughter during the 2nd episode even though there weren't any cameras. It's also worth noting that, due to his own painful childhood, Barnaby has a soft spot for families, and children who have been separated from their parents. This is seen when he goes from acting indifferent toward a drunk man who's in danger, to leaping in to save him the moment he realizes the man has a young son. It's also been noted that he's curiously kind toward Dragon Kid, who's not only the youngest hero on their team, but is being raised by her manager instead of her biological parents.

Appearance:

Barnaby is about 6 feel tall, with green eyes and long blond, feathered hair with upward curls. Since he's extremely near-sighted, he dons hexagonal-shaped glasses whenever he's not wearing his helmet during battle. He typically sports a red and white leather jacket, a black T-shirt, a white belt, charcoal gray pants and red boots. He has a distinctly-shaped black ring on his right hand and a plain, square-shaped metal pendant on a chain around his neck. [Reference]

Abilities:

As a NEXT, he's developed what's called Hundred Power. This ability allows him to increase his physical abilities by 100 fold for 5 minutes. It primarily changes his strength, but speed and hearing are boosted as well. Once the 5 minutes are up, it takes 1 hour for Barnaby to recharge his ability for another use.
While the ability is in use, his body gives off a blue glow, and his eyes also turn blue.

Barnaby fights primarily with his legs and feet, and has developed formidable lower-body strength. He also mentions that he's studied a variety of subjects (including how to disarm a bomb and criminal psychology) in order to prepare for any situation he might encounter as a hero. In all likelihood, he knows how to handle weapons and firearms in an emergency, even if he typically has no reason to make use of such knowledge. Due to his family background, he also appears interested and decently well-versed in mechanics and robotics, even if he doesn't have the formal training and expertise to be a professional scientist.

Inventory: In addition to keeping his glasses on his person, Barnaby will have his hero suit, the accompanying undersuit, and his Single Chaser bike.

His glasses are hexagonal shaped and don't have anything else notable about them.

The hero suit is built to withstand high impact and extreme heat, and the helmet is capable of correcting Barnaby's vision in the event that he finds himself without glasses or contacts. It also bears the names of his sponsors, such as Bandai and Amazon.jp. [Reference]

His Single Chaser has the ability to combine with Wild Tiger's in order to form the Double Chaser. [Reference]

Shhh, I know the reference pics are toys.

Suite: The Metal Sector pretty much has Barnaby's name on it. Utilitarian sparsity? Check. Wealthy class? Check. Technological amenities? Check. Cool automobiles and motorcycles? Check. He's even a thinker and an eccentric, so he should get along there just fine.

While Barnaby generally prefers a higher view, he would also likely find anything with more than one floor a hassle to maintain. That's why I think he would prefer a one-floor dwelling.

In-Character Samples:
Third Person:

As soon as a customer sits in front of the bar, Barnaby looks up from the glass he's polishing and offers a polite smile. "Can I get you something, miss?"

The woman's cheeks become dusted with red before she buries her face in her menu. After rattling off her order, all she can do is stare, entranced, as Barnaby smoothly reaches for the necessary liquor bottles lined up along the shelf.

To go from one of the most recognized faces in the world to a nobody in the blink of an eye might have provoked a strong reaction from most people, but Barnaby has slipped into normal civilian life easily enough -- or, at least, as normal as life can get on the back of a giant turtle.

Just that fact alone puts a lot of things into perspective, which is why Barnaby can't get too bent out of shape by having to do things like getting a normal job just to put bread on the table.

All things considered, bar-tending isn't such a bad occupation. The work is fairly straightforward, and the tips customers leave behind are very good -- especially the ones from the female patrons, so Barnaby makes sure to take extra care of them.

His effort shows when the woman's face lights up after a single sip of her drink. "You remembered to make it just how I like it!"

"Of course," Barnaby answers with a wink. "You're one of our best customers, after all."

"Oh, I don't know about that," the woman brushes him off, "you get all kinds of people here, I'm sure."

"Maybe," Barnaby says, and he deliberately looks thoughtful, "although, you do sit in that same seat, so it's easy to remember you."

In truth, he hates this kind of small talk. But as a bartender, it's simply part of the job description. When he approaches it from that angle, it really isn't so difficult at all. Especially when he collects another hefty tip from the woman an hour later.

Network:

[Unlike a certain someone, Barnaby doesn't beat around the bush.]

Has anyone seen an old man with a domino mask wandering around? I think he's gotten himself lost, and I'm concerned about what that means for other people's property.

[Plus he doesn't exactly want to paste fliers around the neighborhood promising a reward for finding him.]