Born to a Japanese father and an American mother, Joe Asakura never really fit in with either the Japanese or Caucasian kids. Too much of a rebel to be happy in the orthodox world so loved by his father, and ostracized by the kids in the neighborhood for his Asian appearance, he spent much of his youth simmering with resentment at his inability to belong. It was perhaps this more than anything that led him into a street gang called the Condors.
Among the Condors, Joe discovered a place he thought he could belong, and he spent many evenings out with his "brothers", guarding and defending their territory from interlopers. His parents despaired of him ever becoming anything more than a ruffian, and the gulf between them and Joe widened by the month.
Not that Joe cared much; he was well-respected among the gang, and he and his friends thought themselves invincible.
When Joe was seventeen, tragedy struck. The Condors were embroiled in a bloody turf war, and there were a number of casualties on both sides. Among them was Joe's closest friend, Ken Owashi.
Ken's death devastated Joe. He spent most of the next several months morose and angry by turns, and no one was able to get through the layers of anger and hurt he had built up around himself.
No one, that is, except for a girl in his class named Mayumi Kurasa. Somehow, she saw past the rude façade to the true face of the young man underneath, and slowly drew him out of his cold outer shell.
Mayumi saved Joe's sanity, and soon the two were more than just friends. A bond formed between the two, and soon, where there was Mayumi, there too was Joe. With her help, he got his grades up, and his parents were thrilled when he decided to attend the University of California at San Tobal along with Mayumi.
Joe is currently a freshman at UC-San Tobal, majoring in Liberal Arts. Between classes, he devotes his time to Mayumi, stock car racing, and restoring old cars. Unknown to Joe, however, a number of Mayumi's relatives, members of the Covenant known as the Children of the Raven, are watching the relationship develop with speculative eyes...
Description: Standing just over 5'10", with a lean and muscular body, Joe is ruggedly handsome, with blue-black hair falling nearly to his shoulders, fierce blue eyes, and a roguish grin. He has a tattoo of a condor in flight on his left bicep (a legacy of his days with the gang). He generally prefers to dress in jeans and T-shirts.
Life Points: 57
Endurance Points: 41
Speed: 22
Essence Points: 23
Qualities: Hard to Kill (5 levels); Nerves of Steel; Fast reaction time; Situational awareness; Contacts (Ravens 1, Street 4, Racing 2); Charisma (1 level; brooding and mysterious)
Drawbacks: Cruel (1 level); Resources (1 level)
Metaphysics: None
Skills: Driving (car) 5; Mechanic 3; Guns (pistol) 3; Hand weapon (knife)
4; Hand weapon (feather shuriken) 5; Dodge 3; Martial arts (Karate) 3;
Seduction 1; Running (dash) 3; Survival (urban) 2; Notice 3; Language (Japanese)
3
Note: Joe's feather shuriken
are feathers tipped with a wickedly sharp steel point and balanced for throwing.
He and Ken developed them during their days in the Condors due to their concealability
and relatively innocuous appearance.
Equipment: Leather jacket, casual clothes, a supply of feather shuriken, school supplies, toolbox, Shelby Cobra