Trigger warning: dead animals, description of crime scenes.
Throughout my life being a character designer, I have designed over 32 characters. I’ve always expected to have a character that represents myself as a unique person.
Since my favorite characters to create are the villains. I decided to make one for myself.
Art by 还思
That's how Akiyono Ryoshi was born-- A ferryman of stray cats. In Greek and Roman mythology, ferryman is a psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the River Styx that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead.
Ryoshi is reserved, logical and determined, and always speaks straight to the point.
Even though he said that he does not wish to integrate into public, but at the same time says he does keeps watching over his comrades and wishes to ensure everyone's safety.
While he appears to be relatively friendly on the surface, Ryoshi maintains a distance from those he speaks with. It always gives people a sacred and inviolable vibe, and they would speak to him carefully, however he is exceptionally reliable at accomplishing the tasks given to him, no matter how difficult they may be or if they go against his values
Ryoshi’s job is to patrol all around the city, looking for people who are abusive, or have negative feelings towards stray animals. He will use his energy of controlling mind to turn the abusive people into a puppet, meanwhile summon the souls of the dead stray animals, tie the criminals hands on the fan with the strings of his fans, two lines obediently follow him like a parade.
He leads the team into the prison in his Enchantment. In this prison, the abusive people will suffer the same pain that they have once put on the stray animals. Ryoshi would humorously call it an“Empathy simulator”.
Ryoshi’s dragon form, Art by 还思
Ryoshi’s first concept was from 2018. Back then, I only knew that I wanted a cat character. and I haven’t come up with anything yet.
So I put some of my personal connection into it. He has the main 5 colors of red, yellow,grey,white and black. I am a Aisan Canadian, so the red&white and red & yellow represent their country's flag. And also some of the japanese vibe because I am always mistaken as a Japanese . That is why I decided to give him a Japanese name for fun.
It all started when I was a young child. One day I was walking to school and witnessed a cat get hit by a car, while the cat was struggling to survive, the driver just took off. The body of the cat was left there in the corner for about a week until people threw it in the trash bin because of the smell. It traumatized the 7 years old me. Starting from that time I always hoped I could have someone to save the poor stray animals, but for too many reasons I cannot do it myself. and Ryoshi was a nameless heroic cat character I day dream about everyday.
It was not until grade 9, I had a dream of a silver tabby cat figure standing on two legs, while surrounded by police cars and terrified people. He stared at me for a very long time and when l woke up, l decided to make him jump into my life.
Akiyono Ryoshi is a hybrid between a Cat Ghost(猫鬼)and Nekomata (猫又) In China, the ghost cat appear in stories even earlier than in Japan. In the Sui Tang dynasty, the words 猫鬼 and 金花猫 described mysterious cats. In Chinese literature, the cat ghost can be found in Zi Zhi Tong Juan (资治通鉴) and in Japanese literature, the nekomata first appeared in the Meigetsuki by Fujisawa no Teika. A nekomata was said to have killed and eaten several people in one night. The nekomata was described as a mountain beast: "They have eyes like a cat, and have a large body like a dog."
China has a kind of sorcery that curses death. That kind of sorcery is both terrifying and evil. It is not only killing people, but also trying to take money from the cursed people and make oneself richer. There is a witchcraft in Japan called "阴阳道", which uses magic to drive the demon "式神" to harm humans. Similarly, in China, the demon equivalent of 式神is called "蛊毒" It is a kind of poisonous insect. Harmful witchcraft is an older, mysterious and terrifying witchcraft). The most vicious magic in "蛊毒" is no more than the means of manipulating "猫鬼".
After a cat dies, it will become a cat ghost like a person. The warlock uses the cat ghost to kill his designated person and take his property.
art by 还思
Some of you might be confused, if l wanted a character that is heroic and protects people, Why are you referencing ghosts and killing stuff?
Like l said, my favorite characters to create are the villains. Too many people give plenty of care to every other element of their story, then create what they consider a deliciously evil villain and wonder why the story seems to fall flat. Often the bad guy only exists because they need to and there is no other reason for it.
In order to create a complicated character, Inner contradictions are what makes any character complex. We all might profit from doing bad things but our sense of right and wrong, and our fear of getting caught prevents most of us.
Likewise, a villain must justify his behavior to himself. Very often, as he sees it, the world or someone in it has done him wrong. The rationale he uses to make wrong be right is what makes him do so.
He might be the sweetest guy in the world to those that understand his situation, and doesn’t blame him for his perceived misfortune, and there will always those who standing in the way of his goal which is like the heroes to bring his world into what he sees as the proper balance.