Koji

“For years we knew him in every back alley and gambling house across the empire. Disarmingly humble, a good gambler, only a few of us could see the fierce purpose in his eyes.”

As the second son Koji knew he would never take over his father's school or inherit the coveted family sword. Instead he spent his days determined to create his own technique, one without a silly made up name. Change came quickly. Fearful of "The School of the Demon Slaying Sword," a corrupt Shogun decreed Koji's father and all his students be killed. To save their legacy, Koji was ordered to take the ancestral katana and flee, keeping it safe at all costs. After many patient and careful years he was ready to reclaim his honor. In an audience with the Shogun he revealed his name and petitioned to reinstate his family's place. The twisted Shogun only laughed. Knowing his fate was sealed, Koji leapt across the hall and cut him down. The stunned chamber guards fell next. As Koji caught his breath, the palace alarm sounded. A slight man with red eyes rose from the shadows. Introducing himself as a fellow second son, the brother of Kagima offered Koji power untold and a way out. All he needed to do was part with the family blade. Koji examined the sword, remembering the stories his father told him as a child. He smiled thinly. When the 3,000 guards entered the chamber they found the demon's head lying on the floor and Koji rushing toward them sword in hand, boldly carving his path to Valhalla.