Afro Tomioka
On this page, you'll learn more about the lore of Afro Tomioka as a character.
Appearance
Afro Tomioka is a man with white-colored afro hair. He wears a retro pair of glasses and a black mask in order to conceal his identity. He wears a full-black attire covered with a half-red, half-patterned haori. He brings both of his katana on his waist and one tantou hanging on his right side.He wasn't born with white hair. This change of color resulted from a trauma he had when he was a kid, around 15 years ago when he was only 6.
Personality
No one actually knows what kind of person he actually is. He never shows any expressions thanks to the pair of black glasses and black masks he always wears. He never let his guard down and always acts rationally.Despite looking extremely cold, Afro is kind and compassionate, using the power and swordsmanship he has to protect those who are threatened or in danger, even if it means risking his own life. Thanks to his incredible hearing and eyesight, he could sense the danger near him very easily.His swordsmanship is also one of the best all-across Japan. He never lost a single fight with all of his foes. He will show no mercy to anyone that proposes danger to his surroundings. Some rumors said that his fallen foes had seen his glowing red eyes through his glasses.
Relationships
He is a lone wolf ever since all of his family members were massacred when he was a kid. No one knows who his parents were nor any other family members he had. He never opens up to anybody. But, some sources said that he had someone dear to him that loves the color sakura because every spring, he can be seen staying near some cherry blossom tree to meditate and pay his respect to that someone.
PURPOSE
"Revenge." That is the only fitting word to describe his purpose having to wander all-across Japan. The word drives him hence it is the only thing that keeps his life meaningful to him. Protecting his surroundings might be all he's doing, but that is a mere side-activity to him. His goal is to seek revenge and only to seek revenge to that person who massacred his family.
HISTORY
According to his logbook, he was born on a mountain near Edo. He lived with his parents and he also had a little sister. Sadly, those people met a terrible end.On one stormy night, a big lightning strucked an area near his house. It was so loud to wake him from his slumber. Already woken up, he decided to go to the bathroom. But, something smelt fishy to him.After opening the door of his room, he noticed a rotten smell coming from the main room. Feeling scared, he approached that room and slide the door slowly. It was so dark that he couldn't see anything inside that room. He took a step inside and felt something very strange coating his foot.Then, another lightning struck and the light filled up the room. He was left speechless for what he has seen in front of him. It was a bloodbath. His parents were laying down on the floor full of their own blood. While screaming both of his parents' name, he approached his mother's body and hugged it tight, hoping that there are still some life inside of her. But, it was too late.Feeling devastated, he screamed all of his anger and sadness. His scream broke the sound of the storm rumbling outside. He screamed as tears streamed down his cheeks down to his body. Without realizing it, his jet black hair slowly faded and turned white due to the stress and sadness he was feeling at that moment.That was the moment he vowed to find out who was behind his family's massacre. Although he felt very devastated at that moment, he still had hope in his heart because his sister's body wasn't found in the room. He suspected that she was either taken by the perpetrator or had escaped from that house. Either way, this was his turning point to become strong and avenge his family, no matter what.
arsenal
悪晴
Handcrafted by one of the katana masters back in the Edo period, 悪晴 (aware) came from the "evil" and "weather" kanji. It actually comes from an old saying in Japanese「しみじみとしたおもむきがある、感動する」or in English that would be "to be deeply moved by something" and that something is his ambition to clear evil from his surroundings. His devotion towards his ambition is depicted by aware. No matter how he does it, he promised himself to clear evil from his surroundings so that no more people might encounter such a misfortune as he once did.
康守
This katana was given to him by the one who taught him swordsmanship in the first place. As a gift and a medal for defeating his master, 康守 (koushu) came from the "health" and "protect" kanji. The meaning is simply「周りの康寧を守るという正義」or in English that'd be "the sense of justice to protect the surroundings." Even though he kills bad people and not a lot of people might think that is a good thing, he won't ever stray from his own justice. Whatever others might think about his method of clearing evil, he will always think that his actions are right and according to his own sense of justice. Koushu is what keeps him going. Killing other people isn't a normal thing because no matter how much he has killed, at one point the guilt will haunt him back. By believing in his sense of justice, in koushu, he can keep fighting for his own sake and his sense of justice.
呪討
呪討 (jutou) came from the "curse" and "hit" kanji. The meaning of itself is short and simple,「呪いが込められた短刀で仇を討つ」or in English that'd be "avenging with the cursed dagger." The dagger itself doesn't contain any curse, but it is a curse to him. He picked this name based on his misfortune.This dagger is not a gift, but rather a curse for him. It is not something given to him by a loved one, but rather something that killed a loved one. He found this dagger stuck in his father's chest when the massacre happened. Since he had never seen it before, he knew right away that it was not his father's and that it belonged to the murderer. Since then, he has kept that dagger to avenge his family. It is also the clue that will help him find the one behind the tragedy. It is like a curse to him, leading him to the one who tormented his family back then.Tantou itself is used in Japan as a self-defense weapon, not an offensive one, hence why he found it in his father's chest. This probably happened when his father tried to attack the perpetrator but failed due to the perpetrator's reflexes. That's why he doesn't use this as an offensive weapon, but to defend himself in a fight.