Sheet:Ace Saijou

Ace Saijou's Sheet

Personality

The public persona for Ace Saijou is one that first gained fame through television presence, then later branched out into idol activities of performance and song. The charisma that enabled these career paths stems from a simple, steadfast faith in one's beliefs, presented candidly without being overbearing. Combined with a simple eloquence, the overall impression that Ace gives is of someone who is both refined and approachable.

The beliefs which Ace presents holds him to be a lover of feminine beauty, in all its forms. Often he encourages his female fans to seek out the unique beauty within themselves, seeing it as the key to self-confidence and happiness. His television role embodies this ideal; as the masked thief Kaitou Ace, he will often take a moment to spare a romantic word regardless of the urgency of the moment, moved to give voice to the appreciation of the beauty he perceives.

The core of Ace's tendencies stems from the passions of his previous life as Adonis, a soldier serving under the Princess of Venus. Though only one among many, Adonis was a fervent believer in the tenants of love and beauty that Princess of Venus embodied, and fell wholeheartedly in love with her. Serving without question as she fought to protect the Moon Kingdom, Adonis lost his life in the fateful battle which saw that kingdom fall.

Adonis was subsequently reborn in the modern age under the sway of the enemy Dark Kingtom, where that passion would become twisted by their influence. As dark general Danburite, his Shadow Agency created campaigns designed to target the insecurities of his female audience, convincing him that the keys to beauty and happiness lay in their products. However, recent circumstances have seen Ace reborn free from the corrupting influence of the Dark Kingdom, leaving only his resurrected tendencies and original driving passions. The end results sees Ace Saijou as his usual poised, confident self, while his masked persona of Kaitou Ace acts as flirtatious gentleman rogue.

Originally created for television, the role of Kaitou Ace was that of a charming masked thief, stealing dresses and jewels to bequeath on those who caught his eye, or showing up to offer his company to those who were alone or struggling. Having been resurrected without the Dark Kingdom's influence, the role is one that Ace Saijou has embraced wholeheartedly, choosing his masked persona as a means to express his freedom and his joy of living.

Though openly flirtatious and expressive of the appealing qualities of the women he comes across, there is a wistfulness behind the roguish words and manner. For all his talk and play, there is only one true love in his heart, a woman too far above his station to ever be his. And so he consoles himself between living the dual life of a celebrity and a romantic criminal, making himself content with the second chance at life that most could never have.

Style

Ace Saijou's powers stem from his previous life as a denizen of the Moon Kingdom, with blessings bequeathed to him by the star of the solar system and the planet of Venus. Calling on that power changes his garb into a costume of white leather and cloth, complete with a ballroom mask. As the thusly masked thief Kaitou Ace, he fights with both agility and style, leaping nimbly through the night and letting fly with razor-edged playing cards.

Powers

TRANSFORMATION: Due to his previous status a simple soldier, Ace's ability to call on the power of Venus does not come with a specific title or invocation, but rather as act of will, similar to the conscious action of taking up arms; post-resurrection, that will has been reinforced by the uttering of the phrase "Kaitou Change." While the simplicity of this power means it is not as formidable as that of the Moon Princess and her comrades, it does come with tangible benefits. When transformed into Kaitou Ace, he gains enhanced strength, agility, and physical resilience, letting him move quicker and take more punishment than a baseline human could.

In addition, an aura of glamour surrounds his body while transformed, subtly altering others' perceptions of him. This allows him to maintain his secret identity despite having distinctive hair coloring and only a simple ballroom mask, preventing others from using identifying features to deduce the rest. The aura likewise extends to recording media, creating enough blur to prevent clear images captures, and to hinder identification software..

PLAYING CARDS: Kaitou Ace's weapon of choice is the use of playing cards as projectiles, with his trademark being a thrown Ace of Hearts. By imbuing his cards with the same mystic energy that fuels his transformation, he is able to hurl in a manner similar to shuriken, with cardboard edges taking on properties of razor-sharp steel. This energy dissipates once the cards have struck their targets, having the potential to leave investigators confused at sight of playing cards sticking out of solid concrete.

By holding a card between his fingers and channeling his power through it, Kaitou is also able use cards in melee by driving a wedge of force before it, creating powerful slashing or ramming attacks based on the movements of his arm.

The strongest attack that Kaitou can muster is the "Delicious Four-Card Shot," wherein he concentrates the power of four ace cards to grant them a guillotine-like shearing force. The energized nature of this attack, combined with its destructive power, makes it able to wound or even slay supernatural creatures who could not normally be harmed through mundane means.

PHANTOM SHUFFLE: A new ability gained after his resurrection. Kaitou has the ability to create up to three illusory clones of himself. Constructs of light and energy, their conjuring takes the appearance of a flurry of playing cards (an optical illusion) swarming and briefly hiding him from view before revealing themselves, leaving it uncertain as to which one is the true Kaitou Ace. These constructs are capable of limited independent action, responding to mental commands much in the same manner as a robot, able to interpret orders and execute actions without micro-managing every aspect of operation.

As the constructs have mass and energy, they do possess substance but have no durability. Striking one with force will cause it to dispel in an explosion of cards, which further disintegrate into fragments before dispersing completely. As such, the technique is one best used for defense and escape, rather than attack.

The range of the clones depends on the number of them in play. Having all three in play limits their range to roughly 30 feet of the original, while one single clone can move up to 300 feet away.

1/31/26 - Approved by KLP and Mochi.