Squalo Superbi // KHR! (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sharktrash) wrote2015-07-18 03:41 pm
sharktrash) wrote2015-07-18 03:41 pm
Entry tags:
Application for Monad
,
OOC Information
IC Information
OOC Information
IC Information
Name: SUPERBIA SQUALO
Canon: KATEIKYOUSHI HITMAN REBORN!
Gender: MALE
Age: 22, after the end of manga.
History:
Here but not much is known or elaborated on. To summarize:
We know nothing about Squalo's childhood or parents, aside from the fact that he originates from Italy and his family had mafia relations, since he was attending a special school for mafia kids (same one as Dino). It is also mentioned that he was a child fencing prodigy. As a teen he quickly became famous for his bloodthirst and skill with the blade (during this time he also traveled the world challenging swordsmen and learning their techniques in order to create his own style), and by the time he reached 14, he was already scouted by the Varia, the elite assassination group for Vongola Familia. Around this time, he also met Xanxus, Vongola's current boss' (adopted) son for the first time in some kind of mafia gathering, and was immediately drawn to him ("his rage", as he so eloquently put it.Love loyalty at first sight).
Squalo agreed to enlist to Varia in exchange for a duel with their current boss, Sword Emperor Tyr. Nobody thought much of it but he did the impossible and killed the guy (yup, only at 14. He cut his own hand off to do it), and therefore became the prime candidate to become Varia's next boss. Instead of taking the position, though, he gave it to Xanxus, who subsequently became the boss of Varia with Squalo as his right hand man and the Second Sword Emperor. Xanxus already harbored the ambition to eliminate Vongola's Ninth boss and secure the position for himself, and Squalo swore loyalty to him, also promising not to cut his hair until that plan becomes reality. Because growing your hair out is something you do for your boss.
Very soon after that, Varia staged a coup, trying to assassinate the Vongola boss. It ultimately failed, and resulted with Xanxus being frozen in magical ice for eight years while the rest of the Varia stagnated, most likely having to deal with constant surveilance on their asses at least (I'm genuinely surprised they were not all shot, but apparently wiping out your own assassination squad is too much trouble). It seems as though most of their non-restrained efforts were put into waiting and trying to find ways to free Xanxus, as at least Squalo doesn't seem to have improved much over those eight years, his strongest move still being the one he used in his duel with Tyr. Also, he's become the Rapunzel we know today during his time, because he takes his dedication to his boss Very Seriously.
It's not very clear if it was Varia or some outside forces that managed to free Xanxus from his prison, but it finally happened, and Varia rejoiced. Or, more like, immediately moved to carry on another betrayal, this time aiming to eliminate both the Ninth and his chosen successor, the manga's protagonist Sawada Tsunayoshi from Japan. They somewhat followed protocol this time, that is, forging the Ninth's will (after sticking him into a machine that runs on a person's life force and using it as a lackey) which resulted in their and the protagonist's groups having a series of strictly protocoled duels over the seven Vongola rings of the Sky Flames. Yeah, you got it, they were pretty much villains.
Anyway, they somehow managed to eventually lose to a bunch of pre-teens, but after trying to take the rings by force, it turned out that the rings did not accept Xanxus and he almost died after putting one on (the official version is that he had no blood relation to the Ninth, but with how much he looks like Second, it's hard to believe. Most likely the Esteemed Ancestors still hovering inside the rings decided that he's too much of an asshole and they'd rather have Tsuna as a successor).
After that, they were all taken back to Italy, and for some reason, once again not dealt with in any consequential way (perhaps the Vongola decided that having their asses handed to them like this would finally Calm Their Tits, and it seems to have done just that). They proceeded to work for the Vongola and even aid the new generation at times, although Xanxus harbors resentment for Tsuna for the rest of the series, usually not even showing up at Vongola ceremonies that involve him. So they kinda go from villains to neutral. Never good.
Squalo takes his own loss a bit better; despite of almost dying (from falling into water and being torn into by a fucking SHARK) and spending some time in a wheelchair, he makes a full recovery and eventually forms something of a mentor-student relationship with the kid that defeated him.
A lot of other weird shit happens, everyone receives memories from the battle their future selves fight ten years in the future (including the Varia), which is also where the whole Squalo teaching (and beating up) Yamamoto originates from. I'm not covering that shit. In the end, it ends well, though Squalo almost dies again.
He does so once more toward the main storyline's end, having his heart pierced by a zombie-like enemy who cleans the floor with Allied Team's five strongest fighters in an attempt to shield Xanxus from harm. He Gets Better, though, because Mammon conjures up a replacement heart for him until they can find a donor, and he is last seen in a hospital, being bossed around as usual (running to the sundry shop 50 times, apparently).
Personality:
The first thing to note is that Squalo is meant to embody the sin of Pride. Which he does, with the whole bouquet of traits that come with it: arrogance, narcissism, superiority complex, rudeness and the almost complete inability to feel shame. Even his loss to Yamamoto can be pinned primarily on the fact that he had opted to show off and play cat and mouse, absolutely assured of his win, rather than take him seriously and go all out from the start (and then he prefers death to accepting another person's help). Speaking of which, showing off and playing are some of his favorite things. He enjoys fighting, so much that he'll actually seek to prolong the battle if he finds the opponent challenging or interesting enough. He lives for murder and mayhem, and while he does strive to win at all costs, a good fight is its own reward.
It was especially evident when he was younger; before Xanxus, he basically wanted to be the Supreme Ruler of Everything; he once told Dino that he would cut down anyone and everything until the world bowed down to him. Considering he had already defeated countless sword masters by then, it was obviously more than mere lip service; he was well on the path to his goal, so to speak, and he was doing it for himself like the proud creature he was.
And that makes his development into the Squalo we know today exceptionally interesting. It all took a turnaround when he met Xanxus, easily the most important person in his life. All it took was a single glance and he "knew he couldn't defeat him", therefore deciding to follow him instead (yeah right, keep talking, teenage hormones). Not only did he proceed to take pride in being Xanxus' subordinate, he also takes pride in Xanxus -- and he's still doing it out of his own pride as well. He gives the man the Varia, because he thinks he deserves it - he's fit to be #1, more so than anyone else, and Squalo is second only to him, best of the best, understanding him better than anyone else (or so he seems to believe).
Moreover, his dedication and loyalty to the man is fierce and absolute, despite the fact that he's treated like trash on a good day. He is pretty much a knight in that regard -- although he has no qualms about fighting dirty and finishing off people who are on the ground already. Rather than titles or positions, it is Xanxus' anger and raw power that he finds so "captivating", and even having that wrath turned on him only means that he gets to see it clearer, from up close. Even when he discovered the truth about his boss' heritage, he didn't falter, and knowing full well it was against the current law, tried to help him take Vongola back by force. Twice. He still believes that Xanxus will one day snap the rules that keep him from becoming the heir in half, and therefore he's still keeping his oath -- even if reasonable people would say that it's impossible to achieve -- and, yeah you guessed it, STILL not cutting his hair because his faith in Xanxus is absolute. (Though I'm sure they agreed trimming doesn't count at some point, as that hair would've been dragging 18 feet on the ground in the future otherwise.) It is also very likely that during those eight years Xanxus was frozen, Squalo has been routinely visiting him, just in case he remained aware and needed updates on the mafia world (or was lonely and needed reassurement that Varia's doing everything they can to let him out), despite the fact that seeing him like that would tear into his very being. This fanart illustrates pretty well what it might have been like.
That aside, while being violent, volatile and sadistic, Squalo is also very much a perfectionist. He tries to keep the Varia under control, (most of the time) will hold off of killing random people, and adhere to protocol where necessary. He is most likely well versed in all sorts of mafia-ey formalities, from discussions to silverware, and is generally good at what he bothers to do, because looking stupid is simply unthinkable. Likewise, he wouldn't bring shame to his familia with sloppy assassinations nor with clumsy footwork in the ballroom. It probably also helps that he absolutely loves his job, so it's both fun and profit.
Despite being intelligent enough to work as a Strategy Captain in the future, he is extremely impatient and impulsive, and seems to find it hard to be still for a longer periods of time. However, he is still able to remain professional and will not needlessly get into a fight if he's not sure of his victory. If it's necessary, though, he's willing to go against bad odds unlike Varia as a whole, and is even capable of self-sacrifice.
Finally, it's important to note that his personality is LOUD. He definitely has a presence, and your eardrums and the shattered window glass will attest to that. He has no inside voice, and sounds like he's yelling even when he's just having a conversation. Basically, he can be "loud" or "LOUDER", and while he seems to be able to lower his voice to a (loud) whisper, he basically never does that. When he's actually trying to be loud, buildings might tremble. It's specifically noted that he is the #1 loudest mafioso in the world.
Squalo is the only Varia member who dares to call Xanxus out on his shit and generally talk back to him. This proves that he is not, in fact, as whipped as it might look at first sight; he is the one who allowed Xanxus to be his boss, and he happily stands by that decision, however he will occasionally remind everyone just why he is the second in command around here. At the same time, he does often resign himself to running errands and whatever other mundane orders Xanxus might toss his way, because hey, serving this guy is an honor.
Squalo seems to get along reasonably well with the other Varia members (if we remember that they all wish each other dead to an extent). He seems fairly friendly with Lussuria, who recorded his 100 sword battles on tape, despite occasionally calling him a "queer bastard" (and worse). He's annoyed by Mammon's greed for money, as he prioritizes fighting for glory, and Belphegor's irresponsibility. He and Levi seem to dislike each other the most, though, likely because of their clashing approaches to the boss, and seem eager to get rid of the other one way or another.
While he claims to think nothing of anyone but Xanxus, it's fairly evident that he not only relativelylikes tolerates (some of) his co-workers, but a few others as well. He knows the good-natured Dino Cavallone since school and despite occasionally insisting that he's weak, and stupid for caring about others, Squalo seems to be on fairly good terms with him. They also seem to have kept tabs on each other. Dino was very surprised to see him following Xanxus when his early dream had been becoming the strongest on his own, and he questions Squalo's life and choices when he's landed in the hospital after the Ring battles. It's essentially a "what did you see in him" intervention, which ultimately fails and Squalo suggests he pisses off. Despite the initially strained relationship, they are even seen casually chatting a few times as the series progress.
Another good example is Yamamoto Takeshi, the boy who defeated the Sword Emperor. Naturally, he also pisses Squalo off, whenever he talks about baseball and most notably when he tries to save him after the lost battle. However, as the series progresses, he seems to return the tiniest bit of respect that Yamamoto seems to have for him. Squalo reacts when he's not present in the inheritance ceremony, and seems to keep track of his battles. In the future, he is absolutely furious to learn Yamamoto has lost against Genkishi, and makes a spontaneous trip to Japan on the back of his pet shark to give him a thorough beating and then proceed to train him. Squalo also later attends the fight, claiming he's only there because he hopes to get some action himself, but he also seems quite pleased when the boy wins. It is likely that due to being defeated by him, he considers them honorbound, and therefore his own pride is tainted further if Yamamoto loses to someone. In the end, it appears that he's more or less willing to accept him as a protege... so long as he lays off the fucking baseball.
All in all... a thing to remember is that with all said and done, despite the like, one or two whole redeeming qualities, Squalo is not a good person. At all.
Powers/Abilities:
Swordsmanship. He is arguably (one of) the best sword users in his universe, due to both extreme natural talent and honing his skill through hard work. He has encountered and defeated countless sword styles in the process of creating his own. Him being left-handed also makes his swings harder to parry for most fighters.
Assassination. And brawling. Okay so he's good (brilliant) with a longsword, but did you think he'll be helpless if you take that away? Naaah. He can throw a mean punch and take people out by dropkicking them in the head (sorry Gokudera). As an elite assassin, he's also knowledgeable about the human anatomy and the weak/vital points, and probably knows at least 101 ways to kill someone with a pencil, even though he prefers the blade.
Battle strategy. He can quickly analyze and even learn opponent's moves, and counter them with something better even in the middle of fighting. He's also capable of organizing (or helping to) large-scale pre-planned operations, and executing them.
Instinct. He's drawn to the smell of blood like a hungry shark, pretty much. He might sense fear and/or killing intent in other people (unless it's drowned out by his own because boy that shit's tuned to 100 24/7). He can also see through illusions to an extent, and quickly tell them from the real thing.
Cool Sword. Okay so we mentioned his sword skills, but his actual sword deserves a mention. It is connected to his mechanical artificial hand, and in result can almost instantly change directions, leaving him with essentially no blind spots. The blade can be extended, and it also has a small compartment for bullets/explosives that he can release at will. Don't ask me how.
Rain Flames. Flames are the magic of the KHR-universe, you know, like chakra and stuff. His particular flame's attribute is "tranquility", and it can neutralize other flames or even paralyze human body parts. Specific rings are needed to actually emit those flames, with the exception of extremely rare Flame of Wrath. Despite the flame's calm nature that is so unlike Squalo's, he's very capable of using it for destruction, especially through his Box Weapon which summons a Rain Flames covered MOTHERFUCKING GIANT FLYING SHARK which is said to have one of the highest raw destructive power out of all Box Animals.
Cheating death, tbh. Sure, anime is superior race and everyone is durable and has endless blood supply, but getting nommed by a shark, having your arm ripped off and then your heart pierced through, and still running around? Pretty impressive.
Keepsakes/Mementos:
Prosthetic hand - idk if it counts since it's always on him, but obviously it's Important. He cut his hand off to be a Better Fighter (somehow) and replaced it with this fancy thing. It functions pretty much like a normal hand, with him being able to take and hold things with it with relative precision. It would be nice if he could get a spare if this one is wrecked, but I'm also not against him having to do without it for a while at some point (like an event or something, but preferably not permanent). Please do, in fact.
Sword - a spatha without a hilt which connects to his prosthetic or straps right to his arm, his preferred weapon. It's also cool enough to shoot tiny explosives from a specifically designated compartment (but only once without being recharged).
His hair - a symbol of hislove dedication to his boss. He has promised not to cut it until Xanxus becomes the boss of Vongola, and he's been honoring that promise for years (but evidently, trimming doesn't count past a certain length). He's somewhat protective of it. (Wouldn't it be a shame if it somehow got damaged at some point?)
Varia uniform - pretty self-explanatory, the standard Vongola assassin get-up (coat with the squad emblem, pants, boots, gloves, belts, etc). It seems to be mostly made of leather. Squalo's personal style includes a longer coat that reaches mid-thigh, and extremely thoroughly laced boots.
Varia ring of Rain - a mafia ring. It's also a little magic. You'll see.
Box weapon "Grande Pioggia Squalo" - a metallic box roughly the size of a jewelry box. When infused with flames from his ring, it releases his box animal (kind of like a familiar for fighting), which is A FLYING SHARK. I do not kid. A giant great-white which floats in the air and is covered by Rain flames, and can be anywhere between 4-8 meters in length depending on what's needed. It's got an ungodly amount of destructive power (good for running down buildings for example), and a mere touch of its skin deals great damage, however it's not particularly fast.
Sample:
It's a good death for a knight, sacrificing your life to protect your king.
It should have ended there.
It doesn't.
Mammon must be feeling bad about roping them in for the ride on what started as a personal affair and ended as a complete disaster, because he whips him up an illusionary heart roughly fifteen seconds before his brain would have suffered permanent damage, and doesn't even mention payment. They're all patched up, and life goes on.
For a while, at least.
It ends without anyone anticipating, even for a bunch of delinquents who continuously live expecting a knife in the back or a bullet in the brain, and without the glory of his previous encounters. He should have accepted the chance when he was given it; death must have gotten tired of waiting and decided to stop trying to appease him.
It's just another mundane mission among hundreds, wiping out some rivaling nobodies, with the predicted success rate of 93%, even taking into account the agent they're sending is still in recovery. Either they forget to take into account just what kind of 'recovery' it is, or the enemy is too well informed about his... condition. There hadn't been any suitable donors so far, so when they finally notice him (albeit once half of their squad is dead) and the Mist barrier goes up, preventing any kind of outside interferance, all they need to do is watch.
All he manages to register is his body betraying him, blood spurting from his mouth, and he sinks to the ground before falling flat on his face with a dull thud.
Someone laughs, a nobody who managed subdue Superbia Squalo, no doubt. "I'm glad I got to see you kneel before me, Sword Emperor." He feels what's left of his blood boil. That doesn't count. The only man he would ever bow down to is Xanxus. Simple as that.
Three seconds. If he can only hold onto his consciousness for three more seconds, he can make this person wish they'd stayed a nobody without an asterisk by their name.
It's no wonder Wrath is the most powerful, huh? Anger can do amazing things. Amazing in a relative sense, at least; despite possessing only a bleeding hole where his heart used to be, he manages two things. Push himself up enough to turn, to face upwards because he'll stare the sun itself down in defiance if he has to. And shove his ring into the box hanging off a chain, pouring the rest of his Flame into it. He may be stubborn but he's not stupid; he knows his sword will never be swung again, but Alo can still make a mess of whoever made a mess of him, and judging from the screams, the maneuver is successful. He can hear the Rain Shark tear into someone, and another one, and another, until its time runs out along with his, and everything fades as he grins up into the sky for the last time.
The Sword Emperor kneels to nobody.
The reinforcements, probably alerted by Mammon, find nothing but a pile of corpses. It's nothing less than what the Varia expects of its second; completing the mission even if things go wrong. The funeral will be quiet and small; maybe someone will mark his grave with his sword, and maybe his student will inherit his box weapon, and that will be it.
Mindset:
Pissed off, really. While death is a pretty normal part of his job and he never expected to be immortal, he'll also be disappointed in himself for not sticking around longer. Other than that, though, he'll probably be taking it fairly well. He's cheated death so much, it had to happen eventually. You sorta don't plan for tomorrow when you're an assassin since you can get a knife in your back at any moment.
G̶̶l̨͡i̵͢t̷c͝͠h̕é͠s̷̷͡:
This is rather funny, actually. He might be a contract murderer who has killed more innocent people than he can count, but he has absolute zero regrets or uneasiness about any of it. (Not that he'd be happy about something being soaked in blood in his vicinity, but more so for hygiene reasons. Still, feel free to add that too.) His greatest fear, in fact, seems to stem from other people in his life.
Failure is probably the greatest one, both in abstract and more precise sense. While he normally doesn't even consider it as an option, it has happened in the past, and with dire consequences. Most notably, his failure to protect Xanxus has caused him a lot of grief, and the thought is even more frightening after seeing him frozen in ice for eight years. Squalo literally loses it at the end of the Rings battles when it looks like it's about to happen again, and he's stuck in a wheelchair unable to do anything.
So, you know what would suck for him? If he had/found some kind of door (or a big closet) with ice seeping out through the cracks, and was completely unable to open it and check what's inside by any means. Sure, he'd tell himself that there's no way it's happened again and even less way that someone would feel the need to stick it in his room, but without being able to make sure, how long do you think it would take for him to flip?
Pretty much anything else referring to Xanxus and/or Squalo's defeats would likely get to him too.
Also, like mentioned above, something to do with his artificial hand ceasing to function properly could be great, but I would rather avoid making it permanent. If it's something like only not working inside certain areas or at certain days, though, it's fine. He would hate being inconvenienced like some peasant, especially since being awesome and independent is important to him and he's extremely bad at accepting help (see: it's better to die), so imagine actually having to ask for it...
Building off that, playing with his volume (and the fact that he should be half deaf by now) could be fun at some point. Like him losing his voice (also; not permanent please but otherwise go wild). Or maybe he can't hear anything either except or including his own voice in certain areas... Maybe others can't hear him (but maybe only when they're in his room, so audio feature isn't entirely useless for him). Or maybe it's the opposite and he's breaking dishes with his voice every time he opens his mouth.
Fish/shark related stuff, because I don't know where else to put it. Okay, listen here, this guy is Pisces, his favorite food is tuna carpaccio (fish), he has a pet shark, has been bitten by a different shark, has relatively shark-coloured hair and eyes and his name is literallySuper Bi Shark McSharkpants in Italian.
There could be a fish tank at least. Or a frozen fish tank. Or a whole glass wall with a shark that's trying to break through it. Or he can live in an aquarium. Or his old shark bite wounds bleed every time he releases Alo. Or he can get a shark merman tail whenever he gets into the bathtub, I don't know. Feel free to get creative.
Canon: KATEIKYOUSHI HITMAN REBORN!
Gender: MALE
Age: 22, after the end of manga.
History:
Here but not much is known or elaborated on. To summarize:
We know nothing about Squalo's childhood or parents, aside from the fact that he originates from Italy and his family had mafia relations, since he was attending a special school for mafia kids (same one as Dino). It is also mentioned that he was a child fencing prodigy. As a teen he quickly became famous for his bloodthirst and skill with the blade (during this time he also traveled the world challenging swordsmen and learning their techniques in order to create his own style), and by the time he reached 14, he was already scouted by the Varia, the elite assassination group for Vongola Familia. Around this time, he also met Xanxus, Vongola's current boss' (adopted) son for the first time in some kind of mafia gathering, and was immediately drawn to him ("his rage", as he so eloquently put it.
Squalo agreed to enlist to Varia in exchange for a duel with their current boss, Sword Emperor Tyr. Nobody thought much of it but he did the impossible and killed the guy (yup, only at 14. He cut his own hand off to do it), and therefore became the prime candidate to become Varia's next boss. Instead of taking the position, though, he gave it to Xanxus, who subsequently became the boss of Varia with Squalo as his right hand man and the Second Sword Emperor. Xanxus already harbored the ambition to eliminate Vongola's Ninth boss and secure the position for himself, and Squalo swore loyalty to him, also promising not to cut his hair until that plan becomes reality. Because growing your hair out is something you do for your boss.
Very soon after that, Varia staged a coup, trying to assassinate the Vongola boss. It ultimately failed, and resulted with Xanxus being frozen in magical ice for eight years while the rest of the Varia stagnated, most likely having to deal with constant surveilance on their asses at least (I'm genuinely surprised they were not all shot, but apparently wiping out your own assassination squad is too much trouble). It seems as though most of their non-restrained efforts were put into waiting and trying to find ways to free Xanxus, as at least Squalo doesn't seem to have improved much over those eight years, his strongest move still being the one he used in his duel with Tyr. Also, he's become the Rapunzel we know today during his time, because he takes his dedication to his boss Very Seriously.
It's not very clear if it was Varia or some outside forces that managed to free Xanxus from his prison, but it finally happened, and Varia rejoiced. Or, more like, immediately moved to carry on another betrayal, this time aiming to eliminate both the Ninth and his chosen successor, the manga's protagonist Sawada Tsunayoshi from Japan. They somewhat followed protocol this time, that is, forging the Ninth's will (after sticking him into a machine that runs on a person's life force and using it as a lackey) which resulted in their and the protagonist's groups having a series of strictly protocoled duels over the seven Vongola rings of the Sky Flames. Yeah, you got it, they were pretty much villains.
Anyway, they somehow managed to eventually lose to a bunch of pre-teens, but after trying to take the rings by force, it turned out that the rings did not accept Xanxus and he almost died after putting one on (the official version is that he had no blood relation to the Ninth, but with how much he looks like Second, it's hard to believe. Most likely the Esteemed Ancestors still hovering inside the rings decided that he's too much of an asshole and they'd rather have Tsuna as a successor).
After that, they were all taken back to Italy, and for some reason, once again not dealt with in any consequential way (perhaps the Vongola decided that having their asses handed to them like this would finally Calm Their Tits, and it seems to have done just that). They proceeded to work for the Vongola and even aid the new generation at times, although Xanxus harbors resentment for Tsuna for the rest of the series, usually not even showing up at Vongola ceremonies that involve him. So they kinda go from villains to neutral. Never good.
Squalo takes his own loss a bit better; despite of almost dying (from falling into water and being torn into by a fucking SHARK) and spending some time in a wheelchair, he makes a full recovery and eventually forms something of a mentor-student relationship with the kid that defeated him.
A lot of other weird shit happens, everyone receives memories from the battle their future selves fight ten years in the future (including the Varia), which is also where the whole Squalo teaching (and beating up) Yamamoto originates from. I'm not covering that shit. In the end, it ends well, though Squalo almost dies again.
He does so once more toward the main storyline's end, having his heart pierced by a zombie-like enemy who cleans the floor with Allied Team's five strongest fighters in an attempt to shield Xanxus from harm. He Gets Better, though, because Mammon conjures up a replacement heart for him until they can find a donor, and he is last seen in a hospital, being bossed around as usual (running to the sundry shop 50 times, apparently).
Personality:
The first thing to note is that Squalo is meant to embody the sin of Pride. Which he does, with the whole bouquet of traits that come with it: arrogance, narcissism, superiority complex, rudeness and the almost complete inability to feel shame. Even his loss to Yamamoto can be pinned primarily on the fact that he had opted to show off and play cat and mouse, absolutely assured of his win, rather than take him seriously and go all out from the start (and then he prefers death to accepting another person's help). Speaking of which, showing off and playing are some of his favorite things. He enjoys fighting, so much that he'll actually seek to prolong the battle if he finds the opponent challenging or interesting enough. He lives for murder and mayhem, and while he does strive to win at all costs, a good fight is its own reward.
It was especially evident when he was younger; before Xanxus, he basically wanted to be the Supreme Ruler of Everything; he once told Dino that he would cut down anyone and everything until the world bowed down to him. Considering he had already defeated countless sword masters by then, it was obviously more than mere lip service; he was well on the path to his goal, so to speak, and he was doing it for himself like the proud creature he was.
And that makes his development into the Squalo we know today exceptionally interesting. It all took a turnaround when he met Xanxus, easily the most important person in his life. All it took was a single glance and he "knew he couldn't defeat him", therefore deciding to follow him instead (yeah right, keep talking, teenage hormones). Not only did he proceed to take pride in being Xanxus' subordinate, he also takes pride in Xanxus -- and he's still doing it out of his own pride as well. He gives the man the Varia, because he thinks he deserves it - he's fit to be #1, more so than anyone else, and Squalo is second only to him, best of the best, understanding him better than anyone else (or so he seems to believe).
Moreover, his dedication and loyalty to the man is fierce and absolute, despite the fact that he's treated like trash on a good day. He is pretty much a knight in that regard -- although he has no qualms about fighting dirty and finishing off people who are on the ground already. Rather than titles or positions, it is Xanxus' anger and raw power that he finds so "captivating", and even having that wrath turned on him only means that he gets to see it clearer, from up close. Even when he discovered the truth about his boss' heritage, he didn't falter, and knowing full well it was against the current law, tried to help him take Vongola back by force. Twice. He still believes that Xanxus will one day snap the rules that keep him from becoming the heir in half, and therefore he's still keeping his oath -- even if reasonable people would say that it's impossible to achieve -- and, yeah you guessed it, STILL not cutting his hair because his faith in Xanxus is absolute. (Though I'm sure they agreed trimming doesn't count at some point, as that hair would've been dragging 18 feet on the ground in the future otherwise.) It is also very likely that during those eight years Xanxus was frozen, Squalo has been routinely visiting him, just in case he remained aware and needed updates on the mafia world (or was lonely and needed reassurement that Varia's doing everything they can to let him out), despite the fact that seeing him like that would tear into his very being. This fanart illustrates pretty well what it might have been like.
That aside, while being violent, volatile and sadistic, Squalo is also very much a perfectionist. He tries to keep the Varia under control, (most of the time) will hold off of killing random people, and adhere to protocol where necessary. He is most likely well versed in all sorts of mafia-ey formalities, from discussions to silverware, and is generally good at what he bothers to do, because looking stupid is simply unthinkable. Likewise, he wouldn't bring shame to his familia with sloppy assassinations nor with clumsy footwork in the ballroom. It probably also helps that he absolutely loves his job, so it's both fun and profit.
Despite being intelligent enough to work as a Strategy Captain in the future, he is extremely impatient and impulsive, and seems to find it hard to be still for a longer periods of time. However, he is still able to remain professional and will not needlessly get into a fight if he's not sure of his victory. If it's necessary, though, he's willing to go against bad odds unlike Varia as a whole, and is even capable of self-sacrifice.
Finally, it's important to note that his personality is LOUD. He definitely has a presence, and your eardrums and the shattered window glass will attest to that. He has no inside voice, and sounds like he's yelling even when he's just having a conversation. Basically, he can be "loud" or "LOUDER", and while he seems to be able to lower his voice to a (loud) whisper, he basically never does that. When he's actually trying to be loud, buildings might tremble. It's specifically noted that he is the #1 loudest mafioso in the world.
Squalo is the only Varia member who dares to call Xanxus out on his shit and generally talk back to him. This proves that he is not, in fact, as whipped as it might look at first sight; he is the one who allowed Xanxus to be his boss, and he happily stands by that decision, however he will occasionally remind everyone just why he is the second in command around here. At the same time, he does often resign himself to running errands and whatever other mundane orders Xanxus might toss his way, because hey, serving this guy is an honor.
Squalo seems to get along reasonably well with the other Varia members (if we remember that they all wish each other dead to an extent). He seems fairly friendly with Lussuria, who recorded his 100 sword battles on tape, despite occasionally calling him a "queer bastard" (and worse). He's annoyed by Mammon's greed for money, as he prioritizes fighting for glory, and Belphegor's irresponsibility. He and Levi seem to dislike each other the most, though, likely because of their clashing approaches to the boss, and seem eager to get rid of the other one way or another.
While he claims to think nothing of anyone but Xanxus, it's fairly evident that he not only relatively
Another good example is Yamamoto Takeshi, the boy who defeated the Sword Emperor. Naturally, he also pisses Squalo off, whenever he talks about baseball and most notably when he tries to save him after the lost battle. However, as the series progresses, he seems to return the tiniest bit of respect that Yamamoto seems to have for him. Squalo reacts when he's not present in the inheritance ceremony, and seems to keep track of his battles. In the future, he is absolutely furious to learn Yamamoto has lost against Genkishi, and makes a spontaneous trip to Japan on the back of his pet shark to give him a thorough beating and then proceed to train him. Squalo also later attends the fight, claiming he's only there because he hopes to get some action himself, but he also seems quite pleased when the boy wins. It is likely that due to being defeated by him, he considers them honorbound, and therefore his own pride is tainted further if Yamamoto loses to someone. In the end, it appears that he's more or less willing to accept him as a protege... so long as he lays off the fucking baseball.
All in all... a thing to remember is that with all said and done, despite the like, one or two whole redeeming qualities, Squalo is not a good person. At all.
Powers/Abilities:
Swordsmanship. He is arguably (one of) the best sword users in his universe, due to both extreme natural talent and honing his skill through hard work. He has encountered and defeated countless sword styles in the process of creating his own. Him being left-handed also makes his swings harder to parry for most fighters.
Assassination. And brawling. Okay so he's good (brilliant) with a longsword, but did you think he'll be helpless if you take that away? Naaah. He can throw a mean punch and take people out by dropkicking them in the head (sorry Gokudera). As an elite assassin, he's also knowledgeable about the human anatomy and the weak/vital points, and probably knows at least 101 ways to kill someone with a pencil, even though he prefers the blade.
Battle strategy. He can quickly analyze and even learn opponent's moves, and counter them with something better even in the middle of fighting. He's also capable of organizing (or helping to) large-scale pre-planned operations, and executing them.
Instinct. He's drawn to the smell of blood like a hungry shark, pretty much. He might sense fear and/or killing intent in other people (unless it's drowned out by his own because boy that shit's tuned to 100 24/7). He can also see through illusions to an extent, and quickly tell them from the real thing.
Cool Sword. Okay so we mentioned his sword skills, but his actual sword deserves a mention. It is connected to his mechanical artificial hand, and in result can almost instantly change directions, leaving him with essentially no blind spots. The blade can be extended, and it also has a small compartment for bullets/explosives that he can release at will. Don't ask me how.
Rain Flames. Flames are the magic of the KHR-universe, you know, like chakra and stuff. His particular flame's attribute is "tranquility", and it can neutralize other flames or even paralyze human body parts. Specific rings are needed to actually emit those flames, with the exception of extremely rare Flame of Wrath. Despite the flame's calm nature that is so unlike Squalo's, he's very capable of using it for destruction, especially through his Box Weapon which summons a Rain Flames covered MOTHERFUCKING GIANT FLYING SHARK which is said to have one of the highest raw destructive power out of all Box Animals.
Cheating death, tbh. Sure, anime is superior race and everyone is durable and has endless blood supply, but getting nommed by a shark, having your arm ripped off and then your heart pierced through, and still running around? Pretty impressive.
Keepsakes/Mementos:
Prosthetic hand - idk if it counts since it's always on him, but obviously it's Important. He cut his hand off to be a Better Fighter (somehow) and replaced it with this fancy thing. It functions pretty much like a normal hand, with him being able to take and hold things with it with relative precision. It would be nice if he could get a spare if this one is wrecked, but I'm also not against him having to do without it for a while at some point (like an event or something, but preferably not permanent). Please do, in fact.
Sword - a spatha without a hilt which connects to his prosthetic or straps right to his arm, his preferred weapon. It's also cool enough to shoot tiny explosives from a specifically designated compartment (but only once without being recharged).
His hair - a symbol of his
Varia uniform - pretty self-explanatory, the standard Vongola assassin get-up (coat with the squad emblem, pants, boots, gloves, belts, etc). It seems to be mostly made of leather. Squalo's personal style includes a longer coat that reaches mid-thigh, and extremely thoroughly laced boots.
Varia ring of Rain - a mafia ring. It's also a little magic. You'll see.
Box weapon "Grande Pioggia Squalo" - a metallic box roughly the size of a jewelry box. When infused with flames from his ring, it releases his box animal (kind of like a familiar for fighting), which is A FLYING SHARK. I do not kid. A giant great-white which floats in the air and is covered by Rain flames, and can be anywhere between 4-8 meters in length depending on what's needed. It's got an ungodly amount of destructive power (good for running down buildings for example), and a mere touch of its skin deals great damage, however it's not particularly fast.
Sample:
It's a good death for a knight, sacrificing your life to protect your king.
It should have ended there.
It doesn't.
Mammon must be feeling bad about roping them in for the ride on what started as a personal affair and ended as a complete disaster, because he whips him up an illusionary heart roughly fifteen seconds before his brain would have suffered permanent damage, and doesn't even mention payment. They're all patched up, and life goes on.
For a while, at least.
It ends without anyone anticipating, even for a bunch of delinquents who continuously live expecting a knife in the back or a bullet in the brain, and without the glory of his previous encounters. He should have accepted the chance when he was given it; death must have gotten tired of waiting and decided to stop trying to appease him.
It's just another mundane mission among hundreds, wiping out some rivaling nobodies, with the predicted success rate of 93%, even taking into account the agent they're sending is still in recovery. Either they forget to take into account just what kind of 'recovery' it is, or the enemy is too well informed about his... condition. There hadn't been any suitable donors so far, so when they finally notice him (albeit once half of their squad is dead) and the Mist barrier goes up, preventing any kind of outside interferance, all they need to do is watch.
All he manages to register is his body betraying him, blood spurting from his mouth, and he sinks to the ground before falling flat on his face with a dull thud.
Someone laughs, a nobody who managed subdue Superbia Squalo, no doubt. "I'm glad I got to see you kneel before me, Sword Emperor." He feels what's left of his blood boil. That doesn't count. The only man he would ever bow down to is Xanxus. Simple as that.
Three seconds. If he can only hold onto his consciousness for three more seconds, he can make this person wish they'd stayed a nobody without an asterisk by their name.
It's no wonder Wrath is the most powerful, huh? Anger can do amazing things. Amazing in a relative sense, at least; despite possessing only a bleeding hole where his heart used to be, he manages two things. Push himself up enough to turn, to face upwards because he'll stare the sun itself down in defiance if he has to. And shove his ring into the box hanging off a chain, pouring the rest of his Flame into it. He may be stubborn but he's not stupid; he knows his sword will never be swung again, but Alo can still make a mess of whoever made a mess of him, and judging from the screams, the maneuver is successful. He can hear the Rain Shark tear into someone, and another one, and another, until its time runs out along with his, and everything fades as he grins up into the sky for the last time.
The Sword Emperor kneels to nobody.
The reinforcements, probably alerted by Mammon, find nothing but a pile of corpses. It's nothing less than what the Varia expects of its second; completing the mission even if things go wrong. The funeral will be quiet and small; maybe someone will mark his grave with his sword, and maybe his student will inherit his box weapon, and that will be it.
Mindset:
Pissed off, really. While death is a pretty normal part of his job and he never expected to be immortal, he'll also be disappointed in himself for not sticking around longer. Other than that, though, he'll probably be taking it fairly well. He's cheated death so much, it had to happen eventually. You sorta don't plan for tomorrow when you're an assassin since you can get a knife in your back at any moment.
G̶̶l̨͡i̵͢t̷c͝͠h̕é͠s̷̷͡:
This is rather funny, actually. He might be a contract murderer who has killed more innocent people than he can count, but he has absolute zero regrets or uneasiness about any of it. (Not that he'd be happy about something being soaked in blood in his vicinity, but more so for hygiene reasons. Still, feel free to add that too.) His greatest fear, in fact, seems to stem from other people in his life.
Failure is probably the greatest one, both in abstract and more precise sense. While he normally doesn't even consider it as an option, it has happened in the past, and with dire consequences. Most notably, his failure to protect Xanxus has caused him a lot of grief, and the thought is even more frightening after seeing him frozen in ice for eight years. Squalo literally loses it at the end of the Rings battles when it looks like it's about to happen again, and he's stuck in a wheelchair unable to do anything.
So, you know what would suck for him? If he had/found some kind of door (or a big closet) with ice seeping out through the cracks, and was completely unable to open it and check what's inside by any means. Sure, he'd tell himself that there's no way it's happened again and even less way that someone would feel the need to stick it in his room, but without being able to make sure, how long do you think it would take for him to flip?
Pretty much anything else referring to Xanxus and/or Squalo's defeats would likely get to him too.
Also, like mentioned above, something to do with his artificial hand ceasing to function properly could be great, but I would rather avoid making it permanent. If it's something like only not working inside certain areas or at certain days, though, it's fine. He would hate being inconvenienced like some peasant, especially since being awesome and independent is important to him and he's extremely bad at accepting help (see: it's better to die), so imagine actually having to ask for it...
Building off that, playing with his volume (and the fact that he should be half deaf by now) could be fun at some point. Like him losing his voice (also; not permanent please but otherwise go wild). Or maybe he can't hear anything either except or including his own voice in certain areas... Maybe others can't hear him (but maybe only when they're in his room, so audio feature isn't entirely useless for him). Or maybe it's the opposite and he's breaking dishes with his voice every time he opens his mouth.
Fish/shark related stuff, because I don't know where else to put it. Okay, listen here, this guy is Pisces, his favorite food is tuna carpaccio (fish), he has a pet shark, has been bitten by a different shark, has relatively shark-coloured hair and eyes and his name is literally
There could be a fish tank at least. Or a frozen fish tank. Or a whole glass wall with a shark that's trying to break through it. Or he can live in an aquarium. Or his old shark bite wounds bleed every time he releases Alo. Or he can get a shark merman tail whenever he gets into the bathtub, I don't know. Feel free to get creative.