Okuyasu Nijimura || 虹村 億泰

mutanthairything

● Your character has a chance to undo a terrible mistake, but in doing so, there could be unintended consequences for everyone they know. Is it worth the risk? Or should the dead stay dead?

Okuyasu has plenty he regrets - not being smart enough to successfully defeat an enemy, getting himself hurt, etc., but the biggest single mistake would be in putting himself in danger which lead to his older brother's death. He's torn about Keicho in canon - he was a terrible person who berated Okuyasu, but he was also his only still-human family he had left, and he found guidance through his plans. Okuyasu feels guilty over Keicho's death regardless, and while the offer is tempting, he wonders if the opportunity to remove that guilt would be worth living with Keicho again. Being free of his abusive brother was a tremendous positive change in his life, and he can't throw away the time it took for him to adjust.

By the end of the canon, Okuyasu has made peace with the fact that he can make his own decisions in life and that he doesn't have to rely on his brother - dead or alive - to tell him what to do. Despite all of the dumb mistakes he's made in the past, he's happier where he is now that he was at the start of his story. He can't risk losing his first real friends at the cost of dealing with his brother again.

Sometimes, the dead deserve to stay dead, even if they provide advice from the afterlife once they realize their own mistakes.

● If your character had the option to permanently lose the ability to feel certain negative emotions like fear or grief, or permanently forget certain memories, would they take it? What if they will never know that something has been taken from them? Does loss only matter if it's known what's missing?

Okuyasu would like the idea of removing his childhood memories of his father as a human. They only serve to traumatize him and stop his goal of reconnecting with his mutant, repentant parent, who is the only living relative he has left. He wouldn't know if he would prefer to know that those memories were missing, though his friends might bring it up since they know his backstory. He wants to move on and not be tainted by memories of his father hitting him, and as long as he can separate his sad past from his bright future, he feels he can heal and become a dependable person.

Removing his negative emotions would sound suspicious. He's fine with anger; it helps him protect himself and his friends. He's not embarrassed by sadness - he cries freely in front of people that he trusts and doesn't care if he's seen as childish because of it.

To him, loss impacts life regardless of whether you know just what is missing or if you even know that anything was lost in the first place. Losing his mother at a young age, Okuyasu barely remembers her, but the effects of her passing impacted the rest of his childhood. He doesn't know the extent of his brother's crimes, but Keicho's actions still hurt others and ended up hurting Okuyasu. He hates not being helpful and just standing around, waiting for someone to tell him what he's supposed to do.

● Could your character ever forgive themselves for something morally wrong that they've done? No matter how much time has passed? No matter how much penitence has been done? Is being sorry enough to be a good person?

He can forgive himself so long as he makes up for it. He'd give himself a harder time if he made a stupid decision and got his friends hurt or made a situation worse. Stealing and beating up people are fine, but if that leaves his loved ones affected, he will get quiet and think of ways to make up for it.

Feeling sorry is never good enough. He's pretty sure most people who say they are sorry don't mean it, and Okuyasu himself goes after Akira eagerly when his poor decision lets his brother's killer get away the first time. Once he thinks he's made up for the transgression, he'll feel a lot better, but a guy has to move on. Dwelling too long on the past isn't helpful, and Okuyasu is the kind of teen who tries to move on to the next day with a smile. He already has a lot to deal with, living on his own and taking on a lot of responsibilities, so worrying about making other people feel bad doesn't sound all that helpful when an ice cream cone is a better alternative.

Even though he was initially an antagonist, once he believes he's made up with Josuke and Koichi, he's ready to insert himself into their lives and be their friends. However, if he keeps doing actual immoral things like murder and taking advantage of people, he'll start feeling that he's going down the wrong path and need help to repent and make up for it.

● Your character has a secret they have been sworn to, but revealing this secret could save the lives of countless others. Is it worth breaking the promise to save others, or is betrayal never justifiable?

Okuyasu is bad at making decisions. He mistrusts his own judgement, having believed that he is an idiot after being told he is one for most of his life, and his decision-making usually boils down rash decisions. In the finale, when balancing between life and death and is told to pick, he decides to return to his friends - his first important decision made by himself.

Okuyasu does not trust anyone except for his close friends. If the people he cares about are in danger, he will break that promise. If no one he knows is in danger, then it's too bad. It's not that Okuyasu doesn't care for others, but he grew up hiding in abandoned buildings and learned to be wary of strangers. Keeping promises to someone he barely knows isn't all that great, but if he promised a close friend to keep a secret, he would agonize over telling others or not until he blurted it out in a fit of confusion.

Otherwise, if he thinks sharing the secret will save his friends or help them achieve their goal, he would be more likely to do so. It's better than being indecisive, but he can't do everything right for his friends. Sometimes that comes in the form of not sharing his money or lunch. Sometimes, he has to lose their trust if it means that there will be less pain in the end.

● Has your character ever gotten joy out of hurting others, physically or mentally? If they have, does it scare them?

If beating up antagonists and people that wronged him count, then yes. His response to many problems involved punching first and figuring out a solution later (or never). It usually doesn't scare him; most people he feels deserve it. However, if it's someone innocent like a small, nice kid or an adult who acts pathetic after being hit (see: Tamami), he'll feel guilty of letting his anger get the better of him.

At time, he wonders if he'll turn out like his dad as a human or Keicho - angry and taking their frustrations out on the weak. Okuyasu's suffered plenty of abuse growing up and while he's unapologetic about his emotions, there's a small thought in the back of his mind questioning his future. He doesn't want to end up like his dad and brother, dead or mutated because of their crimes.

However, he hasn't done much to scare himself. He and Josuke bullied a middle school student for trying to take more than his share of their well-scammed money, and to be fair, Shigechi was using his Stand to hurt them. If someone does call him out on his more violent tendencies, he'll have a reason to reflect and worry for his future.