{ ooc } Info Post

[gentlemanliest]

IC Information

Name: Robin Mask
Canon: Kinnikuman
Canon Medium: Manga
Age: 30
Gender/ Sex: Male

Canon History:
Born in England to the famous Robin family, Robin Mask presumably had a very strict upbringing from the very start, designed to push him as both a fighter and a scholar. For the sake of chronology, it’s worth noting that at some point in his childhood, he stole the Anoalo Sceptre, a family treasure, from his father, Robin Knight, but couldn’t control its powers, leading to its theft by Kinnikuman Zebra. Robin also has a sister who is never named, never speaks and only appears very briefly in the Survival Match for the Throne Arc.

From the age of eighteen, he attended Oxford University and also became the captain of the rugby team, leading to one of the most important events in his life- meeting the love of his life and future wife, Alisa. Unsatisfied with his success as a rugby player, Robin was quick to turn his attention back to his true calling- wrestling and fighting evil as a Justice choujin. After nearly giving up his dream in order to placate Alisa’s father and be with her, he eventually wins the British preliminaries of the Choujin Olympics and, later, the 19th Choujin Olympics themselves.

And the rest is here.

Canon Point: post-Survival Match for the Throne Arc
Powers: As a choujin and a veteran wrestler, Robin is a skilled fighter with greater stamina and strength than the average human. This means that he can take attacks that would kill and human and recover much faster. Furthermore, Robin is shown to have abilities outside of his signature moves, mostly notably and bizarrely, his “Robin Power” which he uses a grand total of once in the series to turn shards of glass into a tiny bell. Given that it was never mentioned before the event and it’s never mentioned again or given any explanation whatsoever, I’m just going to ignore it because really, now. There are limits to ridiculous powers in a series about alien superhuman wrestlers. Good thing he won't have any of them, really.

Personality:
It’s really no wonder that, surrounded by comrades as loud and hot-headed as his are, the reserved and genteel Robin Mask is known as the “Gentleman Choujin”. The very essence of traditional English manners and composure, he prides himself on his reputation and has spent much of his career cultivating a scholarly, noble persona- and not allowing it to slip. Even compared to Terryman’s earthy good senses, Robin’s are decidedly more academic in origin and practice and, should the need arise, he is the tactician of the group and often acts as its leader when Suguru is incapacitated or absent. Ever the nobleman, he can be quite charming too- he rarely shies away from social situations and makes friends and fans easily.

Aside from being a highly educated man, his academic pursuits extend out of the ring and, even in his spare time, he can often be found analyzing and taking notes on his opponents- and his friends- in his notebook. Furthermore, whilst Robin is excellent at thinking on the spot, aided by how perceptive he is, he greatly prefers to act with a detailed plan in mind.

Rather than working against him, it is this matter of fact attitude that, along with his patience, makes him a highly effective coach; the truth is that Robin is a natural teacher and loves to watch his students develop as people and fighters. It’s a sight that has, on several occasions, broken his usually collected mask and brought him to tears- he is immensely proud of every one of his students. In spite of not being the oldest of the Idol Choujin, he is often seen as the paternal “veteran” for the similar reasons; he always is the first to scold Suguru for his immaturity. Unfortunately, this also means that he can be something of a pompous know-it-all; his high expectations aren’t simply a set of strict personal standards, they extend to most everyone around him- with varying degrees of success. What likely doesn’t help is that he has a tendency to steamroll the people around him whether he means to or not and it flusters him when people don’t react exactly as he expects them to. Not only this but he’s also fairly bossy, leading to him even being borderline controlling in some instances; his way is the correct way of doing things and other people should follow his lead. When people don’t, he can become frustrated and irritable.

Naturally, therefore, he can sometimes appear a little unapproachable and almost too collected; he isn’t as overtly hot-blooded as the others and never seems to get as excited as they do, taking things incredibly seriously. More than this, Robin’s pragmatic exterior belies the fact that he is an incredibly passionate man and something of a terrible romantic- which might not be entirely surprising when you consider that he very nearly gave up his entire career very early on for love. He is determinedly chivalrous, the image of an old-fashioned knight from a fairytale, one he is probably quite drawn to, albeit in an idealized kind of way. On the rare occasions that he lets his heart speak over his head, he can be hyperbolic and verbose, often verging on sentimental but always utterly insincere; when he proclaims that Alisa is the centre of his universe and that he could never love again should anything happen to her, he truly means it. If he can’t express himself eloquently enough for his liking- his high standards rearing up again- then he has been known to turn to turn to alternatives such as the language of the flowers- no doubt, they appeal to his romantic sensibilities.

For Robin, emotions aren’t something to be suppressed so much as controlled and employed at the appropriate moment; it’s all very well being in touch with your feelings but there is simply a time and place for them. Again, it is the more romantic emotions he seems to find the most acceptable to display, such as comradery and love and righteous anger. He might not be as quick to show affection or be physically moved as his friends but he truly does value and hold each of them close to his heart and is capable of incredibly loyalty and self-sacrifice. Robin’s own temper isn’t quick to flare but, when it does, it burns hotly and deeply; when it is ignited, usually by threatening or harming the people he cares about, he completely loses his composure too and almost exclusively to his disadvantage.

Robin might be a modern day knight now but it wasn’t always the case. Kinnikuman’s victory over him in the Choujin Olympics sent him into a spiral of self-doubt and bitterness, causing him to abandon the people and principles he once held dear. This was largely due to his pride, which, whilst not always a negative thing, often turns him to uncharacteristic extremes. It’s a period of his life that haunts Robin to this day; the pain and suffering he caused not only Alisa but Warsman and many, many others still weighs heavily on his conscious and sometimes it feels as though he is still trying to atone for it. Likewise, this guilt is probably what makes him so protective of his student and tag partner, Warsman. As Mr. Barracuda, the hellish training that he put him through- including commanding him to slaughter a field of prisoners and traumatizing the other man- still weighs heavily on his shoulders. However, the guilt that he carries can work against him and isn’t simply limited to the things he did as Barracuda. For example, Robin is profoundly shaken by Mariposa’s story of his harsh life compared to his own luxurious upbringing- to the point where he nearly gives up the match altogether out of shame.

It would be wrong to suggest that Robin is entirely satisfied with his position within the group- a small part of him is actually somewhat aggrieved by it. He is often frustrated by his tentative role as the second in command and, by extension, that Kinnikuman barely even considers him a rival anymore. Whilst he doesn’t necessarily envy him- he recognizes his natural charisma and ability to draw people together as characteristics that he simply doesn’t possess- he can’t help but feel somewhat exasperated that he isn’t the one leading the group. After all, he has all the qualifications for it and would be more than capable of it on paper. As much as he considers himself reformed from the dangerously proud man he once was, Robin’s major downfall is still his hubris and, even though he would claim the contrary, deep down he still resents Kinnikuman a little for defeating him all those years ago.

However, this slither of pride and bitterness, whether unconsciously or as a result of a conceited effort to bury it, doesn’t rule him and stems more from his intensely competitive spirit than any genuine malevolence. The 20^th Choujin Olympics might be one of the most defining moments of his life and the event that sparked his fall from grace but he’s also aware of how much stronger it has made him. This resentment, therefore, is barely a nick in his armour as far as he’s concerned, not nearly enough to tarnish the knightly whole.

Sample

Rather than hazy, summer evenings and relaxed games as the sun went down, the end of July had brought overcast skies and sticky air. It had been conceived as a more casual, friendly game but the tension in the air from the oncoming storm appeared to have sewed the seed of competition in their minds because the match had been far more aggressive than expected. The rugby field had been a sea of dark, viscous mud even before the game but now half of it was undoubtedly stuck to the shins and socks of the thirty men who had churned it into yet more furious waves with their studded shoes. But even as the opposing team trudged their way back towards the dressing rooms, Robin Mask paused, brow furrowing as he looked back over the field.

It was some time in the latter half of the game, just after his third try, as he recalled it. His pass to Andrews had gone about three feet- perhaps two and a half, looking at the pitch now- wide and cost them valuable time and ground.

Perhaps that was why, aside from the occasional nod or modest deflection of a teammate’s compliment as they passed him by, he was far more subdued than one might expect from the captain of the winning team.

If he had approached them from the left rather than the right, maybe he would have…

A clap on the shoulder shook him from his thoughts.

“Don’t beat yourself up too much, Robin, we’d be lost without you.”

Robin glanced down and found the eighthman standing by his side for just long enough to give him another good-natured slap on the arm before following the others to the outbuildings. Out on the field was one of the few places- aside from the ring, naturally- that he didn’t seem quite so broad but even here there were few players that matched his height. Not that it bothered him particularly; self-consciousness was a waste of time and energy as far as he was concerned. Then again, he had the luxury of confidence, didn’t he? Another of the many things he was starting to learn from his training with Warsman.

But as for “beating himself up” about the match… well, that was another matter entirely. Of course, it wouldn’t do to dwell on the myriad of potential kicks and passes and tackles he could have made but that was an altogether different kind of analysis to the one he was conducting in his mind. It wasn’t moping by any stretch of the imagination; it was reconstructing the scenario and finding a way to rewrite it so that it ended differently, preferably with his pass landing those two and a half feet to the left. As the captain, he owed it to his team not to make such careless mistakes and to correct them should they surface in his game.

Only when the first drops of rain turned into a barrage and then, finally, into a hissing blur of white, did Robin turn away from the field. His shirt was already soaked through and water bounced off of the sharp edges of his mask, rolling down the back of his neck and smearing the mud on his legs but he was satisfied. Alisa would be waiting for him with an umbrella and a smile, ready to link arms with him and tease him for his off-kilter kicks and stumbles.

And maybe he could learn to live with a little imperfection every now and then.