Souji Okita - 1st Unit Captain of the Shinsengumi

Name: Souji Okita - 沖田 総司

Nationality: Japanese

Affiliation: Shinsengumi - 1st Unit Commander

Gender: Male

Age: about 35 years old

Appearance: Souji is tall around 6'2'' with dark brown hair that is usually tied up into a ponytail. He is clean shaven. He maintains a slim, yet powerful physique. Over a light gray hakama (flowing pants), a light blue kimono (shirt-robe), and a simple white obi sash, Souji wears a short Haori (over coat) that is colored blue with white designed fringes like all Shinsengumi. Over his hair he wears a short sash or head band which is also customary. On his feet he wears tabi socks which are parted at the middle, as well as straw sandals when outside.


Personality: Souji is a rather imposing person to most, as he is seen as one of the greatest swordsmen who fought in the Bakumatsu. However, in-lieu of his reputation, Souji is a light-hearted and down-to-earth individual that enjoys a good laugh. Despite this however, he retains his skill with a blade and the martial arts by becoming a completely different person whilst in battle. Like his comrades, he will be quite serious when facing a foe (as the soldier that he is), and will never underestimate anyone having seen just about everything during the Meiji Revolution and the Boshin Wars. This reverse demeanor seems to reflect his belief in the Shinsengumi's creed of Aku-Soku-Zan - "Slay Evil Immediately".

History: Okita Souji was the Captain of the 1st Unit of the Shinsengumi. He is still seen to have been one of the greatest swordsmen of the Shinsengumi and the Bakumatsu, being on par with the best revolutionaries and counter-revolutionaries such as another famous Shinsengumi of the time: Hajime Saito or Nagakura Shinpachi. He fought in the major battles of the Boshin Wars, such as Toba-Fushimi, earning his reputation for having quite the bloodlust. It is popular belief currently, that Souji was slain during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, however his body was never actually found. For the past ten years, Souji has remained hidden, biding his time until just the right moment to reveal his survival against the old Ishin-shishi.

Early in his life around age 18, Souji attained the Menkyo Kaiden scroll after having mastered every technique of the Tennen Rishin-Ryu style of swordsmanship, becoming a prodigy of sorts. His mastery of the school seemed to be enough to earn him a place amongst the Shinsengumi as a co-founder of the group.

Weapon(s): Katana (named Kikuichi-Monji), Wakizashi, and hidden tanto (in his kimono).

Fighting Style: Tennen Rishin-Ryu

The style focuses on three different practices, those being Kenjutsu (Swordsmenship), Bojutsu (Art of the Staff), and Jujutsu (Unarmed grappling. However, as humane as the latter practice is seen in modern day, it was actually quite deadly during this period as a style that was renowned for its lethality. Even unarmed combat was a fight to the death, learned quite well by those, like Souji, who fought in Kyoto, the "bloodbath" of the Boshin Wars. Souji would choose to forgo the bojutsu and focus primarily on the kenjutsu and jujutsu, although he did choose to master bojutsu before entering the Boshin Wars.

Tennen Rishin-Ryu is a style used primarily by the Samurai and Assassins alike, which is a telltale sign of why the Shinsengumi chose to use this method of warfare. The techniques in the style are all made for killing blows to the opponent, and thus are perfect for the battlefield. All swordsmanship within the style is made to be fast and to the point; which may include or be influenced from other styles such as bato-jutsu (the art of sword-drawing). A famuous technique, which primarily includes extremely fast stabbing thrusts would be the variations of the Gatotsu, mastered firstly by Hajime Saito, a squad member under Souji.