Yoshida "Cousin" Ozaki is a Kuei-jin from Tokyo.
Biography[]
Cousin Ozaki is the leader of the Silk Tiger clan, which is among the largest Yakuza families in the capital. He is also the eyes and ears of Hakari and serves his lord with a zealotry unparalleled in Middle Kingdom Japan.
Ozaki's loyalty to Hakari is ironclad. Theirs is a relationship that grew from the junior Kuei-jin's quest to purge the personal demons lingering from his past life. As a young soldier in the Imperial guard, Ozaki took his duties very seriously. He was sent to Ueno Hill on the day Edo fell and thrown into the heat of battle. His first kill was an older shogitai, whom Ozaki shot in the chest at point-blank range. Ozaki and the emperor's forces won the day, but it left him unfilled. The sight of the classic warrior, armed only with the traditional katana, attacking the better-equipped Ozaki seemed vulgar, matter-of-fact - wrong.
The more Ozaki dwelled on what transpired that day, the less honorable he felt about the battle. It began to consume him until he was overwhelmed with shame. He went to the Ueno Hill graves commemorating the battle, took out his sword (which had been reduced to a simple wall ornament) and committed seppuku. It was the only way to balance the deed he had done.
Ozaki's return to the Middle Kingdom and his liking with Hakari have cemented a complementary working relationship. His rise to the status of a major player in the Tokyo underworld allows Ozaki unlimited access to the typically shadow-cloaked places frequented by Kindred and Kuei-jin. Ozaki also owns a controlling interest in The 48th nightclub, which is a major node of information at the heart of the illicit dealings that transpire in the metropolis. Ozaki is a demonic bastard, but he is also a reasonable businessman, like any of his fellow Yakuza. He is as much a part of the give-and-take between the law and the place of the mob in Japanese society. But Ozaki has a far more important agenda in operation, and he means to accomplish it by any means necessary.
Image[]
Ozaki is the epitome of the successful Yakuza chief. He stands six-two with coarse, spiky black hair and ice-blue eyes (thanks to contact lenses). He dresses in dark, muted colors and often wears an ankle-length olive trench coat, both to give the illusion of more height and to conceal any number of lethal instruments on his person.
Haven[]
Ozaki splits his time between the Silk Tiger clan's offices in the Golden Gai District and his newfound piece of turf, The 48th, in the Roppongi.
Secrets[]
Apart from being privy to many of Hakari's plans, Ozaki is also up-to-date on many of Tokyo's vices - after all, he provides most of them.
Influence[]
As chieftain, Ozaki reaps the benefits of the quasi-mystical role that the Yakuza plays in Japanese society. He also acts as the voice of Hakari outside the walls of the Imperial Palace. If an order comes from Ozaki, it's considered to come from the ancestor himself.
Stats[]
Nature: Architect
P'o Nature: The Slave
Demeanor: Fanatic
Chi Balance: Yang
Direction: East
Dharma: Devil Tiger 6
Physical: Strength 3, Dexterity 4, Stamina 4
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 5, Appearance 3
Mental: Perception 4, Intelligence 3, Wits 4
Talents: Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Dodge 3, Intimidation 5, Leadership 3, Streetwise 5
Skills: Drive 3, Firearms 3, Martial Arts 4, Melee 4, Stealth 4
Knowledges: Finance 2, Law 3, Linguistics 2, Politics 3, Rituals 1, Torture 3
Disciplines: Black Wind 2, Demon Shintai 2, Ghost-Flame Shintai 4, Equilibrium 2, Yang Prana 3, Yin Prana 1
Backgrounds: Allies 4, Contacts 5, Jade Talisman 2, Mentor (Hakari) 5, Rites 1
Chi Virtues: Yin 4, Yang 5
Soul Virtues: Hun 2, P'o 4
Willpower: 7
References[]
- WOD: World of Darkness: Tokyo, p. 55