Mutsuhiko

Mutsuhiko was a performer long before they were a warrior. Their legendary duel with Hiro in the grand plaza of Waterfall City was less a battle and more a stage play, each parry a line of poetry, each dodge a choreographed step. They lost, of course, but magnificently. While others offered praise for their bravery, only one chimp approached them afterwards—a quiet fisher who spoke not of the fight's outcome, but of the tragic love story Mutsuhiko had mimed in their movements. It was the first time anyone had seen the story beneath the spectacle. These days, the kabuki paint is for an audience of one. Before every patrol, their partner paints the symbols of protection and return onto their face, a private performance promising they'll see the next act.