Route 29 app redux

[struck_out]

Player
Name: San
Personal Journal: fanfictionming
E-mail: mingrps@gmail.com
AIM/MSN: fanfictionming@Plurk
Timezone: GMT+8
Current Characters in Route: NA

Charater
Name: Leon Kuwata
Series: Dangan Ronpa
Timeline: After Chapter 1
Canon Resource Links: Wikipedia article on the game, Dangan Ronpa characters on TV Tropes, Leon at the Dangan Ronpa wikia, Tumblr post explaining the confrontation between Leon and Sayaka in Chapter 1 and a document containing all of Leon's dialogue in the game.

Personality: Ever met one of those genius people out there? The ones who skip class, play DOTA all day erryday and go clubbing all night while you're stuck in the library pounding facts and formulas into your brain in the hopes of scoring big in the exams, only to still end up playing second fiddle to these prodigies? Doesn't it grind your gears when you get your papers back, and maybe you got that A you wanted, but those geniuses are getting top marks without even trying?

Oh, and if you ask them how they felt about the exam, they just say "It was easy! I didn't even need to study for it! No big deal!"?

You may now press the rage button and flip a table.

This is probably how Leon Kuwata's baseball team mates feel about the 'Super High School Level Baseball Player'. Leon is extremely lazy; his success as a baseball player isn't due to any hard work and commitment on his part towards the game. He doesn't even show up for practice! The fact is that he relies solely on his immense natural talent to throw those beautiful pitches and make those powerful swings. He displays an equally lackadaisical approach to other parts of his life as well, applying minimal effort to his studies and relying again on his natural genius at baseball to win him scholarships. And although he harbours a dream of changing his title to Super High School Level Musician it hasn't even crossed his mind that there's actually a lot of hard work and dedication required to build a career in the music industry.

Consider how Leon gets away with his terrible attitude towards practice and hard work just because he's preternaturally gifted, and it's no wonder that he's come to think that everything will go his way, no additional effort required other than the bare minimal (and preferably none at all!!). Sayaka regards his bold proclamation of being a punk rock star with disdain; it's not as easy as Leon thinks to get to the top. But Leon's convinced himself that he's already got what it takes to make it in the industry. He admits he needs song-writers and back-up instrument players because he's lacking those particular skills, but it doesn't even register with him that he might not have been born with music in his genes like how baseball is.

Let's also not forget the chief reason why he wants to be in the music industry in the first place. It's not because of inspiration, not even out of passion. It's simply because he wants to attract the attention of a girl who doesn't think much of baseball but who likes musician. Leon loves girls, or rather, the attention that girls give him. It's part of the reason why he's so protective of his so-called 'cool' image: he fears that if he's no longer seen as cool that he'll be unable to attract any more female attention. Quite frankly speaking he might not even be interested in a dating relationship; such is the extent of how shallow he can be. Leon's simply a guy who has a massive ego that's been fed by all his adoring fans, and he's always hungry for more.

And boy, speaking of his ego...

Leon is a very self-centred guy. Everything has to be about him, him and only him, and never in a bad way either. He keeps telling himself that he isn't to blame for Maizono's death and that he was as much a victim in the case as she was, never mind that it was him who shoved the knife into her chest. While the game and the manga differ slightly on what happened in Naegi's room (the manga shows Leon in a more sympathetic light as Sakuya's death is more of an accident rather than an intended murder), it doesn't change the fact that Maizono died because of a few bad life choices he made during a heated moment, choices that he refuses to take any blame for. Even before the murder school he has demonstrated that a lot of what he does is mainly for himself; what career choice that makes him cool and allows him to pick-up girls, why bother with baseball because it's dirty and he has to make an effort to practice, even which band members to pick so that he looks the best out of all of them.

Now Leon's tendency to blow his own horn partially stems from his bloated ego, but it's also because he's a person who prefers to say outright what's on his mind regardless of how blunt and tactless it might sound to others. It's already bad enough that he's blind to all his bad traits but to make matters worse, he's quick to point out the faults of others right to their faces, using harsh words and insults unnecessarily. Personally I feel that Leon's not trying to be mean to anyone but he's just simply too lazy to properly try and phrase his words politely. Standing on decorum takes effort after all so why beat around the bush when you can be direct and straight to the point? It's faster and takes less effort.

Because for all his bad points Leon isn't a jerk. His arrogant, shallow, blunt and lazy ways might irritate the hell out of people, but underneath all of those traits he's genuinely a nice and friendly guy. He's one of the few SHSL kids who greet Naegi enthusiastically at the start of the game and from his free time events it's clear to see that though he might have an overly high opinion of himself, he doesn't think lowly of anyone else either. He even offers to share his stories and experiences with Naegi to teach him what he knows about girls (though how much Naegi actually wants to listen to Leon's female conquests isn't a factor that Leon takes into consideration). And for how much he dislikes playing baseball he still concedes to playing in games just because his coach approached him personally. He quotes that he just couldn't refuse. So for a guy as me-orientated as Leon, it does go to show that he's willing to be less about the 'me' and more about the 'we' at times.

And Leon does care about other people as well. In Dangan Ronpa IF, he destroys a Monokuma bear to save Sayaka (ironic considering that she had actually already been planning to kill him earlier). Furthermore in the manga it's revealed that he didn't break into the bathroom to kill her; rather he initially wanted to try and calm her down as she was having a massive Freak Out. Considering that he could've easily ratted her out to everyone as potential murderess, it's a bit odd to see that he went through all the trouble of getting rid of the door knob and also exposing himself to the risk that she would try to stab him again. In both cases Leon was convinced that he could save Sayaka despite the odds against him.

And believing in himself is a major part of who Leon Kuwata is. It does feed into his cocky ways but Leon's a person who doesn't give up easily if provided the right motivation. He refuses to entertain the idea that he might not get out of the school and become a Super High School Level Musician until he faces the end when he's proven guilty of Sayaka's death. And once he's set his mind on something he's even willing to swallow some of that ego of his to achieve it. He admits to Naegi that he's all set to beg his former team and coach to take him back and he firmly believes that they will even if it'll take some time. "Yeah, don't underestimate my fighting spirit! They'll take me back for sure!" Even if a situation looks impossible, impossible is not a word that exists in Leon Kuwata's dictionary.

So was he really at fault for Sayaka's death? The answer is still absolutely. Both him and Sayaka share the blame for her murder and Leon's own execution. Leon's a hot-blooded kid; he lets his passions and emotions dictate his actions and words. Things like the future and consequence don't occur to him until the moment's arrived because he doesn't stop to consider the potential ramifications of his decisions, and by then it's too late. Whether it's the manga or the game, accidental or not, Leon kills Sayaka in a heated fight where both teens were panicking and neither were thinking clearly. The manga clearly shows that he starts panicking when Sayaka attacks him a second time; out of fear and desperation he pushes too hard and ends up accidentally stabbing her in the chest. And when he's proven guilty at the trial he's too worked up to properly explain what happened to the rest of the class. Leon just explodes into an emotional tantrum rather than calming himself down enough just so that he could properly clarify what happened. The sad fact is that had Leon simply cooled his jets or even just taken a few seconds to properly think through his options he might've avoided losing his life and killing Sayaka.

All in all, Leon's really quite a piece of work. There's a lot about him that's very unlikeable at first glance but there's also plenty of good underneath all that loud-mouthed exuberance. With a second chance at life now that he's entering Route 29, one can only hope that the painful experiences he had back at Kibougamine Academy will serve as both a lesson and an encouragement for him to work on his attitude and highlight his better qualities.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
Strengths
1. Super High School Level Baseball Player.
Leon's got amazing baseball skills. He doesn't even need to go to practice to win his matches and his skills aren't just limited to one role: he does well both as a pitcher and a batter.
2. Stamina
It's a given that if he's the best baseball high school player in Japan that he's got the energy and strength to match the title as well.
3. Confident
Very, very confident. He believes he can do whatever he sets his mind on, no matter how lofty the goal.
4. Honest
Leon's an almost open book. He's very honest about his personal feelings and he's not ashamed to talk about them.
5. Popular guy
It has to be said that for all of Leon's talk about being cool and popular...he is cool and popular, especially with the girls if his tales of last night conquests are to be believed.
6. Determined
Leon's also someone who won't let anything get in his way. Never mind the nay-sayyers and situation; if he says he'll accomplish it then he will, no questions asked.

Weaknesses
1. Super High School Level Slacker
If he's not interested than sayonara, he's not going to do it even if you highlight how important it is to "insert moral lecture here about the importance of studying/being a team player".
2. Arrogance
He's can-do attitude stems from his over-confidence; he believes he can do it, but he doesn't need to work hard like everyone else because he's already good enough to succeed.
3. Emotions run wild
For someone who runs on emotions like he does, he's definitely got an issue with keeping a cool head. Whether it's losing his temper, falling into endless despair or just flipping the freak out, Leon's as honest about his positives as he is about his negatives.
4. Failure isn't an option
The flip side of his confidence is that he doesn't take failure very well. See: his explosion after failing to graduate. Imagine that the one time he actually tried and he still gets found out.
5. Inability to properly play baseball.
Given the extremely brutal and cruel way he died and with a twist of irony, I've decided to render Leon unable to bat for the time being. His skills are still there but he's going to need closure before he'll be able to face a flying ball coming his way.


Pokémon Information
Affiliation: Trainer
Starter: Level 15 starter: Lapras. Level 5 starter: Woobat
Password: Spring Rolls

Samples
First Person Sample:
Hey, you know what totally sucks? Having to do something all over again, especially when it's not even your fault!

[Leon huffs and crosses his arms. Behind him is Falkner's gym, which might allude to what's gotten him so ticked off.]

I already kicked Fly Guy's ass the last time. Why do I have to go all the way back to this boring town just to get this bird badge again? It's so damn unfair! I didn't choose to leave this place, y'know!? Can't whoever who's running this joint cut me some slack? I mean, it's not like I'm the first person to just vanish from here. There's gotta be a record of my previous wins stored somewhere, right? And if there isn't, maybe someone needs to do something about it! It's just so, so, argh! Laaaaammmmeee!!!

[And by someone Leon means someone other than him. He runs one hand through his flaming red hair irritably before he jerks a thumb at the gym, a cocky grin spreading across his face.]

Well that's just too bad for him, I guess I'll just have to give him the smack-down again! It's gonna be a piece of cake! Check you guys later!

Third Person Sample:

The battle was over pretty quickly. Leon may have gone in without a level 70 Aerodactyl this time (no idea how Riley ended up in his PC, but Leon was quickly disappointed to know that such luck doesn't strike twice. Damn, he'd been hoping from one of those new dino Pokemon too, they looked pretty badass!!) but he's learned a thing or two about battling and training from his previous stay in Johto. He tosses a careless grin at Falkner's way as his Lapras took down Falkner's Honchkrow with one last Ice Beam, and five minutes later he's out of the gym leader's hair with a new Zephyr Badge clutched in the palm of his hand.

"One down, seven more to go."

Seven more...man, that sure sounds like long journey ahead of him. It would make things so much easier if he could just start off from where he'd stopped; then he'd only have like, four badges left to go! He'd practically be halfway there already!

But for all his complaining and whining Leon can't really say that he's not happy to be back. In fact, he's over the moon. Just waking up one day and realising that he had technically...well, he's not sure there's anything left for him to go back to, so 'vanished' might be the best word for it, but yes, realising that he had vanished for almost six months plunged his heart into cold water; it felt like just yesterday he'd been playfully wrestling with Keisuke safe and sound at the Dangan House, and then suddenly he's awake nearly half a year later in a strange building with two new starters and a shady job that he desperately wants out off. Leon isn't a deep thinker or a philosopher, but the thought of all that lost time, and how it could just slip away from him like grains of sand...it hit him with the force of a bullet train, and he's still secretly reeling from the shock of it all.

A certain singer's presence didn't help either. He tries his best to keep her out of his mind, though as to how he's been going about it...OK, so he's gone out on a few dates, kissed a girl or three, and had quite a few make-out sessions in the park at night. And he's certainly been to a few houses, where things quickly escalated to more intimate actions. He knows he's really getting ahead of himself, jumping in and out of beds this way, but it makes him feel good that women still find him desirable. As if he's still the young, rising baseball star of Japan, the boy every girl wanted to date.

He's not a murderer, he didn't do anything wrong. He was the victim, him and Makoto. It wasn't his fault.

But the rough nips at necks, the roaming hands that search to undo cumbersome clasps and buttons, hungry lips connecting again and again in the dark...they can't seem to rid himself of the memory of what happened. He's begun to dream of that night again, and dream of the following day and the eventual end of his life. And when he wakes up shaking and gasping and screaming for mercy in his bed while his bed partner looks on concerned and frightened, all he can think is how much he hates her and wants her cut out of his life completely.

In a non fatal way of course.

His phone buzzes, cutting through the dark thoughts in his mind. A quick check reveals that it's a text message from Hagakure, asking how the battle went and if he's going to be back by next week. Sure, why not? Even if she's going to be there he's got nothing to fear from her presence. She can go and rot in hell for all he cares. No, he's going to make sure that he bounces back from all of this, that he'll prove it to her and everyone that he is a good person and that none of what happened was his fault in any way whatsoever.