A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Zechs Merquise, Killua Zoldyck #atozchallenge

Zechs Merquise is the mysterious and gentlemanly OZ Gundam pilot. His past is hidden like his face behind a mask. He is one of the leaders of Oz in Gundam Wing.

He faces one of the five young Gundam pilots from the spaces colonies in combat, dueling him in the Arctic because their battle was interrupted.

He was once the crown prince of the Sanc Kingdom (say-nkt) whose family and kingdom was destroyed by the United Earth Sphere Alliance. Millardo Peacecraft died and Zechs was born.

He turns back on OZ when his sister Relana becomes a player in politics to end OZ's tyranny.

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Killua Zoldyck is Gon's best friend in the Anime Hunter X Hunter.  He is also the shining star of the Zoldyck family of assassins. Seeing him for the first time, one wouldn't think so since he acts just like a normal teen. He calmly rides his skateboard as he initiates a conversation with Gon during the first test of the Hunter's Exam. Although there are a few subtle hints that he is more than he appears before the exam.

His parents have high hopes for him to become the next leader despite having older siblings.

This is a family that is beyond dysfunctional.  Torture as punishment (I mean whips and chains and other various devices) is like grounding for them. His father finally lets him return to his friends, knowing that letting him go would return him to the fold eventually.

Killua has no qualms about ripping hearts out of people when he's in a bad mood.

He changes when he meets Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. He becomes stronger and softens at the same time. His loyalty to them puts him in harms way more than once.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Yusuke Urameshi #atozchallenge

To die to save a life can be noble especially if the person doing the saving is an unrepentant street fighter and slacker with a cruddy home life.  This is what happens to Yusuke Urameshi in Yu Yu Hakusho.

He found out that the boy he tried to save would have survived without his interference so his death was basically in vain as Botan tells him. She then goes to explain that he could come back to life since his death was unexpected although the conditions to return were strict.

After his return, he becomes a Spirit Detective for Koemna.

Yusuke's smart-mouth, delinquency, intimidation, fighting, and huge chip on his shoulder all conceal that he is a kind individual that loves his friends deeply.

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And because this is the one of the final A to Z posts, here's a bit of trivia: the writer Togashi Yoshihiro is also the writer of Hunter X Hunter. He is also married to the writer of Sailor Moon Takeuchi Naoko.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Xingese Prince #atozchallenge

Xingese Prince Ling Yao is the twelfth crown prince of Xing and is from the Anime Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Ling Yao is one of the new character that was introduced in this remake of FMA. 

 He comes from the kingdom of Xing, which is in a state of crisis and chaos.  He becomes involved with the Elric brothers and with the homunculi when he fuses with the Homunculus Greed. 

He ends up becoming a pivotal character in the series.

He travels from his home country of Xing to Amestris for the Philospher's Stone, which has similar characteristics as the one of fable. But to make this stone, it requires to a horrible sacrifice.  People in FMAB fight and die to find and have this stone.

He is highly trained in martial arts, which definitely comes in handy during the show. He also has studied the Xingese version of alchemy, which led him west to find the Philosopher's Stone. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Washu Habuki, Walter C. Dornez #atozchallenge

Washu is the 'mad scientist' of Tenchi Muyo and the other various Tenchi shows and spin-offs. She has a lab in the closet of Tenchi's house.

She was, at one time, a goddess. She sealed her powers and memories away and came down to the third dimension to study the multiverse.

Ryo-Ohki

Her life wends through thousands upon thousands of years as a three dimensional person. She becomes a mother but the father takes him away. She creates Kagato, Ryoko, and Ryo-Ohki.

When we see her in Tench Muyo she is in a childlike body.

𝖂𝔚𝒲𝑾𝕎

Walter is the butler and somewhat bodyguard of Hellsing.

 He is known as the Angel of Death when he was in the field. He was a foul mouthed and callow youth, taunting his enemies and wantonly killing them. His weapon of choice was razor wires.

He grew out of the youth and turned into a dignified gentleman. He also produces the weapons that Alucard and Seras use. Now, he kills with swift efficiency.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Vegeta #atozchallenge

And we are back to the dulcet tones of grunting and yelling as warriors power up in another edition of Dragon Ball Z.  This time is the enemy turned Z Warrior, Vegeta, prince of all saiyans. (Of course, Frieza destroyed the saiyan planet and all the saiyans are dead except for Goku and Vegeta, but really does that matter to royalty.

Vegeta is as arrogant as the mountains under the ocean are high and an ego as long as the distance between the moon and sun. He thinks he's the best of the best because he is prince.  He doesn't understand how Goku can be more powerful.

Vegeta comes to Earth to take it over and sell it, which gets all the Z warriors involved.  After the epic showdown between Goku and Vegeta, Goku lets him go despite Krilin's warning to kill him.  Goku proves that he is right when Vegeta helps them on Namek later.

His quest to beat Goku becomes one of the long running threads in the series. It goes from pride's sake to one where he wants to push himself farther.

He returns to Earth, still cold and snotty and ruthless.  He slowly mellows as time goes by. He even becomes a family man. A hardened warrior going to an amusement park with his son. Yeah, not something I pictured either but it happens.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Undertaker #atozchallenge

What can i say about Undertaker other than he is the weirdest, most eccentric, and strange character that ever graced my tv screen.  He is morbid and sick and twisted. He is certifiable. He is also one of the Reapers like Grell and William.  He just doesn't hang out with them anymore busies himself as an undertaker in the in the human world in the Anime Black Butler.


Grell and other Reapers call him a deserter.

He worked as a Reaper for a long time, becoming tired of the 'end'. He decided experiment.

He tried to connect false records to the Cinematic Records of deceased individuals.  Cinematic Records are the records of the souls. So when you

hear the turn your life flashing before your eyes, thats what you're seeing according to this anime.

Undertaker as Reaper

His experiement became the first Bizarre Doll. They are not truly alive but are only "Flesh dolls without a self".

Moreover, he knew Ciel's father, and is one of the members of Aristocrats of Evil, who strike down the forces of evil in the underworld that affect polite society.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Tomoe, Takigawa Houshou #atozchallenge

Who wouldn't want a beautiful fox demon as your servant? A handsome and powerful fox that caters to your every whim.  In Kamisama Kiss, Tomoe was once a wild fox that became a familiar to Mikage, the Land God.

But that is not where the story begins. It begins with a homeless girl receiving the powers from Mikage (mee-kah-jay) and the chaos that ensues from a mortal becoming a land God.  Tomoe (toe-moe-ay) hates the thought of a human at the shrine but Nanami (nah-nah-mee) takes no bull and forced him back into servitude with a kiss.

The rest of the series has a bit of a reverse haremish group of gorgeous and handsome demons with a back story of hundreds of years and a complex timeline I will not even try to explain. There are misadventures with gods, sea creatures, tengu, and other various immortal beings.

Tomoe has the ability to come off as hateful and cold, arrogant, prideful, and elegant, but he has his moments of childish jealousy and other moments where you can see the hurt, vulnerability, and soft heart he hides away from prying eyes.

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Takigawa Houshou is the guitar-wielding monk of Ghost Hunt. He left his temple home to be a bassist in a band before going back to become a full time monk.  He uses his spiritual powers as a side gig to help people.

Characterwise, he is laid back but can be serious when needed.

We first meet him as he was hired by Mai's school to exorcise the spirits along with Naru, Lin, Ayako, Masako, Father John Brown. He becomes one of the regulars of SPR (Shibuya Pyschic Research.

As a monk, he is strong and can lead the group when Naru is incapacitated. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Sesshomaru, Sebastian Michaelis, Shiroe #atozchallenge

Okay, he will be the odd man of the bunch today.  His name is Shiore. Before the Apocalypse, he was a graduate student in university studying engineering.  After the Apocalypse, he became the driving force of the Round Table Alliance, the breaking of exploitative guilds, and forming the new guild of Log Horizon.

His name is Shiroe. He is Half-Alv with the class of Enchanter-Scribe, which allows him to help his party members with his magic.  His Scribe class does something even greater in the series - a world changing something.

There are many monikers he is known by, but my favorite is the 'Villain in Glasses'. It is untrue though. He may come across as a Machiavellian schemer but he really only wants to make the lives of the Adventurers stuck in the world of Elder Tales better.

He was the strategist in the Debauchery Tea Party before their disbandment.  He becomes the 'shadow' leader of the Round Table. But he lets Krusty be the front man while making decisions and strategic maneuvers from behind.

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Shesshomaru the full dog demon of the Anime Inuyasha and half brother of the main character of the same name.  He is the Lord of the West another the death of his father.  He despises weakness and most humans.  He carries a katana that has the ability to save a hundred people with one swipe. The Tenseiga is deemed useless by him because it cannot strike down a living person. He craves the sword Tetsusaiga, which was given to Inuyasha.

In one battle, he gets injured by Inuyasha and a little girl finds him and tries to take are of him. He finds her dead, but uses the Tenseiga to revive the girl. This is the first time Sesshomaru feels the compassion needed to use the sword. Rin becomes his traveling companion along with Jaken and Ah-Un the two-headed dragon.

He becomes sort of allies with the Inuyasha and company to fight the evil half-demon Naraku.

He even surpasses his father's power by creating a sword and regenerating his arm, which Inuyasha severed, as the show progresses.

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Sebastian Michaelis is one hell of a butler in the Anime Black Butler. He is contracted to Ciel until such time that the contract is fulfilled and Sebastian eats Ciel's soul.

The crow demon protects his charge from those that want to hurt him, which is a tough assignment indeed. The life of Ciel is complicated to say the least. He works for the Queen to solve mysteries and crimes as he searches for the the people who murdered his parents.

He is extremely fond of cats and hates dogs.  So when Pluto becomes a mender of the household, he cringes and is disdainful.

He also suffers the misfit characters that run the household. One has a penchant for blowing up the kitchen, one can't see past the end of her nose, and the last tries to kill the gardens on a daily basis.  Only they were not recruited for their household skills.  They had other 'talents' Sebastian required.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Ryuk, Roy Mustang #atozchallenge

What can I say about my next favorite character? He's not human. He's extremely bored. He has skulls everywhere.  He's a type of god. Um, oh and he will take your life when it's time, but will never go to Heaven or Hell because you've written down names in a notebook.

If that's not a huge clue, right?  He is Ryuk. The Shinigami catalyst of Death Note.  He drops the Death Note into the human world to kill the boredom. He enjoys every minute on Earth, especially the apples.  Withdrawal symptoms of his apple addiction causes him to twist into a pretzel shape.

He and Light get along as well as can be expected for a serial killer genius and snide death god.

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Roy Mustang is my second character. He is a Colonel in the Amestrian State Military as well as a State Alchemist.  He is the Flame Alchemist and can produce different types of fire with the gloves decorated with transmutation circles on his hands.

He is the one to get revenge for Maes' death by burning alive the homunculus that killed him.  To say you have to be powerful to do this is an extreme understatement.

He comes across as a ladies man and a procrastinating slacker who is also power hungry, but that is a facade for his true character. He uses his power to protect those that cannot protect themselves.

His time in the Ishval war haunts him.

Edward is his direct subordinate and they both have a mutual respect for each other while having a rocky relationship.  

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Quillish Wammy Watari #atozchallenge

Watari is the quiet handler of L in Death Note.  He is the 'face' of L.

In his other life, he is Quillish Wammy, inventor and philanthropist. He is also the founder of Wammy's House, which is a orphanage located in England.

Many of the super-detectives (like L and Mello) were brought up there. It's a place for gifted children.

He acts like a butler when he is with L, but in truth, they have more of a father/son relationship.

Surprisingly, he is trained in espionage and marksmanship.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Piccolo, Sailor Pluto #atozchallenge

Green-skinned and with a chip on his shoulder the size of Everest, my next character is an alien from the planet Namek.  His name is Piccolo. He is the 'son' of King Piccolo from the original series. (Trust me, you do not want to know how Namekians procreate.)

He and Goku have an epic battle at the end of Dragon Ball and then meet again five years later in Dragon Ball Z.  Despite the grudge he has, he is will become a reluctant ally against the new enemy, the Saiyans (say-yans) that shows up on Earth with Goku.

Eventually, he becomes one with Kami, the Guardian of Earth. Kami split the evil part of him out of his body, which became King Piccolo. This happens when an even deadlier foe is revealed after the Saiyans.

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Sailor Pluto is called the 'Lonely Warrior' because she is alone and without companionship most of the time. She must guard the Space Time Door from invaders. Most of them don't even know she exists.

She is the sixth Sailor to be introduced in the Anime Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon.  She is one of the Outer Senshi (sehn-shee, fighter, guardian warrior). Her coloring and powers are associated with the god Pluto.

Her father, it's said in the manga, is the God (not Titan) Cronos.

Her weapon is the Garnet Rod, which holds one of the talismans that can summon Sailor Saturn.

Her Earth name is Setsuna Meiou. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Kyoya Ohtori, Obi, Olivier Armstrong #atozchallenge

She takes command like no other. She is fierce and will not give up. She leads her fort with a do or die attitude that takes no crap from anyone.

She cannot forgive weakness and has no respect for those that give up too easily. She is the Fort Briggs commanding officer Olivier Mira Armstrong from the Anime Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Olivier (o-liv-ee-ay) meets the Elric brothers and doesn't like them but when the homunculus Sloth breaks into her fort, they help her defeat him.

She and Izumi Curtis are both feared and respected by the brothers.

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Obi is the the mysterious character from Snow White with Red Hair. He worked for one of the nobles of the court that did not like Shirayuki's friendship with Prince Zen.  He ends up becoming her bodyguard and friend.

His past is fogged in mystery, but the visible scars tell that it wasn't a
pretty one.  He is quick and agile, and his personality, though lighthearted most of the time, hints that he is dangerous.

As the show progresses more of his personality comes out as he lets his guard down and befriends those around him.

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My last character from today is from Ouran High School Host Club.

Imagine being the only poor person on scholarship at an ultra-elite school catering to the rich. This is what Haruhi has to face. She ends up in Music Room 3 where all she wants is a quiet place to study, but she ends up breaking an 8,000,000 yen vase.

Haruhi 

And in comes our Shadow King himself, Ohtori Kyoya, to tell her she must pay the Host Club back by becoming a host.  He is the first to realize that Haruhi is a girl and not a boy.

He is the quiet, behind the scenes kind of guy that can manipulate things his way with the best of them in the reverse harem comedy.

Tamaki calls him "Mommy" in his dramatic way when the twins flirt with Haruhi or if something doesn't go his way.  In response, Kyoya (kyo-yah) will call him "Daddy" through gritted teeth.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Abel Nightroad, Nanami Momozono #atozchallenge

Abel Nightroad is the bumbling main character in the Anime Trinity Blood.  It takes place in a  post-apocalyptic world where humans and Methuselah (vampires) are at odds. He is a caring priest in the Church, but he can become serious when the situation calls for it.

He may appear to be incompetent at his job  holds a dark secret inside him.

He is a Krusnik. A creature that is not man nor vampire. He has sentient nanomacines within him that turn him into a vampire that drinks from vampires.  In this form he has wings and a scythe made of his own blood.

He could destroy a city in this powerful form.

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The long suffering Nanami Momozono was kicked out her apartment when her father ran away leaving tons of debt behind in the first episode of the Anime Kamisama Kiss.

She finds a home in the shrine of Mikage, the land god, but with a price. She ends up becoming the land god herself.

On top of that, yokai and spirits are trying to eat her because of her new found powers and her vulnerability as a mortal.

And yet, it gets even more complicated when Tomoe, the familiar of the shrine hates the very thought of having a human land god.

Her determination and perky attitude to help others causes her to get into mischief, which has Tomoe coming to the rescue.

And then the real fun begins.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Migi, Maes Hughes #atozchallenge

Migi is the alien spore parasite that infects Shinichi  Izumi (shee-nee-chee ee-zoo-mee) right hand instead of his brain in the Science Fiction Horror Anime Parasyte. Migi (mee-gee) is ruthless when it comes to his survival and will even threaten his host and Shinichi's friends.

He and Shinichi become allies against other parasites who are human eaters as well as the government agencies trying to find and destroy infected human bodies.

Migi is not a flesh eater since he failed to attach to the head. He gets nourishment directly from the bloodstream.

Migi has the ability to morph and will turn into blades to kill others.  He is intelligent and reads extensively while Shinichi sleeps.

⽍⺞😭😭⽍⺞

Maes Hughes. One of the nicest characters I have ever watched. He loved his wife and adored his daughter to the point of obsession.  And he has one of the saddest moments to ever have been shown in an anime, in my opinion.

Maes is one of those characters you invest your heart and soul in and then said parts are torn from your body, shredded, burned, stomped on, and cast into the pits of hell.  The tiny bits of ash that are left are given back to you to only lose them to the next scenes of misery and despair.

In Full Metal Alchemist and in FMA Brotherhood, he is friends to Roy Mustang and to the Elric Brothers.  He works at Central and keeps Mustang apprised with the going on there.  He gets too close to the truth and is murdered.

His death is a driving force for Mustang to become stronger and to get to the truth behind the things not right within there government.