藤堂 平助 ❀ Heisuke "the IRresponsible adult" Toudou

A self-proclaimed ball of "happy and cheerful and full of sunshine" that leaps first, and asks questions never. A skilled swordsman with a heart of gold and a ready smile. A loyal friend and a rasetsu who's afraid to die.

Usually cheerful, energetic and in possession of a ready smile, Heisuke is the youngest member of the Shinsengumi, and it shows in both his actions and how he carries himself. This generally takes the form of hotheaded, impulsive behavior that tends to get him into trouble more often than not. If provoked, he'll jump into a fight or situation without thinking things through or sizing up his opponent, as seen during the Ikedaya Incident in which he suffered a nasty head wound after his opponent, a man who was unarmed and nearly twice his size, claimed he wasn't there to fight, as well as when he finally threw himself into the the fray at Aburano Koji and took on the same unarmed man only to wind up mortally wounded.

His behavior is not without a price, though. The few points when he does take time to think things through, they almost never pan out the way he would like, and as he tells Chizuru, “I think a lot about what I'm gonna do, but it seems like every time I make the wrong decision and then I regret it and just want to quit”. When this happens and he's feeling down, he's incredibly hard on himself to the point where, if given the chance and proximity, he'll drink quite heavily. This usually winds up leaving him even more depressed which leads to a beautiful downward spiral of regret. Bringing him out of it is something he can do on his own, typically by reminding himself that he's the only one who can make his decisions for him and choose the path he walks, but it tends to go a little faster if there's someone on hand that he feels comfortable talking to. Over the course of his route, there are several times when Chizuru has to drag him back up, whether it's by talking him through things or outright slapping and scolding him -that is to say, sometimes he can get back on his feet by himself, but there are other times when he needs a push.

Heisuke is also incredibly loyal to his friends, even when they're on opposing sides... and even if they've proven themselves to be completely off their rocker, though in those instances, that loyalty takes a different form. During the Aburano Koji affair, he chose to side with Sano and Shinpachi against the Guardians of the Imperial Tomb, not because he was betraying Itou whose side he had joined, but because friendship won out. On the flip side and much further beyond his canon point, when Sannan went crazy and set out to create a kingdom of rasetsu, Heisuke chose to fight against his former friend in order to stop him from doing something that was definitely in the wrong, even if it meant he was forced to kill him. In this, he was still retaining his loyalty to the friend that Sannan was by stopping the man Sannan had become. His loyalty to “that special someone” is something else entirely, and he will lay down his life in order to keep them safe.

The mention of rasetsu above brings about an interesting point because through that, we learn that Heisuke is afraid of dying. Again at Aburano Koji, he was mortally wounded by Amagiri and was given a choice: he could either die a human or drink the ochimizu/Water of Life and live as a rasetsu. Despite the pros and cons with rasetsu -super strength, speed, and regeneration tempered with a painful bloodlust and (as later learned) the fact that using the abilities of a rasetsu eats one's lifespan until one turns to dust- he chose to drink it. As he told Chizuru, his choice to drink wasn't because he still had things he wanted to do or anything great and noble like that... but because he was very much afraid of dying. Later, when he learns about the rasetsu powers using up one's lifespan, it sends him back into that depression and fear because he could turn to dust at any moment and without warning, leaving her to slap him in order to snap him out of it.

There is a point where he makes mention of being jealous of Chizuru's love for and devotion to her father. This comes from his being a bastard child who is unacknowledged by his own father, the daimyo of the Todo Domain. He claims that he's given a stipend in the form of cash that is essentially “hush money”, which he'll only receive so long as he doesn't go looking for his family, and that after being publicly declared dead, his father is probably happier that he doesn't have to waste his money keeping “some brat” quiet. In other words, the boy has daddy/family issues that he won't talk about unless specifically asked, but other people's happy family stories will cause a pang of jealousy that may or may not be evident.

He doesn't read much, outright stating this when he, Sannan, and Chizuru go looking for information concerning rasetsu at Chizuru's father's house (again, later). Food, primarily meat in all its various forms, is one of his favorite things, and he's got an average capacity for alcohol (not that he actually recognizes it), liking the fuzzy feeling that drinking brings, but too much and he's a sleepy drunk. He's also not terribly eloquent or good with words in general, either, though there are times when he can string together a plausible excuse or explanation if need be, such as when trying to get out of training with Inoue by insisting that he was going to be showing Chizuru around the Shinsengumi headquarters, as well as (later) explaining why going in through the front gate as opposed to sneaking in the back would be a better course of action when he and Chizuru were looking for a way into Sendai Castle. The other thing of note is that in the drama track "On a starfall night", he actually describes his own personality to Sano as being "always happy and cheerful and full of sunshine". For the most part, this is pretty well true.

While he is an adult, he has a tendency to act rather childish. For instance, in one of the games, when a cat steals the bag of snacks he wanted to share with Chizuru, he actually got down on the ground and tried to talk to the cat in hopes that he could convince it to give them back. He gets incredibly giggly and silly when drunk, laughing at the strangest things -ie. he was practically crying from laughter when Shinpachi drew on Sano's stomach and Sano yelled at him, because the way Sano's muscles shifted, it made the face Shinpachi drew on him move in response. When Chizuru made Souji some rice balls, Heisuke's childish nature came out again, resulting in him vehemently challenging Souji for them by playing a game of 'Tora Tora Tora' (similar to rock paper scissors), with the loser having to play with some of the local children. Later, he sulked over it, which caused Sano to drag him out in an effort to cheer him up...and it worked. To put it lightly, Heisuke's actually a very simple young man and acts the part.

Strengths:
Physical - Despite being the smallest and youngest of the group, Heisuke is perfectly capable of holding his own. Because of his diminutive size as compared to the others, he’s used to going up against bigger guys who may have difficulty facing a smaller opponent. At a glance, it’s easy to forget that he’s as skilled as he is because he has a slightly more “effeminate” and child-like appearance with almost dainty limbs, large eyes, and a butt-length ponytail, which makes people more likely to underestimate his ability. What he lacks in mass, he makes up for in speed and skill, but strip him of his clothes and there's a good bit more muscle there than what one would expect.

Mental/Emotional - He’s actually quite loyal to those close to him –namely the Shinsengumi- and through them, is able to find the strength to keep going when things get bad. He stuck it out with the Shinsengumi when they were looked at with contempt and distrust, working hard to try and help them overcome that image. Add Chizuru to the mix, and he's got everything he needs to keep him going, be it friendship, one-sided affection, or something more.

He’s not as much of an idiot as his actions and age may have one believe. Though he doubts himself sometimes, does things without thinking them through, and tends to come across as more of a child than the others, he’s perfectly capable of behaving like the adult he actually is, and though he does tend to question things a lot, it’s because he doesn’t understand and he’s not afraid to make that known… and rather loudly at that.

Weaknesses: Physical - While his size is a strength, it’s also a weakness. Against an opponent of equal skill, speed, size, and strength dictate the outcome, and in those last two areas, Heisuke sits near the bottom of the pack. Add to it enough hair that someone could probably strangle him with or grab to keep him from being able to move easily, and even his own appearance becomes something of a trouble spot. Given the fact that he's canonically lost a sparring match to both Hijikata and Shinpachi, though he did hold his own for a while before losing, it's safe to say that a large opponent who doesn't make the mistake of underestimating him could take him.

Superhuman regeneration is another major weakness. While he can heal from pretty much any wound that doesn't go through the heart or take his head off, injuries caused by pure silver do not regenerate and will heal at a normal speed. As seen later in his route, rasetsu can heal around things, so if he's impaled, he can heal around the object, trapping it within his body. The reason it's a weakness is that this healing ability uses up his natural lifespan to work by speeding up the body's natural healing process, thus shortening his life every time he uses it...and he's been shot left and right, not to mention any other wounds acquired while part of the Shinsengumi.

Mental/Emotional - Total hothead. Heisuke has this annoying tendency to rush in first and ask questions later, which is technically what gets him killed further down the road. Even in terms of daily life, he does it, and the scolding he gets for it it deserved.

Though he's able to kill an opponent and not have a mental breakdown over it, he’s very much afraid of dying himself. This isn’t really mentioned until much later, but as he showed hesitation and got thrown around a bit in his first real fights, it’s safe to say it still applies.

The other major weakness that Heisuke has is his ability to second-guess himself at every turn. From failing what would have been his first kill due to hesitation to his "did I do the right thing" over going with Itou, he's proven to be rather good at this.

Heisuke's a swordsman and the youngest Shinsengumi Captain, a position which doesn't happen if you suck or are average, so this speaks well of his skill with a blade. He's from the school of Hokkushin Itto-ryu, a "one sword style" which was one of the more popular schools during the Tokugawa regime, was at the top of the class, and was close to achieving (or did but I don't know if it's ever actually stated since Reimeiroku wasn't translated beyond the anime) the status of Menkyo Kaiden, which means he'd be essentially licensed to teach. His smaller stature gives him less of a strength advantage as he has no bulk to back his blade, but his size also means he's lighter on his feet which gives him better maneuverability and speed. In canon, during the battle at Aburano Koji, Chizuru's monologue outright states that even though he's talking to her, he's batting away others' attacks like they're nothing, and even though there's a bit of distance between himself and Chizuru at the time, he manages to not only throw two swords in a straight line and hit his targets, he does so with deadly precision. He may act rashly and get in over his head at times, but against human opponents/opponents with no superhuman abilities, he's able to hold his own and then some.

By this point, he's taken the ochimizu which makes him a rasetsu, which is canonically something of a "defective fake demon" and bears a resemblance to some sort of pseudo-vampirism. The most distinct change that occurs is that his hair turns from brown to a snowy white and his eyes from blue-green to red when his rasetsu abilities are in use.

The abilities granted by the ochimizu are: superhuman strength, speed, and agility, as well as regenerative abilities. They also have several drawbacks (hence the "defective" part:

• Rasetsu are weakened -though not killed- by sunlight, and being outside during the daylight hours can be physically exhausting. There's a point in game where Chizuru finds him outside looking at a sunset, and she asks how he is. His response is, in so many words, that he feels tired, physically pained, and nauseous. He also states that where other people would see a beautiful sunset, all he sees is blood: the blood red of the sky, the blood red of the sun as it dips below the horizon... everything is blood and it makes him sick.


• The regenerative properties can't heal wounds caused by pure silver, and being impaled through the heart or being beheaded is still very fatal.


• He suffers from what they've termed "bloodlust" -the overwhelming desire to drink blood. This can happen at random, or it can be triggered by the sight/smell/taste, and unless sated, leaves him in utter agony until he either drinks or the need passes. As much as he'd prefer otherwise, all rasetsu NEED to drink blood and to go without it can cause intense physical pain. It never fully goes away either, just fades out after consumption only to return at a later time, much like human hunger and thirst. There is a medication that can negate the effects, but it loses its effectiveness over time.


• A rasetsu's powers are tied to their lifespan in that the longer and more often they use them, the more time they shear off of their natural lives. That regeneration it isn't so much regeneration as it is accelerating the body's natural healing ability, and cells don't live indefinitely. When one's lifespan is consumed, the body literally crumbles to dust.

CANONPOINT: Canon Point
AGE: 23
HEIGHT: 160 cm (about 5'2")
BUILD: Wiry
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Blue/green
APPEARANCE: Link
OCCUPATION: Shinsengumi captain/rasetsu

BACKTAGGING: Yes
4TH-WALLING: Yes
THREADJACKING: Yes
MIND READING: Yes
FIGHTING: Yes
ROMANCE: Yes
INJURY: Yes
KILLING: No

LIMITS/IN-DEPTH: Link