Nekomiya Kurogi -Regaled Rotund Ronin

Name: Kurogi Nekomiya (Given name Kurogi, family name Nekomiya)

Age: Late 30’s

Species: Anthro Black Cat

Physical Appearance: Nekomiya is an anthropomorphic black cat with a distinctly rotund build. He stands at a slightly below-average height, and his muscles are concealed by a significant amount of fat, especially around his midsection, which greatly hampers his previously expert-level agility. His body is covered in a layer of smooth jet-black fur with white markings above his eyes serving as eyebrows. His paws have paw pads underneath them, muffling the sound of his footsteps. The sheer weight of his frame might make some types of wooden floor creak regardless. He's usually dressed in a black ninja uniform and a matching mask obscuring his facial features with only his sharp yellow eyes shining through in the darkness where he operates. Hidden underneath the mask is a round face with plump cheeks, a double chin, and a serious expression contrasting his somewhat comical appearance. His tools include a katana, throwing stars, a blowgun, and a small, short sword known as a wakizashi.

Personality: Kurogi Nekomiya is a man dedicated and desperate to regain his former glory. He used to be a proud, capable, and respected shinobi, known far and wide as the Shadowpaw, a specter of a man that you'd never even know was present before he was gone. Nowadays, he's a bit harder to miss, his bulk difficult to conceal and his weight thumping against the floor with even the softest of steps. He's been reduced to a joke, a wobbly, panting caricature of the fearsome ninja he used to be. His knowledge and training remain, but his fat and clumsy body render his skills practically unusable. Despite these challenges, Nekomiya retains his dedication to his craft as well as his tenacity, spending every waking moment either trying to make his new flabby form work more efficiently or searching for a way to turn his misfortune around. He's a very serious and focused individual and rather dislikes people goofing off at most times. There is ALWAYS work to be done. Even when his weakened and heavy body gives out on him, demanding rest and fuel, he only reluctantly gives in.

His sudden transformation from legendary mercenary to doughy has-been was no fault of his own, however. Even a few years back, Nekomiya was once a renowned ronin, a masterless shinobi traveling the lands, lending his services to the highest bidder. He was bound by a strict code of honor, refusing jobs that involved the killing of innocents or sabotaging their livelihoods. Whatever jobs he did take, he executed flawlessly, and with an effortless grace that made the legend of the Shadowpaw spread far and wide. Just a bit too wide. The emperor of a rivaling kingdom, afraid that one day, Nekomiya the Shadowpaw might come for him, enlisted a cabal of sorcerers to neutralize the ronin before that would come to pass.

One morning as Nekomiya awoke from his sleep, he immediately felt something was wrong. His body felt... Heavy. When he looked down, he realized to his horror just what had happened: Someone very powerful had placed a curse on him, made him a ball of blubber practically unrecognizable to the man he'd been the day before. With this new, much heavier, slower, and doughier body, everything has become more difficult. Fighting, traveling, sneaking. Hell, even finding clothes that fit is a battle in itself. And that's not to mention the hunger. A side effect of the curse that fattened him up is a greatly heightened appetite. Nekomiya is constantly hungry, and it takes all his years of mental training to resist gorging himself on huge feasts whenever possible. The curse makes it incredibly easy to gain weight, and equally difficult to lose it. He understands that if he should stand even the smallest chance of keeping the curse (and his weight) at bay, he needs to stay focused, keep fighting, and be careful what he eats. His ultimate goal, of course, is finding a way to undo the curse.

Quirks: Despite his need to stay disciplined around food due to the nature of his curse, he is almost helpless around sashimi and sushi. His body (specifically his belly) simply craves it. Lambasts himself deeply when his weight gets in the way of him performing a certain task. Does his best to avoid being seen without his ninja uniform, he considers his curse-made, flabby appearance far too disgraceful to be tied to the Nekomiya name.