Meet The Cast

A Skybound Freerunner of Japanese descent, Akio dropped out of secondary school in order to chase down wealth--only to find that it was a much longer journey than he anticipated. After getting caught up with a group of FreeRunners (Parkour) outside of school, he felt that he had found something he would be good at.

Leaping off of floating islands onto corporate skyships, dashing across the mighty blimps of the sky, soaring through the air from one APH (Air Propelled Hovercraft)  to the next, Akio seemed perfect for the job. But, he got in too deep, and the new found group of friends were not so friendly.
 

After encountering the River and learning to GhostWalk, Akio easily assumed the role of River Guide.
 

Though not the strongest, Akio’s speed makes him quite defensive.
 

Moreover, with just a little bit of strength, Akio can wear out multiple opponents in a single run. Any time he fatigues another hero, he himself remains unfatigued.

A descendant of ancient samurai, she has synthesized her ancestral roots with a post-modern sense for fashion.
 

Though not just another fashion designer working for Asiacorp, Ayumi is also a River Guide, leading others to the River and teaching them how to do what she does.
 

Ayumi, skillful in knowing when to attack and when to defend, certainly prefers sitting back and holding her own.
 

Ayumi also happens to be quite resourceful.

A man who pursues intellect over finances, Boulos is an educator, of Lebanese descent, who looks to better the world around him. In a time where public education is no longer required, he serves those who truly desire to learn and to grow.
 

The government has never regarded him as anything, so long as he teaches to a publicly acceptable understanding of knowledge. In a time where entertainment and wealth are all that matter, Boulos is merely seen as unnecessary.
 

It is not until he encounters the River that he sees government censorship for what it truly is.

Don’t be fooled by his academic visage. Boulos uses his intellect to deal hefty damage, and he does so quickly.
 

Ignore him for too long, and you will find it quite difficult to outsmart his defensive endgame as well.

Your average everyday explorer, Christoph hates adventure but can't seem to avoid it. He roams the world, enjoying the sites and attempting to sidestep conflict. By sky, by sea, by land, Christoph travels.

 

As a freelance graphic designer, it doesn’t really matter where Christoph goes, he affords it. Granted, he doesn’t really travel in luxury, by any stretch of the imagination. It’s ok though; he’s in it for the light-hearted journey anyway.

 

Unfortunately, light-hearted journeys often turn into life-threatening situations when his desire to travel outweighs his personal reservations about any number of unique encounters.

 

Regardless, he always seems to adjust to the world around. Having taken his licks, he is always en garde.

 

In the end, Christoph knows no home.

Not really a fighter, Christoph chooses to ready himself in case trouble should come his way.

 

That said, he always has a way of making sure that if he’s going down that he’s not the only one.

Raised in a small village, Eng excelled in education and stepped into a career in mechatronic engineering as an adult.
 

Urban life has proven frustratingly busy and fast-paced, but the floating city of New Shanghai is where Eng, an unassuming man, has found the perfect hi-tech company to work for. Eng thoroughly enjoys working with his hands, so the job is ideal for him, but when he isn’t working, Eng strives for a sense of peace and is full of deep self-reflection and seeking.

It is not until he encounters the River that he realizes just how peaceful life can truly be even in the midst of all the crazy of life.
 

In striving for peace, Eng maintains a truly defensive posture and only fights when he needs to.
 

He really shines at the end of a battle with his unique ability to bring an ally back to full health.

The owner and sole operator of a successful B2B company. He sells what people ask him to sell. A middle man in the fullest sense of the word, and he is good at it. Operating among the floating cities of the world, considering that it is where the wealth is, Gambito travels--a lot.

It helps that he also happens to be big, and when people don’t cooperate, well...they cooperate.
 

Gambito has never really been one to consider the deep things in life; he never saw the numbers in it. However, an encounter with the River has left him quite shaken, and tangibles have felt meaningless ever since.
 

Gambito, ever trying to find his way, may have stumbled across the path he didn’t know he was looking for. But, there is no bargaining to be done here.
 

Gambito is an equal payout combatant--decent defense, slightly better offense.
 

His most unique talent is that he works to level the playing field by undermining everyone in a raw deal--or rather, everyone who is unprepared. Any time an attack occurs, everyone loses out except for those with nothing to lose.

The Maker of SkyBases
 

Grit does more than simply craft the illustrious orbs that represent SkyBases in the Arena; he is also skilled in the construction and repair of anything hydro-cybernetic. That’s right, according to the story, the heroes are not destroying the ships themselves. Rather, on board each ship is a beautifully crafted orb that brings pain and yearning to the attacker. Heroes must die to themselves hundreds of times over in order to advance in their personal training, and the Arena allows this to occur in a truly unique way…
 

As for that bit about hydro-cybernetics, Isaac’s arm is no ordinary prosthetic...
 

Not much is to be known about Grit at this point in time; his past is a mystery to many. Though, he is rumored to be of an ancient Germanic descent. His age may range anywhere from 100 to 10,000 years old; it’s anyone’s guess.

He doesn’t live in Tempo like many of the younger heroes--one bad run-in with the Perception Enhancement Redux (P.E.R.) will drive any man away for centuries.
 

Grit is defense heavy and doesn’t really care much for going on the offense.
 

That said, he sure packs a punch when he's fighting on behalf of downed allies.

A wanderer from the wasteland once known as Sweden, Hindra struggles to connect with others, and as an athlete from a young age, she has always been quite adventurous. She is not like many of her peers, and due to her deep yearning for independence, she has often been shunned by people who reside in tight-knit communities.
 

After encountering the River, a new drive has arisen in Hindra causing her to become deeply passionate about walking with the hurting and downtrodden, and out of this, her independence has become secondary to her need to love others.
 

Having proven she was right for the role, she just also happens to have recently been made a Ghostwalk Instructor--equipping others to teach Ghostwalking more effectively. No, it’s not a one time experience. No, it’s not even a really cool ability. It’s a way of life.
 

Hindra is definitely not one to back down from a fight. Despite her low defensive capability, one definitely does not want to be on the receiving end of her attacks.
 

To make matters worse, Hindra can seriously stifle her opponent’s attempts to learn new abilities in the heat of battle.

Raised from humble beginnings, a fire drives Ignacia's very state of being. After working her way up the chain of command in the army for the Central World System of South America, she further prevailed as an effective mercenary as well.
 

She studies hard and maintains a high level of respect from all those who have known her. Unassuming and highly adaptable, Ignacia has been through the crucible and has come out unscathed. A woman made of pure iron remains pure iron--always strong and ever sharpening.
 

Having left Tempo to serve full-time as the Captain of a SkyBase in the River, Ignacia helps all those under her guidance navigate their hard choices and walks through the ups and downs of life with them. She maintains a ferocity about her that makes her an effective leader but sometimes a bit stubborn.
 

Ignacia maintains a solid defense, and though less offensively inclined initially, time may allow her to become quite dangerous.
 

Never the quitter, Ignacia threatens her opponents’ even when she appears fatigued.

One day as a young man, he was simply doing his state mandated duty as a tax-collecting Market Man. Lower Rochester was supposed to be the "peaceful district," and yet he was still framed for someone else’s murder.
 

A complex life is a nice way to describe the reality that Isaac has faced over the years.

For instance, when it comes to having had one’s life stolen and replaced by an imitator, well--let’s just say, he has a nimbo-cybernetic for a reason.
 

Now as a Realineer, Isaac brings life into every strand of culture with which he interacts, no easy task.
 

With a balanced fighting style, he should not be left alone.
 

Isaac has a tendency to recover things that could very well change the course of history.

Raised in a small Japanese fishing village, where everyone played video games growing up, Izumi and her friends isolated themselves, avoiding games altogether. That is until they graduated and had to figure out what to do with their lives. With her friends joining the semi-pro gaming circuit (and eventually pro) after secondary school, Izumi now works a ticket stand for the Takahashi Super Arena, just to stay close to her friends.
 

Naturally, Izumi has become disillusioned with everyday life. As the tag-a-long friend who stands to the side watching her friends in photo ops, sometimes getting her shoulder in the picture, she questions the entire system. To survive in this world, one has to either make it big in entertainment, athletics, or politics, while people like her dad, a local small-time fishermen, suffer (at least in her eyes).
 

Frustrated with the world around her, and not one to outright attack others, Izumi gets incredibly defensive to be sure.
 

But, she doesn’t just defend herself; Izumi displays an unheard of loyalty that can benefit her friends at just the right time as she boosts her allies’ defense in the thick of battle.

Working in the fields of New America by day, Kay also moonlights in online retail by night. She works by starlight in her 1 bedroom rental in the floating city of Upper Charlotte, continually making progress despite her spotty internet connection.
 

Kay is a woman of limited success, and she hopes to secure more financial freedom for her and her 2 kids. She is tired of sleeping on the couch. The cost of her apartment is high, but a cost must be paid to live among those who finance her livelihood.
 

Kay is a woman of balance--balanced budget, balanced schedule, balanced fighting style.

One thing worth noting about Kay is that she always seems to play her cards at just the right time.

Kyauta is the very first character I fleshed out. This is partly because she is one of the first characters that Culpeo chose to bring to life. I also fell in love with this character as a major part of what HERO was to become. Figure out what this means, “Yare daye basai isa ba.”

 

She is of Hausan descent. Born in Nigeria, Kyauta was trained in the ancient art of Dambe for survival purposes as a child. Her grandfather thought it would be helpful for the sake of self-defense.
 

As her world crashed down around her, death always seemed one step away. Now, she fights for more than just herself...
 

An encounter with the River brought a new gift and a new life.
 

She is what we call a Wanderer.
 

She spends most of her time lending her service to various skyships in return for free travel—but her journey is toward a personal goal…
 

With a fierce attack power, her offense is her only defense.
 

She also happens to be great at calling in reinforcements when it counts.

Mace is the son of high ranking, and quite wealthy, gladiators from Upper Rochester. Unlike heroes, Gladiators fight to the death for the pleasure of the financial elite, and yet, they themselves are among the elite. Gladiatorial combat is a chosen profession.
 

Mace rejected the lifestyle due to the risk--always in fear, as a child, that his parents might not survive the next day. He occasionally gets the urge to fight, but he suppresses the desire in favor of a solitary lifestyle as an accountant.

Since his encounter with the River, he has wrestled between his mental rejection of violence and doing what he was made for.

Mace is good at what he does. He is truly not a fighter in his own mind but instead stands tall and doesn’t fall easily.
 

However, his leadership can spur anyone to put out an intense amount of effort in the thick of battle.
 

With a massive defensive stance, this makes him the pillar of any team. Despite having no initial attack power, be careful of his long game.

More importantly, watch out for his ability to bolster the attack power of his friends.

Raised in London, Michael grew up knowing he was different than others. His father, was an avid lover of dart racing, and Michael grew obsessed with the event--people flying in darts (personalized one-man APHs) at breakneck speeds through sky cities in mostly sanctioned races.
 

As a teen, he was not allowed to tryout for the local dart circuit, and he became consumed with frustration. In turn, he built his own dart, and after proving his dedication to the sport was eventually allowed to join. His anger did not cease to exist though. In fact, it was what drove him. He relied on it to thrive in the dart races.
 

While struggling tremendously for most of his life, an encounter with the River gave him eyes to see. He now races not from a place of anger--but instead from a place of rest.
 

Michael’s drive has established a passion for winning and excellence that motivates him to always hit hard and hit fast. Though not much defense (he didn’t build a tank), the sheer force of dart collision will catch anyone off guard.

It helps that he is often able to one up his opponents through sheer determination, providing access to more resources for his team.

A gentle, kind spirit, Origin carries herself like a mother but has the business savvy needed to navigate the murkiest waters of the business world in the bustling sky city of Upper Rochester. She is a regular Renaissance woman.
 

Beyond this, her background story is otherwise unknown to those who have ever made contact with her.
 

Don’t let her size fool you. Origin is fierce on offense.
 

While she may not be very defensive by nature, she doesn’t fall very easily, as her reflexes tend to kick in at just the right moment.

Like a pirate with a knack for flair or a madman looking to take a person down the rabbit hole, Rohan is a man of show.
 

A former paralegal from India, Rohan now serves in the role of Speaker. Far removed from what might be considered the “norm,” Rohan changes the lives of everyone he meets.

His words carry weight.
 

He lives to breathe life into others and looks to be ruinous to all of that which is considered to be death.
 

With a forceful presence on the battlefield, it would be unwise to take Rohan lightly.
 

Moreover, Rohan’s mighty rhetoric has been known to call allies to his side in the most precarious situations.

Close to being named partner in one of the most renowned law firms in Tempo, despite the most recent spread of prejudice against female lawyers in her community, Yasmine is no small-timer. She makes the 1.5 hour daily commute to one of the few remaining land-based metropolises--that of London, England.

Yasmine is not one to be taken advantage of.

While the local villagers where she lives have scoffed at her quite a bit, since her encounter with the River, she has slowly been winning them over as she fights on their behalf in the court of law--and is doing so successfully. She has stood up for the rights of the disenfranchised rural folk, and she is certainly not flying under the radar.
 

Her skill with words stems from her gifting as a Speaker--breathing life into anyone and everyone around her.
 

She is absolutely more attack-minded.

What makes Yasmine stand out the most is her knack for making unexpected plays for power immediately following the heat of battle.

Of Chinese descent, Zhao owns a market in Lower Singapore because to live in Cloud City is financially untenable for the people whom she desires to connect with.
 

With Australia entirely inaccessible due to the ancient geiger counters which still read 5,000,000 μSv (despite the many decades that have passed), many people fled the city-state of Singapore years ago for fear of fallout from the RDS-88000 hydrogen bomb which obliterated the entirety of Australia in one fell swoop.

However, there are a handful of people who have returned to Lower Singapore (despite government warnings), determined to create new lives for themselves, to help those who were monetarily incapable of leaving, and to bring Lower Singapore back from the rubble.

Zhao is a Realineer, shifting cultures and hammering through incredibly difficult situations.
 

Though fully capable of living in Cloud City, from a financial perspective, she chooses her appearance and dwelling carefully so as not to alienate those whom she cares for.

Due to her intense compassion, Zhao is a fighter--and does not back down very easily.

With a mild defense, incredible force can be found in her off-beat fighting style--as she supports her allies attacks in the thick of battle. The more the merrier.

Moreover, when Zhao leaves the field, she can bring backup as needed.

A serial entrepreneur, who began at a young age, Zoe starts a business, trains up leaders (mentoring them along the way) and begins the process again. Rinse and repeat. She is not one to stock money away into savings; for Zoe, cashflow is the name of the game. All profits go directly into starting new businesses and providing employment for others.
 

Fond of interacting with locals, Zoe also works in a part-time day job for a meager hourly paycheck--for fun. She works in a local store front in Plaka--a small section of what used to be Athens, Greece. Plaka is one of the few remaining locations in Tempo that went untouched by the Little Nuke War or the Cataclysm.
 

Zoe also serves as a Vanguard, clearing the Alleys for the River-Guides, creating a path for them in their line of work.
 

Maintaining an equal sense of offensive and defensive initiative, but unafraid to push when needed, Zoe can catch a person off-guard if played right.
 

It helps that Zoe brings a great measure of healing to the field.