Izana Kunagiri
Backstory
Izana grew up in a small village on the outskirts of Rubrum with his younger brother Machina and childhood friend Rem Tokimiya. Since he was the eldest of the three he always felt responsible for the both of them and constantly looked after them while they grew up. The adults worked constantly during the day and often tasked Izana with looking after the younger two. This instilled a strong sense of responsibility and a desire to always protect those close to him.
Chocobos are his favourite animals, but he enjoys animals of all kinds. He always seems to know what they’re feeling and can communicate with them better than most humans. His chocobo Chichiri was given to him as a birthday present from his parents shortly before their village was invaded by Milite forces. Machina was the one who named Chichiri. The chocobo is the only physical memory of his childhood before the village was destroyed.
After the invasion the Kunagiri brothers were forcibly separated from Rem. Izana sought ways to become stronger so he could look after his brother and eventually reunite with Rem, so he decided to enlist in the Suzaku military while Machina attended the peristylium. When Machina was promoted to Class Zero, both brothers were overjoyed to learn that Rem was in the peristylium too. They were happily reunited and tried their best to spend as much time together as possible.
Personality
Izana is softspoken and a little on the timid side, but once he gets into the groove of things he can be insightful and charismatic. Like his brother he can be very stubborn, though Izana does bring himself to admit that pride does get in the way. He is prone to blushing - a habit that’s haunted him since childhood. Since he has been weighed with responsibility since childhood Izana is pretty serious in nature, but he shows a soft side when he’s around people he’s comfortable with.
He joined the military so he could fight for his brother’s future. He is a nameless grunt in the military while his younger brother is an elite student candidate - a stark contrast that has put somewhat of a rift between them. Izana is proud of his brother and what he has accomplished but a small part of him is envious of his success. Their different ranks have given them different outlooks and it often causes them to clash. What Izana really wants out of Machina, however, is for his brother to be proud of him too (though he will never admit that directly).
He is willing to do anything for his loved ones and is often blinded by it. He often gets into fights with his friends and family over his willingness to protect them. Oftentimes they think he’s being overprotective, while he feels it’s his rightful responsibility to do anything he can to ensure their safety.
Role in the War
He was sent on his first front line assignment when he was only eighteen. Young and newly enlisted, Izana hid his fear of conflict underneath a brash recklessness; all he wanted to do was get out there and ‘kill the bad guys’, as was trained and instructed to do. His first encounter with a Milite soldier was what changed him drastically. His pride caused him to be careless, and as a result he received a long scar down the side of the left half of his face. Izana ended up winning the fight, however, ensuring his first kill. When he checked the memory tag of the fallen soldier he was horrified to find that he was only seventeen years old. This haunted Izana for a very long time and he often went days without sleeping. He keeps the soldier’s memory tag as a reminder of what he did.
Joining the military and being exposed to the harshness of war changed Izana dramatically. He became more realistic in terms of his outlook towards the world and society, if not a little condescending and pessimistic. He often questions the motives of his superiors, though he hardly voices his concerns because he thinks no one will listen to him.
Izana isn’t the best fighter but he’s far from incompetent. Ever since his first encounter with war he has a bad habit of letting his emotions get the best of him, which makes it easy for his enemies to disarm or take advantage of him.
When not on duty he’s often seen in the chocobo stables doing handiwork. Izana feels at ease there because the manual labour helps distract him from his troubled thoughts on the war. Because of this, he has earned the nickname ‘Chocoboy’.
Relations
Izana and Machina are very close and share a typical sibling relationship: they get along for the most part but they will bicker every now and then. Lately their different roles at the peristylium have driven a wedge in between them. Both brothers are too stubborn to admit when they are wrong so they often leave their arguments unfinished. As previously mentioned Izana is proud of his brother and only wants Machina to be proud of him too.
Izana sees Rem as a younger sister. When they were growing up in their village they would often play in the forest near their homes, and Rem would sometimes get lost. Izana gave her a bell and told her to shake it every time she felt lost, so he will be able to come and find her. He was disheartened when they were forced to separate after their village was burnt down, but was happy when he found out Rem was at the peristylium too. Izana also knows about Rem’s illness and promised her he would keep it a secret from Machina.
Despite being a lowly military grunt many students in the peristylium are familiar with Izana. They recognize him as ‘Chocoboy’ and the older brother of Machina. He gained more notoriety when he began a relationship with cadet instructor Emina Hanaharu. Though they were complete opposites in terms of personality they managed to have good chemistry. It’s because of this relationship that Izana is familiar with Kazusa Futahito and Kurasame Susaya. The relationship lasted for about two years before they ultimately decided to stay friends, but they regularly keep in touch with each other.
Izana met Seven a year after his relationship with Emina and was attracted to her almost immediately. It wasn’t long until they pursued a relationship. At first he found it strange to be dating one of his brother’s classmates but he eventually got used to the feeling. He can be a little overprotective of her, and it sometimes gets on her nerves.
Notes
