Budo

Powers:

(none)

Equipment:

Armor (s): Kyle wears a suit of medieval samurai armor while he's in action with the Joes; it's not the most efficient protection, but it gets the job done. This ornate armor gives him his Strength +2 protection from physical attack, from head to toe.

Sai (s): a supplement to his primary weapons, Kyle also carries a Sai with him on missions. He may use his Manji design sai to inflict his Strength +2 damage in melee, mainly as a piercing attack, though it is mostly useful for blocking swords or other edged weapons.

Swords (s): Kyle always carries two blades with him into battle: his katana and his wakizashi. With either of these blades, he may inflict his Strength +4 damage, and can often do so very rapidly when circumstances demand it (thanks to his mastery of Iaido).

Hindrances:

(none)

Skills:

Boxing (s): one facet of Kyle's melee combat training comes in his ability to strike rapidly - even without his swords. When attempting unarmed melee attacks, he may divide his pre-cardplay action score between two attacks, the last of which occurs as a contingent action.

Languages / English and Japanese (i): in order to uphold the family legacy, Kyle has learned how to use Japanese as fluently as he does English. He can read, write and speak both languages, which comes in handy now that he seems to have made Tokyo his home.

Marksmanship (a): though he does not use them with the Joes, Kyle has nonetheless been trained in the use of most firearms. He can wield a standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol at one difficulty level lower than is normally required.

Martial Arts (a): in addition to his prowess in Iaido, Kyle can fight unarmed quite well. He may use his Strength or Agility to resolve such attacks, and may reduce the difficulty on actions to lower falling damage, dodge attacks or catch thrown objects.

Military / United States (w): though not the source of most of his skills, the U.S. Army has been good to Kyle; it gives him a reliable paycheck after all. Thanks to his time in the Army, Kyle knows the S.O.P. like the back of his hand, and can easily function in a military unit.

Repair (a): in addition to his considerable fighting skills, Kyle has learned through trial and error how to fix mechanical things - mainly his Harley but not exclusively. Whenever he's trying to fix something mechanical, Kyle may attempt to do so at a reduced difficulty.

Swords (s): a fifth-level black belt in Iaido, Kyle is naturally extremely adept in the use of swords. Whether wielding a katana or a wakizashi, Kyle may be considered a master level swordsman, and can resolve sword attacks with either his Strength or Agility.

Calling:

Exemplar, with a secondary calling of Mentor: Kyle strives to live up to the legacy that has been handed down to him, that of the samurai. He tries to live by that code as best as he can, and encourages others under his charge to aspire to a higher level of conduct.

Costume:

Kyle's second Gi Joe uniform is a suit of samurai armor! It includes black trousers and a gray shirt beneath blue and orange armored segments on his chest, upper arms, wrists, and knees, black leather boots, a red belt that holds one of his sword sheaths, and a distinctive samurai helmet.

Personality:

Kyle likes it loud. He's a heavy metal fan and tinkers with his motorcycle as a hobby. While he has a deep respect for his family's history and its ancient traditions, he doesn't let them rule his life, and pursues his own interests while paying his dues to his legacy.

Real Name: Kyle A. Jesso, Grade E-5
Occupation: infantryman, hand to hand combat instructor
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: Gi Joe

Height: 5' 9"
Hair: black
Eyes: brown
Weight: 165 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none.

Story:

Kyle has always been his own man. Despite being told repeatedly that he has a duty to uphold the traditions of his great-great-grandfather, a fencing master in one of the last samurai warrior families in Japan, he has pursued his own interests and hobbies with great effort.

Not that he's discarded his family history and legacy, oh no; he's just intent on doing things his way. The man is an ardent metal-head, and is always tinkering with his chopped, pan-head Harley. This may be why the man is 'only' a fifth level black belt in Iaido.

One could say he is a master of that art, and he holds black belts in three other fighting forms as well. Like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather before him, he lives by the code of the samurai, but he has not made being a samurai the be-all and end-all of his existence.

No, Kyle has instead joined the Army. He has served with distinction, both as an infantryman and as a hand to hand combat trainer - he can fight unarmed as well as with the blade. This got him noticed by the Gi Joe team, who eventually recruited Kyle into their ranks.

Of course, Kyle had to prove he had what it takes to be a Joe first. This involved a grueling entrance exam that only he, Lightfoot and Repeater managed to last through (out of a class of about twenty five would-be Joes). Though they made it, Kyle and his new teammates weren't done yet.

No, the 'final test' of a brand new Joe is to drop him into a live, actual mission to see how he fares. With their handler, Grand Slam, Kyle and company managed to rout a raid of the Piccatinny weapons arsenal by Cobra forces - who turned out to actually be Iron Grenadiers.

Successful in this, Kyle and his new cohorts were welcomed onto the Gi Joe team, where they had more than their fair share of bizarre encounters with the likes of Cobra and other costumed terrorists active world-wide. They had these, of course, until the Gi Joe team was shut down.

Moving on when the Joes disbanded for a time, Kyle made his way to Japan, where he worked as a bounty hunter with Jinx, with whom he'd begun a serious relationship. Despite a few bumps in the road along the way, these two have managed to remain a couple to this very day.

Even when Cobra's goons have caused them considerable stress, and almost managed to take over Japan on one occasion. Luckily the threat that those terrorists pose seems to have been defused, leaving Kyle to his work against the criminal elements in his second home.

Extra Goodies:

Gi Joe directories featuring a version of Budo: