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[yuureiressha]

OOC INFORMATION
Name: Lambie
Contact: quietdragon + charcoalfeathers
Other Characters: N/A

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Subway Master Nobori
Age: approximately late twenties or early thirties, popularly believed to be 27.
Canon: Pokemon (Pocket Monsters: Best Wishes! anime series specifically)
Canon Point: post-Satoshi, Dent VS Subway Masters!
Character Information:

Personality:
At first glance, Nobori is an imposing figure at 6'3 (190 CM), with a commanding, deep voice and an appearance that gives the impression of someone a lot older (thanks to his naturally grey hair); overall, he can be said to be a strait-laced, reserved, excessively formal and polite man dedicated to his duties to the point of eccentricity, dramatic in speech and posturing, and talks about trains so much it simply can't be healthy. But he also quickly proves himself to be much kinder, more awkwardly distant than coldly apathetic, and not so stoic as he might initially seem.

Nobori is the older, more reserved of the identical twin Subway Masters running the Raimon City Underground (otherwise known as the Battle Subway for it doubling as a unique battle facility). They dress in matching uniforms, Nobori's black and Kudari's white, and share an eccentric tendency to be flashy and dramatic, while simultaneously taking their jobs very seriously. Sometimes, they even walk, talk, and point in sync. Although the two brothers are very similar, they also have their marked differences: Nobori is exceptionally polite and formal, bordering on archaic, in both his speech and mannerisms, maintaining a controlled and disciplined air (minus one or two short-lived outbursts of anger), using the old-fashioned and overblown "watakushi" to refer to himself and frequently addressing others with the "-sama" suffix attached to their names, always using "-masu" form, and very frequently attaching "o" and "go" prefixes to words to convey respect (to convey this in English, I try to have him use polite forms of address --Sir/Madame-- and maintain a formal and dignified if occasionally verbose and overblown manner of speaking). Kudari, conversely, uses very informal and childish language and is casual to the point of sounding rather rude. Sometimes, he is rude on purpose, but either way, polite Nobori takes it upon himself to reel his brother in when he says something rude.

The safety of the subway is their top concern; even their own seems to run second. The Subway Masters' desire to protect the safety of the underground subway is said to be as strong as Satoshi (Ash)'s desire to save his Pokemon... and considering it's frequently shown how powerful the bond between trainer and Pokemon is, that is incredibly strong. Also, their obsession with the subway might border on sociopathic, as Nobori feels the need to draw a comparison between how important the Pokemon are to their trainers... and how important the subway is to them for them for his brother to understand just how much these trainers care about their Pokemon, even if the children have clearly expressed how distraught and worried they were the whole time, so that's... more than a bit worrying; but yes, very single-minded, unaware of others' feelings and while Nobori tries to be more considerate than his brother, there is still quite a bit of distance preventing a deeper understanding of other people's feelings. He has only a very superficial, detached understanding of other people, preferring to keep only the company of his brother. Their primary interest in trains and battles. And even then, Nobori has no interest in weak challengers. He's well aware of his strength and hard-earned reputation and takes pride in it, but only accepts challengers who prove themselves in one way or another, either by completing a task (a stamp rally) or by defeating other lower-rung opponents first (Gear Station in the games, only briefly touched on in the anime).

The Subway Masters patrol the subway with lanterns and race along either side of the tracks should they spot anything suspicious, an impressive feat that necessitates familiarity and repetition, while also being incredibly dangerous as the subway utilizes a third-rail electrification system, so the electric conductors are literally just a few steps away from the outer tracks that the two choose to run on-- one wrong step and they complete the circuit! And they do so with wide smiles and certainly don't sacrifice any of their dramatic flair for it. It's pointlessly dangerous, but they seem to enjoy the thrill of it, both the chase and arguably their dangerous search method as well. "Thrill-seeking" might as well explain the frankly bizarre idea of train cars specially designed to function as battle venues.
There is literally no reason given for this dangerous method of investigation, while up against criminals at that, so all we can surmise from this and the rest of their behaviour is that making an impressive and dramatic impression while doing their jobs is first priority, personal safety is a distant second or maybe third. Nobori also saw fit to transport a group of young trainers insistent on assisting them onto the top of a moving train car, so...

Preservation instinct, what preservation instinct?

Raimon City is based on New York City, while the Raimon City Subway is largely based on Tokyo's, the Subway Masters practice the more distinctly Japanese train conductor habit of pointing and calling, as well as saluting trains until they slip out of vision. Pointing-and-calling is a precautionary measure which involves pointing while verbally stating what action you're about to take, meant to lessen the chances of errors caused by lack of awareness. Because it requires the coordination of hand, mind, and voice, it lessens the chances that the conductor/driver might make a mistake or oversight and will also increase chances that others will hear/see him and understand what is about to happen. The oddity in this is that Nobori and Kudari practice it even outside of work, frequently making wide, sweeping gestures, pointing, and loudly stating what they are about to do. ... we're not really questioning why they don't seem to interact much with other human beings or understand them that well, are we? They're incredibly awkward, eccentric people.

To an extent, they sanctify their railroads (Nobori literally describes the underground as sacred also, he is a giant ham that takes himself entirely too seriously) and will not forgive anyone who threatens them or the safety of their passengers. They only gave up the pursuit of the Rockets after they had flown away and because the safety of all of the Pokemon (effectively passengers, as they were held captive in a train car) takes precedent. This, along with the occasions in which they speak in sync and some of their darker smiles make the Subway Masters seem very creepy, maybe even sinister, to some... which likely isn't helped by their choice of Pokemon: Nobori's partner is a Chandela.

Chandela is a Ghost Pokemon and the only Pokemon Nobori is revealed to have in the anime. As a species, Chandela are the final evolutionary form of the Hitomoshi (Litwick) line, all of which are known to prey upon humans in one form or another, either by sapping their lifeforce or by burning their souls to fuel their fire and leaving the lifeless body behind. They are also known to be tricksters, especially as Hitomoshi, pretending to be guiding lights to wayward travellers in the dark, before feeding off of them. Both first and final forms are shown casting grand, deceptive illusions in the wild as well (the hapless victim will experience sights, sounds, and all other sensations that might have no basis in reality at all... or have only a passing similarity, like turning dilapidated old ruins into a grand mansion) and interfering with human activity for the sheer fun of it (Chandela have a habit of making ghostly lights appear in photographs and one charming Hitomoshi pretended to be a Hitomoshi-shaped candle in a race where the participants were to keep the flame lit until the end and it stayed perfectly still, up until just before the contestants crossed the finishing line when it decided to blow out the other contestant's candle and make him lose just because— no stake in it, it didn't even know any of the contestants, it was just being a mischievous little ghost).

It is interesting that a Pokemon of such a ghastly nature is his chosen partner, as Nobori is fairly kind and pleasant unless wronged, if unlikely to involve himself in unrelated matters (he can be rather apathetic and indifferent to people, however, as his work and passengers take precedent and he won't go out of his way for anyone unless he has good reason to), and the same can be said of Chandela. If he calls to it, it will unquestioningly assist in any task. It does show more than a bit of playfulness and a flashiness similar to its trainer, spinning while attacking the ghost train even though it could have simply attacked normally. Nobori does, however, have a bit of the line's mischievous nature to him, having just a slightly cruel sense of humour. He sees nothing wrong in teasing others with things they clearly desperately want simply because their behaviour is entertaining to him, nor does he prevent his brother from doing so when he normally would keep him in line (he's nice enough to give in eventually, though! ... well, maybe only if he thinks they're worthy or if he's feeling particularly charitable, as he really does mostly keep to himself and his work). So, while Nobori would unlikely be someone who would shine a light to mislead anyone and prey on them, he most certainly could be a lantern-bearer who would lead one down a dangerous route rather carelessly (it's not his fault you can't keep up like his brother, now, is it?), but he would ensure that the correct destination is reached nonetheless. Quite literally, he does light the way for the children to get where they need to be, but he also simply stands by and watches as they try to push open a heavy iron door without lifting a finger himself; they wind up falling onto the tracks! The systems were down so no trains were running, of course, so it wasn't that dangerous, but still... there's a definite cruel streak, however small, that's somewhere on the border of carelessness and ill humour.

Distant nature and somewhat sardonic humour aside, he has a sense of gratitude and will repay kindness: as a favour to Satoshi and friends for assisting them in saving the subway, as well as for reuniting a very forgetful passenger with her lost Pokemon Kibago, Nobori and Kudari permit Dent and Satoshi to battle them despite Dent falling one stamp short of the number needed to challenge the Subway Masters. However, they had initially silently watched Dent have an overdramatic breakdown over his perceived lost opportunity (his lifelong dream of battling them!), even after all he and his friends had done for the underground and the city at large. Also, it was Kudari who prompted him to battle in a teasing should-we-or-shouldn't-we way, which Nobori also played along with, although they both wordlessly come to the same decision at once...
So, he can be kind of a jerk sometimes with that sense of humour and if Dent who he actually knew personally from at least a year ago wasn't spared it, where does that leave everybody else, really?

He is also a very powerful Pokemon Trainer, such that even a Kanto-based organization like Team Rocket recognizes his and his brother's skill (the scientist in charge of this operation advises the Rocket trio not to engage the Subway Masters in battle, which is why their early confrontation essentially devolve into a game of hide-and-seek on the tracks). The Subway Masters are known for their teamwork and their skill in double battles: trainers come from all over for a chance to battle them, and events like the Subway Stamp Rally are held for an opportunity for the winning competitor(s) to challenge the Subway Masters to a battle in a specialized train built to endure Pokemon battles.

Nobori has a great love for trains; he attends conventions dedicated to them, which is how he and his brother met Dent prior to the latter joining Satoshi's travel party, and loves to use train metaphors in almost any occasion. Even if they might sound rather silly, he uses them rather unironically; he drops the habit in some dire situations, often reverting to a monotonous, back and forth exchange with his brother, but not always. Even his signature phrase for calling out his Pokemon is a reference to trains: "Chandela, depart!" It can also be compared to the way a Pokemon Sommelier speaks, comparing Pokemon and trainer relationships to food and wine marriages, describing battles in terms of flavours and aromas, as Dent does... only Nobori describes battles in railroad terminology and metaphors. Such as comparing Yanappu's straightforward attacks to moving through the town square and Pokabu's roundabout defense as taking the belt line.

He admires hard work, dedication, and staying true to one's convictions. When he recognizes them in another person, he is more than happy to support them with words and actions. He enjoys seeing others strive to their own personal goals, particularly as Pokemon trainers, because of the possibility of their returning to him as greater challengers, for example. Also, in general, he enjoys seeing others who strive towards goals and ideals, because this is something he can empathize with. It is Satoshi's inability to stand still and watch while others try to save his Pokemon that moves Nobori to assist him in accomplishing that goal. He is very encouraging and can be expected to provide the occasional motivational speech, as he urges challengers to continue working towards their admirable goals, even after defeating them; so his dramatic speeches really aren't restricted to (at times over)confident displays, but also to encouraging others to keep trying.

Although Nobori comes up with the plan of using Shibirudon's Discharge to power up their maintenance train after the Rockets cut off the power in Raimon City, he does not go through with the plan until he receives Kudari's permission first, even though catching the ghost train is time critical; politeness and respect is ingrained in his nature such that it doesn't break, even in dire circumstances.

However, this does not mean that he never gets angry: he expresses anger more outwardly and aggressively than his brother, despite typically being the more restrained one, he seems to have the worse temper, which might be one of the chief reasons he places so much importance on conducting himself in a restrained manner. Nobori prefers to be in control at all times, of his feelings, his situation, and even the impression he makes on others. Any sort of shift from that is highly likely to disturb and even anger him, although he will still try to maintain his cool under ordinary circumstances, whether he succeeds or not depends on the situuation. When his brother goes into a momentary shock when he sees that the Ghost Train they had intended to catch unexpectedly began to multiply, Nobori grits his teeth angrily, glares, and immediately contacts Dent to update him on the situation.

He can look a bit gloomy, although he certainly isn't incapable of smiling or expressing happiness, his facial expressions are harsher than his brother's and his smiles tend to be half-smiles or crooked smirks. He displays some rather sinister smiles and grins while trying to chase down the Rockets switching tracks too.

He is closest to his brother. He is on good terms with and acquainted with many people, but is not especially close with anyone else. He has a rather traditional mentality, being quite reserved and typically keeping to himself, in a curious contrast to his dramatic posturing; he is job-oriented; he always speaks with a polite, level tone unless he's truly been pushed to his limits. When he's saddened, he brings the rim of his hat down to hide his expression, effectively shutting others out, and does not lower his guard even around children. So, it can be deduced that it takes Nobori quite a while to open up to other people, even if they're going through the same ordeal he is and even if he respects them as equals (he did trust those kids with catching the Rockets and saving the Pokemon and also saluted Dent). He's simply very reserved, concerned with maintaining a strong and confident image, and hates being seen in a state of weakness. However, he does not engage in the common practice of rejecting praise. He is proud of the title he and his brother share and of their strength and for good reason! Their teamwork is widely-known and certainly draws in challengers, but he is a capable battler on his own as well.

He puts duty first and also owing to his endless fascination with trains, one could say he's married to his work. He takes it very seriously and personally if anyone should impede the subway's operation or bother its passengers, which can make them rather vengeful. If one were to work past the formality, stoicism, one-track-mindedness, and dutiful nature to get close enough to him that he could consider them a friend or anything more than an acquaintance, they would have to put a lot of effort into it! Should they succeed, he should make a very supportive and respectful friend, although it would definitely take time for him to openly display anything more than superficial emotions or talk about what's bothering him, so as not to burden others, unless it's absolutely necessary.

Everything that follows are boring notes and explanations that aren't entirely necessary, but I feel like having them here anyway.

Due to the seriousness of their situation in the anime series, the brothers aren't behaving quite as they normally would and were seldom shown in light-hearted scenes before their final appearance (the Stamp Rally episode!), making them come across rather differently from their game and manga counterparts (although this difference is more pronounced in Kudari than Nobori), as well as less static and more expressive. However, by their final appearance, taking place after peace, communications, and transportation have been restored in their city, Kudari behaves more like his game counterpart, smiling and playfully teasing. Official art associated with the anime also depicts them more like their game selves, so it would seem that under normal circumstances, they would behave in much the same way, the primary difference was that nothing dangerous was going on in the subway in the other versions. The anime and game build on one on another, although typically regarded by fans as entirely separate, but the games do reference anime original events (Alan and his black Lizardon) and include anime original characters (all the Best Wishes! rivals could previously be downloaded and challenged in the Japanese version of B2W2) from time to time, so I'll take inspiration from the games where they don't contradict anime canon to fill in the blanks, because this character is very minor.

As a cultural side note: while all the previously showcased Pokemon Regions were based on Japanese geography and culture, the Isshu reason is based on the State of New York in the United States with some Japanese influence. They might enjoy hot dogs in Central Park, but carts are just as likely to sell one-eyed rocking dolls (daruma) and traditional Japanese wind chimes (fuurin). New Years are celebrated by dressing in kimono and playing Karuta or Hanafuda, etc. The populace is still mostly non-Japanese though.

Nobori and Kudari have Japanese names in the original, so they're likely intended to be Japanese-American or, well, the Pokemon world equivalent of Japanese (Kanto, Jouto, Houen, take your pick). Appearance-wise, while most Pokemon characters have rather small noses, the Subway Masters are drawn with rather exaggeratedly large, long noses, which has been a standard animation and comic shorthand for Western characters in anime/manga for decades, in addition to being a bit of an anomaly among this particular series' character designs. It's also common in this series to portray foreigners as being much taller than the main cast... and the Subway Masters are both very, very tall, both standing at around 190 CM. So! All those factors together imply they might've been intended to come across as being multiracial (haafu or otherwise), and even their names in the English adaptation have some foreignness to them (Ingo being a German name), but nothing specific has been stated officially.

5-10 Key Character Traits: disciplined, polite, dedicated, aloof, proud, dramatic, eccentric, socially-awkward, pretentious, and apathetic-bordering-on-cruel.
Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, or EITHER? EITHER. Surprise me!
Opt-Outs:

Roleplay Sample:
HISTORY: super-short bulletpoint Bulbapedia version! My longer, more boring summary follows.

The Subway Masters are first shown patrolling the tracks, when the Roketto-dan (Team Rocket) members cause a disturbance by switching tracks. The two brothers notice their shadows and race to confront them, but the Rockets disappear before they can be stopped. Some time later, in the control room, Kudari spots a moving blip on the radar, suggesting a train is moving, despite it being too early for even the earliest train to be running. When Kudari calls to his brother to tell him about it, it disappears. Nobori does not doubt his brother's claim and they both decide to investigate it.

Later, Nobori and Kudari are patrolling the underground subway of Raimon City, when they spot their "ghost train" running at a time and place where there shouldn't be one. They decide to chase after it, but it seems to vanish yet again.

At this time, Satoshi (Ash) and friends, accompanied by Nyasu (Meowth) who had been pretending to have been kicked out of the Roketto-dan, arrive at Raimon City. Nyasu reveals his deceit at the Pokemon Center, by taking the other trainers' Pokemon to a "luxury spa" that winds up being a trap: he rejoins his team from the Roketto-dan and they steal all of the Pokemon from the city's Pokemon Center.

The Rockets escape using their "ghost train" along the underground lines, after causing a commotion that included cutting off all power, communication signals, halting all trains, and disrupting operations of the drawbridge, effectively cutting off the city's major routes of transportation. Nobori deduces that because their "ghost train" is travelling only on connecting lines, they cannot go to their destination directly, forcing them to take a longer route. Kudari adds that if they must use the connecting routes, they will eventually pass through the D3 point no matter where they're headed. So, they decide to ambush them there!

There's a line connecting the Raimon Central Station and the post office that also has a carriage, which Kudari suggests using, but when Satoshi and his friends volunteer to go with them because they want to save the Pokemon so badly, the Subway Masters are shocked at first, then, decide to allow him to come, if he follows Nobori's guidance.

Nobori runs along the tracks to lead Satoshi and friends to a small, manual mail line carriage. The kids take the carriage and Nobori informs them that he must leave to see to the ATO and lead the rest of the passengers out. Before he leaves, he gives Dent the D3 route map, salutes him, and tells him to be careful.

Nobori returns and asks Kudari how the ATO is, but only the sensors have recovered. This is enough to track any trains... Nobori contacts Dent on walky-talky and asks him if his carriage is what's heading towards D3. Dent denies this because their carriage was derailed and finds out it was the Rocket's train, as it goes by.

They initially thought this would be enough to track the Rockets, but as soon as they passed through D3, several different trains appeared to leave it on different tracks, as if the "ghost train" had multiplied. The Rockets had sent fake trains in all directions! The kids didn't see which way the real train went, so the real one is unknown.

All the underground railways of Raimon City are sent from the rail yard in Kanawa Town, so the only way out for the train is through Kanawa Town; this is Dent's deduction, so Nobori agrees to meet with the kids in Kanawa.

So, he and Kudari run off to get their carriage, with Nobori suggesting that they speed up the carriage with the help of his brother's Shibirudon's Discharge (the tracks are normally electrified, so an Electric Type attack would power it).

They meet up with the kids much faster than expected, and try to save the Pokemon from the Rocket's train. Some of the Pokemon had already managed to make their way out and worked together to break their car away from the rest of the Rocket's train.

Satoshi and friends want to help their Pokemon so badly that Nobori, despite initially having some reservations about endangering them, honours their request by allowing his Chandela to carry them with its telekinetic powers over to the cart carrying their Pokemon. Not that this entire ordeal wasn't already ridiculously dangerous, but these kids have been through worse.
Satoshi and friends' Pokemon fight off the Rockets. While standing on a moving train car. In the end, the Rocket Gang's plan is foiled, the stolen Pokemon are returned to the Pokemon Center and Satoshi and friends part ways with the Subway Masters.

Later, they meet again when Dent decides to partake in the Subway Stamp Rally, while Satoshi and Iris go have fun playing tennis, eating ice cream, seeing a musical, and trying out other things in Raimon City, when they come across a lost Kibago and try to help her find her trainer, who separately crosses paths with Dent. The Subway Masters, wanting to repay their debt because Dent helped save the subway previously, take him and Erin (the wayward Kibago's trainer) into the control room to figure out where Kibago might be based on the clues left behind by Iris and Satoshi.
Just when Erin and Kibago are reunited, the allotted time for the stamp rally ends, and the Subway Masters watch wordlessly as Dent makes a big, melodramatic fuss over missing out on his dream battle, before Erin reveals that she took the Kibago stamp hoping it would help her find Kibago in some way: that would be the last stamp Dent needed! So, the Subway Masters make a special allowance for Dent because he helped the passengers of the subway twice, and allow him to engage them in battle in a specialized battle train.

So, Dent and Satoshi have a double battle with the Subway Masters, who are impressed with their combined strategy and battling styles, but nevertheless easily overpower them and win. Dent and Satoshi are grateful for the battle, the trio of friends say their goodbyes, and leave Raimon City now that the bridge has been repaired.

Also, the Subway Masters were never defeated in a random corn field by two cocky twins who think they're going to be the best double battle trainers in the whole world. Also, their Pokemon were NOT taken down in one blow, nor did they throw tantrums like overgrown children. Although this does happen in a silly fantasy sequence in a later episode. :D;;