Shokudaikiri Mitsutada | 燭台切光忠

Player name: Shou
Contact info: Shoutarou
Other characters currently played: -

Character name: Shokudaikiri Mitsutada
Age: 967
Canon: Touken Ranbu
Canonpoint: Pre-game

Background: Wiki link

Personality:

"I'm Shokudaikiri Mitsutada. I can cut through even bronze candlestick holders... Yeah, that's not cool at all."

Appearance and style are what mainly defines the spirit of Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, literally and figuratively. At first glance, his human form conveys that well, with his appearance being that of a tall, dark, sharp-dressed swordsman. While his appearance can be intimidating to some, beneath the dark clothes is a spirit a lot more down-to-earth and compassionate.

He has an obsession with portraying a cool image, be it through his appearance or actions so that others can see him as being someone stylish. From his greeting line alone, he even comments on his introduction with regards to his name ‘Shokudaikiri’ as being slightly uncool, after all it does happens to translate into ‘candlestick cutter’.

The image which he tries to portray is that of a ‘Date-otoko’, translated into literally a Date man, which was used to describe an attractive man who was characterised by their showiness. The phrase was coined by one of his most prominent masters, Date Masamune, one of the many warlords in the Warring States era of Japan known for his ambition and flamboyance. He was known for several showy feats, some which had saved his life and his clan from certain destruction and won the favour of the most powerful figures back then, the most prominent being Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Masamune had in fact defied Hideyoshi several times, and would have been executed and his clan purged if not for several showy episodes meant to express remorse.

Masamune’s individuality is what mainly influenced Mitsutada’s identity. Back when he was owned by Oda Nobunaga, he was one of the many nameless Osafune Mitsutada blades which was kept because of their appearance. Masamune was the one who gave him the aforementioned distinguishing name of ‘Shokudaikiri’ when he sliced a bronze candlestick along with a guilty retainer. This christening is what also gave the nameless Mitsutada a unique identity as one of Masamune’s prized blades, instead of being one in many Osafune Mitsutada blades as objects in a collection. The respect for Masamune is mainly seen through the eyepatch over his right eye which he wears to emulate his former master’s most distinguishing feature: his lost right eye from childhood smallpox. In addition, while Masamune was the one who had given him that not-so-cool name, Mitsutada does not resent him for it, even if it makes for a slightly uncool introduction.

Naturally, being so appearance-focused means he is vain and self-conscious. Be it in battle or off-battle, Mitsutada is concerned with the state of his looks. He is not narcissistic, rather he wants to be able to look presentable at all times. This can be seen in how he says he’s going to fix his hair when he goes into the repair room, and this shows itself prominently when he worries about looking unsightly when he is badly injured, with not just tattered clothes and wounds not only making him look messy, but also how he can be seen as vulnerable instead of reliable.

While Mitsutada does convey an image of coolness, through interactions to him it can be evident that a considerable amount of effort is needed to maintain such an image. The suaveness he wants to portray is not effortlessly natural, but rather him keeping it up through meticulous attention to details and an awareness of what others may perceive, so that he can present a desirable image.
For the touken danshi, battles are naturally a way to flaunt their combat skills. Combat to Mitsutada, is what he calls his ‘big moment’. He aims to be able to catch the enemy off guard and take them down, which is the ideal result. He fights confidently, and respects the prowess of his opponents should they be able to get a hit or two in. Because he does acknowledge his opponent’s abilities, Mitsutada does not go easy on them, even when it comes to training with fellow sword spirits. After all, underestimating one’s opponents is uncool in his eyes, not only because of how mean-spirited it can be but also how he aims to be able to pull off a splendid victory.

Besides Mitsutada’s fussiness with appearance, the other key component to his personality is his amiable, caretaking nature which is a contrast to what his visual appearance would suggest. He occasionally advises the saniwa (player character) about how they should look presentable at all times so as to not give a bad image. In addition, the way he looks after them is almost motherly in fact, such as how he would nag that him being away on expeditions doesn’t mean they can be sloppy or how he would not lend the saniwa his money if they spent too much. In most works, he is also portrayed as the one who mostly handles the domestic chores in the citadel, especially cooking. To be cool is to also be seen as reliable, and it is possibly why he is able to handle them.
Mitsutada is also amiable to the other touken danshi alike him. One of his fellow Date swords, Ookurikara mentions him as someone to approach if the saniwa wanted someone to get along with them. For those who he is affectionate with, he will also tend to give nicknames to them. Taikogane Sadamune, one of Masamune’s tantous, is referred to as ‘Sada-chan’ by him. He also seems to get along with Heshikiri Hasebe, one of Oda Nobunaga’s swords, though Hasebe does not appreciate conversing about Nobunaga himself.
Overall, Mitsutada is someone who not only expects the best from himself, but also wishes for others to show off their best as well. While he tries to put on a good appearance, he is also down-to-earth and relatable instead of being detached.

Wish: "I wish I could be useful again."

As a sword, to be used by one's owner is the equivalent to being given purpose. While he was merely part of a collection under Oda Nobunaga, him being used by Date Masamune and being given his own name was when he gained recognition as himself. Even when swords would eventually be outdated by guns, they still remain as pieces of art due to their smith's ability being reflected in their creations. In the Great Kanto Earthquake, Shokudaikiri Mitsutada's sword form was destroyed in a fire to a point where he was no longer reparable. Essentially, not only is he unable to be a normal weapon, but he has also lost his worth as a beautiful Osafune Mitsutada blade.

Power:

Mitsutada's ability is the temporary gain of situational abilities. This ability triggers whenever someone is in need of assistance and whatever ability he will gain are those that could help ease the problem at hand so that he is able to contribute. For example, an injured person would have him gain the ability to heal others. However, the ability gained is weak in magnitude and superficial in nature, and cannot be used to immediately resolve a problem of a serious nature. With regard to the aforementioned example, he is unable to completely heal a person with serious, life-threatening injuries. Said abilities would also be less effective as compared to other individuals with a mastery of the same abilities, and will be lost once the problem is resolved. This ability will mostly manifest as energy manifesting on his sword.

Mitsutada's power is superhuman strength and reflexes. This is a characteristic of the touken danshi, and it gives them superior combat abilities as compared to regular humans. For Mitsutada in this game particularly, his strength and reflexes will increase with a greater number of allies watching. This reflects his desire to be able to show off a cool image, especially in combat where he thrives best. However, he also has a weakness to fire, being what had reduced his form in the real world to a charred blade.

Weapon:

Mitsutada's weapon is simply his own sword form manifested as it was originally, and functions like an ordinary katana would. However, any damage that is inflicted on the blade would also be reflected on his human body, symbolizing how his human body acts more like a projection of his spirit. Fixing the blade itself would also help his body regenerate.

Sample: TDM thread!