Kankuro (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
middle_strings) wrote2014-06-02 05:49 pm
middle_strings) wrote2014-06-02 05:49 pm
Entry tags:
Rekindle Application [EDITED 6/16]
OOC Information
Player Name: Em
Player Age: 23
Player Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
MuzicLov3r
Player/Character HMD: Here
Other characters in game: None
IC Information
Character Name: Kankuro
Character Canon: Naruto [Original]
Character Age: 17-18 (because canon is obscure as to his age)
Character Gender: Male
Canon Point: Chapter 589
Character Canon History: History.
Character Personality:
While Kankuro can be rough, rude and short tempered, he is also capable of being compassionate and caring. While we see a great deal of change in him from Genin to Jounin, the true seeds of his personality were always there, buried underneath attitude and fear. With the opening of Gaara's heart and the other changes in his life, Kankuro was able to mature into a well-rounded shinobi, who, while still having some temper issues, was a firm ally to those who needed it, a solid and trustable leader, and a supportive brother to both his siblings.
From his time as a genin, Kankuro has grown up and matured a great deal, especially concerning his relationship with his brother. However even as a genin taking the chuunin exams, he still had a unique understanding of Gaara. Although understandably scared of him, due to his younger siblings unnatural bloodthirsty nature, he still treated him as a person to some extent. Kankuro was willing to argue, discuss strategy, and even get in slight physical altercations with Gaara during the course of the exams even as the boy threatened his life and dismissed their blood connection. The fact he was still willing to claim a blood connection, saying he was his older brother, to the demon-possessed boy was interesting, considering the later-revealed implications that Gaara, one, did not view him the same way, and two, was greatly feared and hated by the village which meant that any positive association to Gaara would have negatively affected Kankuro.
Kankuro is also unique in that hemakes a distinction between Gaara and his more bloodthirsty/Shukaku side, viewing them as two separate though entangled beings. Kankuro is still fearful of both, but the distinction is critical and important to seeing how Kankuro views Gaara.
As a genin, Kankuro had a habit of talking about things he really should talk about, like Gaara's sand, with the others. The first time, in the forest of death, it is probably because he knows that all the opponents are going to be killed, as it seems he is not aware of the genin Konoha team 8 hiding and observing the fight. It is one of the ways Kankuro shows how confident he is that nothing can get through the sand shield, and also how confident he is in Gaara’s skills. The second time he talks about Gaara's sand armor, during the preliminary fight with Lee, he does not reveal as much, making a point to reinforce the impression that it is unbeatable, but still provides a decent amount of exposition. This is probably because, unlike the sand shield, Gaara's sand armor does have a weakness which he does not reveal. Luckily Kankuro outgrows this habit. (Though most of it was probably because he was being used as Mr. Exposition by Kishimoto.)
Probably his most noticeable personality trait as a genin was a particular dislike for children and those younger than him. He especially disliked those younger than him who acted cocky or a showoff. This dislike can be tied to how Gaara treated him, ignoring his advice and such, leading to irritation towards those younger than him, especially cocky brats. There is also an element of contempt to his dislike of children, seeing as his own childhood was neither peaceful nor very happy, if the hints given in the limited manga canon are to be analyzed. As such he'd view any child acting as a child with a sense of disgust and probably some level of envy. Seeing as the only children we see him act annoyed with are Kohonomaru, a wannabe ninja brat playing at a very real and dangerous profession, Naruto, who was all talk and no action when he was threatening Konohamaru, and Sasuke, who used a rock against him even though he was a ninja facing another ninja, which is insult to Kankuro's skills and shows Sasuke's arrogance. His dislike of Gaara is far more complicated than his rather intense dislike of the other kids, due to the more personal nature of the whole damn relationship.
During the third stage of the chuunin exams, Kankuro shows that he is willing to suffer personal advancement setbacks in order for his mission to succeed. While he possibly could have fought in the exam, that would of meant revealing his tricks which he knew he might need later and would have worn down his stamina, so he instead forfeited, being the only genin in that chuunin exam to forfeit before a fight even began. When the fighting begins in earnest, Kankuro leaves supporting an injured Gaara after their teacher tells them to abort their mission. Other than a single 'Damn', Kankuro does not argue with his teacher, instead making sure that they get Gaara to safety. To help with this, once Sasuke catches up to the siblings, Kankuro volunteers to stay behind and delay the other boy at risk of his wellbeing, if not his life. The arrival of Shino makes his decision moot, but Kankuro instead fights Shino so as to prevent him from backing up Sasuke. In this case, Shino is one of the worse type-matchups with Kankuro, due to the chakra eating nature of his bugs, and the fact that his puppets are controlled by Chakra threads. However, Kankuro manages to fight Shino to a mutual standstill, thus partial accomplishing his goal.
After the end of Gaara's fight with Naruto, both Temari and Kankuro show up read to defend their brother from the Konoha genin. However, once Gaara calls them off, they immediately help him and start to head back to Suna. When Gaara, changed by his fight with Naruto, offers an apology to his siblings, they exchanged looks of shock, but acknowledge it with a simple "It's alright", instead of taking advantage of this new development.
By the next time Kankuro and his siblings show up, during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, it is obvious their relationship has changed some more. The exact details of this change are obviously not as important as the main story line, and so is shrouded in mystery, but it is obvious that by the time they arrive to help the Konoha genin with the retrieval of Sasuke that they have formed a more solid team and family. They trust each other and are willing to split up to help different Konoha genin.
Of all the sand siblings Kankuro is the most vocal, especially when expressing annoyance. As a shinobi, Kankuro knows when he should keep his mouth shut, but can sometimes still be vocal when he shouldn't be. This is especially true if you insult or are disrespectful to his siblings, especially Gaara, within his hearing. Kankuro will also participate in trash-talking if he feels the fight isn't serious, or he already has an advantage.
A good portion of Kankuro's personality is shaped by how he deals with his siblings. This is the area in which he has shown the most change, though as mentioned earlier, the seeds for this change were already there. Over the course of the two year time skip Kankuro becomes closer to Gaara, and in return, his brother confides in him. Seeing this change in his younger brother and a strengthening of familial ties as well makes Kankuro very protective of Gaara. He is less protective of Temari because she can defend herself quite well, but is still not one to take an insult to her or Gaara lightly.
Kankuro's trust in Gaara and Gaara's strength is shown in the Kazekage Rescue arc. Where Baki expresses concern that Gaara may lose control to Shukaku, Kankuro know that his brother would not succumb and hurt the village, having faith in his control. He sits back and watches the fight, fully confident in Gaara's ability, while also being able to interfere should the fight move towards the village and into inhabitants.
The moment Gaara loses to Deidara and is captured Kankuro moves to chase even as Baki protests. Kankuro sharply disagrees with his old teacher, questioning if they are just going to abandon Gaara, much to Baki's denial. Kankuro continues out of the village, determined to save Gaara at all costs, no matter what. His love for his brother, while perhaps not blinding him to the dangers, make Kankuro ignore them. He simply has to get his brother back. As he leaves the village proper, he comes across the slain Suna shinobi at the entrance and is visibly shocked and enraged. This is still visible once he catches up with Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori. He takes out his puppets immediately partly because he recognizes the threat and partly because Deidara tries to get away.
Though terribly outmatched by Sasori he would not give up. Fatally poisoned, he still managed to retain enough willpower to manipulate the broken pieces of his puppets and snatch a bit of Sasori's face mask to aid his village in the recovery of Gaara. Back in Suna, still poisoned and in great pain he manages to tell Baki about Sasori, showing the ability to think while suffering and his determination to help Gaara even if he could not move. Once cured of his poison, Kankuro immediately shares the information he learned with the Konoha shinobi who are there to help, trusting them. Recognizing that he is too weak to help, Kankuro instead asks the only person there he feels he can trust to recognizes Gaara's worth as himself to save his brother. The very moment he is recovered enough to travel himself, Kankuro sets off after Gaara with Temari and other Suna shinobi, determined to help his brother even though he is barely up to strength. After Gaara's revival, Kankuro is self-aware enough to recognize that Naruto did just as he promised too and thanks him sincerely. He is also aware enough of the power behind Chiyo's action that when Naruto make the wrong assumption, he corrects him firmly but honestly telling him the truth and recognizing her sacrifice and Naruto's power in changing her mind.
By the time of summit of Kages it because evident that the family has gotten even closer. Kankuro and Temari act as Gaara's bodyguards not just because he might need them, but also because he trust them with any information that may come to light, and their ability to help him make plans according so any such information. While also his physical bodyguard, Kankuro and Temari also guide him in other matters, such as during the confrontation with Sasuke Uchiha. Kankuro recognize that there is nothing Gaara could say that would stop Sasuke, reminding him that they were not the same and to approach things as a Kazekage, not as someone who actually understood Sasuke in a way. They stand by his side during the confrontation, as siblings and shinobi.
During the 4th shinobi war he see another side of Kankuro. He demonstrates talent as the leader of a small specialized squad by being both compassionate and firm. When Omoi of his squad starts to express worries or concerns which could negatively affect his performance, Kankuro tells him to concentrate of winning so as to protect his family and friends. His straightforward manner actual calms Omoi, and he does not give in to worrying, as Omoi is normally prone to do. When a fellow ambush squad member, Zaji, is put at risk due to a trap by the enemy Kankuro pulls him away in from the explosion, saving his life. He expresses regret at not being able to rescue the Aburame clan member who was used by the enemy to attack, but quickly shuts it away to concentrate on protecting and directing his squad. While no Nara, Kankuro demonstrates a good amount of intuition and intelligence when facing the Akatsuki Ambush squad. He is able to command his forces carefully, so that no life is lost, and capture both Deidara and Sasori with his puppeteering. Kankuro then manages to reveal to Sasori the puppeteers own faults, causing Sasori to entrust his precious 'Mother' and 'Father' puppets to a proud Kankuro.
Character Abilities: Wiki link.
Of the three Sand Siblings, Kankuro is more geared towards stealth, ambush and information than Temari or Gaara. The first hints of this are when, during the chuunin exams, he approaches Konoha genin in an attempt to get more information about Neji in preparation for the third stage of the exams. Knowing Naruto from previous encounters he approached him as the most obviously talkative of the bunch. Unfortunately for Kankuro, Naruto knows next to nothing about Neji and is too hot-headed to provide good information. But it was a good try.
One of the main traits of Kankuro are his puppets. Not much is known about the puppeteers of Suna. Aside from Kankuro the only officially recognized puppeteers are Chiyo-baasama and Sasori of the Red Sands. There aren't even any used in the war except for Kankuro. This being the case it must be assumed that puppeteering is a dying art, possible helped by Sasori's betrayal twenty years ago and the decimation of that times puppet corps. With such a dearth of canon evidence much of what follow about Kankuro's puppeteering is pretty much pure headcanon of his skills.
Given the evidence that Puppeteering is a dying art, Kankuro had to learn a whole other range of talents to modify and maintain his puppets on his own. As such Kankuro understands the basics of mechanisms, as many are used to create and maintain the different puppets hidden weapons. There is also carving and maintaining wood, as the bodies of the puppets are wood based, though possibly treated with chemicals to make them harder. Any replacement parts he has to make himself, as there does not seem that there'd be a plethora of spare puppet parts in Suna, especially not for puppets made by the notorious Sasori of the Red Sands. Poison and chemical knowledge and ability to make is also needed, to make and maintain any poison coated weapons, poison bombs, smoke bombs, and other chemical based products the puppets may use.
The other talent he needs for controlling puppets is the ability to form and maintain Chakra threads. It is unclear how difficult such a feat is, as no other shinobi except puppeteers seem to use them. As such it is unknown what skills are canonly needed in order to excel at puppeteering. Breaking down the technique itself, it seems to need a high level of Chakra control and chakra shaping. Puppeteers are able to make the threads without using hand signs, showing a high level of chakra control on par with most medics. The threads themselves are ninjutsu, mainly chakra shaping to form the thin strands which connect the Puppeteers to their puppets.
Chakra threads themselves are highly versatile, able to connect to other objects and humans. With them you can push, pull or otherwise manipulate an object or human. In the case of manipulating a human like a puppet, if they are alive co-operation is needed or the other person must be weakened, if they are dead, well go nuts. Whether or not chakra strings are visible is hard to say with the art evidence. Considering the first time we ever see him use Chakra strings they are invisible, then as time goes by we are given visual hints to their existence, one must wonder how much of that is simply artistic shift. A lot of the time the strings are fully rendered in the image, giving the impression that they must be visible to everyone. However given his tendency to become his puppet, or to hide and control, they must not be visible, except at tips of his fingers. Actually, just overall, I am going to assume the strings are actually invisible and the fact we can see them be it in Manga or Anime form is because artistic. Especially considering his opponents do not react to the strings unless they are being revealed by something (i.e. Shino's chakra eating bugs).
Along with the versatile Chakra threads Kankuro also has the ability to make his puppets look human for a period of time using sand as a medium. So far this has proven an undetectable change to the naked eye, physical contact through clothing and Inuzuka noses. This affinity for sand may be connected to his being a Suna shinobi, not through any direct control of sand like Gaara.
Strengths
Physical: Of the sand siblings, Kankuro is the strongest, physically of them. Not only because his build is that much sturdier than that of his siblings, but also due to extensive training with his puppets, which most likely weigh a hefty amount by themselves. All of his actual physical fighting abilities are driven by his puppets, meaning to take in account his strength you must also include the puppets. His puppets are his greatest strength, physically.
Although poisoned by Sasori, and again not being able to complete fight off Ibuse's poison, it is likely that Kankuro has a building resistance to poison. While certainly not overly resistant to outsider's poison's it is more than likely he has built up an immunity to any poison's he uses in his puppets. This would be the only sensible precaution, as it is possible for the puppets weapons to be used against him, or for a poisoned smoke bomb attack to surround him as well.
While having no sand abilities like Gaara, Kankuro has also demonstrated the ability to use sand as a disguise on his puppets, making them look human. This could be connected to shinobi's tendency to use the most common natural resource as clone and/or replacement material. In the case of Suna, that's sand mainly.
Mental: Kankuro has a lot of willpower. Not only is it needs to control his puppets like he does but it also drives him to keep going, even when hope seems lost. Such as his defeat at the hands of Sasori. While he is lying poisoned and slowly dying in the sands he manages to control Karasu's hand enough to grab a piece of Sasori's face mask, so that they could track him down later. As Kakashi puts it, making a success from failure. His whole puppetry fighting style depends on strong willpower and concentration.
Kankuro is also very good at ambush tactics, able to utilize his team in the 4th shinobi war efficiently. He can separate himself from the sorrows of the battle field so that his team survives. While not one to like being underestimated, Kankuro is also not the type to fall for a quick-talking 'you suck' mental attack. You can try to undermine his self-confidence, but you won't succeed. Kankuro's battle take place, not only physically but also mentally as he uses the psychological effect of his inhuman puppets and his tendency to replace himself with his puppets to undermine an enemies mental strength.
The ability to control 4-5 puppets at one time, as well as being able to make Chakra threads themselves make him a dangerous opponent. He is also strong for learning his puppetry art (probably) on his own, taking theory and turning it into practice.
Emotional: He cares a great deal for his family. While caring is not usual seen as a strength in the shinobi world, Kankuro lets his ties to his family make him strong, a lesson probably strengthened by seeing Gaara struggle to form bonds and do the same. That being said, he is not outwards affectionate with his siblings, trash talking with Temari as a form of affection and simply being there for Gaara. He is the support of his family, willing to do anything for his brother and sister to help them along. However he also trusts in their own abilities and would never undermine their own strength.
Kankuro is also ruthless in battle, and kills enemies with little remorse. While he may delay a moment or two once they are captured, that is only to increase the psychological effect of being caught by his scary puppets. Kankuro is rather brutally honest, being perfectly content to express his opinion or to tell the truth about most thing, such as Chiyo-baasama's sacrifice.
Weaknesses
Physical: Kankuro's main focus is on his puppets. This means that while he still has decent hand to hand skills, close combat will never be his forte. So if his puppets are taken out, he is at a greater disadvantage than other shinobi who have lost their weapons. Kankuro is also a great disadvantage if someone manages to get past his puppet's if confronting a group as he still has to have his puppet defending himself and attacking the others while having to rely on his own skills and strengths with the close range fighter. In this scenario it is likely he'd be in great trouble by himself. In fact, as a fighter, he is much more proficient if he is part of a group. Though he has been shown to be able to fight by himself, both times against an enemy that either had a type advantage or simply was more skilled, he lost.
Also, having gained the muscle needed to lug around his puppets, he is slower than his siblings and most other shinobi. He is simply not built to be as quick as the others, having a broader and sturdier build than most shinobi his age (apart from, y'know, Chouji).
Due to specializing in Puppet jutsu Kankuro has no other techniques to fall back on other than basic shinobi training in the case that he either loses his puppets, or becomes too drained of Chakra to control them. This leaves a gap in his abilities that he has not seemed to have done much to fill other than to decrease the chance of such a thing happening. Kankuro only carries small arms such as kunai and senbon, so if it comes to a fight against a sword, and his puppet is out of reach he has a disadvantage.
Mental: According to his stats, Kankuro is weak against genjutsu which is basically shinobi forms of psychic attacks. This means, accordingly, that he probably vulnerable to other forms of psychic attacks that aren't jutsu based.
He also has a temper, and doesn't always know when to keep his mouth shut, though it hasn't gotten him into a lot of problem yet. Kankuro's temper mainly flares up in regards to disrespecting his brother (and sister when she can't defend herself), making fun of his puppets, and underestimating him. While having mostly outgrown his reckless behavior, it comes up again if his family is threatened. While undermining his confidence in his own power isn't likely to work, if you attacked his ability to protect his family, it is possible that Kankuro concentration would break and he could be filled with self doubts. Given his strong sense of self, he could probably overcome such a mental attack but would still be distracted by it enough for someone to get an attack through.
Emotional: His weak point is his family. While Temari has never canonically been in great danger or against overwhelming odds, Gaara was after the Akatsuki attack and kidnapping. Seeing his brother in danger made him chase after the Akatsuki by himself, leading to his poisoning.
Another weak point is in his physical appearance. Rarely do we see Kankuro without his all-encompassing black clothes, bunraku hood and face paint. Due to his appearance without any of said items being a lot like his fathers, the fourth Kazekage, one wonders if such a resemblance makes him continually cover up. Though not much is known about the fourth interaction with his other Children apart from Gaara, given what we know we can conclude it probably wasn't the best family environment. Considering how much Gaara hated their father when he was younger, at first the hood and face paint may have been to protect Kankuro from Gaara's not so specific wrath. After the chuunin exams and as the brother's became closer, it is possible Kankuro kept the hood and makeup as a way to not remind Gaara or Temari of their father. The hood and face paint are also homage to kabuki theater and bunraku. But that might just be a convenient excuse.
Kankuro is also brutally honest, which might not be appreciated by everyone.
Character Inventory:
Three Puppet Summoning Scrolls
-Sasori Puppet
-Karasu Puppet
-Blank
Pouch
-A few Kunai
-A few Shuriken
-Antidotes
-Smoke bombs
Shinobi Outfit
Hood
Sandals
Leg wraps
Interaction Sample: Previous Game: Link Note: This is my other Kankuro account. In the profile there's a link to this one. I swear this is me, but feel free to verify however you want.
Third Person Sample:
Kankuro stared blankly at the letter he had found on the nightstand next to him. His head was still woozy and it was hard to concentrate fully, but there were things that still stood out to him, apart from the ‘transported to another world’ thing which reminded him creepily of Madara. While concerning, that wasn't the thing standing out to his disoriented mind at the moment, no the main thing standing out was the physical contact clause.
Reading the line about physical contact required again, Kankuro grimaced and contemplated balling up the letter. Not that that would change the situation any.
Physical contact. Huh.
Sitting on the edge of the bed he'd arrived in Kankuro pushed back his hood to run a hand through his messy hair. Physical contact... Kankuro held his hands out in front of him in a fist.
Well there are the times he had to carry Gaara after he exhausted himself. He raised a finger, counting it in his head. Being patched up by Temari or Baki after missions. That's two. Looking at his hand he idly bit his thumbnail. That's two... Oh, the medics after serious injuries probably count, and full contact sparring! Which, admittedly, he didn't do as often and mainly with his siblings or Baki. That's four...
Kankuro stared blankly at the four raised fingers, trying to think of any other significant physical contact in his life that didn't revolve around his siblings.
Hmmm, without his siblings, there was a decided lack of physical contact in his life. In fact, apart from friendly hugs (with his siblings), back slaps (siblings again), carrying one another when injured (any teammate he's ever had, mainly his siblings), full contact sparring (siblings, Baki, Teammates), and patching up the injured (siblings) he wasn't quite sure what other kinds of contact there were. Handshakes maybe?
This... might be a problem.
Player Name: Em
Player Age: 23
Player Contact:
Player/Character HMD: Here
Other characters in game: None
IC Information
Character Name: Kankuro
Character Canon: Naruto [Original]
Character Age: 17-18 (because canon is obscure as to his age)
Character Gender: Male
Canon Point: Chapter 589
Character Canon History: History.
Character Personality:
While Kankuro can be rough, rude and short tempered, he is also capable of being compassionate and caring. While we see a great deal of change in him from Genin to Jounin, the true seeds of his personality were always there, buried underneath attitude and fear. With the opening of Gaara's heart and the other changes in his life, Kankuro was able to mature into a well-rounded shinobi, who, while still having some temper issues, was a firm ally to those who needed it, a solid and trustable leader, and a supportive brother to both his siblings.
From his time as a genin, Kankuro has grown up and matured a great deal, especially concerning his relationship with his brother. However even as a genin taking the chuunin exams, he still had a unique understanding of Gaara. Although understandably scared of him, due to his younger siblings unnatural bloodthirsty nature, he still treated him as a person to some extent. Kankuro was willing to argue, discuss strategy, and even get in slight physical altercations with Gaara during the course of the exams even as the boy threatened his life and dismissed their blood connection. The fact he was still willing to claim a blood connection, saying he was his older brother, to the demon-possessed boy was interesting, considering the later-revealed implications that Gaara, one, did not view him the same way, and two, was greatly feared and hated by the village which meant that any positive association to Gaara would have negatively affected Kankuro.
Kankuro is also unique in that hemakes a distinction between Gaara and his more bloodthirsty/Shukaku side, viewing them as two separate though entangled beings. Kankuro is still fearful of both, but the distinction is critical and important to seeing how Kankuro views Gaara.
As a genin, Kankuro had a habit of talking about things he really should talk about, like Gaara's sand, with the others. The first time, in the forest of death, it is probably because he knows that all the opponents are going to be killed, as it seems he is not aware of the genin Konoha team 8 hiding and observing the fight. It is one of the ways Kankuro shows how confident he is that nothing can get through the sand shield, and also how confident he is in Gaara’s skills. The second time he talks about Gaara's sand armor, during the preliminary fight with Lee, he does not reveal as much, making a point to reinforce the impression that it is unbeatable, but still provides a decent amount of exposition. This is probably because, unlike the sand shield, Gaara's sand armor does have a weakness which he does not reveal. Luckily Kankuro outgrows this habit. (Though most of it was probably because he was being used as Mr. Exposition by Kishimoto.)
Probably his most noticeable personality trait as a genin was a particular dislike for children and those younger than him. He especially disliked those younger than him who acted cocky or a showoff. This dislike can be tied to how Gaara treated him, ignoring his advice and such, leading to irritation towards those younger than him, especially cocky brats. There is also an element of contempt to his dislike of children, seeing as his own childhood was neither peaceful nor very happy, if the hints given in the limited manga canon are to be analyzed. As such he'd view any child acting as a child with a sense of disgust and probably some level of envy. Seeing as the only children we see him act annoyed with are Kohonomaru, a wannabe ninja brat playing at a very real and dangerous profession, Naruto, who was all talk and no action when he was threatening Konohamaru, and Sasuke, who used a rock against him even though he was a ninja facing another ninja, which is insult to Kankuro's skills and shows Sasuke's arrogance. His dislike of Gaara is far more complicated than his rather intense dislike of the other kids, due to the more personal nature of the whole damn relationship.
During the third stage of the chuunin exams, Kankuro shows that he is willing to suffer personal advancement setbacks in order for his mission to succeed. While he possibly could have fought in the exam, that would of meant revealing his tricks which he knew he might need later and would have worn down his stamina, so he instead forfeited, being the only genin in that chuunin exam to forfeit before a fight even began. When the fighting begins in earnest, Kankuro leaves supporting an injured Gaara after their teacher tells them to abort their mission. Other than a single 'Damn', Kankuro does not argue with his teacher, instead making sure that they get Gaara to safety. To help with this, once Sasuke catches up to the siblings, Kankuro volunteers to stay behind and delay the other boy at risk of his wellbeing, if not his life. The arrival of Shino makes his decision moot, but Kankuro instead fights Shino so as to prevent him from backing up Sasuke. In this case, Shino is one of the worse type-matchups with Kankuro, due to the chakra eating nature of his bugs, and the fact that his puppets are controlled by Chakra threads. However, Kankuro manages to fight Shino to a mutual standstill, thus partial accomplishing his goal.
After the end of Gaara's fight with Naruto, both Temari and Kankuro show up read to defend their brother from the Konoha genin. However, once Gaara calls them off, they immediately help him and start to head back to Suna. When Gaara, changed by his fight with Naruto, offers an apology to his siblings, they exchanged looks of shock, but acknowledge it with a simple "It's alright", instead of taking advantage of this new development.
By the next time Kankuro and his siblings show up, during the Sasuke Retrieval arc, it is obvious their relationship has changed some more. The exact details of this change are obviously not as important as the main story line, and so is shrouded in mystery, but it is obvious that by the time they arrive to help the Konoha genin with the retrieval of Sasuke that they have formed a more solid team and family. They trust each other and are willing to split up to help different Konoha genin.
Of all the sand siblings Kankuro is the most vocal, especially when expressing annoyance. As a shinobi, Kankuro knows when he should keep his mouth shut, but can sometimes still be vocal when he shouldn't be. This is especially true if you insult or are disrespectful to his siblings, especially Gaara, within his hearing. Kankuro will also participate in trash-talking if he feels the fight isn't serious, or he already has an advantage.
A good portion of Kankuro's personality is shaped by how he deals with his siblings. This is the area in which he has shown the most change, though as mentioned earlier, the seeds for this change were already there. Over the course of the two year time skip Kankuro becomes closer to Gaara, and in return, his brother confides in him. Seeing this change in his younger brother and a strengthening of familial ties as well makes Kankuro very protective of Gaara. He is less protective of Temari because she can defend herself quite well, but is still not one to take an insult to her or Gaara lightly.
Kankuro's trust in Gaara and Gaara's strength is shown in the Kazekage Rescue arc. Where Baki expresses concern that Gaara may lose control to Shukaku, Kankuro know that his brother would not succumb and hurt the village, having faith in his control. He sits back and watches the fight, fully confident in Gaara's ability, while also being able to interfere should the fight move towards the village and into inhabitants.
The moment Gaara loses to Deidara and is captured Kankuro moves to chase even as Baki protests. Kankuro sharply disagrees with his old teacher, questioning if they are just going to abandon Gaara, much to Baki's denial. Kankuro continues out of the village, determined to save Gaara at all costs, no matter what. His love for his brother, while perhaps not blinding him to the dangers, make Kankuro ignore them. He simply has to get his brother back. As he leaves the village proper, he comes across the slain Suna shinobi at the entrance and is visibly shocked and enraged. This is still visible once he catches up with Akatsuki members Deidara and Sasori. He takes out his puppets immediately partly because he recognizes the threat and partly because Deidara tries to get away.
Though terribly outmatched by Sasori he would not give up. Fatally poisoned, he still managed to retain enough willpower to manipulate the broken pieces of his puppets and snatch a bit of Sasori's face mask to aid his village in the recovery of Gaara. Back in Suna, still poisoned and in great pain he manages to tell Baki about Sasori, showing the ability to think while suffering and his determination to help Gaara even if he could not move. Once cured of his poison, Kankuro immediately shares the information he learned with the Konoha shinobi who are there to help, trusting them. Recognizing that he is too weak to help, Kankuro instead asks the only person there he feels he can trust to recognizes Gaara's worth as himself to save his brother. The very moment he is recovered enough to travel himself, Kankuro sets off after Gaara with Temari and other Suna shinobi, determined to help his brother even though he is barely up to strength. After Gaara's revival, Kankuro is self-aware enough to recognize that Naruto did just as he promised too and thanks him sincerely. He is also aware enough of the power behind Chiyo's action that when Naruto make the wrong assumption, he corrects him firmly but honestly telling him the truth and recognizing her sacrifice and Naruto's power in changing her mind.
By the time of summit of Kages it because evident that the family has gotten even closer. Kankuro and Temari act as Gaara's bodyguards not just because he might need them, but also because he trust them with any information that may come to light, and their ability to help him make plans according so any such information. While also his physical bodyguard, Kankuro and Temari also guide him in other matters, such as during the confrontation with Sasuke Uchiha. Kankuro recognize that there is nothing Gaara could say that would stop Sasuke, reminding him that they were not the same and to approach things as a Kazekage, not as someone who actually understood Sasuke in a way. They stand by his side during the confrontation, as siblings and shinobi.
During the 4th shinobi war he see another side of Kankuro. He demonstrates talent as the leader of a small specialized squad by being both compassionate and firm. When Omoi of his squad starts to express worries or concerns which could negatively affect his performance, Kankuro tells him to concentrate of winning so as to protect his family and friends. His straightforward manner actual calms Omoi, and he does not give in to worrying, as Omoi is normally prone to do. When a fellow ambush squad member, Zaji, is put at risk due to a trap by the enemy Kankuro pulls him away in from the explosion, saving his life. He expresses regret at not being able to rescue the Aburame clan member who was used by the enemy to attack, but quickly shuts it away to concentrate on protecting and directing his squad. While no Nara, Kankuro demonstrates a good amount of intuition and intelligence when facing the Akatsuki Ambush squad. He is able to command his forces carefully, so that no life is lost, and capture both Deidara and Sasori with his puppeteering. Kankuro then manages to reveal to Sasori the puppeteers own faults, causing Sasori to entrust his precious 'Mother' and 'Father' puppets to a proud Kankuro.
Character Abilities: Wiki link.
Of the three Sand Siblings, Kankuro is more geared towards stealth, ambush and information than Temari or Gaara. The first hints of this are when, during the chuunin exams, he approaches Konoha genin in an attempt to get more information about Neji in preparation for the third stage of the exams. Knowing Naruto from previous encounters he approached him as the most obviously talkative of the bunch. Unfortunately for Kankuro, Naruto knows next to nothing about Neji and is too hot-headed to provide good information. But it was a good try.
One of the main traits of Kankuro are his puppets. Not much is known about the puppeteers of Suna. Aside from Kankuro the only officially recognized puppeteers are Chiyo-baasama and Sasori of the Red Sands. There aren't even any used in the war except for Kankuro. This being the case it must be assumed that puppeteering is a dying art, possible helped by Sasori's betrayal twenty years ago and the decimation of that times puppet corps. With such a dearth of canon evidence much of what follow about Kankuro's puppeteering is pretty much pure headcanon of his skills.
Given the evidence that Puppeteering is a dying art, Kankuro had to learn a whole other range of talents to modify and maintain his puppets on his own. As such Kankuro understands the basics of mechanisms, as many are used to create and maintain the different puppets hidden weapons. There is also carving and maintaining wood, as the bodies of the puppets are wood based, though possibly treated with chemicals to make them harder. Any replacement parts he has to make himself, as there does not seem that there'd be a plethora of spare puppet parts in Suna, especially not for puppets made by the notorious Sasori of the Red Sands. Poison and chemical knowledge and ability to make is also needed, to make and maintain any poison coated weapons, poison bombs, smoke bombs, and other chemical based products the puppets may use.
The other talent he needs for controlling puppets is the ability to form and maintain Chakra threads. It is unclear how difficult such a feat is, as no other shinobi except puppeteers seem to use them. As such it is unknown what skills are canonly needed in order to excel at puppeteering. Breaking down the technique itself, it seems to need a high level of Chakra control and chakra shaping. Puppeteers are able to make the threads without using hand signs, showing a high level of chakra control on par with most medics. The threads themselves are ninjutsu, mainly chakra shaping to form the thin strands which connect the Puppeteers to their puppets.
Chakra threads themselves are highly versatile, able to connect to other objects and humans. With them you can push, pull or otherwise manipulate an object or human. In the case of manipulating a human like a puppet, if they are alive co-operation is needed or the other person must be weakened, if they are dead, well go nuts. Whether or not chakra strings are visible is hard to say with the art evidence. Considering the first time we ever see him use Chakra strings they are invisible, then as time goes by we are given visual hints to their existence, one must wonder how much of that is simply artistic shift. A lot of the time the strings are fully rendered in the image, giving the impression that they must be visible to everyone. However given his tendency to become his puppet, or to hide and control, they must not be visible, except at tips of his fingers. Actually, just overall, I am going to assume the strings are actually invisible and the fact we can see them be it in Manga or Anime form is because artistic. Especially considering his opponents do not react to the strings unless they are being revealed by something (i.e. Shino's chakra eating bugs).
Along with the versatile Chakra threads Kankuro also has the ability to make his puppets look human for a period of time using sand as a medium. So far this has proven an undetectable change to the naked eye, physical contact through clothing and Inuzuka noses. This affinity for sand may be connected to his being a Suna shinobi, not through any direct control of sand like Gaara.
Strengths
Physical: Of the sand siblings, Kankuro is the strongest, physically of them. Not only because his build is that much sturdier than that of his siblings, but also due to extensive training with his puppets, which most likely weigh a hefty amount by themselves. All of his actual physical fighting abilities are driven by his puppets, meaning to take in account his strength you must also include the puppets. His puppets are his greatest strength, physically.
Although poisoned by Sasori, and again not being able to complete fight off Ibuse's poison, it is likely that Kankuro has a building resistance to poison. While certainly not overly resistant to outsider's poison's it is more than likely he has built up an immunity to any poison's he uses in his puppets. This would be the only sensible precaution, as it is possible for the puppets weapons to be used against him, or for a poisoned smoke bomb attack to surround him as well.
While having no sand abilities like Gaara, Kankuro has also demonstrated the ability to use sand as a disguise on his puppets, making them look human. This could be connected to shinobi's tendency to use the most common natural resource as clone and/or replacement material. In the case of Suna, that's sand mainly.
Mental: Kankuro has a lot of willpower. Not only is it needs to control his puppets like he does but it also drives him to keep going, even when hope seems lost. Such as his defeat at the hands of Sasori. While he is lying poisoned and slowly dying in the sands he manages to control Karasu's hand enough to grab a piece of Sasori's face mask, so that they could track him down later. As Kakashi puts it, making a success from failure. His whole puppetry fighting style depends on strong willpower and concentration.
Kankuro is also very good at ambush tactics, able to utilize his team in the 4th shinobi war efficiently. He can separate himself from the sorrows of the battle field so that his team survives. While not one to like being underestimated, Kankuro is also not the type to fall for a quick-talking 'you suck' mental attack. You can try to undermine his self-confidence, but you won't succeed. Kankuro's battle take place, not only physically but also mentally as he uses the psychological effect of his inhuman puppets and his tendency to replace himself with his puppets to undermine an enemies mental strength.
The ability to control 4-5 puppets at one time, as well as being able to make Chakra threads themselves make him a dangerous opponent. He is also strong for learning his puppetry art (probably) on his own, taking theory and turning it into practice.
Emotional: He cares a great deal for his family. While caring is not usual seen as a strength in the shinobi world, Kankuro lets his ties to his family make him strong, a lesson probably strengthened by seeing Gaara struggle to form bonds and do the same. That being said, he is not outwards affectionate with his siblings, trash talking with Temari as a form of affection and simply being there for Gaara. He is the support of his family, willing to do anything for his brother and sister to help them along. However he also trusts in their own abilities and would never undermine their own strength.
Kankuro is also ruthless in battle, and kills enemies with little remorse. While he may delay a moment or two once they are captured, that is only to increase the psychological effect of being caught by his scary puppets. Kankuro is rather brutally honest, being perfectly content to express his opinion or to tell the truth about most thing, such as Chiyo-baasama's sacrifice.
Weaknesses
Physical: Kankuro's main focus is on his puppets. This means that while he still has decent hand to hand skills, close combat will never be his forte. So if his puppets are taken out, he is at a greater disadvantage than other shinobi who have lost their weapons. Kankuro is also a great disadvantage if someone manages to get past his puppet's if confronting a group as he still has to have his puppet defending himself and attacking the others while having to rely on his own skills and strengths with the close range fighter. In this scenario it is likely he'd be in great trouble by himself. In fact, as a fighter, he is much more proficient if he is part of a group. Though he has been shown to be able to fight by himself, both times against an enemy that either had a type advantage or simply was more skilled, he lost.
Also, having gained the muscle needed to lug around his puppets, he is slower than his siblings and most other shinobi. He is simply not built to be as quick as the others, having a broader and sturdier build than most shinobi his age (apart from, y'know, Chouji).
Due to specializing in Puppet jutsu Kankuro has no other techniques to fall back on other than basic shinobi training in the case that he either loses his puppets, or becomes too drained of Chakra to control them. This leaves a gap in his abilities that he has not seemed to have done much to fill other than to decrease the chance of such a thing happening. Kankuro only carries small arms such as kunai and senbon, so if it comes to a fight against a sword, and his puppet is out of reach he has a disadvantage.
Mental: According to his stats, Kankuro is weak against genjutsu which is basically shinobi forms of psychic attacks. This means, accordingly, that he probably vulnerable to other forms of psychic attacks that aren't jutsu based.
He also has a temper, and doesn't always know when to keep his mouth shut, though it hasn't gotten him into a lot of problem yet. Kankuro's temper mainly flares up in regards to disrespecting his brother (and sister when she can't defend herself), making fun of his puppets, and underestimating him. While having mostly outgrown his reckless behavior, it comes up again if his family is threatened. While undermining his confidence in his own power isn't likely to work, if you attacked his ability to protect his family, it is possible that Kankuro concentration would break and he could be filled with self doubts. Given his strong sense of self, he could probably overcome such a mental attack but would still be distracted by it enough for someone to get an attack through.
Emotional: His weak point is his family. While Temari has never canonically been in great danger or against overwhelming odds, Gaara was after the Akatsuki attack and kidnapping. Seeing his brother in danger made him chase after the Akatsuki by himself, leading to his poisoning.
Another weak point is in his physical appearance. Rarely do we see Kankuro without his all-encompassing black clothes, bunraku hood and face paint. Due to his appearance without any of said items being a lot like his fathers, the fourth Kazekage, one wonders if such a resemblance makes him continually cover up. Though not much is known about the fourth interaction with his other Children apart from Gaara, given what we know we can conclude it probably wasn't the best family environment. Considering how much Gaara hated their father when he was younger, at first the hood and face paint may have been to protect Kankuro from Gaara's not so specific wrath. After the chuunin exams and as the brother's became closer, it is possible Kankuro kept the hood and makeup as a way to not remind Gaara or Temari of their father. The hood and face paint are also homage to kabuki theater and bunraku. But that might just be a convenient excuse.
Kankuro is also brutally honest, which might not be appreciated by everyone.
Character Inventory:
Three Puppet Summoning Scrolls
-Sasori Puppet
-Karasu Puppet
-Blank
Pouch
-A few Kunai
-A few Shuriken
-Antidotes
-Smoke bombs
Shinobi Outfit
Hood
Sandals
Leg wraps
Interaction Sample: Previous Game: Link Note: This is my other Kankuro account. In the profile there's a link to this one. I swear this is me, but feel free to verify however you want.
Third Person Sample:
Kankuro stared blankly at the letter he had found on the nightstand next to him. His head was still woozy and it was hard to concentrate fully, but there were things that still stood out to him, apart from the ‘transported to another world’ thing which reminded him creepily of Madara. While concerning, that wasn't the thing standing out to his disoriented mind at the moment, no the main thing standing out was the physical contact clause.
Reading the line about physical contact required again, Kankuro grimaced and contemplated balling up the letter. Not that that would change the situation any.
Physical contact. Huh.
Sitting on the edge of the bed he'd arrived in Kankuro pushed back his hood to run a hand through his messy hair. Physical contact... Kankuro held his hands out in front of him in a fist.
Well there are the times he had to carry Gaara after he exhausted himself. He raised a finger, counting it in his head. Being patched up by Temari or Baki after missions. That's two. Looking at his hand he idly bit his thumbnail. That's two... Oh, the medics after serious injuries probably count, and full contact sparring! Which, admittedly, he didn't do as often and mainly with his siblings or Baki. That's four...
Kankuro stared blankly at the four raised fingers, trying to think of any other significant physical contact in his life that didn't revolve around his siblings.
Hmmm, without his siblings, there was a decided lack of physical contact in his life. In fact, apart from friendly hugs (with his siblings), back slaps (siblings again), carrying one another when injured (any teammate he's ever had, mainly his siblings), full contact sparring (siblings, Baki, Teammates), and patching up the injured (siblings) he wasn't quite sure what other kinds of contact there were. Handshakes maybe?
This... might be a problem.