1. "I belong to the Crane, the keepers of peace, harmony and stability throughout the Empire and the Emperor's dutiful Left Hand."
2. "I am of the Daidoji Family, the Proud Defenders of the Crane against all who would dare to threaten us as we go about fufilling our most sacred duty. I only hope that I will prove worthy of such a celebrated lineage. No, I will be worthy. "
3. "As a child I had hoped to become a Courtier and to devote myself to the arts so as to better honor and continue the legacy of my grandfather and the honor he brought to our family with his renowned masterpiece. However, although I had the talent for it, my parents had other plans for me. As soon as I was capable of it, I was inducted into the Iron Warrior School and learned how to be a Bushi. Other lesser individual in my position might hold a grudge, but I know better. Even as a Bushi I could still immerse myself into arts and bring glory to my family. That I also had a talent for fighting helped."
4. The first thing that people note is that he is tall and strong, built like a mountain with the muscles to match every bit the image of a born bushi. From a distance Yoichi could almost be mistaken for a Crab where it not for the distinctive bleached hair of the Daidoji. Of course, that kind of physique tends to lead towards the second thing that people take note, that he looked rather intimidating. An impression not helped by his discolored right eye. Which is a shame, because he would look almost gallant without it.
5. "I only wish to serve the Emperor and my clan to the best of my abilities of course! There is nothing else am I clear? *Sigh* Alright to be honest there is something else. Everyone in the Empire has heard of my grandfather, Daidoji Masato who gifted a painting to the Emperor that even now sits in the Imperial Palace. A true masterpiece praised by everyone who has laid eyes upon it. I.. was.. am proud of my grandfather. But recently, his spirit instead of resting in peace decided to contact me and told me the truth. That he did no paint it, that he stole it from someone and killed them for it. And that someone who might know or could uncover the truth still lived. I, if I am to preserve my family's honor and prevent the shame from destroying us, I must do whatever it is necessary to keep this secret. No matter the cost to myself."
6. "I had always gotten along well with my grandfather and in turn I was his favorite grandchild. When he died, I was a depths of grief for months. Imagine my joy when his spirit contacted me and imagine my shock when I learned of his purpose for me. I still love him, even if his past actions might destroy us. I still trust him, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I cannot trust anyone else. Where outsiders or others of my clan to learn of this secret, my family would be finished. And I have no desire to burden my parents and siblings with this knowledge. No I alone must bear this burden alongside my grandfather and together we will make things right."
7. "Despite his intimating appearance, in all other respect Yoichi is the textbook example of the exemplar Crane Bushi. A man who is both incredibly skilled in matters of warfare and a fine connoisseur and producer of the arts, who demands excellence in himself and others. Yes, all would be perfect for him, would it not for the fact the beneath his mask he is a bundle of stress and insecurity. For one, despite his skills he disdains spilling blood and killing others, even though it is his duty, he is too merciful for his own good. To compensate he has raised his personal standards even higher, to the point that even he himself cannot match them and when that happens his confidence is shaken. On the flip-side, he is also extremely paranoid concerning the status of his family's secret, seeing shadows and threats where there are none."
8. "Bushido is the greatest set of ideals that a Samurai could ever hope to live by. It is the Standards given to them by the Kami eons ago and it will continue to guide the Empire forever in the future. Some say that Bushido is too fanciful, too hard and too limiting and I do not disagree. I know very well how even the best of us cannot live up to the heights prescribed to us. However, where as others would throw it away, I see such realities as things that makes Bushido even more beautiful and even more important. It is precisely because the code is so high above us that we must always strike to reach them and always strive to be better. Those who say otherwise are just looking for an excuse to explain away their own inadequacies, rather than to improve themselves. Though I admit to being more fond of the tenets of Compassion and Duty above the others."
9. "Well the Crab and the Lion might see us as weaklings and the Scorpion might see us as being too soft, the truth of the matter is that without us there would be no Empire. There would be no peace, no trade and no friendship between the Great Clans. Lady Doji was the favorite sibling of Hantei for a reason. And even to this day we follow her example to keep the Empire United and Strong."
10. "It might be strange to hear that I am not yet wed nor engaged, but from what I understand my parents are still working on finding the best proposal. Part of the reason I was sent on this mission was to raise my profile so that they can negotiate for even better proposals."
11. Like any self-respecting Crane, Yoichi has a dim view of the other Great Clans at best and derogatory views at worse. However he does admire the martial prowess of Crab and Lions, even if those are the only redeeming qualities he can find. He is however, rather terrified of the Scorpion. Regularly having nightmares to what one of their spies could do to him and his family if they were to ever lay their hands on the truth. Leading him to be extremely wary and aggressive towards them.
12. "I am of course Loyal to the Emperor. I am also loyal to my family, to my parents who raised my so diligently, to my siblings who so often annoyed and endeared me. We are and always will be loyal Servants of the Emperor and his Empire. Thus I can say with certainty that I will do anything to preserve my family with confidence. For watching over my family's interests is watching over the Emperor's interests."
13. "There a few things as relaxing as the simply joys of immersing yourself in a painting, the soft brushes of calligraphy, the pleasant aroma of a well prepared tea and other things of such a nature. There is also nothing quite so exhilarating as practicing your katas, slowly but surely bringing your skills to the peak of excellence. Though I must admit, I not fond of competitions nor am I fond of actually fighting. I can do both well enough, but I sharpen my skills for the sake for the joy of it, for the quite feeling of accomplishment. To have to pit my skills against others and to spill blood with them almost seems to be dirtying and cheapening them."
14. Knowing that it makes people uncomfortable, Yoichi has a tendency of specifically staring at people with his discolored right eye whenever he is angry at them or interested in them. It tends to throw people off balance and allows him to read them easier. In that same vein, whenever he is not in either of those moods, he makes sure to hide his eye away under his hair. It is the polite thing to do after-all.
15. Shock, anger and surprise. These are the three emotions that Yoichi has always been good at hiding, and ever since he learned of the truth and had to learn to live with the ghostly presence of his grandfather, he's polished his skills to an even greater extend. To the point that even someone who might know the truth wouldn't be able to arouse any reaction from him. That said disdain at the unworthy performance of others and joy at deserving individuals receiving their just rewards are two emotions that he finds hard to put away for good.
16. Yoichi understands very well that not everyone can live up to his standards and that those that do might sometimes stumble. In those case, while he would not be happy, he will do his duty as their lord and help them improve themselves so that they are no longer a shame to him. To those who show consistent failure to improve and failure to accomplish their duties though, he will have them thrown out of his sight, but mostly because he has to in order to maintain his honor. If he had his way, he would continue trying to teach them and help them improve.
17. "My Parents always said that I was too serious and too kind for my own good as a child. I always wanted to do what is right and make sure that everyone was alright. I know that they still think that even though they are proud of me. I cannot say that they are wrong in their judgement considering my current circumstances."
18. "Protect my family and bring it to the glory just like my grandfather did. Though, I hope that my methods will be more in line with bushido and will not come back to haunt my descendants in the future."
19. "When you have to live constantly interacting with the Spirit of one of your ancestors, it is hard to not be a devotee of the kami and the temples."
20. "Honorably and with my duty accomplished."
