Tanaka Masaru
Full Name: Tanaka "Long" Masaru
Gender: Male
Class: 2nd Year/Sophomore
Age: 17
Birthday: 8/23/1989
Western Zodiac: Leo
Eastern Zodiac: Dragon
Blood Type: B
Cooking Speciality: Homemade Noodles
Academics and Clubs: Tanaka Masaru transferred to Yamato High last year after spending two years in America. He was admitted to the school because he attended Yamato Middle School before leaving the country, but after he took the High School entrance exams, he was determined to be behind in his studies, putting him a grade behind the other students his age, a fact he is very sensitive about.
He does very well in his English class but does poorly in virtually every other subject, though he was considered a very bright student in his Middle School. Tanaka-kun is an excellent guitar player, and it was expected that he would join the Music Club this year. However, after attending a single orientation meeting he never returned, citing differences with its current president. Instead, he joined the Kung Fu Cooking Club. When asked why, he mumbled something about “training his hands” and “ultimate solo” and then grew quiet, refusing to answer any other questions about it.
Interests and Hobbies: Virtually all of Tanaka-kun's energy seems to go into his band “Broken Zodiac,” which he formed with students from several schools in the area within a month of returning to Japan. They've already placed in several local competitions, and rumors among the students say that there are several labels that have begun to show interest in their music. Tanaka-kun undergoes a startling transformation when he is on stage; the normally quiet, gentle boy becomes a boisterous, charismatic individual who holds the audience in the palm of his hand. His stage name is "Long" (Chinese for "Dragon"); the other members of the band share similar sobriquets, with the full roster being Sato "Hu" (Tiger) Aiko on rhythm guitar, Watanabe "Niu" (Ox) Kuro on bass guitar, Yoshida "Tu" (Rabbit) Noburu on keyboards, and Nakamura "Hou" (Monkey) Yoshiko on the drums. Tanaka-kun is the group's lead guitar player and primary vocalist.
Family History: Tanaka-kun’s father is a mid-level executive in a company that manufactures designer face plates for cell phones. Tanaka-kun initially moved with him to America when he was transferred to the offices there, but was sent back to Japan after two years when his father decided Tanaka-kun was getting into too much trouble. Tanaka-kun currently lives with his maternal grandmother in her sizable home in Tokyo. His father and mother divorced when he was very young, and his mother has not made any contact with him, his father, or even members of her own family in the intervening years. Her current whereabouts are unknown.
Rivals and Adversaries: Many of the students in the Music Club resent Tanaka-kun for his refusal to join their club. It is said that Jirumi-kun, the current president of the club, was in a band with Tanaka-kun in Middle School, before his move to America. There seems to be some bad blood between the two of them resulting from this, and members of the Music Club are often present at Broken Zodiac shows to heckle the band, though Jirumi-kun denies encouraging this. Tanaka-kun has also had several run-ins with the Furyo of Yamato High. Despite his normally reserved nature, he seems to have a highly-developed sense of justice and a soft spot for kids who can't protect themselves. More than once, he's inserted himself into situations where older, tougher students were shaking down or bullying others, coming to the aid of the victims. While his gendai budo has been strong enough that he has won most of these fights, the list of those who resent his interference grows each time it happens. Interestingly, when Tanaka-kun gets in a fight, his appearance and personality undergo a change that is remarkably similar to the personality that he wears when he is on stage.
Friends and Allies: The members of Broken Zodiac are Tanaka-kun's closest friends, though only one of them (Watanabe Kuro) attends Yamato High. The band has also begun to attract a small but loyal following among music fans in the Tokyo area who, while they cannot be considered friends of Tanaka-kun, are often willing to help him out when he needs it. Even among those who are not fans of his band, he is fairly well-liked; even in his more subdued states, he radiates a quiet sense of strength and leadership that attracts many of his peers.
Martial Arts: Tanaka-kun is known to be a practitioner of several different styles of martial arts.
