| Ryan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Codename | The Gunman |
| Birthday | December 12 |
| Age | 17 |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 5'12" |
| Weight | 134 lbs |
| Professional Status | |
| Affiliation | Himself |
| Occupation | Lone Contractor |
| Team | D.C.R. |
| Partner | Neko |
| Messier Code | RJ-101 |
| Base of Operations | United States |
| Personal Status | |
| Relatives | Unknown |
| Education | High School |
| Abilities | |
| Contract | Telekinesis |
| Obeisance | Eating Ice |
Ryan is a young Contractor with the Messier Code RJ-101. Similar to Hei, Ryan has a double persona; to the public, he is a normal high school student with high grades and a small group of close friends, even a part time job at a local daycare, taking care of younger children.
His other role is that of the Contractor known as RJ-101, but more prominently referred to as The Gunman (ガンマン, Ganman). He is allied with the CIA's D.C.R. division under the guise of hunting down profitable bounties on both Humans and Contractors. His one and only partner in this, is Neko, a female Doll, though he will occasionally receive help from other CIA members.
History[]
Before becoming a Contractor, he led quite a normal life in the America. He was shown to be quite fond of his family, and had many friends at the time. Upon the appearance of the Hell's Gate in Tokyo, and the Heaven's Gate in South America, he became a Contractor, RJ-101. The sudden change in his personality scared his parents, as well as a lot his friends. He began sinking into depression as lonliness set in. His parents and friends hated how seemingly emotionless he was, and they blamed him for it. Then, one night, almost two years after the appearance of the gates, a local gang raided his neighborhood, breaking into his house and ruthlessly murdered his family, as well as all but one of the family members who had been visiting them that week; the one they left alive, they kidnapped. Seeing his loved ones killed, raped, and taken right in front of him sparked an odd feeling inside of him and as the gunmen came for him, his star started vibrating in the sky, his eyes turned bright red, and he used his contract to grip the man's heart with an "invisible hand", later revealed to be telekinesis, and smashed his heart.
In the years since, he's managed to keep a few close friends, though he (as most contractors are) doesn't have any social skills to make too many more. He states that he has lost everyone he truly cared for. Unlike most Contractors, he doesn't seem to have any affiliation to a government or any organization as of yet. He states that his goals are his and his alone to know; one of these goals is to find the family member, a close cousin, who was kidnapped by the gang the night of the raid and rescue him. It is later revealed that he is working for the DCR unit of the CIA.[1]
Appearance[]
Ryan as "The Gunman".
In his school persona, he looks like a typical American teenager. He has long black hair, black eyes, and he usually wears a brown shirt with a long brown coat over it, and long brown khaki pants. Occasionally, he will be seen carrying a backpack on his back. He also has been seen wearing a blue scarf around his neck.
When he is in his Contractor persona, he retains his brown jacket and brown shirt, however, he now wears an old western cowboy hat that he wears covering his eyes so that others cannot clearly identify him as "Ryan" right off the bat.
Personality[]
Ryan's personality is as relaxed as his appearance. He is calm and layed back, appearing not to have a care in the world, though this can be a misleading appearance. In many ways his personality resembles that of Hei's; caring for the health and safety of his friends and comrades, while still retaining the cold, logical persona of a Contractor. Ryan is kind hearted, and loves the chance to help and give back when it arises. Unlike most Contractors, he is also a lover of battle, and admires the battle spirit of both soldiers and fellow Contractors. Ryan displays a certain sense of self-confidence in his abilities that allow him to press on, even if the battle gets deadly. In battle, he also seems to enjoy taunting his opponent, though he reveals this isn't arrogance (a trait he despises), but is intentional. His partner, Neko, says that he is a master of provocation and will say what he needs to get his foe to attack rashly, which is logical in a sense, making it a reasonable action for a Contractor.
At times, Ryan can seem depressed, especially if he's worried about a friend's wellbeing. The death of a friend will noticeably shake him, often rendering him incapable of continuing a battle, or driving him not to eat for several days at a time. Βeacause of the horrors of his past, he has a great fear of losing his friends, which is often the motivation for him to fight more powerful foes or fight on when a situation looks bleak. It is also the reason Ryan is highly protective of the ones he loves. He is easy to anger when it comes to a friend's life and will act out on this. In any other case, however, he usually remains calm, even in the face of taunts or provocation. His hobbies are training, writing, reading, and sleeping.
Abilities[]
Ryan's revolver.
- Magnetic Field Manipulation: His Contractor ability is the creation and manipulation of magnetic fields, which gives him complete control over anything metal or magnetic. He could also magnetize anything he came into contact with, even if it would not normally be magnetic. He has stated that his contract extends his sense of feeling, allowing him to feel any object he touches with it, as if it was in his hands.[2]
- Obeisance/Remuneration: Ryan's Remuneration for using his contract is to eat multiple ice cubes. Failing to do so often causes intense migraines.
- Enhanced Speed: He has incredible amounts of speed that aids his combat abilities.
- Expert Martial Artist: Since becoming a Contractor, Ryan has trained himself to be very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He is so skilled in this area, that he can fight most humans and low level Contractors without using his Contractor power.
- Expert Gunslinger: His signature trait is his revolver pistol, which he uses quite often in combat with armed enemies. This with the aid of his Contractor power makes him arguably one of the best gunslingers in the States.
Equipment[]
- Revolver Pistol: His trademark weapon is a small revolver pistol, which coupled with his Contractor power, earned him his name, The Gunman.
- Metal Wire: Ryan possess several roles of metal wire that he uses for various purposes in battle; usually to incapacitate an opponent.
- Dagger: A normal dagger used for close quarters fighting.
- Communication Radio: Neko and Ryan both use this to stay in contact with each other when on missions.
Synopsis[]
Darker than Black: After Sunset[]
Ryan makes his debut in New York City, with a goal to stay far away from assassins and other Contractors. This, however, fails, as he is discovered by a hooded man, who is also a Contractor. The hooded man follows Ryan into an alley and then to the rooftop of the nearest skyscraper, where the two engage each other. The hooded man begins by shooting at Ryan, which he is able to deflect, thanks to his contract. The man manages to slip out of sight, forcing Ryan to decide to derail any nearby ladders to slow his foe's movement. The man reappears by wrapping a thin cord around Ryan's neck, which Ryan soon cuts with his dagger to free himself. The two exchange blows, knocking the man's hood off, revealing the face of Takeshi. Takeshi then proceeds to jump of the edge of the building with Ryan in close pursuit; Ryan managing to fasten a rope to a nearby pole before swinging down and firing at the still falling Takeshi, activating his contract to aid his bullets. The bullets connected to a seemingly bullet proof vest, and both landed on the ground. Takeshi manages to land a powerful kick, only to have Ryan activate his contract, sending them both flying. Ryan attacks Takeshi with several dozen knifes from a nearby shop only to have Takeshi cut them out of the sky. They then, briefly engage in a conversation, only to have Ryan realize that he no longer was needed to fight. He destroys some nearby fire hydrants as a distraction and escapes.
After escaping from Takeshi and fulfilling his remuneration, Ryan contacts his Doll companion, Neko, to find a place for him to rest. She tells him to go to the harbor and rest in one of the storage facilities, to which, he accepts, telling her to meet him there. He takes his time reaching the dock, and upon arriving, heads to the last storage building, ignoring a commotion on the way. Once he reaches his destination, he takes a seat at a nearby pier and tells Neko to watch the stars from vibrations. Soon after, the man called Sadow appears wanting to talk to him. Ryan lectures Sadow on the nature of Contractors, and the two begin talking. Sadow attempts to convince him to join an organization known as BEHEMOTH, but Ryan declines, demonstrating his contract while saying that his reality "already bows to his every whim." He then tells Sadow that he aims to crush those who view Contractors as tools and divine rulers, as well as take back his humanity. Sadow seems disgusted by this and attempts to leave. Ryan, however, refuses to let him leave, and attempts to kill him by shooting him. Sadow activates his contract and manages to cause the gun to misfire. Ryan responds by using his contract to call on the water under the pier, causing it to explode. Sadow again tries is contract, only to have it used against him, resulting in a large explosion; giving Ryan the opening to escape. He runs into Neko several miles away at an old warehouse and succumbs to his remuneration once more.
Two days later, in the same city, BEHEMOTH makes it's first move. Ryan appears shortly after the action begins, on top of a skyscraper, behind BEHEMOTH member, Sink. Ryan manages to use his contract to steal away Sink's gun, but Sink reveals another gun and the two begin to fight. He is able to block Sink's gunfire with his bullet proof vest, and then hurl Sink of the building with his contract. Sink links them by rope and Ryan goes tumbling off the edge too, however, Ryan manages to get free and land on a nearby rooftop, while Sink plummets into a car on the streets. Ryan then returns to the first building and uses Sink's gun to snipe another BEHEMOTH member, Savis. Savis is wounded, and Takeshi, who was fighting Savis, comes looking for Ryan. This causes Savis to find them and attack again, wounding Ryan's leg and causing Ryan to hurl him through a window with his contract. Sink reappears and is almost killed by Ryan, only to be saved by Savis' contract. Sink retreats, and soon after, so does Ryan.
Trivia[]
- Despite it seeming odd that he is American, at least two characters in the original Darker than Black were American, one of these was a Contractor.
- His theme songs are Lithium by Evanescence and Don't Leave me Behind by We are the Fallen.
Quotes[]
- (to Takeshi) "I don't care. Whether or not people know about me, it makes little difference. I'll leave them alone if they leave me alone, and if they get in my way, I'll kill them. I hate that feeling, but since my transformation into a Contractor, I know it to be true."
- (to Sadow) "We Contractors are logical beings. We care more for ourselves than others, no matter how much I despise that fact. Your 'distress' was merely another commotion in my day in this cold city, nothing more and nothing less."[3]
- (to Sadow) "BEHEMOTH, the CIA, the Syndicate, MI-6, and even the Japanese Government have one thing in common. Contractors are viewed as revolutionaries. Where a few of the mentioned groups view us as Armageddon, others view us as weapons. And yet, others view us a divine, rulers of the world. We are none of those. We are humans that became blessed with a curse upon the appearance of Hell's Gate in Tokyo. That gate is the only reason we are able to do what we have done, and the moment it vanishes, we will all die, just as those who witnessed Heaven's Gate disappear in South America all those years ago did. I live to crush those who view Contractors as anything more than 'special humans'. I aim..to take back my humanity."
- (to Sink) "Names aren't important, but as it is your last request I will grant you my name this once. I'm Messier Code RJ-101, codename The Gunman. But you can just call me Ryan, the Contractor that ended your life."