Bryan Balaong



Bryan Balaong aka "Nharuto Bagatsing" is a highly athletic young man, who spent his youth training in martial arts courses and athletic pursuits. He is very proficient in free-running and 'ninjutsu' (or his misunderstanding of it). Despite his paraphernalia and techniques being obviously fake, his athleticism and instincts are the real deal. He has performed physical feats and acrobatics that could be considered superhuman. He is considered a 'natural ninja' even though his training is not that of 'true ninjutsu'.

History
Bryan was thrust into the world of supernatural conflict at a very young age, when he regularly played with the street kids in Binondo. He encountered Derpman and the Alabang Assassin when they staked out a building that contained a vampire-run human butchery. Derpman saw something unnatural about the boy, who was very athletic and skilled at larceny (pickpocketing, breaking into houses, etc). Derpman used the boy to sneak into the building, which also doubled as a drug laboratory, then secretly supported him with magic. Later, violence erupted and he had to rescue the young Bryan Balaong from being killed - it was then he revealed to the young boy his magical powers. However, the young boy hadn't awakened yet, and his human eyes and mind couldnt grasp the supernatural reality - this caused him to reject Derpman as a fraud and the backlash caused his magic to misfire. Derpman unknowingly set the boy's destiny into motion by cursing him in frustration : He would take the path of the ninja, but he would never uncover its true secrets.

That curse wore on Bryan and he became obsessed with becoming a real ninja, learning various martial arts and training in various athletic disciplines. He fooled his mother into thinking he was taking up nursing, but squandered his tuition money on his obsessive pursuits. He even signed up for the World Ninja Association (WNA), an organization called a 'scam' by many martial artists and fighters. Even though these techniques and paraphernalia were 'fake', Bryan had trained to such a degree that his feats were as superhuman as the popularly imagined ninja.

However, even this could not save him from the 'MIA terrorist incident' which involved political supernatural elements. Though he survived, his soul was forever marked by that moment. As soon as he came home from the airport, supernatural creatures pursued him wherever he went. His mother was suddenly possessed by some kind of eldritch intelligence and left him to fend for himself. Then he was pursued by a fae creature known as the 'Brian Hunter', who claims he was promised by his father to him. He was also pursued by a twisted reflection of himself, who cursed his existence. Bryan found himself falling into a luciferian conspiracy that claimed he had the blood of the devil running in his veins. They helped him fight against the fae lord, but were killed in the process. Bryan narrowly escaped this battle and, running out of options, asked an old classmate for help.

Little did he know that his classmate was living as the thrall / ghoul of a vampire, who offered him room and board in exchange for services and blood. Bryan decided to put himself under the protection of such a being. It turned out well enough for the young man, as the other fae creatures ceased in their harassment of him. As the modern world could not provide proper jobs to 'ninjas', he became a janitor at a nearby nightclub where his master worked.

He was thrust into the unseen world of vampires in Ermita - and even came into conflict with the dangerous and violent Shikawa Satsuki. The Prince of Ermita sought a peace deal with Satsuki to end the bloodshed, which Bryan vehemently opposed due to the death of his friends - fellow ghouls. As he was holding the opinion of a minority, and was less potent a danger than Satsuki, they tried to kill him instead.

This led to his awakening as a magus when, with the prodding of Derpman, he defeated the vampire killteam sent to eliminate him. He made a vow to become a 'hokage' (the highest level of ninja) with Derpman present, sealing his path in life. Unknown to Bryan, all of these happenings in life were born of many conspiracies entangling his bloodline and destiny...

Abilities
Bryan is a very skilled free-runner, gymnast and athlete. Without realizing it, he has probably achieved capabilities on par or even beyond that of olympic-level athletes. He can easily climb steep walls, balance on railings and leap from rooftop to rooftop. Some of this athleticism stems from his youth of petty crime and pranks.

Real and Fake Martial Arts

Bryan spent a lot of money procuring classes and material on various martial arts, particularly WNA paraphernalia. Sadly most of them are 'fake' martial arts, which aren't actually useful in violent situations. However, due to Bryan's exceptional athleticism and skill, even fake martial arts and weapons become dangerous and effective. Most of his techniques seem to be 80s 'beverly hill ninja'-like fare, with some kung fu movie stuff mixed in. He throws around blunted fiberglass or hollowed out stainless steel kunai bought from unnamed stalls in divisoria, which aren't actually aerodynamic enough to be thrown. However, due to his arm strength and honed throwing technique, he is able to make them fly and even pierce flesh.

Unnatural Bloodline

Bryan Balaong is actually a child of destiny. His family tree is entangled in conspiracy and mystery, which even drives his obsession with being a ninja at an instinctual level. His father cursed him by promising him to a fae lord when he was of age. His mother carries the curse of an ancient evil god in her blood.

His paternal line, the 'Balaongs', were called 'devils' and 'kingslayers'. It is said that their ancestor was the spawn of a demon and a woman, and that an impish temperament runs in their family. The story goes that they were so unruly that they were thrown out of mainland china in ancient times. They settled in the Philippines, where they formed their name ('bala' - to get rid of - and 'wang' - ruler). They married the locals, then became sellswords and mercenaries for the datus and, eventually, the spanish governors. Bryan's missing father carried this tradition of soldiery and was a government SAF (Shinobi Action Force) who directly served under the Marcoses during martial law. It is rumored he was the one who murdered Ninoy Aquino.

His maternal bloodline comes from an even deeper conspiracy with roots in ancient Japan. He is a distant descendent of the Kouga ninja clan, said to be descended from the legendary Kouga Saburo. That ancestor was cursed to take the form of a giant serpent due to a curse from the Yamata-no-Orochi itself. Thus, it is said that they all carry cursed but powerful blood, which forced them on the path of bloodshed and intrigue - the shinobi. However, the clan slowly whittled down their numbers and disappeared in the tumultuous sengoku jidai era.

In truth, they had survived until World War II. At that time, General Yamashita was said to have plundered treasures from all over asia and hid them in the Philippines. The truth is that he was one of the Koga clan's few remaining retainers. Japan was facing defeat and invasion, so the treasure hidden in the Philippines was actually the last heir of the Koga clan. With him, they also stored the wealth of ninjutsu and ninpo techniques that they had accumulated over hundreds of years. This unnamed heir had several children with a local woman and taught them ninjutsu, all except for the youngest daughter - who would become Bryan's mother. However, they were discovered by an ambitious senator named Ferdinand Marcos, who was willing to offer them anything for power. Bryan's uncles teamed up with the Marcos clan and taught them ninjutsu in exchange for positions in government and society. This gave Marcos the capabilities needed to thwart his rivals and become president.

Hiroo Onoda, actually a shinobi planted by Yamashita to watch over the Koga heir, came out of hiding when he heard about the ruling class of the Philippines now being composed of shinobi. He challenged Marcos but was soundly defeated. Marcos intended to kill him, but with the begging of the Koga heir, was sent back mercifully to Japan. Now unobstructed, Marcos created the SAF and began detailing his plans to overthrow the republic and form his own ninja country (leading to what is now known as Martial Law), converting from President to Hokage. By this time, it was the 1980s, and it was around then that Bryan's mother and father (then a filipino shinobi in training) first met.

However, the Koga Philippine branch was betrayed by the very people they trained - most were killed or captured by Philippine government shinobi. Marcos had studied their secrets deeply, and now had no use for them. One of Bryan's uncles was sacrificed in a dark ritual to transfer the serpentine blood of Orochi to Ferdinand Marcos, giving him divine power of the Ibuki god. But the ritual failed, and the curse of Orochi fell upon the entirety of the Philippines. This particularly hurt the Marcos clan - their scheme was thwarted and they were ousted from power in 1986 by a joint operation of the Illuminati, several local supernatural conclaves, and the Vatican. It is proof of their ruthlessness and resilience that they are still able to exist today and hold power at all.

A few of the Koga siblings had actually survived, some of them bringing their ninja scrolls to the New People's Akatsuki (NPA) movement, and vowing bloody vengeance on the Filipino Government. The youngest daughter survived due to the protection of a SAF shinobi who turned on his owners. She was pregnant with that man's child.