Shirokuma
“Shiro”
My Hero Academia
Jujutsu Kaisen
Info
Name: Iori Shiro
Alias: Shirokuma/Whitebear
Age: 20s (typically depicted as 23-27)
Birthday: May 22
Height: 168cm / 5'6"
Quirk: Polar Bear
Their quirk grants them the ability to shapeshift into a polar bear. They can also shift isolated parts (ex. turning their hands into paws).
Main Timeline
(tw: mentions of mental illness & psych wards)
Iori Shiro, born Iori Nemain, grew up in a tense household in Alaska. Their parents hated each other and were always fighting, and their father was in and out of the psych ward due to mental illness and frequent suicide attempts. On top of this, they also had an older sister with a much more pleasant quirk, which made her more likeable and successful. Since they didn't know how to let out their emotions in a healthy way, they always turned into a bear against their will when upset. Eventually, this drove people away, as they were feared for being out of control with their quirk and was treated as a problem child, and was constantly getting compared to their model child of a sister.Eventually, at 13, they made a small group of friends of people with similar quirks who made them feel more like themself. They had finally felt like they belonged somewhere. All of them had even started to make plans to be heroes together. However, this happiness and belonging was short-lived.During their teen years, a lot of their childhood trauma caught up to them emotionally. Their dad had succeeded at his most recent attempt, the shadow their sister cast over them was growing, and drama between friends inevitably arose. They couldn't stop themself from shifting and when it would happen. They completely lost control of their quirk and who they were. All of their loved ones were terrified and abandoned them when they needed it the most, at their rock bottom. Their hair started to turned white from the extreme stress from everything they had gone through.Feeling horrified, alone, and riddled with self-hatred, Iori ran away. For the next several years, they spent most of their time in bear form, unable to change back no matter how hard they tried. They spent most of their time either in the wilderness or just hopping from place to place.At the age of 18, they caught wind of their missing persons case. The news article said since they had been missing for so long they were pronounced dead. From here, they completely erased their old self and escaped to Japan, changing their name.After moving to Japan, they realized their old dream of becoming a hero was ruined. They were too old to enter any sort of hero course. They were full of despair and had no sense of identity. Since anyone who is not a hero is not legally allowed to use their quirk, they had to repress their bear form, which would not turn out well.Being scared, alone, and having to repress a whole half of themself, Shiro started to resent heroes. Where were heroes for the people who really needed saving, like abuse victims and those struggling with mental illness? Heroes were nothing but a performance. They eventually realized they shouldn't have to wait for a hero to save other people. They shouldn't have to repress their quirk; it was a natural part of them, and helping others is a part of being human. They trained themself how to use their quirk more effectively and became a vigilante. They want a reformation of hero society, being unsatisfied with how it is currently but doing what they can to incite justice.
Hero AU
When Shiro had their breakdown at 13, instead of being isolated and abandoned, they spent a few months in a mental rehabilitation center, specializing in people with difficult control of their quirks. After completing the program, they slowly started to heal and began training their quirk in preparation for being a hero. During their hero course in high school, they studied abroad in Japan and loved it so much they decided to transfer there after receiving their license. They kept their American name, and they became the #32 pro hero in Japan.
Info
Name: Iori “Shiro” Nemain
Age: 19-28 (typically depicted 23-27)
Birthday: May 22
Height: 168cm / 5'6"
Grade: 2Due to the re-awakening of an ancient genetic ability, Shiro is able to shapeshift into a polar bear.
They can either shift and use close combat, or combine the energy from both forms and send it off at long range; however, using one ability temporarily renders the other one weaker, so they typically stick to one or the other.
Timeline
(tw: mentions of mental illness & psych wards)
(In this verse, Shiro uses that name more as a nickname, rather than it being an official/legal change. They don't use their first name since it's the same as Utahime's, and they feel weird being called by their surname, so they just go by Shiro.)
Iori "Shiro" Nemain was a very lonely, sensitive, and empathetic child. They grew up in Alaska with their parents who spent most of their time fighting, a mentally ill father who was in the psych ward often, and a sister who outshined them in every way. Visiting their dad in the hospital was where Shiro discovered they could see curses. They'd tell their family about the "monsters" they could see but was always brushed off and told they were either lying or hallucinating from the trauma.In their early teens, a lot had been piling up on them emotionally after the 10+ years of trauma they endured. They felt more horrified and isolated than ever. Their dad become successful with his most recent attempt, their sister's shadow grew over them even more, and they were having drama with some of their best friends.One evening while sitting out on the porch watching the wildlife, they spotted a polar bear cub alone and bleeding out. Where were its parents? Why was it hurt? It was clearly going to die. In this heavy moment in time, they felt a connection to this suffering animal. They were both in extreme pain and alone from everyone. They held the bear cub until it passed away.After this, all of their pent up emotions had come to a head and they broke down. They'd already gone through years of so much and now this helpless little bear was dead in their arms. They cried harder than they ever had and it felt like their body was going to give out. Little did they know, because they'd felt so many strong emotions brought upon by this bear's death, its spirit had manifested and fused with their soul.Previously unbeknownst to them or anyone in their family, they were descended from an old clan of Celtic sorcerers. This clan, thought to be lost to time, had an inherited ability to absorb the spirit of an animal and be given the ability to shapeshift, known as being a semi-shikigami user. The strong sudden overflow of emotions had re-awakened this ancient ability.Terrified of their new form, they tried to repress it and didn't tell anyone. Their hair started to turn white from the extreme stress. However, a few weeks later when they had gone into the city, a sorcerer traveling abroad happened to sense their energy and had asked them about it. They had no clue what curses even were, let alone the fact that they were real, and that they were not the first person to have their ability.They were suggested to go to Jujutsu High to get a better handle on it and put good use to it. They wanted to understand themself and this new perspective on the world, and made their transfer over to Jujutsu High. Because their family was not aware of their ability, they protested this and tried to keep them from going, but they made their decision nonetheless.As for their abilities, they can either shift and use close combat, or combine the energy from both forms and send it off at long range; however, using one ability temporarily renders the other one weaker, so they typically stick to one or the other. Shiro is registered as a grade 2.