Jun 25, 2018, 04:46 AM
Hiroto Akiyama, Fresh off the Boat
Mr. Akiyama, known to close friends simply as Hiroto and to his enemies as Mr. Shinigami, was born 1989 under Hebi, the serpent. Hiroto grew up with his single mother, Tamora, who worked hard to support them. Struck with poverty they often shuffled from apartment to apartment across the cheaper options throughout Kabukicho, a district of Tokyo known famous for it's massive and gritty red light districts. This is where Hiroto would grow up, exploring this ever-expanding red light district often doing legitimate work for bags of rice.
This wouldnt change till Hiroto was 9. His mother, ignoring her health, worked her self into sickness. Becoming head of household Hiroto would abandon his schooling and child hood for a life of work, taking on the responsibilities of tending to his sick mother, taking care and raising himself, as well as paying the bills. 4 years later, now 12 years old and working for 3 different shops, his mother's health only grew more concerning. Doctors having said it was emphysema, Hiroto became desperate to get his mother treatment. So much so that he went to a group of local Yakuza for work. All being low ranking teenage thugs they had Hiroto peddle drugs and stolen goods for them. Hiroto found this work to be much more lucrative as well as an escape to a world he could control, a feeling he felt he'd been stripped of since he was little. This mind set would follow him through his life.
Through his teenage years Hirotos ties with the Yakuza only grew stronger. Doing much bigger jobs. Although his mother, battling emphysema for 7 years, had finally succumbed to her disease. Barely 16, destroyed with no family left Hiroto turned to his new family, the Yakuza. This same year he would join the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest Yakuza organization. With a lifetime of exploring Tokyo and gaining many contacts along the way he climbed up the ranks quickly. By 18 he ran his home neighborhood Kabukicho, running chopshop, racing, drug, gambling and prostitution rings throughout his turf. He gained a feirce and respected reputation inside the Yamaguchi. His rapid growth gained the attention of his Oyabun as well as Toyko Dectectives. Executives in the Yamaguchi soon realized their prized asset was soon to be captured by detectives so they plucked him from his kingpin position to ward off Dectectives and had him work as their personal Hitman.
Where Hiroto was, so was death. So much so that he soon gained the nickname Mr. Shinigami from those wealthy and well-connected enough to obtain his services. By 26 he had completed over a hundred contracts for the Yamaguchi and was responsible for over half of the homicides in Tokyo at the time. During all this though, there was a massive civil brewing within the Yamaguchi. Tensions would build for 3 years till the Yamaguchi-gumi would begin to fall apart. Locked in turf wars throughout various parts of Japan Hirotos family was crumbling. But fueding Kingpins and bosses had bidding wars for the assassin's services, making him very wealthy before he would attempt to flee the country.
With no family left and detectives closing in once again he smuggled him self out in a shipping container. Originally destined for Hong Kong, China which is only a few day cruise, Hiroto was trapped at sea for close to two weeks till arriving at a port in Rockford. While he was furious of the ships miscalculations he was relieved to be freed from his metal prison. Eager to get a meal he set off into the city to eat and get ready to travel back to his destination. After eating at a local dinner he left only to receive a call from an old associate informing him their was a man hunt issued for him throughout Japan, Korea, Thailand, and China by the Japanese government. Now with plan or destination, Hiroto looked to Rockford as his escape.