Story

After the Gear known as Justice destroyed Japan, surviving Japanese people were gathered at special colonies protected and controlled by the world governments. Anji was born and raised in one of these colonies alongside Baiken. Being a free spirit, Anji rebelled against the secluded and stale life in the colonies and wished to escape. To achieve this, he concealed his identity and, in his own words, “stumbled across” Zessen. The sacred treasure powered the dimensional barrier of his colony but now serves as his signature weapon. Due to this incident, he is continuously chased by colony authorities who want to bring him back.

Free from the boundaries of the Japanese Colony, Anji set out on an investigation into the origin of Gears and what caused the destruction of Japan. Having deduced that Sol Badguy has a more direct relation to Gears than most realize, Anji seeks him out. The two come face to face after Anji meets Dizzy and asks Sol about the nature of gear. Instead of getting a straight answer, they get into a fight that leaves Anji to draw his own conclusions.

Anji continues on his journey, meeting Ky Kiske after some time goes by. Unfortunately, Anji thinks that Ky wants to apprehend him due to a misunderstanding, leading to a fight and Anji’s escape. He then meets I-No, defeating her in a battle that leads to Anji’s fateful encounter with That Man. Anji gets an opportunity to ask many questions about Gears, but That Man warns him that to hear an answer, he will have to defy both heaven and earth. While remaining suspicious of him, Anji starts to work with That Man and helps him recapture I-No.

After some time has gone by, Anji contacts Baiken to ask for help in an investigation of Illaryan presence at the Colony. Baiken, suspicious of Anji’s ties to That Man initially refuses but agrees after Anji convinces her. Nevertheless, this interaction makes Anji consider continuing to keep things secret.

Later on, Anji would come to work with Chipp as the two inquire into the ordeal involving That Man and Happy Chaos. His main role involved gathering information, going as far as finding out the origin behind Happy Chaos that goes back to the Crusades. When everything is finally over, he manages to once again reunite with Baiken.

Personality

Anji is constantly driven forward by his own curiosity. Despite not being much of a thinker, he still enjoys learning new things, and he’s very passionate about gaining new knowledge. For the sake of his passion, he’s ready to carelessly charge into any danger that might be ahead. Even though he doesn’t preach his own view of justice, Anji will show his dislike when coming across something he deems distasteful or unfair.

Appearance

Anji is a muscular man with black eyes and short, black hair. On his head, Anji wears a blue headband with a white butterfly. On top, he wears kimono sleeves over the naked torso and black arm sleeves. Below he wears hakama pants with Mount Fuji and butterflies print. Around the pants, he has a red cord and a large golden belt tied in a knot. On his feet, he wears tabi socks and traditional geta sandals.

Playstyle

Anji is a well-rounded and versatile character with a few quirks that set him apart from others. His gameplay is primarily defined by the unique Autoguard property on several of his special moves. This property allows Anji to negate his opponent’s strike for the duration of Autoguard and then retaliate with a painful punishment. Due to this, Anji excels at stealing turns and conditioning his enemies, as settling into a pattern can prove extremely dangerous.

However, Anji has a few notable drawbacks. Even though his potential is massive, he has to take equally significant risks when approaching enemies. Poor timing of Autoguard and thoughtless use of his Fuujin followups can lead to being severely punished, especially by opponents with solid reversals. He also doesn’t have much in terms of frame advantage, making it difficult to pressure opponents without taking more risks.

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