Ishi

Ishi/Player Report

Ishi is a Blade Master, an an Alpha Tester for Sword Art Online. He is the main protagonist of Sword Art Online: Clashing Blades.

Appearance
Ishi wears a black shirt with black pants that have wing shaped guards on the bottom of each leg. He also wears a white six tailed hooded jacket with multiple smaller blades fastened around it. He wears a white fingerless glove on his right hand, which is later replaced by a runic black fingerless glove, and wears black shoes that have chrome guards on them.

During his training with Kirei Kyosho, Ishi is given a white hakama with a black bottom piece to wear during training. Ishi takes to wearing the outfit regularly during his stay with him, Sakura, and Kenji.

Towards the end of Clashing Blades he wears the Blade Master's Cape over his left arm, given to him by Iskandar.

In real life, Ishi wears a simple long sleeve white dress shirt with a black coat over it, as well as plain black slacks and black work shoes.

Background
Ishi's mother died during childbirth, and his father drank himself to death when he was 5. After that, he was taken in by his grandparents, who cared for him until they died when Ishi was 14. After that, Ishi inherited his grandparent's house and is now living off the money his wealthy aunt and uncle send him monthly. It was with this money that he was able to acquire a NerveGear.

Ishi was friends with one of the developers of Sword Art Online, and therefore got a spot for the first alpha tests of the game, where he was allowed to design his own weapons along with the other few alpha testers. He designed his custom sword, Arondight, and personal gauntlet, Gilgamesh, which are designed to scale up to his level as he progresses through the game. On the day Sword Art Online was released, he was one of the first players to enter the game, and soon discovered he couldn't log out. After the Game Master adressed the players, he was one of the first to take action, vowing to beat the game and kill the Game Master, both in game and in real life. He eventually abandons this goal in search of other things.

Towards the end of Sword Art Online, Ishi becomes a legend among players, his name and deeds being known everywhere in Aincrad.

Personality
Kind at heart, but headstrong and rebellious, Ishi prefers to do things his own way and usually doesn't accept help and almost never joins or hosts parties. Despite not liking teams, he is a strong team player, supporting his allies with his skillful abilities. He refuses to let anyone die before him, and will risk his life to save another, no matter the danger. However, most of the time he likes to work alone, figuring it's the best way for him to get things done. Ishi's fighting instincts are legendary, and he enjoys combat with a good opponent. Despite his rough and tough exterior, underneath he is somewhat soft and introverted. He gets emotionally attatched to people too easily, so he distances himself from everyone so he won't be distracted or held back.

He had a deep hatred for player killers of all kinds before becoming one himself.

After becoming a player killer, Ishi becomes almost fully realized as a Blade Master, discovering the voices of his weapons and acting with the will of them along with his own, increasing his battle capabilities considerably.

Over time, after obtaining Skeith, Ishi begins to almost enjoy pain inflicted on him, seeing his sense of pain as a reminder to him that he is still alive. He also displays a sense of duality between himself and Skeith.

Relationships
Asuka

Ishi met Asuka when she confronted him asking for help in travelling to Vespera from Talmia. After reluctantly agreeing and friending her at their destination, Ishi unintentionally spends a bit more time with her, and soon helps her to level up, and eventually takes her under his wing in training her.

Over time, Ishi gradually becomes more and more emotionally attatched to Asuka, and in turn falls in love with her, although he does not want to admit it.

Knight

Ishi respects Knight for his strength and perserverance in the most difficult of situations, holding him in high regard as a leader. Under his leadership in Pendragon Court, Ishi followed his orders willingly, trusting in his judgement. After he left the guild, he retains the tendency to follow his lead. He responds to the name Lancelot only from him.

Misaki

Ishi and Misaki had a romance before, when Ishi was a member of Pendragon Court, but it wasn't taken very far and was a short relationship. After Ishi left the guild the two drifted apart, and although they were still in contact with each other, they let their relationship end at that.

The two eventually get back together again, starting over and finding a greater relationship out of it.

Yamato

Yamato is Ishi's archenemy and rival. After their first encounter, Ishi makes it a goal to defeat him, and accelerates his leveling to do so. He grows to respect Yamato's skill and abilities as a swordsman greatly.

The two come to form a sort of friendship between each other, as they are very similar on many levels.

Iskandar

Ishi holds Iskandar in high regard, respecting him for his charisma, camaraderie, and abilities as a leader, as well as his strengths as a swordsman.

Adeline 

Ishi's friendship with Adeline dates back to early in the game, where he saved her life from a group of player killers at no small risk to himself, making it out with red HP. Adeline returns the favor by giving Ishi his own room for free indefinitely at her tavern.

Kana and Diana

As their trainer, Ishi treats Kana and Diana well and doesn't mind spending time with the two. He respects the strong bond the two share and has noted their combat ability together when combining their skills.

Sword Art Online
Ishi is an incredibly skilled master swordsman, fighting with his personal sword, Arondight, and gauntlet, Gilgamesh. He is undefeatable in close quarters, using his deadly skill and a fighting style that varies between graceful and outright brutal. He focuses mainly on speed and skill, finding that the best way to win a fight is to simply not get hit, developing a unique ability, Zero Shift, specifically for this purpose. It allows Ishi to dash around the battlefield at incredible speed, crossing large distances in extremely short times, looking almost like teleportation.
 * Level: 58
 * HP: 10544
 * Main Equipment:
 * Arondight
 * Gilgamesh
 * 5 Short Blades

Ishi possesses no other skills, refusing to learn any others, preferring to perform self-taught techniques unassisted, finding it to be more efficient and unpredictable.

After Ishi's acquisition of Skeith, he begins to develop an extreme tolerance towards pain, to the point where he can suffer damage that would cripple or kill a normal person and keep on fighting.

Ishi has been noted as being the fastest player in Sword Art Online, even without Zero Shift, and his sword hand is also one of the quickest ever seen in Aincrad, being surpassed only by Yamato.

Sword Art Online (End Game)

 * Level: 100
 * HP: N/A
 * Main Equipment:
 * Arondight
 * Gilgamesh
 * 5 Short Blades
 * Aphelion
 * Mordred
 * Eternia
 * Corvus
 * Takeru
 * Izanagi

By near the game's end, Ishi had become one of the most notable players in all of Sword Art Online, known throughout Aincrad as a player of legendary status, both for his skills and actions. It is at this time that Ishi has become fully realized as a Blade Master, becoming an undefeatable swordsman through all his hardships and trials, earning such names as "The Second Wandering Swordsman", after Yamato, as well as "Collector of Blades", and the "True Blade Master".

Trivia

 * Ishi's last name, Haseo, is a reference to Haseo of .hack//Roots and .hack//G.U., a player of The World R:2, another online MMORPG.
 * Ishi's unique ability, Zero Shift, is a reference to the Zero Shift ability used by Orbital Frames Jehuty and Anubis in Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.
 * Ishi's alignment is Chaotic Good.
 * It is unknown where the permanent scars on his right cheek and over his left eye came from.
 * Ishi is particularly fond of hot chocolate.
 * Ishi has sometimes been compared to Galant due to their similar personalities and similar stories.

Music Themes
Music Theme=|-| Music Theme (Alternate)=|-|