When trying to describe who Nuriko is and why he is the way he is it's important to understand where he comes from, and why he's chosen to live the life he has. As mentioned in the link for his history, Nuriko lost his younger sister, Kourin, in a tragic accident that resulted in her dying. Even at the ages of 9 and 10, the two were practically twins, and very much inseperatable. He was the one with her when the accident happened, and likely blames himself harshly for running ahead of her just before the accident. This was such a traumatic event for him, that in his grief he decided to live the life she would have wanted to live for her. In deciding this, he proceeded through life making the choices he made while keeping in mind what he thought she would have wanted. This ultimately led to him taking a place in Emperor Hotohori's harem as his sister Kourin. In his heart he truly believed this is what she would have wanted, and Hotohori -- The Emperor -- was the kind of man she would have fallen in love with so he strived to make this come true for Kourin.
There is the issue of his request to Miaka regarding wishes. He does, in fact, request that one of the wishes that Miaka asks of Suzaku be to turn him into a female. However, believe this is more so for the dream of living as Kourin rather than a true feeling that he himself is a woman. Taking all of this into account, I feel it's more true to the character to admit he dealt with the trauma of losing his sister in a unique way that helped him process his feelings, rather than saying he himself identifies as being female. Because he felt so strongly for his sister he lived as she would have, in order to give Kourin some semblance of remembrance that he felt she deserved. This however, does not mean that over the course of living as Kourin he himself did not develop feelings for Hotohori, as evidenced by his own admission to Miaka that he does indeed harbor feelings for him.
Simply understanding where Nuriko comes from in relation to his past, it's easy to understand how dedicated and loyal he is to those he cares about. While it wasn't a wholly healthy reaction to his sister’s death, he was dedicated to having her live through him to a point that many people would not be able to do themselves or even comprehend. This aspect of his personality is further illustrated by his dedication towards Miaka, once their relationship has grown from rivals to friends and more. There is a point he admits to himself that in addition to how he feels about Hotohori he may also have feelings for Miaka -- but at the same time he would never, ever act upon them because he so fully supports and understands the love that she has with Tamahome. It would be impossible for him to step in the middle of that, considering how important both Miaka; as his priestess and friend, and Tamahome; as one of his true friends. Instead he is more than content to be a protector and a brotherly type towards Miaka instead.
All in all, the easiest way to describe Nuriko is the way Tamahome does. "Nuriko wasn't a man or a woman. Nuriko was... Nuriko."
Springing from Nuriko's dedication, comes Nuriko's intense and almost self destructive desire to protect those he cares about. What he wants most is to see the people he cares about happy and safe. It's very clear how important Miaka and Tamahome are to him when he constantly expresses concern about the state of their relationship -- even going as far as to realize how upset Miaka is when Tamahome is missing, which is something Miaka had not realized yet herself at the time. This drive to protect people -- and at the same time avoid another loss like the loss he experienced with Kourin, is also what drives him to face Ashitare alone. Because he sees Ashitare as a danger to Miaka he dives in to try and remove the threat despite the fact that his own life is likely to be forfeit.
Despite the dedication and loyality he displays, Nuriko did take some development to get there. When he first appears he is still living as Kourin, a courtier in Hotohori's harem. He is massively jealous of the attention Miaka receives from Hotohori, and reacts in a childish manner -- he decides to try and take the man he perceives as the one she cares about, Tamahome. In addition to this he does play a nasty trick on Miaka, sending her out to look for a pearl earring that he hasn't actually lost, in order to teach Miaka a lesson. He does however slowly mature, primarily because of his interactions with Miaka and the growing friendship between the two of them. As he fully steps into the role of being a Suzaku Seishi, his friendship and duty combined seems to help push his childishness and spoiled behavior to the wayside. This does not mean that sometimes this aspect of his personality does not squeak through, in fact he often teases the other seishi and Miaka included, albeit in a much less malicious way considering their friendship has blossomed.
Nuriko is quite energetic, this aspect of his personality being displayed in his playful manner towards the other seishi, as well as when reacting in frustration or anger. Nuriko is not beyond tearing off a piece of the palace wall in order to sling it at a departing assassin. In order to escape judgment he does tend to put on a playful act. "Oh my! Look at what he did to the palace!!" Of course, everyone else knew who exactly ruined the palace wall. More or less, Nuriko can be considered as the outgoing type as a result, meaning that he gets along with others of a similar personality. This is likely why he got along so well with Tasuki, who has a loud, outgoing and somewhat obnoxious personality that complements Nuriko's own likewise outgoing as well as teasing and personable one.
Abilites:
Normally, someone like Nuriko would be a normal human being. However, Nuriko, along with others were chosen at birth to bear the duty of being one of the seven "seishi" or warriors destined to protect the girl that would be come their country's priestess. With this duty comes special abilities in order to perform their task as well as a symbol that identifies them as such. Nuriko's symbol is the chinese character for "willow" located on the right side of his chest.
The ability given to him as a result of being one of the seven warriors of Konan is that of super strength. He is able to easily break through walls and tear off parts of buildings effortlessly, which can prove to be quite humorous considering his outward appearance and build. This strength is not something that he has a full grasp on in canon, and sometimes (*mostly* accidentally) he'll forget the scope of his strength which usually ends in broken things or bruised friends.
This strength is amplified by two bracletes he recieves from Taiitsukun on their journey. At will, these bracelets turn into gauntlets when Nuriko is fighting or doing something particularly physically taxing. In particular, he uses these bracelets when lifting a giant boulder from in front of the Genbu shrine.
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Nuriko || Fushigi Yuugi || Reserved || 2 of 3
Abilites:
Other: n/a