Sunday 9 October 2011

A Mixture Of The Two: Zorro


Zorro was a character created in 1919 by Johnston McCulley. He is a nobleman who resides in California. A bit like Robin Hood, he helps the less fortunate and avoids the authorities.


Zorro is an agile athlete and acrobat, using his bullwhip as a gymnastic accoutrement to swing through gaps between city roofs, and is very capable of landing from great heights and taking a fall. Although he is a master swordsman and marksman he has more than once demonstrated his prowess in unarmed combat against multiple opponents.

His calculating and precise dexterity as a tactician has enabled him to use his two main weapons, his sword and bullwhip, as an extension of his deft hand. He never uses brute strength, more his fox-like sly mind and well-practiced technique to outmatch an opponent.

In some versions, Zorro keeps a medium-sized dagger tucked in his left boot for emergencies. He has used his cape as a blind, a trip-mat and a disarming tool. Zorro's boots are also sometimes weighted, as is his hat which he has thrown, Frisbee-like, as an efficiently substantial warning to enemies. But more often than not, he uses psychological mockery to make his opponents too angry to be coordinated in combat.

Zorro is a skilled horseman. The name of his jet-black horse has varied through the years. In The Curse of Capistrano, it was unnamed. Later versions named the horse Tornado/Toronado or Tempest. In other versions, Zorro rides a white horse named Phantom.

I feel Zorro bears resemblance with both my characters. He obtains some of the most obvious traits of a ninja AND a musketeer (such as skills, characteristics and looks), as well as his own more unique attributes like his usage of the bullwhip. With all this packed into one character, I believe he is a good example for me to follow in the character creation process

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