The Dragon (GOY)

THE DRAGON WITH NO SKY Ukichi Saitō (斎藤 卯吉) Eldest Son of Lord Saitō “The Dragon” Ukichi Saitō was born beneath banners, not stars. From his first breath, he belonged to his father — to House Saitō — to expectation. Called The Dragon, Ukichi is often spoken of as favored: the disciplined son, the eager blade, the one who never faltered. But favor, when poisoned at its root, becomes another form of chain. Ukichi was raised to be seen. Every strike measured. Every word weighed. Every failure remembered. Lord Saitō did not ask Ukichi to be loved — only to be worthy. Approval was never given freely. It was something to be earned, again and again, until earning became obsession. Ukichi’s younger brother, The Spider, lived differently. Where Ukichi reached upward for approval, The Spider never looked. That indifference — that lack of hunger — appeared to Ukichi as freedom. And so envy took root, quiet and unspoken. Yet despite this fracture, the Saitō brothers share an undying loyalty. They stand back to back, bound by blood and survival. They may walk different paths — but neither would abandon the other. The Night of the Burning Tree Ukichi was present. When the tree burned, when the night split with smoke and flame, when history turned violent — Ukichi pulled the trigger. Jubei fell by his shot. It was not rage. It was not hesitation. It was obedience sharpened into action. And that night never left him. • Katana — direct, ceremonial, unforgiving • Yari — control, reach, authority • Musket — decisive violence • Tanegashima / Tanzutsu — precision at close range Both Ukichi and The Spider are known for an obsessive mastery of firearms, treating gunpowder not as dishonor, but inevitability. Ukichi believes order must be upheld, even if it devours the ones who enforce it. He knows the system is breaking — but he fears that without it, nothing remains. Yet he still chases approval that never was there to begin with....