Rajesh Karamchand

BIOS
Bellum Bestiae:

Rajesh is an aging hermit, and has lived that lifestyle ever since he lost his beloved wife, Meena, 13 years ago. It was when he chose a cave, very far away from home, as his dwelling, that he unlocked and learned to utilize both the power of and the energy derived from the seven chakras. He soon senses an evil presence going on and seeks to get rid of that presence and maintain the balance of the lands.

ARS SPECIALIS
Maansik Bairaaj (Mental Barrage): Rajesh mentally directs his staff to strike his opponent three times, causing a hard knockdown on the third strike. Meter Burn adds an additional staff strike and changes the final strike to an overhead that slams the opponent to the ground. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Heleekoptar Chhadee (Helicopter Staff): Rajesh mentally directs his staff to spin 1080° clockwise in front of him at either close, medium, or far range depending on which button excluding the "Beast" button is pressed, dealing six hits total. Can also be done in midair. Meter Burn adds another spin and two additional hits. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Chakra Prakshaalan (Chakra Cleansing): Similar to the Psychic ultimate ability, "Chakra Cleanse," in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Rajesh levitates, glowing pure white and surrounded by the seven chakra symbols, restoring 15% of any health lost. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Teleeport (Teleport): Rajesh uses his chakra energy to teleport himself towards or away from the opponent, depending on whether the left or right button is pressed. Cannot be Meter-Burned. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

ARS BESTIAE
Chakra Sanrakshan (Chakra Protection): Rajesh shape-shifts into his tiger form, stands there, and roars, creating a chakra force field around himself that grants him 12 seconds invincibility against basic attacks and Ars Specialis, before changing back to human form. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

Maansik Panja (Psychic Claw): Rajesh turns into his tiger form, stands there, and creates a mental claw mark projection that damages the opponent if it connects. He then proceeds to shape-shift back into his human form. (Match Win Finish Animation: None)

PERCUTE ULTIMUM
Pre-Percute Ultimum pose: Holds his hands together in prayer

Pre-Percute Ultimum strike: Mentally directs "Meena" to fly bottom end-first towards the opponent

Rajesh uses his chakra energy to direct "Meena" to attack his opponent's seven chakra points (crown, brow, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral, and root), causing each one of said body points to glow the corresponding color. Halfway through four seconds of channeling his chakra energy, during which he starts glowing pure white and the seven chakra symbols start surrounding him, Rajesh turns into his tiger form, rears back, and pounces at the losing foe, causing them to explode into gory chunks, but leaving the arms and legs intact. Afterwards, the hermit shape-shifts back to human form and holds his staff in front of him with both hands, mournfully bowing his head as he does so, saying, "Mujhe maaf kardo (forgive me)... I apologize that it had to come to this."

MISC. INFO
Voice Actor: Dave Fennoy (Street Fighter V, The Walking Dead: Season Two)

Destined Battle Rival: Grzegorz Krew

Stage: Solitude

Intro Sequence: While in his tiger form, Rajesh weakly walks into the battlefield due to his age, then becomes his human form again, saying, "To fight one as elderly as I..." and mentally calls his staff to his hand, continuing, "...'tis a bad idea." and goes into his fighting stance.

Round Win Sequence: Rajesh holds his staff in front of him with both hands together in prayer and says, "Your desire for ladai (battle) is needless. Clear your mind of it," before going into his fighting stance again.

Outro Sequence: Rajesh plants "Meena" into the ground, saying, "I suppose my chhadee takneek (staff techniques)..." then sits down cross-legged, continuing, "...are no longer as they were in my younger days," and meditates deeply.

PROLOGUE: THE TALE OF THE HERMIT, RAJESH KARAMCHAND
(We cut to a 16th-century tapestry of Rajesh in his cave deeply meditating next to the statue of his late wife that appears in his HeroMachine render, then some text pops up in a manner reminiscent of the Story Modes of Soul Caliburs III and IV.)

Prior to life as a hermit, Rajesh Karamchand trained in the martial art of gatka, or stick fighting, until, at age 20, he won a fight against a rival for the affections of a beautiful young woman named Meena, whom he later married. In recognition of his incredible skills with the wooden staff, the tiger spirit, Tigris, saw that Rajesh was ready to host her and entered his body and remain inside him for 52 years, the longest duration of time for a human warrior to host an animal spirit.

At age 57, Meena's life was taken in 1488 by cardiovascular disease. Saddened by his wife's passing, Rajesh retreated to a cave, and there he would remain for 13 years. It was then that Rajesh unlocked the ability to utilize the seven chakras and the energy derived from them, which allowed him to survive weeks, months, even years without food or water. Sensing an evil presence going on, the hermit sets out to put an end to it, despite knowing it could mean death for him.

MIRROR MATCH (QUEST MODE)
(Rajesh is in his home stage when, out of nowhere, a fiery circle appears in front of him, and Damoclus emerges from it.)

Damoclus: I am impressed you have made it this far, warrior. However, before your destined battle begins, I have one more challenge for you... yourself! (creates another Rajesh for the real one to fight)

(The ghost of a late-50s Indian woman with dark gray hair and a bindi on her forehead in a fuchsia short-sleeve dress with a hooded maroon saree, with both the dress and the saree having a gold trim, bronze arm bands, and black wrap shoes materializes.)

Meena (voiced by Tress MacNeille in a manner reminiscent of Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon from The Simpsons): I would beware were I you, sabse priya pati (dearest husband). That daanav (demon) who created a man with your appearance to face you may not be Ravana, but he could very well be deceiving you.

Rajesh: That, or the gods might be testing me. Now, alvida, mere priya (goodbye, my love). (leaves to face mirror!Rajesh)

Meena: Yaad hai (remember)... I will always be with you... inside your heart. (fades away)

Rajesh: A duel against mere apne svayan (my own self)? I must not allow such deception.

(Both Rajeshes draw their staves and go into their fighting stances.)

Mirror!Rajesh: You speak wisely, you who resemble me. Now, come. Face this test.

DESTINED BATTLE - vs. Grzegorz Krew
(Cut to an abandoned cathedral somewhere in Europe, where Rajesh and Krew stand a foot away from each other, looking at each other.)

Rajesh: The Old Synagogue was wise to excommunicate you for your hemophagia, pathbhrasht ek (misguided one).

Krew: You would be wise never to stand in the way of my constant thirst for blood, lest yours be spilled, enough for my cultsmen and I to feast upon.

(Rajesh and Krew go into their fighting stances.)

Rajesh: I choose the more peaceful way of death.

Krew: Such befitting words of a man in the twilight of his life... How unfortunate that it will end sooner than you assume!

SUB-BOSS BATTLE - vs. Torturex
(After the fight, a badly-beaten Krew is down on one knee and one hand.)

Rajesh: You walk andhere ka maarg (the path of darkness). Those who do not answer for it must reap punishment in the next world.

Krew: Krucho starzec (frail old man)... What part of "you cannot force me... to answer for my sins"... did you not catch?

Rajesh: The "not" part, I am certain.

(A fiery portal materializes beneath Rajesh's feet, slowly dragging him into it.)

Krew: Nie... NIE!! (No... NO!!) I refuse to allow one of my potential sacrifices to escape!

(Six seconds later, we cut to Rajesh in the Infernal Torture Chamber.)

Rajesh: Is this... Naraka? What wrongs have I done to deserve this?

Damoclus: Truth be told, this is not the Hell of the Hindu faith. You are in a different kind of Hell... my realm, Infernus! In order for your final confrontation against me to commence, you must first get past... my chief torturer.

(Soon after, thunderous footsteps are heard, which are revealed to be those of an emerging Torturex.)

Torturex: Me welcome you to Infernus! Torture you in chains for Lord! Me want watch you suffer!

Rajesh: No good can come of the shaareerik yaatna (physical torture) of living beings, nor of the life that revolves around it. (readies "Meena")

FINAL BOSS BATTLE - vs. Damoclus
Damoclus: (sitting on his molten rock throne, infuriated that Thomas has defeated Torturex) What is this?! My chief torturer, defeated? (rises from his throne) Very well... I shall finish off that frail old man myself!

Rajesh: (walking into Damoclus' throne room with "Meena" strapped to his back) This presence that I am feeling could be an omen.

Damoclus: (approaching Rajesh) Rajesh Karamchand, a man with a strong connection to the seven Hindu chakras, you who have hosted your animal spirit for the longest of any human. Welcome to your final confrontation against me, Damoclus, the demon lord of the realm of Infernus!

Rajesh: Your very existence, as well as that of other daanavon (demons), bodes ill for the world. I cannot allow it!

Damoclus: Such nonsense coming from a senile and frail fool from some poverty-stricken country filled with malodorous people.

Rajesh: Were I you, I would clear your mind of the sin of the stereotyping of others based on their nationality.

Damoclus: Silence, geriatric! Not a single ounce of absolute evil needs to be cleared from my mind!

Rajesh: 'Tis an understandable fact. Old men are just as capable of fighting as young ones, and must never be underestimated.

Damoclus: As time passes, humans such as yourself become more susceptible to such things as illness, fragility, and, just as you will have, less time to live.

Rajesh: It is better to know what happened in the past than to know what will happen in the future... (going into his fighting stance) you who were born of the unholy.

Damoclus: You think you, a hermit, can defeat the demon lord of Infernus? Allow this battle to be your final one! Septemgladio! (his seven swords, Septemgladio, materialize, and he goes into his fighting stance as well)

AFTER WINNING AGAINST DAMOCLUS IN HIS PRIMARY FORM
Damoclus: (badly beaten and down on one knee and one hand) How dare you...?! (slowly gets back up, heavily breathing with his fiery purple glow becoming angry) Never again... will you see... the light of day!

(Damoclus then transforms into his dinosaur form, then lets out a vicious roar, forcing the player to fight him in only one round.)

ENDING
Damoclus: (defeated and reverting to his humanoid form) NO!! This is impossible! (having been beaten even worse, slowly gets back up again, but barely) Me, a demon lord... defeated by a mere hermit?

Rajesh: (glowing pure white and surrounded by the Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna, and Sahasrara symbols, which all glow their corresponding colors) May you face your penance for attempting to disrupt the balance of all lands. (focuses his chakra energy and fires a pure white beam at Damoclus' chest, burning a medium-sized hole there)

Damoclus: I will make you pay dearly... (breathing heavily) for ruining my plans! (falls to the molten rock ground dead, with no blood coming out of him due to Rajesh's chakra energy beam burning it away)

Rajesh: (weakening and barely able to stand) Patala mein mere lie ruko (wait for me in Patala)... Meena... (also falls to the molten rock ground dead)

(Cut to Thomas in India, holding his hands together and with his head down and his eyes closed in mournful prayer on one knee in front of the graves of both Rajesh and Meena, both of which are under a banyan tree.)

No number of years of his life Rajesh had lived deterred him from prevailing over Damoclus and preventing his evil influence on the world. However, as a result of the demon lord tampering with it during the battle, the hermit's chakra energy weakened to the point where he fell ill and, eventually, passed away. As per his childhood guardian's request, Thomas returned Rajesh's corpse home to India to be buried alongside his wife.

(We then cut to Siamese jungle ruins where Tigris enters the body of a shirtless teenage Southeast Asian boy with neck-length black hair who wears silver arm bands and maroon knee-length pants and who is shown in a crotch-up shot, and infuses him with her power.)

With no host, two years did Tigris search Earth for a replacement, as was mandatory for all animal spirits once the lives of their inhabited warriors were finished, until, in May of 1503, she stopped in Siam to inhabit the body of a young warrior by the name of Kittichai Boonliang who lived there. May the spirit of the tiger live on in this new combatant.

(Cut to pre-credits roll, where "The Devil and the Huntsman," from Guy Ritchie's King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, starts playing as we are treated to short animations of all the characters, shown in full-body, in their home stages, with the names of their voice actors/actresses and pieces of 16th-century tapestry depicting said characters as their animal forms on their left or right. Afterwards, the credits start rolling and the song continues playing.)

DID YOU KNOW?

 * Rajesh's chosen voice actor, Dave Fennoy, was previously the voice of Azam and Oro in Street Fighter V and Lee Everett in The Walking Dead: Season Two.
 * Rajesh is the second BB character after Agnarr to receive a Bittersweet Ending in which he dies after defeating Damoclus after having his chakra energy tampered by the demon lord, but that's OK. The tiger spirit, Tigris, is going to have a brand-new physical host in the form of the young Siamese martial artist, Kittichai Boonliang!