Trivia

Personality

Johnny is a bit of a smug goofball, he thinks quite highly of himself and feels underappreciated by the world around him, a feeling he is vocal about frequently at first. He's distrusting others and has no problem using them to push his own agenda, believing that as he's the only person to know how great he is, he has to look out for himself first and foremost. However, he is not without morals; he is willing to admit he is wrong when he finds himself to be so and doesn't like the idea of putting people in danger through his work. His dangerously curious nature is fitting considering his career as a journalist though, he's a very nosy guy, often getting up in people's personal space in search of some hot gossip or other interesting information.

Speaking of personal space, he's comically infatuated with any hunky fellow he happens to come across and is very shameless in his flirtatious advances, particularly towards fellow Bandits Terry and Thaddeus. This even applies in the face of extreme danger, his love-struck dazes over-riding all survival instincts when he's confronted with notably handsome evil-doers, and often has to be protected by being dragged to safety by his friends. His self-proclaimed Casanova demeanour also leads him to thinking he's a master when it comes to love, often sticking his nose in the romantic affairs of others to offer unwanted, and usually not very good, advice. His vain attitude in this matter is only amplified by the naive Ruby reinforcing how wise and romantic he is when he frequently sticks his nose into her love life.

Despite how highly he thinks of himself, Johnny initially acknowledges that he is weak compared to the monstrous strength of those around him and is not ashamed of his cowardice in the face of their chaotic battles, showing no hesitation in running and hiding at the first sign of things getting out of hand, heart-pounding hotties permitted. However, following his acquisition of his artificial Magel abilities, Johnny seeks to become stronger so that this will no longer be a problem, as he sees his newfound power as a solution to his previous lack thereof. From this point, although still meek compared to his more experienced allies, he is more confident and willing to face danger when confronted.

Feeling indebted to them for saving his life and his part in their status as public fugitives, Johnny becomes more loyal to the other Bandits than even himself. In contrast to his previous self-importance, he becomes a more trusting and caring person, realising that the world doesn't revolve around him and holds his new ethos that knowledge is a tool for protecting his fellow man from danger rather than advancing his own status dear to his heart.

Abilities

• P-Kick Johnny imbues his trousers with light energy, circumventing his inability to imbue his legs directly. These turn his kicks into Light melee attacks.
• P-Whip Johnny imbues his belt (or sometimes, necktie) with light energy and turns it into a makeshift weapon, using it as a whip to increase his range. His trousers miraculously always stay on until after the fight has finished.

Misc.

• In Johnny's original design, his hair was blonde.

Background

A dissatisfied journalist for the national newspaper, the Stellar Gazette.

Synopsis

Johnny is reluctantly assigned by the paper to write a fluff piece on the Garden of Bones. However, while investigating for his article he ends up lost in the labyrinth-like cemetery, and soon stumbles upon the group soon to be called the Beacon Bandits in their battle against the Garden's curator, Phineas Finnley. Seeing Terry, Mary and Kaishu bring down he and his men, Johnny decides to pursue them instead of his assignment, his journalistic instincts screaming at him that they will soon be a notable force in the world. He intermittently appears to stalk and pester the group, relaying information back to the Gazette, only to not have his investigation taken seriously by the higher-ups. Unbeknown to him of course, the paper is run by a government that feels confident that the Bandits will be stomped out before they become a threat.

However, after the Bandits' attack on the palace of Madame Celes, secretly the fallen heroine Virgo, he misunderstands their motivations and publicly labels them as terrorists. The government finally allows his story to be published, the Bandits becoming well-known wanted criminals. Heralded as a hero by the public for his abundance of information on the Bandits' identities and actions, Johnny vainly enjoys being cast in the limelight at their expense. However, he soon realises everything may not be as it seems as he learns more in the aftermath of this, but is captured by the governments' agents before he can delve any deeper. To stop him leaking any more information, or discovering the Bandits' real goal, he is detained and becomes a human test subject for the fallen hero Cancer's experiments, practically being tortured.

Thanks to these experiments, Johnny is artificially imbued with Magel abilities against his will, leaving his body and mind broken enough to wish for death. Fortunately, he is found by the Bandits as they work to rescue Thaddeus, who is also experimented on by Cancer, and decides to join forces with them in order to escape his imprisonment. As he makes use of his new powers and fights alongside the Bandits for the first time, he confronts the fallen hero and his eyes opened to the truth of the world. Following their successful escape, in penance for his perceived wrong-doing against his heroes, Johnny casts his former life aside and begs to join their plight, becoming the sixth member of the Beacon Bandits.