Meet the Deva Lords (and fancast!)
After a few months and one hour of waiting, I've finally bought my entire team, influenced by Hindu and Buddhist myths and inspired by Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Saint Seiya, to life in this awesome commission drawn by Stepyon during my visit to a local ACG convention.
-The first guy in line is Rai, the little yellow Thunder Deva Lord, based on a tiger, and his element is thunder. A mischievous yet well-mannered and optimistic kid who is 9 years of age, Rai is an extreme sports enthusiast and a renowned "game master", having beaten the highest of scores in arcades; his particular favorite game genre is fighting games, which he used to imitate certain moves and finishers as part of his attacks.
-The second girl is Ami, the light blue Sea Deva Lordess, based on a crane, and her element is water. A serene young girl, 15 years old,e of Puerto Rican-mixed descent, she is level-headed and studies marine biology. She also loves reading fantasy fiction novels.
-The third is Hikaru, the red Flame Deva Lordess, based on a phoenix, and her element is fire. She is a hard-headed and impulsive 16-year-old prodigy archer with a hidden attraction for girls (meaning she is possibly a lesbian) and an avid manga reader, a secret she hides from others in comical awkwardness.
-The fourth is Shoji, the navy blue Sky Deva Lord, based on a pegasus, and his element is air. A happy-go-lucky and laid-back 16-year-old young man oArgentine-mixeded descent, Shoji is a local celebrity in baseball, as he is the ace pitcher for the team representing the school he attended with Ami and Hikaru. Shoji is also an avid Hong Kong action cinema fan and listens to electronic and rock music. On another note, he is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Spanish. He refers to Rai as "chico".
-The fifth is the main event himself, Ryuga, the Sun Deva Lord and leader of the Deva Lords, whose element is the sun, and is based on a dragon. A 24-year-old photographer and former motorcyclist for (now manager of) the Minami Racing Club, he is also an avid enjoyer of old-school tokusatsu (specifically mid Showa-early Heisei). He originally retired ten years prior after suffering losses of his original team despite succeeding in defeating the big bad, Asura, but has since returned to duty with his powers regained.
-Sixth is his brother-in-arms, Azuma, the silver Moon Deva Lord, whose element is the moon, and also based on a dragon. He is a billionaire abstract artist, combining the styles of Guo Hua and Ukiyo-e, at the age of 22 years of age, and of Hong Kong descent. Like Ryuga, he was also initially retired ten years prior as their last battle with Asura left him with a burnt arm, before making his grand return with his powers revived and arm recovered.
-and lastly, seventh is Daigo, the green Stone Deva Lord, based on a lion, and his element is earth. A boisterous young man of tall height and a hard-working and earnest worker of his family's bread store, he is also a practicing kamishibaiya, telling stories of folklore and local legends.