Issei Hyoudou (Solarverse)



"I, who is about to awaken

Am the Solar Dragon Emperor who has discarded the principles of domination

Holding the infinite hopes and unbreakable dreams and walking the path of righteousness

I shall become the Solar God of the Crimson Dragon

And I promise you all! I will lead you to the Path of Heaven, glowing in deep crimson and black light!"

Issei Hyoudou is the main protagonist of High School DxD, as well as the heroic-neutral protagonist in the fanfiction story, High School DxD: Rise of the Solar God.

Unlike the original depiction of Issei Hyoudou, this version exists in an alternate universe in which he is born from the essence of the Shinto Goddess of the Sun and the Universe, Amaterasu.

History
Dreading that Takamagahara, and by extension the rest of the supernatural world would be detrimental to her child, Amaterasu sent the infant Issei to live on Earth, where he is found in the Ise Grand Shrine by Mitsuru and Sachiko Hyoudou.

Initially unbeknownst to Issei himself, many dwellers of the supernatural world have all been aware of his existence, and seek either to challenge him, kill him, or to convince him to join their allegiance, much to Issei's own dismay.

Because of this, Issei has come in contact with many of the creatures of the supernatural world. Such entities include the Ouroboros Dragon Ophis; who would mark him as her mate at the age of six, the Apocalypse Dragon Great Red, and much later on, a female incarnation of the Supernatural World.

Appearance
Issei is a 17-year old high school student of average height with brown hair, with two short locks of hair behind his head, and heterochromia. His left eye is a doe-brown color, while the right eye is a yellow-orange sun-like shade. After he unlocks his full power and makes peace with himself, his right eye gains a brownish hue. Initially, he is noted for having a innocent face, but later adopts a more stern look, and gains a more muscular and toned build.

His common attire is a white, short-sleeved dress shirt with black highlights, black pants, and brown dress shoes. However, Issei leaves his dress shirt open, and wears a red T-shirt underneath it.

Six months later, Issei’s attire consists of a black V neck shirt with black pants, and black shoes. He is noticeably much taller than he was before, and his facial features have sharpened as well.

Personality
"He's like the Sun. All of the planets that reside in space; they surround and orbit around it. But as they continue to move, they pay no attention to the Sun at all. They never get close to it. And yet the Sun...it just chooses to stay there and endure through it all."

- Sachiko Hyoudou talking about her son.

In contrast to the original Issei Hyoudou, this Issei initially possesses a shy and naive innocent nature, and is often alluded to being an introvert. Despite this, he is also shown to be kind, thoughtful, and benevolent. His inability to fully interact in most social situations, along with occasional lapses of literal-mindedness, are his most irrevocable, and occasionally endearing traits.

In spite of this gentle demeanor, Issei suppresses a great amount of rage that was a result of all the bullying and harassment he endured since he was a child. This hidden fury finally manifested itself when Issei transformed into the first stage of his solar evolution against Riser Phenex. When his rage was fully unlocked, he became a person of pure overwhelming fury with murderous intent.

Overtime, Issei's personality has changed to that of a neutral loner, constantly wanting to be left to his own devices. However, this behavior is often challenged due to the presence of the many people who have interacted with him. When around his family and allies, Issei shows an honorable and gentle spirit, and maintains an adamant desire to protect the people around him.

Issei is shown to be rather vengeful and capable of frightening wrath; characteristics often seen in Gods and Buddhas. He is perfectly willing to bring great pain and suffering to whoever wronged him or his family without hesitation. Such cases include bisecting Fallen Angel Kokabiel for ruining the Ise Grand Shrine and threatening Issei when he refused to join the Fallen Angel's plan to start a second Great War. Kokabiel became traumatized after his loss against Issei, and suffered through great pangs of terror while he was sealed in Cocytus.

Another case was the Evil Norse God Loki who threatened Issei's life out of a need to prove his superiority. This ended with Loki's defeat at the hands of Issei, who had stabbed Loki in the back with Fenrir's fangs. In both cases, Issei was nearly close to killing Kokabiel and Loki, and was only stopped from doing so when he was interrupted by Vali and Rossweisse; respectively.

Despite the drastic change in his behavior, Issei retains his compassionate nature, his uneasiness when getting involved in social situations, and his unawareness of well-known sayings, often taking things rather literally out of context. On the other hand, he adopts a brutal and serious nature and is an utterly ruthless individual in battle. He opts to torture his enemies with humiliation, but will inevitably seek to destroy them in the end. He is also prone to thinking of clever strategies on the fly, a habit that has so far shown to be in his favor. During battle, Issei adopts a silent nature, rarely uttering a single word to his opponents. He often immerses himself in his own thoughts on how to keep the battle to his advantage.

Issei is shown to have no qualms in forming brief alliances with beings that were against him in the past. He (with the help of the Yamata-no-Orochi) was able to successfully convince the Evil Dragons Crom Cruach, Grendel, and Aži Dahāka to briefly assist him in his ongoing struggle against Amenominakanushi, the first Kami of Shintoism. Even Cao Cao, the leader of the Hero Faction, aligned himself with Issei, but with the original intention of wanting to know why the True Longinus chose Issei's will over his; though earlier on, Cao Cao had sent his team members Georg and Leonardo to help Vali in his fight against Amenominakanushi.

Though he is a powerful deity in his own right, Issei is a rather self-effacing and humble God, harboring no traces of arrogance or hubris. If anything, he is a reserved and modest person. As such, he is not confrontational by any means. He is also very aware that there are many beings that are far stronger than himself, and acknowledges that he is not the most powerful existence. As a result of knowing this, he often tries to distance himself away from potential conflicts, and will only retaliate the moment his loved ones and allies, as well as the Earth and the Supernatural World, are harmed.

Issei is also a person who gives off the vibe of not having concern for his own well-being, but rather for the lives of others; specifically for the ones he cares about. This has grown to the point that the one and only time he's worried about himself is because of him wanting to make sure he is strong and conditioned enough to protect his loved ones.

Much like the original depiction of Issei Hyoudou, this Issei possesses an appreciation for breasts, specifically Ophis' breasts. Although he is not as obsessed or enthusiastic about them as the original Issei is, he often rests his head on Ophis' breasts when feeling sleepy, with him saying that they're as 'firm as pillows', and also referring to them as 'big marshmallows'. In his free time, Issei either watches the Sun disappear into the night, or watches it rise up in the sky; both habitual activities he retained from his childhood. He also shows a liking for reading manga; specifically the Drag-So-Ball manga, a hobby he shares with his neighbor Morisawa, and friendly rival Vali, and at times, rides motorcycles with the Great Red.

Overall, Issei can be best described as a Heroic-Neutral protagonist, as he is a person who is perfectly content with being left alone to himself, but will interfere the moment a dangerous threat looms over him, his allies and loved ones.

Power
"How can someone so infuriatingly naive and idiotic, be powerful enough to destroy a God whose power was among the Top 10 Strongest Beings in the world?! It doesn't make any sense! This child! He is too dangerous now!"

- Grim Reaper Pluto's thoughts on Issei Hyoudou.

As a Shinto God born from the energies of the Sun, Issei is one of the most powerful beings on the planet Earth, as well of the Supernatural World. Despite being on Earth as an infant, the immense energy emanating from Issei was felt by the likes of Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, and even the Dragon God and the True Red Dragon God Emperor.

Even by the standards of Gods and Buddhas, Issei was said by others to be unnaturally powerful, his strength far superior to the ranking of Ultimate-Class Devils, Fallen Angels, Angels, and Grim Reapers. At the time when he fought Riser Phenex, the Seraph Gabriel pondered that Issei's power surpassed the might of Michael, an Archangel. Serafall Leviathan also mused that Issei had enough force to destroy the entire Underworld. He was also shown to be strong enough to damage Sirzechs Lucifer, a Super Devil.

With the Sun as his primary source of power, Issei's strength continued to increase throughout the story through unlocking new transformations, and meeting the Welsh Dragon Ddraig, and the Evil Dragon Yamata-no-Orochi, both beings who are sealed in the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

After his body was altered to the physiology of a star, Issei's power skyrocketed to unimaginable heights. Upon absorbing the massive energy of a red supergiant star (UY Scuti), which resulted in the transformation Morning Star Issei, his power increased exponentially, surpassing all of his previous forms.

Due to the billions of stars that exist, it is likely for Issei to become even stronger, having enough potential to continuously break his own limits.

God Beyond Solar Issei is "infinitely stronger" than all of his previous transformations.
 * Statements by Author

Morning Star Issei possesses unfathomably colossal energy.

Attributes=

Attributes
Immense Godly Power: As the child of Amaterasu, Issei possesses a tremendously vast supply of power. His sheer strength is powerful enough for him to be ranked as one of the strongest beings of the Shinto Faction, and arguably the most powerful being on planet Earth. As an infant, his power was great enough to be sensed by the inhabitants of Heaven, the Underworld, and the Dimensional Gap.

Immense Strength: As a Shinto God, Issei is endowed with immense physical strength, sufficient enough to overpower even the most formidable creatures of the Supernatural World with minor effort. While the level of his strength seemed extraordinary by human standards after growing up with them, by the standards of Gods and Buddhas, Issei's power is considered to be extremely monstrous and overwhelming. He is shown to be strong enough to overpower the likes of Riser Phenex, Fallen Angel Kokabiel, the Evil Norse God Loki, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, and even Indra; who was a God with Ultimate-Class power.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Issei is a highly capable unarmed fighter. While mostly relying on the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in battle, he is not above using unarmed attacks to surprise and incapacitate his opponents.

Highly Perceptive Combatant: Despite his naivety and literal mindset, Issei is a very insightful and crafty fighter. He quickly realizes mistakes in his own battle tactics and corrects them, and almost instantly adapts to his opponent's battle tactics to perfectly counter them.

Teleportation: As a Shinto God, Issei can travel almost anywhere instantly without occupying the space in between.

Apportation: He is able to apport himself and anyone else nearby to anywhere he chooses with the snap of his fingers.

Telekinesis: Issei is able to impart kinetic energy on matter with his mind.

Immense Stamina: Due to being a Shinto God, Issei's stamina is tremendous, as he is able to use the power of the Two Heavenly Dragons, and an Evil Dragon without suffering any ill-sided effects.

Regenerative Healing Factor: Issei can heal from any bodily damage given to him completely so long as one cell or even molecule remains. The level of his regeneration increases drastically if he is near the Sun or a star.

Absorption: Issei has the ability to absorb anything that retains solar and/or light essence, as shown during his battle with Riser Phenex. Issei also employed this ability during his fight against Kokabiel, in which he absorbed the Fallen Angel's light spear, which was the size of Kuoh Academy. When his body is physiologically altered to that of a star, he is shown to be able to absorb the stars in space.

Illusion: Issei has shown the ability to cast mirages of himself, in order to catch his opponents off guard. He employed this technique during his battle against Loki.

Solar Power: As a God born from the energies of the Sun, Issei can absorb solar energy, and this in turn augments all of his powers and abilities. Due to being on Earth for years and having adapted to the planet's environment, Issei is far more powerful than most solar deities.

Soul Transfer: By utilizing Ddraig's transfer ability, Issei possesses the power to transfer a portion of his soul into an inanimate object in order to prolong his existence.

Power Multiplication and Transference: Ddraig's ability, which allows Issei to multiply his own power, or transfer that augmented power to anyone or anything.

Venomous Blood - The ability of the Yamata-no-Orochi.
 * Dormant Abilities (Not Yet Unlocked)

Light Based Weapons Generation: As a God who was born from the Sun, Issei has a natural affinity to light-based powers, and thus has the potential of generating powerful light spears. This ability is similar to the powers of Angels and Fallen Angels.


 * -|Transformations=

Super Solar Issei
The first evolution of Issei's solar transformations. This form was achieved by Issei during his battle against Riser Phenex in a bout of rage.

While in this state, Issei's hair spikes up in a orange-yellow color, and he loses the pupils and irises in his eyes. His body is surrounded by a golden aura. In this form, he easily overpowered Riser, and was strong enough to inflict great damage to Kokabiel, as evidenced when he bisected the Fallen Angel.

Hell-Fire/Phoenix Issei
Issei gained this state by absorbing Riser's flames while he was in his Super Solar form. In this form, his hair reverts to its normal style, though it is black in color. His left eye returns to the color of brown, while his right eye acquires a black-grayish color. On occasion, phoenix wings of pure hell-fire would sprout out from his back. In this form, Issei gains the attributes of the Phenex clan, with the exception of being able to produce Phoenix Tears.

Issei's power in this form was surmised by Gabriel to be comparable, if not stronger than Michael, an Archangel. He was also strong enough to damage Sirzechs Lucifer, and overpower the Evil Norse God Loki without much effort on Issei's part. Because he attained this form by absorbing Riser's flames while he was in the Underworld, Issei can only access the transformation whenever he is in the location, and therefore, cannot transform into it on Earth or Heaven.

Super Solar God Issei
Issei's ultimate form which was gained by him absorbing the Sun entirely into his body. His hair lifts up slightly and is now a reddish-purple color. His eyes are sharpened, with his irises gaining a red shade. He is also much taller and thinner compared to his previous transformations. He is surrounded by a explosive and flame-like aura.

God Beyond Solar Issei
"You know, it's strange, really. Out of all the things I've turned into, I didn't think becoming a star would have this much of an impact. What's even weirder is that I'm only in my normal state.

What do you mean?

Well it's just...back then, in order for me to access my full power, I had to absorb the Sun entirely. But now this body might be strong enough to the point that I might not even have to absorb it this time."

- Issei to Cao Cao after the former's body attained the physiology of a star.

This is the form Issei assumed after his body was physiologically altered to that of a star. When Issei achieved this transformation, the form burst forth from his body.

While in this state, his power greatly eclipses that of his previous transformations, and thus any other forms he achieves, are augmented as well.

While in this form, his physical appearance remains mostly unchanged, while his body is imbued by a golden glow, and a double blazing aura of blue and white.

This form is alternatively known as "The God that surpasses the Sun".

Morning Star Issei
This form was achieved by Issei absorbing the energies of the red supergiant star UY Scuti. In this form, Issei's hair spikes up and adopts a light pink hue in color, with the hair possessing pure-white highlights. The strands of hair that hang down in this transformation are spiked up with the exception of three bangs, which dangle in front of his forehead. Another peculiar characteristic of the transformation, is the small but distinguishable wisp of hair that juts out from the rest of Issei's hair.

His facial features are sharper, and his eyes are more menacing, showing noticeable intensity and sternness. His brown eyes change to a dark green-gray color, while his aura appears to be crimson-red on the inner layer, and the outer layer a darker shade of fire-like orange. The aura is also accompanied by bio-electric sparks, and his body is surrounded by an ominous black glow.

It is hinted that the hair color is in this form was originally white, as Cao Cao noted that Issei's aura when absorbing UY Scuti was pure-white, and that in turn mixed with the red color of the supergiant star, causing it to turn pink.

Flaws
Despite its seemingly tremendous power, the transformation possesses setbacks as well. This drawback was hinted when Issei noticeably had trouble absorbing the energies of UY Scuti, with him worrying about the notion of trying to fully absorb the red supergiant star into his body.

Because he was unable to absorb UY Scuti entirely into his system, along with the fact that this transformation possesses intense energy that he isn't used to holding, Issei theorizes that he'll start to experience a severe decrease in stamina due to not being adjusted to the form. In order to bypass this flaw, Issei is able to release massive surges of energy from his body, lessening the strain, but not completely depleting the setback. Additionally, a requirement needed to sustain this form is mental fortitude. If Issei starts to become overwhelmed by rage or stress, his energy becomes unbalanced, therefore losing the compensation needed to prevent the amount of pressure the form puts on his body.

Quotes

 * (To Ophis) "You, Great Red, and I guess we're like a Trinity. The Nothingness of Infinity. Great Red, the Illusion of Dreams. Hmm. Well, I don't exactly know what aspect of Infinity I represent, but I do know this. I'm the Infinity that completely fills up Nothingness."


 * "You always say you were born out of the Nothingness of Infinity. So if that's true, that must mean I'm the part of Infinity that…I guess in a way, overflows past Nothingness."


 * 'Ophis…wait for me. It might take a little longer, but I will come back to you. I swear it!'


 * (To Kokabiel before bisecting him) "Checkmate, Fallen Angel Kokabiel."


 * "I don't like being manipulated, Kokabiel. I thought you would have learned that already when you saw my battle with Riser Phenex. He did the same thing, and look what happened to him."


 * (To Loki) "The outcome of this battle was already set to be in my favor. When you summoned that wolf of yours. You said that Fenrir's fangs could kill any God. So I waited until the time you sent him to attack me, and I grabbed one of his fangs. You shouldn't have told me that, Loki. If you hadn't said anything, our battle would've gone on much longer than anticipated. So in reality, you made yourself lose this fight."


 * (To Pluto) "Do you really want to make an enemy out of me, Pluto?"


 * "If Indra couldn't beat me, then what makes you think Hades has a chance in Hell of doing what the Heavenly Emperor tried and failed to do?"


 * (To Amenominakanushi) "You call yourself my God?! You will never be a true God in my eyes! That title's already been taken!"


 * (To the Supernatural World) "You and the Earth are my home, so whether I like it or not, I have to protect the both of you. Earth and its people, and you and your inhabitants. Just let me help you. Because at the moment, you and the Earth are in danger, and I'm getting closer and closer to saving the both of you. I can help you. Please, let me help."


 * "Thanks for helping me. I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks again, Supernatural World."

Trivia

 * This incarnation of Issei is often referred to as Solar God!Issei, or Solar!Issei, to differentiate from the original Issei Hyoudou. His new title, due to his body becoming the physiology of a star, is Morning Star!Issei.


 * Issei's ability to transform from the use of his solar powers is based on that of the Super Saiyan transformations from the series Dragon Ball Z.  Also, his use of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (with the sword containing the spirits of both Ddraig the Red Dragon Emperor and the Yamata-no-Orochi), strengthened by Issei's own solar abilities, derives elements from the character Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto from the anime series Bleach.


 * Issei's use of the title Morning Star, is a reference to the idea of the "bright morning star", the one that outshines all the others. The title is often associated with Lucifer (being perhaps the most beautiful creation of God) and Jesus Christ (being the most holy and powerful “light” in all the universe), referencing Issei's abilities deriving from light.


 * SolarGod!Issei's themes are Bleach OST: Pleasures Of Combat, Way Down We Go by Kaleo, Time Of Dying by Three Days Grace, and God of War III OST: Rage of Sparta (when brutalizing his opponents).


 * MorningStar!Issei's themes are Rebirthing by Skillet, and Theme of the Seven Deities, from Asura's Wrath.


 * In times of peace, Issei's main theme is the theme song of Monsters, Inc by composer Randy Newman.




 * The blue and white aura Issei possesses in his God Beyond Solar form is a reference to the concepts of blue and white stars. Blue and white stars are the hottest types of stars, and possess temperatures that are much greater than the Sun. It is also an allusion to Issei's growth and evolution from a God born from the Sun, to a God imbued with the power of stars.


 * Issei is often referred to as an unintentional cougar's prey, a reference to him being the object of affection of older women.

Much like the original Issei Hyoudou, this Issei has died more than once as well: He first died in his battle against the Shinto God of the Storms Susanoo, due to Issei being weakened by the Solar Eclipse. This prevented him from being able to recover from his wounds.

The second time was when Amenominakanushi, the first Kami of Shintoism, summoned a black hole to destroy Issei, with the attack completely obliterating the latter's physical body.

In terms of the ones not originating from his own Universe, the beings (specifically the ones he has briefly met) that Issei respects the most are:
 * Cohen Lucifer
 * Karna Heidrich
 * Vander Toren
 * The Lich of Gremory
 * Cassiel and The Archangels
 * James Bradley
 * Claire Bradley
 * Willis Japhon