Zev Raregroove

Zev Raregroove is a spirit, a warrior, and a veteran of BZPower Battles. He tends to periodically disappear without trace, but has always reappeared eventually.

Appearance
Currently, Zev is using the appearance of a tall, lean man, with blonde, shoulder-length wavy hair and dark crimson eyes. His outfit consists of a long cloak with an opening down the front, some kind of longsleeve white shirt under a button-up black vest with gold threadwork along the edges, dark red gloves, pressed black pants, and neat leather shoes. Two chains wrap in an 'X' across his back and chest, affixed at the front and back of the cloak. Finally, on either of his ring fingers is a silver ring; the right has an ovaloid yellow stone with eight rhombi encircling it, the left has a red stone shaped in an elongated hexagon and two crescents positioned across the stone from each other diagonally.

Bio
Zev is essentially the rare Badass Troll. He uses his abilities to twist fate and emotions, and is perhaps Blackout's greatest rival. He tends to come off as goofy and laidback, but has occasionally shown a much more unnervingly calm and serious side; this side of him usually doesn't last long, though.

He also seems to occasionally show signs of mania and/or psychosis, but this isn't everpresent, and Zev still functions normally. While he can be easily irritated and impatient, Zev is very loyal, and a social sort of person who likes to motivate people. It should be noted, though, that Zev doesn't always use necessarily "positive" reinforement to drive people forward; he's very likely to simply threaten and coerce people into succeeding.

Zev is known for periodically showing great insight in situations, and has a strange ability to solve disputes and make allies - When he so chooses to stop causing such arguments...As well, Zev tends to like playing a sort of "Mr. Exposition"-type role; easily explaining various situations that arise in the game.

Among Zev's traits are trying a bit too hard to look cool, general childishness, and only being serious when it truly calls for it. While he's usually a total spaz, Zev can be calm when he wants to be. Also, while he hasn't shown it in a long time, his anger is pretty scary.

Abilities
Familiars: Zev is able to summon familiars with great physical strength and certain unique abilities.

Shapeshifting: One ability which Zev has had for a long, long time and nearly defines him is his shapeshifting - No one knows for sure what he really looks like...

Matter-Energy Conversion: With this ability, Zev is able to convert matter to energy and vice versa with no entropic consequences. He can also freely shape and direct this created energy -- Allowing him to make his signature energy swords and turn non-essential nearby matter into energy for his blasts.

Telekinetic Burst: By focusing large amounts of psychic energy into his palm, he is able to generate a shockwave of great power.

Telekinetic Crush: While gripping an object like, say, an opponent's head, Zev can focus immense psychic power to crush the target utterly.

Astral Projection: Zev is capable of sending a psychic representation of himself so that he can interact in multiple places at once. However, from appearances, it seems that he needs the Sōja to host his astral projections. Something worth note is that it would require an unnatural plane of thought to be capable of sustaining two conciousnesses at once.

Sun Flame: Zev's main Dying Will Flame is the Sun Flame; Sereno. This gives him abilities of physical augmentation and healing, mainly for support. However, he appears somewhat capable of using the Sun Flame in direct combat, which denotes in most cases a great skill using it.

Storm Flame: Zev's secondary Dying Will Flame is the Storm Flame; Tempesta. The Storm Flame possesses the ability of disintegration, and is a very attack-oriented Flame to possess. He has shown an impressive skill in keeping his Storm Flame under control.

Weapons
Despite having knowledge on wielding a variety of weapons, Zev mostly prefers to simply fight with his fists.

Axe: Zev has displayed a frightening proficiency with at least one axe - The particular axe he used was a huge, double-bladed battleaxe.

Energy Swords: Made of a fiery light, Zev's energy swords are powerful enough to pierce through Blackout's armor in one clean stab.

Canna di Tempesta: One of Zev's Storm Flame Box Weapons, the Storm Rod consists of a dark red, wooden staff mounted by an animal skull, with a mane of long black hair hanging down from it. The staff is able to spew large amounts of Storm Flames, either as streams or short blasts.

Tartaruga di Sole: The Sun Tortoise, and one of Zev's Sun Flame Box Weapons. Is of a massive size, with a golden shell adorned with some ochre panels; its regular skin is ochre, its long neck is topped with a head staring blearily around, and its short tail is tipped with a Sun Flame. Most noticeably, some kind of ourobouros design encircles the edge of its shell.

As it is impacted and/or Zev takes damage, this design is slowly filled up - Starting at the tail - With a strange vermillion light. Very lazy and constantly acting rather bewildered, once summoned, the Sun Tortoise will immediately appear standing above Zev to protect him. The drawback to this is that it doesn't take long for the big lummox to plop right down to rest - Thus, Zev has to time it so that he's not crushed by the creature's bulk. Also, it is able to radiate Sun Flames, boosting physical abilities and healing most injuries.

Dear Prudence
Another thing Zev is known for besides his power is his near-constant companion, Prudence Franklin, an anthropomorphic hedgehog (NOT like Sonic) with bright yellow fur. The two are practically inseparable, and make a very fashionable and easily recognizable combination. However, either would be quick to anger if the other is put in danger, and Prudence can be just as dangerous as Zev if she's provoked.

On Prudence's planet, she lived in the second-most violent area, Area 79, "Kusajishi", of the Northern City. Her parents had been killed, and after being struck by lightning a year earlier, she had become an object of ridicule for her bright yellow fur. The crime rate in Area 79 was constantly rising, and one day, Prudence was cornered by four men who intended to kill her. However, suddenly, a mysterious man took all of the men down at once with a single slash. From his clothes, Prudence could recognize he had been in even worse conditions for a very long time, if not all his life -- It turned out this man was Zev, and that, after leaving his mini-dimension, he had arrived at Area 80, "Zaraki", of the Northern City -- The most violent area of the planet, even moreso than Prudence's.

Zev had appeared to Prudence from even deeper in the darkness, and demolished the chaotic world around her. Ever since that day, Prudence has been like a little sister to Zev. They're rarely seen apart, and they make a deadly combination in battle. However, recently, Zev has left Prudence in his own personal dimension, where he intends for her to continue training in safety. She has apparently left this personal dimension in the past, although her current location is unknown.

Backstory
Zev was once a spirit of high ranking, ruling his own mini-dimension. He was known for his power, because when he got excited, depressed or angry, 'unnatural disasters' were prone to happening. Zev's skill with magic, the sword and hand-to-hand combat have earned him renown throughout numerous dimensions; his dimension only had to deal with three invasions from other dimensions during the 5,630 years Zev was ruler, and each one was put down handily.

His powers decreased somewhat when he entered the Bionicle Dimension, but he is still not to be taken lightly, and his powers are constantly growing with his training. He was within Impel Down, believed to be given a life sentence on the Level Five Freezing Prison, but was actually in the secret 'Hall of Love' he had established, Level Five Point Five.

Then he somehow escaped, fought Blackout, nearly got killed, and he hasn't appeared since.

No, wait, he's in another dimension, fighting Malygos! How do we keep track of this guy?

Hold on, now he's fighting a weird insect...thingy that can't finish a sentence without pausing in the middle!

Wait, wait, we've finally got his location pinned down again: Zev is currently waging war against Caiaphus, but an advantage hasn't been won by either. The Caged Lion, Caged Zebra, Caged Elephant and Caged Bus have now engaged Zev in combat, but he was quick to make the first strike.

Sh-t!! Now he's with TMV's crew and Wisp fighting the Yellow Powers, and they've run across Nabonidus!! This guy gets around.

Now he's tiny and fighting a Mata-Nui robot. The funniest part? He's whooping his opponent's ass utterly so far.

And NOW he's off to save Klak.

He's back -- And how's that for a how-do-you-do? He's essentially revealed that, ever since the Conquest of Metru-Nui all those years ago, his entire participation in this story has been trolling everyone's perception of reality.

...

That sucks.

Oh wait, one revelation after another! All of this time, God was his copilot. And now, we meet Zev's real mom.

Zev pulled one of his famous disappearing acts for a long, long time, but has reappeared traveling with Namah. He and Namah out a band of Ethereal Marauders, and shortly thereafter, Zev engaged in combat with Wekiga. The tide of the battle turned back and forth between them, before Vi broke it up with a single shot from the Harkonnen.

Currently, Zev and Namah have been convinced by Vi to work with Wekiga in finding Lisa Lisa; Zev was very excited to see the Bebop II, to say the least. Moss and Shroom have appeared on the ship, but have proven themselves allies for the time being.

Zev spent some time training with Vi onboard the Bebop II. Then, he retired to his room for a while...Finally, he brought an end to the sparring between Shroom, Moss, Chrome Dokuro, and Neb, to teleport onto The Ironclad. However, Wekiga, Namah, and Makoto Nanaya tagged along.

Currently, Zev is forging a ring of great power for Ynot. ...In the room where Blackout's being kept. Much later, after completing the ring and fighting evil knights, Zev joined in a tournament. He briefly interacted with Nefelpitou and Blegnekk, and proceeded to fight Roxas in the second round.

After wandering around for a bit, Zev came across a suspicious character - "Blue Ring Swordsman" Hyozo. Easily telling that something was afoot, Zev engaged Hyozo in a short, ferocious battle. Using a sword slash as a distraction, Hyozo was able to somehow poison Zev.

Though Zev seems to be withstanding the poison, Hyozo has escaped with two allies in tow, and Zev himself appears to be greatly weakened. Thankfully, Dearest Mother was there to apply respiratory support, and he came out of it okay.

After which, he played an epic song on a pipe organ.

A Goddess Was His Copilot
As it were, everything Zev has done throughout BZPower Battles has been under Washu's instruction. However, it seems that he started to stray from the goal, and only recently was the mission of freeing Washu accomplished - And she did it herself, no need for Zev!

It seems that Zev has a mixture of adoration, respect, and fear for Washu, as he refers to her as 'mom' and 'mommy' and will usually listen to anything he orders her to do. However, considering her background, he probably has good reason to do what she says. It also seems that Washu has a 'naughty corner' for Zev -- A dimension where she can store him after he's been petrified.

Now, as has been revealed, Washu is not Zev's biological mother. ... Nor is Rouge Portgas Raregroove. His real mom has shown up a few times, but always seems to avoid revealing why she contacts Zev or why she's not around more often. It is unknown what influence, if any, Washu has on Zev's actions.

Wekiga
It has recently been shown that, through some object called the "Ring of Greed" and perhaps other causes, Zev has become host to an entity known as Wekiga. This being seems to be very threatening, and is constantly offering hugs to others.

Not to be confused with this Wekiga. As recently revealed, the Wekiga within Zev is actually one of three portions of Wekiga - And the Wekiga walking around and menacing others with his malice and Britishness is the second of those three portions. Zev apparently holds "The Ultimate Mind of Insanity".

Unique Skills
Supernatural Metalsmith: Among his many talents, Zev is highly skilled at forging metal objects and even weapons of supernatural qualities. Though part of this comes from his own abilities, a large part of his handiwork's abilities are the result of materials that he alone has access to - One-of-a-kind fragments of weapons; the remnants of legendary creatures; the blood of great heroes...
 * Zanpakuto Blacksmith: Zev is one of the few beings in the Universe with the skills required to forge a Zanpakuto. For a natural Shinigami, a Zanpakuto is a naturally created extension of their spirit, given the form of a blade. However, Zev has the ability to create Zanpakuto, with actual spirits. Usually, even he won't know what the spirit will be or what the Shikai will be like until its chosen user activates it.

Zanpakuto Spirit Materialization: One of Zev's abilities is the power to materialize a Zanpakuto's true inner spirit, not just a Shikai or Bankai manifestation. This is normally used so that the Zanpakuto's wielder can train personally with their spirit for Shikai and Bankai. However, there is a significant danger -- Not all Zanpakuto spirits are friendly, and while they won't try to kill their wielders for the most part, they may try to attack nearby allies.

Zanpakuto Spirit Reassignment: By using an ancient, unorthodox magic, Zev is able to dissolve a Zanpakuto's spirit, before reconstructing it into a new form, connected to the former by things such as species and elemental affinity. He actually has a catalogue of options based on similar species and elemental alignments.

Wrath: When Zev becomes angry, his power steadily increases and becomes more dangerous. However, he also easily loses control when angry, so this technique can be a two-edged blade in some cases.

Quotes
''- [Said after defeating demons] "Amen." - "You can insult me...You can spit on me...You can even pour drinks on me. I'll just laugh that all off. But if you lay one finger on my friends...I'll kill you."''

- "Only pregnant ladies, royalty, schizophrenics or people with tapeworms should be allowed to refer to themselves plurally. And I'm the Undisputed King of the Kill, so I'm allowed to say the following on this matter: We are not amused."

- "...In a white room/With black curtains/At the station..."

''- "Pru! Pru~! Pru~u~u! You can stop dropping the cherry petals now! Lovely Pru-chan! Lovely, lovely Pru-chan! Lovely, lovely, lo -- AAAAAGGGHHH!!" *Entire basket of petals is dropped on him*''

- "I'm Zev Raregroove, and you're not."

- "There's no crime in trying to save others from the darkness, even if they may seem outwardly evil...There's no evil in helping other people! Real evil...Is to turn your back on those in need...AND TO STOP TRUSTING IN OTHERS!!"

- "I warn you -- This won't be a friendly duel. You all will die, or I will die. That's how battle has been for all of time. The one who wins gets to go home. The one who loses will be subject to the winner's mercies. 

''Now, get ready. You're about to see how the Son of Dragon, Zev D. Raregroove, wages war."'' (Said to the Caged Ones before engaging them in combat)

''- "Insects...Should not get above themselves." ''(Said to the Caged Ones)

- "...I shall give thanks for your respect to my warrior spirit, and repent for my disregard of yours...By taking the gloves off and ripping you apart. Prepare yourself, Roxas - I may not kill you, but you're going to feel this when you wake up for the next few mornings." (To Roxas, before engaging him in more serious combat)

Alternate Universes

 * In an alternate universe, Zev was likely hunted down and killed along with Ynot when Sasuken was forced by Malygos to act as a spy and expose the location of his base.
 * In the Shattered Mirror universe, Zev is the most cliche villain there is. We're not kidding.

Trivia

 * Zev's themesong is currently Lawyers, Guns And Money by Warren Zevon.
 * Wow. All information concerning Zev's family ties are a tangled web of confusion. All we know is the identity of his biological mother.
 * Apparently, Zev is a master of the pipe organ.