Ion Fortuna

Byakko (ビャッコ "白虎" Byakko) / Ion Fortuna (イオン フォルトゥナ Ion Forutuna): appears as the ally/mascot of Gonzo☆Pretty Cure! who appeared in the first time in episode 13, he was also the oldest and the only male of the Holy Beasts of Kyoto. He was Esther's familiar who is represented the White Tiger of the West, and he is the character and his alternate version of "Trinity Blood". As Byakko, he was a white tiger-like Shikigami-Fairy and one of the Holy Beasts of Kyoto, his sentences is "~ Aki" ("~ Autumn" in English dub), he known as the "Shikigami of Autumn" (秋の式神 Aki no Shikigami) and his element is Metal and represented Bravery.

Appearance:
As his civilian form despite being 19 years old, he appears to be a cheerful young teenage boy which often mistaken as a girl, Ion had short blonde hair and red eyes. He wear a white armor composed of a white cuirass, the white faulds bands the waist and hips attached to cuirass. Two white claws-like pauldrons cover the shoulders and thus white boots. He had a white tiger-like birthmark on his chest, sign that he is the Shikigami-Fairy.

In the "Okinawa Arc", Ion wear an Arabian-style loose robes. He wear also the commoner Terran robes.

As Byakko, he look like as an amored white tiger. His legs are equiped with metal cuisses, his arms equiped with metalic spaulders and gauntlets, and he gain long metalic claws. His body had a metal cuirass with a scabbard still attached on his back, while the white tiger tail with a big bell attached appeared, his head gain also white tiger ears with a metal helmet, and red eyes turned into purple. A rope in the shape of a knot appeared around of his neck and keep his two-handed sword on his mouth. His appearance is based on the White Tiger of the West and a knight.

Personality:
Despite Ion is a bit impulsive, crybaby and naive, he is very careful and attentive towards Esther since he was loving her after changing his mind about the Terrans as he had great prejudices in the past, before being betrayed by Radu Barvon. Ion can be innocent, gentle and affectionate towards his friends, but he had a Yandere-like personality due of his timid but obsessive love towards Esther.

Being very much in love with Esther and often obsessive with her, Ion is very loyal, protective and ready to protect Esther everything at the cost of his life. He was very jealous of Abel for his loving relationship with Esther, who had to be involved in a love triangle. In the episode 31, animated by his rage against Abel because he believes he stole him from Esther, he becomes hysterical, even going to kill him and acts out of love, but is stopped and slapped by Hermione when she realized that she had the same similarity with him in the past when she wanted to kill Juliet believed to have stolen Romeo. Faced with the incredible insistence, Ion confesses to Abel that he sincerely loves Esther. When Esther is unable to confess her love of one of them, Ion will eventually understand and must accept, and even reconcile with Abel.

Originally, Ion is unable to see spirits and hates things relating to youkai and mediums until he was mudered by Cain after Mary has been kidnapped by Aion. Despite Ion is a Methuselah, he become a Shikigami-Fairy after he dies from the murder and be merged with the Mugen Furyoku, which reincarnated him into Byakko. It is nevertheless shocked to learn that he is himself a Shikigami-Fairy and can see spirits.

Only when he was Byakko or in his hybrid-form, he times exhibits other examples of his feline behavior such as craving to eat fish, he is very fond of hugs, cuddles and playing with other cats, such as Davi, Makoto's fairy partner. It sometimes happens that he starts to purr when he shows his affection towards someone or even when he sleeping, he can also meow. He can easily get distracted when he plays and hunt mice and so the bells.

Past:
Ion Fortuna is a noble Methuselah and the Earl of Memphis. Directly under the Empress's orders, he served as a royal messenger between the Empire and the Vatican. He will then be responsible for delivering an important message to Dame Catherina but during his mission the encounter building is attacked and Ion is wounded by Tres who protected Catherina. From then on he no longer trusts humans, moreover a search is launched against him by the Vatican. He is helped by his partner, Radu, but is found by Esther and Abel, the latter is not to capture or kill him but to bring him back to Catherina so that he delivers his message because the members of the " AX had understood that the attack was a terrorist attack that did not concern him in any way.

He has no trust in humans that he calls them "Terrans" but is found, despite him, escorted by Abel and Esther until his mission is completed. At the beginning, not very happy with this idea, he will learn to trust them and to appreciate them. He will even fall in love with Esther and refuse to harm him even if it should cost him the life. He learns from Radu that the attack made during the meeting was meant to have him killed and that he was the instigator. Indeed, Radu is a traitor as he is part of the rebels and even come to help with the organization of the RozenKreuz.

Ion is collapsed by this revelation and will still try to reason his friend but without success. His mission accomplished is again escorted to the Empire by the two members who must give the reply of Catherina to the Empress but arrived at him Ion discovers with horror the house of his grandmother ravaged by monsters who attacked with axes he arrives unfortunately too late and discovers the body of his grandmother bathed in blood. He defended himself against the hideous creatures, but after the battle he emerged from the house in flames, and the royal guard arrested and accused him of high treason against the Empire. According to them, Ion would have killed his grandmother and set fire to the house to hide his misdeeds. Ion still succeeded in escaping and took refuge, thanks to Abel, in Astaroshe who believes all the facts told decide to help him.

Later, when accompanied by Esther, he went to visit a merchant who is actually Seth Nightroad, Abel's younger sister, who may have had something to do with this affair, he discovers the sacked house and the body of the old man almost without life. During the battle, Esther is grievously wounded but Seth met a few minutes earlier. They come to help and practice first aid to save her. She also takes them to her home and reflects on what he has learned. According to the words of the old man the Empress is in danger he will decide to do everything possible so that the treaty of peace is signed between the Vatican and the Empire. He will also help his new friends stay alive in an Empire where a traitor is hidden everywhere.

Death and Reincarnation:
6 months before the series starts in which the villa was burned and the inhabitants were attacked by a group of Kamaitachis, just after Esther's older half-sister has been kidnapped, Ion attempts to intercept and stopped Cain who had just taken Rosette's appearance to try to avoid suspicions. But he is however to be killed by shots. As a result, Esther will eventually believe that it was Rosette who killed him. A few hours later, Ion's dead body had merged with the energy of the Mugen Furyoku et being reincarnated as a Shikigami-Fairy, better known as Byakko: the Shikigami of Autumn.

Becoming Byakko: the Shikigami of Autumn:
Just after being reincarnated, he will eventually meet Inaba: the Shikigami of Brightness who actually Astharoshe that she too was assassinated by Cain. Then Ion will go in search of Esther and find her to prove the truth of this incident.

He appears for the first time in episode 13 as Byakko when Hermione had just faced a Gashadokuro as she come to rescured Tybalt who has been kidnapped by Cain, he used his Cutting Steel Blade to saver her. But due of her fear of cats as Byakko is a white tiger, Hermione run away in panic. Later in the same episode, when the situation goes wrong with Hermione who has just faced Cain in an attempt to save Tybalt,

Becoming Esther's Familiar:
.

Family:
Mirka Fortuna: His grandmother and a Methuselah, despite her appearance look like as a young woman.

Friends:
Esther Blanchett:

Abel Nightroad:

Davi:

Summoning
Esther used her Summoning Smartphone, she can summoning Byakko and bring him out from her Summoning Smartphone after she says "Descending God Summoning!" (降神 召喚 Kōjin Shōkan!)" and draws a kanji "金 (Kin)" on the screen, a white seal with the kanji arise with the metal shards are appeared from the ground and Byakko appears out of the metal shards.

Transformation
Ion can be transformed into a Shikigami-Fairy with his own will. Into the transformation sequence with the metal motif as background, Ion draws with his fingers a pentagram and the kanji "金 (Kin)", while the white seal appears under from Ion, and the transformation sequence begins. At first, his legs become the white tiger legs are equiped with metal cuisses attached, while his arms turned into white tiger arms equiped with metalic spaulders and gauntlets, and he gain long metalic claws. His body turned into a white tiger body with a metal cuirass with a scabbard still attached on his back, while the white tiger tail with a big bell attached appeared, his head turned into a white tiger head and gain also white tiger ears with a metal helmet, and red eyes turned into purple. Finally, a rope in the shape of a knot appeared around of his neck and keep his two-handed sword on his mouth, he transformed into Byakko: The Shikigami of Autumn and the transformation sequence is complete. His appearance is based on the White Tiger of the West and a knight.

Hybrid-Form
As his hybrid-form, Ion drawing with his fingers a pentagram, while the white seal appears under from Ion, and the transformation sequence begins. At first, he gain long metalic claws while his white tiger tail with a big bell attached appeared. Then, white tiger ears with the metalic helmet appeared and the transformation sequence is complete. He can used his attacks such as the Knight Codes.

Attacks:
Knight Code: Iron Tiger Sword (騎士の符号: 虎鉄剣 Kishi no Fugō: Kotetsuken) - Byakko gathered the energy of the Mugen Furyoku into his sword to formed a white tiger-like aura, then send it towards his target.

White Claw (白爪 Shirotsume) - His claws lengthen that will take the bright white color, then rushed to attacked his target.

Autumn Leaves Armor (秋葉鎧 Akiba Yoroi) - His knight armor turned into the autumn leaves-like armor to protected himself.

Cutting Steel Blade (斬鋼刃 Zankōha) - Byakko gathered the energy of the Mugen Furyoku into his sword will grow into a large steel blade. He rushed towards his target and slash it in two.

Heavy Metal Grinding (重金属研削 Jūkinzoku Kensaku) - Byakko's arms grow and become muscular by taking on the metallic appearance that allows to crush and destroy everything in his path.

Royal Knight Code: Divine Tiger Blade (王室騎士の符号: 神虎刃 Ōshitsu Kishi no Fugō: Shinkoha) - Byakko gathered the energy of the Mugen Furyoku into his two-handed sword, which will eventually grow and become luminous. Then dashed towards his target to sliced it in four.

Etymology:
Fortuna (フォルトゥナ) – In Roman Mythology, Fortuna means from "Good Luck" and come from the goddess of fortune.

Ion (イオン) – In the Romanian language, Ion which is equivalent to the English name of "John" and has the same etymology as "Jon", tracing back with the Hebrew name of "Johanan" Ion can also be a surname in Romanian.

Byakko (ビャッコ "白虎") – Byakko meaning "White Tiger" in Japanese. It was the one of the Four Holy Beasts in Chinese Mythology, it is represented the West and the Autumn Season.

Songs:
Ion's voice actor, Minagawa Junko, has participated in several image songs for the character she voices. Many of them include duets with Ohara Sayaka who voices Hermione De Borromeo Chiba Saeko who voices Azmaria Hendric, Watanabe Akeno, who voices Jo Carpenter, and Fukuen Misato who voices Kurono Kurumu.

Singles

 * White Tiger of the West
 * Innocent Autumn

Duets

 * Five Elements (Along with Chiba Saeko, Watanabe Akeno, Minagawa Junko and Fukuen Misato)
 * Land Autumn (Along with Noto Mamiko)
 * Little Cat, Big Cat (Along with Uchiyama Yumi)

Trivia:

 * As a Shikigami-Fairy, his appearance is based of the "White Tiger of the West" in the Chinese mythology, his name Byakko sharing with the same name in Japanese and he was incarnated by the Autumn season.
 * Note that Byakko's name meaning also "White Fox" (白狐), but he is represented by a white tiger.
 * Byakko/Ion is the first white fairy/mascot to used metal.
 * He is the first to being a white tiger-like fairy.
 * In Gonzo☆Pretty Cure!, Ion's outfit is inpsired on a knight and also as Byakko.
 * He is the first fairy to have relatives instead parents, he had only his grandmother.
 * In English dub, his voice actor, Aaron Dismuke is known for voiced Alphonse Elric from Full Metal Alchemist and Ion Fortuna in Trinity Blood, but due his voice maturing, it's Maxey Whitehead who replace him into Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood who voiced also Antonio in Romeo x Juliet.
 * His seiyuu, Minagawa Junko had also voiced with Yun from Akatsuki no Yona, and also Julio/Pikario from Kirakira PreCure a la Mode.
 * In Gonzo☆Pretty Cure!, Ion's outfit is inpsired on a knight.
 * Ion was the first to have an androgynous appearance that confused him with a girl, the second was Toboe from Bones Pretty Cure!.

Attacks
What is your favorite Ion Fortuna/Byakko's attack? Knight Code: Iron Tiger Sword White Claw Autumn Leaves Armor Cutting Steel Blade Heavy Metal Grinding Royal Knight Code: Divine Tiger Blade