Lanstar Mercury

"For justice's sake, I will prevail over you, evil-doer!"

- One of Mercury's tokusatsu quotes.

"The one who follows the creed of a true hero."

- Zeta

Mercury Lanstar (ランスター·マーキュリー, Ransutā Mākyūrī), also known as Genbu (玄武, lit. "Black Turtle"), is a Commodore in the Marines and one of the various "superheroes" representing the justice purported by the World Government — being part of Project Sora (ソラ計画, Sora Keikaku), an effort to re-create the comicbook hero,, due to the introduction of MARITECH, while bolstering Marine forces.

Originally a rising star in the organization — well-liked by many of his fellow soldiers due to his leadership skills and magnanimity, he was chosen due to his compatibility with the latest raid suits because of his unique. This led to his fateful meeting with Ganymede Pyrrha — whom he's personally guarded and assisted because of her importance to the World Government and Marines as a whole. Once a normal man, he's undergone many of her experiments to better sync him with his new weapon — entirely.

Donning his suit and becoming Marine Rider (, lit. "True Justice Maritime Warrior"), he's defeated many "evil-doers" while fulfilling his true purpose. His strength and skill with his raid suit, defeating and capturing a multitude of opponents, led him to be recognized as the "Justice of the White Seas" (海白の正義, Hakukai no Seigi) to the general public. He resides at G-0, gladly adhering to Pyrrha's beck-and-call until he's needed on the field.

Appearance
Noted by certain Marines, Mercury is one of the few that has a "unique" look to him that isolates him from the rest of his peers — specifically his desire to become a "hero of justice" emanating from every fiber of his being. This stems from him having suffered many injustices over his lifetime, leading him to constantly dreamed of becoming a hero like he's read in comics and books. As if someone who's "straight out of a comic book", some noted that he has a protagonist feel to him, especially seen in the way he carries himself and interact with others. A rather handsome man with tanned skin and a childishly innocent face filled with determination, Mercury has a fairly tall and robust figure — the latter of which is due to his training before and during his time in the Marines; he possesses wild dark colored hair with his bangs hanging over his left eye. He's heterochromatic, his left eye colored red and his right colored a lighter shade of brown.

As a Marine, he wore the standard uniform for low-ranking officers but soon changed as he quickly rose up the rankings to reach his current position. Currently, he wears a white jacket with blue lining, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and underneath he wears a dark-colored form-fitting short sleeve vest. Donning white pants that are held together by multiple brown belts, he wears white multi-plated - boot combination that acts as his footwear and a pair of dark blue fingerless gloves. The entire outfit is accented in gold, forming various patterns — making his uniform more expensive than it actually worth. When he met Pyrrha and underwent various physical modifications to increase the performance capabilities of his raid suit, Mercury gained a much more sculpted and defined muscular frame — complete with well-toned arms, legs, abs, chest, and neck, all of which are clearly visible through his clothing. Typically his physical parameters are beyond the standard Marines, allowing him to overpower lower-level opponents without the aid of his raid suit. When off-duty and working in various parts of G-0 as both Pyrrha's maid and servant, he would switch between his normal uniform and worker's clothes; the latter consists of normal dress shoes, dark colored pants made from a lighter material for easier mobility and a chef's white double-breasted jacket, with the sleeves rolled up out of habit. Like his other compatriots, he would wear a lab coat should his assistance be needed.

Personality
"All I want in life is justice for everyone! So long as I draw breath, I will vanquish evil in every form!"

- Mercury's reason for joining the Marines.

Mercury is an easily perceived individual, who only has a sole goal in mind: the proper administration of justice and the eradication of evil; this goal helped shaped him into what he's known currently, despite being the victims of cruel circumstance. Like another Marine, he also wishes to be a guiding light of hope, giving those who've lost everything or those born with nothing a reason for living.

Modeled after many  heroes — specifically the leaders, Mercury is known for his utter fearlessness, standing strong no matter how great the danger to himself and his allies, generosity — consistently putting the needs of others over himself, nobility — a highly moral individual that follows a strict honor code, and honesty — being as blunt as possible, believing that lies only stunt one's growth; he embodied these traits to such an extent that it was one of the reasons he was selected for the World Government's "Project Sora" — capable of making the public images of both the organization and its affiliates in a positive light, inspiring others to join their "cause". During his time as a low-ranking Marine, his positivity was such that he was able to inspire others in the darkest times, often using himself as an elevation to lift them up and achieve greatness through their merits; many of his former co-workers were able to reach a higher position in the Marines with his help, something they admit weren't able to do because they didn't believe in themselves and their abilities. Though he often comes off as rather obnoxious and prideful — commonly seen in some of his speeches and dialogues, he means well and tries to be as humble as possible, recognizing that there are those who are better than him. In general, he's naturally an extremely friendly and amicable individual.

Like any standard "hero", he's selfless — harboring no desires for fame and fortune, only the betterment of his fellow men; in addition, he's boisterous, in-your-face, excessive, and tends to have a lot of dramatic flair, seen in the big grin he gives off when in the presence of his fellow Marines — which some would find quite annoying, further adding to the impression that he's obnoxious. He's developed eccentric quirks since gaining his raid suit, such as posing, pre-battle speeches, and calling his attacks. Giving off the impression of being seemingly idealistic, Mercury has said on multiple occasions that he doesn't believe in the "ridiculous notion" that all people are inherently good, but he does like and believe that he can redeem most people. He has an indomitable will, seen in the potency of his Haki and resistance to Haki-based techniques of a certain degree; even when faced with opponents that bested him to some degree, he never gives up and always finds a way to grasp victory with his hands. Regardless, this causes him to be reckless — making easily avoidable mistakes and saying thoughtless things at inopportune moments. Typically, when justice is brought about in conversation, he tends to be philosophical and tries his best to understand and respect everyone's views on the term, fully knowing it's influenced by various factors in their life. During a conversation, when asked why he joined the Marines, he always stated that they were the biggest known embodiment of the word, something they've proven time-and-time again, despite knowing some of the organization's darkest secrets via during his previous missions and the sacrifices he was faced with in order for them to be completed. This shows that he's not blinded as others might think, having a keen awareness of his actions and its consequences when administering "justice" on the World Government's behalf.

Naturally, he abhors beings and concepts considered "evil" — such as Pirates, and to an extent, the CP-0, the World Nobles, and the Revolutionary Army; despite his hatred, he recognizes that without their existence, justice and heroes wouldn't exist, hope wouldn't be inspired, and the world will remain stagnant. At best, he tolerates such evil existences like most of his comrades. Since he has the power to stop such evil from happening, he uses it in every given situation, no matter its proportion; this makes him seem meddlesome to others, even though his heart's in the right place. All of his goodness and heroics have made him as many enemies as allies and rivals, some of whom he personally knows and considers "Archenemies". As power often leads to conflict, he rightfully portrays himself as a wise strategical combatant, observing the movements of his enemies, allies, and his surrounding to use to his advantage. While not a battle freak, he's shown to enjoy a good fight, a chance to learn more about himself and grow stronger. He doesn't mind a defeat, especially if it's by the hands of someone he respects, going back to his recognition of those stronger than him; furthermore, he often trains himself physically and mentally, usually in the company of an ally.

Due to spending part of his life in a lab, acting as either an assistant or a test subject, he has a knack and interest for the sciences; Pyrrha finds him knowledgeable enough to hire him as a lab assistant, being well-versed in various scientific theories and hypotheses, and having the body to withstand different test trials and quickly recover to perform his other duties. He likes to tinker with machinery, seen when he modifies his raid suit's weaponry for better functionality and does repairs on Vertigron's cybernetics when Artemisia is busy. While normally protective of everyone in his care, this is taken to extremes with those residing in G-0, as he considers them a "second family", his first lost to tragedy; his dedication to their safety and well-being is such that he will disregard his own life, something that Pyrrha has chided him for on a number of occasions, stating he should value himself and his goals much more. When not on duty, he usually acts as a servant and errand boy, enslaved to the whims of his master and her assistant; no matter how menial or ridiculous the task, he will perform it to the letter without question.

To an extent, despite his appearance as an "unbreakable hero", he suffers from a slight case of — undergoing emotional breakdowns in private whenever he reminisces about certain parts of his past, such as the loss of his family or whenever he was unable to save someone dear to him; this usually ends with him either getting lost in thought, breaking into a cold sweat and hyperventilating, or falling unconscious in the worst cases. Though he covers up his suffering in front of others, only those that truly know him can perceive his suffering and comfort him appropriately; during these times, his weakness shows and he displays his true emotions to others, venting out the frustrations of his heroism and often cursing the very concept, knowing it leads to one's demise in some manner.

History
"If there's anything I'm full of, it's regret. I have so many regrets that still haunt me even to this day. Me being a Marine and a Superhero isn't all pure like everyone imagines. Part of it lies with me wanting to erase as much as my past as possible underneath the guise of "heroism" and "chivalry", so people don't see me as another tragedy. Pathetic, isn't it? But... As much as I wanted to, I'm still haunted by it. It just keeps coming back like a villain who doesn't quit. As much as I want to, I simply can't get over it no matter what action I take. ....What should I do?"

- Mercury's therapy session with Pyrrha when faced with his latest panic attack.



Equipment
Argent Tachys (, lit. "New Dawn Advanced Judgment Execution"): Argent Tachys is Mercury's raid suit, crafted by Pyrrha and part of the MARITECH line; it's considered to be especially powerful, molded to fit Mercury's unique lineage factor, with its incredible energy output being its most notable aspect. In its dormant state, it takes the form of a sienna walkie-talkie with golden accents that keeps in the pouch attached to his belts, activating with the phrase "Justice calls! Let's break our limits!" (正義は呼びます！ 私たちの限界を壊そう！, Seigi wa yobimasu! Watashitachi no genkai o kowasou!). Like modern raid suits crafted by Pyrrha, they come with a variety of functions — both standard and unique ones that fit the user's needs; in Mercury's case, the suit's abilities are based on circumstance, evolving in response to the threat that presents itself. When combined with his already enhanced physiology, Mercury becomes a force that's nearly on-par with high-ranking fighters. Unlike Moonglean Aria, Argent Tachys comes in a variety of forms, being the most flexible raid suit of the series; he utilizes the capabilities of these forms in a fighting style he dubs, Manadyte Varius (, "Seven-Colored Meteor Tempest Revision Arts"). However, like the prototype, the suit can only stay active if Mercury has enough stamina; it has a special life-preserving function that prevents activation should Mercury's health is in the critical to prevent her from overexerting herself. In addition, the suit is self-repairing due to special nanomachines composing part of its makeup, but only when the suit's inactive — the duration of the repairs depending on how much damage has been dealt. Normally, the suit is donned whenever Mercury performs his heroic duties — wanting to rely on his honed strength to best his opponents; this changes when they prove to be too strong for him, with the suit merely acting as a booster. According to Pyrrha, it's full name is MT-RSC-VM-004 — Argent Tachys (MT (海科学技術) · RSC (機力制服戦) · VM (変化形号)·004·アージェント·タチス, lit. "Marine Technology Raid Suit Combat Variant Model Zero — New Dawn Advanced Judgment Execution").

Quotes

 * (Upon meeting Pyrrha) "A great scientific mind who strives for the same justice as I do! It's because of that, we're kindred spirits. It's an honor working with you!"
 * (Mercury's brand of ) "Though I believe in repaying back the wrongs done to you, I won't advocate for something over the top — such as extreme control or achieving your goals by any means. That's not justice, regardless of what anyone says. It's a thinly-veiled excuse to grasp the world as your own; that line of thinking belongs to a villain. I only wish for the betterment of others and for equality amongst people."
 * (As Marine Rider) "In the name of the blue seas, drown in the clear waves of judgment! All sins shall be wiped away by the tsunami of law!"
 * (Signature Catchphrase) "Let's kick it into overdrive!"
 * (View on human nature) "Every man walks atop the scales that measure him. All things that he encounters as he lives his life, he must place upon the scales of right and wrong as he goes. As he determines what he believes to be right and what wrong, those fragments of right and wrong are woven together into the shape of a man. That shape becomes the man himself."

Trivia

 * He's based on Nicholas from the latest event in the mobile game, Granblue Fantasy.
 * When reviewing the basis of this article, Mercury reminds the author of Pegasus Seiya from the Saint Seiya franchise — specifically, in his devotion to Pyrrha.
 * Due to the latest discussions the author had with other users on chat, he's one of three characters specifically created to act as another's guard due to the HEKATONS being illegal — the result of cloning and bioengineering.
 * This is the author's attempt at creating a "Superhero" for the site, using canon material as a base, while exploring the potential of raid suits. This would be the second character to be a "Superhero" — the first being Keyomi, while being the third character the author's created that uses a raid suit.