Ruka spent the entirety of his young life entrapped by the throes of caste-based urban poverty, the responsibility of raising two children, and the Light-written tenants of teachings in which he had no place. He had been scoffed at, beat down, and judged wanting at almost every turn, as if he were something disgusting or wicked.

But Ruka also found freedom and happiness in the Dark Side's embrace, and he chases it even as he is mindful of it, bearing its power as both bracers and shackles, knowing how far the fall if he slips. Disgusting? Powerful. Powerful enough to enact real change. Wicked? Powerful. Powerful enough to be the person to others that he once needed. Ruka strives to reach the height of his hopes, to prove both to the world and to himself that he's worthy of the ones he loves most, that he's good enough to fly.

When life had taught him that he was, ultimately, alone, the galaxy elected to prove Ruka wrong the day he met his partner, Corazon Ya-ir. Ruka found his eyes opened by the Jedi's optimism, kindness, and love, found that the beauty and faith in the Light was something to be treasured and respected. When all else of Ruka is challenged as he controls the chaos and tempest of the Dark, Corazon is his balance and guiding key, reminding him how to stay steady and strong. When together, the two stand united, practicing Battle Meditation to make themselves a complimentary, dyadic whole. When apart, though, their worry for one another and their separate missions can be taxing, and Ruka himself is more prone to the negative effects of the Dark Side's influence, displayed in everything from bouts of recklessness or doubt to reoccurring nightmares.

Ruka has always done whatever he had to for his family, at any cost to himself, disdaining authority and willfully rulebreaking. However, the once-entrenched bitterness and loneliness he carried in that duty has been tempered by his years as a Knight of the Lotus, and he has grown truly into that title thanks to the belief inspired in him by his partner, who saw in him the truest definition of noble: always putting others before himself, always possessed of a sense of justice and honor, despite thinking such concepts dead. Now settled in his skin, Ruka will never turn his back on anyone suffering, not just his family, devoted to being their shield to anyone in need.

This same devotion can make him a little blind, however, to hurting those he loves in getting himself hurt by inserting himself into situations he once would have walked away from.

It's easy to assume when looking at him, not entirely incorrectly, that Ruka is uncultured and antisocial, a streetrat dressing up as a knight. But Ruka doesn't hate people, doesn't distrust them; he just doesn't count on them. He grew up on his own two feet, only able to rely on himself to take care of his family. Born in gutters and raised with stoops, mom-and-pop shops, and gang violence as his playground, Ruka is a street kid through and through, brimming with street smarts in a clever mind but lacking anything resembling formal education.

His completely self-reliant manner, rough appearance, and casual lack of politeness, forced or otherwise, make him oftentimes hard to approach and difficult to manage in more diplomatic situations. Anyone looking in, however, will find a young man brimming with burning passion, a fierce protectiveness, and most of all, a defining, bone-deep sense of responsibility.

Life on the rough side has taught Ruka key lessons: to only fight when he has to, to fight smart, and to keep hitting until the person trying to hit him doesn't get back up again. Despite an occasional, flashfire temper and sometimes violent impulses, Ruka loathes fighting. He dislikes being in pain or causing it, but knows the necessity of defending himself, and will retaliate however he can if he is attacked or threatened. Stubborn and survivalist, he usually seeks to avoid any fights altogether, but will try to end them quickly once engaged and won't turn his back until he knows his opponent is down for the count. However, when pushed too far, Ruka can be prone to starting a fight he is wholly unprepared for, or losing control and losing himself altogether in trying to get out of one.

There is no freedom like that the Dark grants, and Ruka revels in it, in the sensation of being unlimited. He immerses himself in its shadowy grasp both in and out of combat, but thrives on it in particular when in battle where he fights with his whole self, body and blade. Drawing on the Force, he tends to use indulgent and brutal displays of Lightning and Telekinesis intermingled with augmented saber and sword combat, saving nearly all his power for short, sprinting barrages meant to devastate rather than wearing down his opponents with smaller attacks. These heavy blows don't always work, however, and even incorporating his environment and tricks with Blackness between bouts, Ruka can very easily find himself in desperate or exhausted situations where his only recourse is to try to flee, bear the brunt of attack, or distract until he can retaliate.