Urban Bushido
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
The supergroup known as Urban Bushido exists as a grassroots organization with the mission of defending the community against crime or disaster, training the citizenry in self-defense, and preventing crime before it occurs. The membership consists primarily of close-combat specialists, often categorized as "Scrappers" or "Tankers", who are well-versed in armed and unarmed techniques which they in turn pass on to any citizens and agents of law enforcement who attend Urban Bushido training courses. Exceptions to this exclusive membership may include a few select ranged combat specialists, or "Blasters", who possess notable skill in archery and firearms, as well as any heroes who are proficient with first aid, medicine, security, or other fields of expertise which can prove useful to the civilian sector. Honorary and associate memberships may also be issued to non-superhumans who have skills, services or knowledges to offer in the interest of bettering the community.
Urban Bushido also offers group counseling to people who have been victimized directly or indirectly by crime, private investigation services for those who suspect others of criminal activity, and rehabilitation to former criminals who fear that they may return to crime if society cannot offer them any other options for self-improvement. While fees may be charged for these services, the fees are always negotiable and may be tailored to the needs, income and affluence of the individual, and reciprocation in the forms of donated goods or services may be accepted in lieu of currency.
To oppose greater or more immediate threats to the populace, the superheroes on Urban Bushido's roster may be called to form Community Crisis Teams, Disaster Relief Teams, First Strike Teams or Line of Defense Teams, depending on the vector, immediacy and/or proximity of the threat. Urban Bushido personally organized several First Strike Teams against the Praetorians when the Urban Bushido membership unearthed the Praetorians' plans to commence a massed invasion on Paragon City by way of the Portal Corporation's gateways. Several leaders of the Praetorian vanguard were personally driven back by Urban Bushido operatives, including Anti-Matter, Bobcat and Chimera. Urban Bushido also participated in campaigns against the Rularuu Invasion, several musterings and concentrations of Nemesis forces and the illegal Revenant Project which was ultimately found to be helmed by Crey Industries.
Urban Bushido also believes in the continual self-improvement of martial artists among the superhero community and at times hosts tournaments where Scrappers and Tankers may come to challenge each other in hand-to-hand sparring matches. Students of all legitimate fighting styles--from common boxing and self-trained street brawling to exclusive, exotic or demanding styles such as pentjak silat and capoeira--are welcome, and such matches are made viewable to the public both to entertain the community and to stoke interest in the martial arts. The Urban Bushido Tournaments have offered prizes and rewards to previous champions such as Kripto, a champion of two previous tournaments. Recent tournaments have also extended their combatants to select supervillains, and the last Urban Bushido Tournament resulted in the notorious mercenary Mr. Mud returning from the Defeated bracket of the double-elimination tournament to rematch the sword-swinging Tarberetta for the title belt.
Fittingly, the founders of Urban Bushido--the Widowed and Sonic Star--first met while attempting to evacuate citizens and shield them from the skirmishes between the standing Fifth Column forces and the Council insurgents waging open warfare in the streets and alleys of Paragon City. This crisis--and the way that these two heroes addressed it--may have planted the seeds from which Urban Bushido and their mission would be founded.
