Ebon Goldberg

"There comes a time when a man must decide where he stands in the world. Will he protect the people or will he oppose them? Villains, mercenaries, Grimm, they all err on the side of evil. It is my job to bring them to justice."

- Ebon Goldberg

A member of Team AERO, a third year team at Shade Academy. Ebon acts as second-in-command and the team's enforcer.

Appearance
Ebon is tall, dark-skinned and built like a linebacker. He is in excellent shape due to training his father gave when he was young, and is easily the strongest member of Team AERO in physical terms.

His combat outfit resembles the uniform of a waiter or bartender, consisting of gray suspenders, a black collared shirt under a gray vest (Implied to be armored) with gold buttons and a matching bowtie. He takes great care to keep his clothing clean and presentable, treating them like a combat uniform. On his back he wears crossed sheathes which carry Indra and Vajra when not in use.

Personality
Ebon bears the temperament of a police captain, a sign of his upbringing. He cares deeply for his team, but hides his concern behind an ironclad wall. He has a deep sense of duty and makes the safety of his comrades an absolute priority. As Amaranth's partner, he feels equally responsible to look after the team's wellbeing, but struggles to do so at times due to their conflicting natures.

Background
The son of Captain Midnight Goldberg, Ebon carries a heavy chip on his shoulder from living a highly militaristic lifestyle. His family moved from Atlas to Vacuo when he was twelve, making him the only member of team AERO born outside of the kingdom. This alienation and need to impress his father warped Ebon into a harsh, no-nonsense kind of person, and resulted in him becoming closed off from others. After being accepted into Shade, he remained distant for a long time before opening up a bit, especially to his teammates. It was due to the dedication and passion of his partner Amaranth that he was able to rise up the ranks and become a top student. By his third year his drive to complete his objectives coupled with his unique skills earned him the nickname of "Black Ace" from his peers.

Relationships
Team AERO: Although not as closed off as Amaranth, Ebon still struggles a bit to be open with his team. Despite their encouragement he often thinks of himself as being "just the muscle" to them, and feels he does not deserve their friendship. Other
 * Amaranth Alexandria- Having a very similar mindset, Ebon and Ama are able to sympathize well with each other. They work efficiently in perfect unity, to the point that they have been called the Twin Aces of Shade Academy.
 * Rusty Rosenthal- Rusty and Ebon are on fairly good terms, but they do get on each others' nerves at times. Where Ebon is committed to following the rules when he can, Rusty forges his own path, often not considering the consequences. Despite their differences, each sees the other's value in a fight, and over the years they have grown to rely on one another.
 * Olivine Peridot- Of his teammates, Livi is the one Ebon has had the most difficulty connecting with due to her reclusive nature. On multiple occasions he has tried connecting with her but is never able to strike up a good conversation.
 * Midnight Goldberg- His father is Ebon's role model. He idolized him as a boy, training every day in hopes of becoming as strong as he was. It was Midnight who inspired his son to become a hunter so he could help people across the world.

Combat
Ebon is physically the strongest member of Team AERO, but unlike Amaranth's frenzied one-on-one attack patterns, he is better at fighting groups. He excels at close to mid-ranged combat, and supports the rest of his team through strength.

Weapons- Rasan Easa
Ebon's primary weapon is Rasan Easa, meaning Two-Headed Rod. It was given to him by his father before leaving for Shade, and he has used it ever since. Being a melee weapon, it perfectly fits Ebon's preference for close combat.

Primary- Indra and Vajra
The primary forms of the Rasan Easa are referred to as the Indra and Vajra, twin nightsticks which can be amplified with dust, most commonly of the fire and lightning varieties. Each is about a meter long and includes a slot for holding vials of dust in its pommel. With these Ebon can attack on multiple fronts using blunt force amplified by dust.

Secondary- Deva
The second form of the Rasan Easa is a bo staff referred to as the Deva. To use it Ebon combines his two nightsticks into one at the pommels, giving him more reach and a wider area of defense. With this form he can channel dust to both ends of his weapon simultaneously, although this drains his supply more quickly.

Despite the raw force that Ebon can channel, a crippling weakness to his weapons is their lack of ranged capabilities. Luckily though, this is somewhat covered by his Semblance.

Semblance- Sever
"The blade that dwells within my soul will cleave through any obstacle in my path."

- Ebon Goldberg

Commonly referred to by Shade students as the Absolute Sword, Ebon's semblance allows him to extend his aura out invisibly by several meters, then use it to slash at a target in his line of sight. A devastating and unpredictable power, Sever can cleave through some physical objects with ease, although it cannot cut through a person's aura. Many assume that Sever is impossible to guard against, but in reality it is just very difficult. Although it might seem like an invisible sword, Sever still casts a shadow as it travels, and can be stopped by most weapons with the right timing. In addition, the maximum range and damage capabilities decrease as Ebon's aura runs low, making it less effective in a prolonged fight.

Tactics
Ebon is definitely the tankiest member of the team, able to take far more punishment than his teammates. His primary tactic is to soften up multiple foes with wide sweeps of his weapon before going in for the decisive blow. He prefers to fight at close range, but as long as he has a good supply of aura he can hit foes a bit further out.

Strengths

 * Groups of foes are no issue for Ebon due to his wide reach and powerful blows.
 * He is able to carry out any strategy to perfection, although he isn't beyond improvising when he needs to.
 * Being the only major user of dust on his team (Besides as simple ammunition) Ebon can, in a pinch, provide varied support that the rest of his team lacks.

Weaknesses

 * Ebon's ranged options are limited to his semblance, which loses reach and becomes weaker the more his aura is depleted. As such, he struggles against long distance foes with a lot of endurance.
 * If he runs out of dust, his weapons become little more than a pair of metal sticks. He can still deal damage with them, but their capabilities are severely weakened.

Trivia

 * Ebon's name is a reference to screenwriter Evan Goldberg.
 * He also follows the trend of each member of Team AERO's names referencing popular media in some form. In his case, this is film.

Character Theme: The Legend of the Strongest Man in Ikebukuro- Durarara