#akihiro

Ooooh, excellent question!

Buckle up, 'cause this is another long one!

I’ll split this up by a couple of categories if that’s alright: costumes, civilian clothes, then facial features/other characteristics

Costumes:

Akihiro, I’m gonna say is a tough one, because there’s not really been a unique costume in canon that I’m absolutely in love with.

Like, for example, while his X-factor one certainly was different, I wasn’t overly impressed with it. It was just too baggy. I think it could’ve improved if they made it more like a traditional tattsuke-bakama, which look like this:

Compared to:

(Like it was almost there, but needed to be slightly more fitted. Maybe add some pleats and folds to give it structure. It's so close to being a better look).

Otherwise, the rest are way too akin to Logan if not outright knockoffs.

Even his OG designer costume has an inverse mask of Logan’s:

Now, that is to say, I do think, in the aspect of symbolism, it works as he is diametrically opposed to his father here. It definitely had it’s place and time, and I do think it’s one of the better ones, but it doesn't really have the iconographic “wow factor” to last, if that makes sense.

Then there was him actively imitating his father on the Dark Avengers by wearing the Brown-and-tan, which I wouldn’t call his costume, but the color palette works for him.

X-Men Blue had the vest, which to be honest, was rather forgettable, but I miss his dual adamantium katanas.

Then there’s the Fang costume, which is alright, but both Logan and Laura had worn at some point before.

Hellverine is just Fang with a flaming skull and claws. As with the classic brown-and-tan, the color palette works, but it’s just not visually unique, you know?

Alternative Universe-wise: I also think the purple mohawk from the Spider-punk universe was awesome and hilarious

(Good for him for completely committing to the punk look with dyed hair. He does look more like a street punk here and I appreciate it)

Personally, I do favor a lot of concept arts/fan arts of costumes a bit more.

For example, I really like Mike Deodato Jr’s unused Concept:

I do really like the fact that it incorporates the tattoo into the costume in a nice, contrasty way that looks seamless. I think this design has potential to go somewhere!

Headcanon-wise, I’ve also toyed with my own designs, such as this one I did last year:

This was for me doing a homage to Uncanny X-Men #212’s cover as a little art challenge for myself.

It ended up looking like this:

For this one specifically, my goal was to make something Wolverine-like enough so that an audience would recognize who this “mysterious character” is connected to, but also distinct enough that he’s his own character.

For a more modern look, I would probably do the following:

--Keep the dragon mask, which I based heavily off of this

--stick with earth tones/deep jewel tones as a color palette

--No mask covering his eyes or hair. Lower half of his face only would be cool

--a decent blend of both his heritage and modern style.

Basically, I just really want a nice costume design with some thought put into it. Something that reflects the character as a individual, instead of a knock-off wolverine variant.

Laura and Gabby are much easier because I like both of their current designs.

Currently, Laura also has the mantle of Wolverine, so it makes sense that she has a Wolverine costume:

This I appreciate because it’s recognizable enough to be “a Wolverine” but it’s not an exact 1:1 of Logan’s costume. For example, it doesn’t have the side stripes/spikes and the black forms a clear X over the yellow. It makes sense!

This may be a controversial take, but I did like her NYX costume as well:

Only because, to me, it really does read as “baby’s first attempt at avant-garde haut couture” but make it a costume. (The cropped jacket alone!) During this time, Akihiro was dead/presumed dead (this was during the first Hellverine mini/just before), so I really wished they went with the angle of her trying to emulate her brother’s interest in fashion. Like, he had a designer costume! It would’ve been interesting if it was a way of her dealing with her grief while burying herself in her mission.

This one, I’m glad never lasted, but they could’ve given this one more plotline potential with the time it had. I also really like the X-Force-esque look with the jacket:

I think it was also Kevlar reinforced or something. That’s just practical! healing factor or not.

And this particular Hellfire Gala look:

That’s a perfect look for her. Just the right amount of punk/alternative, but you still know exactly who she is. Iconic.

Gabby’s costume, I think they’ve toned it down too much, but it still works with Laura’s:

This one is fine. It coordinates with her sister. But she needs to go back to jazzing up her outfits like she used to:

Random little flower, shoulder armor pads, hair accessories – she’s got it all! She’s like thirteen, let her have more fun expressing herself.

The wolvie jacket was also adorable as well:

That can be more civilian clothes, but we need to bring that back.

Civilian Clothes:

I miss civilian clothes in general. It seems they’re a lot fewer and far between than they used to be and I miss it!

Even the ones we do see are painfully generic. What happened to giving characters fun outfits!

Anyway, for Akihiro, I do like when he’s given nice outfits. I will admit, in his earlier appearances, some of the clothing choices are painfully early 2000s, but I do still like the concept of him being a well-dressed man.

Like in Iceman, for example, he had some really good outfits:

(I really dig those sunglasses)

This man should have a closet full of high end brands and designer from across the globe. No less than a Tom Ford leather jacket (or perhaps a custom bespoke Himel Bros) and several tailored suits. Different colors for each season. Plus an assortment of “vinatge” pieces now worth thousands.

Also, the "Strong Girl" was iconic, I don't care what anyone says:

For Laura, I do miss when she had more of a goth/alternative style. Though there was extremely questionable overt sexualization at the time, I do think she should’ve at least maintained that genre of style. It also seems like she got hit with the “generic clothes” beam in her current appearances.

But in her case, it also seems to coincide with her being in a happier place in life. Which I don’t necessarily agree with, by the way! You can be alternative or goth and be happy! Give her a whole arc of discovering her own taste in fashion, she deserves it!

Gabby, I can’t say there’s been any extremely memorable outfits, but I do really like the mismatched stockings and when she has a ton of hair clips:

Facial Features/Other Characteristics:

It’s a vital need that Akihiro takes mostly after his mother. Especially in the shape of his eyes, or the way he smirks or scowls or laughs or the way his eyebrows crease when he’s concentrating just like his mama. (I need Logan emotionally devastated by something as small as Aki absentmindedly chewing his lip while he’s reading, just like his mother used to. Like to the point Aki catches him staring and Logan’s emotionally constipated ass has to leave the room).

When I draw him, I do like giving him some slight echoes of Logan, such as the shape of the nose. I do think Logan has a very prominent hooked nose, so Akihiro also has one, but with a bit of his mama mixed in, so it’s a bit more elegant, like the aquiline nose of a roman statue versus Logan’s probably-also-crooked-from-the-amount-of-fights-he’s-been-in rugged bumpy nose.

I also think, while he has a wider chin like Logan, his is still more narrow and he has Itsu’s cheekbones and rounder face which was more obvious when Akihiro was a kid. (Aki’s gotten more angular with age).

Lately, I also have gotten into the habit of giving him three beauty marks on the right side of his face. I used to have the same marks on the left side of my face, and I used to think of it as the “Bermuda triangle of kisses,” but as a teen, I got really bad acne, like the deep cystic kind, and I think it destroyed of them because the one under my eye is so faint it’s basically gone.

On that note, I also give him the gold hoop double helix piercings because that’s what I have in my right ear and I plan on doing the left one day!

I dunno if you wanna call it projecting bits of myself into my favorite characters or molding myself into what I think my favorite characters would be into, but it is what it is, lol.

Side note: I like Marvel Puzzle Quest’s design for Old Man/Samurai Akihiro:

I especially really appreciate the fact that he has such neatly groomed facial hair as an old man. And that it’s a nice little circle beard and not mutton chops. I see the vision here!

For Laura, I haven’t put as much work into the designs, but I do like the fact that she has her grandmother Elizabeth’s eyes. That should get brought up more. I also do appreciate when artists make her look more like her mother Sarah than Logan. I’m kinda torn about making her look too much like Logan, just because it’s so easy to fall into the trap of making her Logan 2.0, when she should be her own person.

(Plus it would be a really funny running gag if all the snikt kids get their mother’s looks, but Logan’s claws)

Gabby, I really like when she had that bob in New Mutants:

This is cute. She should have short hair and a ton of barrettes and whatnot! Otherwise, she’s just mini-Laura lookswise with bolder fashion sense.

Then artist-wise here are my favorites:

Kevin Wada and Lucas Werneck for Akihiro. Daniel Picciotto’s sketch that he did for me is also wonderful. And I do love Micheal Sta. Maria’s job so far. He’s really nailing the fluffy mohawk alone.

Rickie Yagawa also does an amazing job with both Laura and Akihiro.

Jacopo Camagni (RIP) also did a lovely Laura and Gabby. It was the right amount of expressiveness and style which suited them well. Giada Belviso does a fun Laura as well.

Akihiro in X-Force (2026) #6

Writer: Tim Seeley

Inglorious X-Force #7 Previews are out

source here

Here’s the summary:

Bobby and Akihiro have a thing going on, but it screeched to a halt as Akihiro quietly leaves for a secret mission in Madripoor. Shortly after, Bobby temporarily leaves the X-Men to continue being an accountant and take care of his sick mother. Akihiro returns to find Bobby alone in his accounting firm. Let's just say that isn't the only thing that remains firm. Delicious smut. Very Self-indulgent. Have fun ;)

Feel free to check it out:

and what are some other ways his powers differ from that of laura or logan?

OKAY GREAT QUESTION!!!!

So, um, it depends on how you want to look at it. Unfortunately, things like healing factors rely on a soft pseudo-science and are up to creative interpretation, depending on the writer.

(This is so long, I’m sorry)

From a scientific standpoint, it technically should be possible for any member of the snikt family to get a tattoo if they want to.

Essentially, tattoos are skin micro-injuries for decorative/cultural/other nuanced purposes.

A needle/tool injects or inserts a pigment – which can be anything from soot or charcoal to very fancy tattoo inks into the stable dermis layer of skin. From there, this triggers an immune response in your body in which your white blood cells encapsulate this foreign material. Normally, in a wound, they would kill the bacteria/foreign element, break it down, and the lymphatic system would whisk it away. But pigment molecules are too big! So it just kinda sits there until the white blood cell dies. Then it’s released, another white blood cell encapsulates it, and the cycle repeats!

That is all to say, having a tattoo is a continual active “healing” process than has little to no effect on the tattoo itself. The pigment molecule is too big itself to go anywhere!

However, pigments do break down over time. Mostly from things like age of the pigment, sun exposure causing denaturation of pigments, and aging of the “canvas” (your dermis layer) itself. Like mentioned above, technically your body is actively trying to break down the pigments, so that doesn’t really help either, lol. I think a tiny amount does technically break down and travel to other tissues. But most tattoo pigments are very resistant!

Now, looking at Akihiro, he has a solid black tattoo, which pigment-wise, is one of the toughest colors you can get. Like, it’s known for how durable it is. It has a very dense structure and tends to be more UV resistant. (If you look up photos of elderly folk with tattoos, you’ll likely see the dark, bolder colors aged the best. Those American Traditional Tattoos were popular for a reason!). For me personally, my oldest tattoo is about ten years old, and while the yellow in it is basically nonexistent and I should probably consider a touch-up (but meh), the black is still as good as freshly healed.  

We also don’t really know what type of ink Akihiro used – modern tattoo ink is of much more consistent quality nowadays, as it’s not just an artist DIYing it themselves. There are brands that specialize in shelf-stable, consistent pigments. It used to depend on the artist recipe – American artists had their own blends of gylcerine, a grain alcohol, distilled water, and a food-grade pigment powder. In Japan, it used to be a high quality specially made sumi ink, which is soot and animal glue or a vegetable starch glue. It’s then ground down in a special inkwell to achieve proper consistency. It’s not super well studied, but it’s safe to assume a quality soot tattoo can last a lifetime (see Otzi the Iceman’s tattoos) How modern tattoo ink compares remains to be seen, but is at least comparable, I’d say! Either way, assuming Aki goes with the best possible ink on the market, as is in character for him, it will last a long time before he needs even a touch up!

So, how you want to add the nuance of a healing factor really depends on the writer! Personally, I like to think that while the pigments might break down a little faster than a regular person (let’s play with the supercharged healing factor speeding things up a bit), he’d probably go at least a couple decades before he’ll consider getting it touched up a bit, just to clean up and refine some of the linework.

Of course, if he gets blown up/arm cut off (anything that physically removes that dermis layer), he’d need to get it redone completely! I also do think it would be interesting if there was a bit a pseudo-science level “skin memory” at play, where those areas “remember” that they’re supposed to be fighting the pigment and therefore he gets a flared up immune response if he decides to forego the tattoo for a little while. Like he’s had the tattoo for so long he gets a rash or psoriasis if he decides to forego the tattoo for a while. I think it would be an interesting concept to explore!

Now, to continue speculating in the realm of soft science fiction land, you could maybe argue that having adamantium bonded to your skeleton completely revamps the healing factor, maybe making those immune cells “supercharged” in a way that can eat pigment. It’s canon that Logan’s healing factor is constantly fighting the adamantium in his skeleton, so maybe he’s got extra strong/weirdly specialized immune cells that come from actively fighting your bones for who knows how many decades? In that case, no tattoo for Logan or Laura. But Gabby is a strong maybe now lmao!

Generally speaking, aside from the pheromone powers, it’s been shown that Akihiro’s healing factor does not operate at the same level as Laura or Logan. (I’m sticking to healing factors here because I’m a roll!) His body, while conditioned, arguably doesn’t have the same level of “battle hardening,” that Logan or Laura do. Logan has been through the Weapon X program, while Laura was raised in a lab. While he’s been through the wringer in his own regard (see the Heat arc), I do think there’s a degree of clinical precision that his body isn’t adapted to in the same way. Like, he hasn’t been experimented on in a consistently precise way designed to test and push the limits of his healing factor. To me, it reads more as rudimentary survivalist training and conditioning from a wannabe wolf-god. Like the most hardcore Bushcraft & Survival Full-immersion Training Course you could possibly imagine. Not to say that didn’t likely strengthen him at all (the opposite actually), but it is different. Less poked and prodded, I guess?

Personally, from a headcanon standpoint, it would be interesting to explore the different nuances of the snikt family’s healing factors. Such as:

Logan would likely be more resistant to poisoning since his skeleton is actively poisoning him already. But he’d also be more susceptible to disease/his healing factor does have a weird response to diseases since he’s from the 1800s and probably not vaccinated prior to his healing factor activating. Especially versus Laura, who is most similar, but has less of a drastic haywire response since the Facility vaccinated her prior to her healing factor kicking in (I would assume they did, if only to “protect their research” or whatever.) Akihiro probably falls somewhere in the middle, as based on his age, vaccinations would have been compulsory during that time.  Plus smallpox vaccination wasn’t discontinued until like 1976, so it would be neat if he had a pre-healing factor scar from that. Gabby, falls under the same boat as Laura, and has all her pre-healing factor vaccinations. And to clarify, by “response,” I mean their immune system/healing factor responds, but it’ll look different on a molecular level. Or if a healing factor is knocked out! Plus with Logan’s age, you have the added nuance of how good is his immune memory? Does a healing factor bolster that? Or is his so overactive that when it’s knocked out, he has no memory cells to combat any infection or disease?

 I feel like a good writer could have fun playing around with this! I personally really like the idea that when the healing factor is knocked out, the body sort of “resets” to pre-healing factor immune systems.  

As far as immune systems itself, Logan and Akihiro are more “practical” in conditioning via exposure all over the world (from their age/travels on basically every continent). They’ve been exposed to all sorts of people, and have the immunity that comes from being exposed to all walks of life across the globe. Maybe even some weird niche stuff, like leftover antibodies from a specific strain of influenza from a tiny village in Spain, or similar things like that. Laura and Gabby’s immune systems are very precise, and based on most likely diseases to be encountered, or based on missions assigned. Such as Laura having Typhoid antibody proteins from a vaccine, but Gabby does not.

And then overall, I think all of their antibody titer tests would look wild! I’m talking like a team of dedicated scientists would have decades of research material, lol. Like there would be antibodies from known diseases, unknown diseases, stuff from outer space probably, etc. Like forget mad scientists wanting to turn them into their own weapons, give me a researcher trying to apply for grant funding who needs a promising research topic and wants a blood sample for immunology studies, lmao. (just kidding, but it would be a fun riff on that trope).

Both Logan and Akihiro would have the best cold and heat resistance – Logan from his stints as a wild wolfman and Akihiro from his brand of conditioning. Laura, being a climate-controlled lab baby, is probably most susceptible to extreme temperatures. Gabby too, but she’s like 13 and built different, so let’s give her a bit more, lol.

As far as other stuff goes, I do miss when Akihiro had black claws. I think it would be an interesting nuance of his mutation if he had an entirely black skeleton. It could just be a harmless facet of his personal mutant abilities, but visually cool as well.

 There is technically a “black bone disease,” but I don’t headcanon Aki having this at all.  Basically, a genetic disease called Alkaptonuria causes the body accumulate homogentisic acid, which damages the cartilage and heart valves of the body over time, causing heart problems and early onset osteoarthritis. When exposed to open air (oxygen specifically), urine and other exposed parts will turn a dark, inky color. A specific antibiotic called minocycline can also cause this.

That is also to say, I do think some individual genetic quirks would be fun, but nothing as wildly specific as that! Moreso harmless things like both Logan and Akihiro are technically supposed to be nearsighted, but the healing factor mitigates the degradation of eyesight. For a fun reference, see Wolverine: The End – Logan’s got reading glasses if I remember correctly! Laura was too, but it was genetically edited out. Same with Gabby. Akihiro surprisingly does not have the Asian flush gene, but for a time he thinks he does, because one time when his healing factor is temporarily out of commission for a bit, he couldn’t drink at the same level, so it was more of a frame of reference thing puzzling him. Though, I do also think an undetected heart condition or predisposition to arthritis could be interesting in the hands of a good writer. Some sort of genetic conditions that a healing factor would generally mask or compensate for!

Or maybe some weird stuff that a healing factor doesn’t mark as an issue. Such as:

For example, I have a bone deformity called pectus carinatum, also commonly known as “pigeon breast”. Basically, I was born with a mildly deformed sternum that bows outward and a bit to the right in my case, like a bird’s chest. Cases vary, but mine was never considered severe enough that insurance would cover a corrective brace. It doesn’t hurt most of the time, though the tendons/muscles in the area kind “pop” on occasion. Mostly if I stretch just right. I described it to a doctor once and they were perplexed by it, so I dunno if that’s normal, lol. I do also tend to wheeze if I exercise too hard as my chest doesn’t expand correctly, but my heart and lungs are perfect, so it compensates well enough I guess! Something weird like that could be fun. Like any member of the snikt fam assumes that’s just an aspect of having a healing factor and everyone else is like, “no wait, that doesn’t happen to me, wtf”

Or, it would be funny if, for example, Gabby needed braces, but due to her healing factor, she had to wear them for an extra-long time and/or needed extra dental work to retrain her body as the healing factor-esque muscle memory is resistant to change. For context, I had braces for a total of 5 years because my mouth was “stubborn.” And that’s on top of dental expanders – both top and bottom, springs, wires, rubber bands, several tooth extractions, and I currently have a permanent retainer for my lower teeth. I also had the majority of my baby teeth extracted because the roots didn’t dissolve correctly and the adult teeth were coming in behind them. I had rows of teeth like a shark! I technically have a top retainer I’m supposed to wear but I threw it out years ago because I’m done with dental work. I don’t care if my teeth are “perfect.” They’re functional and I’m happy. That’s all to say, I think a healing factor could do similar.

Anyway, I hope that answers your question! That's pretty much everything off the top of my head, plus double-checking my tattoo science references. And thank you so much for asking!!!

Sources if ya want to read up on it further on the tattoo part:

A fun article on it: https://www.popsci.com/how-tattoos-work/

Scientific articles: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2510392122

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11739707/

Blog with the history of tebori tattoos and the ink: https://www.authentink.com/japanese-horimono/tebori-tattoo-traditional-japanese-hand-poked-ink/