Haseo @ Play

just trying to rev up my engine

Haseo's previous handle was "Sora". He tells Carl in .hack//ZERO that he named himself after Kawaii Sora, a poet who studied under famous Japanese haiku master Matsuo Basho. As such, it's not a difficult leap from Sora to Basho; what luck, considering Haseo's name is an alternate reading of the characters in Basho's name.

This tells us quite a bit about Haseo's offline persona. The fact that he chose two figures from Classical Japanese Literature, in particular, poets famous for their travels, marks him as a well-read, perhaps even slightly sentimental, young lad. More about Basho can be found on the site here; for now, let's examine Haseo's choice of class.

Many people who encounter Haseo on his journey make note that he's an Adept Rogue. In fact, the first two to meet him in The World, IYOTEN and Asta, catch his attention by saying, "Hey, you! You the Adept Rogue." Turns out that Haseo chose quite the complicated little class.

The specific difficulties of the class can be found on the Adept Rogue page. For now, let's decide why Haseo chose such a tough class. There aren't many rogues in The World, presumably because they're "good at everything, but a master of nothing". A few people mention that they're incredibly powerful characters once they master their class, but most agree that it takes too long and is too trying of an ordeal to deal with. These fears never stopped Haseo though. Perhaps he likes the challenge? Maybe he wanted to level up slower, but in the end have more power? Could it be that Haseo was originally a proponent of "slow and steady wins the race"? Or maybe he just liked the flexibility?

As an Adept Rogue, one of Haseo's most immediate choices dealt with what weapons he would use. It's important to note that he completely bypassed the healing classes, instead going for the agile Twin Blades, the powerful Edge Punisher, and the striking Flick Reaper. One thing's for sure: Haseo prefers fighting to healing.